11. That Priest Again

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ARK Bearer Of Curse

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***

Maybe it was because of my fighting experience that led me to believe that I would not reach Ali in time. Speed was my best attribute. In fact, I may actually be faster than those veteran killers, including this Cecil guy.

But Cecil was no joke. I barely escaped him. Now, he was much closer to killing Ali than I was to saving her.

God damn, it! What a freaking satire. I just saved her only to lose here again. I might go insane this time..

KLANG!

"Huh?" Ali gasped as she turned around to see the source of the sound.

If Ali was shocked, then I was miraculously relieved from whatever the hell got between her and the dagger that made that clanking.

It was the clashing of Cecil's dagger to a... white sword?

"Why does that look familiar?" I thought hard and while I did, I continued running to Ali. The two were still in a lock when I reached her.

"Luc! Who are those people-!"

I didn't let her finish the question while we're still out in the open, unarmed. Well, not really, I had my dagger but it was more suitable for surprise attacks. Only then did I understand Ali's desire to possess arms, as it was in that moment I preferred to have those Uzi's on my hands.

"The arms!" She exclaimed to the sight of the guns we stole. It reflected the moonlight, giving it a charismatic shine.

Ali ran to grab the guns. One for her, one for me. Those were the lightest guns in the storage which perfectly suited our physiques. When I got closer to reach for the gun, I noticed the arms didn't reflect the moonlight.

It was shining on its own! My eyes started to adjust and not long after, I realized that shiny thing that enveloped the guns were spirit energy.

"So this is what the captain was talking about, huh?" I thought, examining the gun. Or rather, the spirit energy coming from the gun.

"You don't know how to shoot, do you?" Ali said with a teasing tone. It was relieving to see her back to her cheerful self. Ironically, her lively smile returned while holding a weapon of death.

Shaking my head, I still reached for the other gun. I was strapping it to my shoulder when all of a sudden, Ali rushed outside.

"Ali!" I shouted, surprised that she would deliberately go out while those men were fighting.

Once again, I was too late and unable to reach Ali on time. Without waiting for another second, she tirelessly fired at the men as soon as she stepped out of the house like some drunk lunatic.

"Die, you freaking killers!!" She screamed while she shot them. Her eyes were closed so she didn't know if she were actually killing them but mine were open. And I knew better. These men were monsters, they wouldn't die so easily.

"Ugh!"

"Argh!"

That was unexpected! While the men were quick enough to dodge the bullets, they were too preoccupied with fighting one another. Surprising as it is, the men didn't come out unscathed.

"Now you've done it you little bi-!"

"Stop, Cecil! They are just kids!" Before Cecil could curse, the older man grabbed and stopped him. As the moonlight shone his face, I got a better look of him. But my instincts reacted faster than my eyesight. That stature of a man was a terror from a year ago.

It was that priest again!

Ali was still firing but she ran out bullets with her eyes closed, so I took that chance to quickly grab her and carry her away from that place.

"Luc, what the hell?" She cursed which was rather out of character. "Have you turned into a coward? Put me down!"

"I can't!" I replied shouting. Hiding my abilities was no longer an option. I didn't notice I was already running at an inhuman speed that she started to get scared.

"Luc!!"

It was difficult to disregard her pleading. However, the only thing that mattered now was getting out of this battlefield. Those men scared me more than the warzone.

"Luc!!"

Running through this open road would leave an obvious trail. As I carried Ali, I jumped over a two-meter wall, then leapt to the roofs of destroyed houses to buildings. With no destination to reach, I was running to random directions only to throw off those murderers who would hunt us.

"LUC!! PUT ME DOWN!!" She almost cried and I had to comply. Besides, we're already at a part of the strip I didn't recognize. It meant we got far enough. I hoped.

As I put her down, her eyes projected a look of disbelief. No one could blame her. Ali might have been a criminal and seen her share of nightmares, but she was innocent when it came to demons. Seeing me move like that must make her think I was one.

"You're amazing, Luc!" She exclaimed.

"Huh? Did I hear her right?" I thought as I was perplexed with her reaction.

I could see her deep black eyes reflect the moonlight. They sparkled beautifully and innocently. While all her other expressions could convince anyone when she acted, she didn't need to act nor convince me this time.

"How did you do that?" She asked.

I remained silent. Really, what would I say? I got tortured by a gorgon and when it was time to kill me, an unknown force coursed through my body and killed a bunch of occultists?

When I didn't respond, she playfully waved her hand at my face. I held her hand down quickly.

"That's okay, Luc. You don't have to tell me", she said with a seemingly sulking voice. I would have believed it if she hadn't smiled right away. "But seriously, you're amazing. You're like.. a hero."

She pouted her lips and lowered her head, but her eyes still met mine. It was my first time seeing that expression from Ali so I didn't know what that meant.

"Luc, are you not going to say something?" She started to get annoyed.

Conflicted. That was the only word that best described what I was feeling. I wanted to keep my powers a secret because I didn't want her to see me as a monster like those men out there. Or maybe I "am" like them.

"Listen, there's nothing amazing with me. And I'm not a hero", I replied bitterly.

The realization struck me. Those Nightmares didn't attack at night because they were after Ali. They were and would always be after me. Like Sister Ann and the occultists. Tragedy and misery would always find me, and whenever they did, death followed.

With the revelation of my powers, if I ever wanted to protect Ali, there was only one thing to do.

"After escaping here, that will be goodbye for us", I declared.

The look of admiration from her face died down instantly. Of course, we've been together for a year, literally partners in crime. She would never agree to that sudden decision.

"Y-You're going to leave me?" She asked with her voice starting to tremble. Any moment, this conversation could get emotional.

"Those people.. I think they're after me. I told you how I ended back here, didn't I?" I replied and she nodded her head.

"These people are searching for something. I don't know what and they don't seem to fully understand it too, and somehow they think they could find it through me", my ambiguous explanation left her confused but she embraced me instead. I tried to pull away but she was not letting go.

"No! I can't!" She said.

"Ali! It's the only way to keep you safe!"

"No! You're the only person who can keep me safe! You're the only one who looked after me with sincerity!" And she began to cry.

It puzzled me. Being emotional was one thing, but Ali speaking like this with a deeper meaning and passion was quite another. I stopped pulling away yet she kept embracing me even tighter as if choking me.

"The money.. the Chief.. I know what you did.." She whispered in between her sobbing.

"Y-You knew?" I replied stuttering.

Thank god she pulled away, I thought was gonna die from almost choking. Still, her last statement left me astounded. Maybe embarrassed. Just what kind of a monster did she think of me at that moment.

"Yes, and I know why you did that Luc. You.. you saved me", she answered, wiping her tears. "I just don't know what to do if there will be another Chief."

Ali's tears made their way down her cheeks again. Then her soft sobbing turned to a pitiful cry. The evil that the Chief did to her was, I could assume, comparable to the horrors Sister Ann brought to me. Perhaps even worse.

Only difference between us was, I somehow acquired the power to kill my abuser. And if this power was given to me to protect Ali from her abuser, then so be it.

"All right, don't cry now", I hushed her. "I only said that because I panicked. We will stay together, okay?"

"Promise we'll stay together?"

"I promise."

I wiped her tears while she nodded. I saw her relieved smile. When she collected herself, we decided to resume our escape.

But the two men had already tracked us. Cecil was before us blocking out path. I looked at our back but there was the archer. I was about to carry Ali but when I looked above, the priest was on the roofs.

"Good work, Cecil!" The priest said. I cursed, they were fighting earlier but they were actually "friends". Such weirdos trying to kill one another.

"I told you, Father. I'm a good hunter", Cecil replied.

"Let's kill that devil of a child!" The archer exclaimed, knocking an arrow.

We're cornered!