Chapter 13

La-La Point of View

Right now, we find ourselves outside the library as Zayne received a call from Elysium General Hospital, urgently requesting backup.

"No, it's okay," I assured him, dismissing his apologies. He had promised to help me unpack the packages that arrived today, which was also the reason he picked me up. It seemed there was a lot of work to be done in the library.

"I'll come back later," he said, rushing to his car. I wave a good bye.

Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me. As I turned around, someone covered my mouth and eyes, instantly making everything familiar.

Déjà vu?!!!

Third Person Point of View

La-La found herself in a tough situation as three guys held onto her, making it impossible for her to call for help. Unnoticed, they grabbed her and took her away. Inside the car, she was tied up and treated roughly, making it hard for her to break free. More people inside the car were grinning menacingly at her.

Concerned, one of the men asked, "What are we going to do now?"

Another replied, "We can use her." The car sped up, and soon they reached a dark village. Upon entering a valley, they opened the car door, with one of the men carrying La-La on his shoulder. Despite her struggles to break free, she couldn't. The man entered an abandoned-looking house in a secluded area where no one would know.

"Help!!' she shouted Inside, La-La continued to try and free herself, but her efforts were in vain. She desperately attempted to call out or do something, but her captors remained unmoved, leaving her feeling helpless in the secluded and mysterious surroundings.

On the other hand, Zayne, who arrived at the library, did not see La-La. "She might have gone home," Zayne said, grabbing his phone and deciding to call La-La.

The phone rang and it was answered immediately.

"Ms. Lanaya, I apologize for not coming early, and—" he began, hearing a different voice on the line.

"Hello?" Yuna, who answered the phone, said on the other end. Zayne, confused, looked at the number he dialed.

"I am not mistaken," he said to himself. "Who is this?" Zayne asked the other line. "I am Yuna," Yuna answered, and Zayne tried to remember.

"Oh, you are the girl from before, the junior of Ms. Lanaya" Zayne said. "Yes," Yuna replied with joy.

"Is Miss Lanaya home?" Zayne inquired.

"You mean senior?" Yuna asked on the other line. "Yes, Lanaya," Zayne answered.

"She is not home yet. I thought she is working for Mr. Dr.," Yuna said in response. "She is not home yet? How come" Zayne asked.

"Yes, she is not," Yuna confirmed. Zayne inquired, "She is supposed to be home at 7; it's already 10 pm." Zayne asked why Ms. Lanaya's phone was with Yuna.

"She left it earlier before going to work, but what do you mean she is supposed to be here by 10? She said that she would go home immediately, but..." Yuna explained, and worry could be heard in her voice.

"Where do you think Ms. Lanaya would probably go?" Zayne asked the other line as he immediately grabbed his white jacket and keys to go to his car. Yuna remained silent, thinking of a place where Ms. Lanaya might have gone.

"The park nearby," she said. Immediately, Zayne entered his car, and as fast as he could, he started it.

"I'm going to find Ms. Lanaya. If she ever gets home, kindly call me," Zayne said to Yuna. "Yes, I understand," Yuna replied, and Zayne ended the call.

And on the other hand,

"I've never heard of any of that," Axel said to his coworkers.

"It's been quite a ruckus lately, you know, so it's hard to finish jobs nowadays, they all go crazy" the man replied to Axel.

"By the way, I heard that you had a love hunter friend," the man said to Axel, causing Axel to react. "So, what now?" he asked the man seriously.

"You know, maybe..." the man was about to say, but Axel's mood turned upside down as if he were emitting a dark aura. "Nope, never mind," the man said nervously.

"Don't you dare mess with her," Axel warned his colleague. "Yeah, I know, chill, wouldn't ya? It’s not like I have a courage to do that" the man said, taking a sip of coffee. Axel also calmed down as he sipped his own coffee.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"It's hard to befriend other mythical creatures; maybe your looks work, it must been nice to have a friend other than a grim reaper" the man said to Axel.

"Then, Luke, you should ask the higher-ups to repair your face," Axel joked. "You're joking, right?" Luke asked, but Axel just looked at him and continued to sip his coffee.

"You're harsh," Luke added. Suddenly, Axel's phone on the table rang. He looked at it but immediately looked shocked to see La-La's name calling him. He put down his coffee, making it spill. "Wow," Luke reacted as Axel answered the call at the speed of light.

"Hello?" Axel said, but his happy face immediately turned upside down.

"What do you mean La-La is not home yet?" he asked.

"Yes, Mr. Axel senior is not home, and I am unable to contact her since she left her phone with me," Yuna said on the other line.

"Isn't she supposed to be at work?" Axel asked Yuna.

"Yes, she is, but she said she would be at home by 7, and it's already midnight. We can't get out of the house due to our situation, and I am also trying to contact the doctor who is her boss; he is unreachable. I sense that something wrong is going on," Yuna said with fear in her tone on the other line.

Axel, grasping the phone as if his veins in his hand were showing, ended the call immediately without replying to Yuna and grabbed all of his things as fast as he could.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked as he stood up, attempting to stop Axel, but Axel just left the convenience store as fast as he could, leaving Luke baffled.

"Geez, that man," Luke said and took his seat.

Axel arrived at the library where La-La worked and used his power to forcefully open the glass door, making it shudder all the way.

"La-La!" he shouted, calling her name, but there was no response. Axel took a deep breath and quickly exited the library, spotting a man and a familiar figure outside. Zayne, with messy hair like Axel's, looked surprised to see an intruder, taking a step backward as Axel advanced, his anger evident.

"Where the hell is she?" Axel demanded, grabbing Zayne's collar. In the darkness, both men stared at each other with fury, unable to identify each other clearly.

"Who are you?" Zayne asked directly, and suddenly, moonlight shone on both of them. Axel remained angry, but Zayne quickly recognized him.

"You... Did you find her?" Zayne asked Axel. Axel, dumbfounded, let go of Zayne.

"I just asked where she is, didn't I?" Axel replied. Zayne turned serious. "Just where is she?" he mumbled.

"This is your fault," Axel accused Zayne, who stayed silent. Suddenly, Zayne's phone rang; it was an unfamiliar number. He answered it. Then his eys widened.

"Ms. Lanaya, are you okay?" Zayne reacted to the call as La-La spoke. Axel tried to grab the phone, but Zayne resisted.

"Yeah, yeah, there's no need to apologize. Just where are you?" Zayne asked La-La with a bothered and worried tone. Axel insisted, "What the hell, man, let me talk to her!" but Zayne kept pushing him away.

"Yeah, I am coming there. Just wait for me," Zayne said, ending the call. Axel was left dumbfounded as Zayne tried to enter his car. Axel immediately stopped him, and Zayne looked at him.

"What are you doing?" Zayne asked Axel. "I should ask that to you – what are you doing?" Axel replied.

"I am going to Ms. Lanaya, as you can see," Zayne said, using his strength to move Axel's hand away from the car door. However, Axel remained resolute.

"Not that – what are you doing? This is your fault, so I should be the one going to her, not you," Axel argued.

"Now, not that it matters? Are you dumb? You said it's my fault, then I will take responsibility," Zayne declared in a serious tone. "Dumb, huh? Just what are you to La-La?" Axel asked, making the atmosphere go silent.

A Few Moments Later

Arriving in a village so old, a deep silence enveloped Axel and Zayne. Axel swiftly got out of the car, loudly slamming the door shut as he shouted, "La-La!" Zayne, somewhat calmer, followed Axel. Before they could reach the valley, a group of people suddenly surrounded them.

"What the hell?" Axel mumbled to himself.

"This is what you get for shouting," Zayne said to Axel.

"You, the one with the black suit, you're MT, aren't you?" one of the men asked Axel.

"So are you—all of you. You're all sandmen, aren't you? Going to this extent just for that gold string, or whatever," Axel responded, insulting the MT.

Suddenly, everyone pulled out knives, making Axel and Zayne step back. Zayne raised his hands, saying, "We're not here to fight." Axel, worried, asked, "What are you doing?"

"We're not here to fight or bother you. We're looking for our lost friend," Zayne explained. Axel whispered, "They're the ones who made La-La get lost. Obviously they kidnapped her"

"Are you sure?" Zayne asked as the people with knives closed in. "They're MTs like us; they won't negotiate," Axel said, summoning a scythe from red dust, surprising Zayne.

"What the?" Zayne reacted. Axel gave him a knife from his pocket.

“I know this is s nothing to help but hold this" Axel said to Zayne then Zayne immediately take the knife.

Axel defended them with his scythe, creating a barrier that kept the group back. He signaled Zayne to run, and they took off. A flying knife followed, and Axel stopped it with his scythe before they ran again.

"What—" Zayne began, and Axel cut him off, "Run now!" They sprinted through the village, but a sandman appeared in front of them.

Axel attacked, and the sandman fought back with swirling sand. Axel used his scythe to create a barrier, protecting them. Zayne, surprised, held the knife Axel gave him. They continued running through the village, trying to escape the danger.

"J-j-j-just what is that?!" Zayne stammered to Axel as they ran.

"Run now, cut the questions,!" Axel said. Suddenly, a flying knife followed them. Axel stopped running, and Zayne did too. Facing the flying knife, Axel used his scythe to reveal a barrier that stopped the knife from moving.

"Just what," Zayne started to ask, but Axel began running again, so Zayne followed. Then, suddenly, a sandman appeared right in front of them.

Zayne, shocked, took a step back, but Axel immediately attacked it. The sandman countered Axel's attack, but Axel held his spear with both hands. Another edge appeared from the scythe, burning, and the sandman stepped forward to attack with sand.

Axel swiftly maneuvered his scythe like a fan, dispersing the sandman's assault. Suddenly, a group of sandmen appeared and surrounded them again.

"This is not good," Axel said.

"I know," Zayne replied. "Why did I even bring you with me? I knew this was going to happen," Axel muttered. "What do you mean you knew? Just what are you?" Zayne asked.

Axel raised his hand, causing the scythe to float above him. Zayne, grasping the situation, readied himself to defend.

Axel turned his left hand, directing the scythe to hover and circle around. The sandmen looked at each other, fearful of the power of the grim reaper.

"If this is for the gold string, we will fight," a brave sandman declared, and they all attacked at once.

As the sandmen attacked, Zayne, unable to fight, was captured by the sand. Axel reacted swiftly, attacking one of the sandmen controlling Zayne and freeing him. Suddenly, another presence appeared in the situation.

"Just what hell is going on?!" La-La shouted, making everyone stop in their tracks.