Solomon may not show it, but the scene at Port of Moore left her quite distraught. Four people dead, one by their hands. Who was that black kite? Why did he want to destroy that book? Solomon hopes to get answers to at least one of these questions back at the station. She would have preferred to interrogate the bird, but it can’t be helped now. She doesn’t blame Lisa for what happened, at least she has the option not to just destroy with her power.
The four return to the station, Adelar already waiting for them. They sit down at the meeting hall table and reveal the book to him.
”That’s what you found?” He asks, taking a good look at the cover, then opening it. “A book?” Clearly, he’s unable to read it. “Peculiar.”
“That’s not all.” Solomon begins to say. “Three people brought this book to the port.”
“Oh?” Adelar lifts his head from the book. “Anything you could find out from them?”
“They’re kind of dead for that.” Lisa speaks up in a grim tone. “There was this one guy in a white robe, Blazing One, like you. He blew them up.”
“Another Mystic One?” The eagle shakes his head. Solomon guesses that he didn’t think they would have to face one so soon. “What happened to him?”
“Yeeeeah…” Lisa glances to the side with slight guilt in her voice. “We’ll need to work on control over the strength of the magic.”
“I see.” Adelar sighs deeply. “No matter, what you found is… Most peculiar. A book we cannot read. I will have to report this to my informant, this could be big news! From a clue, we now have… This.”
“What now then?” Durazo asks, clutching his cross necklace.
“Once my informant gets back to me, we’ll see.” Adelar gently closes the book. “Until then, we’ll work on your magic as much as we can.” He stands up, picks up the book, and puts it inside a locker.
“That thing better not be cursed or somethin’.” Lisa remarks. “We’ve got enough to worry about already.
“I can safely say that you can’t do curses with magic.” Adelar responds, searching for something in his pocket. “As far as I know…” He adds, more quietly, but the others clearly hear it.
“Nice.” Lisa scoffs. “Fuckin’ beautiful.”
“I could stay here and guard it.” Yaroslav offers.
“No need.” Adelar takes a key out of his pocket and locks the locker. “It may be important to them, but I don’t think they put a tracker in it.”
“Who are “they” anyway?” Solomon asks. “What do we know about them?”
“Not a whole lot, unfortunately.” Adelar steps back towards the table. “But they have Mystic Ones too, for certain. And now, this third faction…” He takes out a napkin from a different pocket and wipes his forehead. “That worries me to no end.”
“One wants the book back.” Durazo states. “One wants to destroy it. And now we’ll just have it at the station?”
“My org isn’t well known.” Adelar snaps back, in somewhat of a regretful tone. “You weren’t followed either. It shouldn’t be easy for either of them to find us.”
“If we find the station burned to the ground tomorrow…” Lisa brings up the topic. “Don’t hold it against us, yeah?”
“Anyway…” Adelar shoots a disapproving look towards the wolf. “This was more than enough for you today. Go and rest, I’ll need you in your best condition tomorrow.” He says in what Solomon would call his “business voice”. “You are dismissed.”
They all nod and get up from the table. Solomon, however, has one particular question she wants answered.
“Adelar…” She says in a low voice after the others leave.
“I said you were dismissed.” The eagle responds, looking tired, taking out some papers from a drawer.
“No!” She rebuts in an assertive tone, catching the eagle by surprise. “I… Really need some closure, Adelar.”
Adelar turns his head, looking somewhat annoyed, but understanding.
“That bat…” Solomon goes on. ”His markings, they were red! Why? Why were they read? What does red mean?” She pleads.
“Think about it.” Adelar’s words admittedly make Solomon a little upset at first. “What’s the first thing that comes to mind? It’s not roses, I’ll tell you that much.”
“Blood…?” Solomon guesses, albeit pretty confidently.
“That’s right.” Adelar turns back to whatever he was doing with the papers, having answered her question.
“Blood magic…” Solomon shakes her head. “H-how does that even work?”
“We all have our techniques.” Adelar explains. “Mine is different from that kite’s, for example. Who knows how that bat uses his magic? Who’s to say he only has one?”
All of a sudden, Solomon doesn’t feel very confident in her abilities. She saw her colleagues use their magic in relatively different ways, and then there’s her. She can produce acid. That’s it, as far as she knows. And if new opponents arise and that’s still all she can do…
“Thanks.” Solomon forces a smile, not exactly having gotten the closure she wanted. “Let us know when your informant finds out anything!” She says, turning to leave.
“Take care.” Adelar says in a cautious voice. “I’ll try my best to teach you what I can.”
And so, Solomon waited for Adelar to get back to them about any new information he may have learned. One day turned into two days, which turned into three days, which turned into a week, which turned into a month. One whole month has passed before anyone came forward with new information.
Solomon wasn’t merely sitting around either, she looked into the possible language of the book, but she couldn’t find anything at all, which only made her have many, many more questions about the book and the organisation it belongs to.
During the month, they spent more and more time training, honing their powers. Solomon could see the progress all around her. She could see Durazo’s light get brighter and more soothing, more comforting when shone at someone, she could see its healing power whenever any of them were injured. She also noticed him clutching his cross necklace more often, which she didn’t question, given his background.
She saw Yaroslav eventually snap a metal pipe in half due to how fragile his frost could make various objects. On hotter days, he could even keep their training basement cool, which she found welcome.
She saw Lisa experiment more with her electricity, eventually gaining better control over where she could direct the flow of said electricity to an extent. She saw the pride that Adelar took in each and every one of them, how happy the fact that his choices seemingly paid off made him, and how much joy he took in teaching them whatever he could, mostly about control.
She saw all this progress, but not with herself. No matter what she tried, no matter how much she concentrated, no matter how much she listened to the others for advice, there only ever seemed to be two things she could do. Either have her hands produce acid, or not. She didn’t understand what the point of her magic was. She could see all the others have plenty of practical use other than destruction, but not hers. Adelar told her that it is believed that all of magic originates from nature in some way. Acid does indeed exist in nature, but it does more than destroy. It’s a part of many organisms, so what was she doing wrong to only be able to destroy?
On a more personal level, Solomon tried ways to make the nightmares stop. Over the course of the month, she tried everything from methods that reportedly work, like talking about her dreams and rewriting the ending, to going as far as taking special medication for it. Of course, nothing worked. Every time, it invariably ended with the figure catching up to her and reaching out to touch her, every time, she was horrified that that time just might be the time that it did. And that figure… It didn’t even always chase her. Sometimes, it would attempt to seemingly lure or call her over, but she knew better than to do that.
She was very much aware that she was dreaming, so she tried methods that would at least wake her up from a dream. She would call out for help, read, spin around, but nothing worked, other than briefly confusing the thing in her dream at best. In this last week especially, it has started to take a serious toll on her mentally, questioning if there even was a way for her to truly escape it.
She kept the night she was attacked in her apartment in mind. No such thing has happened since. No one tried to break into the station to take the book or harm any of them either. At the very least, she found that comforting to an extent.
And that bat… She kept him in mind more than she wanted. The fact that she didn’t know what group he belonged to didn’t sit well with her either. Blood magic, whatever it could be used for, she’d rather not find out.
The only thing keeping her sane during this time was her colleagues. No, not just colleagues, but friends she grew even closer with. Especially Lisa. They were in this together, and that made her feel better in her situation, she felt like she wasn’t alone, precisely because she wasn’t. She didn’t have anyone else here in Britain, it felt comforting to have people she can trust by her side. Even the times when she called her parents, she mostly needed to lie about what she was doing and how she was feeling. She didn’t like it at all, but she figured that it would keep them safe.
Solomon wakes up after a particularly bad encounter with the figure. She could almost feel it touch her that time, even after she woke up. The last thing she needs is lasting marks from these experiences, which she hopes it can’t do to her. Though, she could consider her spirals lasting marks, in a way.
She gets dressed and goes out to the station. Down below, Lisa, Yaroslav, and Durazo are already there, chatting about new things they discovered. Solomon never considered herself envious, but she really, really wants to find out something new about her power for once.
“Everyone!” Says a very enthusiastic Adelar as he steps into the basement. “We finally have a new lead.”
Solomon’s eyes shoot open, from awe rather than fear, for the first time in what feels like forever. She rushes over to the eagle.
“Tell me everything, boss.” She says, lightly tapping her feet, her tail noticeably swaying from side to side.
Lisa giggles, seeing Solomon get so excited over the mere mention of news.
“My informant has found a location where he reported observed suspicious activity.” He produces a small flame in his palm, then grasps it, extinguishing it. “I will need at least two of you to check it out.”
Solomon waits eagerly for him to continue. She could potentially find out so much!
“The Hilton Amusement Park.” Adelar goes on. “That is where activity has been reported.”
“Hasn’t that place been defunct for like fifty years now?” Lisa asks with a questioning look.
“That’s the place.” Adelar snaps his fingers, his casual manner encouraging Solomon.
“How do you know that it isn’t just some hoodlums hanging out in a closed down amusement park?” Durazo asks dismissively.
“Hoodlums don’t wear suits.” The eagle explains with a smirk. “That’s the extent of what we know about their appearance. Any volunteers?”
“I’ll be going.” Solomon says without a moment of hesitation. Strange setting or not, she will have to look into it. “And I’m taking Father with me.”
Durazo’s eyes widen in surprise.
“In case something happens to me, I’ll need someone who can help.” She eyes his white markings before turning back to Adelar. “How many people were reported to be there?”
“No more than two.” Says the eagle. “Whatever they are hiding there, if anything, it must not be that important if they only have two people guarding it.”
“The rest of you can stay then. We’ll handle this.” Solomon says confidently. Maybe she is just too eager for answers, maybe Lisa’s confidence just rubbed off on her in the past month.
“Have you gone mad?” Lisa chimes in. “That’s two people, yes, but remember what it took just to take one down?”
“Of course I do. I showed him my hands and he was terrified.” She says, causing Lisa to frown. “Whatever group these guys belong to, I have a guess that they know more about our powers than I do. We can do this!” Solomon answers, giving Lisa a reassuring smile.
The wolf relents, but doesn’t seem to approve.
“Tell me the location as well though.” She taps her can against the floor. “If things go south, I’ll be there.”
“I know you can do it.” Yaroslav says with a laugh, crossing his arms. Lisa taps her cane again, this time against his foot. “But of course, I’ll go there too if you need me to!”
“Well in that case…” Adelar begins to say. “I’ll need you to keep up the front.” He turns towards the bear and the wolf, much to their displeasure.
Durazo acquiesces to Solomon’s request, giving her a trusting look.
The two of them then go out to the service vehicle, type in the coordinates and leave.
The amusement park is quite far away, having to drive past rather large wheat fields. Solomon wonders why anyone would build such a place this far away from any settlement.
On the way, she looks into the park’s history. It apparently used to be somewhat popular before abruptly being shut down due to the changing of safety laws and the subsequent lack of funds to pay the workers’ restitution, severance, and lawsuits.
“Mustn’t have been the best place to work at…” Solomon remarks, more to herself. “How should we approach the site?”
“We should keep quiet, I’d say.” Durazo recommends. “Have a look around, find out what they’re up to, but we’ll see once we arrive.” He glances at the feline with a warm smile. “I’ll try to keep you safe as much as I can.”
“Thanks, Father.” Solomon chuckles softly. “I have acidic hands, I feel like that can help me when it’s needed.”
Despite that, Solomon doesn’t want to use her magic on people. The sheer pain that it must inflict… She’s just not someone who wants to do that.
The park is soon enough on the horizon, or rather, the trees that surround it are. They don’t obscure the rather tall buildings that are situated in the park, however. Solomon reads that the former owner had the trees planted all around the park to “give something back to nature”. That move proved rather controversial, as the people that planted them apparently just stole seeds and saplings to do so, on the owner’s orders to further cut costs. “This place was a mess from start to finish, wasn’t it?”
They can see the remnants of a parking lot, now new trees and plants sprouting from the cracks of the old concrete. It will still serve its intended purpose one, hopefully, last time. Arriving at the destination, the two get out and walk into the decidedly unimpressive artificial forest that was set up many years before. The grey clouds in the sky makes Solomon expect rain.
They can see the fenced off perimeter of the park, a large metal sign above the former entrance reading “Hilton Amusement Park - Where Fun is Our Motto!”.
Solomon rolls her eyes at the sight.
The top of the fence is protected with barbed wire. She wonders if it was put there before or after the park was shut down.
Finding an entrance proves easy, going to the right of the main gate, there is a hole cut into the fence big enough to fit two people in at once. Solomon looks around for guards or cameras, she doesn’t see either. People really don’t seem that upset about the park having been shut down. She looks at Durazo as if to ask him if he’s ready, he nods.
“Allez.” Says Solomon, leading the way inside.
She feels as if she just stepped into one of her dreams with how decrepit the park looks.
The park itself is rather small and has as much cramped into it as the owner could afford, likely choosing the cheaper option every time. They could see parts of the attractions from the outside, but now they can really take in how run down the park became. Graffiti and overgrown plants everywhere. Time and vandalism have not been kind to it in the least.
Looking to the main gate, there is a collapsed, or possibly wrecked, ticket booth. Just behind it, there is a building no more than twenty metres in length and thirty in width. The wooden parts look rotten, the sign above its entrance once must have read “House of Horrors”, but all that remains from the letters is “use of Hors”. The building looks so old and derelict, Solomon doubts there is anyone sane who would be hiding in a place like that. Opposite to the “House of Horrors” is what once was a poorly disguised casino, evident by the rusted slot machines seen through the broken and collapsed walls along claw machines and other games.
“You know, I kind of see why people mustn’t have been so fond of this place.” Solomon says to Durazo.
To the left of the casino are smaller stands likely used for games to win prizes, some still standing, most are in pieces, either having collapsed or parts having been stolen. Upon closer inspection, they see that the nails have been taken out of the collapsed ones.
“How desperate do you have to be to steal from a place like this?” Durazo thinks out loud. One of the remaining stands has targets, meant to have balls thrown at. They are nailed upright so hard that they are among the more stable man made things in the park. Durazo pities whatever unfortunate soul must have lost their money at this park.
Beyond the stands, there is what could be called the main attraction: a carousel once housing twelve metal horses to ride on. Of the twelve, three are lying on the ground and one of them is missing. Time has been especially rough to this metal attraction, Solomon can hardly see any surface on it that hasn’t been rusted. The structure itself looks stable, as if whoever built it actually put proper effort into building it. The decades of having to endure the elements left the metal horses in a terrible condition, streaks of dark brown running down their reddish bodies. The same is true for the eyes.
Solomon admittedly feels a little creeped out by the former park so far, though it may just be an underlying fear of dilapidation due to recent events. The two don’t hang around for too long at this particular attraction. Beyond the carousel are benches and more stands, the benches not even having backrests. They don’t look like they were designed to have them either.
Opposite to the stands is a kids’ ride, a small train running on a track with the bare minimum amount of bends to be called a ride. Rusted like the rest of the park. “Why wouldn’t they relocate this to somewhere else? Seems like such a waste…”
With a crash of thunder, it begins to rain, nothing but a slight drizzle, however. There is one last building standing all the way in the corner of the park. It is in remarkably good condition compared to the rest of the attractions, definitely must have been built after the park was shut down. A sign above the entrance door reads “Hall of Mirrors”. The building looks stable, or at least stable enough to enter and not be afraid of the roof coming down. There are two doors at the front: one labelled “exit” with a sign next to it reading “Staff and permitted personnel only.” It is locked. The other one seems to be the entrance and is slightly ajar.
They go to the latter door, a pile of rubble is all that remains of what was once a ticket booth by it.
Solomon pushes the door open, the inside is exactly as advertised: a maze of mirrors. Some of them look faded, others seem to be in prime condition. After being abandoned for this long, nothing should look as clean as some of those mirrors. They venture into the maze, turning one corner, then another, seeing their reflections on every wall, sometimes deformed due to the surface shape of particular mirrors.
Click.
To their surprise, the building is lit up by flood light-like lights fixed to the ceiling of the building. The light is blindingly bright, the mirrors only make it worse, forcing Solomon to close her eyes.
“Father?” She says, holding out her hands, then feels Durazo grab them.
“Don’t worry.” He responds in a reassuring tone. “I can see.”
His words leave Solomon puzzled for a moment, but connects his being a Bright One to seeing in bright environments.
She then hears Durazo gasp.
“Cameras!” He says in a voice that tells Solomon that he’s trying, and failing, to stay calm. She tries to open her eyes, but it’s no use. It’s too bright.
Cameras… Someone is certainly here, and worse, knows that they are here. Solomon holds onto his hand tightly putting her trust in the ex-priest. She bumps into a mirror here and there, despite her efforts not to, seeing nothing but the unpleasantly bright darkness just behind her eyelids. She feels herself turning left, right, right again, going straight, then right again, and one more left.
Before she knows it, they are out of the maze. It may be a maze, but it’s just as cheap as the rest of the park, thankfully.
As they exit the maze, Solomon hears a door slam shut. Taking one peek to the right, there is a door with an exit sign over it that Solomon can barely make out. Durazo guides Solomon there and tries to open the door.
“It’s locked…” Durazo says in an uncharacteristically upset tone.
Solomon removes her gloves.
“I got the key right here.” She states, for once, feeling like her power is useful for something. It’s still destruction, but it’s the kind that benefits them.
She lets Durazo guide her hand to the lock. Placing it on the door, the marking on her hand lights up. Within seconds, the lock dissolves and the door opens without any more resistance.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“No one’s on the other side.” Says Duzaro.
They go through the door, Solomon closes it behind them, at least as much as a door without a lock can close. She opens her eyes to finally see, briefly seeing a hallway lit by lights that are not blindingly bright.
Click.
The lights switch off, plunging the building into darkness. Solomon usually has no trouble seeing in darker areas, but the lights temporarily, she hopes, made her unable to see well in the dark.
“I have discovered the drawback of this… Light vision, let’s call it.” Durazo says in a regretful tone. “I can’t see a thing.”
Solomon turns towards him with a frown that he can’t even see. He lights up his palms, shining that soothing light of his straight onto her.
“But I guess there are work-arounds.” He moves his hand around, trying his best to illuminate the narrow hallway.
To the right, there is a door labelled exit. They already tried to open it from the outside, it was locked. To the left, three doors. Two at the right side of the hallway, one at the end of it, the latter one being a sturdy, metal door.
Durazo lights the way to the first door. Its label has long faded, its lock rusted shut. Solomon dissolves the lock and opens the door to the room, which looks like a janitor’s closet, old tools litter the floor and shelves.
“Nothing of interest here.” Solomon remarks, quietly.
They go to the next door, Durazo’s light piercing the darkness. That door is in a similar condition. Solomon opens it as well, the room looks like a dust-covered manager’s office, complete with a desk and filing cabinets.
The two have a quick look around, the cabinets are empty, save for the plethora of unpaid bills, formal complaints, and warnings. That leaves but one door.
The two go to the sturdy metal door, ready to go in. “Whoever is here… Has to be in there.” Solomon looks at Durazo, who nods at her. She doesn’t even check if the door is locked, she places her hand on it and lights up her marking. Despite being sturdier than the others, it melts just as easily.
She pushes the door open and takes a step back. Durazo shines his light into the room, no one comes out. Solomon steps inside and sees a lightswitch. She flicks it on, the room lights up. Despite their suspicions, no one seems to be in the room.
Looking around, they see large metal cabinets, a wall full of monitor screens, only four of them are turned on, showing the room with the mirrors from four different angles. Below the screens is a control panel with a radio next to it.
Solomon takes a few more steps inside, carefully looking around. She goes to inspect the radio when she suddenly hears a cabinet door fly open.
A jab to her side sends her stumbling to the wall. She tries to reorient herself, but another cabinet falls on her, pinning her to the ground.
She looks up to see a grey goat with streaks of white on his hands, the one who pushed the cabinet onto her. Looking to the side, she sees Durazo already engaged in a fistfight with the one who punched her, a tiger. She sees pale blue markings on his hands. Both of them are wearing suits, the goat leans on the wall and watches the fight unfold. Durazo lands a couple punches, but the tiger is stronger, he knocks Durazo to a wall, ice having formed on his garb.
“Shouldn’t have come here, old man.” Says the tiger, his markings light up, long claws of ice form at his fingertips.
The goat smirks and looks at Solomon.
“You should have known better than to meddle in the business of others…” He looks at her free hand, spotting the green spiral markings. “Mystic One.” Solomon struggles, but try as she might, she cannot lift the cabinet. She could try melting it, but it would take far too long.
The tiger approaches Durazo, icy claws baring. Solomon doesn’t want to look, seeing him be killed before her eyes while she can do nothing would utterly destroy her emotionally.
“Dios mio… Please let this work.” Durazo says through heavy breathing and clutches his cross necklace, looking straight at their assailant.
“God won’t save you now!” The tiger remarks, preparing to strike him with his claws of ice.
Durazo’s cross starts shining, brighter and brighter, causing the tiger to cover his eyes from the light.
“Neither will cheap tricks!” The tiger then goes in for the kill and winds his arm back.
The shining culminates in the cross emitting a ray of cross-shaped light, as thin as a strand of fur. It lasts no more than a second, but the tiger is hit by it vertically in the middle and horizontally at the shoulder. Where he is hit, his body begins to bleed and slightly slide apart before freezing over.
The tiger falls backwards, and shatters into thousands of icy blue pieces. Solomon and the goat both look equally shocked by what just happened. The goat wastes no time and runs out the door and tries to lock it, only to discover that the lock was melted. Panicked, he runs out.
In the meantime, Durazo goes to help Solomon get the cabinet off of her. The two lift it enough for her to get out from under it. He helps her stand up and she immediately goes to follow the goat.
“Father…” Solomon begins to say, going down the hallway as fast as she can with her aching legs. “What was that?”
“I’ll tell you later.” The canine responds, slightly out of breath, more from the fight with the tiger than the running. “Let’s catch him first.”
The door to the mirror room is now wide open, the goat ran through the mirror maze. Solomon gets an idea, goes to the exit door and melts the lock. “You’re not getting away that easily.”
The two leave the building and go to stand on each side of the entrance door. They hear the sound of rushing hooves, unaware of the two of them waiting for him.
The goat tries to run out the door, but Solomon catches him, holding her hands over his eyes. He yelps and stops immediately.
“Don’t try anything. You saw what I did to those doors, imagine what I could do to you.” She says, a little surprised by what she just said.
The goat gets down on his knees, panting.
“I knew your cult would find me…” He says, terrified. “I knew this wasn’t a good enough hiding place!”
Solomon raises an eyebrow.
“Cult?” She asks and takes her hands off of the goat. He turns around and looks at her with a baffled look.
“You’re not Lightborn?” He asks, seemingly not believing her.
“No? I’ve… Never heard of that.” Solomon shakes her head.
The goat stands up and looks at her in utter disbelief.
“You don’t know the Lightborn, yet you’re a Mystic One? How am I supposed to believe that?” He doesn’t even try to run away.
“We’ve only had these powers for less than two months.” Durazo chimes in. “We have kept it a secret until now.”
The goat turns his head towards him now, Durazo holds out his hands to show his white markings.
“A Bright One and…” He gulps. “Acid One...”
Solomon frowns.
“Why is that so scary?” She demands.
The goat recoils, causing Solomon to let out a sigh of exasperation.
“Please, I just want some answers…” She gestures towards the goat, who in turn slightly recoils again. “I don’t want to hurt you, despite what happened.”
The goat laughs dryly.
“What, all of this is just a misunderstanding?” He asks, Solomon nods in response, which makes him scowl at her. “That little misunderstanding cost us a Frost One.” He sighs deeply. “Then again, there is a living legend standing right in front of me, and I’m not dead. Guess I’m lucky for that.”
Solomon makes her hands into fists, getting impatient.
“A legend? A legend?” She says, greatly annoyed. “What do you know that I don’t?”
“No Lightborn would ask a question like that. You’re either a really good actor or you genuinely have no idea.” The goat finally relents. “I hope not to regret this...”
Solomon’s eyes light up with anticipation.
“Acid Ones are supposed to be just a legend. We are all told about them, but we haven’t seen a single one. The sheer scale of destruction they are rumoured to be able to cause… It terrifies me.” The goat pauses for just a moment. “And now, I get to see one with my own eyes.” He laughs nervously. “If you really aren’t Lightborn, then you absolutely mustn’t fall into their hands, I can’t even begin to imagine what they would use you for. And you…” He looks at Durazo. “You certainly can’t be Lightborn.”
Solomon goes from excited to aghast. She hasn’t discovered a way to do anything other than produce acid and that by itself can cause significant damage, but not on a large scale.
“Tell me who you work for.” Solomon begins to say. “That, the Lightborn, and everything you know about Acid Ones. I need to know everything.” She demands, grabbing him by the shoulders which makes the goat let out a short scream. “...please.” She adds, trying to make herself appear more agreeable.
Durazo steps aside to make a phone call, looking in their direction, just in case.
“I can’t tell you who I work for!” The goat exclaims. “It’s highly secretive and the higher-ups would have my head if I shared company secrets.”
Solomon wonders whether or not he means figuratively or literally.
“But the Lightborn…” He continues. “They are more like a cult. We don’t know much about them. What we do know is that they kidnap Bright Ones and take them to who knows where. Since I’m a Bright One, I was stationed here until a safer station would be constructed, just to hide me. Although I’m certain they wouldn’t mind having an Acid One.”
Solomon takes a step back and looks at her hands. A legend… She would much prefer these markings to be exactly that, just a legend.
“My turn to ask questions.” Says the goat with an inquiring look. “Who do you work for? How did you manage to avoid the Lightborn? They relentlessly look for Bright Ones, as far we can tell.”
“We just work for a small investigation company.” Solomon responds, looking somewhat calmer. “Given how we didn’t even know they existed, it was pretty easy. I always wear gloves and Durazo’s markings look like fur patterns.”
The goat nods, incredulous.
“And why would a so-called “small investigation company” employ two Mystic Ones? We only attacked because we thought you were Lightborn. If you aren’t with us, or them, then who are you with, really?”
Durazo walks back to them, having finished the conversation.
“Boss told us to bring him in for questioning.” He informs them, but mostly Solomon. “This could be a major breakthrough.”
“Who? Who are you with?” The goat demands.
“You’ll see in time. But you’re coming with us for now.” She wiggles her fingers at him, which makes him recoil slightly.
“Fine, fine, I’m going with you. Just…” He eyes Solomon’s hands fearfully. “Keep those hands away from me.”
Solomon almost feels a sense of guilt. This goat is without a doubt terrified of her. Or rather, her power, just like that kite was. She has no intention of harming him, but how could he know that for sure? A legend about an exceedingly destructive power… She certainly doesn’t want to find out why this power is thought to be that.
The two escort him to the vehicle they came to the park with.
“Why were you stationed here of all places?” Solomon asks.
“This place is hidden away from everything.” He answers with a rather sombre look. “Boss is looking to construct a site here because the land was cheap to buy. How’d you even find this place?”
“I’m keeping that a secret until we get back.” Solomon responds, her mind racing about everything she learned.
The three of them get into the car. Durazo at the driver’s seat, the goat in the backseat with Solomon next to him, much to his displeasure. During the trip, the goat keeps glancing at her hands, which eventually makes her put on her gloves.
“So, whatever organisation you belong to, it knows a lot about magic, right?” Solomon asks.
“Oh, you have no idea.” The goat says with a hint of pride in his voice. “I don’t rank very high, but all members are told about the different types of magic.”
Solomon perks her ears.
“Well then go ahead. The more we know, the better.” She urges him to explain further.
“They all come from nature.” The goat says with a sigh, Solomon is already glad to hear confirmation. “So Adelar was right about that.”
“Fire is the most common.” He continues. “There is also frost, electricity, wind, light, darkness, metal, blood… And as it turns out, acid is real as well.”
Solomon is taken aback by that information. There are that many and she hasn’t seen about half of those yet, maybe for the better.
“The colour and the pattern unmistakably give them away. Usually.”
“And what do they look like?” She doesn’t tell the goat about her other colleagues or boss, as she doesn’t trust him completely.
He then goes on to explain the different colours and patterns. Solomon already knew about the types that her colleagues have, but the others are new information entirely. Metal is silver, usually rough and jagged, appearing in patches. Wind is light grey, it can be easy to mistake the colour for light or metal, but the pattern resembles long, curled lines. Darkness is, obviously, dark. The patterns vary greatly, it can be hard to identify.
“And blood… Exceptionally rare. Deep crimson lines resembling veins.” Solomon’s heart skips a beat. If she had any doubts about Adelar, they’re all gone.
“Which of these types does your organisation have? What about the Lighborn?” She asks, voice shaking more than she would like.
“I can’t tell you.” He says, sounding like he’s tired of saying that. “We have secrets that I can’t risk getting to the wrong people, and we just don’t know enough about the Lightborn to confirm anything.”
Solomon shakes her head. Maybe she should mention that bat… Then again, maybe it isn’t such a good idea, given how secretive the org is. At least she has a better understanding of what she can expect in the future if she were to encounter more Mystic Ones. She also has many, many more questions than she started out with. Her whole situation is only getting more complicated.
Solomon asks to see the goat’s hands properly. Unlike Durazo’s, his markings are unmistakably light, having lines resembling rays on all of his fingers going up to his wrists, surrounded by a more subtle aura of white.
“How did you do that, by the way?” The goat asks Durazo. “With the cross?”
“I’m certainly not going to tell you that.” The ex-priest replies with a frown.
The sun goes down during the trip back, the goat grows increasingly more comfortable with them.
“You have no idea how glad I am to hear that you’re not Lightborn.” He says with a sullen look. “We know so little about them… I don’t want to know what they do to us Bright Ones.”
“We’ll have to stop here.” Says Durazo, turning toward a petrol station. Along the two sides of the road, fields of wheat.
He stops and goes to fill the car. Solomon looks around and sees another car parked in front of the station shop, her mind on the types of magic that she learned about. She tries to imagine what they all might be able to do.
Two people exit the shop, Solomon doesn’t think much of them. They look pretty ordinary, just two mice. The goat is talking to her about the things he’ll do once he gets a vacation. He seems to be quite the talkative one, gesturing with his hands as he talks.
Solomon then sees another person exit the shop. A white bat with his hands in his pockets. Her eyes open wide. “No, it’s just a white bat. Nothing to worry about…”
The bat takes his hands out of his pockets to put his hood on, now properly illuminated by the lights that reflect off of his fur. On his hands, lines of deep crimson, his eyes, red.
Solomon wants to scream. She wants to yell at Durazo to get in the car and to drive them as far away as possible. She doesn’t understand… They are so far from Arminshire, what is he doing here?
“Stop talking.” She says in a tone much ruder than she intended. The goat looks a little offended. “Tell him that we need to leave. Now.” The goat rolls down the window, sticks his hand out and calls out to Durazo.
“Hey, we should be leaving.” He says it loud and clear. It catches the attention of the bat and the two mice. Solomon begins panting as she sees them start walking towards them.
“Father, we need to leave now.” She urges him.
“But we haven’t paid yet?” He responds, turning to look at Solomon with concern. She tries to hide herself, but she is certain the bat saw her. Getting closer, he takes his hands out of his pockets. It’s beyond any shadow of a doubt, it’s the same bat. The goat looks at the bat, sees the markings, and gasps.
“Father, get in!” The two yell at the same time. The bat and the mice now running. That catches Durazo’s attention, he gets into the driver’s seat, starts the car and accelerates. One mouse manages to open one of the doors in the back, he hangs on as Durazo drives away. The goat kicks the mouse in the chest, which sends him falling onto the asphalt. The goat then closes the door in one quick motion.
“Father…” Says Solomon, clutching her chest. “Next time I tell you to leave without paying in that tone, you do that. I’d say the Lord can look away for those few seconds.”
She looks back, the petrol station getting farther and farther away from them. She breathes a sigh of relief.
“Judging by your reaction, those guys were not with you.” Says the goat. “Then they have to be…”
Pop, pop. The three hear as the car starts to skid. Solomon looks back again, spotting a figure coming out from the wheat field. Durazo panics as the car spins out of control, despite his efforts to keep it straight.
The car practically flies off the road and crashes, rolling once, then twice, finally landing on its roof.
So many thoughts go through Solomon’s head, the measures that the Lightbron took just to potentially catch someone… She feels like she panicked. She shouldn’t have told the goat to rush Durazo. None of this would have happened.
The three crawl out from the wreck, Solomon notices that Durazo has a bad limp now.
“Quick, this way!” Says the goat, ducking down and crawling deeper into the wheat field.
“This is bad, at this pace, they’ll catch up in no time!” Says Solomon. They may have crashed, but they still went quite far from the bat and the others. She isn’t sure how far away they are from the other one she saw at the side of the road, however.
The three then hear a loud screech coming from the direction they came from. Solomon remembers hearing that bats can’t see too well in the dark, but they can make a sound to “see” better. She isn’t sure if she even believes that they can’t see in the dark, given how that bat saw pretty well in that dark basement. She doesn’t know how their echolocation works exactly or what its range is, which only adds to her fear. Who’s to say they haven’t been spotted yet?
Durazo tries to stay down and crawl, biting a piece of torn fabric to keep his pained groans as quiet as he can.
“Can you two heal him up with your light?” Solomon asks the goat.
“That’s a surefire way to be seen.” He responds, shaking his head.
“Is there anything we can do then?” She asks in a desperate tone. “Aren’t you supposed to be trained or something?”
“There is one thing.” Says the goat after a brief moment of thinking. “They want me. They saw my marking, his blends in much better.”
They hear another screech, which sounds to be ever so closer.
“You can’t do that! You said you-” Solomon says, grabbing him by the shoulders.
“I know what I said. I really don’t want to find out what they do to Bright Ones… But I would rather do that than have an Acid One fall into their hands.” He explains with a dismal look. “I can’t tell you much, but listen…” The three can see a car approaching from the distance alongside another screech.
“If you want more answers, go to Lion’s Den Parlour. Make an appointment. Tell them Grayson sent you.” The goat then stands up and starts walking to the road. “May we never have to meet again.” He says without looking back.
Durazo crosses himself and mutters something Solomon can’t understand, staying down with her. Just how important is this acid power? Certainly powerful enough to make a complete stranger give himself up just so their enemies can’t get it.
Grayson stands on the side of the road and lights up his palms. One more screech is heard. The car stops, Solomon hides and hears talking, but can’t make out what’s being said. She then hears the sound of a car door being slammed. She doesn’t hear them leave, however.
“Is this it? Was this all for nothing?”
Nothing happens for a couple minutes. She waits there, ready as ever to protect Durazo and herself with her power. “Even if it causes so much pain… Some people do deserve it.” She recoils slightly at the morbid thought.
She then hears the sound of a car door opening and closing, after which, the sound of the car leaving is heard. The two stay there for a few long minutes before Solomon takes a tentative glance towards the road and doesn’t see anyone, not even Grayson.
“Father…” She whispers. “How are we going to explain this to Adelar?”
“I’m sure he’ll just be happy we didn’t get taken.” He guesses, which Solomon hopes is true.
The feline thinks about what just transpired. She feels relieved, but she also feels a sense of guilt about it all. She shouldn’t have panicked, she should have just let Durazo finish and they could have just left right after.
Solomon works up the courage to inspect the car after double and triple-checking that there’s no one waiting for them at the road or the car. She’s no mechanic, but she can tell that they aren’t going anywhere using that. Two of the tires are popped, the vehicle is totalled.
“Adelar will not like that, however.” She remarks.
Durazo makes another phone call and explains what happened. The eagle doesn’t sound mad, but worried. They talk for a good few minutes, Solomon keeps looking around, her night vision having gone back to normal.
“He told me Lisa is on her way to pick us up.” Durazo says as he hangs up. “It’ll take her a while, but at least someone is coming.”
They walk to the side of the road, Durazo sits down and shines his light onto his limping leg, putting it out when the odd car comes.
“Father…” Says Solomon. “How did you do that?”
“I assume you mean the light and the cross?” He says with a smile, Solomon nods. “You see… I noticed how that Blazing One we fought was… How should I say… Putting his magic into those rocks?” He shrugs. “I tried to do that as well.”
Solomon gasps in awe.
“How?” She asks, a look of childlike curiosity on her face.
“It took me two weeks to figure it out, then another two were spent putting my light inside it. It normally heals, but concentrated enough… It can cause some damage, it looks like. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it did.”
Solomon feels like she’s listening to one of her grandfather’s tales of old. Except this time, it’s her that’s living through it.
“You have to show me how to do that!” She says, excited about finding out what her power can do when “put inside” objects. “Not like we have anything better to do.”
Durazo puts a hand on her shoulder. She is happy to see that despite everything Grayson said about Acid Ones, he doesn’t seem to be afraid of her. That makes her feel better about her power and herself as a whole.
“Of course.” He nods. “I was going to tell you and the others at the station, but looks like I can just tell you right here.”
Durazo tells and shows her how to do it. He calls it “blessing” an item with magic. He holds his cross in his hand, his marking lights up, she can almost see the light go into the cross. He explains that he needs to focus more on the object than the magic itself to do it.
Solomon goes to try it for herself with a blade of grass. She holds one in her hand, focuses on the piece of grass, her marking lights up… And the grass dissolves in her hand.
“Don’t worry.” Says Durazo, patting her back. “It did take me two weeks to figure it out. Of course, that was the hard part. Blessing itself is rather easy.”
Solomon feels obligated to learn how to do this properly. She feels the need to prove the legends wrong, to prove that her power isn’t only for destruction. For a moment, she forgets about Lion’s Den as a whole, focusing entirely on trying to bless the blade of grass.
“How long until Lisa arrives, you think?” Durazo asks. “This is a four hour drive. We have driven one so far.”
“She can make it in two and a half.” Solomon responds with a smile.
“Is she that good of a driver?” Durazo questions with a somewhat concerned look.
“No, she’llll just drive over the speed limit.” Solomon states matter-of-factly. “I’ve been her passenger, it sure is an experience.”
Durazo sighs and covers his face with a hand.
Solomon spends two hours trying to bless grass. She feels like she’s so close, as each blade of grass takes longer and longer to dissolve.
“Another try.”
She takes a piece of grass in her hands and looks intently at it, her focus unbroken for half a minute, then a full minute, then a full two minutes as her markings light up… But no acid comes out. Rather than that, the blade of grass also starts to glow, a shade of green, but glow nonetheless. A smile spreads across her face, joy in her eyes.
“Would you look at that?” Durazo chuckles. “It’s easier when someone explains, isn’t it?” Solomon’s markings stop glowing, so does the piece of grass.
“I did it! I blessed it!” She exclaims, elated. “But… What did it do?” She holds the grass in her hand and looks at it from all sides. Nothing seems to have changed about it.
She then gets an idea: her markings light up and acid gathers in her palm. She places the grass in it. Lo and behold, it doesn’t dissolve, the acid has no effect on it. Solomon is overjoyed with the discovery.
“Father! Whatever I bless won’t be affected by my acid!” She says with excitement in her voice.
“That’s great news, Solomon.” Durazo laughs and pats her head. She already has so many ideas on what she will bless once she perfects it, starting with her clothes. She may be unaffected by her acid, but what she wears isn’t. She would rather not accidentally melt them or think about the complications that could cause. She spends the next hour doing the same, feeling like she’s getting better and better. The two converse about the rather bizarre day they had and the information they’ve gathered. “Lion’s Den Parlour… We’ll have to look into it.”
As time passes, she sees Durazo look into the distance, looking rather aloof.
“What’s wrong, Father?” She asks, feeling worried. The canine’s apparent trance breaks and he looks over to Solomon.
“Oh, nothing. I was just… Thinking. Thinking about my old life.” He says in response.
“Sorry for asking, Father.” Solomon says, her ears drooping.“I didn’t know-”
“No, it’s okay.” Durazo cuts her off. “There’s just someone I’m not very fond of.”
“And who is it?” Solomon can’t help but ask. She’s about to apologise for her impulsive question when the ex-priest responds calmly.
“Reverend Antonio Alvarez.” Solomon is sure she can see the slightest hint of anger in his expression. “I would always preach about forgiveness, but that’s someone I can’t forgive, ever.” He pauses, Solomon can see for just a moment that his teeth are gritted the next time he opens his mouth to speak. “Someone I used to call a friend, even. That bloodhound…” He notices that Solomon looks rather sad to hear what he’s saying. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, I’ll stop.”
The cat perks her ears and gestures to him to go on.
“Oh non, non, I don’t mind it! If you need to talk about it, I can listen!” She says with a smile. Durazo seems glad to talk to someone about the matter.
“All he cares about is money.” He begins to say with downright disdain. “Once another bloodhound came to us, seeking forgiveness from the Lord, clearly down on his luck. Antonio told him that by giving to the church, his sins would be forgiven.” Solomon can see a pronounced vein forming on his forehead. “He gave what little money he had to us… No, to him. He was found frozen on a bench two days later. That was the final straw. I couldn’t put up with his sins anymore.”
Solomon wants to comfort Durazo, but can’t quite find the right words to express herself.
“That’s… Terrible.” Is all she manages to say.
“His crimes, I find unforgivable.” Says Durazo. “May the Lord have mercy on his soul, for no one else will.”
“Did no one report that?” Solomon questions.
“He has connections, unfortunately.” Says the canine. “His greed is more of an open secret. People know about it, but can’t do anything.” Solomon sees a single tear roll down his cheek.
It takes longer than Solomon expected, about half an hour longer, but Lisa arrives with her own car. She stops at the side of the road and rolls down her window. She looks at them, then the wrecked car.
“You better have a really good story, mates.” She says with a smirk. “You had me worried too much not to have one.”
The two get into the car, Lisa makes a Y-turn and they begin the trip back. They recount the story, Solomon adds her experience with blessing, sounding beyond excited to finally be able to do something not destructive.
“You know Father…” Says Lisa. “We all know the saying, but don’t take it as actual advice.”
Durazo grumbles.
Despite everything, Solomon found out so much about not just magic, but her magic as well. She knew it, she just knew that there was more to her power than to destroy. She will practise more and bless so many things, protecting them from her power. She wonders if it works on people… But she’ll try that when she can be sure.