Chaos Rising: Dawn of the Hybrid

I - Growing Shadows Part 2

"You don't understand what you've done." There was the voice again.

"I SAID, 'WHO'S THERE?'" my voice soared. It was so loud that some of the neighbors' lights lit up. But I did not care. It's NYC, for Heaven's sakes. No one sleeps in this city. A storm surged inside my chest as I followed where I thought the voice was coming from.

The muscles on my legs tore as I picked my pace up. Dashing past Michael's apartment building, I took a hard left as soon as I reached the other end of the block.

A few seconds later, I found myself in a dark alley. For some reason, all the street lights were busted, and the entire space was covered in shadows. I looked up at the waning moon, missing my prismatic vision. Had I still been a wolf, seeing in utmost darkness would be a walk in the park. I shook my head as I knew there was nothing I could do about it.

"Show yourself," I hissed through my teeth. "I know you're here, coward. I can feel it."

Silence.

A loud ringing began inside my ears, and my heart wanted to escape my chest. Beads of sweat formed across my forehead and back despite the night's chill. Looking around, I made sure that there were no regulars -ordinary people- nearby as the Soul Ministry forbade using powers in public. Besides that, I didn't want to terrify my neighbors with fire shooting from my eyes.

When I was sure that I was alone, I snapped my fingers. White flames bloomed around both of my hands at the same time my eyes burst with ivory fire. I took a step forward. Time seemed to stretch into slow motion as a profound quietness enveloped the night. Even the sounds of distant cars seemed to have faded into stillness. I raised my blazing right hand higher, letting its light burn the shadows away.

Still, I saw no one. Though the mouth of the alley was lit by the glow of my mage powers, the rest of its length was still swallowed by the darkness.

I took another step. "Whoever you are, you don't want to pick a fight with me. You don't know who I am."

"As do you," replied the voice.

Without another thought, I drew my left hand to my side. Immense power gathered around my clenched fist. In one swift motion, I thrust my arm forward. I splayed my fingers, and a ball of white fire shot from my hand.

The blazing ball whistled through the air, lighting the surroundings as it did. My vision caught sight of the walls, the dumpsters, and everything in the alley. My eyes widened.

At the furthermost end of the cul-de-sac stood a robed female figure. A hood was drawn over the woman's head, obscuring her face. Her long and curly black hair spilled over her chest, its ends dancing in the wind. My heartbeat quickened as my fireball neared the woman. However, she showed no signs of alarm. She remained utterly still. For a moment, I was sure that she would burn as soon as my flames touched her.

A sense of triumph bloomed inside my chest as the fireball came close to the woman's face. Gotcha, I thought as I waited for her to burn.

She didn't.

Faster than anything I have ever seen, the woman disappeared. My heart fell to my stomach as my mouth gaped open in shock upon seeing my fireball hit the high wall. It disappeared into a puff of smoke. "What the-"

I didn't even manage to finish my swearing. A tightness wrapped around my neck, and I was flung to the wall on my right. Sharp, bony fingers choked the air out of my throat. Against my will, the flames in my eyes and hands died. I grabbed the slender arm in front of me with both my hands and thrashed my whole body in an attempt to free myself.

It was useless.

The robed woman pinned me to the wall. I felt incredible strength from her fingers as she gripped my throat harder and harder. The air was escaping my lungs. Choking noises left my lips as I struggled to breathe. "You should be careful, Original Hybrid. We have our eyes on you," hissed the woman as she jammed something hard and blunt under my chin with her spare hand.

"N-Nesh-aaa-" I stammered.

"Your Angelic powers won't help you now, witch abomination," she whispered as she craned her head closer to my ear. "Let this be a warning to you and your kind."

"W-w-who... a-a-are... y-you?" I managed to ask in between breaths. A lightness was crawling inside my head, and I felt nauseous. My legs were weak, and my struggling waned. Shadows crept along the edges of my vision.

"We are the watchers of the balance," she replied, still keeping her steely grip around my neck. "And we will not hesitate to cut you all down from the roots if need be."

Just when I thought that I would black out, the tight grip around my neck vanished, and I fell to the ground on my butt. A sharp pain flared up my spine. Gasping, I took a lungful of air as I bent over. Intense coughing rocked me as I struggled to inflate my lungs again. My hands flew to my neck, checking if there were injuries. Relief came over me when I realized there were none.

After a few moments, my heartbeat slowed to normalcy. I stood up, using the wall behind me for support. Dark thoughts rocked my brain as I gazed around. However, no matter how hard I looked, the mysterious robed woman was nowhere to be seen. I fished my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Jason. Pocketing my device, I bolted toward the apartment, an unanswered question bouncing around inside my skull.

What the Hell just happened?

- o -

I'll be there. Five minutes.

The words flashed on the screen of my smartphone. Jason had stopped whatever it was he'd been doing and sent a hasty reply as soon I texted him. I knew because I felt the insistent buzzing of my phone in my pocket just after I'd started to run. I made it to the apartment safe, though I was drenched in sweat despite the night's chill.

Taking the soaked hoodie off of my body, I sat down on one of the high chairs lining the counter of Michael's kitchen and stared at my phone. Memories of the first time I spent inside Angel boy's pantry flooded my mind. The Wagyu steak he'd cooked for me that he'd eaten. The first burn of silver on my palm. The truth about the Other Worlds. It seemed like a long time ago.

My anxiety shot to the roof at the thought of Michael. He was still missing, and there was still no response from him. The text I sent him earlier wasn't even marked as 'seen.'

I let out a long, audible sigh as I plopped the phone on the marble counter. My eyes widened a bit as I thought it was going to break. It didn't. My elbows rested on the countertop as I planted my face on my palms. I hope he's safe.

My brain was a shamble of thoughts and questions. Who was that weird woman? What does she want? Where's Michael? What is taking Jason so long? A loud groan escaped my throat, and my fingers swept to my hair. The band I used to keep my ponytail snapped, and my hair fell down in a messy tangle.

Before I could complain about it, a hissing noise took me out of my thoughts, making me look over my shoulder. Silver flames appeared floating in the air—a mage portal. My heart revved up at the sight of a magical silver fire. Almost without my volition, I hauled myself to my feet and raised my arms in front of me. I snapped my fingers, and white flames burst from my hands.

"Whoa, take it down a notch, Kay," a male voice said as someone stepped out of the mirror portal. "It's just me."

I let out a sigh of relief as I realized that it was just my best friend, Jason. He was wearing a loose black shirt under a denim jacket. His legs were clad in dark jeans, and his feet donned the latest rubber shoes from Vans. He looked, of all things, like a regular. Dousing my mage fire, I ran to Jason and tackled him into a hug as soon as the portal closed.

Jason made a weak grunt. "Oh dear Santa Claus," he remarked. "Are you alright, Kay? What happened?"

I let him go, unaware that I was already crying. My cheeks felt swollen. "You had to ask," I said, wiping the wetness away from my face. "Where were you?"

"I told you yesterday that I was going with Karmi, remember? She needed help with her move here to New York. But that doesn't matter right now. Tell me what happened."

"Michael's missing," I blurted out as I set my butt back down on the chair. "He was just here when I fell asleep, but when I woke up, he's gone."

"Did you do some cardio while he was away? Goodness, Kay, you're sweating all over the place."

"No," I said, irritation tinging my voice. "You're not taking this seriously, Jay."

He sighed. "I'm sure your boyfriend is just out there, somewhere. He's Michael. The best Soul Dealer New York has to offer, well, except for maybe you. I'm sure he's safe. Maybe he went to 7-11 or something. Have you tried texting him?"

"I'm not an official Soul Dealer yet, but that doesn't matter right now. Of course, I texted him," I answered. "But he did not reply. He didn't even see my message. So, I decided to go out and look for him, and then this weird lady attacked me-"

Jason perked up, his eyes widening. "Wait, what? Someone attacked you? Why didn't you tell me sooner? You should have started with that. Are you hurt?"

"I was about to tell you, but you weren't listening," I huffed. "But, don't worry. I'm not hurt."

At that, Jay was all business. His inner 'guardian' took over, and he went to my side and inspected me for any signs of injury. He was worse than the airport guards frisking passengers before boarding. When he found none, he straightened up and looked into my eyes. "Where did this happen, Kay? Did you recognize your assailant?"

"Down the block. And no, I didn't. She was wearing a hooded robe that obscured all her features. All I saw was her long, frizzy hair. Other than that, I don't have a clue who she is."

"What did she want from you?"

"For some reason, she called me 'witch.' She jumped at me and choked me then told me to be careful."

"That's not weird," Jay remarked, his voice coated with rich sarcasm. "Did you manage to put her ass in place? I'd be thrilled to hear that you beat the crap out of that stalker."

I averted my eyes and focused my gaze on the corner of the pantry. My vision caught sight of the pepper mill on the spice rack, and all of a sudden, I thought it was the most interesting thing in the world. I remembered the time when Michael first asked me if I liked pepper. He didn't wait for my answer then; he just proceeded to sprinkle the steak with an enormous amount of it. My lips curved into a weak smile.

"Hello?" Jason knocked on my forehead with his knuckles. "Earth to Kaylene. Are you still with me?"

"Aww." I swatted his arm away. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," I blurted. "What did you say?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "I was asking if you beat the crap out of that weird woman."

"No."

"What do you mean 'no?'" he asked, arching an eyebrow. His blue eyes looked bluer under the light of Michael's kitchen lamp that it hurt to keep his gaze.

Breaking my stare, I stood up from the chair and proceeded to fetch myself a glass of water. The sound of the running faucet brought a wave of calmness down on me. When the glass was full, I took a swig and turned to face Jason again. "That's the thing. I didn't beat her. My powers were useless against her magic. I don't even know if what she used on me was magic at all, but she was strong. Makes me think she was more than just an ordinary human. Whoever she was, she's not a regular."

"Another rogue mage?"

"I don't think so. She didn't possess the mage fire."

"Do you think..."

"No," I filled in before Jason could say it. "She's not my mother. I told you, she had dark frizzy hair. Besides, when I asked her who she was, she said she was part of something called the watchers of the balance. I doubt... Lilibelle would join such a cause."

"I'm pretty sure that's just some--"

I did not hear whatever Jason was saying as my attention was caught by the sound of footsteps from outside the hall. My whole body tensed. Upon taking notice of my reaction, Jay turned to face the door.

"Someone's here," Jay muttered under his breath. He extended his right arm in front of him and summoned his Angelic blade. "Herev." A wide silver sword appeared in his hand, its length covered in dazzling white flames.

I did the same. As soon as I uttered the word to summon my weapon, a golden sword burning with white flames blazed in my right hand. Heart lodged in the back of my throat, I took slow steps forward.

"Let me go first," Jason said, stepping in front of me. He paced toward the door, burning sword in hand. "Stay behind me, Kay." His voice was an octave deeper than usual.

I turned to follow him. Wild images ran free inside my head. Is it the weird woman again? How was she able to break through the apartment's magical wards? My arm shook slightly as I raised my sword higher in front of me. Pushing the intrusive thoughts away, I braced myself as Jason opened the door.

My heart dropped to my stomach at the same time I lost grip on the Angelic sword. It clattered once on the floor before it disappeared into thin air. My hands flew to my mouth as I gasped in surprise. Shock overwhelmed me that I thought my eyes would fall from their sockets. "M-Michael," I whispered. A nameless horror ran through me. "W-What... h-happened to you?"

Angel boy stood on the other side of his room's door. I would have been relieved to see him again if not for the fact that he was covered with black-red blood. He was dripping wet with ichor from head to toe. A foul stench came from him. Like dumpsters on a hot summer afternoon. The smell of rotten eggs and decaying flesh thickened the night air. "Demons," he managed to say before he closed his eyes and fell face-first to the floor.