Chapter 15

After the Ghosts were defeated, the rest of the remaining police officers, who hadn’t been killed yet, worked with Ethan and the other emergency services to help with the clean up.

Students were quickly evacuated from the building after Ethan confirmed that the threat had been eliminated. Every student was safely escorted from the school with shock blankets draped over their person.

Although the population of Arbhar was rather large compared to other small Territories, the amount of emergency personnel was sorely lacking for an event such as this. Not only were there insufficient ambulances and hospital rooms, but a lacking number of policemen as well.

Because of this, parents flooded into the school parking lot unrestricted, trying to get their children home as fast as possible. The families of the killed police officers broke down in tears as their lost loved ones were placed in body bags.

The Sheriff, as it turns out, was one of two survivors to live through Steffan’s slaughter. He and the other survivor were quickly transported to the hospital, as they were in terrible condition.

The remaining officers counted themselves lucky to have been off duty or across town at the time, though their survivor's guilt was extremely heavy.

With the help of Ethan, they managed to transport Alex Spencer, who was tightly wrapped in high grade steel chains, to a holding cell at the station.

Kika, Randy, and Eric were all emitted to the hospital. While Chris was also checked out by medical personnel, he was cleared within the hour, which he was slightly grateful for since the person checking on him was clearly scared of him for some reason.

As for the town psychologist, she just about tore an eye out when she heard about the incident. She couldn’t help but dread all the work that would come her way.

30 people confirmed dead as a result of the fight between Chris and Alex, with the property damage cost numbering in the millions. Arbhar’s hatred for Awakened worsened as a result.

After Guzel and Faith woke up, they were interrogated by Ethan and Chris while also being informed of what had transpired after their capture. Following the interrogation, the two sisters became much more passive.

Ethan, although intrigued by how the Ghosts created a serum using a Power Gem, ultimately decided he didn’t want to waste too much time investigating it. The sisters were questioned about the serum, however, they didn’t know how it was made. They informed him that the serum was created by Jarvis, and thus his curiosity ended there.

Although Ethan tried to look for Jarvis within the Territory, he could not find him, which further cemented that he needed to train his Geinta Sensory skills.

Everyone continued to work day and night to make sure this incident was taken care of.

***

The Next Day, Tuesday, 5/31/119

Sheffer Residence,

After his parents had been called to pick him up at the hospital, Chris told them everything, which led to Ethan being crucified in the lobby. Today, he has shown his face at their house to apologize.

Although he doesn’t see the point, he understands that he put their son in danger, and should at least say sorry before leaving their lives.

“I sincerely apologize. You raised a good kid, and I interfered with his life. Please forgive me.”

He says this while bowing his head to emphasize his apology. The sudden and surprising display of humility causes Chris to choke on the glass of milk he’s drinking.

But, now, even after receiving the apology, Gerturde continues to stare at him as if he were nothing but an insect. It’s the "he needs to be squashed" face. Chris can feel her malice from across the room.

The blood lust coming off the old hag is astonishing. I’m surprised Joe can even sit next to her right now.

Chris continues to observe the scene with wide eyes as he can feel the tension in the air. However, eventually, Joe sighs and says…

“Son, please raise your head.”

Ethan does as he is told and lifts his head, only to see a wrinkled monster named Gertrude the Demon Lord sitting in front of him. Unlike Joe, she has not calmed down.

“See, we always knew something like this would happen eventually,” Joe says. “He's just too powerful. There's no way he can stay in the town the rest of his life. Though no one told Gert that.”

And like that, her bloodlust intensifies, to which Chris involuntarily flinches.

I'm sorry Ethan, but suck it up. This is what I go through everyday.

However, Ethan’s face never wavers and he silently praises him for keeping calm when facing a stare nasty enough to burn a hole through someone.

“Son, you saved those kids' lives,” Joe continues. “There should be a certain amount of debt this town owes you.”

“It's never that simple,” Ehtan responds. “If anything, the discrimination against Awakened will intensify. It might actually be a bad idea to leave Chris here any longer.”

“I ... agree.”

The distinct sound of grinding teeth can be heard emanating from Joe’s right.

“May I ask something about Chris?” Ethan says suddenly.

“Sure. What do you want to know?”

“How did he get his powers? And when did he get them?”

“We don't know. After we adopted him when he was two, we were informed that his real parents told the adoption agency to expect strange abilities in the future. But we never expected something like this.”

“Where did you adopt him?”

“One of the larger Territories to the north.”

“Huh. Interesting.”

Chris then chimes in. “Why did you want to know?

“Oh, well, ever since I encountered you, I’ve been wondering about your origin. Some random kid, with a Power Gem and no training, is my equal in battle? That’s incredibly mysterious.”

“Yeah? You think I’m like ... some long lost prodigal son or something.”

“Well … maybe.”

“Actually?!”

Chris jokes around for a few about being the secret prince of a country before Ethan pulls the conversation back on track.

“There is something I needed to talk to you about.”

“More important than the apology?” Gertrude responds.

“Today, the Sheriff has contacted the Empire for assistance. The town is currently in a state of disarray and he feels that they are necessary to restore order and to help rebuild, not to mention taking Alex Spencer into custody. When they do arrive, they'll find out about Chris's abilities through eye witness accounts. They'll most likely judge him as a dangerous element and try to take him away. My question now is: What do you want to do?”

Joe and Gertrude begin to contemplate their options, but they both start to realise that they have know idea what to do.

“We can't just give him cash to live in another territory?”

“You risk him being discovered by those who would want to use him for his strength.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Join a Bounty Hunter guild,” Ethan suggests. “It’s really the best option. You don't become a pawn of the empire, you get ample time off and work at your own pace, you manage your own workload, ect. I hear it's really great. Also the Empire won’t be opposed to this idea. After all, they and Guilds have a mutual working relationship.”

“That doesn't sound too bad.”

“I am also not opposed.”

As Ethan, Gert and Joe continue to talk about the various options he has, Chris starts to grow very annoyed as they have left him out of the discussion.

“Hey. Don't I get a say in any of this?”

“No,” answers Gertrude.

“Instant Answer! How cruel!” Chris grabs his chest and jokingly acts as if he’s just experienced a harsh betrayal. Ethan and Gertrude can’t help but think him a drama queen.

“We didn't include you because you didn't say anything,” Joe tells him. “Speak up boy.”

Chris stands up and puffs out his chest. “Fine, I'll say it! I want to go with Ethan.”

Hearing these words, Ethan’s eyes widen in shock, as he hadn’t expected Chris to voluntarily go with him. But before he says anything, Joe speaks up to protest.

“Chris, I don't think that you …”

“I'm sorry.” Chris says. “It's just that ... life as a bounty hunter isn't what I want.”

“Sure, but what oth …”

“And I don't want to be a soldier, and I don't want to quietly hide so no one finds me.”

Gertrude then chimes in. “Oi, brat. You ever consider what he plans to do after all of this?” she says while pointing at Ethan.

“Well I …”

“And did you ever consider that he might not want to take you?”

Standing there dumbfounded by her words, he then turns his head towards Ethan with pleading eyes that ask ‘is that really true?’ Soon, both Gert and Joe also await Ethan's answer as well.

“It’s not that I don’t want him to come with, but I never thought that he’d choose me over a guild, or that you two would ever let him.” he tells Chris’s parents.

“What do you mean?” Chris asks. “Of course I’d choose you. Who wants to be a Bounty Hunter. It sounds tedious.”

“And you think what I’ll be doing is fun?” Ethan asks.

“Well … ok, what are you doing after all of this?”

Ethan pauses for a moment. “Before I answer, do you mean where am I going next or what my ambition is?”

To this, Chris ponders for a moment before shrugging.

“I guess ... both?”

Ethan continues to look hesitant. Joe notices this and offers him an escape.

“Son, if you don't want to tell him, you don't have to.”

But Ethan does not take it. “No it's fine. I don't mind taking Chris along. In fact, I would like having someone powerful with me to watch my back. It's just ... he might not want to go. I don't babysit so he won't have it easy.”

Even after Ethan says this, no one speaks up, all awaiting for his answer. He sighs and rubs the back of his head.

“After this, I don’t really have a destination. All I know is that I’ll be traveling South for a while. But the reason I’m hesitant to bring him along is because of why I’m traveling in the first place.”

The Sheffers notice a sudden mood change in Ethan, as if he had gotten very serious.

“What I want to do is to remove all of the incompetent bastards who call themsleves Conqueror’s and to change the current system. But I don’t know how to do that. So, if one were to look at me rationally, they could say my motivation is an excuse for me to take revenge on the world, and they’re probably not wrong. If after hearing that, you are still okay with entrusting your son to me, I will gladly accept, but if not, I understand.”

“I accept!”

“No one asked you brat!”

It seems the Sheffers will have to discuss this for a while.

***

Arbhar General Hospital,

Chris and his parents put the discussion on hold for now. With tons of free time, since there’s no school, he has decided to visit his friend at the hospital.

Outside, Chris walks up to the parking lot to see a mob of people standing around the entrance.

“What the hell? How did a hospital piss off this many people?”

Curious as to what the hell is happening, he walks up to someone in the back of the crowd and taps their shoulder.

“Yo, what's going on here?” he says before chuckling at his next line. “You're not all here for a colonoscopy, are you?”

This was intended to be a joke, but the man did not crack so much as a smile. Rather, he started backing away from Chris in fear, confusing the teen greatly.

Am I misreading this or did he just cower from me.

Chris then realises why. “Ah damn, he recognized me.” Today, Ethan had explained to him that the hatred towards Awakened had increased tenfold since yesterday and that Chris has suddenly become a public menace. Hoping that guy who first recognized him wouldn’t say anything, he tries to squeeze through the crowd to the entrance when suddenly …

“IT'S HIM!”

Chris looks around to find everyone staring at him with panic. They all quickly retreat away, singling him out amongst the crowd.

What am I, a deadly disease? That fucker just had to say something, huh?

A moment later, the situation escalates even more as the mob begins the hurl masty phrases and insults at him, seemingly unbothered about bullying a kid.

“Get out of here!”

“You'll fucking kill us all!”

“Who could love a freak bastard like you?”

“Kill him before he hurts anyone.”

Much more is said, but almost none of it is comprehensible because the sound all blends together. This makes it easier for Chris to ignore what is said.

What a bunch of assholes. What if somebody needs to get inside? Don't block the entrance and protest somewhere else.

After surviving the crowd's bashing, he slips into the hospital and he walks down to the friends’ room. Upon arriving at the door, he hears their laughter, which causes him to smile.

“Having fun without me? This won't stand.”

He opens the door quickly and energetically, causing his friends to turn their heads. They see a tall, scrawny kid standing in the doorway. To Chris, they appear to be exhausted, probably from being checked on throughout the night.

“Who are you?” Randy asks.

Chris's smile immediately evaporates as one forms on Randy's face instead.

“Dude, don't get so sad. I'm joking.”

“Oi. That's not funny. I thought your head trauma gave you amnesia or something.”

“I'm not that weak. But man, since when did you have powers?”

“Since when did you?!”

Kika speaks up to explain. “Since we accidentally broke those gems in that cave.”

Being reminded of the incident, Chris's eyes widen with realization. He suddenly remembers Ethan’s earlier explanation about how one must smash a Power Gem in order to fuse with it.

“Ohhhh yeah! I forgot we did that.”

This time, Eric speaks up. “But Chris, when I asked you before, you said you didn't get any powers from the cave.”

“I didn't.”

“Wait what?”

“Yeah, I'm confused,” Kika adds. “The cops told us you took down the leader of the group.”

“I did,” says Chris, nodding his head. “But I've had my powers since I was born, or at least as far back as I can remember.”

Once he finishes saying this, Chris can practically see the question marks floating above their heads.

“Is that why you're so much more powerful than us?” Eric asks.

“Yeah, like, why can you fight them while we end up in the hospital?”

“I want to do cool stuff too!” Chris laughs at this comment from Randy. With everyone pressing for answers, much like with his conversation with Ethan, he begins to feel guilty that he can’t explain any further.

“I don't know. I’m pretty clueless as well.”

“Wait now that I think about it,” Eric says, “why was the bounty hunter so powerful as well? I expected him to be, but how did he get that strong?”

“Wait now that I think about it,” Kika says as well, “how do you even know him?

“And now that I think about it,” Randy joins in, “was he that guy I made fun of in your driveway? I'm so dead.”

The questions continue to bombard Chris. He tries his hardest to answer them as best as he can, and includes an explanation as to why everyone in town seems to have turned against them. His friends then finally comprehend why the people outside was protesting, much to their dismay that they are the cause. He concludes the Q&A by informing them he will be traveling with Ethan from now on, despite the conversation with his parents about the subject being unfinished.

“What are you and the bounty hunter going to do?” asks Eric, slightly jealous that his friend will travel with a hunter instead of him.

“Well, we won’t bounty hunt. He's not a real hunter.”

“He's not!?” Eric blurts out with shock and disappointment in his voice.

“No seriously, what are you guys going to do after this?” Kika then asks, steering the conversation back on track.

Chris thinks for a moment, trying to sum up everything Ethan told him before; His ambitions, plans, motives, ect.

“We’re going to take over the world,” he says with a false confidence. This is wrong, and needless to say, they didn’t believe him.

***

The Next Day, Wednesday 6/1/119

Outside of Arbhar

In the end, the Sheffers agree to let Chris travel with Ethan, a decision they immediately regretted once the words exited their mouths.

Now the next day, on the side of the main road outside of town, Chris has met up with Ethan next to a sign which says ‘Exiting Arbhar.’

Ethan, upon seeing him, gapes his mouth in confusion.

“What the hell is that?”

“What do you mean?” Chris asks ignorantly. Strapped over his shoulders is a huge, comical overstuffed backpack with its contents spilling out of any crack it can find.

“I thought I said to travel light.”

“I don't even know what that means. I've never traveled before. Besides, this is light.”

“Light didn’t mean weight. You can easily lift a car with one hand, so of course its light.” Ethan continues to stare at the poor backpack that looks as if it will burst at any moment.

How did he even get it zipped?

Chris looks at Ethan’s reaction and understands that he severely overestimated how much he was supposed to bring. He compares his bag to Ethan’s, which is quite compact, and feels guilty for being an idiot.

“Well, what do you have in yours?” Chris asks.

“A few pairs of clothes and the money I made from Bounty Hunting.”

“Oh. That’s it, huh.” Chris hangs his head in shame. “Listen, if it makes you feel any better, all the shit in the baby is organized so I can easily find my stuff if need be.”

“Speaking of which,” Ethan changes the topic. “You found them right?”

“Yeah, I got my goggles. Now I won't have to fight blind anymore.”

“Good.”

“So, you know the way right?”

“Yes,” Ethan nods his head. “I walked this route to get to Yeti mountain 3 years ago. I doubt it's changed.”

“Three years ago?” Chris asks. “That’s a good memory you have. By the way, what are you wearing?”

He noticed this when he first arrived, but Ethan is wearing very unusual clothing. Well, that is to say, he’s not wearing all black anymore. Now, he is sporting a regular T-shirt and cargo pants, giving him the appearance of a regular guy.

“I was told that I looked ‘Edgy.’” Ethan tells him. “While I’m not entirely sure what that means, I did grasp that I appeared out of place. So, I decided to change that so as to not attract unnecessary attention.”

“Haha! Was that Randy?! Damn it! I didn’t know what he was talking about at the time! I should have given him more props!”

After a few more minutes of shooting the breeze, they finally start walking down the street away from Chris’s hometown. He gives it one last look before puffing out his chest and walking away confidently.

Ehtna suddenly asks him a question. “Seriously, why did you leave with me? I would have figured your brush with The Ghosts would have deterred you.”

“No way man! Those guys were clearly bad apples. I would regret it for the rest of my life if they were my only experience with the outside world. I want to prove that stupid jackass wrong.

“I know I can find good people and fun adventures out there. I won’t let my world be dark and depressing like his. Also, I want to know what made him like that and , if possible, I want to help others like him before they can become monsters.”

“Then you probably picked the wrong person to travel with.” Ethan tells him. “I hate this world and I want to make damn sure that what happened to me won’t be possible in the future. Your bright eyed ideals don’t really mess with my realistic outlook. After all, I’m a brutal killer and you're just a school boy.”

Chris stares at him blankly. “Yeah, but we both want to make sure bad shit doesn’t happen, right? Don’t we have roughly the same goal. So who cares if our methods are different. Won’t that just spice things up? You can be the yin to my yang, or the straight man in our double act. Whichever metaphor you prefer.”

Ethan stares back at him in surprise. He never imagined he’d make things sound so simple. Suddenly, his worries about traveling with Chris seem to evaporate ever so slightly.

“Oh, and Ethan?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you … for letting me come with you.”

“No problem, kid”

End of Arbhar