“What do these boys eat?”, Anton complained as the cart he was pushing again sunken to the troublesome mud.
He had already crossed two hills with the two unconscious young men on the cart while he was fighting the exhaustion, cold, and rain. The waterfall was already on view but it was a far climb up that mountain.
He immediately knew that he was not the man for the job of carrying the two up there.
“Wake up! I’m not going to push the cart nor carry you both up there!”, he said kicking the side of the cart.
Marcus woke up from the shake. The grey sky was his first view, then the trees, and then Anton, he’s lucid but he knows what is happening.
“Can you walk?”, Anton rushed him to stand.
“I think so”, Marcus replied massaging his sore cheek, stood up and then got down.
“Good, let’s go”, Anton mandated carrying Nicolas on his shoulder as they started to traverse up the mountain where the waterfall originates.
As they reached the top they are greeted by Nero who’s smiling from cheek to cheek.
“What took you so long?”, he blurted.
“Nicolas had been too uncooperative”, Marcus explained while exercising his jaw. “And we lost Eliza in the process”.
“I know, I’ve felt the contract being liquidated. Looks like this lost lamb have figured out tampering over his power”, Nero said with a wider smile, while Anton placed the boy down a flat surface.
“So? What now?”, Anton asked sitting on a boulder.
“Of course I won, that’s what”, the bearded man replied, his arms open wide to the scenery down below.
“No more killings right? You promised”, Anton said.
“Promise?, What promise?”, Nero grinned looking at him.
“You said there would be no more unnecessary killings!”, Anton stood up confronting Nero face to face.
“I don’t know what you are talking about”, Nero smiled, refusing to look Anton in the eyes. Marcus just watched them argue.
“If I bring Nicolas here!, That promise!”
“Oh, that promise…”, Nero uttered while walking away from Anton and inspected Nicolas instead. “Haven’t you heard from him? I’m pretty sure he told you”
“Heard what?”
“On how much of a liar I am”, Nero laughed.
“You’re kidding right?”, Anton whispered to himself refusing to believe that he really was lied about.
“I lie but I don’t kid around. It really is easy to manipulate an unstable mind”, Nero kept laughing then flicked Anton’s forehead. He was frozen in place while dissociating on Nero’s face as he remembered Selene, all of his efforts being futile, and his betrayal only to be betrayed back.
“You liar!”, he exclaimed when he got back to reality. He called his sword and stabbed Nero with it.
“You should have known that that won’t work, it’s part of the contract”, Nero said dismissing the said blade out of thin air, then stabbed Anton back, though the blade too did not went through. Anton was enclosed on a shield.
“He’s awake”, Marcus blurted while returning the burning gaze to Nicolas like it is a hot potato. Nicolas was mumbling something but the muzzle prevented him from any audible speech. It just sounded like a grunt.
“Guess it’s your lucky day”, Nero whispered walking back to the edge of the waterfall. “I have one final work for you to do”, he said focusing on the direction of the town.
The fires have already gone out by now but the smoke still lingered above it.
“Do this last thing and I might release you from the contract”
“Why do you think I’d buy that”, Anton replied.
“Because I’m feeling generous, we still have an hour before sundown and we need to stall those pesky children of the light a little longer”
Nicolas can be heard complaining on the side but he’s still inaudible, they just disregarded him.
“Why do you think I’d do that after you openly broke our deal?”
“Because he literally holds your soul, you can’t disobey him cause if you did, you’re done for”, Marcus explained. “Will you shut the hell up!”, he kicked Nicolas in an attempt to shut him up.
Anton was left speechless, those were surely not lies and he knows it. He had no choice if he still wants to live.
“I will not ask you to do anything grand… You just have to wake that thing up”, Nero explained then smiled, “And I’m pretty sure you know what it is, Nicolas”, he laughed.
Nicolas’s eyes went wide as it dawned to him. He knew exactly what it was. He looked at Anton, his agitation more obvious and inaudible complains even louder, while vigorously shaking his head.
“I said shut up!”, Marcus kicked him again. “Just wait here till we massacre all you friends”.
“Nope, you’ll stay here and be the last line of defense”, Nero said.
“Why?”, he looked at Nero.
“Because I said so”
“Boring, as per usual”, Marcus complained, kicked Nicolas again and then sat down.
At the edge of the forest were the children of the light carrying out their plan.
“Even the forest is silent”, Alisa uttered upon noticing no one from the vicinity, not even birds or any animal she would normally find during hunting.
“Don’t let your guard down, they might even be watching us right now”, Alvor reminded them.
“Yeah, the silence is too loud”, Lander uttered getting his shield on the guard.
“We still have an hour or so. We can reach them half an hour before sundown so let’s prioritize being cautious”, Alvor explained to everyone as they went up the first hill.
It was a clear view but the waterfall is still far, all they saw were men double their number on standby. They look like they won’t let anyone pass. A human barricade if you must, but they are not holding hands, they held swords instead.
“There they are, we are basically outnumbered”, Lander stated the obvious.
“It’s true, but they only have numbers, we have skills”, Alvor uttered before Alisa took the first shot taking down one.
“Charge!”.
It all happened in a flash. One second and everyone were brawling for survival, but the diversity of skills has an advantage. The swords men easily defeated their opponent with the help of Alvor, while Alisa is having free hits thanks to Lander.
The enemy had neither choice nor chance. Moments later, they fell to the ground like the pouring rain. One of the enemies had nearly escaped but an arrow pinned him to the ground as he bleed.
“On to the next one, let’s hurry”, Alisa blurted recalling her bow and walking ahead of the others.
“Wait up!”, Lander called her but she paid no attention. It became their duty to follow and keep up with her pace.
It did not take them long to reach the second hill, unlike the first, it gave no surprises. It was a breeze getting up and down the clearing.
At last, the restless waters can be heard as they closed in, and even though not as clear as the sky, the top of the waterfall can be seen. The water dropping due to the uncut force of gravity, the splash of water as it met the ones down below giving life to the river.
It was a relaxing sight if only it’s not a stormy day with the casual lightning and thunder added by the devilish smile of the man that stood on the edge, it was a painting of horror instead.
“How can he step on that, isn’t the water current strong?”, Lander uttered letting out his curiosity as they all hid on the comforts of the shrubs, bushes, and trees.
“You’ve camped with us here for a few days, haven’t you been up there already?”, Alisa whispered back with a hint of irritation.
“No… heights scare me”
Alvor and Alisa looked at him like they heard something unexpected.
“No, the water is not that strong”, Alisa sighed trying to contain her laughter. “It was a gentle stream most of the time, but even when rainy days it’s still ankle deep below the knee at maximum, but the collective unison of the wide seemingly never dry waters results to the raging river down below”.
“Oh okay”, Lander replied, his curious mind full of the answer he needed.
“I told you, you should have come with us when we were free”, someone said from the bush behind them.
Out of nowhere they felt a sudden breeze and Alvor was sent flying to the air landing on the river.
“Father!”, Alisa screamed.
Her heartbeat rose as she aimed for the bush, she fired knowing she’ll not miss, the bush was too close and the voice is clear. Whoever is hiding there will have an arrow on their body when they ran out or drop dead, she was sure of it.
There was a brief moment of silence.
“I never thought a bow would be brave enough to participate on this fight”, Anton blurted but he’s not the one who emerged from the bush.
Standing seven foot tall, the man was like a giant, with muscles that his normal sized hood cannot hide. The arrow just fell off his belly. He was a living nightmare that Lander and Alisa thought they have escaped from and wished they’ll never see again.
“Rah!”, he roared as if he was a lion, but he’s physique made him look like a gorilla instead.
It was a menacing powerful shout. Alisa was terrified down to her spine, she felt his tight grip on her hair, each one of her follicles anticipating the pulling of the strands as she hung a few inches on the ground crying and screaming from the pain.
Lander on her side felt the same. His heart beating as if he ran a marathon from just remembering all the running they did that night, the flames, all the hiding, the cries and tears, and most especially the decision he made that not only ruined his life but also the other two that helped him.
They saw their hell and it’s as bad and horrifying as they can remember.
The giant man again roared before sending the two into the air. Luckily Lander is still able to provide protection despite his uncontrollable trembling, his promise to Nicolas echoing on the back of his mind, “I’ll protect her in your stead”.
They got sent out of the clearing while the others were left to deal with the giant man, the chaos visible from the people above.
Be it one or nine swords at the same time, none can penetrate his muscles, it was as hard as a shield wielder’s protection. The swords just got repelled as if bouncing off a rubber wall.
“Retreat!, none of us can deal with that monster!”, Alisa yelled as she fired a shot.
It went in for a headshot but the man does not seem to bother nor feel the pain, he just paused, looked at Alisa and started pulling the trees for projectiles.
Lander unlike the coward that he was is braver than usual, he deflected everything with his shield and the trees just bounced off like the dead logs that they will soon be.
Back on the foliage were the sword wielders refusing retreat like Alisa suggested trying to turn the tables around.
They kept sprawling, jumping, and prancing like frogs tapping the back of a snapping turtle, causing no damage but irritation.
One man was almost caught by those wide hands but Lander managed to prevent it will an orb shield. But there is a problem. The man had two hands and Lander can only apply his same ability once per person.
Another man was caught in mid air like a fly unable to dodge a swatter.
“Let me go!”, he hysterically screamed upon realizing what was happening and what’s about to happen. He felt his waist, ribs, and everything below being crushed.
“Help!”, he screamed in agony while the others just froze on the spot with their mouths half open while the trees danced gracefully on the passing wind.
Alisa tried firing a shot but the giant just swiped his hand thus disrupting the air around him causing the arrow to fly back in front of Alisa.
Everyone does not know what to do. Alisa was shaking, the others are still frozen, and Lander can’t just stay still.
A loud crack and the scattering of blood said they were too late.
The giant painted the trees, the ground, himself, and the comrades of the fallen. They did not only bath from his blood but also smelled its fishy smell and tasted its metallic taste.
He almost turned into a pulp and bending up. His eyes protruding outwards from the pressure exerted on his body as he cried and vomited blood.
Everybody lost the will to fight.
“Make him stop!”, Nicolas begged upon successfully breaking free from his muzzle. “Let them be!”, he added upon witnessing what happened down below.
“That’s far from a doable request dear boy”, Nero replied with enthusiasm as things had gone the way he wanted.
“If I remember correctly he’s been hibernating for ten whole years now. No one would be able to stop what he wants to do”, Marcus blurted taking Nicolas’s attention.
“Right… all you can do now is watch until everyone turned into a puddle of blood”, Nero laughed.
“Help them Marcus!”, Nicolas exclaimed trying to get sympathy from his brother.
“Why would I, isn’t the show fun?”, he calmly replied with a plain look on his face.
That broke Nicolas. He can’t do anything, his brother turned against him, he was a worthless useless piece of garbage, disposable and can’t do anything right. That’s what he thought to himself as his spirit too started to fail him.

“You cold blooded monster!”, Lander said charging in with his metal sword, the man just disregarded him and walked straight for Alisa.
“Look at me! I am your opponent!”, he yelled but his normally sharp sword just bounces off the giant like it was a twig.
He was trembling in anger, his eyes burning from the fact that he failed to protect the poor man. He threw his sword. Calling his shield, he increased it to a size even the giant man could hide behind it.
“I said, I am the one you’ll be fighting!”, he said hammering the shield down the giants side. It made him stumble to the trees uprooting them while leaving skid marks on the muddy ground.
“You’re now getting on my nerve”, the giant exclaimed. His deep voice sounding like it came from the depths of hell. He stood up and headed for Lander instead. The ground is shaking with each of his angry step, but the boy did not flinch.
Lander struck again, sending the giant away from him. He repeatedly pound the man as if he is a dough needing a bit more of knead. He hammered and hammered and hammered while the man slowly sunk to the ground until he was completely out of sight.
The boy’s eyes were glowing in anger, literally, as if his soul would pour out his body. No one dared to stop him.
‘If he somehow defeated that monster then he too is one’, Anton thought as he watched from a safe distance holding more firmly to the branch he was in because the ground was shaking nonstop.
Lander just stopped when he felt his strength diminishing, and the signs of abusing his ability are coming to fruition. Fatigue, his vision’s starting to blur, his heartbeat even faster than a gazelle desperately shaking of a cheetah on its tail.
“Did he do it?”, Alisa wondered as she and the others regrouped. They are all shaking most from the shock of how their comrade died in the hands of the enemy, but some from what Lander was capable of.
They had been with Donnor for a long time having the same kind of ability, but none of them saw the application of the shield like the boy did.
He wobbled towards the hole and checked for the enemy while standing beside the hole’s rim. He saw nothing but mud and the collapsed soil.
“That boy has potential I see”, Nero uttered impressed from Lander’s performance as he watched from above.
“I can take him if you want to, then you can corrupt him”, Marcus suggested, stretching him arms up and legs, preparing for the action.
“Don’t give him any ideas!”, Nicolas yelled at him. Marcus just stared back while non-verbally saying that he does not care about his opinion.
“Nope, I hate those selfless hypocrites, and besides he might not survive this one”, Nero blurted.
“What do you mean, he clearly won”, Nicolas pointed out.
“Hmm?, just you watch”, Nero just laughed.
“Dead already?, yeah that’s what I thought”, Lander uttered catching his breath. His hands to his knees, as he felt weaker each second that he might even collapse.
“Get away from that hole Lander!”, Anton yelled putting himself on everyone’s line of sight.
“Shut up you traitor!”, Alisa shot him, intentionally missing by an inch. The arrow landed beside his head. He froze for a bit as he heard the whooshing projectile on his left ear.
It called for a celebration, and Lander finally eased out.
They soon knew that what Anton said was a genuine warning.
The exhausted boy flew into the air, no protection, just his bare body absorbing the impact and landed on the other side of the river head first to the rocks.
“Told you he’ll die”, Nero exclaimed to Nicolas before laughing again.
Nicolas was iced up like he forgot to talk, when he spoke it finally sync in to him. “Make him stop… I’ll do anything… Just make him stop…”, he pleaded.
“Oh, you’re already doing what I want, there’s nothing left for you do to but wait, shut up, and watch the show because it will be the last things you’ll ever watch!”.
No one was sure if Lander survived that. All that Alisa and the others know, they have nowhere to go, no spirit to fight, and no power to win, especially when Alvor, his father and their strongest swordsman was wiped out of the action that early.
They just watched as the man jumped a few meters above ground and far enough to follow Lander on the other side. The ground shook as he lifted off, the same as he landed back down, leaving and creating a crater.
He was too large and heavy that even the flow of the river was disrupted for a moment. It danced like a glass of water on a shaking table.
Alisa took the shot again but the man just kept disregarding him. “We should help him”, she said convincing the others but they are still flustered. Some of them crying and one was even exclaiming on the top of his lungs. “Were all going die!”.
“Wake up Lander!”, Alisa shouted still pathetically shooting, hoping to disrupt what the giant had planned for the boy.
But she was never heard, the boy was unconscious and oblivious that he’s about to be crushed.
Those big hands plummeted down like boulder and hit the target without any effort, causing another crater to appear.
Nero can’t help himself but laugh, for he thought that the faces of his enemies were a great subject for a painting. The intricate wrinkles on their foreheads, their wide veiny eyes, all having an agonizing expression.
He just laughed and laughed over Nicolas who had the same expression.