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Now those of you of might remember me, might remeber I wrote the start to a story called The Forgotten Soul (I still am wrting it at the moment but I'm more intrested to your reaction to this) and to be honest HERE was the only good place where I got good honest reviews, all my mates ether said it's not there thing, coudln't be bothered to read it or it's really good.
None of these helped me at all in trying to improve my writing but I was told here to not say as much in the start, as you seemed to know everything from the first few pages and after that you lost intrest, which is a bloody good point and I've thought about it and written the start to another book. So here are the first 2 chapters of my second book, which is called
Lonely Flower Of The West
CHAPTER 1 : THE FACELESS WALK
What is the price of happiness? Is there an answer? None, as happiness is not earned but given. This isnât a quote made by a famous person but a question countless men have fought and died trying to answer. In which case the next question is when happiness is given? Yet there is no answer to this question as no-one can truly tell when happiness will pass you by. My name is the Lonely Flower of the West and this is my tale, read and you may find the answer to a question you seek.
Alex was sitting on the side of a large hill, looking up at the night sky with a beer in one hand and a mobile phone in the other. Alex was a normal 16 year old, with the normal 16 year old problems. As if youâve ever been 16 before you will know itâs always the same thing for 16 year olds, GIRLS. He had dark black short hair, brown eyes and was about 6 foot tall. He also wore light blue jeans with a dark short-sleeved t-shirt. Most of this is normal for a 16-year-old, Alex always wore a black chain around his neck that had a strange flower on the front that he had never seen before in real life. It seemed to be almost like a rose but it wasnât red but it was black on half of one side and white on the other.
It was given to him as a child by his great granddad, who used to call him a wonderful flower who was about to blossom. Sorry to say he never got the chance to see him do so, as he passed away a few nights after. For that reason, Alex always wore it with him, it also made him feel peaceful inside.
The reason why Alex was on the side of a hill at nighttime was to relax after a hard days work at school, and to get away from his parents. The phone was there because he was waiting for his mother to call him up and tell him to come home.
Suddenly he heard it beeping, someone had sent him a text but he heisted and thought who would send Alex a text at this time? He never had that many friends that would text him at all. Alex looked at the text, all it seemed to say was âBlossomâ which if not strange enough came from an unknown number. Alex tried to see if he could call the number back, when he did he only heard static. Putting it down to a wrong number Alex put the phone in his pocket, slumped down, and looked back up at the stars. Not that it mattered because as soon as he did he got the ring from the phone that he was dreading. His mother was on the other end shouting âwhere the bloody hell are you?â with Alex answering by just putting the phone down and getting up off the grass and walking home.
Alexâs home was on a normal street, the house had three floors, with the top one being his room. From the outside it looked like an old barn, it was of course only a converted one. As Alex put his keys in the lock, he suddenly heard a huge chilling scream that echoed for miles around. He stopped what he was doing and looked around him but he saw nothing. This not only scared Alex but also reminded him of the text, but again he ignored it, he put the key in the lock and opened the door. When he opened the door, he suddenly felt a wall of smoke hit his face, no it wasnât a fire it was just his mothers cooking.
You see another reason why he would never come back to the house before dinner is his mothers love of cooking. She loved cooking all types of food but the main problem was that she could never cook it right and always burnt it instead. âIâm home, and I smell dinner, Iâll get the takeaway menu,â Alex said as he walked towards the phone that was sitting next to the bottom of the stairs. He then pressed the call button on the phone and dialled in to the local takeaway.
âThanks love!â His mother shouted while trying to put the fire out coming from the oven. His Dad was out on business so it was just him and his mother that night which again why she was trying to cook and his Dad wasnât.
Later that night, Alex was sitting down watching the TV while his mum cleaned away the smell of smoke and the plates. He was alarmed to see reports of the strange screaming on the news, they didnât seem to know where it was coming from. All Alex knew was that he had heard that noise before, and that it chilled him to the very bone. In fact, it was at his great Granddads funeral, just before they lowered the coffin in the ground he swore he could hear the screeching in the background. It made him cry but he didnât run, he was only six years old at the time but he was still strong enough to stand his ground. Yet even ten years later, it still froze him to the spot, from then on it was all he could think about until he went to bed.
That night he dreamt that he was locked in a strange small room with four walls, each wall being grey and plain. Each wall had one door, each door felt different but Alex didnât know what each one was. He had never dreamed a dream like this before, it almost felt real, like he wasnât on his bed anymore. Alex then decided to take a closer look at each door, He started to walk towards the door nearest too him. Before he was able too he suddenly heard the huge scream again, making him instantly freeze to the spot with fear. Alex then felt something hard hit his face, and then a huge BEEP come from around him, which made Alex open his eyes and realized that he had really been sleeping all along.
Alex found out he had been sleep walking, had fallen over and landed flat on his face. The beep turned out to be his alarm clock telling him to be ready for school, which made Alex, get up off the floor and walk towards his bathroom. After 30 minutes of getting dressed and ready, Alex slung his bag over his shoulder, went out the door, on his way to school. His uniform was a white short sleeved shirt, a black tie with green stripes and black trousers. His mum was still asleep so he left without saying goodbye, but he knew sheâd only moan at him for waking him up.
Alex didnât have far to walk to school, so he always had enough time to walk though town on his way in. On the way in, he saw one of his best mates, his name was Callum. He had short blonde hair, wore glasses and had a very relaxed nature about most things in life but when it seemed to come to his friends he got serious. âOiâ Alex shouted trying to get his attention making Callum run over towards him.
âHeyâ Callum replied, âdid you hear that scream last night? It sounded like Michael Jacksonâs summer homeâ Alex laughed and replied âyer, freaked me out a bitâ. They carried on talking about it until they turned the corner and saw Callumâs girlfriend waiting for them. Her name was Jade and she had long red hair, a long black cloak and was well known for a huge temper but a heart twice the size. She and Callum hadnât been going out long but as soon as she saw him turn around the corner, she leapt up and hugged him. He didnât see it coming so they both fell straight over, with Callum taking most of the blow. âHello lovelyâ Jade said as she helped Callum get off the floor
âAlright carrot topâ Callum replied, smiling and brushing off the dirt. Jade hit him on the arm lightly in response, making Alex and Callum laugh.
âHi Alex, did you two hear that scream last night?â she asked as the three carried on walking towards the school. âI heard it came from the schoolâ
âDonât be daft, I bet it was just some kind of animal let out the zooâ Callum replied.
Alex however was trying to keep out the conversation, as he knew whatever it was that he heard it was not going to be good. This was however confirmed when they got to school and Alex noticed a stranger waiting at the school gate. He was very tall, about seven feet, wore a long brown cloak, which covered most of his body. He also had on a hat and sunglasses so you werenât able to see anything about him other then he was tall. As Alex passed him, he heard him whisper to him âthe faceless walkâ
âWhat are you on about?â Alex replied as he looked round at the man only to find he had disappeared,
âAlex, who are you talking too?â Callum asked to which Alex just stared at an empty space near the school gate.
âDidnât you guys see anyone there?â Alex continued, going to the spot where he saw the man and touching the ground
âDude, are you alright?â Callum asked,
âNever mind, I havenât been getting much sleep latelyâ
Putting it down to lack of sleep, Alex carried on and walked though the front gate. He thought that this was the end of the dayâs mishaps but it was just start. Alexâs school was brand new so it was quite modern. It was three huge towers connected by bridges on each floor to each tower.
As soon as he had stepped into the schoolyard he heard the chilling scream. This time he heard where it was coming from, it was coming from directly behind him. The school now seemed transformed into something that looked like hell with the school burning down in an instant, killing all the teachers and pupils inside. The ground was now brown and looked like ash, the sky changed from blue to black and a huge wall of fire burning around the school and for as high as the clouds. Alex could only watch in horror as he saw his life fall apart, Callum and Jade however held onto each other along with most of the other students still alive. âAlex, what do you want to do?â Callum asked as he turned round, still holding on to Jade.
âIâve no idea, but I know we need to get out of here,â Alex said, turning around to the wall of fire. âLet me go firstâ he said, running for the wall of fire thinking he could get to the other side. He didnât have the chance too, as the man he had seen at the gate blocked him. He stepped though the flame like it almost wasnât there.
âHello, Ichirin no Hanaâ he said, with a voice that was so deep it chilled Alex to the bone.
âWho are you?â Alex replied not wanting to waste his time but not wanting to annoy the man ether
âWe are the facelessâ he replied, taking off his hat and sunglasses to show that he indeed had no face. He had a white skull showing where his face would be, but the rest of skin on his head was still there. This made Alex panic and try to run while shouting to Jade and Callum to ârun for there livesâ.
âDo not think you can escape me, puny human,â the man shouted, pulling out a small green dagger from inside his cloak and throwing it at Alexâs left leg. It hit, making Alex lose all the feeling in both his legs and fall down to the floor.
âWhat do you want from me?â he pleaded
âI want you to tell me how you saw me before? What magic are you using? What side are you on?â he shouted walking towards Alex and removing his dagger from Alexâs leg and jumping back for another throw. Suddenly a small patch of blue opened up in the sky, which seemed to shine down to the ground. Alex noticed this and looked up to see a man fall down and land right in the middle of the light and right in front of the faceless.
The man wasnât as tall as the faceless but was still quite tall at six foot. He wore a long red cloak that went as low as his torso that included a hood that covered his face. Inside his cloak he was wearing a black shirt that had what seemed to be bullets curved around his shoulder going down and around his waist. He wore black trousers that seemed to house a gun in the back pocket.
âHi, I believe your name is Alexâ he seemed to say, kneeling down and looking at Alex which allowed Alex to see the lower part of his face with a smile.
âYes, it is, how did you know? And who the hell are you?â he replied still stuck on the floor, with the faceless man being stunned.
âWhat are you doing here?â the faceless man shouted pulling back his dagger and getting ready for a throw.
âI am fulfilling my purposeâ he replied as he stood up, removed his gun from his back pocket and aimed it at the faceless arm.
The gun looked strange, as Alex had never seen anything like this before. It had a sliver handle, with the rest of the gun being made of gold, it seemed to be designed like the type of gun youâd see on a policeman. The bullets however seemed to glow light, even from inside the gun making it glow in the current darkness.
âI wouldnât do that if I were youâ the man carried on
âIâll do whatever I-âthe faceless man replied but he didnât finish because the man shot his arm, making it fly off in the air and disappear.
âReally? Yet youâre forgetting my title faceless, Undefeated of the eastâ he replied while the gun smoked from the shot.
âDamn you!â The faceless shouted, with the blood coming from the place where his arm had been and spewing all over the floor.
âIâm already damned⦠may your soul find peaceâ as he aimed the gun at the faceless mans head and pulled the trigger, making the faceless man shriek and make the scream that Alex had heard before many times before that day.
Instantly the wall of fire disappeared, all that had happened over the last 5 minutes seemed to vanish in seconds. The school seemed to fly up from the ashes, people who were lying dead on the floor got up and started walking again. Even Jade and Callum seemed to stop holding onto each other and walked on towards school. Yet the only person who wasnât affected was Alex who was still watching The Undefeated of the East stand there with his eyes closed. âWhat are you?â Alex asked.
âDonât ask me that, I wonât answer but more to the point you need to be asking not what but why?â he replied opening his eyes and helping Alex back up off the floor. Alex seemed to instantly gain the power of his legs back but he was still nervous about what heâd just seen.
âOk then, why?â Alex replied
âYour school was attacked because of you, you are not changing like everyone else because you are no longer needed here. Now this is a lot to take in at once, so you have 5 minutes to talk to your friends Jade and Callum, they will not remember you, just remember they knew someone like you but never put names to faces.â
âWHAT?â Alex shouted
âYour leaving with me Alex, youâre leaving to go to a different place not on this plane, why? I donât even know but it would be best to save your questions for later as there are others who you must meet who will explain it to you better then I could. Do you understand?â He asked,
âDo I have a choice if I go or stay?â Alex replied
âYes you do, but you must remember if you do, these people will come after you and your friends and your family. I wonât be here next time and you wonât be strong enough to defend them, in other words youâd be more or less killing them yourselfâ
âFine, Iâll go with you, just give me five minutes with Jade and Callumâ Alex replied walking over to Jade and Callum. âHeyâ
âHi, whatâs up?â Callum asked hugging Jade
âIâm leaving, and I donât think Iâll be coming back for a long timeâ Alex said, with tears forming in his eyes
âWhy?â Jade asked looking sad
âDonât ask him that Jade, I know if you want to come back then you will and I know you will somedayâ he said holding out his hand âThis isnât goodbye but see you laterâ
âThen itâs a deal, Iâll be coming back and Iâll make sure Iâll tell you all about it thenâ Alex replied with a smile on his face. He then reached out for Callum's hand, they both smiled at each other, with Alex letting go and turning back towards The Undefeated of the East with a tear in his eye dropping down to the floor. âAre you done here?â He asked looking up at the sky
âYes, will I ever see them again?â he asked
âDo you want too? Knowing they would of forgotten you ever existed?â he replied
âGood point so lets go before I change my mindâ Alex said making The Undefeated of the East smile
âGood, now for a start, my title you already know but Iâd rather you call me Arthur and I will be your protector until you can defend yourselfâ he answered pointing his gun up to the sky and shooting off one bullet. âThis wonât take longâ he said as the light reappeared in the sky and seemed to let Alex and Arthur fly up into the sky.
END OF CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2: Angels and Demons
As Alex was flying up into the sky he was able to have one last look down on his friends. He smiled as he remembered all the great times he had with his best friend. He even began to miss his family as he thought about never having to come home to the smell of burning food. Alex however knew thinking about this would only make him feel worse so he looked up at what seemed to be the sky until he suddenly blacked out and felt himself falling.
Alex woke up, not knowing if he was somewhere else or back where he started but he did know he fell some distance. He knew this because of the pain he felt in his face and the fact that he had blood coming out his mouth that he had to spit out. As he got up he noticed that he wasnât near the school anymore and he didnât think even think he was in the country anymore. He just happened to be in the middle of an open field, the grass was green like it should be and the sky was blue with clouds like it should be. For a brief moment Alex thought he must have been dreaming and that he must have got really drunk and walked the wrong way home. This was until he suddenly felt a small hand on his back that threw him back down on the floor. The creature that was now staring at him wasnât human and wasnât like anything Alex had seen face too face before.
Its skin was bright red, it had very small body with two little horns on his head. It was what Alex had known only in films and games as an imp but Alex had no idea what its real name might be. However while Alex had been there staring this imp in the face, the imp was screaming. It was jumping up on down on Alexâs chest almost like Alex had insulted it somehow. âWhat do you want?â he shouted pushing the imp off his chest and getting up off the grass.
âMe ish wanting you gone, leave damned ittyâ it shouted still jumping up and down on the spot.
âLEAVE, and never return, foolish impâ Arthur shouted finally landing down on the ground and getting out his pistol. As the imp was, running away Arthur aimed his pistol and fired the trigger, making the imp freeze for a moment, then explode and disappear. Arthur had now removed his hood, which let Alex see his face for the first time. He had grey hair, a glass eye in his right eye socket that was pure red with a cross in the centre. A scar that went down the same place the eye was. His left eye was the same as a human one but his right eye seemed to move very fast, the cross would also change colour like when he faced the imp his eye turned red but when he looked at Alex, it turned green.
âWhy did you do that? He was running away. And what the hell is up with your right eye?â Alex asked
âHe would have got allies, you may not be known very well yet but I am quite famous in these parts and I donât want the unneeded attention. And my eye is none of your concernâ Arthur replied returning his pistol to his back pocket.
âWhere are these parts anyway?â Alex asked making Arthur sigh, sit down and start reloading his pistol from the bullets that were wrapped around his chest.
âSit, do not worry but were in what your kind call, âheavenââ Arthur replied, making Alex laugh. âWhatâs so funny?â Arthur asked
âIâm in heaven? But I havenât died, right?â Alex asked with the smile soon vanishing from his face.
âNo youâre not dead, yet but as I said earlier I canât explain everything to you but I know people who want to meet you and can explain it all to you. Then you will make your choiceâ Arthur replied reaching inside his cloak and pulling out some bread and handing some to Alex.
âChoice? What choice? TELL ME SOMETHING, IâM FED UP WITH ALL OF THIS CRAP SO FAR SO AT LEAST TELL ME SOMETHING USEFULâ Alex shouted taking the bread but throwing it down on the floor
âDONâT YOU DARE GET ANGRY AT ME KID, just remember that Iâm only doing this because Iâve been told by some very powerful people. Not out of care nor concern and I donât get my reward until you meet these people safe and sound so eat that bloody food and get over yourselfâ Arthur shouted picking up the bread and handing it to him. Alex was left with no choice but to take the bread and eat it as he was starting to get hungry.
âWhat some?â Alex asked
âI donât eatâ Arthur replied
Alex was about to ask why but he decided against it, whoever this guy was he wasnât nice and he wasnât to be messed with at the moment. So Alex decided to make the best of a bad situation and lay down on the floor and ate his bread.
After Alex had eaten his bread, Arthur said, âWe need to make our way to the nearest town or city so that I can send a message to have us picked up, and taken to the centre city which is called Blossomâ
âHow long will it be till we get to the nearest town or city?â Alex asked
âIf it was just me it could take seconds but because of you itâll take a few hours walking to get there. You should also change what youâre wearing, I got some change of clothes for you from a good friend of mine and a present from my employersâ Arthur replied looking in a bag by his feet and pulling out some clothes for Alex with a long sword on top.
âWhatâs that?â Alex asked
âThat is what they call a sword, I thought youâd at least know that and in my defence I advised you to be given a gun but they insisted on a sword instead. I myself hate swords so keep it sheathed and away from me if you donât mindâ Arthur replied dropping the items at Alexâs feet.
The items consisted of a long white robe which had the same symbol of the flower of the back as it did on his chain around his neck. He also got a shirt and some trousers but the robe was so long that it covered them up. He kept his school clothes just in case he needed them again so he used the bag the other clothes came in and held onto it. He hadnât up to this point touched the sword that he had just left in on the ground and was about to set off until Arthur picked up the sword by the sheathed end and threw it up at Alex.
âYou have to carry this for your own protectionâ he said with the look of donât argue that Alex was learning fast.
As soon as Alex touched the sword he felt the chain around his neck tingle as though it was reacting. Alex then unsheathed the sword and saw what it looked like. It was strange as the hilt was black with green ribbon going around it. The blade itself was also black, curved, was about 4 feet long and like one of the swords from a samurai film. The strangest thing about it was that it had the same chain and flower on the bottom that was on the chain around his neck. He thought about asking questions but he decided against it as he was getting used to the fact that he was in a strange place and he needed this man as much as he needed him to survive. âLets go, also how do you know where to go? I can only see green fields for milesâ Alex asked
âDonât worry; we wonât get lost âArthur replied looking up at the sky and suddenly pointing in that direction and shouting âTHIS WAYâ.
Since Alexâs watch had broken on his fall, he had no idea how long he had been walking for but he knew it had been for a long time and they had seen nothing for miles. He thought he would never get there (wherever âthereâ might be) he suddenly saw in the distance two men standing on what seemed to be a path. âWho are they?â Alex asked but Arthur took no notice of Alexâs questions anymore. As they got closer and closer to the two men, Alex got the chance to get a closer look at them. They each had a spear and seemed to be acting as guards but they had no uniform. Instead, they had worn rags and were both wearing a bandana to cover there baldheads. Alex and Arthur were now directly in front of them with Arthur making the first words. âWe need to pass, lets us byâ he said, making sure he had one hand on his pistol in his back pocket.
âWe do not fear you!â one of the men shouted lowering his spear and aiming it at Arthur.
âI do not intend to create fear but I will if provokedâ he replied as he pulled out his pistol but the man hit first by knocking the pistol out his hand before he had the chance to get a real grip on it. It suddenly flew up high in the air with Arthur seeming to jump a super human distance into the air to try to catch it.
âGreat, two against one, easy win and I like those robes too,â the other man said who seemed to be the quieter of the two.
âI donât want any trouble,â Alex said holding onto the hilt of his sword.
âGood, then just give us the sword and be gone from out sightâ the same man replied with a smile on his face. Alex now felt his hand move on its own, remove the sword, and aim it at the man.
âThis sword belongs to me, fight me for itâ Alex shouted deciding to test out his new sword.
âVery well, Iâll go first, my brother can come afterwards and help me finish you offâ he said running towards Alex before jumping up in the air and swinging his spear down on him. Alex was able to jump out the way and swing his sword down on the spear while it was on the ground, making it crack.
âImpossible! This spear is made of pure steel, thereâs no way that kids sword could break that!â he shouted but unable to argue as Alex ran towards the man, slashing his left arm off and making him lower the spear to the ground.
âBrother help me!â he shouted but he only heard a gun shot and then a thump on the floor before he knew what had happened. Arthur had his gun by now, had made the shot from high up in the air, and from the thump Alex guessed that he had hit his target, and was about to land. âBROTHER?â he shouted with Alex being able to see the fear in his eyes
âYour brother is dead, if I were you Iâd run to save yourself from the fate that follows youâ Arthur said, falling down right behind Alex.
âNether of you scare me!â he shouted running back and getting ready for another attack
âAlex, this is an order, kill him now before he kills youâ Arthur said walking to the side of the path and sitting down to reload his gun.
âWhat? I wonât kill this man, dude leave and take your brothers body with you, give him a decent burial or something,â Alex shouted
âYou killed my brotherâ¦,â the man shouted running towards Alex ready to stab him with the tip of the spear that he was now only holding by one hand. Alex had to act fast so he ran towards the man too, sword at his side and ready to attack.
At the right time, Alex swung the sword to the left, breaking the spear in half but he didnât stop there, he kept on running until he was face to face with the man and with one upper slash he cut the man in half. As soon as Alex had done so, he looked down on the floor to see what he had done but the body had already disappeared. âIâve never killed a man beforeâ¦â Alex gasped falling to his knees
âYou didnât kill him, he was already dead, all you did was send him to where he was meant to goâ Arthur replied
âWhat?â Alex asked looking up at Arthur
âI didnât want to explain this to you but I guess I donât have a choice, the way this place works is that this is a between world for angels and demons. It is also the place where you decide what you will become, a Demon or an Angel. Becoming ether takes a great amount of effort and power so because you killed those thiefâs then youâre now one-step closer to becoming an angel. They however are now in Hell and will most likely return as demons but when you kill them in there demon form they are reborn down on a planet. Maybe Earth or maybe somewhere else but I do know they will be back and they wonât be as easy to kill next time.â Arthur replied for once being nice towards Alex.
âSo I didnât kill him?â Alex asked making Arthur sigh
âNo you did not kill him, you helped him get stronger but then again so did I but lets keep this between you and me. Killing bandits is frowned upon where were going. But you did well kid, keep the sword sharp as itâll keep you alive in a place like thisâ Arthur replied
âHow long till we get to this cityâ Alex asked
âJust a few miles down this road, not long nowâ Arthur replied as they both carried on down the road. Alex didnât know what had happened to him but he knew he would not have swung that sword down so harshly and he also know he had no idea how to handle a sword yet he seemed to do so effortlessly.
True to Arthurâs word, a few miles down the road, Alex was able to see the gates of the city. The city was quite big, surrounded by a very tall stonewall with the front having a large steel drawbridge with the gate being down now. âNow, Alex if anyone asks who you are, do not answer, just pretend your dumb and canât speakâ Arthur said as they got closer and closer to the front gate.
âOk, I wonât bother asking whyâ Alex replied with an annoyed tone
âGood, your learningâ Arthur replied as they reached the city gate and was standing in front of two city guards. They both looked exactly the same with both of them wearing white t-shirts and white trousers and had a red chain going around there neck. âWhat is your business in these parts?â one of the guards asked
âWe need shelter and food for the night, we will be leaving in the morningâ Arthur replied
âWhat about the boy?â The other guard asked
âHe cannot speak, do not trouble him but he will be leaving in the morning tooâ
âVery well you may pass, I advise you go to the tavern tonight, got a number of people performingâ the first guard said smiling at Alex as they walked inside the gate.
The city used the walls as the backs to the main buildings, in the centre there were a few buildings but none seemed to compare in style to the ones around the edges. The buildings around the edges were all attached with some being houses for families and others being shops and Inns. The building at the far end was the biggest of them all and had a sign saying Bears Balls. The building style seemed to be almost Victorian, as the buildings were made of stone, with wooden beams in-between. âYou see the bearâs balls over there? Go there and get us a room for the night. Iâve got to contact some people, alone,â Arthur, said starting to walk off towards one of the houses
âWhat about money?â Alex shouted
âMoney? What use is money when youâre dead,â Arthur laughed leaving Alex on his own. Alex not liking the stare he was getting from the people around him, as most of them were wearing dark cloaks or just generally, dark attire making him stand out. So Alex quickly decided to run to the bearâs balls and see if he could get a room. As he entered the tavern, Alex noticed that it wasnât a happy place with the walls being grey and plain. There was a bar, some seats and tables scattered around the place, some of which were upside down because of a fight from the night before. There were also stairs that Alex presumed must be where they were going to stay. âCan I have a room please?â Alex asked the man standing behind the bar, cleaning the glasses
âFor a kid like you? No chance, we only give out rooms to adult customers and you donât look like an adult to meâ He replied
âIâm travelling with an adult, his just not with me at the momentâ Alex replied hoping to appeal to his lighter side.
âNice try kid but I doubt you are, unless you want to tell me his name?â the bar men replied with a smile on his face
âThe Undefeated of the Eastâ Alex said making the bar man laugh
âYouâre a good one kid, IF that thing was here then weâd all be dead plus the fact that he is trapped in Hell and from what I hear, his still there stuck on a diet of deadly poison and weekly beatingsâ The bar men replied
âWhat?â Alex replied in shock
âIâm guess you havenât heard of his tale before so if you take a seat Iâll get you a drink and we can talk about it. Youâre still not getting a room but I like telling a good storyâ the bar men said getting a beer and putting it on the table for Alex.
âIâm allowed to drink?â Alex asked
âYer, youâre dead so itâs not like it can cause you anymore damage. Now The Undefeated of the East is an evil bastard, he is not and was never a man in the first place. He used to go from town to town and killing all he could see or hear, demon or angel it didnât matter to him. He never said why he did it but he always had a smile on his face while he did so, almost as if he enjoyed sending people to die before there time. He was then confronted by a large army, killed most of them but he was just about captured and put in a special cell that is called inescapableâ the bar man said, making Alex almost spit out his drink
âWhy did they call it inescapable?â Alex asked gulping and putting down his drink
âBecause it causes you to live in a never ending nightmare, all your fears are repeated to you over and over againâ the bar men answered in a lowered tone.
Suddenly a strange women entered the bar, she had purple shoulder length hair, green eyes and was wearing the same robe that Alex was apart from the fact that it was blue and that instead of a the sign of a flower it had the sign of fire. âWell look who it isâ the bar man shouted
âWhat?â She asked with a surprised look on her face
âYouâve got a nerve you knowâ he replied raising his tone
âNerve for what?â she asked
âThe mess you caused last night!â the bar man shouted pointing to the mess around the bar.
âOh, sorry about that but the men donât seem to understand the word ânoâ around hereâ she said with a cute smile on her face.
âWell next time can you at least try and turn them down nicelyâ the bar man sarcastically replied
âWhoâs the kid?â She asked
âNo idea, just came in asking for a room and told me his travelling with the, youâll never believe this, Undefeated of the Eastâ he roared laughing once again, making Alex feel like he wasnât even there.
âMy name is Alex and I must have misunderstood what he told meâ Alex said
âNice to meet you Alex, my name is Hayley and please forgive Jack, he does tend to be insensitive of other peoples feelingsâ Hayley replied smiling at Alex
âButâ¦â Jack tried to butt in
âNo buts let the kid have a room, for one night at leastâ Hayley asked Jack.
Therefore, that night Alex stayed at the Inn, alone as he waited and waited for Arthur to return. He waited so long that drunken men thrown across the room by Hayley didnât even make him move or even blink. Eventually he fell asleep and Jack took him up to his room.
The next morning Alex awoke to Hayley screaming âWAKEY WAKEYâ, making Alex jump out of bed. At first, he tried to reach for his sword but he couldnât find it, he looked around and didnât see it anywhere.
âWhereâs my sword?â he asked
âA child like you shouldnât have something like that, so I put it away for safe keepingâ Hayley replied with a tray of food in her hand. Alex suddenly noticed that he wasnât at the bar anymore and looked around him in shock. He noticed that heâd seen the exact same room in his dream with the only difference being that were was a bed in this room.
âWhere am I?â Alex asked
âYour in your room, now eat this, Jack wonât let you stay any longer so eat as much as you canâ Hayley replied putting the food down by his feet.
âDid a man turn up for me?â Alex asked as Hayley was about to leave the room
âNo, now eat up quicklyâ she said with the relaxed tone of hers disappearing. Alex not wanting to waste the food ate it all, still he didnât know what he was going to do about his sword or about Arthur. However, he left his room to find his sword laid on the floor outside his door.
Alex returned his sword to his belt around his robe, made sure he had his bag with the extra clothes in and walked downstairs. He could still see the indents in the wall where men had landed, Hayley and Jack were cleaning up.
âYou always make a bloody messâ Jack said in a moody tone.
âOh shut up you grumpy gitâ she replied
âMorningâ Alex said
âMorning kid, your mate didnât come, shame but Iâm sorry I canât keep you here so Iâll have to move you onâ Jack said almost like he cared
âIâll take him outside the city and point him to wherever he wants to goâ Hayley said smiling, grapping Alexâs arm and running out the door to shouts from Jack about her âgetting out of cleaning up her own messâ.
As she did, she accidentally bumped into a man dressed in a very long brown cloak that covered all of his body. âSorryâ she said but the man didnât respond and simply walked on towards the bar, with another man looking exactly the same walking behind him. Hayley thought nothing of it and just ran on out the door but Alex felt like he had seen them somewhere before, then he thought about the two men he had seen on the way in. He thought against it because surely they couldnât have come back this fast.
None of these helped me at all in trying to improve my writing but I was told here to not say as much in the start, as you seemed to know everything from the first few pages and after that you lost intrest, which is a bloody good point and I've thought about it and written the start to another book. So here are the first 2 chapters of my second book, which is called
Lonely Flower Of The West
CHAPTER 1 : THE FACELESS WALK
What is the price of happiness? Is there an answer? None, as happiness is not earned but given. This isnât a quote made by a famous person but a question countless men have fought and died trying to answer. In which case the next question is when happiness is given? Yet there is no answer to this question as no-one can truly tell when happiness will pass you by. My name is the Lonely Flower of the West and this is my tale, read and you may find the answer to a question you seek.
Alex was sitting on the side of a large hill, looking up at the night sky with a beer in one hand and a mobile phone in the other. Alex was a normal 16 year old, with the normal 16 year old problems. As if youâve ever been 16 before you will know itâs always the same thing for 16 year olds, GIRLS. He had dark black short hair, brown eyes and was about 6 foot tall. He also wore light blue jeans with a dark short-sleeved t-shirt. Most of this is normal for a 16-year-old, Alex always wore a black chain around his neck that had a strange flower on the front that he had never seen before in real life. It seemed to be almost like a rose but it wasnât red but it was black on half of one side and white on the other.
It was given to him as a child by his great granddad, who used to call him a wonderful flower who was about to blossom. Sorry to say he never got the chance to see him do so, as he passed away a few nights after. For that reason, Alex always wore it with him, it also made him feel peaceful inside.
The reason why Alex was on the side of a hill at nighttime was to relax after a hard days work at school, and to get away from his parents. The phone was there because he was waiting for his mother to call him up and tell him to come home.
Suddenly he heard it beeping, someone had sent him a text but he heisted and thought who would send Alex a text at this time? He never had that many friends that would text him at all. Alex looked at the text, all it seemed to say was âBlossomâ which if not strange enough came from an unknown number. Alex tried to see if he could call the number back, when he did he only heard static. Putting it down to a wrong number Alex put the phone in his pocket, slumped down, and looked back up at the stars. Not that it mattered because as soon as he did he got the ring from the phone that he was dreading. His mother was on the other end shouting âwhere the bloody hell are you?â with Alex answering by just putting the phone down and getting up off the grass and walking home.
Alexâs home was on a normal street, the house had three floors, with the top one being his room. From the outside it looked like an old barn, it was of course only a converted one. As Alex put his keys in the lock, he suddenly heard a huge chilling scream that echoed for miles around. He stopped what he was doing and looked around him but he saw nothing. This not only scared Alex but also reminded him of the text, but again he ignored it, he put the key in the lock and opened the door. When he opened the door, he suddenly felt a wall of smoke hit his face, no it wasnât a fire it was just his mothers cooking.
You see another reason why he would never come back to the house before dinner is his mothers love of cooking. She loved cooking all types of food but the main problem was that she could never cook it right and always burnt it instead. âIâm home, and I smell dinner, Iâll get the takeaway menu,â Alex said as he walked towards the phone that was sitting next to the bottom of the stairs. He then pressed the call button on the phone and dialled in to the local takeaway.
âThanks love!â His mother shouted while trying to put the fire out coming from the oven. His Dad was out on business so it was just him and his mother that night which again why she was trying to cook and his Dad wasnât.
Later that night, Alex was sitting down watching the TV while his mum cleaned away the smell of smoke and the plates. He was alarmed to see reports of the strange screaming on the news, they didnât seem to know where it was coming from. All Alex knew was that he had heard that noise before, and that it chilled him to the very bone. In fact, it was at his great Granddads funeral, just before they lowered the coffin in the ground he swore he could hear the screeching in the background. It made him cry but he didnât run, he was only six years old at the time but he was still strong enough to stand his ground. Yet even ten years later, it still froze him to the spot, from then on it was all he could think about until he went to bed.
That night he dreamt that he was locked in a strange small room with four walls, each wall being grey and plain. Each wall had one door, each door felt different but Alex didnât know what each one was. He had never dreamed a dream like this before, it almost felt real, like he wasnât on his bed anymore. Alex then decided to take a closer look at each door, He started to walk towards the door nearest too him. Before he was able too he suddenly heard the huge scream again, making him instantly freeze to the spot with fear. Alex then felt something hard hit his face, and then a huge BEEP come from around him, which made Alex open his eyes and realized that he had really been sleeping all along.
Alex found out he had been sleep walking, had fallen over and landed flat on his face. The beep turned out to be his alarm clock telling him to be ready for school, which made Alex, get up off the floor and walk towards his bathroom. After 30 minutes of getting dressed and ready, Alex slung his bag over his shoulder, went out the door, on his way to school. His uniform was a white short sleeved shirt, a black tie with green stripes and black trousers. His mum was still asleep so he left without saying goodbye, but he knew sheâd only moan at him for waking him up.
Alex didnât have far to walk to school, so he always had enough time to walk though town on his way in. On the way in, he saw one of his best mates, his name was Callum. He had short blonde hair, wore glasses and had a very relaxed nature about most things in life but when it seemed to come to his friends he got serious. âOiâ Alex shouted trying to get his attention making Callum run over towards him.
âHeyâ Callum replied, âdid you hear that scream last night? It sounded like Michael Jacksonâs summer homeâ Alex laughed and replied âyer, freaked me out a bitâ. They carried on talking about it until they turned the corner and saw Callumâs girlfriend waiting for them. Her name was Jade and she had long red hair, a long black cloak and was well known for a huge temper but a heart twice the size. She and Callum hadnât been going out long but as soon as she saw him turn around the corner, she leapt up and hugged him. He didnât see it coming so they both fell straight over, with Callum taking most of the blow. âHello lovelyâ Jade said as she helped Callum get off the floor
âAlright carrot topâ Callum replied, smiling and brushing off the dirt. Jade hit him on the arm lightly in response, making Alex and Callum laugh.
âHi Alex, did you two hear that scream last night?â she asked as the three carried on walking towards the school. âI heard it came from the schoolâ
âDonât be daft, I bet it was just some kind of animal let out the zooâ Callum replied.
Alex however was trying to keep out the conversation, as he knew whatever it was that he heard it was not going to be good. This was however confirmed when they got to school and Alex noticed a stranger waiting at the school gate. He was very tall, about seven feet, wore a long brown cloak, which covered most of his body. He also had on a hat and sunglasses so you werenât able to see anything about him other then he was tall. As Alex passed him, he heard him whisper to him âthe faceless walkâ
âWhat are you on about?â Alex replied as he looked round at the man only to find he had disappeared,
âAlex, who are you talking too?â Callum asked to which Alex just stared at an empty space near the school gate.
âDidnât you guys see anyone there?â Alex continued, going to the spot where he saw the man and touching the ground
âDude, are you alright?â Callum asked,
âNever mind, I havenât been getting much sleep latelyâ
Putting it down to lack of sleep, Alex carried on and walked though the front gate. He thought that this was the end of the dayâs mishaps but it was just start. Alexâs school was brand new so it was quite modern. It was three huge towers connected by bridges on each floor to each tower.
As soon as he had stepped into the schoolyard he heard the chilling scream. This time he heard where it was coming from, it was coming from directly behind him. The school now seemed transformed into something that looked like hell with the school burning down in an instant, killing all the teachers and pupils inside. The ground was now brown and looked like ash, the sky changed from blue to black and a huge wall of fire burning around the school and for as high as the clouds. Alex could only watch in horror as he saw his life fall apart, Callum and Jade however held onto each other along with most of the other students still alive. âAlex, what do you want to do?â Callum asked as he turned round, still holding on to Jade.
âIâve no idea, but I know we need to get out of here,â Alex said, turning around to the wall of fire. âLet me go firstâ he said, running for the wall of fire thinking he could get to the other side. He didnât have the chance too, as the man he had seen at the gate blocked him. He stepped though the flame like it almost wasnât there.
âHello, Ichirin no Hanaâ he said, with a voice that was so deep it chilled Alex to the bone.
âWho are you?â Alex replied not wanting to waste his time but not wanting to annoy the man ether
âWe are the facelessâ he replied, taking off his hat and sunglasses to show that he indeed had no face. He had a white skull showing where his face would be, but the rest of skin on his head was still there. This made Alex panic and try to run while shouting to Jade and Callum to ârun for there livesâ.
âDo not think you can escape me, puny human,â the man shouted, pulling out a small green dagger from inside his cloak and throwing it at Alexâs left leg. It hit, making Alex lose all the feeling in both his legs and fall down to the floor.
âWhat do you want from me?â he pleaded
âI want you to tell me how you saw me before? What magic are you using? What side are you on?â he shouted walking towards Alex and removing his dagger from Alexâs leg and jumping back for another throw. Suddenly a small patch of blue opened up in the sky, which seemed to shine down to the ground. Alex noticed this and looked up to see a man fall down and land right in the middle of the light and right in front of the faceless.
The man wasnât as tall as the faceless but was still quite tall at six foot. He wore a long red cloak that went as low as his torso that included a hood that covered his face. Inside his cloak he was wearing a black shirt that had what seemed to be bullets curved around his shoulder going down and around his waist. He wore black trousers that seemed to house a gun in the back pocket.
âHi, I believe your name is Alexâ he seemed to say, kneeling down and looking at Alex which allowed Alex to see the lower part of his face with a smile.
âYes, it is, how did you know? And who the hell are you?â he replied still stuck on the floor, with the faceless man being stunned.
âWhat are you doing here?â the faceless man shouted pulling back his dagger and getting ready for a throw.
âI am fulfilling my purposeâ he replied as he stood up, removed his gun from his back pocket and aimed it at the faceless arm.
The gun looked strange, as Alex had never seen anything like this before. It had a sliver handle, with the rest of the gun being made of gold, it seemed to be designed like the type of gun youâd see on a policeman. The bullets however seemed to glow light, even from inside the gun making it glow in the current darkness.
âI wouldnât do that if I were youâ the man carried on
âIâll do whatever I-âthe faceless man replied but he didnât finish because the man shot his arm, making it fly off in the air and disappear.
âReally? Yet youâre forgetting my title faceless, Undefeated of the eastâ he replied while the gun smoked from the shot.
âDamn you!â The faceless shouted, with the blood coming from the place where his arm had been and spewing all over the floor.
âIâm already damned⦠may your soul find peaceâ as he aimed the gun at the faceless mans head and pulled the trigger, making the faceless man shriek and make the scream that Alex had heard before many times before that day.
Instantly the wall of fire disappeared, all that had happened over the last 5 minutes seemed to vanish in seconds. The school seemed to fly up from the ashes, people who were lying dead on the floor got up and started walking again. Even Jade and Callum seemed to stop holding onto each other and walked on towards school. Yet the only person who wasnât affected was Alex who was still watching The Undefeated of the East stand there with his eyes closed. âWhat are you?â Alex asked.
âDonât ask me that, I wonât answer but more to the point you need to be asking not what but why?â he replied opening his eyes and helping Alex back up off the floor. Alex seemed to instantly gain the power of his legs back but he was still nervous about what heâd just seen.
âOk then, why?â Alex replied
âYour school was attacked because of you, you are not changing like everyone else because you are no longer needed here. Now this is a lot to take in at once, so you have 5 minutes to talk to your friends Jade and Callum, they will not remember you, just remember they knew someone like you but never put names to faces.â
âWHAT?â Alex shouted
âYour leaving with me Alex, youâre leaving to go to a different place not on this plane, why? I donât even know but it would be best to save your questions for later as there are others who you must meet who will explain it to you better then I could. Do you understand?â He asked,
âDo I have a choice if I go or stay?â Alex replied
âYes you do, but you must remember if you do, these people will come after you and your friends and your family. I wonât be here next time and you wonât be strong enough to defend them, in other words youâd be more or less killing them yourselfâ
âFine, Iâll go with you, just give me five minutes with Jade and Callumâ Alex replied walking over to Jade and Callum. âHeyâ
âHi, whatâs up?â Callum asked hugging Jade
âIâm leaving, and I donât think Iâll be coming back for a long timeâ Alex said, with tears forming in his eyes
âWhy?â Jade asked looking sad
âDonât ask him that Jade, I know if you want to come back then you will and I know you will somedayâ he said holding out his hand âThis isnât goodbye but see you laterâ
âThen itâs a deal, Iâll be coming back and Iâll make sure Iâll tell you all about it thenâ Alex replied with a smile on his face. He then reached out for Callum's hand, they both smiled at each other, with Alex letting go and turning back towards The Undefeated of the East with a tear in his eye dropping down to the floor. âAre you done here?â He asked looking up at the sky
âYes, will I ever see them again?â he asked
âDo you want too? Knowing they would of forgotten you ever existed?â he replied
âGood point so lets go before I change my mindâ Alex said making The Undefeated of the East smile
âGood, now for a start, my title you already know but Iâd rather you call me Arthur and I will be your protector until you can defend yourselfâ he answered pointing his gun up to the sky and shooting off one bullet. âThis wonât take longâ he said as the light reappeared in the sky and seemed to let Alex and Arthur fly up into the sky.
END OF CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2: Angels and Demons
As Alex was flying up into the sky he was able to have one last look down on his friends. He smiled as he remembered all the great times he had with his best friend. He even began to miss his family as he thought about never having to come home to the smell of burning food. Alex however knew thinking about this would only make him feel worse so he looked up at what seemed to be the sky until he suddenly blacked out and felt himself falling.
Alex woke up, not knowing if he was somewhere else or back where he started but he did know he fell some distance. He knew this because of the pain he felt in his face and the fact that he had blood coming out his mouth that he had to spit out. As he got up he noticed that he wasnât near the school anymore and he didnât think even think he was in the country anymore. He just happened to be in the middle of an open field, the grass was green like it should be and the sky was blue with clouds like it should be. For a brief moment Alex thought he must have been dreaming and that he must have got really drunk and walked the wrong way home. This was until he suddenly felt a small hand on his back that threw him back down on the floor. The creature that was now staring at him wasnât human and wasnât like anything Alex had seen face too face before.
Its skin was bright red, it had very small body with two little horns on his head. It was what Alex had known only in films and games as an imp but Alex had no idea what its real name might be. However while Alex had been there staring this imp in the face, the imp was screaming. It was jumping up on down on Alexâs chest almost like Alex had insulted it somehow. âWhat do you want?â he shouted pushing the imp off his chest and getting up off the grass.
âMe ish wanting you gone, leave damned ittyâ it shouted still jumping up and down on the spot.
âLEAVE, and never return, foolish impâ Arthur shouted finally landing down on the ground and getting out his pistol. As the imp was, running away Arthur aimed his pistol and fired the trigger, making the imp freeze for a moment, then explode and disappear. Arthur had now removed his hood, which let Alex see his face for the first time. He had grey hair, a glass eye in his right eye socket that was pure red with a cross in the centre. A scar that went down the same place the eye was. His left eye was the same as a human one but his right eye seemed to move very fast, the cross would also change colour like when he faced the imp his eye turned red but when he looked at Alex, it turned green.
âWhy did you do that? He was running away. And what the hell is up with your right eye?â Alex asked
âHe would have got allies, you may not be known very well yet but I am quite famous in these parts and I donât want the unneeded attention. And my eye is none of your concernâ Arthur replied returning his pistol to his back pocket.
âWhere are these parts anyway?â Alex asked making Arthur sigh, sit down and start reloading his pistol from the bullets that were wrapped around his chest.
âSit, do not worry but were in what your kind call, âheavenââ Arthur replied, making Alex laugh. âWhatâs so funny?â Arthur asked
âIâm in heaven? But I havenât died, right?â Alex asked with the smile soon vanishing from his face.
âNo youâre not dead, yet but as I said earlier I canât explain everything to you but I know people who want to meet you and can explain it all to you. Then you will make your choiceâ Arthur replied reaching inside his cloak and pulling out some bread and handing some to Alex.
âChoice? What choice? TELL ME SOMETHING, IâM FED UP WITH ALL OF THIS CRAP SO FAR SO AT LEAST TELL ME SOMETHING USEFULâ Alex shouted taking the bread but throwing it down on the floor
âDONâT YOU DARE GET ANGRY AT ME KID, just remember that Iâm only doing this because Iâve been told by some very powerful people. Not out of care nor concern and I donât get my reward until you meet these people safe and sound so eat that bloody food and get over yourselfâ Arthur shouted picking up the bread and handing it to him. Alex was left with no choice but to take the bread and eat it as he was starting to get hungry.
âWhat some?â Alex asked
âI donât eatâ Arthur replied
Alex was about to ask why but he decided against it, whoever this guy was he wasnât nice and he wasnât to be messed with at the moment. So Alex decided to make the best of a bad situation and lay down on the floor and ate his bread.
After Alex had eaten his bread, Arthur said, âWe need to make our way to the nearest town or city so that I can send a message to have us picked up, and taken to the centre city which is called Blossomâ
âHow long will it be till we get to the nearest town or city?â Alex asked
âIf it was just me it could take seconds but because of you itâll take a few hours walking to get there. You should also change what youâre wearing, I got some change of clothes for you from a good friend of mine and a present from my employersâ Arthur replied looking in a bag by his feet and pulling out some clothes for Alex with a long sword on top.
âWhatâs that?â Alex asked
âThat is what they call a sword, I thought youâd at least know that and in my defence I advised you to be given a gun but they insisted on a sword instead. I myself hate swords so keep it sheathed and away from me if you donât mindâ Arthur replied dropping the items at Alexâs feet.
The items consisted of a long white robe which had the same symbol of the flower of the back as it did on his chain around his neck. He also got a shirt and some trousers but the robe was so long that it covered them up. He kept his school clothes just in case he needed them again so he used the bag the other clothes came in and held onto it. He hadnât up to this point touched the sword that he had just left in on the ground and was about to set off until Arthur picked up the sword by the sheathed end and threw it up at Alex.
âYou have to carry this for your own protectionâ he said with the look of donât argue that Alex was learning fast.
As soon as Alex touched the sword he felt the chain around his neck tingle as though it was reacting. Alex then unsheathed the sword and saw what it looked like. It was strange as the hilt was black with green ribbon going around it. The blade itself was also black, curved, was about 4 feet long and like one of the swords from a samurai film. The strangest thing about it was that it had the same chain and flower on the bottom that was on the chain around his neck. He thought about asking questions but he decided against it as he was getting used to the fact that he was in a strange place and he needed this man as much as he needed him to survive. âLets go, also how do you know where to go? I can only see green fields for milesâ Alex asked
âDonât worry; we wonât get lost âArthur replied looking up at the sky and suddenly pointing in that direction and shouting âTHIS WAYâ.
Since Alexâs watch had broken on his fall, he had no idea how long he had been walking for but he knew it had been for a long time and they had seen nothing for miles. He thought he would never get there (wherever âthereâ might be) he suddenly saw in the distance two men standing on what seemed to be a path. âWho are they?â Alex asked but Arthur took no notice of Alexâs questions anymore. As they got closer and closer to the two men, Alex got the chance to get a closer look at them. They each had a spear and seemed to be acting as guards but they had no uniform. Instead, they had worn rags and were both wearing a bandana to cover there baldheads. Alex and Arthur were now directly in front of them with Arthur making the first words. âWe need to pass, lets us byâ he said, making sure he had one hand on his pistol in his back pocket.
âWe do not fear you!â one of the men shouted lowering his spear and aiming it at Arthur.
âI do not intend to create fear but I will if provokedâ he replied as he pulled out his pistol but the man hit first by knocking the pistol out his hand before he had the chance to get a real grip on it. It suddenly flew up high in the air with Arthur seeming to jump a super human distance into the air to try to catch it.
âGreat, two against one, easy win and I like those robes too,â the other man said who seemed to be the quieter of the two.
âI donât want any trouble,â Alex said holding onto the hilt of his sword.
âGood, then just give us the sword and be gone from out sightâ the same man replied with a smile on his face. Alex now felt his hand move on its own, remove the sword, and aim it at the man.
âThis sword belongs to me, fight me for itâ Alex shouted deciding to test out his new sword.
âVery well, Iâll go first, my brother can come afterwards and help me finish you offâ he said running towards Alex before jumping up in the air and swinging his spear down on him. Alex was able to jump out the way and swing his sword down on the spear while it was on the ground, making it crack.
âImpossible! This spear is made of pure steel, thereâs no way that kids sword could break that!â he shouted but unable to argue as Alex ran towards the man, slashing his left arm off and making him lower the spear to the ground.
âBrother help me!â he shouted but he only heard a gun shot and then a thump on the floor before he knew what had happened. Arthur had his gun by now, had made the shot from high up in the air, and from the thump Alex guessed that he had hit his target, and was about to land. âBROTHER?â he shouted with Alex being able to see the fear in his eyes
âYour brother is dead, if I were you Iâd run to save yourself from the fate that follows youâ Arthur said, falling down right behind Alex.
âNether of you scare me!â he shouted running back and getting ready for another attack
âAlex, this is an order, kill him now before he kills youâ Arthur said walking to the side of the path and sitting down to reload his gun.
âWhat? I wonât kill this man, dude leave and take your brothers body with you, give him a decent burial or something,â Alex shouted
âYou killed my brotherâ¦,â the man shouted running towards Alex ready to stab him with the tip of the spear that he was now only holding by one hand. Alex had to act fast so he ran towards the man too, sword at his side and ready to attack.
At the right time, Alex swung the sword to the left, breaking the spear in half but he didnât stop there, he kept on running until he was face to face with the man and with one upper slash he cut the man in half. As soon as Alex had done so, he looked down on the floor to see what he had done but the body had already disappeared. âIâve never killed a man beforeâ¦â Alex gasped falling to his knees
âYou didnât kill him, he was already dead, all you did was send him to where he was meant to goâ Arthur replied
âWhat?â Alex asked looking up at Arthur
âI didnât want to explain this to you but I guess I donât have a choice, the way this place works is that this is a between world for angels and demons. It is also the place where you decide what you will become, a Demon or an Angel. Becoming ether takes a great amount of effort and power so because you killed those thiefâs then youâre now one-step closer to becoming an angel. They however are now in Hell and will most likely return as demons but when you kill them in there demon form they are reborn down on a planet. Maybe Earth or maybe somewhere else but I do know they will be back and they wonât be as easy to kill next time.â Arthur replied for once being nice towards Alex.
âSo I didnât kill him?â Alex asked making Arthur sigh
âNo you did not kill him, you helped him get stronger but then again so did I but lets keep this between you and me. Killing bandits is frowned upon where were going. But you did well kid, keep the sword sharp as itâll keep you alive in a place like thisâ Arthur replied
âHow long till we get to this cityâ Alex asked
âJust a few miles down this road, not long nowâ Arthur replied as they both carried on down the road. Alex didnât know what had happened to him but he knew he would not have swung that sword down so harshly and he also know he had no idea how to handle a sword yet he seemed to do so effortlessly.
True to Arthurâs word, a few miles down the road, Alex was able to see the gates of the city. The city was quite big, surrounded by a very tall stonewall with the front having a large steel drawbridge with the gate being down now. âNow, Alex if anyone asks who you are, do not answer, just pretend your dumb and canât speakâ Arthur said as they got closer and closer to the front gate.
âOk, I wonât bother asking whyâ Alex replied with an annoyed tone
âGood, your learningâ Arthur replied as they reached the city gate and was standing in front of two city guards. They both looked exactly the same with both of them wearing white t-shirts and white trousers and had a red chain going around there neck. âWhat is your business in these parts?â one of the guards asked
âWe need shelter and food for the night, we will be leaving in the morningâ Arthur replied
âWhat about the boy?â The other guard asked
âHe cannot speak, do not trouble him but he will be leaving in the morning tooâ
âVery well you may pass, I advise you go to the tavern tonight, got a number of people performingâ the first guard said smiling at Alex as they walked inside the gate.
The city used the walls as the backs to the main buildings, in the centre there were a few buildings but none seemed to compare in style to the ones around the edges. The buildings around the edges were all attached with some being houses for families and others being shops and Inns. The building at the far end was the biggest of them all and had a sign saying Bears Balls. The building style seemed to be almost Victorian, as the buildings were made of stone, with wooden beams in-between. âYou see the bearâs balls over there? Go there and get us a room for the night. Iâve got to contact some people, alone,â Arthur, said starting to walk off towards one of the houses
âWhat about money?â Alex shouted
âMoney? What use is money when youâre dead,â Arthur laughed leaving Alex on his own. Alex not liking the stare he was getting from the people around him, as most of them were wearing dark cloaks or just generally, dark attire making him stand out. So Alex quickly decided to run to the bearâs balls and see if he could get a room. As he entered the tavern, Alex noticed that it wasnât a happy place with the walls being grey and plain. There was a bar, some seats and tables scattered around the place, some of which were upside down because of a fight from the night before. There were also stairs that Alex presumed must be where they were going to stay. âCan I have a room please?â Alex asked the man standing behind the bar, cleaning the glasses
âFor a kid like you? No chance, we only give out rooms to adult customers and you donât look like an adult to meâ He replied
âIâm travelling with an adult, his just not with me at the momentâ Alex replied hoping to appeal to his lighter side.
âNice try kid but I doubt you are, unless you want to tell me his name?â the bar men replied with a smile on his face
âThe Undefeated of the Eastâ Alex said making the bar man laugh
âYouâre a good one kid, IF that thing was here then weâd all be dead plus the fact that he is trapped in Hell and from what I hear, his still there stuck on a diet of deadly poison and weekly beatingsâ The bar men replied
âWhat?â Alex replied in shock
âIâm guess you havenât heard of his tale before so if you take a seat Iâll get you a drink and we can talk about it. Youâre still not getting a room but I like telling a good storyâ the bar men said getting a beer and putting it on the table for Alex.
âIâm allowed to drink?â Alex asked
âYer, youâre dead so itâs not like it can cause you anymore damage. Now The Undefeated of the East is an evil bastard, he is not and was never a man in the first place. He used to go from town to town and killing all he could see or hear, demon or angel it didnât matter to him. He never said why he did it but he always had a smile on his face while he did so, almost as if he enjoyed sending people to die before there time. He was then confronted by a large army, killed most of them but he was just about captured and put in a special cell that is called inescapableâ the bar man said, making Alex almost spit out his drink
âWhy did they call it inescapable?â Alex asked gulping and putting down his drink
âBecause it causes you to live in a never ending nightmare, all your fears are repeated to you over and over againâ the bar men answered in a lowered tone.
Suddenly a strange women entered the bar, she had purple shoulder length hair, green eyes and was wearing the same robe that Alex was apart from the fact that it was blue and that instead of a the sign of a flower it had the sign of fire. âWell look who it isâ the bar man shouted
âWhat?â She asked with a surprised look on her face
âYouâve got a nerve you knowâ he replied raising his tone
âNerve for what?â she asked
âThe mess you caused last night!â the bar man shouted pointing to the mess around the bar.
âOh, sorry about that but the men donât seem to understand the word ânoâ around hereâ she said with a cute smile on her face.
âWell next time can you at least try and turn them down nicelyâ the bar man sarcastically replied
âWhoâs the kid?â She asked
âNo idea, just came in asking for a room and told me his travelling with the, youâll never believe this, Undefeated of the Eastâ he roared laughing once again, making Alex feel like he wasnât even there.
âMy name is Alex and I must have misunderstood what he told meâ Alex said
âNice to meet you Alex, my name is Hayley and please forgive Jack, he does tend to be insensitive of other peoples feelingsâ Hayley replied smiling at Alex
âButâ¦â Jack tried to butt in
âNo buts let the kid have a room, for one night at leastâ Hayley asked Jack.
Therefore, that night Alex stayed at the Inn, alone as he waited and waited for Arthur to return. He waited so long that drunken men thrown across the room by Hayley didnât even make him move or even blink. Eventually he fell asleep and Jack took him up to his room.
The next morning Alex awoke to Hayley screaming âWAKEY WAKEYâ, making Alex jump out of bed. At first, he tried to reach for his sword but he couldnât find it, he looked around and didnât see it anywhere.
âWhereâs my sword?â he asked
âA child like you shouldnât have something like that, so I put it away for safe keepingâ Hayley replied with a tray of food in her hand. Alex suddenly noticed that he wasnât at the bar anymore and looked around him in shock. He noticed that heâd seen the exact same room in his dream with the only difference being that were was a bed in this room.
âWhere am I?â Alex asked
âYour in your room, now eat this, Jack wonât let you stay any longer so eat as much as you canâ Hayley replied putting the food down by his feet.
âDid a man turn up for me?â Alex asked as Hayley was about to leave the room
âNo, now eat up quicklyâ she said with the relaxed tone of hers disappearing. Alex not wanting to waste the food ate it all, still he didnât know what he was going to do about his sword or about Arthur. However, he left his room to find his sword laid on the floor outside his door.
Alex returned his sword to his belt around his robe, made sure he had his bag with the extra clothes in and walked downstairs. He could still see the indents in the wall where men had landed, Hayley and Jack were cleaning up.
âYou always make a bloody messâ Jack said in a moody tone.
âOh shut up you grumpy gitâ she replied
âMorningâ Alex said
âMorning kid, your mate didnât come, shame but Iâm sorry I canât keep you here so Iâll have to move you onâ Jack said almost like he cared
âIâll take him outside the city and point him to wherever he wants to goâ Hayley said smiling, grapping Alexâs arm and running out the door to shouts from Jack about her âgetting out of cleaning up her own messâ.
As she did, she accidentally bumped into a man dressed in a very long brown cloak that covered all of his body. âSorryâ she said but the man didnât respond and simply walked on towards the bar, with another man looking exactly the same walking behind him. Hayley thought nothing of it and just ran on out the door but Alex felt like he had seen them somewhere before, then he thought about the two men he had seen on the way in. He thought against it because surely they couldnât have come back this fast.