Chapter 2: First Autumn

It was a usual sight to see the large CD shop harbouring a good number of customers. Digital World had always been the one-stop station in that part of the town for teenagers and young people to hang out and chill out for the day. There were booths around at each corner of the store where they could listen to their picked CDs for free. Top songs in the market were usually on air…

Well, except for today, thought Lyandra. It did not seem to affect the business at all though. She heard that there were some technical problems which cost Digital World the inconvenience of not being able to air songs. She sat on the spinning chair with her back to the counter and waited for her shift to end for the day. She sub-consciously tapped her fingers on her lap to the beat of the music.

Good thing I decided to bring along my CD-player.

Let’s just say she simply couldn’t live without music. That was one of the reasons why she took up this part-time job. Besides, the pay was good and she could listen to the latest CDs of various bands and singers for free.

“Huh?” mumbled Lyandra as she felt her ear-phones being lifted away from her ears. The rock music suddenly faded away in a distance.

“Is this how you run my store while I’m out, Lyandra?”

Lyandra bit her tongue on realization. The manager was home and totally caught her slacking off duty red-handed. She spun her chair around and stood up with her head bowed down apologetically.

Oh man, of all situations to get stuck in with him!

“I am so sorry, Mr—”

Before she could end her sentence, she was cut off by his chuckle. She took a peek at him and blinked. “You’re not mad at me?”

“’Course not, Lyn. I know your shift’s almost over. You’re just lucky my dad handed this branch over to me and doesn’t come around that often,” he joked lightly.

“Heh heh,” Lyandra gave a nervous laugh.

Phew, I thought I so blew it in front of him. I cannot afford another embarrassment like this if I ever want to date with him.

Ok, so there was one other reason why she worked in Digital World. Ethan Salianté, only son of the founder of Digital World Music Industry was a strong enough factor. Tall, well-tanned, handsome and a fun-loving person, he was practically a dream date of every girl. He was twenty-two this year and a very promising young business man. It was no doubt that he would succeed his father’s company with no problem.

“Right, so I’ll go check on our stocks first,” said Ethan casually and headed for the storeroom.

Lyandra was just about to sink back into her chair when her hand phone rang. She rummaged through her pocket of her jeans and fished it out. Pressing the ‘talk’ button, she answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Lyn, come back home immediately! Something terrible has happened!”

“Aunt Sheryl?” spoke Lyandra, trying to keep her cool. Her pulse was already racing and an uneasy feeling was overtaking her.

“Please Lyn, come home now!” repeated the woman, her voice frail and cracking.

Without delay, Lyn snapped her hand phone shut and slung her backpack behind her.

“Chad, I gotta go now. Something’s wrong with my aunt,” she informed one of her colleagues on her way out.

“Ok, hope everything’s fine,” he breathed as he heaved three boxes of new CDs up from the ground. He was just in time to see Lyandra rushed out of the entrance of Digital World.

Chills bit into her skin as the evening wind blew pass Lyandra. Her blouse was barely anything against the cold wind. She took a left turn which led to the way home.

Her thoughts were a mess. She knew something big must’ve had happened or Aunt Sheryl would never pull her away from her work. Her aunt sounded panicky and worried. She found herself praying continuously for her aunt’s safety.

Oh God, please don’t let her be harmed. She’s the only one left.

Just as she was jogging past a forest, she felt a strong and intense level of energy stirring from within the forest. Abruptly, she stopped her pace and stared blankly at the forest.

What's that powerful force?

As if hypnotized by the strange flow of atmosphere, Lyandra started walking toward the heart of the forest, forgetting her aunt's call of emergence and distress. Her footsteps sunk into the thick layers of brownish-gold fallen leaves as she trudged forward.

Where am I going?

She swore her body was moving on its own, even without the command of her conscious self. An unknown force was luring her into the woods. Her logic mind told her to resist and run but her sense of curiosity was overpowering. She decided to allow her feet to take her to wherever the destination was.

Movement of her body halted all of a sudden. She looked around in alarm, her eyes taking in the surroundings. She assumed she must be really deep into the forest considering that she could neither see nor hear from the civilised world anymore.

"Leave this world, Xanbak, before things get ugly for you."

The voice startled Lyandra. It was faint but she knew she had definitely heard it. She wandered about, looking for the source of the voice. It seemed like she was groping in darkness blindly without aim.

"Oh, s' that so? Let me make a wild guess... You are, as a matter of fact, the only current defender of the Third Gate, isn't that right, Little Flame?"

That's a different voice. Perhaps it belongs to the guy named Xanbak.

"Do not address me as so," snapped the first voice.

I'm getting closer. The voices are getting louder.

"Pardon me; I have conveniently forgotten for a minute there that you are no longer innocent Little Flame. You are, of course, the young and gifted Second Degree Summoner from the Honoured House of Evenal," taunted the other voice.

Lyandra froze when she saw two individuals standing at a distance before her. Instinctively, she hurried to the nearest tree and hid behind it. Certain that she wasn't discovered; she took the chance and spied on them.

"Don't you dare speak the name of my family with your filthy mouth!"

That's Flame Evenal! What's he doing here? Who is the other guy?!

"Now, now, Flame, you really don't want me to teach you basic manners of respecting your elders."

"I don't need to respect a traitor of the family and Dehemel!" roared Flame.

Xanbak snorted, "I will teach you to respect a superior when you meet one."

Drawing out his right hand, a fiery-red ball of light concentrated at the centre of Xanbak's palm. Lyandra could only watch in anticipation and fear as she witnessed the ball of light formed into red liquid that drenched his entire right arm. When the materialization was complete, Xanbak's arm was equipped with metallic shield and his fist was replaced with eerie black smoke.

"If my fist ever hits you, it would be instantly fatal. Even if you touch the smoke only by the slightest, it would poison you, tap into your Summoning Energy and deliver it to me. It would leave you only skins and bones by the time all your Summoning Energy is drained out of you. This, Little Flame, is my Death Blow." A malicious grin flitted across his face.

Flame shifted his feet as he prepared for battle. Sweat broke out on his forehead. He was about to enter a fight with a First Degree Summoner, a rank higher than his. But there was no negotiating out of this. Xanbak is a Dark Summoner; a member of the Organisation of Chaos. The Organisation wanted nothing else but the pure destruction of the Two Worlds.

What are they about to do?

A fallen autumn leaf brushed past Lyandra's right cheek, her breaths forming from her mouth.

"I’m sorry you have to die, Little Flame... my dearest nephew."