1985: Dawn of a New World (A Summoner Fanfic)

Chapter 43 - Alpha, Beta, Omega

Mark tried to get one of the torches however, an invisible barrier seems to protect each of them in place. Unable to get himself a torch, he decided instead to plod carefully forward hoping that more torches would be lit as he moves forward. The corridor which seems more like a dungeon appears to have ample air for Mark to breathe but its stifling ambiance seems to make the boy uncomfortable.

Slowly, Mark moved forward careful not to get ahead of the activating torches as he is uncertain of what could lie beyond what the light can reach. It wasn't long when Mark decided to stop, being suddenly wrapped with an eerie feeling.

To his surprise, however, the torches kept on being lit one after another in spite of his sudden stop. Seven more sets of light lit up and then stopped, barely illuminating a shadowy figure at the end of the lighted path.

Mark's heart started to beat faster as the shadowy figure starts to slowly move forward. He tried to check on himself only to find out that he's got no gears with him to fight with.

The figure finally set afoot where Mark can fully recognize what it actually is. In front of Mark appears the black demon that resembled his Frost. It was the same demon whom Frost fought within his nightmare and the same one they encountered during their first mission.

The demon suddenly sprang towards Mark, aiming to impale its drillers towards the boy's chest. Mark, however, was quick enough to conjure a barrier a few feet in front of him to protect himself. 'Wew good thing that one worked.' Mark let off a sigh of relief as his enemy land towards the ground after its unsuccessful attack.

The demon, however, began to hit the barrier rapidly trying to break it off. 'If only I have my weapon, it is easier to push this demon back. Now what do I do, I don't even have the SAT to keep this barrier intact for a longer time.' Mark still manages to hold off but his tensed expression gives away that he is almost at his limit.

'I can run, but where to?' Mark kept on thinking how to survive the peril that he is in. 'This barrier won't hold that much longer for sure. I have nothing to fight this thing. This is useless.' The barrier finally broke giving the demon another opportunity to attack Mark.

The demon did not waste any time and sprung up towards the same target it had set during its first attack. Mark decided to conjure a fire spell to hit the demon. Since it was almost at point-blank, Mark was able to easily hit the demon and throw it back with the spell's impact. Mark breathed rapidly, clearly out of sudden fatigue. 'This spell is harder to use without the SAT's help. Now I know how hard it used to be back in the past.'

It would have been good if the attack was enough to finish the battle but clearly, its impact with the demon wasn't that much. Mark's opponent was quick enough to regain its composure.

'And as I thought, this is still far from over.' Mark sighed then summoned a barrier to block another attack from the demon. He tried to move the barrier in an attempt to push his enemy back but of no avail. 'This spell would have been easier to use but there's no way I can fight with simply blocking its attacks. There must be a way to defeat this one.'

Mark was again in a struggle to keep himself protected from his opponent's blade. And when he thought it couldn't get any worse, the barrier he creates suddenly vanished as if it was never conjured. This gave the demon a chance to once again pursue Mark with an attack. Mark conjured another fire spell but the moment the flames appeared, it suddenly vanished the same way as the barrier he previously conjured did.

The demon's drill is now but an inch away from piercing Mark's heart. The boy froze from where he stood unable to do anything to stop the attack. His heartbeat raced faster as if having done several laps of running at their training field. Before the demon's weapon can touch Mark's skin, however, it suddenly froze. No, it's more like time itself suddenly stopped.

Mark tried to catch his breath while looking around him with amazement, seeing that even the flames of the torches stopped blazing as if frozen solid but not of ice. What piqued his curiosity though, was another shadowy figure from where his opponent came from. The figure wasn't that lighted enough for Mark to clearly recognize it but its figure seemed to show that its size is the same as the boy's current opponent.

"Impressive. Well, that last one didn't go well but you did hold your ground." The voice was the same as before. It could have come from the shadowy figure but it seemed to be frozen like the rest. "Why do you fight Mark?"

Mark is still breathing heavily but is starting to get calmer. He stayed silent and a bit puzzled. "Well? I do expect an answer if you would be most kind to give me one boy." The voice went on, echoing from around him.

"It's just natural for us to try surviving isn't it?" Mark's heavy breathing finally settled down, putting the boy in a much calmer state.

"To survive eh. I'd say I'm a bit disappointed but of course what do I expect from a mere child. Right now I see that you lack the right motivation. But we'll get there. In the meantime, let's give you some goal to fight with." The voice once again echoed around and inside his head then gradually faded as the last words are being spoken.

The time still seems to be frozen. Mark quickly moved aside to escape from the black demon's attack should the time resume.  After a few seconds, the rest of the torches up until the end of the tunnel was lit. Mark was startled, thinking that time has resumed but looking at his left, the demon he was battling still floats in the air with its last attack posture. Mark decided to switch his gaze in front of him and was finally able to see the shadowy figure earlier. To his surprise, the demon was also similar to Frost but with greyish skin and snow-white eyes.

With the time still frozen, Mark decided to walk forward trying to inspect the demon. Its hands which appear to be small, human-like hands, are both stretched forward as if reaching out for something. 'It must be the one who was canceling my spells.' Mark thought as he tries to tap the demon's head but he simply felt like tapping into an invisible barrier.

Deciding to look farther forward, Mark was alarmed upon seeing a familiar sight. At the end of the tunnel, there was Frost tied in chains. "Ah, you saw it at last. You know that demon bounded on that wall am I right? I'll give you a deal. Defeat the Beta and Gamma demons and I'll let the Alpha demon go." The ominous voice once again spoke as sudden as a flash of lightning. The names of the demon confused Mark but simply assumed that the Beta and Gamma demons were his current opponent. "Well, silence must mean a yes, after all, you've no option to decline. So then, let's begin." The voice mocked, making time resume once again at the end if its speech.

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Got some ideas again so here I am continuing my piece. Will definitely finish this guys so just hold on much longer. Thanks for still reading!

Next Chapter: What do I Fight For?