Island: The Legend

Chapter 13

The tension in the room was slowly pushing him further to the ground. Van had no idea what this man who called himself Baek really was but he wasn't human neither entirely demon. There was something radiating from him that Van couldn't identify. He had other things to worry about. Firstly, Mi-Ho was losing blood and he had to do something about it, secondly, he had to find a way off this island and it would be best to do so fast. Baek already stood up again and walked over to the left over bones from Yool. He walked over them, cracking them in the motion. All the other circle members were gathered around them once more and Baek welcomed them with open arms.
''My fellow members.''
His voice was echoing through the hall, making it feel empty once more. His voice sounded threatening although it seemed like he wanted to praise them. Van felt Mi-Ho stir in his arms, knitting her brows in pain when her breathing erratic. Van could feel the blood dropping off her, his whole arm and hand were by now sticky and damp from it. He didn't pull out the dagger just like she told him to but was that really the safest option they had right now?
''You all did well fulfilling your task. It took many sacrifices not at least the sacrifice of your sage. But do not be discouraged. Now, we can begin our real work.''
As if they all just waited for him to say that they all took out a small dagger. They all hit themselves with it but none of them cried out. The moment the daggers hit their flesh something started sparkling and a liquid red like blood travelled from the blades into their skin. Van could only imagine what it was but he had a bad hunch about it. Their bodies started to change, the skin peeled off turning them into blackish creatures that dissipated into the air, leaving just Baek in the hall with them. Van wondered where they all went now and what this real work he just talked about meant. He heard him approach them again and crouched down once more to be on Van's eye level. He first just looked at him, taking in everything he could about him though Van wondered what he could actually see and judge by his outer self? Then his eyes travelled to Mi-Ho again and his eyes widened.
''You should have told me before that she was hurt.''
Baek reached out his hand which made Van only pull Mi-Ho closer, shielding her with his body.
''Don't worry I won't hurt her.''
This time Baek's voice sounded rather soft in contrary to a few seconds before and for some unexplainable reason to Van he eased up and leaned back. Baek's hand was on Mi-Ho's shoulder and a bright light engulfed them when he started to say something in a different language. It could be Latin, Van's prayers sounded similar and they were derived from the Latin language, like most languages on the world. It was a healing spell that much he could tell, he felt the blood flow on his arm lessening. The dagger dropped off Mi-Ho's back and he felt her wound closing. Why would Baek heal her? She was probably one of the greatest threats for him so why would he save her? Did he still need her for something? Or was he just except from everything they knew not the bad guy after all? Van tried to stay focused. He just made all the circle members turn themselves into lust demons and now they were running free on the island, he also just sucked in Yool's whole life span and killed him with it, there was no way he could actually be good, was there?

''I can't let her get hurt.''
''Why?''
Baek glanced over to Van and his lips twitched up a bit.
''You don't need to know.''
''Where did those people go?''
''They are probably feasting on other people now?''
It sounded as if he wasn't sure himself and also like he didn't care at all. Van closed his eyes for a second before he opened them again and looked back at Baek.
''You made them turn themselves into lust demons, why?''
''It's what they wanted. Yool taught them how.''
''But they followed your orders!''
Now he started laughing evilly.
''My orders? How? I have been dead in that coffin for over hundreds of years.''
''But they did all of this for your resurrection. That means that you...''
''I never gave them any order to resurrect me. Yool was the one who decided all of it, but now that I am actually alive again why not make the best out of it.''
Van startled a bit when he felt his hand on his head pressing on it slightly. It was as if a thousand hammers were hitting him, making him feel numb. The pain was unbearable and he could only scream out the pain that was invading his body. His hands gripped Mi-Ho tighter and he feared that he might break her like that. He could barely make out that Baek was again chanting something and it almost felt like a foreign force tried to enter his body. It started to burn him like a fire, making his skin feel sore. When he glanced down he knew it was coming from his chest and not from his head anymore. The pattern on his chest started to glow and he saw that Mi-Ho's chest also started glowing, right there where the necklace was hidden. The light and the heat seemed to be too much for Baek when he pulled his hand back in pain and took some steps away from them. He was panting and staring at his hand where smoke was slowly radiating from. With shocked eyes he looked back at Van whose chest was still glowing slightly but it was subsiding.
''What the hell did you just do?''
''I wanted to ask you the same.''
Van's voice was hoarse when he asked said that and he had to take a deep breath to calm himself down a bit. He felt how fast his heart was beating. Did Mi-Ho's spell protect him from Baek?
''It's impossible for you to reject me.''
Reject him? Was he trying to take Van's powers? Or worse, was he trying to enter his body? Why? He just received a new body from Yool's sacrifice... But he seemed to be in quite the disbelief, maybe something like this never happened before to him. But Van couldn't jump to any conclusions now, they knew too little about Baek.
''Van...''
When he heard Mi-Ho's soft whisper all his attention was back on the woman in his arms. She tried to keep her eyes open but the lids always fell down again.
''It's okay, you're fine.''
Mi-Ho closed her eyes tighter when she realized that she couldn't keep them open and started to blink again after some seconds. It seemed that they slowly started to get used to the lighting conditions in the hall. Van hadn't noticed himself but after Baek's resurrection the room got quite dark except from a few seconds ago where their light filled it but subsided soon after.
''What happened?''