New Saviors

It took 4 hours to return home rather than the 2 that was promised. Chase wound up falling asleep and Hope didn’t want to disturb him so she waited for him to wake up on his own.

Chase assumed Theo would want some kind of explanation, but he was very acceptant to what he witnessed.

“You said this was to destroy the world, having some form of battle seems reasonable. You can explain later. I already received far more than I expected.”

Hope also said she will try to be more careful. She didn’t apologize, and it’s difficult for Chase to trust her word on that just yet, but it will have to do.

One morning, in her bedroom, Hope reaches for the sheathed weapon that is resting on a dresser. Her hand remains hovering for a few seconds and begins to shake. With a grunt she forces it down to pick it up.

Much to her frustration, this has been a daily occurrence. She can’t leave it behind, though. She was entrusted this weapon by a good friend and plans to see this through for her sake as well as her own.

After descending the stairs, intending to go out for the day, she hears someone say her name. It’s Theo, sitting on the couch, rubbing his weary eyes. Although there are plenty of bedrooms, he claimed this as his primary place to sleep.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Hope asks.

“No it’s fine. … You’ll come back, right?”

Hope finds his statement to be odd. She’s been going out everyday like this, around the same time even, what makes today so different?

“I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours.”

“That’s not it.” Theo takes a moment to think of hot to put it, “I’m not the best at reading people, but it seems like you don’t want to be here.”

Ever since the night Hope went off on her own to fight the twins, Theo couldn’t ignore Hope’s troubled demeanor, and it continued day after day, not improving in the slightest. They still have yet to speak with one another so he doesn’t know anything about her. He was waiting for a good opportunity like this to ask her.

Hope is surprised. To have someone go through the effort of voicing their concern, that they care for her well being, it’s been so long she forgot this feeling. No, that’s not right. From the start, Chase has done his best to help and accommodate Hope’s wishes the best he could, including when he recently protected her. She instead ignored it each time and only focused on herself. This moment is much more pleasant comparatively.

She tries erasing the uneasiness to show that she’s fine.

“You’re not exactly wrong, but don’t worry. I will come back. I don’t plan to leave.”

“Awesome!” Theo says, going back to his casual way of speaking.

Hope continued walking through the city, searching for more allies. Theo joined them 3 weeks ago. Since then, many days pass with no luck. She isn’t disheartened, just disappointed by the lack of progress.

It’s not like there isn’t an abundance of people either. The city is very active with events and festivals in all different areas every weekend and some during the week as well. There’s always a large gathering no matter the time or if anyone has work or school the next day.

As she’s about to cross a busy intersection, she spots a woman with a glum expression. She instantly sees something familiar. Without putting any thought into it, Hope starts to follow her.

Hope watches her back. Remembering the emptiness in her eyes, a painful memory emerges. Her eyes look like mine did. Devoid of any thought, lacking the will to do anything. After the last ritual, Hope couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed, much less leave her apartment. It’s something she hasn’t been able to forget.

She’s also been getting this strange feeling recently. It’s like her one goal of taking revenge isn’t enough anymore. Things were easier when she was alone; no distractions or other people to worry about. Living with Chase and Theo, and soon to be other allies, she’s reminded of how it feels to be around others. The happiness of having others to talk to and rely on. The last time was before–

Hope stops herself, wincing at that thought. She then questions what she’s doing. She has no reason to help this girl and even if she tried, what could she say? She’s not in a much better state herself, something she was made more aware of from Chase harshly reprimanding her.

While sorting through her thoughts, she comes upon another intersection. The girl’s head hangs low, walking through the city seemingly without a destination in mind. Hope approaches her, stopping slightly ahead, and asks,

“Are you okay?”

The girl forces a smile, “Do I look that miserable?”

The correct answer is yes, but Hope goes in a different direction and says the one thing she can think of. “Can you see this?” she asks while showcasing the sword.

“Yeah…? It’s a sword. I’m surprised you haven’t been arrested.”

“That’s because not everyone can see it. Only those with potential can.” Hope sees a slight gleam in the girl’s eyes and adds, “I think we can help each other.”

The girl agrees to meet Hope’s colleague, as she described him. She has nothing else to do anyway. The two walk side by side, not exchanging a word on the way.

At their home with Chase present, she introduces herself as Johanny Alanzo. She’s a college student who has been studying to enter the medical field. She did have a respectable job as a business manager, but decided to pursue something else. Her parents held high expectations, believing she could accomplish anything.

However, during these past 6 months, Johanny has been struggling to pass. Considering all the time and money she put into this endeavor, not to mention the pressure from her family, she started to feel lost, unsure what to do next.

At the top of the staircase, Theo is sitting against the wall, solemnly listening to them talk, not wanting to interfere.

“This is the lowest I’ve felt in my life.” Johanny says. “I almost started to think it would be better to end it all, until that girl approached me.”

Chase looks at Hope, “You didn’t introduce yourself?”

She quickly looks away to avoid answering.

“Well, my name is Chase, and her’s is Hope. My intention is to give people a purpose.”

Chase proceeds to explain a little about what they do. She probably won’t accept a simple explanation like Theo did. He tells her that the potential Hope mentioned is a latent ability that he can activate. She would just have to use that ability in battle against an opposing force. He has no way to tell ahead of time what she will get. It’s a complete gamble.

Johanny contemplates for only a moment. It’s not like she has anything else going for her so she agrees to join. She isn’t sure if this is the right choice, but, considering how Hope was willing to help her, she wants to at least give it a chance.

Chase places his hand on her forehead and says “exsuscito”. Her body is engulfed in a white aura. She holds her hands out and watches as it dissipates. She doesn’t feel a surge of energy like the others. She simply watches it happen.

“Go straight home and rest.” Chase is sure to emphasize, “Your ability will awaken by morning. We can meet up around then.”

After she leaves, Hope speaks up, “You referred to me by my name.”

Confused at first, Chase realizes, “Ah, you mean what I said before? I think you earned it back by helping her.”

“Was that another ally? Does that mean something will finally happen?” Theo asks from halfway down the stairs.

“Yes and no.” Chase says, not making anything clear.

In the early morning hours the next day, the group is awakened by a loud, rapid knock at the door. Hope is the first to get up and drowsily opens it to see Johanny sporting a bright smile. Hope tries to shield her eyes.

“You seem to be feeling better.”

“Well of course! I have something amazing to show you all!”

She holds out her hand and as she’s about to show off, Chase cuts in.

“It’s a spear.”

“A spear?” Hope repeats. Although she was told they would have to battle their way through this cycle, she never expected anyone to have a weapon-like ability.

Chase taking her exciting revelation causes Johanny’s smile to shrink. Rather than say anything, a spear suddenly appears in her hand. Theo and Hope stare in awe as they get a closer look. It’s roughly 7 feet long, made of a mix of red and black and almost looks as if it’s smoke or energy rather than a physical object.

“This is so cool! Now we have two weapons.” Theo says.

“Yeah…” is all Hope manages to say.

“Though the real question is, do you have any combat experience?” Chase asks.

“Nope!” Johanny says with the same bliss as earlier, “But I practiced martial arts for many years. That’s about the same.”

Chase lets out a defeated laugh. Johanny is definitely enthusiastic, but he wonders if she’s taking this too lightly. Not that she knows about everything.

A few hours later, once everyone is given the chance to fully wake up, they test Johanny’s ability. Chase suggests a sparring match, much to Hope’s dismay.

They go to the basement since it remains the most open space in the home, containing a few dust covered boxes in the corner. Theo and Chase are on the sidelines with Hope and Johanny facing each other in the center.

After confronting the twins and nearly losing, Hope barely wanted to carry the sword. Her motivation and confidence were nearly shattered. If she wants to stop the ritual, she will have to get over this at some point. Hope places her hand on the hilt, prepared to draw, but a heavy force is holding her back.

“Are you ready?” Johanny asks Hope, her eyes filled with determination.

Johanny ties her hair into a high ponytail and displays her weapon, quickly getting in position.

This is the perfect opportunity to move past her fear. Hope lifts her hand and shakes it as if to loosen the weight she feels. This allows her to unsheath the blade. She points it to her opponent, prepared to battle.

“Before you start–” Chase tries to give instructions, but they’re already rushing towards each other, causing him to panic. However, his fear was for naught.

Johanny lunges the spear at Hope who is able to parry the attack, pushing the spear downward. Rather than hit the target, the spear goes through the cement flooring, causing Johanny to fall on the ground, her weapon disappearing in the process.

“What just happened?” Johanny asks, confused.

Chase sighs in relief, “I was trying to warn you, that weapon goes through solid objects. It’s only made to pierce those who possess the ‘holy light’. Basically, our enemies.”

“That’s even cooler!” Theo feels hyped, though also a little jealous he doesn’t have such an ability.

Hope looks at the sword and then to Chase, “But the sword-”

“Another anomaly I can’t explain. Like everything else, this is probably due to it being from a different world. It doesn’t follow our rules.” Chase explains.

“Wait, if you knew that would happen, what was the point in sparring?” Johanny asks as she sits up.

“Hmm, I suggested it for a different reason and it seems to have worked.” Chase says with a grin, puzzling everyone except one person.

Hope reaches her hand down to help Johanny stand, smiling ever so slightly, “Ready to go again? We can work on your balance.”

Johanny takes her up on her offer, “Let’s do it!”

It became a routine for Hope and Johanny to spar at least a few times each week. Her martial arts experience helped to an extent, but her balance, stance, and strength needed some work.

Although it was difficult for Hope to admit, she shared some of the same issues and had no complaints about joining. Hope was able to loosen up a bit as well, showcasing a smile once in a while.

Many months passed leading up to the impending battle as the search for their final comrade continued. There wasn’t much to do besides keep up with sparring, which Theo joined by watching and keeping score. They both found that completely unnecessary, but enjoyed the extra energy he brought with him.

There were also many household chores like cleaning, laundry, and cooking, all of which almost everyone was lazy with. Johanny wound up taking charge by assigning tasks to each person every week. Chase was included in this and whined every time. They were still sure to follow through in order to keep the peace.

Although most days were uneventful, there are some moments they would consider unforgettable for their own reason. Here is one such time;;

At 10 am, Theo awakens from his nightly slumber. He stayed up late and feels a bit drowsy, but doesn’t want to waste the day away. He takes a shower and heads to the kitchen to get something to eat.

On a lounge chair beside the couch, Hope is leaning back reading a book with her feet resting on the coffee table. He observed her doing so before and never tried striking a conversation about it. He doesn’t care about reading. He more so prefers watching movies or shows, especially after regaining his sight.

Curious, Theo attempts to glance at the pages as he walks past her. This results in him stopping completely. There are words like ‘dragon’, ‘sorcery’, ‘medieval’, helping him determine the genre. Of course he didn’t go unnoticed.

“Can I help you?” Hope asks.

“I was wondering what you were reading.” Theo says, his face now right beside hers.

Uncomfortable, Hope moves over slightly, “It’s written by my friend’s favorite author, titled ‘The Bard Challenges the Mage Princess’.”

“That sounds familiar…does it have a movie too?”

“The books are always better.” Hope rashly says. She then turns away, “At least that’s what my friend told me.”

The author, AJ Shane, has long since passed away, but his stories remain popular even today. Some are difficult to find due to physical copies having completely died out within the past century. Whether it be on a computer, watch, phone, TV, any digital device reigns supreme over paper. No mail is delivered in person either, it’s all sent to the receiver’s preferred use of communication.

The Smart-Wit brand watch is currently the most used. It is also what Theo owns, though he used to hate it due to the lack of privacy. When he was blind, the voice command feature was the only thing he could use since there were no buttons to touch, and he constantly lost the earbuds, so it was always on speaker.

He decided to give it another chance and upgraded to the latest model thanks to Chase’s help. Walking to the kitchen, he places the bud in his ear and double taps the small screen. ‘What can I do for you?’ it asks in a feminine voice.

“Theo Jr, search for the story ‘The Bard Challenges the Mage Princess’.” Theo hears a repeated ‘tick tock’ noise typical of old fashioned watches. A minute later, the results are delivered: ‘Story not found. Perhaps try ‘How to Tame your Dragon Bride’ instead?’

“What the hell? That sounds completely different.”

Suddenly, Theo notices Johanny sitting at the counter eating cereal. Though she woke up earlier, she wasn’t hungry until now. She raises her palm to cover a mischievous smile.

“You named your watch after yourself?”

Embarrassed, he winds up shouting in return, “Y-yeah well, you have one too! What’s yours called?”

“Joe.” Johanny bluntly says.

“That’s just like the first part of your name. How’s that better?”

“I guess because I don’t blush when people find out.”

Theo is left grumbling, unable to counter her statement.

In the living room, Hope sighs and closes the book. Her concentration destroyed by their silly argument. She wanted to get some light reading in before venturing into the city and was able to for a few hours at least so she can’t complain.

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

Chase is sitting on the front step of their base. He’s aware he shouldn’t stay out in the open, but felt he needed some fresh air. There should be 1 ally left to find and the stage will be set. He’ll have to start planning and focusing on this for real.

It had been over 5 months since arriving, with it now being mid-August. They’ll need to survive and shut down the ritual by the new year, January 1st. Last time, Michael was able to complete it in November.

There are two major differences in this cycle: Michael has followers to do his bidding and there’s no need to gather souls. This means, no matter what, battle is their only option. Chase isn’t sure which one he would rather deal with.

He hangs his head and whines, “Collecting souls seemed like a good time waster too.”

“Hey.”

Chase raises his eyes and locks onto a man standing at the foot of the stairs.

“Are you a shapeshifter?” the man asks.

“That’s right.”

The man is baffled by his response.

“Something wrong?” Chase asks.

“I just didn’t expect you to admit that so easily.”

Chase leans his elbows on his knees and examines the man before him. He speaks in a low tone, voice filled with uncertainty, and has an overall meek demeanor. His clothes also appear to be somewhat loose. It’s more probable he recently lost a lot of weight rather than having bought the wrong size.

He doesn’t have an aura so he’s not with Michael, and there’s no chance he would send some random person to find their location anyway. Michael is too proud of how overpowered he is compared to Chase’s own kind to do something petty like that.

“Instead, how about we focus on why you’re here.” Chase says.

Just then, Hope walks up. She looks at the man and asks Chase, “What’s going on?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.” Chase explains the situation the best he can.

Hope suddenly feels a slight tug at her waist. It’s from the stranger having placed his hand on the hilt.

“Tag, you’re it. Since I can see the sword does that mean I can join you?” the man asks.

Chase shakes his head and stands to open the door, “Let’s talk inside.”

Hope decided to stay out of this conversation, leaving Chase with the strange man.

Sitting on the couch, he introduces himself as Jay and apologizes for his behavior. He wasn’t sure of the best way to go about this. He knows Chase isn’t human, about the invisible sword, the potential it hints, and the abilities.

It sounds suspicious, but this wouldn’t be the first time an ally sought them out. Typically they would be a bystander who witnessed battle or abilities being used. The problem with this theory is, the only battle thus far was that one night at the gazebo and Chase is sure no one else was there.

“If you tell me how you found out about-”

“I can’t do that.” Jay is blunt in saying.

“What?”

“I’m going to need you to trust me. I can prove I will fight on your side and aid in finding enemies. Beyond that, I can’t tell you anything. Not yet at least!”

Chase contemplates as he observes Jay once more. Regardless of the circumstance, since he knows of the situation and approached him, it means he was meant to join them. That it’s his ‘fate’ or something. Although Chase hates thinking like that, it’s difficult to deny that being a factor. Especially after reviewing events in past cycles.

He accepts on the condition that Jay will explain himself at some point. He nods in agreement. As Chase holds up his hand to awaken his ability, Jay asks,

“If you were so sure I’d join or whatever, why didn’t you say that from the start?”

“I could say the same to you.”

Chase forcibly places his palm on his forehead, hearing a quiet ‘smack’, and says “exsuscito”. Jay’s body is engulfed in a white cloud, but he simply watches as it dissipates, similar to Johanny’s reaction.

“Your ability will awaken in the morning, yada yada.” Chase lazily explains, “In the meantime, I’m interested in hearing your plan to find our enemies.”