"So I have been a Hunter for almost five years now. I was twelve when my Blood Seeker activated and since then my life has never been the same. When my parents and I returned here I immediately began to feel different when around Ashley."
"You sensed she was a supernatural being."
Ashley jerked her head to her left and saw Richard. He wore a loose white T-shirt, blue denim shorts and was barefooted. With his hands casually placed in his pockets, Richard came and stood next Ashley.
"How is Shira?" Ashley asked. Richard had once again visited Arzyria and, in earth time, he had been gone for about five days.
"Shira's fine," Richard replied. "But it seems we won't be seeing her for quite some time since her son Rona appeared to be ill when I left."
"Is it that serious?" Ashley asked. Imagining the cute little blue Arzyrian in an unhealthy state sent shivers down throughout her body.
"Arzyrians has been known to survive even worse ailments," Richard said. "I am sure he will be fine in no time. Anyway, please don't stop whatever it was you were doing on my account."
"Sara was just telling us about how she became a Hunter," Samantha said, flashing a bright smile at Richard. Everything might have been a lot to take in for Samantha but it seemed as though she was alright with Richard being Ashley's friend.
"And I missed out on such a grand tale?" Richard said. "Oh... hi Leah."
What Leah did surprised everyone. She ran to Richard and jumped right into his arms. Richard held her as if she weighed nothing and let her sit on his right shoulder.
"I missed, you Richy... you never visit," Leah whined.
"I promise to do so as soon as possible Leah," Richard answered.
"Hey, Richard," Robert said, his voice sounding more serious than usual. "On the day we first met... In the cafeteria... It seemed like you and Adrian had some history."
"Some very bad history," Luke added.
They spoke as though Richard wasn't a fifty-thousand-year old immortal who could easily reduce them to ashes in less than a second. Perhaps this was good, Ashley thought. She didn't want her friends to be afraid of her or Richard.
"Well you are right," Richard answered. "I am sure that Ashley has already told you about Ethan and what I had to do in order to defeat him and you probably already know that I didn't do it alone."
"The Hunters helped you right?" Claire asked.
Richard nodded.
"When I arrived in this town last year, Adrian's father, one of the seven Grandmasters, proposed that the Hunters and I should form alliance in order to defeat Ethan. We did and with our combined strength, Ethan was defeated. But Dominic, Adrian's uncle, had another agenda. He and some of the Hunters attacked me and threw me off the cliff were we ambushed Ethan. I assume you already know about my curse..."
"Oh, you mean how taking a bath would reduce you to cinders... sure, Ashley told us," Robert blurted out.
Richard chuckled and said, "The curse only applies to natural, untainted water... I do find baths, especially hot ones, quite relaxing. Anyway, when I fell into the water I felt the pain a human would feel if thrown in acid. I could feel my skin peeling off and my body burning. At that moment I didn't care about the consequences... I had finally vanquished my greatest enemy and I wasn't going to let myself get killed that easily. In order to survive, I had to call on the demon that resides within me."
"You used your Fire-Demon form," Ashley stated.
"I don't recall much of what happened. Except for Sara, who had tried to protect me before the Hunters threw me off that cliff, all the others were dead... I killed them... Including Adrian's..."
Sara rose to her feet, tears uncontrollably flowing out of her eyes.
She waved some signs with her hands.
Ashley's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. She first looked at Richard who looked like he was in just about as much pain as Sara.
"What did she say, Ashley?" Samantha asked.
"Sh-She um..." Ashley choked on her words. "She said 'no more secrets' and that Richard shouldn't protect her anymore. Richard may have killed some of the Hunters but he wasn't the one who killed Adrian's uncle... she did."
Luke and Robert stood up. Ashley remembered the pain Adrian and his family went through because of his uncle's death. Ashley didn't know him personally but there was once a time when the two had met and had a short conversation. It was some days before she had that accident. He had given her some nice advice about life and Ashley had immediately liked him.
"What are you talking about?!" Robert shouted. His eyes were bloodshot and veins had popped across his face.
"Calm down man," Luke said.
"Calm down! Don't any of you remember how torn apart Adrian was after his uncle died? His mother too... Sara, you were at his funeral. You hugged Adrian... Comforted him... You..."
Robert dashed at Sara. Before anything happened, Ashley had already caught Robert's arm. Sara didn't look like she would have defended herself. She was staring at the ground.
Robert was still trying to struggle out of Ashley's hands when Richard came towards him, looked him in the eye and said, "Calm down Robert."
Amazingly, Robert's breathing became softer and Ashley could feel his muscles relaxing. Samantha, Claire, Luke, Leah all just stared in astonishment. So this was the power of compulsion, Ashley thought. Richard had once told her that almost all dark creatures had this ability.
Ashley let go of Robert.
"Robert," Richard said. "Only Sara and I know this. It turned out that Adrian's uncle and the rest of the Hunters were compelled to kill me after we defeated Ethan. Maybe Ethan had got to them... But I know for a fact that Hunters cannot be compelled by even the strongest dark creatures. According to Sara, Dominic and some other Hunters began slaughtering their comrades. I have no excuse for the people I killed but it is a fact that Sara had no choice. If the Hunters were to find out what happened, they would immediately execute Sara."
"I kind of get that. So Ethan knew you would come for him with the dagger? Why then did he stay in this town?" Robert asked, in a relaxed and analyzing tone. "And what in the world did you just do to me?"
"I compelled you. There are several special herbs, elixirs, and charms that can protect you from compulsion but I am glad I didn't give them to all of you just yet."
Richard stared at everyone.
"If all this is too difficult to bear just say the word right now and will make sure you forget about everything relating to the world you now know..."
"Not a chance," Claire said.
"Life is way too boring as it is so what the heck... No," Luke uttered.
"I want to stay in this new supernatural world," Leah whined.
"I-I am so sorry Sara, for the way I acted," Robert said. "I still have a lot of questions but for now it seems Ashley trusts both you and Richard. That's enough for me."
"Count me in Richard," Samantha declared. "Wherever my best friend Ashley goes, I will go."
"Guys..." Ashley said, her lips trembling in excitement.
"Well if that's the case," Richard said. "I bring both good news and bad news."
"What's the bad news?" Claire asked.
"We only have three days to come up with a plan to stop Sebastian," Richard replied. "He hasn't made a move on us yet but still... I feel we need to be prepared and to that end... can everyone here except for Leah gather at my villa tonight? I believe that if we combine our power and wits we might figure out a way to stop Sebastian."
"If that's your definition of bad news I can't wait to hear the good news," Samantha said.
"The good news..." Richard turned to Luke. "Luke, as I was walking in town I saw your father."
Everyone was clearly caught off guard by that statement.
"What? Is there any reason why he shouldn't?" Luke said his face flooding with confused expressions.
"Luke, don't you remember what happened at the cafeteria?" Samantha asked.
"What incident?" Claire asked.
"Ashy, what's wrong with them?" little Leah asked.
Richard went and stood in front of Luke, his gaze fixed right into Luke's eyes.
"Hmmm... I see," Richard said.
"Could they all have been compelled?" Ashley asked. "Maybe Claudia did."
"Perhaps," Richard said. "But she couldn't have compelled the entire town along with them."
"What?"
"I talked to Luke's father, Ashley, and it seemed as though he had no memory of what happened. In fact, almost everyone I met in town didn't seem to remember what happened that day at the school cafeteria. I also decided to check in on the woman who had been stabbed that day but when I went to the hospital they told me that no patient with the injuries I described had ever been brought into that hospital."
"What the hell is going on?" Robert asked.
"That's what I would like to know," Richard answered. "I asked Claudia if she had maybe decided to compel the entire town but she told me that though she could, the Hunters in the town would have caught on to her and would have quickly identified her as a vampire. That wasn't a risk she was willing to take."
"So you mean... No one in the town remembers anything about the incident that occurred," Ashley said.
"I am not sure," Richard replied, scratching his chin. "In any case, this at least solves one of our problems."
"I only remember what Ashy told me about what happened in the cafeteria that day," Leah said.
"For a ten-year-old, your speech is admirable Leah," Richard commented. "However, I am sure we will get to the bottom of what's going on and why only some of you remember. But I think that you should tell your friends about it, Ashley."
"Our friends, Richard," Ashley replied, smiling. "They are your friends too you know."
"That's true," Claire said.
"I may not like you very much but you're alright," Robert added.
"I found you mysterious from the very first moment Ashley told me about you," Samantha said. "I actually didn't trust you very much in the beginning but after hearing about everything you did for the Ashley and the town... I am glad we know you, Richard."
"Granted you creep me out sometimes, but I believe that if you and Adrian can find a way to get along... Sebastian, Jacob or even Ethan himself can't stop you two," Luke said.
"You know I like you, Richy," Leah said, as Richard lowered her from his shoulder.
Ashley thought it adorable when Richard almost blushed. Whenever she put herself in his shoes she always had the same picture; one of pain, revenge, anger, hate, deception, and loneliness. But the smile she saw on Richard's face made her realize that no matter what; Richard had found himself lifelong friends... and she was one of them.
He was about to leave when Ashley secretly handed him a note. Richard read it and smiled.
"I am sure you will soon," he said.
Faster than even Ashley's eyes could follow Richard vanished from their sight.
"So what is it that you're supposed to tell us... something about a cafeteria and my father?" Luke asked.
Ashley sighed.
"Samantha," she said. "Would you mind doing the honors?"
"Not at all," Samantha replied, failing to hide her smile.
Ashley looked at the sun setting behind the ocean waters a distance away, casting glitters of light on the ocean waters. She then raised her head to the orange sky above her. Only three days she thought. In three days, Sebastian was going to use Prometheus' Orb to try and awaken Ethan. She stared at the ocean. Ethan was somewhere in there. Pocket dimension or not... Ethan was there.
Stacy was right; Ashley was the key to Ethan's awakening. An evil with enough power to destroy the world or even the realms... Could Ethan be the evil that I am going to awaken? Ashley thought. What if fate had already decided the outcome? What if all she was doing was futile? What if...
No... Even if she didn't believe in herself, Ashley had to believe in her friends. Besides, she already had a plan in case everything went wrong. If the time came when Ashley had to choose between her life and the survival of the realms, she already knew the decision she would make and...
"It isn't healthy to have such thoughts Ashy."
Ashley was startled by Leah's small voice. Leah held Ashley's hand tightly and Ashley could feel both their fingers shaking.
What was she thinking? She had made a promise... a promise to protect everyone. She lifted Leah in her arms and began to walk towards the rest of her friends.
"Leah," she whispered. "I promise... I am not going to give up... I will survive and so will everyone else."