LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 8: THE STRANGER
[The desolate forest stretched endlessly before them, charred trees reduced to ashes, and burnt grass covering the ground. The acrid smell of smoke still hung heavy in the air.]
SAIFUR: "It sure was a huge meteor."
[He walked on, eyes wandering with a mix of curiosity and concern. Meanwhile, Bapo and Hound focused on the map they had been given to locate the Revival Leaf.]
ILLEGAL HOUND: "We're not too far from it…"
[Aqua was gazing at the sky, using her zoom vision. Birds that had once soared freely now began falling, one after another, their wings failing them. A pang of guilt struck her as she realized there was nothing she could do. Lowering her gaze from the sky, her eyes fell on a breathtaking sight—a vibrant green plateau amidst the ashes. In the heart of the plains stood an off-white pillar with a unique wave-like texture. At its center, a wide hole cradled a light-feather leaf, levitating gracefully.]
[Aqua's heart leapt at the sight. She couldn't contain her excitement as the thought of reviving Steller filled her with joy.]
AQUA: "I can see the tower!"
[Her exclamation caught everyone's attention. Bapo hastily checked the map, confirming that the pillar was indeed the Revival Leaf Bay. Without a second thought, they began running toward it—but then Aqua noticed something troubling.]
[A lone figure stood near the pillar, reaching for the Revival Leaf. At first, Aqua mistook him for Tackler and felt relieved. But as she squinted, the figure's young yet gray-haired appearance became clearer, and confusion gripped her. He wasn't Tackler. Worse, he was about to take the Leaf for himself.]
AQUA: "Guys… Hurry!"
BAPO: "What?"
AQUA: (shouting) "Get to the tower! Someone's stealing it!"
[Saifur's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he surged ahead, his legs moving with unprecedented speed. Wind swirled around him as he left the others behind, his pace astonishing them. As Saifur neared the stranger, he leapt forward, delivering a forceful shove that sent the man sprawling away from the Leaf.]
SAIFUR: "Who are you?"
[The others caught up moments later. Hound immediately noticed the stranger's dire condition—wounded and on the verge of collapse.]
ILLEGAL HOUND: "Saifur! Did you hit him that hard?"
SAIFUR: "No! He was already like this when I saw him."
[Examining the scene, Bapo saw only the verdant plateau bathed in sunlight. Meanwhile, Saifur's sharp eyes caught a bloodstained scythe near the stranger. The blood looked fresh.]
SAIFUR: (suspiciously) "Don't tell me…"
[Aqua hesitated, her voice trembling as she was reminded of Tackler's severed hand]
AQUA: "Did… did you cut his hand?"
[The stranger weakly rose to his feet, leaning heavily on his scythe. His voice, though feeble, carried an edge of defiance.]
???: "Well… you could say… he started it."
[Saifur's rage was palpable. The wind around him intensified as his anger boiled over.]
SAIFUR: "So you did cut his hand…"
???: (snapping) "I told you, it wasn't my fault!"
[Bapo, sensing the rising tension, tried to intervene.]
BAPO: "Saifur, what's going on?"
[Before Saifur could answer, the stranger suddenly pushed him with an unnatural force. Saifur was hurled several meters away, slamming into a stone wall. Aqua rushed to his side, checking on him.]
AQUA: "Saifur! Are you okay?"
[The stranger glanced at the cousins, his tone calm yet unnerving.]
???: "I recognize your faces… But for now, let me use this Leaf to get my body back."
[Hound's internal conflict was evident. The stranger was injured, yet his actions and demeanor hinted at something sinister.]
ILLEGAL HOUND: (thinking) "We need this for Steller… but can we just let him die?"
[Before he could act, the stranger grabbed the Leaf and used it on himself. The group could only watch in horror as his body began to heal.]
BAPO: (furious) "Who the hell are you?!"
[The stranger straightened, his wounds completely gone. His voice was calmer now, almost mocking.]
???: "My name is Ecto. I come from another dimension. I was ordered to kill all of you—but it seems you're not the same kids I was sent to eliminate."
[His words left the cousins reeling. The mention of "ordered to kill" unsettled Bapo.]
BAPO: (stammering) "O-o-ordered to… kill us?!"
[Saifur slowly stood with Aqua's help, glaring at Ecto.]
SAIFUR: (quietly) "This guy makes me sick."
ECTO: (shrugging) "Hate me if you want. All I wanted was the Leaf. I don't intend to harm anyone… unless I must."
[Aqua stepped up, & demanded Ecto to take them safely to 2nd Revival Leaf]
Aqua: Hey wait! You must take us to another leaf…
Ecto: Huh? Why would i do that?
[Even Hound didn't find the idea of tagging along with ecto]
Hound: Aqua, what are you talking about?
Aqua: Who was the one who took the leaf?
"it never belonged to anyone…. Don't pick a fight, kid… you don't stand a chance against me…. I am already identified as an intruder here, it's better if i leave." [Ecto said in convincing yet threatening voice]
[Saifur & Bapo definitely did not like ecto's attitude, in fact, they hated him for his personality, however, Hound puts his hands in front to everyone, as to show that they should let Ecto go, & said, in safety:
"it's for the better"
[when Saifur saw Hound stepping back, he was disappointed, & asked him in anger:
Saifur: You do know that he was the one who cut off Tackler's hand, right?
[Hound was ready to take any criticism from them, if it meant that they will be safe, as Ecto turned around to leave, all of a sudden, the message of reviving Steller had sub-sided, & a new message flickered in their eyes, which said in bold letters:
"OBJECTIVE: KILL THE INTRUDER NAMED ECTO. IF YOU DON'T, ONE OF YOU WILL BE OVERPOWERED BY YOUR ELEMENT AND DIE A PAINFUL DEATH. TIME LIMIT: 10 HOURS."
[Aqua froze, disbelief written all over her face.]
AQUA: "K-k-kill? I can't do that…"
[Hound clenched his fists, frustration boiling over.]
ILLEGAL HOUND: "Why?! Why do we have to kill him?!"
[Saifur's expression hardened, his voice cold.]
SAIFUR: "We don't have a choice… It's four against one. We can take him."
[Bapo hesitated, glancing at Ecto with both fear and determination.]
BAPO: "Wait, Saifur! Let me ask him something first."
(to Ecto) "What do you mean by 'ordered to kill us, but not us'?!"
[Ecto sighed, his patience clearly wearing thin.]
ECTO: "You really want to know? Fine, listen closely… because one day, you'll remember this."
[He began recounting his tale]
ECTO: I was ordered by ZERIFUR to eliminate the kids named TACKLER, BAPO, SAIFUR, and AQUA, who possessed unique powers. These powers weren't like yours—they were different... So, I fought them... and, of course... They didn't stand a chance against me, until... A portal opened.
... And two figures stepped through: a boy, ILLEGAL HOUND, and a girl—though, she's not here right now. They were strong—remarkably strong. They killed me. For someone as powerful as I am, they got me. I respect that.
But then... ZERIFUR, the soul searching for a vessel to receive solid form, took control of SAIFUR'S body. He killed everyone and told me that if I wanted to revive, I'd need the Revival Leaf from this world. And guess what? It worked. It worked.
[The cousins are silent, their faces frozen in shock.]
ILLEGAL HOUND (stuttering in fear): Killed everyone?
[Hound's mind flashes back to a troubling vision of the future. Sweat beads on his forehead, confusion gripping him. Meanwhile, SAIFUR looks shaken, horrified that his body was used for such destruction.]
SAIFUR: He... He took my body... and then killed everyone... WHO THE HECK IS THAT CREATURE?!
[Bapo and Aqua stand motionless, their faces blank with disbelief and frustration. The weight of Ecto's words hangs heavy in the air.]
BAPO (eyes narrowed, frustration clear): You... You expect us to just take your word for it?
[Aqua, standing slightly apart from the group, grips her fists tightly, her emotions a volatile mix of anger and sorrow.]
AQUA (quietly, to herself): I don't think I need to kill him... not just because we're on a timer...
[Suddenly, a strange energy seems to pulse in the air around Aqua. A Murderous Intent fills her vision, the world flickering red and white, focusing solely on ECTO, who is now surrounded in a harsh red hue.]
HOUND: (shouting to Aqua, concerned): Aqua! Are you alright?!
[The world shifts. All Aqua sees is ECTO, her mind clouded, the deadly knives she now holds glinting in her hands. Her expression hardens, her voice cold as ice.]
AQUA: I think... I want to kill him.
[Hound's eyes widen with fear, his voice shaking.]
HOUND: (voice trembling) AQUA! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU!?
[Before Hound can react, Aqua surges forward, throwing a knife straight at ECTO'S head. He sidesteps effortlessly.]
ECTO: (mocking) That won't be enough to kill me, lady. Well, since you started this... let's see how it ends. But remember... the ending is in your hands.
AQUA: (snarling) Oh yeah? Then here's my choice: RUN... or... BE KILLED BY ME.
[The coldness in Aqua's words sends a chill down Hound's spine. He has never seen her like this before.]
HOUND: (shouting to Bapo in a panic) Bapo! Hold her! She's lost it!
[But Aqua is relentless, pushing past everyone. Her fury blinds her to the cries of those around her. Bapo tries to grab hold of her, but she's stronger than before—her desperation giving her new strength, the grass beneath ruffles due to frantic movement]
BAPO: (straining) She's... She's too strong...
[Bapo grabs her bag strap to slow her down, but she shakes him off and rushes towards Ecto again.]
[In the chaos, SAIFUR—who had been out of sight—suddenly emerges from behind ECTO, his eyes filled with tears. A glowing energy surrounds the tips of his fingers, a deadly force poised to strike.]
SAIFUR: (voice cracking, enraged) You let your guard down.
[But before Saifur can strike, Ecto alters his gravity, shifting to the right. Saifur's attack misses.]
HOUND: (shouting, furious) Don't be hasty, Saifur! You're supposed to be the most cool-headed of all of us!
SAIFUR: (breathing heavily, eyes wide with rage) He CUT TACKLER'S HAND OFF! And then... he helped kill people from other worlds... That's more than enough reason to end him!
HOUND: (frantic) What if that's exactly what he wants?! Don't fall for it, Saifur!
[Ecto, now calm, brushes off the dust from his clothes.]
ECTO: (smirking) Looks like you didn't learn anything from the last time I hit you, huh?
[Meanwhile, AQUA continues her charge, her gaze fixed on Ecto. Her mind is clouded by her overwhelming need for vengeance.]
BAPO: (pleading) AQUA! STOP! DAMN IT! Please...
ECTO: (smiling coldly) You really don't know how to fight, do you?
[He forms a blade in his left hand, the gleam of steel shining in the dimming light.]
BAPO: (voice rising in panic) That's bad... Real bad! SAIFUR! DO SOMETHING!
[Saifur could use his super speed to stop Aqua, but he knows it's too late. As Ecto raises his blade, Aqua is already too close.]
[Ecto's blade connects—not with Aqua, but with Bapo, who somehow switched places with her. The cousins freeze in horror as Bapo collapses, clutching a deep wound across his chest. Blood stains his shirt as he screams in agony. One of his eyes glows dark red, three ominous rings swirling within it before fading back to normal.]
[Aqua, stunned and shaken, finds herself several paces back, safe but horrified. She turns around, only to be met with the sight of Bapo clutching his bleeding side, his face contorted in agony.]
[His eye flickers—one glowing dark red with three rings around it—before it fades back to normal. Blood stains his shirt, and he groans, barely holding himself together.]
AQUA: BAPO! No!
[To be continued…]