The Will of Chaos

CHAPTER 7

'CHANGES'
______________

I don't know how long I have been swinging my weapon while the old man on the other side of the river kept on slaughtering the trade walkers running to his direction. The trade walkers that was able to passed through him shifted towards me. Obviously, I am their target now knowing I am the weakest around here.

"Where the hell do they come from?!" I yelled when I noticed more enemies are appearing from nowhere.

"We need to leave" I turned and saw the old man holding a 6 feet silver spear on his hands and the black bile covered his whole appearance, bathing in it. I know for sure I looked worse than him. And the black bile is starting to smell like a dead human left for days. A very awful smell and now it almost covered the river waters too.

"How do we leave with this?!" I swung my spear and striked the head of a trade walker sneaking behind us. It only buried a few inches on so it is still moving as in bothered. Soon after, the old man cut its head using the edge of his glistening silver spear and I retracted my weapon.

"I'll open a path" That was all he said and decided to jump defying gravity to a group of trade walkers coming at us.

"Geez, show off" I whispered before running the same direction and escaping any collision with the trade walker. I ran and slide to every opening I can get into. Before long, I turned and saw the old man running to my direction. One of the trade walker was able to keep up with him so I decided to throw my only weapon and it landed evenly at his neck as much as I want to land it in its head. The old man ran freely and jumped as if gravity doesn't exist.

"You sure you're not a hundred years old?"

He didn't respond and ran passed me. I grinned and ran after him. I don't know how fast he was running and why I was able to keep up. When we're at the border of the curtain of Hestia is, I took a deep breath before entering first. I was finally able to respire freely and its like the thorn buried in my chest disappeared.

"In not going back in there. I swear to---" I froze and immediately turned around when I felt a dark energy envelop the whole place even though I am already inside the Hestia's curtain.

Along the dark energy I felt something suddenly disappeared like passing by and the old man wasn't there anymore. He wasn't where I last saw him standing.

"Teacher?" I called out almost whispering while I rake the whole place but he was nowhere to be seen.

Even his presence disappeared.

"Old man!" I yelled and stepped out of the curtain. I ran around calling for him but he wasn't anywhere around.

Did he go back to the riverbank?

But what was that I felt earlier?

I didn't waste time and I started running back the riverbank's path. There's no reason for him to go back there. Why would he go back , anyway?

I stopped running and tried to think first. The riverbank is practically a lion's den at this moment. But the trade walkers didn't follow us. Is this place off limits for them?

There are so many questions going on inside my head and I can't force out any answer any even how much I squeeze my brain to think. I can't decide if I should go back or not.

"Grinch is dead. If the old man is dead---" I paused and trembled at the thought of being alone in this place.

I tried collecting myself and gather every courage I can have. I am practically wounded and beaten up and I don't have any weapon with me.