For the past few days, Xolomon had been transmitting telepathic threats to Robert, making him nervous and on edge at all times. The fear of the ice monster had become so pervasive that Robert couldn't escape it, even in his own mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he was haunted by the image of the ice monster, looming over him and threatening to harm him. He found himself constantly thinking of the ways Xolomon could hurt him, and the fear was starting to take over his life.
But Dora's presence had been a welcome relief from the stress of Xolomon's threats. And to his delight and surprise, Dora was an extraordinary kisser. Her lips were tantalizingly soft and her touch gentle and electrifying. Yet there was an urgency to her kisses that made his heart race, as it was heavy with desire. At times, it felt like she never wanted their lips to part, revealing a possessive side that both thrilled and intimidated him. Robert often found himself looking forward to their moments alone together, when they could steal a few moments of peace from the troubles of their lives.
Xolomon's telepathic threats persisted, but Robert and Oliver didn't cross paths again until a bright Novaday morning. As the other students filed out of the chapel and headed back to their dorms, Oliver approached Robert and asked if he'd like to play a board game. The invitation was unexpected, and Robert wasn't sure what to make of it. He narrowed his eyes and agreed, but only with some hesitation. Despite his reservations, he hoped that the game might be a way to resolve any tension between them - or their Ancestor souls - and move on.
With a knot in his stomach, Robert returned to his hostel, changed into the school's casual wear - a dark blue shirt and trousers, and headed to his classroom to meet Oliver.
"I wonder who y'all think would answer your prayers," Oliver mused, glancing out the window at the chapel as Robert walked into the empty classroom and took a seat across from him. A desk separated them with a Sadec board placed on top.
"Lord Valmnar, of course," Robert replied, "The creator of Kreete and the entire universe." He watched as Oliver moved a swordsman piece, setting the game in motion.
"Such ignorance and superstition," Oliver scoffed with disdain, watching Robert contemplate his next move.
"To you," Robert retorted, moving an assassin piece.
Oliver shrugged, sliding an assassin forward and looking at Robert smugly. "You're up."
They played quietly for a while, but Robert's unease grew as Oliver remained silent. Desiring to break the silence, he glanced up from the board and with a smile, he asked, "Have you ever wondered why Novadays seem to always be sunny?" His eyes feigning curiosity. He moved a swordsman to replace a mage piece, and flicked the mage off the board with a grin.
"Well... no. But I do love Novadays, it's the only day I can truly rest," Oliver said without looking up, still focused on the board.
"Rest? From what?" Robert inquired, his curiosity piqued. Oliver's answer was a light chuckle.
destroyer piece"Look, I gotta be honest with you Oliver," Robert began, finally growing tired of the suspense. "I'm not sure why you invited me here to play a Sadec with you. Are you up to something? Maybe this is part of some plot to kill me," He shifted uneasily in his chair, his eyes darting from Oliver to the empty classroom, "You know I don't trust you one bit," he moved his rook out of Oliver's queen piece's path.
Being invited by Oliver to play a game of Sadec in their empty classroom made him feel very uneasy. Uneasy? No, that was an understatement; it was a cause for alarm. Nearly all of the students were at the hostel, and the classroom block was empty, with the possible exception of Tom and Zarie, who were likely holed up in the computer lab, busily typing and printing their papers. It felt strange to be sitting there alone with Oliver with no one else around. It felt a little dangerous to be honest. What if he suddenly transforms into Xolomon and shatters his skull with a ferocious blow?
"Why don't you trust me?" Oliver asked, his voice dripping with faux innocence. His eyes glinted with a smug, mocking glimmer, and Robert glared at him in response.
Their gazes locked in a battle of wills, until finally Robert's eyes turned into a mass of sand particles, and then back to their usual form. As he did so, Oliver's eyes froze, and for a moment they were as cold and hard as ice. Then they melted back to their usual color, as if nothing had happened.
"That's why!" Robert said, pointing accusingly at Oliver's eyes.
Oliver let out a laugh as he refocused his attention on the chess board, "I'd be honest with you Robert, I don't have anything against you, truly. But that thing inside of you had done some pretty bad things, and consequentially, the thing inside of me has you in its sights now, there's no going back from that. I hope you understand that it's not my fault that all this is happening," He gently moved a pawn before continuing, "Anyway, ever since I enrolled into this school last week I noticed that you're really close with Dora, like, closer than anyone else, and I'm guessing she's very important to you?"
Robert shrugged in response.
"You know," Oliver continued, "Most Sadec players know that the king is the most important piece in the game, but they value the queen more than any other piece because of her seemingly unlimited moves, am I right?" Robert nodded pretending to be interested in what he was saying.
"Which is your most valued piece?" Oliver asked.
As Robert answered, "the queen," Oliver reached for the piece that represented his queen on the board. He picked it up and watched it for a second, then his hand became frosty and the piece froze into solid ice. He then close his fingers around it. His hand clenched and crushed the chess piece into ice dust. Then, his body began to blur, until he was nothing but a swirling cloud of cold white mist. He blew past Robert, sending a chill through him. As the mist dissipated, Robert heard a voice whisper, "She's next."
"Who's the she?" Robert asked rhetorically, looking puzzled but Poison yelled in his head, "who else but Dora?!"
"What!" Robert hurried out of the classroom and made straight for the hostel. He rushed into the girls' hostel. He raced up to the senior girl's dorm, bumping into the students in his way. He barged into the white painted dorm and was relieved to find Dora safe and sound, reading a book (titled: The God in Me) on her neatly made bed. "Phew," he sighed, "At least the ice freak doesn't plan to make a move in broad daylight."
Robert walked towards Dora's bed, taking in the sight and scent of the female hostel. The environment felt oddly unfamiliar to him, an introverted loner, who had ventured here only thrice since seventh grade, put off by the hostel's frilly decor and delicate touches that catered strongly to a distinctly feminine taste, in stark contrast with the functional simplicity of the boys' hostel.
Moreover, the girls' hostel was a typical "girl-flanking" zone, dominated by females, with a few males present, unlike in the boys' hostel. Why? Well, it was a result of an established practice where the girls usually visited the boys in their hostel, and just like Robert, most of the boys preferred being visited rather than visiting the girls in theirs. Consequently, the boys' hostel became the hub for students of both genders. However, upon scanning the senior girls' dorm, Robert noticed a few boys scattered around, which somewhat alleviated his feeling of being out of place. He settled at the foot of Dora's bed, and the gentle chatter of the girls in the dormitory faded into the background, replaced by the thoughts of the events that led him to that moment. He fixed his eyes on Dora endearingly, wondering what Poison had done to Xolomon to make him so determined to ruin his life!
"Are you okay?" Robert asked, stroking Dora's legs.
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" she replied with a smile, closing the book and looking him directly in the eye. "You seem concerned, is something the matter?" Her voice was soft and gentle, full of affection.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Robert replied, putting on a brave face.
Then, out of nowhere, a telepathic message popped into his head. "I hope you stay by her side forever," it read. He recognized it as Xolomon's deep voice, and it instantly made him furious.
"I will!" he shot back, knowing how petty his reply sounded. He felt his anger building, boiling over, threatening to spill out of him. His frustration was starting to escalate.
"What was that?" Dora asked, surveying him with a slightly confused expression. He had said that out loud.
Robert's chuckle sounded awkward. "It's nothing, just a silly daydream, you know, pet dog stuff," he replied with a forced smile. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, then hurried out of the dorm.
Robert stormed into the boys' hostel, nearly seething with anger. He couldn't take it anymore. He was fed up with having to watch out for Xolomon every single second, fed up with how frustrating life had been for him these past few days. So what if I'm haboring some magical entity that pissed Xolomon off? It had nothing to do with him! This had to stop. It was time to take back control of his life!
He marched over to Oliver's bed, where the boy was lying, and shook him roughly until he sat up, a smug grin plastered on his face. Robert's face was red with anger, and he looked like he was about to explode. He stared at Oliver, his eyes burning with rage.
"Look, Oliver - if that's even your real name," Robert began, his voice shaking with fury, "This is out of the joke part and I seriously mean everything I'm about to say; don't you dare lay a finger on anyone I care about otherwise I would make sure you never see the next sunrise. And if you dare to do as much as attempt to attack me, I'll destroy you, I'll ensure to shred you down to your last atom even if it costs me everything! You should be wise enough to heed my words..."
Robert suddenly paused when a gentle male voice cut in from behind him, "Sorry to interrupt Robert, but Mr. Williams has requested your presence in his lodge at once."
Robert shoved Oliver back onto the bed, as he watched the junior student scurry away. He stood up and stormed out of the hostel, making his way to Mr. William's lodge.
"I dug open his grave and burned his body after he was buried," Poison's voice echoed in his mind, his tone cold and calm. "I couldn't let him escape with his dignity after all the trouble he put me and my brother through. Yeah, I know it was a stupid move, but I hated him more than you could possibly imagine. That's why he's been trying to hurt me - or rather, you," Poison ended as Robert pushed open the gate to the teacher's lodge.
"Just another made up story," Robert said, jaded.
"No, this one's kinda true. Although it's a lot more complicated than that, very much complicated," Poison replied.
"How long has it been?" Robert asked.
"Thousands of years," Poison answered.
"That ice maniac sure is stuck in the past, but I don't think we'll be hearing from him soon," Robert scoffed.
He walked up to Mr. Williams' apartment door, but as he knocked, he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, causing him to lean wearily on the door while clutching his head. Mr. Williams opened the door, and as he did, Robert collapsed on the floor. In Mr. Williams' hand was a glowing green orb.
Mr. Williams looked down at him with an air of triumph, "Robert, it's of no use hiding it from me. Just tell me the name of the Ancestor soul and I will let you go!" He demanded without prevarication.
Robert tried to regain control of his senses but he felt a sharp pain in his head, as if his brain was vibrating within his skull. Tears ran down his cheeks, and he could feel the effects of the green orb's power growing stronger and stronger. With all his strength, he tried to turn himself into sand, but nothing happened, and Poison couldn't take over. Infact, he could feel his connection to Poison severing!
"You won't last long Robert, just tell me the damn name! Is it Gidlock, Gabor, Lithigan, Theodore, Cecile, Who?!" Mr Williams shouted, slowly loosing his patience.
But, just as suddenly as the pain and dizziness had begun, it stopped. Robert came back to his senses and he felt a strange sense of relief, like jumping into a cool bathtub after a hot day. He looked up at the Hostel master and smiled. A part of his face gradually became sandy and within seconds turned into Poison's half and he said in a new voice that was both his and not his, "Poison, the name is Poison." He stood up, his body now fully transformed into that of Poison - a brown, monstrous and hulking sand giant.
"Poi.. what? I've never heard of an Ancestor soul with the name Poison!" Mr Williams glared at the horrific sand monster in front of him in awe and horror even though he knew Robert could morph into a giant sand monster. He pulled out a gun and two bullets struck Poison's body.
Poison gazed at the place where the bullet had struck him and a broad grin appeared on his face. He was made up of sand, completely of sand! It was nearly impossible to truly hurt him, unless attacked with advanced magic. The hole simply filled up with more sand.
"Your knowledge of Ancestor souls is awfully limited," Poison said, grabbing Mr. Williams by the neck and lifting him up off the ground.
"Let me teach you more about them.'' He landed a powerful blow on Mr. Williams' face, and the man crumpled to the floor. The green orb slipped from his fingers and rolled across the floor, coming to a stop in a corner of the room.
"The first lesson," Poison growled, his voice filled with menace, "is never to ask for their names," And then, suddenly sensing something, he transformed into a cloud of sand and dispersed into the wind. At that moment, the door burst open, and Miss Patricia rushed in, her eyes wide with horror as she saw Mr Williams staggering to his feet.
"Excuse me Williams, but I heard gun shots here, is everything okay?" she asked with concern, her eyes darting around the room which had grains of sand scattered everywhere.
"Nothing to worry about Patricia, everything is fine," Mr. Williams replied.
"If you say so," she said, sounding unconvinced as she left.
After the door closed behind her, Mr Williams turned back to the empty space where Poison had been. "You'll pay for this, Robert, I assure you." He growled with resentment, "You'll pay!"
As he finally struggled to his feet, Mr Williams could feel his face throbbing in pain. He was furious, his anger simmering just below the surface. He made his way to the principal's apartment, muttering curses under his breath with each step. When he reached the door, he took a deep breath, trying to quell the rage that was bubbling up inside him before knocking gently.