The Creatures Series

Fifteenth Night

Fifteenth NightCreatures of the Night

© All Rights Reserved

##### Fifteenth Night #####

--------------------------------

Who will die and who will survive? In this game of hunt shall we decide.

The figures turned out to be Link, and Artro. Of course. Who else of our family members that my mother is going to call?

"Boys, new mission for you guys. Cancel all the missions you've been assigned to do. This one is urgent and more critical,” inform my mother.

The two of them have to blink a couple of times. To re-adjust to the sudden lighting, I guess. They must had been sleeping in their rooms just like everyone else.

"What is it so important to call us in the middle of the night?" Link asks with hoarse tone, still sleepily yawning. There's no disrespect in his voice, only normal signs of a person who just woke up. In the breaking of the dawn.

"We suspected that a ghost is haunting your cousin, Arsene,” it is my father who does the explaining of the current situation to Artro and Link. "We were planning on doing the banishing ritual after we confirm that the suspicion is correct. But that will mean that we'll have to drain our energy. So instead, we are asking you to help her by performing the ritual in our place. We don't want to force you, since we both know how energy draining it will be. So, what do you say?"

"Sure,” Link mutters, ending it with a yawn. "I want to try dealing with a ghost as a change, anyway,” he add, yawning again as his eyes are closing and ready to continue his slumber by a standing position.

This leaves to Artro.

When I look at him, he seems to be thinking this through. Just like his long-time-ago self. But the changing, out of character personality doesn't stop there. Because even Link shows his old-self. All because of the sudden awakenings.

He looks at the floor when he says what he's thinking. "I should not hesitate of helping Arsene; she's family after all.... But since are giving me the choice, I can't help but to consider the pain of having so much power being drained out of my body...." Then, he lifts his gaze to my parents. "I'll think about it.... And please don't mind what I just said. You can't blame me for not being completely collected because of the midnight's sudden call.”

"Technically, it's already dawn,” I say, can't stop myself not to correct them anymore.

Link and Artro finally turn their heads at me. And I get full-wide eyes from both of them.

Oh, come on. It's not like I just appear out of nowhere like a ghost (because that will be a little ironic). I've been here the whole time. It's their fault for not realizing my presence in the first place.

Artro's the one who recover first by tilting his head down with a cough, while Link still keeps his widened eyes at me. And I still think that their reactions are a bit too exaggerating. Then I look at my parents, and as if I'm here for the first time, looking at me with surprise. No, that will be an understatement. They are freaking out.

Okay. What's their deal?

My father suddenly opens his pajama shirt and put it on me. When I see his face, he shows worry and awareness. I look down and finally realize what they're all so exaggerating about.

I'm still wearing Banri's shirt that I borrowed from before, which is now half burn to shreds and has a view large holes with dark burnt traces on it. This leaves open views to what's underneath.

"Oh,” I mutter in realization.

I hold my father's shirt tightly on my chest.

I look up and see Link still staring at me. I throw him a killer look, but he still doesn't look away. It's as if my glare just goes through him. Only once he notices that everyone is throwing him murderous looks that he finally makes his gaze fall.

Not even one moment, Link throws his eyes back at me with— Oh! I don't even able to think of the right word to describe the way he's looking at me right now.

"Okay, that's it.” My father starts pushing him out of the office, almost dragging him while he keeps his eyes on my— Uh!

When he drags Artro along as well, he protests, "Why me, too?"

But my father just ignores him and keeps pulling.

Once my cousins leave, I turn my attention back to my parents, who by the way are still giving me that wary looks. “Well, since I already report the problem and you already found the way out to resolve this, I guess I should be going as well,” I say awkwardly and inch myself towards the exit.

“Not so fast, Arsene.”

I hear my name being called from behind me with such pressure. This is not a good sign.

“Explain to us why you’re dressing like that. Whose t-shirt is that? And don’t try to lie to us; we know that you always wear a nightgown to sleep. Don’t even try to lie whose is it, because the second you do, we’ll make sure that he’s in more pain than a half-dead body can ever handle.” It is my mother who exclaims with her super firm tone.

I carefully try to explain to them that it is necessary for me to borrow a shirt from someone who knows about my problem whenever I go to sleep tonight, since the nightmares that have been haunting me every night lately had caused me to burned my clothes unconsciously and running my stocks of nightgowns out faster than I predicted. Then finally, after I make sure that it is safe to utter his name, I say it.

“Banri?!” My mother raises one of her eyebrows in disagreement of my choice. “Why didn’t you ask for someone else’s help?”

I slowly explain, “As you know, Banri’s able to control fire as well. And since the other symptom, the wind, is harmless and is getting less every night, Banri is the perfect wizard I asked for help.”

“Why not just ask your cousins? They’re more experts of black fire more than your friend,” my father asks, his tone somehow familiar with a glints of distaste in my mother’s tongue.

“Link is out of question,” I snap immediately, even with a low and calm tone. They both know why I don’t want to lose my pride to him. That fake smiler.

“And how about Artro? He’s already back to Sorcier and able to help you,” my mother imply.

“Like you just said, he’s just back. I don’t want to bother him with my problem when he only started packing out his things into his room.”

“But why does it have to be Banri?” My mother asks.

“What’s the problem of it being Banri? Can’t I just ask a help from my best friend?” I ask back.

For moment, she just stands there without uttering anything. Then she finally let out a long sigh.

“Fine. Go back to your room.”

*

When I walk out of Sorcier leaders’ office and heading to the elevator, I spot Link and Artro still standing in front of the closed doors.

“Hi. Why aren’t you guys back, yet?” I ask, approaching them with my father’s shirt already covering completely of my body after my father reminded me to wear it appropriately before I left.

They both look at me, and thankfully, with usual gaze.

“The elevator is broken,” announced Artro while he squinted his eyes, having trouble of trying to look at me without his glasses.

I instantly remember the reason why.

“Excuse me,” I say as I walk to the side of the up and down buttons. I open the button cover using a wave of my finger. Dark smokes start to appear from the tip of my nail, small but steady. It starts to become more solid until it’s as hard as steel. I hook it to one side and pull up, revealing a set of small green hardware.

It’s still active, just in an emergency mode. I notice that as I examine the whole system. The small red beeping light reveal it too well.

My parents must have not noticed the way of my barged in. Or they had. And just intentionally left it for me to fix.

I hook out the yellow piece of small CPU with the long and sharp nail I just created to start hacking the system again, until it recovers to the normal mode.

“Alright. This should do it,” I say as I place back the CPU and close the cover. I push the down button and the door slides open soon. I walk in, followed by Link and Artro who gave me funny looks. They look like they’re confused whether to feel uncomfortably unsafe about my hacking habits, or that they should be grateful about my ability.

I turn to push the 149th and 145th floor. But a long pale index finger beat me and pushes the button number 145. “Nah, that’s okay. You go first. We’ll accompany you to your room,” Link mutter flatly from behind me.

I don’t comment and just fold my arms until the casual ‘ding’ echo through the elevator. The doors slide open and Banri appear at the other side. I also notice that he’s holding a shirt on his hand, apparently the one I dropped before I busted into my parent’s room.

“You forgot putting this on,” he say, neighing the shirt. “But I see that you already have something else to wear,” he say while looking behind me. “Link,” he greets my cousin with his cheerful smile. Then he turns to my other cousin without losing the smile. “Artro, it’s nice to see you again after such a long time. How’s things been? Going to missions, soon, I guess?”

“Nice to see you, too. Everything’s fine. I was planning on doing my first comeback mission, but Arsene has something that I should help her with soon,” he reply.

I stop out of the elevator and mutter my thanks before the elevator close. When I look back at them, I notice something.

What exactly am I waiting for? What is it that we are all delaying more time to? The door is closi ─

“Wait!” I shout at them. In an instant, someone push the hold open button.

“Do any of you need to gather energy before the ritual?”

They look at each other and then shake their heads.

“Good,” I smile. “Then why don’t we just get on with it rather than wait for the haunting to get any worse? You guys ready?”

*

We decide to let it happen in my old room. Why? There are some reasons to that. Because: A, the room is the widest in the building (aside from my parents’), B, we need some place with enough space to draw huge circle for the upcoming ritual, C, my room is the only one that have an open sky deck, and last but not least, D, I also need a better change that I can only find in here. I can’t wear the size I used to wear two years ago, of course. But my mother already prepared me with any size and color.

Moodily, I pick the black one and change behind the border inside my closet before going out.

To perform the ritual, I need to sleep in the center of the circle that’s already been drawn. The intention is to lure the ghost nearer to us. Once he steps into the circle, Artro and Link will start chanting the spell to trap him. Although the steps are easy enough, this will cost so much energy. Especially because the ghost is strong. They’ll be completely drained once this is all over.

That’s why Banri is here. To help them once the ritual end.

I’m a little afraid when it comes to be forced to sleep again. But I have no other choice. I just have to sacrifice for this last nightmare, if it will come again, to end the rest of the waves.

I place myself on the floor, right to the very core of the pentagram, and sleep.

TEARS••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

that similar to sweat fall from my face

STAIN••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

ing the fair skin, giving promise for

BLOOD•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

to spill soon.

The ghost appears right before me.

Sixteenth Night

Creatures of the Night

© All Rights Reserved

##### Sixteenth Night #####

--------------------------------

After the silence and dark scenery of being hunted down to the end, I wake up having this pain inside my chest. What is this feeling...? I touch my chest.

Oxygen feels low. My heart feels like it wanted to pound rapidly, but can’t. Thorns of fear prevent me from beating it too strong, suppressing it as the cage. It’s making me handle the hint of the kind of pain I never had before.

When was the last time I felt like this before, anyway? It... doesn’t feel that long.... When was it? The last time....

The flashes of memories come back. And without realizing it, I’ve been fooling myself.

Those nightmares.... The running, the dark hallway, the shots.... They all are frightening me. I was so afraid that my body shook uncontrollably, my soul practically begging to be let loose, and I almost didn’t able to pull them all up. I can’t stand it, but I lied to myself by thinking that it’s nothing. It’s not nothing at all, really. But I can’t show my fear for some important reasons. How can I act scared in front of anyone? So I tried to ignore the painful feeling, just before it sinks in....

I bit my lips as I try to keep myself conscious as I endure the suffering sensation. I can hear murmuring from far, but I don’t get a word they’re saying.

Finally, as if a hundred candle lights are being lifted up, I can see everything better.

The figure standing before me is tall and in all black, just like how I usually see him. His pale skin is so easy to notice even in this room that is partially devoid of light.

Am I still dreaming? Or am I already awake, though? But I never see colors in my dream before. Especially the candle lights. The floating yellowish oranges sure are real. So that only leaves to one thing: he’s really here.

The gasp of pain starts invading my heart again, and I’m feeling the struggles more that I have ever had before from the thorny cage on my heart.

He makes a move by raising his hand to the air, trying to reach me. I almost wince by that, but I keep myself still. By the look of his eyes, I’m pretty sure that he really wants to choke me to death with his hands. Pretty sure that he want to do it right now. But he just doesn’t. I look around to see what’s stopping him, and finally step back the pentagram.

Just in case if he’s not a ghost, Artro decided to draw a pentagram that can trap anything that gets inside its rage. It will trap any kind of creature, aside from the ones who created it and the one who is already inside of it.

That’s why he can’t go any nearer to me.

But the man who I first thought was a ghost is actually not. He’s a solid creature. With real body. Not the transparent kind.

"What do you want?" Artro's demanding voice, which come from beside me, manage to make me realize that he's also in the same room with us.

The man, who I thought was a ghost at first, wincing his dark gems of eyes at him. With a snort that even sounds elegant from him, his mouth looks like it's about to reply before he decides to seal them instead. Is it because he’s mute, or he just doesn’t want to answer Artro.

"Who are you?"

"What are you?"

Link and I ask at the same time. I can guess that he's giving me a questioning look right now, but I keep my eyes contact on our expected, yet unexpected, guest.

At first I though he’s not going to answer me, but he surprises us all by talking.

He narrows his eyes down to me as he speak. “What goes out must eventually goes back again.” His voice is like a unique singing tenor, playing in the air melodically before it enters my ears.

Looking at the confusion in my eyes, he continues, “ You see, Ars ë ne, there ’ s a cause to everything. And that ’ s why you need to die. ” He pronounces the word ‘ die ’ just a little bit melodic, making me think that he likes to kill as a hobby ─ I kill, too, but prefer animals more. He also say my name with accent so thick, my name sounds much better than it should be.

Then, I also sense his aura. It’s not completely revealed, but the urge to kill me is quite dominating my old room. I suppress myself from gulping as I braced myself to ask, “Why?” Even if it’s just for fun, I still want to know why I must lose my life.

He grins wickedly and sweeps his finger under my chin, making me feel his sub-zero touch. “ Your guess is right; I do enjoy killing. But I ’ m sure I ’ ll enjoy killing you much more. It ’ s personal, you see. And your death will redeem all those troubles you ’ ve caused ─”

“ARSENE!”

Someone yells my name so loud, that I feel myself snap. I blink a couple of times. And as if finally realizing what’s happening, my eyes go wide. I’m leaning so close to the dark-haired man, that I’m practically half out from the pentagram. In a snap, I pull myself away from him and back to my protection circle.

When did I get out?

“Arsene, are you okay?” Banri ask, trying to approach me. But he can’t; something that I can’t point out is keeping him from coming nearer.

“What happened? What’s going on?” My voice comes out into whispers.

“ You were moving out from the pentagram by yourself, even though you know the risk of doing so. He.... he ─” Banri look at the man with horror in his eyes. I look at my cousins, and they have the same expressions on their faces as him.

What’s going on? It feels like.... I’m missing something here. Something urgent, that I somehow forget. What is it...? I can’t remember. Can’t... remember....

“You!” I point my finger at him, finally realize what’s going on. Why did I miss all the signs? All the nightmares. Mortal. Memory loss. Manipulation. “You’re a vampire, aren’t you?”

He smirks.

A wind blow to our way and send chills to us, I remember instantly the sky deck that's already been widely open. But the shaking I'm feeling is not from the coldness. Something’s dark forming above us, creating lightning and thunder soon.

“Arsene! Don’t!” I can hear sounds coming from behind me as I try to step out of the pentagram once more; this time consciously.

The vampire before us had compelled me to step out of the pentagram unconsciously, manipulating the boys as well to stay still. To over control wizards as strong as us, means he’s no ordinary match.

But he ’ s going away; I notice his backing paces. He must have realized that I ’ m no longer under his control ─ and not going to fall under the same trick again. He ’ s getting away. I can ’ t let that. Not when he ’ s right in front of us.

“Arsene!”

The first drop of rain feels like ice piercing on my skin. It takes me many times of striking cold before I'm used to the falling rain. Until my whole body is wet to the very core of the surface. Finally, I'm used to it and somehow even find warmth from it.

“Wait!” I yell at him. When I look for his figure, he’s already crawling on the ceiling, only inches away from the sky deck. He turns his head down in an impossible angle for me and look at me sharply right away.

“Why would you want to kill me? What did I do to you? I never even met you before the nightmare started.”

Ignoring my question, he jumps right on the sky deck’s top. I create a black beaming fire appear at both of my ankles, making my version of feet rockets.

I fly up following him as fast as I can before he gets too far. Luckily, he’s still standing on the side roof at the edge of the sky deck. I look at him from behind the curtains of my messy, wet hair.

“What happened?” I repeat my question.

“Poor Arsëne. You’re gonna die so soon,” he say bitterly, almost sounds sad if I don’t know any better. It’s as if that he believes me that chasing him is to hand my life over to him on a golden plate, instead of the silver one. But I decide to play along.

“And since I’m going to die anyway, tell me. What happened? Why do you want to kill me?” I repeat with a surrender tone.

“What’s the point? You’ll forget it again, anyway.”

What does he mean by that?

Before I get my answer, he jumps off the sky deck ceiling. So graceful and looks so easy to do that I’m almost tricked by it. With one single wave and twist, black smoke appears, forming as a tentacle and swinging to the air. It manages to catch one of his foot. But that’s not enough. He slips free almost immediately.

Using both of my hands, I wave and twist to form not just one, but ten tentacles are made out of darkness. They move through the air uncoordinatedly, trying to catch a glimpse of his body. The man is moving fast, and so does my tentacles.

One of my tentacles hit his body with one perfect swing, crashing him to the top of the sky deck. Another wrapped his body like snake, tighter and tighter every second.

“Since I don’t want to lose my life, then I guess I have to kill you first,” I say.

This triggers him to boost his power up to move away my heavy black tentacles from his. I must say, he puts on quite a struggle and not giving up easily. I have trouble keeping him down, even with all of my smoke-snakes.

The problem is, he’s an immortal. He’ll never be tired. Unlike me.

When my powers are slowing down because of the pain, I start feeling at my whole body, my tentacles are slowing down and disappears one by one.

With one single slip, he disappears from my sight.

Is he gone? Or is he still here, waiting for the right moment to strike me?

Suddenly, I can feel the rain isn’t falling on the sky deck’s corner. Second option, it is.

I turn around. But before I can attack, he attacks me first with his teeth. He bites me right on my open neck after locking my whole body with his arms. I feel like I’m leaning into a rock as I try to break free. His teeth feels like razors that keep stabbing me in the speed of light, easily making me give up.

I close my eyes and refine my body, waiting for the right moment to blow a strike. But even that perfect moment never came.

With one hand, he throws me out from the sky deck and into the air.