The Invader

Outside the gate, the young Athwart and company stood guard. In the distance, they saw the pitch black portal was already active.

Since the portal is some distance away from the territory, Athwart could not see the minute changes happening around the it. He could only tell that the portal is glowing and felt the eerie feeling coming out of it.

"What is this eerie feeling?" Athwart asked.

"That is a proof." Nigh replied.

"What proof?" Athwart asked back.

"That you have not yet fully stepped into the Abyss." Nigh replied as quickly as he asked.

"Does this means that..."

Amidst their conversation, the young Athwart was not able to continue his question when he felt a light pressure surround him. He looked around and found that he was the only one reacting to it. Nigh and the soldiers were oblivious to the sudden changes. Athwart concluded that they must already be numb to these type of pressure.

The soldiers were now looking intently on the portal, their goofy expression vanished and was replaced with a serious and solemn expression, it was as if they were about to welcome a powerful nemesis.

None of them talk as they move to places and formed a formation which was done neatly and swiftly.

Nigh and I was kept at the back of the spear-like formation.

I could feel that the light pressure became heavier and heavier. It was then, I felt the tattoo turned warmer and warmer.

"It's good that you joined us here" Nigh softly said.

Athwart turned his attention on Nigh's smiling face.

It was at this moment that three humanoid creature came out of the portal.

They did not dawdle too much, just spared a glance at each other, and immediately ran towards the territory at the distance.

Nigh noticed the approaching Minions and immediately called out.

"They are coming." Nigh, with his usual smile, said. "Release your Bonds"

Athwart then saw something incredible. The idiot soldiers shouted, their loud cries created an oppressive feeling which eased the heavy pressure Athwart was dealing.

Then they started to transform, their skin started to turn red, big veins protrude beneath their skin, their bodies grew out of proportions, and muscle bulge out from their bodies.

I looked towards Nigh expecting him to transform as well but he did not. He just smiled and adjusted himself as he whispered something to me.

"Figure it out yourself."

The three Minions neared. The soldiers wielded their weapons and charged towards the approaching enemy, this left me and Nigh still in our positions.

The 20 transformed soldier engaged the enemy.

They divided into two groups, each dealing with one Minion. They moved in a synchronize manner. Their crazed war cry were the only thing that you can hear from them but despite this, they knew what the other would do. Their attacks were seamless which made their Minion occupied and was rendered unable to help the other.

The third Minion, who was not engaged by the soldiers, swung his arms at the group who engaged the second minion, but before his big arm could land, a small hand catch it. Compared to the big arms of the Minion, Nigh's hand was very tiny. Despite this, he was able to stop it.

"Not a chance buddy." he said with that iconic smile still plastered on his face.

"When did he?" Athwart was still absorbed with the soldier's fight when he noticed that Nigh was no longer standing beside him but instead was already engaged on the battlefield.

So fast! So this was what it means to belong to the Abyss. Athwart became excited and looked forward to it.

"I'll definitely make it." Athwart fisted his hand and swore.

The battle continued.

The soldiers kept on engaging their respective Minions, they knew that they were just to stall their Minion until Nigh defeated his own.

Unknowingly, as if they planned it, they managed to separate each Minion away from each other.

Athwart readied himself and saw that he could offer his help on the first group of soldiers.

"Stay there. Guard the Gate." Nigh, still engaged on his Minion, shouted.

I retracted the foot that I was about to use to sprint towards that group of soldiers. "So what should I do?" Athwart asked himself as he observed the spectacular battle in front of him.

The group of soldiers were coordinating like they have one mind in order to stall their respective Minion. Nigh, although he posses greater strength than the Minion, will took a while before he could defeat it. These Minion's bodies were renowned for its defense.

As the battle drags on, it was getting clearer and clearer that the Minions will be defeated. It was only a matter of time.

When Nigh was about to defeat his Minion, a commotion happened at the first group of soldiers.

The observing Athwart, immediately took notice of it. He prepared himself to engage the enemy if necessary. The sword and defense training came in handy.

However, when he saw the hideous Minion charged out from the 10 soldiers that was attempting to stall it. He felt his training vanish, his mind started to turned blank and his knees soften. The terror he got from the Minion, who had his hand reached out towards the tiny Athwart, intensified as it neared him.

The moment the commotion happened it was already been noticed by Nigh, he was about to help them, when suddenly his Minion started its barrage of frenzied attacks. It took much concentration from Nigh to defend himself.

He sighed and felt sorry for the poor kid. At the very least, he would just have to wait for the next Chosen to come.

The poor Athwart helplessly closed his eyes.

"I must live. I must live. I must live." he heard a familiar chant in his heart.

"But how would he live?" he asked himself. "Strength."

"How strong?" he asked again.

The scene of Nigh blocking the full force from the Minion entered Athwarth's mind.

"As strong as Nigh." he had his answer.

He suddenly felt a weird fluctuation coming from his chest that quickly accumulated and spread to every nook and cranny of his body.

"I must live!" he shouted. He clenched his fist and focused all the fluctuations there.

He opened his eyes and readied himself to punch anyone at any moment but the expected Minion was not in sight but was now in his back. Its hand was not reaching out towards Athwart but to the Gate behind him.

"No!" Nigh shouted, his expression was not one bit smiling, as he ignored the frenzied attacks of his Minion and ran towards the Gate. The soldiers too also tried their best to catch up and stop the Minion from approaching the Gate.

Athwart, who saw the Minion approaching the Gate, was clearly incensed.

He was ignored.

The fluctuations he felt in his body intensified. He quickly imagined for it to gather in his feet, chest and various parts of his body, while still maintaining a majority of it to his right hand.

Like an arrow released from a bow, Athwart shoot towards the escaping Minion and punched the head of the Minion.

A huge bang followed as dust rose up and covered the area.

Nigh wanted to check on what happened but the remaining Minion catch up on him.

The battle continued as the 20 soldiers fought the other Minion while Nigh fought the other.

In little than 10 minutes, the battle concluded. The Minions were all dead.

Athwart, who lay on the ground some distance away from the corpse of the Minion, panted out as the weird fluctuations that came from the Mark stopped.

He immediately felt the assault from the strain in his muscles and the exhaustion that came from every part of his body.

"So thats what 'figure it out' meant." Athwart thought to himself and laughed.

Nigh, with his 'usual' smile returning to his face, walked towards the exhausted Athwart who can barely prop himself up.

The young Athwart looked at the approaching Nigh and noticed a warm sensation somewhere near his chest.

The Mark. It was getting warmer and warmer.

Athwart looked at the approaching figure of Nigh and the Mark.

"Our job was preventing Mjodirs from coming out of the territory, so, either the Mjodirs kill you or we kill you before any Mjodir could escape."

He remembered what Nigh said during the first day of his visit in the Abyss.

He looked at the approaching Nigh, and clutched the tattoo which was starting to sting.

He started to back up and dragged himself away from Nigh.

He felt a bad premonition coming. He dragged himself away as fast as he could, just like he did in that alley before he came here.

Nigh, upon seeing Athwart dragging himself away from him and the direction to which he was dragging himself into, had a change on his expression.

"Athwart.." Nigh noticed something as he hasten his speed.

"I killed the Minion, he did not escaped!" the terrified kid reasoned as he dragged himself faster.

"Athwart, don't go there!" Using all the power that he has, Nigh moved towards the pitiful Athwart.

Seeing the approaching Nigh, the already terrified Athwart became even more terrified and mustered all his strength and started to drag himself faster.

"I must live. I must live. I must live." He repeated these familiar words once again.

Athwart saw the humongous corpse of the Minion blocking his way. He tried calling the strength from his Mark to no avail.

Athwart looked back and saw Nigh clearly, but instead of smiling, he seemed to be anxious instead. He was shouting something.

"Don't go there!" Athwart finally heard him shout.

He put his hand against the Mark once again and felt the distinct burning sensation against his skin.

Athwart then realized something, he looked at the corpse of the Minion, but it was already too late.

The corpse suddenly burst and a blurred figure came out of it. Athwart was not able to react as he felt the sharp pain on his neck.

"Good job kid." a youthful female voice rang.

It was the last clear voice that Athwart heard before his consciousness turned dark.