Runner 1

One Week Later:

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Marcel's eyes slowly opened, his eyes dreary and everything was dark around him. He looked like he was in a small cage, a wooden box. Marcel's eyes looked straight at the light and he quickly covered his body. As his eyes looked around they started to get more used to the environment around him.

Marcel put his palms on the wooden floor, splints entering his palm but only a few ounces stayed. Marcel clapped the two of his palms together and formed a cloud of dust. He stood up from the blankets under him and he wiped his eyes, and when he opened them up again his vision became more clear.

Marcel shakily stood himself up, close to tripping on his leg. His legs started to shake as he tried to stand and then he fell back down on the blankets. Marcel winced then sighed as he looked around. What used to be a wooden box to him had just grown. It was an empty room, with an old lamp in the corner illuminating the room with its yellow light.

"Yellow light," Marcel mumbled, his mind started to burst as he remembered how he fought the creature of the book, the explosion, the black room, and the evil men breaking into the house.

Marcel's mind started to spin once more as these memories started to flood back into him, he still laid back, not moving a single nerve for the quiet peace he had finally gotten.

Suddenly the door slightly creaked open and Marcel popped his head up, his eyes meeting with the body of Mr. Watson, his body soaked in the rain. With him, the eldest girl and the young boy, but not the other two girls.

"Marcel, how are you feeling?" Mr. Watson ask, he crouched down touching Marcel's forehead which was burning hot.

"Still not feeling good, let's just hope you recover soon because we have to leave this motel in no time," Mr. Watson said, picking up Marcel's head and chucking down two pills in his throat.

Marcel did not fight back, and he drank the water that came afterward. Marcel wet coughed as he still lay down, his body feeling like all of his blood got drained, his arms were skinnier than last time and by the reactions to his face Marcel could only assume the same to the rest of his body.

Mr. Watson quickly grabbed a small towel and started to dry the faces off of everyone, then he put his plastic bag on a table where the kids gleefully hopped on the chairs and grabbed canned soup to eat.

"Marcel you should come to eat, I get you feeling sick but you need some strength back, we are going on a long journey tomorrow," Mr. Watson said, grabbing his own can as he pulled back his chair and sat down.

Marcel tried to stand up again and this time his legs were not shaking as much. As Marcel stood up in a bent position he tried to walk but his legs quickly shut him down and he fell back on the floor.

"Marcel!" Mr. Watson fretted, as he rushed to the boy and grabbed his body.

He quickly put the boy on the master bed and laid him back on his side.

"Here let me put you on the bed, your condition is still as bad as it was a week ago," Mr. Watson continued, grabbing a can for Marcel to eat on the bed.

Marcel moaned as Mr. Watson flipped him to the side, his body feeling like he could throw up his guts, his body rumbled as he turned left and right from the pain.

"Marcel opened his mouth slightly as Mr. Watson fed him a small teaspoon of soup, Marcel sipped on the soup as he swallowed and gulped, his energy restoring by a little.

"Keep on eating this, eat one can and a half your systemo energy is going to come back, if not i might have to teach you how to control your reserves." Mr. Watson said, grabbing another amount of soup.

"What happened," Marcel said, his head shaking from all the incidents.

"I will explain all, for now, don't rest, it'll use up the little systemo you have left, so just listen to me and sip on this soup," Mr. Watson ordered.

Let me explain how systemo works for the elf body. The book absorbed all your outright systemo, which means it was about to attack your reserves which would kill normal elves. You were able to harness the book's power but it quickly took control of you because it sucked away all your normal systemo. I am hoping that the next week should help you become stronger than before, but only time will tell.

As Marcel finished his can of soup, he ate the second one too. He felt as though someone had kicked him in the stomach and then punched him in the face. The world spun around Marcel as he tried to stay conscious.

"Why is my vision spinning," Marcel asked, his voice sounding like a mouse.

"You're still recovering from the energy loss. Just rest, and let me do all the talking," Mr. Watson said, he grabbed his jacket and walked out of the room.

"Wait for me," Marcel called out, his eyes quickly closing.

Mr. Watson slightly slapped Marcel's face trying to wake him up.

"Why do you need me awake," Marcel exclaimed.

"So I can explain to you the different forms of systemo or "Magic"," Mr. Watson said.

"Okay what form of magic is there," Marcel said.

"Elemental Magic, Summoning Magic, Enhancing Magic, Weapon Systemo, and many more," Mr. Watson explained.

Elemental Systemo, to be able to harness the elements is a special type of systemo, most elves, dark's, and robots were born with at least some sort of elemental systemo with power varying. Fire, Earth, Water, and Air are the basic pinnacles of this power.

"What do I have?" Marcel questioned.

"Whatever the book wants you to have Marcel," Mr. Watson replied.

'What do you mean Mr. Watson," Marcel implored.

"I cannot explain, and I cannot explain why I cannot explain," Mr. Watson shot back.

Marcel was about to start pressing more but could see Mr. Watson's face get gloomy, he understood he couldn't speak anymore about this situation.

"The next type I want to talk about is Summoning Systemo, to summon creatures from another plane, some people call this land hell, or the flame land, whatever the land is some people have a connection towards this land and fight using creatures from the land," Mr. Watson explains, his hands motioning as if he tried to draw the creatures in the air.

Marcel nodded and sipped on the soup more, his energy was slowly replenishing as Mr. Watson continued.

"This sort of Systemo is rare, many of the population of elves who had this systemo were very weak and it was a skill that ones could not learn, only a few ever had A-rank creatures from the land, and only one man in history, the hunter, has been recorded to have an S-rank creature from the land."

Marcel raised his hand as Mr. Watson nodded for him to ask his question.

"The hunter?" Marcel asked.

When Marcel heard the name it was as if he was a close friend, somebody he knew, somebody he had respected but at the same time, he didn't know who he was.

"The hunter, an important figure in bounty hunting culture, he's considered the strongest mercenary of all time, nobody could ever come close because of the creature he controlled, The Leviathan," Mr. Watson quaked.

Marcel stayed still, still listening, this knowledge Marcel was never allowed to learn but now, since his restraints were off, both he and Mr. Watson knew he had started to learn, to survive.

"The next type of systemo, enhancing systemo," Mr. Watson continued.

"Everyone, no matter who it is has some object of enhancing systemo, everything from as little as keys, to as high as buildings, to as dangerous as guns and drugs, all the way to teddy bears. Enhancing systemo is the act to enhance items and is the only form of systemo all five races could use, but only some could enhance enough to be considered legendary grade armor, many become scrap, and only a few can reach the heavens in strength," Mr. Watson explained, his hand reaching upwards to signify the heavens above.

Mr. Watson slightly coughed and drank water next to him.

"The next and last one I shall explain today is, the weapon systemo and you saw first and how it was used. Powerful people in society, are able to use the Weapon systemo, they can summon a weapon that was innately born for them. The Dark Dynasty, his spear was a B-Rank Spear, a weapon of immense power that only he can summon unless he passed it on to someone." Mr. Watson explained, he was talking fast enough when he grabbed another big gulp of water and sighed.

Marcel coughed as he started to finish the next can of soup, and he laid back down on his pillow. Mr. Watson rubbed his head as he smiled.

"Marcel, i cannot explain all now, i know you have questions but for now I cannot explain," Mr. Watson said.

Suddenly Mr. Watson opened a drawer where a leather pouch was located. Quickly Mr. Watson slightly opened the pouch and a yellow light erupted inside the drawer.

Marcel looked at the light with fear and backed away, his body shaking. The incident would take a long before Marcel could recover, he did not want to risk using that book again, risking his sanity, and his life towards the creature.

"Why cant we give it away," Marcel said, gulping down any extra words he was about to say.

"We cannot, I told you, I will explain all one day but for now you are not ready, for now, your safety is our priority and you can never use this book again," Mr. Watson explain, his back turning as he stood up.

Marcel sighed as he did not try to fight back or say anything back. He stayed laying down and looked at the roof above, the small particles in the air, and Marcel in another trance blinked his eyes.

Marcel looked to the left towards the two children, they glared at Marcel, making sure their eyes remained on him.

"What's wrong?" Marcel asked.

Before any words could be exchanged Mr. Watson came in between the two sides.

"Alissa and the boy are just tired," Mr.Watson interrupted.

"Alissa?" Marcel asked.

"Yes, that's her new name, the naming ceremony was cheaper than yours but she finally has deserved the name, Alissa has a nice touch to it," Mr. Watson said, grabbing her shoulder.

Marcel chuckled as he started to cough again.

"So how do you like your name Alissa," Marcel chuckled, his lips forming a smile.

"You really don't know what you did," Alissa said calmly.

Marcel confused looked at them with a face of confusion.

"Alissa please," Mr. Watson pleaded but it was too late.

"It was not them who killed my sisters, it was you," Alissa pointed at Marcel.

"What the hell are you talking about," Marcel asked, a horror overtaking him.

"The explosion," The boy said, pausing in between the sentence and looking back at Mr. Watson trying to make them both not speak, "The explosion you caused, killed our family, IT WAS YOU!" The boy screamed, hunkering back in his chair swaying up and down.

Marcel's mind immediately went blank, his body stayed at a standstill and all the memories of the two flooded inside him. He grabbed his head and looked down and silent tears started to form in his eyes.

"YOU TWO, I TOLD YOU ALREADY IT WAS NOT HIS FAULT," Mr. Watson screamed.

The girl shrieked out "STOP LYING, IT IS ALL HIS FAULT!"

The arguing, bickering, and screaming all did not come inside Marcel's mind for everything went black. As the arguing increased and the girl started to fully confront Mr. Watson a teardrop fell from Marcel's eye.

Marcel, was crying.

The arguing stopped as Marcel's eyes started to flood with tears and he started to make an ugly, crying, tearful face. He sobbed and Mr. Watson came quick to console him, giving him another deep hug.

The children watch in regret, as Marcel cried on and on as he kept saying.

"The children, it was me, I killed them all," Marcel sobbed, repeating the words over and over, rocking back and forth as he kept his head down, not daring to look at Alissa or the cowardly boy next to him.