Chapter 21: The Black Substance(Again)

"Wh-where am I?" Erland looked upon him self.

He was in the middle of a pitch black area. There was an extreme heat all over him. He started to sweat bad yet he couldn't feel anything wet around his body. Only a discomforting mildly scorching feeling remained. 

"What's going on...I wanna wake up...This must be a dream right?" said Erland, looking around. "Maybe the blanket's gotten a bit too warm."

He closed his eyes in the dream and opened them again. He found himself under the blanket but something wasn't the same as usual.

His whole body was covered in the same black substance, clinging onto him like living magma. A sense of discomfort rose in Erland as soon as he looked at the substance, almost as if it was breathing and clinging onto him.

He slowly got up and moved the blanket only to see more. He became terrified. Having no idea what to do, he tried to touch the substance. He stirred it little by little and noticed that it was slowly burning the bedsheets.

"(Why did this happen...Why...Oh no...I gotta find mommy or Randi. Damn it...)"

He covered the whole bed up with the blanket and walked outside. Luckily, his father has already left home. He noticed his father carrying some materials from the window. He assured himself that Erik is at work and the incident has probably happened after everyone has left.

Erland slowly walked to Randi's room. She was lying on her bed, reading a book, holding it close to her remaining eye.

"R-Randi..." said Erland. His voice was broken.

"What is it?" said Randi. She couldn't see Erland from the corner of her eye since that eye was injured badly.

"Can you please look at me and talk. I don't know what happened."

Randi glared at him and a jolt of shock ran through her body. "How did this happen?! We gotta wash you first." Randi quickly kept the book away and rushed towards Erland. As soon as Randi touched Erland's body and the substance touched her finger, it burnt the side of her finger in a second. Luckily, she was quick enough to move herself away.

"Randi..." Erland was frightened.

"No need to fret. You should go and take a shower by yourself immediately. Be careful with it. The substance mixed with water  may harm you since you haven't gotten your own power under control yet. The ground of my room is getting burnt. Go, I will help you." said Randi while looking at the burnt part of her finger.

Erland rushed to the bathroom. The water was freezing cold but he had no choice but to wash himself with it. The cloths were partially burnt as well. The moment he poured water on himself, the water got vaporized into thin air. He let out a grunt because of the burning sensation.

"Erland. Look, it's fine. Don't scream, it's gonna be alright. You can suck the black thing inside. I'm sure that you can do that. Go on, try it." said Randi, standing at a distance. She was sure that approaching Erland could bring her danger.

"I'll try. Hey Randi, you look familiar with these. Can you please tell me how I can suck these up?" said Erland.

"Ugh...What?(Even though it was obvious for him to guess but I still feel weird about him guessing it.) Okay listen to me. Just imagine it to get sucked into your body or whatever. I'm not good at teaching these." Randi backed away a little more.

"I'll try.(Should I try it in the light novel way? I don't even remember any now...Okay, let's try taking a deep breath along with it. Focus Erland, focus on it...)"

Erland's mind was lost from the outside world as he concentrated at his body and mind.

The black substance slowly got sucked into him. He couldn't feel the heat anymore. His body became lighter than before. He took a deep breath of relief and started to walk outside the bathroom.

"Wait!-Wash yourself first. Not all magic gets sucked in only by what you did right now." said Randi and stood in front of him.

"Oh...okay." said Erland and went back to the bathroom with and let out a long sigh. "Why do I have this thing I never asked for?..."

Erland washed himself up. The water was freezing cold but it didn't bother him. While he was being soaked in the freezing water, he looked upon his hands and wondered what was going on.

"(Why did my power act up in all of a sudden...There wasn't any draug here and it's morning right now. What could've caused this...Normally my power awakens when I'm facing any danger. Or maybe it isn't even my power. Is it possible that it's the power of...Hephaestus?...Wait a minute. He was turned into pitch black flames. This must be it. It's either him protecting me or me having a portion of his power. Or maybe both. Okay now that I have an answer, I gotta figure out what could have caused this and stop this mess-)"

"Are you planning to die? Get the hell out of there." Randi yelled out.

Erland snapped back to his senses. He realized how cold he was feeling and instantly started to shake because of the coldness. 

"Achoo...Eh...I love winter." said Erland. He was in Randi's room at the time, wearing new cloths and covered in a blanket.

"Is this what you would say after sneezing?" said Randi.

"No it's just that I love winter but I hate the cold."

Randi rubbed her forehead. "That doesn't make any sense...By the way, I took care of the bed in your room. Your father shouldn't be able to notice the slight color difference. The previous one was cream and this one is ivory. Maybe you should learn these." 

"(Does she take me as a princess in Cinderella or something...Oh wait, it doesn't exist in this world...Wait-)"

Suddenly, Erland's annoyed face turned into one with a realization. "Randi..."

"Yeah?" Randi spoke, looking out of the window.

"Why don't you call mommy, mommy and dad-"

"It's because they are not my parents. It doesn't change the fact that you are my little brother though." Randi answered as she turned her head towards Erland.

"Huh?..." Erland looked confused.

"It's hard to swallow eh? I don't understand why they hide so many things from you. I'm pretty sure you will swallow this one easily. I don't like keeping secrets that involves others than me no matter how harsh it is."

"(Randi still hasn't grown up as a fully mature woman. She thinks of everything or at least almost everything as if they had every single ability yet they don't realize it...Not everyone can swallow a bitter pill and say "It's fine" let alone swallowing it...)"

"Why the quiet face? Is it that hard?"

"No. I'm just confused. Hey, Randi...who is your real mom and dad then?" 

"It doesn't involve you so shut up." Randi looked furious for a split second. "*sigh* I'll make you some tea. No milk tea this time. The tea will be bitter...and better for your cold." Randi stood up and walked towards the door.

"Eh!?" Erland whimpered as he got off from the bed. "...Oh, where is mommy?" 

  "She is...in the kitchen. Do NOT move an inch from the bed. You will cause trouble again."

Erland pouted as he got yelled at and saw Randi leaving. He lied himself down and stared at the celling. A cold breeze opened the window, giving him chills.

He walked towards the window to close it. Out of the blue, he could sense a presence, a sight again, spectating him thoroughly.

It disappeared like a gusting shadow again after a brief moment. Erland didn't show any reaction and simply closed the window, then he closed the curtains. He lied down on the bed again.

"(The hell was that...Ugh...some people I saw earlier used to travel like shadow...Wait a minute. What I saw a moment ago, even if it was for a brief moment but still, it looked like a shadow. The Hierius from the central Naos...They travel like that too...)" Erland widened his eyes. "(I better not get involved in this. DAMN IT. I'm already involved in something and maybe this is why I'm being spied on. What did I do...What  do I do?...)"

Whilst Erland was staring at the celling motionlessly, the shadowy figure kept watching him closely.

"(My my...*sigh* I startled my little brother. I mean...I am a Hephaestus my self after all. No matter how much they push me, I had to come back. I will be back once again here...brother.)"

Arne left the place, like the shadow of an eagle.

"Oh, honey. I brought you your favorite soup! Huh?" said Gunhild as she opened the door. Her smile was replaced with a confusion as soon as she saw Erland like that.

"Mommy! I was just wondering about what happened today." Erland got off the bed.

"The black thingie thing? Randi filled me in about that. Don't worry about it. You know, Randi has power that comes from Niflheim." said Gunhild as she walked towards Erland.

"(The place covered in ice?) What kind of place is that?"

"It's covered in ice. Since Randi's power is associated with the place, her nature is cold too. Don't mind her though, deep inside she loves everyone."

"(Is it really the only reason? I feel like she was once miserably treated.)"

"Want me to help you?" Gunhild sat down on the bed.

"I'm not gonna touch the bowl. I feel lazy today." Erland sat back on the bed as well.

Erland's demand made Gunhild giggle. She began to feed Erland, delighted to be blessed with a lovely family.

In the middle of their pleasant smiles, Erland has forgotten about the things that has happened. He cherished the moment with all he could no matter how small of a matter it was.

A long time has passed, winter was almost over. Spring was knocking on the door, so was Erland's homeschool exams. In front of little Erland, stood a figure that could send shiver down a sane man's spine.

"So...I have to take an exam eh..." said Erland.

"Yes. You have only ten days left before that. If you miss even one score, I will teach you a lesson you will never...ever...forget." said Randi, looking down at Erland as if he was a small kitten.

"(Daniel's mom was like that...Randi's a pure Asian mom.)" Erland wondered, while staying still and silent on the outside.

"What's with that silence? Go and get your nose on the books already. You don't need to write much. Your handwriting is comparable to any adult's handwriting." Randi took a glass and poured water in it. 

"Thanks. I will make it look cooler-"

"No need. You will just be wasting time then. I need perfect score in math. So, its the best if you put your efforts into that instead...if you worry about your self, of course." Randi spoke with the same harsh tone and began to drink the water, glaring daggers at Erland.

Erland swallowed his own saliva out of fear that he hid in himself. "Y-Yes ma'am. Can I go study with Frode? He helps a lot with these and it's fun to study with him." 

"Hm...you can go. Don't catch a cold again. I will handle stuffs at home then, Gunhild will go with you." Randi crossed her legs and snatched the newspaper from the table. 

"(Mommy rarely goes out with me. It's a lucky chance then.)Yep! I'll get ready then." Erland nodded with a smile.

The dew drops were falling from the leaves. New verdant leaves has started to grow. Little birds started to come out, flying and chirping. Erland, like a lost little bird, gazed upon the sky and asked himself,

"(Why does weird stuffs always happen to me?)"

"Aw...they aren't home today. Wanna go somewhere else?" said Gunhild.

"Oh...(Maybe they went to have some family time after the snake was perished from the hospital. Good for them.)I can't think of any place right now. Can I go to the orphanage? Some kids are really smart there, maybe I'll be able to study there too."

"Randi's pushing you hard isn't she?*giggles*  She thinks so highly of you. Anyway, I've got enough money to hire a carriage for us anyway. Let's go then."

Erland let out a small "Yay." as he heard his mom's approval.

Riding a carriage, they reached the orphanage. The place wasn't surrounded by such people at the time. Everything looked as if it was getting a renovation.

The mother and son went towards some people renovating the houses. Gunhild asked,

"Wasn't this place at a worse state before?"

"Oh it's-" The man couldn't finish his words. Someone came and stopped him from saying anything.

"We were issued an order by the police to renovate this place."

The men got on their work again.

"That was too obvious...Kind of seemed like a lie as well." said Gunhild with a faint frown.

"Mommy, let's go inside." said Erland.

"Yeah let's go." Gunhild held Erland's hand and walked towards the orphanage.

The gates opened and the dog Erland saw before greeted them with a bark. Gunhild caressed it's head and gave it a piece of meat as a treat.

"Um...did you prepare this for this doggy?" said Erland.

"No of course. I brought these to make some steak for the kids. I...mainly brought these from home for us and Frida's family but since we're here, let's treat the kids instead. I brought many, look." said Gunhild and opened the red bag of her hand.

They opened the door of the orphanage building and walked into the the director's office. The director saw them and greeted them with a smile as she stood up.

"Welcome ma'am. How may I assist you? Oh, Erland is here too." said the director.

"Hello, ma'am. It's good to see you again. My mommy brought some steak for the kids to eat." said Erland.

The director sounded delighted. "How kind of you...I pray to the Lords for your prosperous life. After what your son has done."

"It's nothing ma'am. There kids deserve a life with occasional treats and happiness too..." said Gunhild with her same reassuring smile.

"Your kindness shall be remembered till our death."

"Erland! Hey, its Erland. Where is Leif?" said Tove as she waved her hands and ran towards them.

"Hey there Tove. Leif is a busy prince you know. He won't get to meet us any time soon.( Probably never, knowing the racism.)" Erland replied.

"Oh...that's sad." Tove looked down with a gloomy frown.

"Oh? So you are Tove. You have a silver tongue I have heard. Such a charmer." said Gunhild.

Tove snapped back to reality with a smile. "Not more than you, ma'am. You look radiant as ever. I guess that Erland wasn't lying to us after all." 

"Hehe. You talked about me, darling?"

Erland nodded.

"By the way, may I know your name ma'am." said Gunhild, looking at the director.

"Pardon me. I'm Liv Olsen, the director of this orphanage."

"(I have never noticed until now...She is freaking tall! She has orange hair, red lips, she looks like a god dang assassin! Her eyes can't be seen though...I wonder what color those are.)" Erland looked up at the director, Liv Olsen.

"Me and Mrs. Hephaestus will make the steaks for you all. How about you go play now?" said Liv.

"Yep! Let's go Tove." said Erland.

"Let's play tag this time." said Tove and held Erland's hand.

"By the way, where is Heba?"

"She is sleeping right now."

"Oh...shame. I thought I could play with her."

They both walked out of the building and  reached the park. Nothing unexpected has happened in a while until, Erland saw a familiar Hierius.

"(WhAAAAAAT! He's here as well!?. Oh it was to be expected actually, why am I surprised- he's a Hierius, he works with kids sometimes.) Hello Arne." said Erland as he approached Arne.

"Ah, it's you, Erland.. I assume that you are friends with all these kids. They are fragments of angels to me. It puts me at ease that they has such a good companion outside this place."

"(Does he have anything in mind? He is a nice man but he is too nice today.)You are over exaggerating things. Still, thank you. How have you been doing?" said Erland.

As they were conversing, Gunhild came out of the building, holding the bag of meat. "Erland, I brought the-"She froze in place and her smile faded away, replaced with terror as she saw her own eldest son, or perhaps a terrifying man sitting on a bench smiling at her like a devil seeking revenge.

"(Why is that man here?...)"