[11] KNOCKED

"You don't deserve to be treated like a human, after all," Arlo said. "I should've also treated you like the others."

Sliff gasped. "I'm here again?" Looking around the chamber, he found himself alone with Arlo.

"But I will not, Sliff," Arlo said.

Returning to him, Sliff sighed. "You never did, Arlo."

"I'll always believe in you," Arlo said. The vertical slit, which sliced his body into two, started growing deeper, splitting him even more, his insides spewing out. "Come here, give me a hug—"

Sliff tightly embraced Arlo, exposed organs rubbing against his face. "Thank you for believing in me, Arlo, and sorry that I did not listen to you…" He felt a squishy mush falling on the top of his head. Arlo had looked down.

Glancing up, Sliff smiled at the brainless Arlo. "I promise I'll become strong enough to protect the ones that believe in me. And…sorry, Arlo, but I can't let you weigh me down anymore. This is where it ends… Farewell."

Sliff's arms closed in on each other as Arlo became dust and scattered throughout the room. "I'll do anything for my dream." He turned around as he felt an ominous presence.

Zomir appeared out of nowhere, grinning from ear to ear, exposing its hundreds of rows of teeth, thinning its eyes.

Sliff looked into them, into those predatory yellow eyes that gleamed, and were charcoal-black where they should've been white, enhancing the stone cold stare falling upon him. Then…

Sliff smiled back, pointing at Zomir. "I'll come for you, Zomir. Just you wait—"

The ground collapsed, the ceiling cracked, debris showering from above.

***

Slowly opening his eyes, Sliff's saw a bright glow. It was just a bulb. "That dream again, huh? But this time I won… Kind of—"

He jolted onto his butt, turning his head from side to side. "Where am I?"

The room was well lit but its wallpaper consisted of darker tones. Just right to the bed on which he lay, was a large window with steel framing. On the other side was quite some space before the iron door, the floor decorated with carpets having no bright colors. In between the wall left of the door, a fireplace sat unlit.

"What's this?" Sliff asked himself, reaching for the left side of his face. He made a searing noise as his fingers pressed against the bandage on his left cheek. "Huh—?"

His memories from before Valisha knocked him out came back. The memories of the gloomy news received at the end of the council made Sliff jump out of the bed and dash toward the only door of this room. "Vyzen!"

Sliff yanked open the door, rushing outside without looking back.

A corridor emerged on the other side, several rooms to Sliff's right and a turning stairwell going down, immediately to his left. Sliff turned left, his eyes falling instantly on the banner hung before him.

This banner depicted a dark bird lunging outward with its talons raised in front, its silvery-black wings fully stretched out.

The insignia of the Raven Guild.

"I'm in a Raven stronghold?" Sliff asked himself. "How—?"

A young man, wearing a dark gray jacket and black pants, emerged from the stairwell. Upon seeing his hawk-like face and spiky black hair, Sliff immediately recognized that the young man was none other than the strongest rookie of Raven. Lokius Thorson.

"You're awake, that's good!" Lokius said. "But where do you think you're going, Sliff Venrio?"

"He knows my name!" Sliff thought.

Lokius climbed the stairs, reaching next to Sliff. "Let's get you back inside, alright? We don't want Master Ragnaul to get upset, do we?"

Sliff gulped as Lokius reached for his shoulder. "Let me through, Lokius, I have to go to Osto."

Lokius wrapped an arm around Sliff's shoulders, taking him inside his room. "My mission is to keep you in this stronghold, brother. You're under the council's protection for the next three months. Better take it easy or I'll be forced to use Mistress Valisha's method, you know." He chuckled.

"If I rush past him, maybe I'll make it to the bottom floor," Sliff thought. "But even more Seekers will be there to catch me."

"Please don't try to do anything stupid," Lokius said sincerely. "When Master told me what you did in the meeting, I couldn't even believe it. And they call 'me' the 'Reckless Rookie of Raven!'"

Sliff exhaled. "Think… Think…"

"Just relax, brother," Lokius said, settling Sliff down on the bed. "Even if you get out of here, you won't make it to Osto, not because that's a whole different region but because of the Desperado."

Sliff gasped. "He has a point… But am I supposed to just sleep all day as Vyzen inches closer to death? That's no good at all—" Something clicked in his mind.

Lokius walked out of the door. "Will you close it or should I?"

"Close it shut, Lokius," Sliff said, grinning. "And don't let anyone inside."

"Oh, so you plan on doing 'that', I see," Lokius said. "I'll make sure nobody walks in on you while you finish your 'business.'" With that, he closed the door shut with a stupid looking smile on his face.

"Business?" Sliff thought in confusion. "Whatever…" He closed his eyes, trying to find if the light within him had been restored—

All Sliff found was brightness.

"What the…" he thought. "The darkness is replaced by brightness." He looked deeper and found light within the brightness. His Luma.

"Thank Eloise!" Sliff thought. "I can go back to Valhalla!" With that, he lay on his bed, closing his eyes, preparing to touch the light within the brightness. "I'll meet Vyzen, no matter what! But I have to do it their way."

Sliff reached for his Luma, recollecting the final moments of the council, before the euphoric feeling washed him away.

***

"Wh-What?" Sliff thought. "He said something else, right?"

"Palio!" Valisha said, rushing toward the messenger. "Explain yourself!"

The messenger gulped. "We just got contacted by the Hopevale hospital in Fleya, Mistress. They reported that sir Vyzen Stormsmith was admitted there by a man with a skull-in-snake tattoo."

"What?" Valisha said. "An Onyx Bane member?"

Palio shook his head. "The skull in his tattoo had the number '5'—"

"Captain, we should get going," Alaric said. "The soaring turtle must've been fed by now."

Valisha nodded. "You're right." With that, they started to walk out of the courtroom.

"Hold on," Jaylin said. "Where do you think you two are going without permission?"

"To Osto, Celestial," Valisha replied immediately. "My second-in-command might be injured badly. We don't know what is going on but the Onyx Ten may attack him again. We have to be there."

"If they wanted him dead," Jaylin said, "they wouldn't have saved him. He's safe in the hospital, some minor injuries won't kill him."

"But they're Desperado," Alaric said, frowning. "They can do anything, anytime. We have to leave."

"The life of one," Jaylin asked, "or the lives of millions? Which one is more important to you?"

"Wh…What is she even saying?" Sliff thought, his entire body going cold. "Was she even listening?"

"Umm… Mistress Valisha," Palio said, gulping. "His condition has been reported as near-death, but the bigger problem is that…the doctors have refused to operate on sir Vyzen without your presence because of his connection with—"

Valisha tapped on Alaric's shoulder. "Let's go." She bowed to the Celestial. "It's at times like these that I must prove that I'm worthy of my title, Celestial. Pardon us." With that, they walked out of the room, leaving a dull silence behind.

"W-Wait," Sliff said as they walked past him. "Alaric, please take me with you. He's my only friend…" Alaric stopped.

"Bad timing, kid," Alaric said, shaking his head.

"What is holding you now, Alaric," Valisha yelled. "We have an entire region to cross."

Alaric exhaled softly. "Sorry, kid." He turned and followed Valisha, who walked hastily toward the entrance.

Sliff lunged toward him. "Please, sir! PLEASE! I have to see him!" He started to tear up.

"Uh-Umm…" Alaric muttered.

"What the—" Valisha said, turning. "What're you doing, idiot!" She knocked Sliff leftward. She exhaled after he hit the floor. "I'm…sorry…"

Sliff crept onto his feet, teardrops dripping onto the floor. "Please, Mistress, take me with you! I have to see if Vyzen is fine."

"And increase our chances of inviting the Desperado?" Valisha said. "You have to stay here, that's your part of the mission."

"I can't do it, Mistress," Sliff sobbed. "Please! I have to see him."

Valisha turned away. "If you care even a bit for him, then stay. You'll put the entire hospital in danger by just being there."

"I don't care," Sliff said, kneeling. "Please, Mistress!" Facing the floor, he heard footsteps going away from him, so he looked up, only to find Valisha and Alaric walking away. He ran after them. "Please, Mistress! I have to see—"

Valisha spun, slapping him to the floor. "I have to knock you out if you say that one more time."

Sliff tasted the blood on his lip as he crawled back onto his knees. "Please, Mistress… Vyzen is my only friend…"

Valisha exhaled harshly. "And that's the only reason I'm saving both of you." With that she pulled back her hand.

"Huh—?" Sliff felt as if his neck was struck with a blunt sword, when actually it was just Valisha's back-handed chop. "Vyzen…" he thought before the brightly lit corridor became completely dark.

***

Sliff opened his eyes as the euphoric warmth faded away, finding himself before the very table on which he learned about the technique he had just used.

"It seems I always return to the exact spot from where I leave. Better find Galarax now."

Sliff noticed that the fire beneath the cauldron had been put out. "Of course." He looked at the utensils atop the table, the dirty plates and the food scrubs. "Their meeting must be finished… Would he be outside or inside?"

Sliff walked around the dining room, discovering a flight of stairs. "I should check inside first, right?" He climbed almost halfway before getting startled by his own reflection. "Who puts a mirror beside a staircase—?"

"My clothes…" Sliff thought, glancing down at himself. "Have they always changed when I come here?" He continued to walk onward before the question distracted him from the important stuff.

After the first set of stairs, Sliff found a large window in front of him. "If he's outside I can see him from here…" He walked closer to the window, gazing rightward, at the small hill with the fruit-tree. He smiled after he found a bulky man heading toward the fruit-tree.

"Found him!" Sliff thought, turning and running down the stairs. "So he was here not long ago…" He ran past the dining table.

Sliff closed the door behind him before following the rocky trail going away from Galarax's shack. "I'm getting excited just thinking about it!"

***

Sliff saw Galarax sitting underneath the fruit-tree, slowly his speed. "I can't even run this far? I'm no warrior…" he thought as he panted.

Now almost walking, Sliff placed his hands on either side of his waist. "Galarax was right…" He panted, bending toward the grassland. "I'm weak as hell… But that will change starting from today!" He smiled, straightening his back—

"Hey, kid," Galarax said, waving. "I knew you'd return! Come sit here and tell me what happened."

Sliff gulped. "D-Does he have no idea? Why can't I warn him? I have to do something before that thing gets too close to Galarax. But…why won't a word come out?" His jaw twitched as he tried to let out even a single word.

"Why'd you stop?" Galarax said. "Oh, these fruits! Don't worry, it's not like you have to eat them."

"B-Behind you, Galarax," Sliff whispered.

"Hum?" Galarax said, cupping his ear with one hand. "Come again?"

With everything he had, Sliff raised his hand and pointed behind Galarax, at the four monsters approaching from behind with a silent creep.

The monsters that looked exactly like the rocky creatures that merged into marble-knights. Zomir's monsters.

The rocky golems of purple and orange rocks and a face with hollow eyes, halted right behind Galarax.

One raised its giant rocky hand over Galarax, morphing its fist into a hammer of rugged rock, pulling it behind just after.

"LOOK OUT, GALARAX!" Sliff said as he knocked onto his knees.

"Huh—?" Galarax said as the golem rammed its rocky hammer onto his head, sending shockwaves outward, squashing him underneath it, and cracking the hilltop.

"NO!" Sliff yelled, dragging his nails through the grassy ground.