Of Love and Death.

The Future Chapter 9: Return of the Masked Blader Pt. 3

      Crimson Eye yawned, stretching out his arms over his head. He rolled his shoulders back and let his arms fall down to his sides. It was currently about five thirty in the evening, and it had been a week since the Snake's win against the Blazing Stars. Crimson Eye smiled to himself, still satisfied with that win. The screaming of the crowd was brought back to him, along with the air of surprise everyone in the stadium had had when Belfyre had burst Zebra. That was still very satisfying. The total lack of sound as everyone caught their breath.

      "You're sure you'll get home alright? It's getting dark earlier," Ashtem asked Crimson Eye.

      Crimson Eye turned to the leader of the Snake Pit who was standing in the doorway. This conversation had happened before, many times. Crimson Eye lived the farthest from the Pit of any of the junior bladers. Which meant that, among leaving about a half-hour earlier than most everyone else, he got special questions about whether he could trek through the jungle on his own. At least he was homes schooled so he could start and end learning early enough to get to the pit on time.

      "Yes, I'll be fine," Crimson Eye said in his even voice. He readjusted his book bag on his shoulders, and started walking toward the bike rack. Behind him, he heard the door to the Snake Pit open and knew that Ashtem was going back inside for the last half hour of the day.

     Crimson Eye took a moment to smell the air. It seemed like it was going to rain soon, probably overnight. Good. The humidity had been getting too much for him. He let his mind wander as he reached for the chain that was keeping his bike on the rack. He was caught up on all of the work from the few days that he'd missed going to Denver. So, with his mom not going to test him on anything soon, he could rest easy tonight. 

     With just a twist of his fingers, Crimson Eye entered the password for his bike, and went to take it off the rack. Yet a noise stopped him in his tracks. It could only be described as a whoosh, like when a train goes by. Crimson Eye felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up."Hello?" He asked, looking around. There was nothing but the jungle. The buzzing of bugs and various bird noises.

     Then there was a crack, like someone had stepped on a twig. Automatically, Crimson Eye turned toward the sound to see a person standing there. Their foot was situated on a now broken branch. Only, they didn't seem upset to have ruined their silent approach. They were smirking, it had clearly been intentional.

     Odd, Crimson Eye thought. He was on high alert, this was an abnormal situation if he'd ever seen one. I  really hope they aren't up to anything.

     This person was, quite literally, cloaked in black. Well, the underside of the cloak was white. Their outfit was decorated with suns, moons, and stars. Gold, teal, and black seemed to be their favorite colors. Interestingly enough, they also had a mask on. This one wasn't made by the Snake Pit, though. It was different, and seemed to be cobbled together from materials that would be lying around a house. Like small feathers made from aluminum foil, and cardboard for the main mask. Also, some kind of blue ceramic wrap for the eyes. Not that it wasn't well done, it would pass for professionally made in most situations. Like early morning when the light wasn't too good. 

      "And who might you be?" Crimson Eye asked, raising an eyebrow behind his own mask. He was unnerved, and his neck was already damp with sweat, but he wasn't going to show it.

      "I am the Masked Blader," The Masked Blader said in a chilling voice. It spoke of intelligence and cunning. Crimson Eye's eyes widened as she reached into her belt. With the speed of a cheetah, she pulled something out of there, and held it up for Crimson Eye to see.

     It was a bey. A golden owl shone in the center. Wicked wings gleamed from the sides. It appeared to be kind of small, just like Belfyre. Crimson Eye blanched as he stared into the eyes of the owl. A gold, black, and teal glow surrounded both the bey and the Masked Blader.