Chapter 31: Castle
Branch after branch snapped under his feet. His jumps propelled him forward, faster than sound, eyes glowing so intensely they left a lingering heat that burned through any leaves he passed.
His heart was racing.
One beat.
Then two.
Faster and faster he went, Shine and Frannie's faces and names replaying over and over in his mind. He was focused. He was determined to get them back.
He landed with a heavy thud, picking his head up. When he stepped forward, he stood between Nana and Kairas. With them was Jewel, the four peering over the shoreline at the island far, far in the rushing waves. A large structure stood tall, boats and helicopters leaving and coming from each direction.
"There, huh." He crouched down, touching the soil with his finger. His eyes glowed, and shifted his field of vision. Grey met his gaze, an array of multicolor auras dancing all around the island. Within the lights and flowing Mana, he managed to pick out Shine and Frannie's. Both were low, and Frannie's even somehow had a crack in it.
"I can see them. They're in there alright."
"So," Jewel began, "How are we going to get in? It looks like a fortress."
"We can try the underwater approach. I'm sure those docks don't cover every cave the island has," Nana commented, folding her arms. The group mulled over the idea for a few seconds, slowly dissecting each possible outcome that could result if they follow Nana's plan. Stealth was their best bet, and moving underwater would only make that easier.
Jewel and Kairas agreed to go along with her, yet Takabi was the only one not to say anything. He had a feeling in his belly, something that made his stomach twist and turn in multiple different knots.
Nervous, as they all were, there was something else. Something lurking.
An idea?
Perhaps, a simple feeling of what he may find inside. It left such a strong impression on him, he hadn't noticed his anger rising and steam pouring out from his pores. Kairas touched his twin's shoulder, speaking softly.
"Easy. They'll be okay. They have to be, if you can see them."
"I just… I hope we're not too late." He replied. "I really…. Really hope we're not too late."
They all exchanged looks. Each pair of eyes reading the other, trying to give some form of comfort.
They knew it was possible they were too late. What worried them most is how late. With a deep breath, they leaned over the edge, and leapt into the salt waters at the bottom of the cliff.
-----------------------------------------
By the time they arrived, the sun began to set overhead. Orange coated the sky in a glowing blanket, stars visible in the darker parts in the opposite direction of the glowing orange orb.
Like Nana had guessed, there was an open cave just under the north dock. Fish swam in and out from within, the group following the school of sea creatures, coming into a pond illuminated by the crystals around.
Kairas pulled himself from the pond first, taking in a lung full of air and coughing, before he helped the others out of the water.
They gathered around Takabi, the boy igniting himself in flames, using just enough to heat and dry their clothes. Nana and Jewel's hair stuck out wildly, but they paid no attention to their outward appearance.
The cave was quiet. No way up to the island surface from where they were. Water dropped from the stalactites overhead. The drip drop rang in Jewel's ears, the girl shivering in place. "This place gives me the creeps. Now what?"
Takabi walked ahead, looking around. He trailed his fingers against the wall, placing his ear close enough and tapping. "Look for a hollow pathway. Somewhere where the stone isn't as strong as the rest."
The girls split up, feeling each wall nearby. Kairas kept his eyes overhead. He touched his chin, then willed a pillar of ice upward subtly. He got close to the ceiling, and placed a palm against it.
Vibration. It was distorted, most likely due to how thick the stone was between them and the structure above. They could get in that way, they just needed to tunnel through without anyone hearing or seeing them. "Guys. We can get in this way. We just need to smash through."
Everyone looked towards him.
Jewel nodded, looking for something sturdy enough to dig with.
When Jewel began to ascend the pillar, Takabi clutched his belly. He took a step back from Nana's side view, closed his eyes and breathed.
A hazy vision. Orion's face. It looked sweaty. His eyes were warped and clouded. A misty, lustful look. He couldn't tell much else from that.
However, that alone, was enough to send him into a panic.
Something was going on.
Right as this very moment, and if they waited any longer, they for sure would be too late.
He dashed, past Nana, past Jewel and past Kairas. Pulling his fist back, flames bellowed around his knuckles. Violet electricity cackled in the heat, and once Takabi made contact with the stone overhead, his magic released itself. The electricity, while normally attracted to grounded things, surged around the cave, flames bursting through the stone and propelling him forward. He broke through the Castle's floor, landing hard.
Unsurprisingly, he landed in the middle of the most crowded hallway, people in cloaks and masks gazing at him in a moment of stunned silence. Nobody recognized him, until his fist struck the man closest to him, tossing him back into another group of people.
Takabi looked around, drinking in his surroundings, and the people around him.
They were Kult members.
Their attire gave it away. Their attire is what made them his target.
By the time the others climbed into the hallway moments later, each Kult member was on the floor, groaning in intense pain. Takabi, white flames dancing around his left knuckles, and Kult member in his right grasp in the air, he asked angrily, "The girls. Where are they?"
"W-what girls, man?!"
"You're trying my fucking patience. Shine and her friend. Where are they?!" He yelled.
The Kult member shook visibly. Fear had taken hold of him.
Kairas looked towards the other end of the hallway, then at the girls. "We're going this way, Takabi. You search up ahead."
"Yeah," He yelled, dropping the Kult member and rushing off down the hall, his footsteps quick and echoing loudly on the marble floor.
Kairas sighed, looking at Nana, then Jewel. Worried as they may be, they understood why he was in such a rush. Then again, that rush basically blew any chance they had at a silent rescue.
----------------------------------------
They came to a fork in the hall. One left, one right.
Kairas took the left, the girls took right. He was worried about leaving them alone, but had some confidence in their skills. They wouldn't be here if the boys didn't think they could protect themselves.
He didn't bring it up earlier, but something struck him as odd before they arrived. Takabi could see Shine and Frannie's auras. That meant they were alive. If that was the case, why couldn't any of them sense where they were. The idea of magic restricting chains crossed his mind, but that only prevents the use of magic, not distorting Mana as a whole.
Two large doors greeted Kairas. He halted his run, grabbing the gilded knobs and pulling, the massive wood swinging open with ease. He stepped inside, looking around, noting the amount of benches lined up. Just ahead of him at the end of the room was a cross of Jesus.
Yet this one was decorated with multiple disgraceful words and slurs. As he got closer to the altar, he noticed pages lying around, freshly ripped out from a book and burned just enough so the words were unreadable.
"Unbelievable," He commented. "They built a church just so they could disrespect Jesus and God. That's by far the most petty thing I've ever heard of." He knelt down and began to pick up each page of, what he believed to be, the Bible. Placing them on a bench nearby, he took another quick look around and crossed his arms.
Someone was here.
"Look, I know you're here," He yelled loudly. "Come out already. An ambush isn't going to work on me."
Slow claps. A single person. Kairas looked towards the doors he came through, and froze in shock.
Not in a million years had he expected to see him here.
He was under the impression the rest of the Kult had no idea of this place. Then again, Girston was a high up Angel general. This type of infiltration must've been common for him.
Neither spoke for a long while. Kairas' heart rammed against his ribs, begging desperately to be let out. His fingers felt clammy. His legs wobbled with anticipation. His eyes, unintentionally, began to glow in a hatred that burned so strongly, that his ice could melt from that alone.
"Doing well, Kid?"
"Why are you here." It came as more of a statement than a question. He had an idea why already.
"For my child, of course. I had no intention of letting her turn into a baby machine for those mindless demons." Girston paused, locking gazes with Kairas. "I Should've guessed I would find you down here too."
"Carlos said you guys had no clue where she was."
Girston smiled. "You're right. They have no clue. In my recent discoveries of this facility, I had no choice but to act fast." He patted his hip, before continuing, "So then. I don't suppose you're planning on letting me take Shine, do you?"
Kairas responded with a sudden roar. Black ice erupted at Girston's side. The Angel stepped aside, raising his palm and stopping it cold with pure light. "I suppose not. Come then, so the world and I may finally be rid of you."