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Chapter 24 - When Fate and Plans Meet
🕑 Added 2023-08-20 19:37:37 +0000 UTCChapter 24
When Fate and Plans Meet
Ethan had an odd expression on his face as he ran through the woods carrying 200 pounds of a teenager over his shoulder. How everything played out… made no sense. Not to him, at least. His plan, though rather rushed and incomplete, was still extremely detailed and long-lasting. He'd stay a day and observe and carefully plan out other inconsistencies–the guards' rotation, the boy's habits, the exit route to avoid the eyes falling on him… but it all fell apart in the first hour of his arrival.
He’d immediately noticed the boy and, soon after, the group of kids coming at him. The sight gave him a novel idea to intervene–and he did so. First, he went about and made sure that all sentries and guards were incapacitated. Surprisingly, however, there were only two and only one of them had a perfectly clear view of the back of the building. The security was far more lax than he anticipated, but that could still have been handwaved away–the entire America, nay, the entire world needed more personnel, and there simply weren’t enough men and women to fill out all the holes.
In fact, even with everything in place and him ‘saving’ the kid, he didn’t expect the boy to just agree to run away with him. He fully expected to be rejected–as Ethan felt it was the most normal reaction imaginable–but, instead, the boy agreed. And Ethan panicked and just picked the child up and ran away. The sight was unsavoury, to say the least, and yet the boy didn’t thrash or complain or try to escape even after they left the city and headed into the woods. Ethan expected the boy to have passed out but a quick sideways glance told him that the boy was very much awake, eyes darting about half in curiosity and half in horror. In the end, Ethan stopped and put the boy down, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Elijah stared at him unblinkingly, confusion in his wide eyes. Though Tara and Ronald, at least in Ethan's eyes, were also kids, Elijah was… just so young, closer to Layla than to the other two--to Ethan, at least. And yet, there was something almost adult-like in those eyes, the unholy distrust of seemingly everything… and everyone.
“Those two pissants will definitely accuse me of kidnapping you,” Ethan mumbled while Elijah stayed silent. “Name’s Ethan. What about you?”
“... Elijah.” The boy replied, clearly unconvinced that Ethan had no clue who he was.
"You must be wondering why I bothered. Did I just happen upon a sad little boy getting bullied and have a sudden urge to play a hero?"
“...”
“Well, yeah, obviously not,” Ethan shrugged. “However, I want to dispense with a few things that must be swirling inside of your head: I’ve no fucking clue who your father is–hand on heart–and my plan isn’t to exploit your familial relationships for some banal gain. I don’t run a labour camp that I plan on employing you within until you croak. I am not a sex trafficker. And where we are going, we won’t be alone.”
“Then why?” Elijah asked suddenly, his voice cracking. “Why… did you save me?”
“... alright. I’m gonna show you something that’s gonna freak you out. I think. It should freak you out. The last time I did it, those two showed more… fucking greed than fear. Anyway." Ethan opened up a faint gash in his forearm and caused blood to spray out, converging into a two-feet long whip of blood that dangled in the air like a tantalising piece of flesh defying gravity. Elijah's jaw gaped, his eyes widening even further. "Jesus, really?" Ethan mumbled. "You too?"
“W-what, what trick is that? How did you do it?” Elijah asked, sounding unconvinced.
“Oh, very simple. I call it magic,” Ethan said.
“No way.”
“Really? No way? In a world where an alien orb descended and killed tens of millions of people and in a world where monsters began to roam freely like stray dogs, this is what trips you up?”
“...”
“Look. I… I didn’t mean to save you today. But then I saw you getting beaten up and, I dunno, a chance appeared. Fuck, I didn’t think you’d say yes to running away with me. Do you understand just how insane that is?”
“... yes.”
“Why did you say yes, then?” Ethan asked, genuinely curious.
“I… I don’t know,” Elijah replied, lowering his head. “I… really don’t.”
“... right. Impulse. Instinct.”
“Yes.”
"I can't tell whether your instincts are well-honed or absolutely shit," Ethan sighed, fixing his strewn hair. "Can you walk?"
“I… I think so?” Elijah replied, standing up slowly. Though his knees seemed wobbly for a moment, he managed to steady his stance quickly. “Yes, I can. Sorry that you had to carry me. I… I know I’m heavy.”
“Heavy?” Ethan glanced at him. “Ah, right. Don’t worry about it. You were as light as a feather.”
“...” Elijah lowered his head, turning silent.
“Is it you?” Ethan’s voice prompted the boy to look up, but Ethan was looking to the side, at thin air, where there was nothing there. In the meantime, Ethan stared at the fairy floating freely next to him, wings flapping rapidly. Tian’s expressionless face morphed into a faint, playful smile suddenly. “Wait, it’s really you?”
“What is me?”
“... fuck. Really? How? No, why? Is it something like fairy pheromones?” Ethan quizzed as the strange happenings began to align properly.
“I have chosen you as my Sply, Ethan,” Tian replied, settling on Ethan’s shoulder. “A bond beyond bonds. Once a Spryae chooses their Bond, you become Touched. It’s the small changes, usually insignificant.”
“Like people trusting me more easily?”
“People, animals, spirits… you exude part of Spryae Nobility.”
“W-who are… who are you talking to?” Elijah voiced out suddenly causing Ethan to look back and indicate to Tian to show himself. Soon enough, Elijah’s jaw, once again, dropped when he saw a firefly-like creature with a human face and insect wings sitting on Ethan’s shoulder, smiling casually at him.
“You never mentioned this perk when we made that deal,” Ethan said.
“It is not a perk,” Tian said. “As I said, you exude part of Spryae Nobility. Anyone who can recognise it…”
“... will know I’m harbouring you.”
“Yes.”
“And I suppose there’s no way to mask it and hide it.”
“...” Tian’s expression turned to one of hurt as his eyes glistened in anger for a moment.
“Sorry,” Ethan apologised quickly; though he wasn’t exactly well-versed in the lore of Spryae Nobility, he knew enough to also know it was the thing they held as the holiest. Asking Tian to ‘mask’ his nobility was akin to asking a human to stop breathing. “Chances are that won’t be an issue for a long while. Even back then, few could even sniff out that there was something wrong, let alone exactly what.”
“I won’t be able to follow you into Tunnels.”
“That’s fine,” Ethan dismissed it. “Just stick around Layla. Leave the rest to me. Right, confused yet, kiddo?”
“...” Elijah merely looked at him, his gaze blank.
“Don’t overheat your brain by thinking about it,” Ethan said. “No matter how clever you fancy yourself, it’s not something you can crack. Come on. I’m somehow gonna have to explain your existence to those two. Fuck. There’s no way they’re gonna believe me.”
Elijah followed Ethan, now more terrified than ever that he’d made a blunder by agreeing to follow the man, uphill. It was quite a long trek and, more than once, Ethan picked him up once again and let him rest while carrying him uphill. He truly was not human, Elijah knew. Even if Elijah could somehow compartmentalise that Ethan faked magic in some strange way, he could not fake carrying him uphill with absolute ease, not even breaking a sweat. No, even before that. From the start, there was something odd. No matter how strong a person was, it shouldn’t be possible–by all laws of physics–to rip an entire leg off of someone.
The two came upon a fairly normal-seeming lodge after an hour-long trek. The lodge was situated inside a small clearing, surrounded by tall trees and a faint, natural wall that overlooked a dip leading downhill. Waiting for them were three people–a really young girl hiding behind a rather tall woman, and a man standing next to her. While the young girl stared at Elijah curiously and warily, the two grownups eyed Ethan with odd expressions.
“This is Elijah,” Ethan said, almost ‘presenting’ him.
“H-hello,” Elijah bowed, not knowing what else to do. This action, however, elicited the two adults to look away from Ethan and at him, with the same odd expressions.
“You said you were going shopping,” the older woman was the first one to speak up.
“Right.”
“And where exactly did you go shopping? Walmart, that aisle full of kids? Or maybe Target and that aisle full of kids? Or maybe–”
“Sarcasm is for winners, Tara,” Ethan interrupted.
“Yes, I agree. Or maybe Barnes & Nobles and their section on buying children, Ethan.”
“... I know you’re just being pissy, but you do realise that I didn’t actually buy him, right?”
“Yes, I figured as much. But you went shopping. And that kid looks to be the only thing you bought–pardon me, I meant brought.”
“Funny.”
“Thanks.”
“The kid needs a shower and some first-aid treatment,” Ethan said. “I helped a bit, but wrap up his wounds after he comes out.”
“Why me? Because I’m a woman?”
“No, because you pissed me off.”
"... alright, fair enough. Follow me, Elijah. I'll help you set up a shower." Elijah, confused and mute and wondering what his life would become, followed after the young woman. He couldn't look up at her, too embarrassed. Even if it was before all hell broke loose, the woman that Ethan called Tara was… too pretty. Prettier than any other girl he'd ever met, even.
“Hey, Tian!” Layla exclaimed suddenly as she rushed over to Ethan. “I was wondering where you were!”
“Sorry, I went with your brother to help him! He can’t do anything without me, you know?”
“He he, really?” Tian flew off Ethan’s shoulder and landed on Layla’s head as the latter looked up at Ethan with a quizzical gaze. Ethan rolled his eyes invisibly before giving the tiny fairy his carrot.
“Yeah. I am truly helpless without him. Why don’t you two go play for a bit, huh?”
“Yaay!”
“Just come back soon for lunch, okay?”
“Okay!” the young girl and the fairy ran off into the woods, their hollering heard long after their figures vanished. Ronald stayed and stared, on the cusps of asking something, yet appearing uncertain still.
“Just spit it out.” Ethan groaned as he headed back inside, soon followed by Ronald who quickly set a pot on the stove for the coffee.
“Since it’s you,” Ronald said. “I’m fairly certain you didn’t just pick a random, chubby kid to do your laundry or something. Which means the kid’s special.”
“...”
“You helped him Awaken, yet?”
“No,” Ethan said. “And neither will you.”
“Hm? Wait–he is just some random kid you picked up?”
“What? No, of course not,” Ethan scoffed. “God, Tara helping you shed your cocoon is really awful. I liked you more when you were a quiet chameleon.”
“I still am.”
“He is special,” Ethan said. “I just have to figure out how to… enable that special in him.”
“... right.”
“Anything happened since I left?”
“No, nothing happened in the twelve hours you’ve been gone,” Ronald said. “Why?”
“Tian spotted two Kaynuls within ten miles of the lodge,” Ethan said. “So I was wondering if they roamed about.”
“No. Either Tara or I were awake the whole time, so even if the security system failed, one of us would have picked up on it. Bringing that kid complicates things.” Ronald added.
“... you think I don’t know that?” Ethan sighed. “It was an… impromptu decision. Shit, the kid agreed to come with me. Can you believe it?”
“Honestly?”
“Oh, don’t say it. Just shut up,” Ethan groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Get me a beer.”
“We’ll need to do an actual supply run if the kid’s staying,” Ronald said as he pranced over to the fridge and got them both a can of beer.
“The kid’s staying.”
“Then we need to do an actual supply run.”
“... well, considering that the kid is some high-ranking military dude’s son,” Ethan said. “And I just looked like I kidnapped him, I figure the security will tighten even more for the time being.”
“...”
“...”
“Right. Of course. Makes sense.”
“Tara didn’t get to you completely, huh?”
“Told you. I’m still the quiet chameleon. If I were you, though, I’d get us both a pair of noise-cancelling headphones before you tell her that.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ethan grinned as the sound of the boiling water began to fill out the room. “I can purposefully move blood to my ears to block the sound. Magic’s great, ain’t it?”
“... lucky bastard.”
“Yeah,” Ethan mumbled, feeling strange. “Really… fucking… lucky…”
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