Chapter 10

Blinking my eyes twice, I thought I must be seeing things. But it's actually Alphos, he waved his hand and showed me a pouch. It's late at night and the guards are probably patrolling the neighborhood. It's a small town, they can easily make quick turnarounds and check if anything is amiss.

 I rose from my bed and make light steps. The noise might wake my parents and be alerted by Alphos' presence. I don't think my father would mind though. He even referred to Alphos as 'His Majesty'. My real concern is my mom. Knowing she's Suri son and an outsider, she'll shoo him away or scream.

 Even in the dark, I could see how happy he is. We weren't able to talk properly after dealing with A-nac. I also wanted to thank Suri for coming and helping my mother and her friend.

 Alphos handed me a pouch and revealed its contents. They are a mix of chocolates, candies and dried fruits. The sweet odor filled my nose and right then and there, I know I'll totally enjoy it. I thanked him generously and hugged him. He tried his best not to giggle.

 He jumped inside the room and wriggled the snow from his coat. He uttered an apology and asked if me and my family are okay.

 I told him I'm better and gave him a recap of today's meeting. With Alphos' abilities, I think he already knew what happened but that didn't lessen his disappointment with the decision.

 "No worries, once I'm king, I'll throw him into the caverns and let him be eaten by a coalition of Miracinonyx. And what's left will be eaten by a colony of poneroids. I'll put the village leader into the mix since he's so supportive of him."

 We cackled like crazy and placed our hands over our mouths. I inquired about his mother and he said she is busy as of the moment. I didn't prod any further because at the short time I lived with them, I learned that Suri is not idle with her hands.

 "I also want to congratulate you." He gave me a thumbs up. "You finally discovered your powers. Honestly, it didn't occur to me that your power is lightning. You are one super rare girl, Karah."

 I smiled broadly, and let out sparks of charged energy from my palm. I got so excited to try it, but I got instantly dragged inside the conference tent for that meaningless meeting. Alphos lets out his palm and dark orbs formed on top of it. We slowly let our hands get close to each other, and shoots of mini purple bolts were formed.

 "Too bad, we don't know what it can do… It's so pretty…" It's past my bedtime and no way will I be allowed outside to test its power.

 Alphos shows a naughty grin, "Oh, I know where we can test it."

-------------------------------

 We went outside. I wore the thickest of my clothes and head cap. The air is super chilly and the moon is absent from the night sky. We stopped near the house of the person we intended to use our powers to.

 "Are you sure you want to target A-nac?" I asked for the nth time. How will the villagers react if he's found in a charred condition the next morning?

 Alphos dismissed my concerns away. "He believes he's the strongest in this village. He actually believes that him losing to us was a fluke. We better humble him quick. If he learns his lesson, he'll live. If not, I'll drop him to the caves where he'll be treated like a fly." He is smirking evilly. When he noticed my uncertainty, he explained. "His thoughts are full of boastfulness. If you know what I know about him, you'll be frying his ass immediately."

There are no guards around. I'm positive that A-nac will be commissioned to the empire and the village leader is after the reward for surrendering such talent to the royals. There's no point in putting security to a person who's incredible strong.

Niveon songbirds are peering at us from their homes in the trees, wondering what could the werewolves be doing at this time. Alphos lightly jumped and landed on the roof near A-nac's room. He generated some ice on his hands and flicked them inside the room.

A loud growl erupted from the house, the lights from rooms opened one by one.

"Remember me?" Alphos said, arms crossed, standing proudly outside.

In a matter of seconds, glasses shattered and clay tiles broke and fell as A-nac's wolf destroyed the windows and the roof, charging after the laughing Alphos who jumped backwards to evade the debris.

The crash resounded in the whole vicinity, and woke some neighbors. I panicked and ran after them. It probably alerted the guards, we must hurry!

Despite's A-nac's speed, Alphos is quicker on his feet. He placed his arms at the back of his head and yawned. "Boring" This made A-nac angrier. I let out a nervous laughter. It's hard to conceal one's presence and observe quietness while being on a chase.

"Hurry" I breathed, loud enough for only him to hear. But I guess in A-nac's monstrous form, his senses are greatly intensified. He abruptly stopped the chase, the claws on his paws grinding on the icy ground, making a sudden turn. Snarls spewed from his snout and leapt at me.

It was too sudden that I fell from the tree branch to a familiar house. It's Merimma's home. I quickly got up on my feet and heard someone mumbling. Shiavur is still awake, sitting in the living room, looking at A-nac's wolf outside the glass panel. He must be startled by our presence.

I sprinted on my toes, but noticed something terrible. A-nac isn't chasing me but grumbling and bearing his canines at Shiavur. To my horror, A-nac jumped inside the house, destroying the walls, throwing Shiavur outside. Giant stones and pieces of woods flew in all directions, Merimma's home got partially destroyed.

"Oh no!"

I can see the shock on Alphos' face and his instant regret. He jumped on the wolf and struck its head and neck. It whimpered and staggered. I jumped and checked Shiavur. He has no pulse and his heart stopped beating. "This is my fault…" is all I managed to say…

Then I heard a voice and a recognizable spoor, it's Suri.

"I was wondering why Alphos is not home yet." She looks at me coldly. She did the same vital signs assessment and more. She didn't even steal a glance at her son's fight. "We shouldn't waste time. Use your powers."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "I don't have healing powers." I said.

Her lips fell into a fine line and her eyes became narrower, "Charge his heart."

"I don't…" But Suri took both my hands and placed them on Shiavur's chest.

"Now go" She commanded.

"I don't think it's…" He might get fried instead of A-nac, contrary to our initial plans.

"GO!" Her voice became louder.

I let out sparks and Shiavur coughed. Suri left my side and assisted Alphos. I'm no longer aware of what's happening with them because suddenly, I heard Shiavur talk.

"Thank you. I thought I was going to die." Shiavur said. All the words coming out of his mouth.

Like how?!