The Arcane Guardians Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Us Versus Them (Part One)

Read chapter 10 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Rain droplets pelted incessantly against Felix’s psychic shield as he sat on a roof ledge, watching over the busiest district in Sirius City like some kind of deranged vigilante. He would be smoking a cigar if he got any broodier, but there was only worry in his eyes. He could not let anything happen to Marcia. Not after his promise. The teen clenched his fists as the memory of that fateful day washed over his mind again. He had just turned thirteen, and his parents brought the whole family to a theme park to celebrate his birthday. Felix remembered being delirious with joy on their way home. So happy that his telekinetic senses failed to warn him of the incoming vehicle hurtling towards them from their carriage’s blind spot. The enchanted hunk of metal barrelled straight into their vehicle, and Felix only had time to create a force field around his sister and himself. His parents died instantly on impact, and so did the sole occupant of the other carriage. Their vehicles exploded shortly after, leaving no corpses for even the Necromancers to investigate the cause of the accident. The driver was a lone Magi living on the fringes of society with no ties to anyone or anything, which made his death a lot less troublesome to handle. Felix and Marcia, on the other hand, had to be sent to a foster home in a rush. Heaps of administrative procedures threatened to overwhelm the grieving children as the authorities tried to push them back to their normal lives as quickly as possible. But they remained strong, tackling each problem one at a time together. Things settled down soon enough, and the siblings were allowed to reclaim their lonely home when Felix reached the legal age of seventeen. They visited their parents’ graves for the last time when they left their foster home, and the elder brother made a promise to look over and protect his sister from then on. A promise that was now on the verge of breaking. “Felix? Is that you?” a familiar voice shook him out of his thoughts. “Orpheus?” Felix replied without looking back. After all, there was no way he could not recognise his best friend’s voice. “How did you know I would be here?” “I’ve been searching for you the whole day! Good thing I bumped into Gaius, and he told me everything,” Orpheus exclaimed, leaving the wand in his chest pocket to continue repelling the rain as he sat down beside Felix. “Why didn’t you invite me to help?” “This isn’t a game, Orpheus,” Felix said behind gritted teeth. “Stay out of this.” “Hey!” Orpheus shoved him roughly. “What’s your deal, man? Why are you trusting others instead of your good friend? Am I that weak to you?” “No, I am!” Felix felt water trickling down his cheek. He put down his shield so that the rainwater could hide it. “I… I can’t lose my best friend, too. You’ve seen firsthand how organised these jerks are, Orpheus. They aren’t just thugs; they’re part of some criminal organisation out to get me for Gods know why. And now that they’ve seen my power, they’ll be prepared the next time.” “Please, Orpheus.” His body trembled with emotion. “I don’t want to be the reason for your death too…” Felix felt the rain stop and looked up, noticing the dome over his head as Orpheus moved closer to him. “You won’t.” Orpheus smiled warmly at the sobbing boy. “As long as I’m with you, I know I’ll be safe. We’re in this together, Felix. I won’t abandon my best friend, especially not at a time when he needs help the most.” “You fool… You sweet, sentimental fool…” Felix hugged him tightly. “I’m so scared, man. I’m so scared I’ll lose everyone…” He felt Orpheus’s hands wrap around his shoulders as his voice soothed him gently. “You won’t, Felix. We’ll make sure of it.” ~ ~ ~ Marcia curled herself on the mattress, feeling her head tap against the concrete wall. The room she was in was completely dark, and it felt like time did not exist anymore. She spent most of the time in a delirious sleep, never knowing when it was night or day. Meal times were the only ind