The Epic Of Fire: A Battle of Beliefs

- Nephilims were mythical creatures said to have made out with people of ancient times. Though it is not detailed in mythology how the act was committed, it is still a fascinating thought. In this world of science and technology, It is still debatable whether the creatures in folklore exist or not.

The faint flicker of a streetlight illuminated my path from the darkness that surrounded me, with the chirps of crickets and the loud hoots of owls serving as my music.

How boring, this is what happens when I forget my phone and my headset.

My footsteps tapped lightly against the pavement, clicking under the cement as the lights flickered on and off. In a way, it felt like a horror movie. My hands were filled with a few bags of popcorn, some drinks, and a bit of liquor stuffed inside a paper bag. Mom and Dad wanted something fun to do this weekend, but even if I kept telling them that dinner was fine and that I would rather play games at home, they insisted that I buy a few drinks to share with them at nine in the evening. In their own way, they probably thought that I needed to get out the house, but that was simply untrue. I mean, who needs friends if you got the internet?

I was walking when a cold gust of wind blew past me alongside the sound of rustling leaves that came along with it, the odd spectacle sending a chill down my spine, the deafening silence making me bit my lip in nervousness. Then a sensation of feeling watched followed… My feet took wide strides across the sidewalk as my eyes darted from left to right with brief pauses to scan the area. Even my hair stood on its end and my heart raced, beating loudly like a war drum on steroids. Then a dull thud, I had bumped into someone… or something?

The items I bought ejected from my grip as I fell to the curb with a faint thud. Taking a moment's pause, I looked up to see a man in front of me with torn clothes, long overgrown hair, a smashed-up bottle of alcohol, and a face covered almost entirely with soot or grime. He had a smile on his face that displayed his dastardly yellow teeth, some even rotting and the others were simply lined with plaque. Taking a small crawl backwards, his smile turned into a grimace as he brandished the broken bottle. Seeing his red, bloodshot eyes made me feel uneasy, nervous, and afraid. I knew that he was planning something and I'm sure as hell that it wouldn't be E for Everyone.

"Are you lost, boy?"

I pointed at a random house just a few meters away in hopes that this creep would stay away from me

"M-My house is right there, can I go home now?"

However, the guy chuckled.

"Sure, I will accompany you. But if you want to stay in one piece, I'll have you hand over those goods, forget you saw me, and go home like a sweet little boy who got robbed. Do not tell the police, keep your mouth shut, and leave… Are we clear?"

He inched towards my face, his breath smelling as fresh as the wilted roses my mom kept as a memory of her and father's first valentine's. Spit dripped on my face and the best I could do was close my eyes and pray that I don't die of an unknown illness or by that beautiful glass bottle. I still had about a thousand hours in that dating sim I had to maintain and this guy was about to end it all for me, that was simply unacceptable.

"S-Sure…"

I picked the items off the ground with the bottle of liquor still intact inside the bag. Handing him the entire package, the man let out a huff as he yanked it out of my arms, clutching it in closely to his body. However, my body froze when I saw it, his free left hand that held the broken bottle, its tip facing me. With a loud spirited yell, the man drove the bottle into my stomach. The pain flooded my head as I staggered back, falling to the

side of the curb, face up, staring at the night sky.

I don't want to die here…

Will… I be unable…

…to finish that title….

…I still have… three routes…

My eyes fell shut. However, a burning sensation welled from deep down my stomach, like fire burning my wound. In the last moments, I awaited the sweet release of death or at least I hoped to…

But it never came.

I opened my eyes only to see a new scene unveil itself. The man from earlier was strewn all over the pavement, like a lovely blood confetti that showered the highway. In his place was a woman who held my shopping bag as she stared at me with dilated pupils. She had pitch black wings that resembled a bat and a tail of a scorpion attached to her back that twitched playfully in the wind.

"Subject unharmed, returning him to base."

Base? What base? Oh god not the third base or any base for that matter!

"W-What do you intend to do with me?"

The lady simply rolled her eyes before casually pulled out a bright orange glowing stone from what appeared to be small satchel she wore. My body shuddered at the thought of being experimented on, eaten alive, or anything of the sort, so I slowly backed off.

Then I heard a crack from where the lady was. My head instantly swiveled to the source of the noise, only to find out that the stone broke. The rock swiftly lost its shimmer much like the woman's face. Devoid of any expression, her mouth mimicked a thin line when she stared me in the eyes as she began to walk

"H-Hey! Don't come close!"

But to no avail, the woman swiftly sprinted to where I was, leaping into the air while I lay on the ground, wildly flailing my arms like an infant about to be bashed by a wrestler. Her punch smote my jaw, coupling it with a sickening crunch as my head hit the pavement

"U-Uhhhh..."

My vision stirred and the lights started to dance. The last thing I saw was that woman's face as she picked me up and slung me on her back...

Then everything faded to black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A man rested on his swivel chair, sitting in front of a desk with wads of paper lining its surface. Beside the huge stack was a cup of coffee, its smoke billowing upward as the man grabbed its handle and brought it to his lips, allowing the bittersweet drink to flow freely into his mouth. After a few moments of chugging down the beverage, his enjoyment was interrupted by a faint knock on the door which caused the man's brow to raise a bit.

"Enter, but please excuse my office's appearance."

The door's knob twisted gently as a woman pried it open. She had curly and messy black hair, strewn over on all sides paired with massive bags under her eyes. Her thick glasses obscured her blue irises that would have sparkled had she slept a full eight hours. However, what she lacked in appearance made for her sense in outfits, primarily in her simplicity. She donned a white blouse with a black and white blazer that was worn over it. Her legs were neatly covered by a gray tube skirt.

The lady's eyes fell on the man who looked at her with a gentle smile.

"I would ask if you slept well, but that seems to be out of the question."

The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes skyward, tapping her heels lightly against the room's marbled tiles.

"Another one of that Jade Dragon's kids was spotted last night, and while my stragglers made quick work of

them, I find it quite the annoying task to clean up ever so often."

She pushed the bridge of her glasses to get a better focus on the man who wore a simple black long sleeve and from her vest she drew a small square photo which she launched at the man like a boomerang. The photo whizzed past the air, blades of wind emanating from its tips. however the man simply caught it with two fingers, yawning as he flipped the image to see its contents.

"The first thing you do in the morning is ruin my desk and threaten my life. You really never change dear."

"Shut up, old timer, I told you I don't swing that way."

The man chuckled as the woman scoffed. With yet another wide smile, the man took a glance at the photo, however his grin turned into a frown when he saw what was captured on the paper.

"This many and with that amount? It really feels like Xiao has been teaching them well..."

"Please relax a bit Sir Wyzen, that was a high-ranking unit, one with the DNA of a werewolf."

The man paused for a bit and in a moment of processing, he nodded in understanding.

"Is that so... then I guess its strength must have been comparable to that amount. Possibly even more if it were a full moon. Maybe that Xiao must be weakening in his training after all. On another note, how is Geon? How is he doing in the enemy's hands?"

The woman cleared her throat and with a nod she replied.

"Geon seemed to be quite the charmer. He managed to rake in the Kitsune and so our goal of overpowering that dragon draws ever closer."

Wyzen had a short pause, sipping his coffee before giving out his reply.

"Is that so? What about the other Epico our scouts alerted us to? Was he already sired?"

The lady nodded. causing Wyzen to let out a long-winded sigh

"I see... then it is perhaps time to pay them a visit, right after I finish my work at least. As for you Calagua, you can continue doing your work as usual..."

"Understood Sir Coffee Guzzler."

"What was that?"

"Nothing Sir Wyzen, well, I shall be off."

The woman turned around, pivoting on her heels before walking to the exit. Behind her, the man named Wyzen still had his unshakable smile, grabbing a piece of paper as he started his own work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cold night air blew past me as I flew in the night sky with the skyline's vivid lights glowing below me, on my shoulders was our target, sitting snugly like a cocoon. Although he was attacked, his powers seemed to activate at the perfect moment, saving him as I "cleaned up" the trash. Thanks to the situation, I failed to contact Silian, and so I decided to hit the communication device lodged in my ears.

*Beep...

"Cora? A-Are you okay? Were you hurt? Was the target hurt?"

"Calm down Silian, the target has been successfully contained."

"Is that so? I have some macaroons here for your return."

I felt my cheeks warm up at the thought of sharing macaroons with her, the president of the trainee council!

"Sure. I will meet you there."

"Oh right, Xion had been ecstatic to meet the new recruit, saying things on how he had some amazing power hidden within him."

Ah... That...

The target straight up healed a stab wound as if nothing happened. Flames licked at his injuries and after a few moments, he was back to normal.

"Well... I can say with certainty that this guy has something in him. I just hope our Principal could draw it out."

Silian let out a soft chuckle from the other end of the line before giving out a reply.

"Xion did say he will be busy, but I will be waiting for you alongside Adria who couldn't stop talking about Robert..."

I wanted to smack myself in the head when I heard the guy's name. But since I was holding our target, I would rather not risk that...

"Understood, will be there in a few hours or so..."

Pressing the button on my ear piece once more, the call cut off as I flapped my wings, and with a boom, the subject and I vanished into the night sky....