Chapter 9: Facing Darkness
Ethan's POV
"Shouldn't we stop them?" asked Cain.
I sighed. "The question is if we can stop Gin?" I replied.
Cain face expression turned sour. "But Ethan, she's a woman. She's new. She doesn’t know what Gin could do."
"That's the point." I muttered. "He doesn't care. We all know that Gin can't tolerate that kind of behavior."
Victoria rolled her eyes. She spoke for the first time since the scenes that took place earlier in the Hall. "Let them be. That Shia needs to learn her lesson." she said. "The hard way."
But I know what we're all thinking. This will become a big turmoil. And we don't want to have a trouble and the group has already a series of problems in the recent weeks. When the Cup is near. It's not in our plan that our efforts will be wasted and be disqualified.
"We need to stop them."
We all looked at Corrine who has been quiet. She looked at the other end of the Hall where Shia sat before Gin dragged her. She's been in that position since. Not moving. As if thinking something deep. She didn't react when Gin and Shia change their direction and came out in the Hall.
"What do you mean?" Cain asked. The talk would be different if Corrine has spoken.
"And how would we do that?" answered Victoria. "We all know that Gin will never let us. He won't listen to anyone. Even you." Corrine's expression flinched a bit but it quickly returns back to her previous expression. Cain scratched his head. Victoria can be really straightforward. She won't spare anyone on her frankness.
"We need to go to Miss Aura or Sir Apollo." Corrine said. She faced us with a look that seems she's trying hard to keep herself together.
"Why?" Cain asked. "Will something bad happen?" Corrine nodded. She's the one who only knows what can happen. So our decision to oppose the Team Captain lies on her.
"Yes," she answered firmly. "Especially to that girl, Shia."
Shia's POV
I swallowed while watching Gin's ability. Is this the one I've heard before? He's the one who holds that ability? I step back but I didn't make it obvious that I was startled. The room which is made of hard stone and steel is now being slowly swallowed by empty darkness. And that black thing came from the floor where Gin is standing.
I suddenly panic. The black thing is gradually approaching in my place. I looked in the obstacle course and weapon in the room which suddenly disappeared when it was hit by the black light. The ability of darkness. He controls the freaking ability that shouldn't be allowed in Hesperia. He is supposed to be THE criminal. His ability is illegal.
I carefully step back away from that thing. I shouldn't have agreed in the first place. He gave me a chance earlier. I shouldn't have hardened my pride. From where I am, I noticed the cut made by the dagger I'm holding on the side of his face. A few minutes ago the situation is different. A few minutes ago it was all a physical fight. He said he only need one dagger to defeat me. He doesn't even need his ability. But he didn't expect that I'm fast. He didn't expect that every day I worked in the town, I'm not only a woman with a special ability, I can fight, I can run fast, I can hurt him with a dagger or a knife and I don't hold my temper. I'm no that kind of girl.
That's why I'm here now. I have a lot of scratches and wounds from him. But I manage to hurt him. I wounded his face. I only have one chance and I manage to do that. A right time, prediction of his moves, his senses that clearly says what his next course of action, I was able to get close to him while avoiding his attacks, and I did it.
But this is the exchange.
To see what his power really is. He didn't expect that I can touch him. He didn't expect that I was this hardheaded bitch. That's why he could not stop himself now. He would definitely teach my stupid head a lesson. I'm the one who personally placed myself in danger that's been warning earlier.
I felt the air in the room thinned. The sudden disappearance of all the things the exist here. Light, air, objects, even space itself. It's been swallowed by that black thing. He can kill me without even moving. This is the reason why they feared him. This guy is dangerous. E can kill all of us in this freaking castle if he wants to! Now I know. And I regrets that I learned in this way.
"What now, Sheridan?" he asked from the other side of the training room. I hate him. Because even his voice is gradually swallowed by that dark think. Like smoke and shadow. I looked at the darkness in front of me. Is it a hole that I could fall or a simple nothingness that I could disappear and could never return?
How would I able to beat him— I step back when the darkness is getting nearer to me. I can control my senses. If I die I just need to shut down my senses so I won't feel pain—
"STOP. THE TWO OF YOU INSIDE THE TRAINING ROOM. STOP." In an instant, the darkness faded which almost covered the whole room. On a step left and I will be devoured. It returned quickly to Gin and there I realize it came from his palms. Suddenly, it all return to the previous. Like nothing even happened.
A released a sigh. I even didn't notice that I have been holding my breath. I turned where the voice came from. I looked up and see a speaker system on the wall.
"MISS SHERIDAN AND MR. GREY. DO NOT MOVE."
I heard a faint cussed from Gin is his position. What is happening? The door where we entered earlier suddenly opened. The door that was devoured by the darkness earlier. A group people entered there. Gin's group members, Teacher Aura, and a man I just only see now.
"GIN, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" The man scolded. He looked the same age as Miss Aura. He is probably the Sir Apollo they are referring.
"Orienting her." he answered without interest in his voice. The provoking sound and amusement in his voice are gone.
"ORIENTING?!" the other member are silent at the back of the two teachers. "You almost killed her! You almost killed our only chance to qualify for the Cup."
He is scary. He looks like a drunken man. Messy hair, holding a cigarette in one hand, and another stick on his air.
"Am I that stupid to that?" Gin answered who started walking towards the side of the wall.
There I noticed. His hands, there's something strange in his hands. Does it have wounds? Why does it seem like it's bleeding?
"Shut up, both of you." Miss Aura ordered. I don't understand what's happening. I just looked at them back and forth.
"Gin. You can't just use your ability. It's too dangerous." Miss Aura said while facing Gin.
"I know." Gin replied.
He took several items in a large drawer on the wall. Bandages and alcohol. I noticed separated from the group and went to Gin.
"I can do that." She said and took the things from Gin. She suddenly noticed the cut on his face. "What happen to your face?"
She wiped again Gin's side of the face. Suddenly he stared at me. I don't know why to but the people in this room looked at my direction. He suddenly took back the things from Corrine and left the room without saying anything,
"Really? Is e serious? She did that?" I heard Cain whisper to the group.
"Shut up! You’re noisy." Victoria said while holding a dagger and observed the sharp blade.
"But seriously, no one has ever done that, right? I mean in the first try, no one has really get close to him." exclaimed Cain.
"So what? She's good?" Victoria replied with contempt. "Duh. Beginner's luck."
They continued talking while Miss Aura is tending my injury.
"Look at that kid do to you." she said while wiping using a liquid to my wounds. "He is supposed to be the authority. Not us scolding him." she commented. I didn't respond.
"He has his own way of running the group. Just understand him. He wants everything under his control. He is under a lot of pressure." I'm just silent. I have lost my mood to talk or even speak a word. The things that happened earlier before they came keeps on replaying in my mind. Gin has a dangerous ability. More dangerous than I thought. I wasn't careful. I need to be careful next time.
"Wait." Miss Aura said while looking at my wounds. Now she is tending the cuts on my arm. "Your wounds are deep. Are you sure you're okay?" She looked at my arm where blood is flowing from the cuts made by Gin's dagger earlier.
"I can tolerate pain." I simply answered. I don't really feel anything. I can't feel pain. I can shut down my senses and that's what I did during the whole fight. Won't I last long if I didn't do that?
"I know." Miss Aura said seriously. "But Shia, not being able to feel pain doesn't mean that your body won't be affected. You may never feel it but it still exists. Did you get my point?"
I just focused my attention on the medical things. This is clearly a lecture and I'm not in the mood to listen.
"Your body will be miserable with your wounds that you didn't paid attention only because you can't feel it. Sometimes you have to let your guards down. That's how you overcome and heal. Escaping is not always the best solution."
I was about to answer when someone suddenly entered the training room. We all turned to her.
"It's good that you're here." Sir Apollo muttered while smoking in the corner. "We need you here."
Miss Aura noticed my puzzled expression. "She is your sixth and last member." she said with a smile as if reading my mind.
"Luna Sarton."