THE NINTH by Ruben de Vela
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Part II _____________________________




      When Nario went to school the next day, everything was normal. He listened during Physics and Math, but spent the rest of Econ staring at Carrie. He went out during the break, walked towards the tambayan at 10:30 in the morning.

      "Nario!"
      "What? Huh?"

      Aram was running towards him (he seldom used his levitation or teleportation outside the field where they practiced), looking desperate. "Nario!", he shouted again.

      "Aram! What's wrong?"
      Aram came up to him, huffing and holding his sides. "They... They're after me... Auraxiothalion... and... Dave..."
      "Who?", Nario asked.
      "The.. New guys.. Tekkies.. They know."
      "What?.. How did they?"
      "I don't know! but they're always following me around and asking... about Nine."
      "How do they know?"
      "Who knows? I don't!"
      "Let's go to the creek.. Nobody's there at this time of the day..."
      "Very well."

      Aram blinked.

      The creek stank, as always, it's black waters and foul emanations slithering over the faded colors of plastic, rocks, and ruddy algae. Nario and Aram found themselves sitting at the bench farthest from it. Three Magic players were sitting about forty feet from them, unmindful.

      "I thought you wouldn't teleport around here.", Nario said.
      "It was an emergency.", Aram replied.
      "Well, what do you want to tell me? Who are Aur.. Arox..."
      "Auraxiothalion and Dave.. They can see me when I'm 'invisible', they can hear my thoughts.. They know what I can do.."
      "Maybe they're like you..."
      "I think so, actually, and it seems they're very interested in me and Nine."
      "Nine."
      "Yes."
      "What do they want with her?"
      "Who knows?"

      "I do."

      Nario and Aram looked around, and Nario got the shock of his life. "What the Hell is Nine doing around here? In uniform?!?!"
      "Hi Nario! Hi Aram!" , Nine said.
      "Aram! She has a blue I.D... She's...", Nario tried to say.
      "A dormer. Yes.", Aram said.
     "Room 401, thanks!" Nine walked over and sat down at their bench.
      "The dorm has only three floors..", Nario said.
      "Not anymore.", Aram said.
      "Damn! Why.. Why does she.."
      "Well, Nario, she can't stay at my house, she can't stay at yours, so I just change a few school records, create some thoughtform documents, change the memories of a few dormers, add a fourth floor, and presto! Nine has a place to stay! And an education too", Aram said.
      "What?! What about the rule about not affecting anyone?"
      "Well,... Nine breaks all the rules... So I'm prepared to add a few tons of cement, change some neural paths..."
      "Just for me!", Nine said.
      Nario shrugged. "Well, you're the mage-god-dreamer around here."
      Nine suddenly looked grim. "Aram, there were two people last night.. In my dreams. They looked like monsters... They asked me questions."

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      "Shit!! What do we have here!"
      "The whole pose, so me thinks, but Lord Aram is trying to make himself and companions unsensed as the very fabric of space for yonder card players..."
      "Very well. Lord Dave, we have to introduce ourselves to mister Nario Carpio and Aram.."
      "But Lady Aurax! The Ninth is with them!!"
      "Yes. The fuckers don't know what they're playing with. Fictionality! Bah! I'm never going to try it myself.. Lord Aram is draining the very fabric of his soul just to sustain the Ninth. He doesn't know the Conventions he's blatantly breaking! Ia! The Ninth might even become more powerful than he is!"
      "Lady Auraxiothalion.. The uh.. Conventions are less than a Lune old.."
      "Shit, Dave!! Damn you and your stupid comments!! I made those Conventions! And anyone who dares spit in the face of Auraxiothalion the Ancient will face my wrath!"
      "Uhh, but Aurax the Ancient is but.. uh.. two decades, less four years, old.."
      "Dammit, Dave! What have I been telling you?! How can our fucking followers have any Awe towards us if we don't have ass-kicking names!? Look at Cthulhu! Or Yahweh?! They have great names and myths circulating them!! Look at me! Aurax the Ancient!! The Slayer of Lesser gods! The Wrath of the Black Stars!!! Look at you... Dave.."
      "Sorry, Lady Aurax."
      "Shit Lord Dave, that idiot Aram will taste true pain for the Conventions he's breaking!! He will either join our Pantheon as enemy or friend, or be destroyed!!! Ia!"

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      "What was that?", Nario asked.
      "What?", Nine said.
      "Did you hear someone say 'Ia'?", Nario asked.
      Aram was just staring into space.
      "I see them.. both.."
      "Aram! What do you mean?! The two guys?"
      "Actualy Nario, one of them is female.. And they're hovering, just on the boundaries of the physical universe.."
      "Whoa.", Nine said. "Are they.. like you, Aram?"
      "Probably. I think we're about to find out."
      Suddenly, a pair of sillouetted figures emerged from the air, enveloped in a white aura. They hovered, fifteen feet from the ground.

      GREETINGS, LORD ARAM OF THE PLANE ON EARTH. WE ARE LORD DAVE AND LADY AURAXIOTHALION THE ANCIENT. WE BRING YOU A CHOICE. A CHOICE THAT WILL DETERMINE THE FATE OF MANY WORLDS, PRESENT AND YET-TO-BE...

       Nario ducked and pulled Nine down as the blast of white energy came down on them, focusing on Aram. He just stood there, neutral-faced, as the blinding energies just came pouring over him, his white polo flutterring.

     "Very well, Auraxiothalion, Dave. What is your request?"

      JOIN US, OUR PANTHEON.. THEN LET US LEAVE THIS THREE-FOLD SHITTY PLANE OF NOTHINGNESS.. OR WE WILL DESTROY YOU...

      "Sorry guys. I like this world."

FOOL!! OUR WRATH IS TANGIBLE!! IF YOU DENY US, WE WILL SEND UNCALCULATABLE DESTRUCTION TO THESE MORTALS.. AND THE NINTH!!

      "Are you two picking a fight? With me?"

      YES! EITHER JOIN US OR WE WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU LOVE! WE ARE TWO! YOU ARE BUT ONE! YOU ARE POWERLESS BEFORE US!!

      "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but WE are three. Not one"

      YOU MEAN THE BOY AND THE THOUGHT-FORMED ONE? YOU ARE PITIFUL! YOU ARE FOOLING YOURSELF!

      "If you two want to talk decently, get down from there and stop psy-shouting. It's annoying."
      "Fine."

      The blazing images decended, and blacked out. Then the two figures were just standing there, in the center of the concrete platform of the benches. Nine helped Nario up, and she was surprised at the sheer familiarity of the two figures. One was about 5'5, female, wearing the same cream-colored blouse and checkered palda she was. The other was about 5'1 and wearing a white polo and black pants.

      "Lord Aram." the taller one said.
      "Hello people. Now can we talk?", Aram said.
      The shorter one laughed. "You are masking your fear of us with your mock calmness. You are.. Terrified!"

      Aram just looked at them.

      "Lord Aram. I am Aurax. This is Dave."
      "I know. You sent me a dream last night... Which I didn't appreciate.."
      Aurax smiled seductively at him. "Really?! Why?! I wasn't good enough?" She laughed. "Shit! I didn't think you'd be careless enough to be receptive to plain dream projection! You know what I can do for you if you join us.. And you know what we are prepared to do if you deny us."
      Aram was as calm-looking as ever. "Sorry, Lady Aurax. I'm not interested."
      Dave cast his hand over the black creek. "Very well, Lord Aram. we will return. But for now regard this as but a reminder of what you will recieve if you don't bow to our will. We have a class. See you tommorow."

      They both dissapeared.

      The creek then began to boil. It's black waters thickened into a foul ichor. It rose with the sound of a deep, yawning noise. Algae and trash congealed beneath it's black coating. It rose into a vaguely humanoid form that towered over the bamboo groves. It belched forth foul odors that hung in the air. Within it, brown and black rock spheres undulated, cratered and cracked, looking like ruined worlds.

      "Damn. It grows. It might be bigger than anything I've..", Aram said. He concentrated on it's slimy visage, and it began to quiver, then began to shrink. "Damn", Aram said as the yawning sound came again and it began to rise. He concentrated and it began to shink again. Aram gritted his teeth and blinked.

      It collapsed into a black froth, and dissolved into black waves that washed into both directions of the creek.

      "Whoa.", Nario said. He stared at the creek. It was normal, the same, but now it seemed to have a terrible, unsensible aura of pain and terror.

      Nine was pale.
      Nario felt his lunch rising.
      Aram's face was unreadable. "It would have grown....beyond..."

      The three of them stared at the creek for some time until the bell rang.

      "Dark ritual! Haha! Damn it stinks..", shouted a card player from the other bench, unknowing that there were others around, invisible.



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This story to be continued.... _____________________________
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