GIMI Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

I noticed someone waving at me. I turned my head and saw David. I waved back at him. He approached me, along with Integra and Shigure.
“Hi, Cole” David said softly.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.

Lance appeared from behind me and said, “Why’s David here? Is he another stowaway?”
“I dunno,” I replied, “Where’s Pete?”
“Beside you.” I heard Peter say beside me. I forgot he was with me because he had been so silent.

“Captured.” Integra said, “by Soren.” It was as if she could read our minds.

I noticed blood and cadavers on the floor behind David. “What’s happened there?” I asked.
As if they didn’t hear me, they walked right by.

“You didn’t do such a swell job this time.” Integra said to Peter.
“Sorry,” Peter said, turning towards me, “Mister Stowaway here slowed us down.”

We gathered together in the large room and waited for something. Integra, Peter, Lance and Shigure gazed at a wall as we stood still.

Without removing his gaze from the brick wall, Peter said, “What happened to you Elvira?”
“She woke up.” Integra said keeping her eyes glued on the wall.

All of a sudden, a sudden gust of wind filled the room. The bricks on the wall shook, then one brick in the middle broke off and fell to the other side, then, like a chain, the rest of the bricks gave away and left a large hole on the wall.

The landscape of the outer castle was blocked by a familiar helicopter. Isis was in the pilot’s seat, gesturing for us to get in.
She raised her eyebrow at me then browsed through the rest of us. She was shocked when she saw David.

The helicopter drew closer and we climbed in. It was cramped inside after we settled in.
As we drove off, Isis asked, “David, where’s Iris?”
There was a period of silence as we waited for David to answer.
David trembled in his seat as a tear rolled down his cheek. “Soren came to the cottage and asked for you. We told him that you weren’t there. He seemed to recognize me, and asked me to come with him. But I refused. Afterwards, he summoned this hideous creature that attacked us.” He took a deep breath then continued talking, “I tried to convince him to leave Iris alone, but he summoned this meteor from the sky, and destroyed the cottage… while Iris was inside.” His face was now flooded with tears.
“Meteor?” Shigure said, turning to Integra.
“How is that possible?” Integra asked Isis, “That’s not his talent?”.
Isis thought for a moment then gasped, “The monster! He has found a way to borrow power from the Ancients!”

Rage was obvious in Integra’s face. She assumed her bat form and attempted to jump out, but Isis said, “Integra, that is not the answer.”

Integra said, “Pete.” Then she jumped out. Peter followed suit.
I heard the helicopter’s engine stop as Integra and Peter carried the chopper back to the cottage.

I was both anxious and devastated.

A tear slowly rolled down my cheek as we journeyed through the air. I looked around and saw Shigure bawling in her seat. Lance patted her back, and I saw that he was crying too. David’s face was buried in his hands for the rest of the journey.

I heard Isis crying in the pilot’s seat. She was talking to herself. “Isis Tou, what have you done?”

When the helicopter finally landed in the garden, in the center was a large pile of rubble, topped with a large rock covered with small embers.

I remained seated and closed my eyes as everyone exited the chopper. I started singing to myself.

After a few verses of sadness, I pulled myself together and got out of the helicopter. I slowly walked towards the large mound of rocks and gazed at its size. “Iris.” I whispered to myself. I haven’t known her for very long, but I feel like I’ve known her for years; she reminded me of Iku. She gave me hope that I could love again, but I guess that I was wrong.

I picked up a small piece of gravel from the ground and hurled it up into the night sky.

A tear rolled down my face afterwards. I knelt down on the flowers and cried myself to sleep.

I was awaken by a familiar voice, “Cole!” I opened my eyes and saw Iku looking down on me.
I sat upwards in shock, “Iku?!” I exclaimed. I looked around but she was gone.

“Cole,” Isis approached me, “would you care to join us?”
She led me to a close spot in the garden where everyone was seated around a small bonfire.

Isis and Integra took rosaries from their pockets. Isis stood up and said, “Let us offer this prayer to the soul of Kiris Syouko Yumi, or as we call her, Iris.”
“In the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen.” Isis made the sign of the cross then cleared her throat.
“I believe in god, the Father almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. I believe in-“ she was disrupted my a subtle shaking of the ground.

“Let’s continue.” Shigure said, “it’s probably nothing.”
“That may be, Shigure.” Isis said, “But, let us not forget, Anathema has encountered a number of stranger things.”
Isis looked around for something. After another soft rumbling in the ground, she smiled.

She turned to the mountain of stone with the look of hope in her eyes.
The rest of us stood up too.

All of a sudden, the large, flaming rock on top of the pile slowly began to turn. In the middle of its rotation, it hurled itself into the night sky.
After a few moments, the large rock crashed into a small patch of land just outside the garden boundaries.

The remains of the cottage hovered a bit in the air and circled. A body emerged from within the circling rocks. It was a teenage girl. She was floating above the rubble.

“Iris!” Shigure, David and I said at the same time.

Afterwards, the rocks settled on the flowers and Iris slowly hovered back to the ground. She seemed exhausted

Isis ran to her and hugged her tight. “I’m so glad you’re safe!” Isis said before removing her arms.

Iris forced half a smile onto her face. It looked as if it took lots of energy just for her to move her lips.
She slowly closed her eyes and fainted on the spot. I ran towards her body, sprawled on the cottage remains. Everyone else followed.