DARREN’S POV

It took me a solid second to realize that his presence had disappeared. My senses which had been honed to notice the smallest of bondor fluctuations failed to find a single drop of his life in the air. It was almost as if he had disappeared completely into thin air, turning into a breathless ghost.

Zareth…

White sour breath passed through my pursed lips as I comprehended the situation. Zareth’s presence has disappeared and I could only sense Octus fleeting life force. He was out cold I realized. Sirius wasn’t faring any better either.

I turned over my shoulder to look at Sirius’s unconscious body. He was struggling against the corrupted bondor that had seeped into his system through the wounds caused by the ice projectiles. Icy callouses formed around his wounds and my healing failed to reverse its effect. All I was able to do was keep the corruption at bay while Sirius dealt with it on his own.

His face contorted in pain and I almost moved toward him before realizing that the shield I’d created would dissipate if I did.

In the end I was too useless to do anything about it. Just like always.

I still remembered clearly how it felt when I’d awakened this ability of mine. It was so exciting that I couldn’t sleep for days. Unlike most people, I knew the existence of mysticism from a rather early age. Because father was a mystic. So when I finally awakened I had something that I could call my own. Something that I could use to change the life of others like the heroes in the stories I’d listen to.

But in the end, unlike the heroes that I aspired to be, my powers lacked the flashiness as well as the strength required to defeat the bad guys. I was just a support based mystic whose role lied in helping his comrades reach their destination safe and sound. More than the disappointment I felt at that, I was more upset when I realized I lacked the so called talent meant for the sword.

I wasn’t as athletic as Octus. I wasn’t as strong as Sirius. But I never wanted to be a burden to my companions—my friends. I tried learning all I could about the mystic arts and did as much preparation I could.

And even after all that I failed! The only task I had was to locate the core and I failed to do just that.

Locate the core and we destroy it, understood?

If I had managed to do what I was supposed to then all this wouldn’t have happened. Zareth wouldn’t be dead and I…

The hydra hissed, lousily turning it’s humongous body. It’s pace was so slow that I could imagine it was snickering at how weak we were. How pitiful we looked.

It shouldn’t be able to see us.

And it didn’t. Instead the creature moved toward where Octus was lying unconscious, aiming to finish the only person it could probably sense in the entire vicinity.

Fuck!

What made it even worse was the fact that the shield that I’d put up wasn’t going to last much longer. It dimmed like a flickering candle about to go out.

I was running out of time.

I’d to do something. Anything. But what was I going to even do? Fight the hydra myself? Don’t make a joke of yourself Darren!

Four of us weren’t able to do anything to the hydra and how was I, a pathfinder, supposed to fight a monster like that? It was an impossible cause. A single flick of it would be enough to bleed me to death. Then should I just watch as the beast kills Octus like it did Zareth? And sit here until my bondor reserves runs out like a coward?

I felt my heart beat fast as I weighted all the options available to me. I was scared. And it remined me of something. A memory of the past. It was the right time to reminiscence but his words revibrated through my conflicted mind, becoming more profound by the second. Although this time I could make sense of them.

—

Father’s hand pressed against my dirty ripped cloth’s as he jerked me closer. He knelt down to meet my eyes and fear grabbed hold of my heart. Realization settled in what I’d just done. I’d hurt the peoples who I was supposed to help with my powers.

I noticed my hands shaking like a wild leaf.

“Did you do this?” he asked and I raised my eyes to look at his.

Was he angry? I couldn’t tell. I could never tell what exactly he was thinking about. Maybe it was because he was a soldier in the past. Uncle Jariah was also a soldier but the complete opposite of father.

“Tell me Darren are you responsible for all this?” he asked me again and this time my eyes stirred to the side.

Three boys, all of them being older than me. Two of them had foams coming out from their mouth and I could tell they were unconscious. The remaining was hurt but still conscious, listening to us.

Was I responsible for hurting them?

Father’s grip tightened and it started to hurt. He wanted answers and I wasn’t going to lie.

“Y-yeah I did,” I said, my voice so shaky that I almost didn’t almost recognize it myself.

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“Did you intent to kill them?” He asked.

Kill? Me? Why?

It took me a second to realize what he meant by that. The boys who attacked me were hurt. I was not controlling my strength and a bunch of sprouts could do nothing about it. I didn’t think they would die but with normal healing it would take weeks if not months for them to recover.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember,” I answered halfheartedly.

“Did you defend yourself then,” He shot me another question.

“Yeah.”

It was odd how he wasn’t asking me the full details but I was in no situation to recount everything either. Even though I defeated them I was hurt too. One of te boy was able to use some mystic arts and he managed to hit me twice with ti. Not knowing what was going inside my head, father abruptly pulled me closer, his face no more than an inch away from mine.

His hot breath touched my bruised face. “Good. Then you don’t have to justify your actions to me. If you think your actions were correct then you did great boy. What is happening now is more important than what could happen later,” He said, his voice growing louder with each sentence. “If you then think they are wrong, say it. Use force if necessary. Never back down. Otherwise you will always regret your actions. Regret not doing what you should have done”.

He smiled while patting my back, “You did great by defending yourself. Always do what you think is right.”

His words only brought confusion for me. Why was he even praising me? I had expected him to get angry at me, maybe even raise his hands. But he did the opposite. He praised me.

But at that point I was in no condition to think much further of that.

He silently helped me get up on my feet as I stared down. Putting his arm around my shoulder he helped me walk forward. But after a few steps, he stopped and turned back.

“And you boy if you reveal what happened here today, I will make sure your parents don’t get to talk again in your stead,” he said with a cold tone.

I could see the boy’s body shake slightly at father’s word but he still acted unconscious.

What? He fainted?

—

A stifled laugh came out of my mouth, sending a whirling pain all across my body. But it didn’t matter.

Do what you think is right, is it?

Back then I was way to injured to conprehend his words properly and after that my days were too hectic, trying to become a scout. I didn’t really get the time to ponder over them. But now that I think about it, there were much more to his words than that.

Even though the odds were against me, I should do what I think is right even if others disagree with it or say I’m crazy.

Maybe it was the last push that I needed since I’d a thought. A plan. A dangerous one. It wasn’t a decision of wheither I was going to do it or not. After all I’d decided to do it.

I observed the hydra, reading between the lines of his path as he closed in toward Octus. In my mind I calculated the distance between Octus and me.

20 meters.

I would be able to able that much distance easily.

I emptied out the bondor of my sword which was stuck in the ground and instantly the shield disappeared. Without wasting a moment, I leaped forward, crossing the distance. The hydra hissed at me, launching it’s head.

There was a saying amongst veteran mystics. That monsters were capable of telling who was strong and who wasn’t. Perhaps it did not find me worthy enough to use all its power.

I dunked, rolling on the ground, then jumped, reaching Octus. Before I could touch him, I sensed an incoming attack. I avoided it by lowering my head, but the hydra’s tail grazed my back, sending bouts of sharp, hot pain across my back as I winced.

Not bothering to acknowledge the pain, I touched Octus, casting my healing art. Bondors flowed out through my fingertips into his body but then stopped. HE wasn’t that injured. He was just unconscious.

A sigh of relief left my mouth. Good.

Standing up, I kicked Octus in the stomach and for a moment the grim thoughts disappeared from my mind. A groan escaped his mouth as he rumbled awake.

“Wake up! We don’t have time for your naps!” I said, spinning around to face the hydra.

From the corner of my eyes I noticed Octus slowly rising up to his feet. As always he had a relaxed demeanor like we weren’t even in danger. I’d have expected myself to get used to this attitude of his but frankly I was jealous. Jealous of how he could ignore the fear and be so carefree.

“Sirius unconscious? I can’t get a read on him,” Octus mumbled.

“He is fighting against the hydra’s corrupted bondor. He should be able to deal with it given enough time,” I said, taking a fighting stance.

Octus hummed and moved ahead, shoving me behind. “That’s all right little guy. Move back. We can’t have you injured as well. Support me.”

Normally I would have snapped back with something but I knew he was correct.

The hydra hissed once again almost telling us that this time it was going to get us. Fighting was still not an option with just Octus and me. We needed Sirius and it had to be quick.

Octus bend his knees and sprinted forward, moving quickly toward the hydra. The creature did not wait either. It launched barrages of its ice projectiles toward Octus.

“It’s this again!” He cursed, moving his sword in the air, causing blue flame to erupt from within.

And just like a sponge the flame absorbed all the hydra’s attack. When I was about move, a glimming light hit my face.

Huh?

The sun was at my back so something was reflecting it’s rays. I realized it was ice and underneath was zareth’s body. I could still not feel his presence.

Did the hydra freeze him?

Wait…

“Octus!” I shouted, making Octus turn slightly.

The hydra didn’t give him any time and launched its head at Octus, and he defended himself with his sword. His body was pushed back as the hydra’s fang pressed on his blade.

“Cover me!” I said, bringing a raised brow of confusion but then he nodded.

Not wanting to waste even a moment, I turned on my heels and leaped forward. But the hydra seemed to realize something as it attacked me.

I heard a flicking sound and saw Octus being flung away before he landed in his feet.

Leaping over a vein in the ground, I extended my hand toward Sirius, who remained prone. In the next instant, an impact jolted me, but my hand still made contact with Sirius’s body. I pushed my bondor into him, but then a force yanked me, hurling me aside like a rag doll. My body collided with a tree, and I coughed up blood.

It seemed my ribs were broken…

I turned my head in hurry, to see if it worked. I wasn’t dissapointed as Sirius slowly rised up to his feet, thrusting his spear into one of the hydra’s head. The creature recoiled back. But the next moment, he fell down to his knees.

Octus who had noticed this came running toward Sirius and supported him. They said something but I didn’t hear them. Not because of the pain but because my attention was somewhere else.

The ice stature that stood glimmering under the last of sun’s rays creaked, as cracks like spiderwebs formed all over its surface.

Then it broke.

Zareth who was trapped within this hard layer of ice came out of it, his feet touching the ground softly. He mumbled something under his breath, a look of confusion spreading in his face. Then looked at where the hydra was. It was about to attack Octus and Sirius once again.

Zareth raised his hand toward the hydra, clasped his fist and pulled his arm down like he was ordering the beast to bow down.

And it did.

The earth rumbled as one the hydra’s head crushed into the ground, shaking everyone to their core.

I for one was too shocked to realize what was happening but I did at that moment.

I smiled weakly, “Welcome back, Mystery Weaver.” My words made zareth turn toward me with a frown.