Samuel

Chapter 38

"You misunderstand me." Chandral said pleadingly. "All I want is to talk to the kid. None of this needs to happen."

"Don't do this Alm. Don't let him take the kid." The figure called out to Alm.

Standing ready, poised to attack, Alm eyed Chandral suspiciously, his irises now glowing a brilliant sandy color. Samuel breathed normally, calmly as he took in Chandral's words. Not yet ready to use up his power reserves, Samuel put a hand up, signaling Alm and the figure to remain steadfast.

"I want to hear more." Samuel said. "It doesn't appear you want me the same way Jonathan does. No one in the right mind would plead for someone they were ordered to take. So, what is it?"

"Kid, I'm telling you, we can't trust them." The figure cried out.

Excitedly, Chandral took a step closer as Alm gestured threateningly. Taking his cue, Chandral remained in place, eyeing the two carefully as he collected his thoughts.

"I think you are my only chance to be free of him." Chandral said, his demeanor changing to a sheepish quality.

As his demeanor changed, Alm relaxed slightly. Taken aback by the normally arrogant and annoyingly invasive Chandral.

Continuing, he said "I know what you are." Quickly correcting himself with a stammer, Chandral pressed with hard consonants'-what you contain, th-that is." Mumbling more to himself than the other two, he said, "What you are is vastly different for Jonathan." Shaking his head, unaware of a quick glance between Alm and Samuel, Chandral pressed further, "You just don't understand what he has made me do over the many years. Detestable things. Inhuman. The things I've seen, the nightmarish creatures I've witnessed. Thoughts and memories that just haunt you." Chandral said closing his eyes shaking his head of these thoughts. Shifting tactics from his incoherent and tangential thoughts, Chandral asked Samuel, "You know what you contain, yes?"

"If you are referring to the three domains. I am aware. What of it?" Samuel said with his eyebrows knitted.

"Well, do you realize what that means?" Chandral said excitedly, his accent lingering with each syllable.

Instinctively, taking a step forward, Alm slowly shifted his body to flank, Chandral. Stopping as Chandral noticed, Alm remained ready for anything.

Placing a supplicating hand up, Chandral acknowledge his mistake and continued after breathing out deeply, "You are a rarity. I mean people with two domains like Alm, and I are rare. Those who have three. My god," Pausing to think, Chandral returned, "What did Jonathan say about your kind? Oh yes, 'They come around once in a millennium.'" Raising hands in a pleading gesture, Chandral said, "Do you know what this means?" Chandral continued before letting Samuel respond, "You are even more powerful than Jonathan. Well, not right now, but in time, you could be a king, boy. He only has barely two like unlike Alm and I. His mind is so powerful- "Chandral shook his head again. "It doesn't matter, you know this. What matters is that you can beat him." Eyeing Samuel, he said dryly, "Not as you are now, obviously. You need to be trained further."

Shifting to Alm, Chandral proposed, "Together, we could make this boy far stronger than Jonathan. We need him to take over Jonathan's empire. Then, we can rule with him."

"Well," The figure cut in, standing relaxed by a nearby tree. "That isn't a terrible plan. We sure could use a nice break from all of this."

"That's your plan?" Samuel said irritatingly, "Depose one and replace him with me?" Shaking his head, Samuel exclaimed, "Who juvenile. Why would I want to rule in his stead? What would be in it for me?"

Shocked, Chandral replied, "You wouldn't be his meat puppet if you rule instead of him."

"Meat puppet" Alm inquired, perplexedly. "Say more."

"Even you don't know this?" Chandral inquired surprisedly. "He means to take over the boy's body. With his command over the mind and the spirit, he means to transfer his consciousness into the boy. If he does that, he will be unstoppable. His resources and all three domains? Can you imagine that?"

Thinking back to the monsters of his past, Alm responded dryly, "Of course I can."

"So, what do you think of our allegiance to one another?" Chandral inquired expectantly.

Glancing at Alm and the figure, in turn, Samuel eyes reached for direction while discovering none. Turning his attention inwardly, Samuel thought of his options.

Taking a few moments, Samuel said, as he paced on the forest floor, the twigs and leaves crushing under foot, "I think I'd be a fool not to accept your help."

"Great," Chandral said greedily wringing his hands. "Let's begin. I need you to get a piece of Jonathan out of my body."

"The fuck?" The figure cried out. "I told you we can't trust him."

"I suppose you are right." Samuel replied to the figure. "How could you, knowingly, bring him here?" Samuel spat towards Chandral.

Eying Alm, Samuel and Alm readied themselves to fight Chandral, once more as both of their irises glowed amber and sand, respectively.

"Wait!" Chandral pleaded, "I had no choice! He ordered me here. I would come regardless of my conscious choice. I chose to have my own agency to come here rather than Dean here." Chandral said pointing to the corpse of the former Dean.

"Speak quickly." Alm said threateningly.

Stammering, Chandral pressed, "I-I just need you to quickly go inside and get the piece of him out so I can be free of his influence." Feeling a tingling in his mind, Chandral called out, "We have to hurry. I can feel him stirring."

Samuel's eyes widened as he glanced at Alm. Quickly, Alm shot in, behind Chandral, restraining him with his meaty arms.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" The figure called out. "We are so fucked!"

"Yes, I got it. One fuck will do." Samuel said quickly walking toward Chandral. "Hurry, tell me what to do."

"Ju-Just touch my head and follow me!" Chandral exclaimed.

---

"Wow, your mind is more of a mess than Alm's." Samuel cried out through the abyss of Chandral's awareness.

"Yeah yeah, we need to hurry. He is beckoning me for a report now. I can feel his noose tightening over me."

"Lead the way." Samuel urged.

---

Leaning against a tree, the figure, nervously wrung their hand as they lacked the pipe, they constantly held. Shaking with tension, they nervously eyed Samuel and Chandral as Alm continued restraining the man, carefully watching the figure.

Finally irritated to the point of breaking, Alm stated, "say your peace already. Your nervousness affects me too."

Mumbling to themselves, the figure grumbled, "We had a plan. I was supposed to be free. Me! Not that guy."

"What are you saying over there?" Alm said as his eyes fastened upon the figure.

Chandral's body seized against Alm's arms. Trembling, Chandral seized as his body crumbled to the ground. Samuel gasped as Chandral's body fell from his grasp. Both the figure and Alm steadied themselves as Samuel and Chandral appeared drained, spent from their journey.

Whispering weakly, Chandral said hoarsely, "Kill me."

With wide eyes, Samuel glanced up to Alm as he said with a heavy breath, a single bloody tear flowing down his face, "Run!"

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