CHAPTER 68 : Poison

As the sun set on the last day of search , the three teams went through a mix of feelings . They had gone through the feeling of losing a comrade , and though they realized it was merely a disqualification , they felt as if they had lost some kind of support and the absence of their presence was eating away at their hearts. Yet , they had to carry on .

*ISLAND DAY : 7

Zakiyye stepped out of the fort with Josh and Samuel supporting him on their shoulders.

Aleena and Jun were already standing there waiting for him to arrive . 

As he stepped out , he looked worn out and exhausted , but he was smiling a smile of victory. His smile was contagious as they all smiled back to him. 

They laid him down inside the same tent as Batuhan and sat down next to them .

" Food....." Zakiyye said as Josh and Aleena brought in soup and water for him that he just gulped down his throat in mere seconds.

" Its a four day journey from here....three days if we don't rest.. but the path is too treacherous in some places , not to . " Zakiyye said as he started his third bowl of soup.

" What's the place like?" Jun asked

" Where it's hidden? It looks like a temple..." he replied.

As he finished his bowl of soup , he looked around and found one person missing.

"Don't tell me you all sent Bow out alone again somewhere..." Zakiyye asked with a slightly angry tone.

The room went silent and as he finally noticed Batuhan's bandaged body sleeping right next to him , the realization came in fast..

" He attacked...." He said and everyone nodded.

Zakiyye too went silent , staring at the now empty bowl.

After a few moments of silence , Zakiyye finally broke the ice,

" I know you all went through a great deal in order to protect me ....." he touched the edge of his bowl , then he looked up with a great amount of determination and spoke in a strong tone , " I truly am grateful to all of you and promise to protect you as you did for me!". He blushed after the declaration and before anyone could reply ,

" WE SET OUT AFTER FIVE HOURS!!! GOODNIGHT! I MEAN GOOD DAY!!" and he went deep inside , covering his body tightly with the sheet wrapped all around it.

There was an awkward silence when ,

"Pfft.." Samuel couldn't hold back anymore and the tent broke into laughter. They all laughed heartily as Zakiyye refused to show his face . He blushed but then that uncomfortable embarassed look , turned into a soft smile as he fell asleep.

**********************

" So ...Fenrir was disqualified...He was a good kid..." Aranea said as sat down , her back held up by a tree , Her eyes tired.

"You know he isn't dead..." Somnium said bluntly as he stared at the group sitting around Aranea looking dejected. " Especially you captain...you need to be more sensible about this..."

Noir fidgeted at Somnium's comment as he had his head buried in his knees.

"Let me have my moment Boogeyman..." Noir replied , annoyed. 

" It is very odd though..." Aranea finally spoke after a long pause , " I did not expect to find a temple here..." 

" AT TEMPLE!?" Achilles went crazy inside Noir , " IT IS THE SAME TEMPLE! BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS HIDDEN..... WHY IS IT SHOWING ITSELF...WHAT ...NOIR! WE HAVE TO FIND EISEN QUICKLY....OR YOU HAVE TO LEAVE QUICKLY ..YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT LET HIM HAVE THE CRYSTAL!!!" Achilles practically screamed.

" Calm down ..you are too loud.." Noir ended up saying that aloud .

" What?" Aranea said in a very calm , angry tone that made Noir have goosebumps.

" Ah no! Aranea I wasnt talking to you , I mean you must have misheard me .... Zahhak...Zahhak be quiet!" Noir wasn't very good at lying or keeping secrets.

" Huh..?" Zahhak looked at him as he had not muttered a single word.

" I am...just gonna go and grab some water...I think I am still tired.."

"Grab it quickly captain..." Aranea said , " We have to leave...it is a three day journey for us and we have to shorten that." Noir turned around , looking aghast.

" three days...?!"

"Yes..."

" But Aranea ....you only just returned we should atleast let you have some rest." Aag said worriedly.

" I can rest in your hair.."

" What?" But before Aag got her explanation , a spider jumped into Aag's hair.

The girl wanted to scream but all she could do was remain silent. Her face itself was screaming though , " There...is a spider...in my hair...." is all the poor girl could mutter as the rest looked at her with sorry eyes.

" I guess we move then...." Noir said , but his main target audience was not the group but the freaking out Achilles.

****************** 

" Dolion , has been gone for a day and you haven't searched for him yet?!" Laila tried to get up from where she was sitting but couldn't. 

" Calm down , Laila. Don't worry. He is a capable boy he will be back here using his gleam and if he doesn't return...then we all know what it means....." Krystallo replied.

Just as he said that , Dolion appeared behind him with his gleam and fell on Krystallo's back.

" Dolion!" Malak and Laila cried.

" You have a long life ahead of you kiddo .." Krystallo said as he bent over because of the weight on his back . He got up while Dolion was on his back and held him . I will go put him down to lie somewhere.

Krystallo left carrying Dolion on his back.

" Four days ? We will have to be quick but first you should rest." Malak said , but Lailah had already fallen asleep like a log.

Malak looked at her sleeping face , " What did Dolion say to you that day ..... " Malak mumbled as he patted her head. Flashback to the memory of him watching Laila leave the academy grounds with Dolion , from a window of the second floor hallway.

" I am going to have to ask him directly...." He stood up and left the area. He walked a bit further into the forest and sighed ,

" I know you are there.... tell me who you are and why you are here..." Malak said and a figure stepped out of the trees.

It was a BlackWing boy with wings like that of a Griffin , but his eyes were gold.

"Who are you-"

" Eisen is a Yosei...." The boy said , in a voice too familiar to Malak.

" Noel!" He shouted but as soon as he did , sudden green smoke appeared around Malak . He coughed and it became hard for him to breath. He immediately unleased waves of wind and the smoke spread out , with the BlackWing boy nowhere to be found.

" Noel....that was Noel..." He thought to himself as he coughed , "This smoke wasn't normal...it was an attack...but from who or where.."

Malak felt dizzy and dropped on the ground . Krystallo , came in running as he had heard Malak when he had shouted out Noel's name.

" Malak! ...what's this..smoke... is this ..poison-" But before he could finish he Malak grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in close , 

" Eisen....*cough cough *...is a Yosei..." he said as his grip got looser and his hand dropped to the ground.

"MALAK!!!!!!" Krystallo screamed out the name of his fallen comrade . 

To be contd

*****************