Chapter Eight- Matters Building
"Hi, Bastion. Want to duel?" asked a fellow Ra the next day.
"Uh, no thanks. "I've got a lot of work to do," Bastion replied, noting the white clothes on the student as he headed upstairs to his room. It would seem I was correct. Satorius still wants me on his side and he's focusing on my fellow Ra students. Now that I think of it, the dorm smells empty. I may be the only one living here right now. A sense of loneliness swept through him and he gave a sad whine. He was alone and, while he had been content to be a lone wolf, his time with Jaden and the others last night had given him a sense of family; a pack to use wolf terms.
Maybe that's his plan. He wants me to feel lonely so I'll duel someone and lose in order to not feel lonely. Well, that won't work. I have friends and a pack I can be with and with them, I'm never alone.
He stayed in his room until dinnertime and ventured down to the cafeteria. The staff was still there and they confirmed that he was the only one at Ra. He asked for a juicy steak cooked partly done with a potato side dish and a vegetable. His order was processed and soon he sat with his steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn. A glass of juice sat close by it. He ate every last bite and complimented the staff when he returned his dishes. They smiled as he left and, once he was out of sight, he changed to wolf form and used his nose to double check that he was alone. It took a little time, but eventually he had checked every inch of the dorm and found it empty save for him and the cafeteria staff. He returned to his room, took human form, and sent a message to his pack about the empty dorm. He assured them that he was fine being along and to not worry about him. After that, he washed up, changed clothes, and went to bed.
Classes were strange with a sea of white uniforms with a mass of red and three spots of yellow. Bastion stayed close to the Slifers and his fellow Ras who hadn't been converted. A second look around showed a few blues that hadn't joined the society and wasn't surprised that one of them was Atticus. He had witnessed his sister's loss and conversion to the society and, as a result, avoided dueling anyone in that group. Next to Atticus were Mindy and Jasmine, two of Alexis' closest friends. He leaned in to Jaden and asked, "Where are Atticus, Mindy, and Jasmine staying again?"
"Chazz's room oat Slifer," was the answer.
"Ah, yes. I remember. That is a nice place. They would be welcome at Ra if they want to; in fact if anyone at Slifer wants different food, the Ra cafeteria is open."
Jaden perked up at this. "Really? That's great. I'll pass on your messages."
The cafeteria had more students than last night and the staff looked happy at serving a group. There weren't a lot but it was enough to keep the chefs busy and the students thanked Bastion for his generous offer. He simply shrugged and said, "It is the least I could do."
When the Slifers had left, Bastion elected to take a walk around the yellow campus. He walked around the dorm and then into the woods. It was a nice, albeit, cold night with a clear sky and the gradual full moon in the sky. Not much longer, he thought as he looked at it. Another week or so and I will transform again as will Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry. We will become ice wolves again and unable to be human until morning. But that is all right. It is the nature of the werewolf and I love being a werewolf.
"Well, well. Bastion. We meet again," came Satorius' voice and Bastion turned to his left to see the hated man. "You must be lonely with no one else living at your dorm."
"You are mistaken. I feel none of the loneliness that you believe I am experiencing. I am privy to what you are attempting: The end of humanity."
"You are the one who is mistaken," Satorius said. "Humanity will live and worship the Light of Destruction with this body as a vessel."
"No," he said softly as images of thousands of people like his classmates flashed through his mind.
"Yes and since you are aware of my plan," his eyes started to glow white. "I will simply use my power to make you one of my worshippers."
Bastion looked away before he turned around, eyes still shut. "You cannot resist the light, Bastion."
"I disagree." Bastion transformed and whirled around, his eyes now open. He growled at Satorius who seemed stunned at suddenly facing a wolf instead of a person and his eyes ceased glowing.
"What is this?" he demanded as he took a step back.
"I wager you never encountered a werewolf before," Bastion said, scenting fear from the man.
"Werewolf," he muttered. "The cards did not speak of a werewolf. My powers of persuasion do not work on beasts and you are half-beast."
"Yes and with my ability to spread my condition, your plan will eventually fail."
"We'll see about that. You can be killed and once the world worships the Light, I will reveal your secret and you will be hunted down and killed." With that, Satorius stalked away.
Bastion sped off for home, changed back to human, headed to his room, and called Jaden on his PDA. "Hey Bastion," Jaden said when he answered. "What's up?"
"I just had another encounter with Satorius and learned something advantageous. Beasts are not affected by the power of the Light of Destruction and that includes werewolves."
"So…I could lose and be okay?" Jaden asked.
"Well, yes, but you losing is practically an impossibility."
Jaden laughed. "Right. Well, I would like to beat him before the full moon."
"That would be preferable. It would be nice to have the dorm filled with its students."
"Yeah, but on the other hand, you don't have to sneak around when you want to change or have to change."
"That reminds me. Satorius threatened to expose my secret once the entire world is in his control so that people can find and kill me."
"Kill you!? What kills a werewolf?"
"A silver bullet, of course as well as impalement to the heart with any silver object."
Bastion saw Jaden wince on his screen. "Not good."
"Agreed, but our claws are as hard as diamonds and very few substances can break diamonds."
"True. So, we may be able to deflect silver with our claws." Bastion nodded at this and both hung up.
"My followers," Satorius called in the white dorm. "Our peaceful mission is being threatened by a werewolf and I know his identity: Your classmate, Bastion Misawa." He paused to let this news sink in. "Yes. Bastion would rather have this world descend into chaos and darkness. But once we have introduced the society to the rest of Earth, his threat will be diminished and he will be killed."
The crowd hailed him and repeated his name several times to his pleasure. His wicked smile was not seen for what it was. He was certain that Bastion's days were numbered. Once Jaden loses and joins me, I will move forward in subjugating the entire world to the Light. After that, I will put a bounty on Bastion. I will require his head as proof that's he's dead. Only silver will kill him as other bullets and blades will bounce off him or break upon contact with his body. If Bastion confesses his secret to Jaden and my threat to him, then Jaden will come to me to save his friend.
