The Creatures Series

Fifth Night

Fifth NightCreatures of the Night

© All Rights Reserved

##### Fifth Night #####

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

I am the endless night. I am the reaper that embraces death. I am Darkness.

I don’t think it’s morning just yet when I wake up. For some reasons, it feels really hard to breath. I try to open my eyes, but I am wearing a sleeping mask, which my hands can not seem to get off to. My body is in a very uncomfortable position. I try to move, it I can’t. Only a few inches. Something is preventing me. What is it?

I trifle through the surface of the silky coverlid, that’s apparently, in some way, managed to lie underneath my body rather than above it. Then, when I try to move again, I feel something circling my right wrist. Not just it, but also my other one and both of my ankles. What is this thing? I rube the united beans, long down to the edge of the bed, as far as my hands let it.

I can try to call Banri for help, but he won’t be able to hear me. I can reach my friends from the earphone that’s still attached to my left ear, but they are too far away. So, I wait.

I’m not sure how long it has been. My body eventually grows sore because of the position. But I can hear footsteps coming from the outside. It must be Banri. I smile, but it suddenly fall. What if it’s the one that chained me? What should I do when he or she attack me? I quickly do whatever I can to remove the sleeping mask, but it is only half relieved. And once I manage to retrieve sight from my right eye, I still can’t see anything.

I can’t do anything inside this darkness. My magic won’t work. The windows are inside the closet. And there’s no bed lamp in here. Banri must have accidentally turned everything off when he went outside for patrol. So all hopes for light are out of reach.

The footsteps are getting clearer and nearer. I brace my heart, ready for the worst, when the door is open and everything turns to white. I lift my head and luckily, spot Banri. He looks at me with wide eyes and asks, “What happened to you?” Worry and confusion color his face.

“I’m not sure. I was asleep when this,” I gesture the beads that’s actually pearls, “happened. When I woke up, there’s no light in here, so I can’t do anything.”

“ Sorry. I forgot that ─”

“Don’t say it. Just chase after whoever did this.” Then my eyes fall down to my wrist. “That cursed kappa! I’m sure he’s going to pay for this,” I spat with dark anger as Banri walks out of his closet’s window. How dare he tied me like, like.... this! When I was asleep, even!

I start to struggle to get loose, wriggle at any open space as hard as I can. But it’s no use. He’s one sneaky little kappa for being able to tied me up like this. How did he escape, anyway? No one ever (and I mean ever!) escape through my tattoo jail. How did he do that? And what’s with these pearls? Where did they come from? As far as I’m concerned, kappas don’t produce pearls! Clams do.

Cursing under my breath, I must admit inside my heart, even though I hate to do it, that he’s one very strong kappa that can’t be underestimated. He managed to escape after he tied me off. He must have known that if I chase him alone, he won’t be able to run away from us.

‘Banri? Arsene?’ It’s the sound of earphone.

“I’m here,” I reply.

‘What’s going on? We heard Banri just a couple of minutes ago, and it sounds like he’s in the middle of a fight. Is everything alright? Has your cover’s been blown?’ It’s Nono’s sound that I can hear from across the line.

“Yes, everything’s fine. He’s just chasing a fleeing kappa,” I deadpan.

‘What? A kappa?’

“Yes. And I’ll explain to you later,” I say with a grunt in the edge, letting my head falls back to the bed when I can’t hold it any longer.

‘What’s happening? Are you okay? You sound like you’re in pain’. His voice sounds concerned.

“I’m okay. Just a bit of oxygen crisis, perhaps. But other than that, I’m still fine.”

‘What happened to you? Is there anything we can do to help?’

“ No ─” I lose my breath, suddenly feeling dizzy and head spinning. “─ stay away. We can ’ t risk ─”

I stop talking when the door is being burst open once more. I thought it’ll be Banri, but I am wrong. Walking in, he approaches my side immediately. His blonde hair blow by the air because of how graceful he moves. I manage to catch his blue eyes for a moment, but that is all. The warm coldness lingering on me before I feel something really sharp is cutting the pearl chain.

“Thanks, Arch,” I mutter while releasing myself from the still-dangling pearls. I rub the places where they have been tied, feeling really sore yet relieved. “But I think it’s best if you leave soon. I’m worry that they’ll get suspicious.” I look him in the eyes, along with his beautiful face.

“Who’s the kappa?” he asks.

“My prisoner. Now he’s a runaway. Banri’s chasing him,” I answer.

He only nods and leaves like he arrives: like the wind.

The attack plan is set on tonight. With no one suspecting us just yet, me and Banri pose as the Everneaths, playing our role along as the side attack.

We’ve warned the team so that they can prepare Sorcier to act along, while later giving a surprise counterattack. The signal will be given when it’s time to start.

Now, we’re just stuck with two other couple.

The four of us are in charge for the east side. We get in silently by following them, knocking up a few decoy guards, and take cover. We have to hide until a signal from Reinvel is given. But to me and Banri, we just have to wait for ours instead.

The hallway is as quiet as a cemetery. No one is guarding here beside the two wizards, and they even didn’t give that much of a fight. The four of us rest our heavy guns while sitting on the floor. While so, the mermaid and the half giant are too busy with each other to notice us, preparing ourselves for attack, with our eyes.

Between their made out talk, I finally able to hear something from afar. But it’s not visible. It’s from Arch. Everything is so silent that my ears start to ring. Then a moment later he says through the earphones, “It’s time.”

That’s when Banri burn the half giant like burning paper; dust in an instant.

“Michael,” the mermaid cry, but don’t have time for doing anything else than watch her lover die in front of her eyes. Then, she turn to Banri, yelling murderously, “YOU!”

She’s ready launch at him, but I stop her with my black fog. It actually allows me to control her mind, with what she see or hear or feel or smell or even taste. She’ll be a good shield to us, but we don’t need any. So I sent her off after making her think that the leader killed her lover. She disappears in seconds.

“Come on,” Banri mutter. I let down our illusion masks.

We walk soundlessly through the hallway, reaching the emergency staircase to the top. I must admit that this take a lot of our time and energy, but not too much. We can still fight like mad soldiers. Plus, the guns are pretty useful.

When we open the doors to the top level of the Sorcier Tower, the room is quite a mess. Broken glasses and busted walls scattered everywhere, signs of a battle. Pushing the door to our leaders’ office, we are welcomed to the view of Reinvel’s leader, who is standing in front of our leaders, while some members of Reinvel point their guns at them, some injured wizards by their sides, trying to shield them as best as possible.

This has to be our trap. Right?

Pointing our guns at Millenia, we expect him to react. But he doesn’t even seem to care, but his underlings do. Some of them point their guns on us, while he keeps an eye out on our leaders.

“Surrender?” He says even though he has no place for that anymore.

“Never!” Our female leader yells.

“Then so be it,” he say with venom. Crystals as sharp as swords appear in the mid of air around him, then launch at the leader’s direction.

“NO!” I yell. My fog is as fast as the speed of light, swallowing all of the crystals in until there are nothing left. In an instant, Millenia turn his attention to me. Banri is ready with his fire, but the bullets are now coming towards us. Banri’s fire is one thing of a heat, but it’s not enough. There are too many holes in his.

When the bullets touch the fire shield that he builds, though, they melt in less than a few seconds. Turns out, he has perfected his shield. But not wide enough. We jump a little when a bullet almost bounce to our direction.

Okay, time to end this.

With the help of our leaders, they use their powers to distract our enemies. He uses an ice-making magic to create a moving dragon. The dragon is huge, barely able to fit in this room, with scales and everything as ice and a roar or a real dragon. It launches into Millennia, but the bullets from his troops destroy it. First there’s a crack. Second makes its head broken apart. And then finally until there’s only pile of ice after the crack spreads all over the dragon’s body.

While they pay too much attention to the dragon, I gather all my shadows as much as I can. When they are not just around me, but in the very air we breathe, the dark shadows starts to attack, bursting themselves into bodies of our enemies. The Reinvel in down, with only the leader stand for last.

His troops must be fighting with ours right now. He won’t get any help now. It’s down to one against four now (the other six are too weak to fight).

“One against four?” Millennia ask.

“What? You wanna talk about fair fight now?” Banri ask with a mocking tone.

“Not really,” he says, then disappear into thin air. HE DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR!

A yelp out, and I see one of our leader is already captured by Millenia. “Let her go,” I spat dangerously.

“Make me,” he says lowly.

I throw away my gun and jump on him. The mistress takes that change to slide out from his grip before I tackle him to the ground. Everything goes smoothly, until I feel something hot on my stomach. I look down, and I see blood. Lots of blood. Coming and rushing down from it. My white dress become dirty instantly.

“Arsene!” I can hear Banri yelling my name, ready to come our way.

“Don’t,” I forbid him. “This guy is dangerous.”

I imagine Millenia smirk under his mask. He pulls his hands out from my abdomen, making more blood spill out and showing his reddened hand. I moan in pain. It seems like he lose his concentration at that point, and I use that to pull out his mask.

That leaves me to start back into the male version. Of me.

A few gasps echo from behind me when the mask falls out of my hand. “What’s going on in here?” Ask Banri.

*

It turns out that Link Dascile, my cousin, was given a mission to kill many dangerous monsters all at once. Thus, he built this plan on faking a group for bad creatures, get them to think that they’re going to rule the world after they eliminate us all, while actually they are the ones who were being eliminated. The plan is a success, of course. But for some of us, who include almost the whole population of Sorcier, are not happy about the part that no one is telling them about the plan. This, of course, has to be a secret so that the master plan can go well.

While some of the wizards are ordered by our leader to catch the Reinvel’s members and cage them in cells or clean and fix the damaged building, Link just stand there on the top of the building, with a playful smirk on his face. He watches me as I walk closer, of course. How come he not?

I approach him way too fast at the last seconds before I’m next to him, caging my hands on his neck without hesitation. “Next time, give me a heads up or I’ll wring your neck,” I threaten him with annoyance.

“But- You already do-,” he say between gasps.

Ignoring him, I continue to strangle him to the point of half death. He would not want to piss me off again after this.

“It’s not like you haven’t realize that it’s me before,” Link try to defend himself. “I’ve seen it in your eyes; you knew it was me since the moment I walked into the meeting room. You can read my aura clearly, even if I have to admit that I’m still an amateur compared to your skills. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Yet no one is telling me anything. What a coincidence, right?” I ask with sarcasm lingering to my every word, and then finally after a couple of seconds, I let him go.

I can hear him gasping air hungrily when I walk away. Then I turn to him to ask, “How did you even know that it’s me, anyway?” My power is a different level than his. It’s nearly impossible for anyone to go through a boundary of someone who’s powerful.

“Well, as far as I’m concerned, no one around has the same size as those boo—”

I silence him with my deadly glare, daring him to finish that sentence, before turning back on my heels.