Draconic Testament (4 page)

”Hey.” Bastion replied back, dully. Vander takes a seat next to the bed.
”You’re not seriously hurt are you?” Vander asks.
”No, it’s just a concussion.” Bastion replies, stretching.
”Ah… good...” Vander begins. “Well… look, I'm sorry. It’s my fault you got into this mess. I didn’t just pressure you into it, I sort of also lied about inviting Talia, I invited her after I invited you…” Vander admits. He expects to see Bastion angry, but he wasn’t. “Look, it’s alright, it’s your fault I was at the beach, but it wasn’t your fault that I got hurt, honestly.” Bastion says. It’s actually true, since Bastion had picked up the killer’s presence and rushed after him, completely of his own free will. Vander’s deception bothered him a little, but he wasn’t as angry as he was when Vander had told him he invited Talia behind his back. “Ah… good… I had thought you’d not want to be my friend.” Vander laughs, weakly. Bastion waves off the remark. “So… Did you see anything?” Vander asks, curious.
”No, the killer was gone by the time I stumbled across the body.” Bastion says.
”What were you doing there?” Vander prods.
”Nothing, I was just…” Bastion began.
”The car park is a hell of a ways off from your house. Did anything strange happen? Who was the dead woman?” Vander continues. “Hey, ease off, alright? I get enough of that from the police.” Bastion scolds him. Vander raises his hands. “Alright, alright, sorry… Well, if you’re ok… then I'm gonna get going.” Vander says, getting up from his seat. “Wait, wait.” Bastion stops him. “Got a question.” Vander sits down, listening to Bastion. “Where’s Veronica, is she ok?” Bastion asks.
”Err... She wasn’t in today… but yeah, I'm sure she’s fine. She called in sick is all. Why?” Vander ponders. Bastion found that suspicious. On the day following the one where somebody wearing Victorian clothes, much like Veronica’s, disappears and is killed, that’s when she takes the day off? It’s not like her to bunk school. Bastion thinks that it may be a good idea to go see her, but then again, maybe it’s not, since she doesn’t really like him. He also has a medallion identical to hers, save the colour of the crystal… If he just showed up with it, it may spark a more dangerous reaction than the one he previously saw. Also, if the  police found out that he took evidence from the crime scene, he’d be in some serious trouble. “I'm going to go now.” Vander says, getting up from his seat. “Gotta go see the new girlfriend.”
”Ah, congratulations, treat her right.” Bastion says, and then Vander huffs at his response and gets up. He turns and heads for the door, then stops. “Err, Bastion. You’re not going to continue with this investigation, are you?” Vander says, looking back at him.
”Why?” Bastion asks, suspicion rising. Vander shrugs, smiling, and left the room. Bastion was puzzled about his question, but it wasn’t time to bother about that now. He took out the medallion from his sock, and examined it. There wasn’t anything actually special about it, except for the gem. It looked rather expensive, and it seemed extremely clear, and it felt as if it had been cut rather precisely. Perhaps it would just be better to sell it off at a pawn shop, but Bastion didn’t really feel like that was right of him.
Bastion is issued out of the hospital the next morning, and he heads to the police station to answer questions from the police officers. There was not much to say, but he did say that he saw someone leave at the back entrance, though he didn’t really see what he was wearing. This was a lie, because he actually sensed that somebody left the back entrance, but he wasn’t about to tell the police that he could sense supernatural presences. If there was one thing that Bastion was relieved about from all this, it’s that he now knows he isn’t crazy, that the presence he feels from the Haven and from Veronica are not fragments from an insane brain, but reality. If it wasn’t for the odd presences he felt, he wouldn’t have found the dead girl, not that it was much of an achievement… but he does now have a medallion. He doesn’t know what the medallion is supposed to represent, or what it’s supposed to do, but it can’t be coincidence that Veronica had a matching medallion. Were there medallions on all his victims? Bastion was confused, and didn’t really know where this got him off at. Bastion returned home to the smell of mint, his mother’s signature smell, as she smothered him with worry, hugs and kisses. Once Bastion managed to pry himself away from his mother’s tears, he checked the clock, noting that right now everybody was about to enter lunch break. He felt there was no sense walking into school in the middle of lunchtime. He’d rather go and cool off, think about this in the place where he feels most relaxed at. His haven. He grabbed a bottle of strawberry flavoured water and a chocolate muffin for the travel, taking bites of his muffin and washing it down with water, wiping the chocolate off his face as he entered the park. He approaches the haven, through the deserted park, crunching leaves underfoot, and crawled through the gaping hole concealed behind the cluster of bushes. He sat on the platform, and took out the medallion again. Here, he felt he may come across something, since the platform had always been his thinking pad, even though it wasn’t all peace and quiet, even though he could hear cars, dogs, people, even though there could be a time where the owner of this small haven of this could open the rusty gates and tell him to clear off, it was still his thinking pad. He came here for study, he came here to clear his head, and he came here for closure. He thinks over the events that happened, trying to figure out what his next move is, from the body, to Veronica, to the killer. He thought of what he’d actually do if he found the killer… call the cops? Rely on his boxing skills? He knows how to track him… Bastion concentrated, thinking about everything he knew so far, when he noticed something. Something small, but something only he can notice. The medallion… it’s beginning to develop some sort of presence… When he closes his eyes and looks at the medallion. It’s almost as if it’s pulling the presence out of the haven, and into the medallion… only, it doesn’t feel as if the haven is changing at all. It’s like filling a small glass with a jug, only the jug doesn’t actually lose any water. What does this mean? The presence stops growing, and becomes a small, faint, light with his eyes closed. Then he looks around. While sitting on his platform, in his haven, he could see a lot more than he could on the streets…
Bastion can see several presences, and he can feel people and cars around him, but he can only see presences. From the platform, he can focus a lot more than he could when drunk, on the streets… but why now? Why has this strange, unheard of power come out of nowhere now? Was it because of the supernatural presence that he has felt around the Haven his whole life? Bastion decides to withhold the questions. It seems that he now knows what to do next. Next, he was to spy, to look around for the killer. He examines the presences, one by one. 4 in total, now. One was Veronica, who was heading into the Library, as always. The second was a man, an unknown man. He focused, moving in closer like some sort of binocular contraption, trying to make out a face, but the glow was too bright to make out any unique, definitive features of the face. An adult, he didn’t know who it was, but he had a beard, and short fair hair, also wearing a medallion. This could be the killer… though the presence wasn’t familiar. He was in an apartment, what he was doing, Bastion couldn’t make out. He could only make out the environments very, very faintly, and it was likely that he would only recognize areas that he’d been to before, like the library Veronica was going into. “I’ll call you number 2” Bastion whispered, and then he switched to the third man. He felt as if this one was familiar… the killer? He focused on the man… but, all of a sudden, the man stopped in his tracks, going to some sort of lunch bar. Then… he disappears, dimming his presence to a level so small, that Bastion lost track entirely, fading in with the dark, unrecognizable environments around them, as if a pin in a haystack adopted the same colour as the hay for camouflage. He couldn’t find him. He then went on to the fourth man, and this one was also familiar. Too familiar. Right away, he pinned this one as the killer, he was exactly like the presence he sensed with the dead woman in the car park. He focused in on the man. He was sitting in an abandoned warehouse, something like what a tramp would hide out in, only he was on the second level. He was in the middle of a trashed room, and he looked as if he was praying… only, his mouth was moving. Now, he couldn’t hear anything all that well, but it looked as if he was talking to somebody. He didn’t know if someone else was in the room, but he didn’t think so. Whatever the presence was doing, Bastion wasn’t about to find out. He zoomed in on the man’s face. His lips were moving. He could make out a couple of words, but nothing made any real sense. Only words he made out properly were “I’ll find him.”.
Biology, after lunch, once again. Though, the second Bastion walked into the school, he was everyone’s favourite man, the boy who found the body. People wanted to know a whole bunch of juicy facts about the killing, but ended walking away with nothing but disappointment at the lack of information that he had for them. He pushed passed the groups of people that tried to stop him and ask him questions as if they were the paparazzi. He ended up barely making it to his biology class, where the biology teacher welcomed him back and had him sit down, though he could see that within her too, lay curiosity about the killings. Vander made a few unnecessary wisecracks that drew attention to the fact that he was at the murder scene as he walked into the room, trying to embarrass Bastion. He succeeded, as Bastion sat down with a rather red face. Vander’s humour ceased as the lesson resumed. Bastion never really stared at Veronica this lesson, as he felt that he was over the whole supernatural feeling after what he’s done the past days. He could actually concentrate on the lesson now, which means that he should be able to concentrate more on the lessons he has with Veronica, and completely get rid of the whole teasing thing that Vander has going on. Vander also caught notice of this new development, and was puzzled by it. However, 15 minutes into the lesson, Vander spots Bastion peaking at something underneath his coat. “What’s that?” Vander whispers to him. Bastion jolts slightly at Vander’s notice. “Err. Nothing.” Bastion says, trying to put it away, but Vander doesn’t buy it.
”Don’t play coy with me, let me see.” Vander says, almost threateningly.
”’play coy’?” Bastion mocks him, and then Vander puts his hand inside his coat trying to get what Bastion was playing with. “Hey! Hey, alright, chill! I’ll show you…” Bastion submits, grudgingly. He takes out the medallion. “See? It’s just a medallion.” Bastion grumbles, though Vander’s face goes cold.
“The fuck did you get that?” Vander hisses. Bastion looks at him, confused.
”I-… I got it from the dead body” Bastion whispers.
”What, are you crazy? Get rid of it.” Vander says. “Better yet, give it to me.”
”What? No, fuck that, it’s mine.” Bastion says, putting it away.
”Dude.” Vander groans. “That shit could get you into trouble. More than you know.”
”Who cares, none of your business.” Bastion growls. That put Vander in somewhat of a bad mood, though he kept peering back at Bastion, perhaps thinking of snatching the medallion away from him when he lets his guard down, but he doesn’t do so. The bells ring and Bastion gets ready to leave, not before sporting a quick, grudged goodbye to Vander. However, before he leaves, he spots something in the corner of his left eye. He looks. It’s Veronica, she’s sitting upright, staring at Bastion. The reason is clear. She knows Bastion has a medallion.
Bastion had half a mind to straight up drop the medallion on her desk, and clear the slates with both Vander and Veronica. But, no. He was simply too much of a glutton for mystery, and a coward for drama. He also had half a mind to straight up drop the investigation, that perhaps he’s in over his head. The warning Vander gave him kept replaying in his head. ‘More than you know’. Why was he acting so strange over the medallion? Vander usually loved mischief, and it’s hardly like the police knew anything about a medallion unless it was a trend that they left out of the papers. Who else but Bastion could stop the killer? Do the police have technology to track the killer better than Bastion’s eyes? Why was he glowing anyway, him and Veronica both? That bothered Bastion greatly. He didn’t know whether to fear Veronica, or befriend her. There’s obviously something special about the two… and what about the third? The one who stopped, then disappeared, like he turned off his life support? What about him, who is he? Bastion left through the front gates, sighing, depressed, walking down the streets swarming with lively, energetic students wanting to go home. He didn’t know what to do anymore. “Bastion!” He hears someone call on him. He whirls around, startled, to find that it’s Talia, running up on him, smiling. She immediately kisses him and locks her arm through his. “You’re feeling better? How come you didn’t tell me?” Talia beams. “That’s lightened up my day.” Bastion smiles warmly at Talia. Students nearby make a few remarks towards Bastion, relating him to the murders, which angers Talia into insulting them. “Talia, don’t.” Bastion sighs. Talia had always been overprotective with Bastion when it came to anybody harassing or making moves on him, on a couple of occasions it ended violently, one with a boy and one with a girl, and the couple had won both of those fights, though Bastion hoped it never happened again. Seeing a catfight was… unpleasant for him, especially when your girlfriend is in that fight, and your mother raises you to respect women. “Bloody insensitive assholes.” She hisses, nearing the end of the street. “If they stopped to think what it would be like in their shoes, they wouldn’t do it.” Bastion kisses her cheek in response.
”It’s alright.” Bastion whispers to her.
”Come over here.” Talia says seductively, leading him over to an outdoor café table once they entered the town area. She sat him down, sat on his lap, and began kissing him. Bastion could feel that she had been through some stress over the incident, and it warmed his heart to see her care so much, and he put his arms round her as they kissed. However, Talia could feel that there was something wrong with Bastion. She pulls away, to Bastion’s surprise. “Something’s wrong, isn’t there?” She asks, getting insecure. “Is it me, wh-“