Chapter Nine.

"What just happened! We were supposed to be dead?" The intenseness in Lucius eyes was enough to convince both him and Tina that magic was real. They both stared at Chantara with perplexed looks.

And she? Chantara did not bulge at all. She muttered some things that sounded like chanting to them, then screamed out all of a sudden.

"What is wrong with you!" Yelled Lucius to her. He walked closer to Tina and whispered to her ears."Seriously, what is wrong with her?"

With shrugged shoulders, Tina frowned a reply. "I have no idea."

"Wait Moon, what just happened?" He asked, staring at Chantara with furrowed brows.

"We just got attacked by some enemies." She replied, then went back to her chantings.

Both Tina and Lucius exchanged a worried look, then brought back their gazes at Chantara again.

"Moon, attacked by what enemies?" Lucius asked, slowly advancing towards her.

"I-" confused Chantara paused for a while to think. She recalled that she hadn't made any enemies since she arrived on earth. At least, she hadn't made an evil Warlock for an enemy. Most of the people that might had hated her (mainly because she had tried to kill them after they somehow triggered her anger) the past few days had all resorted to ordinary humans in Chantara's opinion. Whoever had tried to attack them must had somehow been connected to a powerful Lord, or must had been a powerful Lord instead. "I don't know. All I know is that, they found us." She said. When she spoke, an eerie chilled wind, crept through the vicinity, sending the hood on her head to fall back, revealing long blond hair that dangled freely as they followed the harmonic rythm of the wind like they enjoyed it's flow. Her green eyes shone magnificently beautiful under the clear bright sky and her lips partly opened, causing chilled air to sip through to her lungs. The air set free brown leafs from the mighty trees that surrounded them, causing them to fall slowly to the ground around her. Some birds chorused delightful singing, whilst the bees and other bugs chirped gloriously to the sound. Chantara was majestically beautiful, even amongst the other goddesses. "They found us, and we're no longer safe anymore. Death has found us."

"So dramatic." Scoffed Tina at the sight of the witnessed scene.

****

"What! Are you mad?" Exclaimed Lucius as he delusionally focused his eyes at Chantara. "They found us, death found us." He said, mimicking Chantara's voice. "What the bloody hell was all that about?"

"Relax." Tina said, trying to calm him down as she could sense the fear that he tried to conceal in his heart. "Moon, tell us what is going on." She spoke as calm as she could.

"Please do!" Added Lucius.

"What do you think, you clueless humans? Look at the building!" She pointed her hand to the crumbled building where they'd once stayed under, and both eyes followed towards the direction. Their mouth dropped open in astonishment.

The building that had once collapsed to it's ruins, now stood strongly firm like nothing had happened before. It was the only building in the woods, and though standing alone and small beside mighty trees, was still structurally appealing to sight. It was timber framed with fine thatched roofs that rose upwards. Even if it's inside had been so tiny with almost nothing for decorations, it's outside however, flaunted an alluring view of the woods. Trees stood tall behind the house, and you could see some amazing earth lives creatures tweedled and warbled around.

"The house, it- it-" Lucius swallowed.

"It's still a whole piece." Said Tina.

"Of course. Which means, everything I've been telling you is nothing but the truth."

"But it can't be! It's crazy. You're crazy!" Exclaimed Lucius poking his fingers at Chantara's shoulder.

"If I am," she said, throwing his fingers off from her shoulder, "then what would you call that Warlock who had just tried to kill us by squashing us like bugs in that building?" She asked with her eyes shining bright opened as she heaved out a heavy sigh. "Tell me?" Her words sounded like a whisper.

"Warlock?" Asked Tina.

"Yes, Warlock. An evil one." Replied Chantara, her gaze still turned to Lucius.

"There's no such nonsense as a Warlock. It is all myth and-"

"Can you hear yourself? Myth." She repeated and Lucius frowned to listen. "Myths are historical events that had already happened in the past. Which means that they exist."

"Only in the past." Corrected Lucius with a knitted brow.

"Well, not anymore then." She replied. "But I can still assure you they existed long after the past." She quickly added to prove her point. Humans were always dumb to her. How would a mere human who had only spent less than a hundred years in the universe, dared argued with a goddess?

"Moon, you need to calm down. And you, Lucius."

"But I am calm. She's the one that's getting sick upstairs." Replied Lucius. "I have something to point out though," Lucius walked up to Chantara, held her hands and dragged her over to Tina, then wrapped both arms round their neck, standing in their middle. "How is it that, grumpy boring depressed you," he turned his gaze to Chantara, "has now suddenly turned into a lovely cheerful smart young woman so full of life?" He switched his direction to Tina's,"and roughish thief, all bold and sophisticated you, is now a scared gentle young woman?"

"Why because I'm happy now." Said Chantara, breaking loose from his grip.

"And I'm truly... Scared." Tina said, taking slow steps away from their midst.

"See? The both of you are crazy now."

"I'm happy because the gods are finally bestowing upon me their blessing."

"By sending death upon us?" Tensed Tina asked from a distance.

"Yes." She replied, grinning from ear to ear, then continued her mumbling and chanting again.

Lucius walked over to Tina. "Listen, we should um, run. Don't you think?" He asked.

"Yes. Right now, we share the same thoughts." Agreed Tina. And with that, they took slowly paced steps backwards, hoping Chantara wouldn't notice them.

It didn't take long before she swiftly turned to their direction, eyes wide opened. Fear gripped both their hearts that they thought they wouldn't live again to see the next minute.

"I'm sorry, but we need to run," Tina's voice couldn't hide the terror her heart felt.

"Uhh, yes. Because we fear you have lost it." Lucius agreed to Tina's statement. They both mumbled out gibberish, but in an apologetic manner trying to defend their next move of evacuation. Before Chantara could speak, they both dashed towards the woods, screaming out loud at the top of their voices.

****

Theon was hungry for days now, and it wasn't because his stomach yearned for food. It was more because he couldn't find what to feed to his soul. He had no work, no friends, no talent nor hobby. Theon would just sit inside his tiny room, chatted with his dead mother, and a few friends, battled some of these friends whenever they tried to kill him, other times he'd set course to his special place in the village. The library.

Times when he was doing nothing, he would sleep, but cautiously. The soul was in the weakest state when in sleep, so he tried not to sleep so much. Demons of the night usually attacked and ripped off humans souls when at rest in deep slumber. Theon specifically got some pills that helped him stayed sober all day and night.

That day after his chat with Honora, he felt more drained and upset at the same time. He was bored of his life.

It happened in a manner he couldn't understand. One minute he was inside his room, thinking about how miserable his life had turned out, the next he was falling down a deep dark pit.

No. He wasn't falling, he was drowning. Temporarily blind, because his vision would not make do of any color except a vast of emptiness that resembled black. Temporarily dead, for the air around him boasted of chilliness that caused goosebumps to coat his skin. He was drawn into the darkness of the world with no hope in sight. The chilled air soon turned hazardous as he struggled for a paced breathing. His lungs tightened and failed to aerate, for down there, there was no source of life.

He yearned to scream for help even when he knew he was long gone from any aid, but his mouth failed to utter any sound other than the choking cries of terror.

Many times he'd tried to commit suicide, but it hadn't been as cruel and painful as he felt now. Stabbing a dagger multiple times into his chest would had been comforting and merciful compared to the torture he was feeling. He struggled hard and for a brief while, Theon didn't want to die. He realized the pleasure of life and appreciated the gift more than before.

But alas, it was too late for him now. He was drowning too deep than his body could take and it crumbled all of his bones to the very bit. His breathing lowered, and his soul, consumed by the cruel darkness. It was all over for him.

Until a faint whisper sounded in his ear. "You can do it, son." It was the voice of his mother. She repeated over and over, her voice soon faltering off. "Fight it!" With a final surge of energy, his eyes flung wide opened and his heart absorbed the courageous words of his mother.

Theon was no longer drowning. Rather, he was falling from a great distance of height. His eyes saw a colorful meadow below him, filled with mighty trees and beautiful ambiance. His view zoomed in closer till the beautiful neck of the woods, shifted to a brown scenery that suddenly looked like the soil's surface of clustered dried shredded leaves.

"Arggg!" He screamed on top of his voice till his cry of fear was soon cut off by a loud thud. His face fell flat on ground as his heartbeat stopped.

♦♦—♦♦

|NEXT, ON CHANTARA...|

It wasn't long before Lucius and Tina had escaped through the woods from Chantara. "Thank the name we do not speak of, I think we've escaped her."

"How dare you mortals waste my precious time?"

Both Lucius and Tina screamed out loud at the top of their voices wondering how in the devil's name she had found them.

WHAT YOU'VE HEARD OF THE GODS BEFORE,

"Who do you really think she was?"

"I think we'd just witnessed it all. She was one crazy lady obsessed with the prophecies that aren't even real."

IS ALL TRUE. AND MORE.

He was like a spirit, merely temporarily possessing the body of a human. The darkness had consumed him to the last depth. He had face like death itself, that consumed all that cross path with him. 

THEY ARE NOT LIKE HUMANS, FOR THEIR THINKING ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

"Because we are the evil ones ourselves. And if there's a powerful one coming to save us all, then they must..." He leaned closer to her to whisper to her ears. "They must kill us all."

"Oh. But that's very absurd."

"Why do you think Moon said, death has found us?"

TO ESCAPE DEATH, THEY MUST LEARN TO TRUST EACH OTHERS.

"Are you going to run again?" Asked Chantara. She watched their bewildered expression and feared they might run mad if she didn't try to ease their tortured heart any time soon.

"Moon, it's true." Lucius said. "We shouldn't be scared of you anymore. We're not." He too spoke with a brave heart.

WOULD THEY BE ABLE TO SURVIVE WHAT IS COMING FOR THEM?

He widened his eyes and all living being in his sight, decapitated at once. His eyes beamed of evil.

"We'll figure it out."

OR WOULD THEY FAIL AND DIE A HELPLESS DEATH?

"Tina?" Lucius became suspicious and turned to face her. "What is wrong with her? Moon, what is wrong with her?" 

STAY TUNED FOR MORE THRILLING ADVENTURES. CHAPTERS ARE UPDATED DAILY.