ALL NOVEL Chapter 176 “Back Home”.
Chapter 176
“Back Home”.
Pain, fear, betrayal, and loss desolated his heart at the same time that a nasty knot settled in his stomach.
“NOOOO!” Edward shouted with his face disfigured by despair as he ran with all his strength, fighting against the aftermath of the powerful wind that prevented him from approaching the summoning circle that was drawn below Kalysto, ignoring the guards that were helping Darla to get up or those that were paralyzed with their bodies still stuck to the walls due to the surprise of witnessing such an advanced type of magic being performed by a single individual.
Something that was supposed to be completely impossible to do.
But Edward’s attempts were in vain.
The strong wind had blown them out of the room and destroyed parts of the walls, allowing him to see, but not get close to what was his only chance of returning to Earth.
Small debris cut his skin and a small trickle of blood trickled down his cheek, but Edward didn’t even notice as he desperately struggled to move forward even one more step, a step that would take him closer to the circle that suddenly became his only escape route.
His only hope to return home.
The memory of his father’s face shone in his mind and suddenly the desire to be back in the warmth of his family became so strong that his eyes watered with unshed tears.
“All this time you could have saved us, you could have taken us back home, but you didn’t!” He shouted, but his words were lost under the sound of the strong wind and the screams of Darla, the mages, and the rest of the guards as another group of knights came running towards them. Frightened by the sudden and unexpected attack of someone they all believed would be unconscious for several more hours.
The strong light emanating from the circle blurred Kalysto’s figure at the same time that it prevented the rest of the people present from noticing Hanna’s tiny figure emerging from under the pillow and hiding again inside the fairy champion’s ponytail.
The smile of sadistic satisfaction on Kalysto’s face as he showed them the middle finger of each hand while her body was transported to another world, made the betrayal, and then the rage, overwhelm Edward as never before.
And the young man screamed.
He screamed with everything he had as he watched her disappear, leaving the room half empty as both she and the center part of the bed disappeared with her. Leaving only silence and a gentle breeze that caressed his face as tears of helplessness and desolation streamed down his cheeks.
“NNNOOOOOOOOOO!” The young hero’s knees trembled as his legs lost all strength, unable to hold him as he fell to the ground and a strong feeling of emptiness flooded his entire being.
****
The strong light of the summoning circle enveloped her again.
And just like the first time, a feeling of emptiness invaded her stomach, as if she was going down a roller coaster at high speed at the same time as the light seemed to devour everything around her.
Kalysto closed her eyes, wanting to protect them from harm at the same time as a slight pain grew behind them. Several seconds passed as her breathing normalized and the rage at Edward’s betrayal, something she would never have imagined the polite and somewhat timid young man she had once known would have dared to do.
<
“That doesn’t matter now," she lied as she tried to control her anger, as the light began to dissipate.
<
But before Kalysto could refute the words of the one she had always considered another part of her, the cool breeze of dawn caressed her face.
The sound of birds singing, welcoming the sun of a new day, sounded in the distance. At the same time, the saint’s jaw opened and her heart beat wildly in her chest for a few seconds and then a shiver ran through her arms as she lowered them and the sound of the chains interrupted the song of the swallows.
A pair of butterflies fluttered around what was once one of the largest and most striking parks in the city. But was now almost completely destroyed. The beautiful water fountain she had walked by so many times was now nothing more than a pile of rubble surrounded by weeds next to half-destroyed trees and neglected gardens.
In the distance, a series of half-destroyed buildings decorated the skyline while the sirens of a couple of ambulances sounded in the distance. Kalysto followed the sound and looked to her right, where the sky was tinged with smoke billowing from buildings.
Her heart plummeted to her stomach, fearing for the few friendships she left behind, for her landlady and Natasha, her nice youngest daughter, with whom Kalysto used to spend hours chatting or helping her study from time to time.
With trepidation she turned around, in the direction where she had first seen the gigantic red portal, only to find it lying dormant, still hovering in the air above the treetops from which thin threads of smoke like campfires were billowing from the thick canopy of trees.
Several police sirens sounded near the park entrance, followed by a procession of dozens of trucks and military tanks.
And at the end of their route, glowing in the sky, was a green portal.
“Gate opening alert! Civilians are requested to withdraw to the nearest shelter immediately and evacuate in an orderly manner! This is not an evacuation drill!” The male voice from behind the megaphone took her by surprise. “All hunters in the sector are requested to join us to fight against the invading monsters! I repeat! This is not an evacuation drill!“
“Where are we?” Hanna’s voice, somewhere between curious and excited at the prospect of a new adventure, snapped Kalysto out of the initial shock and surprise that came over her when she saw what had become of the small but beautiful town she had called home for the past few years.
“...In Blasky... my home.”