Omega Wars Chronicles

Chapter 60: Madness

     In the halls of the Shard court, sounds of fists swinging and groans of pain echoed and during that moment, a male hiveling's back hit one of the walls and he sat on the ground unconscious. Schroeder stood and stared at the unconscious bodies of the hivelings laying on the ground but while staring, another male hiveling got up and charged towards Schroeder with his aura covered hand and hurls it towards pierce him with his four fingers , only for his hand to get covered by Schroeder's dark sand which left him surprised.
    "Too predictable." Schroeder said as his irises (which were glowing) rolls back at the hiveling.
     The dark sand quickly overtook the hiveling and pasted the hiveling on the wall, rendering him unconscious as well.
   "Too easy." Schroeder said as he resumes facing forward.
    "Schroeder." A masculine voice called.
    Schroeder turns to see the person who turned out to be Zotek as he was walking towards him.
    "Oh, it's you." Schroeder said, "I just took care of these hivelings that tried to attack me. They claimed i'm a nuisance and because of that, i had to die but they were too easy to beat.
     Still though, i can't help to wonder what they are planning. Why haven't they launched a full attack on Keigra, yet? Maybe they are waiting for the signal and because of that, they are trying to buy as much time as they can or maybe it's something else but whatever it is, i'm not going to stand there and let it happen."
       "You going to warn the chiefs about the hiveling infiltration, aren't you?" Zotek asked.
       "Yes, i am." Schroeder said as he slightly turned his face away from Zotek, "I'm sorry but i have to do the right thing. Even though i feel guilty about the deaths of the students, but if the hivelings should accomplish what they want, i will be dealing with more deaths than that of the students and i can't have it on my mind.
    Now, i know you are not going to allow me because of what you are planning, but-"
    "No, i do feel they should be warned." Zotek cuts in.
    "Huh?" Schroeder said as he glanced at Zotek in a surprised manner.
    "I just took care of some problems and believe me, there is going to be a lot of weeping for the dead."
    "I don't get you." Schroeder said with a raised brow.
    "The traitor Arxion told and 'showed' me everything." Zotek replied, "... We need to move quick."
    "Wait, Arxion is a traitor? How?" Schroeder asked in confusion.
     "It's a long story but if i am to put it to you in simple words, he is not the person we thought he is." Zotek replied, "Him and the other teachers."
     "Other teachers...?" Schroeder asked.
     "They were mainly the cause of the students deaths and Yorall losing his mind." Zotek said, "Each death of the students in the trainings and tasks were planned. The ones that survived were truly lucky while others were just too strong to be killed."
    "So you are telling me that we had traitors among us and we knew nothing all these months?" Schroeder asked with widened eyes.
    "If you look at it,  Zera indirectly did us a favor." Zotek said.
    "No... This... This can't be..." Schroeder said as he slowly stepped back, "This can't... Ernia... ?"
     "Dead." Zotek said, "Killed by Arxion."
     "Huh? Arxion killed her?" Schroeder asked.
     "Yes, but i have avenged her." Zotek said, "Arxion won't be causing anymore troubles..."
    "Than he already has." Zotek said as Arxion's corpse laid on the ground elsewhere with his eyes pupilless.
    At the time Zotek had explained himself, Zotek took notice of Schroeder's face as he was struggling to process everything that was going on while panting.
    "Schroeder... Are you okay?" Zotek asked.
    Schroeder had a quick recollection of him and Ernia standing outside the academy in the night and discussing with each other while sipping hot tea from their cups and laughing.
     "So why did you choose to become a healer?" Schroeder asked while facing forward with a smile.
     "You're asking me this now?" Ernia asked with a smile as she glimpsed Schroeder, "Even when we were classmates in our pilgrim training and missions, it is now you are choosing to ask me?"
      "You were always the shy type in class and missions, so i didn't see any reason to ask you back then." Schroeder replied while smiling with a raised eyebrow as his eyes moves towards Ernia.
       "So you are not into shy ladies, huh?" Ernia asked while still smiling, "No wonder you are moving with Zera."
    Ernia chuckled for a minute and lets out a sigh.
     "I was a blind child from birth; a child who desired what others took for granted... The ability to see." Ernia said, "My parents spent their money trying to get the best healers in Agaroth to cure my eyes but none of them were capable of healing me.
     From the Tenplar tribe and other major tribes to the minor tribes, but the results were null; none of them could fulfill the what me and my parents wanted. I mourned each time for my sight, i always desired to see what my parents looked like... To see what others looked like until one day when i was twelve, my parents brought a healer named Eoz from the Domadu tribe.
     He healed me, he gave me my sight. For the time in my life, i could see what my parents looked like, what the trees, the skies and other people looked like."
    "That was the happiest moment of my life." Ernia said as tears were flowing out of her eyes.
     "Ernia..." Schroeder said softly.
     "My parents asked Eoz to stay for a while since the journey back to his tribe's territory will be long." Ernia said, "And during his stay, i talked with him about being a healer. He told me about how many people look down on healers but they forget that a healer is just as important as the rest of the team; without a healer, the team is as good as gone.
    A healer saves lives and restores what has been lost from others. Ever since i gained my sight and learnt the importance of being a healer, i swore to become a healer type of pilgrim; one who would use her healing skills to serve humanity, save lives and restore what has been taken from others."
     "Wow, and i thought you chose to become a healer because you didn't like fighting." Schroeder said.
     "You've seen my skills in pure physical combat." Ernia said, "Though punching and kicking people isn't my thing but that wasn't the reason i chose to become a healer."
    "Healing people... Restoring them... The joy that comes with it is unexplainable." Ernia said while facing down with a smile, "It's as if i keep reliving that moment my sight was given to me. Though, there are still other things i would like to do: get married to a man, have children and hold my grandchildren in my hands.
    I just hope i will live long enough to see it happen."
     "I am sure you will." Schroeder said with a smile.
     "Oh, this one we are talking to each other by this time of the night, what do you think they will say?" Ernia asked.
    "Huh?" Schroeder asked in confusion.
    "I mean, you'll soon get married to Zera, right? What do you think your future wife will say if she sees us talking like this right now?" Ernia asked as she turned her face away with a mischievous smile.
     "Huh? What kind of dirty mind do you have?!" Schroeder asked.
      After remembering that time, Schroeder clenched his fist hard while staring down at the ground.
     "She never lived long to see it happen." Schroeder said.
     "We have to go." Zotek said, "We cannot allow them to continue any further. Ernia is dead but we can make it up to her and avenge her by thwarting their plan."
     Hearing Zotek's words, Schroeder lifts his head and his irises glowed.
     "Is that so?" A masculine asked.
   Zotek's eyes moves back and takes notice of a hiveling with a fade haircut and blue eyes, wearing a black top with a cloth tied round his waist and black trousers as well.
    "Who are you?" Zotek asked.
    "The name is Uto of the scorpion clan of the hiveling race." Uto answered.
    "Another fodder, i see?" Schroeder said.
    "Humph. The arrogance of you humans is astounding." Uto said, "Anyway, i overheard your whole talk about stopping our plan and i have a question to ask: do you honestly believe you can stop what has happened?"
    "Hm?" Schroeder asked.
    "Everything has already been set, all that remains is to show it off." Uto said, "But before that can happen, we need to dispose of you nuisances."
     Many hivelings walked towards Uto from behind but Schroeder and Zotek didn't seem fazed by it.
     "So you brought more fodders, huh?" Schroeder asked.
     The sound of a wall cracking and a feminine grunt of pain suddenly sounded far behind Uto and as Uto and the other hivelings turned, they saw a female hiveling's face pushed deep into a wall by Zera whose upper face was covered by her red bangs.
    "Z-Zera?" Schroeder asked in disbelief.
     While Zera's upper face was overshadowed by her bangs, Zera lets out a grin and chuckles.
     "Hey, hey, hey, hey. What is all this talk about disposing?" Zera asked, "It's not enough i had to deal with my first intruders, now i have to deal with you twerps as well?"
      "Zera, you're back." Zotek said.
     "Yeah, and i left a lot of bodies coming here." Zera said, "Anyway, i have been itching for something big ever since i recovered and now i am seeing this feast here..."
      "I cannot help but go wild." Zera said with a deepened voice as her canine teeth grew a bit longer.
       The hall began to tremble as Zera was discharging a disturbing green aura; the side braid of Zera loosened and Zera's hair started flying wildly which made some of the hivelings murmur among themselves.
     "What's with this energy?"
     "It feels just like a terror beast."
     "So we have to deal with the grim predator and the red fang." Uto said inwardly, "Talk about terrible."
    "Beast soul..." Zera said with a deepened voice while facing the ground.
     "Hytrix tiger." Zera said with a deepened voice as she lifts her head with a sadistic smile while her irises glowed and her scleras turned deep green.
     Zera's aura immediately formed a humanoid tiger with seven horns on its head and spikes on its shoulders.
     "Let's do this." Schroeder said as his eyes completely glowed.
    During that time, Zera's hytrix tiger aura roared.
     Meanwhile in the market place of Keigra, Raen and Yulin were walking and discussing together and during that moment, Yulin takes notice of the blue stone necklace of Raen glowing.
    "Your new necklace is glowing." Yulin said.
      "I know." Raen replied, "The old woman that sold it to me, claimed that it is capable of rewinding the time of the owner's life once dead."
      "It can do that?" Yulin asked, "I know han is a mysterious energy just like kan but i never thought it is capable of doing something like this."
    "The old lady could be lying though but she looked like she really needed the money." Raen said.
    "And how much did you give her?" Yulin asked with a raised eyebrow.
    "Three pieces of silver." Raen said.
    "Three pieces of silver?" Yulin asked, "That's a-"
    Yulin was cut short as her and Raen's orbs levitated and created a blue screen, showing the faces of Cloud and Onak, leaving them both in shock, likewise the other students whose own was showing them this information.
     "Oh my..." Izaiya said.
     "Cloud and Onak for the semifinals?" Idjra asked within herself.
     Elsewhere, Cloud's eyes were widened in horror while staring at the blue screen.