The Ascension Academy was to begin, as it does every year, with a keynote speech. An imposing dais was set up in the common area in the center of the Academy. The moonlight cast a majestic aura. Around the dais floated the representative symbols of each faction. It was the first time Alex had ever seen the academy so crowded. The speeches in unison were interrupted by the principal taking the podium. Kai was dressed today in a rich royal robe in shades of black, with a long cloak of the same color hanging down the back. The sparkle in Kai's eyes was all over the crowd.
"Welcome to the opening of the Ascension Academy for newcomers. Actually, we didn't take any new freshmen this year because we dropped our freshmen last year, so it would be better to welcome them again."
As Kai spoke, it had almost become an annual tradition for students to talk among themselves.
**I hate this school. So few people graduate that there is almost no new student intake.**
**All because of that guy's stupid exams. Damn you, Kai!**
**He didn't get tired of using the same phrases every year. (imitating Kai's voice) The best learner is the late learner, kids...**
"Of course it's a bad thing, but don't worry, they say the best learners are late learners, children. Meet your new teacher who will be the first speaker this year. Professor Logan, the first teacher of the Elder class." As Kai transformed into a liquid form and walked away with Arterle, Logan came to the podium. Anyone who saw Logan would probably think of Zeus because his white hair and beard gave Logan an exotic look. After Logan took the stage, he began to speak without even looking at the students once.
**Where does he find such strange men?**
Logan raised his hand and created new signs around the lectern instead of faction symbols. Once the signs were created and lined up from bottom to top, Logan continued speaking, pointing to the signs. "As for the rules. Each faction has three classes. From the bottom up, the symbols correspond to the ranks of Novice, Traveler and Ace. If you successfully pass all three classes, you will be promoted to Master and become one of the few masters of Kaizen. Of course, if you continue like this, I don't think there will be anyone who can do it except Immortals."
**You think so, fake Zeus. I'm definitely gonna level up this year, guys.**
**Hey, then I can grow a beard like this guy. The chances of both happening are the same.**
**But you'll never have a beard. Ah-h, That's just cruel.**
"Another thing is that every year there is an inter-faction tournament. The winning team of the tournament will be one step ahead in class advancement. The winner of the last tournament, the Changelings, will take the privilege of hosting the tournament this year. " The changeling class supported Logan's words with applause. "That's all I have to say, and I hope you understand because I won't say it again." When Logan finished speaking, for the first time, his eyes swept the students in turn until he caught sight of Alex. After a few seconds of staring, Logan disappeared with the artery in a sudden flash of lightning.
**I told you guys, he's Zeus. I saw it in your eyes, they looked like my dad's.**
**And does your father check the electricity?**
**Only when the house is going to pay the electricity bill.**
When Kai turned back with an arterial movement, it was quiet again. "What a cruel man. I know the questions on your minds, he really is Zeus!"
"I would like to end my speech by announcing the faction officers. The teacher of the Changelings will once again be Dr. Albert, the Kaizen Master. Professor Logan will take over the representation of the Elders. The Elites and Elementalists will once again be led by your excellent principal, and so on... Hey, coffee spilled on my speech script! Oh, sorry guys, no script, no speech. Artery Open!" Kai's last words scattered all the students on the field onto the Arterial roads. And with that, the inauguration was complete and Ascension Academy began a new year.
Elites Nature Park Dojo - 2023
It was time for the first lesson at the Dojo of the Elite, a place of nature where every season is spring. All the students had retreated to a peaceful spot in the garden and were practicing Kai's first lesson: 'Find the peace point and uncover the deep secrets of your mind.' This supposedly simple lesson took the beginners almost half the year. No matter how much Alex tried to focus, he failed on the first day. The only thing he gained was new friendships.
"Hey, Alex, we're here!" Sofia came over to where Alex was sitting. Next to her stood the blond boy Alex had seen earlier. Alex started talking in a meditative position without getting up.
"Oh, hi, Sofia. I hope Kai didn't force you to come here."
Sofia replied with a smile "Are you sure you can find your Peace Point with this attitude?"
Alex responded by correcting his position. "I'm just tired of waiting for hours for something to happen, no offense, I'm not angry with you."
"Don't worry, we went through the same thing." Sofia continued, pointing to the blonde boy next to her. "Meet Edward. Edward is an Earth Elementalist. We are one of the few who survived and came close to finishing this school."
"Oh, you're one of the few. I wonder how much more motivated I could have been. Nice to meet you Edward." Edward was studying Alex with his dark blue eyes. Alex hadn't liked Edward since he saw him with Sofia. She saw in him the look of a suspect who wanted to hide his crimes, or maybe it was just jealousy.
"I hear you're important to Kai. The fact that you're here proves it." Edward continued, turning to Sofia. "First the girl in the library and now this. I'm sorry Sofia, but I promised myself I would never interfere in Kai's affairs again." Edward walked away with the Arter without waiting for Alex to answer.
Alex was involuntarily happy that Edward was gone. "Oh, how beautiful. The first peace point and now this." Suddenly his thoughts went to the girl in the library Edward had mentioned. "Who's that girl in the library?"
Sofia answered, sitting down next to Alex. "Yeah, there's a new girl in Kai's library. I should remind you that none of the students here have ever seen the library. By the way, I apologize for Edward, you'll get used to it."
Sofia's red eyes and beauty made it impossible for Alex not to accept the apology. He remembered that he had gotten this feeling from another girl and started humming to himself. "Dont Worry, I'll have plans for him too... That would definitely be Jessy."
"Did you say something?"
"I have to go to the library, Sofia. Help me." Alex knew that if Kai asked him to do this, he would refuse, as if his goal was to prevent Alex from ever seeing Jessy again.
Sofia shrugged "I'm sorry Alex, that library is like Kai's secret house. He doesn't want anyone to see it, but... I can make a special route for you through the Artery. I can get you through even if I can't."
"And how are you going to do that?"
Sofia turned her hands into a liquidy substance and showed it to Alex. This was the same substance that was in the Artery. "I'm a Changeling, Alex. Unlike other Elites, I can become anything I want. That makes me an Elder. That's why Kai chose me for the Elite."
He sensed that Sofia wanted something for this favor. "I think you want something in return..."
Sofia, back to her normal form, replied with a sweet grin. "There's a book about Kai in the library you need to get."
"Why do you want a book like this?" Sofia stepped closer to Alex and lowered her voice a little more. It was the first time Alex had seen Sofia's features so closely. For the first time he wondered how old she was, this girl who was still beautiful in her twenties.
"Look, Alex, first of all, there's something I want you to know. I don't know why, but I trust you, so listen to what I'm going to tell you. I need to do this for Edward. Edward may seem like a bad person, but he is not. Centuries ago, Edward was classified as an Elder who couldn't control the magnitude of his power and was put on an execution list. Kai prevented the execution and took him into his care until the rebellion against the Authority. Edward was one of the first students to join Kai's side in the rebellion. When the rebellion ended, many people were sentenced to prison by the new administration. Edward was sentenced to exile. Kai became a different person after the rebellion and instead of defending the people who participated in the rebellion, he came to the mysterious library here, built the academy around the library and locked himself in here. We need to find out why. Even though Edward has lost faith in him, I still believe in him. There must be a reason for what he did..."
Alex was still reeling from the story he had heard. He knew there was something about Edward, but it was more than he had imagined. He suddenly thought about how much older Edward was, and it felt strange to be jealous of him. And then there were Kai's endless secrets. This guy was getting more and more interesting. "I still don't fully believe in Kai, but I believe in you, Sofia." Sofia's emotional state softened him. As Sofia thanked her with a hug, Alex was glad that he had postponed his Finding the Peace Point class and was able to hug Sofia.
***
La biblioteca de Babel is named after the library of Babel. By collecting all the books, it became Kaizen's repository of knowledge. Perhaps all the secrets of the universe were now in this library. The library was located north of the academy in a valley between the Dojos. Alex had come near the library through a secret artery that Sofia had opened underground. When he emerged from the artery, he couldn't believe his eyes because what he saw was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Still in awe of looking at one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Alex spent a few minutes enjoying the vegetated landscape. Sofia said it was like Kai's house. I wonder if he had built it? As things were getting stranger and stranger, Alex finally decided to walk inside. The architecture of the Hanging Gardens had developed up the hill. When Alex arrived on the ground floor in front of the strange door with the head in the center, Alex stiffened as the door began to speak.
"Uh, one more stranger, say the password, get past the door." Alex was surprised by the numbness that came from the initial stillness. He had to choose his words carefully, Kai was likely to set traps that could result in death. Alex gently touched the head of the door. He tried to transfer the energy inside him to the door as he had to the Basilisk, but this time he was more careful, he just had to rewind the head's mind until the password was spoken and the door opened. He continued the energy transfer until he saw movement in the head.
"Welcome to the library, Jessy, you've gotten younger. I didn't know Kai let you out."
The door opened but Alex was more interested in the words he heard. What did that mean, I didn't know Kai let you out? "Hey door what does that mean? You make it sound like Jesssy's been here before."
Her reacted like Alex was standing at the door, not Jessy. Door's mind was clear now. "Hey how did you get in here. Anyway, be quiet stranger, you have no say here."
Alex didn't answer, he just kept walking with a strange look at the door. He couldn't think about that for now, she had more important things to do - find Jessy and get the book Sofia was talking about. The ground floors were fully equipped with huge bookcases. It was hard not to admire the view. Alex continued down the quiet corridors. When he reached the middle floors of the library, he found the book he wanted. The fact that Kai's name was written in glittering gold ornaments in the book made it easy for Alex to find. 'The Book of Secrets' was written above the compartment containing the book. When he picked up the book, there was a burst of red light right there in the hallway.
Alex quickly turned around and started to run, but the strange being behind him was using his bandages to knock him down as he ran, making it difficult. Realizing that his speed would be insufficient, he decided to use the corners of the library. The turns did not allow him to dodge the pursuit, but they made his escape easier.
The samurai hit one of the shelves to close the gap and the bookcases began to fall like dominoes. It was futile to run now, he knew that if he stayed between the shelves he would die before he even had a chance to fight. When it was his turn for the shelf to topple, he managed to jump out of the way. He was about to stand up and take a deep breath when a cut to his knees sent him crashing to the ground again.
The samurai was now standing in front of him. Staring soullessly at Alex, he repeatedly slashed his knees with his katana, then raised his sword to deliver the final blow. As Alex waited for it to be over, a green flash of light caused the samurai to flee. Still, the wound to his knees was deep and if he did nothing he would either bleed to death or be crippled.
As Alex struggled on the floor, an idea occurred to him, maybe this could kill him in an alternative way. He put his hands on his knees and began to concentrate the energy of time in his legs. Only five minutes before was enough...
When he opened his eyes after an intense scream, he could move his leg again. "Who needs the Peace Point when you can learn by living." Alex, grinning as if he had forgotten he was on the brink of death just a few seconds ago, started heading towards the green light, wondering who his savior was.
The first thing he saw was an old altar-like structure with a sphere emitting a greenish light in the center of a large room. As Alex got closer, he noticed a girl looking into the orb. It was Jessy, he could finally see her again. Although it hadn't been long since he had seen her, there was something strange about her. She gave Alex the impression of someone older. He approached the altar where he could see her. Jessy stopped looking at the glow in front of her when she locked eyes with Alex. After a silent stare, she ran up to Alex and hugged him. The sincerity of the hug was so great that it was as if Jessy hadn't seen him for years, not a month. The first thing Alex felt were tears falling on Jessy's shoulder. Alex started to speak to comfort her. "Jessy? What happened to you? I've never seen you cry before, Mrs. Watson."
Without reacting, Jessy turned away from Alex and went to the altar. Wiping her tears with a handkerchief lying on the altar, she began to speak. "You're not the Alex I'm looking for. I'm not the Jessy you're looking for. Get out of here."
From the first time Alex saw Jessy, he knew something was wrong. Even though Jessy was still young, he could see the tiredness that life had brought her. "Jessy, I came here to find you, not to find more question marks."
Jessy took a deep breath, looking only at the greenish globe in front of her, symbolizing the Earth, and continued speaking. "Time is so strange... Did Kai tell you? Why he chose me?
Alex still didn't understand what had happened. He remembered Kai saying he had plans for Jessy. "That man won't tell me anything."
"You really don't know anything..." Jessy moved her hand, causing the greenish ball of energy in front of her to spread out and create a huge apocalyptic scene in the room. In this devastated world, a round white cocoon stood amidst all the ruins. Jessy approached the White Cocoon in the center and continued speaking. "When Ragnarok comes, only this cocoon will save humanity." As Alex looked more carefully at the cocoon, he realized that there were only two people inside. "There are only two people who can create this cocoon, Alex, and they are Kai and the so-called Time Transmitter or Kaizen transmitter." When Jessy stops, in the apocalyptic scene, time rushes by and when the world finally comes to life again, the cocoon opens and the arteries of Kaizen spread all over the world. "I'm a Kaizen Transmitter, Alex. When Kai first told me that, I thought how crazy it sounded, but over the years I've come to believe in the why of my mission and that one day it will come back." Jessy replied as another tear fell from her eye. "But you didn't come back..." Jessy quickly recovered again "And I've been held responsible for thousands of years with millions of years of fucking knowledge"
Alex was still amazed at how much Jessy had changed. This was not the Jessy he knew, he was sure of that now. But when had she come here, or how long had she been here? "That's not possible. That you've been here all this tim-e" Alex paused because he already had the answer to his words. "Unless I took you back..."
Jessy continued with a smile. "I've always admired your intelligence, no matter how clumsy you became after marriage."
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"So you..." Alex imagined that the woman in front of him, who had lived for thousands of years, was his wife. He was ashamed, as much as he was attracted to Jessy, getting married was something else. "How is that possible? I don't have the ability to take you with me."
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Jessy touched a button-like object to change the greenish shape. The new shape showed Alex and Jessy. It was a wedding photo. Alex noticed the time details behind this hand-drawn photo. They looked like they belonged in the early ages. Their surroundings were definitely not of this time. "You're right, you don't have that ability now, but when the time comes, you will find a way to take Young Jessy back to the past."
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Alex was trying to digest what had been said. Why hadn't Kai mentioned it? Kai never talked about anything. Other unanswered questions came to his mind. Where was young Jessy now, whom Alex hadn't seen for a month, or if Old Jessy was here, where was Old Alex? He looked at the pictures again and turned to Jessy with tears in his eyes. "Jessy, what happened to me?"
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Jessy raised her head again and looked at Alex, her eyes filled with tears again. "I don't know Alex, you disappeared one day when everything was going so well. It was the mystery that kept me going." Jessy touched Alex's cheek and continued speaking. "Whatever happens to you the day you leave me, remember that I love you all the time. Please go now." Jessy avoided Alex's gaze again and focused on the stone in front of her.
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Alex was still affected by these words, even though he had done nothing wrong. What had happened to make him leave her? He misted the tears from his eyes, turned around and headed for the exit. His steps seemed to get a little heavier each time. His mind was still on Jessy. It felt wrong to leave her behind like this, but there was nothing he could do. He would get her back when the time came, but was the planet or humanity worth the sacrifice? As he thought about this question, he thought of his father, because he was the most loving person he knew. When he came to a room in the garden with special plants, he suddenly collapsed and closed his eyes. Alex now felt that this moment of despair was the Point of Peace and that he had reached it.
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Is this a dream or just a different reflection of reality? Why do doors always lead back to where I started? Am I nothing but a loser who thinks he has the power over time but can't change anything? Most importantly, who am I?
Each door opened to answer a different question in Alex's mind. Alex would open doors and try to find answers, but he would end up back where he started. Finally a familiar voice rescued him from this endless loop.
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"It's not the doors you open, son, it's when you open them." It was his father's voice, he turned around but he couldn't see him, he could only hear his voice. Even that was enough for Alex.
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"It's you... I only wanted to see you one more time... Just one more time!" Alex remembered that he had gone through all this for his father and it made him emotional.
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Again voices could be heard in all directions, as if they were coming from Alex's past "Collect your thoughts Alex, we are not important son. Remember we are people with good intentions and..." Alex remembered these words and opened his mouth to finish them.
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"People with good intentions have no place in this world, we only matter by what we leave behind." After Alex finished mumbling the words, he thought about the letter his father had left behind, maybe this was the answer he had been looking for all along. Because the letter ended with the words "Forgive me for not being able to say goodbye to you". That was the problem, his father had hugged Alex tightly and said goodbye before he disappeared. It wasn't little Alex he was talking about, but his future self.
"You knew me all along, Dad! It was the past I was looking for, not the future..."
Episode 4 END
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