The room lay in ruin.
Grey stepped into the chaos, his boots crunching broken glass. The hospital bed was torn in half-the sight almost imposible to behold. A dent on the wall showed where one of the officers hand landed. Blood smears along the tiles.
Behind him were three men all suited up in matching outfit- red overall and leather boots. Only Grey wore a jacket over his, the little difference signifying a higher authority than theirs.
They scanned the wreckage, silent-glances sharp judging their captain.
Grey ignored them. They wouldn't dare voice their doubt.
The warning from the superiors echoed in his mind:
"kill from a distance."
He disobeyed, now the boy had escape. He had to quickly right the wrong of his head would pay the price. Though he had an alibi, the local priest had inform him about a missing piece from one of the pillar of fire causing it to misbehave. Their prayers had led them to the boy's house. They started a cleansing ritual, wanting to destroy everything that had been contaminated. But both boys escaped.
He still had an ace up his sleeves.
Grey smirked bitterly. He picked up the broken cuffs from the floor and turned to one of his men.
"Sam."
The man stepped forward-- younger than the rest. About Chike's age.
"You've been blessed by the Almighty with the Gift of Seeking, a few weeks ago." Grey said, holding out the cuffs. "Now put it to good use, Find him."
Sam nodded. He took the metal, closed his eyes, ,and exhaled deeply.
A silence fell.
Then his eyelids twitched. His voice came out cold.
"His mother's house."
Grey's grin widened.
"Gentlemen," he said, eyes glowing faintly with zeal.
"the hunt begins."
Chike paced across his old room, it felt too quiet. The walls too tight. His thoughts looped- spiraling into emptiness.
Emma. That name grounded him. He had to find the boy. If Emma was alive, he could prove his innocence….
He tried to focus, just as Ofor had taught him. Trying to trace the boys aura.
Nothing.
No visions. No flicker of Emma's presence.
"my full strength is incomplete at the moment," Ofor had said. "other parts of me were sealed in the remaining pieces…just like the one you found. But there are ways for you to grow stronger for you." it paused.
"What ways?'
"training ,engaging in battle and vanquishing you foes."
Chike's breath hitched a part of that last line didn't sound right.
".…vanquishing of foes."
But he didn't give much thoughts to it.
"where did you come from?" he suddenly asked
"most of my memories are sealed off, along with my true owner, but I am the embodiment of the warrior spirit of a human who ascent to godhood, by completing the first tempest trial, he and other strong warriors of his time rebelled against the old gods when their way became too cruel and banished them from this realm." it paused.
"However they turned on him, as he had become too powerful, out of fear he might sought to rule them as a god too, and sealed him off in a different realm."
"his powers split and sealed across time and 10 bloodlines. I am one piece."
Silence.
Then--
"We have company."
Chike listened patiently as the intruders climb on from the porch and into the building- for almost 8 years the building had no residents so it was cut off from basic amenities- electricity, this worked in his favour. Their footstep growing closer with each step.
His brain got to work as he discern the steps, three men, two light. One heavy.
He found it strange they found him that fast, then again theres only a handful of places he could have gone. But they move with certainty he was there. Wary.
Ofor had become unusually quiet. That scared him more than the intruders.
The other two went to his mothers room, the heavier one headed for his.
The door creaked open.
A torchbeam swept across the room. The entered the man--tall, heavily built. A strange linen wrapped around his head with markings that pulsed faintly.
Chike crouched in the ceiling, chest tight. The old wood creaked, silently threatening him it'll cave under his weight.
Ofor reacted, crouching further to the back of his mind.
Instinctively he knew, whatever that strange garment was-it caused Ofor's silence. He had to get rid of it.
The man turned his back, facing the window.
Now.
Chike dropped.
He lunged for the man immediately his feet touched the ground, barely giving him time to react, slamming into the man with all his weight. They crashed through the glass window. He grabbed the window frame-the man fell into the grass below.
One down. He thought.
The noise had alerted the others, as the rushed in as he landed back inside. But his doorway was narrow. Perfect.
The first one entered--Chike punched him hard. The man staggered, then lunged, Chike dodged, but the mistake now trapped him between both men.
They were smaller than him. he towered them, both in height and build. But they moved quick.
This might be easy he thought.
One drew out a blade with strange carvings. Chike danger sense tinged, but the blade had been a distraction, as the other one punched him-hard. He reacted just in time to block- but he underestimated the force-it felt like a 100kg dumbbell coming at high speed, launching him across the room. His old bed cushioning his fall- his hand almost broken.
The pain radiating to his core. Fear appeared on his face.
A sly smile appeared on their faces, the other one sheathed his blade. "He was normal." they nodded.
"They're not normal. This is different. Chike's breath rattled.
He swung a wild punch, but they dissolved before his eyes as he struck clear, reappearing behind him with a chuckle. A knee drove into his spine, sending him crashing to the floor. His vision blurred.
Get up. Get up! They laughed.
He lunged again, this time aiming for the one with the blade- but his fist passed through empty air. A hand clamped onto his wrist, twisting it back. Pain exploded in up his arm. A cry tore from his throat. A warm feel in his mouth-it was his blood.
"Pathetic," one muttered. 'High level threat my foot."
"Steady now boy." Ofor's voice reappeared- distant, tired as if sleepy.
"Channel your rage. Imagine the flow-to your abilities."
Chike closed his eyes.
His assailants pause. Waiting for a surrender plea.
He imagined his abilities. Danger sense was almost useless-only alerting him of impending danger, but they moved almost as fast as it worked.
"Dejavu."
If only he could anticipated their attacks.
"you could." Ofor chipped in.
The boys mind was too fast. This all happened in less than a second.
His raged welled.
One swung- as he made to stand up, he ducked. A faint surprise appeared on their face.
He channeled his energy to his hand.
He struck.
The one in front dodged-Chike had seen it. He followed up, a heavier hit, sending the man flying across the room.
Shocked flickered in his colleagues eyes.
Chike advanced. His speed had doubled. His strength surged.
The fought hard.
His surprise grew as Chike now held his own.
His danger sense tinged.
"dodge." Ofor yelled.
Chike spun. Barely seeing the first man one's hand. A whitish powder- already mid-throw.
Chike ducked.
The powder caught the other attacker square in the face.
He screamed. Too loud.
His skin cracked as they dried.
Then flames. Erupting across his body. He shrieked, stumbling, then collapsed-smoke rising from charred flesh.
Chike watched in horror.
the last attacker turned visibly pale. Chike struck-- full force.
The man crashed backward--impaled on a jagged iron shard jutting from the broken bedframe.
Silence.
Chike staggered towards the dying man. Now closer he realised that this person was no much older than him. He brought him down. Blood pooled fast. Too fast.
He pressed down. "No, no-please don't die-"
The boy looked at him.
"it's too late," he muttered. "Even if I lived… they wouldn't treat a wound you gave me."
Chike froze.
Your soul's not fully gone yet."
He exhaled. Then nothing.
Chike collapsed onto the dusty couch.
The silence screamed louder than the fight.
His heart grew heavy. He had killed.
'But it was necessary". he searched desperately for a reason to justify it. It didn't stop his guilt.
His body screamed from bruises. His chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. His mind swirled with guilt.
There was blood on his hands. Two corpse upstairs. How many more had to die.
There was no turning back now.
A tingle ran through his chest-his danger sense. He ached to turn it off.
There were three of them.
His instincts flared. He staggered to his feet, each step heavier than the last. He moved toward the back of the house- under his window.
His eyes widened.
"there was no body."
His danger sense blaring.