Far away from prying eyes, hooded figures gathered in silence around a dark wooden table. In the hidden chamber, the air was thick with the scent of tension, incense burning in the background, hanging to the people like a second skin. Its smoke was curling lazily around the glowing symbols carved into the stone walls.

The light from the drawn characters flickered like dying embers, casting long shadows across the figures here. They pulsed lightly, making it seem as if the very room was alive, breathing along with the sinister conversation unfolding within it.

Between them, a holographic map was projected from a device on the table. It showed the layout of Inops, parts of it marked in red.

Each person in the room wore the same cloak, indistinguishable from each other apart from when they spoke. Their faces were hidden beneath the deep hoods. One of their voices, low and menacing, broke the stillness.

“The plan is proceeding as expected.”

“They are watching us to see how we perform. We can’t afford to fail.” This one hissed, their volume barely above a whisper. “Once the awakening ceremonies are complete, the world will once again witness our power.”

“I still believe the best course of action is doing it before the ceremony. There is no use in allowing them to add to their forces.” Another person spoke, emotionless and pragmatic.

'And I felt that peculiarity when I was there...'

“No, it will be more fun to give them that hope before crushing it.” They let out a cackle, their words said with a crazed lunacy, a sound that seemed to crawl up the walls.

“That matter has already been decided.” The menacing voice returned.

“Our enemies don’t realise they are aiding us. The fools push our agenda forward without realising it.” The last voice was high and shrill, grating on anyone who heard it.

A chuckle ripped through the group, dark and sinister.

“Let them play their little games. When the time comes, they will see. But by then, it will be too late.” With a last hiss, dripping with malice, the room descended into calm.

***

Alex sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window as the plains blurred by. The sun brightened the sky, as two shadows flew across the grass below. His mind though was elsewhere. Yesterday had been nagging at him. He had intended to question Sam, but the old man hadn’t even shown up. Thus, leaving Noel to take him home instead. It wasn’t like the man to do that; in fact, this was his first time.

He glanced at his uncle, hands gripping the steering wheel tight, a relaxed look etched on his face. Sam could let the car drive himself if he so desired, but there was an addicting feeling of operating a vehicle. You felt in control. Working up his courage, Alex finally blurted his thoughts.

“So… what happened yesterday?” Alex asked, trying to sound casual. “You were busy with something?”

Sam’s eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead.

“Work things.” He said simply. “Stuff that came up last minute.”

Alex frowned.

“That’s it? You never leave things to the last minute.”

Sam sighed, rubbing his chin.

“You know how it goes. Some things are just outside of your control.”

“Come on, be more specific. Please?”

“Look, kid, you don’t need to worry about it. Just focus on your studies.”

As Alex returned to silence, he could feel the frustration building. It wasn’t just Sam’s secrecy - it was the way everyone always seemed to keep him in the dark like he couldn’t handle the truth. Maybe that had been true when he was younger, but not now.

‘I’m not a kid anymore. I deserve to know.’

Regathering his thoughts, Alex opted for a different approach.

“Do you know what the tremor yesterday was about?”

“Yes.” Seeing Alex still staring expectantly, clearing waiting for more, Sam finally relented.

“We have it under control. Don’t think too much into it. Just a minor quake, nature does what she wants huh?” His creased face betrayed his inner worries. “Though Alex, I suggest a better source of income. Somewhere inside the city.”

“Minor?” It didn’t feel insignificant to the boy.

Turning to the other suggestion, Alex spoke again.

“I’ve tried to get a different job, but with my age…” The boy let out a helpless sigh.

“I know, I’m trying to find one too. I’ll let you know as soon as possible.”

Noting the deflection, Alex waited for a bit more. This was his last attack, and a more sensitive one this time at that.

“Uncle Sam, can you…” He paused, uncertain.

“Can I what? Don’t be shy?” The man’s loud laughter worked to ease the mood.

“Can you tell me about my parents? As much as you know?” The boy spoke with barely a whisper.

The older man rubbed his chin, his eyes briefly flicking toward Alex before focusing back on the road. His usual calm seemed to waver for a moment, just long enough for Alex to notice.

“Is it to do with your dreams again?”

It wasn’t the first time Alex had spoken about them. It had resulted in a similar question last time, but Sam had faltered to give an answer. The old man had said telling him the truth would make it worse.

“Yes…” A quiet nod came from Alex.

“Is it worse?” His words were gentle. Comforting.

“They are. I thought they were gone, but it was just a temporary gap.”

The man sighed. His considerations were wrong.

“Your parents. They were good people, if a little secretive about their background.”

Alex’s eyebrows raised. He wasn’t aware Uncle Sam didn’t know much himself.

“I met them when Archie was just a baby. You were just 3 yourself, do you remember any of it?”

“No.” Alex shook his head.

His memory from that time was too blurry to form any coherent image. Only their loving gazes and delicate touches.

“They were a dishevelled couple. Didn’t want to reveal anything about their lives before.” He glanced over to gauge the boy’s reaction.

“The first time I saw your father.” Sam continued, his voice quieter now. “He was sitting in the back of a dimly lit bar. He looked out of place there - his clothes were rumpled, and he reeked of exhaustion, but there was something special about him.”

Sam paused, his brow furrowing as if trying to remember the details.

“We talked for hours that night. Mostly about work, but there were hints of something deeper, something he wasn’t ready to share. And your mother - she was always a mystery. I never saw much of her, but the way your father talked about her. It was clear she held a special place in his heart.”

The wind shook the van as if the vehicle had encountered turbulence. Focusing back on the view in front of him, Sam wrestled it back under control.

“Strange…” The man squinted at the road ahead but found nothing out of place.

“Anyways. I had offered him to help, in the mining sector of course, and he had accepted. Though he never ended up joining, that sneaky guy. He had found a better job as an accountant, under some subsidiary company of the Griffin’s.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“And when was the last time you saw him?”

“He was outside the city, with your mother. They had entrusted you in my care, with your siblings. And…” His face flashed with pained memories.

“And then?” Alex asked, maybe a bit too forcefully.

He needed to find an answer. Did something happen to his parents that compelled them to haunt him in his dreams? Was their killer, if they had one, now pursuing him using the mind element? Or was the stress of everything just getting to him? His mind wouldn’t, couldn’t rest.

“And they never returned. It hadn’t even been a year since I first met them. As for the convoy they were in, it was found destroyed. Littered with corpses. Notably, your parent’s bodies were never found.”

Though he tried to sound hopeful, Alex’s spirits were not raised. There was too little to go off, and only more questions to ask. As the van flew closer to the mine, it shook again, this time more violently.

“Do you feel that?” He asked, glancing at Sam.

“How would I not?” The man gave a perfunctory response, his attention grabbed by the surroundings.

The landscape around them had grown eerily still, the grassy plains stretching out endlessly on either side of the road. The sun was high, casting sharp shadows beneath the sparse trees dotting the horizon.

A light breeze rustled the tall grass, but it carried an unsettling chill, like a warning just before a storm. The next moment, a large shadow passed over the truck, followed by a loud screech that rattled their bones.

As the wind picked up, swirling dust across the road, the sky seemed to darken as the shadow passed over them again. A low shriek echoed through the air, sending a shiver down Alex’s spine. He craned his neck to look up, just in time to see the dark shape above them.

Before Alex could properly react, sit swooped down from the sky - a winged reptile-like monster with leathery wings and gleaming scales. Alex instantly recognised it as a Skalvorn.

A Vigil creature with no real affinity to any element, apart from the slightest thread to air. Instead, it used its relatively immense size to its advantage. It dived straight toward them; claws extended.

“Hold on!” Sam growled, slamming his foot on the pedal. As an awakened, he processed things faster than Alex could.

The van lurched forward, speeding along the road as the Skalvorn tried to latch onto the roof. Sam weaved the car, trying to get it off their tail, but the monster persisted. An awful scrapping sound came, as its claws dragged against the vehicle’s metal exterior.

The Skalvorn gripped onto the roof, its weight threatening to down the vehicle into the ground.

“It’s not letting go!” Alex yelled, panic rising in his voice.

“Then we make it.” Sam growled. “Let go.”

He rapidly rotated the van, flinging the creature off their backs, despite its desperate attempts to hold on. Now, flying level with it, Alex could observe the reptile by Sam’s window. Its mouth was seemingly curled up in a mocking grin, filled with serrated teeth.

Letting the van take control, the older man desperately searched for a weapon in the console box. He finally grabbed it, but without a moment of respite, the beast outside barged into them. The vehicle trembling, the small pistol jumped out of his hands and into the boy’s.

“Kara, window down!” Sam yelled, using voice commands. “Now Alex! Shoot!”

Trying to steady their craft, his attention was too divided.

‘I’ve done it before; I can do it again.’

The boy amped himself up, before carefully configuring his aim. Making sure not to let the older man be hit, he let a bullet fly. With nary a second to react, the beast screamed as its wing was pierced.

“Hold, steady!”

With that, intent to not let the opportunity pass by, Sam violently swerved into the beast, sending the creature crashing into the side of a boulder on the floor. A sickening thud echoed as its wings crumpled under the force.

“What the hell was that?” Alex gasped, his heart pounding in his chest.

Sam finally slowed down the van, glancing back at the disfigured body of the Skalvorn.

“I don’t know. Are you fine?”

The boy quickly nodded. Now, Sam would need to have a long chat with some people. For a beast to intercept a commonly used road such as this, it felt suspicious. As for work, that could wait a bit.

“Dammit, the repair costs will be expensive.”

***

‘Why did I let him convince me to do this?’ Austin wondered; his mind filled with regret.

And they had barely started. Crammed in the back of the goods transport truck, Aquilo and Austin sat in silence, their hearts pounding as the vehicle glided through the city.

Every rattle, every creak of the metal around them felt like a signal that they were about to be caught. Aquilo glanced at Austin as they felt the truck slow down. He glared back but still gave him a tense nod. They were close to the city gates now. Too close to mess this up.

They had explored many other avenues, but none seemed likely to succeed. Forging documents, sneaking through, flying out. They were all easily stopped. Except this one.

The minutes felt like hours as the truck pulled to a stop, the murmur of voices outside too faint to make out. Every time the truck shook made Austin’s heart skip a beat, his breath shallow as he pressed himself deeper into the shadows. Aquilo sat beside him, fists clenched, his face pale with tension. Aquilo held his breath as one of the guards spoke.

“Your reasons for leaving?”

“I’m transporting newly created scanners, for deeper parts of the cave. Massive request just came for these things.” The driver gave a heartless chuckle.

The guard nodded, but still signalled his comrades over.

“Check the truck.”

“No need, I have my certificate here.” The driver tried to stop them, alas it was all in vain.

Ignoring him, a man stepped towards the back of the truck. A person who Alex would have recognised if he was here. It was Mr Murphy, his sharp eyes scanning the van sceptically.

The boys inside nestled closer into the tools surrounding them.

“They’re checking.” Aquilo whispered, just loud enough for Austin to hear.

Footsteps grew closer, the sound of boots stepping against cement. They placed their hand on the back door, as if ready to pry it open.

‘If we get caught now, it’s all over.’ Aquilo thought, his heart racing.

He had convinced himself this was the only way, but now, crammed in the back of the truck with Austin, the risks seemed far greater than he’d imagined. Still, there was no turning back. They had to make it out.

After slapping the back of the truck, and a brief moment later, the latch rattled. Aquilo held his breath even deeper.

Then a commanding voice called out.

“Leave it.” A superior spoke from the gate. “The Novak family requested this transport. Don’t ask questions.”

Mr. Murphy frowned, his hand hovering over the latch for a moment too long. Then, with a reluctant grunt, he stepped back.

“Fine. But this better not come back to haunt us.”

As the truck rumbled forward, leaving the city behind, Aquilo finally let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He exchanged a look with Austin, relief flashing in his eyes.

“That annoying bastard was useful for once at least.” The blonde boy let out a wry laugh, his hands rubbing the back of his hands.

As a youngster himself, Cortez only had the limited power to do this much.

The adventure Aquilo was seeking was on the horizon. Even this attempt to sneak out was entertaining, and for once, he felt alive.

“Remind me to never listen to you again.” Austin replied with annoyance, checking his backpack.

Despite his outward expression, inwardly he was relieved. The pair had done it. They were out. And this was only the beginning.