Chapter 10: Let The Mystery Begin
Has Destiny finally come to an end for The Lad? If so then he lived a life that he never asked for just like the other troubled people in this strange world they live in. The moment Ryan grabbed that Man's hand, he felt a sudden surge of shock, as if he was electrocuted for a split second. The man quickly let go of Ryan after he pulled him up and saw a glimpse of something the normal eyes could never process to explain. Two paths and at both ends had floating orbs, on the left was dripping with the blood but had the universal color of darkness and the other was as Radiant as the Holy light of the sky. What could these glimpses mean? No one knows except for the man in front of Ryan. A smile escaped from his face and placed the long Knife back on his back pocket before speaking. "Wow, did you feel that spark too, kid?"
"Yeah… weird" Ryan replied as he gently caressed his hand, feeling the strange surge after their hands collided.
"Alright, be careful around this fog, who knows what you might bump into. It was nice to meet you, Ryan"
Ryan's eyes quickly widened from the sudden mention of his name, he could swear that no one knew what his name was yet, besides the principal, his Uncle, and his classmates. He wanted to ask him how he knew but in just a blink of his eyes, the man disappeared, leaving no trace of him whatsoever.
The lad was indeed spooked, the hair on the back of his neck perked up as a response to the sudden disappearance of the Man with a deep voice. He shifted his position, front and back, searching for at least another silhouette of the person but there was none. He then brushes off the thought and focused on heading back home, at least there he can think more clearer instead of in the foggy area where he is now. He proceeded on walking the same path but he could not help but feel as if something was wrong with his surroundings. Then he noticed a large, rusty sign on the right side of the road, it contained the words 'Shooting Star Lake'. He paused immediately as a response after reading the sign. He was lost and he took the wrong path, there was no lake to where he usually walked towards either back to the shop or the School. The lad planned on heading back to the opposite way but he stopped on his track when he heard a faint, melodic tone. As if a girl with an angelic voice was singing from inside the entrance to the lake. Ryan did a stupid action and walked inside the creepy, foggy lake. The melodic voice was growing louder and louder as he kept a straight course. Then suddenly, a small portion of the fog cleared from his surroundings and revealed a beautiful teenage-looking female, wearing a slim nightgown with her back turned towards him. The melodic song he heard also disappeared and was replaced with a faint sob and whimper.
"Excuse me… miss? Why are you crying?" Ryan spoke in concern as the female slowly turned to face him. Her hair was black and long, her pale skin was a perfect match to her peculiar beauty that surprised Ryan. Her eyes were glistening due to the tears she let out.
"I lost my Pendant… in the lake and I couldn't find it… anymore" The girl spoke with a soothing tone that can relax and calm anyone in an instant.
"Oh, I'm sorry… maybe I can help you? I know how it feels to lose something important…" As the lad responded, the female smiled radiantly in joy, her eyes dazzling and full of hope when she heard Ryan's response.
"Really? Thank you so much… I lost it somewhere around here… I'll lead you"
The female suggested as she boldly held Ryan by the hand and led him to the water.
His shoes were starting to get soaked from the water of the lake, his socks were already drenched in the same colorless substance which can make anyone feel weird and uncomfortable but Ryan didn't care one bit. He was determined to help the female he barely knew. All of a sudden, the female hummed the same melodic song she sang earlier.
"You have a beautiful voice by the way" Ryan commented as the girl replied with a cute giggle before humming louder, making Ryan suddenly feel dizzy to the point his eyes started to get blurry as his senses started to scramble from his mind. She then came to a sudden stop and spoke with a weird yet still alluring tone.
"Do you know why I love the water…? It's peaceful… it's quiet… and it's fun to drown people…"
Ryan's senses reverted to their normal state but somehow he couldn't move despite how much he struggled and how much strength he was adding on just one limb. He was confused about what was going on and had no idea what was happening to himself until a flash of memory appeared in his head. He once remembered a book that Sasha made him read, a book containing a few mystical creatures of cultural myth. His memory was a bit vague but with the same scenario happening to him as the book, he was sure that he knew what the person was in front of him.
"You're a sprite… aren't you…? You lead people to the water and drown them…" Ryan gathered all his strength seeing that speaking seemed impossible for him to right now but he still managed to let out those words.
The female held his hand tightly before turning her whole body to face the confused boy with a wide smile as her dark blue eyes glowed even brighter. "My… you surprised me, no one can speak or move once they are in my trance. You are correct, I am a water sprite… too bad I have to do this to you… You are so handsome with your hair and eyes… I think I like you" The girl replied with a captivating smirk as she gently licked his cheek with a teasing look and giggled before kissing his forehead as the lad suddenly became unconscious and fell on the knee-level water on his hack. "Trust me… I am doing this to save this world… I don't want this world to be destroyed like mine… sadly it requires you being dead…" The girl muttered before revealing her truest form. Her skin color started to turn from Pale to Blue, adding slippery scales to her body as her eyes were as blue as the deep ocean. With her unusual strength, the sprite carried Ryan's unconscious body towards the deepest part of the lake where she dived into the deep water with Ryan, attempting to drown him to his last breath but suddenly, the sprite felt something supernatural growing inside Ryan.
She stopped on descending and gazed over at Ryan, her eyes widened from the sight that the water surrounding Ryan was starting to heat up, no, it was Boiling! She tried to release his hand from her grip but it was as if Ryan was unconsciously holding her hand instead. The temperature around him was getting hotter, confusing the sprite with a hint of fear towards him. What was happening to Ryan? The only thing she saw next was how his eyes suddenly opened with a bright light of Orange as if his eyes were the same as the morning sun. Then just like a dying star, he emitted a bright light that was so bright it resembled the last cataclysm of the dying star, sending the Sprite on the run as his temperature started to regulate.
The waves brought him back to shore and a few minutes later, the lad woke up with no memory of what happened after his eyes closed shut, all he could remember was seeing the sprite kiss him on the forehead which sent him to a sudden unconsciousness. He picked himself up, slowly while the veins on his head were palpitating, causing it to hurt like crazy before starting to fade as his visions began to clear.
"What happened…?" Ryan muttered as he gazed over at the lake, remembering the sprite that he was sure she was going to drown him as the information on the book said. He clenched his fists in anger while he tried his best to bury the deep rage he was starting to feel. With not a single sound emitting from within the area he was on, he picked up his backpack, lying on the ground, and headed towards the exit which was also the entrance. But suddenly he felt movements on the water, he quickly turned his back to face it in hope it was the sprite because this time he was prepared to fight, he never thought about their power difference but the lad believes that everything bleeds, and if everything bleeds then they are not immortal.
"Show yourself!" The lad shouted in a mix of fear and anger until the lake started to shake and from underneath the water, a large indescribable creature appeared. It had a height that was comparable to a fourth-floor building, scales covering its entire body, its neck was long and almost resembled a brachiosaurus, the eyes that it had been as fierce as any predator could get, having the same color as the deep black sea. Ryan stood there in shock and disbelief, who wouldn't? No one could ever expect to encounter something as terrifying as the one he is gazing at with his own two eyes. It released an unnerving hiss before launching itself at Ryan with murderous intent like a predator launching at a weakened prey. Ryan evaded by jumping and tumbling to the side which caused the large creature to miss and crash onto the hard ground. Ryan took a quick gaze at the creature once more and before he knew it, he found himself running away towards the exit, as he ran and ran all he could remember was how weak and pathetic he was when the large wolf screamed the word 'Run'. He regretted that moment every night of his life, he could have come back to bury their bodies but no, he was too scared to even think of coming back and now it was happening to him again, why was this boy cursed to have a life like this? All he ever wanted was a normal life but the Universe had other plans for his future. The large, horrific creature buried its sharp claws and crawled towards the running boy with immense speed, each step it took shook the earth, it was obvious that it was indeed huge and powerful. Its mouth was wide open as it arched its long neck forward to snap Ryan with its sharp and ferocious teeth. Before it could finally sweep Ryan with its deadly teeth, the creature stopped on its track once Ryan jumped and made it past the sign he read earlier. He stumbled after making his land and fell flat on the ground, realizing that there was a beast behind him, he quickly turns to take a glimpse of the creature with his paranoid eyes but all he could see was the large creature, staring with a frightful gaze at him behind the large sign and next to the wooden railings for the lake entrance.
Suddenly, the lad heard a voice from behind, it was the Sheriff. Brown skin, and bald but judging by his muscular appearance, he was never to be underestimated. "Hey Kid, what are you doing here? The fog is too thick it's dangerous out here" Said the Sheriff as he helped him up.
Ryan gathered his thoughts together and warned the sheriff about the monster in front of them, who was still keeping its gaze at the lad. "Sir! I need your help! There's a creature after me!"
"Creature? Was it a wolf? Where?" Ryan pointed at the visible creature that would be too hard not to see seeing that it was just in front of them, breathing heavily as saliva dripped down its mouth but somehow, the Sheriff couldn't see the creature as if it was only able to Ryan.
"What are you talking about, Kid? Are you sure you're not seeing things..? Wait your Lucas' nephew are you? He told me so much about you, come on, I'm sure whatever it was it's not there anymore. I'll drive you home"
Ryan couldn't believe what he heard from the Lawman, can't he see the creature? Why am I the only one seeing it? And why is it just standing there? This was the same question the lad asked himself. But after reconfiguration, the lad concluded as he stared back at the creature with eyes burning in determination and anger. "So no one can see you but me… and you can't leave the lake entrance…. Am I correct…?" The lad muttered silently towards the creature as it lowered its head to reach his height level, letting out a blow of air from its nose but Ryan stood firm as his left eye glowed once more without him noticing. "I will make you pay… I ran from something like you once… but not anymore… I will come back, and I will kill you" said the lad as a threat before his eyes went black to their original state and snapped out of realization when the sheriff honked the car horn as if a different person took over him and muttered those words for him.
"Hey, Kid, let's go" Shouted the Sheriff before taking one last gaze at the creature who raised its head high up before walking back towards the lake.
Ryan didn't hesitate to get inside the sheriff's car and sat on the passenger seat. He gazed at the foggy entrance, after the day he had been through, he didn't know how he could sleep or make it through the night without sudden flashes of a memory appearing in his mind. He wanted to tell Lucas but then realized that if the sheriff couldn't see the creature then the same thing would happen to his Uncle, so for now he kept it to himself as the car started to drive away from the area and back to the shop. While the car engine runs and the Sheriff drives the car, Ryan thought to himself, what if events like this would always happen to me? This surely wasn't the first to happen to him but a sudden attack like this was one of the biggest mysteries he ever came face to face, he feared that this might only be the beginning but he sure hoped it was not.