Got Milk?

Cain and Church stood in a parking lot. 

Correction. 

Church stood in a parking lot, leaned against the black hood of his rental car. 

Meanwhile, Cain sat in front of him: criss-cross-applesauce on the parking lot pavement. 

It wasn't snowing, for once, but the air was bitterly cold. It snapped at hair and brushed noses red. 

Cain was watching the summoning circle. 

Behind him, Church was scrolling on his phone. 

Then, Church looked at Cain. 

"Hey, do you drink milk?" 

Cain paused. He wasn't sure if he heard Church right. 

Cain turned around. 

"What?" 

"You know, milk? The white liquid? Do you like it?" Church asked. 

Cain sat still. 'What the f*** is he talking about?' Was all he thought. 

Church noticed Cain's absent stare. 

"Okay okay. I see your point." Church sighed. 

"Does Hell have milk? That's basically what I'm asking." 

Cain rolled his eyes. 

"Yes. We drink milk when we're young." Cain said. 

Church looked back at his phone. He began scrolling for a few moments, but then he looked back at Cain. 

"It doesn't evaporate? Isn't it hot?" 

Cain released an even heavier sigh. 

"No. It doesn't evaporate." Cain said. 

Amidst their conversation, the summoning circle drawn in the parking lot suddenly flickered with blue light. 

The light faded fast, unable to maintain its brilliance, but it caught Cain and Church's attention nonetheless. 

The two men stood up straight. 

They looked at each other. 

"Did that just…?" Church asked. 

"Yeah." Cain said. 

They both looked back at the circle. 

"Well, shouldn't you…" 

"Yeah." Cain said. 

He walked towards the circle and stopped just before its outer edge. Cain kneeled on the ground. 

He pushed his hands forward to touch the circle. 

The moment his skin made contact with the circle, a blue light ignited from its surface. 

Cain felt his spirit dissolve into the circle, sucked out of him like a vacuum. 

The blue light burned brighter. From the city of Nuuk's depths, lit along the skyline, a blue light crept over the horizon. 

The blue light blinded Church. He was forced to shield his eyes. 

It was the same for Cain. The blue light scorched his corneas. Within the span of a few seconds, Cain's vision turned from blue to white to black. 

At its finale, Cain saw nothing. Mysteriously, he also heard nothing and felt nothing. 

For just a brief moment, Cain felt as though he didn't exist. 

Then, in the next moment, smoke hit Cain's nose. 

His sense of smell was back. 

He clenched his fingers and… 

Cain felt dirt! 

He tried to open his eyes, but like staring at the sun for too long, his eyes needed time to adjust to his surroundings.

At the moment, all he saw was splotches of green with brown underneath him. That, and the smoke. 

And the smoke only grew stronger, its scent burrowing in Cain's nose while refusing to abdicate. 

Meanwhile, Clark continued to run spectacularly. 

He dove to and fro. 

He ran around trees and slid behind bushes all in an attempt to escape the berserk Orc. 

When he saw the blue light ignite in the center of the field, he knew that Acorn and Lion must have succeeded. 

So he quickly changed his trajectory and sprinted towards the blue light. 

Clark ran like all hell. Faster than he ever had before. 

Faster than he thought even possible. 

Clark ran straight ahead, unrelenting. 

He tore towards the blue light and stormed directly into it, but the light was too bright, forcing Clark to shut his eyes. 

He continued to run nonetheless. 

Then, his shins slammed into something hard. 

Clark flipped over. He crashed into the dirt and tumbled a good distance away. 

By now, the light faded. 

Clark, while clutching his shins, looked up to find the Orc. 

He saw the Orc still chasing after him, but he also saw something new. 

Kneeling in the center of the field, within the circle drawn by Acorn and Lion, a pale man with black arms and hair was revealed. 

'Is that what I tripped on?' Clark thought. 

Then, Clark saw the Orc raise his arm above the pale man, ready to smash the human into bits. 

"Above you!!" Clark screamed. 

Within an instant, Cain's arm molded into a blade. 

He shot it back. 

The Orc above him froze. Stiff and rigid. 

Clark watched with bated breaths. 

Then, the Orc's arm slid off its body — severed at the shoulder. 

*thud*

The Orc's arm hit the ground. 

The Orc stepped backwards. Nervous. 

His movements grew rigid and awkward. 

Blood splurted from the Orc's shoulder. 

Cain stood up. 

He flung his arm through the air and the blood dripping from his blade flew off and splattered against the dirt. 

Cain raised his arm towards the backing away Orc. 

Before it was even aimed at the Orc, Cain's arm returned to normal. 

He aimed two fingers at the Orc's head with his thumb positioned up: his hand formed the shape of a gun. 

Then, Cain knocked his fingers back. 

*bang* 

An onyx marble formed on the tips of Cain's fingers. It came together like a vortex with black mist seeping from Cain's fingertips then forming the shape of a ball. 

Instantaneously, the |Corrupt Bullet| was formed and then fired. 

The bullet was as fast as sound. 

It exploded from Cain's fingertips and penetrated the Orc's brain. Then, the black bullet burst from the back of the Orc's head and further penetrated the forest itself; splitting through trees as if they were butter. 

The Orc fell backwards. He collapsed onto the ground. Dead. 

Meanwhile, Clark started shaking. He didn't know it, but fear rooted itself in his mind. 

The white figure before him slaughtered the Orc like he was nothing. 

And Clark tripped over him! 

Basically kicked him as hard as he could! 

Clark's eyes were on Cain. He couldn't take them off. 

Then, Cain looked back at Clark. 

His shimmering golden irises bore into Clark. 

Clark's legs immediately went numb. 

'I'm dead.' Clark thought. 

But Cain looked away. 

He brushed Clark off as nothing more than a bystander. 

Instead, he looked for Olive. She had to be here, after all, somewhere. 

Then, Cain saw her. 

Broken wrists and ankles. Both femurs had been ripped out and turned around. 

Her knees were bent unnaturally and twisted. 

Black feet and purple hands. 

And pale. Very very pale. 

Cain didn't know it, but his aura suddenly shifted. 

His pupils dilated. 

His gaze became sharp and a tangible black light exuded from his being. 

Cain's eyes shifted back onto Clark. 

Clark's instincts screamed at him. Goosebumps exploded down his back as adrenaline was pumped into his veins. 

Clark was looking at a monster. 

"What happened to her?" Cain spoke steady and clear, but it came off as overbearing. 

The weight of his voice pressed down unto Clark's shoulders. 

Clark parted his lips to respond. He had the answer in his head, but his voice wouldn't come out. 

He tried to speak, but he couldn't bring himself to. 

Clark was terrified. 

Paralyzed in fear. 

Cain, of course, watched him struggle. He saw his knees wobble and his hands shake. 

He noticed Clark's screaming heartbeat and anxiety ridden gaze, but Cain couldn't help it. 

He needed an answer and he needed it now. 

Cain took a step forward. He appeared before Clark without him even noticing. 

Then, he knelt down to Clark's level. 

With his black fingers, Cain grabbed Clark's chin and forced him to look into his eyes. 

He forcefully turned Clark's head towards Olive. 

"What. Happened?" Cain emphasized.