Chereads / Enchanters Phantasm / Chapter 4 - Prologue 4: Duties and Responsibilities

Chapter 4 - Prologue 4: Duties and Responsibilities

"Yes! We can do this!"

A man proclaimed as he grabbed another sphere bomb And threw it towards the black mist from creatures that were rushing toward them one after the other. Using the 'sphere bombs' that the jewelry crafter of Las Joyerias de la Empresa Escarra made, they managed to hold their grounds. Alvino and his workers, the police officers, and the soldiers were the ones fighting against the creatures who put them into misery for over a year.

All of them are just throwing bombs at their enemies. Upon impact even just to the ground as long as it made a crack on the thin layer of the bombs it will make a spark that will make it explode. Most of it has a diameter of 57mm but some are a little beyond or behind it.

Upon exploding the bombs blew away the body of the creatures. But due to off aims sometimes it regained back.

As they engaged the enemies they thought are unbeatable, they started tearing up nonstop and even making snot on their noses. Not even the police or the soldiers excepted.

Screams echoed as they slung the bombs for the little hope they gained. The tears falling out of their eyes now weren't from fear and depression but the joy of seeing those creatures who give that sadness to them were being destroyed by their own hands.

Alvino clenched on another bomb.

'Anzai. Your father is fighting, so you better be okay.'

He said then threw the bomb at the creature. He measured the exact distance where he should hit the creature that's rushing towards them but it didn't directly hit it for that creature stopped in an instant. Not just that particular one but all of the creatures that are moving like wild beasts instantly stopped their tracks.

Alvino's eyes widen from the sudden change of behavior of these creatures.

Everyone around him was surprised as well. The creatures completely stopped moving like they lost their energy or whatever the thing that makes them move.

"This is our chance!" Everyone turns their head to Alvino. "Now that they stopped moving it'll be easy for us to destroy them!"

Alvino threw away the bomb which the other followed. Now that it's easy for them to hit the creatures they uncountable number will go down and the result of their efforts will show results. But as he threw the ball some question lingered on Alvino's mind. Particularly the question of why did those creatures suddenly stop moving.

They only knew little about them. For their origin and purpose, remained a mystery.

Several threw but they can't still see the sign of this creature decreasing.

While they're continually dealing damage with them one of them pointed his finger at the creatures. Even with the sound o the exploding bombs, his eyes didn't blink even once. He got the attention of the other.

"Their face," he said.

It wasn't noticed earlier due to the smoke but after the man pointed it out, they stopped moving.

The creepy grins of the creatures that even scared the soldier arc. One after the other their emotions change.

"Ignore it! Just keep on throwing the bombs!" Alvino yelled.

They once again started throwing. After several explosions, the creatures open their mouth.

'What now?' Alvino scowled.

The creatures started letting out noises. It's not a scream of terror nor the growl of hungry animals, but a cry. A cry that can be compared to how we wail when were mourning.

They ignored it but when the bombs touched the ground they didn't explode. It didn't make a crack on the surface of the bomb

What could have happened? Why it didn't explode? When those questions messed with their heads the one that gave them answers was the tears flowing out of their eyes. The soldiers and even Alvino. They wiped the tears but it won't stop no matter how many times they did it. It's like the feeling of those creatures are reaching out to them. The strength and their will to fight had been overshadowed by the sadness they shared with these creatures.

The captain of the soldiers who was leading the people on the ground clenched his fist.

Due to the nature of their job, they have the duty to make sure the safety of the citizens over themselves. As such standing up against the creatures that even the most powerful rifles up to date don't have any effect basically means giving up your life. They might have seen many gruesome deaths similar to what they saw earlier. He as the captain must have sacrificed many of his comrades whether being commanded or forced to do so.

The thought of him shedding tears because of the creatures who gave him despair was painful even for someone like him who was trained to be immune to it.

"This isn't right!" He said as he gritted his teeth. "First you gave us to despair and now you're forcing us to sympathize with you! JUST HOW WEAK DO YOU THINK WE ARE!"

Tears run through his face and fall off to the ground as he gets back on his feet. He grabbed and lifted the bag where the bombs are while trembling with his first step.

The people need hope. If dying will give the people what they needed then it would mean that he fulfilled his duty as a soldier.

That thought pushed him to take steps forward.

These bombs explode even just they dropped to the ground. The only thing he needed to do is to get close to them.

Before he could make his next step, a man with a sack full of these bombs passed through him. With eyes brimming with determination and a set jaw, he dashed through the center of these creatures while leaving a trail of tears along the way.

"Boss!" the people up the building shouted while extending their hands.

The man, Alvino tightened his grip while keeping up his pace. He hear nothing but the sound of his footsteps and the cry of those creatures who shared the same emotion that made him come to this decision.

He flung the bag of these bombs upwards. The strength carrying his sorrow poured into the bombs. 'Forgive me Odette, but I don't think I can see you again given of how much of a failure father I am.' His overflowing tears shattered as it dropped to the ground, the bombs slammed and broke then an overwhelming bombardment that blew up the creatures and everything around it, made them frozen.

The wind that came from the explosion blew towards them.

Though it didn't destroy all of them. The cries coming from the smoke decreased.

An opportunity for them to strike once again. The captain put down his bag and looked back, but before they can speak a word h was taken aback by the sight he viewed. The workers of the company were all mourning the death of the man they trust the most.

He faces them. "You. Are you just going to wail? Mr. Escarra sacrificed his life to give us this opportunity! Don't you dare waste this chance!"

Even with his solid loud voice, no one paid attention. The silence made him even angrier.

"Now that Mr. Escarra's gone, I'll be in the command! I order you all to stand up and fight!"

Hearing this the soldiers and the police hesitantly stood up. Except for the vice-captain beside him.

"Fight how exactly?" he mumbled. The captain looked at him. "The remaining enemies, are out of our reach. In order to hit them with explosions, we needed to go near them and if we did we'll hear their cries we'll lose our will to fight them. So how are we going to fight them exactly?"

His face darkened then he turned around. "We'll do what he did. If a businessman managed to do that knowing that he has a family waiting, I bet we can too!"

"So in the end we still need to die?"

A brief moment passed before he answered. "Exactly."

After hearing the captain's answer most of them just bowed their head or clenched their fist except for the vice-captain who murmured something. Captain Bautista turned his body back. He grabbed his collar and forced him to lift himself.

"What did you say?"

The man lifts up his head revealing his tearing eyes and distorted face.

"I said I don't want to! I don't want to cling to that false hope your fighting for!"

Bautista lift his fist and punched the vice captain's cheek.

He glared at him intensely.

"Even if it's false hope, we still need to fight for that little chance that it might turn into our salvation! It's stupid, I know it! But as soldiers, it's our duty to seek hope that will carve the path to freedom for our citizens! Even it means giving up our lives!"

The words he believed in spread towards all the people who heard him. They packed their bags and breathed deeply. Being determined as he is, he turned around once again to start for a sprint. But the vice-captain sat down once again.

"For our citizens you say? Don't give me that crap! How many soldiers died believing the same thing, even before! That they're heroes fighting for the people of this country!" He grits his teeth and looked the captain eye to eye. "If we did manage to fulfill our duty. Will these people you speak of, will these people we protected, and give our life with! Will they even bother to know our names!"

The shout reverberated in the place. Those words pushed out the determination that the soldiers barely muster up. Their body dropped, lost their strength to the reality that blew to them. Even the courage of the captain instantly disappears while he stares into space.

One leg is on the battlefield and the other is on the coffin, that is how we think of a soldier's life. They as well probably prepared themselves for that. Facing a hopeless situation some of them might just convince themselves that they're dying as heroes. But now after hearing the heartbreaking reality how can they recover themselves. Did any of these people whom they give their life with will recognize them? If so for how long? Week? Month? Year? People will forget them fast as they knew that their favorite singers had a new song, the actor they have a crush on has a new movie or there's a new epic game released. It's the price for the freedom and safety of the citizens they give their lives to.

Even they managed to wipe the creature here, what about those who were in other places. The dragons and undead spread in the whole world, will it be called a victory? The victory that will give them a better future but...

What's the point of fighting for a better future? If they're not there to witness it.

While they froze thinking, two black waves carrying an ominous aura, coming from the northwest direction of the building almost push them down. The wave disappeared from a distance.

"What is that?"

They looked in the direction where it originated.

"Isn't that the direction where the evacuation is!"

After realizing that, they moved in that direction. Captain Bautista tried to stop them but couldn't say anything. Just when they started sprinting another one made the ground shake and made them fall over.

The mysterious wave made them build many questions on their heads. While they're on the ground unable to get up yet. Neither of them knows that this serves as a sign that some of them won't be able to get up again.