Chapter 24 - What Is He?

"Can we walk to your house tonight?" Christopher asked as soon as Amanda got ready to leave work.

"It's an hour walk," Amanda said before looking outside and seeing his car was nowhere to be found. "I should have just brought my bike."

"I wanted to walk with you for an hour," he revealed.

"Of course. There would be no other reason."

In the silence of the night, Amanda and Christopher walked through the long road. When he offered his hand to her, she scoffed but took it, anyway.

'I'm screwed. I'm totally screwed,' said Amanda to herself while frequently looking at their hands locked together. 'If Trisha were to find out about this, I'm dead.'

"Are you going to walk back to your home?" She asked, realizing he would need to trek another hour since he did not bring his vehicle.

"Yes, not unless you take pity on me and let me stay with you for the night," he answered with a smirk.

"Dream on."

With another mischievous grin, he focused on her eyes for a second and said, "I figured. I don't mind the walk. Don't worry about me."

She puffed her cheeks before blowing warm air, letting out a heavy sigh. She turned to Christopher and asked, "Are you going to stay here for good?"

"No, I can't Amanda. I'm afraid I have a responsibility to fulfill, but if you are willing to. I'd like to take you with me," he said outright before turning to see her reaction.

While only the streetlights and very little motorists that occasionally went past them lighting their path, Christopher could make out the tint of pink on her nose as well as on her cheeks.

"You are getting way to advance," she said.

"You brought it up," he pointed out while firmly gripping on her hand. "Don't you want to go somewhere else?"

"I don't know, Chris. To be completely honest with you, I like it here. The next place I want to live in is the Faroe Islands." She paused before adding, "I want to be totally isolated from others."

"Don't worry. I'll isolate you to wherever I'll take you. I'll even lock you up in my room," he teased, not willing to let Amanda slip away with her reasoning.

Christopher continued to talk about his home as each minute pass, wanting to prepare Amanda for his soon revelation.

"The place where I live in Amanda is quite the opposite of Trinity Bay. There, it is very arid, almost barren. While we have adopted to this modern-day world, the way our society is being run is still somewhat primitive."

"I live very - very far from here."

"Africa? The Middle East? What are places that are barren?" She asked with a frown. Seeing him not acknowledge any of his suggestions, she said, "Mars?"

He chuckled and said, "Close enough."

Before Amanda could even react to his words, she sensed danger. Something or someone was out here with them that night. She quickly looked around, alerting Christopher altogether.

"What's wrong?" Christopher asked, also looking out for anyone with her.

Amanda saw no one but an endless empty road. However, up ahead where trees were abundant, she thought she saw movements from behind thick bushes.

Soon enough, Christoper's brows drew together. It would seem to Amanda that he sensed the same uncertainty.

"Amanda! Stay behind me!" Christopher pushed back Amanda as his hand moved forward to catch a well-crafted blade. In a split second, his hand stopped a small sword with his clenched hands, cutting himself in the process.

Amanda's eyes tightened, seeing it was inches away from piercing through Christopher's torso. Fortunately, he caught the crooked sword. However, what surprised Amanda, even more, was the fact that he foresaw the blade against the night.

"Well, well. Sharp as always, the young master of the Aeros!" From behind the bushes was a man of strange physic.

The creature was tall, nearly twice as big as Christopher. Its skin was orange-red while it wore armor on his arms and legs. Its torso was bare with only straps of weapons clinging on to him.

Its most fearful feature was its face. It had a face of the devil with extended cheekbones and chin pointedly broadening from its jaws. Its bald head took the shape of a muscled brain while no hair covered its form.

Just when Amanda thought there was just one. Four more appeared from behind the creature, looking the same only in different kinds of armor.

One of them was holding on to Martin.

"Give up now and we won't hurt him, nor the girl," announced the leader of the group. Its voice was deep and gravelly, enough to fear normal being.

"What are these thigns, Chris? Why do they have Martin?!" Amanda asked while clenching her fist. She was ready to fight, but mildly held back considering her identity as a master of the earth was secret.

Without looking at her, Christopher took a step back and said, "Amanda. Try your best to get as far away from them."

While Christopher tore off a piece of his shirt and wrapped his hand with it, Martin managed to free himself from one creature, stabbing it with broken glass. He screamed, "Run, master. Run with Amanda!"

Turning to Amanda, Christopher screamed, "Run Amanda! I'll be right with you!"

He went back to face the creatures and in less than a minute; he was engaged in a battle of blades, using the same weapon thrown at him.

Amanda hesitantly ran for seconds, but hid behind one tree to observe the struggle.

She watched as Christopher fiercely countered attacks with the small sword and use proficiently his elbows, knees, and legs to strike against the creature's body.

Her mouth fell open when she saw Christopher ran back, only to jump back into the fight, lifting his body up in the air like he was feather-light. While grunting loudly, the blade he held penetrated against his rivals' body.

Its unusual color of blood spattered across Christopher's body as he pulled out the sword. Not a moment too soon, he stormed at two other aggressors while its leader merely gave commands.

"Oh, my God. Who in the world is this guy? Or? What the fuck is he?" Amanda muttered to herself.

Martin was running in her direction after he wounded the brute that previously held him. For now, Amanda could only think of using her natural strength, unable to transform into the crystal's powers.

She grabbed a stone large enough for her palms to hold and as soon as the violent barbarian was in her range; she threw the rock with all her might. With five years of winning battles, Amanda easily made the creature fall to the ground, the stone perfectly blowing against his skull. It bled in seconds.

It was because of her actions that the remaining opponents turned to Amanda, two of which even halted to defend themselves against Christopher. Instead, they ran after her.

"Amanda! This way! With me!" Urged Martin. He thought he could at least fend his master's girl.

Unfortunately, Amanda had other plans. She determined she could let the creatures run after her to the nearby cliff and while taking a fall, she would transform and burn them before even landing the rocks beneath.

She ran opposite to where Martin was, and she did so vigorously that the creatures were battling against her speed.

"Amanda! Be careful!" Christopher roared as he ran after her and the two monstrous adversaries.

Seeing her go, he yelled to himself, "Damn! This woman runs so fast!"

Reaching to the nearest cliff, Amanda lingered for seconds, eyeing the presence of her supposed captors. When they were in her line of sight, she took a deep breath before jumping into the dark.

"No!! Amanda!" The second Christoper called for her name, his feet were off the ground, his body full of rage, fearing for Amanda's life.