Nyx

"Damn, how long was I out," Magnus said to himself as he woke up and stretched himself. He felt a bit chill due to the temperature of the cave.

He looked around him to see that the cave was darker than before. Many hours had passed since his sleep.

"Whew, that sleep was quite good. I should be on my way now."

He felt relaxed and refreshed than he had been before as he got up. He squinted as he walked out of the cave and the light hit him.

It was already dusk but small shards of fading sunlight still peeked out from the trees. It was evening.

His fight with the bear seemed like ages ago as he surveyed the area where they had fought.

It was trampled over as if a demolition truck had ran over the place. Luckily, there was no telltale sign of the creature to attract others like it to where he was. Not that he minded, he was ready to take on anything else that came.

"Time to change back to my disguise," He said as he brought up his system status screen and selected the ring once more.

The cool down period of the ring was over so he could use it once again.

He slipped it on as he concentrated on what he wanted to look like, forming a strong image in his mind.

He felt himself grow and fill out as his clothes and looks changed. He was back to the burly guy that had helped Sarah out earlier.

He headed back to where the clearing was located. It was a straightforward path so he hadn't forgotten the way.

His mind went back to the boys he had met earlier. No doubt, they had been looking for him. They were only bothersome not really bad people so he didn't worry much about them. He could always come up with a story to justify his absence.

He was back at the T-junction

Suddenly, he heard screams coming from the other path. It sounded like a female's voice and it seemed like she was in danger. He debated on what to do then ran towards where he heard the noise from.

As he got closer, he heard male voices shouting over the cry. He slowed down his steps as he hid behind a large boulder and shifted the grass away with his hand to get a better view.

To his surprise, he saw a lone girl sprawled besides a rock. She looked bruised and her clothes were torn.

Her body was caked with dirt and the color of her blonde hair was barely visible as the luster was lost in the grime it carried. It looked like she had been dragged through mud.

He looked around to confirm that there was no one around. He was wondering just how fast the guys had ran off to escape his notice.

There was no one around to have inflicted injuries on her personality wise which was a bit puzzling. The people with such tendencies had naturally aligned themselves with Mark. All that was left with Kelvin were a bunch of goodies.

He was wondering if to announce his presence or leave the place. It wasn't his business to interfere in whatever it was.

Her face was familiar to him and he struggled to recall when he had first noticed her. It was just nibbling at his mind.

"Hello. Is someone there? I can hear you,"

He got up from where he was hiding and made his way over to her.

He could see her shrink in fear as she saw him. It was only reasonable in her condition. A huge guy advancing towards you in the woods with a katana was rarely a good thing.

"What happened to you?" He said gazing at her.

"Who are you? Are you with Mark's group or Kelvin's group," She asked him, shivering as though she was cold.

"Neither. I don't care about groups. But I'm heading back to the clearing where Kelvin and the rest are," He said stretching out a hand so she could get on her feet.

"Thank you very much, I thought I was dead before you came. They ran when they heard you coming," She said accepting his hand as she got up.

She stumbled uncertainly and he steadied her as she was about to fall. He now remembered where he had seen her. She was the beautiful blonde that had called Kelvin a darling the previous day.

I'm Nyx, what's your name?"

"I'm Fischer."

That was the first name that had come to mind. Ironically it was the name of one of the greatest chess players on earth. There was hardly any chess player who didn't know him.

There was no wisecrack from her when she heard it. Infact she seemed oblivious to the name.

"First things first, you can't go back looking like that. I hear a stream nearby. You can wash up there."

"Thanks, I won't be long, please don't go off," She said as she headed over to where he was pointing.

"No problem.I'll be right behind you, don't worry."

He had his back turned as he waited for her to be done. Many minutes later, he sensed her presence and turned to see her.

She was no longer recognizable again as her beauty had now returned and her skin shone. Little wonder, boys had allegedly tried to have their way with her.

"You're looking good, let's be on our way," He said and they both headed towards the clearing.

She started small talks with him as he asked her how she had landed herself there.

As they neared the clearing, he prayed the candidates would be busy with whatever they were doing so they won't notice them slip in but unfortunately for him, the opposite happened.

They stumbled into the full gaze of the candidates who at the moment were just loitering around.

The sound of the creaking twigs under their feet gave them away quickly before they could react.

"Huh, what was he doing in the woods with that chick."

"Bet they were having a good time."

"She's the prettiest girl around here. What a lucky guy."

"Where were you guys?"

Magnus ignored all the questions thrown at him as he moved past them to find a place to lie down.

He found an unoccupied spot and quickly settled on the carpet grass with a deep sigh.

"I see you brought company back," A redhead beside him said, gesturing with her chin to the woods.

"Company. What are you talking about?"

He stood up to see Mark and his squad enter into the clearing.