Chapter 18

Fantasies of a person who was once a young child are wild, they dream and hope for the best delicacies and a handful of luxurious items. However, what if a young child's dream was only to survive and live to see another day, no matter how miserable they were. Will they grow up exactly like the others? Or be forced into a role they didn't want to take on?

Face full of resentment as blood dripped down from his forehead, eyes as cold as the arctic. Hands stained with blood that was undistinguishable of who it belonged to. Not like it mattered. Shrieks and growls of pain sounded through the whole tunnel like a piece of deformed music.

A monster stood in the middle of the battlefield, alone. Hands holding a white sharp object, it was held so tightly that it slitted into the holder's palm. Head held high and leaned back while it took a deep breath. Body filled with cuts and deep large bite marks while it's skin peeled off, leaving a fresh layer of flesh behind.

The cage closed after a while, monsters still grovelling at the metal bars for the exquisite delicacy that stood before them, haggard but not defeated in the least.

Castiel and Ethan ran for their lives, they never looked back, not even once. In the middle of their escape, they bumped into a group with the same uniform as Thanatos.

The Children looked to them as small pieces of garbage, not even worth their time to spare a glance at, but as soon as Damien made a small gesture, there was a change in their expressions.

"Castiel and Ethan, was it?" the man in front said. His eyes were a solid colour of black without a small hint of life in them. It was as empty as the void. The person had long black hair that reached his waist, it was tied into a ponytail with a odd gold object.

Damien held onto the person's shoulders, hinting for him to quieten down. "Where is Zephyr?" the leader asked with urgency in his voice.

"Behind." Castiel blurted without stuttering even though he was terrified by the events happening around him. He was far more worried for Zephyr who had stayed behind with those monsters.

Acknowledging that information, the group walked in front and disregard the children before Ethan held onto one of the person's arm.

"You planned this. There was no way the gates chose to perfectly opened up at the time we were there." Ethan said, his eyes flaming with frustration, his grip was tight as if demanding for an explanation even though he didn't need one.

The man with the odd black eyes turned around with a smirk on his face, everyone seemed to back off and opened a path for him. He leaned down and stared at Ethan straight in the eyes, inspecting him.

"Interesting..." the man remarked with a sly smile. He was hard to read with all of his mismatched actions and choice of words.

Ethan got even angrier at the nonchalant reaction, he took one step in front to insert his dominance and spoke again. "You were testing us. That's why Damien and the others left us without a word, no, they were forced to. Even if I despise that bastard, I trust he won't do things in such a manner."

The man smiled again, even brighter this time. It looked like he had found a lump of diamond that was buried beneath the dirt and trash. He reached out his hands while black smoke came out, circling around Ethan.

Damien stepped in and slapped the man's hand away harshly, glaring at him while keeping a calm face. "Stop, Killan." he ordered.

Killan gave Damien a disappointed glance before making his way back to the front and guiding the group. He had some pretty wicked plans in mind for the near future after he had just struck into a landmine filled with goods.

Ethan was about to pick another fight again before Castiel gripped him tightly by the shoulders.

"Enough, please. If you continue delaying their trip, Zephyr will die." Castiel said sternly, his eyes still fixated on the man. He knew that no matter how much his gut instinct tingled at him, he had no choice but to let the man go.

Ethan made a small growl before following obediently behind, biting his nails while trying to calculate how far they had strayed away from their friend. Everyone was walking at a slow pace, he started wondering how long it would even take them to reach Zephyr. "Slow pokes." He insulted.

The group didn't look behind but their legs started moving at a faster speed, some dug their hands into their pocket and took out their weapon. Knowing that they were near as they recognised the path they were walking on. Every tunnel looked the same to every newcomer but if one were to stay for a long period of time, every small little detail is a valuable clue.

The group reached the location and their pace slowed down once again, looking at the scattered bodies in front of them. The bodies had numerous marks of a sharp object being inflicted upon them, they were all straight smooth lines that were directed at vulnerable locations of living objects. The eyes, the chest, the neck. As if going in directly for the kill.

Killan was the only one who approached the location faster, he peeked over the wall and his curiosity was awarded with a surprise. Two pair of bloodthirsty green eyes looking down at him while pointing a weapon at his neck. He was now on the ground with his whole body pinned down by Zephyr.

"Stop! ZEPHYR!" Damien yelled, his voice getting louder when he noticed Zephyr's suspicious movements. He rushed in front and attempted to pull the black haired boy off but he was met by a small blade in his chest, he backed off and applied pressure to the wound. Quickly ordering the others to attack.

Zephyr slashed at Killan's throat but the long haired man dodged the attack with his fast reaction, only moving at the last second.

The two started wrestling, Killan was trying to push Zephyr off while getting a hold of his weapon. However, the younger overpowered the man with the help of his position. Overpowering the man with his bodyweight while trying to get a hit in.

The others immediately took advantage of the distraction and went in, attempting to pull Zephyr off or convince him with words. However, they seemed to be ignored and treated as if they didn't exist.

The group pulled the boy off and was met with a cut on their faces while the object they held in their hands disappeared without a sound, only leaving behind droplets of blood. Zephyr was as agile as a cheetah while also using his size to his advantage. He backed off into a corner when he realised how outnumbered he was.

"Stop it, Zephyr!" Damien yelled, rushing in front and holding tightly onto his wound. "There's no need to injure yourself any further! We'll take you back and heal you!" he persuaded, his eyes set on Zephyr who stood still, holding onto his weapon tightly.

A man was already in position, standing at the blind spot of Zephyr. He pulled out his short sword. Footsteps as silent as feathers dropping from the sky, he swung his sword at Zephyr's neck. However, his attack was stopped by Killan's black magic. He glanced at his leader who disapproved of his actions that may harm the boy.

Zephyr stopped and dropped his weapon. There was no purpose of fighting any further, it was futile. There was no benefit of killing the people who stood in front of him. He glanced at Killan and scowled, not knowing who he was but he felt a sense of deja vu when he met the man.

When the coast was clear, Ethan cautiously walked towards Zephyr who seemed almost unrecognizable from the blood that cloaked his whole body. He paused when he realised that it wouldn't be wise to walk closer to Zephyr. He seemed off from his usual self.

Killan however, took a step forward and released black like clouds from the palm of his hand while it circled around Zephyr, enclosing him in. "I'll take this boy to master." He declared, his eyes glaring at his group members that were practically useless in the fight. "Clean up the mess."

Everybody retreated their weapons and bowed at Killan, putting their fist on their left chest. Acting like a sign of respect or etiquette while receiving their orders with a block of fear lodged inside their throats.

Killan looked at the panicked Damien and gave him a smile filled with pity. "You won the game this time. Well now, I'll take my leave." Black clouds begun to swirl around him like a whirlpool. "Take the other two to your building for now. Try not to get them involved with the animals lurking around there."

After that, the two vanished within the dark shadows silently. Ethan and Castiel stayed back and kept their mouth zipped, knowing well that it wasn't their place to talk.

Damien looked down at the two children and shook his head, guilty about his actions. "The trap that we opened was meant for the three of you to fight off. It would've been possible, at least we thought so. It was just a test of evaluation of your strengths and ability. We never would've expected Zephyr to handle it alone, and yet come out alive with the strength to battle against our group." He explained to ease the tension between him and his newer members, he wanted the trust they have created before back.

However, the atmosphere remained tense and prickly while the other two ignored his explanation. Trying to preoccupy themselves with the scene of the other members cleaning the dead bodies.

When he realised that the other two weren't going to engage in a conversation with him and would rather state intently at the distorted mutates bodies being dragged out, Damien sighed and gestured for them to follow him. "I'll take you to the main building and leave you alone there."

Castiel nodded slightly and followed behind Damien while clenching onto Ethan's trembling hands that felt as if it could become a bomb soon enough if not being taken notice of.