Chapter 5 – Upbeat Tempo

Why hadn't I thought of that before? Didn't I recognize his face? Fakir was back. He saw me with Nadine.

But why is he at the sanctuary? He's supposed to be at the monastery with the monks!

Just then, I heard a rustling of leaves nearby. Quickly turning, I head towards the noise. I ran out of the walls of Prontera, into a thick forest. It was a peaceful place, where I usually hung around as an acolyte, with just the man I was looking for; Fakir.

I heard the rustling once more. He was luring me.

I ran southwards, where the noise was leading me. Then I stopped in my tracks.

I quickly hid behind a tree, though I knew he could sense my presence. In front of me was a meditating Fakir, sitting in a peaceful manner, hovering meters above the ground. I took out my rosary and started praying.

I held it out in front of me, aiming it at him. A blinding light emerged and head straight towards him.

He, on the other hand, glared at me and raised an arm. Then I saw it: He had a rosary of his own, wrapped around his hand. I knew what he was going to do.

Too bad I couldn't react fast enough.

The spell he cast shattered mine; mainly because I didn't concentrate enough and wanted to cast the spell as soon as possible. Now I knew that was bad. Really bad.

I struggled to side-jump quick enough to dodge it. How unfortunate it was that I tripped. I lay there helpless, hopeless, as the blinding light head straight toward me.

Good-bye, Midgard!

It hit me. I flew off a couple of meters away. I could feel myself bleeding. Internally. I landed on my back, and made a loud thud. I struggled to get up, but the most I could do was stand on both legs and arms, choking blood.

I saw Fakir stand up and slowly walk towards me. Was he going to kill me and flush all our memories down the toilet?

Then I looked back down; in shame, and saw it: A beautiful, red rose, covered in my blood.

"Nadine…" I helplessly whispered as Fakir drew closer.

This can't be my last moment! Not after what I did! I had to find the strength inside, and stand up, fight back! I held the rose near my heart, as if looking for a source of inspiration.

"Re…" Fakir said, softly, "…my dear friend."

"What the hell! First you want to kill me, then—" I stopped as I choked out more blood. I held the rose closer and closer, finding the strength from within.

He reached in his pocket and took out two, ornate, black gloves, with spikes where the knuckles are. He put it on his right finger, then his left, and once again, glared at me. "Now is the age of cleansing. All sin will finally be destroyed, and a new, perfect world shall emerge from the ashes."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sinners. They disgust me. They destroy this gift God has given us; the world in which we live in." He said, now pocketing his rosary, and looking at me through devilish eyes. His silver hair swayed in the wind as he went into his fighting stance. He was going to kill me. "I'm sorry, but to do this—"

"—I have to start with you."

Instantly, he was dashing towards me in a zigzag pattern, seemingly accelerating each time he switched directions. I had to do something, quickly!

Paralyzed by fear, I couldn't run. My legs didn't want to move. He was coming closer. There had to be something!

Then I realized what I had to do. I reached in my pocket and took out a blue gemstone: a vital magic-aid that will shatter after casting certain complicated spells, instead of injuring the caster.

He was now only meters away. I had to act fast. I held the gemstone out, and concentrated, praying to God as I did.

The moment seemed to go on forever as time seemingly slowed down. I saw in his eyes the vigor and fury, ready to kill even a childhood friend.

As Fakir punched as strong as he could, the stone lit up, and a pink pillar of light emerged from the ground. His fist met the barrier around me, and all the force in his punch reflected back to him. His fist bled as he gripped it tightly with his left hand, moaning in pain.

"How is that even possible?" He said, throwing what seemed to be a bluish-white ball with something inside, like a spirit.

It hit me hard in the chest, and I flew several meters away, finally landing on my back. I struggled to stand up. This time, Fakir was headed towards me, mad as ever.

I ran to my right, as fast as I could. Then something hit my ankle. A bullet. Someone was sniping at me.

I looked up at the roof of the sanctuary. There, a man with silver hair, wearing an all-black outfit and a shotgun stood, eyeing me. He reached in his pocket, and took out a knife. Slowly, he hurled it at me. It hit the ground I was once on, as I rolled several times to the left, then finally stood up.

I struggled to get inside the sanctuary, thinking I would be safe. I thought wrong. Fakir blasted the front doors, as I looked around for a place to hide. The sun had just set, and darkness filled the Sanctuary. Pews lined the aisle on either side, and in front, lay a very beautifully decorated altar, with Jesus on the crucifix above it.

I hid beneath one of the pews as Fakir strode pass. Without hesitating or thinking, I checked my ankle. Taking out my rosary, I prayed to God, the Father, and it healed almost instantly, if my concentration hadn't been broken by yet another gunshot. The silver haired guy came in, walking over the debris.

"Fakir!" The man said in a very vulgar way, "What happened to this "RE" of yours?" He bellowed, smiling a devilish smile.

I skipped a beat as he glanced over at me. His smile widened. He knew where I was.

He went over to the aisle, and one by one, he blasted the pews; sooner or later, he would find me.

Fakir, on the other hand, opened one of the doors and went upstairs to where the priests and acolytes were….including Nadine. But I had other things to worry about. The man was getting closer and closer, and before I knew it, he just blasted the pew right next to the one I was hiding behind, when he stopped.

I found out why. Outside, a group of knights and crusaders heard the commotion and decided to investigate. Quickly, he holstered his shotgun behind his back, and took out his machine gun. He blasted them all to oblivion in less than a second. I actually stared in awe, but as he looked back at the pews and took out his shotgun once more, I was yet again, paralyzed by fear.

It was a full moon tonight, and in this light, I finally realized who he was; Kaizel. Another one of my childhood friends, who seemingly disappeared after Fakir transferred to the monastery.

Then I saw a small handgun strapped to his ankle. Bad move. I could easily get it. I just needed an opportunity. Something had to come up this very moment.

Thank God my request was granted. The priests upstairs were screaming for help as Fakir strangled the so-called 'sinners'. Kaizel merely chuckled as he looked at the stairway, where a body had just fallen. Ironically, it was Father Zhandros's, the high priest.

Without a moment to spare, I quickly took the handgun. He didn't notice it, as he was musing himself, listening to their screams. He looked back at the pews to discover a handgun in front of his face.

"There you are!" He taunted, attempting to bring up his shot gun.

I, on the other hand, brought the gun closer, until it touched his face. He seemed….too calm though.

"Go on! Shoot!"

I didn't hesitate. I pulled the trigger.

Click. Nothing happened. There were no bullets. He knew that from the start, and possibly used it as bait for me. I, on the other hand, was stupid enough to take it.

And now, I had to act extremely fast, if I wanted to live, knowing what he'd do next.

He pulled the trigger of his shotgun. I scurried off behind one of the pews and attempted to throw it. The adrenaline built up inside me and I lifted, then threw it at him. He simply shot it, splitting it into two pieces, not harming him at all.

I took out my rosary and prayed. An angel appeared above him, and threw three swords at him. He didn't see it coming and tried to shoot it. Naturally, the bullets went through it and hit the ceiling, making it collapse. I quickly ran after him as he moved back to dodge the falling debris. A bold move, if I must say so myself. The debris would've fallen on me if I hadn't acted fast enough.

I quickly took his machine gun, and hid it behind my back. Seeing me, he took his shotgun and pointed it at me. I pointed his own machine gun at him.

At this point, no one wins, no one loses. We both die. If I pull the trigger, his first instinct would be to pull his, and vice versa. There was no escaping it.

Like a coward, he ran outside. I pulled the trigger of the machine gun. He turned around and shot at the speeding bullets, their collision making an explosion.

What accuracy! I've never seen that done before!

But as the smoke subsided, he was nowhere to be found. The gunner, Kaizel had disappeared. I looked outside. There was nothing.

Save for skid marks on the road. He obviously had a motorcycle with him.

It still pains me to know that Fakir wants me dead so badly, he even took Kaizel with him.

But I can't let my mind wander freely just yet. I had other things to attend to.

What might have Fakir done to Nadine?