Chapter 17

Tom laid himself on the bed to sleep in their regalia quarters inside Crowfire's manor. All of his teammates had already fallen asleep. The lights were off and everything seemed so quiet. Though the night had its peak, Tom can't sleep so he got himself up and walked through the window of his room. The moonlight passes through it which is the only source of light.

He can't stop thinking things now. He knows Crowfire was upset to what he said, about who he is, what is the world all of them existed right now and the probable future they will take.

He remembered what Chronos told him before he left,"The future oracles are pieces of my core, that is why it can tell the future. However, if the holder's action changes, the future also changes. From this fact anchors the power to rewrite and change the histories."

Chronos told Tom that one's memories correct the order of a character's placement in the timeline, and that rewriting attempts of past owners failed. The fading of those memories make the character believe his existence in a world is true, and that histories will not resist.

Tom knew that Chronos' core was the ultimate prize for this game he was set. For Tom, the existence of this shadow world is the very twist of this deal with Psyche. He knows Green Lizard is their first opponent, and that they will win against it. He just hoped they will defeat that team in the real world, not here where everything runs through bloodshed.

Despite how Crowfire had felt, Tom never thought he will tell it to everyone. Since it is Crowfire's greatest secret now, he can't let his regalias to turn into monsters.

"You will win that core. You will win the nationals!" Tom remembered his voice while gripping Crowfire's jersey jacket. The man takes few steps behind while crumpling his face in confusion.

"What are you?" Crowfire whispered as he spread his arms on his side. Tom almost embrace his torso but he was keeping himself away.

"I am not yet dead, Crowfire. That is why I will never turn into phantom if I remember things. That's how things should be. You existed in a parallel world as a high school, were all of us, your regalias attend. And we are the volleyball team." Tom said so soft while struggling to have a grip on Crowfire. He added, "As to how I came here was all because of Psyche."

I am an idiot! He shouted within himself when the thought bugged him straight. He punched the wall on his side. Since this is the shadow world, he thought what could happen to the real world with this action. It certainly wouldn't cause anything strange, he said to himself.

On the next morning, Crowfire was fully geared up with his regalias the moment his future oracle sounded more frequently than the usual. He was alarmed when he saw the messages bugged up on his future oracle.

"ANNUAL TOURNAMENT DAY 1"

Then Psyche appeared on the phone, still on her trash bag attire while floating in the air. While she was speaking, a video presentation was also playing.

"Hello, aspiring rulers of Mount Olympus. As you know, progress for this contest had been slowing down which is far from what I expected. People don't seem to crave for power, or you just don't want to die. I guess all of you are cowardly hiding and gearing yourselves with what you call, regalias and call it training. With all of you playing this game in the whole country, it will very tough to live everyday, not only to think you are weak enough to fight but also the number of people you have to deal with. So I am speeding this game by making things under clusters."

While hearing the crackled voice of the girl, Crowfire held a grip on his future oracle as the grotesque pictures of mythical beings being killed were constantly playing. There were the pictures of male and female beings in various locations, covered with linings of their own blood, mostly are bathing with it, with their eyes and mouth open wide. Their clothes were torn to shreds, and their slitted muscles with the drying blood. Their weapons in various forms are either cracked in pieces or destroyed from existence. Most of the mythical beings throughout the country died due to the games. And there are more to surprise each one of them.

Psyche continued speaking, "From now on, you will only be receiving future oracle signals from among holders in your city. And in that way, I had lessened the number of your enemies. You will be granted immunity to the ones outside your city, no, not until we move to the national tournament. That is when we knew who will be getting this crown of rule, the Chronos' core, if you are still alive but that time."

"What? The Core of Chronos?" Crowfire gasped.

Grandson Emberbright said, "It is the first time Psyche told what that core really was. The core of time."

Tom heard them talking. He knew no one ever really knows this timeline has been rewriting all this time, for Psyche's bidding. They did not even know that Zeus was the real king of Mount Olympus. As far as he could understand, Psyche erased him from existence when she got the core of Chronos.

The future oracle let out digitized sounds as its screen blurs. Then, it lighted for few moments.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Crowfire gripped his phone very tight. His teeth was gnashing very hard. And for the first time, his face reddens with anger.

"She wanted you all to lose over her game until there is one left standing. What was next after that is rather even more dangerous." Tom on his regalia form uttered over Crowfire's mind.

Crowfire turned his head on the quiver on his back and breathed like a bull. He uttered with his lowly but blank voice, "At this moment, other competitors are on the run since the game had become easier and opponents are easy to locate."

"Some might form alliance with the others from the other prefecture to bring the weaker ones down. I am afraid, we are on the edge right now." Grandson Emberbright said to Crowfire. He appeared right on his front. He held Crowfire's shoulder and said, "It is cowardly to hear, but we have to escape, until we devise a plan how to deal with our powerhouse opponents, especially, Herring Gull and Falco Peregrinus."

Crowfire started to walk though the corridor of the manor. Grandson Emberbright followed him.

While he was walking, he said, "I agree. Whatever that pompous queen calls us, she's not on our position to tell what things are. What bother me now are the other teams who will try to feast over me since they know I am weaker than them these past few years. Herring Gull and Falco Peregrinus will just wait on their castles and let the others do the work for the ones they think are weak. And afterwards, that is when they will turn them down."

Crowfire ended up speaking as he reached his private room. He had a grip on the door knob when he gave Grandson Emberbright an order.

"Pack everything you can Grandson. I have geared them all on me. Just hurry and we will go to the mountains." Crowfire ordered.

Grandson nodded and ran through the corridor back to somewhere. It took him few more minutes to bag everything he thought they would need, food, training instruments, money and other more.

"Crowfire!" he shouted while running with all his might through the corridor back to his master.

Crowfire had his eyes bulged out and his chest pounded very loud after every second.

"Hurry... I got the feeli-" he shouted. Then his phone sounded strangely with digital sound. He waved it through his face and gazed down below.

10:24 am A bomb exploded in Crowfire's front.

10.26 am Crowfire was stunned and had broken his arm and leg bones.

10.27 am Green Lizard landed on his front.

10.28 am Green Lizard threw a grenade to Crowfire

10.30 am CROWFIRE DEAD END

"Grandson! Watch out!" he shouted. Grandson who was about to approach him.

Grandson tripped on his feet. The bag flew before him.

Crowfire run. He shouted while looking back, "RUN!"

The floor exploded. Grandson was sent flying on the other side of the hall. He bounced over the ceiling, then fell on the floor. The contents of his bag spilled and trashed at the flames. Then, they charred.

"No." Crowfire screamed.

Then the ground exploded. The burst of black cloud threw Crowfire flying in the hall. The huge ball of fire penetrated the whole corridor. Pieces of the cement, stone and sharp dust blasted. The window glasses cracked and its shards were sent swirling in the wave.

"Crowfire!" Grandson shouted. He saw the silhouette of Crowfire driven by the wave of explosion. The smoke swallowed him, until he can't see him anymore.

The fire continued to devour the whole hall with the black to gray thick cloud of smoke in one direction. Crowfire was tripped, he rolled on the cracking floor. His body bumped many sharp concrete debris of the walls and glasses, giving him pierces on his arms and face. He coughed when he stopped rolling. The smoke and the fire were just right above him.

The ceiling collapsed. Then, the rock debris hit his temples.

"Awwwww..." he groaned. He can't move his hands. His whole body crumpled as if every muscle on his body is sore swelling. All he can do is to absorb the pain.

He was yet groaning when his ears caught another detonating sound.

The floor right underneath him exploded.

"Ahhhhhh..." he said as his eyes bulged out and shock penetrated his mind.

He was falling. His body lost the feeling of the concrete ground. Each cracked into smaller plates. He knew he was falling along with the debris, when a violet light spread across his horizon.

"Brimstone..." Crowfire whispered then he closed his eyes until he landed on the first floor.

Crowfire gently felt the ground of the first floor of his castle. He was squinting so fast. What beheld above him is the deserted ceiling from the second floor. And from his point, the smoke descends, almost blinding him. The violet light quickly disappeared in the dim atmosphere.

Crowfire quickly took his seat. He knew Brimstone saved him from his fall and Scarlet's power helped him heal easily.

He heard steps coming, coming out from the dark cloud of smoke, then, clatters of sharp metal edges. He quickly stood and grabbed his rifles and ammunition, Coal, Thunder and Thor.

While still in the sound of ambling, the smoke whizzed. A loud metal clattered over the air. It flew towards Crowfire. Crowfire's hand flashed and fired the gun.

The bullet hit that metal flying and ricocheted towards the walls. It was a kunai, fallen on the floor.

"You are good, Crowfire. But how much you could bear?" the man was still under the cover of smoke, until he came out to light.

"Invading someone's place huh? Perhaps I should tell you it isn't right to destroy someone's house." Crowfire wiped his mouth.

He saw the man, a slightly older man in his green samurai outfit. His chest was almost exposed and his hair is long, tied behind his back.

"...or maybe you wouldn't heed to the sound reason. Am I right, Green Lizard, the stealth ninja of the east?" Crowfire grinned while breaking his neck. He never let his eyes leave this man on his front. He added, "As quick as a lizard, you deserve your name. Such a shame to disgrace that Samurai outfit, wouldn't you agree?"

"You don't need a house if you are dead, Crowfire, or should I say, fallen crow. You hunt your prey before, but too bad, it was your turn to be hunted back." Green Lizard laughed out loud. He stopped and gave him a sharp look, "Die."

"My flames might burn me out, but I rise from the ashes." Crowfire said.

Another kunai flew towards Crowfire. He jumped fast and fired his bullet over. Few more rained but he dodged them quickly and he moved like flash. It seemed Tom's feet were on his shoes.

Crowfire fired straight on Green Lizard's head.

The man tilted his head, but the bullet struck through his ear. Anger filled on him that it made him gnash his teeth. He gave Crowfire boiling red face.

He roared then threw a grenade in the air.

Crowfire shielded his face with his arms and without his notice a violet force field covered him. And few swirling fire and dust surround him which faded after few seconds. Without hesitation, he fired the gun again, hitting Green Lizard on the shoulder.

"Ahhhh...Awwwww... Crowfire, you brat." Green Lizard suddenly fell on his knees while his left hand is gripping his shoulder. The bullet was buried deep within his muscle. The blood slowly oozes out of the shot.

Tom all of a sudden heard voices around him though he was still a pack of arrows inside his quiver. Toby was next to him as a metal bow. He suddenly felt tired, as if his feet were stopped running and his body was sweating.

"Nice Kill, Coal, Thunder." Brimstone's voice uttered on his ears.

"Nice receive, Brimstone." a reply he heard back. Then there's a sound of mirth bugging his ears, like that was happening right now.

Tom's head on his regalia form wobbled. He wobbled as the the things around him and those sounds he heard started to picture things out. Then, someone patted his back.

"We earned the first set! Nice job!" it was Thor, leading him towards the bench of the volleyball court.

"Wa-wait...What? Are we in the tournament already?" Tom said as he refused to take Thor's lead.

All of his team mates gave him a weird look.

" Quit goofing around and let us have the next set and win, idiot!" It was Toby's voice blurted out.

Tom turned around. He was in the municipal gymnasium, and all the people in the audience are watching them for real. He saw on the other side of the court, the score board.

SET 1:

GREEN LIZARD HIGH 12

CROWFIRE HIGH 25

Crowfire won the first set of the match.

"Let us use that quick attack to earn more score later." it was still Toby spoke out.

"Are-you-kidding-me?" Tom muttered when the startling feeling splattered over all him.