Hao. The Awakening of the Chosen (Finish)

Chapter 10.1

"Viktor leapt, his bare arms outstretched; he hadn't thought of any plan, just to finish them off. As he fell, he recalled words from the primitive Antler language, remembering having read them in some book. What was it called? Viktor pondered.He had to recall back to the time when his father gifted him a book containing ancient terms, believed to make the chosen ones special beings. At that time, they didn't believe in the chosen ones, but still, he read the book; it was short, about 20 pages. He remembered some words, classified as dangerously offensive, which he repeated at that moment.— 'Ignis Caelestis!' I shouted at the top of my lungs.A sphere of light formed around me, it was gigantic, like some sort of bubble, and I braced for the best. Luckily, upon impact, the sphere imploded, leaving everyone in the room blind for several seconds. It was enough time for me to grab the spear they had used to kill my father and, in a mix of rage and vengeance, I plunged it into Santhiago's abdomen, the sage who had executed my father.As everyone regained their senses, they first saw me and then turned their gaze to Santhiago, who was falling to his knees, spitting blood and cursing me. Luther, on the other hand, turned his gaze towards me.— 'Capture him! I want him alive!' Luther demanded.I had no intention of fighting, as they outnumbered me, so I ran through the entire room. I looked at my mother and Lua, tears in my eyes, and promised them that I would come back for them.A couple of dozen guards chased after me, each carrying a spear in one hand and a whip in the other. I didn't know what to do; I couldn't leave them to their fate, and I couldn't confront them alone. So, the only thing that came to mind at that moment was to return home and devise a plan there.I ran upstairs, speeding through hallways. Glancing back for a moment, I realized I was running at the speed of light and had left everyone behind; I had thrown them off.I arrived home, sweating and panting. Creating that ball of light had drained me. I went straight to the shower, taking a long one. As a blanket of steam covered every pore of my body, I reflected on the day's events; too many things had happened. Afterward, I closed all the shutters in the house to avoid being seen. I had dinner with whatever I found, a couple of crispy seaweeds, smoking them slowly to keep them warm. Then I went to bed, but not before feeding Orca; she hadn't eaten in almost two days, so this time, she devoured all the food I gave her.The next morning, I woke up sweaty, all the sheets rolled up; most likely, I'd had a nightmare that night. I had seen how, after I left the room, they executed both my mother and Lua as an act of revenge, on Luther's orders. That reality haunted me for most of the day, and I felt guilty.By evening, as the sun descended and the street lights dimmed, I left the house. For the occasion, I chose an outfit that wasn't too conspicuous but also not camouflaged.I walked the streets; I had a plan but needed allies. First, I went to Pedro's house; after explaining my plan, he and his brother joined the team. Then we went for Álvaro and Santi; Santi's brothers also joined the group. To finish, we went to Lua's house; her parents welcomed us with open arms, excited as Lua had disappeared for them, and I had forgotten to inform them.Upon entering their house, we went straight to the living room. I had to explain my plan to everyone; coordination was crucial for everything to go smoothly.— 'Before explaining the plan, let me tell you what happened to me yesterday.'First of all, Lua and I had a mission: to rescue my parents because they were captured by the sages, accused of treason. Lua and I went through the tunnels towards the sages' palace, where they were held prisoner. In the tunnels, we met Champi, an ally.Later, upon entering the palace, Lua had to defeat many guards, but unfortunately, she was captured. Meanwhile, I descended to the dungeons and spoke with my parents. I couldn't free them, but they told me something essential: they were working to find a kind of staff that belonged to the first Antler, named Omega. My father tasked me with retrieving the staff and defeating the sages with it.The problem arose when, upon leaving the dungeons, I heard an explosion from one of the towers. I quickly turned back and went up to the tower; no one was there, and I was bewildered. I went to the main hall because I heard some noise, and do you know what I found? Luther, the leader of the Night Whispers, Hektor, of the Terithites, along with Santhiago, the sage. I realized when I looked toward the center of the room, there was a portal, and beside it, in one of the wings, there were three prisoners: my parents and Lua.Luther, Santhiago, and Hektor discussed their plans and went to interrogate them. My father argued with them and was executed. I was in one of the balconies above the main hall. As an act of revenge, I descended to where the three executioners were and just like they had executed my father, I executed Santhiago.I fled the place without being able to rescue either my mother or Lua. So, I'm asking for your help, friends; we must rescue them and confront the sages. Therefore, my plan is as follows: we'll form three groups. The first will be responsible for stealing guard uniforms so the second group can camouflage themselves in the palace. The second group must seek other allies in the dome, ones who also oppose the corrupt sage regime. Finally, the third group will be tasked with searching my parents' manuscripts and searching for the staff. These tasks aren't easy, but I trust you.' — Viktor concluded.Everyone looked at me with sadness; some even offered condolences. They asked me several questions, which I answered confidently; I had everything well-prepared and thought out. Except for Pedro's question, 'What will we do with Luther and Hektor?' I had no answer for him and replied that we would improvise as we went along.We split into three groups: the first composed of Alvaro and Lua's parents, the second formed by Santi and his two brothers, and the last group, to which I belonged, comprised Pedro, his brother, and myself. I told them that we would meet again at the same time the next day, at Lua's house, and from there, head into the unknown. But before that, I had a task: tailored suits for everyone. The suits had to withstand blows and energy weapon shots. After saying goodbye, I headed home.Arriving home, I saw that the area was cordoned off with energy shields, preventing access. The door to my house was open, with several officers inside, searching everything. I was scared at first, but then I remembered a phrase from one of the books that startled me. It said: 'The limits of your thoughts are the limits of your world.'So, just as I had done before in the main hall, I concentrated and delved deep into my spirit until I reached the core of my power, and I started walking toward the shield. I was afraid; if my body touched anything from the shield, I would disintegrate, but I continued forward.Upon touching the shield, it opened, allowing my body to pass through it. I bypassed the officers and quickly entered my room. I closed the door from inside and tried to make as little noise as possible. I gathered all my equipment, but before leaving, I tried to communicate with Lukotico through the mirror. Initially, he didn't respond, but after several attempts, I got an answer.— 'Lukotico, long time no see. How are you? I'm not doing well here,' Viktor said sadly.— 'Well, things aren't going too well here either. I'll tell you, I'm currently imprisoned,' Lukotico replied with a laugh.— 'Listen, I'll say it quickly to make it hurt less, or at least I hope so. One day, they arrested my parents, so Lua and I tried to rescue them. We failed, and they captured Lua. Luther, Hektor, and a sage named Santhiago—do you know him?—killed my father. In vengeance, I killed Santhiago, fled, and was chased by too many. Also, something very strange happened to me: when I tried to rescue Lua and my mother, I created some kind of light shield and ran at the speed of light. How is that possible? How did you end up there?' Viktor asked.— 'Well, one day, we were attacked by an army belonging to Luther. Later, they assigned us several tasks, including finding some missing persons. I had to find a guy named Juan. We formed groups, and I was supposed to go alone. It seemed like an easy job, but it got complicated. Let me tell you,' Lukotico began narrating his story.