The Phantom Crusaders: CREATION

The Phantom Crusaders: CREATION

The Phantom Crusaders:

CREATION

Habi Ebeid

Copyright © 2022 by HABI EBEID

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected]

FIRST EDITION

ISBNs:

978-1-80227-953-5 (paperback)

978-1-80227-954-2 (eBook)

Preface

Look, everyone wants an adventure, people want excitement. No matter how bad it is, you could be at school, at work or in hell, or even in the toilet reading this. You’re probably bored out of your mind, thinking about what you’re going to get out of this book. Let me be honest, I’ve probably been in your position before and the only books I’ve finished were exam books. But what I’m about to put on this paper is something you should probably keep quiet about. In fact, if you are reading this, you’re probably my mother, my friend, my future child, wife … or a stranger. In any case, here’s the answer … well at least a part of it. Whether you’re someone trying to find out the truth, or here for the fun of it … here’s my story.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: Annoying brothers and angry taxi drivers

Chapter 2: Bad days and bad guys

Chapter 3: Detention and something weird

Chapter 4: The story of the Legends

Chapter 5: An adventure of a lifetime

Chapter 6: Group meeting!

Chapter 7: The dark side

Chapter 8: Welcome to Tibet!

Chapter 8.5: An interlude with Michael

Chapter 9: Training ’n tricks

Chapter 10: Onwards and upwards

Chapter 11: Under attack

Chapter 11.5: The virtue of others

Chapter 12: The blood of pure hearts

Chapter 13: A creative aftermath

Chapter 1

Annoying brothers and angry taxi drivers

It all started in the morning like every story should. Tuesday 16th of July 199X. It was around 6:46 am. I had bags under my eyes from an endearing 4-hour study session I did last night for my exam. While I was working my ass off, my snotty 14-year-old brother played video games while shouting profanities at the screen, making it think it had no value in life. In any case, I was tired out of my mind, barely able to have three and a half hours of sleep, with my mind boggling around in my head making predictions about the test questions. Looking back now, I think that should’ve been the least of my worries.

I got up from my bed, but to my surprise, I tripped over a gaming controller. After I slipped, and saw what felt like babies with angelic harps surrounding my head, my brother woke up and found his broken controller on the floor. He looked horrified. He started to yell, Antonio! What the hell man, you broke my fricking controller!

I had anger bursting out like a pack of wolves seeing a pig behind a fence. Well, instead of putting your useless toys around like you’re the Easter bunny, I rebutted, Maybe oh I dunno, STUDY!

He glowered at me, and before saying anything, he tripped on his own controller and fell flat on his face, with the words stringing out of his mouth: MUMMMMMMM!

Oh please, grow up Marco, you’re fourteen for God’s sake. Just get up and get ready for school you moron, I said.

He gave me a big frown and rolled his eyes, getting up and fixing his shirt like it had dust on it.

You should try to do that in your brain so all the stupidity comes off, I smirked.

Shut up man, he said tiredly.

Suddenly our mum burst into the room, worried. Marco? Are you okay? I heard you call me earlier. Ant, did you hit your brother again? Marco calmed our mum down, telling her he thought he’d seen a spider. Our mother sighed and left the room.

Still scared of spiders? I snickered. Let’s just get to school already.

He sighed.

While we exited our room, I thought about breakfast, but then I looked at the time and thought out loud: Yeah, maybe lunch and dinner will do for now. We put on our coats, packed up our backpacks, our mum gave us a warm kiss, and we left on our bikes.

While we were riding, Marco asked me a familiar question, Ant, don’t you ever wish something exciting would happen? Instead of just going on bikes, we go on dragons, and instead of learning math, we learn magic?

I rolled my eyes once again and replied, Look, I wish that stuff was happening, but let’s look at reality. Our mum’s working 3 jobs a day, saving money, giving us the best education we can get so we’ll be able to get good paying jobs! But as much as I want to live in fantasy land, it just can’t fit in that equation. I’m sorry dude but the only exciting thing that’s happening right now is … and before I was able to finish my MLK speech, a yellow taxi honked and barely stopped in time before it hit us.

The driver yelled, Hey you little morons, watch the road before you and your junky bikes turn into scrap!

Before I was able to get a word out and apologise, my brother had the brilliant idea of doing a rude gesture in front of the driver. The one that was literally about to hit us. Up your ass punk! my brother yelled.

The taxi man became furious and opened his door ready to chase us. My brother and I got freaked out and rode our bikes like the wind, while the angry driver was chasing us with a giant cane in his hand. Get your ass here before I catch you, you mongrels! the driver shouted.

I panted while I rode my bike like it was professional cardio and looked at my brother, barely able to make a face. Yeah, brilliant idea swearing at the guy whose about to hit us, let alone making him chase us with a FRICKING CANE

Number one, the word ‘ass’ isn’t a swear, it could mean donkey or … Marco responded, just as the taxi driver threw a rock at us. And number two, I didn’t know he’d chase after us, let alone know he was fast. He’s an old guy isn’t he?

We live in New York. I looked at my brother solemnly. Old guys will run for a hotdog if they have to. I looked back hoping for the best and to my surprise, the old guy stopped. Oh thank God … Before I was able to thank the lord above, we both fell off our bikes due to a chick fil-a sign getting in our way.

I got up feeling dizzy as my brother shook me. I was barely able to make out what he was saying with the following coming out of his mouth: Dude it’s literally 5 to 9! If we don’t get our butts there right now Miss Morely is going to give us detention!

I snapped back to reality and yelled back, blinking rapidly Ok! OK! OK! Let’s run! But as my brother started running, I turned back pointing at our broken down bikes. Wait! What about the bikes?!

Forget the bikes! You heard the old guy. They’re junk anyway. I turned my head back and forth between the bikes and my brother, trying to make a decision.

C’MON ALREADY! Marco shouted.

Alright, alright let’s move! We ran as fast as we could, skewering through the snowy streets of Brooklyn and barely making it to the entrance of the hellish place we call school.

We made it! We fricking made it! my brother yelled in victory. Now all we have to do is … But our victory quickly evaporated when a nasty creature touched our shoulders. We both turned around and in front of us was Satan herself, or as we’d like to call her:

M-miss Morely, I-I didn’t expect to see you here, I stuttered.

Oh really, she said in her ugly voice.

Y-yes, you’re usually around when it’s p-period one.

It IS period one.

I look in Marco’s direction where he worryingly said: W-why are you looking at me?

You said it was almost 9am! I hissed through my teeth.

It was! I looked at my watch! But before my brother could say anything else he had a sudden realisation, Ohhhhhhh.

Oh what? I responded in confusion.

I changed the time to one hour behind when we went to Mexico … and I never changed it back.

I looked at my stupid brother in fury. I was angry and he could tell. You are so lucky that a teacher is here right now, I grumbled.

Enough chitter chat! Miss Morely yelled, Both of you are going to have after-school detention.

I made a fist.

But Miss Morely! Marco started …

No excuses! I expect both of you to get to class before I give you a worse punishment.

We both walked into school, I was infuriated and my brother was fidgety from nerves. He elbowed me and asked, Hey bro no hard feelings right?

I couldn’t take it anymore and the stupid smile he gave me was all the merrier, forcing me to punch him in his face.

HEY! WHAT THE HELL MAN, Marco yelled.

Don’t you ‘what the hell’ me. If it was me who got us late and if it was you who got exams rolling over his goddamn back, you’d beat me like a zookeeper in a gorilla cage!

Marco looked at me both confused and hurt. I sighed: Let’s just go to class, and I’ll see you after class. We both went our separate ways, and in the end, I was too tired to yell at my brother or say anything mean, and so I waited for after-school detention like a doomsday clock. Tomorrow is another day anyway.

Chapter 2

Bad days and bad guys

Nothing better than starting the day one hour late due to the stupidity of your idiot brother forgetting to change the time right after returning from Mexico. Whatever, the only good thing about the beginning of today was the fact that period one was PE — no tests for that. Even when I got completely humiliated at dodgeball because no one wanted to pick the scrawny kid, I was still happy. Since Tuesday is a short day in our school, we only had three periods instead of six, due to some sort of regulation of a teacher training day. As I was running late for PE, it ended quickly.

I met my brother at the school hallway with no anger or hatred, maybe that punch did solve everything. Hey, sorry about that punch earlier, I said. Are we cool? My brother didn’t really care and shook my hand. We were walking to our lockers that had promotional stickers about the school newspaper.

Ugh, my brother rolled his eyes, God. Damn. School newspapers. Why can’t we go to a European school where they DON’T have school newspapers?

I looked back at him and told him: If we went to a European school, number one, you would get bullied 24/7. Number two, you wouldn’t be able to wear that stupid gaming jacket; in fact, they’d make you wear school uniform.

Marco looked at me in shock. WAIT, THEY MAKE YOU WEAR SCHOOL UNIFORMS?!

Yeah.

God, what’s wrong with people?

Suddenly a girl came around the corner, trying to balance