The next morning...Alice, Vine, Martha, and June wake up.
Alice stretches her arms and notices a present. “(Yawn) good morning. Hmm...a present? It has my name on it,” Alice examined the present.
Everyone got presents except June and Roy’s mother. Alice, Vine, Martha opens their presents with their name on them. Martha opens her present which is a bull mini-figure.
“Whoa, this is my family’s symbol. Great gift,” Martha said in awe.
Alice’s present is a yellow scarf. “Yellow scarf? This should keep me warm in this freezing winter,” Alice put on the yellow scarf around her neck.
Vine opens his present containing a grey scarf with red patterns and a familiar object. The object triggers the memory of his family.
“This is....Why did he give me this now??” Vine questioned the object and tightens his grip. Alice sees Vine getting a mini figure of a gargoyle.
“That’s a nice gift there, Vine. It’s the mini statue of a gargoyle,” Alice said.
Vine starts to cry upon inspecting the gargoyle statue. “I may be a Valkyrie but my family also studied and imitates gargoyle’s ability to turn themselves into a stone statue. I missed my family. (Snort) They died protecting me when I was small in the Night Realm. Why can’t the Night Realm be peaceful for once?” Vine cried.
“I feel sorry to hear that,” Alice squint her eyes with a sad look and put her hand on his shoulder.
“I guess the Night Realm is a cruel place for you,” Roy said with a sad face.
“It’s always like that in the Night Realm! You either hide or fight! Humans saw you and they will kill you just because we are monsters born in the night. Gargoyles, Spirits, Vampire, anything will be killed or exorcised by the Humans. (Sobbing) It’s like the Dark Age is all over again! Why?? Just....why?? I don’t understand!” Vine sobbed.
Alice, Martha, June, and Phoenix give him a hug of comfort.
“Don’t worry, you are safe here,” Alice said.
Phoenix leans his head backward.
“Humans can be very cruel indeed especially against something unfamiliar to them. Xenophobic...,” he whispered and turn his head to the back with squinted eyes.
The next morning, Alice, Martha, Vine, and June wave goodbye at Roy and his mother.
“Thanks for everything, brother Roy. Yesterday was a great celebration!” Alice admitted with an overexcited tone.
When Roy saw her eyes glimmering with excitement, Roy can’t help but try to hold his very wide smile for her innocent view of the world.
“I’m happy to see everyone enjoyed the celebration with us. Come over again someday. And you too, Alice,” Roy’s mom gave a happy face.
Alice gives a wide grin and shouts,” Y-yes, madam!”.
When everyone turns their back, Roy stopped Alice.
“Alice! Next time when you go on an adventure.....Remember to bring me and Phoenix along with you!” Roy said.
Alice turns her head to him. “I will. I promised you this time,” Alice promised him.
Everyone waves goodbye and leaves the town. Back at the village, everyone greeted their return. Alice sees Poema standing to greet them.
“Welcome back. You seem happy today,” Poema said with a pleasant smile.
Alice gives an excited grin and jumps around. “Oh yes I am. I made a friend with a spirit last night,” Alice told him.
“Spirit? Is that the reason why you left the village early in the morning yesterday?” Poema asked with one raised eyebrow.
Alice flinches from Poema’s expression. “Uh oh....,” Alice gave a nervous face when Poema found out what she did yesterday.
Poema gives a smug face while knocking his ears with his left index finger. “Don’t underestimate my ears. As the Beast Master, no sound could escape my hearing. I heard your footsteps yesterday morning. So, did something good happen?” Poema said.
“Yes. A new spirit will be helping us this time,” Alice pulled out a talisman paper with Krampus sigil on it.
The sigil of Krampus bears the meaning “Punishment” behind the menacing symbol of the sigil. Poema seems shocked and afraid upon seeing the symbol.
“That symbol...Don’t tell me...the sigil of Krampus??” Poema stuttered.
”It is. Krampus gave us the sigil on this piece of empty paper talisman that I made it myself,” Alice admitted.
“I don’t believe it! You actually befriended with the Devil himself!” Poema exclaimed in disbelief.
Alice puts the talisman in her pocket and notices Martha’s mother approaching from afar with something in her hand.
Alice turns at everyone standing behind Martha’s mother with a perplexed face. “Hmm? Did something happen?” Alice asked.
Poema looks at her with a smile. “Frieda made a weapon for you,” Poema said.
“For me? What is it?” Alice wondered.
Frieda walks forward and gives her a knife kind of weapon wrapped in cloth. Alice opens the cloth wrapping and takes out the knife from the scabbard with a curious look in her eyes.
Alice examines the knife curiously. “What do you call this kind of weapon? It looks unusual,” Alice wondered.
“It’s called “Badik”. This is a traditional long knife weapon used by Buginese and Makassarese of Indonesia. It’s small, easy to carry, and often used in ritual, martial art, or combat. You can also use it for self-defense if you want to be careful from inflicting lethal strike in a duel,” Frieda explained.
“I would call it convenient because of the multi-use. If you wear a cape, you can hide it beneath the cape and no one will notice it,” Martha said.
“Whoa....this is the first time I had my own self-defense weapon. Thank you so much! You are the best family I ever had!” Alice’s shouted with sparkling eyes.
“Too bad that your family hasn’t returned yet to see you finally responsible enough to carry a weapon for combat in case of emergency,” Poema put both hands on Alice’s shoulders.
“All of you are my family too,” Alice admitted.
Vine suddenly feel self-conscious and tried to walk backward but June blocked him from behind.
June’s eyes look down on him. “Why the long face, child? Do you not feel part of this village’s family?” June asked with a soft voice.
“I....Yes, I am,” Vine admitted.
June could hear his voice shrinking from the insecurity of whether the Magi villagers really think of him as part of them.
“Never let your insecurity doubt you, child. I have heard what the villagers said,” Vine is indeed one of us no matter the race or background”. That is their conclusion after I asked them about you,” June hugged Vine from the shoulders behind him.
“That’s right!” Alice approached them.
Alice opens both arms wide. “No matter the races, no matter the background, no matter the gender, anyone will be gladly accepted as a family here,” Alice said.
“We...are....the Magicians! We....accept...anyone! We...accept...changes! No matter the isolation, we shall see the change of the world and protect them! In the name of the Guardians! May the universe bless us all!” Alice and everyone shouted their vow out loud.
June gives the brightest smile while Vine cried when their vow deeply moved him.
“Our ancestor has sworn this oath until now. Always remember that!” Alice said.
As everyone celebrates the day, the oath made by the Magi Village and its ancestors will never be forgotten. Meanwhile...on the other side of dimension, a boy shrouded by eerie smog approaches the door and slams it open with his smog much to the sudden shock of others in the middle of recovering from their wound including Mirage. The eerie smog engulfing the boy seems to be controlled by his will and may form into anything from the bearer’s imagination.
Poltergeist gives a frightened look on his face. “Kiiii! It’s him!” Poltergeist screamed upon seeing the boy.
The boy slams Poltergeist using the smog that formed into a vine. Argill takes out his harpoon spear and charges at the boy.
Argill growls at the boy. “Me not scared of you! Harr!!” Argill swung his spear at the boy and missed.
“Hm, miss me. Tah!” the boy put one hand on the ground and kick him with a double sidekick.
The boy’s kick flung Argill to the wall. “Grah!! The kid got a strong kick,” Argill said, his hand rubbing the back of his head.
The boy notices Nagi and his smog extends toward her.
“Hngh! Barrier!” Nagi creates a magic barrier out of fear.
“Hehe..hah!” The boy shatters her barrier in an instant and blows her away with wind generated from his smog that appeared as wings.
“Shaa! Oof!” Nagi’s back hit the wall behind her and lay unconscious.
Argill quickly cradles her head in his arms. “Nagi!!” Argill shouted with a worried look on his face.
Mirage stop tending his wounded chest and stand up from his seat with a fearless look on his face. The boy gives a wide creepy smile and kneels in front of Mirage. Gaour was the only one who didn’t attack the boy out of fear, his back leaned on the wall beside the door where the boy opened it.
“I came to visit, Mirage,” The boy said.
“Hrmm....You are the only child dare enough to call my name without referring me as “Master”. Hmph, insolent Human, or I shall say...Shaner, he who bears the Forbidden Force,” Mirage said with an offended tone and reveal threatening teeth.
Everyone hissed, growl, screech with a hateful but fearful look on the boy.
“Hihihi....Hahahaha!!” Shaner gave a maniac laugh with his black smog expanding further to form the shape of a lion giving a mad howl and he vanishes into thin air.
Mirage falls back to his seat with a growl. “Hrmph, close call,” he said with sweat on his forehead.
Gaour stops leaning and walks closer to Mirage. “The child is insane! The demon responsible for his revival changed him,” he said.
Mirage turns his head at Gaour. “So you saw the Demon under that smog. The smog was the Demon’s aura,” Mirage growled.
“Who...is that boy? ” Nagi whispered in her weak state and tried not to pass out.
“Don’t speak, Nagi! You need rest,” Argill said anxiously.
Poltergeist floats up and looks at Nagi. “He was the spirit boy Alice met when she came to the Night Realm for the first time after meeting the Valkyrie boy. The boy was the first who managed to control the Forbidden Force when his spirit was brought to Hell,” he said.
“Was the child evil?” Argill asked.
Poltergeist looks at Argill and shakes his head in disagreement. “No...the boy was no evil. It was an injustice case for the boy’s spirit to be sent to Hell but it wasn’t long before the boy found the hidden lair blocked by magic. The magic’s purpose was to prevent any demon from trying to claim it but since the boy’s spirit was a human, the magic didn’t affect him. Sadly, Oza who was tasked with guarding the lair of Forbidden Force died after the boy claimed the Demon. I suspect that the Demon used that boy to kill him,” Poltergeist told what he heard when he was in Hell.
Poltergeist sighs and look down. “I didn’t realize that it was him who done it,” he said.
Argill looks at them. “Does this mean the boy is our ally?” He asked.
Mirage lets out a snort and grumble. “The boy is neither enemy nor ally. He is dangerous as the Forbidden Force controlled him, be wary for him,” Mirage said to Argill.
Mirage looks at Argill, Poltergeist, Nagi, and Gaour with a deep gaze. “Follow him! The boy should be hunting the Apprentice, it shall be our chance to eliminate those accursed Magicians!” Mirage said.
“Grrr! Yes, master Mirage!” Argill roared excitedly and vanish along with Nagi in his arm.
“Gihihi! I’m thrilled for this!” Poltergeist said and disappears into thin air.
“Pleasantly,” Gaour gave one knee on the floor and leave the room.
Mirage grips his single axe tightly with intense eyes and checks the wound.
“Hrmm....the children’s kick still hurt on the chest. The boy must be eliminated together with the children,” Mirage thought and leaves the room.
211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUd5DHSPEdy
To be Continued
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