Eve switched on the coffee machine once she found the energy to. She roused partly from a terrible dream and mainly from Sundance throwing himself onto her, begging for blueberry pancakes. Sleep in her gaze, she threw him off and he was currently nursing a swollen bump on his head in the bathroom.
News of Caleb's disappearance spread across town like disease. His apartment was blocked off with crime scene tape. Police canines sniffed the perimeter of his neighborhood and reporters cornered people on the street with questions. They called Caleb a partier but respectful to his neighbors, an introvert in public.
A mudslide of questions bore through. Was it planned? Accidental? Foul play? Nothing was out of place. Caleb's wallet and keys were still in the apartment, his cell phone neglected on the table. He wouldn't just up and leave without them and he was a combative fighter. Even though he only knew a couple of stances and how to throw a dart.
This just didn't seem right.
For the day, Eve and Sundance stayed in, much to the mamodo's dismay. She'd rather not have to deal with another battle because every time she went out, a mamodo would corner them into fighting. It'd be nice to not have to scrub paint out of her hair for one day.
Phil and Resh came over for a visit and Eve made them hot cocoa, ignoring the complaints of Sundance and how the chocolate burned his tongue. Resh laughed but was grateful. Phil cracked a joke that made them all laugh and cooled the mood of the afternoon. Phil and Resh stayed over until the sky was caramel gold and dotted with gray clouds before they bid their friends a temporary goodbye.
Amera and Kyo denied their offer to hangout but with good reason. They were on a manhunt for mamodo that terrorized the battle and others. Through the maple bark and curved green leaves of the forest, a dash of pink braids flew past Amera's eyes. She spun around and looked over Kyo. "A spell, please."
"Sorusen!"
Amera grabbed the sword off her belt and it shined brighter than Northern lights. She looked where to strike first but couldn't find the enemy. They were too fast.
"That's a nice weapon you got there. Better put it away before you hurt someone."
Amera meandered into a battle stance and glanced at Kyo, who looked even more confused than she as their eyes led them around the woodland of darkness and lofty old trees. "Who could've said that? I can't see anyone."
"Up here, kids."
Their heads shot up. They saw a guy around Kyo's age with dark hair and dead blue eyes, his arms a mural for tattoos. He held a pale blue spell-book and his smile was rotten like a poison-infested viper. He wore green camouflage pants, black sandals, and a black T-shirt with the sleeves ripped to the shoulders.
Something looked weird about him. He didn't look like he deliberately wanted to fight. As if he wasn't in his conscious mind. No one would contribute to battle unless they were murderous or soulless.
"I won't fight you but you both look interesting." The guy smiled as he spoke but it didn't melt the hollowness in his eyes. Amera stared at the book-holder as if he was only a skeleton of someone else. "I have better rabbits to prey on. Maybe next time, we will be able to fight properly."
Kyo's jaw tightened. "Why don't you fight us now, coward?"
"I don't pick on the weak." He laughed and smiled wider at the mamodo and book-keeper below him. "Isn't it wrong to ask someone to race when their legs are broken?"
"That will be you shortly," Amera muttered.
He was gone in a blizzard of instantaneous white snowflakes before Kyo could get a spell in. He closed his book and Amera's sword lost its light. They were left in the dark.
"Isn't that the missing guy?"
Kyo nodded. "I believe so."
But they couldn't do a thing when they barely had a trace.
Sorry for the wait and the length of this chapter. I definitely have ideas for the next chapter and it'll be much longer than this one. Hope you enjoy.
Wowza48 - 1000 years later from Zatch's battle in the manga/show. There won't be any flying cars or food converted into pills though. C: