Until death – chapter 21

Until Death, chapter 21

 

Theme: Smith’s chronology and the priest messengers

 

 

With one hand, the processor cranked me off the ground and made me run into a yellow bright light that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The yellow light was in the shape of a door, and I suspected it to be a portal.

 

“Get them,” I heard the veiled man yell in anger. “I want him back here and don’t spare her.” I heard him shouting orders at his men.

 

I took one last glance at the scene, and I could see some men in a black outfit, riding a black horse galloping towards the yellow portal, which looks like a door. A few metres for them to enter, the strange portal closed up and disappeared.

 

“Are we safe?” I asked the processor as she finally dropped me to the ground. Using my eyes to explore our environment, I could see that we were now in a thick forest that was full of deep trees with their leaves swaying with the direction of the wind’s rhythm.

 

“For now, we are safe, but it can’t last forever.” She finally replied. “We have to move now, and also try to get off the road.” She said this in a warning tone.

Many questions ran through my mind that I wanted to ask her, but she didn’t wait for my response before sauntering through the left side. 

 

Not wasting another second, I followed her.

 “My name is Rey Reed,” I finally started a conversation when I realized she wasn’t going to tell me what I needed. We have been working for more than an hour with no destination in mind, and she has been mute since the morning. “My mother is a military soldier. She is the one that taught me everything I know today.”

 

“I am Anna by name,” she finally replied.

 

“I thought they were calling you the processor earlier. Why?” I asked again, trying my best to prolong the conversation and I am trying not to annoy her at the same time. Besides, how did you manage to channel all that power? It’s just too much, and they are awesome. “

 

“The processor is just a nickname given to me by my duke,” she explained. “My name is Anna, while the soul processor is the amount of power I am wielding.”

 

“Just Anna?” I asked again. “No father or mother’s name.” 

 

“Yes,” she replied casually.

 

“So, how did you find me? And how did you know that I had been kidnapped? What did you know about me? Who am I? Who is Smith? Who are you? And how the f**k do I get back to my realm?” I bombarded her with different questions at once. My tongue had finished uttering those words before my brain sent me the signal that I was doing too much. Instantly, I use my hand to cover my mouth, hoping that I haven’t infuriated her. The last thing I expected was to be tortured by a woman who had beaten General Zod and his team. I am sure that I won’t last a second longer. With the flick of her hand, I will either turn into ice or get burned alive.

 

“A question at once,” she finally replied, which prompted me to sigh in relief. “You are the last of the Smith, and your heart is the nectar they are looking for.” She explained, but that only confused me more.

 

“Who is Smith?” I inquired about her.

 

“The Smiths are ancient hunters,” she began her speech, and I calmed down, then relaxed my ear to make sure I didn’t miss any of her explanation. They hunt for a roque witch, demons, ghosts, and other evil nightwalkers. They hunt by using different weapons that were forged from the Soul Nectar. Lastly, the title was passed from generation to generation, and you are the last Smith alive. Not only because you are hosting the soul nectar, which makes you invisible, but you are so immune to some ammunition. There are also dangers attracted to the nectar, it will be easy for every powerful entity to locate you just like I did.”

 

“What is the soul nectar?” I asked her again.

 

The Soul Nectar is a small black device that was forged by the first Smith. The Soul Nectar held a huge and unlimited amount of power. It is the source of strength, power, and vitality for Smith. With the soul nectar in their possession, they are invisible, and they can forge any weapon of their choice through the nectar. Not only that, nobody is invisible to the weapons forged from the nectar, not even you. “

 

“My mom’s name is Betsy, and my dad is Reed. So how come I am Smith?” I inquired about her. Even though I could remember my dad telling me to find my identity, I suspected that this was what he was talking about. However, I wanted to learn more about Smith so I could know what to do next.

 

“They are your adopted parents,” Anna said, jolting me out of my thoughts. “Before the last Smith, who is my duke, was killed, he had seen the future where he discovered that the reapers would be the one to ki*ll him. So, he performed a dark ritual that cost him his power. With the help of the ritual, he was able to bind your soul with the nectar, which also allowed him to replace your heart with the nectar. “

 

“So, what you are trying to explain is that the soul nectar is the one in my chest instead of a normal human heart,” I said in shock as she nodded her head in confirmation.

 

“With the help of the soul nectar, you can channel all the elements and the soul sword,” Anna explained. “Not only that, but you can also access all the skills of the Smith, their power, and all the creatures they use for hunting. You don’t need to learn control of those powers again because the nectar is there to guide you, and it will also give you the memory of the last Smith.”

 

Her explanation made me remember the old man who was dressed in a park ranger suite when I saw Crossing’s hand in X. “So, my biological parents entrusted me into the hands of a human being so I could be safe from the reapers.” I mumbled inaudibly.

 

“Yes,” Anna confirmed. If they don’t do that, the reapers will ki*ll you, and that would mean all their generation perish in the hands of the reapers. That would also put both realms in danger because the reaper would be using the soul nectar for their benefit.”

 

“Who are the reapers, and why were they seeking the nectar?” I inquired of her, trying to satisfy my curiosity.

 

“The reapers are Smith’s last enemy. In the beginning, nine rings were forged at the dawn of Gordon’s reign. This nine-ring was forged by the dark lord, Sensoi. Three were given to the dwarf, while the remaining seven were given to powerful men of Gordon so they could use them to rule Middle Earth and their people, Gaea. Unknown to those men, the dark lord deceived them. The main purpose of the ring is to consume their souls and bind them with those of the dark lord. Months later, the transformation began. Gordon and Gaea were ruled by darkness for five hundred years until Smith arrived, as the dark lord grew more powerful. The Smith crafted the soul nectar from the blood of Hydra, Black Phoenix, and sea soul. With the help of the nectar, they were able to forge different weapons, which they used to hunt the armies of the dark one. “

 

 

“What about the dark lord himself?” I asked again when I noticed that she was quiet. “What happened to him, and the fate of the nine men that were deceived?”

 

 

“The dark lord was sealed by my duke, your father. Five of the nine men were slaughtered by me, and three had not been seen in years. They were known as Nazguls, or we called them the Black Riders. Not only that, they were always drawn to the weapons that killed their master, the soul nectar, because they believed it held the key to restoring their master’s. “

 

“So, you mean the Smiths are the ones that slaughter the dark lord Sensoi, then free Gordon and Gaea from the hands of the darkness?”

 

“Yes,” she replied bluntly.

 

“The veiled man, who is he?” I asked again.

 

“He is the next dark lord after Sensoi and one of the men that got their heart consumed by the ring. That young girl was his daughter, and the other man was just a loyal dog like me.” She elaborated, then went mute again.

 

Even though I still have a lot of questions to ask her, I decided to remain mute. The only thing that is on my mind now is to get out of this realm and return to my team. I still have a lot to settle with the dickheaded Ryan. I need to find out the rest from my mom, excluding what my dad told me. She is the only one that can explain it better.

 

“I must warn you,” the processor’s voice jolted me back to reality. “This portal,” she said while pointing in the direction. Slowly, I directed my gaze to what she was talking about. That is when I discovered that there was a portal in front of us, perhaps about eighty miles away. I was even surprised at how I was able to see at such a distance. Maybe it was because of my newfound power.

 

“Is that my way out of here?” I asked, my gaze now returning to Anna.

 

“Yes, it will lead you back to your realms, I mean your body.” She explained. “But I must warn you, as soon as you step out, you must meet me at the prancing hall.”

 

“Prancing hall?” I asked again to be sure of what I was hearing. I have heard different rumours about the prancing hall. People say there used to be ghosts and different evil creatures roaming the place. They said the hall became haunted when the owner pushed his wife down from the top window.

 

“That is the only way I can help you,” she insisted. “The Black Raider and the Nazgul will scent the soul nectar from your body as soon as you step out of this portal, and you can’t fight them alone.”

 

I wanted to yell at her for thinking so low of me. I want to tell her how I survived in the arena without anybody’s help, and about all the powerful beings and beasts, I slew alone. But I decided to be mute. Besides, she was the one that saved me from the hand of death. Who knows what I might be facing now? Not only that, I have seen what she can do.

 

“How will you get to the prancing hall?” I asked, my feet now moving towards the multicoloured portal that resembled a door.

 

“That doesn’t concern you,” she replied rudely. “Just make sure to meet me there, or else I won’t be there to help you if you remain adamant.”

 

“Okay,” I simply replied, and we continued the walk towards the portal. However, as we were a few miles from reaching the portal, a sudden, loud voice broke into the silent moment. It was like the voice of thousands of men, and the neighing of horses wasn’t left out. I felt the noise penetrating my ears and I could feel blood dripping out of them.

 

“Close your ear,” I heard the processor warning me, but it was too late. It was like her voice was coming from a long distance. “It was the priest’s messengers. Their voice will prolong the journey of the portal and you will be drawn to them like an alluring force.”

 

However, it was too late. True to her words, it was like the portal had now developed legs and was running away from me. I wanted to close my ears, but the noise grew louder and I was left with no choice but to scream as the pain became unbearable. It was like a sharp metal was piercing my eardrum. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see the processor running towards me. However, after a few steps for her to grab my hand, I felt my body flying through mid-air. At the speed of light, the strange power took me away, and the processor’s image became blurred in my eyes.

 

“Nooo!” I screamed in fear and panic at the same time. Just a few inches for me to gain my freedom, then someone from nowhere will just stop my journey. I can’t allow that. I have suffered enough, and there might not be a second chance for me. Then I remembered everything the processor said. She said I was hosting the soul nectar, and I could perform different magic, even greater than she. Suddenly, something crept into my head. If the processor was able to possess such skills and power, I could do more.

 

Still flying nowhere in the air, I let out a loud guttural cry, then crossed my hand in an X sign. If it was under normal circumstances, I would have loved to have performed a new trick, but that is the one that crept into my hand. Then I felt the same force hitting all the invisible spells that were holding me. It was like I was bound with an unseen rope before, but the X sign broke everything into pieces. Before I could blink, I felt myself deflecting the law of gravity. My head was going down straight, and I knew I was plummeting to my death.

 

However, a few metres from my head to hit a thick oak tree in the jungle, I felt the processor’s hand holding mine. With a little effort, she carried me in her arms like a baby before she slowly deflected the law of gravity.

 

“Release the boy, and we won’t have to ki*ll you.” A deep voice that does not belong to a human was said from nowhere as Anna’s feet touched the jungle floor.

 

“It will take the priest a lot of effort to snag him from me. Talkless of you nitwit.” The processor replied without any hint of fear in her voice.