'Maplewood is never going to be the same' was a statement that went loaming in the heads of all the residents who were able to hear the screams and roars that were coming from the battleground. The Main Street was still in hell-fire. The gigantic black monster unleashed it's wrath on the town on one side, and Death Gun was making it rain cold fatal bullets on the other.
There were countless portals with guns sticking out of them floating and surrounding Eugene. The light-brown haired boy charged courageously towards Death Gun.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" he dashed forward.
"BEGONE!!" Death Gun opened fire.
As the guns were almost shooting, Eugene made an unexpected move.
"Arial Element ? Sphere Shape," he uttered. "DISCHARGE!"
~AIR BLOW!
A hyperbaric sphere of wind blew from around his boy, and pushed all the bullets away at once. Eugene was able to continue his attack, and got closer to Death Gun.
"What?!" Issac tried to jump away, but Eugene had seen it coming.
"Blizzard Element ? Adhere!" he casted frosting ice that hindered Issac's foot.
"No!" he cried.
"Take THAT!" Eugene swang his sword at him.
~Slash!
"Ugh!"
~Cracks!
Death Gun dropped down with his torso endured another hit. Eugene landed few feats from him.
"How do you like that?!" he pointed his Blue Rose sword.
At that same time, within the erie dark space, Jaden was facing the mysterious single-eye demon.
"Get away from her, you demon!" he dashed towards it. He tried punching it, but it countered with a slash from its sharp and pointy hand.
~Swing! ~Slash!
~Miss!
Jaden attacked the demon, using only his physical strength.
"It's no use!" the black demon taunted as it grabbed Safi and evaded.
"Let her go!" Jaden jumped directly on it.
The demonic monster twisted its body, and kicked Jaden in mid-air, dropping him farther away.
"Guhaa!" Jaden fell to the pitch-black floor.
"Is that all you've got?!" it laughed.
Dammit!, Jaden struggled to get up. It moves at a different pace! It's gotta be this place's effect..
"I'm just getting started.." Jaden managed to reply.
"In that case," the demon said. "How about we play a different game?"
"Huh?" Jaden saw the demonic black monster leaped towards one of the white doors floating around while holding Safi. "Wait!"
Jaden got himself together, and chased after it.
The monster took Safi and went through the door, leaving it open. Jaden followed through brainlessly, not regarding what might awaits him on the other side. Once entered, his feet couldn't feel a floor beneath him as a sudden fear of hight just crept under his skin. His body was fully surrounded by eminent endless darkness as he felt like falling down.
A second later, Jaden landed his footings on a hard ceramic ground as the scene around him had illuminated.
"Huh?!" Jaden stood up and looked around. "This place...!"
I know this place!, he thought. It's
The hospital ward!
Jaden recognized this ward. It was the Official Republic Hospital, where Mado and other senior medical students gain practical training. The ward was crowding with patients, doctors, para-medics, and med-students.
"No way.." Jaden immediately looked at his attire.
I'm still in my 'Jaden' outfit, he thought to himself.
"Mado..!" a girl in a white coat approached him. She had a slight tan skin, and her brown eyes were hidden behind her thin round framed glasses.
Safi!, Jaden panicked for a moment. Is she able to recognize me in this look?
"Why you ended up changing groups?!" she asked.
"Whwhat?.." he stuttered.
"It wasn't my choice!" someone said from behind Jaden.
Wait a sec!, he jolted in place. That can't be happening..!
He turned around to see where did that voice came from.
"Is that?" Jaden backed off in shock. "Is that really ME?!"
Jaden was watching himself in his original body, having a conversation with Safi. He was wearing his White Coat and holding a hard cover notebook.
"So how was the exam, today?" she asked.
"A lot easier than I thought!" he answered in relief. "How was it on your side?"
"It was a little messed up.." she replied.
How could this happen?!, Jaden was confused. Am I dreaming?
He then stretched his hand to try touching his actual self. But where there was supposed to be contact, Jaden's hand fazed through Mado's body like a ghost fazing through a wall. He even tried the same thing to Safi's body, but his hand was waving through a transparent structure.
"So, I can't be seen.." he sighed.
Jaden then looked around him, and gazed at how his expressions were. He also watched how those around him were all talking and sharing everything about their day.
Man, I looked really dumb!, he thought. But I sure was happy! Is that Naief standing there next to me! Yeah, we had a surgery final exam that day, and we both were discussing how it went..
"That's sorta nostalgic.." he lightly clenched his fist, like he wanted that moment to last forever.
"Isn't that a bit fast?!" the demon said from behind him.
"Huh?!" Jaden turned to face it. "You.."
"Those times must've been your best!" the demon added.
"What does that have to do with you?" Jaden spat. "And how did you get this memory out?"
The demon raised his pickling dark hand, and Jaden's eyes followed as it pointed towards Safi. "Where else do you think it came from, Mado.."
"Huh..?!" his eyes widened. "What have you done..?"
Jaden stared worriedly at his long-time friend as she was still conversing with his original self and Naief.
"Humph, this is just getting started." The demon replied as it levitated in mid-air, and began drifting away into a small alley at the end of the hallway.
"Hey, WAIT!" Jaden hastily followed.
But when he reached the alley, his eyes couldn't glimpse the demon, but he was still able to hear its voice.
"..You'll learn how does it feel to know hurt.."
"SHOW YOURSELF!" Jaden turned around himself in panic, but the alley was empty.
He then noticed a white door at the end that resembled the floating door he jumped through few minutes ago.
So, all of this isn't real by any standard, he thought. This is just a memory inside Safi's mind..
"This demon is playing with her memories.." he muttered in anger as his steps propelled him forward.
I gotta save her quickly no matter what!
Once he opened the door and walked inside, Jaden found himself in a whole different place. The walls, doors, and floor were all wooden-brown in color. But this wasn't his first time in such place.
"This is.. campus hallway..!" he mumbled in awe.
I've been here before when I retrieved Aya's memories!, he thought while looking around. Everything is very clean and peaceful! It must still be early morning..
Jaden kept looking around, but the entire floor was empty. And in the following minute, he heard approaching footsteps. They were Safi's, accompanied by another two girls, one of them was Maria, one of Mado's classmates.
"I told you!" Maria was arguing. "No matter how much I go through it, something always pops up."
"I didn't find that complicated! This subject just needs time." Safi replied enthusiastically. The three girls walked up the stairs after fazing through Jaden like he was invisible air. The latter then, followed them to the upper floor.
When they reached the fourth floor, Jaden noticed his heart racing all of the sudden right before he checked on the girls walking in front of him.
"Ohhh, look who's early today?!" Maria teased Safi as her eyes caught someone standing near a glass window. "I bet you wanna go talk to him.."
Safi's face went red for few seconds as they got closer.
Is that ME over there?!, Jaden saw him self leaning with his side on a large glass window, with his earphones on, and his gaze directed outside.
"You're not going to?.." the third girl asked Safi who's started fidgeting.
At that same time and as he was watching, Jaden's body froze stiff, "..Huh! My body is shivering! Am I scared?! But how come?!"
The invisible boy continued to watch the scene before him unfolds regardless. He witnessed as Safi had finally stepped forward towards Mado, while the latter wasn't at all aware of her. Safi got closer to him, rather way too close. She tilted her head and pushed it forward in front of Mado's face, until his visual field was fully blocked by her face. Their eyes met for a second as Mado realized that somebody appeared to face him up close, which jolted him backwards in shock."Whow!!" he uttered.
"Hello! Good morning." Safi smiled slowly.
"Gimme a break, Safi.." Mado exhaled in relief. "You almost gave me a heart attack.."
"Well, your music was too loud!" she replied.
"Seriously.." he smiled back at her.
"Wait a sec! I REMEMBER this day!" Jaden smiled involuntarily.
And my body is not tensed anymore, he thought. It's in fact even lighter than before!
"I never thought you could smile.." a voice said from behind him. When Jaden turned around, his eyes landed on the black demon.
"Tell me. Doesn't it feel like you want to dance?.."
"..It does..!" Jaden laid his hand on his chest. How could this demon know that?!, he wondered. "So now, you think you could psych me out?!"
"Do I?! I wonder.." replied the demon. "Isn't obvious that neither these memories, nor these emotions belong to you?"
"The emotions..?" Jaden felt uneasy for a moment.
"Yes," the one eyed demon implied. "You don't recall such happiness when you remember this moment."
So this sudden happiness I'm feelingthese skipped beats, aren't mine, Jaden realized. They're Safi's..
"How could..?" he uttered. "How could you dwell in her memories like that?! WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT?!"
"For you to know HURT!.." the black demon's hand turned into a sharp spear, as it charged towards Safi.
~SLASH!
Jaden was taken off guard when the demon was able to slash through her body, and made Safi disappear from the scene.
"Wha?!" Jaden stammered in place in dread.
The impact released neon orbs that blindingly glowed, and aggregated in clusters, and formed another white door. When Jaden's vision returned to him, the black demon had already vanished. Mado's original body was still standing there, and talking to Maria and the third girl as though Safi had never been with them.
This demon is far different from whatever Old Sanctus has taught, Jaden exhaled slowly, and went through the new door.
"Take THAT!!" Aksel shouted as he delivered a blow with his metal bat.
A knife of light generated in Petra's palm. She threw it immediately at the gigantic monster.
~Thwip!
Rick grabbed a chainsaw and dashed to attack it. "HAAAAAAA!!"
~SPLATTER!
The monster's right arm was heavily injured that it made it drawback, and cease moving for some time.
"Lord. Rick, that was incredible!" one of Rick's lackeys cried out of relief.
"Is it over?" another one asked.
"Don't let your guards down! This thing is still standing!" Aksel yelled.
Then, Petra felt the black monster slightly moving, "Watch out!" she readied her knives.
The mysterious large monster leaned forwards and dipped his hands into the ground.
~Grrrrr!
"It's our chance! Lock him up, and" Rick was giving new orders when the ground shook in an instant.
"Hold it!" Petra halted.
In the following moment, strange human sized mutated monsters emerged from the ground.
~Braaaah!
"What's that now?!" Aksel was completely surrounded.
"Bad news!" Petra generated more knives that float around her. "We better not back down now!"
"It's over, Issac!" Eugene said to the masked killer as he was struggling to stand. "There's no use of continuing this madness!"
"You started to get on my nerves, you know that?.." he said.
"You'll never hurt anyone anymore!" Eugene held tightly on his weapon, preparing to attack one more time.
When he got up, Death Gun raised the artifact as he said "I know how much the boss need the glitch all safe and sound, but you put me in a pickle!"
"Now, then.." the artifact started to glow, and Eugene noticed a dreadful purple aura purged all around Issac. "This show is reaching its CLIMAX!!"
In a fraction of a second, a portal swallowed Death Gun whole, and Eugene didn't notice until Issac was right next to him.
"When did he?!" he muttered, but a sound-speed kick sent him tumbling on the ground.
Death Gun emerged yet from another portal, then another, and then another. Delivering a blow after a blow onto Eugene, who had no choice but to try blocking them.
~Clank!
Both of their weapon collided for a second.
"I got you!" Eugene uttered.
"Hehehehe, take a guess.." Death Gun fell into another portal beneath his feet to try assaulting from another angle.
That's my chance!, Eugene found an opening. "System Call ? Generate Arial Element ? Whole Body ? Adhere!"
After his body was covered by air, Eugene started to soar high.
My body has never been this light before!, he thought to himself.
"Hello, hello!" Issac attacked from behind, but Eugene blocked successfully, and countered with a quick slash.
~Slice!
"Humph, so that's how you wanna play!" Death Gun's aura went more ferocious. "Let's dance, blondie!"
Death Gun's speed increased, and he tried attacking Eugene in mid-air, and the latter countered every assault. It wasn't long before their speed became blurry, and untraceable. The two opponents fought each other sky-high, with only what it seemed like two beams of energy colliding tow and fro in an absolute chaotic fashion. Issac jumping from one portal to the other with bullets in all directions, while Eugene blocking every last one, and swinging his Blue Rose sword at the masked gunner.
"I can get used to this, hehehehehe!!" Issac laughed hysterically in thin air.
At that same time, the small monsters were able to gain the upper hand as most of the forces of the Southerns had worn out.
"Dammit..!" one Southern screamed.
"Guahh!" another one lost his life.
"OH MY GOD, PLEASE NO!!" another one got devoured by these smaller creatures.
"Petra, we're losing! There's too many of 'em!" said Aksel as he was back to back with Petra.
"There's no such thing as too many!" replied Petra as both of her injured hands tightened the grip on her light-knives.
"SHAAAAAH!!" one monster charged towards Mayor. Jaros who was unable to move at all.
"Oh God, please!" she helplessly yelled in terror.
"Oh no, you don't!" the Mayor heard a voice shouting.
~Splatter!
"Huh?!" she looked at whoever saved her life. It was none other than Rick!
"You?!" she was surprised. "But how?"
Rick stood firm protecting her when he replied "Not just 'cause you're a damn Northie, I wouldn't be helping ya.. This place is our home, too. And we came here to end our misery, not add upon it!"
The chainsaw that was in Rick's hands span faster as he dashed towards the remaining monsters near them.
~SPLATTER! ~SPLATTER!
"THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE STOPPING HERE!!" Rick shouted.
After passing through the white door, Jaden stepped into another new place.
"This is.." he grasped the scene around him. "..Our school library!"
He stepped around a little before his eyes found Safi again. This time, she was sitting in a table with four other people. Jaden was able to recognize them all.
"Those are..us!" he slightly smiled, as he reminisced those times. When they were inseparable.
The library wasn't any fancy or wide. In fact, it was an underground library with blue sets, shelves, and tables. And on the table far to the left near the last shelf, was the 'table' where the five sat together. Mado, Safi, Majd, Waleed, and Ekram used to sit there occasionally on their free time. It was their gathering spot, their sanctuary.
Jaden kept looking at them as he walked closer. He saw Ekram sitting in the middle, with the rest sitting by the sides.
I feel anxious, he thought. But is this actually mine or Safi's feelings?..
"It's not like that.." Ekram said. "It's just that I learn a lot when working with Mado."
"You do?!" Waleed asked sarcastically.
"Only 'cause she's smart enough, unlike some people.." Mado's face let out a smug.
"Don't forget that I tutored you one day!" Waleed replied.
"Come on, you two! We're talking about Ekram here!" Majd stopped the argument before it began.
"Okay.." Ekram giggled. "What else do you wanna know?"
Jaden kept on watching as the conversation continued. "This was the day we played Hot Seat.." he muttered in low tone.
"Doesn't sting?" the demon appeared behind Jaden, forcing him to jump off.
"So, you were there!" Jaden said with a sharp tone.
"Heh! Don't rely so much on that anger! It's not yours to begin with." the black demon replied.
"If only you stop relying so much on mind games." Jaden spat sarcastically. "This hatred towards you is all my own!"
"We'll see about that!" the one eyed demon charged at Safi again.
"No, you won't!" Jaden jumped to stop it. But the demon dashed in the speed of sound, and delivered a deadly stab into Safi's chest.
"Ugh!" Jaden was pushed behind.
The girl's body disappeared, and the emerging clusters forged a new door for Jaden.
"So, now do you still hate me?" the demon asked Jaden.
The boy was perplexed. He couldn't catch hold of what he was feelings. He stood in place without being able to respond.
"That's what I thought.." said the black demon before vanishing in a dark smoke and vapor.
"What is going on..?" said Jaden after he stood in confusion.
Could Safi be.?, he thought for a second as he gazed at her empty seat. Not a chance..
Jaden hurried through the door, and found himself in the classroom. It was crowding with students as usual. He glimpsed Safi sitting next to her best friends, Hanan and Hadeel. In front of them, Ekram was sitting, and talking to no other than Mado.
Jaden observed as his original self explained his life goals to Ekram.
"So, you have to end up with all 3 steps?" Ekram asked.
"Yeah eventually, but STEP 1 is still the most important one!" Mado replied.
Yeah, I remember this day!, Jaden thought. I was explaining the USMLE to her. But something about this memory feels annoying..
He then looked towards Safi. She was laying her head on Hadeel's shoulders. Jaden was able to feel what she felt, and it was suffocatingly unpleasant.
Now I get it, he thought. Safi wanted me to talk to her as well. Maybe she was waiting to tell me something, and I wasn't paying attention.
The moment he wanted to walk towards her, Jaden witnessed another white door by the exit.
"Where's that demon?!" he tried searching the room for it, but there was no luck.
Jaden figured that he got no other choice than keep moving forward. He pulled himself towards the door and marched on to another memory.
Meanwhile on the battlefield, the dark giant monster regained mobility. And the smaller monsters decreased in number, but raised their hostility. Their sloppy arms transformed into sharp spears as they attacked the still standing fighters.
"Those in front, kill those freaks!" Aksel yelled. "Those in the back, shoot the large monster!"
~BANG! BANG! BANG!
~TATATATATATA!
"C'MON! CHARGE!!" the leather wearing Southerns pushed forward.
The fight started to get out of control, and the gigantic monster's movement became more restless. But at a critical moment, it stood firm, and its yellow glowing eye shone in purple as it focused light in them.
"What's happening?!" Aksel shouted in fear.
"It's ready to blow!" one fighter said.
The monster began shooting purges of light shots, like laser out of his eyes and onto the fighters. The blasts even found its way towards some nearby houses.
~Weee! ~SHIN! ~SHIN! ~SHIN!
~BOOM!
The explosions collapsed most of the fighters. Many of them were fried in a single blow.
"GUIIAAHH!!!"
A shot found it's way towards Petra. It was dashing through space, ready to burn her all at once.
"Watch it, PETRA!!" Aksel yelled, but he was too far to save her.
"Uhh!" Petra's body froze. It was inevitable at that point. The blast was faster than any reflex.
~BLAST!
At the last minute, somebody jumped in an incredible speed, and blocked the hit.
"Huh?!.." she was shocked. "Rick..!"
The blast didn't hurt Petra at all as Rick used his own body to shield her from it. The blow caused most of his body to burn completely.
"Ugh!!" Rick agonized. "Man, it hurts!"
"Shit, you asshole!" Petra leaned to see him as he was taking his last breath. "Why? why'd ya do that?!.."
"I...don't..know.." Rick coughed. "I thought about savin' ya... since.. you made us... fight and all... and.. see a brighter future.."
Petra sobbed silently, "you could be such a punk sometimes.."
"I know, right? Hehe.." Rick's body began fragmenting. "What a way to go, though!"
"Rick.." her tears beaded down to his almost vanished face.
"March on, kid! Don't let us down..." said Rick as his body had completely disappeared.
"Grrraah!" the gigantic monster shoved the ground near them in rage.
"No, Rick! Don't do this to me, man!" Petra cried. "I I can't do it on my own.."
"But you're not alone!" a voice said from behind her.
"Huh?!" Petra raised her head and saw a foot stepping next to her. "Carmen?!"
"Yeah, and I'm not the only one!" Carmen smiled confidently.
When Petra looked behind her, her gothic face couldn't hide the hopeful relief she felt. "The Sato Vatos!"
"We're not goin' down that easy!" Frankie shot her a thumb's up.
"Let's kill this big ass junk!" another one said.
"Okay!" Petra got up on her feet as a number of floating knives of light circled around her. "LET'S DO THIS!!"
"YEAH!!" the Sato Vatos charged in full force against the dark monster.
It wasn't that long though before the Southerns powers started to compromise in face of their dark furious enemy. At that exact moment, troops of Lucian special force known as <
"Mayor. Jaros, are you injured?" one glaive asked the immobile Mayor.
"Don't worry about me!" she replied in agony. "Go aid these young men and women!"
"Yes, ma'am!" responded the young glaive as he gestured to his partner.
"Attention, all units!" announced his partner through a communicator. "Support the resisting individuals and secure the injured ones!"
The remaining glaives received the message, and switch their focus to defend the fighters.
"It's alright. I can stand now.." said Sheriff. Scott as one glaive tried supporting him.
"You're sure, sir?" hesitated the glaive.
"Yes, you better try control this jeopardy.." said Sheriff. Scott as he looked up in the sky where only two visible streaks were colliding chaotically.
~BAM!
~BLOW!
~SLASH!
"I CAN KEEP THIS FOREVER!" yelled Death Gun as he kept on leaping between portals and attacking Eugene.
~Bang!
~Clank! ~Shin!
"Gotcha!" said Issac the moment he locked on him close, but Eugene used sacred arts and hindered him instantly.
"Blizzard Element ? Discharge!" he emitted a frosting foam that froze Death Gun's arm.
"Ugh..!" Issac fell down and dropped himself into a portal that transported him to the ground.
"Don't get too cocky, bitch!" he stretched his other arm, and plunge it into a small portal on his side.
As he was still floating at that same moment, Eugene got completely surrounded by a large number of portals. The gun that was in Death Gun's hands emerged from every direction, and some of these guns were brushing his skin. Eugene wasn't sure if there even was a slight possibility for him to avoid this attack.
Oh no!, he felt desperate. I'm wide open!
"Hehehehe!" Issac cried out festively. "Time for a Swiss cheese, blondie!"
He's gonna kill me at this rate, Eugene closed his eyes to hopelessly receive the countless gunshots as Issac was about to pull the trigger. I'm so sorry, Mado..
"HAAAAA!!" somebody charged against Issac.
~WHACK!!
"UGH!!" Issac got knocked away and his arm went out of the portal.
When Eugene peeked to see who threw his opponent out of balance, his eyes caught nobody other than Cristina! She charged at Death Gun, and hit hard with a metallic baseball bat.
This is my chance!, Eugene pulled his wind wrapped body into one of the small portal that were still open in thin air.
"You shitty bitch!.." Issac got up with anger and fury coursing through his veins. "I'll kill ya three times!"
In that instant, as his guard was down, Death Gun sensed somebody was about to attack him. But when he turned to try and parry, it was already too late.
Eugene had came out through the small portal, and was very close for his enemy to even think about fleeing.
"I got you, DEATH GUN!!" Eugene dashed his fist through the air, and directed all of his remaining force onto one single punch. The moment his knuckle touched Issac, all of the Sacred wind that was surrounding Eugene's body gathered in his clenched fist delivering an unbelievably destructive blow.
~KA-BAAAAM!
The punch sent Issac helplessly trembling on the ground for several meters. He kept on bouncing down on the ground in a rolling propelling fashion until he was dropped down on his face.
"Guihaaa!.." Death Gun's masked face dug the ground that he fell down on.
At the same time, Jaden walked through the new door, and found himself in another familiar place.
"This is.." Jaden mumbled as he looked around. "The Unicorn Hall! It's where the dance was.."
The following second, Jaden's eyes locked on Safi. She was standing on her own, gazing upward. When he tried to trace after what she was looking at, his chest felt tight and heavy.
"Huh..!" Jaden saw his original self hung on the wall with Ekram. They were painting the wall as they were laughing together. "This sucks.."
It's like there's something stuck in my throat, he thought. My heart is aching no, this is her heart, Safi's heart..
"Safi!" Hanan called her from behind as Jaden watched.
Safi walked towards her best friend. When Hanan's eyes caught both Mado and Ekram on the wall, she looked back at her friend and said "Are you okay?"
Safi, and involuntarily Jaden simultaneously said "It's okay.."
Her face was fighting any sort of possible grimace. But Jaden knew the hidden truth.
No, Hanan, he thought. Your friend is far from Okay. She fell for an asshole. Someone who doesn't value her presence in his life as he should!
Jaden's hands were shaking. His mind was clouded by guilt, and disdain. The thought that his longtime friend ended up harboring feelings for him had put him in troubling anxiety. As he tried to stop his brain from going to dark places, Jaden looked around him for a white door. His only way out of this haunting bubble.
He pushed his feet towards the door and walked as fast as he could. He twisted the handle, opened the door, and walked in. The feeling of unworthiness vanished as Jaden found himself on the ground of the yard of his college campus. In front of him were Safi, Hanan, and Hadeel. They were talking with another group of girls from Mado's class.
"Oh, Safi, don't even try to cover it up! This chasing of yours is just disgusting, you know?" the girl taunted. "The boy is out of your league, and you're trying to please him in every way you can!"
"Quit it, Malak!" Zara stopped her. "You shouldn't say things like that!"
"But they look cute together!" another girl teased. "Too bad it's not happening.."
"What are you saying?!" Safi went angry. "We're just friends! Hanan, tell them!"
"Tell us what exactly?! That you have no self worth!" Affaf shot back.
"Yeah, you're always all over him, if you ask me.." Salsabeel muttered.
"You people, this is all just stupid!" shouted Hanan.
"These two have other friends around them! Don't be ridiculous!" Hadeel added.
"Yeah, like Ekram.." Zara muttered.
"Not you too, Zara.." mumbled Safi in sadness.
"She didn't mean it that way!" Maria tried to clarify what Zara said. "She's on your side, relax.."
"At least, I'm telling the truth to your face!" Malak uttered. "Unlike the rest of us who enjoy back-biting! Am I right, Zara?"
"Come on, girls! The boy doesn't even think of her in any way!" Ahlam said. "In fact, he didn't even ask her to go with him to the dance, now did he?.."
"Yeah, I think he will go with that girl from Dentistry.." Salsabeel said.
"It's not like I wanted him to.." Safi tried to reply.
"Then, why were you buying him a gift the other day?" asked Malak.
The rest of the girls looked at Safi in surprise as she kept her silence.
"Is that true, Safi?" Maria asked.
"Humph, that's what I thought.." Malak said. "You're nothing but a playground friend he uses to get things done.."
"Don't tell me you wrote his name on your sneakers already!" Affaf laughed.
"How cute.." Marwa muttered as the other girls laughed out loud.
"Ugh!" Jaden fell on his knees and clenched his heart side of his chest.
This is painful!, he gasped. I feel like I'm going to take my last breath! Did they cause her all this pain?! Why didn't she tell me about it?! Maybe 'cause she thought I wouldn't do anything. I would have thought that she's just silly or shallow. Or maybe 'cause she thought of me as a problem! All that she wanted was my heart! And after all this time of us being friends, she couldn't have it..
But I can't, he thought. I can't open my heart to anyone! I won't be able to... I'm just a mess!
When he raised his head, Jaden saw someone that he didn't want to see. A face of a girl he had left behind a long time ago. Or maybe rather not that long! She was a short girl with bright green eyes, black hair styled in a single braid, and pale white skin. She had a small mouth with a smile that resembled an innocent child.
Just by looking at her face, it felt to him as though an old wound in his chest was cut open, with blood flowing down, yet again. He felt his heart was being slowly torn apart.
"Ma Mari..!" he painfully struggled just to utter the girl's name.
It was an inevitable past. The wound that only left him with a cursed scar that will never heal. "You can't be here, can you..?"
"You're hurting her, Mado.." Mari said. "You'll let her down, just like you let me down.."
He closed his eyes and ears, and tensed his muscles. He didn't want to receive any sort of sensation. Mari's echoing words shook every cell in Jaden's body. He sat on the ground for sometimes and took a couple of deep breaths before he decided to re-open his eyes. When he looked ahead, there stood a white door right in front of him; marking his exist. But next to it, the dark one-eyed demon stood by. But where did Mari go? Was her presence just manifested by his memories?!
"So, now you decided to show up!" Jaden said through his racing breath.
"Hahaha! The memories wiles can be cruel!" replied the demon enthusiastically "In its silence we forget. In its obsession, it binds our hearts.."
"Cut the riddles! Give me my friend back!" Jaden pressed on his feet.
"I told you" the demon replied. "You must know hurt, first. Understanding with your mind isn't the way at all. It's your heart that has to know.."
"All I need to know is where you're hiding her. Where's she?!" said Jaden in frustration.
"Well, isn't this another door?!" the dark demon pointed at the white door next to it. "It might reunite you with whom you hold dear.."
After saying that, the dark demon vaporized out of sight. Jaden walked immediately through the door as his surroundings were turning blurry and hazy. But once he opened the door, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened. It was Safi, staring right back at him.
"Huh..?!" his feet froze.
It felt to Jaden that time had somehow stood still. Both him, and Safi were standing face to face, separated only by the door frame. At the following second, Jaden mustered all of what had left of his sanity, and tried to utter something out. He raised his hand intending to motion to her, but Safi took a step back before he could say a thing.
"Uh Safi.." he hesitated, but Safi walked away that instant. "Hey, wait!"
Jaden stepped through the door, and hastened after her without a second thought. His walking has soon turned to running as Safi tried avoiding even looking Mado in the eye.
The heterochromic boy had no time to observe where his new location was, but it looked to him as though he came back to the pitch black place he started at.
What's wrong with her?!, he wondered while he kept chasing after her. I can't let her slip through my fingers again!
"Safi, please!" Jaden skipped some steps, and caught her hand; forcing her to stop. "If you keep running away from me, I may not be able to keep up.."
"..." Safi remained still and quiet.
"Listen. You don't have to worry. No matter what I've seen here, it wouldn't change the!" he halted, tightening his grip on her hand. " I get it, relationships aren't easy.. Harboring feeling towards someone else could be such a pain. I may not have the right to, but at least I could say that I understand how you...felt, or maybe a little bit of it..."
Jaden didn't get any response from Safi, except for a slight shrug. "But maybeyou know, when.. this is all over.." he forced the words out of his mouth.
What am I saying?!, he thought. It'll just make things worse! I'm not capable of holding somebody's heart in my hands. I can't do it..
As he was yet stuttering in place, a sharp black thorn in a size of an arm, grew rapidly from the ground and pierced Jaden's stomach all the way to his back.
"Huh!" he noticed as blood was coming down, but a moment later, another thorn pierced him from the top downwards.
"Ugh..!" Jaden's grip on his friend loosened as multiple thorns stabbed him from various directions.
~STAB-STAB!!
~STAB!, STAB!, STAB!, STAB!
As he was hung by the the piercing dark thorns, Jaden lowered his neck in agony, trying to gaze at Safi.
I can't let something like that take her away!, he thought.
"Uaaaaagh!!" Jaden stretched his hand towards her in spite of the pain.
After trying to set himself free and failed, Safi turned to face him at last. Her eyes gazed directly at his eyes. But then, something unexpected occured.
Jaden, with blood coming out of his mouth, witnessed his long-time friend turning to mere dust that got instantly washed out.
Wait, what?!, he was shocked. This can't be happening!
"Hahaha!" the black demon approached Jaden up front as the dust cleared up. "Oh, but it is happening.."
"Ugh..!" Jaden's agony got mixed with eminent shock from what his eyes were seeing.
At that moment, the demon clad black exterior was being gradually peeled off from the head area. The skin that was being unmasked underneath looked familiarly tan. When the entire head was free from the dark demonic appearnace, Jaden immediately recognized that emerging face! It was Safi's face.
"Surprise!" said the demon with a vicious smile.