CH.21 On Guard
On Guard
At 8PM, the sky over the palace was a darkish blue with the stars shining bright. The city below was full of life; lights twinkled, candles flickered, and people mingled, talked, and walked. Jack leaned against the window of his room, gazing out at the bustling scene below.
Suddenly, a knock interrupted Jack's reverie. "Come in," he said, turning towards the door.
The door creaked open and Ramon strode in, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Ooh, you're already prepared, I see," he remarked.
Jack smiled, a little nervously. "Well, yes. It's my first job with the army."
Ramon clapped Jack on the back. "Well, let's get going then!"
The duo left Jack's room, closing the door behind them, and made their way through the winding palace walls to the second main entrance. Ramon found a comfortable spot to sit and placed his spear to the side before pulling out a cotton pouch filled with dates.
"Do you want a date? They're quite good," Ramon offered, holding out the pouch towards Jack.
Jack nodded, taking a date and savoring its sweetness. As they snacked on the dates, they carefully placed the seeds in a separate pouch to discard later.
The pair stood gazing up at the mesmerizing night sky, ablaze with bright stars shimmering and the chill breeze adding a sense of serenity to the atmosphere. Ramon broke the silence, his voice filled with curiosity, "So, Jack, I have been meaning to ask you a question for a while."
"Go ahead," Jack replied, his eyes fixed on the stars.
"Are you really from the future?" Ramon asked, unable to hide his intrigue.
Jack let out a chuckle, "Well, yes, I am."
Ramon's eyes widened with amazement, "What is it like, and where did you live?"
"I lived in a few places, the orphanage and my dad's place in the mountains, remember I told you?" Jack reminded Ramon.
"Yes, but I just wanted to know more about you since we have to work together for a while. So, this is the best opportunity for me to get to know you," Ramon said in a soft tone.
Jack grinned, "Ramon, you always make me laugh."
"What?" Ramon replied, puzzled.
"I also lived in Pakistan," Jack said while staring up at the dark blue sky. "It was like a second home to me after my father's place. I made many friends, Faisal, Rohaan, and my neighbour Mariyam. They were all kind to me. They were the only ones I knew. Other than them, I had no one," Jack replied in a sad tone.
"What about you, Ramon?" Jack asked, curious about his companion's life.
"Well, I was taken in as a slave for my whole life. My family got split when people bought us. I don't even know if they are alive. However, when I was five, a man whom I will never forget, the great General Akil, Commander Menes's father, saved me and took me in. I still remember I went to him with a wooden sword to fight him and told him I would best him and become a general. He liked me, so he took me in. After his death, I was taken in by Commander Menes. I love them both. This palace, the soldiers, the army, Marcus, and Ayman, they are my family," Ramon replied in a mournful tone.
"I see, Ramon. You had a hard time. I never would have thought that Commander Menes's father would be such a great general," Jack said, impressed.
"Doesn't look like it, but the Commander and his father were both strong. I respect them," Ramon replied in a respectful tone.
"But how did General Akil die?" Jack asked, his curiosity piqued.
"He was on a mission to fight a newly forming faction, but in the conflict, he died," Ramon replied.
"What faction?" Jack asked.
"Oh, it's one of the strongest of the main four factions, the ne..." Before Ramon could finish his sentence, he saw a suspiciously cloaked figure sneaking around the castle.
"Jack, look!" Ramon whispered urgently.
Jack turned around and asked, "Who's that?"
"Let's go and see," Ramon said.
As they made their way down the dimly lit corridor, Jack and Ramon caught sight of a small man wearing rough-textured cloth, looking suspicious as he walked hurriedly away from them.
"Jack, let's catch him. We can get a reward," Ramon said, his voice filled with excitement.
Without hesitation, Ramon jumped up from his sitting position, picked up his spear, and started to run towards the man. Jack, too, was preparing to catch the suspicious man and quickly picked up his spear before jogging towards the direction of the suspect.
"Wait for me, Ramon," Jack shouted as he struggled to catch up to his more athletic friend.
As they drew closer to the man, Ramon shouted, "Hey you!" The man looked back at them, his face hidden by the cloth, and began to run faster.
Jack and Ramon ran as fast as they could towards the man as he turned right at the end of the corridor. Ramon tried to stop and turn right, but failed, causing him to slide into the wooden boxes at the end, destroying them and sending all the oranges tumbling out. Jack, caught off guard, unexpectedly stepped on one of the oranges and fell as well.
Ramon quickly got up, angry and frustrated, and helped Jack to his feet. They walked towards the end of the corridor and saw the open door to the storage room. "He can't go anywhere else. He is hiding there. I am going to catch him," Ramon said in a determined voice.
Together, they walked into the storage room.
Amidst the storage room cluttered with boxes, a table stood with a small knife and a rope, which was often utilized to tie the boxes. The room was illuminated by many candles; however, the shadows of the boxes disrupted the light, casting eerie shadows around the room.
Suddenly, a voice boomed through the room. "Hey, where are you? Come out," Ramon demanded in an intimidating voice.
"I guess we can't find him that easily. What about we use level 1 of your ability?" Ramon suggested.
"No, I still can't use it properly, and I can't even activate it at will," Jack explained.
"Don't worry. Sometimes all you need to do is focus," Ramon assured him.
"Okay. So, sit down, cross your legs, place your hands on your knees, and take a long, deep breath," Ramon commanded Jack.
Jack complied, sitting cross-legged with his hands on his knees and taking a deep breath.
"Now, think," Ramon said.
"Think about what?" Jack asked curiously.
"Think about the things near you, imagine them as little dots, imagine me standing in front of you," Ramon instructed.
Jack concentrated, at first seeing nothing but pure darkness. "Ramon, I don't see anything," Jack said, growing frustrated.
"Don't worry. Your power is similar to the first level of dark energy. I know you will see something soon. Just focus, Jack," Ramon encouraged him.
Suddenly, Ramon picked up his spear and aimed it towards Jack's face, the weapon racing towards him. But just as it was about to hit him, Jack moved swiftly, dodging the attack.
"You see? Now, your eyes were closed, but you still sensed the attack," Ramon said with a smirk on his face.
"Now, close your eyes again and think of little dots that surround you," Ramon said.
Jack closed his eyes once more, and he saw blue dots surrounding him. They were scattered and low-quality, but together, they portrayed an image of the room, its shapes bending and mounding around the boxes. Even the flames of the candles were made up of dots that Jack could individually see. It was as if he had a new way to see his surroundings, with which he could sense without using his own eyes, only relying on his smell, hearing, and instinct. This was the first time he had ever used his ability with his will.
"I see, I see!" Jack exclaimed excitedly.
"Ramon inquired, "Do you see me now?"
Jack responded, "Yes, you appear as a blue dotted figure without any facial features or defining details."
Intrigued, Ramon began to move about the room and asked Jack, "Can you see me moving?"
"Yes," Jack replied, his focus fixed on Ramon's movements.
Ramon then commanded, "Separate me from my surroundings and make me a different colour."
"How?" asked Jack, perplexed.
"Just concentrate," Ramon instructed.
Pondering intently, Jack's face contorted as he strained to focus. Suddenly, Ramon's figure transformed into a vibrant shade of yellow.
"I did it!" Jack exclaimed excitedly.
"Excellent," Ramon said. "Now, stand up. We need to find this intruder."