“Things changed, Gwen. Tolls have to be paid so governments can finance better roads.” Aster replied in response to Gwen’s comment.
“I know, but it’s annoying,” Gwen grunted. Everyone laughs.
My friends stop their laughter once they see the welcome sign. They’re finally there.
“We’re here, but we need to find the stadium,” Agnes said.
“We need to find parking first though,” Maury added.
“It’ll be best to walk to the stadium,” Aster said. “There’s no telling what kind of destruction this city would have. Besides, this van is our only mode of transportation.”
“So, I should park as far as possible, right? I agree.” Taking the directions into consideration, Maury finds the right parking spot. He parks his car in a narrow lot of a factory, claiming to be the safest from any attack.
Next, they grab their weapons. For Maury, it’s his revolver. For Agnes, it’s her pistol. And for Aster, it’s his one-handed sword. Maury puts Gwen inside a knapsack and holsters the bag over his back. Gwen sticks her head out and turns forward, holding on to Maury’s shoulder.
After a collective sigh, they walk towards the stadium.
We’re here, Glen. Wait for us.
Date: January 31
Time: Dusk, Full Moon
It took them awhile, but they finally arrived. My friends managed to reach without taking a cab or public transportation. They ate protein bars and consumed energy drinks from the knapsack. They haven’t eaten since this morning, so they needed something to fill their stomachs with. No one can’t save the world on an empty stomach, after all.
“This is a stadium, yes? I know it’s a place where people play sports. But why this giant edifice be a place for a cult gathering?” Aster asked, amazed at the stadium’s giant size. He’s puzzled upon wondering why such a place be used for something like this.
“There are lots of people here,” Gwen added to the observation. My friends are standing outside the stadium’s entrance. However, they hide far apart to avoid standing out. The reason is they see a line of people wearing white robes. Again, white robes, hmm...
“They’re all wearing white robes. I wonder why...” Agnes murmured.
“It’s hard to tell which’s one which,” said a confused Maury with hand over his head.
“Guys, entering from the front isn’t a good idea. We should find a back door and enter like we did last time,” Gwen said.
“Yes, we’re not wearing white robes, and we don’t have money to buy tickets. Also, the line is too long. It’ll take a while to enter directly. Getting caught is the last thing we want,” Aster warned.
“Okay, wait here while I find a way to enter,” Gwen said, assuring my friends who show concern. But Gwen promises she’ll be fine. With her small body, she’s not going to be noticed.
Gwen runs from my friends until she teleports out of sight. She reappears in front of a door reserved for staff only. Knowing this, Gwen teleports back to the party.
“I’ve got it. There’s a door reserved only for staff, and it’s unguarded. The walk is long, but we must head there now. If not, a guard may appear.”
My friends didn’t waste time getting up and running to the back door. The door is locked as expected. But Gwen uses her psychic energy to unlock the door. They burst inside right away.
***
“According to the details, the event starts at 5pm dusk and is expected to end at 12 hours. Thus, it will end at 5am the next day,” Agnes stated.
“This is assuming the world hasn’t ended already... Or maybe the world will end in 12 hours,” Maury said.
“Either way, the event started. We need to get to the center now,” Gwen urged. As my friends walk through the hallways, they hide upon seeing security guards in white robes.
“Guards?!” Gwen gasped.
“We let our guard down assuming we’re alone,” Aster complained.
“This is the staff reserve, so it’s obvious there’d be people walking around,” Maury said.
“We have to reach the center cautiously. I’ve snapped a photo of the staff layout. We can use the photo as a map to reach the center,” Agnes said as she shows the photo on her smartphone. Maury, Gwen, and Aster are amazed.
“Wow! Technology is so useful!” Gwen praised.
“Let’s keep going,” Aster egged.
As my friends tread carefully, they approach an area where a large door can be seen in the distance. Two white robe members are guarding it. Agnes notes the large door leads to the center, where the event is. They can hear the speech louder and louder through the speakers as they approach the door.
“We have to fight them!” Maury intoned.
“But we can’t cause a commotion...” Gwen uttered.
“Okay, let’s steal some robes. How do we steal them?”
Aster sees three members lounging nearby. He uses a spell to put them to sleep. The members drop to the floor like dead flies. They emerge right away to steal the robes. But when they remove them, they see a horrifying sight.
“What is this? Man beast?” Agnes asked.
“Beast man?” Maury added.
“Who cares? Hurry and put on the robes!” Aster urged.
I’ve heard of beast men in RPG games. As the name implies, they’re beasts who can stand and speak like a human. But the beast men my friends saw are different. They seem to be incomplete somehow as if they still have their human parts. Regardless, my friends put on the robes fast, so they can approach the door.
Once they approach the door, they flash their staff cards to the guards. The guards open the door with a long hallway leading to the center. Their amazement knows no bounds when they see a stadium full of white robe members. They also witness a dance taking place in the middle. Seems whatever speech my friends heard has already finished.
Date: January 31
Time: Evening, Full Moon
After several dances, the lights suddenly blackout. The faint glow of a magic circle emerges from the center stage.
“Is this... Has it begun?” Aster asked.
“I’ve seen a magic circle in history books, but I never thought they were real,” Agnes said. “I’ve read sorcerers tend to use them for summoning purposes.”
Gwen teleports out of Maury’s robe and reappears over his shoulder. “No! It’s not a real summoning circle. It’s a fake using modern devices.”
“I see, special effects like the ones used in movies.”
The lights return, but they remain dim. Smoke covers the entire center. A purple robe individual appears in the middle of the smoke clearance. Like the rest of the white robes, the purple-clad entity is covered from top to bottom. My friends assume the figure to be the leader.
“Fellow members! The time for the end is nigh!!” He starts his speech on a dominant note. Its members give out a loud roar as if the purple-clad scored a touchdown.
“We shall commence the ritual without further delay! Those who rejected us shall know the pain and suffering when their world is about to end. We shall be the ones to exist in a utopia the beloved goddess Nyx will create for us! Let us start the ritual with a performance.”
The purple-clad called forth groups of young women wearing see-through dresses. However, their heads are covered in a white cloak. They dance around the circle ballet style.
“Why would they dance ballet?” Maury murmured.
“Their dance is similar like I’ve seen it before. It’s almost like...” Agnes said. An image of me dancing flashes in her mind. This prompts her to gasp at the realization. “...Glen’s. But why?”
“You mean those are the moves from the dance Glen did for us? But how? I thought we were the only ones alone. Does this mean we were spied on?”
“Someone was spying on us? I never saw a video of her dance online,” Aster said, trying his best not to raise his voice. “What’s going on here?”
The mysterious women continue dancing to the beat of the music, which is
like the music I danced. The fake magic circle glows brighter over time.
Similar performances and sounds of music continue for hours.
When the dances ended, the women stand on the symbols of the fake magic circle. They stand perfectly still like museum statues. The purple-clad entity takes center stage once again.
“The dance of the souls is now complete. The ritual required to initiate world destruction shall begin upon revealing the bait.” After those words, a large cross in the form of a magic circle emerges and with on it, me, unconscious and tied up.
My friends gasp in horror as they see me in a fainted state.
“Glen!!!” they utter simultaneously.
Unlike the gals, I’m dressed in a cute white blouse with a navy blue dress, white stockings, and black shoes. My short golden hair is unkempt as usual.
“Now let us begin the ritual!!” the purple-clad cried.
“NOT ON OUR WATCH!!!”
“Who said that?” the purple leader demanded.
“We did...” Stage lights highlight my three robed friends. They discard their white robes upon removing them. They bravely jump down to the bottom and dash to the center stage.
“Glen is our friend, and we will not let you do whatever you want. Much less destroy the world,” Maury growled, pointing the revolver at the purple leader.
“Let her go now, or we will take her by force,” Aster threatened, his thumb thrust the handle up from his sheath. His other hand ready to unleash it.
“What is the meaning of this?! Get them!” the purple leader barked. The face covered ladies dash towards my friends. They break apart to fight the ladies individually.
One of the ladies starts with Agnes first. Agnes is at a disadvantage because she can’t use magic. But she doesn’t have time to summon Liz either. Thankfully, she has her pistol to defend herself. Yet, Agnes extends her leg and the lady trips to the floor, who falls unconscious right away. Agnes removes the cloak out of curiosity and discovers a face of a... horse. Beast women exist? I’ve played many RPGs, but I’ve never heard of beast women. I know women fairies, elves, and dragons but not furry beast women. Given the see-through dress, the woman’s naked body is visible and still human.
Maury and Aster have the same discoveries. Maury removes the cloak on another to reveal the face of a bunny. Aster takes off another cover to show the face of a wolf. My friends are confused by these discoveries, but they must continue the fight.
Maury and Agnes shoot at the beast women while Aster stabs them with his sword. Gwen uses her psychic powers to blow them off. I wouldn’t say it’s right to kill but my friends need to do something, or they’ll end up dead.
After knocking the beast women, the leader calls forth the clad security guards. My friends fight them without delay in amidst of the loud roar of the constant boos.
After killing a guard with a spell, Aster discards the robe to reveal the face of a human male with the body of a bear. Likewise, Maury and Agnes did the same thing with the other guards. Some shown to be half-human, half-beast and some to be full beast men.
After slaying the furries, my friends gather at the last discovery of a lizard with human arms and legs.
Right before they face the leader, a half-beast man recovers. He charges straight to my friends. His beastly claws draw from his human nails. Aster and Maury spread out, but Agnes remains. In a moment of rage, she delivers the most vicious roundhouse kick they ever seen. She kicks right at the sucker’s face, knocking it to the floor and killing it with multiple gunshots. Her face remains stoic, showing zero emotion. A line of smoke emerges from her gun.
Maury, Gwen, and Aster are astonished.
“Well done,” Maury uttered.
“So, you’re ready to give up?” Aster roared, pointing his sword at the leader.
“You should all be arrested for disrupting an event. But whatever, the ritual for the end shall begin this instant.”
“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Gwen demanded.
“You need to ask? Simple: to destroy the world and create a utopia where those rejected by society can be accepted. To accomplish this, we need a medium.” The purple leader points out to me with his finger. “And that is the girl right here.”
“A medium?” Gwen asked.
“See, I already knew the girl holds the spirit of the goddess Nyx inside her. For three years, we spied on her every movement, tapped her every call. We knew where she was going or headed towards to. We even observed her sexual activities.”
“So you ARE the kidnappers, after all,” Agnes scowled.
“Answer us this: were you the ones behind the attacks of March and June?” Aster enquired. Yes, people in white robes were responsible for the attacks in March and June. But this doesn’t mean they’re the same ones. My friends anxiously wait for the answer.
“Ha-ha! My members were acting out of their ideology. They provoke the attacks to lure the girl out so they can take her. Of course, small sacrifices were necessary. We took it as a prelude to world destruction.” The leader’s response shows no shame or guilt over its member's actions. How could’ve they caused the deaths of innocent people just to capture me?
“She could’ve been another sorceress. But what prompted us to pursue her was after the military incident which she destroyed in a single blow. No sorcery is too powerful to provoke massive destruction. Because of this, we knew she has awakened to her true powers.”
“But why you needed Glen for?” Maury asked.
“You should know Nyx is the daughter of Chaos, the God of Nothingness. She eloped with her twin brother, Erebus, and both ruled the world. By having her here, we can attract the God of Darkness to the real world. They will elope and rule humanity like they did in those times.”
“Do you realize by summoning the god, you will put the world into a never-ending ice age? Humans will freeze to death. And so will you. Do not summon the god!!!” Gwen roared.
“Humph! What do you know?” The leader removes the hood, revealing a tall skinny male with long curly blond hair tied in a ponytail. What’s shocking is he’s a half-human on the right and half-beast on the left. The half-beast of himself is an alligator.
“Those people who you mercilessly killed were once normal like I was. All the members here are human beasts created by one company. A single drug company we once worshipped and admired. After this happened to me, I couldn’t embrace my wife and children anymore. I killed them and ran. I begged for help, but I was rejected over and over. I ended up slaying them too. But over time I got tired of killing. I decided it was best to recruit those who suffered like me and form a cult.
“We could’ve simply taken down the drug company, but it wouldn’t change anything. Instead, we began to plan the end of the world. When we saw the girl had powers beyond imagination, we knew it was fate. Now step aside as I call forth the god to elope and provoke mass destruction!!”
“NO!!!” Gwen yelled.
The roof of the stadium opens like a nutcracker. The brightness of the large full moon shines directly above me. My hands and fingers twitch, but... The glow of the fake magic circle fades out as the light from the real magic circle sets in. Seeing this as a terrible sign, Gwen urges my friends to step off.
“Yes! YES!! Call forth the king!!! Elope with him and rule the world!!”
I convulse, but I feel it isn’t me doing it. It’s like I’m being possessed again. This is how it happened back when I woke to Nyx in October. If this is the case, Nyx will awaken again.
My friends have the urge to rush back, but Gwen forbids them to. This is because the fallen guards and beast ladies vanish with the real magic circle in effect.
I start screeching but it’s not me yelling, yet I am screaming. I thrash around (more like Nyx is) trying to break the shackles on my wrist and ankles.
The leader laughs nonstop when suddenly, he vanishes too. His plan for world destruction backfired him. The cult members start to panic and run.
The
real magic circle starts to expand further with many members vanishing. Gwen teleports my friends back to where they started on the upper level.
“We have to leave now!” Gwen barked.
“But there are too many people fleeing! How can we escape?!” Maury shouted.
“Do you think we’ll vanish once the circle hits us?” Agnes asked.
“There’s no way she can’t! Glen is...” Aster retorted.
“No! That’s not Glen anymore. Nyx has awakened again. I must get you guys out of here, but I don’t have the strength to teleport back. I used my powers fighting those goons.”
“For real?!” Maury shouted again.
“But if we don’t hurry...” Agnes howled.
Before the circle touches them, my friends are teleported outside the stadium. They appear in a narrow lot of the factory where Maury parked his van.
As they open their eyes, they take note of the familiar figure standing before them.
“Moros!!!” they shouted.
Date: January 31
Time: Late Night, Full Moon
It’s already midnight. The expansion of the real magic circle has consumed the entire stadium. The circle is now expanding beyond the stadium, destroying those in the way. Panic and chaos bound all over amongst the freezing weather.
“Moros!! Where have you been?! Where were you all this time?!!” Gwen frenetically demanded, clinging to his shoulders and shaking.
“No time to explain. The fool who thought he can revive the god has provoked Nyx’s fury. Because of this, the circle will continue to expand. Once the circle expands, there’s no stopping it. Not even I, a god myself, cannot stop it. Once Nyx is enraged, she will not stop until the entire world is destroyed.”
“No!! I will not allow it! Glen needs to be here! She has to!” Gwen shouted, grabbing Moros’ collar. “This whole thing is MY fault!! MY fault!!! I’m going back! I have to save her!!”
A pillar of white light beams down from the full moon, sending waves of energy upwards. Everybody looks at the light with astonishment. A glimmer of light shows a speck flying upwards.
“This light... Nyx is returning to the moon. Once Nyx returns, she will never descend again.”
Legacy of Dolyn Page 21