Chapter Seventeen:
The Void
Nicodemus
We scaled the grassy mountain as carefully yet quickly as we could, making sure to account for every noise and disturbance we heard. The terrain was a bit muddy today, which made me grumble about the mess it would make of my boots, but otherwise suitable for slaughtering a giant bug. I was completely immersed in feeling for any bursts of demonic energy, and moved as quietly as I could so she wouldn’t feel the vibrations of my own energy piercing through the crowd. That was one of the problems Death Elementals had to balance when demon hunting; if we projected too much energy, the demon could sense us the same as we it, and that would create either a grand chase, or a grand scale surprise attack, both which my team was not ready for.
As we ran up the mountainside a deep rumble bellowed from beneath the dirt, which made me halt mid stride and hold an arm out. Sebastian paused behind me and panted a few short breaths, his eyes switching into his Elemental form to begin scanning the area. He placed his palms to the ground and tapped his fingers twice, letting his element reverberate through the tectonic plates so he could track the movement that had caught our attention. “How many rotations did you feel beneath us just now?” I questioned seriously.
“Fourteen; the highest peak was six through twelve, and was close enough that she might have felt our presence and come to take a closer look. I sent out some tremors to scare her back, and she moved south of the mountain; I’d say a mile from our current location. Seems maybe the nest is below that point, as there’s a huge cavern-like hole there.” He answered starkly.
“How do we flush it out?” Griffin continued.
I held two fingers up, “Two options; use a Shadow Walker as bait, where they would pretend to be Human, or strike the mountain enough times that it annoys her and makes her come out on her own. It’s up to you all how you want to do this.”
“There’s less destruction with the Shadow Walker method, but the mountain lessens the risk of anyone getting hurt. Then again, it’s not like the Shadow Walkers can die… I suppose the pretending method would be easier.” Odysseus suggested.
“Good, I was thinking the same. Any volunteers?” I asked, which made Jackson appear.
“He’s such an idiot!” Soren laughed out.
“Yes, but there’s a reason why I chose him. When the Ōmukade comes out, Jackson can simply sink back into the Earth and free himself from the situation while we start attacking. That’s why he’s sitting in the grass; he can use his element much better when he’s already touching the Earth.” I explained emotionlessly, my entire demeanor shifting to match the now serious situation brewing. My friends were taken aback by this, but mimicked the behavior automatically when they sensed it was GO time.
“Oh… I didn’t even realize that?” Soren pouted.
I nodded to him reassuringly, “It’s good to watch where my Shadows place themselves during the fight as it’ll give you insight on how I use their elements to help me battle demons. We admittedly have much more experience with demons than you guys, so if you get overwhelmed, they don’t mind taking the lead. Odysseus and Praxis, since I don’t have a Shadow Walker to match your elements, keep a close eye on one another. Everyone will have a partner once this thing shows up, and no matter what, watch your partner and only your partner at all times.” I instructed in an even and clear tone, trying to boost their confidence.
“What about you?” Griffin scoffed.
I pulled my scythe loose and positioned myself as the rumbling grew louder, and the Earth beneath Jackson and I began to really move. My other Shadows appeared, and Akira positioned himself beside me to keep me safe as we watched for an opening to appear. “I can handle myself,” I whispered, flashing white hair and black eyes.
Jackson kept whistling to himself, and after a beat of silence, yelped before the ground caved in. He quickly sunk into the grass as the cave in birthed the giant centipede, which clicked and howled hungrily as she searched for what she thought was her next meal. “Now!” I cried.
When she saw us rushing towards her and realized she had been tricked, she screamed in anger before darting towards me. My scythe collided with her neck and pierced the thick armor, disorienting her. In that short second, I spun and sliced off one of her antennas, which made her shriek once more. With one missing she wouldn’t be able to burrow as easily, and that gave Sebastian enough time to close up any holes he could find while scanning the earth beneath us.
Praxis drew her weapons, a beautiful set of ancient kukris, and started parting the clouds, which one by one began casting sharp rays of light down into the Ōmukade’s eyes. Odysseus was making sure to fuel the beams with as much light energy as he could, his sword powerfully humming as he shot beam after beam of his element directly at her. Blinded by the light, she thrashed violently in attempts to find somewhere dark again, but Soren swarmed the area with walls of flames to scare her back. Sebastian and Griffin summoned constraints made of vines and lightning to wrap around the bug and hold her in place, which worked perfectly. Her thousands of legs scurried to try and break the binds, but she was out of luck once May froze them in place. I circled back around and reapplied more saliva to my blade before using the scythe like a golf club.
Once the blade made contact with her neck, it took a moment longer than normal, but her head wrenched off and soared through the air. It bounced once or twice before falling still, and the sharp yellow eyes of the bug died to nothing. Alice went to burn the remains, keeping one of the antennas as collateral and evidence for our payment. “That was so awesome! We work together so well!” Praxis cheered as we all joined back up around the charred remains of the bug.
“You guys should help me kill these things more often,” I teased, high fiving each of them before whistling for Akira to join us. He hopped down and ran to my side as I changed back to my normal form, smacking out a wrinkle in my shirt.
“Under ten minutes, too! We’re way too good!” Griffin declared.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves?” Galaxy scolded as he and Mom emerged from their hiding spot, “We took some good notes to critique you with, so don’t celebrate too early.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Oh come on, Dad?!” Soren whined as Galaxy whipped out his notepad and began to fire off criticisms of the fight.
As he explained his notes, and my Shadows laughed lightly about the victory, a weird energy filled the air. I thought it was leftover manifestation from the Ōmukade at first, and brushed it off, until May turned her head. She had been putting out Soren and Alice’s fires when she glanced to the mountain side, narrowing her eyes nervously.
She put a hand out, {Not right now. Something’s not right.}
I teleported to May’s side and laid a hand on her back protectively, “I felt it too... I'm glad I wasn’t the only one. Any thoughts on what it is?”
{This is an energy I’ve encountered before, but haven’t felt in centuries…} Her eyes widened in absolute, pure horror. {Something is coming…?} She whimpered, which made me tighten the grip I had on the back of her shirt.
“Hey loser, you’re not exempt from this bashing either, so get over here!” Sebastian called teasingly, which made the group turn to us.
When Mom saw the way my Shadows and I were staring out over the mountains, she automatically flashed to my side as a ray of light. “What’s wrong? Did we miss something?” She questioned, knowing well that this was serious.
Galaxy tasked Griffin with keeping the guys at a safe distance before coming to join us, electricity bubbling around his eyes. “I can’t feel anything, can you, Ash?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to take the risk. What are you sensing, Nick?”
“Nothing good, that’s what. Stay here a moment.” Mom hesitantly let go of my arm, though she kept a hand on the handle of her sword in case she needed to step in. I hesitantly took a few steps forward, holding my breath so I could really soak up the odd sensation making my spine tingle. The energy May and I were feeling was similar to when two people were in a room that absolutely despised one another; the tension between the two would hold an itchy, heavy presence, and that is what this felt like times a million. It was so intense that it began to make me incredibly angry, but with demons, I knew this feeling was just them forcing manifestations to confuse us. In an attempt to distract myself, I laid my hand flat against the ground and tried to track the current, but as soon as I did, the energy dissipated in an incredible instant. “Huh, maybe I’m just tired or something. I could have sworn something was up…?”
{I felt it too, but it’s gone.} May sighed in defeat.
Galaxy and Mom frowned to one another before Galaxy rubbed my back soothingly, “This is your first mission, after all, so maybe you just got too into it? I’m sure there are other demons lurking around, but nothing you need to handle right now. Let’s get back to camp and take a breather, ok?”
I stiffly stood and shook my arms out, “Yeah, I guess.”
╪
The fire Soren had set flickered against the darkening night sky, which was a hazy grey due to a coming storm. The air held an incredible chill from the impending weather, but the flames helped combat it steadily. We were, of course, not affected by the temperature the way Humans were, but our chaperones did advise us to wear at least a sweater.
Odysseus had found quite the spot for himself; beyond our camp was an alter that Humans used to pray to the Gods, and oddly enough, it was Zephyrine who was depicted in the stone. The locals had crafted a gorgeous fountain around the altar, and a few stone benches surrounding it made the spot a beautiful sanctuary. Odysseus was sitting on one of the benches under a cherry blossom tree with his sketchpad, doodling peacefully to some music. The rest of the group was scattered throughout our campsite, worn out after racing around the never-ending meadows. I was staring aimlessly into the flames in our makeshift firepit as Mom sat beside me, running her fingers through my hair with a deep seeded frown. “Are you doing ok, Love Bug? You seem tense?”
“Hmm? Oh, I’m fine, just thinking about what Galaxy said earlier. I’m trying to figure out how to pace myself better is all.” I lied through my teeth.
She kissed my temple and exhaled sharply, “Well, once we’re home, I’m sure you can talk to Dad about your critiques and get some proper advice. You did great on your first mission, so maybe relax and go celebrate a bit?”
I shrugged, “It wasn’t a big deal, Mom. I probably could have killed it on my own…?”
She grew incredibly serious, and tilted my chin up so that we were locking eyes. “Nicodemus, you need to understand that being an Elemental does not mean you have to conquer the world alone. This exercise is to show that working as a team is what makes tasks so much easier. Just because you have four Shadow Walkers does not mean they can handle everything with you. They have limitations that living Elementals do not.”
“I know, I didn’t mean to sound narcissistic. I just… I guess I’m not used to this all yet. Dad’s always had me lead the pack, so I feel like if I let go of that control, someone will get hurt.” I turned to where Griffin and Sebastian were roasting marshmallows over Soren’s hand, and had exploded in laughter when Soren burned their snacks by accident, “I’m scared to lose them, so I get overprotective.”
Mom snorted, “I know that feeling well. I’ve always been that person in the group, especially with someone like Dad around. He and Blaine get into trouble more times than I can count, and Galaxy and I constantly have to clean up their mess. At the same time, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She smiled to Galaxy, who waved to us warmly before Praxis jumped on his back to try and force a marshmallow down his throat, “I hope you come to be friends for thousands of years, just as the Gods have. Our friendship is impenetrable; I am thrilled to be home with my friends, and equally thrilled that you have found a place that you fit in as well.”
“How do I, relax? How do I let myself trust that they’ll be ok?” I solemnly whispered, staring at the stick in my hands as I twirled it in a stagnant circle, then moved to draw lines in the sand beneath my feet with it.
She shrugged simply, “Let me know when you find out, would you?”
“Mom!” I wailed as she giggled at herself. Her laugh was, as always, incredibly infectious, and I ended up joining in. We both wiped our eyes before I stood and kissed her hair sweetly, “I’m going to go for a walk… I think I need to clear my head a bit.”
“Of course, just don’t stray too far. Maybe you can take someone living with you?”
I rolled my eyes and moved through the inner circle towards where Odysseus was lost in his little world. He had just finished his sketch, and when he looked up, his eyes sparkled when he saw me approaching. The tree above him begun to weep as the winds picked up, and as he smiled beautifully, the blossoms caressed his face. Sebastian said something to the two of us, which Odysseus turned to answer, but for some reason I didn’t hear his voice, nor did I hear any other sound at all for that matter.
Something about this was way too familiar.
Odysseus raised an eyebrow at the look on my face and slid his leg off the bench, mouthing my name. As soon as the last syllable left his lips the ground began to rumble violently, which made him realize what I had already begun to. His pencil rolled off the bench and hit the ground, bounced twice, then fell still as the stone splintered. He lurched forward as Praxis cried my name, watching the stone beneath my feet crumble into a daunting black abyss. I automatically fell along with it, throwing my hand up to scream Odysseus’s name.
He slid to the edge and grabbed hold of my fingertips, tears spilling down his cheeks, “I won’t let you go, not again!” He cried into the void. I clasped my other hand on his arm and tried to pull myself up, but that abhorrent energy from the field this morning begun to fill the void beneath me. My mother whipped around in absolute horror, and ripped her sword free before flashing across the field as a beam of blinding light.
Odysseus’s eyes bugged as what looked to be a menacing arm slithered up the walls of the void and attached to my ankle, wrapping around my boot with an unbreakable hold. I cried out and tried to kick it off, but it instead tightened its grip before yanking me violently from Odysseus’s grasp. “NICODEMUS?!” He screamed bloody murder as I was dragged violently into the blackness, which closed as fast as it had opened.