Chapter 8: A Crooked Bunch (I)

—17 September 2023—

"Quick, Finn, Pack your bags!" Blake's voice boomed like the aftershock of a distant thunder, prompting his son to get ready at a moment's notice. The beads of sweat that lined his forehead glistened like diamonds over his pale skin underneath the bright lighting, a morbid sensation welling up in the pits of his stomach. 

Finn, however, had his eyes cast down as he merely nodded and moved towards his room. Picking his bag up, he started to throw in the bare minimum—a few clothes, a brush and a comb—into it and then quickly picked it up before flinging it around his shoulder. 

"Hurry- Hurry up! We ought to leave for Fjellborg Castle pronto. There is an emergency meeting." His father's voice rose once again as he turned around, "You only got five minutes. No dilly-dallying, alright?" His tone mellowed out before straightening the crease over shirt. "Don't make me wait." 

Finn nodded as Blake vanished from his sight. Following right after, he walked over to the main door that led outside. Letting out a deep breath, Finn took his phone out. Tapping a few times over it, he took a key out of his pocket. 'His family should be alright- I guess. I don't think we will be returning here anyways.'

As Finn was about to leave, his gaze drifted to the left, drawn irresistibly to something nestled beside the landline on the small table. 

A single photograph, suspended delicately by a thread affixed to the wall, captured his attention. Laying a gentle hand upon it, he removed the thin layer of dirt that had accumulated over it. Finn's lips curved upward in a subdued, meek smile.

"Sometimes," he murmured softly to himself, his voice a mere whisper against the quiet of the now empty house, "I am happy you don't have to bear with him anymore." With a gentle exhale, Finn's teeth dug into his trembling lower lip. 

With a final, wistful glance, Finn reluctantly tore himself away, his fingers trailing reluctantly over the photograph's surface. With a heavy heart, he closed the door behind him, leaving behind a silent echo.

"Hurry up!" Blake impatiently prompted. 

Crouching down, Finn placed the key underneath the furry mat before bolting towards his father. The sound of a helicopter's blades moving and the strong winds blowing filled the courtyard as Finn ran towards it and hopped onto it. 

As soon as Finn was inside, Blake motioned with a thumbs up to the driver and the helicopter started to take off. 

"Dad-" Finn spoke, putting the aviation headsets over his ears. "-can you at least explain what is happening?"

"The fuck would I know?" Blake snapped back. Evening out the deep frown on his forehead, he let out a frustrated groan. "-there's something wrong, that is all I know." He spoke, looking down at the wide area that their house covered. "All over the world-no, not exactly all over. Specifically targeting Arcanum users, there are appearances of either pre-historic things—animals— and monsters." 

"But nothing happened to you." Finn replied. "Or around you."

"Guess it was only around those with weak Arcanum signatures." Blake spoke with a shrug, the hastiness and subtle, morbid fear washing out of his pale face. 

"Does that mean… even Mich–"

"Yeah, everyone." Blake replied, slipping back into his seat. 

Finn swallowed back a dry lump of saliva. "What about them? Is Michael ok? Dotun-"

Blake shifted. "Don't worry yourself about Michael." He said as he straightened his back again and sat straight into his seat. "It was a one sided massacre for him." Blake spoke with a scoff. "That boy has a few screws loose anyways. Proper crackhead."

A smile crept up on Finn's lips. Heaving out a relieved breath, Finn spoke. "That's Michael alright." As he said that, his own mind wandered off to someone else. "Err- What about those Olvasens?"

Clicking his tongue, Blake looked the other way. "He survived." He spoke, his moods undulating like the turbulent winds blowing that made the helicopter move in a rather zig-zag way. "Although, even though they won, in their battle, a big chunk of the city was flattened." A smirk formed on his face. "It might be a show of power, but their main city of residence has suffered such a huge blow. They will be vulnerable now."

Finn narrowed his eyes. "I might be wrong but…" He paused, thinking over his words. "...since it seems this whole thing has some sort of connection to Eden, shouldn't we stay together? United, I mean?"

Blake looked at Finn in his eyes. "You are still a kid. But since things are changing I will let you know." A rather ominous chill ran down Finn's spine. "Hear this, loud and clear. Despite the Whites clearly holding the most strength, why do you think they have never tried to monopolise what the Olvasens have, just like how they did with others?"

"Is it because they are equally strong?"

"That, yes, but strength isn't the only answer." Blake corrected. "They are overwhelmingly evil. The Whites don't come close to the pure deviousness they have shown underneath their facade of neutrality." The words were accentuated further by the thundering clouds in the distance. "They probably flattened out their own city to send a statement to others. To us, not the ones on the other side." The stormy clouds started to cast dark shadows that extended eerily due to the angle at which it was flying. "But… something about all of this tells me they didn't do it this time."

"Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

"That is the point. Because they are known for how evil they are, especially the recent 2 generations, there is a natural inclination for everyone to think it was their handiwork. But- what if they actually had a hard time? They might be getting weak."

Finn frowned. "I understand you hate their guts, or maybe almost everyone does, but why would we attack them? I am sure they still have combat prowess." 

"It's often necessary to nip the evil in the bud." Blake replied and shrunk back. "If this world becomes lawless, and the Whites and Olvasens fight each other at their full strength with no restraint on the amount of Arcanum available… only the Gods can help us then. That is exactly why we need to take one of them out of the equation." 

"Dad, I don't think it is a good idea. I don't get along with Arthur, yes, and I sometimes hate his overly cocky demeanour, but I somehow have a bad feeling about this."

Blake tilted his head. Seeing his son complain so steadfastly again and again made him rethink it. "Nothing is decided yet. This is yet another course of action we have been discussing with the Whites and Olaniyans for a very long time now."

"I see…" Finn's voice was drowned out by the exploding sound of lightning falling somewhere below, igniting a small spark into the lush green pelt below. 

—A day ago—

—Bergen - 16 September 2023 - 19:00— 

"Rock to climb, sun's aglow, Uppsie lupsie, in a row! With every step, our spirits grow, Uppsie lupsie, off we throw!" Astrid hummed happily, walking up a steep mountain. 

"The sun has been down for ages now." Arthur complained as he walked ahead of her, a huge, human sized bag strapped to his shoulders. The bag was filled completely, evident from the multiple objects poking from every corner of the tightly packed hiking bag. 

"Aww, come on!" Astrid complained. "Don't be such a downer. I am trying to cheer you up." 

"It's working." Arthur replied dismissively, obvious disdain in his voice. 

"Hey, don't sound so grumpy. It was your idea to visit Ulriken." She stated as a matter-of-factly. "For whatever odd reason that might be though. I thought you hated hordes of people flocking around you." 

Arthur turned his head sideways, his brownish blonde hair frolicking by the sudden gust of wind that slapped his face. "It's one of the most rainy times here." He replied as he walked in a straight line on the steep, rocky path. "Hence it means that there would be next to no visitors here." He explained as ran his fingers through his hair. "Foreigners at least. Something like this won't stop the locals."

A laugh escaped Astrid's lips. "Haha! Yep. If anything, bad weather would call more locals out here–" Astrid paused, looking up. Something- something odd clicked in her mind. Something she couldn't really make sense of, nor could think of any plausible, even implausible, to explain whatever she had just thought of. "Wait- Arthur. Didn't you say it is the time when it rains the most?"

"Uhh, yeah…?" 

"The clouds are there, but it's not raining."

"Lucky us." Arthur replied with an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders. 

"Hmmm." Astrid hummed. "Very sus."

"Sus?" Arthur didn't stop to look back but the odd word made him slow his speed down as he pondered over it. 

"Suspicious, duh-" Rolling her eyes, she replied, as it was the most obvious thing. "But I still don't get it. Why the Ulriken mountain in specific? I mean, I still like that I get to visit some good places, but, you know, I just want to hear it out."

"Ulriken mountain is a good choice for first timers into Bergen due to its stunning views, diverse hiking trails, and adventure activities available. It offers a unique opportunity to connect with nature and explore the beauty of Bergen's surroundings making any visit extremely enjoyable and memorable. Also because it is the tallest out of the seven mountains here in Bergen." 

"Huuuuuhhhhhh!?" Letting out a loud voice that echoed back, she squinted her eyes. "That seems like reading straight out of a blog written with an AI."

Arthur's body froze. The sudden stoppage made Astrid bump into his back—the bag—her head hitting against something hard inside the bag. Coming to a sudden, abrupt halt, her weight shifted backwards. Flailing her hands around, her middle section moved back and forth like a wobbling jellyfish before pulling on the bag strapped to his back. 

"Whew, that was close…" Wiping the beads of sweat with an exaggerated gesture, she spoke, looking to the side of the track as a few pebbles fell down the edge and the voice of their falling—hitting something—reverberated after a solid six seconds. "Yeah- totally wasn't living that…"

"Watch where you are going."

"Don't talk like it wasn't your fault!" She pointed her finger at him, however, he was already gone, running upwards at top speed. 

"Try not to fall too far behind." 

"Urgh– Aaaaarthurrrr- uuuu.. don't leave me alone." She complained, whining out loud as she ran to the best of her ability after him, tears already forming in the corner of her eyes. "You know I am scared of being alone…" she mumbled the last part under her breath, her words carried away by the wind. 

—-------------

Huddled along the rocky face of the mountain, a natural platform jutted out from the rugged terrain. Its surface was weathered by the changing seasons, although it was still solid enough to provide a solid foundation to step foot on. The rocky platform was on the opposite side of the mountain, a place where not many visitors step foot. 

Despite the eerie atmosphere, this small outcrop of rock, devoid of any man-made structure, possessed an undeniable raw beauty. With enough space to accommodate a handful of people, the stone platform that seemingly just levitated in the air while barely being attached to the main body of the mountain, it offered an intimate setting.

Perched high above the valley below, the platform afforded an unparalleled view of the surrounding wilderness. Though darkness cloaked the nearby lake, its presence was felt in the gentle rustle of the wind and the distant murmur of unseen waters.

Facing away from the city and the nearest tourists' inn, the platform offered a sense of isolation.

The rocky surface of the platform was littered with scattered pine needles and fallen leaves.

*huff huff* Huffing out loud, Astrid's chest heaved with exertion as she took in deep breaths, her lungs burning from the strain of the climb. 

Each heavy breath that she took carried the crisp scent of pine and damp earth, as her exhales came out in wisps of mist that formed a lofty cloud and then dissipated like smoke into the air. 

She leaned against a nearby boulder, feeling the rough texture against her sweaty palms, the coolness a welcome relief against her flushed skin despite the sudden, frigid fall in the temperature.

Arthur stood a few feet away, his gaze fixed on the small lake that was just beneath them. His figure was silhouetted against the fading light of the torch in Astrid's hand, like a solitary figure amidst the rugged landscape. Despite the distance between them, Astrid felt a chill run down her spine as she observed the look in his eye, equally horrifying and serene at the same time. As if he was reliving a bad dream. 

"Arthur," she called out between breaths, her voice barely above a whisper.

He turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. "What is it?"

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to approach him. His detachment, while being a natural thing to her, was unnerving in the current moment, his presence like a shadow looming over her. She couldn't quite understand it. It was his idea. And now that he was acting like this, she couldn't quite grasp anything. 

"Why did you bring me here?" she finally asked, her voice tinged with a hint of apprehension. "Why this place in particular?" Her gaze softened. "You don't seem to like this place."