Previously
The sound of branches breaking catches the attention of the two seekers and then the next thing they realise is that they have been lifted of the ground, in the arms of the Loup Garou.
Narrator's POV - Foundation HQ – Manhattan, New York, United States of America
Behind his mahogany table, the leader of the Huntik Foundation sat with a grim look on his face as he flipped to the next page of the report in his hands. His assistant sat on the seat in front of him, his face clearly showing his usual nonchalance. A few minutes had passed and there was no sound made from both occupants of the office. The leader flipped to the last page of the report, quickly finishing in before gingerly placing it onto his table. He took a moment to fully internalise and think about what he had just read before speaking up.
"So is this the compilation of all the sightings and encounters of Organization suits and the Blood Spiral army by our agents?"
He gets a nod as an answer. Metz sighs, his expression still grim, "Jamie, do you have an idea what the organization is up to? Do you think they are collaborating with the Blood Spirals?"
His assistant's brows rise slightly in surprise. Why was he being asked that? He wouldn't know. He was neither Grier nor a Suit, but he knew he had to give an answer based on his prior experience.
"There hadn't been an attacks on our agents by the Organization Suits and they were spotted in places with little or no significance to the seeker world. I don't think they would be causing us any trouble. The pride of the Organization's members would prevent them from forming an alliance with the Blood Spiral. "Jamie replies, "The Organization is not at the top of our worries. Our bases worldwide have been damaged by blitz attacks by the Blood Spirals recently and several agents have been gravely injured. They are all now in stable condition and most have been discharged and sent home already. "
"That's good to hear." Metz said in a relieved tone, "The Spiral Mark. It has been showing signs of being active again, hasn't it? The red comet was destroyed by Dante. There has to be another source that the Blood Spirals are using to activate the Spiral Mark. We should ask the Casterwill family about this alternative source as well. They might have some information in their libraries."
A hint of irritation is seen on the Jamie's face as the Casterwills are mentioned but it disappears as soon as it appears. "Anything else, sir?" he asks.
"That should be all for now. The rest will be decided after the next Council meeting. "
Narrator's POV- Cave in outskirts of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The first thing he notices is that he is drowning. But he can breathe. He sees bubbles floating up to the surface which he cannot see. He looks around trying to make sense of what is happening but is greeted by a seemingly endless abyss. Then he notices it. A distant star. He moves as quickly as he could towards the source of light. It felt familiar. Something he was familiar with, something he was fond of…
The star become bigger and bigger until the light engulfs him completely. He shields his face with his arms.
Soon the light fades away and he finds himself standing in a peaceful meadow.
What really captures his attention is the woman standing in front of him.
Zhalia?
What is she doing here?
She takes a step closer and they are only a few centimetres away from each other. She looks at him with such an unwavering intense expression which he cannot read.
She slowly parts her lips, "Dante…" she whispers, almost inaudible, "live..."
Beep beep beep
Beep beep beep
The incessant beeping sounds from his wrist watch wakes the man up. He lets out a small groan and shakes his head to clear the haziness. The peculiar dream is still fresh in his mind and goes through it over and over again so that he remembers most of it. Slowly he gets up from the supine position and surveys the area. It seems like he was in a cave. He notes how he was placed in a rather comfortable position and how refreshed he is feeling right now as though he had just woken up from a good night's rest. The Loup Garou made a lot of effort bringing them here with no discomfort and keeping them cozy it almost seems as though it doesn't mean any harm. Deciding that it was too early for him to be making any conclusions, he gets up. Then he remembers.
Zhalia
His eyes widen in panic and he looks around the area once frantically in search for his companion. Finally, he spots her. She too was placed on the ground a little further away from where he was. Dante lets out an audible sigh of relief and makes his way towards her hoping she was okay.
"Zhalia?" he says as he gently taps on her shoulders
It takes a few moments for her to open her eyes. Confusion is momentarily seen in her eyes before it clears as she remembers what had happened.
"This is why I said we should keep on moving," she says getting up, avoiding any eye contact.
It doesn't go unnoticed by the other seeker but he chooses to let it slide for the time being, "This must be its home base"
"The Loup Garou doesn't seem to be here. I can't hear anything else." Zhalia adds looking around still avoiding eye contact.
"We should check out that path there." Dante says as he eyes her.
Narrator's POV- Outskirts of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
"It's my fault." Den exclaims. "It's ALL my fault. "
He prances around the spot they had chosen to rest earlier.
"If only I hadn't- ARUGH it's all my fault!" He berates himself again.
"Now now, calm down Den! It's not your fault." Cherit tries to console the youngest member of the team.
"That's right Den. There is no way you would have known this would happen. And Mr. Vale and Ms. Moon are capable seekers. Mr. Vale would definitely not let the Loup Garou even lay a finger on Cheria. They would be fine." Mr. Rock offers as he places a hand on his shoulder and offers him a warm smile.
"I can't believe we slept through like pigs when the three of them were taken away!" Den continues.
"Well, you were the one who suggested we rest." Lok states which earns him a glare from the others for being tactless.
"According to the map, there is an underground cave nearby, a few miles away. "Sophie says as she is looking at the geographical display of the area on her cypherdex, "that's probably where the Loup Garou is keeping Dante and Zhalia."
"We should hurry. It is going to get dark in a few hours" Mr. Rock says as he looks at the sky worriedly.
Narrator's POV- Cave in outskirts of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The cave seems to be never ending. The two seekers had walked silently as they observed the surroundings for any clues or information they could gather.
The mind of the male seeker however, was also thinking about all the strange things happening recently. Zhalia's odd behaviour. The peculiar dream. The actions of the Loup Garou. None of them make sense to him and the sooner he understands the better.
"Zhalia." He calls out to his female companion, who doesn't seem to have heard him.
"Is something bothering you?" he asks as he slows down his pace, comes to a stop and turns to look at her.
She follows suit but doesn't turn to face him, "No." she answers quickly and changes the topic, "We should get out of here fast. The team is probably worried."
"Zhalia, look at me." Dante says, reaching out to hold her hand, "please."
It was hurting him. That she doesn't trust him enough to share her worries. They were alone now. Whatever she has to say would only be for him to hear only.
Before he left to join the council, they promised. They promised that they wouldn't let the physical distance between them affect them. And that they would be there for each other and support each other to the best of their abilities. He considered the promise they made a great victory for them. Both of them were not ones who would trust other and open up to others easily so carrying out the promise had been initially challenging but they were going so well. Until now. When something is obviously bothering her and she refuses to tell him.
Reluctantly, she turns around to face him but still avoids his gaze.
"I am not sure if I am the right person to tell you this." She says finally, "but you deserve to know this. No, you should know this. But that, is for later…"
He frowns at her statement but says nothing and waits for her to continue.
"I know who the Garou is after." She says looking at him. "It is-"
Narrator's POV- Location unknown
It was a dark room. The only source of light was the flickering candles on the chandelier dangling a few metres above the ground. The only furniture in the room was a throne. Seated on the throne made from skeletons was a seemingly formless grey being. The only visible part of the being was its magnificent purple eyes that shone like an amethyst under the sun.
"Enter slave!" it booms with a loud yet clear voice.
A small maroon creature with stubby legs and sharp horns stumbles into the room and hurries to fall under the feet of the being.
"Have you gotten the hold of the seeker?" the being asks.
"My deepest apologises, my master. Garou has gotten the seeker first. "the creature replies in a small voice.
"WHAT?" the being bellows and the candles in the chandelier bursts into bright red flames as if to signify its anger.
"That worthless imbecile Garou is giving you trouble?" it hisses angrily.
"Pl-please have mercy Master. We would have been to capture the seeker yesternight but Belialla had foiled our plans, Master!"
"Belialla?" it repeats the name, voice laced with venom, "so you still live…"
"May I enter, Master?" a new voice, sweet as honey is heard.
The being makes a noise and the owner of the voice comes into the room. Her pale blonde hair flows around her frame as she walks gracefully into the room and bows.
"I assume that you have a solution to this predicament, my pet."
"Of course I do Master," she purrs with a sly smile, "through my personal connections."
HOHOHO the Garou only kidnapped Zhalia and Dante but where in the world did Cheria go hmmm?
What is the Organization and B.S up to now? Probably here for trouble and making it double *team rocket reference hahaha* Jamie seems like some anti-Casterwill dude maybe he is a blood spiral infiltrating the foundation. Like I promised, Zhante. I wish I could have more Zhante moments in this chapter but there is a major Zhante heartbreak thing gonna happen next chapter so I didn't want to give too much here. Okay I just realised I gave spoilers for my next chapter lol but I didn't say what the major heartbreak so I guess it fine. I feel evil but nevermind.
Writing dreams are hard cos it's very abstract. I hope I was in-character in my writing sighhh
Thank you all for your reviews! They really make my day! Do write down your comments for this chapter. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Love
-Tina
P.S Belialla is the female version of Belial who is apparently one of the four crown princes of hell.