The Alchemists

Chapter 8

Recap

“I’ve been called away on duty for tomorrow so I won’t be able to train you. Instead Ryder will be helping you. I just came to alert you, so don’t freak out.”

Oh, shit. Training with Ryder. I looked over Axel’s shoulder and saw Ryder cracking his knuckles as if gearing up for a fight. I smiled nervously and gulped. Training with Ryder, what could possibly go wrong? I let out a sigh.

“I knew you would understand Sam. I’ve gotta go. I’ll be back for your duel though. Make me proud,” he said before ruffling my wet hair and walking out.

Ryder gave me an evil smirk and went back to his book. As I changed into my nightclothes and fell on my pillow, I thought to myself -

Tomorrow’s not going to be a good day after all.

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I was back in the cave, but this time it was well-lit. I actually had to squint at first. Slowly my eyes adjusted to the light thrown by the torches in the stone brackets.

The sight that met my eyes made me my blood run cold.

A massive mass of zombies stood before me, whacking each other in the head, some walking and drooling. Nearby, a group of…what were those again?

Wait... dragons?! What the hell?!

“Well lookie here! Somebody decided to pay a visit to my army tonight. Well? How do you like it?” a cold voice came from right behind me.

I jumped up a mile and turned. It was the weird man from my nightmares. It was like he was stalking me. He had an evil smirk on his face. I shivered and backed away slightly. I raised my arms to my face, as if defending myself.

 “G…Go away!” I shouted.

“Indeed, my fair princess. I need you for my sacrifice anyway,” he said, waving his hand. My dream started to dissolve and fade away and I fell into never-ending darkness.

I shot up from my bed, panting heavily. These dreams were getting more vivid by the day….or night. I raised my hands and saw that they were trembling. My sheets and comforter were wet with my sweat. I looked at my bedside watch and saw the time. 12:54 AM.

Just a day left for my battle.

I had barely practiced anything. I could just control my scythe, Eternity, whereas Reyna was an expert at several types of weapons. I felt like throwing up. I was so nervous. I got out of bed and put on some tracks and a sweat shirt. I tied my hair into a bun and walked out of my apartment as silently as I could. Ryder was nowhere to be seen so he was probably in his room, sleeping.

 I snuck out of my apartment and into the corridor. I kept walking till I reached the grounds. Sub-consciously, I had brought along the guide book I had borrowed from the library. I set the book on the ground nearby and decided to focus on my wielding skills first. I put my hands in front of me, palms facing outwards.

“Eternity,” I called out softly.

A faint glow enveloped my hands as I grasped the dual-blade scythe appeared before me. I started practicing it, just like Axel told me to. I swung it, up, down, back, front, side and twirl. I decided to try something. As I was twirling it, I grasped the centre and focused my energy into my palms. I heard a hissing noise and the scythe split suddenly, throwing me off balance for a second due to the sudden shift in weight. Horror was in my left hand, shrouded in a black aura whereas Hope was in my right hand, shining brightly. I continued to swing the twin scythes around, feeling more connected with the weapons at each swing.