Chereads / The Temhos / Chapter 16 - The book of lost mages, the training grounds of seven saints

Chapter 16 - The book of lost mages, the training grounds of seven saints

A few days went by, the King Brothers continued their days while testing their new powers and strugglingly keeping their daily lives in order. Nathaniel kept accepting freelancing gigs and completing them one after another while trying to figure out a way to contact Guthullu or Father Alonso and convince them to return home after each training session.

Meanwhile Daniel was fully focused on the P-12 project. He was so distracted by the day to day normal life that he totally forgot about the training he and his brother had to go through. Subconsciously, however, Daniel was both terrified and kind of relieved that they would train and become acquainted with the beast. He had been avoiding its powers ever since they turned into harbingers though to his deep, irrational fear of what he could do, especially to the people he loved. Would he be able to control his emotions and stop himself from harming or worse…killing innocent people? These were the many questions that ruminated in his mind all the time.

Every time he interacted with someone he slightly cared about; he had trouble controlling his irrational urges of wanting to tear their necks out. He grew more paranoid by the minute as the negative thoughts would begin to fully invade his mind and cloud his judgment and his abilities to control his emotions.

He stood in the hallway of his flat, fidgeting nervously while hiding his hands from Lea who was watching TV. She gazed upon him with a smile but was faced with a cold reaction from Daniel. He strolled to his study room and carefully closed the door. He slowly sat on his study desk and began searching the draws for a specific notebook, "Eureka!"

He rubbed off the dust from its cover and stared at it for a while, "It has been quite a while----Oh father, you old fool, you thought making us journal so you could read and know our every move was the most brilliant idea since sliced bread. We used to do it so very well, Nate and I, once upon a time---I guess over time, we both somehow gave up on it since recounting the frustrating events happing on a day-to-day life of the average adult is quite pointless not to mention ambitious ones, at least, I hope I can be counted as one." He mumbled to himself and opened the notebook.

 Entry #66

November 12, 2022

Ever since the night it happened, I have a lot of trouble sleeping. I switch places after midnight out of the dreadful fear of hurting Lea after falling prey to the dream world, only God knows what this deity is capable of and I for one better not find out.

And when I do fall asleep, nevertheless, I see memories of the past, vividly reflected, a bit alternated but clear as the skies on a sunny day in Hawaii. Not pleasant memories I may add for I usually wake up within twenty minutes, covered in cold sweat, cursing myself and the being living in my soul for torturing me day and night.

I wish that was the end of my troubles, but it gets worst whenever I am interacting with any woman I slightly care about. At work I cannot help but to constantly stare at Rafaela's neck, watching her artery pump blood; my hands shake, and I constantly check my canine teeth with my tongue making sure the fangs have not grown---and that fool Alonso said that the drinking blood part was a myth created by the vampire stories.

 I grow more paranoid by each passing minutes as I fail to control my own negative emotions and impulses. I fear I might lose or---even hurt my loved ones as I pray for the cursed covenant to take us away and train us in the ways of discipline and control….

 

Friday 13, Nathaniel rose up from his seat and took a look at the calendar with a sense of relief, "Soon I shall master this powers and learn how to handle more.." he said looking at the Dark essence dancing around the palm of his hand, "And maybe collaborate with that wierdo and find out more about Katherine…" he took out his phone and gazed upon the picture, she seemed so familiar yet so distant.

If only I can manage to come back home after each training session, I could figure out everything on my own. Having a strong gut feeling, he began packing a small suitcase, hoping the covenant would take them away for the weekend.

Onn the other side of the city, Daniel lingered on the sofa in the living-room staring deep our the window while Lea packed her suitcase in the bedroom. He stayed away from her way most of the time fearing he would do something to hurt her but she kept making loud noises, clearly annoyed at Daniel's constant ignorance.

He rose up and leaned against the doorway to their bedroom, gazing at her packing her things, mumbling something angrily to herself, "Do you need any help, sweetheart?"

 "No!" she said coldly avoiding eye contact. He turned his back and strolled back to the living room, "Really? That's it? You sleep on the couch, acting all shady and cold the whole time I'm home without a single explanation why and this is how you try to reciprocate?!" she strode behind him slapping his shoulder, Daniel in turn carefully turn around and faced her.

"What is wrong with you? Did I do something? Is it the new job?" she said in a panicky tone, desperately trying to fix things.

 "No, of course not! I—I just don't feel very well as of late. I'm probably sick." He said looking to the floor, "Well then go to a doctor! Aren't you supposed to leave for that workshop this weekend? How convenient I may add, the weekend, the only days he gets to spend with his girl and now he has to go to a workshop!" she said sounding mad almost sobbing.

"Baby!" he said holding her face, "I promise you there is nothing wrong with you or our relationship, it's just that I am under severe pressure from work and it has deteriorated my mental health quite a bit."

"Oh, so much that you have to sleep alone on the couch?! I tried to understand you and the sheer pressure you are going through but this---this is too much! I can't take it Daniel! You can't be in a serious relationship with me and your job at the same time!"

"I know! And I am trying to balance things out. I simply need to adjust to the new situation and the monumental amount of task at hand. Once I got the hang of it, it will be a piece of cake. You know me baby!" He held her face tight and kissed her lips passionately, "You know I can do this. We have been through worst my love!" he held her face close to his and shut his eyes.

"Ok, I get it. I'll give you time to manage this but please Schatz! Please pull yourself together! I cannot stand this current energy between us. It's like we are total strangers living under the same roof! Do you know how much I cried last night on my pillow when I realized you were gone again?" she said slowly sobbing. It made him very mad and concerned, "Damn Nathaniel and his cursed obsession!" he growled and held her tight in his arms---her neck vulnerable to his teeth.

The veins under his eyes turned red and began pumping, Daniel's heart raised, he could feel his iris was switching color too but before it was to change him, he took a deep breath and concentrated on his feelings and the current situation he was in. Come on Daniel! You are stronger than this, you can do it!

The veins were relaxed, and his iris regained its natural color as he grabbed Lea's face and kissed her again, passionately caressing her back with one hand while playing with her hair with another, "I promise you I will get things in order, you hear me!" he looked deep into her pale gray eyes, she nodded smiling shyly looking to her feet.

"So, will you be coming back home every evening? I will be back next Thursday!"

 "I still don't know baby. I would love to come home and spend time with you---God knows how lonely the evenings are without you…we'll see." His eyes narrowed for a while, "You know, I am taking Nathaniel to this workshop with me!" he said hesitantly, not sure if he was doing the right thing.

"Really!!" she jumped up excitingly like a little girl, "Yes, sadly I---I promised him to take him on this little journey with me, the little chap could learn a thing or two." He said chuckling, "He will most definitely make me regret this though but what choice do I have, he is, after all, my big brother!" he held her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

After their reconciliation and sending Lea off to her parents for the weekend, his phone rang, and he had a gut feeling whose name was going to pop up. The name Big G showed up on his screen, he let out an exasperated huff and answered the phone, "Is it time yet?"

"Damn right, you bet your ass it is! So come out side----in 5 minutes and play!"

"My God, you couldn't have sounded creepier than that. Alright got the message loud and clear, captain! Be there in five."

He grabbed his backpack, filled it up with nothing but a couple of books, a few pairs of underwear and socks. They probably got the rest covered; he thought walking dispassionately down the hallway of his apartment building not knowing what to expect next but to find relief from the endless fears of killing an innocent soul or worst, a loved one.

As he expected, a black, not so creepy van stood right in front of his building, the doors to it wide open, the driver wore a black tuxedo out of all things. He carelessly sat in the van and wondered around, Nathaniel was nowhere to be found nor was there any sign of Guthullu, but he was too exhausted and tired from keeping the Temhos under control and from the constant nightmares it caused to care about his absence.

Without exchanging a word with the driver, the van drove away some fifty kilometers outside of Vienna, to the beautiful countryside that only got prettier the further they drove, but Daniel's expression was numb. He was so very tired and unmotivated to notice and care about sight and view. He simply wanted to learn how to get this thing inside of him under control and get his regular life in order.

The van stopped at the outer boarders of a small village outside a stony wall. The place inside looked to be a manor of sorts, the Austrian flag on top its gates, "Fantastic, they got the Austrian government involved too?!" he muttered and looked deep inside the front yard; there was another black van parked right in front of the manor house and there stood no one other than Nathaniel and Guthullu. Nathaniel's eyebrows were frowned, that could only mean one of two things, either he was very angry, or he was determined, and Daniel had the gut feeling he was about to find out which.

He got out of the van and exchanged a look with his brother who said nothing to him, "And he is determined…who could have figured that out." He muttered and stood side by side him. What where they all waiting for? he wondered, facing the manor house's main door, studying it's many features. The building seemed old, almost four hundred years old but well maintained, it screamed royalty. At the very top of its main entrance stood the coat of arm which appeared to be the Austrian flag again.

 In the midst of his sightseeing, Father Alonso barged out with a group of people with his hands wide opened. Nathaniel hugged him uncomfortably while Daniel gave him a dispassionate hug only to not appear rude, he was in no humor for human contact.

"My boys, it is so good to see you again! I am happy you came to our training grounds. Here you will be spending the next two weeks and hopefully master the Temhos. To some um—extend because few in the history of man have really mastered it!" he quickly gazed upon the people behind him and said in a hurry, "But where are my manners, here are your trainers! Some of the best the covenant has. They have been through many challenges, and I am sure they will make great harbingers out of you!" he said almost out of breath in his heavy Italian accent.

The trainers greeted the brothers and walked back inside, leaving Guthullu and Father Alonso alone to talk to them. Nathaniel looked around curiously and noticed a couple of kettles in the very back and jokingly commented, "Well, didn't know we were coming to the countryside for a full on Austrian farm-life experience, where the bulls at? I could ride one to start with!" he said to Guthullu sarcastically in a disappointing tone of voice.

"Laugh all you want, kid. This Great manor once belonged to the house of Babenberg, Austrian royalty; their coat of arms inspired the current Austrian flag, you know!" he looked upon the coat of arms hanging atop the manor house with a grin and continued, "Their descendants were kind enough to donate this piece of land to the covenant for the many collaborations the two of our houses have had over the centuries." He Said with pride, holding his head high.

"We are not going to sleep here too, right? I really want to go back to Vienna by the end of the day and have some me time." Said Nathaniel very casually as to not raise any suspicions.

"Even though the manor house is more than capable of hosting you two, we decided to trust you and send you home after each training session. However, be warned, you are not allowed to leave these grounds before your training is over or go to restricted areas. This place might look classic and old but we have surveillance cameras and other technological gadgets designed specifically for watching and catching you at any given moment so don't go all smart-ass on me!" Said Guthullu in a father-like tone changing focus between the two.

"So how exactly are you two geniuses going to train us on a farm house? I mean, I know it is big and all but it still doesn't look doable to me----or to anyone for that matter."

"Watch your tone with your masters, boy! Not only are we your senior but we are also your mentors, and such rude tonality will not be tolerated on these grounds." He pointed his index finger on Nathaniel's face cautioning him like a first-grade teacher giving his last warning.

He took a few steps back and pretended to be scared, "Alright, my most humble of apologies, Master!" he said in a British accent. It rose a bit of suspicion from Alonso who quickly controlled his facial expression, the way he pronounced master seemed unique and familiar.

Guthullu cleared his throat, held his hands behind his waist and continued in an authoritative tone, "These buildings are not exactly all this estate holds within it. We managed to build facilities underneath this manor where you will be able to train and acquaint yourselves with the Temhos at once. It is a whole new world down there, in spite of that, stay away from the restricted areas," his eyes narrowed and he frowned, "I am not joking around and I have the tools to prove it." he pulled out a silver cross from his sleeve bending the brothers to their knees from the severe headache they experienced.

"I believe that is enough, my friend. Now they know how bad the punishment will be." Said Alonso with a smile.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Nathaniel got up and clutched his fist, he was fuming with rage, ready to tackle his two mentors but before he was to react, he closed his eyes, clutching his hands even harder, took a deep breath and opened his eyes to see his brother's reaction.

Daniel simply stood there, lost and without a concern about the little incident but eager to learn, "So, where do we begin?"

"But of course, finally!" Guthullu trudged right beside him, put his hand on his shoulder with a smile and continued, "Firstly, you will be trained to control your urges such as killing, especially the killing of the innocents. Then you will be put through a different courses and simulation machines to empower your abilities and become familiar with the many powers the Temhos has to offer you."

"For instance, did you guys know that with practice you can get inside people's mind and control what they are thinking?" said Guthullu changing focus from one brother to the other. Daniel could not believe this, neither could Nathaniel as a huge grin appeared on his face, "See, already making progress. The Temhos is a great source of power; imagine it as if it was a progressive video game; the more you play the more powers you unlock, however, be warned!" the smile from his face vanished, replaced with a yet another authoritative look and tone, "With more power comes more responsibilities."

"Oh God, now he sounds like marvel's Nick Fury warning one of those dumb superheroes…" Whispered Nathaniel from the corners of his mouth to his brother.

Father Alonso led the Kings inside the manor house and showed them around every room. It didn't seem like a place suited for training, just a very old manor with countless painted portraits hanging on the walls, statues and expensive trinkets atop pedestals. Nothing but the smell of old wood and the creaking of the floor below them. Nathaniel constantly yawned while Daniel entertained himself with the portraits Googling the Babenbergs.

At the end of a hallway, Guthullu opened a door which led to the wine cellar, horrific flashbacks hit Nathaniel and he froze in his place, unable to take another step. Everyone turned around and wondered why he stopped, among them only Daniel knew why and so he quickly found the light switch and turned it on, "That will do the trick! Childhood trauma triggered…" he whispered to Alonso, making sure his brother didn't hear them.

They walked down the cellar and noticed a metal door that seemed the one leading to an elevator, "No shit!" said Nathaniel in amazement, his fear had vanished, and he was himself again, "Wait until you see the real deal! This is literally the tip of the iceberg." Guthullu summoned the elevator, and they all got in.

 Alonso turned to the brothers and said nervously, "Guthullu and I have put together a plan—a very good strategy that will only take two weeks. It is not enough but it will prepare you to get started." The doors opened and the walked out slowly.

The ground floors seemed so very modern and clean, the tiles on the floor and the walls shine so ever white as if they were cleansed by the hours. Guthullu was right, they thought to themselves, it was a whole new world for them to explore and train down there. "You ask me it looks like a secret government laboratory for high level, confidential experimentations!" Daniel whispered, "Oh you don't say, what do you think we are then? We are the experiment…the lab rats of this little story." Nathaniel whispered staring at the people who rushed to different rooms closing down the shutters, refusing to look them in the face, "Oh, and we are the monsters of the story too…so many wins already!" he got shushed by Guthullu.

"You keep yapping your mouth like that and I will put you in the disciplinary chambers for hours with this little artifact of mine to keep you good company, your screams shall be legendary, boy!" he warned impatiently.

"It's ok, dear. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask and we will answer. So let me be clear about one thing. As you can see here is the ground floor which we also call the covenant's laboratory. Here we research new technology both for our headquarters and for our new people. Our recruits and scientists have been very busy since we told them of your transformation and the day that we had to bring you here for your training so they have come up with some of the most er--technological advancement to help you train in a more real way through emm--stimulation." he said with a tight smile while continuously walking through the hallways, how long did they have to walk, they thought until Guthullu stopped at a doorway that seemed bigger than the others and opened it.

"Which leads us to your first exercise with Miss Dormer. She will teach you all about the stimulation machine A4HJO209, how are you?"

"Very good, how about you Mr. Weber? I am happy to take in these fellas for their first exercise." She briefly hugged Guthullu and turned her attention to the Kings, "Hey guys, remember me, Daniela? It's nice to see you again and in one peace!" she said calmly with a genuine smile shaking their hands.

They awkwardly shook her hand and gave a hesitant look to one another, "Oh this brings back so many fond memories..." Nathaniel said with a clear fake smile.

"Let us leave the past in the past brother and get this training stuff on its way." Daniel whispered to him with a tight smile facing Daniela.

After their awkward reintroductions the two were led deeper into this hall and were presented with the stimulation machine. They were taught how to use the many tools and equipment that the machine offered. Shortly after, Daniela brought in more equipment from the back, they seemed very heavy, but she managed to carry them all to their feet, "Now, please pick them up and I will help you to put them on. Start with the helmets."

"Freakingtastic, as if all that long, boring explanation about the machine itself was not enough, now this! Are you guys turning us into the next Ironman or we going to time travel?!" Nathaniel said sarcastically mocking her and the whole process.

Guthullu clutched his fist and was about to react but Alonso stopped him, "Now, let us leave them and let the train. Daniela will be one of your main trainers so nice to her!" he said in his heavy Italian accent and walked Guthullu out of the halls, "We have other matters to attend to but we will be back," he said strolling out.

With Daniela's help, they put on the equipment and began to dive into the stimulated scenario. In it, they had to control their many urges, including extreme angry cases in which they had to keep the stimulated people at the scenario intact and alive.

The first scenario took place inside a bar and everyone at it was looking for a fight. As the two walked in, they felt the angry energy in the air and all of a sudden, with the many wires strapped to them, they felt severe anger within themselves, when all of a sudden one guy took his beer bottle and smashed it against Nathaniel's head. He could feel the pain and with it the anger rising. He turned around, his eyes had already turned red and veins underneath them bumped black. He ripped the guy's heart out in a heartbeat and made the stimulation machine mark the mission as failed bringing them back to the hall with Daniela.

"Well done, Nathaniel. Killing a guy right off the bat; that is exactly how you pass this scenario!" Daniel said disappointingly taking off the helmet.

"You were right behind me, what was I supposed to do? Stare back with a smile and thank him? Besides it's not like he was real or anything."

"Omg, you have reached a new level of stupidity. The whole point of this exercise is to control your anger and leave the people alive." He yelled in a frustrating tone, shaking his head.

"Boys! Boys!!! It's ok. This was simply your first try no need to be so harsh on one another. Now let me reset the same scenario and try again." Said Daniela very tenderly with a broad smile on her face.

They continued to practice a couple of more times and eventually the two managed to control their anger and didn't kill anyone during the next set of scenarios. Their mission was marked successful three times in a row. Daniela nodded amusingly and took them to another room with a different stimulation machine and they all began training once again.

 

The exercises were hard and exhausting; they knew the first couple of days were never easy but this level of hardship? It was just too much even for them to take and to make matters worse, Daniela did not offer them any breaks but kept moving them from one stimulation machine to another, "Come on boys, one more before lunch!" she said strictly pushing them to another room.

 Daniel was exhausted but very impressed with the technological advancement the covenant had in hand. It put a reassurance in his heart that everything was going to be ok and that he would be able to master his emotions and abilities and with that keep the Temhos under control.

As the hours went by, the practice and countless exercises continued which made Nathaniel fume with rage, taking his helmet off and yelling, "I am starving, you said one more exercise before lunch!" he looked at his watch, "It has been 2 hours! I can't go on like this on an empty stomach!"

Daniela too looked at her watch, nodded with a grin and calmly said, "You are so very absolutely right, Nathaniel! You may take off your equipment and head the locker's room to take a quick shower, I shall notify are cooks to make a nutritious food for you!" Without saying a word while exchanging a quick glance at one another they rushed to the locker room.

Nathaniel sat on the benches, towel on his waste, staring deep into the white tiles of the lockers room uneasily. Daniel passed by him, he too was exhausted, his stomach made a noise and he held on to his belly. "Oh, don't you look so down brother, after all you signed up for this, remember?"

Nathaniel huffed and looked back at him frowned and said, "You need to be more creative, Dan. Your little jokes become less funny the more you use them on the same person!"

"Whatever you say, brother!" he sat next to him and contemplated the situation, "In all seriousness though, lift up your chin and stop being such a downer. You knew damn well there were going to be ups and downs in our journey and this---this here is just a little bump, Nate!"

He sighed, his focus on the tiles on the floor and said in a sad tone, "I know, I know! It is not entirely about the hardship but---the emptiness I felt before has returned. I thought, maybe just maybe I could fill it with the Temhos living within my soul but---sadly it is still there…like a black hole, there is nothing that can fill it up."

"You need love in your life. I have said this like a million times, you need to date a good girl, get serious with her and settle down, now that will get things in order for your two lives, the harbinger and the freelancer."

"Not sure about that….." Daniela walked in the lockers room.

 "WOAH! Easy there lady! I am half naked here!" Screamed Daniel holding on to the towel around his hips.

 "Sorry, but since you ladies were not willing to come out on your own, I had to improvise and come in. Your food is ready! You may also go back to Vienna when you are done."

 

**************

 

Nathaniel entered his flat; turned on the lights and looked around his surrounding with utter disappointment. As much as he wished and deeply desired…there was no one there waiting for him—just an empty flat full of empty gin bottles and books which were left half open with different dog ears attached to them. The flat was, for the first time in a long time, a total mess and it was simply the first day of his training. "Maybe Daniel is---somewhat right and I do need a woman in my life." He said somewhat sarcastically to himself, grabbed a huge black plastic bag and began gathering all the garbage left in the room.

Getting rid of the garbage and cleaning the danger zone, he sat at the edge of his bed huffed and miserably thought about his deranged emotions and the Temhos.

In order to have a decent woman in my life I need to get this Temhos business in order. I have to first get my shit together…the training seem good and effective but---somehow I think I can do a better job. He stared at his reflection, biting his lips and winked. "I just love being the local, Italian stud," he smirked and grabbed a cold gin bottle from the fridge. He managed to borrow a book from Daniela about the Temhos, their daily assignment as she put it, and so with the gin bottle in hand, he began drinking and studying.

 Drowned deep into the pages, his phone rang none-stop. It was a private number. He took a look at a clock---it was 10 p.m. "Damn bastard is two hours late! And he is ruining the drunken mood…these people have a love of disturbing my peace and quiet somehow." He said out loud annoying rising from his seat, "What?!"

"My most humble apologies for the delay Master but there were some uncontrollable circumstances that had to be taken care of." Said the trembling voice nervously.

"Couldn't care less about your problem! You promise me something you come through with it, capito?!" Nathaniel shouted angrily.

The mystery guy laughed nervously and continued, "Yes, yes Master I promise it won't happen again. Nevertheless, and as promised, I am in Vienna now and I will be staying for a few days so no need to rush anything."

"I wasn't going to rush anyways. I am not even sure if I can trust you, shady guy! What's your name….let me check it with Father Alonso."

"Oh heavens no please. If he even slightly suspects that we are in contact, he will punish both of us severely as the members of the covenant are not allowed to privately stay in touch with the harbingers unless they were assigned to do so. As a gesture of good will, I will send you several more pictures of your dear sister Katherine….these were taken by the spies of the covenant for later uses of manipulating you." Said the mystery guy as Nathaniel received several pictures. "This is the same girl---but---how do I know you are telling the truth?! This could be anyone!"

"No need to test me. I am telling the truth and nothing but the truth and regarding the genuineness of the pictures you can check for the covenant's watermark. I am sure that members of the covenant have told you of their seals and other symbol. I am also certain that Guthullu has boasted the fact that no one is able to copy their seals endlessly."

"Oh yeah, I see it big and clear. Anyhow, that is not enough; I need more information about my sister." He stared deep into the pictures driving a hard bargain.

"I will meet you and give you a case full of information regarding your dear sister, Master; however, I have a small favor to ask."

"Of course you do!" he let out an exasperated huff, "You told me you are doing this simply to get back at Father Alonso and now you need a freaking favor from me?!?"

"The following will benefit the two of us so it is a win; win situation, Master!"

"Fine, make it quick! I'll hear you out and…eventually decide if I will do you the favor or not…"

"Very well then, I'll make this quick. I simply need a book from the very depth of the covenants restricted area---zone-0. It is called the book of the lost mages. To the covenant it isn't much but…to me it has some personal meaning."

"How will this benefit me again?!" replied Nathaniel carelessly, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

 "Oh, some of its chapters contain ways for you to unlock the powers of the harbingers long gone. Some of the harbingers had worked on the Temhos for so long that they unlocked ways to use its powers in broad daylight right in front of the blazing sun. With those powers at your disposal we can both find the lost treasures of the grand magi of Babylon."

"And what exactly makes you think that I would share the riches with you---I might simply take whatever knowledge you have and chop your head off with my bare hand and keep all the treasures to myself."

"With all due respect, Master I have already thought of a way you would not be able to get rid of me at any stage of our plan…I am the only one who can decipher the chapters and guide both of us to the ruins that contain the treasures and guide us on our way out since we cannot exit from the same gate we entered the ancient lost temple."

"Oh, what do you know…you managed to outsmart me in every direction. Not shocked there nor am I excited about the treasure but I need to know more about Katherine!" said Nathaniel as he took a deep breath and thought to himself for a bit, "Fine! I will---umm---borrow that little book for you tomorrow, but you need to contact me at exactly 8 tomorrow and set a date to exchange these information else I will return the book the very next day!"

"No need to worry, Master! I shall call you tomorrow at the appointed hour to set up a meeting!"

"Don't forget if you trick me, I will find you and I will sever your head, something I am getting really good at as of late!"

"Of course, Master. I shall not deceive or manipulate you in anyway." With that said the mystery guy hung up the phone once again.

"Rude! ----great, all that serious talk got the alcohol almost fully out of my system…guess I need to open another bottle, woohoo!" he said out loud in a funny voice.

 

 

 

In the morning Nathaniel was awakened by the buzzer, the covenant driver patiently awaited his arrival in an onyx black tuxedo. As he got inside the van, he saw Daniel veraciously reading a mysterious book while fully ignoring him. He took a seat right next to him and stared at Daniel for a while but to no use.

"They pick us up together this time and he decides to become shady Danny. Very well; I get it, you are in no mood for Nathaniel time." He muttered to himself and took a book out of his backpack and read; all the while he thought about how in heaven's name would he reach and borrow that forsaken book from zone-0.

He knew where zone-0 was and passed by it during his trainings a couple of times yesterday but the security guards and the surveillance cameras made it look impossible for him to enter the zone without being caught. Even with the powers of the Temhos at his disposal the task still seemed impossible to achieve.

After half an hour the King Brothers arrived at the training camp of the seven saints once again and were instantly greeted by Daniela. "Hey good to see you guys again! Ready for some hot action?!" she said enthusiastically. She was warmly greeted by Daniel. Nathaniel, however, was not surfing on this planet…something about him is off today—thought Daniela as she looked him up and down but got no reaction.

He was clearly up to something, something sinister—she feared as they continued to stroll into the ground floors and entered yet another hall with a much more complex stimulation machine. She turned around and excitingly announced, "Guys, if the trainings go well today, I am instructed to allow you have lunch with the rest of the staff and get to know them. After all, their core purpose is to help the Temhos and serve the covenant."

That little announcement ignited an idea in Nathaniel's mind----Bingo! That is just the time gap I need to sneak into zone-0 and get that God-forsaken book---he thought with his typical smirk covering his face.

His brother gaze met his which were fixed on the floor constantly smirking. Daniel could sense something about him was not normal today. But he did not bother to ask. He was not in a mood to ruin a good day of peace and quiet with Nathaniel's usual drama and so the two simply continued to train without exchanging too many words.

The hours passed smoothly---too smoothly thought Daniela. She invited the King Brothers to the cantina on the ground floors. They passed by the doorway guarded by two security personal, the words Zone 0 atop its door and a few feet stood another door with the symbol of a light bolt---and that my friend is the control room!---Nathaniel quietly thought to himself quickly switching his gaze from its doorway to the hallway. Daniel was the first to enter the cantina and notice its theme and style. It was designed in an old fashion, Austrian royalty theme.

He stood still for a moment and looked around the cantina with admiration; it was a nice little touch for the many employees of the covenant who were stuck on these grounds for days if not weeks, to see such a beautiful sight during each meal. His eyes met Nathaniel to see his reaction, but he was still not himself. He was even more lost in his thoughts than before.

"Ok, something big is going on in here, either you did something bad or you're about to do something stupid because you rarely if ever go silent. What the heck is going on?" he whispered from the corners of his mouth.

"No matter what I do, there is always something wrong with me, isn't it little Danny? If I talk I am annoying, if I go silent there is something terribly wrong brewing beneath the earth! Don't you just stop and think to yourself that maybe, just maybe I got some personal issues that I don't want to freaking share with you?!?! Like ever?! You are my brother not my wife or confidant, remember?" he said controlling his anger.

"Just tell me what is wrong, I can help you. I have always been your confidant, brother!" he said as they continued to stroll to the cafeteria. Daniela noticed their chit chat but decided to stay silent and pretend to not hear anything, hopefully Daniel can handle Nathaniel's shadiness today.

"Oh, you lost that title a long time ago. Now it is a little too late to reclaim it. Besides it is just a girl related issue, nothing I can't handle myself so leave me be!" he said a bit louder showing his teeth.

"Alright Jesus, you are a lot more hostile than usual. If you ever gathered enough courage to talk about it, I am here for you!" Daniel said honestly trying to help.

 As they all picked up food and sat together with some of the staff members, Nathaniel knew it was his time to go and get the book for there was no better opportunity. His eyes wondered around, he was looking for an excuse to exit the cantina but then he noticed the bathrooms in there were temporarily out of service. How wonderfully convenient---he thought.

Slowly rising up from his seat, Nathaniel remembered the previous day some new security recruits were being trained and the instructor was explaining to them what they must do in case the power is cut out. "It will take approximately 1.15 minutes for the emergency power source to be activated, in the meantime you shall remain on your posts unless you witness the source of the trouble, for it is almost impossible for the power to go out." he remembered the words of the instructor and quickly turned to Daniela with a wide smile.

 "Hey Daniela where is the----ummm----is the restroom around here?! apart from the one behind you which is out of order of course."

She arched an eyebrow, "You barely had anything to eat or drink and you need to use the bathroom?!"

 "Oh I am sorry, what is this elementary school? Are you measuring the amount of food and liquids I am putting in my body?"

She flushed, realizing the irrationality of her comments and softly said, "No, sorry. The second closest restrooms are outside the cantina to the left to the very end of the hall." she gave a concerning look to Daniel who also suspected something going on.

He trudged out and slowly began strolling towards zone-0, knowing that the power room stood close to it. Walking carefully right next to the walls as to not be spotted by the many surveillance cameras, he stood for a short second, the two soldiers were still standing there, and one of them had already spotted him, "Oh brother, now what?! Do I run and mesmerize them? What if they have a way to find out?!" when all of a sudden, someone at the end of the hall yelled, "Soldiers out! Next shift begins in 30 seconds!" the two guards walked out and Nathaniel quickly reached the power room's entrance, smashed the camera overlooking it, and rushed inside, ripping off the many cables to shut down the power.

Knowing he only had 1.15 minutes to get in and out, he got ready. His eyes turned red and the vein beneath them began pumping black; "It's show time!" he said with a smirk, quickly rushing out of the power room he whistled to distract the security personnel guarding that were approaching the zone-0's entrance and forced them to chase him, they quickly ran behind him. Nathaniel went on a quick loop, losing them in the process and getting inside the restricted area at long last.

 He got inside without breaking a sweat and searched for the book. As he quickly analyzed his surrounding, he could not spot anything that would help him find it…he began to panic, his heart began pounding harder and harder by each passing second, sweat covered his face and he felt hopeless. They are going to find out and punish you---a wicked voice said within him, Nathaniel took several deep breaths, hopelessly looking around but to no avail until the voice of reason stopped him pull him up---You got this man! No one is going to stop you, control your mind or it will control you!---he pushed in a breath and began searching veraciously for his objective.

After a few seconds he spotted a shining blue-golden book on one of the many shelves and quickly ran towards it…as luck had it, it was titled the book of the lost mages and with that he ran out of the zone-0 and hid the book in one of the ventilation tubes. The power was back on, "59 seconds…woooh boy that was a close call!" he muttered to himself and slowly walked towards the restroom. There he really took his time to fix his hair and drink water and finally return to the cantina. "What was that all about?!" Nathaniel said carelessly strolling back to the table whistling.

"What in heaven's name have you done this time?!" Whispered Daniel in an accusatory tone, an angry expression on his face

"What the hell do you mean what have I done?!?! Can you for once stop blaming me for everything that goes wrong?!" he said angrily.

Everyone was on their guard as the head of the security staff came into the cantina and made sure all of them were doing alright while looking at Nathaniel with suspicion, "Is everything alright Julian?!"

"Yes, everything seems intact except for the cables inside the power room and----" he paused, narrowed his eyes and gave a sharp glance at Nathaniel, "The surveillance camera atop the room was smashed with a hammer-like object, no ordinary human could have done that with his bare hands." He kept looking at him suspiciously. Nathaniel looked back at him with a numb expression smirking from the very corners of his mouth, careless of Julian's judgment of him, "I will investigate the matter further and let you know of our conclusion, ma'am!"

"Very well then, I'll leave you to your work." Said Daniela, her eyes meeting Nathaniel's, a look of worry in her eyes.

"What?!? Am I wearing my I turned off the power to do something shady shirt?! Why is everyone looking at me weirdly?"

"No one said anything my dear Nathaniel; your face however, is filled with guilt. Mind sharing a little secret or two?" Said Daniela looking deep into his eyes trying really hard to intimidate him.

He scoffed and stared back at her eyes and smirked, "Oh don't you give me that look. You better try harder missy! I am not that easily intimidated! Nor have I done anything out of the ordinary to be afraid of your final judgment or your kinky little punishment."

"Ok, we shall find out about the trespasser soon enough. Our team are highly trained and some of the best this country has to offer." She said strictly in a threat-like tone.

"Whatever you say, missy!" he said carelessly and continued to eat.

 Everyone at the table knew something cheesy had taken place and it was all surrounding Nathaniel, but they chose to let it go and let the security staff conclude their investigations rather than rushing into conclusions.

 

The King Brothers continued their trainings as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. The day ended with everyone full of doubt as the security personnel failed to conclude their investigation in time. Nathaniel quickly changed into his casual wear and swiftly, with the Temhos, rushed to the ventilation tube and grabbed the book in his hands, putting it underneath his shirt and then ran back to the locker room while Daniel was still taking a shower.

While walking towards the exit up to the surface, he saw everyone putting their personal belonging in on a tray to go through an x-ray machine while they went through a metal detector.

 His heartbeat began rising, he went into full panic mode, they would surely find the book and punish him for it, not to mention that he would not be able to make the exchange with the mystery man. Somehow he managed to, through his ego, hide his emotions and appear calm.

 As the two of them stood in line to be searched, the head of the security pulled them out and said with a bright smile, "You two are the exception today, orders from above. You need to swiftly be transported back to your residence and rest for the remaining of the day. Tomorrow the trainings shall get slightly harder."

Nathaniel walked a bit further and took a deep breath of relief and rushed to the van happily. Daniel knew his brother had done something bad but he let the punishments and the investigation for the covenant and so he ignored him while reading some books he borrowed from Daniela on the obvious subject of the Temhos and its history.

He was really hoping to find some deep understanding and knowledge of this deity literally living within his soul. The book, however, proved to be rather vague and there had been no mentions of the beginning of its creation or the first harbinger. How long has this deity been created to police mankind, who was the first host? Which civilization was the first to face its wrath? Daniel was hoping to find these answers in this book or the other books he had been reading for the past few days with no clear answers in sight.

 It was as if Daniela and the entire Temhos covenant were fooling them, lying to him and his brother and keeping secrets from them. Secrets that were crucial to the future of the duo. Daniel got very angry as he thought about reasons why the covenant wanted to keep so many secrets from him, they were clearly manipulating them. He could understand why they would lie to Nathaniel but why him? He was the mature and the intelligent one. He could keep a secret or two from his brother.

 As he kept thinking and reading the book in utter frustration, the van's doors were opened. They had reached his residence and without saying a word to his brother, Daniel got off the van and walked in his apartment building.

"Love you too, Daniel xo xo" he said, continuously looking at his phone screen awaiting a text message or a phone call. As soon as he got off the van, as if he was being watched, he finally received a text message from the mystery man asking him to meet him at the Café Landtmann as soon as he had seen the message.

 Nathaniel casually strolled towards his apartment building and waited for the van to disappear in the distant. Watching it fade in the horizon, he got out of the building and, with his powers, rushed to just a couple of blocks away from the famous café.

He looked at his watch, it was 8:10. He only took 10 minutes to get there and while fixing his clothes, he entered the café and quickly looked around for the mystery man with all his senses. The man was wearing a very specific type of cologne and was on the phone talking with his usual thick accent, however, when he sensed the entrance door close; he quickly hung up and turned his face towards Nathaniel.

 He trudged to his table and ignored his hand, refusing to shake it. He looked at his features, he was wearing a modestly expensive Irish-green suit with a bowtie, curly grey hair and fully shaved, "So, you are the mystery dude. I'm not sure if it is the stress or the weariness of a hard training day but I am hardly impressed with your looks or your little thick English accent. So now, let's cut to the chase….do you have what I need?!"

"I see you are a man that gets straight to the point. Don't you want to at least know who I am? Surely you got more question than that."

"If you haven't heard, I rarely if ever care about anyone or anything except my family and blood. I couldn't care less if you were ran over by a bus the moment you stepped your foot out of this café to be honest." Nathaniel gave another quick glance to his features and continued, "Nevertheless, do tell me your name; I would love to do a quick search on your so not very interesting existence for my sake and for the sake of my family of course."

"Very well, I shall keep the formalities to the minimum then. My name is George, George Mason of the house of Temhos and for your assurance here are the documents about your dear sister Katherine as promised…may I have a glimpse of the book of the lost mages, Master?"

"I suppose you have earned the privilege, just make it quick because I want to make sure the documents are not forged…can't trust some shady guy off the streets now, can I?" he said as he gave George a glimpse of the book, looking at the cover, he was assured that it was the book he was looking for.

 Mason then fully pulled out the folder from his briefcase and casually placed it on the table and so did Nathaniel with the book which he had little time to study on his way to the café. The book, not surprisingly to him, was completely coded in numbers, letters, and weird symbols which needed to be deciphered and apart from some pictures, there was nothing for him to study so he hoped that he could trust Mason and get some information out of him regarding it and his sister.

"Alright master, I believe you are weary from your training, and you have a full day tomorrow as well! With our deal finalized I shall leave you to your business, we will surely keep in touch." He threw in his hand but Nathaniel once again looked at him with a forced smile, "Pass, see you around my new friend!" he excused himself and left the place. "Great, now I have to pay for his stupid tea too…stupid English prick." He said while calling the waitress to pay but he was delightfully surprised that Mason not only had already paid for his own drink but also for anything he wanted to eat or drink in advance. "Oh Mr. Mason is a regular at our café, sir. He has had a personal tab since the 90s I was told. Feel free to order anything!" said the waitress. 

 "Pass, but thanks for the info." he said with a fake smile. He left the café and headed home. Having dealt with the most stressful part of the day, he was now relieved and confident enough in his abilities to handle things on his own thus; he took out his phone and called Sarah to arrange a date somewhere during the week.

Surely he could handle a small date with her and get to know her better after a long day of training he thought as he dialed her number. "Hey what's up?" she said tenderly, sounding a little excited.

"Hey yourself, how are you doing today, gorgeous?"

"I am fine, just a little exhausted from work that's all."

"Oh, do tell me more! Is your boss giving you a hard time again?"

"Yes, he is being really dramatic about an upcoming project and keeps blaming his staff for his own short-comings and…"she stopped herself before telling him everything for they were just dating she thought, and telling him everything would come off as being too easy and too comfortable. "You know what, never mind. The more I talk the worse it gets but thanks for asking. How about you? How was your day?"

"As you wish, not to be confused with me being your personal therapist but I am here for you if you need to talk….when I have the time, that is! I have been doing just fine, thanks for asking." he said with his usual cockiness while trying to avoid the subject of her grandfather's funeral, as to not bring up sad feelings again.

"Anyhow, I did also call to see if you were free on say----he said as he checked his calendar---Tuesday, at 6 p.m. to go to this old, unique café I discovered today?"

"Which one, I probably know its owners!"

Jesus man, she can be a little off and naïve sometimes, "It is called café Landtmann. It has a beautiful ambient and to make it even more exotic, Freud himself was a regular there. So, what say you my dear Sarah?" he said in a soft and tender voice involuntarily.

"Let me see if I have any important meeting that day---la, la , la ,alala---lucky for you, I am free but I can't stay long because I have an early meeting the day after!"

"What was the last part again? I got lost after you said lucky for you!" he said as he laughed lightly.

"Charming as usual, Nathaniel!"

"Ok then, it is a date. I'll see you on Tuesday. My regards to the lovely and beautiful Miss Sarah!" he said in his usual cockish tone and hung up.

She pressed the phone against her chest and closed her eyes. I can't believe he invited me again, I can't wait to see him and kiss those soft masculine lips of his! Oh he is so sweet! she jiggled, jumping up and down.

 Nathaniel walked to the danger zone, grabbed his camera and stared at the pictures he had taken of Sarah with a wide smile, he was slowly falling for her but the realization dreaded him, a deep rooted fear took over his mind and body. He left the camera on the table.

He could not allow that sort of pain to haunt him again. I don't know whether to listen to my stupid little brother, Daniel the do-gooder and let things happen or go my usual way---he thought sitting down on his workstation staring at the white clock ticking loudly in his room.