“Glen is not here because...” Gwen proceeds to tell the story to Liz, who actively listened.
“I see, going in haste will worsen the situation. We need to be prepared,” Liz said.
Date: September 30
Time: Afternoon
Maury, Aster, and Agnes stand outside of the Simona City Police Department. This one is the central branch, the largest in the city. The building is as vast as Simona College.
“I still don’t get it. Why here?” Maury asked.
“I’ve already told you. My uncle is the head of police. He doesn’t do sorcery but understands it very well. He’ll be able to help us. Although, I’m still concerned about the dubious methods to save her.” Agnes tenses up as she braces her arms.
“Does he know about Aster?”
“Yes, he does. As well as my sisters. My parents and other relatives don’t know. Frankly, I rather have them not know. I’m sure you understand...”
“Come on, let’s get going.” Aster cuts straight to the point. They take their steps forward towards the giant door.
After greeting the secretary, they head to the chief’s office at Agnes’ guidance. Compared to many police offices, this one’s the fanciest.
The chief has his own private department inside the station. Outside are two secretaries who greet them and ask the purpose of their visit. They enter another large door that leads to a long hallway and finally to the chief’s office. Back where I used to work, the chief’s office is straightforward. No fancy halls, let alone two private secretaries.
“Uncle Koro, how are you doing?” Agnes greeted. She extends her arms towards him.
“I’m doing well, Agnes. You brought a party.”
“Yes, uncle. The thing is we need help.”
“So, this is what you’ve told me about? Hmm... Alright, have a seat all of you.” He ushers them to sit at a large table in yet another room, reserved for meetings.
“Let me get this straight: your friend went to the police to get her job back, and she ended up getting kidnapped.” This police chief is precisely what Agnes describes, a stern but understanding man. I wish my bosses were like that.
“Yes, she needs to be rescued by October 5th,” Agnes said. The tension is rough.
“To me, this sounds like your friend was lured into a trap. Think about it: she went to get her job back and ended up taken. If they wanted to arrest her, they should’ve approached her. Seems someone in of position of power called them.”
They wonder who is he referring to.
“I’m talking about the military,” the chief replied. Everybody is horrified at this statement. No one didn’t expect the military to kidnap me.
“Uncle, why the military?” she inquired.
“So, it has come to this...” he thought. “You may not know this, but three years ago, a young man was set on fire. The young woman who was dating him was accused of witchcraft. She was taken to court, but they couldn’t find evidence, and the case was closed.” The chief displays an online article with an old photo of me on the projector screen.
“No way! That’s—” Maury shouted.
“Uncle, why do you tell us this?" asked Agnes as she draws her fingers into a fist.
“Everything, because the woman in the photo is her. Your friend who was taken away by the military...” he replied most serenely. How are they supposed to say when they’re so shocked to utter a word?
I remember that photo. It was taken after our final date. I had long, shiny hair that reached my bottom. After the case, I cut it all. I couldn’t make the humiliation I went through.
“The man she dated was the son of a billionaire. His family spent their entire fortune on medical bills. They went as far as sacrificing their company. Not only they lost their business, but they also lost their son. His father ended up committing suicide out of misery.”
“But it was an accident, right?” Agnes whined.
“It has to be an accident!!” shouted Maury, standing up. “There’s no way she killed him!”
“Even so, do you still want to save her? You realize you’re about to enter dangerous territory. Should anything go wrong, you’ll be arrested and imprisoned for life. Or worse, you’d be shot and killed. Are you willing to sacrifice your lives for this?” he asked in a stern tone.
Maury is the first to respond. “I’m in! I’ll do whatever it takes to save her.”
“I’m in too. Glen is my friend. Even though we met recently, she’s done a lot for us. She deserves to be saved,” said Aster as he removes his hood. The chief’s eyes widen a bit yet remains calm like the professional he is.
“Yeah, I’m in too! I’m going to save her no matter what!” Gwen yelled as she pops out of the bag. She stands on top of the table like a boss.
“A talking cat?” the chief asked.
“Hi! I’m Gwen. Nice to meet you. I used to be human so many centuries ago and now I’m a spirit inside this stuffed animal.” After greeting, she takes steps towards Agnes. “This lady has the spirit of this former kingdom’s queen inside her.”
“It’s true, uncle. The spirit of our ancestor lies within me. It happened three years ago.”
The chief is shocked but keeps his pose. “I’m going to keep this to myself, and not tell your parents or your sisters about it. Anyway, come with me.” The chief takes Agnes’ silent resolution as her answer. He guides them to a secret room behind the screen filled with weapons.
It’s compact, but it’s no small room. It’s spacious with different types of weapons stacked and organized by priority use. Guns are the highest priority, followed by swords, and other weapons that don’t fit with the other two. Bless this chief for being so prepared.
“Hey, Maury! Check out these swords. Pick one,” Gwen said with a hint of enthusiasm.
“Are you making me the token swordsman? Look, since we’re going to the military, we’ll be fighting humans. They use guns, not swords. I’ll take this pistol then.” Gwen grumbles away.
Meanwhile, Aster checks out the collection of one-hand swords. “These are really shiny like no one has ever used them before. Mine is dull, so I guess it doesn’t hurt to upgrade.” He picks the broadsword from the left. Satisfied with his selection, he exchanges his old sword for the new one and places it in his sheath.
“What about you, Agnes? You still remember your gunsmith lessons?” the chief asked.
“Uncle, you’ll be putting yourself in danger as well. Why help us? What is your reason?” Agnes still has reservations. I can’t blame her though.
“Ask yourself this: did she deserved this? If not, then you must do what’s right,” the chief said. After staring at the guns, Agnes picks a handgun and sticks it inside her handbag.
They’re finally ready.
Month Eight - October
Date: October 5; Time: Evening, Full Moon
Maury drives on the way to the military facility, north of Simona City. Though he was given the instructions on paper, he uses his smartphone as his GPS navigator. Once again, Gwen is amazed by the technology used.
“Wow! That’s so cool! Back in our day, we went whatever the winds took us. Right, Aster?”
“We did use maps though...”
“Yeah, but most were vague and drawn poorly. So, we used the moon and the stars as our guide. Anyway, are you sure you’re taking us in the right direction?” she asked Maury.
“Yes, that’s why I’m using my thing here,” he replied, referring to his device.
He’s still driving the long highway. Since it’s nighttime, there aren’t many cars on the road. Also, his black van makes the perfect disguise against anything.
Shortly, they hear a familiar groan of someone waking up. “Where am I? Why is this moving so fast?” Aster recognizes the voice as Liz’s. “Since when you’re here?”
“Agnes fell asleep, and I took over. Is that bad?”
“That’s hardcore!” Maury reacted with sweat.
Gwen jumped out of excitement and
landed on Liz’s lap. “Hey, Liz! How are you? How’s life? Whoops! I shouldn’t be asking that.”
“So, Gwen, why is this cart moving so fast? It’s like riding on thousand horses!!” Poor Liz. Though she learned a few things here and there, she’s still overwhelmed. Everything is new to her, after all. Yet, she’s in this world briefly.
After some brief explanations, they see the outskirts of the facility. Maury steers the van off the road into the woods. Turns out there are surveillance cameras and driving into them spells trouble. After reaching a safe open space, they finally get out.
“Hey, Aster, you should turn your phone’s navigation off,” Maury ordered.
“You mean location services, right? I see.” Aster turned off his phone navigation. Gwen is confused, so she demanded what Maury meant. “Okay, explain!”
“There is a possibility of the military finding us based on our phones. That’s why I asked Aster to turn his navigation off.” Gwen seems to agree with the explanation.
They walk towards the back door, which has nothing guarding it. This marks as a safe spot for discussion.
Gwen elected herself as the leader, but her hi-tech skill is spotty. Thus, Aster is chosen to lead. Using the printed map and his knowledge of the modern world, he will guide them to saving me.
“Liz, you used mala beads, right? How are you going to fight without them?” Aster asked. Liz glances at her hands and closes them into a grip.
“I’ll use my fists,” she said.
“Isn’t it dangerous?” Maury asked.
“Drop it! Let’s go!” Spoken like a boss, Aster opens the door. No special code needed.
Maury and Liz follow inside while Gwen remains inside Maury’s bag, hoisted to his back.
Date: October 5
Time: Late Night, Full Moon
Inside, Aster goes over the strategies.
“See those? Surveillance cameras. Liz, use Vajura Bolt to destroy them. Maury, stay behind her. Gwen, you will observe in case they try to ambush us from behind. Agree?”
“I see nothing to object,” Liz said.
“I don’t object, either,” Maury added.
“Great plan. Let’s do this!” Gwen said.
***
I’m sitting on a bed inside a giant prison. Sad to the core, hopeless. My smartphone batteries have been dead for days, and I’m still hungry. I was given food but not enough to fill me. My head hurts like hell. The shower and toilet in the corner are saving graces.
I didn’t know how I got here. I was already here when I woke up. Seems I was asleep for a while.
When I woke up, I prayed to be saved. But will this be true? We don’t know each other, so I’m not sure if they’re going to bother.
If my old friends were still alive, they'd probably abandon me. We were drinking buddies, anyway. They never gave a shit about me just as I never gave a shit either.
Grandma would’ve cared to save me, but she’s no longer in this world. Awful memories of my parents screaming at each other flooded my mind. I remember my mother screaming how she hated my father and how I should’ve never been born. After the divorce, they left me to fate, treating me as if I never existed.
I didn’t care at first to be rescued. I would’ve accepted fate as is. But I do want to be saved. And so, I continue to pray for a miracle.
...any kind of miracle.
***
Aster and the others rush through the hallways, evading many soldiers as possible. Liz has destroyed every single camera so far. They didn’t suffer an ambush thanks to Aster’s lead.
“Can I comment?” Liz raised. “Something about these knights seems odd. They look human but...” Aster wonders what Liz means but gets it. “Now that you mention it...”
“I agree. These soldiers are far too perfect. Almost non-human,” Maury said. The soldiers stand with zero reaction. Something’s not right.
“Aster, are we almost there?” Gwen asked.
“We’re here,” he said. “The problem is finding the prison Glen’s in. Can you use your psychic powers to locate her?” Gwen sighs. “There’s an interference here, but I’ll try.”
Gwen pops out of the bag to meditate. “You need to hurry because we’ll be taken if they find us,” Aster urged. Gwen focuses as much as she can. She visions a tear shed. “There!” She rushes to the door in the middle, opening it with psychic energy.
I got up with a jolt the moment the door opened. The guys rush right in. Please tell me this is a joke. Is this for real? I notice Maury’s hand extending towards me. “Come. Let’s go.”
Maury isn’t the only one here. Aster, the gal, and even Gwen are here. Did they come to save me? I wanted to say something, but I can’t find the words. I’m choked up. Even so, I leap to hug Maury, who did the same. I’m too weak to run, so Maury carries me on his back. A soldier catches us, and we begin to run. I grip onto his shoulders, holding him tight as I can.
We run all over the place, hoping to find the exit. But we also run to hide from the soldiers. When they started shooting, Gwen summoned a reflection spell to deflect bullets.
We arrived at what looks like a central area surrounded by giant screens and control panels. A powerful magical beam shoots at us from nowhere, knocking Maury and me down. Wait! That’s sorcery too, right? I thought I was the only sorceress in this world.
Anyway, I tried to rush towards Maury, but a random soldier grabs me. “What?!” I gasped. “Maury!!!” I cried, extending my arm to him.
“Glen!” Maury tried to rush, but a soldier gets in his way. “Get out of my way!!!” he barked. But the soldier kicked him in the guts, knocking him far to the panels. Maury yelps in pain as Aster rushes to check for potential injuries. “I knew it! These knights aren’t human!!” Liz shouted. They suddenly hear a clapping sound.
“I’m impressed you know this much.”
A middle-aged, gray-haired man in military uniform approaches us. He seems to be this facility’s general. He stands next to the soldier who’s grabbing me.
“How dare you burst into a government facility? You will not be arrested. Instead, I’ll execute on the spot. Meanwhile, I’m going to take this witch to the Central Government where she’ll be put on trial.”
“No, you will not!!” Maury barked again.
“I don’t need to hold back against these monsters for who they are!” After putting on a strange pose, Liz summons a spell which looks like a giant golden wheel. This traps the soldiers inside. “Samsara,” she uttered. They evaporated with the rapid spin of the wheel. We look with amazement of the scene.
“Wow! So cool! It’s been forever since I’ve seen you done it! It was your signature spell!” Gwen shouted with praise. Liz chuckled.
“It doesn’t matter if you kill all the soldiers here,” the general said. “There’s more to spare.”
“And you can get away because they’re demon-fused androids,” Aster added. The general gives out a smirk as if he’s confirming this.
“Human soldiers are expensive. But with an army of mass-produced bots, it costs us nothing. Of course, I used some demon help.”
That beam earlier... it’s hard to believe, but he’s a sorcerer too. This stern experienced sensible man wearing a military uniform is a sorcerer. How is that possible?
“I know what you’re all thinking. We don’t exist anymore, right? We've always been there. We simply keep it a secret from the public. Imagine if thousands of people in a city of millions were to summon fireballs at the same time. It would be disastrous for the economy.
“Sorcerers cannot live amongst the commoners. They’re considered a threat. Because of this, only the elite can practice sorcery. Stupid people can’t tie their own shoes, let alone execute a perfect spell.”
“Your brainwashing has been successful so far,” Aster growled. The rest posed for battle.
“This sorceress is a threat. She must be executed. This is what the people demand. They voted for this. The world doesn’t need any more worthles
s wizards. Science is everything!!”
Numerous soldier bots surround Maury and the others. They point their guns towards them. “Now die like the fools you are.” As he turns around, he sees I’m not moving.
Wait? I’m not moving! What is the meaning of this? I can’t feel my body! Why is everything black? I don’t remember covering my eyes!
DING!
A glimmer of light. The light grows into a giant full moon. I continue to run. And there she stands, the female figure I’ve seen in my dreams. I shed tears of joy. She’s finally before me. She’s a beauty wearing a long black dress with long black hair flowing in the wind.
She spreads her arm towards me. It’s as if she’s inviting me to hold her hand. Should I? But I’ve been waiting so long for this... I walk up and place my hand. An overwhelming power flows through me along with this strange voice:
Nothing from darkness
I, mistress of the full moon
Have chosen my humble servant
One bringer of the night
I entrust thou my blessing
And envelop thy foe with the shades of the night!
With these words, we have become one unit. This must be the powers I was born with. They were waiting to be awakened. I wonder if this was the secret Gwen hid from me. It doesn’t matter. Either way, I am going to live!!
DING!
I see a shining light. It must be the real world. I can move my body again. I blast all the enemies and the general off with enormous energy. My friends and I are finally free. They rush to get me, but Gwen tells them to wait. Then I begin chanting a spell. I don’t know what spell it is, but I feel as if I’ve known it by heart.
Nothing from darkness
I, mistress of the full moon
One bringer of the eternal night...
“Guys, we have to leave right now! Don’t worry about Glen! She’ll be fine. It’ll be all for nothing if we die here!!” At Gwen’s urging, my friends rush to escape. They blast through the soldier bots blocking their way. The furious general ordered the soldiers to attack. They leap only to explode before me. I continue chanting the spell.
Queen who governs the stars
Legacy of Dolyn Page 14