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Continued…

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There was a shift in the air. A wind. A vacuum. Much of the smoke in the air began to get sucked into the bright glowing water. Was that the portal? 

It felt like everything was being pulled into the water. I couldn’t see what was on the other side of the portal. The light was too bright to make out anything. 

“Prepare!” Sir Barber cried. He turned around to face the water fountain. He stood in a strange defensive posture. Several dancers, workers, and guests came in to join his side. 

“Back, Guardians!” the manager ordered. The armed men moved out of the circle to fall in behind him. Johin came in beside the manager, but he didn’t look at me or Belle. His eyes were on the fountain. There was s hint of anxiety I could sense off of him, regardless of his hard exterior. 

“Bring her here, son!” Sir Barber called out to me. But he was not looking towards me. His gaze was still towards the fountain. “Quickly!” 

A blaring noise began to sound from the water in the fountain. An overwhelming blare. But the sound was more of a noisy ambience of movements and happenings, like the breath of a busy city. That and the vacuum of wind sucking at the atmosphere of the ballroom was not something you could ignore. 

Everybody around braced for whatever was happening with the portal. It was as if our commotion before no longer mattered. Even Belle was facing the water fountain, scared at what was to occur. 

Run, Dallis… I heard Julie’s voice, so faintly. I heard worry and concern in her faint words. 

Then I felt it. 

A heavy sinking feeling squeezed at my insides. An absolute wrongness. 

And then they came. 

Three figures flew out from the water and hung in the air. Three handsome faced men. Their hair, long and golden. Their eyes, wonderous and blue. They were draped in white robes. Seemingly heavenly looking figures. Only, they were three times bigger than the size of a man. And you could feel something horrifying about them. Something not kind. Malice. 

The three figures glanced upon everyone in the ballroom. Then a wicked smiled slid across each of their faces. 

“Sancto!” Sir Barber cried out. With a stomp of his foot, a bright ring of purple light screened around the three giant figures. As soon as Barber’s ring wall of light appeared, the three figures dashed forwards towards everybody. Their forward motion broke through Barber’s screen of light, shattering the light into shards like breaking through a window. 

“Bulwark!” some of the hotel workers cried out, raising multiple layers of straight light screens. One of the handsome giant figures broke through the first two light walls but thudded into the next light barrier. Then the other workers charged towards this giant, calling out “Smite!”. Each call struck the giant figure back with an unseen force. I couldn’t see it, but something was hitting and knocking the figure back. 

Dancers on the middle floor started dancing out strange forms before the giant figure that approached them. Whatever they were doing, it seemed to shackle the giant figure by the arms and legs, rendering it immobile. This giant figure was not happy about this, giving each of the dancers a vicious look. 

On the other side, other hotel workers called out “Bulwark” and “Smite”, making walls of light and pushing the third heavenly giant back. But this third giant shifted to the side and darted forward at an opening. It reached one of workers and grabbed him by the head. The other workers used their ‘smites’ to attack the giant figure, but it was too late. It had already grabbed hold of the worker. The giant figure began to fly back to the portal, worker in hand. It was going to take that workers through the portal! 

“Bulwark!” Sir Barber stepped in front and blocked the giant figure’s path. A solid wall of light then rose, causing the giant figure to crash violently into it. It dropped the worker it had snatched. This gave a change for the other workers and guests to regather and approach. But the giant figure suddenly stuck a hand out towards the worker it had dropped. 

Suddenly the giant’s form quickly seemed to dissolve and shoot into the targeted worker. It was as if the figure seeped itself into the man. 

The workers and guests around quickly made a ‘bulwark’ box around the infiltrated man and a few lone guests. The guests inside the box started doing strange palm strikes at the infiltrated worker. That worker kicked away one of the attacking guests and shoved away another with the strike of a hand. He was attacking friendlies. 

With all this madness occurring recently, it had quickly made sense to me. That worker was possessed by the giant figure. 

Another guest made for an attack at the possessed worker. The guest was almost struck by a strike to the head, but the guest ducked low to dodged and struck the possessed worker with two palms to his gut. The strike somehow pushed the giant figure’s spirit out of the worker. Once out of him, the guest retrieved the now unconscious worker and took him out from the box of light. 

The three giant figures were contained. The whole sight was petrifying. What were these things that had come out of the portal? 

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To be continued…

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(Part 17-20) Hotel Mysteria 016 – Forgotten