chapter 10

Before the rain pour....

The illusion set by the Moon Dog wore off just after it took off from the garden. Gilhameer immediately carried Cainnick's unconscious body on his back. He did not know what he's going to do that time. All he was thinking is that he should take Cainnick away from that place as fast as possible before  the students around the garden will notice them especially Cainnick who was bleeding too much. 

"Huwag kang mag-alala Cain. Ilalabas kita rito." He told him. He turned towards the exit located near the back of the library where there's a few people. 

Meanwhile, someone at the second floor noticed something below. He was shocked to see a boy carrying an injured. He's  intrigued as he see the boy on the carrier's back bleeding out. 

"Dugo! Dugo! Tignan niyo dugo!" He pointed. He was freaking out.

Then, the curious people turned their heads and looked down at the garden. Even the people who were away from the blockade rushed toward it just to see what's happening outside.

Gilhameer did not care about the people behind him. The important thing to him that time is to get Cainnick out of the garden as fast as he can. 

Then, a couple of moments later, before the people start to be further intrigued and react or take an action , a fireball suddenly appeared in front of Gilhameer. Gilhameer got surprised after seeing it. He stopped walking. He curiously examined it with his eyes as he got dazzled to it. The shine was so bright that even the students focused their eyes on instead of Gilhameer and Cainnick.

Then it immediately shine brighter, as bright as the sun in the sky. It blinded every people in that area. A few seconds later, it stopped. The light suddenly disappeared along with Gilhameer and Cainnick. The next thing that happened after it disappeared was it suddenly rained very hard.

"Anong nangyari?" Everyone asked.

"May tinitignan ba tayo sa ibaba?" They wondered.

"Teka... bakit tayo nandito? Sa pagkaka-alala ko nandoon tayo sa may pader." 

"May nangyari ba?"

"Umuulan? Akala ko umaaraw kanina?" 

"Di ba naglalakad tayo dapat? Bakit napunta tayo dito sa blockade?"

"Bakit nakikipagsiksikan tayo dito? May nangyari ba?"

Everyone was confused and wondering. They never knew that their memories got removed just after the light. They can't remember anything about what they should have been witnessing. Then...they went back to what they were doing when before they spotted Gilhameer carrying poor Cainnick. 

                                  ****

The rain was still pouring hard.  Ana was still watching them growling at her on a distance, froze in her amazement and terrified.  The white beast suddenly ran to her and it ram her with its hard skulled head.  Ana was pushed and thrown away to the other shed. The brown wolf immediately approached the white dog and scratched the opponent's snout. The white one counter attacked by biting the brown dog's nape. The dog was in pain swinging his head from side to side to loosen the grip of the white dog's fangs.

Later, Grace Joy reached the plaza. She's running through the concrete path as she look through the bushes at the west side of the plaza. She can't believe what she was looking at. She was looking at two interesting beasts clashing. She immediately went through the bushes to get to a nearby shed where she could get a closer look.

She was watching them biting each other and scratching at each other over and over. Yet, no one  around them never noticed nor realized their presence, since there were no people around. No one were in the sheds, no one was walking along the pathways. While her eyes were scanning around, they suddenly stopped when they saw a girl at a shed on the distance near the shed saw the wolves. She saw her slowly standing up.

"Ana?"  She wondered further as she noticed that she seemed injured. 

Finally, the rain had stopped. Next,  a thick fog had devoured the ground. It was rapidly covering the ground. The view was getting hard to see. It was also the advantage for Adan. He slowly backed away from the opponent, letting the fog to devour him. Soon, the brown dog can hardly see him, as if he disappeared in the thickness of the fog. Then, he's surprised when there were five Moon Wolves came out from the fog. They came in different directions, they were growling as they slowly move closer to the the brown wolf. The Moon Wolf also enhanced the thickness of the fog by using its illusion ability.

                                 ****

The fog has never been that thick. White as a snow that covered an entire background that you can't see anything nearby nor a silhouette. Ana turned around from one side to another. She can't recognize the place she was at anymore. She can't see anything nor she didn't know where she should go to escape the area. 

Then, she froze when she suddenly heard a growl. Her heart suddenly raced faster.  She could tell it was nearby. Slowly and slowly, an image was suddenly forming against the white background. She got more terrified when it suddenly got clearer. In front of her suddenly came a white large dog. It was showing off its fangs as it creased its snout and it was showing off its threatening eyes, his mouth was salivating. Ana took a step back while the dog steps forward. 

"AAAHHH!" Ana screamed as the dog was about to bite him.

Adan's fang was about to grab her but a wall of solidified water suddenly blocked him from doing so.

Ana was surprised. She wasn't the one who did that. Moreover, she can't turn water into crystal. 

"Takbo!" someone from nowhere shouted. Ana immediately turned her head to the direction where she thought the voice came from. Her eyes widened in shock after the fog suddenly thinned down (the thick fog made through illusion wore off).  Grace Joy also got surprised when the fog suddenly revealed her.She saw Grace Joy stretching  her arms forward towards Ana's direction with her hands clenched. She turned her head to the solid water and she looked at her again.

"Grace?" 

Grace Joy was widened her eyes, she didn't know what to say to her. Thinking how will she explain it to her? Her heart raced faster.  And so, she put her hands down. Despite the injury her right leg suffered, Ana forced her feet to ran as fast as they could to get to Grace.

"A-Ayos k-k-ka lang?" Grace Joy stuttered when Ana successfully got to her. 

"Isa kang sirena?" Ana asked. 

Grace Joy dropped her jaws. She got shocked. How did she knew she was a mermaid just by seeing her magic?

"P-pa-paano mo na lamang...?"

"Umalis na tayo rito!" Ana yelled when she saw the dog recovered from the pain its jaw got from unintentionally biting a wall of crystal. . And so, they ran as fast as they can.

On the other hand, the brown dog struggles on fighting the five wolves - which he thought they were real but they were just complete illusion created by Adan the Moon Dog. He was bitten by the other wolf, he felt the pain, never knowing that the feeling was just created by his mind. The next opponent rammed him by his head. Again, he threw himself away, assuming that he really got hit by the wolf. The three remaining dogs hopped, readying their claws to wound him when they'll land. 

Suddenly, when they were in the mid-air, flames quickly devoured them. As the flames slowly burn out, so were they. They disappeared. The remaining two got devoured by a bubble that suddenly appeared in thin air. They suddenly disappeared inside it. Later, it shrank then it disappeared.

The wolf then realized that they weren't real. He had forgotten that Adan has the ability to trick people. Then, he shook his head from side to side to look for the person responsible to the illussionary beasts' disappearance. No one was around. He couldn't track the person or the creature by his senses. And so, he just left it aside and he ran tracking the scent of the Moon Wolf instead.

                             ****

The sun's already going down at the horizon. The fog had already left the ground. The rain once again poured down. That time, it was just a drizzle. It somehow let the remaining students in that school to go home.

Grace and Ana ran inside the main building. After them, entered the white beast. They ran inside the open corridor looking for a place to hide. They push every single door they passed by hoping one of them were open. They already checked four doors but they were locked. Ana tried to push the next door. There, it opened. She grabbed Grace Joy's sleeve then she pulled her in with her. Immediately, she closed it and locked it afterwards.

Grace Joy sat down on one of the chairs in the first row. She was panting while she's calming down her racing heart. Ana lean her back against the door. She was catching her breath. She then slowly sat down on the floor. A few moments later, she looked at Grace.

"Sirena ka ano?" she immediately asked.

"Paano mo naman alam?"

Ana replied by a faint chuckle. 

"'Yong ginawa mo sa akin kanina... ang astig nun." She complimented. "Salamat pala."

Grace Joy smiled.

"Hindi ka  natatakot?" She asked.

"Hindi." She replied.

"Bakit naman?" she asked. 

After hearing her question, she smirked. She raised her hands forward and the teacher's table that she was facing suddenly moved away from her. No one was there to move it for her.

Grace Joy ,who got a little bit surprised just chuckled faintly. 

"Bakit ka tumatawa?" Ana asked.

"Wala lang," she answered. " Hindi lang kasi ako makapaniwala na mayroon pa pala akong kagaya rito."

" Saan mo naman nakuha 'yang--" Grace joy got interrupted when they heard a noise coming from the outside.

Ana immediately stood up. She faced the door.  Grace also stood up and came closer to the door. They were getting ready if ever the wolf managed to find them inside. 

                                  ****

Adan was slowly walking through the corridor, sniffing every door of the rooms he passed by.  He stopped by when he came at the door where Grace and Ana were in. He noticed that their scents coming from the door were stronger. And so, he sniffed harder at the bottom of the door hoping that the girls were inside.

Suddenly, without any warning, the brown wolf bit him on the neck. He squealed in pain. He was trying to move his body to loosen the opponent's grip. A few moments later, he immediately moved away from him just after he got freed from the fangs of his opponent.

The dogs growled at each other. Threatening one another with their eyes. They were showing their fangs. And they were about to charge. 

Grace and Ana were wondering what was happening outside.

"Ano kayang nangyayari?" Ana told her. 

Grace shrugged then she looked at Ana.

"Baka nasa labas din 'yung isa."

The brown leaped towards Adan. Adan also leaped toward him. Before their heads collide, something bright suddenly appeared between them. It's floating and burning in the mid air. Its flames immediately grew bigger that had made the two got caught in it. 

The two laid down as they fell down into the concrete floor . After that, the flames turned down. Luckily, none of them were burned. As the white wolf was trying to get up, the bright ball of flame grew bigger again. But that time it was changing its shape. It transformed into a beast the same image as them but it was burning. It seemed to be an alive red flame taking the shape of a dog.

                         ****

Inside, Grace Joy and Ana could see from the indentations of the door the color of flames moving. Which made them feel tensed and scared. 

"May nasusunog sa labas!" Ana panicked. She told Grace with just as soft as she could speak.

"Shhh..." Grace Joy shushed her.

"Anong gagawin natin?"

"Hindi ko alam..." she responded. "Wala na tayong magagawa kundi lumabas tayo doon at lumaban." 

                                ****

With threatening eyes, the burning creature growled at the Moon Wolf. Adan growled back. Then the burning wolf spewed out a line of flame in between them so that he can't come any closer.  Behind the burning one was the brown dog lying unconsciously. Adan tempted to run at him through the flames but he failed. The flames were to hot to cross. And so, he tried to wait for a few moments, hoping that it will burn out sooner. But before that will happen, the burning dog sneezed out fire from its mouth. Adan immediately backed away before it could reach him.

Adan got angry after that. And so, he took two steps back and prepared his feet to run. Then, he sprung forward as fast as he can. He crossed through the fire. He was about to scratch the flaming wolf with its sharp claws. Instead of the wolf, he scratched a wall of bubble. He landed on the floor, disappointed since he failed to touch him. He looked at the barrier that blocked his paws, he realized it was just a wall of bubble. He growled once again. He tried to approach but he wasn't able to break in. He tried slamming it with his body over and over again. Yet, its not popping out nor breaking.

He decided to stop when he realized he can't manage to make a dent whatever he do. And so, he stared at the wolf for awhile. Later, the door behind the burning wolf opened. He turned around when he heard it squeaking. Ana and Grace came out. In their surprise, an alive flame was silently staring at them. Next to him was a bubble wall. Outside the bubble was Adan growling.

The two stepped back while they were also looking at them in fear. As for Grace Joy, the wolf she was looking at seems familiar to the one she dreamed. In her mind, he might not be only similar to the one in her dream but he might be him standing on the lake water as he was looking down at her. A few seconds later, the flaming one turned his head to Adan. He growled at him again. Adan wants to attack but he can't. And so, he decided to turn his back on him. He ran away at high speed out of the corridor.

                             ****

On the other hand...

Gilhameer, who was laying on a table, fast asleep inside a laboratory room. On a table beside the one he was on, there was Cainnick who was also asleep. Meanwhile, a howl from the outside suddenly opened Gilhameer's eyes. He immediately got up as he catches his breath. He slowly turned his head to the right. He saw Cainnick laying on a table.There's a towel covering his topless body. He immediately approached him - worrying what might had happened to him. 

"Cain!" He shook him gently.

"Cainnick!"

Luckily, he responded.

"Hmmm....mamaya na. Natutulog pa ako," he whinned. 

Gilhameer was happy to hear him fine and well. Cain rolled to his left. The towel that was covering him unveiled something that made Gilhameer shocked. Cainnick's shoulder was cleaned up. His wounds were miraculously gone but leave marks.

"Hindi ito maaari!" the poker-faced Gilhameer got terrified. 

He scanned around the room but no one was there. He got puzzled and intrigued. He was wondering who might be the one who brought them there and who's the one responsible for healing Cainnick.