"See I told you it would work," the feline sassily said, walking through the door. Niko glanced at the cat before looking back down to continue wiping down his gun.
"It only worked because you're taking advantage of the lack of information that the apocalypse is capable of," he said. The white feline sat in front of him. Her back was straight, and her head was held high, showing a sense of haughtiness.
"Humans are conscious beings. You act like a robot, and me acting human-like will lead them to doubts and random scenarios. Pretending that I have mind control is a good way for them not to act out." Her white tail shook from behind her happily. A light laugh escaped the teen's mouth as he shook his head. Putting the gun away, he lightly pulled open the curtain. The sky was now completely black and ominous, like a silent beast waiting to come out and attack.
'If this rain is exactly like Lily said… how long will it last… how much will it affect,' Nikolai pondered until a knock burst away his thoughts. Closing the curtain, he walked to the door and opened it. In front of him were little Chris, Fiona, and Charlotte. They looked anxious as they looked at their surroundings before looking at him.
"Um, Chris is hungry, and I'm not comfortable going down there by myself," Charlotte said as she looked between him and the floor. Nikolai had given a nod before he and Lily exited the room and went downstairs, with the other three behind them.
Walking inside the kitchen, a group of people was moving around putting food and utensils away. Some were discussing and while others were joking around with each other, but once someone noticed their appearance and tapped his friend beside him, everything became instantly quiet.
Charlotte gulped and the hands holding the children tightened, Nikolai continued moving like the other people were invincible. Making his way to the fridge, the group of people moved out of his way. Opening the fridge to see their already food items as well as other new items. He paused before looking behind him.
"What do you want to eat, Chris?" The boy who looked nervous behind Charlotte instantly lost it at the mention of food. Letting go of Charlotte's hand, he curiously looked inside the fridge. He pointed out yogurt and canned fruits, as well as some fruit juice.
Nodding his head, Nikolai pointed at a chair, signaling for the boy to sit down before taking out the items and other ones.
Noticing both of their attitudes, Charlotte took a deep breath before walking and sitting on the seat next to Chris. She imagined the surrounding strangers as ghosts that haven't moved on to the afterlife yet. Thinking of this weird image made her unconsciously laugh.
Seeing that they were being ignored gave the group of people a strange feeling. They didn't know what to say or do, thus they stayed in the corner of the room like little confused lambs. This was the scene the blue eye man witnessed as he walked in with his closest people following him. The scene made the man's sharp eyebrows furrow. Taking a look at his people before looking at the teen who was opening a can of fruits seriously, he immediately figured out who the boy looked like. Though the surface appearance is different from the man's, the strict aura was identical.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Agin, my name is Park Sung-ho," The blue-eyed man, Sung-ho, greeted them as he walked up to them with a professional smile. The teen movements froze while the cat's eyes, which originally closed, snapped open with lines like pupils.
Charlotte looked at the teen's reaction, then looked at Sung-ho, who came over. Her eyes turned a little hostile and wary.
Nikolai was in a blank state before a little voice was heard from in front of him, "Nikolai?". Like a button was pressed, the movements once again retain their course of action. When Nikolai poured the fruit into the yogurt, he turned his head to the blue-eyed Asian man.
"You must know my parents?" Nikolai asked, but sounded more as a statement, looking at the business smile that his father would always wear in front of high-class people. The man nodded as he took a seat next to Charlotte, who stiffened in response.
"Yes. I met your parents with my father at the party in New York, alongside your brothers and sisters. Though I don't believe I met you," Sung-ho's voice was nice and clear. His English was fluent and spoken in a neither fast nor slow rhythm.
"I was sick, so I wasn't able to go," Nikolai responded, putting the fruit salad in front of Chris and Charlotte.
"I see… Well, that was unfortunate, we could've met sooner and the whole scandal of earlier wouldn't have happened," the man gave an embarrassed look.
"It seems he's trying to hint for the antidote for the man who got shot," Lily said. Niko responded with a hum.
Seeing that Niko didn't say anything, the man continued, "May I know your name?".
"You would be leaving after the rain passes. I don't think you would need to know it," Niko said, making the man's face twitch. The other people stiffened, as this was the first time someone spoke to their boss like this.
The girl with strawberry blonde dyed hair became furious, stomping up to them pointing her finger at Niko saying in Korean, "Did your parents raise you right?! Isn't it common courteously to give your name when someone says theirs?".
Picking up the bowl of fruit salad, Niko responded in Korean, "It's courteous if you asked for a name but did I ask for his? No, he said it to me, and I honestly did not care for it. Also, my name was mentioned earlier. Don't act stupid to be courteous." The response made the girl choke on anger, while Sung-ho's face twitched.
Charlotte looked at them in confusion before cautiously talking to Nikolai. "You know how to speak Korean?".
Nikolai hummed as he stuffed another spoonful of fruits in his mouth. When they were younger, his father made him and his brothers learn many languages. Korean and Mandarin were the main ones after English, as most of their father's partners were from that region.
Sung-ho was about to speak again before a thunder burst from outside. Chris and the girl with Strawberry hair shrieked, while Niko and Sung-ho both walked up to the window.
Opening the curtain, what met them was black raindrops falling in menace.
"It's starting," the blue-eyed man whispered. Those around couldn't hear due to the rain pouring, but Niko, whose hearing has recently been improving, heard it clearly.
Staring at the rain for a while, the man looked back to the room of people and commanded, "Everyone, follow the plan, go to the rooms and lock the door." The group of people instantly followed orders and, like a swarm of bees, they all went away in hordes in a matter of seconds. Sung-ho was about to leave as well before a Yakutsk accented Korean-speaking voice was heard from behind him.
"You know about this apocalypse." When Sung-ho turned around, he was met with amber, piercing eyes. The eyes look like they can see everything that he was thinking.
'Father like son, both are more knowledgeable than their own good' Sung-ho thought before giving a smile, saying, "Oh? Why do you say that?".
The teen in front of him didn't say anything.
Seeing the amber eye teen wasn't going to answer, the blue-eyed man's smile slowly disappeared as he turned around and left.
While walking out of the room, he said vaguely, "If I was you, I would lock the doors and be wary that those around you might not be the same person the next day." The warning sounded somber and eerily to those listening.
Nikolai watched as the man's back disappeared from view before turning to his people. "Come, you will be staying in my room for today." Charlotte and Chris nodded as Nikolai went to the cabinets and collected some snacks.
When they entered the big master bedroom, Nikolai closed the door and locked it.
"Nikolai? What's going on?" Charlotte asked while sitting down on the couch.
"That man knows something about the apocalypse."
"Really? He said something to you?".
After making sure the locks on the door are secured, Nikolai walked to the bed, "Intuition. He said some weird things, but the main thing is that he didn't ask for the antidote. Even though he hinted at it, he didn't directly ask for it. If he cared for his teammate, he would ask for it even if he loses face, if he doesn't care for his teammate that man in the glasses would be by his side and not attend to the wounded man."
"Glasses man?" Charlotte asked.
"Yes. He's a doctor," Niko said. When the man in the kitchen came down, Lily instantly noticed the person who wore glasses wasn't with them. She found out while following them in choosing rooms that the man was a doctor.
When he sat down, the cat shrunk to her original size and climbed, "You think he's waiting for something?" Nikolai gave a hum as he petted the cat's soft fur. The cat's head nodded thoughtfully before continuing, "Then it's best to be prepared for the worst, you guys should get some sleep to save up energy. I will keep watch." Humming, Nikolai repeated what Lily said to the other two understanding people in the rooms before grabbing pillows and blankets.
When everything was settled, Niko climbed into bed and took off his shirt. Though not used to the added presence in the room, he still slowly closed his eyes and went to sleep. The rainstorm was like background music slowly weaving through his mind.
The night was cold and silent. The surrounding trees were like that of wooden statues, while the animals in them were frozen in time alongside. The coldness was piercing, and the wet ground underneath him soaked through his cotton socks. The child didn't stop walking until he vaguely saw a light that did not come from the moon. It was a warm orange color, as it spread out to nature, encompassing it. When he grew closer, a cottage was coming more into view. It's dark wood, different from the friendly light, as it had cobwebs and moss growing all over it as though it was abandoned.
The boy didn't know why he was here. He was serving his punishment in the closet as he ruined his mother's dress by accident. His mother forgot about him again, and thus he spent the night in the closed space, only to fall asleep and wake up here. The bright and glistening white moon in the night sky, with no stars beside it, was the first thing the boy saw. His bright amber eyes then shifted from the weird statues surrounding him. Two looked like humans if you took away the long, pointing nails they had. Right after them were two statues of plants, their designs similar to a bunch of flowers, smashed into one big piece of twisted art. It was beautiful but gave off a sense of insufferable pain.
Taking a look at the statues after the plants, the boy quickly caught sight of a statue of a man with Asian features. He was good-looking with sharp and handsome features, but what caught the boy's attention were the blue gems that made the man's eyes. They were bright and glowy, shining as bright as the moon above. The boy couldn't help but stare in awe before shifting his eyes to the next statue, but the sight startled him.
The last statue was different from the rest. The person looked neither human nor beast. The man had a tail that was a snake, goat-like feet and horns, ears and claws of a feline, and lastly the big pair of feathery wings on the back. However, what brought the boy's attention was that this person… looked like him. This realization scared the boy clueless. A sense of dread overtook his body, causing him to run away from the weird statues into the mammoth forest. When the boy left, he didn't see that the beast human eyes, like the one beside it, started to glow and became gold gems.
He was then lost for an hour, unable to find a trail out or the way back to the unusual statues. So, seeing the first building in the time he's been walking, he became energized and instantly walked to the entrance. Excitedly, he knocked on the old yet sturdy wooden door with his little hand that trembled in the cold.
"Excuse me? Anyone there?" The boy's voice was hoarse and quiet to the point of almost being silent yet in the solemn forest it was loud as day. A coughing fit sprained out, causing lots of white clouds to appear, and his pale face finally took on some color. His eyes clenched and little hot tears slid down his juvenile face, his lips started to bleed from the cracks of dryness due to the cold.
When his coughing subsided, he didn't know when, but the door that was closed was now open. In front of him was a long straight hallway with the only light source from the end of it. Seeing such a frightening sight, the boy became hesitant. He doubted whether to go in or not until the feeling of two hands landed on his small back and forcefully shoved him in. He didn't get to see who it was, as the door closed quickly with a long bang that seemed to shake the whole house. The sound of locks was heard right after, causing the tiny nervous heart to explode in alarm.
Tears trickled down his face as soft whimpers were let out. His tiny body quake in trembles as he stood up and tried to fruitlessly open the door. Sobs soon sounded throughout the dark, isolated hallway as small bangs of desperate attempts of escape were heard. The boy didn't stop trying to get out until rustling was heard from behind him. The sound made him freeze as soon as he felt a pair of eyes landing on his back. Stiffly, he turned around and was met with eyes that had no color besides black. The older woman was plump, her skin as if covered in white paint, and her face carried a smile that was too big to be humanly possible. Her clothes were as if she traveled from the past as it was a brown low-quality dress with a stained apron wrapped around her meaty waist. In her hand was a bright golden key that shined from the light behind her.
The boy stepped back until his whole back body pressed into the door, as if trying to merge into one with it. The woman only smiled larger seeing the boy's response before making her way farther into the room, leaving the unsteady boy in the dark hallway. Looking at the entrance of the room than at the unbudging door, he slowly peeled himself from the safety of it and slowly walked to the lighted room. Each step made his heart seem to rise further in his body and didn't stop until he was at the entrance. His heart felt like it was in his throat, thumping crazily.
The room was lit by a lonely big golden candle, the woman from earlier was sitting behind it slowly eating a two-layer red velvet cake in gusto. Around him were windows that seemed to lead to different places, as each had different sceneries from all over the world. The walls contained pictures of different humanoid forms that looked between that of a monster and a human.
"Ya going to continue standing there or come over here and take a seat," A rusty voice that spoke in short syllable Russian. The sound made the boy startled before quickly sitting down in the seat across the table from the older woman. The two-layer cake that was there was no longer. The woman's mouth was stained in red as her dark eyes stared at the child in front of her.
"My name is Veles," She said with a big grin. The boy froze before raising his eyes to meet hers.
"V- Veles?" The boy asked hesitantly. He heard of the name Veles or also known as Volos before. He is known as the God of earth, waters, livestock, and the underworld, but most importantly was known for his trickery and shapeshifting.
The older woman laughed loudly. The whole cabin shook with her as her energetic laughter spread throughout a distance, the sound made the boy cover his ears as a splitting headache was forming.
Wiping away the laughing tears, the older woman nodded her head. "Yes, Yes V- Veles," he laughed mockingly. "I can not believe a squirt like you will represent us,". The woman complained with a snort.
"Represent?" The boy asked, catching a bit of information. The woman, who was about to take a sip of wine, she pulled out from underneath the table, stopped, and looked at him from above the bottle.
"Mm-hmm. I'm actually your first mentor'," She hurriedly took a big gulp. The red wine spilled from her white, thin lips.
The boy couldn't understand what the woman was saying. It felt like a bunch of words he knew were mixed and then shoved together, creating a language that he could understand yet could not. Seeing the boy's confusion, the woman grumbled and stood up. He quickly got out of his daze and was about to stand up, but a force surrounded his body, unable to move anywhere. It felt pressuring, and anxiety erupted in his mind as tears slid down his pale face.
"Tch, can you not cry, please? So damn annoying. I'm just awakening you then taking my ass back home," The woman's voice slowly turned into that of an older man.
The originally big body grew larger. Cracks and creaks were heard as the woman's body became that of an older man with a long white beard that seemed to reach the floor. The white skin turned into a dark gray as strange black symbols layer exquisitely over his skin. Two deer-like overgrown horns sprouted from his head. The onyx eyes turned into a bright, shiny light blue that looked like it could see everything in the universe.
The brown dress turned into that of furs and scales, while the man's face was covered by a black-furred wolf's head. The man's body erupted in muscle, showing the difference between that of man and God.
A powerful figure approached the boy's forehead and when it made contact, a bursting pain erupted all over the boy's body. A piercing scream erupted from the boy's mouth as his hands clenched into themselves.
The old man looked at this calmly. He didn't show mercy, even when seeing the boy's body stretched and elongated, turning slowly into that of a beast. When he saw the transformation was complete, the older man smiled in content and finally let go.
The beast's body collapsed onto the floor, shivering and whimpering in pain. Veles crouched down in front of it and raised its face to meet his eyes. "You better win this bet boy, otherwise death won't be the greatest consequence," The man smiled widely before letting go. "You better show that bitch that she shouldn't have woken up!" He said loudly with a bursting laugh. The boy's consciousness slowly slipped away as the laugh of the old god faded away