The Arcane Guardians Chapter 9: Chapter 9: No Way Home

Read chapter 9 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

The girl had already woken up long before the vehicle stopped moving, but she kept her eyes shut. A humid breeze tossed her brown hair slightly as a pair of hands picked her up and slung her over a broad shoulder. She felt her body bob up and down at a steady rhythm; the person carrying her was walking. The last thing she remembered was some kind of portal, which meant that there had to be some sort of anti-warp charm preventing her captors from teleporting directly to their destination. A pair of yellow reptilian eyes emerged from the surface of a nearby river, spying on the small group of three men walking towards a castle-like structure. A crow flew overhead, observing them as well. There were not many animals around for Marcia to connect with, though she did not exactly need an entire jungle to discern what was happening. The alligator slunk back into the water as one of the men handed over the small girl he was carrying to a man with strikingly green hair. This group of people had moved into the abandoned castle a few months ago. And if the alligator’s memory still served well, Marcia was not the first unconscious human to be brought here. “Julius, what is the meaning of this?” the green-haired man asked. “I thought you were supposed to capture Felix Pagonis? Who the hell is this girl?” “I’m sorry, Titus. The boy really was too strong for us to capture. We barely escaped with our lives. This is his sister. Lucia told us that we need psychic-based Metas, so I saw fit to take her instead.” “Gods forgive me. She barely looks a day above twelve.” Marcia could feel his warm breath brush her ear. “It’s alright, little girl. We won’t hurt you. You can open your eyes now.” The girl swallowed a scream, keeping as still as possible. The nearby crow squawked in fear as the man raised his hand, bringing it down on her face— Marcia shrieked and leapt out of her captor’s hands. She scrambled backwards, her eyes flaring pink as a pack of crows descended on the kidnappers and attacked them viciously. The green-haired man flicked a finger, knocking out all the birds and his fellow Metas with a single shockwave. Marcia grunted as she tumbled backwards from the force, but she was not planning to go down so easily. Roars filled the air this time as an army of alligators emerged from the river, closing in on the solitary Meta. She seized the chance to run away, but barely managed to take a few steps forward when a deafening thud from behind cracked the ground beneath her. Another shockwave hit Marcia, and she sprawled on the floor, dazed by the powerful ground tremor that accompanied it. She whipped her head back with barely enough time to scream as Titus moved at a blistering speed, catching up to her in less than a second. “Let go of me! Help! Help! ” Marcia screamed, kicking and punching her captor, who held her up by the back of her shirt. He stared at her with a bored look in his eyes, waiting for her to cease her futile struggle. “There’s no one else here as far as the eye can see,” Titus said calmly. “If you would be so kind as to quiet down, please, I’ll explain just who we are.” “You… you are a bad guy.” Marcia’s eyes were already puffy as tears streamed down her face. “I want to go home.” “Home? My dear, you are home.” The wind whipped past her hair, and the girl was set down gently. She found herself in a huge castle ballroom. Curious eyes set their gaze on her. Or rather, the man walking beside her. Marcia gasped in surprise as a familiar green-haired lady caught her eye. It was the very same lady she saw on the news. “Look around you, little girl. You’re one of us, and we’re all just like you.” Titus gestured broadly at the few hundred Metas walking around. “Is there anywhere else more like home? No one here is going to oppress you anymore.” “W—What do you want with me?” Marcia’s voice wavered, though it sounded a lot calmer now. “You’ll find out in due time.” Titus smiled warmly at her. “But for now, I just want you to rest.” ~