THE RISE OF JORDAN RIVERS

THE MAGIC

Jordan dropped his bag to the ground, took a turn, and ran in the west direction, where the cry of a girl was coming from. A few meters ahead, he collided with a poor girl. She was running out of breath from running and losing the energy to escape her tormentors. A group of six men was after her, and they slowed down when they saw Jordan. But they kept their eyes on their target.

She was a beautiful girl. Her eyes sparkled even in the darkness. Compared to that arrogant, cheating bitch he was married to until a few minutes ago, this mysterious girl seemed like an angel.

Jordan nudged the poor girl toward his back, shielding her. The men sneered, scoffing at Jordan.

“Get out of our way, buddy, unless you want to get hurt!’” One bearded guy said, pointing at Jordan. 

“What do you want from her? What has she done?” Jordan challenged, holding the poor girl's hand as she clenched his shirt as if he were her Black Messiah. 

“Please, mister, don't let them get to me. Please!” The poor girl pleaded, and Jordan couldn't help but feel the ripple of the desire to help her. It was so strong.

But then he remembered a similar situation when he helped that old man before. It was the beginning of his problems on top of the ones he already had. It was the reason he was now wandering in the darkness with nowhere to go. If he had not saved that man back then, he would not have been here. He could not help but wonder whether that incident would land him in more trouble.

“That is none of your business, man! Just hand the girl to us peacefully, and we will not touch you!” The same bearded man spoke again. 

He seemed like their notorious leader or something. And they kept coming. They were now so close.

“And if I don’t?” 

The words rolled out of his mouth, and he stepped forward, his hands clenching into fists. He was sure of two things: he could not defeat the six men before him who looked like trained assassins, and he also could not stand and watch them assault an innocent girl. His conscience could not take it.

The men scoffed in unison, looking at him as if weighing options on how to kill him. He did not tremble. He stood boldly.

“Then start saying your last prayers!” Another man in the group spoke, and they started their slow, calculated steps toward him.

“They are dangerous! Can you fight them?” The girl asked from behind Jordan, still holding on to him.

She was glad that someone had come to her rescue, but she was worried about her acting savior at the same time.

“I doubt it. But I can distract them to buy you time to escape them. This is your chance. RUN!” He shouted as the men got closer, almost sealing the gap in between.

The girl was hesitant at first. She didn't want her savior to die in the battle to save her. But she also knew there was nothing she could do. Or maybe there was. She could also save her savior. Calling for help would save both their lives. She will have an opportunity to thank her guardian angel.

“I will be back!” She whispered before sprinting out, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

“Hey! She is running away! Catch her!” The bearded man howled.

They started past Jordan, but he stopped them, throwing punches at everyone that attempted to go past him.

Seeing two men hit the ground, groaning from the wrath of his fists, warmed his heart, knowing that the girl was at a safe distance now and that he still had some energy left for a few more punches. 

But suddenly, he felt a sharp blade cut through his stomach. Before his eyes could drop to his stomach, a punch on his face sent him staggering back, and at the same time, he felt some liquid trickle down from his stomach. Another sharp blade pierced through his back as more punches landed all over him. They had ganged up on him, beating him mercilessly. He was defenseless.

“You two, follow the girl and bring her back!” He could recall that tone very well. It was from the bearded man. All he hoped was that the girl was safe. That they would not catch up with her. 

“You thought you were tough, huh?” The bearded guy added, caging Jordan’s chin in his palm as two men supported him from the back. 

His eyes had closed to the pain. He was losing the fight. He was succumbing to defeat. 

“I will show you what we do to anyone who stands in your way!”

Punches flooded Jordan’s body. He groaned in pain until he felt his body adjust to the pain. He fell unconscious. He stopped feeling the pain. Everything turned dark and quiet. They dropped his lifeless body on the ground.

“Did you find the girl?” The bearded man queried when the two guys who went for the girl returned. It was a rhetorical question because, clearly, they came back empty-handed.

“Seems like we failed the mission, boss. We searched all the nearby places, but she is nowhere to be found.” One of the two guys responded.

“Shit! Screw this bastard!” The bearded guy cursed.

“What now?!” Another one inquired, looking at the bearded man for instructions.

“We cannot afford to get into trouble on top of screwing up this mission. So make sure you do not leave anything that can link us to this mess.” He ordered.

“What about him?” Another man asked, referring to Jordan.

“He has caused a lot of trouble. Let the vultures feast on his corpse. He will know better than to mess us up in the afterlife.” The bearded guy ordered.

After hearkening to the orders of their master, the five men hurried behind him, fleeing from the scene. They thought he was dead, but something strange was happening.

On his middle finger was a ring that he never took off. It was his inheritance from his father. He didn't know if it had a meaning. To him, it was a mere ordinary ring, but it carried magic. And it was at this time that the ring started its work.

While he lay unconscious, hopelessly waiting to bleed to death, the ring absorbed all the blood that he was losing. And as it did so, it tossed Jordan into an ocean of past memories. Memories started flooding into his mind like a river.