Chapter 11

Tom and Toby trembled. Their teeth gnashed as their eyes nailed on the boys at the end of that alley. All of them have a bad grin on their faces. Along with the spook of the night breeze, their silhouettes are like shadows slowly solidified from their eyes. The wind whistled, their hairs brush on their heads.

"Cease them!" Once again the deep voice of the team captain rose above the atmosphere.

"R-run." Toby stammered, almost like a whisper.

Before he could let out another word, Toby's eyes caught Tom flashed on him. His body moved all by itself and followed Tom running right directly towards the trees of the manor.

He can hear the shouts of those boys behind him, and the sound of their feet galloping over the ground. He can't look back. He didn't know but, he was so frightened, like this had happened before to him. As he ran, the way becomes clearer for him. There was the manor's gate, right after the bunch of trees he was now approaching. Then he stopped. Tom was lost on his sight. He wobbled his head around, his eyes search for him. He was gone.

Then a rock shot on his head.

"Ahh." Toby dangled. His head shook. His sight was blinding. He touched his head and he felt a warm liquid touched his hand. It was blood.

He turned his head and few meters behind him are that crowd of boys who were holding rocks. Those boys tightened their grip on those rocks and whipped their arms in the air. Rocks rained on Toby. It hammered his arms, his head, his torso and his chest, leaving long slits because they were sharp. His head rung. He bounced to the ground and vomited out blood.

"Where's the Insignia?" Coal spoke out. He joggled the rocks on his hand.

"Look there he is!" Brimstone shouted. He pointed out his hand on the gate.

Tom was far away, standing in the middle of the open gate, bumping his hands and his head on the air, like there was an invisible wall in front of him. He kicked the air and punched many times. All their eyes were stuck on him until he drops on his knees. He leaned his body on the air and pushed it with his hand. It was Brimstone's force field.

"You are still powerful, Brimstone!" Coal remarked and tapped Brimstone's shoulder.

Toby lied on the ground almost losing his consciousness but he never lost his eyes on Tom. As far from he can picture, those boys ran through him. Hammer called Thunder and Thor in their regalia form. They immediately turned into a sniper rifle.

"Surrender now Insignia and spit out everything you know about this." Hammer stepped close to Tom. He pointed the mouth of the gun on Tom's back. Tom slowly raised his two arms above his shoulder. Hammer continued,"How did you get here? Who is your master? How do you know about us?"

Crap! Tom murmured in himself. He didn't know what to do. He knew this had happened similarly before, that Hammer rejected and he and Toby were banned them inside the gym for a while. He and Toby were scolded so much for the tantrums they caused. He wanted to feel it again, but not this extremely twisted that his former team mates will kill him. His team mates are never been this relentless towards violence, except that he is on another world. Will he really be killed? He began to feel unsuited for this. He had everything he had before. But he's here and there's no turning back.

"I told you I am newly summoned from the void." Tom answered quickly. The thoughts he got from his overhearing are the first to strike his mind, though he didn't understand what that means.

"Then why do you claim you remember? What do you remember?" Hammer asked softly. He pushed the gun mouth harder on his head. "I hope you understand that regalias who remember their past lives, put much grief into their hearts by the events surrounding their own death. Those collections of negative emotions translate into blights to their new master in this world, hence, killing the master in the most tortuous ways. So, what are you saying again?"

"Because I am different. I am not like you all." out of nowhere the words blurted from his mouth. His voice immediately downs its pitch.

"Then..." Hammer opened his mouth. The body of the gun pushed on Tom's face.

The gun banged and the bullet flew up in the air. The gun mouth struck Tom's nose. He bounced on the ground. But he dashed upward.

It was too late for Hammer too think. Tom just kicked the gun off his hand.

All of them startled. Tom's leg spread across Hammer's face. He threw his arms around him. Tom tilted his body as he lands on his two feet. His jump is his power. He had to use it, he thought.

The others started to attack Tom. They punched and kicked him everywhere. Tom's limbs kept on dashing, flashing, avoiding every hit. Tom was pushed over that invisible wall as the punch thrusts him. Then, a huge fist came, and hit his forehead. His back slammed, and blood jerked from his mouth. He choked and his blood splattered while he was falling. Coal held his shirt and threw him again against that wall. He slammed and bounced. Hammer while still on his back on the ground, pointed out the gun on Tom.

"Don't lose an attack, Thunder!" he said. He pulled the trigger. He fired the gun.

Tom's eyes opened wide. He heard the spinning sound of the bullet and everything to him seemed slow in motion. The bullet is going to hit his right eye. He has to move away.

Coal grabbed again his shirt and motioned on throwing him. Tom bent his knees and fell on the ground, without losing his eyes on the coming bullet, pulling Coal over his chest. Coal rose up his hand in the air to slap him. Then the bullet came. It passed through stragight in his palm.

Coal was taken by the thrust and immediately crashed on the invisible wall. The bullet left a huge hole on his palm. Blood immediately oozed out.

The bullet was nailed on the wall but eventually fell on the ground.

All of them stopped for a moment. All of them gulped, even Tom. He was that slow to keep Coal from the bullet.

"Ahhhh..." Coal screamed. He gripped his wrist with his left hand and cried on the soil.

"I have to escape. It is getting worse." Tom muttered in his mind. This shouldn't happen, he protested in himself.

Another sound of the gunshot boomed. A bullet hit Tom's left ear. He was pushed on the ground. His face bumped that invisible wall. He quickly stood without minding the pain on his ear and his crushed nose. He felt the blood gushing out. He just held it and faced them.

"Let me out!" he shouted. His voice crackled and he started to punch the invisible wall with all his might. His arms are flashing, they were moving so fast, leaving every hit a bright light. The more he hits the wall, the more the whole of it becomes violet.

All of them ridiculously do nothing but watched him. He was almost a blur from what they could see. And his hits in the wall are just like a huge light spreading across them. Then, Brimstone felt his chest hurt, like a sharp blade pierced his muscles.

"Ahhh..." he groaned.

"The-The wall is breaking. Brimstone's force field is breaking!" Thor said, while clenching his fist.

"Come, Toby, Tom..." a soft voice uttered out of the gloom but no one there actually heard it.

Tom while he was punching turned into a flash of yellow light. And Toby's unconscious body smoked into a bright blue light. All of them darted their eyes on the two lights flying in the atmosphere. It landed on the middle of the gloomy trees and disappeared.

After few more moments, the man with the blond hair and head band, Tom's coach Emberbright's grandson, Grandson Emberbright appeared in front of everyone. He holds a maroon leather quiver full of metal arrows and a brown, iron bow.

"Our master was just having a break and look at you all, giving him shame." the man spoke out, darting his eyes back and fort to everyone around there.

When hearing that, they turned their heads down. Coal was still crying on the ground but his sobs were quieter than it was earlier.

"You're even determined to kill one of your team mates." the man yelled. They jolted and turned their heads away from the man's gaze. He said more, "These guys were just as kids as you are long before you were new here."

No one spoke out. The man waved his head to all of them who were circling before him, having their hands on their backs. Shame slowly starts to cloud inside their heads.

"Brimstone." The man came close to Brimstone and pointed the wall on the gate. Brimstone received his look and gulped. The man ordered, "Heal that wall and thicken it to the maximum limit with all your power left right now."

He just nodded. Immediately, the branching cracks on the violet force field were healed, like a new clear glass. The force field thickens as the moonlight refracted from the point they could see. It is like a violet magnifying lens. It is almost a meter thick when Brimstone's head throbbed and he fell on his knees. He almost passed out.

"Brimstone!" Thor caught him with his arms. He lost consciousness.

"Now all of you, you saw Brimstone's power to its limits right now. And now, see what these guys you almost killed can do for you." Emberbright said.

He got one arrow on the quiver hanging on his back and loaded it to the bow. He pulled the string and gripped its iron body. He pointed the arrow on his side, and then he raised it above his head, right directly at the farthest spot of the force field dome.

He lost his grip on the string and sent the arrow up in the sky. All of them nailed their eyes on the disappearing arrow.

"Ahhh..." Brimstone jolted and shrieked as the sudden strike of pain landed on his chest.

A loud blow of explosion penetrated their ears. The force field dome above in the sky exploded and a whole bunch of smoke descends to the atmosphere of the manor. They covered their eyes with their arms as the blinding light shone above them. The violet force field was raining in pieces and sounding like broken glass falling. Emberbright never left his eyes above despite the blinding light as he sees the arrow flies back on him. He turned his body and the arrow returned on the quiver.

"They are Crowfire's gifts. Though they might really be suspicious, we need to treat them accordingly. You know one wrong relentless move can bring us down. Just look at this power. We never wanted to lose them on our side. If they are Hired assassin spys, we should convince them to be with us. Instead of killing them, care for them like the way we do before. Don't let our situation get into your your nerves and cloud your judgements. We need them especially in times like this." Emberbright turned his head on the other boys and smiled.

All of them were just startled, staring frightened to their advisor, having their eyes very confused.