The Element Keepers

Chapter 2 Encounter

Seth and Eric slowly walked through the streets of their ruined town. It hadn't sunk in yet that these abandoned streets were the same ones that were bustling with people and activity before they left. The houses and stores were barely standing, half burnt or nothing but a pile of rubble. Neither of the two teens spoke as they made their way to the center of the town.

Seth suddenly stopped walking and stared straight ahead. Eric followed his gaze and stopped as well. There stood two small cloaked figures standing side by side. By their stature, they had to be no more than children, but what were they doing all alone in the ruins of their town?

Seth was the first to break the silence. "Do... Do you know what happened here...?" The two figures didn't respond but stood there, not moving. Seth suddenly had a bad feeling and whispered to Eric. "We have to get out of here." The children suddenly started walking slowly toward them and the uneasy feeling grew. He grabbed Eric's arm, snapping the red-haired boy out of his trance. "We have to go /now/!"

Seth and Eric turned to leave, but the two children were somehow right in front of them a few paces away. The two friends froze, getting a better look at the faces of the cloaked figures. They were definitely children but something was off. White hair fell over their deathly grey skin and their soulless eyes glowed a unnatural red. Even more disturbing was what seemed like a dark aura seeping from their bodies. The two teens inadvertently stepped back from them.

They stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, the twins grinned eerily, sending shivers down Seth's spine. The children disappeared from his sight in a blink. His reflexes kicked just in time as he drew his sword to block dual daggers from tearing into him. He was caught of guard by sheer strength the child had, causing him to stagger backwards. He glanced over to Eric who seemed to have the same experience with the other child. The shock was clearly written on his face.

"These things aren't human..." Seth could hear the shock and fear in his friend's voice. It was then that he noticed his sword was shaking in his hands. He gripped his sword tighter, not giving in to the fear that was raising in him.

"Maybe not, but we can't give up," said Seth firmly. They didn't train for two years to admit defeat without even trying. "We won't loose here." He dropped into a fighting stance and saw Eric do the same out of the corner of his eye, a new look of determination across his features. He smirked and faced his opponent.

The twins were watching them with their twisted smiles and disappeared from Seth's sight again. He could barely follow the movements of the inhuman entities but always managed to find a way to block the attacks that flew at him. He knew they wouldn't get anywhere if they were always on the defense. He met Eric's eyes and conveyed a plan to him without words. The red haired boy nodded in understanding.

Seth and Eric stood back to back, trying to sense the next attack. The blonde saw a flicker of black in the corner of his eye. "Now!" He yelled and the two teens switched places and swung their sword. The sudden switch and change in position took the children off guard as they were met with the cutting cold steel. They jumped away and landed next to each other. One had a light cut on its arm while the other had one on its chest.

Seth smiled, growing a bit more confident. They could win this if they worked together. The twins looked at their shallow wounds and then at each other. The smile was gone from their identical faces and they nodded to each other. An uneasy feeling came over him as they shifted their positions and slowly walked toward the friends. "Stay on your guard..." He whispered to Eric who nodded.

The children disappeared from sight once more and Seth lifted his sword in defense but neither of them came at him. He spun around to see Eric blocking the daggers of one of the children. But where was the other? In the blink of an eye, the other child appeared next to the red haired boy and kicked him in the side. The blow sent him flying over the rooftops. The child that kicked him flew after his retreating form.

"Eric!" Seth yelled and started to run in the direction his friend flew. He was instantly met with by the remaining child's daggers. He lifted his sword to block the blow, gritting his teeth in frustration. 'I have to take care of this thing quickly and regroup with Eric!' He thought.