Three days after the second round ended Gordon managed to heal all the candidate's injuries before they become fatal. Cj returned Max's brain and apologized. Fei left the island accompanied by Cj and Lethal Lady while Alisa locked herself inside her room.
Knock! Knock!
Alisa heard a knock on her door and assumed it was her father. She covered her ears with a pillow to block out the sound. The thought of speaking to Ronald gave her shivers. Day by day she learns new truths. The extent of her gift's abilities, Lisa's personality, the death of her mother, and other significant moments. To her, talking to Ronald means she is willing to lose all the memories that she regained.
"Alisa! Good job on making it this far. I have no doubt that you will win this decade's Dragon Hunt" said Ronald.
Even though her ears were covered Alisa could hear every word Ronald spoke. She stayed in bed pretending as if she was not inside the room. "Please just go," Alisa thought to herself. Her father continued to rant on beyond the door. His voice was soft and felt more sincere compared to previous visits. Even so, she was not very interested in what Ronald had to say. Alisa listened to her father's rambling about isolation and apology but none of it got through to her as his last two words did.
"Goodbye Alisa"
Right after those three words, she did not hear Ronald's voice anymore. He left her doorway saying goodbye. "Goodbye? This is the first time he said that since I stopped talking to him" Alisa said worriedly. She sprinted out of bed and opened the door hoping to see her father. She turned to her left then to her right but saw no one. Before she took a step out of her room she asked herself a question. "So much has been returned to me. Should I really risk losing it all?" she asked. She made up her mind and went back to bed. Being inside a small empty space made her feel at ease. It's what she has been in for most of her life.
Meanwhile, Ronald went inside the Private Room where King Almon, Saeryn, Miya, Gordon, and Malcolm were present. The only members of the Golden Circle left on the island were the ones who still had an interest in it. For most, once their candidate has been eliminated they leave the island in a foul mood. The king waved at Ronald and greeted "Good afternoon Ronald. Got any luck with your daughter yet?"
"No, still no dice" Ronald replied.
"I must say you are fortunate. Since she is treating you like this it should be easier for you to hand her over when the time comes. Am I right or wrong?" the king asked. Ronald slowly walked up to the old man and pulled the end of his beard. "Wrong, take my daughter's name off the Death List if you know what's good for you," said Ronald.
"Eh? Sorry, I can't hear you. Make sense with your words" replied King Almon.
Everyone suddenly stood up and surrounded Ronald with every intention to restrain him. Nothing is worth picking a fight with someone as powerful as King Almon. No one likes to admit it but out of everyone in the Golden Circle King Almon is the most powerful individual in every category there is. Power, Fame, Fortune, and above all the reliance of Dante. For generations Dante, The Dragon has loved the Almon family with all her heart. She will not sit idly by and let anyone harm the Almons in any way. Malcolm and Gordon forced Ronald to take a seat next to them.
"Relax Ronald, Think this through. Your wife made an agreement with us remember. Her wish is to help me achieve GOD. Are you willing to trample on her wish like that" said the king.
"Of course I am willing. If my daughter has to die for your dreams to become a reality then your dream will not be fulfilled" said Ronald.
Everyone looked at each other worriedly. Never would anyone expect to defy King Almon's dream. "Hehehe, I am with you, Ronald. That girl shouldn't die to please this old geezer's ambitions. The same goes for everyone who is on the Death List" said Malcolm. Gordon was confused about what was happening. He asked "What is the Death List? Why does Alisa Matar have to die?"
King Almon cleared his throat and answered "The Death List is a list I made five years ago. Centuries ago the first Eight Gift Users were known as The Xs. They were immensely powerful and even in our era where there are many gifts around their power are still superior. Legends say that the powers of the Eight Xs were Life Manipulation, Destruction, All Elements, Immortality, Psychic, Time Control, Light and Shadow, and last but not least Equip. These eight powers are a cut above the rest. They are in a different league compared to what the other gifts can do".
"Alisa Matar has the gift of Life Manipulation. She created a whole new spirit inside of her named Lisa. I knew about her since the day she was created and this Lisa even managed to harness a unique gift of her own, paralyzation" said the king.
"That is not the only thing she can do. From the reports I have read, she can give life to anything she wants. Extract souls out of humans and even see spirits inside and outside of people. She just needs time to be accustomed to her power. It is also very hard to kill her when a lot of life energy is in her surroundings" Miya added.
"If she is this powerful then why doesn't she use her power?" asked Gordon surprised.
The king pointed at Ronald. "Thanks to him Alisa forgot the full capabilities of her powers but no worries. When I get a hold of it I will use it properly compare to her" said the king.
"Scattered around the globe there are eight people who inherited the gift of the Xs. My father is after all of them. His end goal is to steal their powers then kill Dante" Miya blurted.
AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Miya screamed. Everyone in the room was shocked to see her sudden outburst. She held on to her chest tightly while breathing heavily. The king slapped Miya in the face angry with what she has said. "BITCH! Who gave you permission to say all of that? Are you trying to rebel against me?" he shouted. Ronald went on his feet and clung to his fists. "That is not how you should treat your child Almon," he said. "It's King Almon to you" replied the king.
Gordon held his head nodded depressingly. "This is crazy. I had no idea King Almon was hatching such a scheme. May I have a look at the Death List?" he asked. Ronald walked past the king and wrote down some names for Gordon to read.
"Lethal Lady with Equip, Alisa Matar with Life Manipulation, Cj Coley with Destruction, Victor Cruez with Elements, Miya Almon with Immortality and Immunity, Doro with Psychic Powers" Gordon readout.
"There are only six here," said Gordon.
"That's because we only found six so far" replied Ronald.
"Make your decision now Ronald. Are you giving up your daughter peacefully or will I have to take her?" the king asked upsettingly. Ronald head-butted the king without hesitation. "Eat it, piece of shit!" the man shouted. He looked over at Miya and Malcolm and asked "Which side are you on? You are aware that if he achieves his goal he will be untouchable right?".
"Sorry, I really wish I could help especially since I am on the Death List but I can't. If I defy my father to such a degree then I would die on the spot" said Miya.
"Count me in Ronald. This old geezer has his screws loose. I won't let Alisa die. She helped my prodigy regain possession of his body. I can't thank her enough" said Malcolm. "Yeah, this shit is insane. This old man should go retire. I'm in too" said Gordon. King Almon laughed at his colleagues' sudden defiance towards him. "So what now, going to kill me here?" the old man laughed.
Malcolm snapped his fingers and the whole surrounding changed. Before they were in a luxurious room but now they are suddenly in the middle of a dessert. Malcolm pulled out his whip while Ronald took out his gun. Gordon stood behind them since he has no fighting ability to speak of. Some might think that beating up an old man such as King Almon is an easy task but they would be sorely mistaken. For this man has the most despicable gift of them all. A power that explains his age perfectly. Where will the King strike? Left? Right? Nobody knows for sure and there is a possibility that they will never find out.
Snap!
Malcolm The Miracle Worker, at the age of 16 his father entrusted him with the responsibility of the country Guineve that experienced heavy drought. Thousands of citizens died because of the drought. They either die of dehydration or are murdered over scarce water. It all stopped when Malcolm snapped his fingers. Rain fell continuously for days rescuing millions of people from thirst. At the age of 23, he stepped down as the ruler of Guineve and made his country a republic for the people. At age 25 he performed another miracle by snapping his fingers. A volcano was ready to erupt and destroy an entire city in Guineve but it never happened. It was then Malcolm gained the title Miracle Worker.
Malcolm snapped his fingers intending on trapping the old man in a pit. No pit appeared and even a sandstorm suddenly whipped up. It caused everyone to close their eyes for a brief moment which gave the king all the time he needed to grab a hold of Gordon. Gordon tried to escape from King Almon's grip but it was too tight. He buried Gordon's face in the sand in hope of suffocating him.
POW!
A bullet pierced the king's left shoulder. Ronald did not hesitate to shoot. He pulled the trigger once more in the old man's knee. Being shot twice in a row would cause anybody to scream in agony, pain, and sorrow but not the King. He stood up and dusted himself off. "Ronald, you and I both know that bullets are useless in this fight. It won't hurt none of you guys much less me" said King Almon.
POW! POW!
Ronald shot two more times but none of them landed. The sand in the air disrupted his aim and missed. While Ronald was shooting King Almon, Malcolm kept on snapping his fingers wondering why his miracles are not working. "Make The King Trip," said Malcolm.
Snap!
King Almon smiled and jumped up in the air in response to Malcolm's gift. "Your miracles are pointless if they directed to me," said the king. "Hmm, this is the first. I miracles always work" Malcolm thought upsettingly. He changed his target from Ronald to Gordon. "Gordon, GO FLY!" shouted Malcolm.
Snap!
Malcolm's miracle became a reality. Gordon took the skies flying faster than any bird could. "Nice! What else can I get?" asked Gordon curiously. "Gordon, SHOOT ENERGY BEAMS"
"LASER DRILLS TOO I GUESS" Malcolm added.
"RONALD, move fast as FEI FONG," said Malcolm.
After making four miracles in a row Malcolm could not help but fall on his knees. Making a miracle takes a heavy toll on his brain. At this moment the only thing that is on Malcolm's mind is a long nap. Gordon flew above King Almon and pointed his index finger towards him. A bright red light showed itself at the tip of his finger until it formed a condensed ball. He fired the laser aiming at the king's head. His body may be immune to bullets but an energy beam that continuously drills whatever it comes in contact with would deal damage. He fired the beam so fast King Almon could not dodge even if he wanted to. The energy beamed drilled the old man's forehead but it was not piercing his skin. Gordon fired two more energy beams. One hit his neck while the other hit his chest. The three beams were drilling but that's about it.
With one deep inhale, the king shook off the energy beams that were tickling him. "Hahahahaha, poor Malcolm, you just wasted so much of your mental strength for nothing. Gifts don't affect me, no matter what they are. You should have reached that conclusion the instant you saw that your miracles did not work when directed to me" said the king amused. Ronald used his advanced speed and circled around King Almon. He made the sandstorm even worse by kicking more sand in the air.
The king rubbed his eyes and that is when Ronald struck. He swung his fist at the king's skull but got blocked. Almon held Ronald's hand and pulled him in closer. The two kicked each other away but Ronald grabbed on to the old man's beard. He pulled it as hard as he could.
"OW! OW!" King Almon cried. It was the closest thing Ronald did to damage since he got here. Ronald kicked sand in his eyes and swept his feet from off the ground. Almon fell harshly on his head and received a barrage of punches. After that Ronald used threw the old man up in the air. Gordon caught him and flew around in circles.
"Hey now, this is not fair. I am scared of heights" said King Almon.
BOOOOOOM!
Gordon swung him on the ground harshly. Gifts were not effective but enhanced physical blows did some injuries. The king stood up as if he merely fell on his face. "That girl's name is Lisa. She sure is durable, isn't she? I have a feeling that I am at least five times more durable than her" he complimented himself.
"By the way Ronald, that speed of yours will be useless next time we cross blows," said King Almon.
Snap!
"MAKE ME FEEL BETTER," Malcolm said exhaustedly. His miracle caused his mind to feel more relaxed and refreshed than a second ago. Snap! "MAKE THE SANDSTORM DISAPPEAR" he added. Just like that, the sandstorm disappeared for all to see clearly. Ronald ran up to Malcolm and whispered in his ears. "If it turns out that we can't kill him I trust you know what to do," he said softly.
"No, what should I do?" asked Malcolm.
"Remember the time you called upon the meteorite during the last Dragon Hunt? King Almon was scared shitless despite the fact he can nullify gifts. He most certainly wasn't acting that day" said Ronald. Their conversation was cut short. King Almon jabbed Ronald in his right eye with his middle finger. His eyes were crushed beyond recognition. "Ahahaha, you have more similarity to your daughter now" laughed the king. Gordon took Almon to the skies.
"No, put me down. I am scared of heights" said the king unconvincingly. Gordon tossed him to Malcolm and fired two energy beams. Malcolm snapped his fingers then caught the attacks fired with his bare hands. He stabbed King Almon with the energy taking the form of a stick. "I am tired to say the exact same thing. I have enough of you guys. Time to end this stupid fight" sighed the king.
"Keep talking," said Ronald. He elbowed the King in his other eye then held onto his collar. Gordon flew down and kicked Almon's knee to the back, breaking them while Ronald head-butted him.
"AAAAAAAH!"
They tossed him in the sand after that. Gordon used his original gift and restored Ronald and Malcolm to a healthy state. They stared at the king for over a minute waiting for him to open his eyes. Gordon flew closer to him and poked the old man all over his body for a reaction. He even checked his pulse and heartbeat. "Doesn't look like he is alive anymore" said Gordon.
Ronald and Malcolm sighed in relief. "This is a start. Now all I need to do is write a letter to my daughter about everything. After that I'll leave her to live a free life" said Ronald happily. Malcolm asked, "Can she live with me? I'd love to take care of her in your stead".
"Hell No!, She is old enough to live on her own," said Ronald.
"You trust her enough to be on her own at her age. Last time I check her social skills are lacking" reminded Gordon. Suddenly Ronald wants to keep Alisa in his arms for a while longer. "Can't believe King Almon wanted the gifts of Eight Xs. Imagine if he got all eight of them plus his nullification of gifts. He would be unbeatable" said Malcolm. He snapped his fingers and brought everyone back to the Private Room in Apsychos Island. They left King Almon there in the middle of the scorching desert to rot.
No one was inside the room when they arrived so they sat down and took a breather. Ronald immediately went for a book and a pen to start writing his story for his daughter. "I made a grave mistake. I wish I could fix it but it is too late. I am sorry Alisa. I can't blame you for your actions towards me. You must be so scared" he thought to himself while writing. Gordon and Malcolm helped him along the way while Ronald wrote his story. How Alisa was born? How her gift was discovered? How did her mother really die? Lisa's true personality and lastly the reason for isolation. "Writing you this probably won't fix anything. I wouldn't mind if you felt sorry for me and talk to me again but I would be fine if you don't too. I love you girl" Ronald laughed. Suddenly the lights went off inside the room without warning.
"Huh? What happened to the lights?" Malcolm asked.
"Strange, this never happened before. Definitely, someone's handy work" said Gordon.
CLINK!
The lights went back the instant they heard the sound of something breaking. Ronald saw a glass cup shattered on the floor beside him. "How did this break?" he wondered.
"NO!" Gordon shouted shockingly. Ronald turned around to see what Gordon was shouting at. The two looked at a lifeless corpse on the couch. Malcolm's throat was slit open and his right eye was gouged out. His mouth was filled with cloth. "Who killed him? And so quick" said Gordon surprised. Ronald quickly closed his book and hit the emergency button inside the room. The button was meant to alert all members of the Golden Circle of trouble. When Ronald pressed the button nothing happened. It did not light up like it was supposed to. It made Ronald confused. "Someone is up to something," said Gordon. The lights went off once again. Gordon and Ronald quickly touched each other's shoulders to avoid what happened to Malcolm.
"I am so sorry Malcolm. You didn't deserve this" said Ronald.
When the lights came back on Gordon's hand was on Ronald's shoulder. The rest of his body was on the floor bleeding from getting stabbed by three knives in the head. "How? Show yourself whoever you are" said Ronald eager to avenge his friends. The door opened with an old man entering. "You three actually killed my double. I am impressed" said the old man. To Ronald's surprise, it was King Almon in the flesh.
"Double? What we fought in the dessert was a fake" said Ronald.
"Yep, A member of Black Eyes possesses the gift to make perfect copies. The copy can communicate with me telepathically and he had all my strengths and weaknesses. He was quite useful today. The funny thing is I can simply ask for another double tomorrow" said the king.
"Like hell, you won't see tomorrow," Ronald said charging at the old man.
Before Ronald laid a hand on the King he was stopped in his tracks. Someone was holding him but he could not see who it was. "You may show yourself Joy," said the king. A middle-aged man dressed in white showed himself out of thin air. "This man has the gift to turn invisible. My favorite assassin out of the lot" said the king. Joy wasted no time and slit Ronald's throat. He pushed him on the floor and stabbed Ronald twice in the chest.
"Your time has come. Goodbye sir" said, Joy.
"Hmm, so this is it. I was prepared to die today but not this way. Here I was starting to think that Alisa will have a free and happy life. Why is the world so cruel?"