THE LONG parade had driven them to the side of the small playground. The place seemed abandoned. There was not a single person there, far from the road where they came from after leaving the restaurant. The swing near the entrance was rusty and the merry-go-round next to it broke after a long time. It tilted badly on one side. Old newspapers that were blown by the winds from the trash can had scattered to the ground.They sat quietly inside the car without speaking, while the strong beating of drums boomed outside. Yric could see Xurden in the rearview mirror, who was sitting straight with his eyes closed. Xurden crossed his hands on his chest, making his arms muscle bulge more while his assistant looked happily at the passing parade from the driver’s seat. On his lips, a small smile appeared after a while. Everyone who had joined the parade walked merrily, jumping and dancing to the beat of the drums.Yric moved his head near the window to the right as he saw a boy pass the car. The

AS THE cold got thicker, Yric’s body felt numb, with his lips shaking. Xurden still fought the darkness, engulfing them. The demon was only laughing around them since he couldn’t get closer to them because of the blinding light. Hearing the laugh, Yric’s fear reached its peak. His mind had stopped running and couldn’t think of anything else other than death. “I find it funny that I will be the one now who’s going to say that you’re a fool. I know the more you stay in this world, you got weaker,” the demon rumbled with a laugh. “You’re going to die here. It’s right that I sought the witch. With her help, I finally can kill you.” After hearing what just the demon had said, they would really end up dying in that nothingness. Yric couldn’t see the demon concealed in darkness. But he clearly knew Xurden had reached his limit as the light he omitted got thinner. The man fell to his one knee, and he instantly followed, holding Xurden’s arm to hold him up. He looked at the man’s face covered

XURDEN’S MIND stopped remembering the past when Sebastian talked loudly on his side. He blinked his eyes once, touching his head. It hurt after the climax of his memory. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Sebastian.“What?” Xurden asked with no emotion.Sebastian pointed his hand toward the party. “Yric is gone. What happened to you, Boss? I was talking to you, but you’re not responding.”He ignored Sebastian’s question because he didn’t want to tell the truth that his memories drowned him even his wide awake.“Let’s go down now,” He said instead of answering.“But why? I am sure the witch got him. Don’t tell me this is not a mistake. You really intend to give him.”Xurden glared at his assistant. “Are you crazy? I can trace him,” he uttered before jumping off the rooftop.His clothes flapped to the wind as he go down while Sebastian followed him. He landed first on the hard cement with no sound.“How?” Sebastian asked confusedly as he stood on Xurden’s left side.“You don’t have to

WAVES echoed into the shore as they crashed while the wind howled. The sky had cleared, revealing the full moon. There were no houses built along the beach.Xurden stood on the side of the road under the light post, waiting for his assistant. He fixed his eyes on the rough water with his mind wandering off. After he left the cave, he couldn’t stop thinking about the demon. He had a lot of questions about who the demon was. But he couldn’t find an answer on his own. That’s why he planned on searching for him when he arrived home. For now, he had a burden on his shoulder and that was the two friends lying down, still unconscious on the bench beside him. He would make sure the two wouldn’t remember Yric. He would erase him from their memory together with what happened on that island. It was better that way for them.He turned to the road when a bright headlight coming from the bent hit his back. After a while, the black car stopped in his front. Sebastian went out immediately, not closin

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD where Yric was renting a room looked dead at night. There was no single soul walking in the street, even though it was still early. Most of the streetlights didn’t work, there were only a few which were still alive, but they flickered every minute. He took the minor road going up the hill, passing the opened store.No matter how tight he hugged himself, he was still shivering in the cold. He lost all his things which he brought going to the island. He only turned when he felt someone following on his back. His eye grew wide when the lights from the store and the nearest light posts died one by one, leaving the darkness behind.He ran like there was no tomorrow and almost tripped on scattered garbage. Luckily, Yric picked up his own balance and went on running until he reached the foot of the building, where he rented a room. The apartment was five stories, which looked old even in the dark. He went in through the front door and pressed the elevator next to it. The el