Hybrid Invasion

"Well, in either you choosing, 'Proceed' or 'Retreat'. I'm afraid you would've to scale the roads yourself. I have a test to examine." The officer smiled and brushed past Rua.

The more Rua gazed deeper into the abyssal maw, the louder his heart roared in his ear.

'So this is what it means? Abyssal Stare?' He clicked his tongue. 'The longer you stare at the abyss. The more it stares back.'

The loud echos of the officer's retracting steps bombarded his ears like a behemoth slowly crawling out of the ghastly mouth of the path.

Each step caused his body to tremble. His heart to palpitate.

'Oh, Rua! What mess have you gotten into?' Biting his lips, he clenched his hair.

His eyes squinted in an attempt to get even the tiniest view in. But he could barely see the wall's color much less anything. The light in the circular passage had been affixed so perfectly that it made every attempt to illuminate the way back... not the path in.

'What the heck did they shut the lights for anyway? Was the electricity costs chewing at their butts?' Rua clicked his tongue and braved a few strides ahead. 'If only I can get a few peeks in.'

The steps receded into silence... and his own breath became loud to the point of blasting his ears like a shellings, forcing him to consciously restrain it.

'Don't tell me the beasts are actually laying in ambush on the path itself!' His eyes widened, 'Tch! Even my heartbeats would be too loud for their sensitive ears.'

Rua retreated backward, his eyes retracing the steps that led him here, "Should I leave?"

His heart numbed, he felt a silent and invisible figure nudging him onward from behind. As him answering his question. Yes! YES!

Suddenly, two smiling figures flashed past his mind, 'Mom... dad!'

The force faded. His fists gripped together, his eyes firm, albeit shaky, "I can't leave them be... I have already risked everything coming here. There's no turning back. The last I want to do is to go back and tell them I failed... it's better to... die here!" A sigh carrying the suffocating pressure building inside him grazed past his lips.

Clenching his throbbing heart in his chest, he stood at a one-step distance from the alleviated path.

Jumping lightly, he planted both his feet on the uplifted ground at once.

Whooshing sounds pricked his ears, freezing his body, causing his spine to tingle. His eyes darted around for the perpetrators, but after a while, seeing nothing appear, his eyebrows twitched, 'Bro... that was your feet's echo!' Rua cussed and frowned at the way ahead.

Despite his raging heart, he felt a bit weird. 'If there really are beasts on the path here... then they should've torn me apart already?' His thoughts wandered.

Clenching his fist, he proceeded. His thoughts reaching a conclusion, 'I am just speculating everything. That Lieutenant said this will lead me to my next destination. So... it should at least do that.' He chuckled at his own fantasies.

'A few more moments of sweet, sweet life. Uhh?' Cracking a weary grin, he slowly strolled onward.

It wasn't like he could do anything even if there were monsters here. Might as well die while looking calm, no?

Slowly, a distant source of light greeted his eyes and stretched larger and larger with his steps.

Until eventually, he stood right in front of it. His sight, having gotten comfortable with the dark in his little stroll, stung from the light. Making it blinding in his mind.

'Shit! Do they really have to be so radical with everything? First pitch darkness and now blinding light?' He frowned.

Second thoughts resurfaced for the tenth time. Becoming cause for his hesitation and gentle tremors.

'Last chance to turn back... There could be an all-out battle the instant I move past this light. A battle in which I will die instantly.' Gulping his saliva down his parched throat, he shakily moved his feet.

'Should I really?' Two silhouettes flashed past his mind, causing his shaky heart to stabilize, 'It's not a matter of Yes or No! It's a matter of Must!'

Gritting his teeth, he took a deep breath and jumped forward. "AHHHH! WATCH OUT BEASTS! RUA IS HERE FOR YOUR INCREASED INSURANCE!!"

Whooshing past the screen of light, Rua's eyes shut down completely. The wind whirled around him, making his hair flail about. A fake sense of weightlessness descended him, making everything seem surreal, making him feel like a cloud.

But with a firm pa of his feet crisply planting on the ground, his mind got dragged back to reality.

The jolt of the contact forced him to freeze with his knees slightly bent. His arms stiff and eyes shut.

He could hear his heart thudding like a drum. The silence all around just served to heighten his senses and erect his hair.

He swallowed hard and slowly lifted his heavy eyelids. The sight stumped him.

"Ho?" He slowly straightened up, his face twitching awkwardly from his terrible attempt of smiling, "Hohoho! How's everybody doing?"

He waved toward the five whose eyes scrutinized him like stinging X-Ray beams.

Cracking the awkward atmosphere, one of the opposition, a human male, greeted back. Surprising Rua and saying, "Nice flashy entry, buddy!" His thumbs-up aligned well with his wink.

Rua cussed in his mouth and nodded, "I know. All according to plan!"

The boy in his teens chuckled, his admiration increasing to another level.

Suddenly, Rua felt a sharp sting, like knives digging into his cheeks. His eyes drifted to the military officer standing in front of the other four. One complete and a half star glittered on his chest. 'Lieutenant.'

'Lieutenant is two grades higher than a Second Lieutenant, no?' Rua gulped. He was dealing with a big shot.

"Quite a rowdy entrance." Scrutinizing him from head to toe, he murmured before continuing, "Hmm! With your addition, the first newbie squad of today's tests will be constructed under my supervision. I will be your captain, the name's Lieutenant Seff Sharis, for the duration of your grunt rank. Pleasure to meet you goons."

Rua flapped his eyelids, taking in all of that information.

"Pleasure to meet you." He found himself naturally responding and nodding. 'He's kinda weird.' Rua concluded.

His stern and unflappable face already spoke volumes of his humor and friendliness. But even his voice felt... meh. 'Seems I drew the worst straw.'

Seff nodded and waved toward the line of 4 in front of him, "Get in line. I was giving them a brief introduction to Supernaturals. As nobody would have much to go with if I were to call a quiz right now."

Rua gulped and jogged over. Catching his 'to-be' grunt-buddies faces. Excluding the teen boy. There was a man in his thirties with his recently shaven beard. A girl that instantly settled in a good position in his heart and a shy-looking 25-year-old male.

He grinned sneakily and stood beside the girl who had reserved herself a place on one of the two ends.

"So I will be repeating my earlier example, in order for you to understand just what you will be dealing with in times to come." Seff sternly eyed Rua, forcing him to pay attention willingly... or unwillingly.

Shuddering, Rua focused.

"This is a very common craft amongst the Supernatural. It is mainly used to showcase one's League. Either to ward off low League Supernaturals or to establish one's authority. It will also be taught to you very soon." Hearing Seff's words, the teen boy chuckled and murmured, "You all just watch, I am gonna learn this technique the fastest!" His eyes shone fanatically in worship of the craft.

"Now, watch closely." Seff snapped his finger.

A radiant small ball materialized on his fingers, it was barely the size of his pinky's nail.

Squeezing it between his thumb and index, he retracted his hand back.

Intricate, thinner than hair and colorful like a rainbow lines extended out from the ball and formed a strange structure in mid-air.

A mystical power oozed off of this structure, beckoning the world to admire it.

To Rua, it was a complex structure of lines and dots of a multitude of colors stretching in the universe, the power of the colors affected the surroundings of their formation as well, enveloping it in a mystical hue. 'What is this... magical sensation?'

Seff lightly flicked the structure, dissipating it into tiny particles. But Rua saw it- saw the same pattern light up in his eyes.

And under that pattern's power, the nearby air got sucked into Seff's mouth like a vacuum before... erupted out.

A terrifying gale, the likes of which Rua was very familiar with, exploded out, blasting him back. The cold caused his spine to tingle, his jaw to clack together.

Dread engulfed him, his eyes darkened. The visage of a snickering vile behemoth looking down upon him formed in his brain. Collapsing all his will to resist or reason.

"Craft Cor - The Craft of Authority!"

Seff's monotonous voice drilled into his ear, awakening him from his stupor.

His head moved around, taking in the familiar white tiles and walls. "What just happe--"

Suddenly, the gate of the hall, opposite to where Rua came from, blasted open with a loud boom, revealing the panting Second Lieutenant, drenched in sweat and looking at Seff with dread.

Rua, tensed to the last pore, glared at him. 'The heck's going on back and forth? Is this... Is this the legendary power of supernaturals?'

With brows arched like a landslide, Seff drifted his pale blue eyes toward the Second Lieutenant, "Have you forgotten your manners?"

"Lieutenant!" The Second Lieutenant gasped for breath and roared out all at once, "They... THE HYBRIDS HAVE BREACHED THE MARTIAL GATE!"

Seff's pupils dilated, stepping back, he commanded authoritatively, "Is their useless march enough of an excuse for you to forget your manners?"

The Second Lieutenant's eyes trembled, "That's the thing, they— they aren't just protesting... they are massacring the residents!!"

Seff's heart skipped a beat, his light, fluffy blue hair stirred back. Rua, slowly absorbing everything, cursed audibly, "Oh shit! Those freaks finally lost their sanity!" His hands trembled, and sweat formed from Seff's Craft dripped down, forming a pool beneath.

With his parched throat, he chocked out a few broken murmurs, "Mom, dad!"