Aron pulled up his car, parking it approximately one kilometer away from John’s residence. He switched off the engine, retrieved the key, and stepped out of the vehicle. With fast strides, he began his journey on foot towards John’s house.
When he was approximately three hundred meters away from the house, he carefully assessed his surroundings. Assured that there were no individuals nearby, he immediately activated the concealment rune. Instantaneously, he vanished from the sight of any potential onlookers or observing entities.
Upon reaching the house, Aron meticulously searched for a quiet entry point. He carefully surveyed the premises, quickly spotting an unlocked window that had been closed but not secured. With a gentle push, he gradually opened the window and silently slipped inside the house, skillfully maneuvering his way through.
Upon entering, Aron discovered John sitting on the spacious sofa, his face revealing signs of having just awakened from a distressing dream. Aron noticed John’s immediate action of powering on the television, as if seeking solace or distraction from the unsettling experience.
Aron decided to settle into a single-seater sofa, curious to observe the unfolding events in the coming minutes. He positioned himself comfortably, anticipating what would transpire in the immediate future.
Aron remained seated, his gaze fixed on John as tears welled up and streamed down his cheeks. He witnessed John’s desperate actions, watching as he reached for the painkiller medicine on the table, only to discover it was empty. Frustration mingled with anger, evident in John’s attempt to contain his emotions, which ultimately failed. In a fit of rage, he flung the empty bottle across the room. Aron continued to observe, his heart heavy, as John grappled with profound thoughts about life.
To Aron’s surprise, he witnessed John’s hands slipping into the crevice where the seat cushions met the armrest of the sofa. As John retrieved a hidden gun, his touch caressed its cold surface while he contemplated his next course of action. Aron’s breath caught in his throat as he observed John, the hesitation etched on his face, raising the gun and placing it against his own head. The weight of the moment hung in the air as John slowly began to pull the trigger.
Aron maintained a vigilant gaze, observing the harrowing scene unfold mere moments before the firing pin would release, sealing John’s fate with a bullet through his head.
He immediately deactivated the concealment rune and broke the silence, asking, “Are you truly going to follow through with that?” scaring the shit out of the would have been dead John.
Aron, had to deactivate the concealment rune that had veiled his presence as it was necessary to deactivate the rune to ensure that his voice could be heard, as leaving the rune active would have rendered his words concealed as well.
But his materialization from out of nowhere ended up scaring the shit out john who in return immediately started firing a barrage of bullets to Aron.
“Shield,” Aron said, swiftly responding to the sight of John aiming the gun in his direction. He immediately activated the shield rune, infusing it with a surge of magical energy, ensuring that the impending bullets would pose no harm, effectively nullifying their impact.
Aron maintained the shield, until he was certain that John had exhausted the entire magazine of his gun.
……
As soon as the events unfolded, Nova immediately sprang into action, promptly intercepting all phone calls within a one-kilometer radius. With precision, she filtered through the calls, specifically isolating the emergency phone calls intended for the police. She focused on selecting only those callers who were reporting the shooting incident, leaving out any unrelated calls.
Once Nova completed the isolation process, she took on the role of the original callers, assuming their identities as she continued with the conversation with the emergency services. She then humbly apologized, claiming to have misunderstood the sounds of a neighbor starting their car as gunshots, all in an effort to avoid arousing suspicion within the emergency call center.
By taking this approach, Nova aimed to ensure that these calls would not be abruptly terminated by her interception and raise suspicions.
Meanwhile, for the ones who had initially contacted the emergency services to report the incident, Nova skillfully continued to impersonate an emergency operator. Engaging with them adeptly, she inquired about crucial details such as their location, any sightings of the shooter, and other relevant information.
Nova then advised them to vacate the vicinity or lock their doors, assuring them that the police would be dispatched to investigate the incident.
….
“Who are you?” John asked, his voice trembling with fear as he gazed at Aron, seeking an explanation for the extraordinary turn of events.
“I’m Aron,” he introduced himself in response to the question, his voice calm and reassuring. “Someone to help you from your current predicament”
“Where did you come from? You just materialized out of thin air,” John asked, his fear still palpable as he tried to comprehend Aron’s sudden appearance before him.
“I was here for more than half an hour, you just didn’t see me. Like this,” Aron answered, and then activated the concealment rune again, immediately disappearing from John’s view before reappearing shortly after.
“How can you do that?” John asked, his mind racing as he attempted to comprehend and find a logical explanation for what he had just witnessed.
“A magician never reveals his secrets,” Aron replied, a faint smile playing on his lips, maintaining an air of mystery around his abilities.
“So, you’re a magician? Was it all just a trick?” John inquired, beginning to calm down as he started to believe that what he witnessed was simply a display of magic. However, before he could fully process his thoughts and question why Aron hadn’t succumbed to the barrage of bullets he had fired, Aron preemptively provided an answer.
“Not a magician, per se,” Aron clarified, realizing the limitations of using the term as a figure of speech.
“You mentioned that you can help me. How exactly can you do that?” John inquired, his previous concerns fading into the background as his focus shifted to the potential help that Aron had offered.
“I can help you with anything,” Aron responded calmly, a warm smile gracing his face, emanating a sense of confidence in his ability to fulfill the promises he made.
“Then can you help me with this?” John asked, striking the leg that suffered from nerve damage, his hand still clutching the empty gun, symbolizing his frustration and the burden he carried.
“Yes, I can even help you with that as well,” Aron replied, pointing at his amputated hand.
“What do you want in return? I don’t have anything of value with me,” John expressed, his mind torn between skepticism and the undeniable evidence of Aron deflecting the bullets fired at him. As he recalled the distorted bullet casings scattered on the ground in front of Aron, some shattered into multiple fragments as if striking a metallic surface, he questioned his initial assumption that they were mere blanks.
With a flicker of hope, John chose to believe that the man could offer him relief from his pain. He didn’t even entertain the idea of complete healing, knowing deep down that such a possibility was impossible.
“I want your unwavering loyalty to me,” Aron stated calmly, maintaining his composed and steadfast demeanor.
Upon hearing Aron’s request for loyalty, John’s mind raced with a flurry of thoughts. “What does my loyalty matter in this situation? Could he be after military secrets? But my security clearance must have been revoked long ago, and any vital information I possessed would have been updated. Or perhaps he wants my organs?” John’s mind spun with speculative possibilities, grappling with the uncertainty of Aron’s intentions.
While John was engrossed in contemplating the underlying motive behind Aron’s request for loyalty, Aron chose to give him the space to ponder, refraining from immediately addressing any misunderstandings that might have arisen.
After several minutes of contemplation, John finally found his voice and spoke, “I’m not certain what you stand to gain from my loyalty, but if you can relieve me of this pain, I solemnly swear, in the name of God, that I will break the oath I made to never trust anyone again, following the betrayal I experienced from my own country.” His words revealed a profound sense of desperation, as he believed he had already reached the depths of despair, with nothing further to lose.
Upon hearing John’s response, Aron’s smile widened, exuding a sense of reassurance. “Very well. Now, go to sleep, and when you awaken, everything will be over,” Aron said before he moved with remarkable speed, placing his hand on top of John’s head while uttering an incantation. “Sleep,” he said, activating the sleeping rune in an instant.
“WhAt?” John barely had time to comprehend the words spoken to him before a wave of drowsiness swept over him.
As he struggled to stay awake, the only fragments he could recall were the words “Good,” “Sleep,” and “Over.” With his eyes growing heavy and his consciousness fading, a final thought crossed his mind, “Damn, he must really be after my organs.” Succumbing to the overwhelming fatigue, John slipped into a deep slumber, “It doesn’t really matter anymore” his mind at rest accepting his fate as this was better than the pain.