MY RIDER SYSTEM

07. For the Wish

Rain fell cold and heavy on Kael’s body. He felt it first as drops on his face, then the chill that ran through him.

Groaning, he opened his eyes and for several seconds, he couldn't understand what he was looking at.

Then, his vision cleared and he saw the ruined shop in the distance but to his surprise, it was getting farther and farther away.

With each second that passes, it only became more apparent.

'Why... am I moving?’

The thought barely formed in his head before realization struck him. He was slung over someone’s shoulder.

Like a sack of potatoes, Kael twisted weakly to see what was happening. He was being carried—by Tucker, of all people.

The truth sent a chill through him that this time, had nothing to do with the rain.

Where he found the strength from, even he didn't know. With a burst of panic, Kael threw himself off his shoulder and crashed into the muddy ground below. And for a second, he lay there coughing and gasping for air.

Tucker only glanced back. He didn’t say a word. He just kept walking forward through the rain, carrying Selena limp in one arm.

Kael’s heart pounded when he saw him.

“Tucker!” he yelled, but the man ahead gave no answer.

Then he heard those awful, familiar screams fill the air. Entities began to emerge from the darkness one after the other.

At first, they looked like shadows. Then the shadows became shapes.

And the shapes became monsters.

Before he knew it, dozens of these creatures surrounded them. Some crawled on all fours, while others stood upright with hungry eyes.

Kael’s heart raced. He froze where he stood, trembling. But Tucker didn’t even flinch.

The man walked calmly through the horde and right up to a massive figure waiting in the center. Without a word, he threw Selena at the figure’s feet.

Kael, on the other hand, couldn't look away no matter how he tried. Even from a distance, he could tell something was different about this one.

‘That one, that has to be their leader,’ he thought in his panic.

And somehow, It made sense. If this was really some kind of twisted game like he’d been told, then spotting the leader among the grunts was second nature to him. He’d played enough games to recognize the pattern by the way the others moved, surrounding that one figure at the center like pieces guarding a king.

The leader stepped forward. He was a short, broad man with white hair and a face that showed his age and cruelty. He wore heavy armor, decorated with gold and red designs that seemed almost ceremonial.

And on his forehead, he bore the Roman numeral VII on his skin that gave him a terrifying presence.

When he spoke, his deep voice carried authority and pride.

“With every age that comes to pass, there comes one destined for greatness, sent from the heavens to reshape the world.” He said with dramatic flair. “I am that one.”

But Kael barely heard him. He was already limping toward Selena. All that mattered was her.

“Selena! Selena!” he shouted, clutching his side in pain.

Selena stirred weakly, confused and disoriented. “Kael…?”

Before she could rise, the armored man brought his boot on her neck.

The girl gasped, her hands clawing helplessly at the boot crushing her windpipe. Imagine waking up to discover you could barely breathe. That was her reality.

“Stop!” Kael screamed, stumbling forward through the mud. “Get off her!”

Admitting his own weakness with tears in his eyes, he couldn't help but turn desperately to Tucker for help, hoping surely, he would do something...

Surely, there was some shred of humanity left in him, some trace of the man who joked with them and helped rescue people.

But when Kael looked at him, he felt a slight shiver go down his spine because he felt nothing. There were no emotions emanating from the man. Despite the girl’s agony, he just stood in the rain, watching.

“Help her—please! Do something!”

Tucker remained unmoved.

“Why are you doing this?!” Kael shouted. Thunder cracked across the sky, as if echoing his rage.

Tucker let out a long sigh that sounded heavier than the rain itself and finally met Kael’s eyes. His face was worn, almost sorrowful, but there was no pity left in him.

“There’s a saying I learned when I was about your age, kid,” he said quietly. “When in Rome… do as the Romans do.”

Kael just stared, too stunned to speak.

“This world,” Tucker continued steadily, “isn’t so different from ours. The rules might change, sure, but the main idea stays the same. Survival.” He gestured to the creatures circling in the rain. “You do whatever it takes to live. Even if that means siding with the enemy."

Kael stared wide-eyed, his breath trapped in his throat. The thought of siding with monsters made his skin crawl, but the look in Tucker’s eyes told him this was no joking matter. Then he realized... and not a moment too soon.

Like swallowing broken glass and calling it food.

“These monsters, you brought them here. You betrayed us… for them?”

Tucker’s expression didn’t change. “Because of them, I’ve outlasted more Riders than I can count and I stopped counting a long time ago. I’ll get my wish, eventually. That’s what this game is about, kid. And if you don’t get that…”

He glanced at Selena, then back at the boy.

“Maybe you don’t belong here.”

In that moment, Kael’s heart sank. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Only one thought came to him.

‘All of this... for a wish?’

The armored man let out a slow, irritated sound, like he'd grown bored of listening.

“Ah, such emotion. And all of it carried by such a fragile little boy. Come now, child. Let me take it from you.”

Kael could tell by looking at him. This one was more dangerous than the others.

He stepped back with as little sound as he could make, clutching his wounded side tightly. Whether fear or resistance, he didn't care.

“Kael, listen to me!” Selena cried. “Go! Get away from here—now!”

“Shut up,” the man snarled, pressing his boot harder against her throat while more choking sounds escaped her lips. Her nails continued to scrape against armor that didn't care, only this time, her death felt imminent. Her eyes dimmed, and the strength in her arms faded.

"No..."

Kael remained rooted by fear.

“STOP!” the scream came next out of him, causing the man to laugh. It was a long, cruel sound that echoed through the pouring rain.

“You think I care for your tears, boy? I’ve walked this world for centuries. If you wish to understand me, understand this—I have something of yours…”

He looked down at Selena, “…and you have something of mine.”

"Something of yours?" Kael wondered. And for a moment, though brief, his confusion superceded any tinge of fear he felt. “What are you talking about? I don't have anything like that...”

Tucker crossed his arms and regarded him next. “The Disc, kid. No games. Hand it over, and you walk out of this alive.”

“Disc?” Kael blinked, clearly confused by what he meant. He hadn't been with any disc, nor could he recall ever acquiring one.

He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He could barely stay upright as much as he tried. His whispered admission felt pathetic, but it was true. His fragile body wasn't capable of assisting anyone.

“Kael!”

The voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. It was Selena.

Her eyes forced themselves toward him.

“He means your armband! Don’t give it to him!”

Slowly, almost mechanically, Kael looked down at his wrist, only to discover it glowing more beneath the rain but at this moment, that didn’t matter very much. Not compared to what was happening in front of him.

“My… armband?”

He reached toward his wrist without realizing it fully, smearing blood across his fingers from earlier wounds.

“This?”

He lifted the armband slightly.

“This is what you want? This is what all of this is about?"

“Oh, it’s beautiful, is it not?” the man said with sick delight. “Yes, yes, I like it very much. Give it to me, and I may just let her live. Or refuse—and I’ll make her suffer in ways you cannot possibly imagine.”

Before Kael could react, the man moved. He thrust his arm forward and with a horrible crack, a long, bone-like spike shot out from his elbow. He moved faster than Kael’s eyes could follow and drove it straight through Selena’s shoulder, pinning her to the muddy ground.

She screamed in agony as the word 'agony' could best describe it. Blood ran from her shoulder, mixing with the rain and turning the ground dark while Kael stood completely frozen.

His mind refused to process what he was seeing. Selena's eyes were wide, but barely.

The armored man watched her like she was nothing more than an object pinned in place.

“Now,” his voice turned almost gentle again, “let’s try this again, shall we? Give me what’s mine or—”

“Stop it!” Kael screamed. He couldn't bear it anymore. He couldn't bear to watch her put herself through more pain for him. It reminded him too much of his sister.

He breathed heavily, watching the same scene play out all over again with him standing there, helpless to stop it. And that pained him most of all.

The man’s laughter only grew, filled with sick amusement.

“Kael..." Selena forced the word out through trembling breath, “Run! Take it as far away from here as you can! Please…”

The words themselves barely made it out.

Kael looked down at his shaking hands, and at the armband he held so tightly as though losing it meant certain death.

He took a breath, forcing himself to think clearly. Until one thought came through the heap of confusion and indecisiveness.

“You want it that badly?” he said at last. “Then come and get it.”

Before anyone could react, Kael turned and ran. Every step sent sharp pains through his body, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. Selena’s voice echoed in his head to not let them have it.

And he planned on keeping that promise.

Behind him, the armored man's only widened.

“Don't forget, I asked nicely,” he said, raising a hand in a casual gesture of command. “Bring me that Disc. And if he still happens to be attached to it…”

His grin turned cruel.

“…even better.”

At his command, the horde roared and charged after Kael.

A tall, graceful creature stepped forward. This was Nervanine. Her skin shone like scales, with long fins going down her arms and back.

Tucker and Nervanine didn’t hesitate. They nodded in response and sprinted into the darkness, chasing after the boy.

---

Kael ran as fast as his injured body would allow for him to, clutching the armband tight against his chest. Rain hammered down harder now, and behind him, the sounds of pursuit grew closer and closer behind.

He glanced at the faintly glowing band in his hand, feeling a strange warmth from it.

‘This thing… Whatever the word “normal” used to mean, it doesn't apply anymore.’

“I can feel it,” Kael muttered between ragged breaths, slowing just enough to steady himself.

“Whatever they want… It’s powerful. And if Selena was willing to risk her life to keep it out of their hands… then I guess it is worth protecting. Even if it kills me.”

He tightened his grip around the armband. “If having it makes me a ghost of flesh and blood… then maybe I already was one.”

And with that thought, Kael sprinted into the darkness.