Chapter 1:
The Door Must Be Fixed
The destiny of a person’s life is the most volatile possession they are entrusted with.
There are a million ways I wanted to change my life just seven days ago. I wanted to finish my studies, try and get more scholarships, wanted to be an Indian Police Services Officer at one point. Once I met an Indian Air Force Officer and by the end of that meeting, I wanted to try that too. I went to boxing rings to try and become a boxer, snuck in to peek at martial arts classes and learnt their tricks and methods, one day sparring quite fairly with the trainees in the dojo there.
But these were all facades. They were light at the end of tall and revolting, untouchable skies. The moon, in my dark nights.
Never in my wildest dreams I assumed I would be riding a manticore a mere day before my fourteenth-birthday.
‘Ayu, grab one of his thorns as hard as you can, I am coming, just don’t fall!’ I heard a voice from the back of my head coming from what looked like fifty feet below.
‘What other option do I POSSIBLY HAVE!’ I yelled at the top of my lungs.
‘Besides getting stabbed? Being poisoned, falling fifty feet, being eaten oh and the cherry on top, burned to a crisp.’ The man called back.
‘Am I supposed to buy that menu!’
‘No, you only need to hold on to his back, without being stabbed.’
‘You don’t say!’
Currently I was hanging by loose thorns at the back of this big burly beast which looked like a mashed version of a lion and a scorpion. I wondered who came up with the concept art for this beast which was clinging and climbing at a straight vertical cliff fifty feet above the ground beneath. I had only two options. Let the beast climb up; or let lose, risk being impaled by the thickest pike I had ever heard of, and drop down fifty feet hoping my companion can pick me up. And if he failed, I would have been nothing more than a scrambled egg on top of solid igneous rocks.
‘Oh my God! Any God! Ganesa, Shiv, Brahma, Vishnu… anyone will do… just get me down. I was a moron who agreed to this wild goose chase I agree to that or any of your terms, I have a scholarship running back home which will end up being used as black money back home if I don’t attend the school, I have an orphanage to wipe however filthy, rotten it is, even if it is run by a fat-ass GIBBS lacking everything that makes Gibbs cool, but I will take that any time over this. GALVARINUS GET ME DOWN AL… AHHHH!’
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I think the Gods have forsaken me. This is the end. It feels bad that I made you spend all your time and money on something so small but hey! You can always use the empty pages to write your own story. Just make sure you remember me as the opening act of ‘How I wrote this classic story that blew the world away!’
With that, myself Ayaan, I hope it was good of you to know me. I hope to see you in next life.
**
Galvarinus had a tough job at his hand. But he was kind of the one to pick it up in the first place.
It all started two weeks ago when he was sitting in his office leaning back on his most prized possession. A chair made of the finest leather in all of Human Realm. It was supposed to be just another day skimming through documents, accepting budget requests, helping out planning missions for the Specter units, so he was totally at ease until the mail dropped.
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It was just ten minutes after he had slouched down finishing his morning cuppa-goodness ready to prop open the first request he needed to take care of when the door to his office was literally blown off its hinges revealing a beautiful lady rushing in with a stack of papers in her hands. She was in her middle-age, with dark brown hair containing specks of green at intervals. She had bright green eyes, and was dressed in silver-blue robes with green highlights. She had a caduceus and an owl at her chest and she looked thoroughly in distress.
‘Senor Galvarinus!’ came the voice of the lady.
‘OI! That will take a fortune to repair! I don’t have the bank for that.’ Galvarinus protested pointing at the gate.
‘That can wait, look at this!’ the lady insisted, thrusting two sheets of paper on his desk. Galvarinus though, wasn’t quite in the mood and his focus wasn’t the documents.
‘Listen Victoire, I jussst got promoted, and between shifting, renovating, restocking and repairing this office, I have zero funds for a broken door. I am not looking at anything until I see that door fixed!’ he insisted sitting cross-armed leaning back slightly on his chair.
The young lady groaned and retaliated. ‘But this is important, a million lives are at stake here!’
‘My private documents are not something that everyone shall be allowed common access to…’
‘But it is in the null realm! And given the circumstances of our own order!’
‘This chair cost me more than the house I was allotted to stay in, I wouldn’t like to invest in a door at this point.’
‘But it is on Earth! If we don’t hurry, what if the wrong people get their hands on this boy!’
‘Some people can walk in right now and interrupt our conversation!’
‘You are impossible!’ the young lady raged and started glowing a bright shade of green, there was a huge hum in her hands and her glare was murderous towards Galvarinus. But with a wild swing aimed at Galvarinus, she let out a huge amount of light in particulate form. In a few short seconds the particles of green light enveloped the broken door and the very next second, the door was back in its original state as if it was just enjoying its morning nap.
‘Now, this boy…’ she started to begin, but.
‘The wall has a very fragile state right now,’ Galvarinus interrupted.
‘Seriously,’ the lady shouted at the top of her lungs, this time stomping powerfully at the desk and shaking the entire room. A moment later the wall that the door had hit hard was back to its original state.
‘Good,’ Galvarinus complimented picking the papers that Victoire provided. ‘So, what brings you here?’
‘The pages,’ she began, ‘these contain readings from the city of Mumbai on the planet Earth. Look here…’
She pointed at a few key points and graphs. Galvarinus, who was wondering how normal his day could be was laughing menacingly.
‘Ah…’ Victoire stood their dumbstruck watching Galvarinus laugh after her explanation.
‘Oh Victoire,’ Galvarinus sat upright. ‘It has only been two months since I was promoted and my oh my! I was feeling as if I should apply for a demotion myself. This stupid post is not meant for me! This report, I assume you brought it to me because I am the only one who can make it happen since I possess no spiritual energy at the core.’
‘Yes sir,’ Victoire admired his deduction, ‘the reports come from Earth, and you know the restraints that we face when we send someone to that planet. Earth cannot sustain any sort of a strong spiritual presence. The planet is like gasoline to anyone with a high amount of spiritual energy.’
‘Hmm, so you can send only people who are well versed in the art of suppression or who possess little to none spiritual energy. There are only three who can achieve the former but none of them have the skillset for this particular situation. The later has the risk of sending someone underqualified which leaves me.’
‘Yes sir,’ Victoire agreed.
‘How much of the preparations is complete?’ Galvarinus asked rising from his seat and walking to the edge of the room where a pair of swords were placed in a shrine for themselves alongside a set of neatly packed robes,
‘Teleportation crystals have been preset for your use sir,’ Victoire mentioned. ‘Alongside a bunch of other utilities, such as a large-scale stun, a sleep-inducing gem and other travel and recon gems.’
‘I assume you have an image of the boy in question.’ Galvarinus stared at the equipment with a grin.
‘Unfortunately, no sir,’ Victoire silently grimaced, ‘there were just too many variables to use our equipment. It could risk a lot for rewarding merely a photo. We do have a compass modified by his energy signature. It will guide you to his position.’
‘That will do,’ Galvarinus assured her, although the sneer he had on his face was giving Victoire the impression that this might not have been the right idea. ‘Keep this to yourself until I return.’
‘But sir, this kid’s reaction and radiation signs are too unique. It could cause a galactic scale catastrophe if he is left amiss.’ Victoire pointed out.
‘That’s why,’ Galvarinus pointed out with his sheathed sword in his hands. ‘I have seen the readings, there is a possibility that the kid might explode anytime soon, but the question is why exactly is he in this specific situation in the first place.’
‘You might be right,’ Victoire sighed, ‘but shouldn’t we focus on protecting the people rather than finding out the roots of existence for this kid?’
‘That way of thinking is what kept you from promotion Victoire,’ at these words Victoire pouted angrily.
‘You didn’t have to bring it up.’ She told him.
‘Look carefully, the report clearly depicts readings that are far beyond norms. For a kid who hasn’t even matured yet to show that kind of potential…’
‘What are you thinking?’ Victoire wondered.
‘Victoire… I want you to prepare a few specific teleport gems. I might have a solution to the kids issues that I want to try out before I bring him here, doing so will also help me accurately judge the kids potential. So, I would prefer you to prepare a few extra bells and whistles. And lastly, keep this to yourself until I tell you to do so. I don’t want to, but as the grandmaster I am ordering you to do so.’
‘If you are this insistent, then the order wouldn’t have been necessary,’ Victoire told him. ‘After all you are our teacher. I will prepare the requirements, just give me a list of details.’
‘You will have it in an hour, mind giving me the time to figure things out, meet me here in an hour.’ Galvarinus told her and Victoire walked out of the room, feeling anxious. It had been a very long time that Galvarinus had ordered Victoire seriously. Victoire must have understood the meaning behind it.
‘If these readings are accurate,’ Galvarinus told himself, ‘then things are coming into motion way faster than I assumed they would 28-years ago. Agnus, I hope he is up to the mark, no… I will make sure he is up to the mark.’
With that, Galvarinus began planning the steps that he had to take in order to achieve the first lead in the event of things that only the top of the brass could perceive.
**
According to the report Victoire presented to Galvarinus, a kid with an exceptional amount of spiritual energy was found on Earth. This was something that happened every once in a while, but the reports said that this case was slightly abnormal considering that the kid wasn’t even mature yet.
If the numbers were anything to abide by, Galvarinus made a clear-cut deduction.
If he fails to get to this kid in time i.e., before the day the kid awakens and matures; all hell will break lose and it will cause a cascade effect so strong that it might turn into a dimensional-crisis.
Well, as living beings. That was something that everyone must avoid so the most qualified personnel available i.e., Galvarinus, was to rush to the planet of Earth and find this boy before the day of his awakening.
And that brings Galvarinus in front of a school at the western end of Mumbai.
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Galvarinus made sure to dress as casual as possible to hide the fact that he didn’t belong there, but his outfit was nothing but a flashing flare.
According to the compass that Victoire provided to him, the kid was supposed to be in the building right in front of him. So, he chose to wait for him to come out. He managed to find out that this was a local school and there were three hours before its last school day ended and the kids left for summer vacation.
Galvarinus lay in wait at the entrance to the school to wait for the boy. He had no clue what he looked like and he had no means to find out who he was. So, he had to find a quick method to determine who the kid was and that was about to be a big challenge.
The first problem was the fact that he had been standing there dressed in a lose cotton shirt with two swords strapped on his back, and a mini skirt for a lower.
Naturally, by the time the school ended, people felt suspicious and as the bell rang, six people wearing Khaki uniforms surrounded him with wooden batons and guns pointed at him.
‘Oh, hey folks,’ Galvarinus greeted them casually, ‘Are you the guys they call police?’ he asked with intrigue.
‘Yes, we are, and we order you to put your hands in the air, stay where you are and drop those swords from your back! We are detaining you…’ said an officer with a distinct hat who looked like the superior here.
‘Wait, on what account!’ Galvarinus protested with a poker face.
‘You have been standing there for three hours with weapons and a questionable attire, we want to interrogate you for your intentions and it is best if you comply, any wrong moves will only cause you more problems.’ The guy called.
‘Hey, what is questionable about this attire?’ Galvarinus asked totally bewildered. He was sure he picked something that was widely known on this planet.
‘We are not here to discuss what you wear,’ the guy cleared, ‘your intentions are unclear and you have weapons in front of a school with kids studying right now!’
‘Oh these,’ Galvarinus pointed out to his swords. ‘You don’t have to worry, I won’t be using them here, this planet doesn’t have any challenging threat that would cause me to raise my blades.’ He told them with innocence.
‘Planet!’ the man pointed out.
‘Oh well, I am referring to Earth aren’t I,’ Galvarinus confirmed. ‘Wait, I am on the right planet right, I didn’t miss a few jumps, did I?’ he wondered to himself.
The police officers exchanged confused looks as they wondered what the man could have been meaning.
At that point a loud bell sounded in the school building and Galvarinus could see the kids gathering around in school grounds, although more of the police officers were present with them and they were clearly stopping them from going outside.
That was where the second problem came into play. With all the kids grouped up at the same spot, it was risky to use the method he had in mind to locate the kid.
‘Hmm, that was a gross miscalculation. It is hard to pinpoint the kid in these circumstances.’ Galvarinus sighed. ‘I hope the utility gem works.’
Galvarinus had a plan in mind, he would be using one of those gems he had brought with him, but he was struggling to find an opening.
He heaved a sigh, bent to the bag he had alongside him and fished out a microphone in front of the police that were itching to pull the trigger. When they saw the microphone, their nerves calmed down a little.
Galvarinus held the microphone in his hand and the next second, he was gone. The police were left stunned, as if time had completely stopped for them. The guy at the head of the six people who had cornered Galvarinus was not even blinking.
Within but a second, the guy he had at gunpoint had vanished. The moment the second had passed he heard a microphone behind him with Galvarinus’ voice echoing throughout the block.
‘When did he get there?’ the chief inspector asked.
‘No idea, did you see him?’ the other officers asked within their group. No one seemed to have caught the guy moving in the first place.
‘Alright kids,’ Galvarinus began addressing the kids from the boundary wall, ‘I hope you can all hear me so I will go forward with what I came here to do. I am looking for a specific child who is amongst you all and holds a great deal of value to me. Unfortunately, I don’t have a clue about what he looks like, so I need your help to find the kid out. What you have to do is simple. Just stand where you are and it will all be over in two seconds.’
At this, the chief of the police sprang to action. He pulled his gun and on impulse pulled the trigger.
The look on his face the very next moment was abject terror. Galvarinus was gone, as if vanished into thin air and then it happened.
There was a huge bang, so loud that everyone present in a huge radius ended up being stunned and they all fell to their knees. It wasn’t the sound of the bang that had caused this. The moment it had occurred, everyone felt as if they had been punched so hard that the air was knocked out of their lungs.
It took a few minutes for people to start recovering from what had happened. The chief was the first one to do so and he rushed to call all emergency services to the area immediately. The radio of the Mumbai Police force was utterly violent that day as they realized that in the moment when all the people were stunned and incapacitated, a child was taken away without a trace left behind.
His disappearance was only noticed two hours later as the teachers made sure the kids were not harmed before they were handed off to their parents. Surprisingly, no one had any sort of physical harm done to them except for a few students who came out with a few cases of sickness. But the librarian noted that one kid had gone amiss under all the ruckus.
That night, the chief inspector Ajay Nath, who was in charge of detaining that weird man swore an oath to find out what happened and where the kid was lost. Although, he would fail to keep that oath.
**
‘I hate babysitting,’ Galvarinus complained as he drew his swords and kicked hard at the ground.
He was right beneath the manticore with Ayaan hanging for dear life on his back as it wriggled itself on the cliff trying to jerk off the thorn on his back.
The moment he kicked off, a huge swirl of dust was all that was left in the dirt where he stood. The originator of the dust cloud was actually twenty-five feet in the air racing madly towards the manticore, eyes dead set on its neck, sword at the ready in his right arm. For him, everything else was noise as he focused on the target and as he drew past him, he sliced a cut so clean that it took a solid two seconds before the head had severed itself from the body falling under gravity leaving it behind at the place it had anchored its feet.
The thorn on the manticore’s back meanwhile was now standing in front of Galvarinus, his teeth clattering despite the humid weather of the rainforest they were in.
‘Alright kid! Listen up!’ Galvarinus said sharply like a drill instructor, ‘You are about to turn fourteen tomorrow and the world you are about to live in from now on acknowledges that as the age of maturity. I know you have zero knowledge of this part of the universe but I at least expect you to be braver than a five-year-old baby girl because last I checked, even a five-year-old baby girl was not afraid to ride a manticore! So, man up now!’
‘Yes sir,’ Ayaan snapped his legs together in the attention stance and straightened up.
‘Good,’ Galvarinus said. ‘Now walk, you have less than twenty hours to find the chest that we came looking for, otherwise you can say bye-bye to this world.’
A grim expression flooded Ayaan as his body slacked.
Galvarinus heaved a sigh and nudged his shoulder. ‘We still have less than twenty hours.’
Ayaan took the words in, took a deep breath and readied himself to move further.
‘Well, at least if I am about to die, I will die trying to survive. I prefer that over dying like a piece of useless flesh.’
‘Pretty well said, see you can act as a teenager.’ Galvarinus complimented him as they started walking towards a huge canopy of thick trees in front of them. Their destination was a Mayan-style temple that rose above the canopy marking itself.
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Chapter 2
I Just Met Him
I had seen stuff in my life that would rock any average person to the core if they ever find themselves in them. But the past week of my life has been something that makes me realize how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things.
Let’s start from the beginning. My name is Ayaan. The only big accomplishment that I have is qualifying a scholarship test at one of the grand schools in Mumbai.
Am I a problem child, I don’t know. I was found at the foot of a temple when I was a newborn baby. The warden of the orphanage made it his solemn duty to remind me how insignificant I was, so much so that even my parents had left me at the foot of a temple with nothing to call my own. Not even a name. He said I was born literally hours before the priests found me, but no one ever found any record of my birth so no one could ever track my parents.
My early childhood was not the best. I was taken care of until I turned three by a lady whom I don’t remember from back then. The warden said she left the orphanage when I was three and never returned. She was the closest to a friend I had at the orphanage, but even she had failed to leave a name behind.
By the time I was five, most of the kids who came alongside me or before me were adopted, leaving me the oldest of the ones who were left at the orphanage. No one ever took me in; the reason being five burn marks on my body. The orphanage and the priest said that the burns were birthmarks and that I had them since my birth, but most parents were repulsed by them so I was never considered.
By the time of seven I was running small jobs like helping at a local Dhaba, helping in delicate works on construction sites, helping transport goods, anything that could net me enough money to buy decent food and clothes since according to the warden at the orphanage, ‘You are old enough to bear your own weight. I have fed you enough, now go feed yourself.’
I only got one dingy room from the orphanage and that was it. But I somehow managed to survive until one day I met a young librarian by the name, Karthik Malhotra; he was impressed by my work that I did for him and when I told him that I had never been to a school he offered to tutor me to pass a scholarship exam and attend one myself, the one at which he worked himself.
I almost didn’t make it to the exam when it was time. The day I was supposed to go there, my wallet was missing and I had no money on me. I was in a panic as to what I would do. With no money, I couldn’t get to the school in time to give the exam.
I was left scrunched at the end of my room. That day, I was left with no hope of ever succeeding at anything. I was eight after all. But when, Karthik got wind of me missing my exam, he came to check up on me.
When I saw him at the gate of my room, he had a swollen eye, a few cuts and bruises and he was holding my wallet in his hand with a poker face. ‘You missed this?’
With his help, I managed to give the exam and was accepted in the dormitory of the school.
After eight years of living in a dark, gloomy dungeon, I was now living peacefully in a school dorm. The room was small, but it was more than what I was ever offered.
I made sure I was living up to the expectations that Karthik had for me and I managed to maintain a good enough place that I was continuously retained as a scholarship student.
When you are someone like me, the status quo of that school is all you could ever desire.
Until the day he came.
**
It was a few days before the day I met Galvarinus. I was walking at the roof of the dorm after having dinner.
It was a normal warm night of the summer and I was enjoying the view of the passing streets below from the railings on the dorm roof. At least, that is what I remember.
The next day I was found unconscious and was rushed to the hospital where I woke up in the evening.
According to the doctor there was no identifiable illness that caused my unconsciousness and even after a thorough testing, he was so bewildered that I fell unconscious as if I was on the verge of death but there were no visible signs as to what could have caused such a condition. My vitals at one point were nearly gone. But it took me a mere hour to recover to my natural state from last night.
The doctor made sure he checked everything and he even consulted all the specialists he knew about my case. Evidently, he found nothing and after about an entire day under observation and testing I was relieved. I never knew what was so special about the way I collapsed until very later on. But, when I found out, I could relate why the doctor with all his knowledge of the world couldn’t diagnose me.
I had no clue what had happened to me that night, and for some reason there was this huge bubble of anxiety and self-consciousness that kept me utterly perplexed for the next few days.
It was Galvarinus who explained to me what was going on and man that was quite a big show he put up when he came out to search for me.
**
After an entire day of earsplitting lectures and boring discussions of where the other kids were being taken to for vacations, I was helping Karthik in the library to settle out the backlog and return the books back at the shelves they were supposed to be.
‘So, what are you planning for this vacation sir,’ I asked him wholeheartedly.
‘Oh nothing,’ he called, ‘Firstly I still have to work here for another week before my holidays kick in. When they do, I am planning to spend it with, you know; my wife.’
‘Ah, how has it been between the two of you since the marriage.’ I asked. Karthik had gotten married just two and a half months ago, since then he hasn’t had enough time to spend with his wife.
‘Oh, it has been going pretty well, for a new one; although that is that, it is still new and only a couple months old. Now that I get holidays, I was hoping I could take my wife to a trip that she has been quite anticipating.’ He said while he placed the books on the higher shelves where I couldn’t reach while smiling ear to ear.
‘Panchmani,’ I advised, ‘I saw some illustrations of the place in a heritage book. I think it is going to be quite a destination for you.’
‘You really think so?’ Karthik asked with a smile.
‘Yeah, as far as I can tell, she loves forests right; I could tell by the photos she has of herself and the sceneries she has bought for your new house’s décor.’ I remember the talk I had with Karthik’s wife when they invited me over for dinner. She was quite the nature enthusiast.
‘You can seriously tell just by those things,’ Karthik chided, ‘damn kid, you are already pretty good husband material. Well, my wife did ask to go to Pehelgaun, you are right about her liking nature, she just prefers cooler places in summer.’ Karthik pointed.
‘Ah, you have to consider that too,’ I regarded with a finger under my chin, ‘Well, I think it will be a great place to be at since the abolition…’
My words were struck down by a sharp bang that came from outside. Both Karthik and I were startled by it, I looked at the direction it came from and assumed it was from the front playground of the school.
‘What could that be, huh?’ I turned to ask Karthik and as I did, I saw him fall like a plank of wood to the ground, totally unconscious. ‘Karthik!’ I rushed by his side and checked on his head.
Karthik managed to survive any severe injury, but falling like a limp doll definitely would have hurt him real good.
As I was helping Karthik up to the couch on the library I started feeling; well, awkward.
First thing I noticed was that I didn’t feel Karthik’s weight too much, it was as if he was like a five-year-old and extremely light. I was sure I hadn’t been to a gym because I felt repulsed from those, so I wondered where the strength came from.
Then the second thing hit me. I was shining.
There was a faint glow covering me like an outer shell. When I touched my own skin, I felt nothing. I had seen bizarre stuff but this took the cherry from all the candidates.
‘What… in the world, is going on?’ I asked myself.
‘That… is spiritual energy.’ I heard the voice of a man coming from the door of the library.
When I turned, I saw the most alien thing that could possibly exist in this world. There was a man standing in the doorway, wearing a lose cotton shirt- those tunic style ones- he had two swords that were sheathed at his back alongside what looked like a weird assortment of shining gems at his belt ranging from shining emeralds to burning rubies. A couple of them were not shining like the rest.
The man had quite a withered face, I would say he was somewhere around fifty. He had wrinkled cheeks, silvery-white hair and a sharp brown color to his eyes.
Well, that was all well and good, you might be wondering why in the world was I not being on edge when I saw a man with two swords hanging on his back walk into the room.
Well, the man was standing tall and in perfect form of a teacher until you looked at his lowers. I mean, I couldn’t control it...
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‘Hahahaha!’ I started snorting like a pig. ‘What in the world are you wearing!’
‘Oi! What is it that makes you crack like that, was that a joke unique to this place?’ the man asked sincerely.
‘Of course, how can I not laugh, do you have any clue what you are wearing,’ I laughed, ‘those shorts, they belong to a girl around twelve or maybe younger, how come a grown man like you, is wearing a young girl’s skirt!’
‘Wait, isn’t this supposed to be a battle gear that people used to wear here on this planet.’ He asked and I could see his cheeks getting pumped with blood.
‘I don’t know what you are talking about, but one thing is clear and that is the fact that what you are wearing is generally something teenage girls wear. I hope you saw the girls outside; this was part of their uniform, wasn’t it?’ I pointed out.
‘Ah, not that you mention it I did find it odd that only the ladies were wearing this.’ He said stroking his chin. ‘Well, if that is the case then…’
He picked a slightly silver translucent gem from his belt. He took it in his hand and squeezed. Suddenly, there was a surge of light particles diffusing around him and forming what looked like a cloak of light. Until now, I was not feeling anything in particular wrong about the guy, but the moment he released that light from the orb, my whole body sprang up with a jolt. Without even realizing I stepped back and stood in front of Karthik holding a protective stance, the air was now charged and ready to crack the moment someone made a move.
‘Damn,’ the guy wondered, ‘this planet sure has a pretty poor tolerance for spiritual energy.’
‘What did you just do?’ I asked, my tone serious.
‘Wait you felt it?’ the guy asked in shear amazement.
‘Yes, I felt it; whatever it is you did.’ I confirmed.
‘Oh boy, then you are in a greater danger than I first assumed.’ He told me. ‘Mind if I have a look?’
‘At what,’ I asked as the man took out what looked like a stone and waved it towards me.
After a few waves, it turned a slight gold shade right in front of my eyes and I was left there dumbstruck.
‘Oh boi,’ the man sighed, ‘You have already awakened, and at this rate, your body will only hold for about a couple days max.’
Hearing his words made me shift more towards the edge, I clenched my fist and prepared for anything that could happen. But there was a problem, this guy had managed to reach this place without me even noticing. And the fact that no one had stopped him, or no one was coming to interfere right now when someone was clearly entering a school armed, was big concern. Something was definitely wrong with this man.
‘What is it you mean? What is it that you seek? What do you mean by my body holding in?’ I asked.
‘Whoa cowboy, one thing at a time.’ The guy said, ‘mind if I take a seat, I have been running for hours searching for you, I at least deserve a breath of fresh air, not that this planet has any fresh air.’
‘You were searching… for me?’ I will admit that was something that knocked the wires in my brain lose.
‘Yes of course. Why would you assume I would be here talking without a reason to be here?’
‘How can I believe you?’ I asked. ‘I don’t have any family, who would ask you to search for me.’
‘Hmm,’ the man grabbed his chin, strode for a second and then took the visitor’s chair at the other side of the table, so much for permission. ‘Think of it as a business deal.’
‘A deal?’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ the man agreed, ‘I am here on a search request from the Eirineftes, the order I work for. Their intentions are to save from something that might happen in a few days and which can possibly end up with you exploding into a gigantic firework.’
‘A gigantic firework? Me?’ I asked to reassure, ‘You are talking clear gibberish at this point.’
‘You must have collapsed unconscious a couple of days back am I wrong to assume that? Considering the planet, no one understood why you fell and you still don’t know the reason. If that information is correct, I wish for you to sit down so that we can discuss what we are about to do further on.’
When he mentioned what he knew, my eyes popped out of my sockets and I felt as if I was punched by my martial arts instructor from two years ago.
After a short second and a drink from his flask of water, the man began talking.
‘First things first, my name is Galvarinus,’ he began, ‘I, am one of the four grandmasters that serve at the city of Trinitus. Let’s start by covering one topic at a time, shall we?’
‘Trinitus,’ I asked, ‘where is that, I have never heard of it.’
‘Yeah,’ Galvarinus scratched his head, ‘You see, Trinitus doesn’t actually belong to Earth.’ His expression was calm and composed, I sensed no forgery from his words.
‘Wait, are you saying,’ I tried to ask gingerly, slowly stepping back even more.
‘Yes, I come from a different planet, namely E’htan,’ Galvarinus informed, ‘Trinitus is the host and headquarters of the Eirineftes in the Human Realm. It is quite a beautiful place and I would daresay you are going to love it.’
With every word my mind started slipping even more and I was losing the sense whether I was actually listening to these words or not.
‘Hmm, I assume that will be a little too much information for now,’ Galvarinus implied, probably from studying my expressions, ‘and I would assume you wouldn’t believe it even if it came from the young man you are trying to protect.’
I looked around and saw Karthik lying face down on the couch in an utterly defenseless position. He was right, even though on instinct, my body had moved reflexively to guard Karthik and even if it was Karthik telling me all this, I would struggle to believe it.
‘Well,’ he cracked his fingers and continued, ‘Now, let’s deal with your position to trust me.’ He pulled out a small pouch from the back of his belt and brought in a small gem the size of a peanut and smashed it.
Two things happened at one time here.
A sharp pain spiked from the gut of my stomach. It was as if my body was trying to churn up all the food I had ever eaten in one go. I collapsed to my knees and started writhing. My muscles felt as if they had lost all connection to my brain, my breathing lost its rhythm first and then stopped altogether. In a few seconds, I lost all five senses of my body, my vision was the only thing that remained even functional.
For some time, my vision blurred and then all of a sudden, everything ceased. The pain was gone and my focus returned. It went away way faster than it came.
I first took a few long breaths, when I regained my composure, I focused on Galvarinus again. He was sitting there without a change in expression as he saw me stand back up.
But Karthik was also present there, kneeling in front of Galvarinus as he addressed him.
‘Might you need anything else master, or should I say grandmaster?’ he asked.
‘Karthik, right? You did a good job guiding the kid to a peaceful life until now. ‘You are an outrider operative right?’
‘Yes sir, I have been posted here for seven years now. Although it was a job at first, now I wish to stay here and spend the rest of my life.’ Karthik told him.
‘Were you the scout that reported the kid?’ the man confirmed.
‘Yes sir, I scouted him and helped him get a sustained life,’ Karthik told the man, ‘But last month I noted the anomalies that I reported to my higher up Mrs. Victoire. Thus, I asked for someone to assist. The kid is brimming with spiritual energy. Now that I have spent this much time taking care of him, I consider him as something of a little brother to me.’
‘Wait, you know him, and you are the one who asked him to come and get me?’ I asked him in confusion, watching Karthik that way had been a big shock, but him in this position with the man meant that he trusted him, and didn’t he call him a master?
‘Listen kid,’ Galvarinus called, ‘we can do these two ways, first you trust this guy here and believe me, second I force you to comply which is the one option I hate.’
As if to prove his point, Galvarinus vanished.
‘Huh!’ I couldn’t believe what I just saw. The man vanished from the chair that he was sitting on and he reappeared behind me scaling books on the shelf right behind the couch on which Karthik was lying down.
‘When…’ I couldn’t even complete.
‘As I said, I am a grandmaster, the Grandmaster of the Sword to be precise. I am way too fast for you to even sense me, much less react. So, let’s not resort to violence because there is one basic thing you are missing, did you notice the lack of people right now.’
I looked around, no one had come still to this point. I wasn’t the brightest of the students around, nor the bravest, but I knew one thing for sure. If someone armed with swords would try to enter a school full of kids, there was no way the police would not pursue him.
But there was no one: no police, no guards, no staff, not even a single student from the clubs. I turned around to face Galvarinus and realized.
‘I am not dead, am I?’ I confirmed.
‘Bingo,’ Galvarinus snapped the book he had picked right now shut and smiled at me, ‘you are smart I will give you that. I hope you can tell that I could have killed you easily if I meant to, because even if you were to fight me with your friend at the couch on your side, I had swords and you would be barehanded. As much as it might possible, you wouldn’t accomplish it even with your instincts. And just to establish, I am way higher ranked than Karthik, so he wouldn’t have been much against me.’
Galvarinus summed it all well. If he wanted me dead, he would have killed me the moment he stepped foot in the room.
‘Now then.’ He vanished again, I turned to find him seated back at the same place where he sat before. ‘Now that you trust me to a degree where you would listen to me, let’s begin our explanation.’
He gestured to a seat beside me and I sat at it. My palms were sweating. There was a man here who could slice me the moment he gets the chance. He can practically teleport between places, that could be the only way he could move that fast without me noticing. I knew this could very well be, my last conversation.
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Chapter 3:
I Am Definitely Dead
When the two of us were seated, Galvarinus grabbed his bag and started searching for something. Karthik got up and stood behind me with his arms crossed.
‘So kid, what is your name now that we are talking.’ He asked pulling out a sealed metal utensil that looked something like a thermal kettle, but it had some weird shinning polygons engraved on it.
‘Ah, my name is Ayaan,’ I told him.
‘Ayaan---’ He wondered while pulling out bottle of water and what looked like a sachet of tea leaves. ‘Would you like some tea, Ayaan?’
‘Ah…’ the more time went on, the more confused I felt. ‘If you are offering maybe I will take some.’ I said as Galvarinus put the kettle down on the desk of the library. Karthik visibly flinched, even though he was some sort of covert agent, he still considered the library his own office.
‘Nice of you to accept, many people tend to deny the courtesy of being offered something, and most of the time they end up offending the person offering.’ Galvarinus chimed in. ‘Remember this thing, common courtesy is a necessity when you are on the field as an Eirineftes, it will help you in the future when you are appointed in the field.’
‘Excuse me,’ I protested, ‘Why are we talking about my future in that sense that I am about to do what you are about to tell me.’
‘Because once you know the secret of your existence, you will beg me to take you along.’ Galvarinus said simply grinning with confidence.
If any other person was telling me that thing, I would have ignored and walked by them, or forgot what they said in mere moments. But when Galvarinus said that, there was a regal warmth in his words. It had only been a mere five minutes since we have faced each other, but the words he said, were so believable to me as if they belonged to someone, I had known all this time, and they knew me in return. But when I actually checked with the guy who knew me for the past six years, he was also nodding as he let a hand rest on my shoulder in confidence.
‘This Earaneftus business..’
‘Eirineftes,’ Galvarinus corrected.
‘Eirineftes,’ I tried and he nodded, ‘okay, so this Eirineftes business, what makes you think I have anything to do with this?’
At this point, the kettle started whistling, but despite that Galvarinus was merely smiling towards me as he said one crucial line.
‘Because you are one of us.’
He was surely joking right? I wondered as he simply poured tea into two cups – where did they come from- and slid one towards my direction. I glanced at Karthik, he took a cup of tea and his face was as cold as steel in winter. He was reacting as this was just some normal conversation over tea. Where I was sweating bullets.
I recalled the time when I woke up today, I had felt a little weak and lethargic for some reason. It took me a considerably long time to wake up properly and get ready.
As the conversation with Galvarinus was going on, I was wondering if I am still sleeping, I pinched myself hard but the pain just confirmed it was happening.
‘I would prefer you have the tea while it is warm.’ Galvarinus told me.
I blinked a few times and focused on the cup of tea on the table. Once I saw the contents in the cup, I lost it.
‘Wow, that tea is purple,’ I said while picking up the cup and taking a sip.
My mouth felt as if someone had tased it with a stun gun of flavors. This tea, it wasn’t tea, it was holy water.
‘How, does this taste so good?’ I broke out. ‘I don’t even look appetizing!’
‘Hey now! I am not that bad of the cook; I got a B in my survival exam when I took it a century ago.’ Galvarinus pouted, ‘And I have only improved since then.’
‘A century,’ right, he said that. ‘See, I am amazed at my brain’s creative ability. The detail in this dream is beyond reality, you wouldn’t believe that I am talking to a century old man who still has brown hair at that age. Ain’t no way you are a century old!’
‘Ayu,’ Karthik said across his cup of tea, ‘there are a lot of things that this school doesn’t teach. Master Galvarinus is one of the oldest and most talented swordsmen in the world, I would suggest you consider that when you are talking to him.’
‘Well, to be precise I am a hundred and twenty-three as of last month.’ Galvarinus pointed.
‘See! Now my brain is simply spouting nonsense!’ I laughed out totally disregarding Karthik’s suggestion, ‘I am sure this is because of that stupid antibiotic that the doctor forced on me. Ever since having it I have only felt weaker and weaker. And right now, I am probably sleeping in the middle of a class and surely someone is going to wake me up in a minute.’
‘Oh really,’ Galvarinus smiled and stood up. ‘Well, you are correct in your own right.’ He pulled another stone from his belt, a sharp green one. ‘I think your teacher is about to smack your head if this is supposed to be the cliché scene that many people have read about.’
He smashed the orb and I felt bad.
Okay, I mean to say my whole body felt bad. Man, I mean I was in pain. The moment that orb was crushed, a circle of green color started burning below me. My whole body felt as if I was being stretched apart cell-by-cell.
‘But the question arises,’ I heard Galvarinus talk, when I opened my eyes to try and see him, we were both being enveloped in a light so bright I couldn’t make out what was in front of me.
‘… can a dream not be reality.’ Galvarinus said while his voice trailed off. At this point it was a mere echo.
‘It has been a long time Ayu,’ I heard Karthik call in distance, ‘I hope you find a place in this world. The moment I saw you, I believed in your potential, make the best of it. And don’t forget, my wife really likes the cakes you bake, stop by sometime when you are ready.’
The pain in my body was reaching critical point and within a second, it grew past the threshold that I was capable of taking. The last thing I remember saying was.
‘Well, it was a good dream… I hope my next life doesn’t suck that much.’
**
‘Where am I?’ I tried to ask. But there was no response. In fact, I couldn’t hear my own voice.
I tried to open my eyes; only to see that I was floating in a white space with streaks of all colors lightly flowing all around.
I felt no weight. I felt no force, neither any sense of touch or smell. Wait! I wasn’t breathing at all!
Was I dead? Is this where the story ends for my life! Was this all I was capable of doing? I was going to turn fourteen soon, I had scraps for achievements. In the years that I have lived I have only spent my time trying to survive for the next day. Even when I was admitted to the school, my entire time was spent catching up to the students and I was barely able to keep up. I was finally able to do that without a struggle and when I thought I could make my life a little more interesting.
‘That moron killed me!’ I tried to shout but no sound came out. In fact, my mouth didn’t even move. ‘I swear to any god that exist; I will be the one to kill that man when I get the chance!’
‘Is that really your true desire? You shouldn’t be spreading those kinds of oath around,’ came a voice that I had never heard before. I looked wildly around to find where it was coming from to realize that there was nothing around me.
‘Ah… did I miss something?’ I wondered to myself.
‘No, you didn’t,’ the voice came back. Now, I was sure the voice was real. The voice was quite feminine, soft and low, gentle and warm, as if coming straight from the heavens to surround my soul. I remember one movie night in the dorm when I was watching a movie with the rest of the kids in the dorm. I remember there being a scene where a God conversed with the lead character to give him a divine prophecy. At that time also the voice sounded as if it was reaching out from the heavens just like right not. So, I wondered.
‘Might I enquire who you are? Oh, God of the dead.’ I asked politely.
‘God of the dead!’ the lady revolted. Suddenly the cool and calm demeanor of the lady evaporated and a sinister aura starting wrapping me up. ‘You can’t even see me yet you have the audacity to judge me as a spirit of the dead! How dare you!’
Yeah, I pissed her off.
‘Sorry, my bad… it’s just that now I am dead, who else would be contacting me?’ I wondered.
‘And who said you were dead?’ the lady rebuked.
‘I am not?’ I asked.
‘Are you?’
‘How would I know!’
‘You said it like that!’
‘It doesn’t mean I know that.’
‘Then why say it in the first place, don’t you care there might be people waiting for you?’
‘People waiting for me? Last I checked, there was no one who cared about an orphan like me. Karthik was the closest, but even he only meant to help me judging my potential or something.’
‘Now, now! You are absolutely butchering the feelings of a person who genuinely cares about you!’
‘Like you would know!’
‘Of course, I know! I know all about you! At least more than you do.’
‘Oh really, and how do you make that conclusion?’
‘Because I am the one who has always watched over you.’
‘Oh really, I never saw you before so how would I know!’ I rebuked. ‘Besides who even are you to say such things? I don’t ever remember hearing you before.’
At this, the voice went silent and for a few seconds there was utter nothingness around me.
‘Hey voice lady!’ I called.
No answer.
‘Ah, I didn’t mean to hurt you that bad,’ I called again trying to find her in this white void.
‘No, it wasn’t your fault, I was just wondering about the correct answer to your question; it was a good one,’ the lady called again as I thought I might have lost the only company I had here. Even for a brief moment, the loneliness was the heaviest thing I had ever felt.
‘Now, do you mind telling me who you are?’ I asked again gently, all the argumentative heat brisking away.
‘I can’t’ the voice said with a tone so depressing, I felt the pain she carried through my heart. ‘For all I know, I have no right for you to know who I am.’
‘Come on,’ I argued, ‘How is a name that big a deal?’
‘You are far too young to understand the value of these things Ayu.’ She called.
‘Hey, can you please go back to the time when you were making any sense? Cause you ain’t making any anymore.’
The lady giggled, ‘in time for sure,’ she told me, ‘For now, I am just glad I got to talk to you. Now that our time together is about to end, I would leave you with this.
This world has lost its soul to people who are dominated by their desires. The only way you will achieve your dream, is by realizing where your soul belongs.’
‘Ah…’ There it was, the cliché prophecy. Or maybe it was just a word of advice. ‘I would really like you to elaborate.’ I partially begged.
The voice lady merely giggled, ‘Now, now, don’t be hasty.’ She said merrily, then turning to a serious tone she ended, ‘if you want to move forward and survive, you should stay vigilant and make sure you are capable of dealing with every situation that you are thrown into… The world… is fu… of darkness… it needs… a … light and you …’ her voice trailed off.
‘Hey!’ I tried to shout and grab for her even though I was in a completely empty space.
Well, I did grab something, and Galvarinus wasn’t happy about it.
‘That’s my groin you idiot!’
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219Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lzY9UdBp5
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Chapter 4
Other World stories require Other World powers.
The sounds of chirping birds made it melancholy, the small estuary that passed beside us was humming calmly along its path.
But Galvarinus grumpily huffing as he made something on a campfire dampened all ambience the place had to offer.
‘Ah, do you mind telling me where we are exactly now?’
‘Hm, you are awake and well alright I can see,’ Galvarinus pouted.
‘Look I said I am sorry for grabbing you, it was purely accidental!’ I tried to reason.
‘Ah it’s not that dummy!’ Galvarinus huffed again and turned his face. ‘I thought I accidently left your soul back on Earth.’
‘Oh! That’s what it was… wait left my soul?’ I asked in shock.
‘Ah,’ Galvarinus explained guiltily. ‘We just used cross dimensional teleportation, if you are helping someone else do it like I did in your case, and that so happens to be their first-time teleporting as well, it presents a risk of them leaving their soul behind if they have a week mindset. That’s why I didn’t tell you what we were going to do and simply pulled you along. If you had any doubt in your mind the risks would have extensively increased.’
‘Hmm,’ I tried to grab a hold in the meaning of his words, but it was proving to be hard. ‘Shouldn’t knowing help me in such a thing?’
‘Half knowledge is more dangerous than not knowing, you still don’t understand the basics of spiritual energy and this world, so it would only make you doubt it even more if I told you what I was doing. So, I simply skipped to make sure the doubt never arises.’ Galvarinus chimed in pumping his chest.
There were two things I was certain of. First, this wasn’t Earth. The moment I had woken up, the senses I had went in hyperdrive and for once I tried to run away only to be smacked in the head by Galvarinus and end up resetting my instincts.
The place we were in was an extensive forests, a mixture of trees were present here and the reason I deduced this wasn’t the Amazon was because a tree, tried to chomp my head off!
Yep, one of the trees had a very high canopy like a coconut tree, but instead of leaves there, it had buds that were attached to wines that could stretch to the ground. The buds were simply flower buds, with an extra spice of carnivorous assets mixed; like canines the size of my hand.
I was still a teen, okay and I was still growing, but I was five feet, and these buds had teeth long enough to make my hand look small.
You definitely don’t get that on Earth.
Well, Galvarinus was not all show no go. The moment he caught up to me running into the carnivore tree and almost being devoured, he vanished. And the very next moment, the clearing right behind me also vanished.
When I blinked again and turned, Galvarinus was there standing cross armed with a pure smirk on his face.
I wondered what he wanted to do until he started bawling at me and making sure I was in perfect condition.
That’s the second thing I realized. Galvarinus, was a child in a boomer’s clothing.
So here I was, sitting at the campsite, being served a strong-smelling breakfast and tea by Galvarinus. He had told me we had arrived here right before the crack of dawn and I had been asleep for over four hours. It was around ten in the morning here.
‘Make sure you drink that tea, it is something that is crucial when you are recovering,’ Galvarinus told me.
‘Okay,’ I said finally back up to my senses. ‘Let’s start from the beginning please. You come to my planet from somewhere, stage an assault, kidnap me and bring me to another alien planet. Can I get a simple explanation as to what in the name of chilly potatoes is going on here?’
‘Ah, yes…’ Galvarinus sighed, ‘figures we will have to answer that.’ He picked a canteen from his side and purged the campfire.
Wait was he going to ignore the explanation?
He then picked up two bags and handed a smaller one to me then taking the larger one with a sticking sword himself.
‘It is best if we talk while we walk, the plants won’t home in on us and the beast will not be able to lock on to our scents. And besides, you have far less time than you think you have, so we should hurry to our destination if you want to survive.’ He smiled at me.
‘That smile,’ I stammered, ‘I-isn’t that a little… out of place.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, you have me as your guide and this planet is just a grade II. It will be a breeze, just make sure you follow me.'
**
‘So, I would like to ask you one thing before we begin our explanation. Can you point out at one thing… that separated you from the rest of the kids from Earth.?’ Galvarinus asked as we started head Eastwards in the jungle.
‘You mean apart from me being orphan,’ I asked.
‘Of course, that one is obvious and not the one you need. So, can you pick something different about you? Maybe a specialty, a weakness, a skill… or something else.’
When he was done asking, he left me to remember. Throughout my thirteen years of life, what difference did I have that made me unique from others.
I thought hard and fast. Nothing, came to my mind. I was ever so slightly better than average in studies, not too good at crafts, I was good at athletics but not enough to call that a specialty. My cooking was average, my health might be a little on the better side, but they said I was a sickly kid for the first year of my birth, I had pretty much been on bed at that time, even though I had not been to a hospital for sickness ever since I joined school.
‘I don’t know,’ I came up with at last. ‘I don’t think I have ever done anything special that would uniquely identify me.’
‘Good,’ Galvarinus said.
‘You were expecting it?’ I asked in disappointment to myself.
‘No,’ Galvarinus said, ‘actually I hoped you wouldn’t find it. It makes all the more easier to start at the ground level. To make the specialty rooted so deep inside you that even the best master cannot bring out from within you, you need to have a deep understanding of who you are. If you have pre-conceived notions about you, it makes it hard to mold you into what you truly are. See, sometimes not knowing is the best course of action.’
‘Really,’ I asked, there was a spark to Galvarinus’ voice and the way he said his reasoning was somewhat magnetic.
‘Yes,’ Galvarinus approved, we were now headed through a narrow valley, not too deep. ‘Now that I know a little bit of your tendencies, let’s begin.
‘I hope you can already imagine that this world is fairly beyond calculus than the whitecoats at your planet think.’
‘Whitecoats? You mean the scientists and the researchers.’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ Galvarinus agreed. ‘Those whitecoats from Earth, they try to proof everything, formulize, theorize, and whatnot. Tell me, can you explain what happened to you just a few moments ago.’
‘You mean teleportation?’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ Galvarinus called. ‘Although we call it warp gate, teleportation is considerably different from it and follows a different principle, but I digress. The warp gate that I used to bring us here, was a work of pure and raw energy, manipulated so precisely that it can warp the distance between two dimensions.’
‘Dimensions you say?’ I asked, catching that one objection.
‘Yes,’ Galvarinus called, ‘There are six dimensions in this universe. If you want to imagine them, they would feel like a flower with one dimension at the center and the other five spread across the central one like petals. Although each petal has a different size. That, is the most basic form of the universe, the simplest it can be assumed.’
‘Six dimensions, one at the center, other five in a circle.’ I said, taking a mental note.
‘At the core of everything is what we call the divine energy.’ Galvarinus continued. ‘The divine energy is the bases of all that exists at the core. But in order to give birth to creation, this energy splits into further segments, something which is much simpler and far weaker. These three types of energies are what constitutes the world as we know it. They are – material, natural, and spiritual energy.’
‘Ah,’ I gaped, ‘where exactly are we going with this?’
‘You will understand,’ Galvarinus called. ‘So, as I was saying, energy in its divine form is the most powerful thing that exists in this world. It is what made the gods, the elements, the very nature and the rules it obeys.’
‘Wait God?’ I asked to confirm.
‘Gods, plural. Divine beings who carve the divine energy and act as the pillars of this world. There are multiple types, with multiple forms, with multiple roles so we simply can’t cover them in one go. Besides, it has been a thousand long centuries since the last time the gods made an appearance and contact with the world.’
‘Ok,’ I said. We were now cruising through some narrow grass patches as the valley rose and fell. The forest changing depth and shades rapidly.
‘So,’ Galvarinus continued. ‘The divine energy is what constitutes this world. But in reality, the pure form of divine energy is so concentrated that the living organisms, even a lot of the materials cannot bear to be in close proximity of it. Thus, the real form of the divine energy that exists is separated into three forms.’
‘First, is the material energy. The easiest way to explain is this is the energy that your scientists experiment and research upon. It is highly dexterous, has the most strenuous amounts of rules and complications and is the hardest to use. You might think that the society you live in is fairly advanced, but the reality could not be far from it, although I will say you haven’t even taped into fifteen percent of the rules, phenomena, and laws of the material energy. It might be fun to see you crack the most of these rules and when you will do that, I am sure your people will find your current way of living to just be a façade and an unwanted pleasure.’
‘I still don’t get it? Are you referring the inorganic material, the metal, rocks, fire; those things as the material energy or the laws of physics?’ I asked. At one point I was wondering what the path of a researcher would be, so I was curious about this new method of viewing science and what it was.
‘That is the reason it is as complicated as it is. The matter that you interact with is the form of material energy in physical form. The methods you interact with it makes the laws that it follows.’
‘Hmm,’ I said, ‘It is a curious way to say it.’
‘It is the way it is.’ Galvarinus said. ‘The second form of energy is called the natural energy. This is simply the energy that causes the natural phenomena to occur. It is the energy that makes up the element of Fire, Water, Earth, and Sky as the four major natural elements. Sky is further divided into wind and lightning, water splits into ice and steam, fire has a subclass called the forgery sect and it has some elements common with the earth element, which further contributes to the gravitational subspecies of natural forces. Time, is an independent element and is the only element, entity and existence made of divine energy that cannot be interacted with by humans.’
‘So, time is absolute.’ I said, ‘even in the world where Gods exist?’
‘In the worlds of the God, everything is interactable. Even the ever-absolute time turns liquid in a God’s true presence.’
‘There is no way something like that exist is there?’
‘They exist alright.’ Galvarinus said. ‘But their appearance only occurs when the world is at the brink of collapse.’
‘Hmm, some Gods they are.’ I retorted. ‘Don’t they feel responsible towards the world?’
‘When you have divine power over everything else, do you ever need to do a thing?’ Galvarinus asked.
I pondered and, ‘Yep, that makes a loott of sense.’
‘Well, we can’t know until we reach the realm of God themselves. So yes, it makes sense that is what they might do.’
‘Well, spirit energy… I assume it has something to do with the soul?’ I asked trying to change the subject since it started going over my head.
‘Pretty much,’ Galvarinus said, ‘All living beings, live because of spirit energy. It is the life force of a living being and one simply secretes and radiates it every moment that they live. Anything that has life in it radiates and stores it in order to proceed living.’
‘Hm,’ I wondered. We were now back into a thicket of trees and the valley started rising, this time the walls rose as well.
‘The spirit energy,’ Galvarinus continued on, ‘is what makes you special.’
‘The spirit energy? But I thought everyone has that. Wasn’t that the thing that you said everyone radiates in order to proceed living.’ I asked in wonder as I struggled to keep up with Galvarinus. He was inching farther but now walking through the trees and roots was extremely hard for me so I definitely slowed down.
‘Yes, every being radiates spirit energy in order to live. It is true that everyone has it.’ Galvarinus told me, ‘But the unique part is who can control it.’
‘Control it?’
‘Yes, a long time ago, the human race went under a strenuous cycle of evolution and under the guidance of the King of Gods at that time, we learned to exercise Spirit Energy. Humans definitely prospered but it has never been in our nature to accept what is given to us. The gift was meant for us to become a species that can help the other species in the time of need and that can make sure that there is always someone who can maintain peace. But that very power become the catalyst of endless quarrels and debacles. In the end, to this day, there is no true peace in the universe and we, the Eirineftes try to maintain what little peace we can.’
‘So that is what you meant by Eirineftes,’ I said.
‘Yes,’ Galvarinus, ‘Peacekeepers, that’s what we are meant to be.’
‘Hmm,’ I wondered, ‘And are you sure I am one of you?’
‘Yes,’ Galvarinus chimed in, ‘Can you feel a difference between Earth and this planet. I assume you might have felt it already.’
‘A difference,’ I tried to guess, ‘Could it be this sense of lightness that I feel. Ever since I have woken up here, I have felt a sort of lightheadedness. Wait, that’s not it; I would say it feels like I just can’t process what is going on right now, I can talk to you and understand that perfectly, but physically it has been a little difficult to pinpoint my surroundings. As if, I don’t have control over my senses.’
‘Good,’ Galvarinus said in amazement. ‘I have met quite a lot of first timers, but you have by far understood the situation the best. Could that be what Karthik referred to when he meant potential? Well, to give you a reference, when we used the warp gate; if you were not capable of controlling spiritual energy you would not have succeeded in warping here, means the transportation would have failed. But since you are here, means you have the potential to do so.’
‘That is not exactly reassuring. How can you say that you aren’t wrong?’ I asked, the confirmation that this wasn’t all a mistake and that I wasn’t picked up in place of someone else who deserved this place more than me was very important at this very moment.
‘Hmm,’ Galvarinus thought carefully, ‘you want to make sure that you are who we think you are and not some random guy being pranked with don’t you?’
‘Yes, pretty much.’ I said, if this was a prank, it was the best one that anyone will ever come up with. Whoever came up with this idea deserved a Nobel Prize for pranks.
‘Then why don’t you follow me and visit that temple,’ Galvarinus told me.
As he said that the valley opened up and a bright flash hit me. The sun shone right above and in front of us was a vast expanse of rainforests spread all over. But right there in the middle of the forests that lay like a grass field of trees, there was one part of it raised extremely high above the canopy. A rocky plateau the size of something like three cricket grounds. The sides of the plateau were dotted with creepers, but the top was covered with the thinnest of vegetation. Instead, there was one big building shaped like an old Mayan temple that smoothly reflected the shining sun on it. Birds lined up and flew around the skies and a small spout of water flew down the plateau towards the right side and ran across as a small snake towards the south.
‘In that temple,’ Galvarinus told me, the expression clear as day on his face that this was about to get nasty. ‘Lies an artefact that has been chased down for generations. Only a handful of people ever manage to locate it, but none has ever had the capacity and worth to wield it.’
He turned to me and said with a face I had no idea he could make. He was utterly serious and assertive as he told me.
‘If you want to live, you have to be worthy, of wielding the gauntlets of Artemis! And if you can do that, you will have your answer.’
A chill ran down my spine. The shiver continued to rattle me. But what was this that I felt.
The temple, it felt as if it drew me nearer. The calling was obvious and addictive to me. There was a tingle in my nerves that wouldn’t disappear.
Was this excitement?
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Chapter 5
Escape from the burning city
The rising smoke only made it hard to believe for the three young souls who ran among the disoriented masses.
All around them, the battle raged on, even though the youngest of them all couldn’t hear the sounds, the scenes she witnessed didn’t make anything easier as they made their way past streets filled with blood and dismembered body parts.
The group consisted of four people, a young kid of age twelve was the one who led everyone forward through the crowds. He was tall for his age, but still he was a kid of his age. On his back was a backpack that had everything that they needed to survive for long enough, they just had to make it out of the city in one piece.
He wasn’t the most skillful or most intelligent kid out there, but his father’s last words to him had been a simple request.
‘Make sure you live a life that is worth the way you die. And protect your sister until the day you die!’
‘Why?!’ the kid protested in a stagnant voice. ‘Why did you have to go and risk your own life!’ he tried to find the answer, but his father had already gone to a place he couldn’t visit yet.
‘Master Storme,’ the older girl among the two in the group tried to call with as soothing of a voice as possible. ‘Lord Valpa has left you with everything he holds dear. Please, focus on getting out of here and moving on. After all, we can’t always control who we leave behind.’
The girl faltered at the last bit. The vision of her mother holding her husband’s hand as they both headed out to protect the castle was still fresh in her memory.
‘You are a daughter of the Blaine family, your destiny is the one to the serve the heirs of the Valpa Household, fulfill your duty with the utmost sincerity.’
Those were the last words of her parents. She had been raised to not shed a tear for her own desires, but all the training in the world didn’t amount for the barrage of emotions that you felt at the time you part ways with the ones who gave birth to you.
Storme was the heir she was supposed to serve for the rest of her life, and her parents had entrusted that to her as a last wish. She couldn’t let herself be carried away.
The four of the group struggled through the streets as they passed a flurry of explosion. At the central square of the market, they saw all the citizens gathering to evacuate towards the South. The attackers were making their way through the North and West, South was the easiest to run away.
‘Ladies and gentleman,’ the kids saw one of the old soldiers heading to a raised platform. ‘I hope you all understand the scenario that we are in and the steps we need to take. So, I request you to only carry the items that can last you to survive for as long as you can. Once we are out in the South woods, scatter as far and wide as you can, the only way to evade those dragons is to spread all around. I hope you all find refuge in your lives. I wish you all the best.’
The man said and then he started directing the soldiers he had alongside him. With the situation as is, the best of the soldiers were out on the field trying to fend of the attackers while only a small dispatch was sent in order to make sure the evacuation is successful, even these soldiers will return to the front lines the moment they had escorted the families out the South gate.
There was a huge murmuring amongst the people as they all panicked and tried to find a soldier who can lead them out of the city.
‘They are all mostly women,’ the older girl noted. ‘And a lot of them have new-born children and infants in their hands.’
‘Indeed Andromeda,’ the tallest of the kid and the other boy said. ‘Most of the men are out there on the field. If the master hadn’t ordered me to follow Sir Storme, then I would have also been on the frontlines.’
‘But Furnas,’ Andromeda, the older girl called, ‘the lord anticipated that you will be needed by Master Storme, shouldn’t you prioritize the young master?’
‘I was born and raised to be a close companion to Storme,’ Furnas told her, ‘Of course I will prioritize him. But if there was a chance that me being there would help in winning the fight, I would have preferred that. Fleeing one’s own home, is something that is not considerable for anyone.’
‘I see,’ Andromeda bit her lip. As they talked, one of the soldiers approached the group. Storme immediately raised a hand and forced everyone behind him to halt and stand back.
The soldier approached and Furnas took his place in front of Storme as his aid.
‘Who wishes to approach, state your business.’ He asked.
‘Furnas, keep a low profile,’ Storme told him with a serious tone.
‘I am sorry, but I couldn’t help but notice that you are the lord’s young son Storme, are you not.’ The soldier tried to call.
Listening to him, the people around started to notice it as well.
‘Hey, he is right, that is Lord Valpa’s children. The boy and the young daughter.’ Said one amongst the crowd.
‘Really.’
‘Hey, if he is here, that means Lord Valpa has ordered them to flee!’
‘Yes, why would he do that, wasn’t he the one who said that we will be fighting here to the death?’
‘That hypocrite, he intends to smuggle his own son to safety while ours perish in a battle that is all but lost.’
‘You are correct, he leads our children on a death march.’
‘Then why don’t we take the kids here under our command. We can force the Lord to give up and retreat. At least our sons would be saved.’
‘No one comes close to the kids!’ Furnas shouted rising slightly to the air, the hood that he wore fell and it revealed a person clad in shining black armor. ‘The one who wishes an early death shall approach and find themselves greeted with what they desire.’
‘That is the black guardian! Isn’t he supposed to fight at the frontlines!’
‘He is the strongest of the fighters and yet he is present here!’
‘That Valpa! He is deceiving us! Grab those kids, we will force that man to surrender!’
Furnas grunted and landed in front of the kids. ‘Andromeda, Lord Storme, bring lady Kathe in front and grab hold of her. Make sure you move the moment you find an opening; I will be right behind you.’
‘Furnas,’ Storme called in a small voice. ‘These are our people, we can talk…’
‘Not right now Storme!’ Furnas shot him down, ‘this isn’t the place where dialogue can prevail. Now go…’
With that Furnas swung a small rod in his hand and as he twirled it expanded and revealed a shining red spear.
Furnas held the spear and focused his spiritual power in it, the next moment it started burning with translucent flames of pure red. There was a band of soldiers desperate enough to approach him as Furnas covered himself in the same flames as his spear. In front of the soldiers stood the black knight clad in dark red flames. The guardian of the Valpa Family.
‘They are trying to leave, grab them!’ Came a voice from the crowd. There was movement as members of the crowd approached the group, their aim was the youngest of the crowd. The one who couldn’t protect herself.
‘No!’ Storme grunted as the band of old men tried to leap on them, Furnas came swooping on the people and pushed them away like he was swatting flies.
‘Furnas, I’ Storme tried to call, but Furnas just pushed forward.
‘Just go! I will handle the square, protect your sister.’ He emphasized.
Katherine, she couldn’t hear what the others were talking about. When Andromeda and Storme clasped her in between them and started heading forward, Storme felt her shivering with fear.
‘She is,’ the words didn’t need to come out. He grabbed her hand and steered her that way. It worked to an extent and calmed down the little girl as she followed the two teens across the square.
‘Master,’ Andromeda called, ‘there, the place that the lord told me about is through that fountain.’
‘Then hurry,’ Storme called. They rushed to the next square that came towards the southern direction of the one they were in right now. The fountain that square housed had a secret door that led towards the South-East of the city. Opposite from where the attackers were entering. The homes were deserted, the shops lay empty and the square with the fountain of a vase spewing water was standing there with no water to boast.
Storme led the two girls to the fountain as they heard the gusts of wind and small blasts in the distance from behind.
As they reached the fountain, Storme immediately went to search for the key to open the fountain.
‘Come on, please be here,’ he prayed as he found it right underneath the center piece of a huge flowerpot. The moment he touched a small nubbin, the fountain started vibrating violently and slid sideways. ‘Furnas!’ Storme called as he led the two girls inside.
Far behind, Furnas swooped in and out as he held the angered citizens at bay. The moment he heard him, Furnas immediately flew towards Storme. He rapidly descended and landed straight in the hole through the fountain.
Storme followed as the fountain started closing up.
‘WAIT!’ Storme heard the people cry, but he didn’t turn and bat an eye towards them.
‘Please, just take my kids, I don’t care about myself.’
‘Yes, we have new born children here!’
It took all his courage that he had to simply squint and let the door close. As he did, huge droplets streaked through his face.
‘Master,’ Andromeda tried to comfort Storme but he just couldn’t let the emotions slide.
The group sat close together.
‘I…’ Storme tried to word it.
‘Listen Storme,’ Furnas walked up to him and held his shoulders. ‘You cannot protect someone until you protect yourself. Right now, your sister can’t do it for herself. She can’t protect herself, much less roam around without her elder brother. She needs you, so you have to do what you can for her sake.’
Storme looked up at Furnas with bloodshot eyes. ‘I could save them.’
‘And risk revealing your position. You are the son and daughter of Lord Valpa, his only heir, there is no way they will let you slide and not use you as a bargaining chip. Going there right now will only mean risk to yours and your sister’s life.’
‘Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh’ Storme cried and wailed at his peak. Furnas, realizing that he had said enough and that Storme would not risk his life now, he fell back and let Storme recollect his emotions.
‘Lady Kathe,’ when Furnas went back, the youngest of the group, a hooded girl with beige hair flowing down to her shoulders, approached Storme.
At that very moment, there was a huge explosion, that shook the entire tunnel that the kids were in. Kathe fell forward towards Storme and the other two lost their balance, leaning on the walls.
When the dust settled, Storme felt something dripping at his shoulder.
Kathe, who was standing in front of Storme, saw what was on his brother’s shoulder and her eyes went wide with shock. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing and she recoiled back to Andromeda.
‘‘Lady Kathe!’’
‘Kathe!’ the other three rushed towards her, Storme being the one to grab her.
When Storme garbed her, Kathe started writhing and tried to free herself of her brother.
‘Kathe what is it,’ Storme tried to ask.
‘Master Storme, please leave her, your shoulder, look at your shoulder!’ Andromeda pointed out.
‘Shoulder,’ Storme raised his right hand and felt his left shoulder, there was nothing, but when he checked his right shoulder, he felt something sticky, warm and wet. He tried to check his fingers to realize that it was a red liquid impure with dirt and dust, but clearly distinguishable for what it was.
He was only twelve. Even in the sword training he did, he never suffered more than a few scrapes. He never shed his own to realize the sensation of what fresh blood outside of a human body felt like.
When he realized how it felt, his stomachs lurched and he threw up everything he had inside.
**
‘Two Silver!’ Andromeda complained, ‘I would not give you anything above eight coppers!’
Storme groaned internally as he heard the maid and the fat old man argue. The man had a noble’s attire with a brown frill collar. The sign of a travelling merchant.
‘Listen young lady,’ he called, ‘Maybe you don’t realize your position here, you are the one who asked me for the ride. Beggars can’t be choosers. You want to travel; you pay 2 Silver.’
As the two bargained back and forth, Storme tried to understand what he can do to tip the scales in his favor when Furnas came to his mind. An idea popped into his head as he saw the figure of the hooded entity, that had been protecting them.
‘Okay listen,’ Storme turned to face the merchant. ‘I hear that you are going to hire a band of escorts for your travel aren’t you!’
‘Yes, and what business do you have there?’ the merchant asked grudgingly. ‘I already have a party contracted.’
‘Well, what if you let us take that contract? We will do the job and you might only need to manage for our food. You can cut on the escort waiver.’ Storme offered.
‘Hahaha kid,’ the merchant laughed hysterically. ‘Aren’t you a sweetheart, do nomads like you even have a means to protect yourself, that you can protect someone else?’
‘What if we did?’
‘Ridiculous,’ the merchant complained. ‘If your truly have the means to work better than a grade III escort group, than please be my guest. I will gladly arrange for the food as well.’
‘Great, you have a deal!’ Storme said as he raised his right arm for a handshake. ‘Bring your contracted party to the outskirts of the city, the East Gate tomorrow morning, if my fighters beat your party, you will accept us as your escorts.’
‘Hmph,’ the merchant grunted, ‘Insolent kid! Thinks like he can beat down the world, fine!’
The merchant left grumbling about.
‘Master Storme,’ Andromeda tried to raise her doubts.
‘We don’t have time Andy,’ Storme said, at the mention of her nickname, Andromeda flinched as she realized his master wasn’t in a calm mood. ‘We have preparations to make.’
‘As you wish, I hope you will let me and Furnas handle the escort party.’
‘I plan on doing so,’ Storme said, a grim look spreading on his face, ‘Unfortunately, I have no skill in the first place to rival someone of a grade III squad, I will merely slow you down.’
‘No master,’ Andromeda held his hands and motivated him, ‘You have secured us this chance to get this ride to the East Continent. Even I couldn’t manage to hit the deal that you cracked in seconds. You have to realize you are not a hindrance to us in any one.’
Storme looked distant as he sighed. ‘Fine, let’s prepare.’
‘Yes, let’s!’ Andromeda smiled and tilted her head. Watching her like this caused Storme to crack a smile of his own and after days of hard travel from their hometown, they were finally picking pace.
**
The countryside has not been in the best of its shapes. Ever since the fall of the coastal city and capital of Valpa, the western Continent of Dragon’s Den was in an uproar. The dragons that began their retribution had reached deep within the territory and were now burning through everything in their way through the western continent. South was the only way to head for the people seeking refuge, but as the dragons were making there way with the continent, the focus shifted on leaving towards the Eastern continent on the farther side of the planet of Dragon’s Den.
That was where the group of Storme, Katherine, Furnas and Andromeda was headed.
Storme led Andy back to the shack they were using as their hideout in the town of Iswalt. It was a rundown old building covered in moss in between the cracks of the paved stones, but it was safe enough to live in for the time being.
‘Furnas you there, it’s us,’ Storme called after knocking at the wall they were using as a door, they tried to maintain as much secrecy as they possibly can.
‘Master, has lady Kathe opened up to you yet?’ Andy asked.
‘Yes, a little,’ Storme told her with a pained expression. Ever since they ran away from their hometown, Katherine had been constantly living on edge. She would wake up when she tried to sleep, she would cry at random intervals, her appetite was measly and she was unusually feeble.
‘I hope she eats something heavy today.’ Andy wished in a hopeful smile.
‘Thank you, Andromeda,’ Storme said in a serious tone.
‘What? Why Master?’ she pestered him.
‘It’s just…’ Storme tried to explain when Furnas came running towards them.
‘Storme,’ he called as he blasted the door open, ‘come quick, she is writhing again and I can’t…’
Furnas didn’t need to continue, Storme threw the shopping bags he had at the dilapidated dining table and rushed to the first floor’s second room, he had nothing in mind until he found his sister strangling herself in the bedsheets.
‘Kathe!’ Storme called, he rushed to his sister’s side and tried to wrestle her out. ‘Kathe…’ he kept calling, his voice being drowned by the mute cries of his sister.
It took a long time to subdue her, when she finally woke up from her dream, Kathe shot straight up and sat like a ghost.
She slowly turned to scan her surroundings when she saw her brother and utterly broke in tears. She went in and buried herself in his chest and cried as she had never before.
Storme couldn’t hold it in. ‘Kathe, don’t worry, I am not leaving you ever!’ he told her in sign language.
Kathe couldn’t hear his brother’s heartfelt words, but when she saw the streak of salty tears falling from the face of her brother, who had never lost his smile, the brother, who had been ready to sacrifice everything in order to protect his baby sister; she felt the feelings in her heart and for the first time, she had felt light and warm.
‘Why didn’t I do this before,’ Kathe wondered. ‘He was always there for me, he did everything he could so we could escape. And all I did was scream. I am the worst sister.’
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‘I haven’t seen her this disoriented before,’ Andy told Furnas as they sorted the shopping goods, a streak of white on her cheeks solidifying as they talk.
‘I think she had had enough; she must have been bottling it up until now, and now it finally breaks.’ Furnas inferred.
‘Yes, and young master has to do something he had never had to do before.’
‘They were never pushed to this extreme, the worst I remember was when the lady was scolded at leaving her quarters without information and without an attendant.’ Furnas recalled the incident a couple years ago.
‘Ah yes,’ Andy remembered as well. ‘That time too, she ran and hid in her brother’s shadow who took the brunt of his father’s wrath for the baby girl.’
‘Ever since she was born,’ Furnas recalled, ‘Storme has never allowed her to cry, he even went as far as to take her punishments and scolding, all to make sure she always got to play and smile.’
‘Yes,’ Andy piled the goods and took them to the shelf in the kitchen, ‘I hope we can find a place where the young master and lady Kathe can live peacefully.’
‘We will make sure of it,’ Furnas affirmed, steeling his resolve. He had been raised for this purpose, and he intended to pursue it to the end of time.
‘Yes,’ Andy replied in her own warrior tone. Her Battle Maid training itching to surface out. ‘And our first job, is to make sure that escort party enjoys getting crushed to a pulp.’
‘Indeed,’ Furnas agreed clapping his fist in his arm.
‘Furnas, can you come here for a moment.’ As the two of them confirmed their intentions, Storme called Furnas.
‘On my way,’ Furnas said and he jumped to the first-floor railing to avoid the stairs and entered the room the kids were in.
Inside, he saw Kathe sleeping soundly in the arms of Storme. At the site of the girl, Furnas slumped to the frame of the door that he came from.
Kathe, was smiling. Ever so faintly, she was smiling.
‘Finally,’ Furnas sighed with relief spreading all around him.
When he turned to see Storme, his relief had wiped out, where he was finally at ease from watching the lady smile after such a long and strenuous journey, the face he saw on the elder brother was downright destructive.
It was the face of a man with a clear goal and just watching him like that was enough to unnerve Furnas.
‘Storme,’ he tried to form words but the air just didn’t allow him the breathing room.
‘Furnas,’ Storme began, ‘Do you ever remember her crying like this?’
‘No,’ Furnas replied, ‘she had always been the cheerful and playful type.’
‘Those people did this,’ Storme insisted, his voice low and cool as a growl of a wolf, ‘Teach me! Teach me the way to fight. I want to make sure that the people who did this to her do not go unscathed.’
‘Storme,’ Furnas said with concern, then he slapped his face once and agreed ‘Okay, I will make sure that the people who did this to our master pay for what they had done. Tread the path you want Storme; I will walk right beside you.’
Storme nodded at his resolve and steeled his own. ‘First, let’s secure transport to the port town, once on the East continent, we will focus of rebuilding a base. Once we have our feet stable, we will begin our search for the reason. Why the dragons attacked our home.’
‘Rest assured,’ Andromeda said as she walked behind Furnas. ‘I will take care of lady Kathe while you do that.’
‘Andromeda,’ He called, he wanted to clear it, the worry that had been eating him from the inside. ‘You don’t need to follow us forever you know, even Furnas, I just want you to train me to fight, you can both go your own ways if that is what you desire. I don’t want to hold you down; I don’t have anything to repay for what you have done for us.’
‘Master,’ Andromeda cried out, ‘My parents trained me to serve you from the moment I was born, please don’t disrespect their last wish for me to fulfil my destination.’
‘Andy, you are just about to turn fourteen, you will turn an adult, you have a whole life you can live for yourself. Tying yourself to me will only limit you to the pain I carry.’
Andromeda walked forward at these words, with a poker face and when in front of Storme, she simply slapped him lightly.
‘You still have a lot to learn,’ she said and she took Kathe with her. ‘I will put her to sleep in a more comfortable bed, you can rest here and prepare the plan to go ahead. I will prepare lunch.’
When Andromeda left the room with Kathe, Storme and Furnas starred down at each other.
‘Best not make her mad,’ Furnas told Storme.
‘I guess,’ Storme massaged his cheek and recollected his thoughts. ‘In any case, let’s secure the ride to the Montory port.’
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