Chapter 61: The shield

The white light soon faded and he was back in the pitch black entryway of the old cabin. Ella stood over Owen as he smiled. Owen sprang up from the ground like a bullet from a gun.

"I found him!," Owen shouted.

"Him?," Ella questioned.

She stared puzzled about what Owen has said. She would think that he had definitely lost his mind if he hadn't seen that mouse disappear into that sheet. Owen just fell down and the scroll disappeared. Owen saying this is not the weirdest things that she has experienced today.

"O-Owen? Are you...," Ella said trailing off.

"Okay?," Owen finishing her sentence. "Never better!"

A red light came flashing from his left arm. It was in ancient lettering, much like his blade's summoning lettering, but on his left arm. He tried summoning this new weapon, but all that appeared was a big shield on the other side of his arm. It was big and diamond shaped, but it felt light, just like his blade.

"T-That is impossible!," Ella shouted, confused at what she just witnessed. "No one has two blades!"

Owen stared at his new weapon for a minute and gazed at Ella. With a smile on his face, he spoke: "Let's be done with this"

Upstairs, Trent was bleeding profusely from his wounds. He kept screaming as the spirit dragged him through the broken door of a large room. It flung him against the wall. Trent hit the wall with a massive thud. His head was hurting. His ears were ringing. His heart was beating in fear, pumping more blood from his gigantic wound. The pain coming from those scratches were immense. Trent could barely utter a word. The creature sunk its claws into the wood before Trent as it got down on all fours. It slithered its long neck over Trent's bleeding body. The rodent-like head peered at Trent. It was as though the beast wanted to skin him like an animal. It screeched a high pitch scream. Trent felt as though his eardrums were going to burst as the scream got higher and louder with every second.

Trent shut his eyes and screamed back. He covered his ears as to try to cease the noise from entering his ears any longer. It did not work. It felt like his brain was going to burst if it got any louder.

It stopped screaming and lifted its head up. It slithered it back down towards Trent's torso when, something caught its teeth. A huge diamond-shaped shield was wedged between its foul jaws. It screamed and struggled to get free. Owen looked at Trent as he lay beside him.

"Go!," Owen said as he lifted the beast's head.

Trent wiggled his way out of the wall. Ella caught him as he started to collapse from the loss of blood. Ella quickly laid Trent down and took gauze from her backpack. She wrapped the gauze around his heavily bleeding wounds. Breathing heavily, Trent gazed up at Ella and gave her a smile. Ella returned his smile with her own.

The beast backed its head, taking the shield with him and Owen. Owen tried to not let the shield go. He took out his blade and tried stabbing at it, but it was no use. The spirit lunged its head forward, pushing Owen into the wall until it broke. Owen let go of his shield and watcher it disperse as he was forced out. The creature followed him as he landed on the dark, mushy ground below.

Trent got to his feet and looked out the giant gaping hole of the house. He peered down at the mushy ground where Owen and the creature landed.

"Owen!," Trent shouted as his voice echoed through the mountains.

Trent was breathing heavily. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He rushed down the stares of the cabin and raced through the front door. When he got to the spot where they landed, they were nowhere to be found. Trent looked around in the dusk of the forest. The dark surroundings closed in around him.

"TRENT!," Ella yelled from up in the hole in the house.

Trent looked back at her and watch as she pointed up to the trees. He slowly glided his eyes through the trees and branches when he saw a black figure climbing a tree. The figure was clenching onto something as it scaled the tree. Trent looked up the tree angrily.

"Enough playing around," Trent said as he vanished in an instant.

Ella watch Trent disappear into thin air. Puzzled at what she just witnessed, Ella decided to follow. She started making her way down the stares. As she got there, she saw the spirit at the top of the tree suddenly stop abruptly as Trent reappeared in front of the spirit. He slashed at the spirit, causing it to lose its grip and come crashing to the ground. Ella jumped out of the way as the spirit crash landed on the very spot that Ella was standing. Owen finally managed to remove himself from the claws of the creature.

"Owen!," Ella said excitedly as she ran up to him.

Owen gave her a relieving smile and then turned to face the downed spirit. Trent then landed on the ground behind them.

"Didn't know you had moves, loser," Trent said.

"Didn't know you were caring, jerk," Owen said.

"You two are too much," said Ella giggling.

Owen looked at the spirit laying defeated on the ground. It was still breathing heavily. It stayed down trying to recover its strength.

"Well we are not done here," Owen said as he went up to it.

He summoned his sword and pierced the head of the spirit. The spirit started glowing white as he put his sword through its head. The white light encased the spirit as it took form. It formed into the shape of a woman. Upon closer inspection of the spirit, it seemed to take the form of a familiar face. Owen let go of his blade as he ran to her.

"Mom...," he said weeping as he tried hugging her. She held him in her arms.

"Owen," Martha said. "I...I didn't want you to see me like this..."

"W-what?," Owen said as he backed away from her.

"I...I was so torn up...I saw them bullying you and...I just...," Martha stumbled on her words. She took a deep breath and spoke: "I was trying to do the best I can to try to protect you...but I...I failed...I tossed you into depression and left you alone..."

Tears started forming from Martha's eyes.

"No...," Owen said.

Martha looked confused at him as she listened to what he had to say.

"Yes, I didn't like the bullying...and I did wish you were around...but I learned that I can't be afraid. The world can push me around at times, but I won't let it happen...not to me. A true blade has a drive to a goal...and my goal is to find out what happened to my father...," Owen said.

"Owen...that's the thing...I don't think your father is dead...," Martha said.

"W-wha? How do you know?," Owen said.

"I met spirits in this plane of existence...and they have told me that, on that night...your father didn't die...or at least...his soul never left his body," Martha said.

"Wait...what did happen on that night," Owen said.

"Well...," Martha said as she started glowing. "...the link is closing...I don't have enough..."

With that, her body faded. Martha became invisible once more. Owen could not hear nor see her. He just stood there and turned to face Trent and Ella. Owen sighed and spoke:

"I'm going..."