"There's an enemy near." Ophelia specified, poking Caleb's shoulder to warn him. He was sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, twisting a dagger around in his hands. He was nineteen but he didn't look it. There was bloat in his stomach, an evident puffiness in his eyelids. There was only one nice thing about him and that was his eye color, dark turquoise like an ocean. She complimented Caleb on them a week ago and he said he knew. His tone was flat. "Caleb, were you listening? I said–"
His eyes opened. Caleb frowned like he'd rather be someone else. "I heard you. I just chose to ignore you."
"We can't take any chances." she advised, pointing him to her book. It was under a jacket with its pages splayed out under it. The spine cracked and the pages stained by dirt-spotted fingerprints. "Get my book. We'll check for intruders. I hear one mamodo and one human trying to be quiet. Oh, they stink like gutter bugs. Don't humans take showers?"
Caleb grabbed the book and tucked the knife under his shirt. "Deal with it."
Ophelia walked him through different hallways. She moved like a cat, silent and graceful. Caleb wasn't a loud-walker but he wasn't quiet either. The enemy was quick to catch up. Caleb couldn't get a good eye on them before the book-owner, a girl with her black hair tied back in a braid and blue eyes opened a spell book.
Her mamodo had roses curled through her pale pink hair and a red eye, the color of a fire-engine. A rose-shaped eye patch was placed over the other. Her ruffled dress and long boots were the same color of her hair, folded at the top.
"It's you," The book-owner said, turning to her book. "I should've known…you were right, Lulubell."
Lulubell smiled at her partner. "No time to chat, Luna. Give me a spell!"
"Okay! Haradi!"
Lulubell summoned and fired sharp rose petals at them. Ophelia dodged them and watched as they hurtled over her, cracking parts of the historic walls but not hitting the enemy.
"You need to work on your aim," Ophelia said with a smile.
"Shut up!" Lulubell sneered and started running, lifting her fist to Ophelia. Her eyes were dark, her fists clenched. Ophelia twirled out of her direction and raised her hands.
"Violent, aren't you? Watch your words. This is my turf and I don't like your tone."
Caleb turned a page in Ophelia's book. His eyes were dark. "Reysa."
Dozens of ice needles burst out of Ophelia's hands and shot at their opponents. They sparkled like icicles and were quicker than gunshots in a warzone. A human could never dodge them.
"Harima!" Luna shouted, pointing at the ice needles, her book glowing.
A shield that resembled a rafflesia plant caught the spikes in its middle, its freckled petals closing over and reflecting them, faster than before, their virgin white diluted to pink. Ophelia received the blunt of them, smiling, eyes closed like a masochist. Cuts spattered with blood marred her arms and face. Caleb didn't look worried. They were a team but not a functioning one.
"Llomo!" Luna screamed, the book in her hand shining like a flashlight in the dark.
A rose vine webbed with thorns burst out of the ground and wrapped around Ophelia whole body, pushing sharp things into her bones like pins in a voodoo doll. She couldn't move anything except her head.
"Interesting spell," Ophelia praised, lifting her eyes to Caleb like it bored her. "If I were able to move my hands, I'd applaud you." The vine crawled up to her throat and squeezed, Ophelia gasped and the color in her face changed. It went from an average white to a soft blue. Caleb watched with her same face of negligence.
"Drop the book and your partner gets to live another day." Lulubell instructed, making a fist and jerking the vine around Ophelia's neck like a whip. She gasped again, her face the color of a bruise, red and purple.
Caleb scowled. "You're the reason I never want a child." He turned pages in Ophelia's book slowly. Watching Ophelia like an experiment, he smiled coldly and presented them his teeth with it. They were gray from poor oral hygiene. Some were crooked, some weren't. A crack ran down the middle of a front tooth. "Ralox."
Ophelia opened her mouth and dozens of ice beetles crawled out of it, spilling down her chin. They exploded all at once, shooting thorns and ice splinters everywhere. Lulubell and Luna crossed their arms over their faces to protect them. Ophelia sprang back over to Caleb but she was slow-moving. There were welts from where the thorns bit into her skin around her neck.
Caleb acknowledged her with a glare. "Nice going."
Ophelia was unable to answer as Lulubell struck out. She was quicker than her enemy and was able to evade Lulubell's advances without much trouble. Caleb stumbled away, flipping back a few pages. He was panting and his jaw was shaking. The surprise attack had frightened him.
"Reysa."
"Haradi!"
Ophelia completely missed her target and her ice needles shot over their enemies. Lulubell's rose petals passed Ophelia and chose Caleb as their next target. He staggered into a wall to dodge them, huffing, and one scraped his face, breaking through skin, and knocking him to the ground with blunt force. He dropped the book and Ophelia screamed his name.
He was on the ground for over a minute. Ophelia couldn't check up on him as she had to block every one of Lulubell's counterattacks. Ophelia pushed her away and her nails tore into Lulubell's face as she hit her. While distracted, Ophelia bound to the air and kicked her with the ball of her foot. It sent Lulubell reeling into a far wall and Ophelia ran back over to Caleb, touching his shoulder while he was down.
"Caleb–"
"Shut up, I'm fine!" he shouted, batting her hand away. He turned to her with blood dribbling down his face. The cut reached from the middle of his cheekbone to the slope of his jaw. It wasn't serious but it would still scar. "That's it…that's it."
Ophelia lifted an eyebrow. "What–"
Caleb ignored her. He retrieved the book and stood his ground. He was seething, spitting his words. Blood continued to drip, running dark and heavy. "You're done, I swear. I went easy on you before but now you're done!"
"Bring it on, handsome." Lulubell said with a sadistic smirk. She liked a challenge.
"Lebashi!" Eve screamed.
Sundance jumped in front of her and summoned his circular shield, dripping indigo paint. The daggers burning with blue lightning caught in the paint and dissipated. The mamodo they were battling was older than Sundance but around the same size. He had orange hair, blue eyes, and knives of every size hanging off his belt. There were silver nails and rings drilled into his eyebrows, his mouth.
His partner was younger than Eve, older than Sundance. Her brown eyes were warm, her pale pink book an echo of her innocence. She was eleven, a child of war. So young and impressionable. At eleven, Eve dreamt about Caleb and how he didn't ask for her name when they first met. At seventeen, she dreamt about killing him before anyone else could. It's funny how things change.
Eve shrieked as a dagger with a blade smoking from the fire inside it landed between her feet.
"You okay, Eve?" Sundance called out.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Eve yelled, stepping away from the knife. She didn't mean to sound so rude. Thinking about Caleb really distracted her. "Lomas Bleez!"
Sundance's arm became a boomerang and he released it, cracking the mamodo in the head, dizzying him, as it swung around the field in a rainbow-shining arc. It came back to him and became his arm again.
"Damn, almost had her!" The mamodo said, cursing his aim. The boomerang didn't hit him that hard. "Give me another one, Miki!"
"I hear you, Taku! Daso!"
Five smoking knives materialized in Taku's hands and he threw all but one at them.
"Lebashi!"
Sundance brought forward his shield again and blocked them. Taku came slashing at Sundance with his remaining knife and Sundance led him away from Eve, doing his best at dodging every swing and swipe. He took a direct hit and the blade caught his shoulder, ripping through his sleeve. His blood flashed red and black on the silver. Taku came at Sundance again with the knife, slicing the air blindly. Sundance took the blade in his hand and misdirected it, pushing it away from his heart but receiving a bad cut on his arm.
"Upra!"
Sundance blasted Taku with red paint and it burned him, soaking through his clothes. Taku's knife disappeared shortly after and he and Sundance started fighting with their fists. Punching and kicking and grunting and shouting. There was a lot of blood on Sundance's part. They moved to the air, fighting while airborne. Sundance took a punch to the face and spat blood into Taku's face, grinning like a crazy. His teeth were red.
Eve watched with regret. It felt like another battle they couldn't win.
"You'll pay for that," Taku sneered.
"Will I? Don't be so sure. The fight's not over yet." Sundance assured, still grinning. "Eve? A spell?"
"I got you, Sundance. Lomas Bleez!"
Sundance shot off his boomerang and it completely missed Miki and Taku, spinning like a wheel into the sun and trees. Eve lifted an eyebrow to Sundance but he shook his head. He was smarter than he looked.
"Ha-ha! You missed!" Taku looked satisfied.
"Not quite."
Neither of them answered as a hoard of trees collapsed over Taku. Miki gasped and clutched the book to her chest, her hands were shaking. Everything was silent and dead. Not even a bird chirped.
Sundance sighed, running back to Eve. He didn't trust the air. "Too easy…"
Miki smiled. "Lau Daso!"
But Taku was still not seen. Eve clenched her teeth and squeezed Sundance's book. "What–"
Taku exploded out of the ground, covered in dirt with twigs caught in his hair, vengeance in his eyes. Sundance was thrown to the grass by him and he caught Taku's sword, crackling with electricity, before it could impale him. It electrocuted him, burning his fingers. Eve watched as Sundance's eyes widened, mouth opening in silent protest. He collapsed. His eyes were open but he wasn't moving.
"Sundance, Sundance…Sundance!" Eve screamed. She couldn't talk without screaming. "Sundance, please be okay. Please, please, please. Sundance…SUNDANCE!"
Taku tore his sword out of Sundance's lifeless fingers. "Oh, he'll be alright–" He looked at Eve and she saw the bloodlust in his eyes. "Back in the mamodo world."
"Reysa!"
"Haradi!"
"Ralox!"
"Harazado!"
Ophelia was able to cancel out Lulubell's drill made of vines with her ice beetles. Caleb had blood on half of his face, the glow from Ophelia's book accentuating it. He was more alert than he was before, looking around, remaining in control.
Lulubell and Ophelia jumped into hand-to-hand combat. They fought in the air, on the ground. It would definitely be a draw if they were human. Caleb watched with pride and suddenly an idea stole his mind. He thought about sharing it but remembered Lulubell and her observant partner. He couldn't get anywhere near Ophelia without risking an injury.
Caleb used his book to hide the knife. He threw it like a dart and it swung through the battle, hitting a far wall. Luna shrieked, losing her place. Caleb frowned for a moment. He wanted it to hit her.
"You'll pay!" Lulubell snarled, pushing away Ophelia with all her might. Ophelia fell to the ground, scraping a knee. Lulubell ran over to Caleb without the aid of a spell. He was smiling, eager, waiting.
Caleb pointed at himself, taunting the enemy. "Come on down, little girl. I got tattoos that hurt more than this."
Ophelia was on her heels, grabbing Lulubell's shoulder, turning her around. Ophelia swept a leg under her foot and knocked her to the ground next. They scuffled on the ground for a moment's time.
Caleb lifted an eyebrow. He wasn't worried. The book in his hand was shining blue. There were new words on a new page. "Would you look at that? Appears to be a new spell."
Taku's walk to Eve was terrifying. He walked slowly to exaggerate his power, show how fast he could kill her and burn Sundance's book. She thought about never being to see Sundance again and how fast it would take to end her life. She wondered if anyone would care.
She thought about Caleb and who would save him if she couldn't. Lilja ought to. She knew where he was, she knew how to fight and defend herself. She could recruit an alliance if she wanted. Eve didn't. Sundance wasn't moving and his fingers were twisted, burned to a different color. No one was around. No one would hear her if she screamed.
As if floodgates opened, Eve started crying. She felt disgusted with herself because she wasn't crying for anyone but herself. She felt bad for herself. Tears plopped onto the yellow pages and she covered her face with a hand, crooking her fingers over it. "Please, Sundance. Please. Just be okay."
Taku raised his sword, blue in the sun, his grin white.
She looked at her feet, holding her breath but not her tears.
"No more crying, okay, Eve? You look really weird when you do."
Eve saw Sundance holding Taku's sword away from her face, grinning bravely. Eve covered her mouth and nodded. Tears ran through her fingers, cold and fast. His book was shining so strong, she couldn't even ignore it. The golden glow burned her eyes. She turned a page and found a new spell.
"Oh my God, a new spell…"
"RAU RAMANDO!"
"RAU LAINE!"
Caleb's new spell was met with one of Lulubell's own. A beautiful dragon made of black rose petals with clawed feet and long wings. It roared, burning their ears with the sound, as it fired a spiraling black laser from its mouth.
A komodo dragon from Ophelia's spell came into existence with sparkling scales made of ice and dark eyes. It had a sharp tongue and a long tail. It was unpleasant to look at. The hiss it made was loud and animalistic. Caleb smirked as the dragon launched itself forward, bounding on all-fours over to them. The castle was rumbling like they were standing in a street during an earthquake.
Both mamodo collapsed. Caleb coughed as smoke took over the room.
The Komodo dragon hissed again and revealed its teeth, pointy and brown. It fought through the laser and deteriorated through it like smoke. The Komodo dragon sunk its teeth into the rose dragon and another storm of smoke flowed into the room, making the air polluted and gray.
Caleb faded in and out of consciousness. He couldn't see Ophelia through the smoke but he saw someone on the ground, motionless like a corpse.
He hoped it was the human and the thought made him smile.
Sundance had delivered a chameleon, already a rainbow of color, changing from blue to green to purple and back again. It didn't look at Eve or Sundance but she could've sworn that it had Sundance's eyes, blue ringed with black. The chameleon made no sound at first as it threw itself forward, not touching the ground. The chameleon hissed and jumped over Taku, soaring like a bird, knocking him to the ground with its power.
The chameleon snatched the book out of Miki's hand with its tongue, promptly wrapping around it and ingesting it. They didn't even see it burst into flames. Taku vanished into the air without saying anything. Miki ran off and into a dome of trees. She was crying. The chameleon turned to them and nodded, disappearing shortly after everyone was gone.
"We won." Eve said, turning to Sundance. "We actually won."
"Yeah, we did. We…we actually won. Without anyone's help." Sundance approved. He nodded to himself and hugged Eve. She was so surprised by him throwing his arms around her, she almost collapsed. The spell drained him. Even his voice was tired. "We won, we…we won, we won. We won."
Eve threw an arm around him. He smelled like smoke and sweat and dirt. She didn't even want to look at herself. "Great job, Sun. Great job. Let's celebrate our win with showers…and ice cream."
Sundance laughed. "Deal."
"Take one step near him and your partner's dead."
Caleb opened his eyes. He didn't realize he actually closed them until he saw that the smoke had cleared. Luna was unconscious. Lulubell was steps away from him and Ophelia's book was in his lap, open to the page of their new spell. He didn't know why he was exhausted. He didn't do anything worth sleeping for.
Ophelia had his dagger at Luna's throat. She would kill her. It wouldn't even take a second for her to slash the girl's throat. Lulubell was frozen in fear, looking at him for confirmation like he could tell Ophelia not to. He could but he wouldn't.
"I have a better offer. Why don't you join us? I'm looking forward to taking down humankind with someone other than my partner. Look at them. Don't you hate the humans? Don't they disgust you? They're pawns in our game and they think nothing of us. We're demons, monsters, ogres to them. They're fools to look at us the wrong way. Fight with me and I can show you how to destroy them. Take over this world as our own. What do you say?"
Lulubell was silent. She remained staring at Caleb, her eyes were wide.
"If you say no, I can always burn this pretty book of yours and kill your pretty partner. It wouldn't take long for the sea creatures to feast on her corpse. They would enjoy the meal."
"I…I–"
Caleb didn't want to sleep but it was slowly taking over. Every time he fell asleep, he saw her. He feared her and not because he pitied her. He hated to see her when he closed his eyes because he couldn't sleep through the night. He can't wake up without seeing her face. She wanted too much. She was suffocating. She limited him. She was too nice. There was so much wrong with her.
He's the better person. He was always the better person. There's never been anything wrong with him.
For the first night in a long time, Caleb slept without dreaming.
How's this chapter? It was made kinda weird in some places but I liked the way it turned out. This chapter was meant to show how different and alike Eve and Caleb are. Originally, I was going to have them get back together but that would be really awkward now that I think about it.
This chapter title is actually from a Skillrex song of the same name. I can't stand Skillrex but this song really seemed to go with the chapter. Take a listen.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter. R&R!