Chapter 5

It was rare to see his Master turn down food in the morning or at any time. Julius could not stand the constant eye roll and pouts directed at a silver metal Arlen stole. 'Where from this look? Is he still unwell?' he wondered.

Within a split second, he sees the pout transform into a smile, then a sigh. "Surely, he must be losing his mind," the servant said.

"What?" Arlen flashed him a look after that unintended gesture.

Julius dragged one of the heavy wooden chairs in the room toward the bed. "Master Arlen, if you're like this because of that alpha, I suggest you don't waste your time."

 Arlen has a moody look on his face when he lies down, interlocking his fingers on his chest to ascertain that he will no longer touch the food. Julius steps away and returns briefly. "Oh! I overheard an angry bird say that the Beaumont brothers are leaving today. To chase after water spirits."

A smile crawled up Arlen's face when he saw Julius holding up a commoner's outfit. His body rolled off the bed, and he scurried to embrace his best friend. "This is why you'll always be my right hand, Jules. Thank you!"

"Don't squeeze me to death." Julius pulled the leach off and pushed the clothes to him. "You should hurry if you don't want to miss them."

"Pffft! I don't think that will be a problem. He hates running in the sun." Arlen took his time.

"Huh?"

"Crazy, right? Hahaha, you should see some of the rules he follows." Arlen chuckles, once again full of life, as he puts on the clothes.

***

Rufus leads a party of six with Mark by his side. Aside from him, Mark knew all the lakes and rivers better.

 "Won't your father be upset about this? The creatures in these waters are deadly." Mark had to be concerned after passing several private lakes, entering parts prohibited for most people and lower-ranked wolves. No fishing and planting activities went on here.

"That's what makes it perfect. Let the Beaumonts deal with it." Rufus' demeanour was hostile and unchanging. He knew these particular waters would teem with spirits, not just sirens. 

Mark could not phantom how far Rufus would go to get revenge. Luca had beaten his Master at duels several times and robbed him of being ranked amongst the top three wolves of their era. What broke the camel's back was when he finally beat Luca; many dubbed it a lucky win.

They boarded three boats in pairs and headed toward deep waters.

Hours into the search, Rufus became restless. Sirens were underwater beings that deceived unsuspecting boaters with enchanting songs. Their victims would envision beautiful damsels bathing in the water only to meet the most hideous monsters with fins. In the past, his cousin helped capture notorious ones terrorizing some of the humble fishing communities in their kingdom. Once a Siren gets its victim in the water, she drowns them at the bottom of the lake and feasts on their heart.

Luca had other things to be grateful for. He would sniff the air and the luscious greens surrounding the lake. Only in Candor did Luca see such virgin trees and plants flourishing peacefully. In Damaris, things were different. Trees could only be found in specific places. The air was not as clean, and the streets often smelled of burning wood, thanks to the gigantic buildings, boilers, and the sun that rarely shared its heat.

"Where are they?" Rufus muttered to Mark.

"No idea. Those sirens should have sensed us by now," Mark said.

"Bullshit. We should have brought a goat or something." Rufus perched both hands on his waist, unable to ease his furrowed brows.

"Let's give it some time. Those creatures will make an appearance for sure," Mark said.

Meanwhile...Miles away.

"Jules, if you fall in the river, I may not be on time to save you." Arlen kicked his feet up as he leaned into the boat. He had a veiled hat on his head, which he tilted forward.

" Must you hoard them beneath this boat? What if you lose control and they suddenly attack." Julius shivered in his boots. Arlen stretched his neck at him. A bright red glow emanated behind the white semi-transparent cloth.

Julius flinched when his Master whistled to prepare his minions. These are one of the many things that made Arlen special. The ability to bend a creature's will. He could create and command darkness, and that made him lethal. 

" Stop shivering; there's nothing to be afraid of. The sirens know not to attack this boat or that of my cousin."

"Bu...but how will you see from this distance?"

" I see what they see, so relax." Arlen pricks his finger on his teeth and holds it over the water.

A drop of blood was enough to send hundreds of perilous ghouls and sirens on a chase. With the plan in session, he dips his hands into a small sack on his lap to send a few snacks behind the veil. 'Let's see how harmless I am.' Arlen chuckled. It was an exciting way to find out if Luca was truly untouchable.

"It's too quiet. Something is not right." Luca's features tightened. The water was peaceful, yet light could not penetrate the surface.

"Have you seen anything?" Axel looked around, excited. Behind them, Rufus folds his arms with a scowl and reminds them to always be ready. 

*SPEEW!*

"Luca!" Axel yelled when a slimy-looking creature with the tail of a bony fish leapt out of the water, aiming directly at the older Beaumont. With a single slit, Luca flies a sleek blade in the air. It sent the creature back to the water in two pieces. "Be careful, brother; these things are aggressive," he said.

"That's right. You've learnt enough from my father and me. Survive this, and you won't need me again. Consider it a final test." Rufus shrugged. The sour mood was finally turning around as he tried hard not to smirk, but something abnormal happened. 

"Something is off, Rufus," Mark pointed out to him.

"Don't you think I know? Those sirens did not sing, and since when did they get along with the ghosts of their victims?" Rufus muttered.

The attack escalated rapidly and was then followed by a period of stillness. 'Did we scare those things away?' Axel held firmly to his weapon.

*FSSSSH!*

An entire school of ghouls and sirens jumped at them from all angles.

 "What the..." Rufus nearly bit his tongue at the outrageous scene. He wouldn't mind the universe punishing his enemies, but the situation had gotten out of hand.

 "Is it my imagination, or do those things only notice Luca?" Mark was stopped from interfering.

"They will be fine," Rufus said.

On the not-so-dangerous side, Arlen was not getting the expected reaction from the party. Yes, the Beaumonts were under pressure, but they fought like they were squashing fleas.

'Impressive; I'll take it up a notch.' Arlen spills two more drops of blood to excite the ghastly things.

Rufus is compelled to help when the battle gets too physical for the Beaumonts. Axel looked like he could burst into a ferocious wolf at any moment, but that would cause their boat to sink and turn them into food.

Luca grabbed his brother's collar and jumped high up when their boat was rocked violently and booted from underneath. Guided by instinct, he lands on Rufus' boat.

That corrupted the order Arlen had given the creatures. They followed Luca.

"Are you alright?" Luca asked Axel. 

"Turn this boat around, Mark." Rufus took charge.

"Yes, Sir!" Mark saluted and signalled the other boat.

While Luca focussed on his brother, a sly character stretched its skeleton hands by the side of the boat and snatched a foot.

*SPLASH!*

"Luca!" Axel could not catch his elder brother from falling. Everyone else was taken off guard. They stopped him from jumping in as his brother was dragged down right before his eyes.

**

"Wh...what's wrong?" Julius was startled when Arlen suddenly sprung up.

"Hard to say why, but one of them disobeyed my instructions. Stay here." Arlen walked to the edge of the boat.

"What!" Julius took the paddle off his lap as he watched his Master dive into the lake. "You can't possibly swim that fast! Let's use the boat. Arlen!" He hit the surface, wishing Arlen would come out.

Luca's effort to fight was hindered by the masses chasing after that one siren holding onto him. While finding an alternative, an eerie sound pierced his sensitive ears. It took Luca's focus off escaping to protect his eardrums. But the more he tried to ignore this, the louder it got.

Suddenly he saw a pair of red eyes glowing from a distance. The sirens made way for another monster, swimming around it as if it held their allegiance. Even the defiant one holding onto Luca's ankle let go of him.

The more Luca stared at the paranormal, the stronger the discomfort in his ear. It made him dizzy. Luca Beaumont was never afraid of the dark, but the creature coming was one he had never seen before. It boldly stretched its hands of death and grabbed him by his shirt.

Up above, Rufus continued restraining Axel, saying he would go after Luca himself.  But Axel had good reasons to mistrust his intentions. Mark dived into the water while they argued about whose responsibility it was.

 Minutes later, he resurfaced. "They...they all vanished. There is no sign of him." Mark reported. What seemed like a justified prank was now turning into a nightmare. Axel and Rufus exchanged glances, each bearing a different kind of fear.