Fortune Favors the Bold

Kesha returned with the cup of water, finding everyone huddled together just as before. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Al was intentionally trying to distance himself. However, she overheard snippets of their conversation. "We need to return at night," Al said, to which Jin vehemently disagreed, "No, that's far too dangerous!"

They abruptly noticed Kesha behind them, and after briefly pretending that nothing was amiss, they soon regrouped with Al's mom.

After church, Al became overly protective of his mother, insisting on helping her into the car. "Al, relax. Your friends might think I'm incompetent or ill. I can manage on my own," Alice reassured her son, urging him to back off. Reluctantly, he complied. Meanwhile, their friends observed from a distance, standing near Al's car.

Ellie had chosen to tell Kesha everything. "Well, the way we all met was actually inside of a mountain as a group of seven. We trained together for a few months under Romann the Captain of the 23 Supreme Seed, we all have a revolving A.R.C and an awakened Will," Ellie explained, while Cesar and Jin looked at each other with wry smiles unsure of how to respond.

Kesha, intrigued, asked, "Haha wow you really take role playing games seriously." She was uncertain whether to believe the cheerful girl's account, which seemed reminiscent of a recruitment pitch for a cult. There were no set rules about discussing the Leaf Rings or the cultivation of Will with others. Just as Ellie was about to clarify she was not talking about a game, Al interjected, "Hahaha ignore Ellie she really loves playing video games." He signaled for the three to get into the car and stayed alone with Kesha before saying goodbye to her.

Later that night, the four of them were in Al's car, parked on a street near the church, deliberating on how to gain access. "We just need to retrieve that bronze container for the eucharist; the 15th Blood Leaf will know what to do with it." Al explained to his three potential accomplices. "That bronze container is called a Pyx by the way." Cesar informed Al who didn't even bother to acknowledge Cesars correction.

The group had already made up their mind to support Al's plane. The only dissenter was Jin, the only one besides Al who witnessed the giant menacing lion's head emanation of light. "I seem to be the odd one out here. But I suppose the whole point of being a team is to stick together. I just ask that we establish one condition: we won't split up like we did in our first task as a team," Jin stated, sounding somewhat resigned.

Cesar and Ellie flinched, recalling their first task as a team. "You got it! No matter what happens, we won't separate," Al agreed, and they sealed the deal with a handshake. They opened the car trunk, retrieving their gray robes and hoodies to disguise themselves, resembling monks.

Suddenly, a familiar voice approached the perplexing group in the midst of their preparations. "What the hell are you guys doing?" The voice rang out, catching their attention. "Uh, we have close ties with the church, and we have nightly duties to perform," Al quickly improvised, thinking on his feet.

Kesha calmly peered behind the gray-robed Al, catching sight of the open trunk filled with an assortment of weapons. "Anyway, why are you here? Were you spying on us?" Al blurted out.

Kesha stared at Al who looked shamefully away, Kesha finally hit her breaking point and softly spoke. "Really, Al? You know how hard I've tried to be here for you. I just don't understand what I did to make you want to push me away. I miss our friendship. I miss the old you. Ever since Mark's death you've been pushing me away and I just don't know why."

Al could see the tears and the pain he was inflicting on Kesha, who only wished to be there for him. In that moment, Al pondered whether revealing the truth would be worse than leaving her in a state of bitter confusion and resentment.

As she turned away, Al called out to her, "Wait, Kesha! You're right. I shouldn't treat a friend the way I have. I should have been honest with you from the beginning. The thing is, once you know what I'm about to tell you, you will never see the world the same way again."

Al's voice sounded sincere, as if he was playing his last card. Al hastily explained everything that had occurred, from Mark's death to his encounter with Cesar and the intense battle against a hybrid, barely escaping with their lives, meanwhile Jin was surveying the church grounds.

Th moment Ellie vanished right before Kesha's eyes; she believed everything Al had disclosed. "Wow, that's so badass! I mean, it's awful what happened to Mark. May he rest in peace. And the fact that the church is draining our energy and that of our families is terrifying. But still, she just went fucking invisible right in front of us," Kesha nearly shouted, prompting Al to restrain her from making too much noise.

Her reaction was unexpected, but reminiscent of someone Al had gotten to know.

"Listen, I need you to wait in your car, or mine. We'll be back soon. If you really want to help us, honk a horn if you spot any cops or military personnel," Al urged Kesha, who reluctantly agreed, returning to her own car. The entire exchange had taken less than five minutes.

The trio, with Ellie invisibly accompanying them, swiftly found themselves positioned behind the cathedral. Jin efficiently surveyed the area, using his lightning-infused Will to disable any visible cameras with a brief surge of electricity.

Standing before them now was a locked door. Cesar raised his spear, preparing to forcefully swing it at the door, but Al swiftly intervened and pointed upwards, concerned that triggering an alarm would be disastrous.

Cesar with a swing of his spear was carried into the air by a powerful wind, jumping to the edge of the roof. Jin and Al exchanged impressed glances; Cesar's abilities were awe-inspiring.

After a minute or two, a resounding crash emanated from within the building. "I suppose he still needs to work on his landings," Al whispered, causing Jin to chuckle softly.

The door was then unlocked and swung open, revealing Cesar on the other side. They swiftly entered, with Ellie silently closing the door behind her. The interior of the cathedral was shrouded in darkness, but Ellie's floating mirror seemed to concentrate light, providing them with a dim source of illumination.

"Let's find the container quickly and make our way out of here," Jin urged, his tone filled with concern. The four of them hastened towards the main altar, where the bishop had performed the eucharist.

Cesar swiftly located the container and reached out to pick it up. However, as soon as his fingers made contact with the Pyx, a searing sensation akin to touching red-hot iron engulfed him. Despite his desperate attempts, he found himself unable to release his grip. The searing pain transformed into a tearing agony that spread through his entire body, reaching his organs and threatening to tear his heart. "Aaagh!!" Cesar cried out in excruciating torment.

Al reacted swiftly, delivering a powerful kick to Cesar, forcefully breaking his grip on the Pyx and separating him from it.

Moving with urgency, Al hastily removed his under robe and cautiously picked up the container, signaling Jin to assist Cesar. They hurriedly made their way toward the exit, their footsteps echoing through the building. Suddenly, the sound of a door opening reverberated, followed by heavy footsteps. It was the father.

"What's with all the noise? Security has already been alerted!" he shouted at the group of four.

"Take care of him, knock him out without causing harm." Al whispered to Ellie, who immediately became invisible, a loud thud was heard, followed by the father's subdued collapse. They resumed their swift exit when, to their surprise, they encountered Kesha, clearly out of breath.

"It's no good. Some strange vans have pulled up I didn't honk to avoid their suspicion but the have blocked the street exit a block away, and they're slowly approaching," she managed to say between gasps for air.

Al's mind raced as he processed the information. Meanwhile, the unconscious bishop behind them began to convulse and shake violently, foaming at the mouth. "Oh my god, I killed him!" Ellie exclaimed in a horrified tone.

Before anyone could approach the unconscious man, his body began to convulse violently, contorting in unnatural ways, with bones audibly snapping. Heaving and gagging, he struggled to expel a massive ball of bright light.

The ball seemed to have legs as it forced its way out of the poor man's mouth knocking his teeth out. What emerged out was a small humanoid like creature with wings and a featureless face; it quickly began running away as the Father's body was left in a growing puddle of his own blood.

The scene unfolded in utter bizarre fashion, leaving Al and the others stunned. Kesha, overwhelmed by shock, immediately succumbed to vomiting herself.

"Quick, kill that thing!" Cesar shouted, his voice filled with urgency, as he hurled his spear with astonishing speed. The angelic creature displayed nimble agility, barely evading the deadly strike, and took flight.

Jin followed up by unleashing a rapid succession of small lightning bolts. One bolt landed, causing the cherub-like creature to fall from the air and crash to the ground, but the creature wasted no time and continued fleeing, darting through the door of the room the Father had emerged from.

Al couldn't allow such a vicious creature to lurk in close proximity to where his mom and grandparents gathered. Moving faster than any of the others, he swiftly entered the room where the creature had fled.

Inside, a desk and numerous shelves filled with books and bibles greeted his eyes. However, one shelf had been knocked over, revealing a manhole in the ground. Without hesitation, Al jumped in, plunging into the darkness. Though the surroundings were dim, because his Stubborn Will resided in the material plane he could clearly see in the dark.

"To your left," a familiar voice echoed in his mind through the manifestation of his etheric shell which was the ring he was wearing. Al thought, bolted to the left as directed. "Right," the ring affirmed. Al swiftly turned at the approaching junction, and before he knew it, he caught sight of the creature, its pace quickening.

Acting on instinct, he closed in on it, driving his knife into its small torso, determined to eliminate the threat.

As Al's blade pierced the small angelic being, a white mist flowed out from its body, swiftly being absorbed by the Al's ring. The ring seemed to possess a distinct appetite for this specific mist of energy.

Suddenly, a colossal roar reverberated throughout the tunnel system, causing Al to wonder if his act of killing the creature had anything to do with it. Not wanting to stay and find out, he sprinted back to the entrance, clutching the creature's lifeless body. By the time everyone, including Kesha, reached the room with the desk and bookshelves, Al was already ascending from the manhole, just in time to meet them.

Emerging with the creature still impaled on his blade, Al urgently spoke, "Come on, why is everyone here? We need to leave."

Cesar swiftly motioned for him to quiet down and began explaining that they were completely surrounded by armed men. Al pointed towards the manhole. "We'll have to find another exit quickly. Everyone, jump in. I'll go last and cover it with the shelf to buy us some time."

Without hesitation, everyone leaped into the hole, except for Kesha, who hesitated for a moment. Al gazed at her with reassurance. "Kesha, do you trust me?" Her eyes met his, and he could see the flicker of their childhood friendship. Kesha nodded, and she too descended into the hole, with Al following closely behind.

At the top of the manhole ladder, Al exerted all his strength to seal the entrance with the bookshelf, ensuring their temporary safety. Then, he joined the rest of the group.

At the bottom of the sewer, Ellie utilized her mirror to illuminate the repugnant tunnel. Al swiftly moved to the front of the group taking the lead. He deliberately chose to go in the opposite direction from where the creature had fled.

"Let's go this way we have to get as far away from here as fast as we can." Al said as they ran through a labyrinth of twists and turns, Al led the way, while Cesar, beside him, attempted to avoid stepping on rats scurrying about.

"Do you know where you're going?" Cesar asked, joining Al's pace.

"Nope I'm just hoping to find a ladder to get out of this damn place," Al responded, making a sudden left turn. The group searched for a ladder while maintaining their frenzied run.

Kesha stumbled and fell, prompting Al to halt and signal the others to continue running."Al, this is all so insane. I don't know if I can do it," Kesha expressed, her voice filled with despair as she struggled to hold back tears.

Al offered her a comforting smile. "Relax, we're going to be okay. Just trust me. Get on my back so we can move faster," he suggested, extending his hand. Normally, Kesha would have found his proposition amusing, but given the gravity of the situation, she swiftly hopped onto Al's back. With Kesha now on board, Al increased his speed significantly, carrying her while sprinting through the tunnels to catch up to the rest.

In no time, Al could hear the voices of Jin and Cesar, they had stopped running.

The room illuminated by Ellie's mirror slowly came into view as Al and Kesha entered. Kesha got off Al's back as they surveyed the reason for their sudden halt, and they found themselves frozen in place as well.

The first thing that caught Al's attention were the rows upon rows of egg-like embryos, each containing a miniature version of the creature he had slain. One of the eggs had already been shattered, with the fetus inside destroyed.

It lay before Jin, leaving Cesar and Ellie visibly conflicted. Before anyone could address Al's entrance, he shook his head and spoke with conviction, "You saw what they did to the Father. It could have been my mother or Kesha's family. Cesar, you live close by; your loved ones could be next. Let's exterminate them. It will also refine our vessels and strengthen our connection to our will."

With his words resonating, Cesar, Jin, and even Kesha, who had grasped the gravity of the situation, agreed to eliminate the embryos.

Ellie silently retreated and became invisible. The three remaining members unleashed a frenzy of slashing, hacking, and electrocuting, leaving behind a gruesome trail of broken fetus parts.

"I can feel the light. My connection to etheric shell is growing stronger," Jin exclaimed, his voice tinged with a touch of madness. Al turned to Cesar and shared a similar sentiment, "I feel it too. But my etheric shell seems to have a bottomless appetite." He gazed at his extraordinary spear.

Meanwhile the ring on Al's finger slowed down it's absorption of the mist, as if it had already consumed its fill. Al also noticed that his knife seemed to repel the mist, almost rejecting its presence.

As the chaos unfolded, Al turned to Cesar and proposed that Jin should absorb the remaining mist from the embryos. Cesar agreed, and both of them conveyed their decision to Jin, who expressed his gratitude and continued to fulfill their task.

Kesha, positioned near the room's entrance, watched the events unfold when suddenly she was forcefully pushed out before disappearing.

Cesar was ready to leap towards the entrance, concerned for Kesha's safety, but Al stopped him. Al was contemplating the reasons behind Ellie's sudden reaction.

Everything happened in an instant. A flash of light entered the room, hurtling directly towards Jin, who was down to his final row of embryos. Reacting swiftly, Al seized his chain and knife swinging it to impede the light's movement.

However, the "light" turned out to be something entirely unexpected—a 9-foot monster.

The creature was colossal compared to Al, nearly oblivious to the resistance it encountered. As it observed Jin smashing another embryo, it wondered why the "animal" was killing its offspring.

The deformed angelic being twisted its head 180 degrees, revealing a wrapped face, its head tightly bandaged.

Before Al could release his chains grip, the monster pierced his stomach with a hand resembling a pike, tearing out his organs in the process. Kesha's screamed, giving Ellie's position away.

Meanwhile, seizing the opportunity, Cesar launched himself at the creature, aiming to swiftly decapitate it with a powerful thrust of his spear.