《King of the Multiverse》


 1. Onboard a galactic stealth ship

    Chapter 1. Onboard a galactic stealth ship


    <hr>


    Onboard a galactic stealth ship that was the size of a small planet, an angry voice could be heard.


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing!? Don¡¯t think that just because we¡¯re immortals does not mean we are omniscient or omnipotent. We aren¡¯t even sure about what¡¯s beyond our current universe, as our boss you cannot just go down to the mortal worlds and fool around at this time! I forbid it!¡±


    A bewitching melodious voice filled with anger and annoyance hidden behind a simple white mask leaving only her penetrating red eyes, she was dressed in a one-piece full-bodied black wardrobe with cascading black hair trickling down behind the mask.


    ¡°Relax, relax I¡¯ll just be down there for a couple of years while we wait for the entryway into the other universes to connect.¡± A man with the same simple white mask already undressing his similar attire in exchange for a woven robe replied with a lazy and careless tone of voice.


    ¡°Yo-you-you-you-you-you¡­ ugh! You do know the consequences of going down to the lower planes and fool around within the mortal worlds, right?! Because if I¡¯ve said it once I¡¯ve said it a hundred times! Your powers get restricted! Going down there means you can die! and if you die our universe will be without their King!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to call me Boss? How can I be king without a queen, I don¡¯t want to be king, you do it, anyways I¡¯ll see you in a few years! Ciao!¡±


    Sealing his cultivation to upmost tier of what the mortal world allows he starts his gradual descent onto a mortal planet of his choice. Or so he thought, as he started plummeting straight downward followed by being spun around by other planets¡¯ gravitational pull seemingly expressing their distaste of him before eventually throwing him into a wormhole like that of a galactic game of pinball. ¡°Woah woah woah save me!! Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°¡­ you¡¯re supposed to seal your cultivation only when directly above the planet¡­¡± The woman shook her head placing her palm to her forehead. She then peered through the hole between her fingers looking at the army of soldiers or more likely delinquent task force of rabble rousers that causes more problems than they fix left behind by her boss.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°King!¡±


    The soldiers below stood in attention and saluted as if their acceptance of the woman as their new leader was rehearsed hundreds of times before with no signs of delay between their acceptances.


    ¡°Where did Boss go this time, your majesty?¡± A towering bald immortal with a big gentlemanly moustache and a physique that is comparable to a bear glanced at the wormhole stated the question that was on everyone¡¯s mind.


    ¡°He went to visit the mortal worlds¡± She said with a hint of annoyance.


    ¡°Oh, well looks like you¡¯re the king for a few more years again¡± everyone unanimously nodded their head in admission to this fact.


    An irritated sigh could be heard as she turned around making her way towards her room. ¡°Enough, get to work, I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡±


    <hr>


    BOOM! A shattering force of a human being fell from the sky like an angel sent from heaven¡­ without any of the grace imagined.


    ¡°¡­Holy shit where the fuck am I this time?¡± The man staring at the light blue sky flat on his back as the wispy clouds flow on by. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I just did that¡­ ow ow ow what the heck? I¡¯m hurt?


    This. Is. Wonderful!


    I haven¡¯t felt pain in so long!¡±


    ¡°I wonder if I can even get up right now, hmm¡­ yep, I¡¯m stuck. Ohoho I am so badly damaged right now ahaha¡ªowwwww¡± Stuck in the human-shaped indentation on the ground he had no idea when he¡¯ll recover enough energy to move his body out of the ground. The sheer force of plummeting onto and into the ground on his back; while didn¡¯t completely outright kill him disintegrating his body into particles, wrecked any plans for exploration to be at a standstill until help arrives.


    <hr>


    ¡°Shelly, did you just see that? A shooting star! It landed nearby let¡¯s go find it and make a wish¡±. A little lad around the age of 10 trying to convince his equally aged female companion to join him towards the direction where ¡®Boss¡¯ had just fallen. The boy had a bright smile with scruffy silver hair and pale green eyes. He was adorned in a clean blue attire with an emblem of snowflake that exuded that of a wealthy family.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should Arthur, the area of where it landed within the church¡¯s territory. Said Shelly a young girl of similar height with a calmer demeanor. She has pure white hair down to her shoulder and blue eyes. Her attire is similar to his bearing the same emblem.


    ¡°But, no one is there besides the Pope right now, right?¡±


    ¡°Michael is there, after Julie¡¯s disappearance a 2 years ago he¡¯s been going to church every day, eventually becoming a member himself, he¡¯ll probably volunteer to get on the good grace of the Pope.¡±


    ¡°I freakin¡¯ hate Michael he¡¯s always trying to pick a fight with me whenever we meet¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, you¡¯re not the one trying to pick a fight with him?¡±


    ¡°Yes of course I¡¯m sure, he¡¯s the one that makes eye contact with me first when I¡¯m staring at him, he¡¯s the one that tries to hit me after I provoke him, he¡¯s the one who¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough. We¡¯re going home, you should respect your elder, Michael is 10 years older than you, you know.¡± replied Shelly stopping her male companion before he goes on for hours giving dumbass excuses.


    ¡°But, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts, I don¡¯t want to have to inform your dad you¡¯re making trouble with Michael again.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Your Holiness, it seems a meteorite or object has fallen within our boundaries, shall I investigate?¡± said a young man in his twenties with light brown hair and brown eyes adorned in a yellow and white priest attire.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°No need Michael, if it¡¯s just a rock that has fallen from the sky it is not what our Seer has prophesied¡± said the Pope sitting on his throne. A youthful looking bald old man in his 70s yet looks only to be in his late 50s with white eyes, possibly blinded or actual eye color only he knows. He is entirely dressed in white from top to bottom with a silver cane in one hand and a golden scepter in the other.


    ¡°Besides, she¡¯ll let us know when the Apostles will arrive and make believers the Chosen of God. However, do go inform the her about what had fallen and see.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Holiness¡± replied Michael as he advances towards the direction of where the Seer is located. Through hallways and doors, upstairs and downstairs, the size of the church is like that of a massive maze where if one did not know where to go, they could potentially get lost for days.


    After nearly an hour of nonstop walking twist and turns he finally arrived at the edge of the church.


    ¡°You may enter Michael; I¡¯ve been expecting you¡± said the Seer as Michael approached the door and unraveling the chains around its handle. A girl in her late teens to early twenties came into view. She had curly blonde hair down to her waist and bright hazel eyes adorned in a plain church robe as she looked out through the barred windows of her room.


    ¡°You¡¯ve come to inform me about what it is that has fallen from the sky, yes?¡± Never once turning her head around to greet the person who came.


    ¡°Yes Seer, we wondered whether or not the Apostles have arrived early.¡± Michael said with a straight face without a hint of annoyance at her demeanor.


    ¡°What had fell from the sky is definitely not the Apostles that the church has been expecting, they¡¯ll arrive years from now when the landscape changes and the energy within the planet becomes abundant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll immediately inform his Holiness that it is insignificant¡± replied Michael as he exited slowly and unwillingly locking the chains back up around the handle.


    Murmuring to himself as he walks towards the distance ¡°Julie, don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll find a way to get you out of here eventually.¡±


    Turning her head around and eventually looking towards the door as if she can see through it, the Seer too murmurs in reply as tears begin to shed between her eyes ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­Michael¡±


    Eventually, she wiped away the tears on her face and turned her head towards the direction of where ¡®Boss¡¯ had landed. Her eyes still wet with tears looked up at the dull blue sky behind the window bars as dark grey clouds slowly approach and sighed.


    While she doesn¡¯t know exactly what ¡®Boss¡¯ was with her abilities she can tell that whatever it was it was neither the prophecy that she foresaw nor was he clearly a meteorite.


    Walking hurried steps back to the enormous castle of a church with more clarity on his mind he forgot to ask what exactly was it that fell from the sky? However, ignoring the question in his mind as he returned to the Pope.


    ¡°Your Holiness the Apostles are not what fell from the sky¡± Michael said with one knee bent on the ground.


    ¡°Thank you, Michael, you may leave¡± The Pope lifted his arm allowing for Michael to stand back up and make his way towards the exit.


    Using his spiritual sense to scan the surrounding area to peek at the nearest inhabitants ¡®Boss¡¯ saw the exchanges between Shelly and Arthur along with what occurred within the church.


    ¡°Ohoho, the people around me are all kinds of sketchy I have no idea what they¡¯re saying at all but, from what I¡¯m seeing there¡¯s definitely something stinky going on here. Nope never mind, that¡¯s just me. Someone, help me, Save me! Come here please!¡±


    However, his silent screams for help received no response as nightfall lands and rain starts to fall.


    Arthur and Shelly returned home for the night.


    ¡°Welcome back home young master, how was your day outside today?¡± The head butler of the household asked. He is a young-looking man around the age of 20 adorned in the stereotypical butler garb, with only the emblem of the White Snowflake on his chest that represents his family¡¯s identity. He has dark red hair and cyan colored eyes. While he may look young to be in position as head butler of the household at the age of 20, there were no signs of dissent among the servants.


    ¡°Same as usual Benjamin, Shelly and I were just taking a leisure stroll as I need some fresh air from time to time.¡± Arthur replied pretending to behave like a young master.


    ¡°Shall I go prepare you a bath before dinner?¡± Benjamin asked.


    ¡°You may¡± Arthur replied with his arm wrapped around his back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare it now¡± Benjamin replied as he vanished from the spot.


    After refreshing up from the bath, Arthur and Shelly arrived at the dinner table for their meal. While Shelly was taking her time eating the food, a certain young master was eating a lot faster.


    ¡°Arthur, slow down there¡¯s plenty of food to eat you don¡¯t have to rush, why¡¯re you eating so fast?¡± a concern look can be seen from a beautiful woman with silver hair and mesmerizing blue eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s a growing boy and furthermore he¡¯s a Galafray the most well-known warriors and mightiest heroes always at the frontline for any situation boasting records number of kills per person, ahaha!¡± His father Samuel Galafray, a man nearly two meters in height and physique of a war veteran with blonde hair and green eyes enthused.


    ¡°More like idiots who don¡¯t know what fear is, do you know how severely injured you guys are when you come back? I¡¯m surprised none of you guys died in the war.¡± She said berating him.


    ¡°When I think back to it and recalling our neighbors and their families receiving a visit from military official stating that their father, husband, brother, or son died and the look of devastation and grief on their face as screams and tears flow uncontrollably from their eyes and mine too because I cried for them because I¡¯m thinking of you.¡± She continued as her eyes began to water.


    ¡°I worry Samuel, I do, every night I prayed that you¡¯ll return home to me, to us, so that we can be whole again. The only thing keeping me hopeful was the mail I¡¯d receive at the end of each month of you telling me that you¡¯re fine. How Jacob and Dylan are making sure you wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± A sniff could be heard as she tried to hold her tears in.


    Sigh


    ¡°My Angel, we don¡¯t have to worry anymore the war was over two years ago, and we came back home fine, a little beaten up and some bandages, but we¡¯re fine you don¡¯t have to worry, I won¡¯t be going back to the frontline anymore. I¡¯ll stay home with you, grow old with you, and take care of our son, alright?¡± replied Samuel as he warmly embraces her.


    Finishing his dinner and listening to the same thing between his mom and dad for practically anytime war was mentioned since it ended. Arthur slowly went into his room to sleep.


    Or so that¡¯s what he wants his parents to believe.


    Back at the dinner table¡­


    ¡°Shelly why is Arthur acting so strange today?¡± asked Arthur¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Young master Arthur saw a shooting star land nearby within the territory of the church and is most likely wishing to have a look at it either tonight or before sunrise.¡± Shelly replied exposing Arthur¡¯s plan.


    ¡°Outside tonight?¡± Angel Galafray glances out the window noticing the dark rainclouds arriving from over the horizon. ¡°Shelly if he tries to sneak out tonight try to stop him, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes Mrs. Galafray, I¡¯ll try to stop him¡± Shelly replied.


    Finishing her plate Shelly also got up leaving Mr. and Mrs. Galafray at the table, as she was heading to her room for the night, she heard Mr. Galafray calling her name from back at the dinner table.


    ¡°Oh Shelly~ Benjamin will leave an umbrella by your door.¡± Samuel Galafray¡¯s voice could be heard as Shelly made her way out of the dining room.


    A small smile appeared on her face, as she headed into her room to ¡®sleep¡¯.


    Hours passed by and within Arthur¡¯s bedroom he crept his head out of the covers of his blanket, trying to hear for his dad¡¯s snores.


    Snore Snore


    Hearing Samuel¡¯s loud snores indicating that they are asleep, Arthur¡¯s eyes slowly got adjusted to the dark.

 2. Rain begins to pour

    Chapter 2. Rain begins to pour


    <hr>


    Rain begins to pour by the time everyone had fallen asleep, the slight drizzle on the ground became the signal for Arthur to get out of bed and tip toe towards the door.


    Slowly sneaking his head out and confirming his father¡¯s snores along with his mother calmly sleeping beside him. Arthur silently closed his door before something tapped his shoulder. Holding in his yelp of surprise he creaked his head around to see Shelly¡¯s familiar silhouette as her face came into view.


    ¡°Shelly? What¡¯re you doing awake?¡± He whispers softly trying not to wake his parents up. Holding up the umbrella in her hand was all that was needed to be conveyed before they nodded their heads in agreement as they slowly tip toed towards the front door and exiting it.


    As the doors closed, the sleeping father and mother peeked their eyes towards the direction in which the two had left. Taking out the earplugs in her ears Angel gave a dissatisfied and angry look at her husband for encouraging the two kids to disobey her orders.


    ¡°Samuel Galafray, you better give me a good explanation as to why you let those two leave the house.¡±


    ¡°Alone. In the pouring rain. At night.¡±


    With each pause the temperature within the room became colder and chillier to the point that condensation could be seen just from his breathing.


    Knowing if he didn¡¯t give her a satisfied answer, he¡¯ll most likely be sleeping on the couch tonight he sighed and tried to reassure her.


    ¡°Arthur is our son I wouldn¡¯t let him get into danger, besides it¡¯s just a short walk within the area of the church to look at a meteorite. With Shelly alongside him there¡¯s nothing to be worried about.¡± He said confidently.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good enough answer Samuel.¡± She said not holding in her anger.


    The temperature within the room got colder as frost started to appear on the walls and covering Samuel in a blanket of it.


    Shuddering from the cold, Samuel pulled himself together and replied, ¡°I know, I couldn¡¯t think of a good answer, I was once a curious boy like him going out on adventures and disobeying my parents, it¡¯s what made me the man I am today and I don¡¯t regret any decisions I¡¯ve ever made¡± he bluntly stated as he looked lovingly at his wife caressing her hand within his.


    The chill within the room receded and the temperature started warming up, however it was not enough. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping on the couch tonight.¡± Angel bluntly replied before kicking him out of the room and slamming the door on his face.


    ¡°No! Please! Angel I¡¯m sorry I was wrong! I¡¯m sorry, I regret my decision! I won¡¯t do it again...¡± A man groveling at the front of the door to his own room was a sight to see.


    Laying back down on the bed, Angel with her head rested on the pillow and away from the door, A teasing smile appeared on her face as she closed her eyes before drifting away to sleep.


    <hr>


    Footsteps splatter the water from the ground as the pair slowly made their way down the road towards the area of the church. Everything around them familiar yet, eerily different.


    ¡°Sh-sh-Shelly, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever walked around at night hu-huh?¡± Arthur stuttered half from cold half from nervous fright.


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t, but it¡¯s alright the church is only about 20 minutes ahead as long as we stay on the road.¡± Shelly calmly replied.


    ¡°How come you¡¯re so calm right now? Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± Regaining some energy Arthur asked.


    ¡°Why should we be scared? Everyone is asleep and inside away from the rain, this is probably the safest we¡¯ll ever be at night.¡± Her answer was filled with credibility.


    ¡°What about ghosts and monsters, like the demon in the west and the ghost of the eastern plains?¡± Arthur asked remembering the stories his father used to tell him before bed.


    Sigh


    ¡°Those are just names of people hundreds of years ago during the time of war, a title because of what they¡¯ve done. There aren¡¯t any demons, ghosts and monsters in the world, the scariest monsters are humans.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The pair continued their questions and answer with Arthur asking all the questions and Shelly having every answer until they¡¯ve reached a fork in the road. On the left is a mountainous trail leading them to the next village, and on the right leads straight into the forested area of the church. Taking steady footsteps, the two walks towards the right.


    Trees began appearing on the sides of the road blanketing the pathway in dense leaves indicating the that they are getting closer to the church. The minuscule amount of light they had prior walking, disappeared the deeper they went.


    ¡°Sh-shelly, I c-can¡¯t see anything, where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right beside you, here hold my hand I¡¯ll lead the way.¡± Shelly reached out her hand to grab his.


    ¡°Shelly.¡± Holding her warm palm in his Arthur followed along asking her questions.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She replied.


    ¡°Can you see in the dark?¡±


    ¡°Sort of, yes, my eyes are able to see a lot better than others even at night.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool! I wonder what my eyes can do...¡± He began to imagine before he turned his head to her.


    ¡°I never asked but, how come you know so much?¡± Arthur couldn¡¯t wait in anticipation as he kept with his questions.


    ¡°My memory is also better than others, I just need to see something to remember it. Anyways, we¡¯re almost there I can see the church.¡± Shelly pulled Arthur along quickening the pace, no more questions to be asked.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The silhouette of the church came into view, a castle-like structure secluded within the forest away from the cities and town. A beautiful garden with hedges taller than the average adult, surrounding the pathway towards the entrance with 5-meter statues of angels on either side of the enormous door. Normally, the church is a highly secured area outside of Sunday¡¯s prayer however, since ending the war, their personnel has yet to come back.


    Creeaak


    The giant door of the church slowly opens creating an unsettling noise as a person walked out with an umbrella in his hand.


    ¡°Is that his holiness?¡± Arthur made a guess.


    ¡°Shh, that¡¯s Michael, why is he outside right now? Shelly replied while covering Arthur¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Michael eh? Let me go talk to him and have him lead us to the shooting star¡± Arthur replied softly pushing aside Shelly¡¯s hand.


    ¡°No, we shouldn¡¯t even be out right now, if you go to Michael, he¡¯ll take us home and tell your father instead. Let¡¯s sneak around him the meteorite should be behind the church past that tall tower.¡± Shelly pointed at a towering structure at the end of the church¡¯s courtyard.


    The church contains 4 towering structures at the corner of it used as post to watch for intruders, however there is no sentry or guards currently so sneaking past Michael should be a cinch.


    Rustle rustle


    ¡°Hey, who¡¯s there!?¡±


    ¡°Shit¡± Arthur quickly silenced himself as his shirt accidently got tugged by the branches of the hedges.


    ¡°Shh¡± motions Shelly as she puts a finger in her mouth slowly pulling Arthur to skirt around Michael towards the tower.


    Slowly walking over to the direction of the noise Michael looks between the hedges only to see no one there.


    Scratching his head in confusion ¡°I must¡¯ve been hearing things¡±


    Sigh


    Glancing back at the entrance of the church and cooling down underneath the rainfall Michael murmurs ¡°How much longer will it take for me to get you out¡­?¡±


    <hr>


    Hurried footsteps eventually reached the side of the tower, the two kids are now wet from hiding the umbrella to escape the Michael as they were running through the wind and rain.


    ¡°Sh-Sh-Shelly, I-I¡¯m c-co-cold.¡±


    Shivering from the wind and rain Arthur started to regret not putting on a raincoat before heading out.


    Puffing back out the umbrella and shielding him from the rain, Shelly asks in concern ¡°Do you want to go back home? We can go back home right now if you want.¡± However, looking at the determination in his eyes she already knew the answer when asking.


    ¡°How can I when we¡¯re so close to seeing the shooting star? If I see it maybe I can make my wish come true.¡±


    ¡°You have a wish? What is it?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you, if I tell my wish it won¡¯t come true!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a kid.¡± She said.


    ¡°So are you. Now quickly, quickly where do we go next, over there?¡± Arthur pointed in a random direction.


    Pointing in the opposite direction of where Arthur pointed Shelly replied, ¡°We go that way¡±


    Still incapable of moving; Boss, the fallen immortal that can¡¯t get up recognizes the trouble he is currently in. The depression he created landing is slowly starting to fill up with water, if rain continues to pour, he¡¯ll drown to death by morning with no one noticing.


    ¡°Ah, shit c¡¯mon little kiddos c¡¯mere already why¡¯re you so far away?¡±


    Exaggerating with his head slightly raised. Looking in the general direction that the children are coming from, Boss is already thinking about how to make himself look cool in front of these youngsters. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t realize one of them is smart and cautious of him before the other could get to run forward.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, I can see the pit up ahead!¡± Arthur exclaimed in excitement.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Shelly put her arm across his chest halting his advances.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Shelly?¡±


    ¡°Something doesn¡¯t feel right¡± She said with unease as she stared towards the direction of Boss¡¯ pit.


    ¡°What do you mean? The shooting star! The shooting star is right there!¡± Arthur said while pointing at the pit in the distance.


    ¡°That meteorite is weird.¡± She said.


    ¡°What do you mean the shooting star is weird?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Normally when shooting stars fall into the earth atmosphere, they¡¯ll either break into fragments before disintegrating or if they do land there would be a bright light. If they do make landfall the burst of bright light would show signs of slowing down. She began explaining her reasoning. She had a haunch earlier that it was abnormal, but since it was just a haunch, she paid it no mind.


    ¡°Uh huh¡± Arthur replied pretending to understand.


    ¡°However, this thing here didn¡¯t do any of that. We saw it in the evening and when I remembered it, it didn¡¯t break into fragments nor did it glow brightly and slowed down as it plunged into the ground.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see, so it¡¯s a super meteor¡­something?¡± He guessed.


    ¡°No, what I¡¯m saying is that it is small based on the depression it made; however, it was bright enough and fast enough to make it onto the ground without breaking. This means it¡¯s super hard.


    ¡°So, it is super?¡± He felt like he was right.


    ¡°Maybe, let me finish.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡±


    ¡°The biggest issue none of that at all, the closer we get the more I feel¡­ uncomfortable.¡± She said with some unease in her voice.


    ¡°Maybe, you¡¯re just feeling excited and happy to see it?¡± He tried to reason.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, it¡¯s a feeling I get only when there is something dangerous up ahead. Something dangerous and living up ahead.¡± She can feel it. The powers she had is capable of sensing hidden threats.


    ¡°What do you mean living? How can a star be living?¡± Arthur continued asking questions after every sentence.


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, rocks shouldn¡¯t be alive, and if it was harmful in some other way, I would notice that too, yet this thing there is making me feel uncomfortable in the way it is to a living creature.¡± Shelly tried to explain.


    ¡°Wh-what should we do?¡± He asked slightly startled now.


    ¡°We should turn back and inform your parents.¡± Shelly proposes.


    ¡°But if it is something living it might be injured or dead right? I mean if it fell from the sky it¡¯s probably really hurt.¡± Arthur reasoned.


    ¡°It¡¯s still alive, that I¡¯m sure of.¡± Shelly replied.


    ¡°Then we gotta go to it! It¡¯s injured because if it wasn¡¯t injured it would¡¯ve left already.¡± Arthur believed in his reasoning.


    Pondering for a moment Shelly replies, ¡°That is true, however it could also be an egg of an alien creature and that¡¯s why it¡¯s not moving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s even better if it is an egg we can hatch it and if we¡¯re the first that they see we¡¯ll be its parents! They can¡¯t hurt us.¡± Excitedly replied Arthur using earth logic on things alien.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go look at it slowly, if it¡¯s scary we¡¯ll run away, if it¡¯s an egg we¡¯ll see if we can hatch it.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡±


    ¡°Shh¡­¡±


    While the two kids finally formed a plan of action and are steadily walking towards Boss, he however, is feeling miserable. He wished he can scream at them right now and tell them to hurry up, but he is incapable of doing so. His once confident and dignified persona he tried to show them came crumbling down. The water is already starting to flow into his mouth even with his head raised. Only a few more gasps of air before his entire body is sunk underneath the meter sized pool of water.


    Gasp


    ¡°¡­Oh, fucking shit¡­¡±


    Blub blub blub


    The moment the two kids finally arrived at the edge of the pit; all they saw was a single hand weakly raised out of the water pleading for help.

 3. Hurry let鈥檚 save it!

    Chapter 3. Hurry let¡¯s save it!


    <hr>


    ¡°Hurry let¡¯s save it!¡± Exclaimed Arthur rushing ahead of Shelly into the near meter (3 feet) deep pool of water.


    Splash


    The amount of water quickly rose up to above his waist the moment he hopped into the pool of water.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry alien creature I¡¯ll save you!¡± Shouted Arthur as he rushes towards the waning hand attempting to pull it up like a sword embedded into a stone. However, for a weak 10yr old boy he is not capable of lifting the entire weight of an adult.


    ¡°Shelly, it¡¯s too heavy! I need help!¡±


    Looking over the edge of the pool of water Shelly contemplated before hopping into it too.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find its head if it¡¯s drowning, we need to at least let it breathe, keep pulling!¡± Answered Shelly as she rushes past the arm towards the head.


    Taking a couple of deep breaths before finally calming herself she reached her hands into the water.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it, please don¡¯t bite me, we¡¯re only trying to save you¡± she quietly whispered in a soft voice hoping it¡¯ll understand as she begins lifting its head up.


    ¡°It¡¯s a person!¡± Shelly exclaimed as she finally exposed the head above water.


    ¡°What!? A person!?¡± replied Arthur as he kept pulling on the arm.


    Spitting out the water followed by a huge gasp of air, Boss inwardly thanked them for making it on time before trying to get himself up with the help of their assistance.


    Little by little with Arthur pulling the arm and Shelly pushing the back Boss managed to stand up out of the pool of water before falling face first onto the flat ground. Continuously gasping painful breaths of fresh air like a fish out of water, Boss finally managed to recollect himself before exhaustion took hold. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.


    The dark rainclouds in the skies began to disperse revealing a bright moonlight underneath. The once heavy rain that had occur slowly diminished to a trickle.


    ¡°We did it! I can¡¯t believe a guy like that was drowning, is he an alien that is weak to water?¡± Wondered Arthur because anyone almost twice their height should have been able to easily walk out of the pool of water on the ground.


    ¡°He¡¯s most likely injured like you said, he probably couldn¡¯t move.¡± Replied Shelly picking up the umbrella and squatting down beside Boss¡¯ face.


    ¡°He looks like a Exotic¡± She calmly said before shocked by what she saw ¡°his hair is black!¡± she continues completely unsure if what she said was correct.


    ¡°Lemme see, lemme see¡± Arthur excitedly hurried towards Boss¡¯ face and squatted down to have a closer look.


    ¡°Wow! He does look like an Exotic¡±


    Peeling open the eyelids to see if Shelly¡¯s hunch was correct. He exclaimed ¡°You¡¯re right! He does look like one! He as black eyes too!¡± Arthur exclaimed excitedly before slowly muttering ¡°But he¡¯s just a human¡± with a slightly depressed voice realizing that there was no shooting star or fallen meteorite but a human that was laying in the pit.


    ¡°We¡¯re not too sure about that yet.¡± Shelly replied calming herself down, turning her eyes between the sleeping person and the pit of water that was on the ground.


    ¡°Huh, but he looks like a person?¡± Asked Arthur confused as to what Shelly meant.


    ¡°Wrong, he looks like an Exotic.¡±


    ¡°Same thing isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Shelly calmly explained to Arthur who was squatting beside her about how normally an Exotic wouldn¡¯t have mattered. However, Exotics were kept hidden by their kingdoms and wouldn¡¯t be out stuck in a pit. Also, ones she¡¯s read and heard about while slightly different in looks none of them has ever shown to have black hair and black eyes.


    She continues to explain about the size of the person and the pit on the ground beside them, she speculates that he may have been the thing that had fallen from the sky and landed onto the ground while staying intact.


    She concludes by pointing at the clothing he¡¯s wearing it¡¯s not made of material and fabric she¡¯s ever seen, it¡¯s soft as cotton yet strong as steel showing no signs of tearing or being soaked in water.


    Finishing her explanation, she continues looking at the sleeping fellow on the ground while deep in thought.


    ¡°What do we do now, he looks to be sleeping?¡± Asks Arthur completely reliant on Shelly for the answers tonight.


    ¡°Hmm, we¡¯ll need to go back home and get more people to carry him we¡¯ve only managed to push him out of the pit so he won¡¯t drown, but we can¡¯t carry him back with just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Okay let¡¯s do that, I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Leaving the sleeping immortal alone the two backtracked their way home with a bright moonlight over the skies the way back was less scary and uneventful as what had transpired.


    The moment they returned to the house; Benjamin could be seen standing at the front door as if already expecting them. The sight of Benjamin already made Arthur gulped in anxiousness, knowing that his sneak attempt has been realized by his parents. However, to his surprise his father came up to them with an amused smile and asked him how it went.


    In his excited manner he attempted to go over what happened using both words and gestures to explain.


    ¡°Shooting star! It was dark! Rain! And then clouds, I couldn¡¯t see. Michael. Exotic Alien! Drowning. We need help!¡±


    Achoo, sniff


    Arthur terribly tried to say everything that was on his mind, yet his mouth couldn¡¯t keep up with everything he wanted to say eventually sneezing from being wet.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Nodding his head knowingly Samuel Galafray informed Benjamin to take Arthur back and prepare a hot bath for him. Both he and Angel turned to look at Shelly.


    Scratching his head in confusion ¡°Alright now that Arthur is gone, can you tell me what he was talking about? I understand shooting star, rain and Michael? But what the heck was he talking about with an Exotic Alien? what help do you need?


    Shelly quickly summarized what had occurred, but the moment she mentioned she felt uncomfortable a serious look was shown on the face of both the father and mother duo. Once the summary ended the entire room fell silent.


    After a while with the same serious look on his face Samuel eventually asked. ¡°How uncomfortable were you? Are you sure he had black hair and eyes?¡±


    Knowing what he meant Shelly replied, ¡°No one else came close to making me feel that uncomfortable. Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± he asks her.


    ¡°We should bring him back, while he is extremely dangerous, he didn¡¯t seem to bore any malice towards us.¡± Shelly bluntly stated her opinion.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Angel intervened with a serious and concern tone to her voice.


    ¡°Yes. We did save him after all.¡±


    Sigh


    Samuel and Angel finally let the little girl go take her own bath before they turned to look at each other.


    Rubbing his forehead and tired eyes ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting this when I allowed for them to sneak out. I more so wasn¡¯t expecting Shelly to feel uncomfortable either. Gah, we¡¯re bringing in trouble if we save that person.¡±


    ¡°Well what¡¯re you going to do about it? You can only blame yourself for this mess¡± Angel retorted still slightly annoyed he allowed for them to disobey her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ignore him and go to sleep¡± He jokingly replied as he headed towards their bedroom.


    ¡°Samuel¡­¡± A cold chill crept up on his back as he stopped in place and turned around to see an angry glare from his wife. Running back in front of her he quietly responded ¡°I uhh¡­ I was just kidding ahaha¡±


    ¡°Be more serious about this our kids could be in danger.¡± Angel pouted softly punching his shoulder.


    ¡°I think¡­ we should agree with Shelly. When I found her during the war...¡± He sighed shaking his head recalling the events that transpired during the war before continuing ¡°If she wanted to, she would¡¯ve brought that man back herself. Her coming to us without him is because of Arthur and to let us make the decision.¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll agree. I too think we should bring him back¡± Angel complied.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go get him back.¡± Said Samuel.


    ¡°We¡¯re going together¡± Angel quickly corrected.


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Together.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Helpless Samuel could only submit and zip up his raincoat with his right arm carrying a large umbrella. With his left arm he motioned shadows hidden around the estate to follow suit. Angel quickly linked her arm to his right and rested her head on his shoulder. Under the bright glow of the moonlight the couple quickly disappeared towards the direction of where Boss is sleeping.


    A romantic scenic walk under the bright moonlit night between the two effortlessly arrived in front of Boss within a matter of minutes. Looking at the sleeping immortal on the ground the two were at a loss for words.


    ¡°Never would I have thought that there was a person who actually had black hair, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever heard and seen of such a thing.¡± Samuel slowly started to make his observation.


    Crouching down and prodding and poking at the unconscious bleeding figure he continues, ¡°He looks to be physically injured, broken pieces and fragments in every single place, it¡¯s a miracle he¡¯s even alive right now and even more so, sleeping so soundly.¡±


    ¡°How are his eyes, are they black too?¡± Angel squatted down beside him while giving a curious look.


    Answering Angel¡¯s question Samuel slowly peeled open the eyelid upwards they both exclaimed in shock, his eyes were black.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I was already anticipating this when Shelly told us but seeing it in person¡­ wow.¡±


    ¡°Well? Are you having second thoughts now?¡± Angel said teasing him.


    ¡°Honestly, yes ahaha! Can¡¯t we just kill him?¡± Samuel jokingly said as he continues poking at the sleeping person.


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know~ He¡¯s quite cute let¡¯s bring him back home¡± She said continuing her tease.


    Flared up Samuel began jabbing at the body harder and harder ¡°You better not dare mess with my woman you punk.¡±


    ¡°Stop that.¡± Angel pushed his finger away before turning serious ¡°It¡¯s better to not let anyone else know about this.¡± Angel continued.


    Nodding his head in serious confirmation ¡°Alright.¡±


    Getting back up from their squatting position Samuel motioned the shadows to converge and properly placed Boss on a stretcher. Four people covered completely in pitch black appeared with two on respective sides of Boss. After covering him up in a cloth they lifted him up onto the stretcher, carrying him slowly back following the couple that was walking away from the scene.


    This time their scenic walk took almost an hour on their way back as they enjoyed the pale moonlight and the drizzle from the rain. The atmosphere was the definition of a young couple enjoying themselves taking slow walk home loving each other¡¯s company, if only there wasn¡¯t four people carrying a stretcher with a covered-up body slowly following behind them barely 4 meters apart.


    <hr>


    After taking a nice hot bath Arthur in his pajamas looked around the house before wandering around looking for Shelly.


    ¡°Shelly~¡± Arthur began knocking on her door.


    Opening the door, the refreshed Shelly in her pajamas still currently drying up her hair replied ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Shelly! Where is everyone?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Most of the servants and maids went back to sleep when we came back, your mom and dad went out to look at the person.¡±


    ¡°Are they bringing him back?¡± Arthur inquired with a hopeful look on his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, most likely¡± Shelly truly was unsure whether they¡¯ll bring him back, even though she gave her opinion on the matter they¡¯re still the deciding factor on whether he¡¯ll be brought back or buried.


    ¡°I hope he¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t want an alien we found to die just like that¡± Arthur said before closing his eyes completely immersed in his own thoughts and fantasy about how cool it was to have an alien living with them. He was imagining Boss growing extra appendages and transforming into other weird creatures that he¡¯ll practice his swordsmanship on.


    ¡°Haha, take that! And that, hiyah!¡± Arthur continued spouting while swinging his arm around.


    Facepalming herself Shelly tossed the towel drying her hair aside and before walking towards the entrance and opening it up.


    ¡°Shelly?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re back¡± she replied pointing at the silhouettes coming into view cuddling each other.


    ¡°Mom! Dad!¡± Arthur waved at them inside the house not wanting to run outside during the rain and getting wet again.


    They both waved back before stepping foot back into the house. Looking at the hopeful face of his son his Samuel showed a sorrowful one.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that person you guys found, he was completely injured with external and internal injuries everywhere.¡± He sighed before continuing ¡°When we found him, he was still as a statue face first into the ground¡­¡± slowly letting his voice trail before shaking his head in disappointment making way for the stretcher carrying the covered body come into view.


    Distraught at what he had heard and then seeing the covered body carried on the stretcher Arthur completely stood in place. Frozen.


    Wahh


    ¡°Wahh, my alien! My wish! Shooting star. Nooo! Arthur began crying as he rushed towards the stretcher.


    ¡°I was gonna, I was gonna, play and he was gonna, grow arms, and, and, hiyah¡± he continues crying while motioning the things he would have done with Boss.


    He continued to cry as the stretcher got carried further inside before it got placed down on the ground inside one of their empty rooms. The four people that placed them down vanished without a trace.


    The moment the stretcher got placed Arthur knelt in front of it and cried ¡°I¡¯m sorry alien if only I found you sooner.¡± His head digging into the body wiping away his snot and eyes on the cloth that covered the body.


    Tired of seeing her son cry Angel glared at Samuel before turning her head away and rushing to Arthur¡¯s side she began rubbing his back to calm him down.


    ¡°Mom! He¡¯s dead¡­ he¡¯s dead¡­¡± Arthur muttered as he still in complete distraught.


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead.¡± Shelly calmly replied before pulling open the cover.

 4. Hes...?

    4. He''s...?


    <hr>


    ¡°He-he¡¯s n-not dead?¡± Arthur stuttered while wiping away the snot from his sleeve.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s still breathing.¡± Shelly replied while pointing at Boss¡¯ mouth and chest showing signs that he¡¯s still breathing and is just unconsciously asleep.


    After knowing that Boss is alive and well Arthur became excited and hopped around like a silly kid, until the two youngsters were shooed away from the room in order to let Boss rest. The parents still inside continued their observation of Boss in the well-lit room.


    ¡°Tsk. He¡¯s dirty. He¡¯s not that handsome, and he¡¯s covered in his own blood.¡± Said Samuel after a better observation of Boss. He¡¯s still jealous by what Angel said about Boss being handsome earlier.


    ¡°In fact, he¡¯s probably the ugliest person I¡¯ve ever seen, look at that face have you seen a more messed up looking face like that before? My god even when I was in the war those dead bodies on the ground looked better than this by miles.¡± Continued Samuel not giving a proper observation of Boss.


    ¡°Like look at him, so unsightly. Oh, and his smell, like what is that?¡± Said Samuel with his fingers pressed on his nose.


    Knowing he won¡¯t stop saying negative things about Boss unless she shuts him up Angel pulled him close and gave him a meaningful kiss before looking back at broken body on the ground. A flush of blush can be seen on her face too, as she keeps her head turned away from Samuel.


    Fluttering with happiness Samuel calmed himself before giving a slight cough.


    ¡°I¡¯m not wrong. He is a mess it¡¯s a miracle he¡¯s alive.¡± Samuel said, calmly giving his observation.


    ¡°We should do something about his injuries before he actually croaks.¡± He continued before calling for Benjamin.


    Carrying in various gauzes and medical tools Benjamin kneeled before the body.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take half a month before I can fully recover his injuries. However, I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll awake.¡± Benjamin stated after checking Boss¡¯ pulse and overviewing his body.


    ¡°Thank you, Benjamin we¡¯ll leave him in your care.¡± Angel said before getting up and walking to the bedroom.


    ¡°Yes, thank you Benjamin¡± Samuel repeated before chasing after Angel. However, before he could make it out of the room, he heard their bedroom door close and locked. Halting before the exit he lowered his head in depression.


    ¡°Sir, the extra blankets are in the dresser beside the couch. I¡¯ll need to begin immediately on first aid, so I can¡¯t prepare the couch for you.¡± Benjamin bluntly stated before preparing to work on the body.


    Helpless, Samuel sighed before walking over to the couch and pulling out the blanket from the dresser. He could have gone to other vacant bedrooms to sleep since their home is a mansion, but the couch is the closest to their bedroom which is why he sleeps there whenever Angel kicks him out.


    Before the sunlight began to rise Arthur rushed out of his bedroom towards where Boss is lying asleep. Running by his father in the sofa without even sparing him a passing glance he made it to the guest bedroom door. However, seeing the sign in saying [Do not Enter] front of the door and the sounds of drills and hammers coming from behind the room he was extremely hesitant to even peek. He could only dejectedly wait until he was allowed in.


    Days came and went until a week passed by; Benjamin was surprisingly done after just 3 days of nonstop work, but he barred anyone from entering for a week to make sure that nothing went wrong. Today, entry was allowed. Arthur was the first to rush into the room to have a look at his alien however, to his disappointment all he saw was a human body covered entirely in bandages.


    ¡°Is he underneath that?¡± Arthur pointed at the bandaged person.


    ¡°Yep¡± Benjamin replied.


    ¡°Can he even breathe? How does he eat? How does he pee?¡± Arthur continues to barrage Benjamin with questions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I made it so that he won¡¯t feel hungry, or need to use the restroom before he and can move again.¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Said Arthur surprised about not needing to eat or pee ¡°Can you do it to me?¡±


    ¡°I can, but it you won¡¯t like it.¡± Said Benjamin.


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°You see those tubes underneath the bandages at his mouth and below his waist?¡± Benjamin replied while pointing at areas.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where he¡¯ll breathe from, and that¡¯s where he¡¯ll pee and poop. He won¡¯t be getting any hard food besides just water and other stuff to just keep him nourished. The food will become waste and be excreted through the tube where we¡¯ll collect and throw it away.¡± Benjamin calmly stated.


    ¡°Eww¡± Arthur replied.


    ¡°Oh, and, removing the tube from your butt is going to hurt a lot. Do you still want it done for you?¡± Benjamin continued.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°No way!¡± Arthur adamantly refused.


    The other members of the family slowly walked into the room to have a look at the bandaged person on the ground. Samuel, too, asked Benjamin the questions Arthur had asked and was given the same response. Angel and Shelly however, observed the body trying to sense what was happening underneath all the bandages. A surprised look appeared on the face of Angel as she turned to ask Benjamin.


    ¡°How did you manage to heal him so well; I can¡¯t seem to find any signs of the damages he took last week?¡± Angel said.


    Unsure of how he should answer Benjamin slowly told what had occurred when he began treatment of Boss.


    ¡°In the beginning, I was treating the patient with my utmost effort in making sure that he can be patched up and well. Normally, I can fully recover a person like this within a month. However, on the second day as I was working on him, his body started repairing faster than my own attempt at saving his life, it was visibly patching up the damage through the naked eye. So, in the end I just sat there and watched over him as he recovered by himself. By the third day there wasn¡¯t a single broken bone or mark on his face.¡±


    ¡°Why is he bandaged up then?¡± Samuel interjected in confusion.


    ¡°He creeped me out with his abnormal healing, so I bandaged him up.¡± Benjamin said with a straight face.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cough


    ¡°So, the tubes that are attached to him is really because he¡¯s in a coma and requires it¡­right?¡± Samuel asks hesitantly unsure how Benjamin will respond.


    ¡°Yes of course, he definitely needs the tubes attached in order to breathe and poop.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and he¡¯s also still wearing his wardrobe underneath, since he wasn¡¯t profusely bleeding anywhere, I just washed it and put them back on him. So, no worries of naked encounters.¡±


    With a sigh of relief from Samuel, he asked a few more miscellaneous questions regarding the past week and about Boss¡¯ situation before telling everyone to leave the room so Boss can recover.


    Days continue to pass by as people in the house returned to doing their normal routine. Arthur begins the day enjoying a light snack before training with Samuel. He¡¯s currently learning martial arts along with basic weapon training with various weaponry. Of course, with his current age every weapon is dulled or wooden to prevent injury.


    Shelly and Angel, however, started their morning doing the cooking and preparing for lunch. Even though their house has maids and servants for the chores they don¡¯t have a chef because Angel prefers to cook herself.


    After lunch Arthur and Shelly have free time to do whatever they want until dinner. Sometimes Shelly will assist Angel with the dinner meals, but most of the time she¡¯s beside Arthur in their walks around the town of Rouge. With their home built on the edge of town closer to the church and trail to the village over the mountains Arthur and Shelly spends most of their time exploring the entirety of the town.


    In the beginning when Arthur was allowed outside along with Shelly, he was confused about why most of the townspeople had brown hair. In fact, little did he know, most of the world started out with brown hair and brown eyes. Only through training their mind and body will their hair and eye become a different color.


    Through training their body people¡¯s hair will become red, blue, or green. Training their mind will result in the change of their eye color to magenta, cyan, or yellow. However, there is a third variance in colors such as Arthur¡¯s family who aren¡¯t born with the normal brown hair and brown eyes. People who are born with these traits aren¡¯t constrained by the rules of red, blue and green nor magenta, cyan and yellow when it comes to their appearance. They are called The Exotics with innate skills and ability unique to each person.


    Because of his unique looks Arthur enjoys walking around town with Shelly, peacocking and enjoying people¡¯s reaction to his silver hair and green eyes. Since time immemorial Exotics are worshipped as gift of the Gods and are believed to bring joy and prosperity to anyone who met them. With Arthur¡¯s carefree and innocent behavior along with Shelly¡¯s calm and mature demeanor, the townspeople are always excited to interact with them. However, constantly being stopped by the adoring townspeople their progress to explore the entire town isn¡¯t much.


    ¡°Shelly, let¡¯s go all the way to the other side of town today!¡± Arthur said with conviction.


    ¡°Hm? Why?¡± Shelly replied.


    ¡°Cause~ I wanna! We¡¯ve only seen half the town so far, let¡¯s go see the other half today!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon let¡¯s go!¡± Arthur interrupted before pulling her along outside the house and into the street.


    ¡°Hi Mrs. Tamarind, how¡¯s your husband today?¡± Arthur greeted an old grandma sitting on her rocking chair in front of her porch, as he passed by her home. She was an old grandma with brown hair and circular glasses for her brown eyes.


    The old grandma turned her head slowly towards Arthur and squinted her eyes through her glasses, ¡°Oh! It¡¯s Arthur, how are you dear?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine Mrs. Tamarind, is Mr. Tamarind doing well today?¡± Arthur repeated his question.


    ¡°He¡¯s doing better, doctor expect that he¡¯ll make a full recovery soon. Won¡¯t you two come in say hi, he¡¯ll love to see you two again.¡± She asks as she continued to rock her chair and forth.


    ¡°Sorry Mrs. Tamarind, not today, I¡¯ll visit soon!¡± Arthur replied.


    ¡°Aw, alright I¡¯ll let him know. Where are you two going today?¡±


    ¡°To the edge of the world!¡± Arthur said excitedly.


    ¡°Oh my.¡± Mrs. Tamarind gave him a look of astonishment.


    ¡°He means to the other side of town; we haven¡¯t been there yet.¡± Shelly interpreted.


    ¡°Ah, okay. Be careful though, I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s a weird creature over there causing a ruckus.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡± Arthur said as he continues to pull Shelly along the street moving at a brisk pace off into the distance.


    ¡°Ah¡­ youth, so much energy.¡± Mrs. Tamarind eyes linger on the two kids disappearing off into the distance, before slowly closing her eyes leaning back on her rocking chair as it rocked back and forth.


    Continuing to pull Shelly along Arthur made it further towards the center of the town before suddenly coming to a halt.


    ¡°Wait. Didn¡¯t Mrs. Tamarind say there¡¯s a weird creature on the other side of town?¡± Arthur turned to ask Shelly.


    ¡°Yeah, she said there was a weird creature causing a ruckus over there.¡± Shelly replied


    ¡°Shoot! I should¡¯ve asked what it looked like.¡± Arthur said.


    ¡°Hm, why?¡±


    ¡°I uh, just wanna know¡± Arthur said seemingly trying to hide something.


    ¡°We can just go ask someone when we¡¯re there about it, if Mrs. Tamarind said it¡¯s causing a ruckus people are sure to have some news about how it looks like.¡± Shelly calmly replied.


    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go!¡± Arthur energetically continues marching forward.


    The two little youngsters began asking those within the central marketplace about the strange creature on the other side of town however, their answers were drastically different each time. One person said it was a scary animal with glowing red eyes that¡¯ll drive a person insane if they see it. While another said it¡¯s just a big dog eating all their vegetables. One person even said it was a small bird that¡¯ll appear on your shoulder and whisper derogatory terms in their ears.

 5. What kind of freaking creature is this?

    Chapter 5. What kind of freaking creature is this?


    <hr>


    ¡°What kind of freaking creature is this? How can it be a red eyed monster, a dog that eats vegetable and a bird that tells you you¡¯re ugly?¡± exclaimed Arthur exasperated by the responses he got.


    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s just look around¡­¡± Shelly is unsure if what the people are spouting is nonsense. The only way for them to know exactly what it is, is to see it with their own two eyes.


    The kids spent most of the afternoon running around the eastern half of the town looking for signs of the creature and asking more questions related to it. Every townsperson looked at them with admiration and excitement in their eyes. However, their response was always the same; completely different than the others. The only detail that remained the same was that instead of just one animal there were two, one chasing the other.


    Eventually, it was time to head home.


    Empty handed with no clear clue as to what the creature or creatures were. Dinner was silent with Arthur continuously grumbling about the animals while munching on his dinner. Samuel and Angel tried asking him questions, but he continued to spout nonsensical things about animals doing weird things.


    Maybe I should get him a pet? They both thought to themselves. Eventually, forming a plan of motion in their mind of getting him a pet tomorrow so that he¡¯ll be happy. Completely positive that this is what he wants.


    Dejected Arthur went to bed with only the thought of finding those strange creatures tomorrow.


    However, the next day proved to be uneventful as the first, Shelly and Arthur went back to the eastern side of town asking the townspeople even more questions about the creatures and when it was last spotted. The tragic conclusion that they found out was that the two creatures haven¡¯t been spotted in town since a week ago, they just mysteriously disappeared.


    Sitting at the dinner table with an even more somber and dejected appearance fiercely ripping a piece chicken leg with his mouth. His parents eventually brought up yesterday¡¯s dinner.


    ¡°Ahem, my son, yesterday you seemed a bit moody about not having a pet, right?¡± Samuel curiously looked at Arthur to see a sign of agreement.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right you wanted a pet?¡± Angel repeated too, looking at Arthur.


    ¡°Well, if I had FOUND it. I would¡¯ve made it a pet, yeah. Freaking dog, cat, bird whatever it was.¡± Arthur replied still annoyed that he missed out on it.


    However, from his response his parents smile grew brighter.


    ¡°Well I saw, that you were talking about a vegetarian dog, so I went to the kennel yesterday and asked if they had something weird like that.¡± Arthur¡¯s ear perked up to Samuel¡¯s response.


    ¡°However, they told me that all dogs are omnivorous and eats both meat and plants, so I got you coolest one. They found it awhile back and apparently it became the group leader at the kennel.¡± Arthur¡¯s ears became dejected however he was interested.


    ¡°Wait, you bought him a pet too?¡± Angel interjected with a curious look. She too bought him a pet.


    ¡°Too?¡± Samuel said with an equally curious look on his face.


    ¡°My cat is the best thing ever; I went to the eastern part of town that Arthur was talking about yesterday and visited their kennel. There is a cat there that is so friendly, it got along with all the animals. It is super cute plus it reminds me of Arthur.¡± Angel beamed with lovely smile.


    ¡°Well, my dog is cooler, the moment brought it out of the kennel all the other dogs bowed in worship.¡± Samuel said boasting that his pet is better.


    ¡°My cat when I bought it made all the other animals at the kennel cry, like they were saying farewell to a friend.¡± Angel argued back not to be outdone.


    Not wanting to let his parents argue about the pets they got for him, Arthur interrupted their boasting match saying that he¡¯ll get both. A dog and a cat? Could they really get along? His parents weren¡¯t sure.


    However, they agreed to see if it was possible and called for Benjamin to bring out the cages. What was shocking was that both the cage for the dog and cat was extremely small fit for the size of puppy and kitten.


    The first cage to open was Angel¡¯s cat. A little innocent kitten with silver fur and bright green eyes indeed resembled Arthur at a glance. Shelly¡¯s cool and calm demeanor when seeing it perked up, she immediately reached out to hold it. It enthusiastically walked into her palm as she picked it up.


    ¡°Meow¡± Shelly meowed at the kitten.


    ¡°Mew¡± It replied.


    A very satisfied smile beamed on Shelly¡¯s face as she hugged it between her chest.


    Arthur came near the kitten and gave it a curious look. It too looked at Arthur before turning its head back at Shelly closing its eyes as it began to purr in content.


    ¡°It looks like it likes you more, I¡¯ll let you have it.¡± Said Arthur with a bright smile as he spoke to Shelly. He preferred a pet dog anyways.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Shelly nodded her head in agreement.


    With a self-satisfied smile on his face too, Samuel smirked at Angel before he looked towards the puppy¡¯s cage.


    ¡°Oh Benjamin~ Bring out the little pupper and show Arthur his new pet.¡± A victorious tone of voice can be heard from Samuel as Benjamin opened the cage to reveal the puppy.


    A miniature labradoodle covered in beautiful golden fur walked out with firm and aloof steps commanding attention to all who was looking at it.


    Arthur knelt towards the puppy in front of him with his palm spread out hoping it¡¯ll walk into it like Shelly¡¯s kitten. However, the labradoodle just stood there and maintained its aloof and unexpressive manner completely ignoring Arthur¡¯s presence.


    A muffled sound of laugher can be heard from Angel as she covered her mouth while she looked at the now sweating Samuel. Did you think you¡¯ve already won? A teasing smirk can be seen on Angel¡¯s face. Wiping the sweat away from his forehead Samuel knelt beside Arthur.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, if you don¡¯t want the puppy, we can return it tomorrow for another one¡± Samuel said with a dejected hint to his voice.


    However, Arthur kept his eyes glued on the labradoodle and woofed at it.


    ¡°Bark!¡± The labradoodle replied with commanding authority seemingly to try and silence Arthur. However, once the labradoodle woofed a little kitten¡¯s ear perked up as it turned its eyes towards the labradoodle. It broke free from Shelly¡¯s hold and ran straight for the dog.


    The dog seeing the incoming cat lost all its aloof indifference. It yelped and ran away at lightning fast pace around the house with the kitten chasing it in tow. A weird look was plastered on everyone¡¯s face as they see this comical atmosphere of a little kitten chasing a puppy around the house.


    After two full minutes of nonstop running the kitten maintained its distance in its chase as the dog ran around trying to get away from the kitten. Eventually the dog turned to the still squatting Arthur and jumped straight into his arm patting Arthur¡¯s chest telling him to lift him up. Arthur proceeded to lift him up as the kitten screeched to a halt in front of Arthur.


    The kitten seemed to be deciding whether it should climb up Arthur¡¯s leg to get to the puppy before it turned its head towards Shelly. The cool and calm girl saw the kitten look at her and patted on her thighs inviting the kitten to come.


    Indeed, the little kitten turned its attention away from the puppy and Arthur and ran back into Shelly¡¯s arm, snuggled between her chest it closed its eyes and purred in content again.


    Flabbergasted the parents didn¡¯t know what to say when this scene played out. Is this the aloof and commandeering puppy that was leader of the kennel? Was that the kitten that was friendly with all the pets at the kennel? Why did the puppy run away in horror when it saw the kitten?


    Questions echoed in everyone¡¯s mind as they looked at the two kids and the pets in their arm one is still shuddering in the boy¡¯s arm whereas the other one is asleep in the girl¡¯s.


    ¡°It seems, we might have to return the kitten¡± Samuel dejectedly said seeing how both the kitten and the puppy in the same house having wouldn¡¯t work out.


    ¡°Now, just wait a minute, shouldn¡¯t we return the puppy?¡± Angel said as she looked at the shuddering puppy.


    ¡°Look at the puppy it¡¯s horrified of the kitten if we get rid of the kitten it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Said Samuel maintaining his shameless attitude.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just keep the kitten since the puppy is too horrified? It didn¡¯t even listen to Arthur; we can just replace it.¡± Angel said annoyed at Samuel¡¯s shamelessness as the temperature drastically dropped to the point of freezing temperature.


    Cough


    ¡°I was, uh, just kidding we can replace the puppy.¡± Samuel said as he tried to reach for the puppy and put it back in the cage.


    However, the puppy shook its head in defiance and refused to go back in the cage and away from Arthur.


    That¡¯s strange didn¡¯t this puppy not like the boy. Samuel then turned his eyes towards the kitten in Shelly¡¯s arm before making eye contact with Shelly. A menacing look full of killing intent of refusal can be seen on her eyes. Sweat began to pour from Samuel again as he is stuck between a rock and a hard place.


    ¡°We can just let them both have the pets, if the puppy now likes Arthur and doesn¡¯t want to let go then that¡¯s fine. Besides when the kitten had to decide between the puppy and Shelly it chose her, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Angel reasoned with logic helping Samuel out of the predicament he got himself into.


    The two kids agreed with her reasoning and would rather do that. The puppy will be Arthur¡¯s and the kitten will be Shelly¡¯s. The puppy stopped shuddering in Arthur¡¯s arm as if to show his agreement to Angel¡¯s logic. The small kitten continued to innocently purr in Shelly¡¯s arm.


    After the whole ordeal was over a thud could be heard as sounds of things began to break and fall in the room next door. Wasn¡¯t that where the alien foreigner was sleeping in?


    The entire family ran towards the room with Samuel barring Arthur and Shelly from walking in incase it was dangerous. When the parents and Benjamin walked into the room the entire mummified bandages wrapping the person began to glow.


    A beautiful warm white light enveloped the entire body as a green pulsing glow appeared. The pressure within the room got heavier and heavier as the beating pulse rose in speed.


    The horrified barking of a dog and the hissing of a kitten could be heard in the background outside of the room.


    Things within the room shook and fell, the pulse grew stronger before transitioning to a bloody red light the people within the room cannot move. The pressure and force made them completely incapable of running out of the door at this moment.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Samuel muttered


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, sir.¡± Benjamin replied


    ¡°He¡¯s waking up¡± Angel began to sweat.


    White turned to green, green began to pulsate, the pulsating transitioned the green to red as the person within the bandages began to overflow with vitality. Red became more rapid than ever beating nearly 300 times a minute before the entire room suddenly came to a halt. An eerie quiet pervaded the air as no one within the house tried to make a sound.


    A dense black glow covered the entire bandaged body as everyone in the room regained control of their body, reaching for the nearest item as a weapon they all stood in attention prepared to attack if there was a sign of hostility.


    The bandages began to break as the cocooned person revealed himself, handsome with the black hair on his head. Like a princess who was waking up from a long slumber his equally black eyes started to twitch before opening.


    However, unlike any sort of princess that had just woken up from a long nap, no one in the room dared to relax themselves as the person adjusted his eyes to the lights within the room.


    Slowly, he sat up and looked around the room before his eyes saw the father, then the butler, finally resting on the mother. His first words weren¡¯t exactly what they had expected.


    ¡°Holy fuck, where am I?¡±

 6. Why are you guys so old?

    Chapter 6. Why are you guys so old?


    <hr>


    ¡°Why are you guys so old? Is that your son?¡± Still muddle-headed Boss confused the appearance of Arthur¡¯s father and mother with the kids who rescued him.


    ¡°Wait¡­ you didn¡¯t have blonde hair? Nani? You don¡¯t look like the girl either¡­ WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE¡± Boss shouted shocking the people in the room who couldn¡¯t understand a single word coming from his mouth.


    Seeing the look of confusion on their face along with a box of tissue in Samuel¡¯s hand, a lamp in Angel¡¯s hand, and a broken leg of a chair in Benjamin¡¯s Boss slowly recovered himself.


    Finally noticing the weapon that they each picked up both Angel and Benjamin shot Samuel a weird look. Was he going to attack with a box of tissues?


    Recognizing his mistake Samuel tried to play it off by offering some tissues to Boss.


    Boss seeing the comical mistake that Samuel made, screamed in horror at the box of tissue as it got closer to his face. Everyone in the room backed off away from Samuel and his box of tissues. Boss standing on the opposite side of the room and Angel and Benjamin near the door with Samuel in the center with his box of tissue.


    Unsure what to do, Samuel stood in the center motionless wondering what the heck made him so terrified of a box of tissues? Is this box of tissues magical? Maybe?


    Slowly Samuel regained his composure and started to smile at his newfound power he held the box of tissue and motioned it closer to Boss. Boss, seeing the box of tissue getting closer to his face began shuddering and screaming like a madman.


    He is afraid of a box of tissues! Samuel completely believed as he slowly pressed the tissue box in front of Boss¡¯ face hearing the scream before pulling it back completely shutting Boss up. He repeated the scream and shut method as he was enjoying every moment.


    ¡°Everyone, I think he¡¯s afraid of this box of tissue, maybe on his planet he probably got invaded by tissue aliens or something¡± Samuel reasoned in his delusion as he went on one more time to make Boss scream.


    However, this time the door opened from the outside with two kids and their pets peeking in. They were wondering why there was so much screaming coming from the alien only to see Samuel scaring Boss with a box of tissues.


    ¡°Kids, he¡¯s afraid of this box of tissues!¡± Samuel exclaimed in excitement letting them know as he slowly pressed the box closer to Boss¡¯ face.


    However, the scream this time never happened instead a confused look on was shown on Boss¡¯ face with a box of tissue pressed on his cheek.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing dad?¡± Arthur said as he looked at the interaction between Boss and his father.


    ¡°I uh, I can explain. He¡¯s afraid of the box of tissues. When he saw it earlier, he screamed I thought¡­ maybe we can control him with it. Look.¡± Samuel said as he tried to continue scaring Boss with the scream and shut method that happened earlier.


    But all the kids saw was Samuel acting like an idiot pressing the tissue box on the guy¡¯s cheeks before pulling it back away and then slowly pressing it towards Boss¡¯ face again.


    Strange he was scared earlier? Maybe it¡¯s the tissue inside! Samuel concluded as he started to pull tissue paper out of the box and tossing them at Boss.


    ¡°Muahaha take that!¡± Samuel said completely delusional as he started tossing tissue paper at Boss¡¯ face hoping to make him scream.


    However, after all the tissue paper landed on the floor and there was no scream coming from Boss¡¯ mouth, Samuel snapped back to reality. This guy was just messing with me! He concluded and began seething with anger forgetting about how powerful the person in front of him was.


    ¡°You! You made a fool of me! You motherfucker, I¡¯m gonna kick your ass!¡± Samuel said completely losing his rationality.


    Uhhh, the entire people in the room along with the two pets gave Samuel a weird look. Are you sure you can kick his ass?


    Angel hurried towards Samuel and pulled him away before standing in front of Boss.


    ¡°Uh, hello¡± She said.


    ¡°Uh, hello¡± Boss replied.


    Startled by the fact that he can speak English. She continued to ask.


    ¡°You can speak English?¡±


    ¡°You can speak English?¡± He repeated with the same shocked tone of voice she presented.


    ¡°Yes I can! My name is Angel Galafray, what is yours?¡± Angel beamed in delight knowing he understood her.


    ¡°Yes I can! My name is Angel Galafray, what is yours?¡± He repeated with the same enthused expression she made.


    The entire room became silent. The temperature within the room began to freeze up. This fucker was just mimicking me! He doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m saying. Angel flared up ready to attack.


    However, she controlled herself knowing that this is not the right time or person to attack she calmed down. Once she did so she froze in place. The temperature in the room was still just as frozen as she made it, however, she already stopped using her powers¡­


    A shocked expression can be shown on Angel¡¯s face as she backed away. Everyone in the room knowing Angel¡¯s power stared at Boss¡¯ face in disbelief. This guy is dangerous! He can copy her powers exactly. Just what on earth is he?


    Finally getting the attention he wanted Boss¡¯ motioned them to calm down and sit. Everyone in the room know this universal gesture and sat instantly waiting for him to start speaking up. However, the next moment the sound of grumbling could be heard as they looked at the only guy standing up. The guy standing up had a bashful expression as he began to blush. Damn you stomach why now!The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°You¡¯re hungry? Benjamin quickly let¡¯s get him some food!¡± Samuel said as he noticed the gurgling noises from Boss¡¯ stomach.


    Benjamin disappeared and prepared a light snack for Boss to eat. It was just some sandwiches and a glass of water since it¡¯s been nearly two weeks of him being asleep.


    Devouring the sandwich and finishing the glass of water Boss exhaled a contented sigh as he turned to the people sitting on the ground. He motioned the little boy to come over. However, Angel stopped Arthur from getting up. He¡¯s too dangerous for Arthur to get near.


    Realizing that he¡¯s quite scary right now Boss, then pointed at the books scattered on the floor. Gesturing that he wanted to read the contents of the books. He was also too lazy to pick up the books, so he wanted to use his scary persona to have others do it for him.


    Shelly calmly picked up a book about the history of Tierra. The planet that they are from.


    Boss slowly flipped through the pages all the way towards the end before speaking up again.


    ¡°Alright, I understand your language now.¡± He said in perfect English.


    The entire room was silent, no one was sure of what to say.


    ¡°Ahaha, it seems like I¡¯m quite Exotic eh?¡± He continued referencing his hair and eyes.


    Arthur beamed when he saw the casual expression on Boss face.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Arthur! What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°You may call me Boss.¡± He replied.


    Did he read the book right? Boss is a title not a name does he really want to be a boss. However, Arthur was okay with this.


    ¡°Hi Boss! You¡¯re right you are an Exotic! I think! Uhh, I¡¯m not sure! Shelly~¡± Arthur continued to exclaim in happiness even when he didn¡¯t know something.


    ¡°In our world, you would be considered an exotic since your hair color is different from the normal brown, red, green, blue. And your eyes are not brown, magenta, cyan, or yellow.¡± Shelly answered for Arthur.


    ¡°However, there has never been an Exotic that was born with either black hair or eyes before. So, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re considered an exotic or not¡± Shelly continued honestly.


    ¡°Hmm, this history book doesn¡¯t tell me much about the school of power can you tell me what they are?¡± Boss replied asking about the two Red, Green, blue hair academy and the Cyan, magenta, yellow eye academy.


    ¡°I can answer this¡± Samuel interjected since he had more knowledge of the current power system of the world.


    ¡°There are two powerful institutions in this world that we know of that teaches the way of the hair or the eyes. One is here in our country of Zeldova, and the other belongs to the Tillowisk Empire Or more accurately, in the Kingdom of Cheshire. The school where people of brown hair goes to train to become either red, green, or blue hair is called The Lumiere, these people focus on enlightening people the way of training the body.¡±


    ¡°Each body is born with a different constitution that is better suited for either going in the pathway of red, blue, and green. Those who are born for red will focus on power, green will be durability, and blue will be speed and reflexes¡±


    ¡°Why would people want to be durable? When there¡¯s speed and power as an option?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get to that. The two institutions while teaching different methods of thoughts are not against the other¡¯s way of thinking. In fact, students who go to one school, if they are capable can also go to the other school. These two schools can make students who have for example red hair and cyan eyes! Prodigies!¡±


    ¡°Ohoho, I see so they combine the powers of the hair and eyes together I see, I see.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°Yes! Those who go into the school of the mind or The Naturelle will learn the powers of Magenta, Cyan, or yellow. I¡¯m not sure if the history book talked about their powers so I¡¯ll just repeat it. Magenta is the power of Telekinesis they¡¯re able to control inanimate objects, Cyan is Empathy, they can understand, enhance, and manipulate anything related to feelings, and Yellows are able to Teleport.¡± Samuel continued with his exited expression.


    ¡°Oh, I see, interesting then if that is the case being a durable teleporter or object tossing person is quite difficult to deal with¡± Boss surmised.


    ¡°The combination of any hair and eye color will greatly boost one¡¯s capabilities. However, there is a clear weakness.¡± Samuel said.


    ¡°Their color represents their power?¡± Boss easily guessed the problem.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! No matter what power you have, if your opponent knows what you are, they can be prepared for it. That¡¯s why the two schools work together, they have no reason to be against each other when their powers are so transparent.¡± Samuel said.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t they just dye their hair to fool the enemies?¡± Boss asked


    ¡°They can, however, it¡¯ll only be able to fool the idiots. Students of Lumiere and Naturelle are already taught about situations such as this, there is a resonance between those who have the same power and those who don¡¯t, you can¡¯t fool them by pretending to be normal if there¡¯s a similar or different resonance when you¡¯re nearby.


    ¡°What about the Exotics then?¡± Boss continued to ask


    ¡°That¡¯s the cool thing! Exotics much like everyone here, including yourself probably, are those born with unnatural powers. Their hair and eyes don¡¯t have a specific pattern of power that we know of, they are capable of everything and anything. Some are more powerful than others and are normally used as the last line of defense. Also, there is no resonance between Exotic no matter how similar their powers are.¡±


    ¡°Ohoho, that¡¯s interesting what¡¯s the strongest Exotic on this planet?¡± Boss asked his interest piqued.


    ¡°Uh, that is a hard question to answer, for every Exotic there is one that has powers that can counter it. However, if you want to know the two currently most impressive well-known Exotics that may be considered the strongest. It would be Judas the demon of the west and Uriel the ghost of the east.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What makes them any good?¡±


    ¡°Their longevity, the stories of Judas and Uriel has been passed down for generations, in the west whenever Judas appears there will be bloodshed soaked into the ground no bones or bodies are left behind. Uriel the ghost of the east is a plague, anywhere he goes death and decay follows like an illness turning everyone into ghosts. Corpses scatter the area filled with any and all types of diseases.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh, sounds scary¡± However, the enthusiastic smile on Boss¡¯ face tells otherwise.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not all, they¡¯re so high profile yet no soul has ever come back alive to tell us about their power. Only the things they¡¯ve left behind can tell their story. We don¡¯t even know their real names everyone just calls them Judas and Uriel.¡± Samuel continued.


    ¡°It is also a very effective way to scare children to stay inside. So, everyone continues to tell their story.¡± Samuel leered at Arthur with a smile.


    ¡°I see, I get it now, Exotics are secret weapons for wartime. Then how come you guys are just chilling here in this shanty ol¡¯ town in this giant mansion on the outskirt of it?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Nobility, we are the Galafray one of the largest and most powerful families. While I am just part of an offshoot branch of Galafray our blue attire and white snowflake is a recognizable symbol status. No foreign enemies would dare engage with us in public.¡±


    ¡°What about in private?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Everything is more dangerous in private, kidnapping, assassinations, we¡¯ll have to be completely prepared for that. However, foreign enemies are not what we should worry about. It is the other families can rule a nation and control an army of their own that is the most worrisome. However, we¡¯ll know when they come to town as they¡¯re not hard to miss.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Can¡¯t they disguise?¡± Boss continues asking about disguises.


    ¡°Our families are not idiots, ya know. I know information about everyone who enters and leaves in this town and the village across the mountains.¡± Samuel explained.


    ¡°Which family is the most dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Obviously the royals, our current royalty, the Masters, are probably the most powerful family of Exotics with King Baroque Masters being a powerful Exotic himself. Only other royalties of foreign nations have the power that can match the Masters. Probably the Vistas are equal in power.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh! I see! Ok, would you like to become royalty?¡± A mischievous look can be seen on Boss¡¯ face as he asked such a blasphemous question.

 7. Haha youre joking right?

    Chapter 7. Haha you''re joking right?


    <hr>


    ¡°Haha You¡¯re joking right?¡± Samuel tried to laugh it off only to notice the spirited look on Boss¡¯ face that¡¯s ready for action. Holy shit he¡¯s serious.


    Sweat began to drop from his forehead as he is unsure what to say, does he completely reject Boss¡¯ question and anger him? Or does he play along and become a wanted criminal? What if Boss succeeds and he becomes king? Samuel began fantasizing in a daze.


    Ahem


    Angel interrupted putting her useless husband out of his daze.


    ¡°My apologies Boss, but we do not wish to become royalty.¡± Angel stated flatly.


    ¡°Aww, c¡¯mon it¡¯ll be fun. We can do it the easy if you want, but that¡¯s no fun.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°Easy way¡­?¡± Everyone looked at Boss in confusion.


    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll just kick them off the throne and make uhh¡­ Mr. Galafray here the King.¡± Boss said. He forgot to ask them for their names!


    ¡°Oh, pardon our manners, let me introduce ourselves to you first. I¡¯m Angel Galafray, my husband you were talking earlier to is Samuel, this is Benjamin our butler, she¡¯s Shelly and you know Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Angel, Samuel, Benjamin, Shelly, and hello again, Arthur.¡± Boss greeted each of them in order. With each of them giving the proper responses back.


    ¡°Anyways~ easy way?¡± Boss continued from where he left off.


    ¡°I¡ª"


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to decline that too.¡± Angel said completely cutting off Samuel from saying anything.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t wish for power, but I have a son to raise and would rather not get involved in the ugly scheming of political factions.¡± The current royalty and higher-ranking nobles are always vying against each other for power, suddenly becoming the next royals has way more negatives than positives.


    ¡°What about your daughter? Why didn¡¯t you mention raising her?¡± Boss said giving Shelly a curious glance completely ignoring the bigger point of the political factions.


    ¡°I¡¯m not their daughter.¡± Shelly bluntly stated.


    ¡°Well they still could¡¯ve mention raising you or something right?¡± Boss continued pestering.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to be raised.¡± Shelly refuted.


    ¡°Eh? You¡¯re an old person that looks young or something?¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m 10 ?.¡± Shelly factually stated.


    Unsure if she should continue to let Shelly bluntly answer him Angel quickly intervened.


    ¡°Shelly¡¯s very mature for her age, we have complete trust in her, and she sometimes makes Samuel look like the kid.¡± Angel said completely throwing her husband under the bus.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Shelly¡¯s very mature and she¡¯s been my best friend since we were 8.¡± Arthur added.


    ¡°Hm, looks like you have quite the story to tell eh little girlie?¡± Boss said giving Shelly a curious look.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not the point, easy way is a go, yes?¡± He quickly changed the topic back to the royalty problems.


    ¡°No!¡± Angel exclaimed after getting a better read of his personality. She is certain he wouldn¡¯t harm them for rejecting it.


    ¡°Fine, fine, fine, no easy way, I got it. Anyways, I have one more question to ask. Why is there a big empty castle in the middle of the forest with only a few people in it?¡± Boss asks about the Church.


    ¡°Oh, you mean the Church of Future Heaven. It¡¯s one of two opposing religions most people believe in.¡± Samuel was the first to speak.


    ¡°Why is it so empty?¡± Boss quickly asked what was on his mind. Why on earth is a church so massive? Yet contained hardly anyone?


    Silence befell the entire room again. Holy shit when did he ever have time to visit the church to know it is empty?


    However, those in the room started to get used to how unfathomable Boss could be and quickly recollected themselves.


    ¡°It¡¯s empty because the Pope ordered the Emissaries and every personnel to go to the other countries. Thanks to the Church of Future Heaven and the Church of Safe Haven for sending their Emissaries to both our Northern Country of Zeldova and the Eastern Continent the Tillowisk Empire, our war ended at the end of our 3<sup>rd</sup> year 2 years ago. Samuel was the first to respond as he was on the frontline of this war since the beginning.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Oh? What changed? Why two opposing religion get involved to end the war?¡±


    Samuel¡¯s eyes instinctively darted towards Shelly¡¯s direction, he quickly closed them and reopened a few seconds later with a formulated response.


    ¡°The war between Zeldova and the Tillowisk Empire started like any other wars for territory and riches. Our country of Zeldova and its royal family the Masters have a monopoly over the most powerful energy source called Rainbow Stones. These stones can be used to enhance the powers of human beings beyond limitations of that taught from the two school of thoughts.¡±


    ¡°The Tillowisk Empire had energy resources of their own mainly Rainbow Shards and Colored Energy Gems. However, shards and gems were a one time use product whereas a Rainbow Stone can be used 7 times. With the ever rapidly growing powers of the Masters. The Vistas knew it was only a matter of time before the balance of power was toppled.¡±


    ¡°So, they engaged war on the Masters and fought for three whole long years on land and across oceans. However, in the middle of the 3<sup>rd</sup> year of war the energy level on our planet dramatically increased. When the two Church felt this sudden spike in global energy they intervened and ended the war. Their Emissaries are currently conducting research with the aid of the Tillowisk Empire at the sight of the dispersal.¡± Samuel concluded.


    ¡°Ah I see, okay I got it.¡± Boss didn¡¯t ask any more questions because after being told about the energy dispersal of the planet he clearly sensed the increase in global energy starting from across the continent.


    Yawn


    Arthur was the first to let out a yawn and began rubbing his eyes. It was already past 10 at night. One yawn followed by two before long everyone within the room bid Boss a good night and went towards their own room to sleep. All the lights within the home turned off. Only the moonlit night provided any light within his room.


    Boss laid still on the bed; he was staring at the ceiling overhead lost in thought. Memories of his past resurfaced, hundreds of millennia of warfare and conquest for power to become the ultimate victor. How many friends and family did he loved and lost in the process? Generations after generations of up and coming young sprouts becoming stronger than the previous, yet their life blew out like a candle.


    He knew why war persisted back on his own home planet as he felt the subtle energy within this planet wafting around. He didn¡¯t want this planet to follow that route of struggle for power.


    Only he currently knows what it means when the planet¡¯s energy grows and becomes abundant to the point of dispersal. He knew that this planet could evolve and become a higher tier planet within the universe.


    Sadly, a planet like this is precious on a universal level with one in a ten quintillion ever having the capabilities to evolve. Less than 1% of the entire universe of planets evolve with even less being habitable. His own planet was one such planet and now he apparently stumbled upon another.


    Scratching his head Boss began to worry. He thought back to what his female companion had said. Was handicapping himself to visit a mortal planet really the brightest idea? His current power is only at the limit of what this planet can hold.


    With this planet becoming an enormous temptation for other unseen forces that will eventually stumble upon it, could he manage to hold them back? Sure, if they are weaklings whose power isn¡¯t at the peak of what this planet holds. But what if others like him began to show up ones whose power is beyond this planet¡¯s threshold.


    Groups of people standing at the peak of this planet¡¯s existence only death would await the one with fewer numbers. He knew this all too well that currently quantity is better than quality.


    ~Gurgle~


    A second round of hunger pang hit his stomach as it began to gurgle. His once worry of formidable enemies vanished instantly as a new and more formidable one made its way in.


    The guy who at one point was thinking about his friends and family got out of bed and snuck his way towards the kitchen acting shady like a bandit.


    Morning follows and some of the inhabitants woke up anew refreshed and ready to start the day with a morning breakfast. Only to find the desolation and emptiness in the kitchen in its wake.


    ¡°There¡¯s no food? What do you mean there¡¯s no food?¡± Samuel gave Benjamin a questioning look.


    ¡°All the food in our kitchen is gone, seems like the sandwich and water I prepared last night wasn¡¯t enough ahaha¡± Benjamin stated with a hearty laugh not caring about Samuel¡¯s hunger.


    ¡°He ate all of the food!?¡± Samuel exclaimed before rushing out towards Boss¡¯ room.


    Opening the door Samuel snuck his head into the room only to see a sleeping immortal with a rotund belly popping out, snoring away with no care in the world. He softly closed the door back and returned to look at Benjamin behind him.


    ¡°Quickly go restock the kitchen, the kids will be awake in an hour and I want to eat something now!¡±


    Benjamin handed Samuel two little oval eggs before he disappeared out to buy food in the market.


    ¡°¡­this is all that is left?¡± Samuel sighed as he made his way into the kitchen to prepare two eggs.


    Benjamin quickly arrived at the marketplace where stalls of fresh produce are lined up. People are already hawking and hollering their products and the prices.


    ¡°Benjamin! C¡¯mere¡± one of the food vendors motioned him over. He was a man on the heavier side with short arms. ¡°Look at this imported from the Tillowisk Empire.¡± He said pointing at the rows of vibrant display of juicy meat.


    ¡°A buddy of mine over there said creatures are becoming larger and tastier since the war ended. And get this, he also said that eating them can even increase your physical and mental energy. Ahaha what a jokester that guy is.¡± The rotund belly of the many could be seen jiggling as he laughed.


    ¡°But, look this is the leg of a rabbit, a freaking rabbit what kind of rabbit is the size of a horse? And look at this! It¡¯s chicken! My gosh if only they sent me a cow, but apparently those things are the size of a small ship it¡¯s insane what being closer to the dispersal is like.¡± The merchant sighed in amazement.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll take a leg of both the rabbit and chicken.¡± Benjamin wanted to try tastier food. I wonder when our animals will get bigger and tastier. He thought as he slowly walked from vendor to vendor carting a large amount of his purchase.


    Carting food home lost in thought, unsure of whether to arrive early to satisfy Angel or late to mess with Samuel, Benjamin bumped into a familiar person.


    ¡°Oh, excuse me¡± yawned the person with dark bags under his eyes as he walked past like a zombie towards the direction of Church.


    Wasn¡¯t that Michael? Heck happened to him. It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s slept for the past two days.


    Eh,


    Oh well.


    Not my problem.

 8. Angel quickly prepared breakfast

    8. Angel quickly prepared breakfast


    <hr>


    Angel quickly prepared breakfast with Shelly at her side. Their movements in the kitchen was swift and precise, vegetables diced, meats sliced, there was no wasted movement the entire time they were in the kitchen. Before long an aroma drifted its way out of the kitchen and entered everyone¡¯s nose.


    Oh, what heavenly smell. Everyone tried to control the drool leaking from their mouths as dishes upon dishes was brought out for their morning. Samuel impatiently hurried behind a maid carrying the dishes out hoping he can grab a piece of sausage before everyone else. However, who inside Samuel¡¯s home was weak? She quickly evaded his hands that were heading towards the piece of meat and immediately darted straight for the table.


    ¡°Ahaha, let¡¯s go sit down.¡± Samuel could only play off his embarrassment in front of others who had seen him attempt to peck at the food early. Breakfast was neatly arranged across the table. Meats, eggs, sausages and waffles along with fresh bread rolls all perfectly combined to make masterpieces.


    ¡°Hm? Where¡¯s Boss?¡± Arthur quickly noticed an absent person.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, he had a big feast himself last night¡± Samuel said as food was placed on their plate.


    The glistening golden waffles warmed everyone¡¯s plate with a side of honeyed berry syrup to match. Bread, omelets and sausages so simple in design yet so elegant and refined.


    The door to the kitchen as the chef of honor took her place beside her husband, and her assistant beside Arthur. Samuel couldn¡¯t wait any longer, he went straight for the first bite, the juice from the sausage exploded into his mouth as he let out an indecent moan. That was the start to their breakfast, a second bite a third bite, everyone busied with their own plates.


    Breakfast came and went in a moment notice however; the memory of that breakfast etched its way into everyone¡¯s heart. Eyes are closed in satisfied delight still savoring that last lingering taste.


    ¡°Mommy, can I have some more?¡± Arthur was the first to ask for seconds followed by Samuel joining his son. That breakfast was just too delicious! However, Angel remained calm.


    ¡°No, anymore and you¡¯ll have a tummy ache.¡± Angel declined Arthur¡¯s plea.


    ¡°What about me? I¡¯m a big man I won¡¯t get a tummy ache, I promise.¡± Samuel tried to play it cute.


    ¡°No.¡± Angel remained resolute in her response. Breakfast is only for them to start the day, she didn¡¯t want everyone to go back napping from eating too much.


    Dejected they could only sit at that table staring at the empty plate.


    ¡°Mommy, how come breakfast was so good today?¡± Arthur curiously asked. The breakfast she made was always good but not to the point where they¡¯d lose control.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m a great cook sweetie.¡± Angel said with no hint of modesty.


    ¡°Benjamin bought imported meat from the Tillowisk Empire at the marketplace this morning.¡± Shelly answered Arthur.


    ¡°Why is their meat so tasty?¡± Arthur asked Shelly hoping for an answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, it was just extremely larger than the normal ones we¡¯ve always had. Perhaps Mr. Benjamin could explain?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes darted towards the direction of Benjamin hoping for an answer.


    Putting down the tea in his hand he responded saying that animals in the Tillowisk Empire started becoming massively large due to being closer to origin of the dispersal leading to more tasty meat. However, besides that he¡¯s not sure why animals were getting larger and what the dispersal had to do with it.


    ¡°Perhaps I can explain that!¡± The sounds of footsteps slowly arrived before them as the door to the dining room opened up and a black-haired black-eyed Boss carrying an adorable labradoodle puppy shuddering his arm and a silver kitten perched upon his shoulder walked in.


    ¡°Barkie!¡±


    ¡°Silver.¡±


    Both Arthur and Shelly instinctively spoke out the names of their pets being carried by Boss. As if on command the puppy dog hopped off of Boss¡¯ arms and slowly walked towards Arthur. However, a meow from a certain kitten in response to Shelly sped up Barkie¡¯s pace.


    Safe and sound in Arthur¡¯s arm Barkie lifted his head up and raised his chin at the kitten who was in Shelly¡¯s lap as if to triumphantly demean the kitten below it. But once the puppy saw the kitten hop onto Shelly¡¯s shoulder it hid back into Arthur¡¯s arm and began to shudder.


    ¡°There, there Barkie the meanie kitten won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Arthur whispered trying to soothe the fragile puppy.


    ¡°Boss! What do you mean you can explain it?¡± Arthur continued while petting the puppy. The vicious kitten at the moment is lying flat on Shelly¡¯s shoulder sound asleep.


    Boss settled down on an empty seat and began to explain why animals were getting larger and tastier.


    ¡°Just imagine that everything that happened before the dispersal never happened because that is what¡¯s going to happen.¡± He flatly stated confusing everyone in the room.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shelly was the first to respond.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Pretty much~ that! Your entire plants, animals, country, continent, planet is all going to excessively balloon in size until the planet¡¯s energy settles. Say goodbye to the planet you once knew and say hello to a whole new world.¡± He bluntly stated shocking everyone in the room to utter silence.


    It wasn¡¯t until they calmed down that he finally began to explain their situation.


    ¡°Your planet right now is undergoing a massive change, judging from its energy dispersal I¡¯d say it¡¯ll be at least 10 times the size as it currently is. The plants and animals will be the first to be affected by the dispersal growing in tremendous size from all the energy in the air.¡±


    ¡°The planet will be next as it expands like a balloon, the entire ecosystem will change and new creatures and both large and small, familiar and unfamiliar. This is where your technology you¡¯ve built up such as the tissues you¡¯ve thrown at me yesterday will become the past.¡±


    ¡°Finally, it¡¯ll be your turn to evolve, while you won¡¯t get extremely large like the plants and animals, you¡¯ll become far stronger and live longer than you currently do.¡±


    ¡°Alright, one question each person, go!¡± He concluded waiting for people to ask their question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but how do you know this?¡± Samuel raised the first question.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been through it. Next.¡± Boss said waiting for the next question.


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ve been through it?¡± Samuel asked for an explanation.


    ¡°Next.¡± Boss said not giving Samuel an answer.


    ¡°You said the planet will grow at least 10 times in size, how long will it take?¡± Benjamin asked his question.


    ¡°I can only use my planet as an example, the energy dispersal from it was significantly higher than yours but that probably meant the changes happened faster, I¡¯d say maybe in 100 years?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t we be dead by then?¡± Arthur asked, the current average lifespan was 75 for men and 80 for women.


    ¡°That depends on whether you can adapt, you guys will be the last to evolve, but the planet isn¡¯t out to exterminate you, in fact they¡¯ve given you an abundance of resources to cultivate. For example, the plants and animals, hunt and domesticate them and you¡¯ll live through this century easily.¡± Boss gave Arthur a longer response than the expected ¡®yes¡±.


    Samuel pulled one of his maids over and whispered a question in her ear for her to repeat.


    ¡°Boss, sir, what do you mean you¡¯ve been through it? Care to explain?¡± The maid asked repeating Samuel¡¯s earlier question.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Boss dismissed the question causing Samuel to steam in frustration. Damn you just explain damnit


    ¡°I¡¯d also like to hear your story¡± Angel also asked.


    Sigh


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll explain.¡± He said causing Samuel to inwardly erupt in anger. The heck? Why didn¡¯t you explain when me or my maid asked? Do you hate me for throwing tissues at you? is that it? Huh? Samuel could only conclude before taking mouthful of tea.


    ¡°As you can tell by now, I¡¯m not from your planet. I used to live on the planet called Earth. We didn¡¯t have powers like you guys, we had technology an advanced society where planetary exploration was imminent.¡± He said reminiscing about the past.


    "Then one day everything changed when the¡­¡±


    ¡°the¡­?¡±


    ¡°The dispersal happened. Duh.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, once it did, it happened fast and fierce, animals will grow and mutate at an alarming rate. People who once had technology and weaponry capable of killing anything started to lose out on the evolutionary race. We were becoming the prey almost overnight.¡±


    ¡°If our technology didn¡¯t get destroyed by the wildlife here, the expansion of the planet definitely did. The expansion was brutal, buildings collapsed, cities torn apart, abyssal chasm sputtered all throughout the world. Mountains higher than the clouds became the norm making visits to places that once took us a matter of minutes months to traverse.¡±


    ¡°By then the global population of almost 10 billion of us diminished to less than a million.¡± He paused for a moment before continuing ¡°Then we got super cool powers and became invincible. The end.¡± Boss finished his story abruptly signifying that he won¡¯t explain any more than that.


    Surprise and shock at his response most people at the table gulped in anxiety for could come. Everyone then turned their head towards Shelly waiting for her to ask the final question. Noticing the gaze upon her Shelly calmly asked.


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    Samuel spat the tea he was drinking out coughing in return. The question wasn¡¯t what he was expecting Shelly to ask about.


    ¡°Errr¡­¡± Boss thought about the question, even he wasn¡¯t expecting her to ask him his age? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s not nice to ask a person their age.


    ¡°Ahaha, I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll get back to you on that, I¡¯ll have to ask my lady friend that question she¡¯ll probably know.¡± Boss answered, he really didn¡¯t know exactly how old he is.


    ¡°You have a girlfriend?¡± Arthur jumped up and asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s a lady friend.¡± Boss repeated.


    ¡°Where is she now?¡± Arthur continued to pester.


    ¡°In space.¡± Boss replied pointing at the sky. Eliciting a ¡°wow¡± from Arthur.


    ¡°That¡¯s that no more questions! For now, you guys can just enjoy yourself your planet is expanding slowly so you¡¯ll have a few more good years. Maybe long enough for your kids to be in school.¡± Boss said as he looked at the two children no older than 10.


    ¡°Speaking of school, where the heck does Exotics go to?¡± Boss finally asked his question.


    ¡°Same place, either Lumiere or Naturelle, there¡¯s an Exotic department there that¡¯ll oversee all the Exotics. Speaking of which, enrollment is coming up on a few months.¡± Samuel replied.


    ¡°Cool, let¡¯s go to school you two.¡± Boss said as he looked over the two.


    ¡°Mr. Boss, you¡¯re too old to be a student at Lumiere or Naturelle.¡± Arthur bluntly stated his thoughts.


    ¡°Eh? How old do I look?¡± Boss curiously asked.


    ¡°25?¡±


    ¡°100! No. 1,000!¡±


    ¡°18?¡±


    ¡°30?¡±


    ¡°20ish¡±


    Everyone gave their response with a certain old man being a different answer than the rest.


    ¡°School starts when you¡¯re 10. You¡¯re old enough to be a teacher and your black hair and eyes is too different than all the other Exotic it¡¯ll draw unwanted attention.¡± Shelly intervened giving a proper explanation.


    ¡°Oh? How about now? What color is my hair and eyes?¡± Boss said as his hair slowly changed to that of a deep shade of purple. Along with eyes becoming a bright yellow.


    Everyone in the room became speechless at the sight, he now looks like a normal Exotic.


    ¡°I should be fine right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too old!¡± Arthur shouted hoping to see what Boss will do about his age.


    As if on cue to Arthur¡¯s response Boss¡¯ appearance slowly transitioned to that of a young adult followed by that of a teenager. All the way till he was half his original height that looks like a child no older than 10.


    ¡°How about now?¡± He said in a childish voice that made everyone in the room utterly speechless.

 9. Hello?

    9. Hello?


    <hr>


    ¡°Hello? How do I look?¡± Boss asked as the look of shock was still plastered everyone¡¯s face by his appearance.


    ¡°Wow! You¡¯re amazing you look like us now!¡± Arthur was the first to break the silence.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Boss exclaimed in a childish and energetic voice.


    Angel walked up to Boss and knelt before his face.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite adorable¡± She said as she began pinching his cheeks. Shelly nodded her head in agreement. Boss could only stand there and suffer the pinching.


    ¡°Ahaha, this is great!¡± Samuel said as he also began pinching Boss¡¯ face with no care in the world about how dangerous Boss was.


    Benjamin exited the room and came back with some of Arthur¡¯s clothing. The wardrobe Boss was wearing is too large for the current pipsqueak. Everyone left the room while Boss changed into Arthur¡¯s attire.


    Staring at himself in the mirror Boss only had narcissistic praises on his mind. ¡°Wow, this was probably me when I was a kid besides the hair and eyes.¡± Boss said mesmerized by his current look.


    ¡°Ahaha, can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve never done this before¡± Boss began striking poses in front of the mirror. He really enjoyed his child-like looks with bright yellow eyes and dark purple hair. A mischievous expression could be seen on his face as began to think about his ability to disguise himself.


    ¡°Boss! C¡¯mon let¡¯s go play!¡± Arthur rushed into the room and grabbed Boss¡¯ hand pulling him outside to enjoy. Since this was the weekend Arthur didn¡¯t have the usual daily training and weapons practice.


    Bark


    Barkie was sitting on top of Arthur¡¯s head with complete balance not affected by the movements down below. It figured out that the only way to assert dominance against the kitten is always to stay on Arthur¡¯s head as he is slightly taller than Shelly.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Boss asked while getting dragged along.


    ¡°I promise Mrs. Tamarind that I¡¯ll be visiting soon. Oh, I forgot you don¡¯t know her, she¡¯s a sweet old lady who bakes the best cookies. Sadly, her husband is sick but he¡¯s doing better! You¡¯ll like them let¡¯s go~¡± Arthur continued to ramble on as he pulled Boss along treating him like a kid his age.


    Shelly followed along with Silver relaxed on her shoulder. The three raced towards Mrs. Tamarind¡¯s home while greeting regular passing neighbors.


    Upon arrival at Mrs. Tamarind¡¯s home the boy raced up the steps and knocked on her door.


    There was no answer.


    He continued to knock calling for Mrs. Tamarind.


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind, it¡¯s me Arthur, I¡¯m here with Shelly today to visit! I brought a friend too!¡± He shouted hoping someone would greet him at the door. Curiously he decided to see if he can turn the knob and walk in.


    It wasn¡¯t locked.


    The sound of someone weeping could be heard deeper within.


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind? It¡¯s me Arthur, I brought Shelly and a friend along¡± Arthur repeated his greeting albeit a bit softer now that he was inside.


    However, there was no response besides for the eerie sound of someone weeping came from deeper within.


    Their movements slow, the deeper they went towards to the sound of weeping their nostrils began to get assailed by the stench of medicine. Covering their nose, they trekked through the narrow hallway.


    The sound of weeping can be heard from the door ahead. Noticing something strange Shelly took the lead ahead of Arthur and cautiously opened the door.


    It was a small room with only enough space for a bed and a few people inside. Resting on the bed was a withered old man his skin was covered in a purple tone. His body peaceful laid on the bed motionless.


    A pungent smell rot and decay plus medicine assaulted their nostrils as the door opened wider.


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind?¡± Shelly whispered hoping to get her attention.


    The sound of weeping stopped. The crying women turned her head around after hearing Shelly¡¯s whisper.


    ¡°Oh, Shelly and Arthur, I didn¡¯t hear you come in. Wait outside for a bit, will you? I¡¯ll be out in a minute.¡± She replied. Boss¡¯ brow crinkled glancing at the person on the bed and the women before them.


    ¡°Alright¡± Shelly said as she closed the door in front of her.


    Arthur could see the strange expression on Shelly and Boss¡¯ face not completely sure of what was going on.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Arthur asked.


    However, there was no reply from the two.


    ¡°Is Mr. Tamarind okay?¡± Arthur continued to ask when he didn¡¯t hear a response.


    ¡°When was the last time you guys saw Mrs. Tamarind?¡± Boss asked the two, while ignoring Arthur¡¯s question.


    ¡°Just a few days ago, why?¡± Arthur answered.


    ¡°Before that?¡± Boss asked again ignoring Arthur¡¯s question.


    The two became lost in thought, the last time they met Mrs. Tamarind was almost a year ago when Arthur and Shelly began their walks around the town. He remembered that both she and her husband were happy and healthy back then with her cookies being great.


    They would frequently visit them before Mr. Tamarind had fallen ill. After that they would visit him from time to time, but one of the town¡¯s doctor said that they shouldn¡¯t since he was extremely frail.


    ¡°When you guys came to visit Mr. Tamarind when he was sick did you see Mrs. Tamarind?¡± Boss continued to question.


    A strange expression could be seen on their face as they had no recollection of seeing Mrs. Tamarind. They only remembered that whenever they came it was with the doctor to check Mr. Tamarind¡¯s condition. However, the doctor stopped showing up one day after saying that Mr. Tamarind was doing fine, and they shouldn¡¯t disturb him.


    ¡°No¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± Arthur answered after thinking for a minute. However, before anyone could answer him the door behind them began to open.


    Mrs. Tamarind walked out the door in her usual plain attire with the same expression she normally greeted them with.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, I was just taking care of Mr. Tamarind.


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind is Mr. Tamarind okay?¡± Arthur asked.


    Let¡¯s go somewhere else he¡¯s sleeping.¡± She whispered with her finger pressed on her lips.


    Following her lead into the living room where she asked for them to sit, the three kids complied as she walked into the kitchen to pour them a glass of water. The sound of water could be heard being poured from the faucet as Arthur quickly asked Boss and Shelly what was going on.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is everyone so quiet?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°I think Mr. Tamarind is dead. And it¡¯s been a few days too.¡± Shelly stated calmly as Boss nodded his head.


    ¡°And it¡¯s just not that, Mrs. Tamarind is probably the same¡± Boss added.


    ¡°But, she¡¯s right there? Isn¡¯t she? She¡¯s pouring water for us right now, right?¡± Arthur asked a little anxious and hysterical. How could he believe what they¡¯re saying? Is she a ghost?This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The sound water in the kitchen stopped. The door opened as a little old granny with a plate of water walked out. Each kid held onto the cup of water, but none dared to take a sip. Mrs. Tamarind paid it no mind as she walked to her sofa and sat down.


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind are you okay? I heard you crying when I entered.¡± Arthur began to ask Mrs. Tamarind recalling what he heard when he arrived.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Berthal, he¡¯s not doing so great,¡± Mrs. Tamarind shook her head before picking up a cup of water to sip.


    Everyone waited for her to continue.


    Sigh


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you children; I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll make it. His illness came back during recovery and he¡¯s been in a coma ever since.¡± Her voice quivered as she began to weep. It was same weeping they¡¯ve heard when entering the house.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what went wrong, he was doing fine¡­¡± The room began to darken as if the morning sunlight couldn¡¯t penetrate its way through the windows.


    ¡°He was recovering¡­¡± The temperature started to drop. The once bright living room turned into a dull, dark and cold place. Arthur huddled closer to Shelly; their pets began to shudder.


    ¡°I bought all the medicine I could too...¡± Her voice grew heavier as everything in the room rapidly began to age and decay. Boss kept his calm while staring at the scenes before him not muttering a single sound.


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind?¡± Arthur whispered to her his voice shaking as he tried to call out to her.


    ¡°WHY?¡± A violent force erupted swirling around her causing windows within the house to shatter and explode outwards. The entire house began swaying and creaking as the rot within the room spread outwards covering the entirety of the home.


    ¡°WHY DID HE DIE?¡± She finally exposed his death to them. The malicious air began to spiral around her as her usual brown hair turned into an ashy grey. Her eyes becoming a malevolent red as bloody tears started to drip down.


    None of the kids dared to make any sudden movement, the change in her was all too sudden.


    ¡°Poison¡± Boss slowly muttered, his voice calming yet serious.


    The old grandma¡¯s bloodshot eyed darted towards the direction of the child who spoke. She saw serious and calm look on his face as he stared straight back at her. The angry grandma hissed through gritted teeth ¡°what did you say!?¡±


    ¡°He was poisoned.¡± Boss repeated in a solemn childish tone without hint of falsehood. Seeing the look on the boy Mrs. Tamarind couldn¡¯t help but believe him. Arthur gave Boss a surprise look of shock whereas Shelly only stared at him in contemplation.


    The malevolent aura around her started to dissipate as the scenery within the entire household reverted to normal, everything except for the bloody tears dripping down her bright red eyes.


    Only the sound of weeping could be heard as the bloody red tears continued to drip onto the carpeted floor. Did he really get poisoned? Who would do such a thing?


    Arthur leaned over to Boss and whispered, ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s been poisoned?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind, do you know when your husband passed away?¡± Boss asked ignoring Arthur¡¯s question.


    ¡°Few days ago.¡± She finally calmed down enough to reply wiping away the bloody tears with her sleeve not even noticing it was covered in blood.


    ¡°Did you buy these medicines of your own judgement or was it prescribed?¡± Boss continued asking.


    ¡°Dr. Bishop suggested the medicines. Why¡­?¡± Mrs. Tamarind replied her face showcased her confusion as she could only weakly sit on her chair and listen to the purple haired child¡¯s response.


    ¡°Your husband should¡¯ve been struck by a slow acting poison that destroyed his immune system. Eventually, weakening him into a vegetative state. It should¡¯ve happened roughly half a year ago.¡± Boss calmly told his analysis.


    ¡°Dr. Bishop stopped coming around then!¡± Arthur exclaimed in realization.


    ¡°But he was helping my husband get better the medicine was working too, why would he kill him?¡± Mrs. Tamarind asked in dismay.


    ¡°He never planned on saving your husband, the medicine he gave your husband was the catalyst and the prescribed one he gave you was the trigger. Most likely every time he had you gather medicine; he would slowly inject your husband with his catalyst.¡± Boss stated clearly.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we never saw Mrs. Tamarind she was out!¡± Arthur exclaimed.


    ¡°But why? Why us? Why him?¡± Mrs. Tamarind asked in dejection, the lifeless eyes on her face revealing fatigue. She just wanted an answer already.


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind, how come you¡¯re an Exotic?¡± Shelly finally spoke up asking Mrs. Tamarind that question.


    ¡°I¡¯m not I¡¯ve always been normal, brown hair and brown eyes.¡± She replied her eyes blinked in confusion.


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind, you have grey hair and red eyes right now¡± Shelly calmly stated.


    Hearing her response Mrs. Tamarind found a mirror to look at staring at the faded silhouette in front of her.


    ¡°Bu-but how?¡± Her body shuttered as she stared at the figure before her a fierce looking woman was returning her gaze.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡± Boss stated throwing in even more confusion.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m dead?¡± Mrs. Tamarind looked at him in disbelief. Aren¡¯t I right here? How am I dead?


    Arthur is completely speechless he¡¯s not sure what the heck is going on right now. Only Shelly could vaguely grasp the answer.


    ¡°I do believe you and Mr. Tamarind were alive when the kids met you. However, within the time frame when the kids weren¡¯t around you probably ran into mishaps and died. Without you around your husband slowly fell ill and Dr. Bishop came to save him.¡± Boss calmly stated.


    ¡°Why would he save him? I thought you said he¡¯s the killer!¡± Arthur shouted at the inconsistency.


    ¡°He most likely did at first, that is until he saw you Mrs. Tamarind.¡± Boss calmly replied.


    ¡°Wh-what did I do?¡± She replied not sure where this kid was going with his logic.


    ¡°Shelly do you know?¡± Boss asked Shelly the question not seemingly in a hurry to proceed.


    ¡°I think so.¡± Shelly replied. She continued ¡°Mrs. Tamarind, what¡¯s your husband¡¯s powers?¡± Shelly asked.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any, brown hair and brown eyes. Well, until they turned blue one day years ago, but I think that¡¯s normal¡± She replied with a look of confusion on her face.


    ¡°Cyan!¡± Arthur shouted. Shelly nodded her head in agreement. It is no surprising Mrs. Tamarind doesn¡¯t know much about physical and mental energy as everyone around her had brown hair and brown eyes.


    Even when there were people who had their hair or eye color changed, she didn¡¯t think much of it because they were still the same people with just different hair and eye colors. Her husband also never mentioned it when he obtained it, so she just felt it was normal.


    The ones who get the most recognition are the two little kids who are Exotics, even in history books they gloss over the orthodox powers of red, blue, green hair and magenta, cyan, yellow eyes and praises Exotics as gift of Gods.


    ¡°Cyan eyes, empathy. The power to understand people¡¯s feelings and manipulate it.¡± Shelly calmly stated. Her response just continued to befuddle Mrs. Tamarind as she had no idea what the kids were talking about.


    ¡°Mrs. Tamarind, I believe when you died, you died with intense regret. You were probably killed by someone. Your husband¡¯s powers most likely sensed your feelings at the time of death and succumbed to it, falling into a state of deep sleep-like illness.¡± The absurdity of her answer was apparent as both Arthur and Mrs. Tamarind looked at her with confusion.


    Shelly continued taking some time to pause and organize her thoughts before she proceeds. ¡°This is most likely when you came back, do you remember calling for Dr. Bishop or was he there?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I-I uh, I don¡¯t recall calling for him, he was there when my husband was ill.¡± Mrs. Tamarind replied honestly.


    ¡°I see, Dr. Bishop most likely was already there helping to save your husband. However, during the recovery process you appeared. This must¡¯ve startled him; he most likely kept his distance from you and asked you questions about what you know.¡± Shelly continued with her analysis.


    ¡°He did, he would be quiet around me and asked me some questions, I just assumed he was just the quiet type.¡± Mrs. Tamarind was engrossed as she listened to Shelly¡¯s analysis.


    ¡°I think when he saw you, that¡¯s when he made plans to kill your husband.¡± Shelly said.


    ¡°But why? Why me? What did I do?¡±


    ¡°Basically, he killed or someone he knew killed you. Dr. Bishop then tried to save your husband only to see someone who had died come back. Fearing that you would remember what happened to you, he had you kill your husband too after realizing your husband manifested you with his power.¡± Boss intervened and concluded the analysis.


    Her memories flooded in like a riptide as her eyes became clearer ¡°I-I remember now, I died, some bastard hit me over the head on my way home to prepare dinner. ¡°It was our anniversary¡­¡± She recalled the stuff she bought. Her body slowly started to become transparent.


    ¡°He took everything¡­ he said if only I didn¡¯t buy it this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± She recalled her memory as she became more translucent.


    ¡°I killed my husband¡­¡± She began to weep transparent tears as her body started disappearing from the bottom up.


    A faint warm glow began to appear beside her transparent body enveloping her in a warm embrace.


    ¡°Hu-husband?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine now Henrietta, look I¡¯m fine.¡± The transparent body of Berthal Tamarind hugged her from behind in a warm embrace. Henrietta Tamarind could only cry herself in his arms as her body continued to slowly disappear bit by bit. He lifted his head up making eye contact with the kids.


    ¡°Thank you, kids, thanks for seeing me one last time.¡± The glowing light from Berthal¡¯s body began to glow becoming visibly brighter. A warm gentle smile could be seen on his face as he closed his eyes hugging his wife. Mrs. Tamarind raised her head giving the kids one last smile before both she and him dissipated completely.


    The moment their body started to fade completely the voice of Berthal Tamarind¡¯s echoed in kids¡¯ ears.


    ¡°Please have our body cremated and scatter the ashes somewhere nice and peaceful so that we can be together forever¡­¡± The voice progressively got softer by the end.


    Tears flowed down Arthur¡¯s eyes while Shelly tried to control her breathing. Looking at the unmoving kids Boss helped them off the sofa and left the home. Arthur cried all the way home creating a trail from the Tamarind¡¯s to theirs.


    Boss summarized what had occurred at the Tamarind¡¯s to Samuel and Angel prompting an immediate investigation. Immediately the entire taskforce of the town found Henrietta¡¯s body. Her remains were abandoned deeper in the forest buried underneath some loose pile of dirt.


    Dr. Bishop left town half a year ago after letting the manifestation of Mrs. Tamarind poison her husband.


    Both Berthal¡¯s body and Henrietta¡¯s remains were cremated the same day Henrietta¡¯s was found. The kids now own the urns and have it on display in the living room until they can find a nice and peaceful place.


    On the porch of the Tamarind¡¯s home the rocking chairs they owned could be seen rocking together one last time as the sunlit day turned into night.

 10. The day after

    10. The day after


    <hr>


    The day after what had transpired the three little munchkins decided to spend their time at home, no more going out for this weekend they were too exhausted. Boss was fine but he played along.


    Meanwhile, a few certain people aren¡¯t as relaxed.


    <hr>


    ¡°You¡¯ve called your Majesty?¡± A silhouette appeared beside the king, their appearance hidden behind a veil obscuring their hair and eyes.


    ¡°Jester, do you know what the state of Zeldova is like after these past two years?¡± The king sighed. His appearance was that of an early 40-year-old man, with deep purple eye and silver hair.


    The war took a toll on the population of his country with the destruction of half his military forces. The group of the 20 most powerful Exotics at his command half, lost their lives. The once prosperous kingdom of Zeldova that was growing with momentum with each year better than the previous, stagnated.


    ¡°If only we were given a few more years to build up our power.¡± His eyes closed lamenting the possibility.


    ¡°Day by day, our men collected Rainbow Stones to progressively get stronger. We had a monopoly sure, but we didn¡¯t prohibit trade. Their jealousy and greed at what we were becoming started this damn war.¡± He continued seemingly becoming more enraged.


    ¡°Those damn Vistas!¡± The king shouted in complete anger, he knew what his kingdom and this country could¡¯ve become if he was only given a few more years.


    ¡°We lost everything in this war!¡± He bellowed, in the war the Kingdom of Zeldova was on the winning front pushing back the Tillowisk Empire into their own country.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the Church of Future fucking Heaven and Shit Haven¡¯s Emissaries, we could¡¯ve annihilated that fucking empire to the ground.¡± Seething with rage the force of gravity within the entire palace doubled. Those with weak constitution dropped to the ground as the gravitational pressure kept increasing.


    ¡°We won, while they retreated, and they got all the freaking benefit?¡± He recalled the situation with the planet¡¯s dispersal. The dispersal occurred in the region of the Tillowisk Empire leading to plentiful and bountiful harvest of plants and animals for the past two years.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the people.¡± Jester interrupted reminding the King that his power was literally squishing everyone into paste if he didn¡¯t stop.


    The gravitational force within the palace receded as everyone who felt it regained their senses. There were minor injuries as everyone within the palace buckled to the king¡¯s rage.


    Blam


    The door to the King¡¯s chambers exploded wide open as a teenager around the age of 13 rushed in.


    ¡°Father, are you alright?¡± The youngest prince of three walked in dressed in a flaming red robe with the insignia of a phoenix. He had piercing blue eyes and Magenta hair; his demeanor was calm and commanding.


    Seeing the teenager walk in the once angry king calmed down. ¡°Jayce, you should be training with your master right now. Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I felt your anger and immediately rushed over, remember what happened last time?¡± Jayce Masters said reminding his father about the time he turned some people to paste. They had to remove every normal person from the palace because of this.


    Cough


    The king faked a cough in embarrassment as he continued.


    ¡°Every day, our people are people are working hard mining Rainbow Stones and farming to stay alive. Yet, those damn Vistas crawled back to their country with their tail tucked between their legs and now they¡¯re enjoying the planet¡¯s energy for themselves.¡± He was grinding his teeth still enraged.


    ¡°They¡¯re gaining in power too fast; we need to deter them; a second war is the last thing we want.¡± The king stated concern.


    ¡°Father, I spoke to Jester and Master about this, I think we have a plan¡± Jayce calmly replied as the door to the palace slowly reassembled back in place before closing.


    <hr>


    ¡°Your Majesty, we need assistance!¡± The commanding knight knelt in front of the King. His entire body covered in bright silver-plated armor.


    ¡°What is it this time?¡± King Tyran Vista hissed. He was a man in his late 50s with light blue eyes and same colored hair adorned in a kingly yellow robe with an insignia of a pale blue dragon.


    The amount of time soldiers came asking for assistance has gone through the roof since the war ended. The Tillowisk Empire suffered major casualty during the war, losing 10 men to every 1 that they had killed.


    ¡°We need more people, the animals are growing and reproducing at an alarming pace, we aren¡¯t sure when we can keep them at bay!¡± The commanding knight stated.


    During the war they waged against the Kingdom of Zeldova, they suffered a massive defeat retreating to their continent. It was thanks to the Church of Future Heaven and Church of Safe Haven that they didn¡¯t completely get annihilated by Zeldova. However, the amount of abled men they have at this moment is only double of Zeldova¡¯s.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Damn it! If it wasn¡¯t for that damn Baroque and his stupid country! Why the hell did he have to find Rainbow Stones!? I wouldn¡¯t have started this war and lost this many people!¡± King Tyran completely blamed King Baroque for his current predicament.


    ¡°What about the two Churches what are they doing?¡± He remembered the Emissaries the Church brought over to inspect the location of the dispersal.


    ¡°They said every Emissaries¡¯ objectives is the dispersal, they won¡¯t lend their members to us for population control.¡± The commanding knight replied through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Damn! Damn! DAMN!!! Where am I supposed to get more people!?¡± The king roared to the heavens shaking the entire location bursting eardrums in the process.


    Those within the palace knows of the King¡¯s powers so they always walk around with their ears completely protected. However, the vibrating frequency wave through the air can still cause those with weaker constitution to explode.


    ¡°Oh, wait I know! How long can we hold out?¡± The king glanced over to the knight.


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯ll be less than 5 years for the balance to shift, 10 years before we¡¯re completely overwhelmed!¡± The commanding knight replied.


    ¡°I think I know what we should do! Call Cerulean over!¡± He shouted in the air. The knight stood in place because the voice was loud enough to call her over.


    ¡°You called, father?¡± Cerulean walked in with brisk pace, she is a girl around the age of 13 with long pink hair and bright blue eyes. She asked with earmuffs on.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you go to school.¡± King Tyran said.


    ¡°Hm?¡± She replied forgetting she had earmuffs on.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you go to SCHOOL!¡± He shouted louder causing her to nod her head this time acknowledging that she had heard.


    <hr>


    ¡°Michael, do you know your mission?¡± The Pope asked the weary looking young man in front of him. A few days had passed since the Pope requested Michael to escort Julie to the Tillowisk Empire and see if she could learn anything from the dispersal.


    At first Michael was excited that he could finally take Julie out and away from the grasp of the Church that he didn¡¯t sleep the first night thinking about the fun he¡¯ll have with her. However, on the second night he began to worry about the situation, the Pope wouldn¡¯t just let him and her walk around freely, he¡¯d definitely have people watch over them from somewhere, right?


    For three straight nights Michael only had less than an hour of sleep due to constant worrying. The dark bags underneath his eyes as he knelt in front of the Pope weighed heavily upon his face.


    Michael could only dazedly nod his head in understanding as his eyes grew heavier and heavier.


    The Pope turned his head towards the young man knelt before him and closed his eyes, a warm stream of white light flowed towards the direction of Michael instantly waking him up with a shudder.


    ¡°Michael Halloway, you will take Julie Chartreuse to the Tillowisk Empire starting tomorrow morning. I won¡¯t assist you two on you way there so do your best to survive.¡± The Pope said, completely leaving their faith to the Heavens.


    Michael finally broke out of his dazed stupor as his entire body felt refreshed and energized.


    ¡°But your Holiness, who will look after you if I¡¯m gone?¡± Michael played along. He didn¡¯t believe there would be no one trailing him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Michael.¡± The Pope replied leaving Michael with no ounce for rebuttal.


    ¡°Yes, your Holiness¡± Michael got up by the command of the Pope as he made his way to the door. After closing the door, he walked a short distance away before he had to go inform Julie.


    Practically skipping towards her Michael had an excited childish smile on his face.


    The Pope remained motionless on his throne as he closed his eyes. A minute later cold sweat and heavy breathing covered the Pope¡¯s body as he tried to calm himself down. His head turned to look up at the stained-glass pattern overhead. A sign of fatigue can be seen on his face as he slowly closed his eyes again as he waited for the townspeople to arrive.


    <hr>


    Awoke from her nap the woman headed towards the cafeteria for status report and information.


    ¡°Commander!¡±


    ¡°Boss¡±


    ¡°Queen¡±


    ¡°King¡±


    A bunch of titles were thrown around as the woman entered the restaurant onboard and opened the door. Everyone within the restaurant immediately stood in attention as she made way through her choice of food and onto a table.


    While eating the food she motioned one of the men over. It was the same bald gentlemanly mustached man with the body the size of a bear.


    ¡°Status report.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve followed other Boss into the wormhole and found the planet that he¡¯s currently residing in. His powers¡­ insignificant.¡± The gentlemanly mustached man said.


    ¡°Hm, should I blow up the planet and forcefully drag him back?¡± She muttered to herself. Those around her shuddered at the words, if it wasn¡¯t for her cruelty only directed towards her enemies, they would have really tried to stop her.


    ¡°We¡¯re on standby outside, neighboring their galaxy. It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯ll be leaving the planet anytime soon¡± The mustached man continued.


    ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t we too close?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re waiting for your decision on the matter.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°The planet he landed on is separated 90% water and 10% land, there¡¯s three giant continents circling the globe with the North and South pole covered in ice.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± She continued to eat her food waiting for him to continue.


    ¡°However, that¡¯s not why he won¡¯t be leaving soon, this planet is capable of evolving!¡± The mustached man said with glee. Owning a planet and all its inhabitants meant that they¡¯ll be able to have more powerful personnel added to their crew once the evolution is complete.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re saying there¡¯s potential for him to be in danger?¡± She replied nonchalantly.


    ¡°Yes! Luckily we¡¯re here first so he won¡¯t be in danger.¡± The mustached man said.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, we¡¯re going on vacation. How about the Planet Labelle?¡± She asked her group of soldiers. Planet Labelle is the best-known vacation planet where every advance civilization would go to in order to spend their time.


    ¡°I want to visit Planet Lark I¡¯ve heard the creatures there provide excellent training!¡± Another soldier interjected, he was similar in stature as the mustached man, but if one was a bear the other would be a tiger.


    ¡°Labelle!¡±


    ¡°Lark!¡±


    The entire crew of 200 immortals divided their answers. One half wanted to train themselves and become even stronger, the other wanted to relax. Knowing that their Boss has the final say they could only stare at her and praise the two planets.


    Finishing the food and placing her utensils down she decided that they will go to Planet Lark first for training, then to Planet Labelle for rest and relaxation. This resulted in a resounding amount of applause and roaring from the crewmembers.


    The galactic ship they were on vanished from the outskirt of the galaxy without a trace leaving only some high energy residue behind.


    Meanwhile a certain other Boss of theirs felt a chill crawl up his spine.

 11. Achoo

    Chapter 11. Achoo


    <hr>


    ¡°Achoo¡± Boss wiped his nose on his sleeve. A cold chill crawled up his spine as he began to shudder.


    ¡°Are you sick? Can aliens get sick?¡± Arthur didn¡¯t know anything about Boss¡¯ functionality.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not sick¡± However he did feel a little clammy.


    ¡°So, what do you kids do today? I know yesterday has been quite rough and exhausting, but are we just gonna stay inside all day?¡± Boss asked. He was getting really bored it was almost lunch time, yet Arthur and Shelly did not take one step out of the house. In fact, they were just sitting on the sofa playing with their pets.


    ¡°Sundays is when the entire town head over to the Church to pray in the morning. There¡¯s nothing to do besides church. Do you want to go to church?¡± Arthur replied feeling quite sick inside. He¡¯s been to church a few times but every time he went it just sitting and hearing a person talk for hours.


    So, he decided every Sunday he¡¯ll skip Church and wait until everyone is done with it before he walked around town in order to get maximum praise and attention. Of course, he tried revealing his identity as an Exotic at the church once, however, after being swarmed by entirety of the town it made him claustrophobic. It was also the last time he showed up.


    ¡°Besides, going to church is not mandatory, so I don¡¯t want to go.¡± Arthur leapt off the sofa and ran to sit in front of a mirror. Barkie hopped off and followed along not willing to let Arthur out of its sight.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing now?¡± Boss looked at the kid who was staring at a mirror and making weird faces. Shelly continued to pet the kitten on her lap paying the two no mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to see what my eyes can do; Shelly already has her powers, where¡¯s mine?¡± Arthur began having a staring contest with himself as he furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t know what your power is yet?¡± Boss asked before remembering something he read in the book.


    ¡°Right, you haven¡¯t hit puberty yet ahaha¡± Boss remembered what the history book said. Kids can go to the school for powers in this world any time after the age 8 or when they hit puberty.


    Puberty is when children experience the most growth in their life, meaning that their full untapped potential is best trained during this time. Both the founders of Lumiere and Naturelle has found that this is the case and has made it this age requirement centuries ago.


    Most family would send their kids to school at the age of 8 to make connections and friends beforehand. Once they hit puberty their natural capabilities will be tested and then they¡¯ll be organized into the corresponding groups. Each group having different training regimen.


    Exotics don¡¯t need to go to school any time after 8 or when they hit puberty, because the family of Exotics are typically well off and fortunate. They¡¯ll instead train at home with their own teachers and masters and will enroll whenever their parents decide it is time for them to.


    Most Exotics would bring their own masters and teachers along anyways, so it is fine whether they stay at home or decide to go. This makes it easier on the two school of powers as they don¡¯t need to find the necessary teachers curated towards specific Exotics.


    ¡°Stop laughing, it¡¯s not funny.¡± Arthur shoved Boss aside, as he continued to stare at himself in the mirror. This led to even more laughter coming from Boss with Shelly lifting a smile from the corner of her mouth.


    Anger welled up inside Arthur as he bounced up off the chair and stomped his way out of the house with Barkie sitting on his head. Laughter can still be heard from Boss inside as Arthur slammed the door shut behind him.


    Wiping away the tears of laughter from his eyes Boss looked over at Shelly and asked, ¡°Should we go after him?¡±


    ¡°Mew¡± Silver replied for Shelly.


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡± Boss said as if he completely understood what the kitten meant.


    A few moments after the door slammed shut, it opened again with two more individuals walking out of the house. Boss quickly turned to Shelly and asked her where she thinks Arthur is heading off to.


    ¡°The church. It¡¯s almost noon so people are leaving already, he¡¯ll be heading there to receive attention after being laughed at by you.¡± Shelly accurately replied, it seems like this wasn¡¯t the first time Arthur has stormed out of the house.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time is it?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Samuel sometimes makes fun of him too, so he¡¯ll run to wherever there¡¯s the most people to feel good and be admired.¡±


    ¡°Guess he¡¯s still just a kid.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re only 10.¡± Shelly bluntly replied causing Boss to be at a loss for word.


    ¡°I¡¯m only 10 too.¡± Boss finally said after a short pause.


    ¡°No.¡± Her reply made him speechless again causing the kitten perched upon her shoulder to open an eye and smirk at him. It was laughing at him. Foolish immortal you¡¯re not 10.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Only able to laugh it off Boss asked Shelly more questions about the Church they¡¯re walking to and its Pope as they trailed behind Arthur.


    ¡°Hm, the Pope? I don¡¯t know much about the Pope besides his appearance and that he¡¯s an Exotic.¡± Shelly replied, she only knows as much as any of the other townspeople.


    ¡°What about the people currently working alongside him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about his Emissaries that they sent to the Tillowisk Empire since I was on the way here during that time. The only one with the Pope is Michael right now.¡±


    ¡°Who is Michael?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s a 20-year-old normal person that young master Arthur likes to pick on."


    This wasn¡¯t the information Boss wanted, he could only continue to ask further questions. ¡°Uh, what else can you tell me about him?¡±


    ¡°Hm, his full name is Michael Halloway, he¡¯s been looking for his missing girlfriend for 2 years with no sign of luck. I think he became a Priest of the Church of Future Heaven to ask for a favor from the Pope regarding finding her.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Can the Pope really find her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Shelly said, it seems her information about the Pope and Michael was really minimal.


    ¡°I see Arthur! What do you wanna do? Secretly follow him or¡­? Boss asked Shelly with an answer already in mind. Before Shelly could decide, Boss continued ¡°Alright, secretly follow Arthur it is.¡±


    ¡°Freaking, Boss laughing at me, if I wanted to puberty, I can get it easily. Hmph, I¡¯m just taking my time. Isn¡¯t that right Barkie?¡± Arthur consoled himself as he tried talking to Barkie. However, the dog was as aloof as ever not uttering a single sound in response.


    Soon the sound of incoming footsteps of the townspeople could be heard. Avoiding them, Arthur hid himself behind the tall trees canopying the pathway.


    He remembered what happened before when he revealed himself to them, trying to get out of their encirclement was near impossible without his family¡¯s intervention. Arthur didn¡¯t want to expose himself to the leading group of people heading home, he wanted to get closer to the church and reveal himself to the little amount remaining, that way he wouldn¡¯t get stuck again.


    The sounds of broken twigs and shuffling could be heard as Arthur continued to sneak his way towards the church. The townspeople were loudly talking among themselves to notice Arthur¡¯s stealth-like movements.


    ¡°What do you think about today¡¯s Prayer?¡± A group of 40-year-old women together began to talk.


    ¡°I think it was normal, the Pope came out and we spent our morning doing the usual. Ah~ I feel so refreshed every time we leave.¡± One of the women said, her looks was more on the chubbier side with equally chubby cheeks.


    ¡°Right, I feel the same, isn¡¯t the Pope just magical?¡± Another woman agreed, she had a small noticeable mole near her chin.


    ¡°Could he be an Exotic? No way, right?¡± The third woman began to gossip, she was currently fanning herself with her hand.


    ¡°Yeah, no way I think he¡¯s blind, but his soothing voice refreshes us.¡± The chubby one stated confidently.


    ¡°But his eyes are white right, aren¡¯t Exotics known to have colorful hair and eyes.¡± The one with the mole on her chin said.


    ¡°Girl, I don¡¯t know, you think we townsfolk know anything about Exotics? Shoot, I only know of Adorable Arthur and Smart Shelly.¡± The chubby one answered.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see Arthur and Shelly today, oh every time I see them, I know I¡¯m going to have a good day.¡± The one fanning herself continued. ¡°I just want to pinch his little cheeks for good luck!¡±


    Overhearing their conversation, Arthur shuddered and quickly headed closer to the church, rubbing his cheeks he told himself to avoid that woman today. Meanwhile a certain person in the Church wasn¡¯t expecting Julie¡¯s response.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not going!¡± Julie screamed seemingly succumbing to madness as her chest heaved heavily.


    ¡°Julie, are you alright? What¡¯s wrong? Is it the Pope, has he done something to you?¡± Michael asked completely unsure of what went wrong. I only just told her what the Pope had said, and she screamed at me. Did two years of imprisonment made her go insane?


    ¡°Michael, I¡¯m not going.¡± She said with gritted teeth, it seemed she was adamant about staying here.


    Confused at her behavior Michael asked, ¡°But, don¡¯t you want to get out of here? Didn¡¯t the Pope kidnapped and locked you up?¡±


    ¡°Michael, if you cared about me, you wouldn¡¯t let me out.¡± Julie said ignoring his question her look of refusal was clearly shown in her piercing hazel eyes.


    Unsure of what she meant Michael could only ask for an explanation. ¡°Julie, what¡¯s wrong, why do you want to stay here?¡±


    Julie knew she had to give him an answer, mustering up all the effort she had she muttered ¡°I hurt people¡±.


    However, that¡¯s all she could say before her shoulder started to shudder as tears fell from her eyes recalling what happened 2 years ago.


    ¡°Julie¡­?¡±


    Covering her face as tears fell onto the floor the once repressed trauma came back to her she continued. ¡°They died because of me.¡±


    Her voice was weak eliciting Michael to fully embrace her; tears continually rolled down her eyes as she covered her face in his chest. The loud sound of crying echoed out of the door.


    Standing dazedly in the empty garden in front of the Church¡¯s enormous door, Arthur sighed to himself in regret. Recalling, what the woman said about pinching his cheeks. he avoided everyone while running towards the church in fear of getting pinched. By the time he realized what he had first set out to do, everyone had already made their way back to town.


    The praises and look of admirations he went out to get was gone by the time he knew it.


    Sigh


    Arthur shook his head in dejection, a slightly embarrassed smile could be seen on his face when he realized his mistake. Continuing with another sigh he turned around getting ready to head back home.


    ¡°Boo!¡± Boss shouted, eliciting Arthur to yelp in response once he turned around. This made Boss laugh as he stood right behind Arthur.


    Realizing that both Shelly and Boss had followed him, he could only angrily spurt ¡°You were following me? For how long!?¡±


    Boss nonchalantly replied, ¡°Since the beginning¡±, he then pinched his owns cheeks and began to laugh making Arthur embarrassed about the conversation he overheard.


    ¡°What¡¯re you gonna do now Adorable Arthur?¡± Boss continued to tease him.


    ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡± Arthur answered in a serious tone, he really wanted to just punch boss and run away.


    ¡°Now wait just a minute.¡± Boss said as he glanced at the door seemingly peering through everything inside.


    ¡°How about we go inside? It¡¯ll be interesting.¡± Boss walked ahead and pointed at the door before him, promptly placing his hands on it.


    Bang!


    A loud sound echoed throughout the church as Boss made his way in.


    ¡°Anyone home~?¡±

 12. Anyone home~?

    12. Anyone home~?


    <hr>


    ¡°Anyone home~?¡± Boss¡¯ childish voice echoed through the empty castle sized church.


    ¡°Why was the door so loud?¡± Arthur covered his ears staring at the door Boss pushed through. Barkie can be seen slightly shivering above his head. Silver woke up from Shelly¡¯s arm and didn¡¯t fall back to sleep.


    Looking at the broken pieces of metal on the ground Shelly gave Arthur the answer ¡°The door was locked.¡±


    Flabbergasted by the ease it was for Boss to push opened an enormous locked door, Arthur turned and asked Shelly, ¡°That¡¯s not normal right?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not normal, he¡¯d have to be an Orthodox Red hair to have that kind of strength.¡± Shelly replied. An orthodox is a person who had gone through schooling for the energy manipulation manifested in their hair and eyes.


    The majority of the world¡¯s population consist of those who go to either Naturelle or Lumiere to practice and learn how to manipulate physical and mental energy. Only strange people from the third continent East of Zeldova and West of the Tillowisk Empire have their own unorthodox approach to creating their energy users.


    ¡°Man, what kind of power does he have?¡± Arthur thought inwardly. An Exotic that can change his age, hair and eye color, and have the physical strength of a Red. This is the first time he¡¯s ever heard of such a thing.


    ¡°Anyone~home~?¡± Boss repeated himself as he made his way further through. Marveling at the expansive space within the Church capable of filling the entirety of the town right through just front door.


    Enormously tall hallways over 7 meters in height and 4 meters wide capable of holding dozens of people to walk through with ease. A staircase at the corner of the Church that follows alongside the wall going up to the upper levels. Boss walked around with a thought in his mind. Why are the hallways so large?


    Step by step Boss eventually stumbled upon rows of marble sculptures of Angels with 2, 4, 6 and 8 wings each one progressively becoming larger and more enigmatic than the former. The eight-winged Angel stood nearly 5 meters tall.


    Halting in front of the eight-winged Angel, Boss gave it a curious look. It was an enormous handsome Angel with an enchanting smile and straight long hair down to his chest, A thinly veil cloth wrapped around his body covering everything indecent.


    Scratching his head, Boss craned his neck to stare at the sculpture before him. I¡¯ve seen this fella somewhere before. However, I don¡¯t remember where.


    The two kids quickly caught up to Boss and craned their necks to look up at the eight-winged Angel before them. A mysterious energy suddenly flowed out of it as they approached, it swirled around the two youth, completely ignoring Boss and the pets.


    Arthur¡¯s eyes slowly dulled into a trance as the mysterious energy continued to swirl around him.


    Shelly¡¯s forehead was filled with a cold sweat as the energy slowly enshrouded her body. A plea for help can be seen on her expression as her eyes too were becoming more listless.


    ¡°Shoo, shoo¡± Boss waved his hands around the energy completely dispersing it, however not before trace amount fell upon the two.


    The two youths went out of their trance, a weird sensation enveloped their body as they looked at each other. Arthur¡¯s eyes bulged as he stared at Shelly. ¡°Sh-shelly there¡¯s white lights all around you!


    ¡°Same to you!¡± Shelly replied in disbelief, what is she seeing?


    ¡°Wh-what are these lights?¡± Arthur asked hoping for an answer.


    ¡°No idea, I can¡¯t see it.¡± Boss lied, he continued to walk ahead, shattering Arthur¡¯s hope for an answer.


    ¡°W-wait for me¡± Arthur chased after Boss. Shelly followed suit walking slower and pacing herself as she kept her eyes on Arthur. The white lights around him slowly flowed into his body returning his appearance to normal.


    Minutes passed by as the kids continued their exploration of the church. The once smiling expression on the eight-winged Angel morphed, the smile vanished replaced by a look of viciousness as it began to move.


    ¡°Hm?¡± The Pope¡¯s eyes popped open the moment the Angel moved. Holding himself up from the seat with his silver cane, the Pope reached for the Golden Scepter at his side and began to slowly walk. Only the sound of the cane tapping the floor could be heard as he disappeared down the hallway.


    ¡°Where are we going? It feels like we¡¯re walking in circles!¡± Arthur angrily shouted; the entire church was enormous, too enormous that Arthur felt lost.


    ¡°Ahaha, I think we are.¡± Boss said without a hint of worry. Using his spiritual sense, he could navigate around the church with ease, but he didn¡¯t want to cheat. So, he shrunk it to just around him and the kids, enough to respond to any sneak attack.


    ¡°Hm, where shall we go? That way?¡± Boss pointed at a certain direction he believed they haven¡¯t been through before.


    ¡°Shelly, please help us, if we follow Boss around, we¡¯ll be stuck here forever.¡± Arthur begged her. He remembered that she told him her memory was good, she should know where to go.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Shelly glanced at the hallway that was split into various parts like a spiderweb. Her eyes closed as she recalled the directions they¡¯ve taken since entering the Church. Lines and dots formed as pathways were drawn on a map visualized within her head.


    A moment later, her eyes open and she took the lead. Two doors down the hallway turn to the right. Three doors down that hallway turn to the left. Three more and another left. Her pace started to quicken as Arthur and Boss followed along at a brisk pace.


    Several minutes went by with Shelly continuously moving throughout the Church, Arthur was starting to feel unrest settle in as the back of his mind screamed, we¡¯re lost! However, right after that, Shelly made a right turn and the hallway opened to a whole other place appeared.


    An enormous cavernous area similar to the front of the Church for the townspeople¡¯s prayer appeared. Were they back at the front of the door? No. A Spiraling tower up ahead with a chain loosely removed from its handles appeared before their eyes.


    ¡°Wow~ look at that tower!¡± Arthur exclaimed; he wasn¡¯t expecting a cylindrical spiral 12 meters high of a tower within the church.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out!¡± Arthur ran ahead getting closer to the door pausing only in front of it. He didn¡¯t continue forward to open the door, the giant chains loosely around one handle of the door felt ominous.


    ¡°Why are there chains around the handle?¡± Arthur wondered, ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s a monster inside!¡± he determined, why else would you use a chain instead of a normal lock? Arthur slowly inched backwards before bumping into Boss.


    ¡°Hm? Walk forward, why¡¯re you backing up to me?¡± Boss questioned Arthur¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°Th-there¡¯s a m-m-monster up ahead¡± Arthur pointed at the chains on the handle. ¡°Shh, we gotta get out of here¡± Arthur was already ready to flee the scene. However, he couldn¡¯t budge as Boss held his shoulder slowly scooting him forward.


    Arthur¡¯s struggle was in vain as he was pushed back in front of the door. Quivering in front of the door Arthur was unwilling to touch the handle. Only Shelly¡¯s calm expression beside him calmed him down.


    Since Arthur was unwilling to open the door, Boss decided to do it himself. Just like before the moment he pushed it open his voice loudly echoed throughout the area. ¡°Anyone home~?¡±


    Completely caught by surprise from the loud childish voice both Michael and Julie who was crying in his arms turned their head towards the direction of the door. A little youth of 10 years old with purple hair and yellow eyes walked in followed by two familiar faces. One was carrying a silver kitten in her arm while the other had a puppy squat on his scruffy head of hair.


    ¡°Arthur? Shelly? What¡¯re you doing here?¡± Michael was the first to respond.


    ¡°Julie!¡± Arthur ran forward to give her a hug, prompting her to stumble back with him in her embrace. The little boy was up to her chest.


    ¡°Arthur? Look at you! You¡¯re so tall now.¡± She said while wiping away her remaining tears. Two years had gone by since he¡¯d last seen her, he¡¯d hardly grown, but it was enough for her to say so.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Arthur had a smug look on his face from her compliment. However, upon closer inspection of her face Arthur couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Julie why¡¯re you crying?¡±


    His eyes darted back and forth between the tears dried on Julie¡¯s face and the only culprit in the room, along with remembering the chains he had seen on the handle before. Arthur quickly made his deduction, ¡°Michael you kidnapper! You kidnapped Julie!¡±


    ¡°Y-you take that back! I did no such thing!¡± Michael was unprepared by Arthur¡¯s accusation he could only stammer.


    ¡°Oh yeah, then why is she crying?¡± Arthur quickly pressed Michael.


    ¡°Sh-she¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°And why were there chains outside the door, you locked her in here!¡± Arthur quickly cornered Michael with accusations, he didn¡¯t know how to refute the evidence.


    A sad and depressed look can be seen on Michael¡¯s face causing Julie to come his rescue. ¡°He didn¡¯t kidnap me Arthur, I came here myself.¡±


    ¡°Did he tell you to say that? Blink once for yes, two for no¡± Arthur didn¡¯t relent on bullying Michael.


    Julie¡¯s eyes blinked once on accident the moment Arthur said that, causing him to glare at Michael for being so despicable.


    ¡°N-no, I just blinked Arthur, Michael was here to save me¡± Julie quickly tried to save Michael¡¯s sinking ship.


    ¡°Is that true Julie? Then why did you come here?¡± Arthur relented; Julie wouldn¡¯t be this lively if Michael was her kidnapper.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I brought her here¡± Michael interrupted seemingly trying to hide something. His abnormal behavior caught the suspicion of Shelly.


    ¡°Oh? Then why were you looking for her so hard?¡± Shelly decided it was better to get the truth instead of having him hide it.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, hi Julie, my name¡¯s Shelly I¡¯m young master Arthur''s friend¡± Shelly introduced herself, she never met Julie before. She¡¯s only heard about her rom Arthur and Michael. Julie returned the greeting before looking at Boss.


    ¡°And what¡¯s your name boy?¡± Julie extended her arm for a handshake.


    ¡°Call me Boss.¡± Boss replied returning the handshake, causing Julie to be at a loss for words.


    ¡°Is that your name?¡±


    ¡°Probably, it is for now¡± Boss replied confusing her even more so.


    Arthur pulled Julie down and whispered into her ear ¡°He¡¯s an alien, he fell from the sky¡± causing Julie to give Boss a look of astonishment. Could he be that thing that fell from the sky?


    Julie began to circle around him looking at him all over, from what she¡¯s seen he seems like a normal kid.


    ¡°What¡¯re you looking at? Never seen a 10-year-old boy before?¡± Boss harrumphed at her curious gaze.


    Arthur pulled Julie down and whispered in her ear again, ¡°He was a man yesterday, he only made himself look like a kid¡±. This made Julie¡¯s eyes pop out in wonder as she curiously stared at him.


    Noticing everyone¡¯s gazes were now on Boss and not him, Michael couldn¡¯t help but got curious too. He went up to Arthur and whispered to ask him why Julie was so curious about Boss. However, Arthur should¡¯ve been the last person he asked because all he received was Arthur¡¯s tongue sticking out at him.


    Instead, Arthur repeated what Shelly had said ¡°Yeah, Michael, why¡¯re you looking for Julie so hard if you¡¯re the one who brought her here?¡±


    All eyes fell upon Michael as he didn¡¯t know what to say. Should he tell them the truth that he didn¡¯t do it? But wouldn¡¯t this make him a liar? So many thoughts were swirling around his head as all he could do was stand with his mouth agape not uttering a single word.


    Seeing Michael in a dilemma, Julie decided that she had to tell them the truth or Michael would receive all the blame.


    ¡°Kids, Michael didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Julie paused recollecting her thoughts.


    Sigh


    She exhaled, her thoughts in order and her calm collected.


    ¡°Michael didn¡¯t do anything, I locked myself up here of my own volition¡±


    ¡°He¡ª¡±


    Ruuumble¡­ Ruuumble¡­ Ruuumble¡­ Ruuumble!

 13. The sound of rumbling

    Chapter 13. The sound of rumbling


    <hr>


    The sound of rumbling could be heard as the floor began to quake. Slow thunderous footsteps destroyed the ground beneath as the towering creature motioned towards the spiraling tower.


    ¡°Wh-what is that? An earthquake?¡± Arthur interrupted as the quaking of the ground got more intense.


    ¡°No, something is coming this way.¡± Boss replied, knowing what¡¯s to come. Hearing what Boss had said Michael raced towards the door peeking his head out to see what was outside. An enormous creature¡¯s silhouette came into view as it made its way out of the hallway and into the cavernous space.


    ¡°Seraphim!¡± Michael yelped before instantly pulling his head back inside and shutting the door with his back against it. Would he be able keep the Seraphim from breaking in?


    Rumble¡­rumble!


    ¡°Seraphim!?¡± Julie was full of shock from what Michael had said. A Seraphim, the highest order of Angels is here¡­? What on Tierra?


    Panicked she could only say ¡°What do we do? What do we do?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic so much, it¡¯s not a real one.¡± Boss interrupted. ¡°Go look at it for yourself¡± he pointed towards the door. Julie motioned towards the door, every step quivering as if she would fall to the ground with the slightest scare.


    Rumble¡­rumble!


    She stumbles in front of Michael, falling into his embrace as she tries to maintain her calm. Silently thanking Michael in her head, she slowly pulled open the door, her head peeking outside saw the Seraphim in all its glory. A monstrous six-winged angel nearly 7 meters (23 feet) tall with a vicious look upon its face as it made its way closer to the tower.


    ¡°Eep!¡± She yelped as she slammed the door closed behind her in the same behavior as Michael. Her chest heaved up and down as she tried to collect herself from what she had seen. That thing wasn¡¯t an Angel! It was the marble statue at the entrance of the long maze of a hallway before coming here!


    ¡°H-how can it move!?¡± She asked the people inside.


    Shaking their heads, the three youths showed that they had no idea. She turned to Michael hoping he¡¯d have an answer. However, his head shook too, a look of disbelief can be seen on her face as she squatted down on the floor, defeated.


    Rumble¡­rumble!


    The footsteps were getting closer, if they don¡¯t do anything soon that thing outside will break its way in and then who knows what will happen?


    ¡°What do we do!? What do we do!?¡± Julie began panicking again, her butt flat on the floor as tears welled up in her eyes.


    Michael peeked his head outside to see the incoming Seraphim statue, it was halfway there a few more steps and it¡¯ll be right before them!


    Rumble¡­rumble!


    Shelly who had been silent all this time finally made her way towards the door with the kitten hugged in her arm. Her head peeked outside as the Seraphim took the next step. Followed by the other. Only 6 more steps and it¡¯ll be before them.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to run¡± Shelly calmly replied causing those within the tower to look at her in disbelief. She continued ¡°It¡¯s slow, the steps are big, but if we run fast, I think we can outrun it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to move, right now.¡± Shelly tried to rally them, hoping they would listen. Arthur and Boss followed her orders and stood beside her. However, Julie was still on the ground ¡°I-I can¡¯t get up.¡± She said sheepishly, her legs lost all its strength.


    Rumble¡­rumble!


    ¡°It¡¯s coming! Quick!¡± Arthur shouted after seeing the enormous presence two thirds of the way there. Michael rushed to Julie on command and lifted her up princess style. He fixed her into his embrace as he rushed back to the door.


    A whistle can be heard coming from Boss complimenting Michael¡¯s chivalrous demeanor.


    ¡°On the count of three we run to the right as far as possible, then we¡¯ll rush right back towards the entrance when it is following us.¡± Shelly stated her plan causing the rest to nod in agreement.


    ¡°One¡±


    Rumble!


    ¡°Two¡±


    Rumble!


    ¡°Three!¡±


    Everyone darted out immediately running to the right side of the tower, deeper into the cavernous space. The statue stood in place momentarily before it turned towards the direction of the group of people.


    Rumble¡­rumble!


    ¡°It¡¯s coming after us!¡± Arthur shouted as he turned his head around to see the figure following behind.


    Rumble rumble!


    Rumble rumble!


    ¡°It¡¯s getting faster, run!¡± Shelly shouted as they turned, heading towards the hallway. Their hurried footsteps could be heard as the enormous statue was quickly catching up.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Julie closed her eyes and turned her head to face the monster, a quick glare with her bright hazel eyes completely focused on the monster made it stop in its place. Everyone slowed down as they turned around to see the Seraphim, it was motionless.


    However, a gleam could be seen coming from the statue¡¯s eyes, a ting sound could be heard. A white glow began to form around its eyes as a violent beam flew out, it was heading straight towards the group causing everyone to erratically evade.


    Boom!


    Boss pulled Arthur away from the spot in the nick of time saving his life. Barkie immediately jumped down from his spot and stood behind Boss.


    Michael with Julie in his arms and Shelly rolled off on opposite side down on the ground. Silver too, hopped out of Shelly¡¯s embrace mid roll and hopped onto Boss¡¯ shoulders. Gravel and dust flew up in the air blanketing only their vision.


    Shelly and Michael immediately got back up. Michael quickly turned and reached for Julie¡¯s hand helping her back up into his embrace.


    Ting!


    ¡°Shelly! Dodge!¡± Boss yelled causing Shelly to immediately hop off to the side and roll on the floor.


    Boom!


    An enormous explosion followed by gravel and dirt filled the air as the spot Shelly was in prior was left with an empty pit.


    Ting!


    ¡°Shelly!¡± Shelly could only hop from her place halfway from getting up, her distance shorter.


    Boom!


    The shockwave of the explosion collided with her forcing her mid jump to fly forward three meters before crashing onto the ground. Her body on the ground, motionless.


    ¡°Shelly! Mew!¡± Arthur screamed while Silver meowed, seeing her fly out of the range of dust clouds before their very eyes. Silver hopped off Boss¡¯ shoulder as Arthur shook himself free from his grip and rushed towards her incapacitated body. Boss with Michael and Julie alongside, hurried to their side to inspect Shelly.


    ¡°She¡¯s alive¡± Boss sighed in relief as the dust particles and gravel disperse revealing the enormous Seraphim standing still in its place. Ignoring the motionless Seraphim, Boss hurried to carry Shelly in his arms, her face wrought with bloody wounds. Silver hopped back onto his shoulder as it looked down on Shelly with worry in its eyes.


    Click


    The Seraphim wasn¡¯t done! Everyone kept their eyes glued on the Seraphim exhausted from the running, carrying and dodging.


    Click


    Another click can be heard as one of its wings unfurled completely, followed by the other. Six majestic wings shining lifelike as a white energy began to envelope it.


    Ting!


    The Seraphim exploded in place as the wings propelled it forward right before Arthur.


    Boom!


    Boss quickly kicked Arthur to the side causing him to roll on the floor. The Seraphim¡¯s arm dug deep into the ground where Arthur once was.


    ¡°Arthur! Get up! Run!¡± Boss yelled commanding to Arthur to jump onto his feet. He ran straight for the hallway.


    The Seraphim got back up, freeing its arm from the ground.


    Ting!


    It immediately vanished in place and appeared right behind Arthur.


    Boom!


    Arthur managed to half evade it and was propelled through the air, tumbling on the ground before a door on the hallway and getting back to his feet. He quickly turned the knob and pushed his body inside, closing the door behind him. Click, he locked it.


    Ting!


    Boom!


    The enormous Seraphim stood before the enormous door pounding it with his arm causing the entire door to violently shake. The Seraphim stood still momentarily. The gleam in its eyes returned once again.


    ¡°Arthur, get away from the door right now! Bark! Bark! Boss voice could be heard from the room behind the door. Michael and Julie stood behind him, their expressions revealed their thoughts, why was the Seraphim targeting only Shelly and Arthur?


    Ting!


    The beam from its eyes completely shattered the enormous door blocking it, causing dust and particles to fly up into the air. Arthur quickly hid underneath a bed his body shivering, but he made no noise.


    The Seraphim made its way slowly through the door, scouring the room for any signs of life.


    Rumbe¡­ Rumble¡­


    It¡¯s heavy and steady steps entered the room as it scanned its head to look around. It glanced at another enormous door within the room and headed towards it.


    Ting!


    It fired disintegrating the door into smoldering ash, the door within was a giant wooden one and not made of stone as the front. It slowly walked in with each heavy footstep leaving a print as the ground quaked.


    Arthur saw the Seraphim disappear behind the door, he immediately scooted out from underneath the bed and attempted to dart out of the empty door. He needed to find another hiding place and fast!


    Ting!


    Arthur immediately hopped to the side of the door as the beam flew past exploding on the ground a distance ahead. He quickly rushed to another door to hide within its room. However, click the door was locked. In panic he tried the same with another one, it too was locked!


    Ting!


    The Seraphim appeared right behind Arthur sending its marbled fist towards him.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Arthur couldn¡¯t evade in time as he made a last ditched jump, his body flew like a broken kite and slammed into the opposite wall. His body peeled off the wall as he landed face first onto the ground.


    The Seraphim wasn¡¯t finished. Arthur was still alive, it wanted to finish him off with the next blow. It walked his heavy body towards Arthur and stood before him. It lifted its left leg up in the air ready to finish the job.


    Clang!


    The sound of something metallic hit the ground, the Seraphim¡¯s leg was still in the air as an old bald grandpa with white eyes walked into view. He was walking forward relying on the silver cane to move as a golden scepter was in his other arm.


    Clang!


    The silver cane smacked the ground again reverberating towards the enormous Seraphim, the leg it held fell straight down to the ground missing Arthur completely. The Pope continued to move forward.


    Clang!


    The Seraphim¡¯s twisted face distorted, slowly reverting to what it was in front of the hallway maze. The Pope finally arrived before the Seraphim and Arthur, he turned one eye towards the kid followed by looking at the girl in Boss¡¯ arm and eventually resting his eyes on the Seraphim before him.


    Clang!!


    The cane hammered the ground harder than the previous times. The Seraphim before him immediately lost its form and turned into a puddle of pearl white liquid, as it flowed down towards the entrance of the hallway on its own completely disappearing.


    ¡°Michael¡± The Pope¡¯s voice was soothing as he spoke. ¡°Pick up the boy gently and follow me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your Holiness.¡± Michael did what he was told and gently lifted Arthur up into his embrace. Barkie and Julie followed alongside Michael as Boss carried Shelly walking a short distance behind.


    The once twisted maze-like hallway was only a single straight path forward on the way back, it took only a matter of minutes to get back to the entrance. The enormous 7 meter, six-winged Seraphim returned to its spot completely the same as if it had never moved.


    Looking at the spiraling stairs before them the Pope only muttered one word. ¡°Up¡±. The golden scepter let out a soft glow as their entire body lost all its weight and began to ascend.

 14. The ascent

    Chapter 14. The ascent


    <hr>


    The ascent was silent as they gradually reached the uppermost floor of the Church. With their feet steady on the ground, Boss gave the entire area a glance. All around them were murals depicting epic battles between people of various hair color and eyes as stained glass covered the ceiling.


    Most of the people had red/blue/green hair with magenta/cyan/yellow eyes. Chunks of the murals were ripped off as the broken pieces where their allies and enemies should be were missing. Who were their allies? Who were they fighting? Nobody knew.


    The spiraling staircase that they didn¡¯t use to reach this floor, cascaded downward leaving those standing unable to get back down. Boss looked down from where the stairs once were, the stairs he had seen was completely gone. With only one direction to go, Boss continued to follow the Pope.


    The Pope didn¡¯t walk much further as they entered a room with a normal sized door. Within the room was exactly two of beds near each other. Both Shelly and Arthur were placed on each of the bed as the Pope pulled a chair over and sat between them.


    His eyes closed as he asked for peace and quiet. White energy from his body started to swirl around him before he separated the energy and dividing it into two. The divided energy softly surrounded the two.


    Within moments their body began to glow a bright white light as the physical wounds on their face and body started healing. Minutes passed by and the once beaten and painful expression they had transitioned to a calm peaceful one.


    Sweat could be seen on the Pope¡¯s forehead, the amount of energy he used to heal these two took a toll on him. However, you wouldn¡¯t see it on his expression, still calm and serene. Now that the recovery was finished the Pope turned his attention to the childish Boss.


    ¡°Child, you¡¯re quite strong.¡± The Pope said. ¡°You managed to carry the girl all the way here without breaking a sweat.¡±


    Scratching his head in embarrassment Boss replied, ¡°My mommy and daddy always said I was strong for my age.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite perceptive too, hm?¡± The Pope continued. Boss¡¯ reaction and attention during the confrontation against the Statue of the Seraphim wasn¡¯t out of the Pope¡¯s radar.


    Boss couldn¡¯t say anything, he knew the Pope had seen his display.


    ¡°I wonder what would¡¯ve happened to the boy if I didn¡¯t arrive when I did...¡± The Pope turned to give Arthur a meaningful look before softly patting the kid¡¯s hair.


    Boss continued to stay silent, only he knew what would¡¯ve happened to Arthur and Shelly if the Pope never showed up. Michael and Julie gave Boss a curious look, both lost in their own thoughts of what would have occurred.


    The Pope got up from his seat and walked over to Boss, a strange silent confrontation could be seen coming from the two as they stared down the other. However, a short while later the Pope was the first to move, his arm reached for Boss¡¯ head and rustled his hair too.


    ¡°It seems like the time for the newer generation is upon us¡± The Pope sighed as he continued to rustle Boss¡¯ hair. He then turned to glance at Michael and Julie.


    ¡°Michael, today you and Julie are forbidden from entering our Church of Future Heaven until your mission is complete.¡±


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to go! I can¡¯t!¡± Julie instantly refused the Pope without a single shred of decency.


    ¡°Julie Chartreuse, you know your own destiny the best, why hide from it?¡± The Pope¡¯s soothing voice provided more questions than answer.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather die than that damn destiny.¡± Julie continued to refuse the Pope.


    ¡°A destiny is only a single moment where you see a truth, anything afterwards are your very own truths.¡± His words silenced Julie as she remained deep in thought. A newfound look of conviction is marked on her face as she silently engraved the Pope¡¯s words to heart.


    ¡°Child, would you be so kind to help me?¡± The Pope turned his attention over to Boss.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Boss shouted in an excited childish voice. ¡°What must I do?¡± he asked with a serious attitude showing that he was prepared for anything.


    ¡°Would you like to be an Emissary of our Church and escort Michael and Julie to the Tillowisk Empire of the Eastern Continent?¡±


    ¡°I can¡± Boss answered causing Michael and Julie to be dumbstruck, did the Pope really asked a little boy to be their bodyguard? Was there no one else?


    ¡°However, not right now.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± The Pope gave him a questioning look waiting for him to continue.


    Boss pointed at the two youths beside the bed. ¡°The enrollment for the new class of students is coming up in a few months, I¡¯ll go with them once they¡¯re awake.¡± His answer was clear, he¡¯ll only bodyguard Michael and Julie if they joined him.


    ¡°That is fine, but you¡¯ll have to convince their parents why enrolling with Naturelle is better than Lumiere.¡± The Pope agreed.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of something.¡± Boss answered back.


    The Pope nodded his head in satisfaction as he returned to the chair. He had one more thing to do. His hands hovering a few centimeters above the two youths began to emit a soft warm glow, visibly different than the healing done earlier.


    Two white formed energy inside of them was pulled out and landed into his grasp. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this back.¡± It was the same white cloud of energy that came from the Seraphim statue.


    Everyone can visibly see the dense energy cloud in the Pope¡¯s hands. Michael and Julie both let out an audible gasp as they finally figured out the puzzle of why the two youths were attacked.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Boss asked pretending he didn¡¯t know what it was.


    Chuckling at the attempt Boss was making the Pope replied, ¡°You can say, it¡¯s like an exam for Emissaries.¡± The thing that came from the Seraphim served as a tracker for it to follow and attack. Like an exam, there could be no cheating, meaning Emissaries had to fight it with their powers locked.


    He continued ¡°These two are physically fully recovered. Michael and Julie, you¡¯ll carry them home to the Galafrays. While their physical appearance is unharmed, their mind is exhausted. Do let them rest.¡± The Pope said before the cascading staircase from earlier reconnected to their floor.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be seeing you out.¡± The two adults bowed their heads while the youth only gave him a nod before walking down and exiting the Church. The giant door with its locks broken was completely fixed as it closed behind them.


    The Pope looked at the room with exactly two beds as the entire interior started to change. The four walls were caving in, pushing towards the center, while everything else within the room started to melt, blending into it.


    As the Pope walked out from the room, the door behind him disappeared into the walls leaving no trace behind. He continued to walk steady steps towards his seat before staggering at the end.


    Falling into his seat, the Pope¡¯s once serene expression became mixed with pain. His chest heaved as he struggled to breath. His eyes were closed, and his teeth gritted, the Pope could only endure the excruciating pain he was feeling.


    Moments later, the pain subsides as he completely collapsed onto his seat. His breathing ragged, his body sore, he made no other movements as he sat there with his eyes closed.


    Michael with Barkie atop of his head carried Arthur back, Julie held Shelly with Silver on her shoulder. Boss followed along from the back silently examining the two, their internal energy was rapidly improving. A near fatal encounter was a blessing in disguise.


    The moment Benjamin saw Michael and Julie carry Arthur in, he immediately went to inform Samuel and Angel. The power they exuded together quaked the entire mansion as they raced to a guest bedroom for two children. The two children were placed here on Benjamin¡¯s order so that he can observe and treat them if necessary.


    The parents were fuming in anger when they asked who had done it. But once Boss mentioned it was an accident within the Church for an Emissary examination they completely understood. However, understanding was one thing, being calm about the matter was a another.


    ¡°Ima kill him. I¡¯m gonna kill that damn Pope.¡± Angel did not care whether it was an accident or not, her baby was harmed in his church.


    ¡°H-honey, p-please don¡¯t.¡± Samuel tried to stop her extremely unconvincingly.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna stop me? After what happened!?¡± Her voice grew louder, at him turning him into a frozen sculpture.


    However, the frozen sculpture began to melt as Samuel shivered from the cold ¡°H-he did save them too¡­¡± Samuel could only weakly stutter, a military man he may be but in front of an angry wife he can only concede.


    ¡°And you.¡± She turned to Boss her anger was boiling, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do anything!? You could¡¯ve easily prevented this!¡± Her force directly sent Boss flying to the wall. She then impaled him at the center of his stomach with an extremely large icicle.


    Michael shuddered at the cruel act she displayed upon the child, with Julie completely hiding her face in Michael¡¯s chest. However, the calm looks on the child¡¯s eyes made him feel true terror.


    The child impaled to the wall remained there and left out a sigh as he folded his arms and rested it on the large icicle. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to.¡± He plainly said, the moment he spoke Michael and Julie were scared shitless at the sight. How can a child no older than 10 years old be so calm after getting impaled to speak?


    Slowly tapping at the icicle, he continued ¡°I could have done what you¡¯ve wanted and prevented all this, but do you think you guys have all the time in the world? This world is evolving, either you survive it or die.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re just kids! 10-year olds!¡± Angel refuted her words made complete sense.


    ¡°During our evolution, most kids would be lucky to make it to 10.¡± Boss solemnly lamented, his chilling and sorrowful voice filled with regret made Angel couldn¡¯t help but feel empathetic towards him. Michael and Julie could see that if the child continued, he¡¯d have tears crawling down his eyes.


    ¡°But why?¡± She could only mutter, the rage she had towards everything subsided. Defeated she went and sat beside Arthur¡¯s bed with tears streaking down her eyes as she soflty petted his hair. ¡°Is it necessary?¡± She whispered not sure if she was asking herself or Boss.


    Sigh


    Samuel let out a sigh and sat beside her on Arthur¡¯s bed. He softly rubbed her back as she continued to shed silent tears down her eyes. The child still impaled to the wall continued to tap at the icicles before it silently disintegrated causing him to softly land on the floor.


    No wound could be seen on his chest, only a large hole left on his once pristine blue robe provided evidence of his impalement.


    ¡°Yes.¡± His one word spoke volume about what is to come. It is not something that they¡¯ll have time to adjust and adapt to, it¡¯ll be here quicker than they¡¯re prepared for.


    Benjamin softly motioned everyone to leave the room, Michael and Julie were the first to walk out, Julie too was crying when she saw the scene. Samuel walked Angel out afterwards, her eyes still wet with tears, but she was slowly recovering. Benjamin waited for Boss to leave the room, but the kid remained there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait here until they¡¯re awake, Boss said, the kitten hopped onto Shelly¡¯s bed and nestled beside her, Barkie did the same with Arthur showing their intent. Boss sat down on the floor since there was no chairs in the room.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go bring a chair¡± Benjamin excused himself.


    Boss looked at the two pets that were resting beside them ¡°You two should take care of your master in the future, okay?¡± However, there was no response or movement from them as if they didn¡¯t know Boss had said. Only the strong swirling energy within them showed that they understood.


    Benjamin returned with a chair for Boss to sit on. Before closing the door, he turned to ask Boss. ¡°Can¡¯t you prevent this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let them die.¡± His voice showed his intent. Benjamin could only shake his head and sighed, he knew what Boss meant, even if he could prevent it, he wouldn¡¯t.


    The purple haired child with bright hazel eyes sat his chair in between the two kids and their pets as the door closed. Neither near nor far away from either as he remained silent in the center.

 15. A few days

    Chapter 15. A few days


    <hr>


    A few days had gone by with no changes seen upon the two sleeping kids. Every day everyone would walk in to see the two youths asleep with Boss sitting motionless in the center. Boss was offered food and water a few times, but he shook his head as he continued to sit there.


    His attitude made Angel angry at first, but she could only relent and sigh. She would instead walk in everyday to make sure the kids were fine, and Boss wasn¡¯t dead from hunger.


    Four days had passed since what had occurred at the church. The ever-growing energy within the two youths finally settled down on this day. They were going to wake up soon.


    Shelly¡¯s eyes were the first to flutter as she began to wake up. A calm and collected look on her face as she slowly sat up to gauge her surroundings. The recognizable four walls and the snowflake emblem embedded onto the door eased her mind.


    She looked down to the kitten purring beside her and began to pet it. It woke up from this, releasing a soft and happy ¡°mew¡± to see her finally awake. Her attention turned to Boss who was smiling back at her, his face was the same as she had remembered, but the smile felt forced.


    Her head finally turned to notice another bed with Arthur sleeping on it. Noticing someone¡¯s gaze Barkie woke up from its sleep and directed its head towards Shelly. Its expression remained aloof as it curled back to sleep. However, its tail softly wagging gave away its true feelings.


    She tried to get out of bed, but Boss stopped her, he told her go back to sleep, there¡¯ll be food and water when she wakes back up. Nodding her head in agreement she laid back down with her head rested on the pillow and fell asleep.


    Moments later Angel walked in to do her usual check up on the kids and Boss. Everything seemed the same except for the kitten who wasn¡¯t asleep and the curled-up puppy with its tail softly wagging.


    Noticing her look, Boss replied ¡°She¡¯s finally awake, Arthur will be awake later tonight too, you should prepare a good dinner for them.¡±


    Angel ignored Boss¡¯ reply and walked towards Shelly. She checked her pulse and then gazed at the sleeping child. She began to softly pet Shelly¡¯s hair and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ve been lonely without my assistant. Hurry up and come back.¡±


    She then got up walked over to Arthur and did the same, checking his pulse. She then inched forward and kissed him on the head. ¡°My baby, mommy will make you the best dinner you¡¯ve ever had. So, wake up soon, okay?¡±


    She left the room with the same expression she¡¯s had every time she entered. However, after walking a short distance away that face couldn¡¯t help but beam a beautiful smile. Walking in on her smiling face Samuel couldn¡¯t but be dazed at how attractive his wife looked at that moment.


    ¡°Tell Benjamin to go out and buy more of the meat from the Tillowisk Empire, and if they have any other food from there, get them too.¡± She ordered Samuel waking him up from his daze. Only to see her departing backside Samuel could only reply ¡°I¡¯ll go get him.¡±


    Knock knock


    The sound of knocking can be heard coming from his door. Benjamin went and opened it to see his master¡¯s smiling face. ¡°Quickly, let¡¯s go to the marketplace, Shelly and Arthur will be awake tonight!¡± Samuel excitedly said, after seeing his wife¡¯s beaming smile he ran into the guest room with the three kids in it. Boss gave the same reply he gave Angel causing Samuel to be ecstatic.


    Inwardly sighing to himself as to why it couldn¡¯t have been Angel and him walking around the marketplace Benjamin closed the door on his master¡¯s face and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a minute.¡±


    Exactly a minute passed by before the door was opened. Benjamin in butler garb walked out with an expressionless face. His clean red hair and bright cyan eyes made him appear more noble than just a butler.


    ¡°My lord, why do you wish to come to the marketplace with me?¡± Benjamin questioned; it was one thing to order Benjamin to go to the marketplace and get the food preparations, but he as the Lord of this town, Samuel didn¡¯t need to come along.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I need to go for a walk once in a while.¡± Samuel replied. The drool dripping from his mouth gave away his true intentions.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Samuel was ready to leave the house instantly. However, Benjamin reminded him, ¡°You¡¯ll need to put on a wig and sunglasses sir.¡±


    ¡°Oh right! One moment!¡± Samuel said before disappearing and reappearing in a brown wig and sunglasses. As an Exotic and Lord of this town, Samuel¡¯s appearance is highly recognizable and with it comes extreme fanfare. It was one thing for Arthur to walk around with Shelly, but it was another when Samuel steps out.


    Both Samuel and Angel are required to wear a wig and cover their eyes for when they leave the home. They normally wouldn¡¯t forget about putting it on when they leave, the last time with purchasing the pets was the same.


    ¡°Is my attire okay, is it too eye catching, should I go change it?¡± Samuel asked one question after another.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°You¡¯re fine my lord¡± Even Benjamin didn¡¯t need to tell Samuel this, the attire they wore signifies that they are part of the Galafray household, there is nothing on it that tells other he¡¯s the Lord of Rouge. Especially with tons of servants and maids that walk in and out of the household for miscellaneous task all wearing the same attire.


    The walk to the marketplace at the center of the town was an effortless walk with a lot of townsfolk stopping Benjamin to tell him how much they loved everything Samuel has been doing. With every passing comment the smile on Samuel¡¯s face grew larger and larger. By the time they made it to the central marketplace he was giddy with joy.


    ¡°My lord, what do you do for the townspeople?¡± Benjamin decided to ask curiously. Normally, a butler¡¯s job is to never question their master, but Benjamin isn¡¯t an ordinary butler.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know, ahaha¡± Samuel honestly replied, as the governor all he does is sign off papers he thinks would be great for the people and the town. Since becoming the Governor of Rouge after the war he¡¯s been making changes after changes to the town.


    One such example is the central marketplace, he made it easier for people to receive a license to sell their product, however made the punishment more severe if they used it to negatively affect others.


    From signing this he made people provide honest work and enjoy the ease in which they¡¯re able to join the marketplace. Being able to obtain a license to sell made most of the townspeople burst with creative ideas allowing for a variety of things no other town would have. The only downside is that the central marketplace has grown extremely large and requires constant upgrades to the surrounding areas to accommodate.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get to the guy who sold you the Tillowisk Empire¡¯s produce.¡± Benjamin nodded in response leading Samuel towards the spot where he saw the guy. However, he decided to squeeze through every person possible, this made it impossible for Samuel who was larger to follow the same exact route. Every time Benjamin squeezed through; Samuel had to find another path around due to the overcrowded marketplace.


    ¡°Freaking, this marketplace is too damn overcrowded, once I go back, I¡¯ll divide the marketplace in half, the central will be food only, the northern part of town will be everything else.¡± Samuel grumbled about his plans after he caught up to Benjamin.


    ¡°Are we close?¡± Benjamin nodded his head and pointed at a familiar guy ahead. It was the same vendor that sold the goods. Samuel vanished in place and appeared directly in front of the vendor, startling him.


    ¡°You got Tillowisk Empire meat?¡± Samuel asked, he practically drooling thinking about it. The vendor nodded his head, however the price he asked for it was ridiculous.


    ¡°H-how much?! Say that again!¡± Samuel blurted, even as a governor the price of the meat would make him feel the pinch.


    ¡°300 silver coins per kilogram.¡± The vendor bluntly replied. The cost of regular meat was 30 copper coins per kilogram. With 10 copper equal to 1 silver coin, 300 silver coins is 100 times the price of regular meat per kilogram. (1 kilogram/kg is roughly 2.2 pounds/lb, so just assume 1kg is 2 pounds to make it easier)


    Benjamin made it over and seeing the familiar butler the vendor shouted ¡°Oh, Benjamin! How was the Tillowisk meat from last time? Did the Governor enjoy it?¡± Benjamin glanced at the person beside him and nodded his head in response.


    ¡°How much is it for the meat this time?¡± Benjamin asked it seemed like the prices had changed.


    ¡°It¡¯s 300 silver coins a kilogram, you know last time when I told you about my friend mentioning it being good for your physical and mental energy? It was freaking true!¡± The vendor exclaimed he was excited and regretful.


    ¡°Is that why it¡¯s 50 times the price compared to before?¡± Benjamin continued to ask. He bought it before for only 60 copper coins.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the reason, the other reason is that these freaking creatures are actually harder to obtain than I thought, my friend said he¡¯s finding it more difficult to supply me with these guys so I had to make it more expensive.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯re you going to sell the meat if it is so expensive?¡± Benjamin continued to ask.


    ¡°People would come by and I¡¯ll tell them about the benefits it can do for your physical and mental energy that they¡¯ll give me a silver or two for a thin slice.¡± He continued saying ¡°Since then, I have regulars who¡¯ll come back with more silvers for bigger slices of meat.¡±


    ¡°How long does the meat last? You surely can¡¯t be selling more than a kilogram with that ridiculous price.¡± Benjamin continued asking.


    ¡°Sorry Benjamin, even I don¡¯t know how long it lasts, this meat right here has been like this for a week so far, and it¡¯s still as fresh as the day I got it.¡±


    Listening in on their conversation Samuel tapped on Benjamin¡¯s shoulder and whispered. ¡°I want it.¡± Benjamin whispered back, ¡°you want all of it?¡± That whole 25 kilograms (55 pounds) Benjamin thought that Samuel was crazy.


    ¡°Yes¡± The slurping of the drool coming from Samuel¡¯s mouth could be heard, he couldn¡¯t help himself.


    Benjamin remained calm and controlled himself, ¡°Do you have any vegetation from the Tillowisk Empire too?¡±


    ¡°Only this one, a giant mushroom¡± The vendor replied pointing at the mushroom that was almost a meter tall behind him.


    ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°500 silver coins¡±


    ¡°For the whole thing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s any energetic effects from the vegetations since everyone prefers the meat. So, it¡¯s a steal right now Benjamin, Whaddya say?¡±


    ¡°25kg of meat is 7,500 silver coins and the mushroom are another 500. Hm...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy all the meat and that mushroom for 5,000 silver coins and I¡¯ll put a good word in with the Governor.¡±


    ¡°Y-you want all the meat?¡± The vendor asked in disbelief. That was twenty-five kilograms of meat.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take all of it right now.¡±


    ¡°Fine but do put in the good word with the Governor, if ya do I¡¯ll give you a discount every time.¡± The vendor agreed to Benjamin¡¯s proposal.


    ¡°Sure thing¡± Benjamin tossed a small bag of coins to the vendor, within it was 50 gold coins. 10 copper makes a silver, 100 silver makes a gold, and 1,000 gold coins make 1 gold bar.


    Most people don¡¯t carry gold bars, and nothing ever sold is worth that amount. If there are items worth an exorbitant amount, it¡¯ll normally be traded for what the seller desires.


    Benjamin grabbed the meat and the mushroom and tossed it to Samuel to carry. Samuel was a little irked that Benjamin made him carry the food, but he couldn¡¯t do anything to Benjamin in public because he was in disguise and looked like a regular servant.


    As they were walking away from the marketplace, the vendor shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to mention my name, it¡¯s Tea Rex! Ya hear me? Tea Rex!¡±

 16. You hear that?

    Chapter 16. You hear that?


    <hr>


    ¡°You hear that? He¡¯s Tea Rex¡± Benjamin repeated what Tea Rex had told him causing Samuel to roll his eyes. They continued to walk back home until Samuel grabbed his shoulder, the drool on his face was apparent. ¡°That¡¯s the wrong way.¡±


    Benjamin looked at him in confusion, did Samuel not know how to get home?


    Samuel hurriedly pointed in a different direction away from home, the location he was pointing at was towards a local restaurant. The moment Benjamin saw the restaurant further ahead he could only click his tongue at Samuel in displeasure as he followed along.


    The restaurant had two floors; the lower floor was for most of the people whereas the upper floor was for those who are willing to pay extra for a quieter meal. Another thing the restaurant provides is that those of the upper floors can bring in their own ingredients for them to prepare.


    This was the reason why Samuel decided to take a detour before heading home. He wanted to prepare some of the meat at the restaurant for lunch and then bring the rest home for Angel to make dinner.


    Upon entering the restaurant, they were greeted by a hostess, a pretty young woman in her mid-twenties with minor freckles on her face. ¡°Hello, welcome to Popina, first floor or second? She asks, with Samuel replying, ¡°Second floor please, we¡¯ve brought our own ingredients.¡±


    Nodding her head knowingly she led them up the stairs at the center to the second floor, they were seated next to a window with a clear view of those on the first floor and outside of the restaurant.


    A moment later, a petite waitress in her early twenties almost a head shorter than the hostess came out to retrieve their ingredient. However, she didn¡¯t expect to see an enormous piece of meat she couldn¡¯t lift before her. Noticing her plight Benjamin swung his arm downward on the piece of meat, cutting a slice and handed the slice to her.


    Samuel gave Benjamin a dejected look as he wanted more than what was cut to be cooked, but Benjamin ignored him and placed a small portion of the mushroom too on the carrying tray before sending the shocked waitress off. Samuel could only shake his head; he knew couldn¡¯t eat too much for lunch either as Angel should have something prepared for them once they return.


    Looking down below at the loud outspoken and drunk townspeople being merry and having a good time, Samuel smiled in satisfaction As the Governor this town one of the things he¡¯s most proud of is making it so peaceful and worry free.


    ¡°My lord, I sense a weak resonance coming this way.¡± Benjamin whispered breaking Samuel out of his happy satisfaction. He replied ¡°Oh, is it Red or Cyan?¡± color resonance was different for hair and eyes.


    ¡°Red, tier 1 resonance, entering this restaurant.¡± Benjamin replied.


    Seeing Benjamin¡¯s response Samuel felt relieved, a tier 1 resonance means that the person either just became a red-haired power user, or one who couldn¡¯t improve after becoming a Red, most likely at this time a dropout.


    Putting on his own brown wig, Benjamin continued ¡°They¡¯re too weak to sense me, but I¡¯ll have to hide my hair since we don¡¯t want to spook them.¡±


    The door to the entrance was opened as five guys in their early to mid-twenties walked in. The one in the center seemed to be the leader, he had a dull red colored hair and brown eyes. A hint of annoyance could be seen on his face as he completely ignored the hostess and walked straight to the second floor sitting at the table closest to the staircase.


    After getting a closer look at each person there was one other person besides the leader with powers. Magenta colored eyes the ability of Telekinesis, a different resonance to Benjamin¡¯s Empathy so he didn¡¯t sense it.


    ¡°Benjamin, what can you sense?¡± Samuel whispered. Benjamin¡¯s Cyan eyes of Empathy allowed for him to keenly observe a person and understood them.


    ¡°Seems like Red here failed to attain tier 2 to become a practitioner, considering his age this was probably his last chance. I can feel his rage, depression, and hopelessness. He¡¯s capable of anything if provoked right now.¡± Benjamin specifically stated the major points of what the other person¡¯s feeling right now.


    Samuel nodded his head and continued to whisper ¡°Magenta?¡± Benjamin glanced at the person and continued ¡°You would expect Magenta to be as annoyed as Red considering they both failed; however, I sense that he¡¯s still optimistic about his life, seems like he¡¯s optimistic about coming here.¡±


    ¡°Besides, tier 1s are all just Students, Telekinesis that young are only capable of sending small objects flying, so he wouldn¡¯t even be able to do anything to us.¡± Benjamin replied nonchalantly. Samuel gave him a weird look considering Benjamin was around their age.


    A short moment later a waiter slightly taller than the hostess walked out to take their order before returning.


    Once the waiter was gone, one of the three without powers began to complain. He had a buzzcut with a noticeable scar on the right side of his face. ¡°Fuck man, I thought you heard Tea Rex had over 25 kilograms (55 pounds) worth of the Empire¡¯s meat.


    ¡°H-he did! He even said it was just sold out.¡± A scrawny guy with a long face retorted.


    ¡°It was 300 silver coins per kilogram, are you telling me he mother freaking sold 25 kilograms, 7,500 silver coins worth of meat in a day!?¡± The buzzcut with a scar couldn¡¯t believe it. The total amount those 5 had was enough for just 3 kilograms and they were quite well off.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Tell me, who the hell in Rouge can afford all 25kg of the Empire¡¯s meat without feeling the pinch? We came here as fast as we could through the damn mountain village and its crazy savages and got nothing for it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe you should¡¯ve asked him when we were there!¡± The scrawny guy was annoyed at his friend for blaming him.


    ¡°It was probably the Governor." The third friend said while cleaning his glasses.


    ¡°Why the hell did the Governor have to buy all of it today! Couldn¡¯t he have spared some? He¡¯s a freaking Exotic of a higher tier, the energy from the meat wouldn¡¯t mean shit to him! Gah." The scarred man continued to complain.


    ¡°Enough, what¡¯s done is done, either we go to the Governor and ask if we can buy some of the meat, or head to the Tillowisk Empire and get some ourselves.¡± Red interjected, stopping his friend from continuing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go ask the Governor first since we¡¯re here already, then go to the Tillowisk Empire afterwards.¡± The guy with the glasses replied.


    The scrawny guy kept glancing towards Samuel and Benjamin¡¯s direction and whispered to his friends ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t they servants from the Governor¡¯s estate? We should ask them about the meat and see if the Governor had bought it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask them later, it¡¯s rude to interrupt people¡¯s lunch.¡± The man with the glasses reasoned. Red and Magenta nodded their head at his response, however buzzcut scar face was ready to rush over and ask.


    A wonderous scent of freshly prepared meat and mushroom with well-seasoned herb and spices was carried out by the petite waitress. Her face was full of desire as she walked over to Benjamin and Samuel. However, as a professional she could only place the plate down before rushing back into the kitchen to avoid the enticing smell that¡¯ll make her do something shameful.


    The scent of the meat also caught the attention of the group of five as they all turned their head over. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the meat? Didn¡¯t we hear people say that it smelled heavenly!?¡± The scar faced young man was about ready to hop out his chair. The other people eyed it as it was placed before the two.


    ¡°Why are the servants eating it?¡± The scar faced continued to question before an idea formed in his head. A sinister smile can be seen crawled on his face as he got up and sauntered over.


    Samuel who was already digging into the cubed-up pieces of meat and mushrooms didn¡¯t even noticed the scar faced man¡¯s arrival until Benjamin tapped him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Samuel looked up to see the towering guy beside his table.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry for intruding but is that the Tillowisk Empire¡¯s meat?¡± The scar faced man asked as he eyed the plate and the bag containing the rest of the meat beside them.


    ¡°Yeah, what of it?¡± Samuel replied, he was annoyed that his lunch was being interrupted.


    ¡°Does the Governor know you two servants are eating the meat?¡±


    Samuel was about to say he was the Governor, but Benjamin stopped him. It¡¯ll draw too much attention and Angel couldn¡¯t find out that Samuel snuck some food for himself.


    Collecting himself Samuel replied, ¡°Yes, he does.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then what if I go tell him? Will you be as confident as you are right now?¡±


    Sweat began to trickle down Samuel¡¯s forehead. Shit if he shows up Angel will find out!


    ¡°What is it that you want?¡± Samuel replied.


    ¡°I want 5 kilograms of your meat¡± The scar faced man said before continuing ¡°Of course I¡¯ll pay for it, 300 silvers.¡± The smug look on the scar faced man can be seen.


    ¡°Y-you!¡± Fuck this guy! He¡¯s freaking blackmailing me! Samuel was ready to destroy the fool in front of him. However, Benjamin stopped him again. Ticked off Samuel could only glare at Benjamin through his sunglasses, before agreeing to hand over 5kg of meat for a measly 300 silver.


    Seeing Benjamin take out the 25kg of meat from the bag the scar faced man eyes grew big in delight. ¡°You wanted 5 kilograms of meat, right?¡± Benjamin asked for confirmation.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah 5 kilogram and you¡¯ll get the 300 silver and I won¡¯t tell the Governor you¡¯re secretly eating his meat.¡± Seeing his response Benjamin nodded his head ¡°Alright, do you want the whole 5kg or 1kg slices?¡± Benjamin looked over at the other 4 who were sitting at the table watching the process.


    Looking over at the group of friends behind him sitting and waiting for their meal the scar faced man replied ¡°1kg slices, and don¡¯t skimp out on the weight.¡±


    ¡°Alright, 1kg slices it is.¡± Benjamin replied. As the scar face man prepared to hand over the knife for Benjamin to cut, Benjamin continued ¡°Here¡¯s the first slice¡±, Benjamin¡¯s arm vanished before a perfectly cut slice of meat was separated from the whole.


    All 5 people watching the process was shocked. Dazed at what had just occurred the scar face man couldn¡¯t say a word before Benjamin continued. ¡°Here¡¯s the second slice¡± his arm vanished again before the second slice separated away from the chunk of meat.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the third slice¡± Benjamin repeated once more, however the scar faced man shook awake from his dazed expression and shouted ¡°STOP!¡± Alas, this did not stop Benjamin¡¯s arm from vanishing and another slice appearing beside the others.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Benjamin looked at the scar faced guy in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I think these are perfectly sliced.¡± He continued. Everyone from the other table rushed up beside the scar faced man as Red stepped in and said ¡°Ahaha, sorry about my friend here, he didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want the 5 kilograms of meat anymore?¡± Benjamin asked with a confused look.


    ¡°No, no it¡¯s okay we don¡¯t want any of the meat, sorry for interrupting your meal.¡± Red replied while shoving his friend¡¯s head down to bow in forgiveness.


    ¡°Oh? What if I sell it to ya? I already cut up 3kilogram of meat, don¡¯t you want it?¡± Benjamin¡¯s words made them stop to consider. Their need for the meat was more important than the scare Benjamin gave them.


    After some deliberation the they agreed to buy the meat. ¡°H-how much?¡± Red gulped hoping it won¡¯t be too expensive.


    ¡°Just 300 silver per kilogram.¡± Benjamin replied honestly. The value of the meat made the five sighed in relief, that was the price Tea Rex was selling it for.


    ¡°Here¡¯s all we have, I¡¯m sorry about our friend¡¯s behavior again.¡± Red handed Benjamin the bag of coins.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I won¡¯t tell the Governor, it¡¯ll be our little secret.¡± Benjamin waved them off before sitting back down.


    The five members immediately took the meat and rushed out of Popina after tossing some coins for the food they didn¡¯t eat.


    ¡°Ahaha, that was brilliant! Did you see the look on their faces, but why did you not make it extremely expensive?¡± Samuel asked, Benjamin could¡¯ve easily made it double or triple and they¡¯d still have to pay the price.


    ¡°Oh, right. I should¡¯ve done that.¡± The look on Benjamin¡¯s face made Samuel unsure if he was telling the truth or not. However, he didn¡¯t care much longer as he returned to his plate and began devouring the food.


    ¡°Sho delicious~¡±

 17. Lets get out of here

    Chapter 17. Let''s get out of here


    <hr>


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here, hurry!¡± Red rushed their group to leave the town.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Riley? Is it that guy from earlier? How strong was he?¡± Magenta asked. Since he was from Naturelle, and transfers from Lumiere were all Prodigies it was impossible for him to know how strong that person was.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s that guy from earlier Mason, that guy is at least a Tier 3 resonance or higher.¡± Riley replied with an anxious voice.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± The friend with a scar on his face asked as they were running back towards the mountain village.


    ¡°You three may not know this since you guys haven¡¯t awakened your powers to learn about them, but resonance can only be sensed by others with the same colors.¡± He paused before muttering. ¡°However, that¡¯s only true if they¡¯re equal or within 1 tier of each other. Those who are 2 tier or higher will be able to sense everyone below them.


    ¡°He could sense me, that¡¯s why he displayed what he did, but I couldn¡¯t sense him! He could be anywhere tier 3 and above!¡± Riley¡¯s words started to make the three understand a bit.


    ¡°How strong is a tier 3?¡± Scar face continue to ask.


    ¡°You know, right now I¡¯m the peak of tier 1, I¡¯m already stronger than dozens of men and can crush a boulder with my bare hands, right?¡± Riley¡¯s reply got everyone to nod their head in confirmation. He continued ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure since our teachers never showed us how strong they were, but if I had to guess it¡¯d take 100 of me just to go even with our teachers.¡±


    His reply gave everyone a sense of dread, a man who is a tier 3 was a servant to the Governor was as strong as a teacher from Lumiere or Naturelle. How strong was the Governor?


    ¡°I-if he¡¯s that strong, how strong is the Governor?¡± The scrawny guy asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe at least tier 4 or higher. But I¡¯m not staying here to find out.¡± Riley replied.


    ¡°Tier?¡± The glasses guy was confused, ¡°what is Tier?¡± Riley was about to reply when Mason stepped in to respond.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only heard this from classmates, but there are tiers in Resonance, the stronger we are the easier it is for us sense everyone within or below us in resonance. Mason continued ¡°I don¡¯t know much else about Tiers or how many there are, I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s 9, but I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Riley nodded his head and continued for Mason, ¡°Yeah, in class we¡¯re taught about how the world at one point had 9 Tiers of Resonance thousands of years ago. However, the teachers said there has never been another high tier Resonance since then.¡±


    ¡°What is a high tier Resonance?¡± The scar face twenty something year old asked. Riley shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, our teachers have disputed on this, they said high tier starts at 7, but others says it¡¯s 8.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯re they disputing?¡± The scar face man asked. Riley thought for a moment and answered. ¡°It¡¯s the two major kingdoms, our Zeldova and the Tillowisk Empire who¡¯re saying different numbers. I think it¡¯s because of our General.¡±


    Mason agreed with Riley and stated, ¡°I was in Naturelle, so I heard rumors that King Tyran did not like knowing that there was a person who was so close to attaining Tier 7 Resonance, so he had people spread rumors that High Tier Resonance is 8.¡±


    ¡°Who is that person?¡± Glasses asked before the scar face man could.


    ¡°He¡¯s the Commanding General of our Zeldovian Military, General Cornelius.¡± Riley replied.


    ¡°General Cornelius¡­¡± The three were lost in thought as they heard his name. It wasn¡¯t a name that they¡¯ve never heard of, in fact there were tons of stories of General Cornelius after the war ended. A lot of people said it was thanks to him that the sheer number of enemy forces were routed and killed, where losing battles turned into victories.


    However, most of the stories that were spread only mentioned that he was a strategist. It was only now that they¡¯ve heard that our General wasn¡¯t just a master tactician, but an insanely powerful person.


    The group finally made it out of Rouge¡¯s territory, there was only two days of walking to make it back to the village across the mountains. However, the group paused in their track as they remembered those scary monstrous people in demonic masks as they chased them out of town.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a detour around the mountain and see if there¡¯s no other way than through that village, if there isn¡¯t we¡¯ll just have to deal with it and walk through, it¡¯ll also be good to lose anybody who is tracking us from Rouge.¡± Mason stated. The others agreed and changed their course.


    Meanwhile, Benjamin and Samuel completely put those five to the back of their minds as they completed their lunch. The waitress returned when they were finished to clean up the table and the meal. Benjamin could still see the desire on her face and decided to cut another kilogram for the workers to share. The waitress was embarrassed and didn¡¯t know what to say, once she returned to herself to thank them the two were already gone.


    After their lunch, Samuel decided to search the marketplace once more for other ingredients that¡¯ll compliment the meat and mushroom that they bought. By the time they returned home it was two hours after lunch. The angry look on Angel¡¯s face as they entered the door made Samuel shrunk back in terror while Benjamin calmly escaped to his room.


    Luckily the anger immediately subsided when Samuel showed her the ingredients they bought from the central marketplace. Going from anger to excitement Angel gave Samuel a quick kiss on the lips before grabbing the ingredients and disappearing into the kitchen to plan out their dinner.


    A nightmarish dream enveloped him in his slumber. ¡°Where am I?¡± the boy thought to himself. ¡°Where is everyone?¡± his eyes darted back and forth but all he sees is darkness. Feeling around trying to make his way through the dark haze to find any semblance of light the boy quickened his pace.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The sounds of footsteps echoed ahead as he captured a silhouette of a little girl running away before him. ¡°Sh-shelly? Was that you?¡± The footsteps paused for a short moment before echoing again, a little further this time ¡°Shelly!¡± The boy tried to chase after the silhouette but no matter what their distance seems to be increasing.


    He continued to chase as the silhouette as it began to split from one to two, to four creating multiple silhouette all running away further and further from him. ¡°Shelly? Boss? Mom? Dad?!¡± The boy could only make out the vague outlines of them as he continued to chase them.


    The ground beneath him started to quake as he continued chasing them. Behind him a familiar Seraphim began to materialize. ¡°Oh no!¡± Arthur was on a full sprint chasing after the silhouette just slightly out of his grasp. The Seraphim quickened its pace as it was slowly catching up to him.


    Ting!


    The familiar sound of its last attack could be heard prompting Arthur to immediately hop and roll away from where he once was. However, the target wasn¡¯t him. The silhouette of the little girl ahead was completely enveloped by the enormous Seraphim before another familiar sound rung in his ears.


    Boom!


    ¡°Shelly!¡± Arthur cried, the Seraphim before him disappeared leaving only a small one lying on the ground. He ran with all his might eventually catching up to it. However, the moment before he could see her, she vanished. Only three figures were running up ahead, the little girl was gone.


    ¡°No! Boss! Mom! Dad!¡± Arthur cried hysterically; his body was moving of its own command as it chased after the three silhouettes. He continued his chase before the same scene occurred.


    A familiar Seraphim materialized its enormous body began to chase him and the three silhouettes ahead.


    Ting!


    ¡­


    Boom!


    The sound caused Arthur to instinctively tumble again. However, it still wasn¡¯t him. Another silhouette laid on the ground further ahead. ¡°Boss! No!¡± Arthur raced towards the silhouette, but it vanished in the same fashion as before.


    There was only two silhouette left running. Mom! Dad!¡± Arthur could only continue to cry and chase, he didn¡¯t know what to do. The Seraphim materialized again and continued to chase behind him.


    Ting!


    ¡­


    Boom!


    Arthur didn¡¯t even try to evade this time as both silhouettes before him fell to the ground. The silhouette of his father and mother both disappeared before him. His body came to a halt as he sat in darkness with nothing around. The silhouette of Shelly, Boss, Angel, and Samuel are all gone, there was nothing but soft cries coming from the boy.


    The shadow of the Seraphim loomed over his body as it materialized again. Noticing its presence Arthur turned his head around. The life in his eyes were gone.


    ¡°What is it that you want?¡± He weakly asked. However, the Seraphim just stood before him without making any sound.


    ¡°What do you want¡­what do you¡­¡± Arthur¡¯s voice got quieter not even able to finish his sentence. The sound of footsteps could be heard echoing behind Arthur again. It was the silhouette of the girl, however this time it was running towards him.


    The Angel¡¯s head turned away from Arthur and locked onto the silhouette. Its eyes began to emit a faint glow.


    ¡°No!¡± Arthur shouted before jumping up to his feet and flew in between the Seraphim and Shelly. The beam flew from its eyes directly his back and through his chest. The shadow of the girl finally made it before his very eyes as he looked up at her from the ground. Her familiar face along with that of Boss, his father and mother surrounded him, tears crawling out of their eyes was the last thing he saw before darkness enveloped him.


    Gasp!


    Arthur gasped awake, heaving heavily. The same four people were surrounding him this time, however there was no tears on their face, only the look of worry. Dazed, Arthur could only just sit there and stare at their faces. The sound of a dog¡¯s bark woke him up completely as he looked down on it. ¡°Barkie¡­¡± Arthur weakly reached his hand over to pet it.


    Hmph, dumb human couldn¡¯t even tell the difference between a nightmare and reality. Barkie thought to itself while enjoying the pet Arthur was giving.


    ¡°Mommy? Daddy? Boss? Shelly?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay sweetie it was just a nightmare.¡± Angel assured Arthur as he finally collected himself.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for four whole days boy, how¡¯re you feeling?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Boss¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, shit this kid is still not fully awake.¡± Boss said before softly slapping Arthur¡¯s face. One slap, two slap, three slaps, four. ¡°I¡¯m awake, I¡¯m awake, stop slapping me.¡± Arthur held back Boss¡¯ hand that was going in for the fifth slap.


    ¡°Well, look at you, as energetic as ever I see.¡± Boss replied pulling his hand away.


    Arthur turned his head towards Shelly. ¡°Glad to see you awake.¡± Shelly replied.


    ¡°Shelly!¡± Arthur gave her a hug. ¡°I thought you were dead!¡± The nightmare along with what had transpired at the Church is still revolving around his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°Yeah you are!¡± Arthur replied enthusiastically.


    ¡°Mew¡± Silver slapped Arthur¡¯s face away causing him to reel back from the hug.


    Gurgle gurgle


    ¡°Ahaha¡± Arthur laughed embarrassingly, four days of no food or water finally caught up to him.


    ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s hungry.¡± Samuel stated as Arthur¡¯s stomach couldn¡¯t lie.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go eat dinner, mommy made you the best food.¡± Angel quickly remembered.


    The adults left the room first, followed by the three kids. Samuel was already sitting at the dinner table waiting for food when they arrived. Before long the aromatic smell from the ingredients wafted around the room as dinner began to get placed on the table.


    The moment Angel walked out with the remaining chunk of meat on a silver platter the entire room went silent as everyone eyed the meat making its way towards their table.


    ¡°To celebrate Arthur and Shelly¡¯s complete recovery, I¡¯ll let you guys eat as much as you want.¡± Angel placed the platter at the center of the table, cutting a slice for everyone to eat first.


    The moment she sat down and took the first bite everyone else began devouring their plates. Boss was eating the food and examining the energy within everyone¡¯s body that was slowly increasing. While it was an extremely miniscule amount of increase for Exotics, it is more than enough for regular people to pay a hefty price for.


    ¡°Shelly, when did you wake up?¡± Arthur asked while eating. When he woke up Shelly was already leaning over him.


    ¡°Mmm, early in the morning, I went back to sleep and woke up again an hour before you did.¡± Shelly replied as she ate.


    ¡°Oh, what happened to us anyways? I thought that Angel statue was gonna kill us.¡± Arthur continued to ask. Shelly shook her head in reply, since she got knocked unconscious before Arthur did only Boss could explain.


    ¡°I saved you two and healed you with my godly powers.¡± Boss replied as he ate. Arthur completely believed him while Shelly gave him a skeptical look. Her eyes continued to stare down Boss making him feel uncomfortable. ¡°Wh-what? It¡¯s true.¡± Boss tried to avoid Shelly¡¯s glare as he ate.


    ¡°F-fine, it was the Pope, he showed up and defeated the monster and then used his amazing eye powers to completely heal you two.¡± Boss quickly gave up to Shelly¡¯s pressure while putting emphasis on eye.


    The moment Boss mentioned the Pope¡¯s eye powers Arthur recalled what he wanted to do. ¡°Mommy, daddy, I want to go to Naturelle.¡±

 18. Pfft

    Chapter 18. Pfft


    <hr>


    Pfft


    Cough cough cough


    Angel and Samuel coughed and spat out the food they were eating. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, daddy, I want to go to Naturelle.¡± Arthur repeated.


    ¡°But, why son, why not Lumiere? It¡¯s so much closer.¡± Samuel asked. Lumiere was in their own country whereas it¡¯d take a month of traveling to get to Naturelle across the continent.


    ¡°I want to learn more about my eyes, Shellys got good eyes, the Pope has good eyes, mommy, daddy you both have good eyes, I want good eyes.¡± Arthur began to ramble on about eyes.


    ¡°But you can learn about your eyes at Lumiere, you don¡¯t need to go to Naturelle for it.¡± Samuel replied. Both Lumiere and Naturelle had departments for Exotics with teachers capable of teaching anything about their physical and mental energy.


    ¡°But Naturelle has all the eye people, I wanna make sure I have good eyes.¡±


    Arthur¡¯s childish yet stubborn response left the two flabbergasted. What could they say? He wanted to go to Naturelle, and it is indeed better in terms of mental energy and understanding the human eyes.


    ¡°No.¡± Angel stepped in.


    ¡°But mom!¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯re not going to be talking about Lumiere or Naturelle right now, enrollment isn¡¯t for 3 more months I¡¯ll give you a month to think hard about it and if you still want to go to Naturelle, I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Angel stated bluntly. Her reply left no room for discussion Arthur could only lean over to Boss and whisper. ¡°Can¡¯t you do something?¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Boss replied with a mouthful of food.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, something, use your powers to convince them.¡± Arthur continued to whisper.


    Samuel and Angel could only shake their head at Arthur¡¯s attempt. As Exotics. enhanced perception is a given for someone of their caliber. Everything Arthur whispered was clearly heard by the two.


    ¡°You know, they can hear you right?¡± Boss pointed his fork at the father, mother duo looking over at them. Boss¡¯ comment made Arthur yelp in surprised as he slowly crept his head to glance at his parents nodding their head to Boss¡¯ statement.


    ¡°I was uh, just kidding mommy and daddy I knew you two could hear me the whole time.¡± Arthur tried to laugh it off. The expression on his parents were unamused as the delicious dinner they had, became an awkward silent one.


    Arthur downed the entire plate of food he had down in a few bites and raced off to his room excusing himself from the awkward silence he caused. Once Arthur and Barkie was gone Samuel was the first to break the silence. ¡°Ahaha, you¡¯re not going to actually do anything to us, right?¡± Samuel glanced at Boss who was chewing his food.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Boss replied. His response caused Samuel to freeze in place for a short moment before getting elbowed by Angel for asking such a ridiculous question.


    ¡°Ahaha.¡± Samuel tried to laugh it off as the dinner became awkward once more. The same as Arthur Samuel ate the entirety of his plate and ran out of the door leaving Boss, Angel, Shelly, Michael and Julie left.


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding, I might try to convince you two.¡± Boss broke the silence as he ate, this caused Angel to furrow her brows and contemplate on whether she should find a way to get rid of Boss.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The Pope¡±


    ¡°Fuck the Pope.¡±


    Angel¡¯s profanity towards the Pope made Michael and Julie spit out their food. Shock could be seen in their eyes as they¡¯ve never heard someone say such words before.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shelly asked. Since she was unconscious, she didn¡¯t know what happened between the two and Angel¡¯s responses wouldn¡¯t get them anywhere.


    ¡°The Pope asked me to be a bodyguard for these two.¡± Boss pointed at the Michael and Julie who were wiping away the food on their face. He continued ¡°And I agreed as long as you and Arthur go too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still confused. Why does you guarding Michael and Julie, have to do with Arthur and Shelly here?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°Cause I¡¯m going where Arthur and Shelly is going, and I agreed to take M and J to the Tillowisk Empire, so it has to be Naturelle.¡± Boss explained.


    His explanation left much to be desired because Angel knew if she didn¡¯t allow them to go Boss would just take them there.


    Angel could only furrow her brow and contemplate on what to do. By the time dinner was over and the plates were being carried away by a maid of theirs, no one had spoken.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to keep them safe right?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°Mm, they won¡¯t die.¡± Boss replied.


    Hi response enraged Angel as she recalled what happened to Arthur and Shelly less than a week ago. Without a single sound or notice an enormous icicle flew straight at Boss impaling him to the wall behind.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Shelly gasped at what just occurred.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to my husband about it.¡± Angel abruptly left the room after impaling Boss leaving Shelly shocked as she rushed towards Boss.


    ¡°Gah, that woman she¡¯s like ice and fire. Now this one has a freaking hole too. Oh well~ at least it¡¯s better than plummeting from the sky.¡± Boss calm reply made Shelly jump away from him. A single tap on the icicle and with a flick of his sleeve Boss gracefully landed on the ground leaving only a hole in the wall from where the icicle went through.


    Even after seeing it again Michael and Julie were still as shocked as the first after seeing Boss show no wounds on his body.


    ¡°Are you God?¡± Michael absentmindedly asked before covering his own mouth. This had to be a miracle for a child to survive two fatal attacks from Angel.


    ¡°Ahaha, no I am not.¡± Boss laughed as he tidied himself. He continued ¡°I¡¯m an immortal.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s jaw was dropped on the floor at Boss¡¯ comment.


    ¡°You can¡¯t die?¡± Shelly asked. She was interested in hearing about this.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t die, it¡¯s just going to be really, really, really hard to kill me.¡± Boss emphasized, he continued ¡°I¡¯m the King of the Universe, ya know.¡±


    ¡°Riiiiight¡± Shelly rolled her eyes before walking out of the room.


    ¡°I am, I am, I am!¡± Boss threw a childish tantrum.


    ¡°I am the King of the Universe, right Michael?¡± Boss sniffed as he asked Michael.


    ¡°Uh, sure¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    ¡°We believe you.¡± Michael stated as he pulled Julie and ran away, escaping into their own room leaving Boss alone at the dinner table.


    ¡­


    The door to Samuel¡¯s office opened up as Benjamin walked in. ¡°Are they done eating?¡± Samuel asked Benjamin, he was too shy to walk out the door.


    ¡°Yeah¡± Benjamin replied before handing an envelope over to Samuel.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Urgent report from Zeldova,¡±


    Samuel gave a serious expression as he tore open the envelope and began reading the content within. His brows furrowed as it as his face became graver. After finishing the report, he handed it back to Benjamin.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do nothing.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Benjamin lit the report on fire and left the room. Samuel sat there in silence as he thought about what he just read.


    ¡°King Baroque, you¡¯re going too far.¡± He muttered before shaking his head and exiting the room.


    Samuel went straight to sleep before Angel could arrive to discuss the issue with Boss. Knowing her husband only sleeps early when something is troubling his mind, she decided to talk about it the next day.


    Meanwhile, Boss barged straight into Arthur¡¯s room after being left stranded at the dinner table.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Arthur exclaimed upon Boss¡¯ entry.


    ¡°Why¡¯re you here? Don¡¯t tell me you convinced my parents to go to Naturelle?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Uh no.¡± Boss didn¡¯t want to say everyone left him at the dinner table, so he decided to find some company.


    ¡°Oh, then why are you here?¡± Arthur said dejectedly. A sour expression could be seen on his face.


    ¡°Can¡¯t come by and see if you¡¯re doing okay? You¡¯ve been asleep for four days ya know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Arthur replied not willing to talk to Boss tonight.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t be like that, tomorrow, I¡¯ll convince Angel and Samuel to allow for you to go to Naturelle. In fact, you, me, Shelly and the other two will go too!¡± Boss tried to convince Arthur.


    ¡°You mean it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°Cool! I¡¯ll go pack up right now, here help me out.¡± Arthur replied as he started tossing articles of clothes from his closet at Boss.


    The snowman made of clothes shook loose as everything fell around him, ¡°Hm? These aren¡¯t the normal Galafray clothes, why¡¯re you bringing these?¡±


    ¡°Enemy country, duh stupid. C¡¯mon Boss we¡¯re allies of Zeldova and they are from the Empire, if I walk around with our normal clothes everyone would target us.¡± Arthur continued to toss clothes at Boss.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. You are.¡± Boss grumbled out of Arthur¡¯s range of hearing as he started folding the clothes thrown at him making a neater pile beside him.


    Evening turned into night with Arthur and Boss packing up clothes along with other things Arthur wanted to bring. Once Boss and Arthur finished packing Arthur¡¯s stuff, they went over to Shelly¡¯s room to let her know about what Boss was going to do.


    However, she didn¡¯t let them enter. So, Arthur could only whisper to her next to the door about Boss¡¯ plan to convince Angel and Samuel. After saying goodbye, they left to their respective room. Shelly didn¡¯t let them in as she was already packing up, and there are things boys shouldn¡¯t see or touch in a girl¡¯s room.


    Morning came and went as the kids decided to head out to Town and explore the entirety before they had to go. They managed to finish visiting the remaining places they haven¡¯t been to by lunch.


    Once it was lunchtime Arthur began to nudge at Boss telling him to hurry up and convince his parents. However, before Boss could even say anything to threaten Samuel, the man of the house stood up and locked eye contact with Arthur.


    ¡°Son, you said yesterday you wanted to go to Naturelle, yes?¡± Samuel asked with a serious expression.


    ¡°Yes, daddy¡± Arthur politely answered, the serious look his father was giving out scared him a little.


    ¡°Will you work hard, and try your best?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Arthur nodded his head.


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re going to Naturelle.¡± Samuel¡¯s agreement shocked Angel as she didn¡¯t even get a chance to talk about it with him yet.


    ¡°Thank you, daddy! Wait, what about Shelly and Boss?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going too¡±


    ¡°Yay, thank you~¡±


    The lunch ended in a shocking fashion as Samuel gave Arthur consent to head to the Tillowisk Empire and enroll in the school of Naturelle.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡± Arthur exclaimed after they entered Arthur¡¯s room.


    ¡°Ahaha, don¡¯t mention it.¡± Boss scratched his head embarrassingly. He didn¡¯t even do anything yet.


    ¡°How¡¯d you do it? When did you talk to my dad? Did you sneak into his room?¡± Arthur barraged Boss with question.


    ¡°Ahaha, it¡¯s a secret.¡± Boss continued to not explain. Shelly could only inwardly shake her head at this as she was there when Boss convinced Angel. She assumed Angel talked to Samuel after what Boss had said and decided to agree.


    After everyone was gone from the table Angel looked at her husband. ¡°What made you change your mind?¡± She asked.


    Sigh


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious, I just changed my mind that¡¯s all.¡± Samuel replied.


    ¡°You just changed your mind and didn¡¯t even talk to me about it?¡± The temperature within the room started to cool down as frost began to cover his entire body.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me, because I didn¡¯t punish you yet for going out with Benjamin and enjoying lunch while our son was still unconscious.¡± Angel¡¯s words immediately scared Samuel shitless. Crap did Benjamin squeal on me?


    ¡°Uh.¡±


    Wham!


    Samuel flew into the side of the wall.


    ¡°Wrong answer.¡±

 19. This is abuse!

    19. This is abuse!


    <hr>


    ¡°This is abuse!¡± Samuel squealed and continued ¡°Domestic violence!¡±


    ¡°Hm? But you just flew into the wall yourself?¡± Angel replied nonchalantly as Samuel¡¯s body began to spin around the room as if caught up in an invisible tornado. The speed of the tornado continued to pick up as Samuel began to spin at a faster rate, sometimes his body was closer to the walls, other times he was spinning at the center. The feeling made him considerably nauseous.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Samuel dispersed the power before falling onto the ground. His eyes were spinning as Angel began to laugh. Her continuing laughter made Samuel embarrassingly say ¡°What?¡± while trying to get back on his feet without falling over.


    Wiping away the tears in her eyes she replied, ¡°You¡¯re not the same as you used to, you usually last much longer than that.¡±


    Stumbling to his feet Samuel eventually managed to lean against a wall as he started to readjust his balance waiting for the entire room to stop spinning. However, he couldn¡¯t maintain his balance much before his foot started to lift off the floor again. Panic showed in his eyes as he shouted. ¡°Stop! Stop! I give up!¡±


    His surrender worked as he fell flat onto the floor again. Depressed and a little embarrassed Samuel just sat on the floor as Angel walked over and tried to help him up. However, using his own physical weight he didn¡¯t let Angel physically lift him up.


    ¡°Stop being such a baby. What if Arthur sees you like this?¡± Angel continued to try lifting him up.


    ¡°Hmph, let him. I don¡¯t care.¡± Samuel continued to pout while sitting on the ground with his arms folded.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry, okay? I was a little too mean to you.¡± Angel tried apologizing.


    ¡°Hmph, won¡¯t work, you¡¯re too mean.¡± Samuel continued to protest.


    His little tantrum started to irritate Angel as the air began to freeze in the room. Feeling the coldness enveloping the room Samuel realized he fudged up.


    ¡°Samuel, I¡¯ll count to three.¡± Angel began to treat Samuel like a kid that was being disobedient.


    ¡°One¡­¡±


    Samuel immediately stood up in attention and spilled everything to Angel about what he had read yesterday and why he made the decision. The temperature within the room fluctuated before returning to normal as Angel calmed down from Samuel¡¯s confession.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°Nothing, I¡¯ll just send Arthur and Shelly to Cheshire instead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think King Baroque will like that.¡±


    ¡°What can he do about it? I¡¯ll just say they wanted to go there so I allowed it. I¡¯m not lying.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± Angel asked in a serious manner. The repercussions of making a King angry wouldn¡¯t just be a smack on the wrist.


    ¡°We¡¯re not weak enough that Baroque can just bully us. Besides, if he goes too far, I¡¯ll just use our new guest. Heh. Heh. Heh.¡±


    Facepalming at Samuel¡¯s mischievous attitude Angel could only shake her head and silently agree. Being a Galafray made it difficult for the King to excessively punish them even if they¡¯re not part of the main branch. Also, she too wanted to see what would happen between a King and an alien.


    ¡°Should we go with them?¡± Angel asked, she wanted to at least follow the kids along to Cheshire for their enrollment.


    ¡°I think we should stay home, if we go with them then Baroque may not take it so well.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right¡± Angel responded with a dejected tone. She sighed and continued ¡°At least we get to send them off.¡±


    Samuel silently nodded his head. ¡°We should let them leave town soon, it¡¯ll probably be better if they stayed at the neighboring village. He began to scratch his head ¡°What did they call themselves again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore.¡± Angel shook her head ¡°They¡¯ve changed their name 3 times since we¡¯ve got to know them. First was Pebbleville, then Cobbleville, and the last I remembered was Boulderville.¡± She continued ¡°Knowing the schemes of things they¡¯ll eventually call it Mountainville.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, they¡¯re quite eccentric, aren¡¯t they? We shouldn¡¯t be too worried right? Right?¡± Samuel asked his wife for assurance; he was a bit worried about the neighboring village. They were close in terms of relations and have met with them, but he didn¡¯t know what to say about them.


    ¡°Mm, we should let the Village Chief know not to scare Arthur and them.¡± Shaking her head at their only option she continued ¡°I think it¡¯ll be good to inform Jacob and Dylan to keep an eye on them for us.¡±


    Samuel nodded his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll go write them a letter.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Boss, when do you think they¡¯ll let us go to school?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, whenever they want?¡± Boss replied.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I hope it¡¯ll be soon I wanna learn more about what my eyes can do.¡± Arthur began to wonder before he turned to Boss and hopefully asked ¡°Wait, can¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I can¡¯t.¡± Boss¡¯ reply shattered Arthur¡¯s hope of trying to know his powers beforehand.


    ¡°Darn.¡± Arthur then turned to Shelly who was currently petting Silver in her arm ¡°Shelly! What can your eyes do? Can you only just see better is that it?¡±


    ¡°No Arthur it¡¯s not just that, but I won¡¯t tell you what it is.¡± Shelly replied leaving Arthur depressed. He wanted to ask why not but he held back, Shelly had her own secrets and he¡¯ll see it in the future anyways.


    Knock Knock


    ¡°Come in, doors not locked¡± Arthur replied as the door handle twisted open.


    ¡°How¡¯re you, sweetie? Are you feeling okay? Hurt anywhere?¡± Angel walked in and looked at Arthur with a hint of worry.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine mommy, look I¡¯m perfectly healthy!¡± Arthur began to express how energetic he was by hopping on the bed and jumping around. A smile with a hint of sadness can be seen on her face as she looked at her son.


    ¡°Mommy?¡± Arthur asked, he can sense that something was wrong.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing sweetie.¡± Angel fixed her composure, eyeing the cases and clothes littered on the floor she continued ¡°are you already packing up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Mommy! When are going to school?¡±


    ¡°Soon honey, your father has to write some letters first and then you five will be ready to go to Cheshire.¡± Angel explanation made Arthur¡¯s eyes beam with joy as he jumped on the bed even more energetically than before.


    ¡°Bark!¡± You stupid human, did you forget about me?


    ¡°Oh sorry Barkie, I forgot you were sitting there, you¡¯re so light you know.¡± Arthur replied as he grabbed the dog above his head and placed it on the ground. The moment Barkie was on the ground Silver glanced in its direction and hopped down from Shelly¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Bark! Bark!¡± Barkie pulled an aggressive stance towards the kitten as Silver continued to slowly walk towards it. However, the next second Barkie turned tail and ran straight for the door. Seeing this the kitten followed the puppy and another chase ensued.


    The antics of the two pets eased the worry Angel was feeling as she watched both of them run about the house. Little did she notice that the speed of the pets was progressively increasing.


    ¡°Silver! Stop that!¡± Arthur tried to stop Silver from scaring Barkie. However, Silver paid him no mind as she continued chasing the poor labradoodle puppy. Arthur began to worry and could only ask Shelly for help ¡°Shelly, can¡¯t you do something? Silver is scaring Barkie!¡±


    However, before Shelly could call Silver back, Boss interrupted ¡°Don¡¯t worry they¡¯re not fighting or scaring each other, they¡¯re just having fun.¡±


    ¡°Bark!¡± What do you mean having fun!? HELP!


    ¡°Oh is that true Barkie you¡¯re just having fun?¡±


    ¡°Bark!¡± No you idiot! I¡¯m gonna die!


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s so great! I was worried Silver was gonna do anything bad to you.¡± Arthur sighed in relief before paying Barkie and Silver no mind.


    Arthur then turned to his mom, ¡°mommy will you be going with us?¡± His questioned made Angel slightly depressed inside because even though she wished she could go, she couldn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sweetie, your daddy and I need to stay home and make sure the town safe.¡± She continued ¡°But, I¡¯ll send you letters often, and you just make sure you¡¯re safe and healthy okay?¡±


    Hearing her answer Arthur felt a little despondent, but he could only nod his head to question as he wanted to grow stronger. The near fatal experience he faced at the Church and the helplessness he felt in his nightmare made him realize if he wanted to keep his family safe, he¡¯ll have to get stronger.


    ¡°Bark! Bark!¡± Barkie ran through the door and in front of Arthur and began tapping on his leg. Hurry up pick me up! Pick me up!!!


    ¡°Oh, are you done playing Barkie?¡± Arthur asked as he reached for the puppy.


    ¡°Bark! Bark!¡± Play!? You call that play!? Whatever just pick me up!


    Immediately jumping into Arthur¡¯s palm Barkie pointed upwards to Arthur¡¯s head signifying he wanted to be back there. Panting exhaustedly ontop of Arthur¡¯s head safe and away from the kitten Barkie was too tired to even regain composure as he laid there.


    Moments later a little kitten walked in.


    ¡°Mew¡± Silver looked up at the puppy laying on Arthur¡¯s head. ¡°Silver¡± Shelly called for her kitten. Shelly¡¯s single word drew its attention as it returned to its owner¡¯s arms and began to purr.


    Knock knock


    ¡°Am I intruding?¡± Samuel asked while still holding onto the door.


    ¡°Are you finished writing the letters?¡± Angel asked.


    Samuel nodded his head and looked at the kids. ¡°I sent a letter to the Chief of I think Boulderville that you kids will be staying there for a while before leaving for Cheshire.¡± His comment made Arthur confused, was he not going to Cheshire immediately? Why is he going to Boulderville?


    ¡°Mommy, daddy, why are we staying at Boulderville? I thought we were just going to go straight to Naturelle?¡±


    Samuel shook his head before responding, ¡°You can¡¯t just go all the way there in one go, the ships for enrollment haven¡¯t even arrived yet.¡± He continued. ¡°You¡¯ll be staying at Boulderville for the next month until the enrollment ships arrive in Asmar harbor. Once the ships are safely docked there, you guys may head out to Asmar since the ship won¡¯t set sail again for another month.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just stay home until then?¡± Arthur asked.


    Sigh


    ¡°No, some things have come up and it¡¯ll be better if you guys aren¡¯t here while we deal with it.¡± Samuel replied.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Arthur asked, he wanted to know what was so urgent. However, Samuel could only shake his head whereas his mom continued to look at them with worry.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Arthur repeated after looking at their face.


    ¡°Young master, Arthur¡± Shelly called to him. He turned around to look at her only to see her shake her head telling him to not continue. Arthur turned around to look at his parents, the serious face that they showed prompted him not to continue.


    ¡°Boss¡± Angel looked at the little purple haired boy she barely knew. She paused, ¡°Please just try your best to watch over them.¡± Seeing her serious plea Boss replied, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow morning after breakfast, there¡¯ll be two horse carriage to take you guys to Boulderville.¡± Samuel continued ¡°Go to bed early, it¡¯ll be a long ride tomorrow.¡±


    Samuel walked out of the room after saying that. Angel repeated what Samuel said in her own way before following Samuel out. Everyone eventually returned to their respective room in preparation for tomorrow.


    Morning arrived and everything was normal, the breakfast was the same and so was the atmosphere. It didn¡¯t feel like they were sending them off at all until the entrance of the estate opened for the two horse carriages.


    One carriage carried all their cases while the other will be for them. The mother and father duo alongside Benjamin remained at the door as the house servants and maid all helped carried their belongings onto the carriage.


    Thwack


    Clip Clop Clip Clop


    The sounds of horse whips could be heard as two horse drawn carriages started to move. By the time Arthur realized the reality of the situation he turned his head out of the window only to see the departing silhouette of his parents waving back at him.

 20. Arthur waved his hands

    Chapter 20. Arthur waved his hands


    <hr>


    Arthur waved his hands energetically in return. However, no matter how fast he waved his hands, inside he had mixed feelings. School was every child¡¯s dream to learn and obtain superpowers, to become an idol for citizens and more importantly make their parents proud.


    Arthur didn¡¯t wish to go to Naturelle, he preferred to stay home, but the incident from the church and seeing those he loved died before his very eyes within the nightmare made him want to get stronger in order to protect them.


    Arthur tucked his head back inside when he couldn¡¯t see their estate anymore. He knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to see his mom or dad until his first year of school was over. Every year when new children leave their home to enroll in school, old ones at the same time will return to visit their family.


    Most of the time the child would be chaperoned by their parents to school so they would be able to spend more time with them before they felt homesick, however with Arthur leaving without his family¡¯s accompaniment he couldn¡¯t help but glance back home outside the window of the carriage every so often.


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot!¡± Boss¡¯s loud childish voice startled Arthur causing him to bump his head on the window. Arthur tucked his head back inside glaring at Boss for causing him pain and ruining his moment of sadness.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Shelly glanced over at Boss.


    ¡°Tada~¡± Boss brought a brown wig and sunglasses from underneath his robe. ¡°A disguise! I almost forgot to put it on!¡± Boss shouted excitedly as he put on the sunglasses and then began to fix the wig on top of his violet hair.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just change your hair and eye color?¡± Arthur asked in an irritated voice. The thing Boss was doing looked stupid to him since Boss had the ability to change his hair and eye color whenever he wanted.


    ¡°Arthur, what is a disguise?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s like hiding your real self by making yourself look different. Aren¡¯t you already doing that with the purple hair and yellow eyes?¡± Arthur replied with a weird look on his face. Was Boss asking a trick question?


    ¡°And what is my real hair and eye right now?¡± Boss continued to ask.


    ¡°Black and black?¡± Arthur quickly replied.


    ¡°Bzzt, wrong! It¡¯s purple and yellow!¡± Boss continued ¡°I can¡¯t have brown hair and brown eyes, or I¡¯ll be limited to that orthodox shit your school teaches. But if I have purple hair and yellow eyes and disguised myself with a wig then I can do anything! Duh.¡± His response made Arthur wide eyed whereas Michael and Julie looked at Boss with confusion.


    ¡°What do you mean black and black?¡± Michael asked, he didn¡¯t really understand, did this kid have black hair and eyes?


    ¡°I have black hair and eyes, but I disguised it as violet and yellow.¡± Boss replied drawing even more look of confusion on their face. Michael and Julie thought to themselves did black hair and eyes even exist on their planet?


    ¡°Are you saying you have black hair and eyes? But no one on our planet ever had that hair and eye color.¡± Julie asked, she was unconvinced.


    ¡°Julie! Remember what I said before?¡± Arthur pulled Julie closer and whispered in her ear ¡°he¡¯s an alien.¡± Arthur¡¯s mention made Julie recall what Arthur said to her at the Church. She remembered that Arthur mentioned he was a man that turned into a kid, but Arthur never mentioned his hair/eyes could also change colors.


    Michael looked at the two of them sharing a secret. ¡°What? What?¡± He asked eliciting Arthur to stick his tongue out at him. This drew Julie into laughter as she quickly covered her mouth.


    ¡°What is it? Can¡¯t you tell me Julie?¡± Michael asked, he didn¡¯t like Arthur¡¯s behavior, but he hoped Julie would tell him. However, his hope was immediately shattered when Arthur quickly covered Julie¡¯s mouth. ¡°Shhh!¡± he motioned with his other hand causing Julie to obediently nod her head.


    ¡°Julie~¡± Michael begged. However, Julie replied with ¡°it¡¯s a secret¡± and high fived Arthur afterwards. This made Michael downcast as he sulked in his spot. His sulking didn¡¯t last long as he noticed something off about Arthur and Shelly.


    ¡°Hey, where are your pets?¡± He finally realized he didn¡¯t see Shelly petting her kitten or the puppy that was sitting on Arthur¡¯s head.


    ¡°Barkie? Where are you?¡± Arthur felt the top of his head and looked around; he didn¡¯t even notice his pet was missing. He exclaimed ¡°Oh my gosh did we left them at home!?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Shelly shook her head and pointed at the two horses. ¡°They¡¯re over there.¡± The kitten was relaxed on top of the head of the horse carrying their belongings whereas Barkie was vigilantly sitting on the head of the one carrying them.


    Hearing Arthur call for him Barkie turned around from the horse¡¯s head and barked before returning back and continuing to maintain a vigilant posture.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Barkie? What¡¯re you doing up there come here!¡± Arthur called for him, however Barkie paid him no mind and barked again. This bark caused the horse carrying them to neigh in response as it began to speed up.


    A soft ¡°mew¡± could be heard afterwards as the carriage beside them slowed down and followed from behind.


    Everyone but Boss looked at the two pets flabbergasted at what they were witnessing. Could these two pets talk to animals? Arthur and Shelly quickly recalled what Samuel and Angel were bragging about when they mentioned the pets, was it true?


    ¡°Wait, what are they doing? Why¡¯re we speeding up? Wait! Where are the horse carriage drivers?¡± Arthur didn¡¯t have time to stay amazed as he realized his pets can control the horses and that the horse carriage drivers were missing.


    ¡°Oh them? They hopped off awhile ago.¡± Boss replied nonchalantly causing Shelly to nod her head in agreement. This caused the other three to look at him with a strange look on their face. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have told us this when you noticed?¡± Michael was exasperated, the heck was this boy doing not telling them something so important.


    ¡°Hm? Why? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to die when I¡¯m around.¡± Boss waved off Michael¡¯s concern. The boy sitting within the carriage with his smug look and arms crossed slowly began to dissipate from the seat before completely vanishing. His voice reverberated through the air ¡°Anyways~ good luck when I¡¯m not around, I¡¯m going to find a place to pee.¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡± Arthur shouted at where the little purple haired boy once sat. ¡°Where did you go!?¡± A sense of foreboding enveloped Arthur at what Boss had said before vanishing causing him to slowly panic.


    Michael felt around the spot where Boss had vanished hoping it to be some sort of illusionary trick. However, the wig wearing boy was completely gone. ¡°He¡¯s just playing a trick on us, there is nothing to worry about.¡± Michael tried to reassure the passengers.


    However, his reassurance didn¡¯t last for long as Julie asked ¡°Guys, do you hear something?¡± The sound of men shouting along with multiple horses galloping could be heard coming from the distance.


    As if on cue to Julie¡¯s question a loud voice could be heard ¡°Hiyah! After them! Go go go!¡±


    ¡°Bark!¡± The horses neighed to Barkie¡¯s command and galloped forward as fast as they could, the once smooth ride became an incredibly bumpy one as everyone sitting within held onto a part of the carriage for support.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on!? What¡¯s happening!?¡± Arthur exclaimed in panicked fright; were they being chased?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, look out of window and check!¡± Michael replied causing Arthur to quickly dip his head out to see what was going on.


    In a distance away a group of 3 towering tanned skin men wearing demonic looking face masks were closing in on them. Their horses were monstrous in size dwarfing that of the ones carrying the carriages.


    ¡°People on big horses are chasing us!¡± Arthur snapped his head back inside and shouted. The look on everyone¡¯s face inside the carriage was filled with worry with the exception for Shelly who was quickly contemplating something.


    ¡°How many were there?¡± Shelly asked calmly. Arthur quickly responded with ¡°Three!¡± with Shelly nodding her head with a plan.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read books about the mountainous trail to Boulderville, there¡¯s a really steep narrow trail ahead that goes up the mountain. We can use the narrow trail to keep whoever is chasing us from surrounding us as we go up.¡±


    Michael nodded his head in understanding and asked ¡°What if they caught up to us from behind while we¡¯re going up? They wouldn¡¯t just let us climb all the way up.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to not let them do that.¡± Shelly replied. Barkie who was overhearing their entire conversation understood what Shelly was saying as it barked causing the horse carrying them to make left turn up ahead climbing up the mountain.


    The demon masked men who were chasing them saw the turn they were taking and shouted, ¡°Shit! After them! Follow me!¡± The leader of the tree took the lead as they single filed their way behind.


    ¡°What do we do now? They¡¯re gaining on us!¡± Arthur couldn¡¯t help but peek his head out as the enormous horses were gaining on them. ¡°Julie, I remembered you stopping that Seraphim momentarily back at the church do you have Telekinesis?¡± Shelly asked. Even though Julie was born with blonde hair and hazel eyes as an Exotic she could still obtain Telekinesis.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t control inanimate objects, I¡¯m just able to stop anything momentarily, the smaller it is the longer I can stop it for.¡± Julie replied.


    ¡°Is there a distance limit to it?¡± Shelly¡¯s question made Julie paused for a moment before replying ¡°As long as I can still see it.¡±


    ¡°Mm, this might work.¡± Shelly nodded her head before continuing ¡°I need everyone to back away from me.¡± She calmly placed her palm to the back of the carriage as thin lines carved its way forming a square completely blowing out the back of the carriage.


    ¡°Julie!¡± Shelly shouted causing Julie to freeze the squared shape board form from the back of the carriage in place. Michael quickly grasped the board and pulled it into the carriage revealing Silver and the other carriage directly behind them.


    ¡°Michael, can you throw the wooden board up in the air as high as you could behind us?¡± Michael could only nod his head to Shelly and say, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    ¡°Julie, we¡¯re reaching the steepest part of the incline Michael will throw it behind our carriages, can you stop the board directly in the middle of the pathway?¡± Julie nodded her head ¡°I can try.¡±


    There was only one attempt at this as they were nearing the incline. Tension was building as they waited for Shelly¡¯s command. The trio of masked demons were gaining on them at a quick pace, their hair and eyes completely hidden.


    The leader with the two-horned demonic mask, saw the opening that Shelly had done to her carriage and became wary. However, he didn¡¯t slow down his pace and continued to speed up.


    Time was slowing to a crawl as the enemy continued to advance towards them. Arthur couldn¡¯t help but panic as Arthur shouted ¡°Shelly!¡± However, she paid him no mind and continued to judge the distance.


    ¡°Now!¡± Shelly shouted causing Michael to erupt with full force of his strength tossing the board as high in the air as possible. The board spun in the air out of Julie¡¯s direct line of sight, however as they continued the ascent upward the board finally came into view.


    Just a little bit more and the board will have fallen directly in the pathway between the carriages and their pursuer. Julie¡¯s arm extended outwards towards the direction of the board as it completely froze perfectly between the two.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Everyone was overjoyed at the success of the board blocking the narrow pathway. However, their pursuer¡¯s leader also waved his arm forcing the board that was once blocking the road to fall down the steep cliff of the mountainside.


    ¡°No!¡±

 21. No!

    Chapter 21. No!


    <hr>


    ¡°No! What happened!? How did he do that!?¡± Arthur shouted, the board that was once perfectly in their line of sight blocking the pathway thanks to Julie¡¯s ability was completely shoved aside by the man without even having to touch it!


    ¡°Damn!¡± Shelly swore, she forgot to include something within her calculations ¡°He¡¯s a Telekinesis!¡±


    ¡°What do we do? What do we do?¡± Arthur was completely terrified; he didn¡¯t expect people chasing him to have superpowers. Shelly shook her head; she didn¡¯t have a second plan yet. Michael and Julie looked at each other with worry in their eyes.


    The mountaintop was closing in as the horses carrying them began to slow down, they were becoming extremely tired. The horses finally gave out directly on top of the mountain as their pursers also arrived and began to surround the two carriages.


    ¡°Heh, heh, heh not bad little kids, your plan almost worked if it wasn¡¯t for our leader here¡± One of the two with similar looking demonic mask began to speak. He had a blue mask whereas the other had a green. Their leader had a red mask.


    ¡°Now I want you guys to come on out and get on our knees, if you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll have to do it forcefully.¡± The guy continued with his threat. Michael got up from his seat and slowly headed out. His movement caught Arthur by surprise as he whispered loudly ¡°Michael!¡± However, Michael only told him to stay inside as he walked out.


    ¡°Do you know who you¡¯re messing with?¡± Michael attempted to intimidate. However, it didn¡¯t work as the green masked man tilted his head and said ¡°The Galafrays?¡±


    ¡°If you knew that, why¡¯re you still following us?¡± Michael continued to maintain his posture. However deep inside he was completely shivering.


    ¡°Ahaha, you, dumbass! Do you know how much money an Exotic slave is worth? Especially kids!?¡± The blue masked man laughed at Michaels question. Everything was for money what criminal wouldn¡¯t go for a risk that¡¯ll net them extremely huge profit.


    His words completely terrified Arthur, however Shelly only gave him a weird look as she began to contemplate.


    ¡°So! Will you call your little friends out or¡­ will I have to drag them out?¡± The two masked men inched closer towards Michael and began to surround him. ¡°Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?¡± The blue asked man continued to say.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get through me!¡± Michael roared while his legs were completely ready to buckle.


    Seeing his persistence, the two men began to crack their knuckles and inched closer. Their first punch was about to be thrown before someone within the carriage shouted ¡°STOP¡±


    Julie hopped out of the carriage and rushed to stand between Michael and the two men, her arms completely extended outwards shielding Michael from behind. Seeing her courageous demeanor Michael could only mutter ¡°Julie¡­¡±.


    ¡°What¡¯re you gonna do, little girl? You think you can protect him? Hm?¡± The blue masked man taunted. However, Julie did not budge as she maintained her steadfast stance in shielding Michael. He continued continued ¡°Fine, if you want to be first then you better not regret it.¡±


    The door to the carriage opened again as the two kids slowly climbed down from the steps. Barkie was sitting back on top of Arthur¡¯s head while Silver was curled up in Shelly¡¯s arm. Their attention was completely focused on the three as the two youths walked out.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the third kid?¡± The blue masked man asked. He continued with a threat ¡°Bring him out or your two adult friends are dead.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not here, so you¡¯re going to have to kill them.¡± Shelly retorted causing Michael and Julie to quiver, the strength Julie had earlier completely vanished as Michael tried to maintain a steady posture.


    ¡°Oh? You sure you don¡¯t care about these two?¡± The blue masked man continued to speak as he walked over to Julie and tilted her by the chin with his finger. ¡°You¡¯re quite the beauty, it¡¯d be a shame if we¡¯d just kill you right here.¡± The guy teased. Julie could only maintain her glare at him.


    ¡°Hmph, you little bitch! Watch me kill your man first before I toy with you.¡± The blue masked man said, his arrogant threat completely made the two succumb to despair.


    Barkie looked at the scene playing out and locked gazes with the monstrous horses that was behind the leader.


    ¡°Grr¡± Barkie growls caught the attention of the three as they turned to look at the little puppy.


    ¡°Ahaha, look at that little guy, he¡¯s trying to act all tough.¡± The green masked man pointed at Barkie and began to laugh. However, the horses behind the leader showed signs of intimidation as their legs began to shiver.


    ¡°BARK!¡± The little puppy roared in the loudest little yelp a little puppy could make causing the two men to laugh hysterically at how adorable it was. Yet, moments later the horses behind them neighed in fear and kicked about before turning tail and ran off down the mountainside from where they came.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°You little! How dare you do that to our horses!¡± The blue masked man roared. However, Barkie paid him no mind as it tilted its head away and hmphed at the man.


    ¡°The third boy isn¡¯t here, what¡¯re you going to do now? Mr. carriage drivers.¡± Shelly completely unraveled the guy¡¯s disguise.


    ¡°Ahaha, you figured it out kid.¡± The two men laughed as they removed their disguise. The two men removed their masked and showed their tanned face. The green masked man had green hair whereas the blue masked man had blue hair.


    ¡°W-why are you doing this to uh-us?¡± Arthur stuttered; he couldn¡¯t keep calm as Shelly. Shelly only told him to exit the carriage, so he did what she had asked hoping she¡¯ll have another plan.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? Slavery is worth a lot of money. Other nobles would pay a fortune for Exotics like you two kids to be playmates, toys, or servants for their kids or themselves. Ahaha!¡± Blue laughed menacingly.


    The look of horror could be seen on Michael and Julie¡¯s face as they completely understood what the guy meant. Arthur was still a bit too young to know exactly what he meant whereas Shelly seemed indifferent to it.


    ¡°Okay, make us slaves.¡± Shelly replied with indifference. Her expressionless attitude irked the blue and green men, but they couldn¡¯t actually do anything.


    Their leader looked at Shelly and asked ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Since you guys chased us up the mountain.¡± Shelly replied.


    ¡°Gah, I thought we were doing so good, what gave it away?¡± The leader shook his head. Everyone in Shelly¡¯s group looked at the conversation between the two and felt something was off.


    ¡°You guys carried weapons, but never used it. There was no killing intent coming from you guys, and with horses like those you should¡¯ve caught up to us way before we had the chance to make it up here.¡± Shelly stated a matter of factually. The leader scratched his head embarrassingly before taking his mask off.


    The face beneath the mask was an old tanned skin man in his late fifties to sixties with red hair and magenta eyes, a Prodigy. He had a kind face as he beamed a warm smile towards the people at the carriage.


    ¡°My name is Gran Ule, Chief of Boulderville. May I know your name?¡±


    ¡°Shelly.¡±


    ¡°Nice name, simple yet sturdy I like that.¡± The chief then introduced himself to the remaining dumbfounded people as they stood there and nodded their heads and shook his hands.


    ¡°These two are my sons, the skinny boy is Pebble and the big one is Cobble.¡± He introduced the blue and green haired people respectively.


    ¡°Hello, didn¡¯t scare ya too much did I?¡± Pebble shook hands with Julie and Michael in front of him before greeting the rest. Julie was still annoyed by what he did before but there was no real harm.


    ¡°Hello! Sorry!¡± Cobble replied with a few short words expressing his sincere apologies, he only did this because he was asked to do it.


    ¡°This was all an act?¡± Arthur finally started to recover and understood what was going on.


    ¡°Yeah, the little boy asked of us to do this to test you guys. We thought it would be fun, so we agreed. Where is he anyways? Still in the carriage?¡± Pebble asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying Boss put you guys up to this?¡± Arthur angrily replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s his name? If it is the little purple haired boy and yellow eyes who was with you guys, then yes.¡± Pebble answered while glancing at the carriage, shouldn¡¯t the boy walk out and explain himself?


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°He went to pee!¡± Arthur replied, the annoyance that Boss caused him made him want to just punch the kid in his face, he¡¯ll heal since he¡¯s an alien, no worries.


    Clip Clop Clip Clop


    The sound of horses walking back up the mountaintop could be heard coming from the incline behind them. Moments later a little boy with brown hair and sunglasses sat on the back of one as it obediently carried the boy to the mountaintop. The other two horses followed behind.


    ¡°Our horses!¡± Pebble disappeared from his spot leaving a trail of dust behind as he reappeared before the horses glancing at the kid above it. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°They call me by many names, some call me child, other calls me old man, but I am the one and only Boss!¡± The kid gave himself a weird entrance as he pulled off his glasses and tore off the wig. ¡°Tada~ It was I¡±


    Everyone from the carriage looked at Boss unamused, did he not realize how annoyed they were?


    Ignoring their annoyed gazes Boss continued sitting on the enormous horse as he spoke. ¡°So, what have you four learned?¡±


    No one could reply instantly as they shared glances with each other. ¡°Is it that you¡¯re a bad bodyguard?¡± Arthur asked. Boss was at a lost for words ¡°Err no¡± he could only reply. While what Arthur said was true, that¡¯s not what he was looking for.


    ¡°I should have included people with powers in my plan¡± Shelly replied. Her answer made Boss slightly nod his head and continued ¡°While yes, you four should have included those with powers in your plan, trapping yourself at the mountaintop with no exit is probably not the best idea.¡±


    ¡°What I wanted to hear though is that you guys are weak, no amount of planning or teamwork will fix that if you guys don¡¯t get stronger.¡± Boss continued.


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t even gotten my powers yet. How can I get stronger?¡± Arthur grumbled. Boss¡¯ response wasn¡¯t helpful he already knew he was weak.


    ¡°Weak people still have things they can do, since they¡¯re weak they¡¯ll be deemed as insignificant threat, you can just act weak and wait for an opportunity.¡± Boss¡¯ response made them silent as they thought about it. He continued "For example, look at these three how were they going to bring you back as slaves? Tie you up and make you walk on a rope behind them?¡±


    ¡°The best they could do is surround you four and walk you to their base while keeping an eye on you, they wouldn¡¯t harm you since you¡¯re worth something to them. Well, that is if they were rational.¡±


    ¡°And then what?¡± Arthur asked?


    ¡°Wait until you have an opportunity and surprise attack them. Kill them if you can, they may be strong but they¡¯re still humans with flesh and bones.¡± Boss glanced at Michael.


    ¡°Or you can just run away, all you have to do is be patient¡± Boss nodded his head and closed his eyes as the fantasize about how great his speech was.


    THWACK A rock landed squarely on Boss¡¯ forehead causing him to fall off the horse.


    ¡°Run!¡± Arthur shouted as he ran down the mountaintop. A sneak attack followed by running away. The little kid is already putting what he¡¯s been told to good use.

 22. Are you alright?

    Chapter 22. Are you alright?


    <hr>


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Gran helped Boss back to his feet as Arthur laughed a distance away. The incident relieved any tension remaining between the two group as they sat around the mountaintop and admired the scenery.


    Clip Clop Clip Clop


    The sounds of walking horses could be heard again after an hour descending from the mountaintop with the two parties engaging in small talk. The two regular sized horses were replaced with the bigger one to pull along the carriage as Pebble and Cobble returned to their carriage duties.


    The first question on everyone¡¯s mind was when did Boss and the two communicate to pull off a stunt like this. Their exact reply was that what Boss had asked was directly transmitted into their minds.


    They thought it would be fun, so they asked Gran to get involved since he was supposed to be an escort for Governor¡¯s kid back to Boulderville. He decided to play along, and the resulting scene came about.


    The sun kissed sky turned into night by the time they finally arrived in Boulderville. The village was small with a population of roughly 500 inhabitants. The name of the village was accurate as everyone¡¯s home was either made from slabs of rocks or built directly into the mountainside.


    ¡°Welcome back Gran! Boulder! Boulder!¡± An inhabitant who was still walking outside shouted his greeting crossing his arm and stomping his feet as the carriage pulled through the gates.


    ¡°Boulder, boulder! To you Elroy!¡± Gran returned the greeting as he crossed his arm while riding the horse. Every inhabitant greeted them the same way some words followed by ¡°boulder, boulder.¡±


    A large split within the mountain came into view as they walked through it. Natural lighting from plant-based matter could be seen scrawled onto the sides lighting their way as they continued forward.


    A large structure could be seen up ahead filled with bright lights illuminating the darkness within the mountain. ¡°Up ahead is the Boulderville Inn a place for all our guests¡± Gran continued ¡°This will be where you four will be staying during your time in our village. I have some business to do first, so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Gran¡¯s reply elicited snickers from his two sons.


    However, he paid them no mind as he galloped away faster than when he was chasing the kids. ¡°Why are you two laughing?¡± Arthur asked Pebble and Cobble. They only looked at each other and began laughing harder. ¡°No reason kid, we¡¯re here.¡±


    The door of the inn exploded open as an attractive woman ran out hugging Pebble tightly within her grasp ¡°Gran! You¡¯re here! Are you finally ready to return my confession?¡± The attractive woman continued to squeeze Pebble tightly as he pried himself out of her arms. ¡°It¡¯s me Auntie! Pebble!¡±


    She stared at Pebble¡¯s faces and immediately pushed him aside. ¡°Tch, I thought you were your father, where is he? Did he come with you?¡± She began to look around behind Pebble and Cobble and every corner within the carriage.


    ¡°Auntie he¡¯s not here.¡± Cobble¡¯s response made her depressed as she shoved Pebble aside and walked back into the Inn slamming the door behind her.


    ¡°Why did she shove me? Why not you?¡± Pebble complained to Cobble, anytime they visited their Auntie¡¯s Inn Pebble got all the attention, both bad and good whereas Cobble was completely left alone.


    Cobble could only shrug as they made their way to the door. ¡°It¡¯s locked again¡± Cobble responded causing Pebble to sigh and reach for the spare key. ¡°Freaking Auntie, always locking us out whenever we arrive with guests.¡± Pebble grumbled as he unlocked the door.


    The five guests didn¡¯t know what to say besides follow along. Seems like there was something going on with the Auntie and the Chief. The Inn was incredibly well lit as they entered making anyone lose track of time staying inside.


    ¡°Wow it¡¯s like daytime in here!¡± Arthur admired. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it won¡¯t be like that in your rooms.¡± Pebble replied. The staircase leading to the second-floor lead to their rooms. Arthur, Michael and Boss shared a room with Shelly and Julie in another.


    The boys¡¯ room was massive in scale with three beds comfortably fit side by side. Whereas the girls¡¯ room was comfortable for two beds. Every room was as comfortable as a modern hotel with a bedroom, bathroom and living room.


    A circular ball was held in Pebble and Cobble¡¯s hand. ¡°This is a bright ball we¡¯ve created using the natural luminescent vegetations and a mixture of other plants.¡± Pebble stated.


    The bright ball was an alchemical creation made by the Auntie of the Inn that is used to light up the entirety of the place. Through trial and error, she managed to make it self-sustaining capable of staying completely lit every single day.


    People questioned why there was no way to turn off the lights for the bright ball her response was tossing a black cloth over it to hide the lights.


    Handing the bright balls over to the boys and girls and a cloth for each ball Pebble and Cobble bid the group goodbye as they had to go home for the night.


    Boss didn¡¯t wait any longer as he hopped into the closest bed and went straight to sleep. The other two followed suit with Barkie snuggled next to Arthur. A black cloth tossed over the ball dimming the room as everyone fell asleep tired from their trip.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The following morning came as some sunlight managed to enter their window from the skylight up above the split within the mountain. Noon arrived by the time the boys managed to wake up. Shelly and Julie woke up much earlier and already had breakfast.


    The girls explored the Inn first thing in the morning walking down from the second floor.


    It was a simple Inn, there were three floors with the first two allowed for guests. The third floor of the Inn was reserved for VIPs to the discretion of the Auntie.


    On the first floor was the cafeteria and bar near to the right of the entrance with a hallway on the left leading to more guests¡¯ rooms.


    The entirety of the second floor was rows of rooms for guests and nothing else. The Inn was big enough to hold half the population of the town. However, by the time noon had arrived and lunch was being served in the cafeteria not another person could be seen.


    Yawning as he sat at the incredibly large cafeteria Arthur glanced around only to see that their group was the only one sitting at a table.


    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Arthur asked hoping someone could answer. The girls shook their head since they did not know.


    ¡°There is no one else in the Inn besides the Auntie, workers, and us.¡± Boss answered. He continued ¡°The Inn is extremely large yet, why is no one here?¡±


    The other four sat quietly as they waited for Boss to make his own deduction. Indeed, he did ¡°The Auntie is probably an evil lady who cannibalizes on all her guests and she¡¯s trapped in this Inn never allowed to escape.¡±


    Everyone facepalmed expecting Boss to give a serious answer. Boss tried to explain his bizarre reasoning, but everyone ignored it as they ate. After spending more time with Boss Arthur concluded Boss had more of an imaginative mind than a normal kid.


    Pebble and Cobble arrived at the Inn after they finished eating meeting up with the group on the second floor. Everyone crowded into the guys¡¯ room as Pebble and Cobble started answering their questions and concern.


    Boss immediately brought up cannibalization and the Auntie being trapped inside. However, it was quickly refuted by the two young adult men as they told him it was an Inn only for guests and the Auntie already ran out of the door of the Inn yesterday.


    Boss didn¡¯t back down and said that maybe there is a limit to how far the Auntie could leave the Inn. The young men wanted to refute however; Boss wasn¡¯t completely wrong.


    Sigh


    ¡°Our Auntie is sort of restricted to the Inn.¡± Pebble responded prompting Boss to go ¡°see, see, she¡¯s a cannibal!¡± However, Pebble quickly refuted and continued ¡°Our mother, her older sister is married to our dad. Auntie was always infatuated with dad, but he and mom were the ones that got together.¡±


    Seeing the already confused look on Arthur¡¯s face as he began to tell a long story. Pebble promptly readjusted himself before continuing.


    ¡°To keep the story short, Auntie likes my father, but my father and mother are married so Auntie chose to chase after father and mother wherever they went. Annoyed at her younger sister, our mother warned her not to leave the Inn or else she¡¯ll tell their parents where Auntie went since she snuck out chasing after the two.¡± Pebble concluded.


    ¡°Ohh¡± Arthur said, he completely understood what Pebble had said. ¡°So, she¡¯s crazy.¡± Arthur came up with his own conclusion. Shelly jumped in and said ¡°Stalker.¡± The two kids¡¯ choice of words made Pebble and Cobble laugh as they silently agreed.


    ¡°Oh right, we forgot what we were supposed to do here. Come with us Gran wanted to see you guys.¡± Pebble responded as he gathered the group and walked out of the Inn. An irritated looking beautiful woman with green hair and yellow eyes could be seen looking down below at the departing groups.


    ¡°Tch, that Pebble, a freaking blabbermouth I¡¯ll shove you even harder next time. Maybe if I injure you Gran will visit. Oh~.¡± She let out an excited squeal as she hugged herself and continued to speak to aloud ¡°But wait, sister would probably show up too¡­ Tch!¡±


    Pebble didn¡¯t realize the almost sorry situation as he brought the group before an enormous estate at the center of the Village. The estate was gated hidden behind towering fences four Arthurs tall per pillar (5 meters/16.4 feet) surrounding the entirety of it.


    ¡°We live a little bit further ahead¡± Pebble stated calmly as the enormous entrance folded inward allowing for them to enter. Everyone¡¯s eyes darted around as they scanned their surroundings. A completely new world opened before their eyes compared to the mountainous and rocky village with small amounts of vegetation.


    In here there was beds of grass as far as the eyes could see with domesticated animals grazing on them. Each pig, sheep, cows, chickens and horses were 1.5x larger than their normal counterpart back at Rouge.


    ¡°Wow how come it¡¯s so green in here?¡± Arthur asked he was mesmerized by the abundance of grass and vegetation all around him. The flowers seemed to be in bloom all year round.


    ¡°It¡¯s the work of our mother, she spends most of her day gardening and taking care of the entire estate.¡± Pebble replied as they made it to the front door of the house. The door opened before Pebble could reach for it.


    ¡°Back so soon my sons?¡± A handsome middle-aged man with bright red hair and magenta eyes smiled as he welcomed everyone into their home. ¡°Sorry, I called for you guys here to talk about something, but I got some urgent business to take care of, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Gran Ule replied as he pulled the reins of a horse and galloped away.


    ¡°Why is he in such hurry?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Mother is probably craving something weird again. It¡¯s strange though she hadn¡¯t had any weird cravings for a month now.¡± Pebble replied as he escorted his guests around the home. There was a beautiful marbled shelf in the living room with plaques and pictures of the owners.


    A young man with red hair and red eyes was standing alongside a beautiful woman that resembles the Auntie from the Inn a lot was carrying a little brown baby. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Pebble smiled at the picture and pointed at the beautifully innocent looking woman ¡°She¡¯s my mother.¡±


    ¡°Wow, your mom and the Auntie are almost identical, so beautiful¡± Julie replied her compliment was sincere.


    ¡°Yeah¡± Pebble replied. He continued ¡°Don¡¯t let the picture fool you though, my mom and dad are both the same age, our Auntie is actually 20 years younger than her.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Julie was shocked, Gran was in his late forties which mean the mom was also in around there. However, from the picture the mom and auntie looked identical, in fact the mom looked younger!


    ¡°Your mom is an Exotic?¡± Julie asked.


    Pebble replied with a beaming smile ¡°Can¡¯t you tell?¡± A figure walked into the room a moment later.


    ¡°Oh? Our guests have arrived?¡± A beautiful woman with short orange hair and dark green eyes walked in. She looked similar to the Auntie from the Inn, but if the latter was a wild tigress, the former was an innocent kitten.


    However, that wasn¡¯t what caught everyone¡¯s attention, the round bulge on her belly as she slowly walked in wearing light garments was at the center of attention.


    ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Roselyn nice to meet you all¡± She smiled and greeted, unperturbed by the gazes on her belly.

 23. Arthurs eyes beamed

    Chapter 23. Arthur''s eyes beamed


    <hr>


    Arthur¡¯s eyes beamed with excitement as he rushed over and gave his greetings ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Arthur, are you having a baby?¡± He pointed at the round stomach with no modicum of decorum.


    Everyone within the group facepalmed by his bluntness. However, Roselyn returned a smile and said, ¡°yes I am!¡± She continued ¡°I hope it¡¯s a girl.¡± Patting her belly lovingly she earnestly wished the next child would be a girl. She already has three boys; a girl isn¡¯t much to ask for is it?


    Julie was amazed at the size of Roselyn¡¯s bump it seemed like she was ready to give birth at any moment. She couldn¡¯t help but asked ¡°When are you due?¡± The average pregnancy is approximately 9 months and the sheer size of the belly looked like it¡¯s about that time.


    ¡°In about a month.¡± Roselyn beamed a happy smile she was just as excited to have her fourth as much as her first. She continued ¡°A doctor in Asmar did a checkup on it and she said that she can reveal the gender of the baby, but I wanted it to be a surprise.¡±


    ¡°What if its another boy?¡± Arthur asked. Michael wanted to smack the boy across the head for asking these questions however, he refrained himself. Roselyn looked at the little Exotic who was only up to her chest and smiled ¡°I¡¯ll love him just as much as your parents love you.¡±


    A shy look of embarrassment could be seen on Arthur¡¯s face to her response as he started to think about his parents. A moment later he looked up at her and returned the smile ¡°My parents love me much!¡±


    Honestly, Arthur lived a pretty sheltered life. As the only child Arthur¡¯s parents poured their entire love to the point of spoiling him. It could be said he was spoiled to the point that it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he had turned out to be an arrogant young master.


    Luckily the arrogance never showed as he stayed childish and innocent, we could probably thank Shelly for this being the first person to tell him no. After a year with her around even Samuel and Angel was able to refuse some of Arthur¡¯s requests in their own way.


    One of which was when Arthur asked for a baby brother or sister to play with. In the beginning Samuel and Angel would either change the subject or laugh it off as they ran away from Arthur.


    Once Shelly arrived, he didn¡¯t ask for one as frequently as before as he finally had a friend to play with. However, there are moments when he brought it up which resulted in Samuel or Angel actually saying ¡°no¡± then they showered him with gifts and toys afterwards feeling guilty inside.


    The door to the estate opened up as Gran reentered after rushing out earlier. He ran straight to where Roselyn and the group were sitting and chatting as they ate snacks. Gran shoved Pebble aside as he sat beside her and pulled something out from underneath his coat.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± Gran said as he pulled out a dark looking goop. ¡°Dark chocolate mixed with ginseng and durian.¡± His words made the everyone reel back in disgust as the putrid sweet smell of durian mixed with chocolate snuck its way into their nostrils.


    The only eye beaming with delight was Roselyn as she opened her mouth waiting to be fed. ¡°Ah~¡± The chocolate goop went into her mouth and was finished in a couple bites. The satisfied smile on her face was a complete contrast of everyone else covering their nose in disgust.


    After a few more moments when the smell became more bearable Gran turned to look at the people sitting around. ¡°I called you guys over because the Governor of Rouge requests that I help train you guys while you are here.¡± He continued ¡°He told me he¡¯s been soft since you were his own kid, so he asked for my help.¡± Gran gave Arthur a glance.


    ¡°So, tomorrow I will be in charge of your training.¡± His words were all too sudden for them to gather their thoughts.


    ¡°How will you train them?¡± Boss asked, he didn¡¯t consider himself part of the people who needed to be trained.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be similar to the training Naturelle will conduct to build your entire physical and mental shape.¡± Gran¡¯s reply left the people sitting around confused, they didn¡¯t know anything about the training.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be simple, every morning you kids will spar with either Pebble, Cobble, or I¡± He continued ¡°Of course since we¡¯ve harnessed our energy we¡¯ll only defend and counterattack.¡±


    ¡°In the afternoon you will meditate and empty your mind while I wack you with a stick. If you flinch, you fail. Simple, right?¡±


    Boss nodded his head ¡°Very crude, very simple, I like it!¡± Gran nodded his head in response and continued ¡°Feel free to wander around the place, you¡¯ll be here every morning so get used to the place.¡±


    Gran helped Roselyn up from the sofa they were sitting on and walked her away as Pebble and Cobble remained seated.


    ¡°Tomorrow, it¡¯ll be Cobble who you kids will be sparring against, you¡¯ll just have to persevere for the morning, alright?¡± Pebble response made them look at each other with worry.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Oh Michael, you¡¯re also going to be sparring, even though you haven¡¯t gone to school during the most optimal time, it¡¯s not too late for you to harness your physical and mental energy.¡± Pebble concluded as he got up and left the room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t bully you guys too hard on the first day.¡± Cobble replied as he got up. ¡°Feel free to look walk around and explore the place, just don¡¯t bother our father and mother.¡± Cobble didn¡¯t need to say anything more than that as he left the room.


    ¡°Bark Bark¡± Barkie hopped off of Arthur¡¯s head and walked towards the door. He clawed on it asking to be excused. Arthur walked over and let Barkie out of the house.


    Shelly looked at Silver who was sitting quietly on her lap ¡°Do you want to play with Barkie?¡± She asked. ¡°Mew¡± Silver slowly got up and stretched before hopping off onto the ground and walked out of the door Arthur still had open.


    The sounds of a dog yelping in surprise could be heard in the distance as Arthur closed the door for them to play. ¡°Let¡¯s go look around¡± Boss said as he got up and headed straight for their kitchen.


    ¡°Mm, some good food they have in here. I¡¯ll help myshelf to shome if they don¡¯t mindsh.¡± Boss¡¯ face was already filled with meats and vegetables he found in the kitchen.


    ¡°Are they even cooked?¡± Arthur asked. Boss was already stuffing his mouth with food, so Arthur didn¡¯t know how he was even eating. ¡°Of course,¡± Boss stated as he began to fill his mouth with raw food.


    ¡°Shee?¡± He opened his mouth only for Arthur to see steam and the sound of fat from the meat crickling as the smell of cooked meat was flowing out of Boss¡¯ mouth. He was cooking raw food with his mouth! ¡°That¡¯s so cool! Teach me that!¡± Arthur was amazed at how Boss can just cook food with his mouth.


    Burrrp


    Boss looked at the kid who was excited ¡°No¡±


    Shelly could only look at Boss with a strange look on her face. Every time they saw Boss do something so far, it was weird, he never attacked, he got beat up (impaled) and now he¡¯s cooking with his mouth.


    She quickly turned around and left the kitchen not bothering with anything else Boss had to display. Michael and Julie who walked in behind Shelly also didn¡¯t know what to say and immediately left.


    ¡°Wait up Shelly!¡± Arthur shouted as he ran out of the Kitchen after being unsuccessful in getting anything out of Boss. The kids and the two young adults¡¯ split ways as they went about exploring the estate.


    By the time everyone got back together after examining the layout of the place it was back at the living room where they once sat. A little kid with his brown wig slowly falling off was sleeping soundly on the sofa.


    The estate was just as beautiful inside and out, there were rows of vegetation and wildlife everywhere, yet the air remained clean. The marbled floor was polished without a speck of dust. Everything within the home was spotless as can be.


    The thing that caught their attention the most was a pond in the back where the water was constantly rippling yet there was nothing being tossed in to make the ripples. The strangest thing about the pond was that the ripples happened consistently, a small ripple followed by stillness and then another small ripple.


    They wanted to ask Pebble and Cobble about the pond, but after asking a servant at the estate they said that Pebble and Cobble both went out. They also asked the servant, but they had no idea, the pond had been like that ever since they had arrived to work at the estate.


    By the time Boss woke up from his nap Arthur, Shelly, Michael and Julie already had left to go back to the Inn. One of the servants said that since they saw him sleeping so peacefully, they asked to let him sleep over for the night.


    Boss was dumbstruck as he couldn¡¯t believe they would just ditch him here while they went back. He wanted to leave immediately and berate the people that ditched him but decided to look around the estate instead.


    Boss walked over to the rippling pond and gave it a curious look. Looking at the reflection of himself in the pond Boss tapped at the small ripple and caused a bigger one to form. The pond continued to maintain its steady big ripple instead.


    A self-satisfied smile appeared on Boss¡¯ face as if he did something great as he walked out of the house and headed back to the Inn.


    While walking out of the estate Boss looked to his left and then glanced to his right, the animals who were once roaming around and lazily grazing at the grass and food seemed completely different. They were alert and orderly as they took their steps and ate the hay.


    It wouldn¡¯t be noticeable at a glance, but for someone like Boss, he can see that this wasn¡¯t the end of it. The most subtle thing about all the animals was that they¡¯ve formed two separate factions.


    While they were still harmoniously grazing together and enjoying themselves there was a hint of competitive spirit in their eyes as they went about the things they did.


    Paying them no mind Boss returned to the Inn and opened the door. By the time he had arrived it was in the evening and dinner would be soon. He looked at the cafeteria but spotted no one so he went into his room to change and get ready.


    Boss walked in only to see everyone in the room. ¡°Why is everyone in here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Shelly replied.


    ¡°How was your sleep?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°The boys¡¯ room is larger than the girls, so we¡¯re using it to discuss our plan of action for tomorrow.¡± Julie answered Boss. ¡°Ohhh! What¡¯s there to think about, just beat up Cobble and not make a noise when meditating.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°Easier said than done.¡± Michael answered. He continued ¡°Maybe for you, but for us who haven¡¯t even learned to control our powers or go to school for it, how are we supposed to deal with Cobble?¡±


    ¡°Wait, speaking of powers, how many powers do Exotics have?¡± Boss asked completely ignoring Michael¡¯s question. He almost forgot that in order to disguise as an Exotic he needed to know what their limits are.


    ¡°Two?¡± Arthur guessed, it¡¯s just physical and mental energy, no? No one spoke up as Boss asked.


    ¡°Not even you know, Shelly?¡± Boss looked at the white haired sapphire eyed girl with a kitten asleep on her lap. To him she was like a walking encyclopedia of the world as she memorized all that she had seen and read.


    ¡°The books never said how many powers an Exotic can have, but from what I¡¯ve seen it is two.¡± She paused before continuing ¡°But, that¡¯s only from what I¡¯ve seen and read so far, there might be exceptions.¡±


    Boss nodded his head as he began to think. The carefree look on his face slowly transitioned to that of a frown followed by a scowl as he started to scratch his hair violently.


    ¡°Dang it! There¡¯s too many I want to use!¡±

 24. Can鈥檛 you just

    Chapter 24. Can¡¯t you just


    <hr>


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just use all your powers?¡± Arthur asked, he wanted to see what an unshackled Boss can do.


    ¡°Heck no! That wouldn¡¯t be fun.¡± Boss argued as he continued to fiercely rub his wig in displeasure. ¡°Gah, forget it! I¡¯ll do this! Boss tossed the wig onto the ground. ¡°Whatever two I use in the future in front of an enemy will be it. Yep.¡± Boss nodded his head, he felt that this was the best course of action.


    ¡°What about in front of us? You¡¯ve already shown us more than two.¡± Shelly asked as she recalled every time Boss had used his powers.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use everything!¡± Boss reply made their eyes instinctively wide open.


    ¡°Everything?¡± Arthur quickly asked as if he misheard what Boss had said.


    Boss thought for a moment before immediately replying ¡°Except for some things!¡±


    His answer left everyone as wide eyed and bewilder as before, he wouldn¡¯t do some things? Why not? Boss quickly continued ¡°And I won¡¯t tell you what they are.¡±


    No one decided to ask their follow up question about what those ¡®some things¡¯ are as they returned to conversing with each other about tomorrow¡¯s training.


    Boss didn¡¯t want to help them figure out how to defeat Cobble either as he just sat in bed and stare at them until dinner arrived. Feeling uneasy as Boss¡¯ eyes blankly staring straight at them Michael was the first to buckle and quickly mentioned dinner.


    Boss in his excitement hopped out of bed and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡± grabbing his wig and running down to the cafeteria on the first floor. Boss was the first one who arrived and already had food on his plate as he sat on a rectangular table closest to the food.


    The group trickled in one by one as they walked through the door. Arthur and Shelly sat next to each other beside Boss. Michael and Julie arrived shortly after sitting across from the kids. As they were eating another person walked in.


    The Auntie of the Inn walked in and got her food and sat at the corner of their table beside Boss. The awkwardness they could feel dining with the Auntie was clearly present. However, she paid them no mind as she began to talk.


    ¡°You kids going to school?¡± She asked while loudly chewing her food. This is normally around the time people start flooding to Inns to stay while waiting for ships to dock on Asmar. The three nodded their head as they ate. No one wanted to talk first since the Auntie was crazy.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you talking, you think I¡¯m a crazy stalker or something?¡± Arthur gulped loudly before coughing. He almost choked on his food. Shelly paused for a moment before returning to complete her bite.


    ¡°No, not at all.¡± Michael answered nervously. His voice was visibly stuttering as he spoke.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± She paused. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Her figure disappeared from the table. Everyone started blankly at the spot where she had disappeared. The Auntie was standing directly over Michael¡¯s shoulder, her voice whispered in his ears ¡°You think I¡¯m crazy, don¡¯t you?¡±


    A cold chill crawled up Michael¡¯s spine causing him to shudder as the Auntie¡¯s voice blew into his ear. Michael gritted his teeth trying to compose himself as much as he could before the voice continued.


    ¡°Is it crazy to follow the one you love?¡± She asked before teleporting behind Julie. Her words hissed into Julie¡¯s ear. ¡°Is it?¡± Julie instinctively shook her head in response.


    ¡°Right? It isn¡¯t crazy to follow the one you love¡± The Auntie said before sitting back at her seat.


    ¡°Bu-but isn¡¯t the one you love already married?¡± Arthur stuttered. He didn¡¯t think it was right for another person to get between to married people. He knew he¡¯d be extremely angry if someone stole his mom or dad away from each other.


    ¡°So what? I¡¯m willing to share.¡± Her blunt reply made Arthur speechless. ¡°Tch, if it wasn¡¯t for my sister being so against it then we could have shared him. Why does she get the handsome guy while I get the ugly one?¡± The Auntie was getting angrier as she thought about her family¡¯s decision to marry her off to an ugly fellow.


    ¡°But Auntie, shouldn¡¯t you find someone your own age?¡± Arthur asked, he overheard Pebble talking to Julie about their age difference. Pebble was the eldest at 26, Cobble was 24, and the Auntie was just 28.


    ¡°So, what if he¡¯s quite a bit older, it was love at first sight.¡± The auntie began to grumble. ¡°Did Pebble tell you my age?¡± She asked. Considering both her eldest sister and her looked alike people wouldn¡¯t be able to tell how old she was, only those in the family knew.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Arthur replied, he wasn¡¯t wrong considering Pebble didn¡¯t specifically told him, he just overheard it.


    ¡°It matters not, I love him, and I¡¯ll make him mine.¡± She her blunt made people speechless. She then turned and locked eye contact with Julie causing her to fluster. ¡°Uh, is there something on my face?¡± Julie quietly asked.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°No, but your eyes are beautiful, yellow like mine.¡± She then focuses her attention on Julie¡¯s curly blonde hair ¡°Such a pity you¡¯re an Exotic, it would be fun to have a younger sister to teleport around with.¡± The auntie was thinking about how she could take Julie along to sneak peaks at Gran and scaring the townspeople.


    Exotics are people who are born with their hair and eye color, there is no way a normal person could train their physical energy for blonde hair.


    ¡°You and the kid are the only normal ones here?¡± The auntie asked Michael and the disguised Boss.


    ¡°Yeah, it is embarrassing isn¡¯t it?¡± Michael replied, he managed to calm down from the scare the Auntie gave him. It¡¯s not surprising he should be worried, both Auntie and Gran were Prodigies.


    ¡°Oh, why¡¯re you embarrassed about being normal? In fact, the other three should be careful¡± The auntie replied. She continued ¡°You guys have probably never gone beyond your own hometown.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Arthur replied.


    ¡°Well, let me tell you, not everyone think Exotics are God¡¯s creation.¡± Her reply shocked Arthur and Julie as Shelly remained indifferent.


    ¡°In fact, there are groups out there who believe you¡¯re anything but God¡¯s creation. They believe you are the Devil¡¯s creation here to destroy the stability of the Orthodoxy.¡± Her comment shook Arthur, he didn¡¯t believe himself, his parents, Boss, and Shelly were evil.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true is it?¡± Arthur asked, he didn¡¯t believe it, but he wouldn¡¯t just outright call her a liar. She replied, ¡°Heavens no, do you see yourself as evil? Is my sister evil?¡± her words assured Arthur.


    ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t some incredible dangerous Exotics out there. The story of Judas and Uriel is one.¡± Her comment made Arthur nod is head. She continued. ¡°But the most dangerous are the people¡¯s belief, Exotics are born with extraordinary powers, things they can¡¯t comprehend.¡±


    Her voice serious as she spoke ¡°People know how to obtain the orthodox coloration of hair and eyes, but no one can explain anything about Exotics.¡±


    ¡°They are chaotic as they can do anything, people fear them because they don¡¯t understand them. Be careful in the future because Exotics are as equally detested as they are worshipped.¡± Her tone grave as she spoke, causing Arthur to clench his fist. He didn¡¯t know anything about the negative impact about being Exotics.


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie!¡± Arthur sincerely thanked. He now understood that in the future learning and mastering his powers isn¡¯t just an easy walk that only required time, there will be hidden dangers everywhere. The auntie nodded her head at Arthur¡¯s thank.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name Auntie?¡± Arthur asked. She gave him a confused look ¡°That blabbermouth Pebble told you about Gran and I, my age, and yet didn¡¯t mention my freaking name?¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°I¡¯d thought you guys knew already considering that guy loves to talk.¡± She let out a smile as she introduced herself ¡°My name is Orchid. You guys can stay here for as long as you¡¯d like.¡± She got up and walked towards the door. ¡°And I¡¯m not a cannibal.¡± She gave Boss a glance before disappearing out of the corner of the door.


    Boss whistled to himself a random tune as he pretended, he never said such a thing about her. The group that thought she was crazy, and a stalker still believed it, but didn¡¯t mind her as a person.


    The night came and went as everyone woke up early in the morning and had breakfast before departing for Gran¡¯s estate. By the time they arrived servants were panicking and running around making a ruckus.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Arthur asked as he saw the commotion. Boss shrugged his shoulder and walked up to see what happened.


    ¡°This¡­ I¡¯m sorry we don¡¯t know.¡± The servants apologized as he ran away holding wipes and towels in his hand.


    The group finally found Cobble who was still as a statue sitting in the back dazedly staring at the rippling pond. ¡°Cobble? What¡¯s going here?¡± Cobble looked at the group who had arrived.


    ¡°My mother¡­¡± Cobble replied before tears started to well up in his eyes. He continued ¡°She¡¯s not waking up.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Michael asked.


    Cobble shook his head. He didn¡¯t know the answer, last night his mother was doing fine he only found out about her situation this morning.


    ¡°My father told me last night, mother went through intense pain that caused her to instantly faint.¡± He paused his voice trembling as he spoke ¡°She hasn¡¯t woken up since¡­¡±


    Everyone looked at Cobble in shock, the news of what happened was too alarming. Just yesterday they met her, and she was lively and well eating chocolate ginger durian mush. Her bright smile as she welcomed everyone was still on everyone¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Wh-where is your father now?¡± Michael tried to stay calm as he asked.


    ¡°He left with Pebble to find a doctor who could help¡­¡± Tears flowed down Cobbles eyes as he continued ¡°we-we don¡¯t have any doctors in the village right now¡­¡± Cobble¡¯s enormous body at this moment looked weak and frail. He crumpled up into a ball, his head on his knees as tears trickled down his leg forming a puddle on the ground.


    No one what to say at the sudden event as they sat beside Cobble to comfort him. The man who was supposed to train them this morning was in no shape to even take care of himself let along help them.


    Cobble¡¯s tear dried up sometimes later as he managed to stand back up. His body wobbling as he tried to maintain his composure.


    ¡°May we go see her?¡± Boss politely asked.


    ¡°Yeah! Maybe Boss can do something?¡± Arthur interjected.


    Cobble wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and looked at the kids half his size. ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    They walked up to the second floor as servants and maid continually ran up and down the stairs. The door to her room opened as their eyes shifted from the nursing maids and servants watching over to the woman asleep on the bed.


    The woman they saw was entirely different than the one they met yesterday, the vigor and energy once pronounced on her innocent face was nowhere to be seen. Her entire body was pale, her breathing unsteady as she continually released cold sweat from her forehead.


    ¡°Mother!¡± Cobble ran beside her bed as he sat beside her. ¡°WHAT HAPPENED?¡± He shouted at a nearby servant. Not even 2 hours ago she was just unconscious from the pain, however now it seems like she¡¯s turned into a ghost. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, this just happened a short moment ago.¡± The servant replied hesitantly.


    The doors to the home broke open as Pebble rushed into the door, a doctor was hanging on his shoulder. Mother!¡± Pebble stood before her bedside. He placed the man hanging on his shoulder on the floor. ¡°Doctor! Save my mother!¡±


    ¡°Doctor?

 25. A splash

    Chapter 25. A splash


    <hr>


    A splash of water to the face woke the doctor right up. ¡°Huh? What? Where am I?¡± The doctor muttered before looking at Pebble ¡°YOU!¡± The doctor was seething with rage, the guy in front of him asked him if he was a doctor. The moment he said yes, he was instantly knocked out and got carried away.


    ¡°I know what I did was wrong, but please can you check my mother?¡± Pebble pleaded. He left his village immediately the moment his mother fell ill to find a doctor, when he returned his mother¡¯s condition worsened to the point that he couldn¡¯t do anything but beg.


    Even though he was still angry the duty of a doctor came first, he from the ground and he bent over to check the pulse of the woman lying on the bed. Moments later his face formed a frown.


    ¡°The situation is not good. The doctor shook his head and continued ¡°her pulse is erratic; it is strong at some points and extremely weak at others. She could suffer cardiac arrest at any moment.¡± The doctor stared at the woman lying in bed. The struggle was clearly visible on her face as she fought for her life.


    ¡°In all of my professional years as a doctor, I don¡¯t know what is going on, it seems like her internal energy is fighting against itself.¡± The doctor became lost in thought as he muttered to himself ¡°Is this something that perhaps only applies to Exotics?¡±


    ¡°I-is there anything you can do?¡± Pebble looked on nervously at the doctor.


    The doctor sighed and shook his head ¡°The only thing I can do is alleviate some of the pain for her with some medicine of mine.¡± He continued ¡°However, everything I have is back in Asmar.¡±


    Asmar is closest neighboring town east of Boulderville that is built alongside the ocean separating the two continents. Asmar harbor is where ships will frequently dock to transport goods from the Tillowisk empire and their neighboring kingdoms.


    As the trading point between the two continent Asmar is the most abundant in people of all skill trade. This was the main reason Pebble ran from Boulderville to Asmar as it is guaranteed to have a doctor whereas Rouge was both further away west, and is only known for its figure, the Governor and the Pope.


    It is also the place where ships for Cheshire¡¯s institute of Naturelle will dock to pick up and drop off enrolling or currently enrolled students between the two countries.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go there right away and get it!¡± Pebble stated. He was already exhausted running there and then back carrying the doctor but there was no time to care about that.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s see if you have any of the ingredients here for me to make it, it¡¯ll be quicker that way.¡± The doctor began to jot down what he needed to make an effective painkiller. Pebble looked at the content on the list and then showed it to Cobble standing beside him.


    ¡°We have them¡± Pebble and Cobble replied with a sigh of relief. They just had to run around the village and collect it. Pebble then circled the ingredients on the list ¡°You¡¯ll gather these, I¡¯ll get the rest.¡± Cobble nodded his head to Pebble¡¯s statement.


    Pebble ran down the stairs and out of the house, a gust of wind formed as a sonic boom could be heard before he disappeared leaving only cloud of dust trailing him. Cobble followed immediately after racing out of the house.


    The group who was completely forgotten the moment Pebble and the doctor arrived could only look at each other, unsure of what to do. ¡°Are you their relatives?¡± The doctor asked.


    ¡°No, we were supposed to train with them today.¡± Shelly replied. ¡°Will she be okay?¡± Arthur asked. The doctor shook his head again ¡°I¡¯m afraid only time will tell, the only thing I can do is monitor her.¡± The doctor patted Arthur¡¯s shoulder and continued to say. ¡°However, she¡¯s a fighter, so let¡¯s be hopeful, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡± Everyone in the group nodded their head and kept quiet standing off to the side at a corner.


    The door erupted open again as Gran darted into the room. He was immediately informed about the condition of Roselyn prompting him to run back home. ¡°Who are you?¡± Gran asked the strange doctor.


    The doctor replied, ¡°I¡¯m Galen Galil, a doctor from Asmar.¡± He continued ¡°A blue hair young man brought me here.¡± The doctor let out any mention of getting knocked unconscious and being kidnapped.


    Gran let out a sigh of relief knowing that it was Pebble¡¯s doing. He then pulled out a bag variety of plants he collected since the morning. ¡°Dr. Galil, my son told me he was getting a doctor, so I ran around the village collecting these, are they any helpful?¡± he handed the bag over to Galen.


    The doctor poured out the bag containing an assortment of plant life that were plucked hurriedly from the ground. He separated the plants into two piles and nodded his head ¡°I can make a painkiller with these.¡± He took the pile on his right.


    Galen Galil was quick and efficient after having the ingredients in his hands. After getting some supplies from a servant he pounded and mixed the plants into a bowl of hot water.


    Pieces of each plant was plucked and tossed into the bowl at precise timing as the clear water in the bowl began to bubble. After all the ingredients were systematically tossed into the bowl a dark brown liquid was all that remained.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    He held the bowl in his hand as he motioned over to Roselyn, he lifted her upright as he slowly poured the liquid into her mouth. Roselyn while unconscious and struggling with her internal energy managed to swallow some of the liquid.


    The doctor sighed in relief as he slowly put her head back down onto the pillow. Sweat was visible on his forehead as he got back up.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Gran asked. ¡°The painkiller will take affect momentarily, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll help relieve her of the pain caused by the conflict of her internal energy.¡± Galen honestly replied.


    Moments later the once painful expression on Roselyn¡¯s pale face relaxed. Everyone sighed in relief as that meant the medicine had an affect at softening the pain she felt.


    ¡°I only managed to relive her of her pain for now, but the energy within her is still extremely volatile¡± Galen replied after checking her pulse again. He continued ¡°I¡¯ll stay here to monitor her condition.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Dr. Galil¡± Gran replied as he sat beside his wife. His hands interlocked with hers unwilling to let go. The doctor sighed and shook his head, he knew he didn¡¯t do much.


    The doctor picked up the remaining plants and tossed them back into the bag. He walked everyone out of the room into the hall and sat down on the wall with his head looking back into the room containing only the husband and wife.


    Sweat was still visible on his forehead as he didn¡¯t even bother wiping it away. Julie pulled out a handkerchief and handed to the doctor. ¡°Thank you, girl.¡± Dr. Galil returned the handkerchief after finishing.


    ¡°May I know your names?¡± He asked the group. They returned with their answer with the doctor nodding his head. He sighed as he continued to look through the door at the couple ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should say this or not.¡±


    ¡°Gran should already sense it.¡± He shook his head. ¡°If the worst come to the worst, I¡¯ll need his approval.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°It¡¯s the baby.¡± The doctor replied his face showed it all as he didn¡¯t know if he should continue to speak.


    ¡°What happened to the baby?¡± Arthur asked again. The doctor sunk his head ¡°It¡¯s not just the mother who is suffering. The baby is also being bombarded by remnants of the collision of internal energy within her.¡±


    ¡°If¡± The doctor paused while controlling his breathing, he wasn¡¯t expecting to feel so emotional today it was unlike him. ¡°If the worst comes to the worst, and the mother looks like she can¡¯t make it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll need his approval for an emergency surgery for the baby so that, that way at least one might survive.¡±


    The situation Roselyn was in was dire than what everyone had expected. Their face revealing their true emotions as their eyes became cloudy and their vision impaired by tears it was releasing.


    No one spoke as they continued to sit in silence waiting outside the room, the husband and wife remained in the same position as their fingers remained interlocked.


    Boss got up and left the group, the depressing silence and waterfall on their faces isn¡¯t what he wanted to sit around and stare at. He walked down the steps and headed straight for the pond in the back of the house.


    The once rippling pond that he saw yesterday was always consistently releasing weak ripples. After he messed with it yesterday it began releasing a strong ripple within.


    However, today as he sat there and stared at it, the rippling of the pond wasn¡¯t consistently doing either of that. It was slowly draining as the ripples shifted between a small weak one to a stronger more forceful one.


    The water splashed outwards flowing into the grasses nearby, the grasses surrounding the pond were twice the height of the ones further away.


    Boss continued to stare at the pond that was consistently shifting between the ripples, contemplating on whether or not he should mess with it again.


    An hour passed by before Pebble could be seen running into the house and up to their room.


    ¡°Doctor I got it! He pulled out the ingredients for the medicine and handed to Dr. Galil. Quickly!¡± Pebble grabbed Dr. Galil and pulled him straight into the room.


    Pebble was exhausted the moment he entered the room his chest was heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Gran remained in the same position all this time the only difference was that his once concern look was becoming more tearful as his head rested on their interlocked hands.


    ¡°Father, it¡¯ll be okay, I brought the medicine.¡± Pebble whispered hoping it¡¯ll get his father¡¯s attention. His father shook his head. Pebble hushed as he looked over to observe his mother.


    She had a peaceful look to her face almost as if she was sleeping. However, the moment he checked her pulse his arm instinctively pulled back as he gasped for air.


    The struggle within her bod was going out of control. A numbing sensation flowed into his arm as it became limp momentarily.


    ¡°Father, you have to let go!¡± Pebble¡¯s shout alerted everyone outside, they didn¡¯t notice the change that occurred within the past hour.


    ¡°Father please!¡± Pebble ran to remove Gran¡¯s hands away from Roselyn¡¯s, the intense energy he felt earlier coursed through him too. His body was becoming numb at an alarming pace.


    Gran remained seated, the disparity in strength between them made it extremely difficult for Pebble to separate their hands.


    ¡°PLEASE FATHER!¡± Everyone was in the room wondering what happened. The doctor quickly rushed over to the mother and tried to feel her pulse.


    ¡°NO! DON¡¯T!¡± Pebble shout was too late. The doctor was blown back to the wall.


    Michael ran over to help the doctor up and see if he was still alive. However, the moment his hands reached the doctor he felt a shock immediately to his heart as he passed out.


    Julie ran straight to Michael the moment something felt wrong. Once her hand touched him, she instinctively reeled back. However, she wasn¡¯t fast enough, the energy coursed through her body causing her to follow suit.


    ¡°DON¡¯T TOUCH THEM!¡± Pebble¡¯s shout stopped the remaining two in their tracks.


    ¡°PLEASE FATHER, LET GO!¡± Pebble cried as he shouted, his father was immensely stronger than him, he couldn¡¯t pull him away.


    Cobble finally made it into the room. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked as he looked at the people lying on the floor.


    ¡°COBBLE, HELP ME PULL FATHER AWAY!¡± Pebble shouted prompting Cobble hug his brother and pull. The alarming energy that coursed into his body too as he struggled to breath.


    ¡°PULL COBBLE¡±


    It was no use; their father wouldn¡¯t budge at all. Pebble and Cobble came loose as they kneeled on the floor gasping for air.


    ¡°Please¡­ I can¡¯t lose you¡­¡±

 26. Please...

    Chapter 26. Please...


    <hr>


    ¡°Please¡­¡± Pebble¡¯s tears streamed down his eyes and onto the floor. Cobble still couldn¡¯t grasp what was going on as he panted heavily.


    ¡°BOSS HELP!¡± Arthur shouted, he hoped that Boss could show up and solve all this. However, Boss was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Shelly! What do we do? Where¡¯s Boss!?¡± Arthur panicked the situation before him was out of control.


    Shelly thought for a moment before she walked over and slowly reached her hand towards Gran. ¡°NO! DON¡¯T TOUCH HIM!¡± Pebble shouted; however, his voice fell onto deaf ears as Shelly placed her hand onto Gran.


    ¡°Shelly!¡± Arthur ran straight at her too, his mind was in a mess as he saw her collapse before him, his hands immediately reached for her. There was no difference in the situation, he immediately collapsed and laid limp beside her.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Pebble gritted his teeth. The internal energy that was ravaging his mother and baby brother or sister expelled outwards into any living body. He expects that anyone without any proper training in energy would immediately die if they were hit by it.


    The energy that he and Cobble had was completely drained. Their eyes was bloodshot with tears of hopelessness. With one last weak pull on their father they both collapsed onto the ground, losing consciousness.


    ¡°Well, that took them awhile.¡± Boss¡¯ figure walked into the room, his face nonchalant as he looked at the only two awake things left. ¡°Oh? You didn¡¯t follow your master and touched them?¡± He asked the pets.


    Animals had an instinctive sense to danger; they wouldn¡¯t easily run towards it.


    ¡°That is for the best I suppose, you two might have died.¡± Boss patted both of their heads before walking over to the two kids. He placed his hand on their back and then did the same for the remaining people in the room.


    ¡°Freaking, Shelly if I didn¡¯t tell her to touch them, she would¡¯ve just stayed still.¡± Boss grumbled. Shelly¡¯s perception to danger was as keen as those two pets.


    Standing next to the bedside he looked down at the peaceful looking mother lying on the bed her finger was still interlocked with the unconscious Gran.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I made you two struggled for so long.¡± He then placed his hand on her forehead and stomach and walked back towards Arthur and Shelly. ¡°Shh.¡± He said to the pets as he placed his hand on Arthur.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna take a nap.¡±


    The pets were dumbfounded at what he just did. They looked at each other and the time for competition was not right now. They walked over to their respective owner and also placed a paw on them.


    Their eyes closed as they too, decided to take a nap.


    ¡­


    ¡°Boss! Boss! Wake up!¡± A defeating voice could be heard rattling his ears. ¡°Huh? What?¡± Boss smacked his lips as he looked around the room. ¡°Boss!¡± Arthur hugged the little boy before him. ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Boss replied. What¡¯s wrong with this kid?


    ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re awake.¡± Arthur held boss in a tight embrace. ¡°Thank you for spending all your effort into saving us.¡± Arthur whispered in Boss¡¯ ear so that no one could hear him.


    A knowing look could be seen on Boss¡¯ face when he saw the cheerful smile on Arthur. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m extremely tired now.¡± Boss replied causing Arthur to shove Boss¡¯ head back down onto the pillow. ¡°You need to rest!¡± Arthur stated as he ran out of the room.


    It was early morning the next day by the time he had woken up. Everyone else in the room woke up around the same time in the evening yesterday, except for him. The first thing everyone did was run over to check on Roselyn.


    Gran¡¯s hands were still interlocked with her by the time he woke up. The doctor wearily motioned over to her beside unwilling to touch her again. However, Gran ensured him it was okay to check.


    After checking her pulse and sensing that her internal energy was stabilized the doctor told everyone within the room. A huge sigh of relief could be heard coming from everyone as Pebble and Cobble ran over to her beside and cried tears of joy.


    Roselyn however, never opened her eyes that night, her body was still unconscious. The doctor surmised that the energy within her was too much for her to handle causing it wreak havoc within the body.


    He continued to state that thanks to Gran, the volatile energy found an outlet using the people within this room. With everyone managing to take on some responsibility of absorbing some of the excess energy that could have killed her and the baby, managed to stabilize.


    He then stated that since Boss was a little normal boy, he had the weakest resistance to the energy and required more time to rest. He believed that even though he was also a normal person, as an adult he was more capable of handling the volatile energy than a little boy.


    The group who knows of Boss had their own interpretation as to why Boss still hadn¡¯t woken up. No one corrected the doctor and decided to let Boss stay asleep. They suspect that Boss most likely took away all the volatile energy within all of their body which is why they all woke up at the same time while he was still asleep.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Only the two pets who were with their respective owners knows the true answer. However, as animals who couldn¡¯t speak, they decided it was better to not do anything and keep it a secret between them and Boss.


    Boss who wasn¡¯t actually tired got up out of bed and walked out of the room. He glanced over at the other room where servants were continually rushing back and forth from yesterday.


    It was peaceful this time with only a single doctor remaining in the room watching over the sleeping mother. The once pale face on Roselyn recovered to a warm blush as she slept peacefully.


    Boss looked away and headed downstairs, he almost instinctively made his way towards their kitchen before he heard the sound of someone laughing.


    ¡°Ahaha! You kids have nothing over me the impenetrable Cobble!¡± Cobble shouted as Boss entered. His arrival sparked no notice as everyone¡¯s attention was completely focused on the training at hand.


    Currently it was Arthur¡¯s turn to fight with Cobble. However, fight wouldn¡¯t really be the right word here, it was more like a one-sided assault coming from the kid.


    Arthur who was huffing and puffing a few meters away already had sweat trickling down his forehead as his training attire was covered in dirt.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Arthur shouted as he ran towards Cobble. He threw a straightforward punch to the gut of the towering green haired figure. Arthur¡¯s fist made contact with the stomach creating a popping noise before Arthur could be seen recoiling back and rolling on the ground.


    ¡°Ahaha! Too weak!¡± Cobble laughed at the kid lying on the ground. ¡°C¡¯mon get up! This ain¡¯t all you got is it?¡± Cobble taunted Arthur who remained panting heavily on the ground.


    ¡°No more, no more.¡± Arthur gasped he¡¯s only been at it with Cobble for less than five minutes but every punch he at Cobble exhausted him greatly.


    ¡°Ahaha, alright since it¡¯s your first day I¡¯ll go easy on ya. Who¡¯s next?¡± Cobble eyes scanned the people sitting and watching and pointed at a brown-haired figure. ¡°You.¡±


    Michael got up stretching his arms and legs as he stood a few meters before Cobble. ¡°Alright Michael, show me what you can do.¡± Cobble stated as he stood there. He continued ¡°Don¡¯t worry about hurting me, because you won¡¯t, just do your best.¡±


    Michael nodded his head and got into stance. He rushed forward throwing a left-handed punch directly to the right of Cobble¡¯s face. However, the fist paused right before it hit the face.


    Cobble¡¯s eye glanced at the fist beside him towards him and looked his opposite. A raised leg was going straight for his left shoulder.


    A feint!


    Michael¡¯s leg raised and hammered directly to the shoulder of Cobble. A stronger popping noise could be heard than before as the shoulder and the leg made contact.


    Michael¡¯s body flung backwards further than Arthur as he skidded on the grass. ¡°Nice kick¡± Cobble praised completely unharmed from the kick. ¡°Nice try, can you still stand up?¡± Cobble asked the man who was blown back from his own kick.


    Michael got up and dusted off the dirt on his clothes. ¡°Again.¡± He postured again before running up to Cobble and sending a direct punch to the side of his face. A weaker noise of contact could be heard as Michael was shoved back a meter, his body was still standing.


    A look of understanding appeared before his eyes as he walked over to Cobble. This time he didn¡¯t aim to feint or go for an attack directly, instead he threw a soft punch at Cobble¡¯s chest.


    An energy force twice as much as the punch he sent pushed back upon his arm. ¡°I get it now; you can block and repel my attack with twice the force.¡± Michael stated as his arm still felt the tingle from the force.


    ¡°So, what if you know? What¡¯re you going to do about it?¡± Cobble taunted. Knowing how Cobble¡¯s defensive energy worked was one thing, having an answer for it was another.


    Cobble¡¯s comment was right, Michael tried different ways to attack him, from the front, from the back with the supplied weapons. Nothing worked he kept getting repelled back with twice the force every time.


    Before long Michael was lying on the ground panting and exhausted, his figure was no less different Arthur before him. Julie¡¯s turn was next as she got up and attempted to have a go with Cobble.


    Julie rushed straight for Cobble throwing a punch squarely at Cobble¡¯s face, but the blowback from her own attack caused her to stumble backwards with her feet still squared on the ground.


    ¡°Not bad, at least you didn¡¯t fall to the ground with your first punch.¡± Cobble complimented, it was an improvement over both Arthur and Michael. Giving them time to study Cobble made Julie more prepared for the fight.


    Julie picked up a weapon off to the side, it was a dagger. The dagger felt heavy in her hand as if she was worried about actually hurting Cobble. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, if you guys actually managed to hurt me then you don¡¯t need to train with me anymore.¡± Cobble eased Julie¡¯s worry.


    ¡°Just do your best I¡¯ll defend myself properly if I have to.¡± Hearing Cobble¡¯s comment Julie exhale to calm her unsteady breath. Exhaling for a final time Julie sprinted towards Cobble and threw the weapon straight at his chest.


    Seeing the weapon flying at him Cobble increased his defensive energy as he stared at the projectile. The weapon and the girl were upon him, he knew what the weapon was going to do but what about her?


    There wasn¡¯t a moment of hesitation Julie focused her eye and released her own powers. Cobble froze momentarily enough time for the weapon to collide with his chest.


    A shocked look of surprise as the weapon managed to tear away a piece of clothes on Cobble¡¯s chest before being flung off into the distance.


    ¡°Phew, almost had me there Julie.¡± Cobble poked his finger through the hole in his chest ¡°Those who knows how to use their power is something else.¡± Cobble praised. Julie was far weaker than him in terms of energy manipulation, but she did manage to stop Cobble for a microsecond to pull that stunt off.


    ¡°What¡¯s that power? I felt like my entire body couldn¡¯t move for a moment.¡± Cobble asked. Julie smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to find out yourself.¡±


    Cobble nodded his head in response and said ¡°Alright, bring it.¡± His body remained stationary as he waited for Julie to attack.


    Julie didn¡¯t hesitate to sprint forward again tossing multiple weapons at Cobble this time. Is she looking to stop me and see if there¡¯s a flaw in my defense? Na?ve.


    Julie shot out her power the same as last time, Cobble froze in place as all the weapons flew directly at his body.


    The sound of metal on dirt hit the ground as everyone¡¯s eye glued at the outcome. Did Julie manage to hurt Cobble?


    ¡°There we go, safe~.¡± Cobble large frame spoke as every weapon fell to the ground with a thud. Cobble beamed a smile as he stared at Julie. ¡°Not bad, you used even more energy that time.¡±


    Julie was panting as she stood before him her mind was exhausted after trying to stop Cobble. ¡°I¡¯m too tired.¡± She walked back and sat down her breathing was heavy as she tried to calm down.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s your turn Shelly.¡± .Cobble pointed at little white-haired girl with sapphire eyes who stood up in response.


    ¡°Come.¡±

 27. Come

    Chapter 27. Come


    <hr>


    ¡°Come.¡± Cobble motioned with his finger. Shelly looked at the man a distance before her and looked at the array of weapons on the ground. She walked over and picked up a small blade.


    The 8 years before she met Samuel Galafray taught her so many things about the cruelty of being alive. The hardship and peril she faced as she overcome each one of them one by one to finally find a helping hand. A person who was willing to disobey command and treat her as his own child.


    Shelly completely remembered all of it, the look of disgust in their eyes as they stared down on her, the hatred they bore when they chased her, the people they¡¯ve killed just to get rid of her.


    Her body relaxed as she closed her eyes, a powerful formless energy swirled around her as if it was completely under her control. The moment her eyes opened the once calm look on her face became increasingly cold.


    A chill crawled up everyone¡¯s spine as they looked at the little girl before them, no one dared to look upon the girl¡¯s face at this moment. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± She said as she walked over with the knife.


    Cobble¡¯s face was serious as he looked at the girl before him. An equally powerful energy exuded from him as he matched the output of the girl¡¯s formless power.


    There was no rush to Shelly¡¯s step as each one was precise and even. Walking right in front of Cobble she held out the knife in her hand as Cobble paid the closest of attention to what she was going to do.


    Shelly circled around Cobble causing him to follow. Standing with his back away from the group Cobble completely focused on Shelly and her knife.


    Her arm reacted as she lifted up the knife. The refraction from the sunlight and the knife blinded Cobble causing him to react and form a defensive posture expelling even more energy than before.


    However, there was no attack.


    Cobble regained his vision and saw the girl standing before him. There was no difference the knife was still held in place with one hand with now the sunlight now bearing down on his chest.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve attacked there; it would¡¯ve been the perfect opportunity when you blinded me with the knife.¡± Cobble stated.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t notice.¡± Shelly¡¯s comment made Cobble relax as he realized a kid was still just a kid. However, the next situation made him regret relaxing.


    The moment his guard was down Shelly went for the blind trick once again, however he ducked his head to prevent being blinded while also keeping an eye on her.


    Whish


    Shelly¡¯s other hand exploded into action the moment Cobble ducked tossing the dirt she picked up the first time he was blinded.


    Splat


    The dirt and dust covered Cobble¡¯s face completely causing him to immediately wipe away the dirt from his eyes. The moment his vision cleared he saw the little girl still standing before him.


    Strange she could¡¯ve attacked there. Cobble thought to himself regretting that he relaxed himself when she missed her first chance. However, Shelly only pointed at the hole in his shirt Julie had made earlier.


    Cobble wasn¡¯t sure if Shelly had another trick, so he didn¡¯t dare relax himself when she did so. It wasn¡¯t until Shelly tossed the knife down, walked away and sat on the ground; did he look down at it.


    A small cut to the flesh leaving only a deep enough wound to be considered a papercut was seen. Cobble was completely shocked, it wasn¡¯t that Shelly didn¡¯t attack with the knife, it was that she only made a small enough wound to pass.


    Sigh


    ¡°You passed.¡± Cobble said dejectedly prompting Arthur in the audience to cheer. Everyone didn¡¯t see what Shelly did as Cobble¡¯s entire body block their view. However, with his response they rushed up and congratulated Shelly while surrounding her.


    They then ran over to Cobble who showed them the little papercut of a wound. Arthur immediately went ¡°Tsk, is that it?¡± However, he was extremely happy for Shelly inwardly.


    Shelly¡¯s calm demeanor returned as she conversed with the group.


    ¡°Ahem¡± Cobble¡¯s voice caught their attention as they all turned their eyes towards him. ¡°While you may have passed, I¡¯ll still be teaching you for the next month before you go.¡±


    ¡°What! Didn¡¯t you say if we hurt you, we don¡¯t need to train with you?¡± Arthur quickly recalled the fight between Cobble and Julie.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hurt, this is just a papercut.¡± Cobble¡¯s blunt reply left Arthur speechless. So, he means we¡¯d have to make him feel enough pain to not train? How long would that take?


    Shelly who was sitting on the ground looked up and nodded her head. She agreed what she had done wasn¡¯t enough to get out of training. Her attitude made Cobble happy as he looked at the other three.


    ¡°Round two let¡¯s go!¡± His voice boomed as everyone looked at him in astonishment. They weren¡¯t done?The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Round after round after round, each person pulled out different trick and tactics. However, an hour before noon no one else besides Shelly had passed. She joined in for the remaining rounds and ultimately failed her other attempts.


    By the end of the physical training session everyone laid on the ground panting without an ounce of energy left to move.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Cobble stated as he looked at the group. ¡°You guys did very well for your first time.¡± His praise caused them to weakly smile.


    ¡°Tomorrow it¡¯ll be Pebble¡¯s turn to train you, you should prepare beforehand.¡± Cobble¡¯s response fell onto deaf ears as everyone was too tired to even listen any longer. ¡°Come back in the evening for your meditation.¡± Cobble walked back inside the house leaving them to catch their breath on the ground.


    Boss looked at the weak group of people lying before him. ¡°Damn, glad I don¡¯t have to do this for a month. I¡¯ll be bored to death!¡± His voice irritated them, but they were too tired to even make a sound.


    Boss continued ¡°Back in my day there was no such people like Cobble to train me, you should be grateful.¡± The four who laid on the ground didn¡¯t have a rebuttal. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going back to the Inn to get some lunch, who wants to come with?¡± He was just teasing them; he knew none of them could even voice their own opinion.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± Boss raised his finger pulling them all up off the ground. Boss walked in the front followed by a line of puppet-like tired people walking in synchronicity from behind.


    The march back tired them out even further because Boss would continue to release his hold of them causing them collapse on the ground. By the time they made it back everyone was able to stand up with difficulty because Boss loved to release his hold of them in front of the villagers.


    Their pride and their unwillingness of being put into positions of embarrassment by Boss was the only thing that kept them from collapsing on the floor after the first attempt.


    ¡°Well, look at that you guys did it! Yay!¡± Boss childishly raised his hands to a cheer expressing his excitement. ¡°I¡¯m going to get cleaned up, you guys should too, it looks like you need it.¡± Boss skipped away leaving everyone standing there.


    The moment Boss left everyone sat down panting heavily. They only had 6 hours to get cleaned up, eat, and recover as much as possible before their meditation session.


    An hour passed by with them still in the same position. Boss all this time after freshening up circled around them with various food and snacks as he ate. Sometimes he¡¯d put the food near them and walk away other times he¡¯ll hover it in front of their face.


    They couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Boss ate everything and left them sitting there.


    ¡°We¡­ we¡­ we got to¡­ get up¡± Michael struggled to speak; he was irritated by Boss¡¯ behavior. Everyone nodded their head and struggled to their feet. They leaned on each other for support as they walked before the staircase to their room.


    A long perilous journey awaits them as they took their first step.


    Ten minutes passed by before they managed to make it to the front of their room, this entire time Boss was nowhere to be seen. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief knowing all they had to do was walk in and get cleaned up.


    Michael reached for the knob and twisted it. The door opened slightly before it bumped into something


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Michael shouted in exasperation, there was something blocking the door. The girls behind them saw that Michael couldn¡¯t get in. A sense of foreboding as Julie quickly tried to do the same.


    It only opened up revealing a centimeter gap before something blocked their room.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Everyone shouted in anger, this was clearly his doing. ¡°Hehehe you can¡¯t catch me.¡± Boss¡¯ voice could be heard behind both rooms. ¡°Come in if you can, hehehe.¡± His childish voice completely angered them.


    Michael shoved with all his might at the door in an attempt to get through, however there was no budge. ¡°Hehehe it¡¯s just a nightstand, you can¡¯t even push away a nightstand?¡±


    Everyone completely ignored Boss as they walked over to Michael¡¯s door. ¡°Julie and I will push from above. You two will push from below, four of us should be able to move it.


    ¡°3, 2, 1, Push!¡± The four pushed at the door with all their strength, their faces turning red from the struggle. The door budged a little bit before everyone collapsed from exhaustion.


    30 minutes passed by and not a single employee could be seen during this entire time. Boss had informed them that there would be training involved and for them to help out during this time.


    ¡°3, 2, 1, Push!¡±


    The door finally budged enough for all of them to squeeze through.


    The moment everyone made it through they expected another challenge to stop them from resting, however none of that happened. The room was the same except for the nightstand blocking the door.


    Boss was nowhere to be seen as they entered. ¡°I think he¡¯s done messing with us we don¡¯t have that much time to take a bath.¡± Michael continued ¡°You girls can go first, we¡¯ll go next.¡± The girls nodded their head and went to get cleaned up.


    Luckily for them, Boss did not intervene or caused any trouble as they cleaned themselves. Refreshed and feeling much better they were feeling hopeful that Boss was done with his antics.


    After squeezing back through the door and out of the room, they looked around warily hoping there was no obstacles. A sigh of relief could be heard as they continued towards the staircase.


    ¡°We¡¯ve done it! There¡¯s nothing here!¡± Arthur shouted in excitement as he looked down below and towards the direction of the cafeteria. There was no obstacle to be seen.


    Arthur immediately rushed to the stair and began walking down. However, once he made it midway an invisible force repelled him and teleported him back up top.


    ¡°What!¡± Arthur shouted as he looked at the people staring at him. ¡°What was that!?¡± Arthur was annoyed he thought Boss was done with his antics.


    ¡°Last test, make it to the cafeteria without bumping into the invisible walls I made!¡± Boss¡¯ voice could be heard echoing in their ears. His voice continued ¡°Touch it and you¡¯ll be back where you started.¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°Hurry, hurry, you only have 3 hours before you have to be at the Gran¡¯s place.¡± His voice finished after saying that. No matter what verbal abuse they threw at him there was no more response.


    ¡°Let me try.¡± Michael stated as he walked towards where Arthur once was, he avoided the wall in front and walked off to the side and stepped forward.


    ¡°Success!¡± He took another step forward and sighed as there was no obstacle there. Another step. ¡°No!¡±


    The three looked at Michael who was back with them. ¡°Let¡¯s all go at the same time and take different steps, the one who makes it through will just wait and we¡¯ll continue from there.¡± Shelly suggested.


    Indeed, her plan was a great one as after less than thirty minutes they made it all the way to the cafeteria after constantly being teleported back to the beginning.


    The smell of freshly cooked food wafted into their nose as rows of food can be seen on the rectangular table they sat at the day before. Boss opened through the kitchen door and walked out with a silver platter in hand. He smiled brightly at them as he placed the silver platter down at the center of the table.


    ¡°Eat up you guys!¡± Boss sat on the table and patted at the spot beside him.


    No one budge as they stared at him warily.


    Was this another trap?

 28. Eat up

    Chapter 28. Eat up


    <hr>


    ¡°Eat up¡± Boss¡¯ voice could be heard again from a distance before they teleported on the seat around the table.


    ¡°That¡¯s better, c¡¯mon eat up you only have less than 2 hours to eat.¡± Everyone looked at the delicious assortment of food placed on the table their mouth was watering as they stared at it. It was a whole morning and afternoon of no food because they were too tired.


    Arthur couldn¡¯t help it anymore and went for the first bite. A gasp could be heard coming from Julie preemptively expecting something to happen to Arthur. However, none of that happened as Arthur began devouring the food. ¡°Delicious!¡±


    Arthur¡¯s one comment prompted everyone else in turn to begin eating. Boss didn¡¯t say a thing the entire time they ate. It wasn¡¯t until after they were done eating and fully relaxed and recovered did Boss finally spoke.


    ¡°You may have wondered why I did what I did.¡± Boss paused for a moment as he scanned the different expressions of the people around him. ¡°It is true, that half of it was because I was bored. The other half was because none of you know anything about how your powers work.¡±


    ¡°I also won¡¯t explain it.¡± Boss scanned the faces of everyone again, their expressions shows a similar look of annoyance and confusion.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s better if I just show it.¡± Boss statement made everyone¡¯s eye focus on him expecting to see some form of demonstration as to what he meant. However, minutes passed by and the patience on their face was growing thin.


    ¡°When are you going to show it?¡± Arthur finally asked his emerald green eyes showed a hint of impatience.


    ¡°Hm? I already did.¡± Boss¡¯ reply made everyone dumbstruck. However, he paid them no mind and continued, ¡°Within the next month after your morning training and before your meditation I will continue to play around with you guys until you understand.¡± The bright childish smile on Boss face chilled everyone¡¯s spine as they felt as if this next month will be extremely tortuous.


    The group finished dinner and walked out of the cafeteria. A ruckus could be heard as a bunch of people both employees and five guests were at the staircase.


    ¡°What the hell is with this Inn!¡± A scarfaced young man shouted, he was getting irritated that he kept getting teleported back to the top of the staircase. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sirs, we don¡¯t even know what is happening.¡± The employees of the Inn weren¡¯t sure either they were stuck up here too.


    ¡°Is this the power of an Exotic?¡± A guy with glasses asked the two friends with the most knowledge of this matter. ¡°Hm, it should be¡± A guy with red hair replied. He looked at his friend with magenta eyes and asked, ¡°What do you think, Mason?¡±


    ¡°I think so too, this is probably the power of an Exotic, Riley.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯re they trying to do? Trap us here?¡± The scrawny guy started to quiver. He remembered just a few days ago they tried to blackmail the Govenor¡¯s powerful employees and ran away. They took detours on the way to Boulderville hoping that they can throw off anyone who was following them.


    ¡°Sh-shut up Sampson. That¡¯s not funny!¡± The scar faced man¡¯s teeth started to chatter. He remembered that he was the one that did all the blackmailing. If the Governor really followed them and trapped them here, he¡¯s as good as dead.


    ¡°No, you shut up, this is all your fault Seth¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now, now guys I doubt it would be them.¡± The guy with glasses interrupted. He tried to persuade them ¡°If it was them, we¡¯d be dead by now, there would be no reason to trap us.¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to reason this Gerald!¡± Sampson exploded his body still quivering ¡°It was Seth that did all that! I don¡¯t want to die because of him!¡± His fingers angrily pointed at the scar faced young man.


    The commotion caused another person to walk down. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± A beautiful woman with flowing green hair and yellow eye walked down from the third floor. Her employees were standing there too unsure of what to say.


    ¡°Madam Orchid, on the way to the kitchen we seemed to stumble upon an ability that teleports us up here.¡± An employee responded to answer. ¡°I was going to make sure the guests¡¯ rooms were in order, but it sent me here too.¡± Another employee added.


    ¡°Oh? Where is it?¡± Orchid asked her interest was intrigued, an ability that could teleport people besides themselves. She wanted to learn it. Her employees shook their head and replied ¡°We don¡¯t know. Anywhere over there?¡± They pointed in the direction of the group of people in the way.


    ¡°Move it, move it.¡± Orchid started pushing everyone away as she made her way to the front of the group.


    Getting shoved out of the way the Seth angrily turned his head and shouted ¡°Who are yo¡ª¡± The appearance of the woman completely shut him up, no need to mention how beautiful she was, her green hair and yellow eyes were the signs of a Prodigy even he knows that he¡¯s insignificant before her.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Hm? You say something kid?¡± Orchid glanced at Seth who was cowering before her. ¡°N-no, sir! I mean mam!¡± Seth continued to recoil back hiding himself behind his group of friends.


    ¡°Hmph, wimp.¡± Orchid walked past Seth and looked down below. There were no signs of anything that she could see visibly with her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s Auntie Orchid!¡± Arthur saw the woman above the staircase before his eye trailed to the group of people standing behind her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Arthur asked Shelly and Boss.


    With steady steps Orchid made it to the halfway point of the stairs where Boss¡¯ traps were laid. Immediately her next step sent her back to top of the staircase as she looked down.


    ¡°Boss! This is your fault!¡± Arthur noticed what had just occurred and realized that Boss may have forgotten to turn off his teleporting thing he used on them. ¡°Turn it off!¡± He stated bluntly. Boss only looked at him with a grin. He then pointed at Orchid who walking down the steps again. ¡°Just watch.¡±


    Everyone below looked up as they saw Orchid slowly stop before the halfway point to the first trap. She closed her eyes seemingly in a deep state of meditation as her body relaxed.


    Her body moved as she turned to the spot where there was no invisible teleporting barrier and began to walk down the stairs slowly. Every step was firm and precise as she continued to shuffle left and right as she went down. It was the same twist and turns they had taken to get to the Cafeteria.


    Less a minute had passed by the time she made it down the staircase and out of the trap Boss had made. She continued to walk with her eyes closed before bumping into Michael.


    ¡°Uh, Auntie Orchid¡± Michael spoke to the woman who was opening her eyes. He expected that she would walk around him, not directly bump into him. ¡°Oh, sorry I didn¡¯t sense you there.¡± Orchid replied as her eyes got adjusted to the bright lights within the Inn.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you kids.¡± She saw the group who was standing before her with a bewilder look on their face. ¡°Wow! Auntie Orchid how did you do that?¡± Arthur exclaimed he didn¡¯t expect what took them thirty minutes of trial and error only took one real try from Orchid.


    ¡°Hm? Oh that, I just sensed it.¡± Her reply made the group of four glance at Boss. Was this what he wanted them to be able to do?


    Orchid then looked back up at the staircase and walked into one of the teleporting barriers around her. Immediately she returned to the second floor staring down at the group looking up at her.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± She then looked at the people and employees crowding around her, they wanted to know if she had figured it out. She nodded her head and then began to think about what to do next. Should she have a marker on the ground telling them where to step?


    Boss noticed the weird look on Orchid¡¯s face as thought about her plan. Boss shook his head and waved his hand. The invisible teleporting barrier he placed around the place vanished.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Orchid who was still lost in thought immediately noticed that the invisible teleporting barriers were gone. It must¡¯ve been when I made it down to the bottom, it disappeared because I cleared it!! Orchid thought to herself, she believed she had passed some sort of trial.


    Orchid began to descend the steps again all the way to the group below. Everyone looked at what she had done and decided to follow closely. However, they soon realized whatever barrier that kept teleporting them back up disappeared.


    Mason and his friends scurried towards the cafeteria to have their dinner. Whereas the employees immediately got back to work, especially now that their Madam was standing at the floor talking to Arthur and friends. The employees took a mental note of these young kids and reminded themselves to take great care of them.


    Orchid walked towards the group and scanned the three little kids and their young adult companions ¡°Did you kids just finished eating dinner?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, Auntie Orchid! Your kitchen made really good food!¡± Arthur replied causing Orchid to nod her head in delight. ¡°You kids went to my Gran¡¯s place a few days ago, how¡¯s my future husband? Orchid paused. ¡°Oh, and Roselyn too, I guess.¡±


    Orchid immediately noticed the strange look on the people¡¯s face as it wasn¡¯t at all what she had expected. She knows Gran and Roselyn the best, they wouldn¡¯t have been mean to the kids.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Orchid could only ask. However, no one in the group spoke up. Orchid could only ask ¡°Did Pebble and Cobble bully you?¡± Another drawn out silence as the group could only avoid eye contact and keep their head down.


    Sensing something was incredibly wrong with their behavior, she immediately noticed they weren¡¯t angry about going to Gran¡¯s place, rather they had a sad look unsure of what to say.


    ¡°Alright, now I¡¯m starting to get angry.¡± Orchid¡¯s voice made everyone look at each other before Julie decided to speak up. ¡°Auntie Orchid, let¡¯s go sit down somewhere first.¡± Orchid saw the look on Julie¡¯s face and walked them up to her room on the third floor.


    It was an enormous beautiful room with shimmering white walls and tiles. There was a living room, an office, and a bed and bathroom. However, no one had time to marvel at the beautiful room as they made it into her office.


    ¡°Talk¡±


    Orchid¡¯s voice was slightly impatient as she waited for Julie to tell her what happened.


    Sigh


    Julie tried to maintain her calm and slowly began to speak. She narrated the beginning of when they went to visit Gran and what happened the following day.


    The moment she mentioned that Roselyn suffered immense pain and was struggling with conflicting internal energy. A terrifying force of presence fell upon the room as if hidden beneath the serious look on Orchid¡¯s face contained immense anger.


    Everyone was dripping with sweat as Julie struggled to continue. Julie eventually finished stating that Roselyn was stable however, she was unconscious.


    Time ticked by slowly as the room became eerily quiet. No one uttered a sound as they waited for Orchid¡¯s response.


    The wooden chair scraped against the floor as she stood up. The look on Orchid¡¯s face was still the same as she looked at Julie. ¡°Thank you, Julie, for telling me.¡± She then looked at the other four ¡°Thank you all for helping Roselyn and worrying about me.¡±


    Orchid walked over to the door and stood in front of the entrance, her back towards them ¡°Go back to what you were doing, I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Moments later, her entire body vanished before their very eyes.


    She had teleported.

 29. Where did she go?

    Chapter29. Where did she go?


    <hr>


    ¡°Where did she go?¡± Michael muttered. He was finally able to let out a sigh of relief once Orchid had left. Boss shrugged his shoulders indicating that he didn¡¯t know. He looked at the two young adults still dazed wondering if it was alright for Orchid to know. If no one from Gran¡¯s household told her, there must be a reason.


    Looking at the people still lost in thought Boss asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have somewhere you should be going right now?¡± Everyone finally remembered that they had meditation to do in less than an hour. They quickly headed down the stairs and out of the Inn.


    Boss was the last to leave the room, the bright balls that were illuminating the room dimmed as he tossed a block cloth over it and closed the door behind him.


    The group of four paced themselves as they walked to Gran¡¯s place, they didn¡¯t want to show up early nor did they want to be late. Boss trailed from behind, he didn¡¯t want to get involved in anything that they were planning because he believes it¡¯ll be better if they make mistakes and learn from it.


    Similar to a miniature fortress, the guards standing from above looked down and noticed the kid¡¯s arrival and let them in without delay. Arthur thanked the gatekeepers as everyone else nodded their head and continued forward.


    ¡°Bark Bark!¡± A familiar bark could be heard as they looked at the animals grazing off to the side. ¡°Barkie!¡± Arthur shouted; they had left their pets here as Boss carried them away.


    The puppy was squatted on the head of a horse as it noticed Arthur¡¯s arrival. It issued a command to the horse telling it to walk over to Arthur. A ¡°moo¡± could be heard in the distance as a cow was also walking over.


    ¡°Mew¡± Silver was lying flat on the back of the cow as it arrived before them. The horse neighed as it eyed the cow beside it. Barkie immediately slid down the back the neck of the horse and hopped into Arthur¡¯s arm, it then pointed upwards indicating it wanted to sit on Arthur¡¯s head.


    Arthur complied and left Barkie on his head. Silver did the same and hopped into Shelly¡¯s arm and began to purr. The horse and cow followed along as they continued to walk to the house.


    ¡°Are they following us?¡± Julie asked as she continued to look behind her back, the two enormous creatures scared her a little as they were twice the size of any of the ones she¡¯d seen. Noticing that the cow and horse was still following them, Barkie and Silver barked and meowed respectively causing the two animals to walk away.


    Julie let out a sigh of relief as they walked away, she then looked at the kitten and puppy ¡°thank you, they were making me feel a little uncomfortable.¡± Julie thanked the pets. In the future she would realize the animals that would make her the most uncomfortable are these two pets.


    ¡°Was their house always this bright?¡± Arthur asked as they arrived closer to Gran¡¯s home. The brightness coming from the windows of the house was as bright as the Inn. ¡°They may have brought out their bright balls from somewhere.¡± Michael reasoned.


    ¡°Strange, where is everyone? Are they already meditating?¡± Arthur asked, he then decided to walk to the room where they were supposed to meditate, it was a large empty room with nothing but four walls. There was only one bright ball at the center to illuminate the entire room.


    ¡°No one¡¯s here.¡± Michael answered. ¡°I can see that Michael, I¡¯m not blind like you.¡± Arthur replied. ¡°What¡¯re you talking about? I¡¯m not blind.¡± Arthur was about to retort but Shelly interrupted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check on Roselyn, maybe something happened.¡± Everyone agreed to Shelly¡¯s comment and made their way towards Roselyn¡¯s room. There was not a single servant running about like how it was earlier this morning, their worry for Roselyn grew even more as everyone picked up the pace.


    The group of four and Boss went upstairs and slowly opened the door open. They peeked their eyes through the opening only to see a standoff between three men and a woman. The four immediately turned their eyes in the direction of the group, an intimidating force caused Michael to instinctively close the door.


    ¡°Why did you do that? It¡¯s just them.¡± Arthur replied as he tried to pry Michael¡¯s hands away from the doorknob. Michael shook his head and didn¡¯t reply, the look in their eyes was too intimidating.


    ¡°Come in you kids¡± Gran¡¯s voice could be heard from behind the door. Boss walked forward and pushed Michael¡¯s arm away and opened the door wide. Boss entered first followed by the group from behind.


    Both Pebble and Cobble were still standing in the same spot as they kept their attention at the woman standing beside Roselyn. Gran sighed and walked over to the kids. ¡°Can we talk about this later?¡± Gran¡¯s words were directed at Orchid who had shown up.


    Orchid looked at the kids who had shown up and replied ¡°Fine.¡± Before teleporting away. Pebble and Cobble fell on the floor panting heavily the moment Orchid left. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Julie went over to help Pebble and Cobble up.


    ¡°Nothing¡± Pebble shook his head as he pulled himself up with Julie¡¯s assistance ¡°She¡¯s just too scary¡±


    Michael followed Julie and helped Cobble up. He looked at the big guy who they spent hours training with this morning. Cobble¡¯s face was pale as he tried catch his breath ¡°What happened?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°We forgot to tell her about mother.¡± Pebble¡¯s reply caused Michael to inwardly sigh in relief, he believed they had a reason to not tell Orchid, who knew they just forgot.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°At least she knows now, right?¡± Arthur asked.


    Pebble shook his head, ¡°not necessarily, Auntie Orchid and my mother is really close, she was here to bring my mom¡ª¡±,


    ¡°¡ªPebble enough.¡± Gran interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with her later, let¡¯s go begin meditating¡±


    Gran lead the way downstairs, the employees that was never seen were found lying unconscious on the floor on the way to the meditation room. ¡°Pebble, Cobble, you two bring them to their rooms I¡¯ll take care of meditation.¡± Gran sighed in relief as he checked every servant, luckily none were dead.


    ¡°Did Auntie Orchid do this?¡± Arthur asked. ¡°Yeah¡­, she got angry and took all our servants and maids.¡± Pebble replied. He hadn¡¯t felt such a sense of helplessness ever since after graduating from Lumiere. To get all the servants of theirs kidnapped from right in front of them.


    ¡°Luckily she¡¯s your auntie.¡± Boss replied. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Pebble replied, he¡¯s so grateful that Orchid didn¡¯t do anything to harm the servants. He glanced at his father and felt thankful that auntie had a huge crush on this father of his.


    ¡°You should, do something about that though, it¡¯s way too defenseless against her.¡± Boss stated. Pebble nodded his head ¡°Our mother usually stops her immediately when auntie causes a ruckus.¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s not here right now, you should always have backup.¡± Boss¡¯ childish voice was schooling Pebble. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Pebble completely forgot the backup was his father, if it was anyone else besides Orchid, his father most likely would¡¯ve dealt with them.


    Gran glanced at the Boss who smiled back at him and chuckled. He couldn¡¯t believe his own son forgot of his existence.


    ¡°You can come in and enjoy the meditation too if you¡¯d like.¡± Gran stated as he opened the door to the room they were in earlier. Boss smiled and stood before the door. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good.¡±


    The door to the meditation room closed as the group of four and Gran walked in. A small stick could be seen held in his hand as the door closed behind them.


    ¡°Feel free to enjoy yourself, I¡¯ll get the rest of the servants to their room, knowing Orchid she probably hid a few.¡± Boss nodded his head to Pebble¡¯s reply and then looked at Cobble who was silent this whole time.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± Cobble looked down at Boss and replied, ¡°Prodigies are strong.¡±


    Boss laughed at his response. ¡°Then go become a prodigy yourself, want to come with us to Naturelle?¡± Cobble became lost in thought as he heard Boss¡¯ nonchalant voice. A newfound look of determination burned in his eyes as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll go later.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go check out your kitchen.¡± Cobble almost stumbled to Boss¡¯ reply, the kid before them ate a quarter of everything they had in the kitchen and then took a nap. ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t eat too much!¡± Cobble said with a serious voice.


    ¡°Alright, alright, I won¡¯t.¡± Boss waved Cobble off. Pebble had already left to look for their remaining servants.


    A bundle of food could be seen wrapped around Boss¡¯ arm as he walked back to Roselyn¡¯s room.


    Plop


    Orchid dropped the unconscious Dr. Galil on the floor of Roselyn room and looked at the boy who had entered. ¡°Oh? It¡¯s you kid? What¡¯re you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, just eating.¡± Boss plopped some food into his mouth as he ate. Steam started to flow out of his mouth as the meat within his mouth began to cook. An astonished look could be seen on Orchid¡¯s face as she stared at the boy. The wig on his head was slightly off centered revealing his purple hair.


    She then realized he wore a wig and sunglasses every time they had met. ¡°You¡¯re an Exotic?¡± She asked.


    Boss nodded his head in reply, there was too much food in his mouth for him to speak. ¡°What a strange power.¡± She said as she looked at the meat that was being cooked.


    ¡°Gran and the kids are meditating?¡± She asked Boss, the little kid before her was amusing with his strange abilities.


    Boss gulped and replied ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re going to be there for an hour.¡± He began to stuff more food in his mouth and cooked it. ¡°How come you¡¯re not with them?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Boring¡± Boss stated with his mouth full. Orchid became lost thought as she looked at the kid before him. A kid that looked no older than 10 was already able to use his powers and didn¡¯t even needed to meditate with Gran?


    Boss continued to eat until the rest of the food in his arm was gone. Orchid waited patiently as she looked at the boy. There was so many questions she wanted to ask him about his powers. Like, does cooking food with his mouth make it hot on his tongue? Or can he cook food without using his mouth?


    ¡°Yes.¡± Boss first response threw Orchid off. Can he read my mind?


    ¡°No¡± Boss said again after a short pause, his words confused Orchid even more if he couldn¡¯t have read her mind then he wouldn¡¯t know what she was thinking to say no.


    ¡°No¡± Boss repeated, this time Orchid was floored, she didn¡¯t even think anything yet and he said no.


    The little kid before her started laughing extremely hard as he looked at Orchid¡¯s confused face. ¡°I was just saying yes and no because you looked like you had a lot of questions for me on your mind.¡± He giggled.


    ¡°And then, and then you, your face looked so confused like I had answered correctly so I waited and then said no.¡± Boss was laughing himself silly, he was easily entertained when it comes to messing with people.


    Orchid began to laugh along after Boss¡¯ explanation. The anger she had felt earlier regarding Roselyn¡¯s condition and how they forgot to inform her about it diminished a bit.


    Wiping away the tears in her eye Orchid looked at the kid before her. ¡°Thank you, I needed a good laugh today.¡± Her bright smile was enough to enchant anyone who saw it. She then walked over to her older sister and a complex look could be seen formed on her face.


    ¡°Are you thinking of taking your sister back home?¡± Boss asked. This time his question felt as if he had read her mind. Orchid looked at him in shock however Boss immediately shook his head ¡°Pebble has a big mouth.¡±


    Orchid sighed and said ¡°Yeah, I followed my sister because I loved both her and Gran. I promised her I won¡¯t interfere with their relationship if they were doing okay.¡±


    ¡°However, does this look okay to you?¡± She pointed at her unconscious sister. ¡°She almost died!¡±


    ¡°I think this warrants my interference.¡± Her hand was shaking in anger as tears started to well up in her eyes. She loved her sister and never wanted to see her sister suffer any problems. In their home it was mainly just her and her sister. Their parents didn¡¯t even bother to raise them, they just decided on their marriage. To her, Roselyn was both her mother and her older sister.


    ¡°Your sister will be fine.¡± Boss replied nonchalantly while fixing the wig on his head.


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because I did it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 30. You did what?

    Chapter 30. You did what?


    <hr>


    ¡°You did what?¡± Orchid was a little lost as to what Boss¡¯ was saying, she couldn¡¯t fathom that her elder sister was left unconscious by a little Exotic of only 10 years old.


    ¡°Oh nothing¡± Boss quickly changed his mind in telling her. His comment made Orchid suspicious, yet she didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°How did you make the bright balls?¡± Boss quickly changed the subject.


    ¡°Oh, these things?¡± A bright ball appeared in her hand. Her ability to teleport stuff to her hand made Boss look at her in amazement ¡°Wow! you can teleport stuff to your hand?¡± Boss asked, he didn¡¯t know the limits of what teleport really meant in this world.


    ¡°That¡¯s right kiddo, I¡¯m able to teleport small objects to my hand as long as it¡¯s in the same location that I left it, it¡¯s my specialty.¡±


    ¡°Your specialty?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Every person of the Orthodox powers aims to try to make their skills unique to themselves. Besides being able to teleport around like any other teleporter, I¡¯ve learned how to teleport small objects from where they were placed.¡± Her comment made Boss understood more about the world around him.


    ¡°What about teleporting other people?¡± Orchid nodded her head ¡°I can teleport other people, however I have to grab onto them, I can¡¯t just extend my hand out and use some weird force to teleport them.¡±


    This world was a lot more flexible in terms of their energy manipulation than he once thought. Boss thought to himself he ought to smack Samuel for not mentioning this. However, as an Exotic, Samuel wouldn¡¯t know everything about the Orthodox powers.


    ¡°Can every teleporter do this?¡± Boss asked.


    Orchid quickly replied ¡°No, most will just know how to teleport, most of them will either just try to increase the distance or speed of their teleporting ability. There are quite a few that can teleport others like me, but none are able to summon small objects like me.¡±


    Boss nodded his head in understanding. Like any person in the world most will conform to what they believe is the limit of their abilities and only few would try to figure out a different pathway in what they can do.


    ¡°Oh, I see! Thank you, auntie Orchid!¡± Boss thanked the woman a short distance away. Orchid walked over and rustled the kid¡¯s brown wig causing it to become off center again. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t tell other people about this, okay? I don¡¯t want copycats.¡±


    Boss immediately zipped his mouth with his hand indicating he wouldn¡¯t tell another person.


    Orchid nodded her head in content. ¡°You wanted to know how I made these?¡± Boss really didn¡¯t care about the bright balls he just wanted to change the subject. However, he wouldn¡¯t tell her that, so he nodded his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fairly easy, you know the luminescent moss that grows alongside the mountain walls on the way to the Inn. I figured out the compound to make them brighter, and longer lasting. After that I just put them in a clear ball, I¡¯ve made myself and voila a bright ball.¡±


    Orchid¡¯s explanation was straight to the point. She didn¡¯t need to go to the scientific aspect of it considering she was talking to a child. Only she truly knows how much trial and error it took for a bright ball to form.


    ¡°Auntie your bright balls are too bright sometimes, is there no other way to make it dimmer besides throwing a cloth on it?¡± Boss asked, as a person who enjoyed eating and sleeping, he prefers sleeping in a pitch-dark room.


    ¡°Of course, I just never got to it.¡± Orchid remembered when an annoying guy kept pestering her about the bright balls and the lack of functionality of it besides staying bright. Her response of just tossing a cloth over it, made the guy become a laughingstock of the whole village and everyone decided on using a black cloth to poke fun at him.


    It became such a norm that even she forgot to about to fix the issue. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll think of something to do about it.¡± Many different ideas started forming on her mind causing her to become lost in thought.


    Boss waved his hands in front of her face trying to get her attention, however moments later Orchid teleported away.


    ¡°What a weirdo, she left just like that.¡± Boss remarked. He then looked at the doctor who was asleep on the floor and Roselyn peacefully asleep on the bed. Her inner energy was stabilizing and recovering. However, the activity within her belly is becoming more expressive.


    ¡°Looks like she¡¯ll need to wake up soon.¡± Boss thought to himself as he walked out of the room.


    The lighting around the home became dimmer back to its natural state. It seemed Orchid had collected most of the bright balls she had brought into the house. Boss walked over to the rippling pool that was maintaining its rigorous pace.


    He dipped his finger in the pool again and walked away. There was no change in the ripples as he left the place, only he knows that in a few days she¡¯ll be awake.


    An hour passed by before the door to the meditation room opened again. Pebble and Cobble at this time found all the servants placed around the home, some were placed in well-hidden spots. The only way they found them all was the bright balls Orchid had left near each person serving as a beacon.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Gran walked out the room with the same stick in his hand closing the door behind him. He walked over to the sofa where Boss Pebble and Cobble were sitting. ¡°How were they?¡± Boss asked Gran.


    Gran replied with a straight face ¡°Girls were good, the boys though¡­ terrible.¡± The door to the meditation room opened again as Shelly carrying Silver and Julie walked out before silently closing the door behind them.


    Some slight red marks on their arms were visible from the meditation training. However, the expression on their face was calm and serene as if they were hardly punished by the stick.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Boss asked the two girls.


    ¡°Next time, I won¡¯t get hit.¡± Shelly replied. Julie nodded her head ¡°It was only because Arthur and Michael made us lose our concentration.¡±


    ¡°Was it difficult?¡± Boss asked. Shelly shook her head ¡°I thought it would be harder.¡± Her answer surprised Boss as he looked at the marks on her arms. There were less on her arms than Julie¡¯s.


    He looked at Julie and asked, ¡°What about you Julie?¡± Julie¡¯s calm face finally broke into a smile. She couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter any longer. She couldn¡¯t answer Boss¡¯ question right away. Her laughter also caused Shelly to reveal a faint smile as she silently laughed to herself.


    Feeling left out Boss asked, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    Boss didn¡¯t need to find out for much longer as the door to the room opened up again. A little tail could be seen first as it slowly backed out of the door. Barkie¡¯s face came into view tugging the collar of the little boy that laid on the floor. There wasn¡¯t a spot on his body that didn¡¯t show signs of being marked by the stick.


    ¡°Ahaha!¡± Boss laughter was immediate as he saw the little silver haired boy getting dragged out by his puppy. Arthur had a dazed look to his face as he laid on the ground staring upwards towards the ceiling.


    Michael slowly peeked his head out the door, his face was full of red lines causing Boss to double up on laughter. Michael could only sigh and walk over and sat beside Julie, the marks on him was as much as Arthur.


    Pebble and Cobble maintained their expression better when the two boys came out, only a slight smile could be seen on their face. Julie showed a concern expression when Michael got closer, however everyone else knows she was the first to laugh at them.


    Barkie got annoyed with dragging Arthur out, once the door closed and Arthur¡¯s full body came into view Barkie walked over to Michael and pointed at his head. It immediately got placed on Michael¡¯s head as it laid there, an annoyed look showed on its face as it stared at the kitten in Shelly¡¯s arm.


    The kitten only glanced at the puppy and meowed in response before closing its eyes and purring, the corner of the kitten mouth raised to a slight smirk. A sense of defeat overcame the puppy as it compared masters. Why did it get Arthur instead of Shelly?


    Cough


    ¡°With 54 out of 60 in the hour Shelly managed to maintain her concentration for 54 minutes. Julie 46 for a total of 46 minutes of concentration. Arthur and Michael could not focus even once.¡± Gran finally stated the result of the meditation.


    At the start of every minute a person would get hit softly by a stick. The stick would release a red line every time it landed on a person¡¯s body to keep count. Those who can manage to use their energy to stop the stick from attacking their body with their eyes closed were cleared for the minute.


    Gran completely controlled himself when he tapped them with the stick, if there was even a slight repulsion from those meditating the stick would stop. Only Michael and Arthur showed no signs of being able to control their inner energy as the stick tapped them.


    Arthur kept shouting ¡°Aw man!¡± whenever he was tapped causing Michael to tell him to be quiet. Julie lost her concentration during these times when the two began arguing with their eyes closed. Shelly only lost her concentration during the beginning especially when Arthur and Michael began to bicker at each other.


    Arthur slumped over and plopped himself on the sofa. ¡°Michael ruined my concentration.¡± Michael shook his head and didn¡¯t bother retorting, the first 10 minutes in there was them blaming each other, the result showed for itself he didn¡¯t have the energy to argue back.


    ¡°It was everyone¡¯s first time with meditation, don¡¯t worry about your results.¡± Gran stated calmly. He continued ¡°Today was just practice, I¡¯ll be increasing the difficulty after you kids train with me. By the end I won¡¯t just be tapping, you¡¯ll have to be fully focused to defend yourself, otherwise it¡¯ll hurt.¡± Michael and Arthur¡¯s faces went pale, the harmless marks on their body began to sting foreshadowing their miserable life of meditation.


    ¡°Tomorrow it¡¯ll be Pebble¡¯s turn to train with you guys.¡± Gran glanced at his son.


    Pebble nodded his head ¡°Tomorrow it¡¯ll be you four together versus me. I won¡¯t explain it so just keep in mind my powers and guess.¡± Everyone spent another hour chatting away until Gran excused himself to check on Roselyn. The group of five decided it was time to head back to the Inn.


    ¡°Boss, can¡¯t you help us I don¡¯t want to get smacked during meditation.¡± Arthur grumbled once the whole group made it back to the boys ¡®room. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll give you an advice.¡± The four listened intently waiting for Boss to continue. ¡°Meditate more, spend all your time meditating.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s so boring, I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m supposed to do.¡± Arthur replied. Boss sighed and responded. ¡°Every single one of you have an innate inner energy that you were born with. It is the first thing every person who goes to school will try to find within themselves in order to manifest the coloration of their hair and eyes.¡±


    Boss continued ¡°Meditation is how you¡¯ll find this energy within you. The girls were able to find it easier because they have already awakened their powers, so it was natural for them to handle the meditation part of the training well.¡± He then turned to Arthur ¡°It¡¯s only difficult for you right now because you haven¡¯t hit puberty.¡±


    ¡°Why does puberty matter?¡± Arthur continued to grumble; he was annoyed he hadn¡¯t hit puberty yet.


    ¡°Because, once you hit puberty your inner energy hidden within you will become more apparent and reveal your natural abilities.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just wait until I hit puberty then?¡± Arthur didn¡¯t feel like he should meditate so early.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t.¡± Shelly answered for Boss.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Young master Arthur, your parents should have already told you why. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Shelly¡¯s comment made Arthur try to remember what his parents told him about meditation.


    ¡°Arthur, you should practice meditation, it¡¯s good for you.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s too boring mommy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is sweetie.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Arthur listen to your mother, it¡¯s good for you.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t wanna.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Scratching his silver hair, Arthur¡¯s emerald green eyes blanked out as he turned to look at Shelly.


    ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t know why.¡±

 31. Shelly sighed

    Chapter 31. Shelly sighed


    <hr>


    Shelly sighed when she heard his response. Shelly had told Samuel and Angel about what happened when you meditate before hitting puberty and what it means if Arthur could meditate earlier. However, from the looks of it, it seemed like they had never told him.


    Shelly shook her head her and continued ¡°If you meditate before hitting puberty, your internal energy grows stronger inside of you.¡± Arthur gave her a confused look. Shelly paused thinking about how to properly word it for Arthur. ¡°I have an amazing memory and eye power because I meditated early.¡±


    Arthur¡¯s eye completely brightened in understanding as he began to listen attentively. ¡°Young master Arthur, if you want to become strong enough to protect everyone, you¡¯ll have to meditate starting now.¡±


    Arthur nodded his head, however a confused look sprawled on his face as he asked ¡°but, how?¡± Shelly couldn¡¯t answer him when it comes to meditating, to her mediation was something she had done ever since she could remember. It was a way for her to forget the world around her. She couldn¡¯t tell him that.


    ¡°You just close your eyes and try to imagine the energy that is hidden within you, after that try to control it.¡± Julie answered after seeing Shelly¡¯s stumped expression, it should¡¯ve been easy for Shelly to say that. Shelly glanced at Julie and inwardly thank her for explaining it to Arthur. Julie returned with a smile and gave her a knowing wink.


    ¡°How do you know if what you¡¯re imagining is not an imagination but the real thing?¡± Arthur asked.


    Um, you¡¯ll feel it flowing through you?¡± Julie didn¡¯t properly answer as she could only look at Shelly. Shelly nodded her head. Julie saw that Shelly didn¡¯t want to talk and continued ¡°Once you know how to control it, try to use it to cover your entire body, once that happens just keep trying to make it denser around yourself.¡±


    What Julie had said was like what Cobble had done during the training. He only used his energy externally as a thin barrier to absorb and repel their attacks, his actual defensive powers much more than just that.


    Michael was staring at Julie with rapt attention, he was keeping a mental note of everything she had said. ¡°And then and then?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I know, it¡¯s what I did.¡± Julie replied.


    ¡°Boss?¡±


    ¡°Nope¡± Looking at the dejected look on Arthur¡¯s face, Boss continued ¡°What Julie and Shelly had said is enough for now.¡± With that he disappeared.


    ¡°Practice! ~¡± Boss childish voice reverberated within the room. ¡°Where did he go?¡± Arthur asked. However, everyone shrugged their shoulders and shook their head in response.


    After Boss had disappeared Julie and Shelly stayed for a short moment longer giving Arthur some more tips before walking back to their room.


    Knock knock


    ¡°Hm? Did you call for anyone Mason?¡±


    ¡°No Riley, did you guys?¡±


    ¡°Nope¡± A guy fixed his glasses in response.


    ¡°W-Wasn¡¯t me.¡±


    ¡°Why would I? Sampson go get the door¡± The scar faced Seth told his friend.


    ¡°Who-who is it?¡± Sampson whispered through the door. A childish voice could be heard from the other end. ¡°It¡¯s me!¡±


    Everyone within the room heard the childish voice and got up and walked over to the door. ¡°Sh-should I open it?¡± Sampson asked. Seth rolled his eyes and opened the door only to see brown haired kid with sunglasses on.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this little brat?¡± Seth spoke his mind and looked down at the kid. ¡°What¡¯re you doing here kid?¡±


    The little kid looked up at the guys who were staring at him and pushed his way through. ¡°Excuse me, excuse me.¡± He squeezed into the room to everyone¡¯s weird look.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Seth repeated watching the kid intrude into their room. ¡°Oh nothing¡­¡± The little brown-haired kid continued to walk around until he saw what he was looking for, it was a little black bag. ¡°H-hey! Take your hands off that bag¡± Seth roared when he saw the kid pick up the bag.


    The kid hid the bag behind his back and replied, ¡°What bag?¡± Seth angrily rushed over and grabbed the bag behind the kid pulling the kid up in the process.


    ¡°H-hey let me go!¡± The kid shouted. ¡°Drop the bag!¡± Seth shouted in response; he was about ready to just throw this kid out.


    ¡°No!¡± The kid kicked Seth in the gut causing him to crumble onto the ground releasing his hold of the bag. ¡°Guys!?¡± Seth shouted; his friends were just standing there watching him.


    Sampson ran over and lunged at the kid trying to grab the bag in his hands. However, the kid hopped over Sampson¡¯s lunging body causing him to crash into Seth.


    Mason saw the kid¡¯s movement and felt something was off. He motioned Riley to guard the door as he walked forward. The kid paused and looked at the magenta eye 20 something year old before him, the kid let out a smile and darted past him.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    A strong pulling force succumbed the boy as he tried to hold onto the bag that was being tugged away from him. ¡°Let go!¡± The boy shouted, however Mason paid him no mind and continued to exert pressure.


    ¡°Fine!¡± The kid released the bag causing the bag to fly to the opposite side crashing onto the wall. The boy immediately ran over and gave Mason a kick in the shin when he was distracted by the bag.


    ¡°Ow, ow, ow¡± Mason hopped on one leg. The kid then pushed Mason with both arms causing him to fall on the floor. Gerald rushed past the boy the moment he was distracted by it grabbing the bag in the process. ¡°That¡¯s mine!¡± The boy shouted.


    ¡°What¡¯re you talking about kid? This bag is ours.¡± Gerald replied causing the boy to look at him with a confused look. ¡°But that¡¯s my bag my stuff is inside.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s inside this bag?¡± Gerald asked, he felt like it was a reasonable question. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you; you bag snatcher!¡± The kid ran over and aimed to kick the guy in the shin. However, knowing the kid was going for another kick he dodged to the side causing the kid to run past him.


    The kid immediately did a low spinning side sweep at the back of Gerald¡¯s back leg after missing his shin kick. Gerald didn¡¯t expect the kick and fell over with a thud as he laid face up.


    The kid immediately snatched the bag and rushed past by Gerald. Sampson who got up from the floor a moment earlier was immediately kicked by the kid and fell right back on top of Seth.


    ¡°Ge-get off of me!¡± Seth shouted, pushing Sampson away. The kid paid Seth no mind and rushed towards the door that was being guarded by Riley. ¡°Move!¡± The kid shouted, however Riley stayed motionless as he stared at the kid.


    ¡°Please c¡¯mon man, move I needa get out of here. I need to pee...¡± The kid begged Riley however Riley stood still guarding the door. Seth angrily walked over and snatched the kid up by the collar and tossed him on the ground.


    The kid and the bag separated from each other as Seth picked up the bag while cautiously staring at the kid. ¡°You freakin¡¯ dumbass, this bag is ours.¡± Seth berated the kid. ¡°See!¡± He opened the bag showing fine slices of meat. ¡°Does this look like it¡¯s yours?¡±


    The kid stared at Seth with a look of disbelief. ¡°Now do you believe that this bag isn¡¯t yours?¡± The kid got up and nodded his head, tears welling up in his eyes. ¡°Sorry mister, I thought it was mine.¡±


    Seth realized that it was a mistake and walked over to help the kid out of the door. Riley moved aside as Seth slowly escorted him outside. ¡°Sorry kid, I hope you find your bag¡± Seth apologized.


    The kid turned around and beamed a smile ¡°I found it!¡± He immediately pulled on the bag held loosely by Seth and ran away.


    Seth was dumbfounded by the kid¡¯s action and ran after him. ¡°He-hey wait!¡± The kid ran a corner and disappeared from Seth¡¯s view. Seth raced towards the corner only to see that the kid was completely gone.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK!¡± Seth roared.


    Riley caught up to Seth only to see Seth fuming in anger with nothing in his hands. He sighed and patted Seth¡¯s shaking back. The meat meant more for Seth than anyone else, he¡¯s always been terrible at finding his inner energy that even meditation didn¡¯t work at all for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, kid is most likely a guest of this hotel, we just have to ask an employee about the kid. He couldn¡¯t have taken the meat and cooked it that fast.¡± Riley tried to console Seth. However, Seth shoved Riley¡¯s arm away and slumped away to find an employee. Tears were visible in his eyes as he consistently wiped at his face.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t expecting that kid to be so emotional.¡± Boss whose back was stuck to the ceiling of the Inn glanced at the departing figure of Seth. He looked down at Riley who shook his head and walked back to his room.


    ¡°Eh, I was gonna use this for Arthur and them, but I guess it¡¯ll have to wait.¡± Boss smushed the entirety of the meat within the bag to 2 tiny spherical balls the size of a marble.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call it an energy marble.¡± Boss thought to himself as he looked at his creation. It was the condense energy formed by the entirety of the 3kg (6 pounds) of meat he had taken.


    Riley immediately opened the door hoping it was Seth only to see it was the kid from before. ¡°What is that you want kid?¡± Riley looked at the empty bag in the kid¡¯s hand and sighed. He knew he wouldn¡¯t get the meat back from the kid now.


    ¡°Here you go mister; I took my prank too far earlier.¡± Boss gave Riley two tiny ball of condensed energy created by crushing the 3kg of meat they had.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Riley looked at the weird sphere in the kid¡¯s hand not readily willing to accept it from him. ¡°It¡¯ll help with finding your internal energy.¡± Boss replied. ¡°Why not just give us back the meat you stole?¡± Riley replied. Mason, Gerald and Sampson walked over noticing that Riley had been at the door for some time.


    ¡°I ate it already¡± Boss reply caused them to be flabbergasted, it hadn¡¯t even been a minute since he disappeared can he tell a more convincing lie than that?


    ¡°Do you want it?¡± Boss showed everyone the mystical pair of balls and asked. Mason used his Telekinesis to snatch both of the balls to his hands to examine. ¡°Theres a powerful energy source coming from these two.¡± Mason replied after closing his eyes to sense it.


    ¡°The boy is not lying.¡± Mason replied. Everyone turned to look at the boy who was at the door. However, the boy was nowhere to be found.


    Seth walked back dejected. The employee he talked to said that they couldn¡¯t disclose the identities of their guests to others without their consent. He spent a good amount raging at them. However, the moment they mentioned having their boss settle this Seth gave up. He remembered the woman who called him a wimp, there was no way she¡¯d help him.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re back Seth! What took you so long?¡± Gerald replied as Seth walked through the door.


    ¡°Shut up, I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± Seth laid on the bed unwilling to hear their upcoming remarks. He¡¯s already expecting them to blame him for losing the bag to kid. However, they didn¡¯t say any of that.


    Gerald continued, ¡°The kid came back.¡± Seth immediately turned around to face them. ¡°I don¡¯t see any meat in your hands.¡± He replied.


    ¡°No, but he gave us this.¡± Mason pulled out two energy condensed marbles. ¡°What¡¯s that? Rocks? Pearls?¡± Seth replied with an irritated voice.


    ¡°The kid said it could help with finding your internal energy.¡± Mason paid no mind to Seth¡¯s remarks. Seth turned his head around away from the group, he couldn¡¯t believe his friends got scammed by the kid.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, I sense a decent amount of energy from it, might be enough for you to even grasp it.¡± Seth looked at the marbles in Mason hand and reached for one. ¡°He only gave us two?¡± Seth asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mason replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it. Give it to glasses and scaredy cat over there.¡±


    ¡°But Seth¡ª¡±


    ¡°I SAID I DON¡¯T WANT IT!¡± Seth closed his eyes and ignored his companions. Tears welled up in them, he lost the 3kg of meat that was split for the five of them, and in return the kid only gave them two marbles.


    He couldn¡¯t accept it, it was mostly his fault, he didn¡¯t deserve it.

 32. The morning

    Chapter 32. The morning


    <hr>


    The morning was overcast just like his mood, the entire morning his friends pestered him if he really didn¡¯t want it. He became numb to the amount of times they offered it to him. However, they eventually gave up, he was stubborn no matter how weak he was.


    His friends knew it¡¯d be impossible once he made his mind. They eventually decided to split it between Gerald and Sampson. The effect was immediate as they ate, the inner energy they could never have felt before flowed throughout their body for one cycle.


    Immediately after consuming it, Gerald and Sampson both shouted that they felt something coursing through their entire body. Mason and Riley did not expect such a powerful reaction from their friends just ingesting the energy marble.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising for them to react this way from consuming the condense energy marble Boss made. It was the purest form of energy from the 3kg (6 pounds) of meat extracted with nothing loss in the process.


    Just like how boiling vegetables loses approximately 30 percent of their nutrients, cooking anything containing inner energy causes it to lose more than 90 percent of it.


    Rainbow shards and stones were the first thing they thought of that contained inner energy, when they thought about how to process the stones to get the maximum amount of inner energy, it was by directly consuming bits of the stone and chased it down with water. However, combining the stone with anything else to make it more edible diluted the energy they would gain.


    People tried to find other ways of getting the inner energy from within the stone, plenty of people thought about ways to extract it however, if there was a way to extract inner energy it was never publicized.


    It was one of the reasons why Mason and friends didn¡¯t immediately consume the meat when they had it, and no one was willing to get themselves sick or even worse from eating it raw. They also didn¡¯t want to cook it when they considered that they¡¯d lose over 90% of their benefit by cooking. Never had they ever thought they¡¯d lose it to some kid.


    ¡°What do I do now!? What do I do?¡± Sampson was feeling as excited and anxious as ever from what was coursing through his body. Mason and Riley immediately informed both Sampson and Gerald to meditate and try to learn as much as they could from the feeling of it. His four friends were completely immersed in the situation, completely forgetting about their surroundings.


    Seth shook his head and walked out the Inn, he didn¡¯t want to stay there any longer, he knew he missed out from the looks of it. Staying there would have just made him jealous and regretful, he didn¡¯t want to feel that way.


    The villagers were active this morning as he walked around to clear his mind.


    ¡°Boulder, boulder! Elroy, how¡¯re you today?¡±


    ¡°Same as usual Loreli, how¡¯s Big T?¡±


    ¡°Still asleep! I¡¯ll wake him up later.¡±


    ¡°Tell him don¡¯t be too late, we¡¯ve got lots of work to do today.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll kick his butt if he doesn¡¯t want to wake up, what kind of father will be lazy about it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good! See you!¡±


    ¡°Boulder, boulder~¡±


    Seth had a strange look on his face as he walked around the village, every villager would continually greet each other with Boulder, boulder and mention whatever work they were doing. Curious, he decided to follow this Elroy person to see what work it was.


    It was his second time coming to this village, the first time was straight through it for a day. The villagers at that time ran around scaring each other, including him and friends on their first visit. Seth didn¡¯t like it as much and referred to them as savages in his mind.


    The second time was now returning from Rouge, they immediately ran straight for the Inn and didn¡¯t step out until the ships to the Tillowisk Empire arrives at Asmar Harbor.


    There were other ways to get to the Tillowisk Empire earlier such as becoming a stowaway on a merchant ship. However, if they were caught, its either prison or getting tossed into the water to swim back. They decided the risk wasn¡¯t worth it.


    Seth continued to follow Elroy until Elroy turned a corner. A hand on his shoulder from behind instantly caused him to freeze in place as he turned his head around ¡°Hey, haven¡¯t seen you in this village before, are you from Asmar or Rouge?¡± A tall dark-skinned man in his early forties asked.


    ¡°U-uh I¡¯m from Tryn¡± Seth replied honestly. The tall dark-skinned man scratched his chin and looked at Seth before him. ¡°Tryn eh? Pretty far away from Boulderville, whatcha doing here kid? Shouldn¡¯t you be in school?¡±


    Seth shook his head, ¡°I dropped out.¡± The man sighed and consoled Seth ¡°It¡¯s okay kid, it¡¯s better to drop out early if you couldn¡¯t find your internal energy. Did you get that scar from school too?¡± He asked about the claw marked shape scar on Seth¡¯s face.


    Seth shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± He was unwilling to say more. The man nodded his head in understanding asked. ¡°Are you just visiting through or staying at the Inn?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be staying at the Inn¡± His response caused the man to ask a follow up question ¡°Are you doing anything today?¡± Seth recalled that his friends should still be in their room focusing on digesting the energy pill. He shook his head in response.


    ¡°Great! Will you like to come with me to do some work? We¡¯re preparing a festival for our kid¡¯s return. We could use your help.¡± The man paused and continued ¡°oh and we¡¯ll have free refreshments.¡± Seth pondered for a moment and agreed. There was nothing else for him to be doing.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Seth followed the man and continued to converse, he found out the man was called Harmick and it is tradition in the village to throw a celebration for when their kids return from school. Apparently, for the longest time they would run around and scare the kids when they returned.


    Their reasoning was to see what the kids have been taught in school by scaring the snot out of them and force them into situations where they¡¯ll use what they¡¯ve been taught. However, the numbers of kids who returned without any powers to show after their first year decreased after every generations.


    Before long, it would be lucky for first year kids to harness their internal energy, so Chief Gran decided it was time for a new festivity, one that would be fitting for all kids. The adults who grew up with the old tradition missed scaring the kids and would still celebrate it a few days before on parents who passes through or spend their time at the Inn waiting for the kids if Asmar¡¯s Inns are packed.


    During the time Seth and friends walked through Boulderville, the villagers were practicing their scaring before the parents arrived. Those from Asmar and Rouge knew of this tradition and are prepared for it.


    However, for Seth and friends who weren¡¯t from Rouge or Asmar they could only panic and run away fearing for their lives.


    They eventually arrived at the outskirts of the mountainous village; dirt filled pathway opened to an enormous circular area ahead slightly bigger than the size of a football field. There were people running around all over smoothening out the ground and carrying slabs they carved from the mountain.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Seth asked. ¡°We¡¯re creating a stage for our kids to showcase what they¡¯ve learned.¡± Harmick smiled brightly at the scene of people working before him. He then pointed at rows of stalls they¡¯ve made for food and games.


    ¡°Boulder, boulder Harmick! You¡¯re finally here?¡± An equally tall muscular man walked over and greeted. He was sweating from top to bottom but the bright smile on his face showed no signs of fatigue.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m here earlier than Big T.¡± Harmick replied.


    ¡°Everyone is earlier than Big T.¡± The muscular man responded causing the two men to laugh at their joke. He then glanced at Seth ¡°I¡¯m Karns, but everyone calls me MK (Muscular Karns)¡± As he flexed his biceps and hard abs.


    ¡°No one calls you that, stop trying to make it a thing.¡± Harmick rolled his eyes at Karns. ¡°This here is Seth, he had nothing to do today so I asked him to help out.¡± Harmick introduced Seth to Karns.


    ¡°Boulder, boulder Seth.¡± Karns gave Seth the toughest handshake he¡¯d ever had before releasing. ¡°Ahaha, you¡¯ve got some grip kid, you¡¯re definitely capable.¡± Karns laughed at Seth who was shaking his hands out.


    ¡°Karns! Harmick! Come help!¡± Another villager called for them. ¡°Let¡¯s go help out, these slabs are freaking heavy.¡± Karns replied leading the way for Seth to follow him.


    Dozens of big sweaty men were topless as they carved chunks from the mountainside. They would carry it over to another station that would then create equal sized squares which are then moved to the final station where it¡¯ll be polished to be completely smooth.


    Seth marveled at how well functioning these men were with no wasted movement in their pace.


    ¡°You see those slabs that are stacked at the end there?¡± Karns pointed at the piles of perfectly polished squares made from the mountainside. He continued ¡°We¡¯re going to start creating the stage using those today, we¡¯ll need two people to a slab because they¡¯re freaking heavy.¡±


    ¡°Harmick would you like to help Seth with carrying them today?¡± Karns asked. Harmick nodded his head and agreed. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Great! We¡¯re almost done with the other stations after a few more slabs, some of us will be helping you guys out later.¡± Karns stated before rushing back to his station. He was part of the men who would carve from the mountainside and carry it to the next station.


    Harmick looked at Seth and led him to the pile of perfectly shaped squares. These were slabs roughly 135kg (~300lbs) a piece. ¡°Ready Seth?¡± Harmick pulled a slab out enough for both of them to lift up. Seth gulped and nodded his head; the slab was heavy enough to make his legs buckle but he held on and quickly followed Harmick¡¯s lead to place the slab on the ground.


    His back was already screaming after the first slab. Looking at the approximately 2500 slabs left he wondered if it was even possible for them to be able to place them all down before the kids returned.


    ¡°Not bad right?¡± Harmick slapped Seth on the back providing him with some well needed encouragement and confidence. Seth nodded his head and continued to help Harmick with the carrying.


    A few more men arrived and began to help out after their fifth slab. Before long Seth looked exactly like one of them, sweating, topless, and carrying heavy slabs.


    An hour passed by before everyone from the other stations finished with what they had to do and called for the work to stop momentarily as they all took a break. Seth was devouring the food and drinks he was provided and nearly choking from it in the process.


    The group of men all sat around and conversed with each other, everyone was a father competing against each other and putting their own son or daughter on a pedestal. Seth felt so embarrassed when they laughed about him being a dropout. However, looking at their brown hair and eyes, Seth immediately realized all these men were fathers and dropouts putting their hopes onto their sons and daughters. He thought to himself, maybe in the future he¡¯ll be like them. That¡¯s not so bad.


    He even saw Elroy the person he was following earlier. Elroy was the village¡¯s only blacksmith; he is the lead designer of the stage before them and created all the tools necessary to forming this stage.


    Their early morning brunch ended after an hour of eating and recovering. More men showed up to help, the last one to arrive was an enormously big guy with a rotund belly and a head taller than the second tallest person there. He was Big T.


    The sleepy look on his face as he sat down and converse with them showing that he woke up not long ago. However, everyone was extremely welcoming and mentioned that he showed up a lot earlier than expected.


    Seth paid him careful attention as he looked at the fella. The moment he arrived everyone felt revigorated as they were ready to get back to work.


    Big T was the first to walk over to a slab and lifted two by himself as he carried it over and placed it down. Seth¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of his sockets as he saw the nonchalant look of Big T carrying the slabs from the station to the stage they were building.


    ¡°Surprised? He¡¯s our strongest regular person in the village. Even though he¡¯s a typical person like us he makes us proud to be normal.¡± Harmick saw the look of disbelief on Seth¡¯s face and smacked his back. ¡°It¡¯s our turn let¡¯s go.¡± Seth nodded his head feeling reinvigorated to carry the slabs, they felt lighter this time as the adrenaline in his body kicked in.


    Another hour passed by before another break was called. The amount of progress once everyone arrived shocked Seth as he looked at the slabs placed. Nearly a quarter of the slabs were placed for making the stage.


    Another person showed up during this hour, he had green hair and a dazzling smile on his face as he greeted everyone there. ¡°Cobble! Wasn¡¯t expecting to see you here, aren¡¯t you training some kids?¡± Elroy asked. A person immediately came to Seth¡¯s mind as he listened carefully.


    ¡°Not today, Pebble is training them today.¡± Cobble looked at the stage that was being built and nodded his head in content. ¡°Not bad, you guys did a lot already, my father will be here soon too. We can start again when he arrives.¡± Cobble replied.


    ¡°The Chief is coming? Gran is coming?¡± Various people shouted at once when Cobble mentioned his father. ¡°Yeah, my father will be coming soon, we were watching Pebble train the kids earlier and realized it¡¯d be better if we do something else instead of watching.¡±


    ¡°What kind of training is Pebble giving them?¡± Another villager asked.


    ¡°Hide-and-seek tag.¡± Cobble replied.

 33. Where is he?

    Chapter 33. Where is he?


    <hr>


    ¡°Where is he?¡± Arthur complained while angrily lifting bedsheets and looking through dressers and drawers. Shelly shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think Pebble would fit there.¡±


    ¡°Well we¡¯ve looked everywhere in the house and we can¡¯t find him!¡± Arthur groaned. They¡¯ve spent the past hour looking through every nook and cranny of the entire house apart from Roselyn¡¯s room.


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s really in there?¡± Arthur considered Roselyn¡¯s room as their last resort. Shelly shook her head; Roselyn¡¯s room is off limits with the exception for a servant to help Dr. Galil.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Michael who was following the kids paused for a moment. ¡°What did Pebble say exactly?¡± Arthur rolled his eyes at Michael¡¯s question. ¡°Heeeeee said! You guys will stand here and count to 10, when you open your eyes go find and tag me.¡±


    ¡°It was only an hour ago Michael, how did you forget?¡± Arthur was annoyed at this game of hide and seek, he just wanted to find Pebble and tag him already.


    Michael eyes light up and asked. ¡°What if he¡¯s not inside the house?¡± His question made Shelly and Julie look at him as if a light bulb went off in their head, that was the answer!


    ¡°Tch, of course he¡¯s inside the house, he¡¯s just fast so he¡¯s hiding in a room we¡¯ve looked through already.¡± Arthur refuted, he didn¡¯t notice the change in Shelly and Julie¡¯s face to Michael¡¯s question.


    ¡°But he never said he¡¯ll be inside the house.¡± Michael replied.


    ¡°Of cour¡ª¡± Arthur paused and looked at the girl beside him, she nodded her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go outside!¡± Arthur ran to the back of the house where their training with Cobble began. There was a blue haired silhouette lazily laying on the floor plucking at the grass beside him. He immediately noticed Arthur¡¯s appearance and waved at the kid before him.


    ¡°What took ya so long, that was about what? An hour?¡± Pebble¡¯s response caused Arthur to fume in anger as he rushed straight towards the guy who was lazily laying there.


    ¡°Stop!¡± The man shouted causing Arthur to abruptly stop in place. The man with blue slowly got up as the other three made it out to the back. ¡°Tag him Arthur!¡± Michael shouted. Arthur was confused for a short moment before he realized Pebble made a fool of him.


    Arthur quickly dashed towards the man only to see him miss grasping at the man¡¯s sleeve that disappeared in a gust of wind. The three others caught up to Arthur and saw that Pebble was standing 20 meters away from them.


    ¡°This is the second part of your test, if you can touch any part of me, you pass. You have 3 hours to do it.¡± Pebble stated as he stood there motionless. Arthur quickly returned to himself and look at Pebble who smiled back at him. ¡°Come on, Arthur~ You were so close~¡±


    Pebble¡¯s taunt worked beautifully as the little silver haired kid instantly ran straight for him screaming out his impatience. 20 meters closed in a matter of moments as Arthur tunneled into tagging Pebble. The minute Arthur¡¯s hand was about to touch Pebble, he disappeared in place and reappeared 20 meters away in a second.


    The kid propelled by momentum continued to run forward before stopping. He twisted his head in all directions before locking onto his target and began to run again. Another encounter and another miss, Pebble was already 20 meters away from Arthur again.


    ¡°Arthur!¡± Michael shouted causing Arthur who was tirelessly chasing after Pebble again to stop and groan. ¡°What Michael! Help me tag him!¡± The kid was already breathing a bit faster as he pointed at Pebble.


    ¡°We have to think of a plan! Come back!¡± Michael shouted back at the house. Arthur could only grumble under his breath and give Pebble a few angry glares as he walked back before the three of them.


    ¡°I think we should surround him and rush him at all four corners.¡± Michael stated his plan. Julie immediately rejected the plan ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work, we don¡¯t know how fast he is, he could be faster we¡¯d just run straight into each other.¡±


    ¡°We could use yours and Shelly¡¯s powers to stall him somehow?¡± Michael asked. Shelly shook her head ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work.¡± Julie agreed ¡°She¡¯s right I¡¯m only able to stop a person momentarily if I focus my attention on them. It¡¯s not enough for us to tag him.¡±


    ¡°What about your other power?¡± Arthur asked. Julie sighed and replied, ¡°My Seer ability lets me see the future, but even I don¡¯t know how to trigger it.¡±


    ¡°Young master.¡± Shelly paused for a moment. ¡°Can you walk up to Pebble and get as close as possible and see when he runs away?¡± Arthur agreed and jogged towards Pebble only slowing down as he got closer. ¡°Did you figure something out Shelly?¡± Julie asked.


    Shelly shook her head, ¡°I just want to see something.¡± Arthur was within an arm¡¯s reach of Pebble before he stopped. ¡°Oh? Is this some sort of reaction test?¡± Pebble looked at the kid standing right before him.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Arthur didn¡¯t say anything and continued to walk forward step by step. Pebble¡¯s eye was glued on the boy as he got within his escaping distance. Immediately, Pebble ran and reappeared 20 meters away staring at the kid who had just continued to walk straight into him.


    Arthur saw this and immediately ran back to Shelly. ¡°So? So? Did you figure something out?¡±


    ¡°Pebble doesn¡¯t seem to be running away until we get within a certain distance before he has to run away.¡± Shelly slowly replied. ¡°If he¡¯s not going to move until we get close, we can surround him and tag him.


    ¡°How do we do that?¡± Arthur asked. Shelly thought for a moment ¡°Let¡¯s try this¡­¡± The group of four huddled together and discuss her plan. Michael was nodding intensively whereas Arthur seemed please.


    The four broke and began to circle around Pebble at the center. Pebble saw their tactic and immediately broke out of their near encirclement.


    ¡°Hey that¡¯s cheating! You ran away too early!¡± Arthur shouted causing to give him a confused look. ¡°I¡¯m not going to get myself trapped for you.¡± Pebble replied as if he¡¯s looking at an idiot.


    However, the four already understood that Pebble would have done that and formed a square with Pebble at the center this time. They slowly closed in instead of circling around him like before. The moment Pebble saw that they got too close for his body to squeeze out he ran.


    The instant Pebble vanished the four hopped to their right hoping to grab anything of Pebble. However, no dice, a gale of wind blew passed by them as Pebble¡¯s speed increased at the last moment escaping their second attempt at surrounding him.


    ¡°Phew, almost had me there, I had to get serious for a moment.¡± Pebble gave the group a thumbs up. The four glanced at Pebble and began to discuss follow up strategies to their situations.


    The moment Pebble saw the determination in their eyes he knew that this next strategy would decide whether or not they passed the training. The four surrounded Pebble and began to circle closer. They then paused and circled again drawing in closer.


    They all instantly rushed forward with Julie using her powers to stop Pebble momentarily. Sadly, for them, Pebble already anticipated their decision and immediately broke out of her binding and vanished.


    It wasn¡¯t until Pebble was 40 meters away when they saw him again. ¡°I knew you were going to try to stop me, I prepared for it.¡± Pebble replied. He continued ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡±


    The group of four knew that they half-won this round by forcing Pebble past the 20-meter distance he had set for himself; unfortunately, half-winning is still just losing.


    3 hours passed by before they knew it, taking turns coming up with plans and rushing at Pebble. During the last half hour, they threw everything they had formulating intricate plans using some stuff from within the house as barriers to force Pebble to go where they wanted him to.


    Alas, it takes longer than just 30 minutes to make a maze for Pebble to run through resulting in their loss. ¡°It was to be expected, did you expect to catch me that easily on your first day? Keep meditating, maybe you¡¯ll figure it out after a month.¡± Everyone collapsed on the ground once the time was up, Pebble left them there and walked inside.


    The two young adults and two kids sat on the ground panting heavily. The door that was recently closed open again with a brown-haired kid walking out. ¡°Ohoho, did you all exhaust yourself again to make it more fun for me? ~¡± The kid had a wicked smile as he looked at the group of four.


    Michael gave Boss a serious look and hmphed, he placed both hands on his knee and pushed himself to stand back up. ¡°Ohoho, we¡¯ve got a fighter here~¡± Boss then eyed the other three. They too gave Boss a look of contempt and struggled to get back up.


    ¡°Tch, and here I thought I would have my own marionette to play with again today.¡± Boss¡¯ irritating words irked them even more. ¡°Not today, Boss!¡± Arthur began to jump up and down ¡°See, I can walk back to the Inn no problem!¡± seeing Arthur huffing and puffing his competitive attitude made Boss smirk at him. He turned around and vanished after taking a few steps.


    The door opened again with Pebble carrying a tray containing cups of water and some fresh fruits for them. ¡°You four are already standing? Impressive¡± He then looked around ¡°Where¡¯s Boss? I thought I saw him walk out here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care.¡± Arthur stated flatly as he reached for the cup of water to drink. While eating the fruits and drinking water they conversed with Pebble about what Gran would do.


    ¡°My father is a Prodigy Power Telekinesis, expect to see a situation where he uses both of them to his advantage.¡± Pebble only gave them that much of a hint. After everyone looked better recovered Pebble excused himself to check on his mother, letting them know to come back in 6 hours for meditation.


    The smirk Boss gave Arthur earlier before he disappeared gave him a sense of foreboding while walking to the main gate to exit. ¡°Do you guys think Boss will make it harder for us knowing we can walk back?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯ll make it more difficult than yesterday. How much more difficult, I¡¯m not sure. I think you made him a little competitive, young master Arthur.¡± Shelly¡¯s reply made Arthur groan. ¡°I didn¡¯t want that¡­¡±


    ¡°Done with morning training today?¡± The gatekeepers greeted the kids and opened the gates. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re done Mr. gatekeeper, see you in the afternoon!¡± Arthur waved the gatekeeper goodbye and continued forward.


    Five steps later everyone was sent directly back to the front of the gate. The gatekeepers wiped at their eyes as they looked below. Did these kids just teleport back before them?


    A little brown-haired boy appeared beside the gatekeeper and looked down at the group of four before them. His presence immediately alarmed them before they recognized who it was. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be up here kid.¡± One of the gatekeepers stated as he walked over to escort Boss down the ladder.


    However, Boss ignored the gatekeeper completely and leaned over the wall to look down at the group of four who were back at the front of the gate.


    ¡°Goodluck on the way back to the Inn, since you can walk, you should walk a lot!¡± His loud voice boomed in their ears as they looked up at him. That damn brown-haired kid was leaning over the wall looking down at them with a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Three people shouted in unison at his training. On the first day when they couldn¡¯t walk, he had them push a blocked door and walk downstairs to the cafeteria. On the second day they had to walk home while getting teleported back from Gran¡¯s estate!?!


    The difficulty jumped too much!


    ¡°This is not fair!¡± Arthur shouted.


    Boss plucked a booger from his nose and flung it away. ¡°Life¡¯s not fair.¡±


    His three words silenced Arthur and anyone else who wanted to complain. They looked at the normal 15-minute walk back to the Inn, a time-consuming walk waited for them up ahead.

 34. This is difficult

    Chapter 34. This is difficult


    <hr>


    ¡°This is difficult.¡± Shelly muttered as the group continued to path their way through the invisible energy barrier. ¡°It¡¯s so close!¡± Arthur complained as he saw the Inn before them. However, this was always the case as they made it this close, no matter which direction they chose to when they made it this far, they¡¯ll get sent back.


    The next step determined whether they¡¯ll continue to progress or make it back to in front of the gate. It¡¯s been almost four hours since they¡¯ve walked and teleported back to the main entrance.


    ¡°Welcome back you guys¡± Boss¡¯ words were like nails on chalkboard, both irritating and sending shivers down their spine. ¡°Need a hint?¡± The kid was busy playing a board game with one of the gatekeepers who got used to seeing the situation. He didn¡¯t bother to look at them as he moved his next piece in deep concentration.


    ¡°Checkmate¡± The gatekeeper moved his piece completely ending the game. Boss eyes went wide and shouted ¡°No! Wait redo!¡± But the gatekeeper only laughed and looked at the group below. ¡°You guys sure you don¡¯t want his hint?¡±


    A look of helplessness could be seen on their faces as they looked at each other. Shelly memorized every direction they had to take to get this far, but even she didn¡¯t know how to get past the last step.


    The kid was quickly placing the chess pieces back on the board as he continued to speak. ¡°At this rate, you guys will never make it out of this maze.¡± His words were sincere as he spoke. ¡°There¡¯s a trick to this one, remember what Orchid did.¡±


    A look of understanding appeared on their face as everyone closed their eyes instantly. Arthur with his hands outstretched took the lead and walked forward. Three steps forward and he was teleported back to the entrance.


    His eyes continued to remain closed he just kept walking thinking he had made it. He didn¡¯t realize he was teleporting back to the front until he felt something in front of him.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Arthur opened his eyes and saw Michael¡¯s back. Michael looked back at him when he felt something touch his back. ¡°Weren¡¯t you in front?¡± he asked. It wasn¡¯t Arthur who was continuously teleporting back to the front, Michael did so too.


    ¡°I was¡­ Aw crap! We¡¯re still back here.¡± Arthur grumbled as he looked around. Boss and the gatekeeper were already back at the start of another game to care about what happened below.


    Julie and Shelly opened their eyes only after closing it shortly, so they saw this entire scene of the two buffoons walking in circles until they bumped into each other. Julie tried to maintain a straight face and whispered to Shelly ¡°It¡¯s energy, I felt it all around us.¡±


    Shelly nodded in agreement. ¡°Young master, I think we¡¯ve got it.¡± Shelly¡¯s hopeful words was like music to Arthur¡¯s ears as he softly pushed Michael aside and ran before Shelly.


    ¡°Really?¡± His bright eyes were darting between Shelly and Julie. Their smile indicated they knew the answer. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then!¡± Arthur¡¯s energy returned to him.


    ¡°Young master, do you sense anything when you close your eyes?¡± Shelly asked. The boy with silver hair and Michael who walked over closed their eyes and struggle to sense something. However, after a minute had passed their answer was clear, they sensed nothing.


    ¡°Follow us.¡± Julie stated. The two girls took the lead and periodically closed their eyes to see if their hypothesis was correct. The pathway was the same as they made it to the end, yet something felt different when their eyes were closed.


    A faint energy up ahead would continue to fluctuate in front of them. It would slowly dissipate before returning. Shelly stood in front of this fluctuation and closed her eyes. The moment it dissipated she rushed through and made it to the other side.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Shelly celebrated quietly softly. She quickly calmed herself and closed her eyes again. However, this time it was strange she made it through but couldn¡¯t sense anything anywhere.


    ¡°Julie, can you still sense it?¡± She asked the blonde girl with natural curly hair. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s getting weaker.¡± Julie replied a few seconds after closing her eyes.


    Shelly replied ¡°I can¡¯t sense anything over here. You should let Arthur and Michael go first.¡± It was another trick Boss had thrown in at the end of the game, if both Julie and Shelly had walked out first, Arthur and Michael would¡¯ve been stuck.


    Julie allowed Michael and Arthur to go before her. ¡°Arthur, come here.¡± Arthur walked before Julie. ¡°When I say go, run through this spot.¡± Julie stated. Arthur looked at Shelly standing just a short distance ahead of him, with serious concentration in his eyes.


    The energy dissipated completely. ¡°Go!¡± Arthur dashed through the spot with all his might only stopping when he was directly in front of Shelly. ¡°I did it!¡± Shelly smiled at Arthur and replied ¡°Yes.¡±


    Julie¡¯s eyes remained closed as her brows started to furrow. Shelly saw the change in appearance and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Julie¡¯s eye remained closed for some time longer before she opened it. ¡°I can¡¯t sense anything¡­¡± the confusion on her face was apparent.


    ¡°Are we free? Can we walk out?¡± Michael asked as he walked forward about to go through. ¡°No wait!¡± Julie quickly pulled him back. Michael gave her a confused look and paused before her.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°When Shelly made it through, all the energy in the maze got fainter, but didn¡¯t disappear completely.¡± Julie¡¯s voice was serious. She continued ¡°When Arthur was next all the energy disappeared.¡± Michael still had a confused look on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not gone, I just can¡¯t sense it.¡± Julie¡¯s final statement made their heart dropped.


    Boss¡¯ scheme was much worse than they had thought. He made it so they couldn¡¯t sense anything once they were out. He also weakened the energy with every passing person. When it was Michael¡¯s attempt to go through the energy was too faint for her current abilities.


    Michael looked at her Julie¡¯s tearful face as she began to softly cry. Their chance to escape depended on her to get them out, yet she was just too weak to sense the energy before them.


    He walked over and hugged her tightly. ¡°Just tell me when to go, I trust you.¡± Julie shook her head and said, ¡°But, I can¡¯t sense it.¡±


    Michael spoke softly, ¡°Boss never made it impossible for us, what did you sense before it disappeared completely?¡± Julie closed her eyes and thought to the spot before them, the energy would fluctuate at a consistent pace, if she remembered it, she could get out.


    ¡°It opened and closed in a rhythm¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, good, do you remember the rhythm?¡±


    Julie shook her head; she didn¡¯t have the memory Shelly possessed, nor did she pay enough attention.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, look at me.¡± Michael looked deep into Julie¡¯s tearful eyes. ¡°Just close your eyes and breathe, we can take it slow.¡± Michael¡¯s reasonable and calm voice eased Julie¡¯s emotions as she closed her eyes to sense anything before her.


    A faint energy flickered for a short moment before vanishing again. ¡°Bom¡­¡± Julie said as the energy appeared for a second time. Like a metronome Julie continued repeating ¡°Bom¡±.


    ¡°Bom¡­¡±


    ¡°Bom¡­¡±


    ¡°Bom¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, keep it up.¡± Michael stated as he slowly released his hold of her. She continued to repeat ¡°Bom¡± every time it appeared. Michael looked before him and breathed. He began to mutter alongside her matching her pace with the ¡°Bom.¡±


    Their voice becoming increasingly harmonic and strong as they continued.


    ¡°Bom¡­¡±


    ¡°Bom¡­¡±


    ¡°Bom!¡± Michael shouted at the same time Julie did. He rushed through the middle between the Bom¡¯s his movement and his shout were felt by Julie as she opened her eyes. Michael was smiling at her from beyond the barrier, his mouth kept repeating ¡°Bom¡± at the same pace they were doing before.


    Julie calmed herself and stared in front of her, she knew if she closed her eyes now, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to sense it at all.


    ¡°Bom¡±


    She matched Michael¡¯s Bom¡¯s and continued to repeat. Arthur and Shelly joined in matching Michael¡¯s tempo perfectly as they encouraged Julie.


    ¡°Bom¡­"


    ¡°Bom¡­¡±


    ¡°Go Julie!¡¯ The three shouted at the same time, Julie rushed forward at that exact time and straight into Michael¡¯s arm in delight. ¡°We did it!¡± The four group was glee for joy as they smiled at each other.


    Clap clap clap


    A silhouette of a tiny kid with brown hair and sunglasses walked straight forward in the same direction. ¡°Bom¡­ Bom¡­Bom!¡± Boss shouted as he rushed through the barrier he made. Boss¡¯ presence ruined anymore feeling of happiness as he stood before them.


    ¡°Not bad! Now, let¡¯s see if you can get into your room!¡± He waved his hands all mystifyingly in front of their face. Everyone looked at him in disbelief, they only had less than two hours left.


    ¡°Just kidding, ahaha!¡± The kid walked by them and laughed into the Inn straight for the cafeteria. ¡°Go relax I¡¯ll go make some food for you guys.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here, kid?¡± A chef asked. ¡°I¡¯m gonna make some food, help me out.¡± The kid¡¯s voice could be heard as he assigned tasks to the kitchen staff who were blankly staring at him.


    ¡°Hurry up! Or I¡¯ll kick you out!¡± The kid¡¯s loud shouts could be heard by the four clearly as they didn¡¯t know what to say. They only looked in the direction of the cafeteria before the door to the kitchen opened out and a little kid was pushing a man out. ¡°You stay here, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    The kid then looked at the four who was staring at him and smiled. The door slammed shut in front of the chef and Boss¡¯ shouting could be heard again telling the kitchen crew what to do. The chef was red with anger as stood there.


    The four quickly rushed up stairs the moment the chef turned his eyes towards them, they pretended they did not see anything. With only another hour left until their meditation session the group of four walked into the cafeteria only to see two more people alongside the head chef sitting there, one was a female.


    The four chefs saw the four who had walked in and stared at them. The group of four immediately avoided eye contact and went to their table to sit. They not once dared look at the chefs in the eye because of Boss¡¯ troublemaking.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening in there?¡± The head chef asked his three apprentice chefs. ¡°He¡¯s cooking.¡± The head chef immediately slapped the guy on the back of the head who answered and said, ¡°I know that!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s cooking¡­ delicious food?¡± The guy looked at the head chef hoping he answered correctly this time. The head chef was even angrier than when he was pushed out by the kid, he couldn¡¯t even retaliate as he just stood there and got pushed out. The head chef¡¯s hands raised as the second chef stiffened himself to get hit.


    Sigh


    The head chef put his hands down and looked at one of the other two chefs who got kicked out just a short moment ago. ¡°Why did he kick you two out?¡±


    ¡°I tasted the food to see if it was good to serve. He started pushing me out when I did that.¡± The second chef answered.


    ¡°I asked him why he was pushing Avery and he started pushing me out too.¡± The girl replied.


    The head chef shook his head, he only stared at the kitchen door waiting for the kid to come out.


    Ten minutes later the door opened up causing the head chef to jump to his feet. Rows of the remaining kitchen staff walked out in an orderly manner as they walked over to the group of four and placed the dishes before them.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Arthur thanked them as they placed the food down all in synchrony. They slightly nodded to Arthur¡¯s thanks and single filed back into the kitchen avoiding eye contact with the three chefs.


    ¡°La la la~¡± A kid walked out with the main dish to serve in hand, he looked at the head chef and the other two and said, ¡°kitchen is yours now.¡± He then placed the dish at the center of Arthur¡¯s table.


    ¡°You¡­!¡± The head chef was fuming at Boss¡¯ attitude. ¡°You brat!¡±

 35. You brat!

    Chapter 35. You brat!


    <hr>


    ¡°You brat!¡± The head chef couldn¡¯t control himself and shouted from afar. Boss lazily turned his head at the enraged chubby head chef and continued to eat the meal on the table.


    ¡°Didsh you shay shomething?¡± Boss replied with a mouthful of food. The head chef bounced to his feet and tried to walk over to give this kid a good smack on the back of the head if he wasn¡¯t held back by his two side chefs. ¡°Let go of me!!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The two replied as they held him back. Being angry is one thing, smacking a guest at their Inn would get him killed of the boss finds out.


    ¡°You made him really angry, Boss. Is this okay?¡± Julie asked. Even though she asked, she paid more attention on the food that was disappearing on the table faster than the speed of light.


    Boss continued to look at the raging hippo of a man and went back on eating. His lack of interest towards the chef was apparent. The head chef angrily broke one of his arm free from their restraint as he tried to tug the other person with him towards the kid.


    However, the door from the kitchen opened again as the remaining kitchen staff walked out with more trays of food. Arthur¡¯s eyes grew wide as he finished his last bite ¡°no more, no more¡± The kid¡¯s stomach was already full of food, he couldn¡¯t take another bite.


    Luckily for the scared little boy the remaining kitchen staff walked over to the chef and place the remaining trays down on their table. They all sat around the head chef and waited for the three to sit down so they could eat.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s this?¡± The head chef asked. He was looking at the beautiful display of mouthwatering bouquet of food at their table.


    ¡°Chef Boss said that it¡¯s thanks for using our kitchen.¡± One of the kitchen staff replied. He couldn¡¯t wait to dig into the food, but he had to wait for his head chef to eat first.


    ¡°Chef!? Boss!? I¡¯m the Boss! He¡¯s just a kid!¡± The head chef shouted in response.


    ¡°Yes, Head Chef, you¡¯re the Boss, chef.¡± Another kitchen staff replied, he too wasn¡¯t paying attention to his Boss.


    ¡°¡­Head Chef?¡± The last kitchen staff asked in a quiet voice.


    ¡°What!¡±


    ¡°¡­The food is getting cold. Let¡¯s eat first and get angry later, okay?¡± She asked. The other two kitchen staff nodded their head, they wanted to eat first. The head chef eyes were wide with anger and frustration as he saw their look, they didn¡¯t seem to care about him at all.


    He glared at the piles of food on the table and rushed over to shove it to the ground.


    His movement stopped, it was the same feeling as when the little kid slowly pushed him out of the kitchen door, he felt powerless.


    ¡°No, no, no¡± The little kid with sunglasses waved his finger at the Head Chef¡¯s actions. ¡°Go eat.¡± His casual words were filled with a kingly command that the Head Chef couldn¡¯t disobey. The Head Chef¡¯s body moved without his own free will and sat at the table began to put food on his plate.


    The moment the spoon was near the head Chef¡¯s mouth he regained control, awaiting eyes were staring at him waiting for him to take the first bite. The Head Chef wanted to resist, but after glancing over at the kid who had already finished everything at his table, he took the bite.


    A few chews was all it took for the Head Chef himself to be engrossed in eating. The rest of the kitchen staff was the same as they chowed down.


    A look of content was plastered on Boss¡¯ face as he saw their actions. He looked at the two young adults and kids beside him ¡°You four can do that too, if you practice hard.¡± Boss got up and left the cafeteria first, leaving only the four remaining to converse with each other.


    Even though they¡¯ve been with Boss for a short while and have an idea of what he can do, they didn¡¯t expect Boss was able to control a person with just his words, wasn¡¯t this too ridiculous?


    ¡°Did we hear him right; we can do that too?¡± Michael asked. ¡°Only if you practice hard, Michael.¡± Julie gave Michael a wink. Michael¡¯s face flushed red as he thought of commanding Julie.


    Arthur gave Michael a confused look. ¡°Why¡¯re you so red?¡± His question caused Michael to cover his face in embarrassment. ¡°I-I¡¯ll go get some air; I think I ate something spicy.¡± Michael rushed out of the room, the heat on his face warmed his ears.


    ¡°Did we have anything spicy?¡± Arthur asked the two girls who remained sitting. Julie covered her mouth in laughter and shook her head. Whereas Shelly calmly replied ¡°No, we didn¡¯t young master.¡±


    Arthur should¡¯ve known that there wasn¡¯t any spicy food, he ate everything that was on the table. He confusedly scratched his head ¡°Then why was Michael so red? Is he getting his powers?¡± Arthur asked.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    His innocent question caused Julie to blurt out in laughter whereas Shelly only shook her head.


    ¡°Wh-what did I say wrong, Julie?¡± The silver haired boy with clear emerald green eyes asked. He didn¡¯t understand why she was laughing so hard. Julie waved her arm and shook her head. ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing, you¡¯ll understand when you get older.¡±


    ¡°Do we turn red randomly when we get older?¡± Arthur asked. He thought to the time when his mom and dad were around each other. He sometimes saw them turn red when they were being loud with each other. He even recalled seeing Benjamin¡¯s face turning red a few times around his mother.


    ¡°Is this a boy girl thing?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yeah, sure, a boy girl thing.¡± Julie agreed to Arthur¡¯s hypothesis hoping he¡¯d stop asking.


    Luckily for her he nodded his head in understanding and looked at Shelly. ¡°I hope we can randomly turn red like that in the future Shelly.¡± He beamed a bright smile at her causing Shelly to reply with a calm smile of her own. ¡°Yes, young master.¡±


    The three continued to converse for a few minutes until Michael walked back, his face was calmer, and the red was gone. It was also around this time that the chefs at the other table finished their own meal.


    The Head Chef was lost in a trance once he was done eating, the food, the spice, the way everything was cooked to perfection. His eyes glazed as he rolled his head back, the taste still lingering on his lips.


    It wasn¡¯t just him, every chef at the table had that same satisfied feeling as they licked their lips. Another few minutes later passed by, by the time they came to themselves. The kids at the other table got up passed by them.


    ¡°W-wait up!¡± The Head Chef stopped the four from exiting the cafeteria. He looked around and saw that the kid who made the food wasn¡¯t around. ¡°Yes, mister chef?¡± Arthur asked.


    Cough, Ahem


    ¡°Where¡¯s your friend?¡± The Head Chef asked, his tone was friendly and more welcoming than before. Arthur shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t know, he goes wherever he wants.¡±


    The Head Chef nodded his head and continued, ¡°Will he be coming by again tomorrow?¡± Arthur shrugged his shoulder. He didn¡¯t know the answer, even though Boss made them food two days in a row, it didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d make them food all the time.


    ¡°Well, let him know he can use the kitchen anytime he wants, alright?¡± The desire in his eyes was apparent. Every Chef wanted to get better, his desire to learn from Boss was plastered all over his face.


    However, his expression creeped Arthur out. ¡°Okay, we gotta go now, see you!¡± The kid quickened his steps ran away. Michael was a bit more courteous and said, ¡°We¡¯ll let him know.¡±


    The group of four arrived at Gran¡¯s home without any of Boss¡¯s obstruction. They met a servant at the entrance who told them Gran wasn¡¯t back yet, so they could do whatever they wanted in the meantime.


    Barkie and Silver was heard and seen riding on top of animals near the back. They decided to collect them once they were going back to the Inn.


    With nothing to do they all went to Roselyn¡¯s door and knocked on it. Dr. Galil invited them in. They all crowded around the pregnant mother, the warmth on her face returned as she continued to sleep peacefully.


    ¡°How is she Dr. Galil?¡± Julie asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s doing very well. I thought she¡¯d have some residual problems after what she went through, but she¡¯s fine for now.¡± Dr. Galil replied honestly.


    ¡°And the baby, and the baby? How is he?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°The baby is quite energetic. I¡¯m just worried about its birth for now.¡± The doctor shook his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say we¡¯d rather hope that Roselyn is awake and not asleep when the baby wants to come out.¡± Dr, Galil replied. Arthur looked at the sleeping Roselyn worriedly he only hoped for the best when it came to the mother and baby.


    Knock Knock


    The door opened to the sight of Gran, his sons and another male they didn¡¯t recognize. The male stood outside the door while the other three walked in.


    ¡°My servant said you guys were here.¡± Gran looked at the four who was in the room with Dr. Galil. He silently greeted Dr. Galil and the doctor likewise returned the gesture.


    Gran walked over to his wife and caressed her hand. For a short moment the expression on her face seemed to reveal a faint smile. However, Gran wasn¡¯t sure if he was seeing things or not as he continued to look at her. Her short orange hair, down to the neck relaxed on the pillow. Her peaceful countenance as she laid there made him feel conflicted, he didn¡¯t know if he should agree to Orchid¡¯s request.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Gran asked. He didn¡¯t need to know what the doctor says because he can confirm it for himself by sensing the energy within her. However, Dr. Galil respectfully answered his question.


    Everyone within the room excused themselves when Gran decided to talk to Dr. Galil. They closed the door and stood outside waiting for their training. Another person stood beside Pebble and Cobble who didn¡¯t say anything yet, however he was looking at the two kids with a weird look.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Arthur asked the buzz cut scar faced young man; he noticed the weird gaze coming from the guy as if he was being examined. ¡°Oh, my bad.¡± Pebble replied. ¡°This here is Seth; he¡¯s staying at Auntie Orchid¡¯s Inn with his friends. Apparently, we scared them during their first visit. Ahaha¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry about that, I was looking for someone and thought you might have been him.¡± The scar-faced Seth replied.


    ¡°You scared him too?¡± Arthur asked. It was only a few days ago when they were being chased down by Gran, Pebble, and Cobble.


    ¡°It¡¯s tradition. Tradition.¡± Pebble tried to use his past tradition as the reason. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Arthur rolled his eyes at Pebble. Pebble had the most fun when he recalled the situation.


    ¡°My name is Arthur; I think I saw you before.¡± Arthur gave Seth a closer look. ¡°You were the guy that was shouting upstairs!¡±


    Cough


    ¡°I, uhm, I was weirdly stuck up there that¡¯s why.¡± Seth answered. ¡°My name is Seth by the way.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you Seth!¡± Arthur shook hands with Seth. Michael, Julie and Shelly gave their greetings also.


    ¡°Are you here for training too?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Pebble walked over and stated. ¡°He¡¯s going to be training with you guys until school starts.¡± Pebble patted Seth¡¯s back causing him to inch forward.


    ¡°I uh, I was never good at training my internal energy and Cobble said that he could train me to learn it.¡± Seth answered.


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right.¡± Cobble agreed.


    ¡°Pardon me, but might I ask if there is anyone else training with us?¡± Seth asked.


    ¡°Nope, why?¡± Pebble replied.


    ¡°Oh nothing, I thought for sure there would be more people training with you guys, that is all.¡± Seth answered. He could only forget about the kid with sunglasses for now.


    The door opened with Gran walking out. ¡°Let¡¯s go meditate.¡± Gran led the way with the group following from behind. Everyone, including Pebble and Cobble went to meditate today as they all entered the room.


    ¡°Since today my sons are going to join us, I¡¯ll show you guys what it¡¯s going to be like in the future for your meditation.¡± Gran took out a much bigger stick than the one he used yesterday.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin.¡±

 36. Seth was confused

    Chapter 36. Seth was confused


    <hr>


    Seth was confused when saw the stick in Gran¡¯s hand. He didn¡¯t expect to see Gran pull out a stick for meditation. He only came here because he was looking for Boss, and thanks to lucky coincidences he met Cobble that said he would train him.


    It was during the stage preparations that they¡¯ve got to meet. Seth asked a few questions about who were the demons that was chasing him to Henrick. Cobble overheard his question and felt apologetic and answered it was him and Pebble. They were preparing to scare the townspeople that¡¯ll be flooding in soon, so they tested it on Seth¡¯s group.


    Seth finally realized that the villagers were all great, but weird people and forgave Cobble. They continued building up the stage and everything else that was necessary for the event until just recently. Once they were done, they continued talking, Seth talked about how he couldn¡¯t ever feel his inner energy.


    Cobble saw that Seth was a hardworking person and decided to help him out. Seth was also looking for Boss who took his meat and hoped to see him at the estate. He felt only those training with Gran and them could be that stupidly annoying.


    However, never in his wildest dreams did he expect to see a stick being used for meditation. Both Riley and Mason never mentioned that for training. Gran saw the startled look on Seth¡¯s face and assured him. ¡°This is only to show you guys what you can do in the future.¡± Gran then looked at his two sons who were already sitting cross legged.


    His steps were steady as he made his way to them. The two sons were already at peace with their eyes completely closed. He started off slowly waving the stick towards Pebble¡¯s face. The moment the stick got near his face Pebble leaned back causing the stick to pass by.


    Nodding in content with Pebble¡¯s action Gran picked up the pace swinging the stick left and right, Pebble continuously dodged it by a hair¡¯s breadth narrowly avoiding every attack coming from the stick.


    Twenty swings later of Pebble dodging and ducking from every attack, Gran then walked over to Cobble and swung the stick directly at the top of Cobble¡¯s head, the force was capable of splitting a normal person¡¯s head down the center.


    Crack!


    Julie covered her face the moment she heard the crack. She expected something horribly wrong to occur. Michael whispered in her ear ¡°Julie, look¡± She opened her eye and saw that the stick in Gran¡¯s hand was split in two and both Pebble and Cobble remained still.


    Gran turned around after his demonstration he looked at the little excited boy before him. ¡°That is what you can do in the future.¡± Gran patted the boy¡¯s head.


    Moments later the two sons who were meditating opened their eyes again. They smiled at the people in the room. ¡°What do you think? Cool huh?¡± Pebble spoke.


    ¡°Cool! Super cool!¡± Arthur¡¯s excitement couldn¡¯t be controlled as he hopped over and looked for markings on Pebble¡¯s body. There was none, he immediately ran over and felt Cobble¡¯s head. There was nothing there.


    ¡°You blocked that!?¡± Arthur shouted in surprised as he looked at Cobble. Cobble smiled and stood up. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not a Defensive Power if I couldn¡¯t block that.¡±


    Seth¡¯s mouth was agape when he saw the scene. Was Mason and Riley able to do what these two did? Of course they couldn¡¯t, was Gran and them really expecting for these two little kids to be able to do that?


    ¡°The best way to become cool like us is through meditation.¡± Pebble said with a smug look on his face. ¡°If everyone here meditates every day and found their internal energy before the enrollment for Lumiere and Naturelle arrive you¡¯re guaranteed to get in.¡±


    Enrolling for Naturelle and Lumiere already guarantees that students will get in, there has never been a situation for a child to be barred from enrolling and entering school. The reason Pebble said this is because of the divisions within the school for children who haven¡¯t found their internal energy and those that do.


    The more you stand out when you¡¯re younger the more attention and prestige you¡¯ll have, instead of listening to lectures in an auditorium of hundreds if not thousands of normal students, they could receive personal mentorships from the teachers.


    Pebble meant this when he stated that they¡¯re guaranteed to get in. They¡¯re guaranteed to find a Teacher willing to personally train them.


    ¡°Can we meditate all the time?¡± Arthur asked. Pebble hopped to his feet. ¡°You¡¯ll get tired if you tried to meditate all the time, but you can if you want.¡± Pebble replied.


    ¡°Do you know why meditating is good?¡± Gran looked at the kids. The day before he didn¡¯t bother asking and just went straight to training to see what the result would be.


    Arthur shook his head. Shelly only explained it enough to entice Arthur into meditating. Gran saw the loss Arthur¡¯s eyes and answered. ¡°Meditation has a lot of benefits, especially at an early age.¡± He made a quick glance Shelly who already knew how to meditate and explained to Arthur.


    ¡°Meditation serves as the key for most people to find their internal energy. It is how one will find out where they belong. Meditation allows for a strong early growth and a smooth pathway for the future if you can harness it.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re able to find your internal energy and unlock it yourself, you¡¯ll be able to control your energy far better than anyone else.¡±


    Arthur then gave Gran a confused look. ¡°If meditation is the key to unlocking my powers early, why am I training? I¡¯ll get hit until I figure it out.¡±


    Gran, Pebble and Cobble laughed at Arthur¡¯s question. He is right, he shouldn¡¯t have a reason to train this way until he figured it out. Pebble waved his finger at Arthur ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk you don¡¯t know anything do ya kid?¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Arthur tilted his head at Pebble¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s right I don¡¯t know anything.¡± His blunt reply caused Pebble to erupt with laughter.


    Wiping away the tears from his eyes Pebble looked at Arthur. ¡°There are two ways of unlocking your powers early. One is meditation, the other is under immense pressure.¡± Arthur nodded his head in understanding.


    ¡°So, what if we combined both meditation and forced you to feel pressured? That¡¯s where the stick comes in, if you don¡¯t wanna get hit you¡¯ve gotta learn how to meditate.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t like the other strategy we came up with anyways.¡± Pebble stated.


    Arthur couldn¡¯t help but asked ¡°What¡¯s the other strategy?¡± Pebble walked over and patted the kid¡¯s head. ¡°How else do you put one under extreme pressure? We throw you into the wild butt naked and hope you live.¡± He laughed loudly as he walked over to Seth.


    ¡°Which do you want to do?¡± Seth gave Pebble a serious look. ¡°I¡¯ll take the stick.¡± There was no question this choice was better suited and safer.


    ¡°Careful now, if you don¡¯t improve, that stick starts to hurt.¡± Pebble patted Seth¡¯s back and exited the room. He was only there for demonstration and preferred to meditate by himself.


    ¡°Are you kids ready?¡± Gran asked everyone in the room. Cobble sat back down and entered a relaxed state.


    Michael and Arthur gulped at the same time; they were 0 for 60 what makes today any different than yesterday? They haven¡¯t improved at all yet!


    Was it too late to say no?


    ¡°Alright, relax and good luck.¡± Those were the final words Gran had to say for the remaining hour as the training begins.


    Knock knock


    ¡°Who is it?¡± The voice from behind the door asked. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± A familiar voice could be heard from the other side of the door. Riley slowly opened the door only to see a familiar figure before him. He closed it immediately, however the foot of the person was quicker and blocked the door from completely closing.


    ¡°Ow, ow, ow.¡± The little boy hopped on one foot. ¡°What did you do that for?¡± The kid was annoyed that Riley closed the door the moment the kid went to say hi. Riley rolled his eyes and asked. ¡°What do you want this time, kid?¡±


    ¡°Nothing~ I¡¯m just bored, my friends are busy right now.¡± Boss honestly replied as he made his way into the room. In the corner was both Gerald and Sampson cross-legged and eyes closed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with those two?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean what¡¯s wrong? They¡¯re meditating.¡± Riley closed the door behind them.


    The kid gave Riley a weird look, are you sure they¡¯re meditating?


    ¡°What¡¯s with the look?¡± Riley asked.


    The kid didn¡¯t answer and poked the head of Sampson, his head leaned over onto Gerald¡¯s and they both began to snore. ¡°Liar, they¡¯re sleeping!¡± Boss pointed at Riley accusingly.


    Riley was shocked when he saw this, his friends were motionless for a long time, so he thought they were meditating. Riley scratched the back of his head and laughed ¡°Ahaha, well they were meditating. Thanks for those things earlier, they couldn¡¯t have done this without them.¡±


    ¡°Oh! The two pills?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Pills?¡± Riley looked at the kid, didn¡¯t he say it was some condense energy marble?


    ¡°Right, condense energy marbles. Same thing they¡¯re small and round stuff.¡± Boss didn¡¯t care much as he sat on the bed.


    ¡°Hey, do you have any snacks in this room?¡± Boss looked around the hunger in his eyes was apparent. ¡°Tch, no snacks at all? You poor or something?¡± Boss¡¯ tone annoyed Riley but he couldn¡¯t do much it was just a weird 10yr kid sitting in front of him.


    ¡°There¡¯s no food or snacks.¡± Riley walked over and sat on the bed in front of Boss. ¡°It seems like those pills or whatever was really effective, how did you get it?¡± He bluntly asked.


    ¡°Oh those? I can give you more if you give me the same kind of meat.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°You have more?¡± Riley caught onto Boss¡¯ words.


    ¡°Only if you have more meat.¡± Boss replied back. He then changed the subject and looked at dull red-haired person before him. ¡°You¡¯re already stuck at a bottleneck?¡± Boss¡¯ words pierced right through Riley¡¯s chest causing him to look at the kid before him in disbelief.


    ¡°H-how do you know?¡± Riley asked. Boss pointed at Riley¡¯s dull red hair and stated, ¡°Your hair is dull, which means you¡¯re stuck at a bottleneck and will probably die in a few years if you don¡¯t advance.¡±


    ¡°Wh-aaaaaat?¡± Riley looked at the weird kid in front of him in disbelief. ¡°What do you mean? My hair has been like this since it changed color, you¡¯re a liar!¡± Obviously, the little kid was lying.


    Boss shook his head. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Hey what¡¯s your name?¡± Riley look at the boy. ¡°Riley Samarian, yourself kid?¡±


    ¡°Riley eh, well you¡¯re dying if you don¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Boss completely ignored Riley¡¯s question. He continued, ¡°if you don¡¯t believe me, why don¡¯t you ask yourself? Boss brought a mirror within the room over to Riley and placed it before him.


    Riley gave himself a serious look as he stared at his reflection. ¡°Hello, Riley, I am you¡± Hearing his own voice coming from the mirror made Riley wide eyed and shocked. Boss mimicked Riley¡¯s voice from the back of the mirror. ¡°The boy is right; you¡¯re going to die soon.¡±


    Boss tossed the mirror away after saying that and looked at the disbelieving face of Riley. ¡°See I told you, you¡¯re gonna die.¡±


    Riley snapped out of his daze and stared at the boy before him. ¡°You¡¯re a liar! My mouth didn¡¯t even move in the mirror.¡± Boss rolled his eyes underneath the sunglasses and pointed at Riley. ¡°The mirror is a reflection to your soul, does your soul have a mouth?¡±


    Riley was dumbfounded by the kid¡¯s absurd comment and didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°See, exactly, anyways you¡¯re going to die if you don¡¯t listen to me, I¡¯ve seen this before in many other people.¡±


    ¡°Y-you have?¡±


    The kid nodded his head. ¡°Yep, and I¡¯ve saved more than half of them already.¡±


    ¡°How!?¡±


    ¡°Riley, what are you most scared of?¡± Boss asked.


    Riley thought for a long time, not having a lover, not reaching Tier 2, getting killed by being stabbed in the back, etc¡­


    ¡°Uh, losing my loved ones?¡±


    ¡°Bzzt, wrong!¡± The kid crossed his hand in an X formation. ¡°What you¡¯re most scared of is death, you dummy everyone doesn¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Riley nodded his head; death was one of the things he was most afraid of.


    ¡°Good, now if you want to break free from that bottleneck, go a dangerous place within the next 6 months and fight for your life.¡±


    ¡°Wh-where?¡± Riley asked.


    ¡°Anywhere dangerous! Just go and kill stuff!¡± Boss didn¡¯t know where was dangerous in this planet, everything was cake to him. He continued, ¡°If you want to not blow up from being stuck in this bottleneck, you should meditate like your sleeping friends over there right now.¡±


    Boss comment made Riley rush over to the corner with Gerald and Sampson and begun meditating. Boss was inwardly laughing to himself as he fooled this idiot.


    A few minutes later the door to the room opened again as a person with magenta colored eyes walked in.


    ¡°Oh? It¡¯s you kid.¡± Mason looked at Boss and then at the three people sleeping/meditating in the corner.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡±


    Boss smiled and pointed at Mason who entered the room.


    ¡°You¡¯re already stuck at a bottleneck? If you don''t follow my advice, you''re going to die!¡±


    "Eh!?"

 37. The door

    Chapter 37. The door


    <hr>


    The door pushed opened and a tall figure with well-cut red hair and magenta eyes walked out, followed by an even more towering green haired son. Pebble gave his father a curious look and asked, ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve made improvements.¡± Gran calmly replied and slowly headed to Roselyn¡¯s room. Pebble looked at the brother of his and asked. ¡°Did they all really improved?¡± Pebble asked.


    Cobble didn¡¯t need to answer as the kids began to walk out of the room. Michael, Julie, Arthur, Shelly, and Seth walked out and sat directly on the sofa. Their face was expressionless as markings could be seen plastered all over their body.


    Pebble circled around them and asked Cobble ¡°They don¡¯t look like they¡¯ve improved at all¡± Pebble gave his assessment and continued to hover around them. ¡°Wait, is it just Shelly and Julie?¡± Pebble asked after seeing a few marks on Julie and none on Shelly.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Cobble¡¯s short reply caused Pebble to nod knowingly. ¡°Three losers and two winners eh? Did father smack em this time?¡± Pebble asked.


    ¡°Taps, he said it¡¯ll start hurting after his training tomorrow.¡± Cobble answered. Pebble then pulled Cobble over away from the group who was sitting at the sofa contemplating on the hour that they spent inside. ¡°What do you think of Shelly?¡± Pebble whispered.


    Cobble gave it some serious thought and replied, ¡°She¡¯s a monster.¡±


    Pebble¡¯s eye flickered at the little girl who was consoling the boy beside her. He nodded his head, ¡°I agree. She¡¯s going to make her name known for sure.¡±


    ¡°What about Boss?¡± Cobble asked. Pebble swung his arm around his enormous taller brother and asked. ¡°Does that guy even count?¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    Pebble released his arm and walked over to the people sitting on the sofa. The silver haired kid¡¯s nose was getting itchy, he was constantly sniffing. ¡°You¡¯re gonna cry, kid?¡±


    Arthur rubbed his eyes and wiped his nose. ¡°N-no, I¡¯m not crying, you¡¯re crying.¡± His words made no sense, he saw the dumb look on Pebble¡¯s face and started giggling to himself.


    ¡°Laughing after you got smacked 60 times?¡± Pebble¡¯s words were sharp, causing the three who got smacked to flinch.


    He sighed, ¡°It¡¯s fine to take it slow, when I was your age, I too couldn¡¯t find my internal energy for a long time.¡±


    ¡°H-how did you find it?¡± Arthur asked. Pebble gave the kid a serious look, the room felt heavy. ¡°I practiced every day, if I wasn¡¯t eating or sleeping, I was training with my father¡­ It was hard, really hard¡­I almost broke.¡±


    ¡°You too, might need to almost break to find it.¡± Pebble¡¯s words caused Arthur to shudder, the scene from the nightmare lingered in his mind, was the Seraphim the key? He shook his head, there had to be other ways, nightmares don¡¯t just come when you want it to.


    Cobble rushed over and pushed his older brother aside. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do what he says, he¡¯s just kidding. Just meditate when you have time, you¡¯ll start to improve. The hardest part is making it to the starting line.¡±


    Pebble pushed Cobble aside and corrected himself, ¡°yeah, you might not need to break, but¡­¡± his eyes lingered on Seth and Michael. ¡°You two might. You¡¯re pretty old ya know?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ll figure it out by the end of the month, really.¡± Michael postured. Pebble¡¯s eye turned to Seth. ¡°Ye-yeah! Me too.¡± Seth replied.


    ¡°Oh? Then we¡¯ll see about that, I¡¯ll punish you two if you don¡¯t.¡± Pebble¡¯s once friendly face was menacing to behold. Michael and Seth could only start to sweat and gulp in response.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go out to check on the preparations for next week, you guys should prepare for tomorrow with my father, knowing him it¡¯ll be even more impossible than me.¡± Pebble¡¯s footsteps disappeared out the door after saying that.


    Cobble sat down at the sofa in front of them and began to explain what to expect from their father. The kids nodded their head whereas Seth had no idea what was going on, was he part of tomorrow¡¯s training too?


    ¡°You too, Seth.¡± Cobble decided to give the kids a little hint, it wouldn¡¯t hurt telling them this anyways. He continued to talk about how their training methods are similar, both Cobble and Pebble required them to land a hit on them.


    ¡°So? Think you can do it? You have about 10 tries with each of us, so try to make each training count.¡± Cobble asked. The group of four plus Seth looked at each other, no one was sure if they could. Cobble could see their hesitation and repeated, ¡°Just try your best, we¡¯re not going to go all out so it¡¯s possible.¡±


    They continued to converse until night arrived, Cobble was quite talkative tonight compared to the past few days they¡¯ve met. They couldn¡¯t get any other answers out of Cobble, but they did learn more about the village.


    The kids learned more about the tradition and event they¡¯re holding for when the children come back home to the village. They asked about the things within the house and the rippling in the pond, that one Cobble couldn¡¯t answer. They even asked if Cobble knew the gender of the baby, he didn¡¯t know.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Knock knock


    A knocking could be heard on their door while they were conversing. ¡°Pebble doesn¡¯t need to knock.¡± Cobble got up and walked to the front of the door. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± Cobble replied as he looked down at the kid.


    ¡°Tell them to go back to the Inn, I¡¯m bored and hungry.¡± The kid¡¯s voice could be heard coming from the door. Seth¡¯s ears perked up when heard that familiar voice, his eyes darted in the direction of the door. However, Cobble¡¯s enormous body completely blocked it.


    ¡°You guys~ Let¡¯s go I¡¯m hungry~¡± The four didn¡¯t know what to say, they weren¡¯t hungry, if they went back it¡¯ll just be Boss who was eating. They noticed the time and decided it was better to head back.


    ¡°Bark¡±


    ¡°Mew¡±


    ¡°How was playing around today Barkie? Did you have fun?¡± Arthur¡¯s voice could be heard talking to his pet as it faded off into the distance.


    Seth remained seated, he was curious but hearing Cobble¡¯s voice, it seemed like he knew the person and didn¡¯t want the kid to run away from seeing him. Once the five were out of view Cobble went and sat back down on the sofa.


    Seth and Cobble continued to converse for another half an hour switching topic with Seth mentioning the kid at the door. Cobble didn¡¯t notice that Seth was looking for something when he asked those questions.


    After they were done conversing, he bid Cobble goodbye and promised to come back early in the morning for training. Seth walked back to the Inn, under the dimly lit moonlight lost in thought. The kid he was expecting to be training here, was here ¨C sort of.


    He didn¡¯t expect his haunch to be correct, and for everything to come together so soon. Was this a sign he needed to see this kid again? He didn¡¯t even know what he was going to do when he met the kid. The kid gave them two effective condensed energy marbles, he couldn¡¯t hate him.


    The brightly lit Inn glowed like a small sun illuminating the darkness as he got closer, he walked through the door and entered his room, he didn¡¯t even notice that his four friends were huddled in a corner fast asleep. He laid in bed staring at the ceiling and threw a cloth over a bright ball on their nightstand, he didn¡¯t want to think anymore.


    In his dreams he was older, meditating in an empty room, the color of his hair and eyes was different, however he couldn¡¯t tell what color it was. The sound of rumbling could be heard coming from outside, the noise was becoming louder and louder. A familiar voice, a person he knew before opened the door and woke him from his meditation.


    He saw himself run beside that familiar person, she was beautiful with long curly hair as she pulled on his arm, the panic in her face was apparent when dragging him along. He followed her without resistance, he didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    More screams and shouting could be heard in the back were people chasing them? He wasn¡¯t sure. Their eyes also contained panic and intense killing intent it was so strange as he continued to follow.


    ¡°Where¡­?¡± Seth muttered.


    The scenery changed, her hand that was pulling him was gone, he was laying on a bloody ground with limbs of humans scattered all around. The horror he saw all around unfazed him as he looked ahead. The ground quaked and the mountain beyond the horizon could be seen visibly getting closer. A small hill appeared before his eyes as the mountain in the distance got closer and taller.


    The scenery changed again, he was laying again on his back, the environment around him was desolate. The clouds¡­ were beneath him? He tilted his head up only to see the bright stars and clusters of galaxies. They were truly grandiose to behold, but Seth only felt a sense of dread as he stared into the dark expanse of space. An enormous pressure came from all around him choking his breath away.


    ¡°Seth¡­ Seth¡­ dude wake up¡± Riley¡¯s voice echoed loudly in his ears as his vision adjusted to the brightly lit room. ¡°You¡¯re finally awake? Did you have a nightmare?¡±


    Seth gave Riley a weird look, he felt good why did his friend say he had a nightmare?


    ¡°You don¡¯t know huh? You fucking screamed so damn loudly for a whole ten seconds, I thought you were dying.¡± Riley stated. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Seth tried to recall what he was dreaming but everything in his mind was vanishing and disappearing faster than he could remember. His mind blanked out as he absentmindedly stared at Riley. ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    Riley sighed, this was normal for people who had dreams and nightmares, most of the time they won¡¯t remember it.


    ¡°Where are the other guys?¡± Seth asked.


    ¡°They went to eat breakfast, I¡¯m about to go eat too, are you coming with or you going to sleep again?¡± Riley asked.


    Seth¡¯s eyes grew clearer and wider as he processed Riley¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s morning already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, are you coming?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡±


    His friends greeted him with smiling face, the giddiness on Sampson¡¯s in particular couldn¡¯t be concealed. Both Gerald and Sampson managed to get a feeling of energy flowing throughout their body yesterday, they believe with time they¡¯ll obtain the energy power of hair and eyes.


    They asked Seth questions about where he went yesterday, they only woke up earlier the next day and saw that Seth was silently sleeping. Seth recounted what he had done the day prior and asked them if they wanted to join him for training. Sampson and Gerald were unsure if they needed anymore training since they took the condense energy marble.


    Seth didn¡¯t know if he could bring his friends along either so when he heard them decline it for now, he accepted it. Only Riley and Mason kept silent as they contemplated on the training. They too eventually declined since they didn¡¯t consider training to be dangerous and desperate enough to make a breakthrough.


    The one thing everyone agreed on is not joining the villagers in scaring the parents who will be flooding in tomorrow to welcome their sons and daughters later on. After eating breakfast Seth bid his friend bye and rushed straight to the training area.


    The gatekeeper recognized Seth and let him in thanks to Cobble¡¯s orders this morning. Walking the stone pathway Seth gave his surrounding a better look, everything was far more beautiful and vibrant than when he came over in the afternoon, was he just imagining things?


    A servant of the estate allowed him through the front door and led him to the backyard. The first thing he notice was pure white blankets dirtied by the ground littered around the entire place.


    ¡°This was training?¡± Seth thought to himself and looked around to find the kids. He saw Gran standing further away greeting him with a wave. Seth returned the wave and continued to look around for the kids.


    However, in his inattentiveness he didn¡¯t notice that a blanket was already slithering to his feet, expanding and blanketing his entire body.

 38. The Test

    Chapter 38. The test


    <hr>


    ¡°The test begins once you walked in.¡± Gran¡¯s voice was audibly clear in his ears as the blanket completely covered his struggling body.


    The blanket wrapped Seth was completely mummified within a matter of seconds before levitating off the ground. With a flick of his finger, Gran sent Seth¡¯s entire wrapped body towards rows of four other similar wrapped cocoons of various shapes and sizes.


    ¡°Since everyone is here the test is simple, break free from the blanket within three hours to pass for today.¡± Gran¡¯s muscular physique sat cross-legged as he watches the five cocoons before him struggling to break free.


    Some were squirming while others maintained their calmness, each and everyone besides Seth so far knows that the only way to pass any of their training was to get a grasp of internal energy or find a flaw within the training that Gran created.


    ¡°Exotics are unique in which their internal energy doesn¡¯t emit a Resonance to any other living species.¡± Gran began lecturing the cocoons.


    ¡°It is because Exotics can¡¯t be sensed or sense anyone else that they are a double-edged sword. They are master assassins, especially when they are strong because their power is so obscure.¡±


    ¡°However, we of the Orthodoxy will always have people we can sense and know of their power level; we are far better prepared in battle with this kind of knowledge.¡±


    ¡°How you may ask? We just send someone to fight an Exotic, if they narrowly win, we¡¯ll know exactly what we¡¯re up against. Yet, what will an Exotic do against other Exotics they have no knowledge of? One of them will die.¡±


    ¡°Now, what will we do against one of our own? We send different Tiers of Resonance, the ones that gets a response against an enemy is of near equal power. It is so simple, yet this is how wars are fought and won for centuries.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the Governor probably mentioned that we Orthodox Power users are inflexible, predictable, or something similar.¡± Gran paused as he watched the cocoons maintain their silence. He continued ¡°However, that¡¯s not completely true, as you can see my power of Telekinesis prevents me from controlling living beings.¡±


    ¡°Yet, how come you five are wrapped up right now? I don¡¯t need to control you guys; I just need to cover you guys and it¡¯ll still be the same.¡± His words rung in their ears like a hammer, if it was an enemy telekinesis, the things they would be worried about are weapons used to stab, maim and kill, never in their mind did they thought of being captured with a mere blanket.


    ¡°Now you kids may be wondering, why am I telling you all this? You just wanted to be stronger, or at least learn your powers to protect yourself or those you love. Well, the world is a cruel place, if I wanted to kill you five, I just need to squeeze these blankets a little tighter¡­¡± The blankets slowly started to constrict against their body, suffocating and constricting their passageways. Groans of pain and anguish could be heard from a few of the blankets.


    ¡°¡­ and then those hopes, and dreams are snuffed out just like that.¡± Gran was unusually harsh with his words.


    Gran released his hold bringing the blanket¡¯s tensions back to normal. People gasping for air could be heard as he continued with an expressionless face, ¡°Teachers won¡¯t ever tell you this in school, nor will they ever try to put you in danger. It is precisely this lack of urgency in your body that makes you incapable of unlocking your powers early.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll just slowly train you to meditate and tell you if you can¡¯t unlock your inner energy you can just drop out at any time with no repercussions. It is this weakness of the institutions that people with powers are diminishing rapidly every generation.¡±


    ¡°Arthur and Shelly, you¡¯re both a year or two youngers than my youngest, so you don¡¯t know much about the world nor have you suffered living with the Governor. However, in my 50 years, I¡¯ve fought two wars and I knelt helplessly in front of Roselyn¡¯s parents when they did not want us to be together.¡±


    ¡°Michael, Julie, and Seth you both are older yet, so inexperienced when it comes to taking care of yourself, much less another person. Within these 30 days of training, you must decide for yourself whether to go to school or head back home.¡±


    ¡°If you choose to go home, you can live a peaceful life under the umbrella of the Governor or whoever can shelter you. However, if you choose to head to the Tillowisk Empire, do note that you all can die at any moment.¡±


    Gran glanced at the passive cocoons that didn¡¯t squirm or move throughout his entire lecture. He was waiting¡­ waiting for a sign of their determination. However, there was still no movement after a minute.


    Sigh


    ¡°There is going to a third war in my lifetime¡­one much more bloody and violent than the previous two combined. This was prophesized by the Sovereign of Safe Haven who was never wrong with his prophecies.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, do you five want to get involved in a war in the future?¡± He hoped that the five cocoons would start to squirm to his question. However, there was no reaction, he helplessly shook his head, ¡°If you think you have what it takes, first break free from the blanket that binds you.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The six blankets maintained their passive state as if ignoring everything Gran had told them. He sighed and continued to just watch to see what they are going to do. An hour passed by yet, there was still no movement.


    By the second hour he believed they finally understood what the world will be like in the future and have already decided to go home. Gran couldn¡¯t say he was displeased with their attitude, they just chose to live.


    The slight breeze of the wind swayed the tall grass and trees alike as the final hour began to tick down. Gran began his countdown starting at the 10<sup>th</sup> minute.


    10¡­


    9¡­


    8¡­


    There were still no movements from any of them, he wasn¡¯t completely sure if they had given up so he continued with his countdown, only when this test was over will they give him their answer.


    3¡­


    Those cocoons started to squirm; Gran¡¯s hunched posture straighten as he stared at what they were going to do.


    2¡­


    The cocoons¡¯ squirming became more animated and intense, Gran¡¯s expressionless face started to crack as he stared at what was shown before him.


    ¡­1


    The final minute, the sounds of tearing could be heard as some blankets were being ripped to shred.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Arthur exploded out of the cocoon wrapped blanket, his teeth was tearing away the blanket he had in his mouth. ¡°Ptui, Ptui¡± He spat the bits and pieces as he stood up and stare at Gran with determination in his eyes.


    Michael and Seth broke out using their pure physical power, tearing away at the cloth that binded them with their bare hands.


    Shelly¡¯s blanket effortlessly unraveled releasing its hold of her as she slowly stood up, the calm look in her face as she glanced at Arthur.


    Everyone¡¯s eye fell upon Julie¡¯s struggling cocoon as the time ticked away. Only seconds were left as the once struggling cocoon started to weaken.


    ¡­


    ¡°Time is up.¡± Gran stated as he stared at Julie¡¯s cocoon, however there was no movement. He didn¡¯t unravel the cocoon for her.


    ¡°Julie!¡± Arthur and Michael both shouted, they were expecting her to emerge from the cocoon. However, she didn¡¯t make it in the end, did she decide to give up?


    Seth didn¡¯t know much of Julie, so he just looked on, even though he didn¡¯t know her he hoped she would come out.


    Shelly¡¯s calm face continued to stare penetratingly at the cocoon of Julie, she didn¡¯t want to believe Julie had given up.


    ¡°Julie¡­¡± Michael¡¯s voice was soft as he walked over to her cocoon. He knelt down before her and slowly unraveled the blanket that wrapped around her.


    Julie¡¯s body was prostrating on the ground, the tears on her face flowed down soaking her arm into the soil beneath. She shook her head wiping at the tears that wouldn¡¯t stop flowing out of her eyes.


    Sniff


    Her soft cries can be heard as she continued to wipe her face, she didn¡¯t dare look up at Michael or anyone else.


    In the last few minutes unlike everyone else who was struggling to break free, she thoroughly thought about Gran¡¯s words. She saw what will become of her in the future, she didn¡¯t want to see it.


    She heard Arthur¡¯s expression as he tore away the blanket, she heard the shuffling of both Michael and Seth tearing away the hold that was on theirs. She knew Shelly too had broken out. She knew she should be able to get out too.


    However, she couldn¡¯t.


    She was unsure.


    She continued to struggle until the end, but the blanket felt like an impenetrable armor she couldn¡¯t escape free from.


    She thought about her destiny, she didn¡¯t want it. She thought about home and desired it.


    She felt weak. Extremely weak.


    ¡°Julie¡­¡± The two kids muttered as they walked over.


    Sniff


    Julie shook her head and pulled her body closer together. Her entire posture looked like that of an armadillo curling up completely.


    She wanted to enclose herself from reality completely, she felt too vulnerable, too weak.


    Michael saw her feeble shivering body and instinctively pulled her closer to him. He slowly caressed her back allowing for her tears and snot to soak his shirt. Only her soft cries could continue to be heard as the other four stared from a short distance away.


    ¡°Julie¡­¡± Michael¡¯s voice was soft as he spoke slowly. Julie¡¯s face buried closer into his chest and continue to shake her head; she didn¡¯t want to hear him.


    ¡°Julie¡­you can create your own destiny.¡± Michael tried to repeat what the Pope had said to the best of his ability.


    Julie¡¯s body froze for a short moment when she heard his voice merge with that of the Pope. Her arms weakly pounded on Michael¡¯s chest with her head face down staring at the ground.


    Tears flowed from her eyes down onto the ground.


    She gritted her teeth and muttered. ¡°Do you know¡­?¡±


    Michael only continued to softly caress her back.


    ¡°Do you know, what my destiny is?¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    Julie tears turned into a waterfall as she pulled Michael into her embrace and cried. She held onto him fearing he¡¯d be gone if she let go. The only sound in the backyard was cries of a girl who felt too weak to change her destiny.


    ¡°Julie¡­¡± Arthur walked up and hugged her. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to control himself, ¡°if your destiny makes you cry, I¡¯ll cry with you.¡± He bawled his eyes out as he held onto her.


    The tears of the boy and girl converged creating a puddle beneath them. A strange scenery took place as the puddle of water started to condensate forming a fog around everyone.


    ¡°No!¡± Julie shouted as she saw the fog starting to form ¡°Don¡¯t look! Please!¡±


    Images started to flicker around the fog, scenes of strange creatures and super powered people were in conflict. Was this the future? Was this the third war that the Sovereign of Safe Haven prophesized?


    Julie¡¯s hands tried to reach for Michael¡¯s face to cover his eyes¡­ however, he ignored it and continued staring at the fog.


    It was a chaotic battle; people were attacking these strange creatures that swarmed them from all side. It was only her and him standing alongside each other in a separate sea of creatures.


    Michael and Julie looked a little bit older than their current appearance; Michael¡¯s hair and eyes was still brown. Julie¡¯s current long blonde curvy hair was cut into a well-managed short curl.


    Their attire was one that belonged to the military. Their teamwork as they slashed and hacked away each creature was extraordinary. Even though they were surrounded by a sea of creature they didn¡¯t feel like they¡¯ll suffer.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± Julie weakly muttered. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t look.¡±


    The scenery shifted again; the monsters¡¯ corpses littered the bloody battlefield. Julie was standing there; her hand was covering her face, her head tilted up towards the sky. Tears were streaming down the palm of her hand as a person who was standing beside her was nowhere to be seen, only a single torn arm remained at her feet.


    ¡°Only an arm¡­¡± Michael muttered as the fog dissipated, he tried to control himself as he saw the last scene. However, his lips started to quiver as tears welled up his eyes.


    Everyone else witnessed the scene within the fog, they didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Michael!¡± Arthur rushed to hug the distraught guy who stood there with tears dripping down his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true! It¡¯s not true!¡± Arthur held onto Michael with all his might.


    ¡°I¡¯m, so sorry¡­¡± Julie muttered, her hand weakly released from Michael¡¯s embrace. Her mind went blank.


    ¡°Julie!¡± Shelly immediately held Julie up as Julie collapsed into her tiny arms.

 39. Michael broke

    Chapter 39. Michael broke


    <hr>


    Michael broke free from the despair he felt and directly reached out to the girl in Shelly¡¯s arm. He held her limped body into his embrace as tears fell from his eyes.


    ¡°Quickly, we need to take care of her.¡± The only thing on his mind was the girl before him.


    Gran who had witnessed this entire scene moved and softly wrapped Julie in a blanket using his telekinesis. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He carried Julie back into the house and placed her in a guest room on the second floor next to that of Roselyn¡¯s.


    Dr. Galil saw the commotion and quickly walked next door to see what had happened. Seeing the unconscious girl on the bed, he walked over and felt her pulse.


    A moment later he sighed, ¡°she just fainted.¡± He then turned around and looked at the watery eyed people in the room. ¡°What happened?¡±


    No one could possibly answer the doctor¡¯s question and he just remained silent as the sniffs within the room didn¡¯t dissipate.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Michael exhaled and asked.


    ¡°She just fainted from exhaustion, she¡¯ll wake up in a day or two.¡± The doctor assured Michael. Dr. Galil didn¡¯t ask again when he saw the helpless looks on everyone¡¯s face. The strangest thing was that he thought they were crying because Julie fainted, however it might be his imagination, but it seemed that Michael had everyone¡¯s attention.


    Michael paid them no mind and sat beside the bed and held the hand of Julie. The scene within the fog circled around his mind, causing him to hold her hand tighter. The other people within the room excused themselves leaving Michael and Julie alone.


    A strong look of determination fell upon Michael¡¯s eyes, he saw a glimpse of the future, he saw that his hair and eyes were still brown by then. ¡°I¡¯ll just need to find my internal energy.¡± He muttered.


    The rest of group sat downstairs in the living room on the sofa. Their voices were slow and quiet as they conversed, they didn¡¯t want to believe what they saw, but it was clear that the last scene, only Michael¡¯ arm remained on the scene.


    Morning transitioned to noon, the tears in everyone¡¯s eyes had dried, both Pebble and Cobble came home during this time after checking on the work for the event the village was going to hold in a few days. The look of surprise on their face as they saw the helpless look of the kids sitting on the sofa.


    Their first thought was that their father had overdid his training and destroyed their mental state. However, Seth told them that it wasn¡¯t it. They noticed Michael and Julie weren¡¯t around, so they asked about that.


    Gran walked out at this time and heard his sons asked about Michael and Julie, ¡°Julie fainted as is in the guestroom besides your mother. Michael is with her right now.¡± The two finally got their answer and sat down in the living room. They asked about the training and the kids and Seth managed to reply.


    It was only the question relating to Michael and Julie that Gran interrupted and said that she just fainted during training, it seemed even their father didn¡¯t want to tell them exactly what happened.


    Both Pebble and Cobble noticed the change in atmosphere when they asked that question, so they immediately changed the subject and continued to converse. Eventually, some laughter could be heard coming from the group as they made jokes and told funny stories about their past.


    Gran¡¯s eye turned towards the front door and got up from the sofa. Once he was halfway there the sound of knocking could be heard.


    Knock knock


    ¡°It¡¯s me~¡± Boss with his brown wig and sunglasses was waiting for them to exit. Gran who already heard the sound of Boss¡¯ footsteps earlier opened the door. ¡°Do you want to come in?¡± he asked the kid.


    ¡°Mm, you got food?¡± Boss¡¯ question was dumb as he already walked into the house. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the servants to prepare lunch, the kids are in the living room.¡± Gran replied causing Boss to smile in delight.


    Boss walked in and made his way to the living room, he sat down on the sofa with Arthur and Shelly paying no mind to an intense stare coming from a certain person nearby. Seth finally saw the kid that stole their meat casually sitting beside the other two. He wanted to shout, ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± but the kid didn¡¯t even glance in his direction and just sat down kicking his legs too short for the full height of the sofa and humming a tune.


    ¡°We¡¯re eating here, today.¡± His first words were about the food. Pebble and Cobble shared wary gazes when they remembered this kid ate half their kitchen in one sitting. Luckily for them the kid only sat on the sofa and didn¡¯t walk straight for their kitchen.


    ¡°Hm? Where¡¯s the other two?¡± Boss asked, no one managed to speak up before Boss continued ¡°Oh, they¡¯re upstairs, what happened to Julie?¡± his words shocked Seth who was staring at him, no one in the room even had time to tell the kid yet he knew Julie was upstairs.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Seth decided it was better to be cautious around this kid, he noticed the sunglasses and brown hair on the kid. He recalled the kid had sunglasses on when they met in their room, too. A look of understanding as he paid closer attention to the kid.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡± Arthur¡¯s voice was feeble and weak. ¡°You have to save Michael.¡± Arthur¡¯s words confused Pebble and Cobble. Is it not Julie who fainted? What happened to Michael? They decided to keep quiet and listen.


    Boss looked at the kid¡¯s pleading eyes and directed his gaze over to the calmer appearance of Shelly. He pointed at the girl ¡°tell me what happened.¡± Shelly glanced at the curious look of Pebble and Cobble. Boss also looked over at the two as they looked back.


    Pebble and Cobble were about to excused themselves when everyone¡¯s gaze was upon them. However, Shelly paid them no mind and turned back to look at Boss before her. She slowly recounted what happened during training leading up to the final event of the day.


    Pebble and Cobble¡¯s expression was serious by the end of the story, they finally understood why Arthur wanted Michael to be saved.


    ¡°Oh, was this what the Pope meant by Julie¡¯s destiny? Hm, nah this isn¡¯t it.¡± Boss began to mutter to himself creating his own deductions. Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued onto the kid as he spoke. Destiny? Not it?


    ¡°Weird creatures eh? How old did they look?¡± Boss saw the confusion on their face. ¡°I meant Michael and Julie.¡± Shelly thought for a bit, ¡°Only a few years older, if I had to guess 3-5 years from now.¡±


    ¡°3-5 whole years? Why do I need to save Michael if it¡¯s in 3 to 5 years? He then looked at the two kids besides him. ¡°That¡¯s too long I won¡¯t do it unless it¡¯s right now.¡± The kids could only helplessly look at the impatient appearance of Boss before them, wasn¡¯t he an immortal that lived multiple millennia and didn¡¯t even know his own age?


    ¡°You won¡¯t do it?¡± Arthur¡¯s nose started to itch.


    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s too long, I will forget, you can do it though.¡± Boss excused himself from the trouble and placed it on Arthur¡¯s shoulders. ¡°3-5 years should be enough time for you to not be completely useless, right?¡±


    Arthur didn¡¯t know what to say before Boss continued ¡°If Michael dies in 3-5 years, that just means it was meant to be and you two were not strong enough to stop it.¡±


    ¡°Can we really change the future?¡± Arthur asked.


    Boss gave Arthur a dumb look. ¡°Of course, you saw that Michael in 3-5 years was still brown and useless right? Just¡­ I don¡¯t know have him wear a colorful wig and some sunglasses in the future. See? Future changed.¡±


    Everyone gave Boss a strange look, was it as easy as the kid had said? Arthur felt determined to change Michael¡¯s destiny and decided in the future, he¡¯ll force Michael to wear a wig and sunglasses at all time.


    ¡°You can just change his appearance, then the future will change. Or you can just get stronger and change it yourself. Time is an illusion that you all assume is linear, but it can be changed, twisted and reversed¡­ if you¡¯re strong enough.¡± Boss words was shocking to behold to everyone couldn¡¯t completely comprehend what he meant.


    Shelly gave Boss an odd look, did this mean the kid before her can mess with the fabric of time itself?


    ¡°Can you change time?¡± Shelly asked.


    Boss then pointed at a wooden pendulum clock that was mounted on the wall nearby. ¡°Behold!¡± The little kid shouted as the arm of the clock stopped and reversed in time.


    ¡°Behold!¡± The arm then reversed again speeding forward.


    ¡°Behold!¡± It reversed again and stopped in place.


    ¡°See I¡¯ve changed it 3 times.¡± He then saw the blank look on everyone¡¯s faces. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s back to normal.¡±


    Gran made his way over during Boss¡¯ demonstration, he saw the arm of the clock spin around unnaturally when Shelly asked if Boss could change time. He also paid close attention to the movements around the house and upstairs, nothing changed during Boss¡¯ demonstration. He sighed in relief when he realized the kid only just changed the time of the clock.


    ¡°Lunch is ready.¡± Gran stated calmly after arriving. Boss immediately hopped up and bounced to the kitchen table. Everyone else just shook their head, Boss was just too much.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get Michael.¡± Arthur stated and ran upstairs. Michael turned to look at the opening door when Arthur arrived. ¡°Lunch is ready.¡± Arthur whispered.


    Michael then turned around and saw the sleeping girl before him. ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a bit.¡±


    Arthur nodded his head and turned around. ¡°Boss is here.¡± He paused for a moment ¡°He said destiny can be changed.¡± Arthur was determined to put a colored wig and sunglasses on Michael once he said that.


    Michael was lost in thought to Arthur¡¯s words, Michael really believed that destiny can be changed, he was determined to change it himself. Hearing the little boy speak he softly released Julie¡¯s hand and followed out the door a minute later.


    ¡°Michael will be down in a bit¡± Arthur stated as he sat on the table. Food was being brought out by the servants one at a time until the table was completely full of sparkling dishes.


    Boss¡¯ mouth was drooling. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in¡± he wanted to eat immediately.


    ¡°Wait for Michael.¡± Shelly replied.


    Luckily for Boss Michael arrived a few seconds after Shelly told him to wait. Half an hour passed by before every dish on the table was licked clean. ¡°That was delicious.¡± Boss let out a hearty burp showing he was content. Michael excused himself immediately after they were done eating, he wanted to stay with Julie.


    ¡°Should we all stay here and wait until Julie wakes up?¡± Boss asked. He then turned to look at Gran. ¡°A few more rooms prepared for us please.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gran replied.


    Michael returned to the room and sat before Julie. A few more hours passed by as he sat there, everyone during these hours came to visit and check up on both Michael and Julie. Seeing that they were fine they¡¯ll just say a few words before quietly leaving.


    ¡°Julie, I don¡¯t know if you can hear me, but I¡¯ll change that future of mine. So, please don¡¯t worry about me.¡± His lips started to quiver as tears welled up in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll become stronger, strong enough to change what we saw.¡±


    An hour passed by and Julie¡¯s eyes started to flutter as she let out a yawn. ¡°Julie?¡± Michael looked at the girl in confusion, she woke up a lot sooner than he expected.


    ¡°Michael?¡± Julie wiped her eyes and saw the person before her.


    ¡°Julie!¡± Michael embraced her causing her to look at him in confusion.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did I pass Gran¡¯s test?¡± Julie asked. Michael who was hugging her froze for a moment. Tears welled down his eyes when he heard her ask that question.


    ¡°You passed, you exhausted yourself, but you passed.¡± He was so grateful; so grateful she didn¡¯t remember. They both held each other tightly, one in excitement, the other in tears.

 40. Michael eventually

    Ch 40. Michael eventually


    <hr>


    Michael eventually wiped away all traces of tears on his face before pulling away from Julie. His once tearful face was replaced by a warm smile.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Michael calmly asked. Julie nodded her head; she did feel hungry.


    ¡°Wait here, I¡¯ll get you something to eat, and let everyone know you¡¯re awake.¡± He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for the entire day, they¡¯re awfully worried about you.¡± Michael headed for the door with calm steady steps.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Julie smiled and remained in bed.


    The door closes, Michael entered the room next door and informed Dr. Galil about Julie waking up. The doctor immediately went to check on Julie who greeted him with a smile, seeing her smile he nodded his head and checked on her condition.


    During this time Michael raced downstairs only to see the surprised look on his face as everyone was making way towards his direction. The moment he saw them they too saw him.


    ¡°Michael? Where are you going?¡± Arthur asked. Michael looked at the group of people who was blocking the stairs in front of him. He steadies his heartrate and calmly replied, ¡°Julie is awake.¡±


    Before anyone could show an expression, Michael quickly added ¡°She doesn¡¯t remember what happened during the test.¡± An audible gasp could be heard from Boss as he shuffled his way forward.


    ¡°Y¡­you mean she doesn¡¯t know anything?¡± Boss stammered; Michael just now recognized that Boss was here too and nodded his head. He assumed Boss would have left after lunch. Arthur gave everyone a confused look and asked. ¡°What? What?¡±


    Shelly quickly pulled Arthur over and whispered in his ears detailing what this signified. The expression of confusion on Arthur¡¯s face was slowly showing traces of shock as he continually darted his eyes in Michael¡¯s direction.


    Seeing that everyone finally understood what this meant Michael continued ¡°I don¡¯t want her to know that I know. Can you guys promise me not to tell her?¡± Michael spoke with the calmest voice possible.


    Seeing the hesitation on some of their faces Michael tried the keep his emotions in and asked. "Please?¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°Okay¡± Everyone unanimously agreed. Pebble walked forward and leaned into Michael¡¯s ear ¡°I¡¯ll agree since it¡¯s not my business to tell her, but if what I¡¯m told is true, you probably shouldn¡¯t follow them to the Tillowisk Empire.¡±


    Michael shook his head, ¡°Wherever she goes, I¡¯ll go.¡± Seeing the strong look of conviction on Michael¡¯s face Pebble knew he couldn¡¯t persuade him otherwise. It wasn¡¯t in his discretion to do so anyways.


    ¡°Alright, then you should go get ready to meditate.¡± Pebble replied, Michael just realized it was already almost evening and agreed, if he wanted to be with her, he had to get stronger and finding his internal energy was the only way he could even start to learn how to harness the energy within him.


    Realizing why they were all walking upstairs at the same time Michael asked, ¡°Were you guys here to get me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we were going to get you for meditation and seeing of Julie was doing okay.¡± Arthur replied.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine, Dr. Galil is with her right now, I¡¯m going to prepare her something to eat, you guys can go to her first.¡± Michael stated. He was about to continue to walk forward but Boss stopped him. ¡°Let¡¯s all go, the servants can make food for her.¡±


    Gran pulled a servant over and told them to prepare some food for Julie. Seeing Boss and Gran¡¯s decision Michael relented and brought everyone into Julie¡¯s room.


    ¡°Julie!¡± Arthur hurried over and gave the girl sitting upright on the bed a warm hug. Everyone else slowly crowded into the room and greeted her.


    ¡°Is she fine doctor?¡± Arthur asked. Dr. Galil assured everyone that Julie was in perfect health and there should be nothing to worry about. He even stated that Julie could join them for meditation tonight too before excusing himself to monitor Roselyn. Gran, Pebble and Cobble followed Dr. Galil out.


    Seth didn¡¯t know whether to follow Cobble out or stay with Boss and the rest, unfortunately for him he didn¡¯t get to decide as Boss closed the door. Being stuck in the room Seth made small talk with the rest anxiously waiting for an excuse to leave. Boss this whole time never brought up the fact that he knew who Seth was.


    Luckily for Seth a maid walked in with a tray in her hand with Julie¡¯s lunch. He excused himself during this moment and left the room. Who knew that after he left, Boss, Shelly and Arthur, also walked out of the room and followed him?


    ¡°Seth!¡± Arthur shouted causing him to stop in place.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna go practice our meditation, want to join?¡± Arthur stated. Seth was about to reply when Arthur continued. ¡°Boss told us it¡¯s better if we started early than waiting for the Chief.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The little boy with sunglasses nodded his head and took the lead ¡°let¡¯s go.¡± Seth didn¡¯t even have the option to excuse himself anymore.


    In the meditation room Boss sat there and stared at the three who were meditating, or well one with two being confused and fidgety.


    ¡°Seth and Arthur, stop thinking. You just need to empty your mind and find the energy source that is your internal energy. Especially you Seth, you can¡¯t even reach the starting point if you don¡¯t meditate correctly. Arthur, you¡¯re lucky you¡¯re an Exotic at least once you hit puberty, you¡¯ll be able to sense it and learn to control it.¡± Boss¡¯ voice irked them both but they couldn¡¯t refute and tried to empty their mind.


    It was harder than they could possibly imagine as they found it difficult to obtain peace. Seth was constantly in conflict with every spectrum of emotions whereas Arthur kept recalling the nightmare he had.


    Boss glanced at Shelly who was expressionless the entire time she was meditating. Only a cold dominant aura exuded from her from time to time. He then returned to look at the two who were struggling.


    The door opened again as Gran walked in. He noticed the people who were already meditating and silently greeted Boss. Michael and Julie arrived shortly and sat down beside each other.


    ¡°Empty your mind, whatever fear, hatred, passion you feel, don¡¯t run from it, but don¡¯t embrace it either. Become a spectator. That¡¯s how you¡¯ll find your powers¡± Boss¡¯ stated his final worlds as he got up and walked out of the room.


    Gran saw the departing back of the figure and turned his eyes towards the people who were struggling with their meditation after he had left. It was obvious to him that meditation meant you had to empty your mind, it seemed like the three boys didn¡¯t even realized this. He shook his head and waited; the meditation test will begin shortly after.


    An hour passed by in a blink of an eye as Boss chatted with Pebble and Cobble about the festivities they¡¯ve thrown for the returning kids, the town of Asmar, and what he should prepare for once they arrived at the other side of the world.


    The door opened with the usual lineup of people with Gran in the lead, followed by those who got smacked from least to greatest. Today, Gran decided to smack them. It was time for him to disrupt their peace.


    Shelly, Julie both had visible marks left from the stick on their arms, even they couldn¡¯t completely control their peace. Arthur, Seth and Michael all had 60 marks all throughout their body.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Difficult, not enough control.¡± Shelly replied. Boss then glanced at Julie who had more markings. ¡°What Shelly said, everything was more erratic and didn¡¯t follow a rhythm.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t surprising that the test was difficult for these two, Gran decided that during the meditation to split the groups up between the boys and girls. Since Shelly and Julie already knew how to extend their internal energy outwardly while meditating. He aimed to increase their control while extracting both the quality and quantity of the energy they had.


    His swings were variable in speed and power making it difficult for them to sense and avoid what was coming to them. They had to increase both the concentration of energy they harnessed and expand it outwards further.


    The boys on the other hand still suffered from not being pressured enough, so every swing while still consistent, started to hurt.


    ¡°If today wasn¡¯t a warning for what¡¯s to come, then you¡¯re in trouble. I will make it harder on you all for the rest of the time I have with you. Every day from now on will progressively get harder and you will get hurt, meditating with me is a test. Meditating outside of that room is just practice for the test.¡± Gran left immediately after stating what he had to say.


    ¡°I¡¯ll continue to create mazes for you guys on your way back to the hotel, the faster you all make it back the more time you have to meditate tonight. Otherwise, tomorrow is going to look rough on you.¡± Boss already hopped off of the sofa and took the lead to the gate.


    There was no time for them to talk with Pebble or Cobble, everyone bid them goodbye and left for the Inn. Seth was also forced to come along since he had no reason to stay.


    The moment they made it to the gate Seth wanted to leave right away as he took the lead. However, after teleporting back to the front and looking around like an idiot. Seth recalled the situation at the staircase and realized that it was caused by Boss. ¡°Alright, now that Seth knows the situation, go.¡± Boss waved them off as he sat with the gatekeeper and began to play more chess.


    ¡°You seem livelier than yesterday, did something happen?¡± The gatekeeper asked as he moved a piece.


    ¡°Progress is being made.¡± Boss countered and removed a piece on the board. The gatekeeper shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s good, but you¡¯ll need to make more progress to beat me.¡± The gatekeeper returned removing one of Boss¡¯ piece.


    Thirty minutes was all it took for them to beat the maze Boss had made for them on their third day, did they improve? Not really, the maze was the same as the one he made for them yesterday, the only difference was the directions they had to take.


    The brown-wigged kid was standing at the entrance of the Inn, who knew when he had gotten there. ¡°Congratulations, today is an easy one since it¡¯s getting dark, expect to suffer more in a few days.¡± He left and walked upstairs.


    Seth was extremely confused, but he didn¡¯t have time to ask questions as everyone was already following the boy. Seth too picked up his pace and made it to his own room.


    Riley, Mason, Gerald, and Sampson all greeted him upon his arrival, asking him how training went and why there was so many marks all over his body. Seth explained to them what the training was like and made the normal people thankful they didn¡¯t go.


    Riley and Mason wearily looked at each other, the training Seth was in was far tougher than the entrance examination for enrollment. They wanted to ask Seth some more questions, but he had already sat cross-legged on the bed and began to meditate.


    Seeing Seth meditate, they too all followed suit and began meditating.


    Boss was tossing a bright ball in their room when a person appeared before him. Her green hair was a mess and the bags underneath her yellow eyes were noticeable. She glanced over at Michael and Arthur who was already meditating and revealed a bright ball with a handle on it to Boss.


    ¡°I finished making a bright ball that could turn off.¡± She handed it to the boy before him. ¡°I call it Bright Ball Version 2, Turn Off Edition.¡± She stated.


    ¡°Such a weird name.¡± Boss replied while pressing the switch that caused the bright ball to turn off and on. What the switch did was introduce a third component that would automatically turn off the bright ball.


    ¡°Do you have a better name?¡± Orchid asked, she was annoyed that the kid before her didn¡¯t even look all that amazed at her new invention and cared about the name.


    "Pfft, of course I have a better name, they don''t call me master of names for nothing." Boss replied.


    "Oh yeah? Then tell me little mister master of names, what should my invention be called if not Bright Ball Version 2, Turn Off Edition?"


    ¡°Hmm... How about, flashlight? Cool name huh? I made it up myself¡±


    "Flashlight..."

 41. Orchid was amazed

    Chapter 41. Orchid was amazed


    <hr>


    Orchid was amazed when she heard flashlight, yes! It does flashes when it turned on and it is a source of light. ¡°Not bad, flashlight.¡± Orchid nodded her head in satisfaction at the name. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go with that.¡± She agreed to Boss¡¯ comment.


    ¡°They¡¯re finally learning how to properly meditate, eh?¡± Orchid circled around the two who had a blank look on their face with their eyes closed, seemingly deep in meditation.


    ¡°I guess you can say that.¡± Boss handed the flashlight back to Orchid and asked, ¡°What¡¯re you going to do about Roselyn¡¯s situation?¡±


    ¡°I thought about it and I¡¯ll give it a few more days.¡± Orchid replied. Boss nodded his head in understanding. She then flicked the flashlight in her hand off and opened the door. ¡°Can¡¯t you teleport?¡± Boss asked.


    Orchid froze momentarily and closed the door shut behind her. Her body teleported out of his sight. Boss shook his head, Orchid was a weirdo in his mind, she shows up whenever she wants and uses the door when she could teleport.


    ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡± Boss stated. The two boys who was meditating on the bed exhaled and gasped for air. ¡°Bark bark.¡± Barkie patted the head of Arthur with his paw. Freaking damn near suffocated yourself to death. It berated.


    ¡°You two should be trying to meditate, not hold your breath.¡± Boss calmly stated.


    ¡°But Boss, you can¡¯t blame us there, she just appeared out of nowhere.¡± Arthur replied.


    ¡°We had to give Auntie Orchid a good performance.¡± Arthur¡¯s words were serious as Boss rolled his eyes from underneath the sunglasses. ¡°Instead of performing, why not actually doing it.¡±


    ¡°Get back to meditating.¡± Boss commanded.


    Michael and Arthur complied and tried their best to meditate. Inwardly Arthur¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t calm down, both he and Michael overheard what Orchid mentioned about Roselyn. What did she mean by a few more days?


    Arthur became lost in thought as he continued to guess about Roselyn, which then led to thoughts about the baby. His mind continued to wonder, not focusing on meditating at all. He eventually thought back to his mom and dad. I wonder if they miss me.


    ¡­


    ¡°Are you alright Samuel?¡± Angel asked the nervous looking husband standing beside her. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright.¡± Samuel wiped away the sweat on his forehead and exhaled to calm himself down.


    ¡°Want me to knock on the door sir?¡± Benjamin walked up and asked.


    ¡°Wait¡ª¡±


    Benjamin knocked on the door causing Samuel to scramble and steady himself. The door slowly creaked open as an old lady peeked her head out. ¡°Who is it?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s me.¡± Samuel stammered. Hearing a familiar voice, she opened the door completely wide open and stared at the man before her. ¡°Sammy!¡± The old lady in her late early 60s pulled Samuel in for a vigorous squeeze.


    The old lady realized there was more than just her Sammy at the front of the entrance. She peered her eyes at the beautiful silver haired woman with enchanting blue eyes. ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Angel the son stealer. Hmph.¡±


    ¡°Hi, mother in law¡­¡± Angel greeted the old lady before her with a sigh. (Do keep in mind, Samuel and Angel are only in their mid-30s)


    ¡°I don¡¯t talk to son stealers.¡± The lady completely ignored Angel and her eyes turned to another figure behind them.


    ¡°Benji!¡± She shoved Samuel aside and rushed in and hugged Benjamin ¡°Benji! Are you doing okay? Is my son being mean to you?¡±


    Benjamin eyed Samuel thinking about how to respond. Samuel saw his mischievous look and gestured to him to cut it out.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing great, the lord is very welcoming of me.¡± Benjamin politely replied.


    The old lady smiled brightly ¡°That¡¯s good! Come in, come in!¡± She led them into the giant mansion of a home. Tea was quickly being prepared as servants around the house scrambled to accommodate the guest who had arrived.


    ¡°How many years has it been, my son?¡± She looked at the nervous Samuel before her. ¡°E-eleven.¡± Samuel stuttered.


    ¡°Eleven! You haven¡¯t visited me for 11 years. Even Angel visited me more times than you! The old woman paused and calmed herself down, she told herself that her son just came back after 11 years, she can¡¯t be yelling at him like this. She coughed and calmed herself down ¡°Ahem, why have you come? I¡¯m not letting you get Winston too.¡±


    Her reply caused Samuel to cough, he was the one that asked for Benjamin a few years back, and he sent his own wife to do it.


    ¡°No, no it¡¯s nothing like that mother, Benjamin is plenty.¡± Samuel tried to appease his mom.


    An older gentleman in his mid-50s arrived. ¡°You called for me madame?¡± He had shimmering blue hair down to his back with magenta eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing Winston, just prepare us some snacks, would you?¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Right away, madame.¡± Winston left as quickly as he came.


    Looking at the still nervous son of hers she couldn¡¯t help but soften up. ¡°Come here, let me have a good look at you.¡± Samuel walked up and knelt before his mother. ¡°You¡¯ve aged. You¡¯ve gotten fatter too¡± She bluntly stated.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± Samuel weakly pleaded.


    ¡°Shush you, showing up here after 11 long years without even as much as a letter.¡± The lady continued to bicker. She then sent Samuel back to his seat and asked.


    ¡°Why have you come to Tryn?¡± The old lady got straight to the point as snacks arrived at the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing my ass, tell me or I¡¯ll tell your father.¡± The old lady picked up a biscuit and ate. Angel and Benjamin were also enjoying their time with the snacks, it was only Samuel who was too nervous to speak.


    ¡°I¡ªuh I have a problem.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say? Why else would you show up at my place after 11 years.¡± The woman threw a cookie at Samuel. ¡°Eat it and calm down.¡±


    Samuel ate while she waited. It wasn¡¯t until the plate of snacks were gone at the table did Samuel feel calm enough to speak.


    ¡°I have a problem¡­¡±


    ¡°Go on¡­¡±


    ¡°Angel and I had a baby.¡± Samuel instantly tensed himself for his mom¡¯s lashing and berating however, none of that came through. He peeked one eye at his mother who replied. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You knew?¡± Samuel¡¯s eyes were wide with shock.


    ¡°Angel told me when she was here to get Benjamin.¡± Samuel¡¯s mouth was agape as he stared at his wife. How come she never told me?


    ¡°Where is my grandson anyways? 11 years and the boy has never even met his grandma, are you waiting until I die for you to bring him here?¡±


    ¡°I, uh no, I mean he¡¯s not here right now, He¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Out with it already.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to Cheshire for schooling.¡± Samuel tensed again and peeked an eye after noticing nothing happened. His mother was holding a teacup high in her hand almost ready to toss it at him.


    He immediately closed both eyes and tensed himself again.


    Sigh ¡°You¡¯ve brought a big problem to my doorstep you know that?¡±


    ¡°Why now? Why Cheshire, why Naturelle? Why the Tillowisk Empire!? Did you not read the letter? Of course, you did, why else would you be here.¡± The old woman continued to ask questions that did not need to be answered.


    Samuel could only stay quiet and wait for her to continue.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let the main family in Zeldova know that you¡¯re disobeying the King¡¯s decree.¡± She replied after thinking for a long while.


    ¡°Will they listen?¡± Samuel asked. He was worried the most about whether or not he¡¯ll receive the main family¡¯s protection on this.


    ¡°Of course, they¡¯ll listen, you think your father and I and the rest of the side branches are weak? We can topple those arrogant idiots any day if we wanted to. It¡¯s just that it¡¯ll cause unnecessary bloodshed and make the Galafray¡¯s name weaker.¡± His mom assured.


    ¡°Remember this my son, we are no less inferior to the main branch, in some ways we¡¯re far superior, especially when it comes to disobeying orders, we have more leeway in that regards because we¡¯re not directly underneath the King¡¯s umbrella.¡±


    Hearing what his mom had to say Samuel sighed in relief.


    The day after Arthur left them, they went back inside and decided on the next course of action, Samuel believed that having the Galafray¡¯s name would be enough to deter the king. However, still worried after an hour of thinking about it he asked Angel and Benjamin about what they could do.


    Benjamin brought up his mother, which was instantly rejected by Samuel because he was afraid, he¡¯d get punished by his mother and father for getting married to Angel.


    The last time they¡¯ve met was at his wedding where she explicitly told him to see her after the wedding to talk about his decision on marrying Angel. They had another girl in mind when Samuel dropped a bombshell that he was getting married to Angel the next day.


    Seeing the anger in his mother¡¯s eye on the night of the wedding Samuel took Angel and everything else he could and settled in Rouge for the next 11 years. During that time, they had Arthur he was enlisted to go to war as a frontline Exotic by the King.


    Normally, Exotics were a last line of defense, but Samuel and his cousins were tossed to the frontline. This was believed to be his father¡¯s decision for not telling them anything about Angel. A form of long-distance discipline, both Jacob and Dylan were tossed in by his aunt and uncle at the request of his father, since they also knew and didn¡¯t mention anything.


    Eventually Samuel and Angel agreed that an angry mother was far better than strangers with the same last name in terms of help and support.


    ¡°Now Angel, come here, I still need to yell at you for marrying my son.¡± The old lady led Angel into the kitchen. Samuel wanted to stop his mother, but Angel told him it¡¯ll be okay.


    ¡°How dare you marry my son! ... (How¡¯re you doing?)¡± Samuel¡¯s mother whispered to Angel.


    ¡°(I¡¯m doing fine)¡± Angel whispered back.


    ¡°You no good son stealer! ... (Thanks for bringing him here.)¡±


    (It was Benjamin¡¯s idea)


    ¡°The other girl was better! ... (She wasn¡¯t.)


    (Ahaha)


    The sounds of yelling continued to be heard as Samuel shuddered from the verbal abuse spewed by his mother. Colorful language he didn¡¯t even know existed were being flown around. Eventually, the shattering of a plate onto marbled floor silenced the kitchen and the angry stomping of his mother could be heard as she huffed her way into her room.


    Samuel was worried that Angel didn¡¯t walk out and was about to get up when her silhouette came into view. Sighing in relief Samuel sat back down as Angel walked on over.


    Winston made his way out of the kitchen with a sweeper and a dustpan filled with shattered glass towards the group.


    ¡°The madame said it¡¯s too late for you to journey on home, so stay here for tonight. In separate bedrooms.¡± He continued. ¡°We have three guest bedrooms ready for you, come right this way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Samuel, your mother specifically stated we can¡¯t be together tonight.¡± Angel closed the door on Samuel¡¯s face. Benjamin saw depressed look on his lord¡¯s face and walked over.


    Pat pat ¡°There, there my lord, maybe she won¡¯t be as angry once we¡¯re home.¡± Benjamin patted Samuel¡¯s back, it wasn¡¯t sure if he was deliberately annoying Samuel or not.


    Winston led the other two further deeper into the mansion as far away from Angel as possible. ¡°Here are both of your rooms, don¡¯t do anything I wouldn¡¯t do.¡± Winston stated before letting the two into the room for them to sleep for the night.


    Hours passed by in the night. Everyone was asleep except for a silhouette. That person slowly tiptoed towards Angel¡¯s door and softly knocked on it.


    Angel who wasn¡¯t sleeping yet got out of bed and walked over to the door and opened it.


    The person immediately let themselves in and locked the door behind them.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to gossip all night girl~, tell me everything about the past years.¡± The person was none other than Samuel¡¯s mother.


    Knock knock another knocking followed shortly after Samuel''s mother entered, it was Winston at the door with snacks in his hands. ¡°I¡¯m sure you two will be up all night again, so I¡¯ve brought some snacks.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Winston, won¡¯t you come in?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you I¡¯ll make sure Samuel doesn¡¯t show up.¡± Winston stated and closed the door again.


    Angel smiled and led the mother-in-law onto the bed. ¡°Where did we left off at last time mother-in-law?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, Angel, it¡¯s Elizabeth when Samuel isn¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Elizabeth.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more about Arthur, does he have any friends?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a few of them in fact.¡±


    ¡°Go, go, go we only have tonight.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, alright.¡±

 42. The night

    Chapter 42. The Night


    <hr>


    The night felt short as time flew by, the two women spent the whole night chatting and gossiping about their husband, sons, and anything else related to their life all within that time span.


    Elizabeth got a somewhat clearer understanding about the situation back in Rouge and learned more about her grandson. The new friends he¡¯s made were¡­ quite unique if she had to say so herself based on Angel¡¯s descriptions. She felt as if she needed to meet the kids her grandson has made friends with; there¡¯s no way Angel¡¯s words were anything but an exaggerated story.


    Elizabeth wanted to ask more that night about his friends but couldn¡¯t help but notice the worried look on Angel¡¯s face whenever she talked about Arthur even though there was a smile on the surface. Elizabeth subtlety reassured Angel that nothing would happen to Arthur by mentioning that her husband (Angel¡¯s father-in-law, Samuel¡¯s father) was in Zeldova. All she had to do was send him a letter about the situation.


    By the time the sun had arrived a knock on the signified that it was time for them to part ways. Elizabeth gave Angel a warm hug and told her to come back again soon. Angel assured her she¡¯ll bring Arthur with her next time. Elizabeth smiled at Angel¡¯s response and told Angel to take care of Samuel before leaving the room, Winston gave her a nod and followed suit.


    Samuel woke up minutes later and snuck his way over to Angel¡¯s room. Angel opened the door to his worried face, Samuel thought perhaps his mother came to bully to her last night after stomping away from the kitchen.


    Surprisingly, Angel was fine and seemed happier than normal. Samuel thought that Angel was just trying to put on a happy face for him and got even more worried. He kept trying to assure her that everything will be fine and that his mother is a great person. His worrying and assurance got to the point where Angel couldn¡¯t take it anymore and kicked him out of the room.


    Benjamin walked by and saw Samuel¡¯s plight and continued to walk away completely ignoring his lord who had just been tossed away by his wife. It seemed the journey back home today will be an interesting one, he thought.


    It wasn¡¯t until noon that Angel exited the room after taking a nap. Winston and Elizabeth stood at the front entrance of the mansion to see Angel, Samuel, and Benjamin already returning back to Rouge after an overnight stay. Samuel gave his mom some last few words and promised her he¡¯ll start sending letters more often. He wanted to send her letters on how great Angel has been to him so that next time his mother would go easier on Angel.


    Samuel waved his finger in the air and three shadows appeared directly before them. With one last bow to his mother and Winston the shadows completely covered the three as their physical bodies disappeared without a trace. If Elizabeth hadn¡¯t known about Samuel¡¯s powers, she would not have notice three shadows flat on the ground camouflaging into the environment as it vanished off into the distance.


    Elizabeth sighed at how fast her son had grown up over these past years and felt grateful that even though he was still a grown man he still came to her for help. She also felt a little worried about this too, Samuel has done everything on his own for the second half of his life, for him to come to her again really shows that he was desperate.


    ¡°Winston, go see if they were being tracked, if any person seemed suspicious get rid of them.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s voice was cold as she directed her orders to Winston.


    ¡°Right away.¡± Winston tightened the white gloves on his hands and walked out of the mansion wearing a top hat and a monocle. Elizabeth sighed and rested herself on her seat. She quickly adjusted the wig on her head and closed her eyes. The sound of a drawer could be heard opening beside her.


    Less than two hours later Winston returned and tossed away his bloody white gloves into a trash container nearby.


    He walked calmly into Elizabeth¡¯s study and saw her reading a book. The title was ¡°How to Not Spoil Your Grandkids.¡± Elizabeth looked up from her reading only to notice that Winston¡¯s pairs of gloves were gone. She pulled out a drawer and tossed him a pair of new ones.


    Putting on his new pair of white gloves Winston calmly stated, ¡°It is done.¡± Elizabeth nodded her head and placed the book down. ¡°Let¡¯s go out for dinner tonight.¡±


    Winston bowed and left the room. Elizabeth walked over to the window and sighed, it would have been better if the King hadn¡¯t sent people to keep track of them. Most likely they weren¡¯t even here to track Samuel and Angel, just to keep an eye on everyone who moved in and out of Towns within this country after his decree.


    Elizabeth¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Oh well, he knows I don¡¯t like people snooping around my Town. Serves him right.¡± She quickly threw the matter to the back of her head. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had people killed for snooping in her Town, and it wouldn¡¯t¡¯ be the last. King Baroque nearly spat out blood when his people sent reports back a few days later that, yet another person he sent out died in Tryn.


    However, both parties were relentlessly stubborn in what they wanted, in the future Tryn would be known as the resting place for spies and anyone who the King ordered to keep an eye on Tryn would beg for their lives to the point that he eventually relented and allowed for them to only monitor on the outskirts of it.


    Her thoughts were correct, Angel and Samuel weren¡¯t being followed, it was just spies sent by the King to keep an eye on and gather information on every major Towns. Villages and tribes were too small and close knit that strangers were too easily spotted and information they gathered was abysmal and useless.


    The three who rushed northward to Tryn felt immense relief and spent twice as long coming back home. They made sure to keep a disguise and interact with people as little as possible on their way back after surfacing from the shadows.


    It was already almost two weeks after Arthur had left by the time Angel and Samuel returned home. During the trip back home Benjamin was truly enjoying his Lord¡¯s suffering as Angel complained about Elizabeth and his uselessness in front of his mother.


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s okay?¡± Angel asked her husband after they returned to their manor, Benjamin had already excused himself and went back to doing work. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be fine; Gran is training them.¡± Samuel assured. He pulled out a fresh letter from Boulderville. ¡°They¡¯re going to throw a festival welcoming their kids home next week, should we go?¡±


    Angel couldn¡¯t resist the urge to see the kids, ¡°Maybe just a peek, we¡¯ll go and see that they¡¯re doing okay then we¡¯ll leave immediately.¡± Angel still regretted she couldn¡¯t escort them to Naturelle herself but keeping an eye on them while they¡¯re still here should still be okay.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Samuel raised an eyebrow to his wife¡¯s response; he was sure she would reject the decision because there was always a chance they would get caught. ¡°Really?¡± He asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already decided to send him to Naturelle, as long as we don¡¯t get caught being together with him it should be okay.¡± Angel¡¯s conversation with Elizabeth that night and how much Elizabeth assured her that everything was going to be okay prompted her to be a little more daring in disobeying the King.


    ¡°Should we use a better disguise?¡± Samuel asked. Angel rolled her eyes at her husband. ¡°Just use your shadows and cover us, no one would notice two shadows on the ground in a massive crowd.¡±


    Samuel was hesitant to agree he didn¡¯t like to use his shadows in this way. The amount of energy it took to conceal them, while it wasn¡¯t astronomical, still drained him if he used it for a prolong amount of time. As a war veteran he preferred to use his power for combat and a regular disguise to keep hidden. A well-worn disguise didn¡¯t consume any energy meaning he¡¯ll be at his peak during battle.


    However, this wasn¡¯t war, Samuel realized this and agreed moments later. He continued to say ¡°We can leave the day before and arrive when the festival starts.¡± Angel was overjoyed at his response and agreed.


    Meanwhile, during this time the child of theirs is has finished another round with Cobble, Pebble, and Gran. It was day 9 of their 30-day training. Unsurprisingly there was still no progress in unlocking their internal energy for Arthur.


    Seth on the other hand made the most improvements of the three and managed to find his inner energy. He didn¡¯t know what happened, he just felt better every passing day until eventually he felt internal energy for the first time¡ªhe screamed like a girl. Legitimately squealed in excitement during meditation.


    His squeal disrupted everyone¡¯s concentration resulting in Gran smacking him on the face leaving a more prominent mark. This didn¡¯t stop him to have a stupid smile on his face as everyone congratulated him.


    However, things weren¡¯t all bad for the other two guys, both Arthur and Michael while didn¡¯t improve in unlocking their internal energy. They have improved physically through Boss¡¯ training after the first 3 days of maze ways.


    From day 4 onwards they still had mazes to do which was led by both Shelly and Julie, with the three guys following behind. However, Boss increased the gravity within the maze ways causing everyone physically incapable of standing upright on their walk back to the Inn. It felt like they were walking through a swamp.


    During this time Arthur, Seth, and Michael showed the most improvements under pressure and managed to stand upright as their physical capabilities improved. Julie and Shelly had already unlocked their internal energy, so they were able to offset some of the pressure Boss had placed within them.


    ¡°Today¡¯s meditation is over.¡± Gran continued to maintain is expressionless fa?ade and left the room before everyone recovered. He didn¡¯t train anyone as hard as these kids before him, the girls showed immense potential and three out of six of them were Exotics.


    Every day was blistering smacks to the arm and legs along with a few body shots. It wasn¡¯t just the kids who was affected by Julie¡¯s prophecy, Gran really wanted to do his best so that these kids before him would be able to change their fate.


    The two girls opened their eyes with a calm expression on their face. They¡¯ve made marked improvements in terms of internal energy manipulation. They are able to extend and condense the energy all around their body and instantly react to incoming attacks from Gran.


    Julie rubbed her arms and smiled at Shelly beside her ¡°Damn, I thought I would go for two in a row. Teacher Gran is really making it hard for us to get a perfect score.¡± Shelly returned the smile and rubbed her shoulder. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Both of these girls managed to maintain their near perfect record when it comes to meditation. Julie on average would get hit 55/60 times with Shelly going in and out of 59 and 60 each day.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna move~¡± Arthur laid on cool cold floor rubbing his burning arms and legs on it to cool off the stinging pain. ¡°Teacher Gran is too mean; he¡¯s making it too difficult for me to even concentrate!¡±


    ¡°Young master, that¡¯s the point.¡±


    ¡°But Shelly~ can¡¯t we get Boss to give us the pills he gave to those guys? They¡¯ve also found their inner energy!¡± Arthur recalled meeting Seth¡¯s friend a few days back. Each one had their own personality, Gerald seemed pretty smart, Sampson was awkward, Mason was always smiling, and Riley was cool. This is what Arthur thought of them.


    ¡°Young master, he¡¯s said no for the past three days, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll do it.¡± Shelly replied.


    ¡°Damn right, I won¡¯t.¡± The door opened up and a kid with a kitten in his arm and a puppy on his head walked in. ¡°You can stop begging for it, it was just some marbles I found near a dead body. You don¡¯t want dead body marbles do ya?¡±


    Arthur rolled his eyes at Boss¡¯ response, the first day Arthur asked Boss said he found those marbles in the dirt. The second day he said that some guy was sucking on it and spat it out. Today it was a dead body? He knew they were all lies; Boss just didn¡¯t want to give it to him.


    ¡°Hurry, hurry let¡¯s go back to the Inn, I want to eat.¡± Boss quickly escorted all of them out of the room. ¡°Come on, or I¡¯ll smack you guys again.¡± Boss¡¯ words were true, yesterday he walked in and tried to rush them out. However, the boys were in too much pain and didn¡¯t want to move, Boss immediately took the stick from Gran and smacked them repeatedly until they got up.


    Cobble and Pebble waved goodbye to the kids who had left and went upstairs. Halfway upstairs Cobble paused in place and stared directly at Roselyn¡¯s room. Without warning he ran into the room and slammed it open.


    Within the room Gran, Dr. Galil and Orchid was standing there, Gran had an extremely frustrated look whereas Dr. Galil repeatedly told both of them not to do it.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be good, Roselyn is very feeble right now, if you take her back home, I¡¯m afraid she could die.¡±


    ¡°At least she¡¯ll have a chance if we make it back, what you two are doing is slowly killing her by leaving her here.¡± Orchid harshly criticized.


    Dr. Galil turned his direction over to Gran. ¡°As a doctor, I believe it is better to leave Roselyn here¡ª.¡±


    ¡°I''m taking her home.¡± Orchid instantly interrupted.


    Gran sighed and saw the angry look on both the doctor and Orchid, they had been arguing for the past 10 minutes.


    ¡°Can I have one more day to think about it?¡± Gran could only helplessly request.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Gran sighed and knelt before his wife. He held her hands in his, the once cold hands he felt days before were a lot warmer, yet she hadn¡¯t even shown any signs of waking up.


    ¡°My wife, your sister is trying to separate us, she wants to eat me. If you love me, please wake up and stop her.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª No I¡¯m not sis, he¡¯s lying! Well, not completely but not in that way! Well, not yet!¡± Orchid covered her blushing face when she heard what Gran had said. Cobble and Pebble facepalmed and shook their head.


    That was Gran¡¯s last resort, he thought maybe he could wake Roselyn up if he mentioned it, it was a desperate gambit. Seeing that even Roselyn had no reactions to that Gran had decided.


    He looked longingly at his wife for what he believes may be the last time he¡¯ll ever get the chance to. He sighed, stood up, and turned around only to see the bright red face of Orchid.


    ¡°Fine, you win. I¡¯ll help you bring Roselyn back to her home.¡±


    Everyone in the room let out an audible gasp as their eyes grew wide. Gran shook his head when he saw their expressions. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dr. Galil I think Orchid is right. I¡¯m sorry my sons, please come here and say goodbye to your mother. Orchid, I¡¯ll go get the carriages ready.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s face continued to be shocked with their mouth opened big enough to fit an entire apple. Seeing the shocked face of Dr. Galil and his sons Gran knew his choice was beyond their imagination. However, once he saw the shocked look of Orchid, he became confused.


    He stared at Orchid¡¯s eyes who weren¡¯t even on him and saw that it was slowly moving towards his direction.


    ¡°Gran, this is my home.¡± A sweet and melodious voice that he¡¯s heard everyday in his life for as long as he could remember sent chills crawl up his spine. Did my wife die and sent her dying message to me from the beyond?


    ¡°Gran?¡±


    Gran felt cold, completely flabbergasted as he could hear his wife¡¯s words directly in his ears.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you look at me? Turn around.¡±


    Gran was completely scared; he was mortified to turn around and see his dead wife.


    Pebble saw the stupid look on his father¡¯s face and slowly walked in front of him. Gran¡¯s frozen body stared at the son who walked before him. Pebble reached out and twisted Gran¡¯s body around.


    ¡°R-Roselyn!? Eek! Ghost!¡± Gran¡¯s eyes rolled up completely.


    He fainted on the spot.

 43. He fainted?

    Chapter 43. He fainted?


    <hr>


    ¡°He fainted?¡± Everyone was unsure.


    ¡°S-sister? You woke up?¡± Orchid completely ignored Gran¡¯s situation awkwardly stepped towards her sister, the look of disbelief in her eyes as if she had witnessed a miracle.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Sister!¡± Orchid lunged her body at Roselyn and embraced her tightly. Tears started to flow down her eyes as she cried on the shoulder of her eldest sister.


    ¡°There, there.¡± Roselyn softly patted Orchid¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°Sister!¡± Boohoohoo Do you know how worried I was. I thought you were gonna die! Orchid silently cried to herself her mind still couldn¡¯t comprehend the sudden awakening of her sister.


    ¡°Mother?¡± Cobble¡¯s voice was hushed as he was still unsure if he was dreaming or not.


    Orchid smiled at her son indicating that she¡¯s awake.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Cobble sidestepped his father who was placed on the ground by Pebble and rushed over. ¡°You¡¯re okay!¡±


    Both Cobble and Pebble ignored their father completely and swarmed to surround their mother. Their face was ecstatic and happy as they worriedly asked her if she was really okay.


    Seeing that his patient was being surrounded after waking up Dr. Galil had to intervene.


    ¡°Everyone, move aside she just woke up, let me check on her.¡± Dr. Galil waited until the two moved away and gave Roselyn a cursory look. ¡°I¡¯m Dr. Galen Galil may I ask are you feeling unwell? Any pain anywhere?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay doctor, no pain.¡±


    ¡°May I check your pulse?¡± Roselyn reached out an arm and silently consented, Dr. Galil placed his fingers on her wrist and closed his eyes. Her heartrate was stable and better than ever, Dr. Galil then focused his mind to the fullest to see how Roselyn¡¯s internal energy was faring.


    He released his grasp and nodded his head. ¡°She¡¯s in perfect health.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Everyone was overcome with joy as they huddled around Roselyn expression their concerns and spitting out whatever was on their mind. Roselyn answered and warmly smiled back to all their questions and concern.


    A few minutes passed by before Dr. Galil could get ahold of the situation again as he got their attention.


    ¡°Now, now don¡¯t go overboard, she just woke up.¡± Dr. Galil stated. He then continued ¡°Let her rest for a bit, she¡¯ll come out and talk to you all then.¡± Dr. Galil opened the door and watched as the three walked out.


    He then eyed the motionless person on the ground and said, ¡°You too.¡± However, Gran remained unmoved. Dr. Galil sighed at the person who wouldn¡¯t admit that he was awake.


    Pebble and Cobble turned around and was about to carry their father away when Roselyn spoke up and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, just leave him there.¡±


    With her words spoken, both Pebble and Cobble left the room and departed downstairs with Orchid. Dr. Galil also excused himself shortly after and followed his way out.


    ¡°Gran, stand up.¡± Roselyn words were like an absolute command. The once fainted husband of hers peeked single eye opened and pushed himself off the floor. He smiled apologetically at his wife and scuttled over.


    ¡°Come closer.¡± Roselyn motioned Gran¡¯s face to come closer. Gran obliged and knelt down before her. An arm wrapped around his back as she pulled him closer to her, embracing him in a warm hug. Gran¡¯s expressionless face finally broke again since the day she had been asleep. Tears streamed down his eyes to finally see his wife of over thirty years finally awake again.


    ¡°Are you crying?¡± Roselyn whispered; her face was smiling as she could hear Gran weakly huffing his tears away. Both of their face was a wet mess as they embraced each other again.


    Once they managed to settle down their emotions enough to talk Roselyn teased Gran about what he had said earlier the moment she woke up. ¡°You heard everything?¡± Gran asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Roselyn was inwardly laughing inside. She was amused at what she had heard, her mind was the first thing to wake up when Orchid and the doctor was in the room, yet her body wasn¡¯t able to keep up until Gran¡¯s desperate plea. It was only then that her body finally caught up to her mind and she regained full control of her body.


    The first thing she saw when her eyes fluttered open as she tilted her head to the side was the powerfully safe backside of the husband of hers. She then turned her eyes to the shocked expressions of both her sister and sons along with Dr. Galil who she overheard when she was mentally awake.


    Roselyn scooted herself closer to the wall leaving enough space on the bed for the two of them. She patted on the empty spot and directed Gran to lay beside her.


    Laying beside the woman he loved, Gran gently caressed her pregnant belly and relaxed himself. It was hard on him this past week, he promised the Samuel to train the kids, but his wife also suffered the moment they arrived. As a man who always had a sense of obligations and promises to keep, he kept himself busied with work hoping she would wake up.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°How long has it been?¡± Roselyn turned to her husband and brushed her hand through his beautiful red hair. ¡°A little more than a week.¡± Gran replied, as he enthusiastically patted her belly, his face was full of content.


    ¡°Is everything okay? How¡¯s the festival coming along?¡± Roselyn asked. The festival was going to happen next week. During this time friends and families of the school children poured in from all over the continent populating Rouge, Boulderville, and Asmar.


    Most would pass through Rouge, and Boulderville to stay in Asmar to wait for their kids who were arriving home from Naturelle. However, Inns and lodging would quickly fill up resulting in friends and families to stay in nearby towns until their child returned home from across the Continent.


    The inhabitants of Boulderville also had kids and friends who are coming home from Naturelle and Lumiere soon and was getting very excited.


    ¡°You¡¯re just in luck, tomorrow is the day we scare them.¡± Gran was excited for tomorrow¡¯s event. ¡°It¡¯ll be our scariest one yet. We¡¯re going to make them feel terrified for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Aren¡¯t you boys going to just run around with your mask and jump out and scare them?¡± Roselyn asked. This was normally how the pre festivities would start when friends and families would swarm to the village.


    Gran beamed a mischievous smile and told Roselyn about the plan. He noticed Boss¡¯ training with the kids a few days ago and asked Boss if he could do this on full scale creating an entire teleporting mazeway with the Village. Boss agreed and tomorrow friends and family of the returning school children will suffer from being chased by masked men while also being randomly teleported to other locations and getting jump scared by villagers stationed nearby.


    ¡°Remember, no scaring those who can¡¯t handle it.¡± Roselyn replied. The first time they did this event they told no one who entered the village about it and scared the crap out of them. Kids were traumatized, villagers got attacked, and old grandparents¡¯ hearts gave out. Luckily no one died during this incident, but it served as a reminder for Roselyn and Gran.


    ¡°Ahaha, don¡¯t worry how many times have we¡¯ve done this now? Most people know what¡¯s going to happen. However, since this year is different, we¡¯re going to have guards at our entrances to inform them. Hopefully we¡¯ll be done by the evening. Gran replied.


    ¡°Did we receive a message from Lumiere? When will the kids arrive here?¡± Roselyn changed the subject and asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re being escorted by the Teachers and will arrive here in a week.¡±


    ¡°I just want to go pick him up in Zeldova.¡± Roselyn said with a hint of annoyance. Lumiere was located in Zeldova, however the Headmasters along with the Kings of past generations have forbid families from picking up their kids in the Kingdom and instead would send them off with Teachers.


    ¡°You know we can¡¯t, it¡¯s tradition, we¡¯ve done it too. It¡¯s for them to learn how to weather the landscapes and form social bonds with kids around their age. It¡¯s also how we first met.¡± Gran replied.


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s just that I never thought about it until Pebble came along, and I just wanted our sons to be safe.¡± Roselyn replied.


    Gran sighed and continued to comfort the wife beside him. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, nothing ever happened to the kids being escorted by Teachers on their way back. Nothing is stronger than an army of school children wanting to go home.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡±


    Gran and Roselyn remained in bed for another hour comforting and talking to each other. Even as the years gone on by their love and adoration for each other remained as strong as ever.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs, we shouldn¡¯t keep the kids waiting. They¡¯ve been awfully worried about you.¡± Gran got up and reached his hands out for his wife.


    ¡°Mm, okay.¡± Roselyn held his hand and got up. She followed him downstairs and the entire family had a long chat over dinner that night.


    ¡°Rawr!¡± Arthur put on the silver Demon mask made for him and growled at the mirror in front of him. Everyone had just finished taking a bath and the bruises and marks on their body were gone. The mask was for those who are participating in the pre festival scaring event.


    ¡°Boss! Am I scary?¡± Arthur asked. Boss pointed at the puppy on his bedside and said, ¡°You¡¯re as scary as Barkie over there.¡± The puppy lying on the bedside opened its eyes and woof¡¯d in acknowledgement.


    ¡°See it recognizes you as something scary.¡± Boss laughed.


    Arthur paid Boss¡¯ comment no mind and placed the mask beside the bed and asked the fake kid before him ¡°are you going to scare people too?¡± Boss shook his head ¡°I won¡¯t be scaring those people.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Arthur replied and went back to toying with the mask in his hands. Not once thinking about the underlying meaning in Boss¡¯ words. Boss however, maintained sitting on the bedside observing the kid that was standing before the mirror growling at himself. Or more specifically, he was observing the qualitative change within the silver haired boy.


    The boy had no awareness that ever since he left home, the mass of internal energy that had encompassed his heart had begun to spin in a cycle. It was progressively increasing in speed and condensing into a smaller purer form of energy. This progression only spiked again the day everyone fainted within Roselyn¡¯s room.


    Boss knew that it was only a matter of time until the boy will subconsciously choose how his energy will form.


    Knock knock


    Arthur heard the knocking on the door quickly tip toed to corner behind the door. He silently motioned Boss to open the door.


    ¡°Who is it~¡± Boss decided to play along and went to get the door.


    ¡°Shelly.¡±


    ¡°Coming~¡± Boss hopped off the bedside and waddled over to the door, slowly pulling and covering the boy behind it. A little white-haired girl with a white demon mask on her hand and a silver kitten perched on her shoulder gave the room a curious glance and decided to put her own mask on.


    She pointed at the door beside her silently asking if Arthur was behind it. Boss nodded his head and gradually walked back to the bed. Boss glanced at the puppy who witnessed everything shushed it with his finger. Shelly didn¡¯t say anything and walked to another hiding spot and waited.


    Hearing absolutely nothing after the door opened Arthur got curious. He was expecting Shelly to ask Boss where he was or either of them to say a few words to each other. However, neither of that happened which confused him even more.


    He slowly peeked his head out only to see Boss sitting at the bedside and slowly pushed the door closed. He looked around and saw that only Boss was sitting in the room acting as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Where is Shelly?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Oh, she looked inside the room and saw that you weren¡¯t there and left.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°What!¡± Arthur slammed the door closed and stomped over to Boss slightly dejected he couldn¡¯t scare her.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t wanna.¡±


    ¡°Freaking Boss, you¡¯re too unreliable.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Next time, we¡¯ll do the same thing okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The boy prepared himself for his next victim since the first one and walked over to the mirror and began to practice his jump scare tactics.


    ¡°Rawr, rawr.¡±


    Shelly peeked her head out and made eye contact with Boss. She nodded her head indicating she was ready. Boss in response sent a blanket flying through the air and cover the little silver haired boy entirely.


    ¡°Rawr?¡±

 44. Boss! Whyd you do that?

    Chapter 44. Boss! Why''d you do that?


    <hr>


    ¡°Boss! Why¡¯d you do that?¡± Arthur struggled to pull the blanket off his body crumpling it up into a ball and tossing it back at Boss covering him up in the process.


    ¡°Hm? I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Boss¡¯ voice could be heard coming from underneath the blanket. Shuffling the blanket off of his body, Boss¡¯ face turned pale pointing at a figure standing directly behind Arthur.


    ¡°Be-behind you!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Arthur turned his head around. A white demonic mask was staring directly at his face.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°AHH!¡± Arthur rolled backwards and hopped immediately to the opposite of the bed.


    ¡°Ahaha¡± Boss broke out in laughter as Shelly removed the mask on her face.


    ¡°Sh-Shelly! Boss! You, meanie!¡± Arthur shouted the moment Shelly removed her mask.


    Shelly walked over to their bed and sat down on it. Silver gave the puppy cowering beside Arthur a look and hopped down onto Shelly¡¯s lap, startling the puppy in the process. It paid the puppy no mind and stretched itself.


    Arthur came to himself as Barkie hopped on top of his head. ¡°Why¡¯re you here Shelly?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Michael wanted to talk to Julie alone about her destiny and the mission the Pope assigned for them.¡± Shelly replied.


    ¡°Is Michael okay?¡± Arthur asked. Even though he liked to mess with Michael and pick on him ever since they¡¯ve met years ago, he never hated him. Seeing what Michael and Julie had to go through in the future Arthur couldn¡¯t help but be worried and careful around them. He didn¡¯t want to accidently spill this secret they¡¯ve kept from Julie.


    ¡°He looks okay.¡± Shelly replied calmly. She continued, ¡°Young master, you should try to meditate whenever possible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too hard, I don¡¯t get it.¡± Arthur was annoyed, it¡¯s been more than a week of constant training and meditation and it feels like he hasn¡¯t made any progress on it. When it came to be sparring with Cobble, Pebble, and Gran at least he had an idea of what he should do, but when it came to meditation, he couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can do it young master.¡± Shelly calmly replied. ¡°Just close you eyes and focus on your breathing. Don¡¯t think about anything else.¡±


    Shelly demonstrated what Arthur had to do, her eyes closed, back straight, and legs crossed. Not even five seconds later the entire room felt different as if the person in front of them had become one with her surroundings.


    To Arthur even though he could see Shelly, if he couldn¡¯t even believe she was sitting there. He wouldn¡¯t have noticed her if she meditated. Was this how it was every time they were meditating in the room?


    Arthur immediately closed his eyes and tried replicating what she had done. Time slowly went by, flashes of scenes continued to pound his mind forcing him to react. His parents, the Seraphim, Michael, things and events kept appearing within his mind culminating into an unstable mass he couldn¡¯t ignore or suppress.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do it!¡± Arthur shouted; cold sweat was dripping down his forehead. His shout startled to pets who turned their head towards the boy. Shelly calmly opened her eyes a few seconds later seeing the agitated look on Arthur¡¯s face.


    ¡°Try to take it slow, you have too much on your mind, young master.¡± Shelly calmly replied.


    ¡°Of course I do! How can you just ignore and forget everything! How can you do it so easily, but I can¡¯t!?¡± His voice was getting louder and more agitated.


    ¡°It was the only way for me to live.¡± Shelly maintained an expressionless face. Her calm reply instantly shut Arthur up. He never asked Shelly about her life before she became a member of their household and his only friend. Hearing her mention meditation as the only way for her to live, Arthur couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Shelly remained silent causing Arthur to panic for blurting out such a question. ¡°I-I mean, I didn¡¯t I-I¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Shelly calmly replied. She continued, ¡°Young master, it¡¯s not important right now, try your best to find your inner energy.¡± Shelly closed her eyes and continued meditating.


    Boss leaned over and whispered into Arthur¡¯s ears ¡°If you don¡¯t find it, you and Shelly will be separated in Naturelle. Ya know since she already unlocked her inner energy.¡±


    Hearing Boss¡¯ words shocked Arthur, he completely forgot that he¡¯ll be separated from Shelly if he didn¡¯t unlock his inner energy. Arthur turned to look at Shelly who was peacefully meditating completely in her own world. He closed his eyes and tried to do the same.


    Michael returned to the room a few hours later prompting Shelly to excuse herself back to her room. Her eyes turned to give the silver haired boy one last look, his back straight, legs crossed, and his face was calm as he maintained his meditative state.


    A slightly perplex look can be seen on Michael¡¯s face as he examined the boy in front of him after Shelly left. Did Arthur pull a miracle and learned how to meditate? He turned to silently ask Boss if this was true, however the purple haired kid ignored him and continued to observe the changes going on within Arthur.


    The inner energy within the boy increased in speed and condensed itself even further. Did perhaps mentioning Shelly brought about this change? Maybe I should mention her more often around him. Boss thought to himself.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Michael realized that it was better to not make a sound if Arthur was truly meditating and shuffled into his own bed. He was prepared to sleep when he gave the little boy another glance. If this kid can do it, then so can I. Michael pull the blanket away from his body and sat straight up.


    The night flew by with those meditating falling asleep midway through. Each and everyone made some progress that night.


    Michael learned some more details about why Julie was so adamant about not going to the Tillowisk Empire. However, when he tried to ask about her destiny, she continued to change the subject. Shelly also concluded that Boss was the reason for the qualitative energy changes in her body. Arthur managed to meditate for the first time. Orchid in her own delusion feels like she is one step closer to becoming husband and wife with Gran after dinner with the family last night.


    Sunrise came and the kids and young adults are excited to run and scare people. However, there was one thing they had to do¡ªMorning training with Cobble.


    Bam bam bam


    Five people surrounded a single enormous green haired tanned skin man at the center. Weapons and fists were colliding with the man¡¯s body. Every attacker hopped back from the recoil of the collision, some stepped back a few steps further to regain their balance. However, the person who was attacked remained at the center.


    It was Cobble and the 2 kids and 3 young adults who was training with him. Cobble seemed extremely energetic and happy this morning when they arrived greeting them directly at the front door. He led them straight to the back and instead of their usual one on one he directly challenged all at the same time.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Cobble roared at the five exhausted attackers before him. Provoking them to continue with their barrage of failed attacks. The five answered to his roar and responded with an outburst of their own. An arrow shot from Shelly¡¯s bow initiated another round of attacks.


    Footsteps trampled on the dirt as they pulled out their weapons and lunged towards the towering man before them. Any regular person would¡¯ve been pierced through and diced five ways from the blades in their hands. However just a few centimeters before any contact with the flesh is made a strong popping explosion sent them flying back a few meters.


    Steam was coming off the body of Cobble as his burst of inner energy propelled outwards intimidating those before him. Blowing out the steam from his nostrils like that of a raging bull Cobble maintained his stance and awaited their next attack.


    Undeterred by the intimidation Cobble presented the kids, they quickly changed their plans going from straightforward head on attacks to tactics. Julie continued to attempt to stall Cobble momentarily with her powers while the others aimed for Cobble¡¯s blind spot. But as a pure defensive user, there was no blind spot for Cobble from those who are weaker than him.


    Arrows, weapons, fists, dirt, and anything else they could fling and throw at him continued to get deflected by the unmovable man before them. Tactics both complex and dirty used by the trainees left more to be desired.


    Training ended quicker and faster than their usual one versus one ending in less than 2 hours of nonstop attacks. The trainees were exhausted, some of them were lying on the ground unable to move, while the others could barely maintain standing. Cobble was impenetrable fortress deflecting everything they threw at him. Even the weapons were cracked, chipped and broken from constant abuse.


    ¡°Haaaah haaaah, I can¡¯t breathe, I can¡¯t. Water~¡± Arthur was beyond tired; his heart was racing and the air he was breathing in felt extremely thin. ¡°Haaaah, haaah, me too please¡± Michael followed asking the same thing as Arthur.


    ¡°Me too¡±


    ¡°Me too¡±


    ¡°Please¡±


    Cobble wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled brightly at the exhausted people before them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, water is on the way.¡± He sat down on the pavement nearby also catching his breath. Even though training was only two hours today, he used more energy during this training than the previous three combined.


    The door from the manor slowly opened with a tray of sliced meat, fruits and vegetable carried out by Pebble who was inside. Shortly after an enormous white cloth floated out and spread itself down evenly on the dirt covering five meters (15 feet) in every direction. Gran greeted the kids as he sat down on the cloth, Pebble placed the tray of food and vegetables on the blanket.


    However, there was still no water. Moments later the door opened again and clear glasses of water on top of a tray was presented before their eyes and placed down on the five-meter square cloth beside them. But their eyes weren¡¯t on the water that they so desperately wanted to drink; it was on the person who carried it out.


    Seeing their wide eye and shocked faces clearly expressing their disbelief as if wondering if they were hallucinating. They turned their eyes to Cobble, Pebble, and Gran¡¯s smiling and nodding faces.


    Amused by their reaction the beautiful woman with short orange hair and dark green eyes placed a cup of water in the hand of each of them. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you kids again.¡± She said, causing Arthur¡¯s eyes to slightly water down his smiling face. Everyone else had similar expressions to seeing her in such good health.


    ¡°Haaaaah, you¡¯re awake! Haaaah¡± Arthur couldn¡¯t maintain his happiness from seeing someone recover after suffering. Hearing the ominous words of Dr. Galil and what he and everyone else went through just from touching a bit of the volatile energy expelling from her, Arthur would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t extremely worried.


    As if her presence re energized the people around her, the kids and young adults quickly got up and drank the glass of water. They all sat on the cloth surrounding the food presented before them. Gran and Roselyn leaned on each other as they watched the kids eat. They told the kids to eat first and they¡¯ll talk afterwards.


    The kids didn¡¯t know where to start when the food was finished. They could only absentmindedly stare at the woman before them, unsure of what to say. Words, sentences, things came to mind only for them to shake their head for asking such question. Eventually Roselyn was the first to speak.


    ¡°I woke up last night, and I¡¯m feeling great.¡± Roselyn¡¯s serene voice clearly answered the most basic question on everyone¡¯s mind. Arthur tried to formulate what he wanted to ask as his eyes continued to stare at the belly of Roselyn¡¯s.


    ¡°The baby is doing fine too.¡± Roselyn added causing Arthur to sigh in relief.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Julie asked. She wanted to know what had caused all of the problems.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know myself, honestly.¡± Roselyn replied, she was as confused as they were why she felt such abnormal pain. ¡°If I had to guess, it¡¯s related to my powers. But even I don¡¯t know why it reacted that way.¡± The last thing Roselyn remembered was a sharpshooting pain coming from her own ability, she tried to suppress it only for it to completely overwhelm her drowning her completely and knocking her unconscious.


    ¡°What is your power?¡± Arthur asked. Everyone gave Arthur a weird look.


    ¡°What?¡± Arthur asked he was unsure why everyone reacted that way.


    It was without saying Exotics were special in what they can learn and do. Each and every Exotics had abilities and powers unique to themselves. Some Exotics will have similar skills, yet it wouldn¡¯t completely be exact replicas. Because of this uniqueness, Exotics subconsciously don¡¯t want to reveal their own abilities.


    Arthur didn¡¯t know much of the world to know that secrecy was a thing Exotics prefer, that¡¯s why even Shelly didn¡¯t tell Arthur much about her own abilities.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Roselyn replied. She was about to continue when the door opened again. Everyone turned their head instinctively only to see a brown-haired kid with sunglasses and an arm full of snacks walking in.


    The kid sat down on the cloth completely oblivious to Roselyn¡¯s sudden reawakening and continued to munch on the food in his arm.


    Burp


    ¡°We can scare them now.¡±

 45. Come on

    Chapter 45. Come on


    <hr>


    ¡°Come on~¡± A wife was trying to pull her unwilling husband to the main entrance of Boulderville. ¡°We¡¯ve got to go innnn, let¡¯s go~¡± The man shook his head in response, his feet firmly planted on the ground hardly budging from her tug.


    ¡°No, no, no not today, nuh uh I said we either go early or late, not this day.¡± The man was adamant in his refusal. ¡°Why do this to me?¡± The man questioned. His wife always forces him to participate in the scare Boulderville throws yearly in celebration for the upcoming arrival of the kids.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s fun~¡± The wife replied. Every year before their child returned the wife would bring the husband to Boulderville on the day of the event and participate in getting scared. She is less startled when it comes to the jump scares the villagers normally do whereas her husband is completely terrified.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s only once a year.¡± She pleaded pulling her husband who finally relented. Near the entrance to Boulderville crowds of people gathered, the husband and wife already expected this. Every year new people who didn¡¯t know of the scares the villagers do will gather intel and ask if it was safe to enter. About a third would enter whereas the rest decides to camp outside until the event was over.


    It was fair game for anyone who chooses to enter, most would attempt to make a full run straight for the Inn, because it was a safe zone. However, the villagers had already expected of this after it happened one year causing them to make the pathway to the Inn the filled with jump scares.


    ¡°Are you willing to go in?¡± The guard at the entrance asked. The wife nodded her head vigorously whereas the husband continued to shake his head.


    Their vastly different expressions made the guard chuckle and stepped aside. Their choice was for them to make. The husband stood before the entrance while the wife continued to try to budge him by pushing him from the back.


    ¡°AHHHHH¡± A loud scream coming from inside halted the wife¡¯s push while the husband maintained at the spot, completely shuddering in fright. Short seconds later multiple screams could be heard all around the village.


    ¡°Why¡¯re they screaming so much?¡± The wife calmly asked the gatekeeper standing there. The past years it¡¯ll only be a quick yelp and then complete silence, however every single scream was long and continuous as if they were running for their life.


    ¡°This year is a little different, we¡¯ve made it scarier.¡± The gatekeeper replied. Seeing the nervous look on her face he continued ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all just scares you won¡¯t get harmed by it in any way.¡± He quickly added ¡°Unless you trip or run into a wall or something then that¡¯s on you.¡±


    ¡°Do you still want to go?¡± The husband nervously asked his wife, he hoped the screams and what the gatekeeper had said would deter her from taking that final step. When wife saw the smirk on the gatekeeper¡¯s face and saw how terrified her husband was. She tugged on his arm and quickly pulled him through.


    The instant they stepped through the gate the temperature within the village dropped by dozens of degrees becoming chilly to the point that they can see their own breath. The once bright and warm morning sky was replaced with a murky evening darkness. Visibility became poor as dense fog rolled in obscuring anything beyond what lied a couple steps ahead.


    The sudden change in atmosphere alarmed both husband and wife who immediately turned around only to see that the entrance they once walked through was gone. The husband ran towards the wall and felt all around it, there was no entrance there anymore. He pounded hard on it hoping to get a response from the other side, but there was none.


    ¡°Wha-what? How did that happen?¡± The husband stuttered; his teeth was chattering nonstop as he looked around. The once small and welcoming homes they¡¯ve passed by dozens of times on the side of the road became startling nightmarish as if all the inhabitants disappeared overnight leaving their houses turned to ruin.


    Some homes had their doors tightly shut while others opened just a narrow bit. The doors that were opened released an eerie creaking sound as it swayed open and close.


    ¡°MOVE.¡± A voice could be heard booming from behind immediately alarming them. They turned around only to see that there was nothing there.


    ¡°Did you just hear that!?¡± The husband asked his wife, he was beyond scared. ¡°Yeah, we should listen to what it said and start moving.¡± The wife calmly replied.


    The wife and husband duo took slow steps down the pathway before them, loud screams can be heard echoing off in the distance.


    A small silhouette came into view as they continued forward. The husband and wife stopped the moment they noticed the small thing on the road.


    ¡°Mew.¡± The thing meowed at them from afar. ¡°A cat?¡± The wife asked, their first obstacle was a kitten on the road?


    ¡°Shoo shoo, go away kitty!¡± The husband tried to shoo the kitten away from afar hoping his loud voice would make it budge. It remained in the same spot mewing in repetition like a broken record player.


    The husband stomped the ground and took a few steps forward hoping it¡¯ll do something. However, no dice as the kitten remained standing there. The wife eventually moved forward past her husband in the direction of the small figure in the middle of the road.


    The moment she got close the little kitten scurried away further down the road and continued its meowing. Annoyed by the meows that was loud enough to drown out the screams coming from afar the wife picked up her pace hoping it¡¯ll eventually run away.


    The kitten continued to scurry away a few more times whenever they got close to it, causing them to relax and pick up the pace as they followed it. However, this time was different the silhouette of the kitten remained still on the ground even as they got closer.


    The husband continued to tug at the sleeve of her coat from behind afraid she would run off and leave him behind. The wife glanced down at small thing beneath her and reached down to pick it up.


    ¡°Do-don¡¯t!¡± The wife rolled her eyes at her husband, it was just a kitten why is he so afraid? The kitten she felt was different than she had expected, it was harder and more solid than she had expected.


    The wife held the object in her hand. ¡°A skull? Where¡¯s the kitten?¡± The wife held the human skull in her hand unamused by the switch the villagers pulled on them. The husband tugged at her telling her to put it down. However, she paid him no mind and stared at it.Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a skull, what¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡± The wife stated factually as she examined it.


    ¡°Mew¡± The skull meowed in her hand, its mouth and eye sockets shook and vibrated startling the wife prompting her to drop it in reflex. The husband pulled on her arm and ran ahead the moment the skull meowed at them.


    They didn¡¯t stop running for a full minute ¡°Wha-what was that?¡± The husband had cold sweat dripping down his forehead whereas the wife was starting to feel scared. ¡°It must¡¯ve been an Exotic with strange powers.¡± The wife replied.


    ¡°Mew¡± The sound of the kitten could be heard again coming from behind them. They instinctively turned around only to see that the kitten was no longer the kitten they saw in the beginning. It was a skull that was rolling straight towards them.


    ¡°Mew Mew Mew¡± The skull continued to meow as it rolled.


    ¡°Run!¡± The husband and wife ran at the same time booking it down the pathway that was getting narrower. Before them was a crossroad, on the sign of the crossroad the left way had the words ¡°scary¡± written on it and on the right had ¡°not scary.¡±


    Almost instinctively the husband wanted to run to the right to the not scary direction, however he stopped and thought about it. Would the villagers really have a not scary option?


    Stuck in a dilemma the duo couldn¡¯t think for long as humanoid figures both large and small walked towards them from the path marked ¡°not scary.¡± The husband and wife hoped it was other participants who willingly entered, however the moment the figures came closer to view the demonic masks on their face killed all their hope.


    They turned and ran to the left only to look over their shoulder a few seconds later. The demonic figures were running after them! ¡°Run we¡¯ve got run!¡±


    The duo turned a corner and ran into an empty home, closing the door shut. They ran and hid in a large cabinet in the corner of the home. They tried to hush their nervous breathing as footsteps got louder and closer towards them.


    The door to the home opened as masked figures with heavy weapons in their hands scraping the floor as they walked. ¡°Grrrflkrker¡± One of the demonic figures spoke to the other. Their voices sounded like pure snarls as they conversed in front of the cabinet.


    ¡°Grrrflkrerk, KEEEEEEK¡±


    ¡°KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK¡±


    One of the demonic figures screeched inside the home hoping to scare them out of hiding. The wife covered her husband¡¯s mouth entirely with her hand stopping him from making any noise during the screech. Both were beyond scared now.


    The demonic figures grunted towards the other and smashed some of the objects within the home including smacking the cabinet on the side. The husband and wife almost yelped in response when their cabinet got attacked, but desperately held their breath.


    The sound of the front door closing caused the husband and wife hidden in the cabinet to gasp for air. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this no more; can we just hide here?¡± The husband asked his wife, he just wanted to remain in the cabinet for the night.The wife silently agreed she wanted to just stop here, if the villagers were really acting, they did a great job at being demonic.


    ¡°MOVE!¡±


    That same voice boomed directly in their ears as they remained still within the cabinet. The husband and wife didn¡¯t want to listen to this voice and ignored it. What could it do to them?


    ¡°MOVE!!¡±


    The cabinet started to shake vigorously before falling off to the side causing the wife to fall onto her husband. The two rolled out of the cabinet doors only to see that the cabinet continued to shake after they had fallen out. It was shaking and breaking off into pieces right before their eyes.


    ¡°MOVE MOVE MOVE!¡±


    The house started to shake as the door to the front exploded out breaking off and slamming into the ground. The noise attracted the demonic figures as screeches could be heard in the distance.


    The husband immediately got up and pulled his wife directly out of the house. He took the lead and pulled on her arm down the path deeper down the road. They ran without looking back, only the sound of their footsteps can be heard echoing in the night.


    Two demonic figures stood before the house the couple had just escaped from and glance at the door. One of them removed the mask on them. ¡°This is too fun!¡± Arthur shouted in excitement.


    ¡°Grrrflkerkr¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Put your mask back on, we¡¯ve got to follow them.¡± Michael replied. Their duty was to both chase and scare and bring anyone who was too unable to continue back to the Inn.


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re headed towards the maze, remember to only chase them until they run into the walls. Don¡¯t touch the walls or you¡¯ll teleport with them.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Remember, Boss said he¡¯s not responsible for us if we teleport.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Remember¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªI know!¡± Arthur placed his mask back on and rushed ahead. Michael sighed and followed suit catching up to the boy.


    They saw their prey in sight again after another 10 minutes of maintaining speed. The husband and wife duo entered the teleporting maze ways. It was the same invisible teleporting maze they dealt with during Boss¡¯ training with them only on a much bigger scale.


    ¡°Wh-where are we now?¡± The husband swatted away the dense spooky fog wafting all


    around them. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, everything is different this year.¡± The wife stuttered.


    ¡°Wait are you scared?¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± The wife replied, grabbing onto her husband¡¯s hand, they both clung onto each other and sluggishly continued forward.


    ¡°Grrgflkarla keeee!¡± A demonic figure rushed at them from behind with a blade in its hands. In panic the husband and wife ran for their life while being chased by the demon half their size. Subconsciously avoiding the invisible walls as they ran down twists and turns of the maze.


    ¡°Keee!¡± The little demon chased them into a corner, the husband and wife closed their eyes and ran into the dense fog in front of them. Blasting out of the fog the husband and wife glanced around only to find themselves in an open world filled with unmoving lifelike masked men and woman surrounding them on both sides.


    They huddled close to each other and took small steps maintaining their eyes on the dozens of masked figures all around them. The figures remained unmoving allowing the duo to inwardly sigh that the figures were inanimate objects.


    ¡°Do-does it feel like they¡¯re all looking at us?¡± The husband asked. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, they¡¯re not real.¡± The wife stated quickly picking up her pace. She turned to look at one figure on her right that was smaller than the rest. The figure turned its head and looked directly at her. The wife stopped in place causing her husband to bump directly into her from behind.


    ¡°Wh-why¡¯d you stop?¡± The husband asked, the mask figures all around him was creeping him out completely, he just wanted to run away if possible. His wife didn¡¯t answer he saw her pale face completely frozen with her eyes looking in a certain direction.


    The husband turned his head and looked towards what she had seen, it was just a smaller figure. The husband thought to himself, until the masked figure turned its head towards him making eye contact.


    The moment they both made eye contact with the figure, every single figure that was surrounding them turned their heads at the couple. The small figure took a small step towards them. That one step was followed by over a dozen figures making the same move.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHHH¡± The husband and wife ran for their life away from demonic masked figures that was surrounding them.


    ¡°KEEEEEEEE¡± The roar of over a dozen figures echoed from behind.


    ¡°See Michael, I didn¡¯t walk through the fog.¡± Arthur stood at the corner as Michael¡¯s figure caught up.


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡± Michael removed his mask and nodded. ¡°Now let¡¯s put it our mask back on, Boss said not to keep it off for too long in here.¡± Michael quickly placed the mask back on his face.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Arthur replied and held the mask before his face. His eyes looked beyond the distance past Michael¡¯s figure.


    Rumble rumble


    A familiar rumbling could be felt off in the distance shaking the ground. Michael¡¯s figure tilted his head confused as to why Arthur hadn¡¯t put on his mask yet, oblivious to what the kid was seeing.


    The silhouette of the figure got closer and closer, causing the kid¡¯s eyes to widen in fear. In front of the kid¡¯s eyes the familiar silhouette loomed over Michael¡¯s back staring down directly at him.


    ¡°Grrrrrekler?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°Se-seraphim!¡± The boy¡¯s legs turned to mush as he fell backwards.


    Michael turned his head around and looked left and right Did he say Seraphim? How come I don¡¯t see it?


    Michael turned back to ask Arthur exactly what he saw, only to see that the boy wasn¡¯t there anymore.


    He freaking touched the wall!

 46. Michael sighed

    Chapter 46. Michael sighed


    <hr>


    Michael sighed and hurried forward towards the wall Arthur touched, even though Boss told him not to touch it, Michael decided it¡¯ll be better if he and Arthur were together.


    ¡°What the?¡± Michael felt around the fog only to feel a repelling force pushing him away from entering. ¡°Oh shit! Arthur!¡± Michael shouted and pushed at the wall that continued to prohibit him from entering.


    ¡°I gotta go get Boss!¡± Michael knew there was no other way through the teleporting walls, only Boss who created everything could get Arthur.


    ¡°Michael! Michael!¡± Arthur pounded on the wall from where he teleported to. He wanted to go back, yet there was no way. Arthur looked around the place, it was a familiar route of the village that he¡¯d taken to the Inn every day. Arthur thought back to the enormous angel that appeared looming over Michael¡¯s back. Was it something he had imagined? Or is something going on?


    Arthur put the silver demonic mask on, calming himself down. Knowing the route Arthur took unsteady steps forward, he wanted to make it back to the Inn and meet up with any one of the villagers stationed there.


    The chill in the air got colder and colder as Arthur continued to walk. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, this wasn¡¯t what Boss had told them beforehand when they entered. Where was all the people stationed around the entire place? Why was it so empty?


    With each passing step Arthur became more nervous, the house he¡¯s walked by before continued to appear ahead as he followed the road. The Inn that he should¡¯ve seen by now was nowhere in sight.


    He eventually realized it; he was walking in a loop. Or more specifically he was being teleported back near the beginning. Arthur began to look around for traces of lines marked on the ground. Boss had two ways for the villagers to not get lost in the case of being teleported.


    One was the fog that surrounded the invisible walls all around them, the other was luminescent glows marked on the ground towards the inn that can be seen through the mask. His eyes swept everywhere only to see that there was no fog or anything that was glowing marked on the ground.


    Fear finally snuck into his body; he was lost in a loop with no way to return in sight. Arthur¡¯s heart race spiked, and he began to panic. Everything that seemed normal looked ominous and eerie.


    His entire senses heightened to the max, every small sound clearly rung in his ear. Arthur noticed a faint rumbling shaking below his feet. His mind immediately recalled the Seraphim that appeared behind Michael, he felt a foreboding that the Seraphim was coming.


    Arthur¡¯s emerald green eyes darted in every direction until he saw a faint silhouette off into the distance coming up from behind him. It was a towering angel far larger than the seraphim at the Church. Its eyes were glowing white illuminating its menacing face that contained sharp jagged teeth crept into a wicked smile. The only way it resembled an Angel was the pure white wings on its backside.


    ¡°What is that thing!?¡± Arthur was stunned at the sight of the enormous monstrosity towering over 20 meters tall (60 feet). Every thunderous step quaked the ground beneath, empty homes of the villagers destroyed with a single step.


    The Angel noticed Arthur the same time Arthur noticed it. It paused its steps and got on all fours. Its head twisted 180 degrees. The forehead and chin of the monstrosity had completely swapped places with it''s upside down face as it began to grow another two pairs of arms. The arms continued to elongate morphing into what looked like the legs of spiders. Arthur couldn¡¯t even react during this time as the Angel continued to grow another pair of arms for a total 6 spider-like arms all alongside its sides forming a winged human spider.


    The eyes of the monster continued to illuminate its upside-down smile as it took its first steps.


    BOOM


    The ground broke apart with a single step of its legs sending gravel and dirt flying in all directions.


    Arthur finally came to and immediately turned and ran, there was no hesitation in his decision as adrenaline rushed in. The boy in the silver demon mask sprinted for his life down the road.


    BOOM BOOM BOOM


    The monster picked up its pace and chased after the boy everything within its pathway broke into pieces. It was quickly gaining on the boy who ran away from it.


    BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM


    The monster reached its arms down to grab at the boy. Arthur increased his speed beyond his limits and narrowly avoided it. ¡°HELP! BOSS! SHELLY!¡± Arthur shouted for his life, there was no need to keep quiet in front of such a fast creature.


    BOOM BOOM


    The monster swung its arms down going for another grab, there was no way for Arthur to escape it if it reached him.


    Swish


    The monster opened its hand and stared at it. It was sure it had reached for the boy this time. It turned its head back to where it grabbed the boy. However, the boy had disappeared.


    GRRRRAWWWWWR


    The monster let out a roar in anger more beastly than human destroying everything in a cone in front of it.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Arthur looked at the backside of the monster in the distance that just destroyed everything in its pathway. He had teleported at the last second back to the front of the loop. Arthur covered his ears as the soundwave from the roar breached his eardrums.


    The monster¡¯s wings started to flutter expanding outwards and slamming onto the ground. It was preparing for flight. Arthur didn¡¯t wait for it to turn around and spot him he swiftly ran towards a broken house and hid underneath the rubble.


    Arthur curled up underneath the rubble and tried to hide from the monster. Shelly meditating on his bed came to his mind, he remembered that he didn¡¯t even notice her presence even though she was just sitting there. He couldn¡¯t sit up for proper meditation so he laid there and closed his eyes hoping he can enter a meditative state. ¡°Come on Shelly, please find me...¡±


    Flap flap


    The enormous wings of the creature sent dust and debris flying as the monster prepared to fly away. Once it was in the air it scanned the surrounding ground for any traces of the boy it was chasing, a few seconds later it flew into the sky and disappeared. If Arthur had been outside, he would have seen that the monster split into fragments and disappeared instead of flying away.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Michael entered the Inn filled with villagers and participants who are tired from their scares and pull the little boy away. ¡°We¡¯ve got a problem.¡± He said.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± The little kid asked.


    Michael pulled out Arthur¡¯s silver mask and looked at Boss. ¡°Arthur teleported without his mask.¡± Boss raised an eyebrow to Michael answer and responded. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you follow him?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t! It repelled me!¡± Michael raised his voice, he was frustrated.


    ¡°Relax, relax, it¡¯s fine he¡¯ll be okay.¡± Boss waved off Michael¡¯s concern.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s not good for us to remove our mask when we¡¯re out there?¡± Michael questioned.


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s right.¡± Boss nodded his head to Michael¡¯s question.


    ¡°Then how is he fine? I have his mask!¡± Michael retorted.


    ¡°Without his mask, his senses are heighted, and he¡¯ll start to hallucinate whatever he fears the most because of the surrounding atmosphere.¡± Boss replied. He continued ¡°That¡¯s why I have you guys go in twos to make sure you can keep each other and the participants safe. Well it¡¯ll effect those who have powers more, so it was mainly for you to keep an eye on him.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us this beforehand?¡± Michael sighed. He continued ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing, he¡¯ll probably just run around screaming until he tires himself out and falls asleep. He could be knocked out right now.¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I go through the wall like Arthur did?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious right? I told you guys to chase people through and not go through, as a safety measure the moment the participants ran through the energy condenses to prevent anyone else from entering for a short amount of time. I bet if you waited a few more seconds and tried again you could¡¯ve followed Arthur.¡± Boss words silenced Michael, he regretted he didn¡¯t try a few more attempts to enter and instead left to find Boss.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡± Boss waved off Michael¡¯s concern. He continued ¡°He¡¯s fine, in fact this is probably a good opportunity for him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Shelly and Julie entered the Inn and made their way over to Boss and Michael who was talking to each other. Shelly immediately noticed Michael¡¯s concern look and the mask in his hands. She removed the mask on her face and ask. ¡°Where¡¯s young master?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s outside.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°Where?¡± Shelly wanted his precise location.


    ¡°In the maze.¡± Boss answered.


    Shelly placed the mask back on her face and hurried out of the Inn.


    ¡°Michael, you should show her the way. You know where Arthur went.¡± Boss stated.


    Michael nodded his head and hurried after Shelly. Julie who was left alone remained there and gave the little brown-haired kid a curious look. ¡°What did you do?¡± she asked.


    ¡°M-me? Wh-what do you mean?¡± Boss replied with a shocked look on his face.


    ¡°Boss, for the short time that I¡¯ve known you, you¡¯ve given off this vibe of someone who planned for things to go the way you want. Our encounter with Gran, this training of ours, I¡¯d believe it if you said the issue with Roselyn and that Seraphim back at the Church was your doings too.¡±


    Julie paused and stared at the kid hoping to see any signs of nervousness and continued ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that our Pope said that the Seraphim was training for our Emissaries and the fact that I have no idea why you¡¯d want to do something so cruel to Roselyn. I¡¯d assume everything was your doing.¡± Julie¡¯s words made Boss inwardly gulp as he maintained his poker face.


    ¡°But two out of four doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m the culprit, alright? Couldn¡¯t Arthur just have some bad luck?¡± Boss countered.


    ¡°Bad luck? I¡¯m a Seer, things like luck isn¡¯t something I necessarily believe in. Everything that happened, happened for a reason, it is our destiny... it is our fate...¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ all you are is just a whiny girl who can see the future based on her emotions. What do you mean you¡¯re a Seer?¡± Boss rolled his eyes.


    ¡°What! I¡¯m not a whiny girl, you¡¯re a whiny girl!¡± Julie angrily retorted.


    ¡°Whiny girl~ whiny girl~¡± Boss ran away.


    ¡°Come back here! Let me smack you once!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Grrrrfkergkerl¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°I think Arthur entered through here.¡± Michael lifted up his mask and pointed at the fog covered wall.


    Shelly reached her hand out asking for the silver mask in Michael¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m going too.¡± Michael responded and put the mask back his face.


    Shelly nodded and continued forward. Michael didn¡¯t want to get repelled again and stood beside her as they entered the fog.


    The moment they entered the scenery was disastrous like a giant tornado had passed by destroying everything in sight. The homes and roads were completely wrecked. Handprints bigger than their entire body broke the surface of the ground.


    Michael was scared witless by the sight of such a scene. This was only things he¡¯d heard about in stories about natural disasters and fairy tales. A cold chill crept up his spine as he began to shudder. Michael involuntarily looked down at the masked girl beside him, that same cold chill he felt during their first day of training together resurfaced.


    Michael wanted to calm her down and tell her that Arthur was fine, but her presence currently made him unable to speak. He completely froze in place as the girl reached her hand out and took the mask in his hand.


    The girl continued to walk and scan the surrounding as she went, a short moment later she noticed a small destroyed home and walked towards it. Her pace quickens as she spotted a figure hidden underneath the rubble. Her hand touched the rubble causing everything around her to disintegrate into sand.


    Shelly held the boy in her arms and placed the mask back on his face. Her steps were steady as she made her way back to Michael. Michael was able to move again when Shelly returned, that cold domineering presence she had earlier was gone.


    Shelly lifted Arthur up and placed him in Michael¡¯s arm. She closed her eyes sensing the energy created by the maze all around her. Shelly took the lead as Michael followed from behind. He looked down at the masked boy covered in dust and the girl before him, there was so many questions Michael wanted to ask.


    The scenery and wreckage all around them made Michael shudder, his brain was trying to formulate an answer for everything around him. He recalled Arthur¡¯s last words before they were separated. ¡°Seraphim?¡±


    Another ten minute of walking and the wreckages all around them had disappeared. Shelly opened her eyes and Michael didn¡¯t need to follow her anymore. They had made it back to the Inn.


    ¡°Ow ow ow! You said just once!¡±


    ¡°I lied!¡±


    ¡°WHINY GIRL¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE A WHINY GIRL¡±

 47. They had made it

    Chapter 47. They had made it


    <hr>


    They had made it back to their room only to see Julie¡¯s entire body wrapped around Boss as her hand continued to smack his red face. Her face was also red from Boss slapping back every time she slapped him.


    Julie and Boss both noticed the entrance of Michael and Shelly and separated from each other. Julie softly rubbed her red cheek and noticed the boy lying in Michael¡¯s arm. ¡°What happened?¡± Julie asked her face was filled with shock as she secretly threw a glance in Boss¡¯ general direction.


    Boss also gave a surprised expression and followed up. ¡°I was expecting him to fall asleep, but I didn¡¯t expect him to cover himself up in so much sand. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s something you should see.¡± Michael stated. Boss hopped out of the bed while Michael placed Arthur down on it.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go~¡± Boss took the lead and stepped out of the room. Michael caught up beside him. Julie saw that both the boys was just leaving like that she wanted to go. She looked down at Shelly who had a slightly perplexed expression after checking on Arthur.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s follow them first.¡± Shelly replied. She didn¡¯t know what to say yet.


    Screams of participants continued to fill the air as they exited the Inn, villagers continued to run around with their demon masks. Those who couldn¡¯t handle the scares anymore were brought back to the Inn. The wife and husband Arthur and Michael were chasing earlier was also back their face was pale as sheet as they tried to collect themselves. The scare the villagers threw this time was beyond their comprehension, how many different Exotics did it take for them to throw such an event, nobody they asked knew.


    Roselyn and Orchid remained within the Inn taking care of the participants. Or well, Roselyn chose to take care of the participants and Orchid decided doing this will also make her look more favorable in front of Gran¡¯s eyes.


    More than half the participants brought back to the Inn was caused by Gran, Pebble, and Cobble. The father and sons racked up the most scares and caused the greatest number of participants to faint during their time outside.


    Barkie and Silver borrowed some of the animals within Gran¡¯s estate and carried out their scares. Usually using themselves as innocent decoys while the larger animals snuck up from behind. Or pure on just use the animal army and chase the living hell out of the participants until they tired out. Silver preferred the former method whereas Barkie chose the latter in their scares.


    Julie let out an alarmed gasp as the four entered the fog. The entire quadrant of the village was destroyed. She immediately noticed the large handprints on the ground and looked at her own, it was a hand of a human, a freakishly enormous human.


    ¡°Oh? This is cool!~¡± Boss¡¯ shout of excitement startled both Michael and Julie. The kid scanned the surrounding and smiled.


    ¡°Grrkerklfer¡±


    ¡°Take off your mask first.¡±


    ¡°How is this cool?¡± Michael took off his mask and retorted. The place a mess and he had no idea what had caused it. The monster could be anywhere, Arthur was unconscious and didn¡¯t wake up yet for them to question him. How were they going to explain this to the villagers?


    ¡°How is it not? Look at this mess it¡¯s absolutely fantastic!¡± Boss was giddy with joy.


    ¡°What do you mean fantastic!? Look at that hand! It¡¯s enormous and the homes are all tattered to pieces, how can you call this cool!?¡± Michael was annoyed. Boss¡¯ nonchalant attitude during this situation and his lack of explanation didn¡¯t help ease Michael either.


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is there¡¯s nothing to be worried about and you all should be pretty excited in the future; this is not bad at all.¡± Boss was lost in his own thoughts and continued to nod his head admiring the wreckage in front of them. ¡°Anyways, let me clean up this mess and then we¡¯ll head back.¡± Boss waved his hands and the rubbles and wreckages started flying around, bits and pieces were reconnecting reconstructing the village back to what it once was.


    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go~¡± Boss raised his fist in the air and exclaimed. Michael was too annoyed at the kid for not explaining anything to even marvel at the fact that the kid before them just reverted everything back to normal.


    Michael quickly ran up to Boss¡¯ side and demanded him to explain what he had meant.


    ¡°Ask Shelly, she¡¯s been giving me the weird look ever since we¡¯ve left the Inn.¡± Boss sent all his troubles to the girl behind them. Shelly furrowed her brows at Boss underneath her mask and remained silent.


    ¡°Shelly do you know what¡¯s going on?¡± Julie leaned down and raised her mask to ask.


    Shelly shook her head and sped up her speed, she didn¡¯t want to say anything for the time being.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The crew returned to the Inn only to see that there was nearly double the number of participants than when they had left. Seeing their appearance, a tall dark-skinned person walked over.


    ¡°How was it, Chief?¡± Boss asked.


    Gran let out a childish smile and laughed heartily. ¡°It was amazing, I hadn¡¯t had so much fun in awhile!¡± His loud voice of excitement irritated every participant within the Inn, it wouldn¡¯t be lying if we said that more than half currently standing around here was because of Gran. If glares could kill, Gran would¡¯ve been killed a hundred times over by those within the Inn.


    Gran paid them no mind and rustled Boss¡¯ hair. The kid the Governor sent over was beyond his imagination, ¡°I really like what you did here, if it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to scare people so much.¡± His words caused the participants to immediately turn heads and stared daggers at the little boy standing in front of Gran. It was him that did this to us!


    Seeing that all eyes were on them Michael and Julie shuddered. Boss¡¯ mouth was agape forming an O shape, he didn¡¯t expect Gran to be so shameless as to put all the blame on a kid, even though all of it was true.


    Cough


    ¡°Ahaha, what¡¯re you talking about? We planned this together, I just helped out a little bit that is all.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t be so modest, I only asked for you to confuse them a little to make it easier for us to scare them, I am truly grateful that you decided to go make this event as great as it is.¡± Gran responded with a smile.


    The door to the Inn opened again with another bunch of people walking in like mindless zombies. Coming from behind was the brother duo of Cobble and Pebble. Pebble walked over and tapped his father on the shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got everyone.¡± Pebble removed the mask and smiled.


    ¡°Already?¡± Gran asked, it was only half a day since the event started and everyone who entered were brought back to the Inn because they couldn¡¯t handle it anymore. He continued ¡°Is there no one else that was willing to come inside?¡±


    ¡°Most people changed their minds when they heard screaming.¡± Pebble commented. He even urged the guards to get more people to enter, even using copper and silver coins as an incentive. However, no one was willing to take another foot in when friends of theirs didn¡¯t return to tell them about it.


    Gran was a little dejected because of this, however, it was probably time to call it a day as he looked over his shoulder and shuddered from the glares he was getting.


    ¡°Attention everyone!¡± Gran raised his voice and caught the attention of everyone within the Inn. ¡°I, Chief Gran, a Prodigy, leader of over 200 strong men and women who can be summoned at a moment notice.¡± Gran used his position of power as he looked at every participant in the eye, showing that he was unperturbed by their glares.


    ¡°I thank you all for participating in our annual scaring event, and it pains me to say this, but with no other participants who are willing to enter, the event has come to an end!¡± The crowd sighed in relief when Gran finished his sentence. They just wanted to get away from the whole thing.


    ¡°We will throw a feast tonight for everyone gathered in early celebration for the welcoming of all our wonderful children coming home from school!¡± Gran continued, his words caused everyone both participants and villagers to roar in excitement. It wasn¡¯t something he had done the previous years, so it caught everyone by surprised when he stated it.


    ¡°And I promise, there will be no scaring involved, unless you¡¯re scared of well-cooked meat!¡± His words caused most to laugh and chuckle.


    ¡°In the meantime, you may all wait here and while we restore the village back to normal. As another token of gratitude rooms within the Inn will be free for everyone who participated, just go register with Orchid at the front desk.¡±


    Gran¡¯s final sentences caused Orchid to smile brightly. She couldn¡¯t believe Gran mentioned her name to everyone within the Inn. The participants quickly lined up as Orchid got everyone a room.


    Gran returned to look at Boss and whispered, ¡°How long will it take to restore the village? And do you have any meat?¡±


    His whispers were so quiet no one besides the people around him heard him clearly. Boss was shocked at Gran¡¯s second question. ¡°You promised a feast you can¡¯t deliver?¡±


    ¡°It was in the heat of the moment; I do have meat but it¡¯s not arriving until tomorrow.¡± Gran continued to reply in a hushed voice. His words caused everyone to roll their eyes at him. Pebble and Cobble facepalmed at their father, they were about to ask about the feast themselves too.


    ¡°What about the cattle at your estate?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°No, those are not for eating, we¡¯re using them for providing the town with eggs and milk, only when they die naturally would we eat them.¡±


    ¡°Well, the answer for the first question of yours is that it is done, and for the second one, why¡¯re you asking me for meat? I don¡¯t have any of that.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you teleport somewhere and bring back some meat? I¡¯d ask Orchid, but she¡¯d definitely ask me for a favor in return.¡± Gran thought about what Orchid wanted and shuddered. He also wasn¡¯t sure if Orchid could teleport meat, but if she could teleport his servants, she should be able to do the same.


    ¡°For an old experienced two-time war veteran, you¡¯re pretty unreliable.¡± Boss grumbled. He continued ¡°But it¡¯s fine I¡¯ll go get your meat; you can tell the people that the village is back to normal after an hour.¡±


    Boss turned around and started to walk off.


    ¡°Where are you going, Boss?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°Where else? I only know this place and that place.¡±


    Before anyone could respond Boss had already vanished. The moment Boss left Shelly turned around and made her way back to Arthur¡¯s room, she wanted to see if he was awake and okay.


    Michael and Julie were left alone alongside Gran, Pebble and Cobble. Gran patted Michael and Julie on the shoulder and smiled ¡°thanks you two for your hard work today. Join us for the feast tonight I¡¯ll be happy to have you two there.¡±


    Julie gave a slight bow and replied, ¡°We¡¯ll be happy to attend your feast.¡±


    Gran nodded his head in satisfaction and left to return back to his wife. Pebble and Cobble told them they¡¯ll see everyone at the feast and departed. Pebble shouted from afar ¡°Remember, try to catch me tomorrow, you¡¯ve only got 6 chances left.¡±


    Michael and Julie walked outside of the Inn and strolled for a short walk to the village, the sunlight was bright and warm calming the two. The event that just happened the past few hours felt as if it was all an illusion as they walked beside each other down the empty village.


    ¡­


    Knock knock


    The door opened as the butler glanced down to see a familiar face. A surprised look was clearly shown as he looked around only to see the people the kid was supposed to bodyguard was nowhere in sight.


    ¡°Come in.¡± The butler stated a short moment later and held the door for the kid.


    Boss quickly made his way to Samuel¡¯s study and opened it with a bang slamming the door into the wall.


    Samuel looked up and his face was more surprised than Benjamin who had opened the door.


    Before he could ask Boss spoke up first. ¡°I need meat, lots of meat.¡±

 48. Wha?

    Chapter 48. Wha?


    <hr>


    ¡°Wha?¡± Samuel was unable to comprehend the situation of Boss reappearing before him only after half a month of departing.


    Boss slammed his tiny hands down on the table and leaned forward. ¡°Meat damn, you I want lots of meat. Are ya going to give it to me or not?¡± Boss leaned onto the table; his right arm extended outwards struggling to hit the man across from it on the face.


    Samuel¡¯s pulled his head away from the outstretched arm of Boss and replied, ¡°Eh? Why do you need meat? What kind of meat?¡± He was perplexed, why was Boss acting to strange? Why did the kid even want to smack him on the face? Should he let him?


    Boss seeing that he couldn¡¯t slap Samuel with his tiny arms clicked his tongue and sat back down across from Samuel. ¡°I have a situation here, and I¡¯m going to need your finest cuts of meat, no questions asked.¡±


    Samuel raised an eyebrow, Boss¡¯ weird behavior was just too unnatural.


    ¡°I can give you the meat, but why¡¯re you here and where¡¯s Shelly and Arthur?¡± Samuel asked.


    ¡°Now, listen here bub¡­¡±


    The door to the study opened again with Angel walking in with Benjamin trailing from behind. She saw the perplexed look on her husband¡¯s face and the weird attitude Boss was giving him and walked over beside her husband. Boss¡¯ once weird attitude immediately crumbled as Angel stared down at him sitting across from the table.


    Benjamin closed the door leaving the three inside to converse. He quickly made his escape expecting Angel to do something violent again.


    ¡°Why¡¯re you back here? And where is Shelly and Arthur?¡± Angel asked. Benjamin ran and immediately informed her that Boss returned without Arthur or Shelly. Angel was annoyed that the supposed bodyguard was doing anything but bodyguarding.


    ¡°I uh, I¡¯m here for meat.¡±


    ¡°Where is Arthur?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s asleep.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ it¡¯s dark¡­?¡±


    Angel sighed and tried to calm herself down, Boss¡¯ lies were so stupid, it was not even sunset yet and he said it was dark. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m going to ask you again, this time you¡¯ll answer me clearly and coherently what I want to hear. Alright? If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll be impaled on that door behind you.¡±


    Boss nodded his head furiously, he was only hoping to play around with Samuel, he wasn¡¯t expecting Benjamin to go inform Angel so fast.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Arthur? Where¡¯s Shelly?¡± Angel asked again. An icicle was silently floating behind her ready to strike Boss if he said something she didn¡¯t like.


    ¡°Arthur and Shelly are back at Boulderville Inn resting up and getting ready for tomorrow¡¯s training.¡± Boss replied. His eyes kept darting over to the icicle hoping she wouldn¡¯t hit him; he didn¡¯t want to have to throw away another shirt of Arthur¡¯s.


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°One-hundred percent, you can even send a letter to Gran if you¡¯re worried.¡± Boss replied.


    Angel dispelled the icicles that was floating around the room and sat on the armrest of Samuel¡¯s chair ¡°Alright, now why¡¯re you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here for meat.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Gran is throwing a feast back in Boulderville and his meat isn¡¯t coming until tomorrow, however he needed it now so he asked if I can go get some.¡± Boss answered.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just go to where Gran¡¯s meat was and bring that back?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°I uh¡­ I didn¡¯t think of that.¡± Boss scratched his head, he continued to say the other reason why he was here. ¡°I¡¯m also curious about what you¡¯re hiding from the boy. Why you changed your mind and allowed for him to head to Cheshire and study at the Naturelle¡¯s Institute of eyes.¡± Boss stated.


    Angel and Samuel shared glances and decided to tell Boss. Starting from what happened during the war and the results of it. Samuel was the one mainly telling the events and going straight to the point as to why he decided it was best to send Arthur to the enemy country.


    ¡°Did you ever thought that Tyran would do the same as Baroque?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work, it¡¯s only possible for King Baroque because he and the current Headmaster of Lumiere are best of friends, however the Headmaster of Naturelle has always remained neutral and independent alongside the Sovereign of Church of Safe Haven. The King, Headmaster, and Sovereign are the three of the most powerful men in that continent. It¡¯d be unwise for King Tyran to even try to do what King Baroque did.¡±


    ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t you say the Royals such as Baroque and Tyran are the strongest and scariest? Now you¡¯re telling me there¡¯s a Sovereign and a Headmaster who have that much power?¡± Boss asked.


    Samuel nodded his head, ¡°It¡¯s true the Royals are still the scariest and most powerful of the three, especially with the current Kings who we believe have both made it to Tier 7. He paused and continued ¡°However, the Sovereign, Headmasters, and the Pope, have always been chosen because they were the most powerful and influential person that had come out of their own organization.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°The Kings have the royal family and are the strongest in terms of raw power and wealth, but that doesn¡¯t mean holy organizations and institutes don¡¯t have their own group of people who can make them bleed if they were to fight.¡±


    ¡°Since the foundation of the two Megachurches and Institutes for the hair and eyes, no matter which Royal family it was that ruled the country, they would have never been able to succeed doing what Baroque did.¡±


    ¡°Usually, the three powers would keep the other in check through an equal distribution of power, with each party remaining independent from the other. However, I¡¯m afraid with the King and the Headmaster of Lumiere coming together, our Pope will need to make a choice.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Boss thought about the Pope who lived in the enormous Church at the center of the forest. ¡°I don¡¯t think the old man I met would ever choose to join either of them.¡±


    Samuel agreed, ¡°That¡¯s the problem though, if he doesn¡¯t then they¡¯ll most likely force him to step down and put someone who¡¯ll agree with him in the next line of succession.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean to say they¡¯ll try to kill him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely an option for them if they choose to go that route. Do you see why I decided it¡¯ll be better for Arthur to go to an enemy country?¡±


    Boss leaned back on the chair he sat and looked up at the sky-high ceiling of the study. ¡°Hm, well ain¡¯t this going to be fun?¡±


    A cool wind whirled in the room and a large icicle appeared behind Angel.


    Boss quickly waved his hands in front of his face hoping to placate Angel ¡°I mean, you two don¡¯t have to worry about Arthur and Shelly, I¡¯ll make sure they receive the best education in Naturelle, they¡¯ll have the most fun with me around.¡±


    Angel¡¯s eyes squinted as she contemplates about Boss words and dispelled her icicles for a second time. Boss released a sigh in relief and smiled. ¡°Is there anything I should know about Shelly when I¡¯m over there?¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°Just let Shelly do what she wants.¡± Samuel stated after thinking about it for some time.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Samuel shook his head ¡°If at all possible, try to not let Arthur go to the Tillowisk Empire with Michael and Julie.¡±


    ¡°Aye aye captain.¡± Boss hopped off his seat and turned around, ¡°I¡¯m going to chat with the Pope for a bit, I¡¯ll be back for the meat before sundown.¡±


    Samuel nodded his head and waved the little boy off. He leaned back on the seat and looked at Angel who was sitting on the armrest of his chair. ¡°Aye aye captain?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s always been weird since the day we¡¯ve met him.¡± Angel answered.


    ¡°That is true, what do you think? Should we still go?¡± Samuel replied.


    ¡°The festival?¡± Angel thought for a bit. ¡°He says Arthur and Shelly are fine, do we believe him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, should we?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s think about this some more, did we get a reply from Jacob and Dylan?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Samuel tore open the letter left on his desk.


    ¡°No worries. ¨C Jacob.¡± Samuel and Angel smiled at the short response from Jacob. ¡°We¡¯ve got Jacob. Now, what about Dylan?¡±


    Knock knock


    Benjamin walked in after knocking twice with a stuffed envelope containing a response from Dylan. Angel rolled her eyes when she saw the big large pile of words transcribed onto over 10 pages of paper.


    The husband and wife took the first 9 pages and place them off to the side and looked at the last sentence on the 10th page. ¡°You called Jacob too? Well if he¡¯s going then I¡¯m going too. I can¡¯t let him become Arthur¡¯s favorite Uncle. Sincerely, Dylan (Arthur¡¯s favorite Uncle, but don¡¯t tell him I said this, in fact, do yourself a favor and never mention it to him, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    Angel picked up the 10th page and tossed it into the fire pit. She then took the remaining 9 pages and did the same. Samuel all this time did not even bother stopping her from doing so.


    Dylan always wrote absurdly long never-ending letters with no end in sight only answering what they wanted to hear on the last paragraph. His first nine pages has always been the same thing, how his day was, what he ate, what happened between him and the wife, etc¡­ Unnecessary information that Samuel and Angel have read through every single time they¡¯ve sent letters to Dylan.


    It got to the point that all Angel and Samuel needs to see is how the first page was like for them to know exactly what the remaining 8 pages in between was going to be before they had their answer.


    Bang!


    ¡°Woops, your door was locked again~¡± Boss closed the enormous metal door and scanned his surroundings. He began to walk towards the spiraling staircase at the center of the church and ascended upwards.


    At the topmost level a person could be seen resting on his seat high above the ground. The Pope opened his white eyes as Boss walked closer.


    ¡°Child, you¡¯ve come back so soon?¡± The Pope¡¯s soothing voice echoed throughout the empty church as he asked the kid before him.


    ¡°Just here for some questions, Michael and Julie are at Boulderville waiting to depart for the Tillowisk Empire, did you know the situation between Lumiere and Baroque?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you going to do about it?¡±


    ¡°If they want me gone, I can get up and leave.¡±


    ¡°You mean, you¡¯re going to move this entire megachurch to another continent?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°The Tillowisk Empire?¡±


    The Pope shook his head. His eyes stared off into the distance. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the third continent, Ere.¡±


    ¡°The wasteland of the three continents? Why there?¡± Boss asked. There were three enormous continents in this world, separated by bodies of water. Zel, Tillo, and Ere.


    The Kingdom of Zeldova is the capital of the continent and home to the world¡¯s strongest military. While there are other Kingdoms in Zel, Zeldova was the one that has the most influence.


    The Tillowisk Empire consists of five other kingdoms within the continent all allied under King Tyran. What they lack in quality is made up in the quantity of people.


    Ere, the wasteland of the three continent and the continent of death. Those who are born there live in small bands and colonies. Scattering and traversing the harsh landscapes all year long in search of food, water and shelter. It is believed those who came from Ere were always strange powerful figures of their own.


    The Pope stared at the child before him and stood up. He patted the kid¡¯s hair as he walked by making his way towards the murals circling the walls of the uppermost floor of the Church.


    ¡°Child, do you know anything about what is depicted upon these walls? Why we¡¯re called the Church of Future Heaven?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Do you see the those on your left with various colors of red, green, blue, magenta, cyan and yellows upon their hair and eyes?


    ¡°Mhm¡±


    They are the ancestors to all the powers that have existed on this planet. The Orthodox powers. The Original species of power.¡±


    ¡°Do you see those on our right? The ones who do not follow the scheme of colorations?¡±


    ¡°Exotics?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They too, are our ancestors. We are not certain whether Exotics existed at the same time as the Originals or came later.¡± The Pope paused and smacked the cane onto the ground causing the murals to separate and change. What was depicted was the same as when Boss had seen all these murals the first time.


    People of various hair and eyes engaged in battle, however just like before there was so many holes and gaps in the murals making it impossible to tell who their allies were and who were their enemies.


    ¡°I saw this the first time I was here. Who are they fighting against?¡± Boss muttered.


    ¡°Yes. Child, as you can see just like you, we are not certain of who our enemies or allies were from what is seen upon what remained of this mural. However, do you know what both the past Sovereigns and Popes have agreed on?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This was a war that spanned an entire millennium. A war that was fought in the third continent of this world. Ere.¡±

 49. The millennium

    Chapter 49. The millennium


    <hr>


    ¡°The millennium war was the greatest and deadliest war this world has ever seen, it happened thousands of years ago. However, the damage that it had caused can still be seen in Ere.¡±


    ¡°Why are you going to Ere?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what it was that Miss Chartreuse prophesized for us?¡± The Pope asked Boss.


    ¡°Do you mean Julie?¡± Boss shook his head indicating he didn¡¯t know what she had prophesized.


    ¡°This world is going to change; Apostles will descend and those who are worthy will become a Chosen.¡± The Pope stated calmly. He continued ¡°everything a Seer sees and everything regarding the future should be taken with a grain of salt.¡± The Pope¡¯s words surprised Boss; he had expected that the Pope would be a firm believer in prophecies such as these.


    ¡°Surprised? Don¡¯t be. The Church of Future Heaven and Safe Haven was created centuries ago when the first people found these very murals you see here. What had come about were two major groups that eventually became a religion.¡±


    ¡°Prophecies foretold by countless Seers all stated similar things as miss Chartreuse. However, do you know why even though countless Seers stated the same things, two separate religion came out?¡±


    Boss waited for the Pope to continue.


    ¡°They never saw what was past becoming a Chosen.¡±


    ¡°No one ever saw beyond that?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°The Church of Safe Haven believe these Apostles are here to destroy this world and that we should unite and fight against them once they come because we have no answers for what befell the Chosen. We the Church of Future Heaven believes that those who are Chosen ascended to a higher realm beyond this world¡¯s limits. We believe that instead of uniting to fight we should unite to welcome.¡±


    ¡°Ere will be the continent that we will use as a platform to welcome them.¡± The Pope finished.


    ¡°Were you planning on going there since the beginning?¡±


    The Pope tapped his cane on the ground causing the murals to slowly melt into the walls leaving only a blank canvas behind. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°When do you plan on leaving?¡±


    ¡°When it is appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Last question!¡± Boss energetically raised his hands. ¡°Why are you telling a 10yr old all this?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Child, do you really believe you are what you say you are?¡± The Pope walked back to his seat and sat down. ¡°I have known about you since the day you fell from the Heavens. You are also something no Seer has ever prophesized.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The Pope placed the cane and scepter down beside his seat and responded, ¡°This entire forest is mine.¡±


    Boss didn¡¯t need to ask further questions. The entire forest was exactly what the Pope had said, it was his. It was in his complete control. Anything that entered this forest the Pope would be the first to know about it.


    Seeing the look of understanding the Pope closed his eyes and softly spoke to the kid in front of him. ¡°Why am I telling you all this? Because I believe only you know what will happen after the Apostles arrive and our Chosen are picked.¡±


    ¡°I just hope¡­ that we are not wrong.¡±


    Boss looked up the old man who eyes remained closed. He slightly nodded his head and turned around. Walking down the spiraling staircase with steady steps and out of the door. Only when Boss left the periphery of the forest did the Pope opened his pure white eyes and gazed into the direction of the murals¡­ his brows furrowed.


    Knock Knock BAM


    Boss knocked twice and slammed the door to Samuel¡¯s study opened. ¡°Where¡¯s mah meat ya got mah meat?¡±


    Samuel raised his eyebrows at Boss¡¯ sudden intrusion, he pointed in the direction of the kitchen with a quill pen in his hand. Boss quickly turned around and slammed the door closed again.


    Angel arrived shortly after only to see that Boss wasn¡¯t sitting at the seat in front of Samuel. She quickly walked into the kitchen only to see the meat they had bought from the market and stored into the kitchen for Boulderville¡¯s feast was completely empty.


    Benjamin turned around and bowed to Angel who walked in with hurried steps. ¡°He is gone.¡± Benjamin stated.


    Angel sighed, she wanted to ask Boss about Arthur¡¯s training progress in Boulderville. She returned to Samuel¡¯s study to express her worries and asked Samuel questions she had on her mind that she wanted to ask Boss about.


    Samuel could only give his own assumptions as to how Arthur was doing causing Angel further to ask him how he knows. Questions and answers detailed to the tiniest points were made up by Samuel to appease his wife, he had no idea how Arthur was doing and why she is asking him all these questions. He quickly regretted he didn¡¯t speak up when Boss asked about the meat and instead pointed at where it was.


    Thud!


    An enormous bag of meat filled with all types of animals from chickens to pork to beef were placed directly in front of Gran who was back at his home. Gran for the past hour was walking back and forth with worry in his eyes contemplating about whether he should kill his own cattle or not if Boss hadn¡¯t returned.


    To his surprise Boss teleported back in front of him with an enormous bag full of various kinds of meat chopped up and ready for anything Gran so desired. Gran almost immediately ran up and hugged the boy before he noticed the once lit sky was quickly setting.


    ¡°Quickly let¡¯s go, we¡¯ve got a feast to prepare!¡± Gran waved his hand causing the entire bag of meat to float into the air. He ran out of the estate with an enormous bag trailing from behind.


    Boss shrugged his shoulder, he wanted to check on the kids first before he left for the feast.


    Knock knock


    ¡°Come in, it¡¯s not locked.¡± A girl¡¯s calm voice could be heard from behind the door.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°How¡¯s the kid?¡± Boss asked after walking in making his way over to the bedside. He¡¯s been gone for roughly three hours and Arthur still hasn¡¯t woken up.


    ¡°Young master is doing well.¡± Shelly was meditating on Michael¡¯s bedside this entire time while monitoring Arthur. She continued ¡°He seemed to be struggling with something earlier. You don¡¯t happen to know what it was, do you?¡±


    ¡°If I say I don¡¯t will you believe me?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t say anything.¡± Boss continued to scan the sleeping kid with his eyes. ¡°What do you think happened?¡±


    ¡°Young master has found it.¡±


    ¡°Mm yes and no¡± Boss replied.


    Shelly wanted to ask what Boss meant, but the boy didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯ll give her an answer yet. She turned her head over to Arthur and asked, ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be awake anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°Before the feast.¡± Boss replied instantly.


    Shelly was surprised she wasn¡¯t expecting Arthur to wake up that soon. However, Boss¡¯ was completely right.


    Boss¡¯ hands motioned towards Arthur¡¯s nose plugging it with his finger and blocking Arthur¡¯s airways. The kid who was fast asleep started to show signs of struggling before his eyes opened shoving the hand away and gasping for air.


    The little boy looked around only to see two pair of eyes staring back at him. He smacked his lips twice and closed his eyes again preparing for another round of sleep. However, a loud voice that came from the left side of his ear startled him awake completely. ¡°Oh good! you¡¯re awake!¡±


    Boss pulled away and clapped his hands in joy, he paid no mind to the squint coming from Shelly¡¯s eyes judging him. ¡°You almost missed the feast!¡±


    Arthur rubbed his eyes sleepily and replied with a yawn ¡°A feast? What for?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? You were scaring people!¡±


    Arthur¡¯s eyes squinted as he thought back to a few hours earlier. ¡°Oh yeah! How many did we scare?¡±


    ¡°All of them! We did so great that Gran couldn¡¯t help but throw a marvelous feast for us and everyone else!¡± Boss maintained his loud voice as he replied.


    ¡°When is it?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°In about 30 minutes, go get ready!¡± Boss exclaimed.


    Arthur turned over to look at Shelly, his entire face was asking ¡°Is it true?¡± Shelly half nodded indicating what Boss had said was mostly true. Arthur yawned once more and got out of bed, heading towards the toilet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be outside, young master.¡± Shelly stated and hopped off the bed. Arthur waved his hand weakly in the air in reply indicating he heard. Boss followed Shelly out and waited outside of the door.


    They were giving Arthur some privacy for him to get dressed and use the toilet.


    Ten minutes passed, with no signs of Arthur making a movement inside the room.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, he went back to sleep!¡± Boss complained outside of the door. He continued ¡°Ima go get him. You stay out here. Don¡¯t come in unless you want to see your young master naked.¡±


    Shelly gave Boss a curious look and nodded her head.


    Boss walked in and half closed the door behind him, not even trying to stop Shelly from peeking inside. His words and his actions were completely opposite. He was physically telling her to look inside.


    Shelly instantly noticed that something wasn¡¯t quite right. However, she had her doubts considering she didn¡¯t sense anything malicious. She opened the door softly hoping to not see anything indecent in doing so.


    Her eyes first saw Boss who walked inside beforehand, his body was standing still staring up at something. Shelly¡¯s eyes followed and looked up towards the ceiling. A winged-humanoid, spider-like creature with it¡¯s head upside down was staring in the direction of the bathroom, with no movements at all.


    Its jagged teeth were creeping into a ravenous smile as it kept is eyes glued at the door.


    Even with the appearance of Boss and Shelly it didn¡¯t seem to notice their presence at all.


    Shelly let out an audible gasp, the thing stuck to the ceiling of the room was nothing she¡¯s ever seen before. It looked like the Seraphim statue yet, it had 3 arms on each side and its mouth and forehead completely swapped places. No, to be more precise it¡¯s entire head was snapped upwards and twisted reforming to its current appearance.


    Shelly tried to walk closer to Boss, but he waved a hand telling her to not move. He kept his eyes glued on the creature and turned to look at the silent bathroom door.


    Seconds passed by and the creature on the ceiling started to show signs of changing. It¡¯s creepy smile grew wider as its incisors tripled in size forming fangs. The eyes on its upside-down face started to pull apart from each other, with new eyes appearing at where the old ones used to be. This spider angel human was turning into more of a spider before their very eyes.


    Shelly¡¯s face was starting to show signs of worry, the energy within the creature was growing at an alarming rate. Her eyes darted to the door, she believed something may have happened to Arthur.


    The moment she was about to make a move, Boss¡¯ loud voice boomed within the room. ¡°Arthur!¡±


    ¡°RAWR¡±


    The monster roared at Boss¡¯ loud voice, but the little Boss paid it no mind and shouted again. ¡°Arthur! Wake up!¡± As if it knew it what was happening the monster released an unyielding screech in response to Boss¡¯ shout.


    ¡°GRRRRRROAARRRRRR!¡±


    The monster was disappearing and reverting to normal at an alarming rate, it¡¯s eyes that were split into four rapidly returned to two and its head twisted back to correct shape. The fangs turned back to regular incisors and the 6 arms of it quickly turned into four and then back to two. Its entire face was the Seraphim, except, only the sharp jagged teeth remained clearly visible by the time it vanished into particles.


    The moment the creature disappeared, Boss paced quickly over to the bathroom door and opened it. A little boy completely clothed was hunched over on the seat. Boss slowly lifted the head of the hunched over boy, cold sweat could be seen dripping down the silver haired kid¡¯s forehead sliding down his pale face. His breathing was short and rapid as if he was slowly suffocating.


    Shelly quickly arrived to Boss¡¯ side the moment Arthur¡¯s head was lifted up. His pale complexion and blue lips were signs that he wasn¡¯t getting enough oxygen.


    ¡°Breathe Arthur, breathe.¡± Boss¡¯ calm voice instantly calmed the boy before him, the boy¡¯s breathing became fuller and his pale face started to regain some color. ¡°That¡¯s good, keep it up. Shelly and I are here for you.¡±


    Boss slowly released the boy causing him to hunch back down, however the boy was breathing normally this time. He closed the door in front of Shelly indicating to her to wait for Arthur to wake up.


    A strange scene started to appear again the moment they turned around. There were movements on the bed that instantly attracted their attention. Both Boss and Shelly walked over only to see miniature versions of themselves no taller than the size of a thumb was locked in combat with the equally sized Seraphim.


    Miniature Boss pulled a sword out of nowhere to hack and slash at the creature in front of him causing it to fall on its knees. Miniature Shelly pulled out an enormous javelin from thin air and impaled the creature headfirst all the way into the bedsheet, splitting into two.


    The miniature creature exploded into particles and disappeared into vapor. A small VICTORY floated over the head of miniature Boss and Shelly as they looked up at the larger versions of themselves.


    Little Boss¡¯ index and middle finger opened out creating a V shape in victory as he smiled at the bigger Boss. Miniature Shelly curiously looked at the bigger version of herself and nodded her head knowingly. Both the little versions of themselves turned their head over to a slowly materializing translucent figure of Arthur standing beside them.


    The two little figures bowed in worship as the translucent Arthur¡¯s smile grew wider and wider.


    The actual Boss and Shelly shared glances with each other and continued to stare at the scene. Little Boss and Shelly started reenacting the scene they had with the Seraphim and telling silent jokes only the translucent Arthur could hear causing him to laugh.


    The face on the translucent Arthur released a satisfied smile looking down on the two figures beneath them. He held out his hand and the two figures hopped directly onto it one on each palm. The kid held the two figures close to his chest and smiled.


    All three vanished into thin air leaving only a toothpick sized hole torn straight through the bedsheets as a reminder that they had existed.


    Moments later, Arthur slowly walked out of the bathroom door rubbing his eyes with a stupid smile to his face only to be startled awake by two pair of eyes who was staring back at him.


    ¡°W-weren¡¯t you guys supposed to be waiting outside?¡± The silver haired stuttered to ask.


    ¡°You took too long, so we went to check on ya.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, I need to change now, so go outside and wait.¡± Arthur pushed Boss out of the room. He then turned to look at Shelly who nodded her head and excused herself right after.


    Arthur didn¡¯t know why he was startled when he saw Boss and Shelly after he woke up. He just felt unusually happy and excited as if he had an amazing dream, and the moment he saw Boss and Shelly standing there right after he woke up, his entire body was subconsciously embarrassed as if what he dreamt about was about the two of them causing him to instantly panic and push them out.


    Seconds turned into minutes as the boy stood there thinking about what his dream could¡¯ve been.


    Knock knock


    ¡°Hurry up Arthur! the feast!¡± Boss¡¯ voice could be heard coming from outside of the door. Arthur instantly came to and rushed over to the drawer and put new pair of top and bottom.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m coming!¡±

 50. The feast

    50. The feast


    <hr>


    The feast was on the outskirt of the village large enough for everyone to gather and enjoy themselves. The enormous 2,500 slab stage was finally completed lining the entire center of the area with a large square shape platform for homecoming kids to demonstrate what they¡¯ve learned.


    Everything for the festivities were prepared for when the children arrive home for the yearly break. Further away from the stage was a massive fire pit surrounded by the mountainside slabs as seats for nearly a hundred to sit on.


    Sitting around the well-lit fire pit was many the participants alongside all the villagers who participated in the scares. They were warming themselves up to the fire and getting to know each other better. The rest of the participants and those who chose to go were up and about inspecting the stage and the miniature marketplace put in place by villagers who had things they wanted to sell.


    Familiar faces could be seen sitting around the fire pit. Seth and his friends were conversing with Harmick and Karns who Seth had met a few days before. The two dark-skinned well-built fathers was already drunk from the alcohol served after many bottles were emptied. Both men were telling a story about their early years and talking over each other trying to tell it.


    Seth and his friends did not participate scaring the participants this morning to afternoon, they were spending the entire time locked away in their room meditating to better understand their energy. It wasn¡¯t until Cobble came to their door and invited them for the feast did they agree to leave.


    Roselyn, Orchid, and Dr. Galil was sitting close to each other, after Roselyn woke up Dr. Galil decided he¡¯ll stay around until the baby was born in case his assistance was necessary. Roselyn and Gran didn¡¯t mind the offer and allowed Dr. Galil to be her temporary personal doctor.


    Orchid had always wanted to spend more time with her sister, she was only kept to the Inn cause her obsession with Gran was uncomfortable to him. However, after Roselyn¡¯s situation she didn¡¯t want to be last to know of it again. She promised Roselyn she would be on her best behavior and not harass Gran. Roselyn knew her younger sister the best only laughed at how cute her younger sister was for making a silly promise like that.


    The feast was underway the moment Gran slowly walked through the entrance to the outskirts with a large bag of meat floating behind him. The once panic and worried look he had back at home were nowhere to be seen as he sauntered to the fire pit. The enormous floating bag immediately caught the attention for everyone sitting around.


    Gran smiled at all villagers and participants alongside anyone else who chose to come and raised the bag well up over his head with telekinesis. He then turned his eye over to the rows of thin slabs spanning the entire diameter of the fire pit.


    With a wave of his hands the dozens of long rectangular thin slabs were placed perfectly on top of the fire pit forming the largest grill ever. The participants were amazed at the spectacle, for the average person it was extremely rare to meet and greet a person of Gran¡¯s caliber.


    Gran walked over to Roselyn who was sitting with some of the servants, Orchid and Dr. Galil with the enormous bag floating behind him. Gran subconsciously paused his steps when he made eye contact with Orchid however quickly managed to recover and continued towards them. Both Roselyn and Orchid made way leaving a spot for Gran to awkwardly sit in between them.


    With no other choice Gran sat down between the two sisters and tried to maintain his composure.


    Everyone had already quieted down by the time Gran was sitting waiting for Gran to say a few words. Their eyes continuously glanced at the enormous bag already expecting of what¡¯s to come.


    Ahem


    ¡°I know that this year was extremely different than all the other years. I know that most of you will not want to step into the village again next year.¡± Gran¡¯s words caused the participants to laugh, the scare they had this morning was hard to forget.


    Gran continued ¡°However, look around you, everything this year was different. This beautiful stage was thought of and designed by our wonderful Elroy Ferrarius for the children to showcase what they¡¯ve learned in school. This marketplace could only come about thanks to you guys for wanting the things we¡¯ve made. This enormous firepit grill that you¡¯re all sitting around tonight was an idea proposed by a wonderful guest of ours.¡±


    ¡°Everything about the festivities and scares you once grew accustomed to have changed compared to the years before it.¡±


    ¡°But this is not necessarily a bad thing...¡± Gran paused for a moment and continued.


    ¡°Now, we have a platform for our children to show what they¡¯ve got.¡± Everyone eyes turned towards the stage.


    Now, we have an area just for trade.¡± Everyone eyes looked over to the marketplace.


    ¡°Now, we have a place to FEAST!¡±


    Whoosh!


    The bag flew towards the fire pit grill and slowly tipped over from above. The entire bag filled with meat was poured onto the enormous grill. Sliced up pork, cows, and chicken covered the entirety of the grill as steam quickly filled the chilly air and the sweet scent of the fatty meat oozed from them.


    The entire audience clapped madly when the bag started to spill food out covering the grill. The aroma from the grilled meat quickly covered the surrounding area causing those who were further away at the marketplace to scramble over.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Tonight, I want you all to eat as much as you want, drink as much as you want, and most importantly, to have fun!¡± Gran finished his speech causing the audience to roar a second time in applause.


    ¡°Oh, and I¡¯m not responsible for anything besides putting food on the grill, if you want to eat it just reach in and grab it, we have plates and utensils for you over there for those who don¡¯t want to use your hands.¡± Gran quickly added, pointing towards an area where some of the villagers were stationed. It was a long table with stacks of plates and utensils enough for everyone in the village tonight.


    Everyone in the audience let out a laugh and quickly got up and made their way over to the table.


    After his speech was finished Roselyn leaned over to Gran and rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. Gran turned towards his wife and smiled at her innocently beautiful face. However, he couldn¡¯t maintain his smile for long when another person on his right also leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, causing him to stiffen up.


    Orchid¡¯s action and Gran¡¯s stiffness caused Roselyn to laugh, however she didn¡¯t stop her sister from teasing Gran tonight.


    The aroma of the meat drifted into town towards the silhouette of five people and two pets walking together.


    ¡°The feast has started, c¡¯mon let¡¯s go!¡± Boss quickly ran ahead of everyone else the moment everyone smelled the meat being cooked. Arthur with Barkie ontop of his head quickly chased after Boss both hungry and excited. Shelly with Silver in her arms was just as fast running beside the three towards the outskirts of the village.


    Michael and Julie glanced at each other and smiled. Both of raced each other to the outskirt of the village.


    While tonight, Boulderville was lively and festive at another place dark figures started to gather.


    In a dimly lit room, fourteen hooded individuals have arrived sitting on their seat at a large round table. There were two with blue robes, two with red robes, two with green robes and 8 with purple robes.


    An individual with blue robed turned his attention to the only other blue robed person sitting right next to him. ¡°B2, you were the last one here, what took you so long?¡±


    ¡°Had an unexpected situation to take care of, B1.¡± B2 replied. He continued, ¡°However, I¡¯ve managed to obtain a piece of Rainbow Stone.¡±


    ¡°Really? How? King Baroque has a strict monopoly over it.¡± B1 replied.


    ¡°Miners are smuggling it out with no idea how much they¡¯re worth. Found this one in Rouge.¡± B2 replied.


    ¡°Ah, I see you didn¡¯t happen to have poisoned someone for it, right?¡± B1 asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± B2 retorted and motioned B1 to quiet down a red robe figure made their way over to his seat and sat down.


    ¡°We have three things to get finished today, the first is three missions, the first mission is the alliance between the Headmaster of Lumiere and King Baroque, who wants to ruin it?¡± The red robe figure calmly asked, his voice was deep and raspy as he spoke.


    No one at the table replied, they were waiting for the other options to have a final say in their choice.


    The red robe figure continued when no one spoke up. ¡°The second mission is gathering intel at the Tillowisk Empire, both the Church of Future Heaven and Safe Haven have been there for too long for it to be a normal matter. Who wants to infiltrate and gather intel?¡±


    The same silence as before, no one spoke up they were waiting on the final question.


    ¡°The third mission is already assigned to me; I will be going with R2 and I¡¯ll take P1-4.¡± R1 finished his statement. No one seemed to bother arguing about the third mission or asked for what it was.


    ¡°Does K or B want the first mission?¡± R1 asked.


    ¡°Which do you want B2?¡± B1 leaned over and whispered. B2 thought for a moment and replied. ¡°Second mission.¡± B1 nodded his head he too wanted the second mission.


    ¡°We want the second mission.¡± B1 replied.


    ¡°First mission.¡± K1 replied.


    R1 raised his eyebrows underneath his hood when he saw K1 ask for the first mission. ¡°I was expecting a fight for the second mission, K1 do you have a plan?¡±


    K1 calmly replied. ¡°We¡¯re better suited for ruining things than infiltrating, that is all.¡±


    ¡°P5 through 8, I¡¯ll let you choose where to go, Zeldova or Tillowisk?¡± R1 asked.


    Three of them decided helping K1 ruin the relationship between Headmaster of Lumiere and King Baroque.


    ¡°P7? Mission 1 or 2?¡±


    P7 took their time and thought about the situation, which was less likely to get them killed? ¡°I¡¯ll take 2.¡±


    ¡°Alright, off to the second assignment. This is related to your missions, K1, B1, in your own respective countries we¡¯ll need you to recruit potential talents to our organizations. Don¡¯t get caught.¡±


    K1 and B1 nodded their head. It was standard for their missions to recruit potential talents.


    ¡°Lastly, our leader wants something at the upcoming auction held in Da¡¯mere half a year from now, there is rumors that it will be there. If there is no progress in your missions, he wants us to focus on the auction.¡±


    ¡°What if we have made some progress?¡± B1 asked.


    ¡°Your mission is in the Tillowisk Empire, location is close, auction is mandatory for you, B1.¡±


    ¡°Tch, I knew you were going to say that. What about anything else at the auction?¡± B1 asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s all up to you, just don¡¯t get caught if you¡¯re going to kill people. We do not want to be known. Seer¡¯s can¡¯t investigate our organizations, but that doesn¡¯t mean the police force are incompetent buffoons that won¡¯t chase if you leave a trace. Remove yourself from existence if cornered.¡± R1 replied.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡± R1 asked.


    There was an empty silence. R1 scanned the other hooded robed figures. ¡°Go form your groups and get to know each other, 10 minutes from now we¡¯ll each leave one by one.¡±


    P7 walked over to B1 and B2 who were seated from across the table. ¡°P7, if you hadn¡¯t chosen us, we¡¯d have killed you.¡± B1 stated calmly.


    ¡°Yes master, thank you for recruiting me.¡± P7 replied, he was the 7<sup>th</sup> person to join the group and the one B1 personally recruited himself.


    ¡°I was just kidding, have you met B2 yet?¡± B1 asked.


    ¡°Not yet master.¡±


    P7 introduced himself to B2 who remained seating. B2 nodded his head and waited until the 10 minutes to pass by.


    Everyone only needed a minute to form the group and get to know each other, anything afterwards was just silent waiting.


    Each member of the groups formed left one by on after the 10 minutes were up, each leaving a few minutes after the other. This was to ensure that no one within the group will look suspicious for leaving.


    B2 eventually arrived back to an Inn he was staying and walked up to his room and removed the hooded blue robe he wore the entire day.


    B2 looked down the windows of the Inn out to the empty streets of Asmar, his face reflected by the dimly lit candles within the room. It was a plain face, one that would be missed by any person who he had passed by.


    ¡°Tillowisk, eh? Charlemagne don¡¯t do anything unnecessary like before, I don¡¯t want to have to clean up your mess. Freaking all that for this stupid stone, I liked those two you know?¡± The man was speaking out loud while staring out of the window, looking at passerbys down below.


    ¡°Not my fault if only they didn¡¯t have it, if only she didn¡¯t buy it, not my fault, not my fault! I WANT IT!¡± A raspy voice replied.


    ¡°Shut up, here¡¯s your stupid stone, now please, don¡¯t make it harder on me I don¡¯t want to have to kill you.¡± B2 tossed the stone onto the ground but no one picked it up. A raspy voice replied, ¡°Try it if you dare, I¡¯ll take you down with me. Ke ke ke.¡±


    B2 shook his head and sighed, he walked over to the bedside placed the Rainbow Stone on the nightstand, his fingers pressed on the flames of the lit candle turning off the lights.


    ¡°Goodnight Charlemagne¡±


    ¡°Ke ke ke, goodnight. Don¡¯t let the bedbugs bite ke ke ke...¡±

 51. The feast started

    51. The feast started


    <hr>


    The feast started minutes before Boss and friends arrived with the grill on full blast.


    Before anyone else within the group had decided on what to do, Boss had already walked away and plopped himself down before the firepit tearing into a leg of grilled chicken. Arthur wanted to do the same, but he noticed some people he wanted to greet first and went over to talk to them.


    Gran, Seth, Pebble, Cobble, Roselyn, Orchid, Dr. Galil and some of the people he¡¯s scared this morning were all sitting around the enormous firepit grill. Arthur went over to greet everyone he knew.


    Michael and Julie found an empty seat and greeted the villagers and participants sitting beside them.


    Shelly saw Arthur walking towards Gran and them and decided to walk over to Boss, she had some questions to ask.


    ¡°Boss, what was that back at the Inn?¡± Shelly asked.


    Boss lifted his head; his mouth was full of grilled meat. He patted the spot beside him for Shelly to sit while he finished his bite. Shelly sat down and waited. Boss gulped the rest of the meat and replied. ¡°It was a nightmare.¡±


    ¡°Arthur had a nightmare, and that is what he saw.¡± Boss repeated when he noticed that Shelly wasn¡¯t responding. ¡°Shelly?¡±


    ¡°What about the smaller versions of us what was that?¡± Shelly asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s not a nightmare? A dream you silly girl. He dreamt that. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never had a dream before?¡± Boss asked. However, Shelly remained silent again, her brows furrowed. ¡°Oh, shoot was I right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had a dream.¡± Shelly replied. She tried to recall any of the nights she closed her eyes to sleep, however there was never a night where she felt like she¡¯s had a dream. For her sleeping was just meditation, when she¡¯s meditating, she¡¯s sleeping, when she¡¯s sleeping, she¡¯s meditating.


    ¡°Have you ever woken up at night screaming or crying? Have you ever woken up with a smile on your face?¡± Boss asked.


    Shelly shook her head, even though most of her life was full of danger and despair she had never felt the sensation of a nightmare or dream when she closed her eyes.


    ¡°Meditating and sleep was just peace to me.¡± Shelly sighed and replied.


    Shelly¡¯s comment made Boss even more curious about her past. However, no matter how curious he was he¡¯d never ask.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, one of these days you¡¯ll have your own dream or nightmare.¡± Boss tried to reassure. He continued, ¡°But yeah, Arthur had a nightmare regarding the Seraphim back at the Church, it seems like it became a trauma for him. However, from the looks of it he doesn¡¯t seem to remember his nightmares or dreams.¡±


    ¡°I guess you two are quite similar in that regard.¡± Boss remarked.


    ¡°Will young master be able to control it?¡± Shelly asked.


    ¡°What? Are you worried one day he¡¯ll have a nightmare that¡¯ll kill him or dream something extremely happy that doesn¡¯t include us?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not worried about that, I¡¯m worried about what¡¯ll happen to the students at Naturelle if young master had a nightmare.¡± Shelly crinkled her brows and replied. Her response was right if he can¡¯t control his dreams or nightmares, innocent school children will get injured or killed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine for now, we¡¯ve only had a glimpse of his powers because of what¡¯s currently going on within his body, his energy is still condensing and revolving, what we had seen was just his energy leaking when he¡¯s asleep.¡± Boss replied. He continued. ¡°He should be able to control it once he finds his inner energy.


    ¡°Boss, how come you know so much about our energy?¡± Shelly asked. She¡¯s read all the books Boss had read within the Galafray¡¯s household there is nothing about it that is as comprehensive enough for Boss to know the way this world works.


    ¡°Because energy is the simplest and most difficult thing to understand.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°In the future, you¡¯ll know what I mean.¡± Boss reached for another drumstick and handed it to Shelly. ¡°Come, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    Shelly took the hot drumstick in her hand and bounced it in her palm causing Boss to laugh. He quickly tapped her hand and the heat from the drumstick dissipated instantly. ¡°Energy.¡± Boss only said one word and continued with eating.


    Shelly held the hot drumstick in her hand, there was nothing different about the drumstick it was still as hot as ever, however there was no sensation of heat on her hands. She closed her eyes hoping to sense what Boss meant. however, she didn¡¯t sense any energy like that of the invisible teleportation mazes Boss prepares for them to go through every day.


    ¡°What is energy?¡± Shelly thought to herself. From everything she¡¯s read and seen she learned that there were two kinds of energy. One was meditative energy that is used as a key to unlock the pathway and talent of a normal person and increases the potential of an Exotic¡¯s.


    It is a formless energy that dictated what colored hair and eyes a normal person was most suited for. The second is power energy, the energy released after any type of power was used. For example, Arthur¡¯s dream and nightmare creatures contained power energy, energy she could sense even though Arthur is an Exotic.


    This is the same with all people who have power, no matter whether you¡¯re an Exotic or an Orthodox the person may not be something one can sense if they were right next to you, but once they use their powers it can be sensed. Like the air, it is something we may not notice is there until power is enacted upon it and becomes wind. Only Resonance is an exception to this matter.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Looking at her hand Shelly got curious as she turned her head towards flames of the firepit before her. Her hands slowly reached towards the searing hot flames. Closer¡­ closer¡­ will Boss¡¯ strange energy nullify even this kind of heat?


    ¡°Shelly what¡¯re you doing?¡± Arthur walked over and asked. He was looking down at the little white-haired girl who was slowly sinking her hand closer to the flames of the firepit.


    Shelly swiftly retrieved her hand and turned to look at her young master. ¡°I was just getting young master a drumstick. Here.¡± Shelly handed the drumstick in her hand over to Arthur.


    Arthur held the drumstick for only a couple of seconds before his voice echoed in the air ¡°Hot hot hot hot!¡± Arthur quickly blew on the drumstick and tried to cool it off.


    Both Shelly and Boss let out a short laugh. A couple seconds later Arthur felt like he cooled the drumstick down enough and took a bite. ¡°Thank you, Shelly! It¡¯s delicious!¡± Arthur stated while munching on the piece of chicken.


    Shelly released a faint smile and was about to reply when more people started to show up around them. It was the same group of individuals they had met every time they were in the dining hall.


    ¡°Ahem, Boss?¡± The old man looked at the kid who was munching away on a slab of pork the size of his head.


    ¡°Mm?¡± The kid replied with a mouthful of stuffed food. Boss squinted his eyes and furrowed his brows as he stared at the old man in front of him. The person seemed familiar, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint where he¡¯d seen this man.


    ¡°Who areh youh?¡± Boss replied while munching on his food lacking in any sense of courtesy.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± The old man pulled out a chef hat from who knows where and placed it on top of his head. Boss continued to squint his eyes as he looked up and down between the hat and the face of the old man. ¡°Ohrh¡±


    ¡°Whath youh whant?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°I uhh, I was wondering why you haven¡¯t come back to the kitchen after that day? I told your friends that you can use it whenever you want.¡± The head chef went straight to the point and asked what was on his mind, he really wanted to learn more about Boss¡¯ style of cooking and have attempted to make the same dishes Boss had made with no success.


    ¡°Oh, I was busy¡± Boss replied after finishing what was on his hand. He was reaching for another piece of meat before the head Chef stopped him. ¡°Here, let me season it for you.¡± The head chef continued to pull out spices and mixed it with the meat nearby Boss.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as good as how you¡¯ve made it, but I¡¯ve been trying improve my own cooking after I tasted yours.¡± The head chef replied as he handed the hot food over to Boss. He was even about to blow on it to cool it down, but Boss took the meat away from his hands without his notice.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good.¡± Boss replied as he ate. He continued ¡°I¡¯ll come back to my kitchen to teach you guys a thing or two in the future, just keep practicing I don¡¯t want to have to kick you guys out again for not being good enough.¡±


    The head chef didn¡¯t even mind Boss¡¯ words and continued smile. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll get going now, sorry for interrupting your feast. Hopefully, we¡¯ll see each other again soon?¡± The head chef asked.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Boss replied.


    The head chef turned to Arthur and Shelly who were sitting beside Boss. ¡°See you tomorrow Arthur, Shelly.¡±


    Arthur and Shelly replied at the same time. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about Boss¡¯ rude behavior¡± Arthur added.


    ¡°No, no, it was us who was rude.¡± The head chef replied. He continued ¡°Anyways, we have to go back, still have to cook back at the Inn, I hope you guys enjoy the feast tonight.¡± The Head chef stated and walked away. His group of apprentice chefs all bowed their head at the kids and followed behind.


    Once they were further away Arthur looked at Boss. ¡°They say you can use their kitchen whenever you want, are you going to do it? I really like your cooking, Boss.¡±


    Boss let out a hearty burp and turned to the kid before him. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯ll cook again when everyone improves in their meditation. That means you¡¯ll need to at least stop one smack from Gran.¡±


    Arthur seriously nodded his head; he believes he can stop Gran¡¯s stick from hitting him for sure. Shelly didn¡¯t show it, but inwardly she had her doubts that her young master would improve overnight to be able to sense energy.


    Michael and Julie joined the rest of the group by the time the feast ended, when nothing was left on the grill. They spent most of their night together as they ate and made friends with those sitting around the firepit. Leftovers were abundant and everyone took however much they wanted back home and to the Inn.


    Arthur woke up the next day hopeful and ready for training and meditation believing that he would be able to do what was impossible beforehand. However, Shelly¡¯s doubts were answered during meditation that afternoon. Arthur and Michael continued to fail in their meditation getting a score of 0/60 every day.


    This process did not change even though Arthur and Michael continued to push themselves during training and meditation with Gran, Pebble, and Cobble. They even fully spent all their time afterwards meditating and falling asleep every night. The only male who made improvements was Seth, Seth made marked improvements once he found his meditative energy, however it was extremely weak, and faint not even Gran could determine what talent was best suited for Seth.


    Training continued to get tougher with Boss¡¯ slowly increasing the intensity of the maze he prepares for them. He recognized Julie and Shelly¡¯s potential and ability to discern energy, so he sent them on a separate path back to the Inn. It was boys versus girls race with the girls winning every single time even though their maze was far more complex and intense compared to the boys.


    Before long, more than a week had passed with their grueling training with Gran, Pebble, and Cobble. Arthur and Michael laid on the ground in the meditation room, their body was bruised and battered from the consistent daily training and meditation they had. Even though in the beginning they managed to recover completely by the next day, when it came to meditation Arthur and Michael was left physically exhausted after the hour.


    However, on this day a smile sprawled upon both of their faces for the first time since meditation started as they cooled their stinging arms and legs on the cold hard floor.


    Gran looked at the two who laid there and released a gentle smile. ¡°Shelly and Julie 60 out of 60 for the hour of meditation. Seth, 15 out of 60 for the hour. Arthur and Michael¡­ 1 out of 60 for the hour. Congrats, you two have finally done it.¡±


    Boss, Cobble, Pebble, alongside the two pets entered the meditation room after the hour finished. The kitten was laying on Pebble¡¯s arms whereas the puppy laid on Cobble¡¯s head.


    They at once noticed the smile plastered on everyone¡¯s face within the room including that of Arthur and Michael and knew that today, the two boys have finally started to comprehend it.


    ¡°Congrats you two, you¡¯ve finally did it!¡± Pebble congratulated them. ¡°Yes, good job!¡± Cobble followed up.


    Arthur and Michael weakly turned their heads towards Pebble and Cobble. ¡°Thank you.¡± They said in unison. The meditation tonight took all the energy out of them, they could barely stand right now.


    Gran nodded his head and smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can do it again tom¡ª¡± Gran squinted his eyes and looked towards the direction of the door. His eyes slowly grew wide and the smile on his face grew extremely large.


    ¡°Mom! Dad! Brothers! I¡¯m home!¡± The sound of a young boy¡¯s voice echoed throughout the estate, followed by the slamming of the front door and the sound of footsteps racing towards the room.


    ¡°Dad!¡± The young red-haired boy slammed opened the door and ran up to stand in front of Gran. ¡°Dad! I¡¯m back!¡±


    ¡°Welcome home, my son.¡± Gran smiled down and patted the hair of his youngest son. He was a tanned skinned kid much like father and his brothers. He was wearing Lumiere¡¯s pure white school uniform containing an insignia of a glowing sun on his left chest.


    Standing just slightly a head taller than Arthur the kid ran and looked up to his two eldest brothers who were completely surprised by his appearance. ¡°Brothers! I¡¯m just like you guys now!¡±


    ¡°B-B-Boulder!¡±

 52. Boulder!

    Chapter 52. Boulder!


    <hr>


    ¡°Boulder!¡± Cobble and Pebble eyes were about to pop out of their socket as they looked down at the kid no older than 12. He had short red hair and gentle brown eyes, he looked exactly like a version of Gran when he was younger. His two brothers were completely stunned, it was only a year ago they had seen him, and his hair was already a different color.


    ¡°Boulder! Y-your hair!? How!?¡± Pebble exclaimed and stopped himself ¡°I mean welcome back we were not expecting you until tomorrow.¡± It wasn¡¯t surprising for Pebble to be extremely shocked; it took both him and Cobble into their mid-teens before their hair changed colors. However, their youngest brother outpaced them to be the youngest in the household to obtain their power at 12.


    ¡°Hehe, surprised?¡± Boulder struck a superman pose and continued. ¡°I caught the eye of a teacher at school, he told me he was surprised to see someone so young know how to use meditative energy. After that I received personal training! Hehe this is all thanks to brothers and father for teaching me.¡±


    Boulder¡¯s eye finally noticed the other people who were sitting in the meditation room. He was too excited to surprise his family with his new hair that he didn¡¯t even know there were other people in the room until now.


    Boulder leaned over to Pebble¡¯s ear and whispered, ¡°Who are they?¡±


    Pebble whispered back. ¡°These five are from the Galafray¡¯s estate and Seth was a person we scared.¡± Pebble pointed at the pair of eyes who were curiously looking back at the red-haired tan skinned boy. Boulder walked up before them and introduced himself. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Boulder, what are your names?¡±


    The trainees all introduced themselves to Boulder with those capable of talking replying first. Boulder¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the attractive Julie and Shelly who calmly introduced themselves. Boulder then walked over and squatted before Michael and Arthur and introduced himself before the weary duo, they greeted with a smile.


    Boulder noticed the bruised arms and legs on both Michael and Arthur and thought back to a year ago where he had to go through the same ordeal, he returned the smile and continued. ¡°It¡¯s tough huh? Don¡¯t worry though, it¡¯s tough but effective just look at me. One day you two can find your meditative energy.¡±


    Michael and Arthur wanted to say that they¡¯ve found their meditative energy, however they were so tired and sleepy they just nodded their head to Boulder¡¯s response.


    Boulder then turned his attention back to his father. ¡°Dad! My teacher was the one that brought us back here, he said he always wanted to meet you. Do you want to meet him? I can go get him if you do.¡± Boulder exclaimed excitedly. He wanted to bring his teacher to meet his father so that the two people he most respected can have a conversation about him and how wonderful of a son and student he is.


    ¡°Oh? Where is your teacher right now?¡± Gran asked. He was intrigued about a teacher who wanted to meet him, was it because of his days back in both Lumiere and Naturelle? Was it someone he knew? Was it a fan of his? So many thoughts circled in his mind that he was unwilling to ask.


    Gran was always a person who wanted to be surprised when it comes to surprised guests. His likes for surprises rubbed off on Roselyn and was the reason why after Pebble they never asked for the gender of their other sons. If the surprises were not life-threatening Gran welcomed it.


    ¡°My teacher is escorting everyone else back right now.¡± Boulder excitedly with a smile on his face. He continued ¡°I told him to wait at the Inn when he¡¯s done so that I can get you two to meet!¡± The eager in his eyes was apparent.


    ¡°So can you? Do you want to meet him? Please meet him. He¡¯s so cool, I think you¡¯ll like him, please, please please.¡± Boulder begged with his palms clasped together. Gran laughed at Boulder¡¯s begging. ¡°Son, who taught you to beg like that?¡± Gran rhetorically asked.


    Pebble and Cobble rolled their eyes when they heard their father asked Boulder that. It was how Gran normally begged Roselyn when he wanted something from her. ¡°So can i? Can I go fishing? Please? Fishes are good for you. It¡¯ll make our sons great, please, please please.¡± and other scenes of Gran begging came to their mind.


    Noticing Pebble and Cobble¡¯s weird look Gran coughed and rustled the short hair of the youngest son of his. ¡°Go see your mother first, you haven¡¯t seen her in over a year, she¡¯s been worried about you, you know? And she has a surprise for you too.¡± Gran stated calmly.


    ¡°A surprise?¡± Boulder asked. He continued. ¡°What kind of surprise?¡±


    ¡°A big one, now go see your mother, or else I won¡¯t see your teacher.¡± Gran patted his son on the back propelling him forward a step with his strength. Boulder¡¯s eyes lit up afterwards and rushed towards the door before stopping there. He turned around and looked at the trainee within the room.


    ¡°Oh, it was nice to meeting you all today, I¡¯m going to see my mom now, tomorrow I can help you guys with training if you need help I¡¯m one of the best for my age, maybe I can teach you guys! Bye!¡± Boulder¡¯s eyes lingered on Julie and Shelly for a short moment before he ran out as fast as he came in. His hurried footsteps could be heard running up the stairs.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite the kid.¡± Boss who was the most ignored by Boulder remarked. ¡°Is he always that hyper?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The father and two sons replied in unison and laughed. Pebble continued ¡°He¡¯s also straightforward and you¡¯ll know exactly what¡¯s on his mind at all times, apparently he¡¯s already at that age where he¡¯s interested in girls.¡± Pebble laughed, everyone in the room besides the two who were laying on the ground half asleep had noticed Boulder¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw Julie and Shelly.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°But, father¡­ what surprise does mom have for him?¡± Pebble asked. His confused look made Gran speechless. Did Pebble not know? He then turned his eyes over to Cobble who raised his eyebrows when Pebble asked that question and sighed in relief. At least Cobble knows what he meant.


    ¡°Pebble, Boulder¡¯s been away for a year.¡± Cobble spoke calmly and slowly.


    ¡°Uh huh, I know that.¡± Pebble gave Cobble a curious look. Even Cobble knew what the surprise was?


    ¡°What happened to mom during that time?¡± Cobble asked.


    Pebble¡¯s dimwitted eyes slowly grew wider and wider until the lightbulb above his head lit up and he facepalmed himself so hard when he realized the answer. ¡°Ahaha, I can¡¯t wait until he sees his surprise. We should hear it soon.¡± Pebbled remarked.


    Cobble and Gran nodded their head and waited. Everyone within the room turned their head to the opened door of the meditation room. A short moment later the loud scream of a 12-year-old red haired boy could be heard echoing throughout the home.


    ¡°AHHH, MOM YOUR STOMACH YOU¡¯RE PREGNANT! HOW? WHAT? WHY?¡± The sound of loud footsteps stomped the stairway followed by a crashing sound as the 12-year-old red head wearing his school uniform walked back in massaging the back of his head.


    ¡°DAD! MOM¡¯S PREGNANT. DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU DO THIS?¡± Boulder¡¯s ran up to Gran and exclaimed. The excitement in his voice couldn¡¯t be maintained.


    ¡°Uh, yes I know that she¡¯s pregnant. Well if I didn¡¯t do it, who did?¡± Gran replied. He continued. ¡°Did you just run away from your mom?¡±


    ¡°Oh shoot!¡± Boulder¡¯s footsteps could be heard running up the stairs again, however there was a steadier and less reckless steps to them than before. ¡°Mom, sorry! Is it a boy? Is it a girl? You don¡¯t know!? Why not!? Surprise!? NOOO, Wait really? SOON? OH MY GOSH! Tell me everything!¡± The sound of a door closing could be heard as the house quieted down.


    Boulder¡¯s voice could be heard all the way back to the meditation room before it got quiet.


    ¡°Did he just say, tell me everything?¡± Boss asked Gran.


    Gran squinted his eyes and thought to himself. There¡¯s no way Roselyn would tell Boulder about everything, right? He then turned and looked at Pebble and Cobble who was standing there with a weird expression on their face. ¡°Did you ever ask your mom to tell you everything?¡±


    ¡°No¡­but if it¡¯s mom, I think she would do it.¡± Pebble thought about it and replied. He then turned his head to Cobble and asked. ¡°Right, Cobble?¡±


    Cobble nodded his head. ¡°I asked mom to tell me her life story once, she started from the beginning and didn¡¯t leave out any detail until I fell asleep.¡±


    Gran¡¯s silhouette disappeared from the meditation room before Cobble could even finish his sentence. Another sound of doors being opened could be heard a short second later followed by Gran shouting ¡°Wait!¡± before the door closed again.


    Pebble and Cobble continued to stand there awkwardly looking at the pair of eyes that were on them. ¡°Your training is over today, go back to the Inn and rest up, we¡¯ll start again with Cobble tomorrow, try to pass this time. You have only¡­ is it two or three chances left? Two right? Two left.¡± Pebble stated after confirming with Cobble beside him.


    ¡°Anyways, we¡¯re going to catch up with Boulder tonight, so we¡¯ll see you all again tomorrow morning.¡± Pebble excused himself and left the room. Cobble glanced at Michael and Arthur who actually fell asleep sometime during all that ruckus. ¡°They can sleep here tonight, if you want.¡±


    Boss waved it off. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can bring them back.¡±


    Cobble nodded his head and walked over to help Michael and Arthur up off the floor. Seth and Julie held onto Michael whereas Shelly held Arthur back up to his feet. With Silver in his arms and Barkie on his head Boss and the trainees disappeared from the meditation room.


    It has been this kind of situation since the intensity of the meditation went up with Gran. Boss would just teleport everyone back to the Inn into their respective rooms because they were in no condition to even stay awake at that point.


    Cobble sighed to himself when he saw the trainees disappear, the actions of Boss no matter how many times he saw it and concentrated in his meditative state he couldn¡¯t sense even an ounce of power energy being used when he teleported them away.


    Boss looked at the bruised-up Arthur and Michael who finally managed to find their meditative energy and smiled. ¡°Welp, looks like it¡¯s time for me to cook once again, wake them up in a few hours when it¡¯s done will ya?¡± Boss asked the other three who was in the room.


    ¡°You can join us too, Seth.¡± Boss stated calmly before walking out of the door.


    Seth looked at Shelly and Julie who was completely unharmed. ¡°Is his cooking that good?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the best cooking I¡¯ve ever had.¡± Julie replied. She continued ¡°It also have some weird healing properties, the last time we had Boss¡¯ cooking we would recover a lot faster.¡±


    Shelly nodded her head to Julie¡¯s statement and looked towards Seth¡¯s bruised up arms. ¡°It¡¯ll be good for you if you had some.¡±


    ¡°Do you think my friends can have some too?¡± Seth thought about his fellow companions who he traveled with. Even though Seth¡¯s training with Gran¡¯s estate was grueling and rewarding at the same time. Mason, Riley, Gerald, and Sampson were no slackers when they saw him improve.


    They were embarrassed to ask Seth to have Gran train them too, considering they rejected Seth¡¯s offer the first time. So, they would instead ask about what kind of training Seth did with them and copied it back at the Inn with Mason and Riley acting as the trainers for Gerald and Sampson. All four of them improved training and tutoring each other, Riley and Mason still haven¡¯t hit Tier 2 but they were more opportunistic about the future once they traveled to the Tillowisk Empire as compared to before.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not?¡± Julie replied to Seth as she looked towards Shelly hoping to Shelly agree.


    ¡°It should be okay.¡± Shelly replied.


    Seth was delighted and left to tell his friends.


    On his way back he noticed a tall elegant looking gentleman with bright red hair and a thin brown moustache standing before the hallway looking at the room beside theirs. The elegant gentleman felt Seth¡¯s gaze and turned around and nodded his head in greeting before closing the door to his room.


    Seth thought about Boulder¡¯s teacher and tried recalling if he¡¯s ever seen that gentleman before back at Lumiere. However, after opening the door to his own room Seth determined it wasn¡¯t someone he had ever met.


    His four friends were concentrating on their meditation when Seth walked in. They were not meditating the same way Gran had done with the trainees because Riley and Mason realized immediately they lacked the control to properly stop in time resulting in Gerald and Sampson getting smacked when they shouldn¡¯t have.


    Seth looked at Riley who didn¡¯t even open his eyes from his meditation when the red-haired gentleman was right next door. ¡°That¡¯s definitely someone Tier 3 or higher¡± Seth thought to himself and concluded, he closed the door behind him and started to meditate until it was time for dinner.

 53. Boss!? Youre back?

    Chapter 53. Boss!? You¡¯re back?


    <hr>


    ¡°Boss!? You¡¯re back?¡± The Head Chef immediately welcomed the boy who walked in with a bright smile on his face. The kid nodded his head causing the Head chef to instruct his apprentices who was preparing dinner for their guest. ¡°Everyone! Stop what you¡¯re doing, Boss is back.¡± The head chef stopped the entire actions of his crew with a single sentence.


    ¡°But, Head Chef, there¡¯s a lot of people who want to eat, what¡¯re we going to do about them?¡± One of his apprentice chefs asked. He was the same one that got smacked by the head chef last time Boss was around.


    The head chef turned to Boss who barged into the kitchen, ¡°Boss, what about everyone who is waiting outside?¡± The little kid with a brown wig lifted his sunglasses revealing his bright yellow eyes. Boss¡¯ eyes startled the Head Chef. This was the first time he found out that Boss was actually a young kid who was already able to teleport, this kid is a genius!


    ¡°Just make the food for the guest and bring it over to me, tell me what table it is for and I¡¯ll do the rest. In the meantime, I¡¯ll be using this space over here for my friends. Once everyone¡¯s orders are done, you can help me out with my dish.¡± The little kid put the sunglasses back on and eyed the ingredients around the kitchen.


    ¡°Go, be quick about it!¡± The Head Chef excitedly exclaimed and rushed over beside Boss who took out an enormous leg from a creature from who knows where. The Head Chef couldn¡¯t believe his eyes when the thing teleported directly in front of him. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s that!?¡± The leg was as big as a horse¡¯s, yet the sheen from the fur didn¡¯t match any fur on horses he¡¯d ever saw, it was fluffier and less shiny.


    ¡°A rabbit¡¯s leg from the Tillowisk Empire.¡± Boss stated calmly. The Head Chef almost exploded with a flurry of questions regarding the leg but calmed himself down immediately, he didn¡¯t want to get on Boss¡¯ bad side and get thrown out. The kid noticed the Head Chef¡¯s curious look and continued. ¡°Got it back in Rouge.¡± Boss began to peel the skin off the leg of the meat.


    ¡­


    ¡°Benjamin!¡± Samuel¡¯s exclaimed causing the butler to arrive only a few seconds later. Samuel¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of his socket as he pointed his shaking hands at the safe containing all the valuables and money they had stockpiled. The once vibrant safe containing thousands of gold bars and millions of gold coins had enough gold coins remaining that could be counted on two hands.


    ¡°Where¡¯s all my gold coins!?¡± Samuel exclaimed. Benjamin eyed the safe and shrugged his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t know, no one could get in here except for you and the madam.¡± Benjamin stated calmly.


    Samuel squinted his eyes at Benjamin, ¡°There¡¯s another person who has access to my money, Benjamin.¡± What Samuel had said was true, besides Angel and Samuel, Benjamin also had access to the safe.


    Benjamin shook his head and responded, ¡°How could I do this? Even if I did why would I stay here to get yelled at by you? My lord.¡± His words were provocative causing Samuel to just want to smack the young man. Benjamin continued ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a fourth person that could do this?¡±


    Angel walked into the room wondering why Samuel was so panicked and enraged having a standoff with Benjamin. She looked inside and noticed that while all the gold bars and other valuables remained untouched all the gold coins, they had was almost all gone. She then noticed a small note tucked between two gold bars and walked over to it.


    ¡°I owe you 25,000 Gold coins ¨C Boss¡± Angel handed the piece of paper over to Samuel and Benjamin who was having a standoff. Samuel and Benjamin read the piece of paper. Samuel¡¯s grip on the paper got tighter and tighter as his face became red with anger. ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN 25,000!?? YOU TOOK 250,000!¡±


    That day Boss teleported to meet with Samuel and the Pope he walked to the central marketplace which turned into a spot containing only food from Samuel¡¯s orders. From there he met the only person who had the meat a guy who went by the name Tea Rex who had just restocked his inventory and bought all of it using the gold coins he ¡®borrowed¡¯ from Samuel¡¯s safe.


    ¡­


    Boss scratched his ear that started to itch with his pinky and turned to the Head Chef who standing directly behind him observing his every move. ¡°I¡¯m just peeling the leg, if you want to help me take these veggies and cut them up into perfectly even slices.¡± He ordered the Head Chef; the Head Chef nodded his head and moved the vegetables away and began cutting it into perfectly even slices. Every few seconds he would turn around and glance at what Boss was doing before returning to cutting.


    The first dish was prepared after several minutes of cooking. One of the chefs walked up to Boss and softly placed the dish beside Boss, she muttered. ¡°Table 3.¡± The little kid who had started on cutting up the enormous leg nodded his head.


    The dish the female chef placed down disappeared and reappeared to the surprised look of the guest waiting at Table 3. One of the servers who was in the kitchen at the time exited and looked towards the table and left light chuckle when he noticed the person was too afraid to even touch the dish.


    The server quickly hurried over after laughing for a bit and seriously informed the guest and everyone within the dining hall that their Boss was helping with the cooking. He continued and stated that they shouldn¡¯t be worried about their food appearing on the table tonight.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After the first incident people were excited and expectant of the food magically appearing on their table shortly after they had ordered and would ask for seconds and thirds. They even went and brought their friends who had never seen such ability before and bought them food.


    The Chefs within the kitchen were working tirelessly as they prepared every order, the stock of food they had was diminishing at a rapid pace. However, the expression on their face was one of giddiness as they shared glances at the boy working on his own dish.


    Everything Boss had done was simple and straightforward, but the way he was preparing and cooking them was something the Chefs had never tried before. He was steaming the food creating buns and dumplings he had learned back on Earth.


    Luckily the ingredients Boulderville had were all there for creating dumplings and buns. But, those weren¡¯t all he was making it wouldn¡¯t be hours if it was just these, dishes upon dishes were made using whatever was found within the room, things he enjoyed and other dishes he could create within the 3 hours¡¯ time limit was created.


    Most of the dishes in Boulderville and within this world were all either open fire cooking and grilling alongside creating some more advance cuisine such as pan frying and pasta making. However, their dishes were not up to par from what Boss had back at home millions of years ago. ¡°Oh~ how nostalgic. How long was it since I¡¯ve been back in a mortal world?¡± Boss thought to himself as the food in his hands slowly transformed to what he remembered.


    As an immortal, food and drinks was something those of Boss¡¯ levels did not need to survive. Most would prefer to spend their entire time hidden away meditating and becoming even more powerful. This did not mean all immortals like Boss didn¡¯t eat. Him and his crew for example preferred having multiple restaurants within their galactic stealth ships that they can eat whenever they want.


    Unfortunately, a ship is not a planet, and a crew is not new friends. Doing the same thing for hundreds of thousands of lifetimes just to keep those within his own planet safe has made even the best food aboard taste bland to him. Because of this Boss would choose to take a break descending into the worlds of mortals with his power limited to what the planet can handle in order to enjoy some time alone. His crew would do the same.


    It wasn¡¯t until nearly four hours later when almost all the guest had eaten and left did Arthur and Michael finally woke up, surprisingly at the same time, just like their grasp on meditative energy that afternoon.


    Everyone was starving by the time they had woken up, but since Boss hadn¡¯t returned to let them know he was done they remained within the room meditating.


    Gurgle gurgle


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so hungry Shelly, how about we eat something else while we wait?¡± Arthur asked after waking up. He recalled that he managed to find his meditative energy after falling asleep and attempted to see if he could do it again. There it was, at the center of his heart circling and rotating drawing him in, it was an amazing feeling until his stomach growled and that feeling disappeared instantly.


    Shelly thought for a moment and got up. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go find something.¡± Everyone followed Shelly out of the room until a voice from behind them stopped them in their tracks.


    ¡°Hey, hey I¡¯m finished.¡± The little kid with his sunglasses on smiled at the youths in front of him ¡°Let¡¯s go get Seth and his friends too, they¡¯ll want to eat.¡± Boss walked ahead of Shelly towards the direction of Seth¡¯s room.


    Boss glanced over to the room beside Seth¡¯s and raised a curious eyebrow, he then returned to Seth¡¯s door and kicked it open startling the people inside. ¡°Hey, hey wake up! Let¡¯s go!¡± Boss shouted. Everyone within the room was already awake by the time Boss had arrived, they agreed to the dinner but didn¡¯t realize it was going to take this long before they could eat.


    Luckily before anyone could bite their own shoe the kid, they recognized a few times before from their past encounters had made his way back into the room of theirs. ¡°Come, come, let¡¯s eat and then sleep and train again some more tomorrow.¡± Boss turned around and skipped ahead, every step he took made his figure jump meters and with only a few short skips before he was at the entrance of the dining all.


    Before everyone even made it through the door to the dining hall the heavenly scent of a variety of different dishes were placed on two tables connected forming a longer one. All the chefs from the kitchen was standing beside the table waiting for them to enter. Boss was already sitting at the center eyeing all the food around him.


    The enormous group quickened their pace and settled down on the seat of the table once they saw dishes upon dishes they had never seen or heard before. ¡°I promised Arthur and Michael I¡¯d cook again once they managed to find their meditative energy.¡± Boss paused for a moment and continued. ¡°So, dig in! ¡­ You guys too.¡± Boss turned to look at the hardworking chefs standing neatly behind him. They were waiting for those magical words and sat down beside Boss.


    The table of 15 individuals laughed and conversed as they stuffed themselves silly with food. Boss took his time as he ate examining the energy within everyone¡¯s body. He paid the most attention to the kids he had met first and inwardly smiled. The energy within their body was cycling and qualitatively improving at consistent pace.


    Thanks to his ability to perfectly extract all the energy and condensing it into pills, marbles or whatever, Boss hid two of them in the buns and dumplings he placed on their plates using a quarter of the meats he purchased in the process. He also paid attention to the other ones on everyone else¡¯s plate that contained the other quarter of meats condensed into pills.


    Hidden behind layers upon layers of delicacy no one except for a single girl noticed the change happening within themselves. Shelly, however, didn¡¯t say anything out loud when she had noticed that the energy within her had experienced a qualitative change. She knew Boss secretly did this for them and inwardly thanked the kid that was laughing and making fun of Arthur who was angrily chewing his food sitting across of him.


    She closed her eyes momentarily examining the energy around her, everyone who was sitting at that table tonight were shining like stars, the brilliance in their energy was something she only felt before sitting at home with the Galafray¡¯s at dinner.


    Everyone who had ate at this table tonight no matter how average or normal they were was given an opportunity tonight to improve if they ever thought about it in the future as that external energy flowed towards their own enhancing their own inner energy.


    Shelly opened her eyes again after a few seconds with no one noticing anything was amiss and continued to eat at her own pace tasting each and every dish. She looked up only to see the kid she inwardly thanked winked back and smiled knowingly at her before returning to converse with those around him. Shelly maintained the same expression and hid her head, no one saw the hopeful smile she made that night.

 54. It wasn鈥檛 until midnight

    Chapter 54. It wasn¡¯t until midnight


    <hr>


    It wasn¡¯t until midnight that night did everyone finished eating and was having a food coma for eating too much. Boss was the first one to excuse himself when the food was finished and headed straight for bed. Once he had left it also signified time for everyone else to head back for the night.


    The Chefs were the only one that remained when everyone else had left, it was their final duty for dining with Boss, they had to clean up the table filled with plates of dishes and scraps of food. ¡°Avery, you¡¯ll do the dishes, Harla you can help Avery. ¡°Gordon, Marco, Rea, and I will clean up the table and put everything back. Once that is done, we¡¯ll call it a night, try not to stay up late tonight. I¡¯m just like all of you guys though, so¡­sigh¡­ just show up on time tomorrow morning for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Head Chef!¡± Everyone shouted in unison.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    ¡­


    Morning came faster than most of the kids could prepare for. Boss was forcefully shaking both Michael and Arthur awake. ¡°You two are going to be late for training, go go go!¡± Boss stated factually. The dinner they had last night went way past their bedtime causing the two boys to be half asleep. Arthur ignored Boss¡¯ attempt completely and curled up inside his blanket further. ¡°Five more minutes¡­¡±


    Knock knock


    Whish


    Boss used his powers and opened the door wide open the moment someone knocked on it from afar, he was still waking Arthur up as Michael tried to get ready. Michael also attempted to wake Arthur up by weakly pushing at him before walking away to wet his face.


    Shelly and Julie walked in and noticed that both Arthur and Michael were half asleep still and sighed. ¡°Young master, wake up.¡±


    ¡°Five more minutes¡­¡±


    ¡°Young master, there¡¯s a spider on you.¡±


    ¡°ACK WHAT? GET IT OFF GET IT OFF EWW¡± The kid jumped up and swiped away at his clothing trying to remove the imaginary spider on him. Shelly walked over and placed her hand on the ground and covered her palms together. She walked over to the window of their room and opened it. ¡°It¡¯s gone now, young master.¡±


    Arthur sighed in relief. Both Boss and Julie chuckled lightly when they saw this scene, ahh so that¡¯s why that nightmare creature looked like a spider. Boss thought to himself as he blew out the lit flame resting on his finger.


    ¡°Young master, we have to be at the Chief¡¯s place soon.¡±


    ¡°How soon?¡±


    ¡°20 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Crap!¡± Arthur ran up beside Michael who was washing his face in the sink and did the same. ¡°You two can go first! We¡¯ll go once we¡¯re done!¡± Both Michael and Arthur exclaimed when they heard. It takes 15 minutes of walking to get from the Inn to Gran¡¯s place. If they leave right now, they would barely make it in time by walking.


    ¡°Shall we listen to the boys and go Shelly?¡± Julie asked.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shelly replied. The two girls quickly departed from the room and made their way out of the Inn.


    ¡°When do you think those two will notice?¡± Julie asked Shelly when they were out of the Inn.


    Shelly looked up at Julie and replied. ¡°Will they even notice?¡±


    Julie laughed and replied ¡°True, I bet they won¡¯t even notice by the time for their next beating, err I mean meditation.¡± Julie and Shelly continued to laugh and converse talking about the boys on their way to Gran¡¯s home.


    Arthur and Michael continued to get cleaned up and eventually raced out of the Inn with five minutes left before training with Cobble started. They ran the whole 1600 meters (~1 mile) distance to Gran¡¯s home nonstop arriving exactly once training had commenced in the back.


    ¡°You two, are right on time.¡± Cobble nodded and raised an eyebrow ¡°Seems like you two are also, fully recovered and ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Arthur and Michael replied in unison.


    ¡°Alright, same thing as last week! This week is your last so do your best. Everyone! ALL AT ONCE. GO¡± Cobble exclaimed.


    Hails of blades and arrows flew directly at the man standing in the center of it. The power energy of Cobble repelled all the object blasting them back to where they came. The those that threw the arrows and shot the blades completely disappeared from their spot and rushed up to Cobble aiming squarely for his upper body from all sides.


    The five trainees only had their arms pushed back a short distance before following up with a second barrage of fists flying and exploding upon contact with Gran¡¯s defensive energy. The weeks of training they had with Cobble made them very well adapted to Cobble¡¯s repulsive energy. They were hitting him to their limits of what they could recover from the recoil and continued to press on.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Fists continued to explode from all sides for an hour straight until a slight change in energy near Cobble¡¯s leg revealed itself. ¡°His left leg, go now!¡± Shelly exclaimed almost immediately. The five instantly changed directions going from attacking his upper body to his left leg.


    After their previous attempts training with Cobble, they realized that they can¡¯t do anything when they were fighting Cobble altogether, he would raise his defensive energy to just slightly beyond what he assumed the five were capable of unleashing altogether. From this, any attack they did couldn¡¯t breach him.


    This is a strategy they had formulated after realizing Cobble¡¯s trick. They had to unleash a constant barrage at Cobble at the same area until the energy at the spot exhausted itself. Cobble¡¯s body would instinctively try to defend itself by transfer energy at another spot on his body to shield himself from the barrage.


    During this time of energy transfer a slight delay of when the transfer leaves and joins the upper body to defend itself shows. The energy surrounding the leg will weaken momentarily to assist the upper body while Cobble¡¯s inner energy works to fill up the gaps as quick as possible.


    Bangbangbangbang!


    ¡°Gogogo!¡± Everyone used all their might and continued pounding away at the weaken energy of Cobble¡¯s leg. Cobble was sweating buckets knowing that if the kids keep this up, he¡¯ll get hit by five different fists.


    It was a test of perseverance and endurance, who would tire out first? Whoever it was, would lose today.


    Sweat soaked everyone¡¯s training clothes as the five relentlessly blasted away the leg no giving a single second for Cobble to recover the energy on his leg.


    Bang bang!


    BANG!


    The energy on Cobble¡¯s leg dissipated completely causing Cobble to inwardly go ¡°oh shit!¡± Causing him to instinctively used both of his arms and pushing back all five of the attackers sending them five meters with the back of their outfit scraping the grassy training field beneath them before coming to a full stop.


    All five were panting, some more than others.


    ¡°Haaah, you cheated! You can¡¯t hit back!¡± Arthur gasped for breath and shouted.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Julie exclaimed. ¡°This means we win!¡±


    ¡°Haaaaah, gah you kids are so freaking scary, were you all planning on crippling my leg?¡± Cobble exaggerated and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. ¡°Fine, fine you all passed today, if I didn¡¯t stop you guys, I may have gotten injured from your next attacks. Sheeeesh where did you all get this kind of energy? It wasn¡¯t even like this the last time we went at it. Haaaaah¡± Cobble grumbled and exhaled; he was amazed at what the five trainees had done in just three days.


    Never in his wildest dreams would he had believed that there was someone capable of transferring energy from things and condensing into a pill and snuck it into all of the trainees¡¯ meals at dinner last night. If Cobble had known he¡¯d scream at Boss and called him a cheater.


    Four of the trainees didn¡¯t know what had happened either, their body felt great and their control was superb, they went in against Cobble with a feeling that today they could do it. To their surprise, they managed to do just that, penetrate the defensive energy Cobble had up, by consistently barraging him with their own for nearly two hours until small weakness showed.


    Clap clap clap!


    ¡°Oh my gosh, that was freaking AMAZING! You beat up my brother!¡± A 12-year-old red haired kid sitting off to the side clapped his hands energetically. ¡°What the heck! I didn¡¯t know you guys were so great!¡± He exclaimed and then muttered quietly to himself off to the side ¡°Admittedly I should have known when I heard Galafray, But still! AMAZING!¡±


    Clapclapclapclap!


    The five trainees couldn¡¯t match Boulder¡¯s level of excitement and awkwardly smiled at each other. Shelly got up and dusted off the mess on her training clothes. Boulder ran over after seeing Shelly got up and stood before her. ¡°You were especially amazing Shelly! When you told them go for the leg, they listened so fast! My heart was racing when you said that!¡± Boulder excitedly stated.


    Shelly calmly looked at the boy half a head taller than her. ¡°Thanks, but it wouldn¡¯t have worked if we didn¡¯t train our hardest.¡± Her calm reply didn¡¯t dampen Boulder¡¯s excitement as he vigorously nodded his head in agreement.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! You all were amazing!¡± Boulder smiled and agreed. He then noticed that Julie was trying to get up too and hurried over to her side. ¡°Julie! You did great too, oh my gosh! Here let me help you up!¡± Boulder held Julie¡¯s hand, his heart palpitating as he tried to maintain his calm as Julie got up.


    ¡°Thank you, Boulder¡± Julie replied with a smile. She then continued. ¡°Let¡¯s help everyone get up.¡± Boulder followed Julie¡¯s order and went over to Seth he grabbed the person who looked to be the heaviest there and pulled Seth upward with a smile on his face. He turned around looking at the two ladies who were helping Michael and Arthur up hoping to show off his strength to them.


    However, the two girls didn¡¯t even notice or cared when they saw what Boulder had done, it was just helping Seth up in their mind. Boulder laughed it off when he thought they were going to be amazed.


    ¡°Thank you, Boulder.¡± Seth thanked the kid who tugged him up to his feet and walked over to the pavement where the other four had went and sat down beside the house he was too tired to remain standing.


    Cobble walked over to Boulder and whispered, ¡°Whatcha expecting? They trained with me, Pebble and our father everyday¡­pfftahaha¡± Cobble let out a slight chuckle causing Boulder to scratch his head responded with a bright smile, ¡°Ahaha, I forgot.¡±


    Cobble continued to whisper. ¡°Besides, if you want girls, I don¡¯t think you will have a chance with those two there, if it¡¯s strength those two boys are not your match at the moment, but do you think you¡¯re better than the girls? Probably physically, but they¡¯re definitely smarter than you. Also, remember that kid with the sunglasses yesterday? he¡¯s stronger than them.¡±


    Boulder nodded his head as his eyes remained fixated on the two girls and boys in front of them.


    ¡°Did you hear what I just said?¡± Cobble asked.


    Boulder only heard half of what Cobble had said, ¡°Uh huh, uh huh, something something, gotta be stronger than the girls to get them, something sunglasses was stronger than them, gotta be stronger than him too.¡± Boulder replied. He continued ¡°Gonna go get them drinks! They must be tired! Be right back!¡± Boulder ran off into the house in an excited


    Cobble sighed when he saw the younger brother of his and shrugged his shoulder. Oh well, having a goal isn¡¯t so bad either. Cobble headed back inside to help Boulder with bringing out the trays of snacks and drinks for their brunch.


    Pebble, Dr. Galil, Roselyn, and Gran walked out of the home with the same enormous sheet of cloth for everyone to sit around as they ate. Gran asked Cobble how training went with Boulder excitedly jumping in narrating the entire ordeal a vivid and exaggerated manner spewing fruits and breadcrumbs out of his mouth.


    Pebble¡¯s face remained expressionless as he listened to Boulder¡¯s narration. However, inwardly as he stared at the five potential monsters before him, he was worried, if what Boulder had said was even remotely accurate, he¡¯ll be in trouble tomorrow. It wasn¡¯t just Cobble that they managed to find a weakness to exploit. Pebble had a few too.


    Gulp

 55. That day

    Chapter 55. That day


    <hr>


    That day after recovering a bit, the trainees made their way to the gated entrance of Gran¡¯s estate to head home. They looked up at the gatekeeper who was sighing dejectedly at the board game before him. The usual match the gatekeeper would have with Boss as the trainees tried to make their way back to the Inn didn¡¯t happen that day.


    Boss was nowhere to be seen. Arthur noticed that Boss wasn¡¯t sitting there grumbling and shouting expletives at the gatekeeper for cheating and asked the gatekeeper. ¡°Where¡¯s Boss?¡±


    The gatekeeper only realized that Arthur was waiting there ready to head home when Arthur shouted. The gatekeeper awoken from his daze responded. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I thought you kids would know something.¡± He then turned over to his partner who was supposed to be watching the entrance also, the freaking person was asleep assuming everything was under control.


    Shelly looked ahead at the way back to the Inn and closed her eyes, there was no sign of the teleportation energy made by Boss. ¡°I don¡¯t sense anything.¡± She stated calmly. However, there was no way to know until they started walking.


    By the time they arrived back to the Inn without a single teleportation the entire crew felt off. They had expected Boss to pull something out of his sleeve and were on high alert the entire time only for nothing to happen. That didn¡¯t stop them from maintaining their vigilance until it was time for meditative training with Gran.


    During their meditation Arthur and Michael managed to find and use their meditative energy to enshroud their bodies. However, unfortunately just like the day before they could only manage to control it near the end, stopping one attack each from Gran. Yet, Boss was still nowhere to be seen.


    Arthur couldn¡¯t help but ask Gran after rubbing his bruised arms and legs ¡°Chief Gran, do you know where Boss is?¡± It was just a shot in the dark of a question, if the kids didn¡¯t know where Boss is, why would Gran know? Unexpectedly Gran nodded his head and said, ¡°With Roselyn and Dr. Galil.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Names for the baby.¡± Gran stated calmly. Roselyn, Boss and Dr. Galil have been discussing what the baby¡¯s name should be depending on the gender this entire day. When Gran said that if the child were to be a boy, he¡¯d like it to be named Block. Boss who overheard Gran¡¯s comment barged in and rejected Gran¡¯s name and told Roselyn she could do better than Block if it was a boy.


    Roselyn didn¡¯t mind Gran¡¯s naming choices but thought it would be fun to come up with some other names, so she agreed to opening ideas for other names. Boss pulled Dr. Galil with him into the room and pulled out an empty piece of paper and the three began writing and discussing possible names.


    When the trainees were with Cobble, Boss and Dr. Galil was in Roselyn¡¯s room writing a list of names. Once it was about time for the trainees to be done with their training Roselyn and Dr. Galil got up and left for brunch. They tried inviting Boss, but he declined, he was immersed in expanding the growing list of names.


    When the trainees were back at the Inn, Boss came running down from the stairs of Roselyn¡¯s room with a long list of names stretching all the way up from behind him. Seeing the long list of names Roselyn thought it would be better to go over it outside under the nice warm sun than her room.


    Boss carried the list out back and placed it down near the rippling pond. That afternoon it was the entirety of Gran¡¯s family, Boss, and Dr. Galil reading out the names beside the pond expressing which names they liked and dislike until only a few names were left.


    ¡°Do you guys want to see what names are left?¡± Gran asked the trainees before them. Arthur was incredibly excited and nodded his head. Seth didn¡¯t really care much about it so he excused himself and left for the night.


    Within Roselyn¡¯s room the three were staring at the shorten list of names, Dr. Galil and Roselyn threw out the names that was the same as the people they knew meaning names like Orchid, Arthur and Michael was immediately eliminated. Boulder complained adding a 2.0 and # next to the names wasn¡¯t even really a name so all the ones with numbers and symbols were gone.


    ¡°What names did you pick?¡± Arthur asked as they made their way up to Roselyn¡¯s room.


    ¡°Block if it¡¯s a boy.¡± Gran replied.


    ¡°What if it¡¯s a girl?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe Block too¡±


    The four trainees shared strange looks at Gran¡¯s answer. Upon arriving at the door, the remaining four trainees snuck their head in only to see three people furrowing their brows concentrating on the small list of names remaining in front of them.


    Arthur walked over and snuck a glance at the list of names on it. At the top of the list it was Block followed by a short list of names Arthur couldn¡¯t pronounce on the top of his head. He then looked at the list of names for girls, he only managed to see one name before a hand covered his eyes.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Wha¡ª?¡± Arthur fumbled to push the hand of Boss away from his face.


    ¡°Oh sorry, I was stretching.¡± Boss calmly apologized. He then looked up at the four trainees who were all hovering around them. ¡°Come, come help us pick a name.¡±


    ¡°Is Block still on it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave you guys alone.¡± Gran didn¡¯t want to stay and think about names any longer, it took them the entire afternoon just to shorten that list. As long as Block was still on its Gran was content.


    Having new pairs of eyes and fresh input from the four helped shorten the already short list of names for the baby. However, this didn¡¯t mean it was a quick process. It wasn¡¯t until Gran walked in two hours later and telling everybody that Roselyn needs to sleep did everyone decide to leave.


    Once everyone had left Roselyn held the shorter list of names.


    Yawn


    ¡°But, I¡¯m not tired.¡± Roselyn complained rubbed her eyes after yawning.


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Gran walked his wife over to the bed and helped her on it. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight~¡± Yawn


    The next day Arthur was the opposite of when he and Michael had to run to Cobble. Being the first one out of bed and ready to go, Arthur was reinvigorated and excited to for today. He wanted to go back train and discuss the name of the baby straight away.


    Michael flicked Arthur¡¯s forehead. ¡°Training with Pebble, remember?¡± Arthur rubbed his forehead ¡°Yeah I know! Did Barkie and Boss leave early today?¡± Arthur asked, his puppy would sometimes leave with Boss early to Gran¡¯s place to play with the animals.


    Michael looked around the room and replied, ¡°I guess so.¡±


    Shelly walked in with Julie beside her. Arthur also noticed that Silver was gone and asked. ¡°Went with Boss, today?¡±


    Shelly nodded her head; Silver had leapt off her bed and opened the door itself hopping onto the awaiting arms of Boss outside this morning. ¡°They left an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°Can we stop Pebble today?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Of course we can!¡± Julie exclaimed she had a feeling that they could finally tag Pebble today. ¡°Let¡¯s go~¡± Julie pulled the arms of Michael and Arthur and dragged them out of the room. Shelly trailed from behind watching the ever-excited positive Julie.


    Julie was completely different than when they had first arrived, the first-time training with Cobble, Pebble, and Gran revealed something she didn¡¯t want anyone to see, only for to be the one to not remember. After barely scraping by every hurdle during her training Julie¡¯s once emotional pessimistic demeanor slowly transformed to one that had hope for the future.


    Everyone may not have shown it after Michael had told them to not say anything, but their actions certainly did. They would exhaust themselves every night trying to meditate and control their energy better. Shelly had caught Arthur giving Michael worried glances from time to time only to shake it off and focus on the training. There was nothing they could to but prepare as much as they could.


    Today was no different, preparations were thought of and made to trap Pebble and tag him. Cloths littered the grassy backyard. This was the plan that they had came up with.


    At first, they thought of creating a maze and forcing Pebble to run through and tag him from all sides, however with a limited amount of time and Pebble¡¯s unwillingness to even run in that direction stopped that plan in its tracks.


    Shelly then thought about just using a rope and attaching to it to each other to completely net Pebble. However, this plan would trigger Pebble to run away before they could even circle around him to entrap him. They had to find a way to not make Pebble run away instantly and yet at the same time have it be quick enough to prepare for the morning.


    Some days they would chase Pebble around and examine his actions. Other days they would put blockades and barriers to see what would happen. With Cobble, they had to use brute force, with Pebble they had to plan and discover a weakness through trial and error.


    ¡°Go trainees go!¡± Boulder shouted off from the sidelines as Pebble and the trainees had a standoff. He saw what happened to Cobble and was cheering on for another day of the trainees putting up a show.


    ¡°What do you have planned this time?¡± Pebble eyed at all cloths that littered the entirety of the ground. There over 20 different 4x4 meter cloths placed all around the grass blanketing all the areas around Pebble.


    He saw that they were just placing cloths around him, so he didn¡¯t bother to move, he paid close attention to the ground as they did and noticed there was no trap holes for him to fall into either.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see~¡± Arthur replied and continued to fix the cloths. Once he was done, he gave the go ahead to Shelly and the rest who was done with the blankets around them.


    Pebble was prepared as he watched the five trainees circling around him, their pace was slow as they got into position. Pebble scanned the space needed for him to run through, there was still plenty of time before he needed to go.


    The boys who were behind him stayed quiet; they were getting closer to each other making it more difficult for Pebble to run away through them. The space around the girls in response were much wider. ¡°So, they want me to go through the girls eh?¡± Pebble muttered.


    ¡°Well you can¡¯t make me!¡± Pebble thought to himself and instantly and turned around towards a smaller gap between the boys and tried to escape through it.


    The moment Pebble turned around the trainees were fully prepared for the gap they had purposefully left opened for Pebble and closed it instantly. Pebble instinctively turned towards another direction and vanished. However, his move was predicted as the blankets in his directions were raised blocking his path.


    The five secretly tied the corner of each thin blanket and raised it up just enough to trip Pebble. Pebble turned again vanishing from the spot. Unfortunately, his attempt was blocked again as blankets continued to be raised just enough so that he couldn¡¯t plow through it.


    ¡°Eh!?¡± How do they know?! The five was closing in on Pebble fast, the blankets were raised causing him alarm as he continued to run on the blanket¡¯s flat blankets towards other gaps around him. The blankets were being raised higher and higher, trying to trap him completely hole.


    Pebble not once stopped in this instance running and turning at high speed towards any openings left. One small area large enough for him to make it through if he sped up was in his sight. He went for it as the five-trainee charged forward with the blankets in their hand hoping to cover the man.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Pebble escaped through the smallest gap as the blankets carried over by the five trainees fell onto nothingness. Suddenly, before he could celebrate after running through the gap a blanket remained raised directly in front of him.


    ¡°Crap! ¡­ JULIE!¡± Pebble shouted his last words as he ran face first into the blanket covering him up like a ghost. Pebble scrambled to remove the blanket as he ran with it over his body. However, it wouldn¡¯t budge, his speed slowed giving enough time for the trainees to jump him tackling him into the ground.


    ¡°WE DID IT!¡±

 Chapter 56. How!?

    Chapter 56. How!?


    <hr>


    ¡°How!? How did you know where I was going!?¡± Pebble exclaimed muffled underneath the blanket trapping him.


    ¡°Hehe!¡± Arthur snickered and continued. ¡°Cause we can see it!¡± The five of them sat on top of Pebble celebrating their victory.


    Clap clap clap clap!


    ¡°AMAZING!¡± Boulder ran up and congratulated the five trainees who bested his eldest brother. ¡°SO SMART!¡± Boulder exclaimed; he was watching from afar so everything the trainee had done was within his line of sight.


    ¡°I can tell you brother! Every time you stepped on the blanket you left an indent on it! This helped the boys who wasn¡¯t good at sensing your energy to chase you from behind! Shelly eyes were closed as they ran forward, she was sensing your power energy!¡± Boulder was extremely excited as he spoke.


    ¡°You got caught the moment you let them place these blankets around you!¡± Boulder smiled and exclaimed. He continued ¡°Once there was only one spot left before you were completely covered by them, Julie did something to raise the blanket at that spot and covered you!¡±


    ¡°EH!? Julie, you could do that!? Pebble continued to muffle underneath the blanket, his body was squirming as he talked.


    Julie smiled and responded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s part of power, but this is the first time I¡¯ve ever tried it this way on you.¡± Her expression was one of giddiness and joy as she realized what she had done.


    ¡°I thought you were a Seer and could only stop things in place! What!?¡± Pebble was completely flabbergasted, what was her second power, was it not the ability to just stop things in place!?


    ¡°Hehe!¡± Arthur exclaimed ¡°We¡¯re Exotics, we¡¯re unpredictable!¡±


    The squirming Pebble sighed underneath his blanket; he knew he had lost today for not completely realizing what Julie¡¯s abilities were. He thought about Shelly, did she even use any of her powers yet? Was he guaranteed to lose if he managed to escape somehow? Pebble only thought for a moment before the weight of the people on top of him was becoming more suffocating.


    ¡°Okay, okay! You pass, how long are you going to sit on top of me!?¡± Pebble squirmed harder one last time causing the five trainees who were still sitting on top of him to hop off. The trainees were too excited in capturing Pebble they forgot that they were still sitting on him. They quickly helped Pebble remove the blanket and apologized, however the smile on their face was apparent, they had finally passed Pebble¡¯s training!


    ¡°Was this all your plan, Shelly?¡± Pebble turned to the little short white-haired girl with calm sapphire blue eyes.


    Shelly shook her head. ¡°Julie gave me the idea.¡± Shelly replied.


    Julie learned a new trick with her powers and told Shelly what it could do helping Shelly to formulate this plan. If it was just restricting someone she could see, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for her as Pebble was faster than where she could even point to hold in place. But if it¡¯s a blanket then Julie could hold it in place before Pebble could ever escape as long as her powers work as intended. In her mind it was a fifty-fifty chance of doing it right.


    ¡°Tch, freaking Julie.¡± Pebble angrily patted the head of the curly blonde-haired girl who was only up to his shoulder and grumbled. ¡°Good job thinking of this plan.¡± Pebble then pulled his hair in anger. ¡°Gahhhhh, Shelly! What other plan did you have if this didn¡¯t work?¡±


    Shelly calmly replied. ¡°You can¡¯t jump when you run that fast.¡± She looked at the blankets littered still on the ground. ¡°If we couldn¡¯t follow you with the blankets, we were going find a way to trip you by rolling the blankets up and elevating it past your knee. Julie is all we need for that too.¡±


    Shelly¡¯s cool response caused Pebble¡¯s jaw to drop. He wasn¡¯t expecting them to have two plans using just Julie to stop him. He looked at the blankets scattered on the ground, their flexibility to be used as an obstacle to both tracks, catch, and trip him made him exasperated by his own weakness.


    ¡°Chief Gran¡¯s training also inspired this plan. Being rolled up like a cocoon one too many times made us want to do it on someone else, hehe¡± Julie covered her face and begun to laugh. Her carefree attitude made Pebble sigh.


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting to just run into a trap in less than an hour, you kids can have free time to do whatever you want.¡± Pebble waved them off and entered the house a little dejected. Training the kids has become much more difficult than the start, their improvement was massive every time he engaged with them. Although, he limited himself to only a percentage of what he could do, his flaws were exactly what Shelly had said.


    ¡°I need lighter steps¡­I need to be able to jump¡­¡± Pebble mumbled to himself as he slowly made way towards his room.


    ¡°Is Pebble going to be okay?¡± Julie asked Boulder who was starstruck by her laughter.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Julie waved her hand in front of Boulder¡¯s face waking him up from his daze.


    ¡°You have a beautiful laugh¡­¡± Boulder subconsciously spoke his mind out loud. ¡°I mean uh, I uhh¡­ you¡¯re pretty, I mean, you should laugh more!¡± Boulder embarrassingly couldn¡¯t talk properly in front of Julie.


    His embarrassed demeanor caused Julie to laugh even more, putting Boulder in a second round of dazedness. Michael heard the entire scene and sighed, Julie¡¯s happiness and laughter was something he didn¡¯t ever want to lose.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Arthur turned to the girl beside him and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head back to the Inn and meditate.¡± Seth walked up and stated calmly. ¡°Especially before Boss traps us again, yesterday we had a lucky break, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll continue until our training is done.¡±  He added.


    ¡°I agree with Seth, how about we head back before Boss sets up his maze and practice our meditation?¡± Michael suggested.


    Arthur looked up at the young man almost twice his age. The boy thought for a bit before agreeing ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go practice meditating.¡±


    Shelly and Julie agreed and was about to head out when Boulder shouted. ¡°W-wait up! Can I come with you?¡± Boulder asked.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Arthur exclaimed and continued to ask ¡°But is Gran and Roselyn going to be okay with you leaving?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just Auntie Orchid¡¯s place, I needed to go say hi to her anyways.¡± Boulder waved off Arthur¡¯s concern.


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s all go say hi to Auntie Orchid and then meditate.¡± Arthur exclaimed.


    ¡°Sure, but I¡¯ll pass on the meditating.¡± Boulder replied.


    Exactly like yesterday, Boss was nowhere to be seen, the gatekeeper had expected this and was more focused today. He greeted the six people who had arrived noticed Boulder.


    ¡°Young master Boulder, you¡¯re going out?¡±


    ¡°Yep! I¡¯m going to go say hi to Auntie Orchid.¡±


    The gatekeeper nodded his head and started opening the gate.


    Once the six walked through Arthur turned around to look up at the gatekeeper. ¡°Mr. Gatekeeper Boss is thinking of baby names with Roselyn! I think he¡¯ll be back tomorrow!¡± Arthur waved goodbye after letting the gatekeeper know.


    The gatekeeper waved a bit back and closed the entrance. His partner walked over and looked at the empty board game for two, ¡°Not here today either?¡± He paused for a moment and continued ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been watching you and Boss play this game, I think I know how to play it, want to play with me?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you know how to play it?¡±


    ¡°Probably, you can teach me if I do something wrong.¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°If I must, I guess I can teach you how to play this game.¡± The gatekeeper was already fixing the pieces on the board as he grumbled. His partner laughed it off and sat in front of them. The two quickly started to move their pieces.


    ¡°Auntie Orchid! I¡¯m back~¡± Boulder shouted from outside of Orchid¡¯s door.


    Like a gust of wind the door opened and a woman with dark green hair and piercing yellow eyes rushed out and stood before Boulder and them. ¡°Boulder!¡± Orchid reached down and yanked the kid up off his feet pulling him into a tight hug.


    ¡°I miss you! How was Lumiere!? Did you meet my teacher? Did she say bad things about me? If she did, she¡¯s lying!¡± Orchid continued to shake Boulder left and right vigorously as she asked her question.


    ¡°Auntie, put me down, put me down you¡¯re embarrassing me!¡±


    ¡°How am I embarrassing you, no one is arou¡ª¡± Orchid finally noticed that Boulder brought along some friends. Familiar faces she¡¯s seen almost every other day was looking at her with wide eye.


    Orchid immediately dropped Boulder onto the ground causing him to stumble in order to regain balance.


    Cough


    ¡°Why¡¯re you kids here today?¡±


    ¡°Auntie, they came with me to say hi, don¡¯t be rude.¡±


    ¡°Wha--? Huh? How am I rude? I¡¯m just asking them a question!¡±


    ¡°Auntie, if you don¡¯t apologize, I won¡¯t come back to the inn, never ever again.¡±


    ¡°Whaaat!? Fine, I¡¯m sorry for being rude.¡± Orchid grumbled and apologized.


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Boulder smiled at the five and waved them in as he walked into Orchid¡¯s room. Orchid who was staring back at the bewilder eyes of the five who had witnessed such a scene felt her eye twitch as she pointed inside the room, inviting them in angrily. The crew slowly walked in with Orchid slamming the door shut behind them.


    This was the second time Seth had seen Orchid since the day at the staircase, what she had showed back then and how she was like in front of Boulder was like two different sides of a coin. One was a scary woman who had the power to back it up, the other was an embarrassing auntie who didn¡¯t even realize other people were around. He just like everyone else didn¡¯t know exactly how he was feeling seeing this side of Orchid.


    Orchid¡¯s room was like that of an apartment, there was a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and a kitchen all within the Inn. It was many folds bigger than any of the other rooms within the Inn.


    Orchid carried out a plate of snacks and some drinks and placed it on the living room table. She sat down on her own sofa and turned her gaze over to Boulder who was already happily munching away on the snacks she had brought out. ¡°When did you come back, Boulder?¡± She tried to recover from her embarrassing behavior from before.


    ¡°Oh Auntie, I saw your teacher, I told her about you.¡±


    ¡°What did she say!? Did she say I¡¯m a bad student? Because I wasn¡¯t a bad student she was just a bad teacher!¡± Orchid¡¯s attempt at being calm was blasted away instantly.


    ¡°Haha¡± Boulder laughed, he enjoyed messing with the Auntie of his. ¡°No, she said you were an okay student.¡±


    ¡°Okay? Okay!? I¡¯m the best she¡¯s ever had! What does she mean okay!¡± Orchid was enraged as she grinded her teeth.


    Boulder shrugged his shoulder. ¡°She said you were too wild, beating people up everywhere you go.¡± He paused for a moment and mimicked what Orchid¡¯s teacher had said ¡°Aiyah, if it wasn¡¯t for that she¡¯d be a great student¡­¡±


    ¡°Ima beat her up, I¡¯m soo going to beat her up.¡± Orchid angrily flared.


    ¡°Aiyah, if she said she¡¯s going to beat me up, tell her she¡¯s much too immature to take me on.¡± Boulder continued to mimic the teacher. The five trainees couldn¡¯t maintain a straight face as some of them covered their mouth to quietly laugh.


    Seth was stuffing his face with snack so that he wouldn¡¯t let out any laughter, almost choking on them in the process. Orchid noticed Seth¡¯s coughing and handed a glass of water that appeared in her hand to him. Seth was a hesitant to reach for it until her piercing angry gaze forced him to drink the entire glass in one go.


    Orchid returned her gaze Boulder and asked. ¡°How was Lumiere?¡±


    ¡°It was fun until recently.¡± Boulder replied.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Arthur asked. He was curious what the school was like.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, everything got tougher and stricter, not as bad as my dad¡¯s training, but teachers became more serious and were training us like it was a military camp or something.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why?¡± Orchid asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I heard rumors it was by the order of the Headmaster, but I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°You already have red hair, that¡¯s pretty much all you need from Lumiere, you can try attending Naturelle and see if you¡¯re capable of becoming a Prodigy like my future hus¡ªI mean, your dad.¡± Orchid directed her gaze at the five kids and young adults who were awkwardly sitting and listening to the conversation between the two.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, my teacher said he¡¯ll tell me why when we go back to school after break. He only told me to not worry and that all students in this country will be going to Lumiere after the break.¡±


    His response instantly caused Orchid to raise her brows as she looked at the trainees who also had a confused look on their face.


    ¡°Huh? We¡¯re not going to Lumiere.¡± Arthur responded.


    ¡°Eh? If not Lumiere then where?¡±


    ¡°Naturelle.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±

 57. Say that again

    Chapter 57. Say that again


    <hr>


    ¡°Say that again, where are you going?¡± Boulder asked.


    ¡°Na-tur-elle¡± Arthur repeated, enunciating every syllable to make sure Boulder understood.


    ¡°How? My teacher said all of Zel will be going to Lumiere.¡±


    Arthur shrugged his shoulder. How was he supposed to know? He just wanted to go to Naturelle to learn more about his eye powers and asked his parents. His mom and dad would know why they were able to go to Naturelle. But how was he supposed to know?


    Seeing that Arthur had no proper response besides a shrug of the shoulder Boulder sighed and made his own assumptions. ¡°Maybe my teacher meant all the normal people of Zel would be going there¡­¡± Maybe I should ask him later.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Boulder, I don¡¯t think you should tell other people about Arthur and Shelly.¡± Orchid furrowed her brows and contemplated. ¡°Most likely their parents probably know some intel we don¡¯t know yet and made this decision.¡±


    Boulder didn¡¯t expect Orchid to read his mind about what he planned on asking later. He gave Shelly and Arthur a curious look. Arthur doesn¡¯t seem to know anything based on the way he was surprised by Orchid¡¯s comments too. Whereas Shelly only maintained her composure the entire time, does she know?


    He wanted to ask but Shelly intervened and spoke up first.


    ¡°I agree with auntie Orchid, I don¡¯t know what is going on, but getting involved in the decisions of political parties and asking questions we shouldn¡¯t have will bring more trouble.¡± She turned to Arthur. ¡°Young master, if people ask, we should tell them we¡¯re going to Lumiere.¡±


    Arthur nodded his head seriously to Shelly¡¯s comment. For the past 2 years that they¡¯ve been together Arthur realized that Shelly knew more about the world than he ever did. Her decisions were usually correct as if she knew more about the adult world than being a kid.


    ¡°That should be the correct choice. No one here will tell anyone about where they¡¯re going, if someone ask say Lumiere¡± Orchid commented. She then scanned Seth, Julie and Michael. ¡°Do you agree?¡±


    Her piercing gaze caused the three to gulp in fright, they felt as if they were to reject her question, they wouldn¡¯t be able to speak for the rest of their life. Nodding their head vigorously as if they understood the three young adults sighed when Orchid turned her gazes away.


    ¡°Anyways, are you kids prepared for the festival?¡± Orchid smiled and changed the subject.


    ¡°Oh yeah! The festival is the day after tomorrow!¡± Arthur exclaimed in excitement; he didn¡¯t even notice the piercing gaze Orchid had given the three young adults a short second ago. He continued to ask. ¡°Does that mean the students from Naturelle has arrived?¡±


    Orchid nodded her head and agreed. ¡°Yep, the other Inn Keepers in Asmar just sent a word to me earlier today that there will be a massive influx in children and parents coming later today.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re already coming?¡± Boulder asked.


    ¡°Yep, well mainly those from our village will be arriving first. I¡¯m supposed to go with Harmick, Elroy and Karns to meet them halfway just incase something happens. Do you kids want to go along?¡±


    Arthur wanted to go, however he couldn¡¯t ¡°We¡¯re supposed to meditate with Chief Gran later today¡­¡± Arthur said dejectedly.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, it¡¯s just a short distance from here to Asmar, if we leave now, we¡¯ll have enough time to make it back for your meditation tonight.¡± Orchid replied. She quickly directed her gaze over to Seth and Michael. ¡°Also, I can train you in place of Gran if we¡¯re late, it¡¯s just beating you with a stick, right?¡±


    ¡°No, no, not quite!¡± Arthur replied and began to explain. ¡°You¡¯re suppose to only hit us if you can¡¯t sense the meditative energy around us.¡±


    ¡°Alright, easy enough¡­¡± I¡¯ll just not try to sense it at all. Orchid released a devilishly scary smile that made Seth and Michael a cold a chill crawl up their spine. They instinctively wanted to run away but couldn¡¯t as Orchid maintained her gaze upon them.


    ¡°Shall we head out?¡±


    ¡°Should we go?¡± Arthur turned to ask his fellow companions. Shelly had no problems with it. Julie turned her gaze over to Michael indicating she¡¯ll go if he goes. Seeing her gaze and turning his eyes to peek at Orchid¡¯s smiling face Michael gulped and agreed to go.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes landed on the frightened Seth who couldn¡¯t help but shiver looking at Orchid¡¯s smiling face. He quickly nodded his head indicating that he¡¯ll go causing Arthur to smile in delight. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Orchid led the group out of her room and towards the entrance of the Inn. A gentleman sitting within the dining hall sipping on a drink sensed a faint Resonance from Boulder leaving the Inn and turned his attention towards the tanned skinned red-haired boy¡¯s direction. Hm?


    He noticed the five people walking alongside Boulder with Orchid in the lead. His attention remained focus on the two little kids beside Boulder. ¡°Exotics? Where did they come from?¡± The gentleman continued to sip his drink as his eyes continued to follow the kids out of the Inn.


    ¡°Shelly?¡± Arthur asked the girl beside him a question. However, she didn¡¯t seem to reply causing Arthur to repeat her name.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Shelly returned to herself and looked at Artur. ¡°Could you repeat that, young master?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how far away Asmar is from here?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Oh. What auntie Orchid said was right, it¡¯s not too far from here, we just have to walk down a straight pathway from here. We¡¯ll know we¡¯re close to Asmar when the mountains around us recedes and grasses starts to show. Once we see a river with a bridge built upon it, we¡¯re halfway there.¡± Shelly replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯ll be meeting those within our village at that spot.¡± Orchid overheard Shelly¡¯s answer and commented. ¡°The reason I¡¯m going to meet them is to both make sure that the villagers are safe and unharmed along with bringing others to my Inn to get checked in.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen before?¡± Julie asked.


    ¡°Not when I was alive, but the first time there was a war between Zeldova and the Tillowisk Empire bandits and mercenaries from both sides of the border would be kidnap talented children and Exotics on their way home and sell them to the aristocracy and military on the opposite side.¡±


    ¡°This became a huge problem almost over night when powerful figures on both side of the country had obtained and lost their relatives to the other because of what the bandits had done.¡±


    ¡°What happened to the kids?¡±


    ¡°Well if they were lucky and had great parents, they would be returned or traded without harm. However, for those whose value was worth less than what their relatives or parents obtained¡­ then only Gods know what happened to them. I believe they¡¯re doing alright since they¡¯re talented but¡­¡±


    ¡°Those families should be ashamed! Why would they not want their kids back!¡± Arthur fumed; he couldn¡¯t believe what Orchid had said. He knows that his mom and dad would want him back no matter what happened.


    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s not their parents who have the say, but those of the main family who do. If you were from a side branch and wanted your kids back, if your family didn¡¯t have enough sway between the main and side branch of families then¡­ it¡¯s tough luck.¡±


    Orchid responded. She continued to say. ¡°For the most part, kids were returned unharmed, the main branches of families who didn¡¯t trade and thought they had a better bargain collapsed by a coup from the joint effort from all the side families. Ahaha.¡±


    ¡°While I don¡¯t know what happened to the side families and whether they managed to get their kids back, but this coup from them lead to every main family to respect the wishes of those of the side branch.¡±


    ¡°Arthur, your father or mother is most likely from a side branch, are they not?¡± Orchid asked.


    ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°Main families live in the Capital. You¡¯re from Rouge.¡±


    ¡°That is right!¡±


    ¡°See, and if you¡¯re able to go to Naturelle even though Boulder said his teacher said that shouldn¡¯t be the case, it means that your side branch of the family holds a lot of power that¡¯ll make even the main family side with them. Don¡¯t you know who your grandparents are?¡± Orchid asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Arthur sighed dejectedly. ¡°I¡¯ve never met them¡­I asked my dad a few times why I have never met my grandparents he just runs away¡­I also asked my mom why I¡¯ve never met hers; she just changes the subject¡­¡±


    ¡°Even though you¡¯ve never met them, it seems like they care about you guys enough to deal with whatever issue that may come about. I¡¯m serious when I said earlier to let everyone know you guys are going to Lumiere, it¡¯ll put less of a burden on the ones that are protecting you.¡±


    Orchid¡¯s response caused everyone who was walking from behind to think hard about the situation that they¡¯re in. Seth didn¡¯t know anything about the little Exotics going to Naturelle, nor did he want to know, he was just going with his friends to the Tillowisk Empire for meat. As dropouts he believes there should be no problem for them going across the ocean.


    Michael and Julie were heading towards the Tillowisk Empire itself the capital of the foreign country and the spot where the dispersal occurred by the orders of the Pope himself. They believe they should have no worries either considering it¡¯s the freaking Pope.


    Julie thought back to when Angel used expletives around them about the Pope when Arthur and Shelly suffered within his place. She thought about other families who would be capable to use those kinds of words against him. Even in the heat of rage Julie couldn¡¯t think of any other family or person who would be as audacious as Angel to say it.


    Even though normal people didn¡¯t know how one Pope would take over for the next, Julie knew when she asked him one day.


    ¡°Oh? Why do you want to know about how I became the Pope, child?¡± Julie recalled the day she asked the Pope her question. The Pope continued in a soothing voice ¡°Well, it matters not, I was nominated, picked, and chosen by my peers and predecessors as the one best suited for the role. That is all.¡±


    The Pope¡¯s words back then went over her head, she was thinking that he was just the one who most capable in a political and religious sense. However, when she thought about it more and the interactions between the Pope and Boss along with what he was able to do; she realized he wasn¡¯t just suitable politically and religiously, but he was powerful. Strong enough to be equal to that of Headmasters of the two Institutes and Kings of countries.


    ¡°Anyways, Harmick, Elroy and Karns are up ahead, have you met the three of them yet?¡± Orchid asked.


    Seth nodded his head. ¡°I met Harmick and Karns when I was helping them with preparing the stage for the festival.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You helped them lug around those heavy slabs? I guess you aren¡¯t that much of a wimp after all.¡± Orchid replied. Her words instantly froze Seth momentarily he hadn¡¯t expected her to remember him. Orchid paid no mind to his reaction and turned her head to the kids. ¡°What about you guys?¡±


    They shook their head.


    ¡°I only saw them at the feast, but I didn¡¯t talk to them.¡± Arthur replied. It was the same with the rest, of the people here only Seth talked to Harmick, Karns and Elroy that evening of the feast.


    ¡°Well they¡¯re great people, let me introduce them to ya.¡± Orchid¡¯s reply caused Seth to subconsciously agree, they were wonderful fathers who wanted to head to Asmar straight away and meet their children. The teachers from Lumiere and Naturelle would not chaperone kids from foreign countries back home because of the dangers of being on foreign waters.


    Instead most parents will go to Asmar and wait at the Inn until their children arrive until they head back home. That doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t any teachers onboard the boats between countries, they¡¯ll dock with the kids and wait at the town there to ensure their parents safely picks them up.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting youngsters to join us Miss Orchid, but it¡¯s good to see ya again Seth!¡± Harmick was the first to speak up when the group arrived. Karns walked up and smacked Seth in the back, ¡°How¡¯ve you been? Some feast that was, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been good, I¡¯m surprised you remembered the feast.¡± Seth reply caused Karns to laugh loudly. ¡°Wahaha, well I¡¯ve heard about it.¡± He and Harmick was drunk off their ass before the feast even officially began.


    ¡°What about me!¡± Boulder hopped out of the group and stood before the grown men. He continued, ¡°Is it not good to see me too uncle Harmick and Karns?¡± The two grown men squinted their eyes and looked at the red-haired kid before them. ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°Boulder, boulder, BOULDER!!¡± The two uncles exclaimed in unison.


    ¡°Wahaha, your hair is red? My goodness! Just like your father, you¡¯re definitely going to be a Prodigy.¡± Karns praised the youngster who closely resembled his father.


    ¡°I know right? I plan to!¡± Boulder replied.


    ¡°Enough chit chat, we can talk on the road, this is Arthur and Shelly. Michael and Julie, and you guys know Seth already apparently.¡± Orchid intervened and introduced the kids to them.


    ¡°Hello, kids I¡¯m Harmick, this here is Karns and that is Elroy.¡± Elroy nodded his head and looked off to the horizon ahead.


    ¡°Hello!¡± the kids greeted the three men.


    ¡°Hey kids, do you know what they call me?¡± Karns walked up and asked.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Elroy paid no attention to Karns playing with the kids and asked Orchid and Harmick. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s make it quick to bring them back home.¡± Orchid replied.


    ¡°What do they call you uncle Karns?¡± Boulder asked.


    Karns flexed his biceps and said. ¡°MK! Muahaha¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s MK?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Mus-cu-lar KARNS!¡±


    Sigh


    ¡°Karns, kids, let¡¯s go.¡±

 58. Hurry up

    Chapter 58. Hurry up


    <hr>


    ¡°Hurry up, we don¡¯t have all day!¡± Orchid shouted, they were already further away before the group around Karns reacted.


    ¡°Holy moly, they¡¯re going fast. Can you kids keep up?¡± Karns began to jog in place and ask. The kids nodded their head and trailed behind Karns who paced himself in front of them.


    ¡°Mr. Karns, is there anything we should be worried about on our way there?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°Nahh, if there was something to be worried about it¡¯ll be Orchid¡¯s incessant nagging for being slow.¡±


    ¡°I heard that!¡± Orchid¡¯s voice could be heard from afar.


    ¡°Shh, let¡¯s catch up to them.¡± Karns whispered.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The group caught up to the three who were in the lead and continued trailing a short distance. After an hour of nonstop jogging the adults slowed down and began to walk.


    Arthur hadn¡¯t noticed since he was just staring at their backs as he ran hoping to not fall behind. But the once mountainous terrain that surrounded them was behind and tiny strands of grass started to appear connecting to a lush grassland ahead. He looked around and marveled at the sight, there was some trees growing off to the side along with small animals running about.


    ¡°Beautiful eh?¡± Karns noticed Arthur¡¯s eyes wondering about. The little boy nodded his head. Karns continued ¡°If Rouge was the town surrounded by a thick forest and we¡¯re the village encompassed by mountains, the spot between our village and Asmar is a beautiful meadow. Once you see this that means just one to two more hours and we¡¯ll be at the bridge.¡±


    Orchid who was leading the group turned around and walked towards the group. ¡°How¡¯re you kids holding up?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Boulder replied. He continued ¡°I think they¡¯re good too.¡± His words caused the rest to silently agree. While a few of them was breathing a little heavier it wasn¡¯t much compared to the almost 30 days of training.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, from now on we¡¯ll be walking the rest of the journey, so if you kids don¡¯t want to rest, we can keep going.¡± Orchid replied.


    ¡°We can go, we can go!¡± Arthur exclaimed.


    Orchid nodded her head and continue. ¡°There isn¡¯t much between here and the bridge, we only jogged an hour to make sure we have enough time to walk everyone back before sunset. Ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Boulder and Arthur shouted in unison and raced further ahead. Arthur wanted to run towards the beautiful meadow up ahead whereas Boulder wanted to impress everyone with his physicality.


    The rest shook their head and slowly followed from behind. Harmick turned back and met up with Karns and the rest of the kids. He slapped Seth on the back and gave a friendly smile. ¡°You sure you good? Breathing kinda heavily here.¡± Harmick remarked.


    Seth embarrassingly scratched the scar on his face in response. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m good just a little tired. How did you guys ended up being the ones going on this escorting trip?¡±


    ¡°Cause our kids are coming home from Naturelle, why else? If we didn¡¯t have to stay back and prepare for the festival, you¡¯d bet your ass I¡¯d be in Asmar right now. Ahaha¡± Harmick laughed in response. Some of the villagers could leave Boulderville and meet up with the kids early. However, for Harmick, Karns and Elroy along with the more physically abled men they had to stay back and prepare for the festival.


    Harmick then turned to Karns. ¡°I bet my girl did better than yours.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, wanna bet?¡±


    ¡°Whatcha wanna bet?¡±


    Karns held up a finger. ¡°1 gold coin.¡± Harmick furrowed his brows and contemplated causing Karns to tease. ¡°What? You scared?¡±


    ¡°Pfft, as if, alright bring it on. Once I win, I¡¯ll treat you to some good alcohol with your money.¡± Harmick replied.


    ¡°Likewise¡± Karns responded.


    Harmick and Karns shook hands and tightened their grip already competing to see who gives in first, eventually both pulled apart at the same time when neither side budged.


    The rest of the crew hurried to Arthur and Boulder a distance away who was waiting beside the lush landscape of the beautiful meadow. Arthur ran and knelt before a beautiful blue flower and plucked it up, holding it behind his back.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing with the flower?¡± Boulder asked.


    ¡°What flower?¡± Arthur raised an eyebrow and continued to hide the flower behind his back.


    ¡°The one behind you, I saw you pick it up.¡± Boulder replied.


    ¡°Oh nothing.¡±


    Before Boulder could continue to ask the rest of the group caught up to them. Arthur quickly rushed over to Shelly. ¡°Shelly, this flower will look good on you.¡± Arthur placed the flower on her hair and brightly smiled. His action made the rest of the group to smile.


    Being stared at by so many smiling people Shelly calmly replied. ¡°Yes, thank you, young master.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Arthur rubbed his nose and spiritedly continued. ¡°Let¡¯s go~¡± Boulder who saw this entire exchanged had his jaws dropped. Damn, I should¡¯ve done that! He regretted not understanding what Arthur was doing and being quicker about it.


    Michael looked at the empty hair of Julie who was standing beside him. He wanted to also place a flower on her hair but was too embarrassed to do so. Julie turned her head over to Michael and raised a knowing eyebrow she quickly directed him with her eyes at a purple flower nearby. I want that flower. She hinted.


    Michael gulped and slowly snuck his way over and quickly pretended to drop something beside the flower, picking it up in the process. He quickly hurried back to her and placed the flower in her palm. Julie returned the flower and tilted her head to Michael insinuating that he should put it on her hair.


    Michael quickly looked around. Everyone else was already moving forward after Arthur¡¯s display and saw that no one was looking at the two of them. He quickly placed the flower gently on her hair and sighed in relief.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Seeing how secretly he was doing it Julie released a slight chuckle and softly felt the purple flower in her hair.


    ¡°Oh? Julie you also got a flower on your hair?¡± Orchid asked.


    ¡°Yes, I saw that the blue flower looked cute on Shelly, so I wanted to do the same.¡± Julie replied, not once mentioning Michael¡¯s involvement.


    Orchid turned her eyes towards Michael who was pretending to maintain a calm face as if he had nothing to do with it and sighed. ¡°I wish someone, would get me a flower too.¡±


    The group continued to walk along the straight pathway until they finally arrived at a small river roughly 50 meters wide dividing the land between Asmar and Boulderville.


    ¡°We¡¯ve made it!¡± Arthur exclaimed as he looked at the enormous 50-meter-long (~150 feet) 5-meter-wide (~15 feet) stone bridge connecting the two places. He squinted his eyes and looked further down the bridge. ¡°I don¡¯t see them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve made it here early, they should be arriving soon, though.¡± Elroy spoke and sat a spot beside the bridge. ¡°Do you see this bridge here?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, did you build it?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°No, but my grandparents and great great grandparents built this long time ago. We¡¯ve also made this trail all the way here so that it¡¯ll be easier for us to go across.¡± Elroy responded.


    ¡°Did you know, if we walked a couple hundred meters north of us we can just make it across over to their side, but my great grandparents decided that the shortest distance was just a straight line from Boulderville to Asmar, so they built this entire bridge here.¡± Elroy smiled and felt the bridge before them. ¡°I, to this day can¡¯t tell if they were lazy or not.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they felt like it was more convenient this way?¡± Orchid replied.


    ¡°That is true, but my grandparents would often tell me that my great grandparents were actually quite lazy people, they would build stuff because they were too lazy to walk that extra hundred or two meters.¡± He smiled and continued. ¡°They spent nearly two years planning and working on this bridge, just so they could walk across less.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s the funniest thing about this?¡± Elroy looked at the kids who all sat on the bridge listening to him. ¡°The funniest thing is, they never even used the bridge! Ahaha, they built this stone bridge for when they wanted to go to Asmar, but they never even went to Asmar afterwards.


    The group laughed. They all continued to sit on the bridge and listen to the once silent Elroy continue to tell stories about bridges and other things that he and his families have built over the years. It wasn¡¯t for another thirty minutes that silhouettes of people started appearing on the opposite end of the bridge.


    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± Orchid spotted them and teleported to the opposite end of the bridge. The rest of the group saw that Orchid had already teleported to meet with the incoming people and hurried over the extremely stable stone bridge.


    After running for a few more minutes, they arrived to where the villagers were. The once a dozen of silhouettes bloomed to nearly a hundred by the time, they made it across. Orchid who was standing before the bridge talking to the villagers turned around and released a smile. ¡°They¡¯re all here.¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± A little girl¡¯s voice could be heard within the crowd. ¡°Daddy!¡± Her voice got louder causing Harmick¡¯s ears to perk up. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± he shouted when he heard his daughter¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± A girl appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around her father¡¯s neck. Harmick was surprised momentarily by the sudden weight upon his back before releasing a loud laugh. ¡°Ahaha! Carson! You¡¯ve got powers!¡±


    She released her hold and planted her feet firmly onto the ground. ¡°Yes. I. did! ~¡±


    Harmick turned around and looked down at his 12-year-old daughter. She was wearing the standard dark grey Naturelle uniform with an insignia of their planet and it¡¯s 3 continents on her upper left chest. Carson was a small little girl slightly taller than Shelly and had long brown hair with beautiful yellow eyes indicating her powers of teleportation.


    Tears welled up in Harmick¡¯s eyes as he picked her up and pulled her into a warm hug. It wasn¡¯t until a couple seconds later did, he finally recovered from his excitement and softly placed her on the ground and patted her head.  ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the look on your mother¡¯s face.¡±


    Karns who stood nearby saw this and his mouth went agape. He couldn¡¯t believe Carson managed to do so well her second year from returning, home. He scanned the crowd hoping he could see his daughter too.


    ¡°Father.¡± A girl with short curly brown hair and cyan eyes slowly made her way up to Karns and locked gazes with him. ¡°Why do you feel so anxious, did you make a bad bet with uncle Harmick again?¡±  she asked.


    Karns eyes were as wide as saucers when he saw his daughter walking straight up to him. His mouth was agape as he stared at her.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re happy now? Calm down father you¡¯ll have a heart attack if you get any happier than this.¡± The girl calmly replied, her bright cyan eyes continued to gaze into her father¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Wahaha!¡± Karns pulled the calm 12-year-old daughter of his and pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Krystal¡­ what the heck!¡± The one talkative Karns couldn¡¯t say much more than that as proudly hugged his daughter.


    Elroy who had turned around to see the spectacle that was Karns and Harmick¡¯s daughters both returning with powers made him starstruck. ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡± Elroy muttered to himself.


    Thwack


    A small rock smacked Elroy on the back of his head in his inattentiveness causing him to turn around. He immediately saw the rock directly before his face and quickly closed his eyes and covered his face hoping to block the rock. However, he didn¡¯t get hit. He peeked through the hole within his fingers and noticed that the rock was still there. ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡± Elroy muttered again as he released his hands and stared at the pebble.


    ¡°Yes way¡± The voice of a young boy could be heard as the pebble circled around Elroy and flung itself off into the river. A boy who was standing at the river beside the bridge looked up to his father who directly above him.


    ¡°Poe!¡± Elroy exclaimed in excitement as his son walked over to him. ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°Of course dad, do you think I¡¯d be any slower than those two?¡± He pointed at Carson and Krystal, Poe rolled his eyes at his father and released a slight smile. He exclaimed proudly, ¡°I was the first!¡±


    ¡°Come here! Let me give you a hug!¡± Elroy exclaimed proudly. ¡°No, you come here!¡± Poe returned and opened his arms wide. Elroy obliged walked over and hugged his son.


    Orchid who had witnessed what was absolutely a miracle for them was shellshocked. This was the first time ever in what felt like forever would Boulderville return with not just one child who had gained power, but four! The last time something even remotely close to this happening was when her, Pebble and Cobble returned with changes in their hair color, however even then they received them a few years apart.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Was it always this easy for kids to get powers?¡± Orchid asked. Poe who was closest to her and Elroy responded. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it felt a lot easier over there.¡± Poe replied.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°The energy felt more abundant.¡± Poe stated calmly. He leaned over and whispered to Orchid, ¡°your teacher wanted me to tell you, that he¡¯s really needs your help in Naturelle.¡±


    Orchid raised an eyebrow, ¡°you¡¯ve met my teacher?¡±


    Poe nodded his head. ¡°I think so, he was an old dirty looking grandpa with unkempt hair and beard. Is that him?¡±


    Orchid nodded her head and asked. ¡°How did he know you kids knew me?¡±


    ¡°By coincidence, Carson, Krystal and I were just talking about you on our way to class and he overheard us. He asked us if it was the same Orchid he taught 10 years ago that had dark bags under her eyes, messy green hair and was as wild as raging buffalo.¡±


    ¡°What did you say? You¡¯ve better not have agreed that it was me, you saw how I looked like 10 years ago, did I look like a raging buffalo to you?¡± Orchid asked, her eye was twitching at how her own teacher described her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you looked like 10 years ago, I was like 1 or 2.¡± Poe responded. He continued ¡°But we nodded our head when he mentioned your obsession¡ª I mean your relationship with chief Gran and lady Roselyn.¡±


    ¡°Why did he ask you to tell me this? Couldn¡¯t he have just sent me a letter?¡± Orchid asked.


    Poe shrugged his shoulder, how was he supposed to know why a teacher wanted him to pass on this message? He was a student, he just had to listen to the teachers, and since it wasn¡¯t something he felt was incredibly bad he just passed it on to her.


    He then turned his eyes towards Boulder who frozen in place for the longest time, he was even more shocked by Poe¡¯s appearance than that of Elroy.


    Whish~ A small rock was quickly flung straight towards Boulder¡¯s forehead causing the red-haired kid to smack the rock into powder.


    ¡°Poe!¡± Boulder was enraged.


    ¡°Oh? Not bad, how on earth did you manage to get red hair, I wonder?¡±


    ¡°Fight me!¡±


    ¡°No way, I¡¯m not going to walk up to a red-haired bull, what do you think I am? You?¡±


    ¡°FIGHT ME!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Whish~


    Thwack!


    ¡°THAT FREAKING HURT! FIGHT ME POE!!!!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±

 59. POE

    Chapter 59. POE


    <hr>


    ¡°POE!¡± Boulder shouted and charged at Poe like a mad bull causing the magenta eyed boy to hop away from his father towards an empty space near the river.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°COME BACK HERE!¡± Boulder was enraged, he hopped off the bridge down to the bank of the river and continued his chase. The two eventually slowed down and stood before each other with only a couple of meters separating them.


    Small rocks of various shapes and sizes continued to twirl around Poe as the two were locked in a standoff.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you stop them?¡± Arthur asked the adults who were watching the display down below with their arms crossed.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine~ they are always like this.¡± The little girl with yellow eyes teleported beside Arthur and replied. Carson continued ¡°Even when we were training with the Chief those two would always be fighting.¡±


    The girl with cyan eyes walked up and looked at the display down below. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯ll end soon.¡± She looked at the boy who was curiously looking at her. ¡°My name is Krystal by the way.¡±


    ¡°Carson~¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Arthur.¡± Arthur replied and turned his attention to the boys below the bridge.


    Everyone stood at where they were and watched as the two who were locked in a standoff. Only the sound of flowing river water could be heard as the two continued to stare down each other. The two boys were waiting, waiting for a sign, a change in the environment, something that¡¯ll signal the start of their fight.


    Plop A fish¡¯s tail splattered the river water as it dove down deeper.


    Whish whish Two rocks circling around Poe instantly broke apart from the rest and flew directly at Boulder who wasn¡¯t any less slow in his movements.


    Boulder rolled off to the side dodging the rocks that flew at him, picking a rock in the process. He threw the rock in return aiming straight for Poe¡¯s face.


    The remaining rocks circling around Poe formed a miniature shield around his face blocking the impact of the rock thrown by Boulder causing it to fall flatly on the floor.


    Bang bang Boulder threw another rock using his pure physical strength at the same shield breaking it completely.


    Poe stood there unfazed by Boulder¡¯s action as more rocks off the riverbank were lifted and returned to continue to circle around him.


    Boulder revealed a smirk as he held two more rocks, one in each hand. He threw both at the same time directly Poe who matched the attack with his own groups of rocks creating another collision.


    Boulder didn¡¯t stop after tossing the two rocks in his palm, he immediately ran directly at Poe who was a couple meters away hoping to engage him in close combat. As a red hair power user, they were one of the best in close combat, all it takes is one good hit.


    Poe wasn¡¯t stupid enough to let Boulder succeed with such a straightforward attack ran away flinging rocks with his telekinetic powers at Boulder who had to dodge away from them.


    The gap Boulder tried to close returned back to normal with Poe¡¯s flurry of rocks.


    ¡°POE! FIGHT ME!¡±


    ¡°Only if you can catch me first¡±


    ¡°AGHHH!¡± Boulder in his anger grabbed everything he could on the ground and flung it Poe with all of his might.


    Rocks, dirt and gravel all flew at Poe who shielded the entirety of the attack. However, the dust cloud formed from what Boulder threw remained in the air obscuring Poe¡¯s vision momentarily.


    Arthur believed this was it, Boulder charged at Poe narrowing the gap even more so directly throwing a fist at the magenta eyed boy.


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°Yep~.¡±


    Bang BAM


    Arthur and people from the audience released an audible gasp the moment the two collided. The dust cloud faded creating another audible gasp from everyone who didn¡¯t know about the rivalry between these two.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Boulder was face first on the ground with the arm he threw at Poe completely wrapped behind him with Poe sitting on top.


    ¡°Poe wins again.¡±


    ¡°Yep~¡±


    ¡°POE!¡± Boulder used his entire physical strength and lifted himself up one leg at a time forcing Poe who was sitting above to hop away.


    The two remained locked in another standoff.


    Boulder who was once enraged calmed down and dusted off the mess on his clothes and sighed. ¡°Damn it, I lost again!Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°You¡¯re too straightforward with your attacks, you idiot.¡± Poe also dusted off his clothes and replied. He continued, ¡°You may have gotten a lot stronger, but you¡¯re still the same.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what happened? I thought Boulder was going to win.¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°You¡¯d think that¡ª¡±


    ¡°But~ Poe always wins.¡± Carson interrupted Krystal and replied.


    Krystal didn¡¯t mind Carson¡¯s interruption and continued. ¡°The last second when Boulder went for his punch, Poe caught his arm and used the momentum from the punch to pull Boulder onto the ground ending the fight.¡±


    ¡°Yep~¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Arthur nodded his head in understanding. A little more excitement could be seen on his face, this was the first time he had witnessed kids his own age fighting each other with powers. He turned his attention over to Shelly, ¡°Boulder and Poe is so cool!¡±


    Shelly remained indifferent at the battle between the two kids and just slightly nodded her head to Arthur¡¯s response. She then turned her attention to Carson and Krystal who was looking at her.


    Carson had a bubbly smile on her face as she waved at Shelly. ¡°Hi~ I¡¯m Carson. She¡¯s Krystal~ What¡¯s your name~?¡±


    ¡°Shelly.¡± Shelly returned her greetings at the two girls two years older than her.


    Krystal walked up and looked at Shelly¡¯s crystal-clear sapphire eyes. A perplexed look can be seen on her face as she furrowed her brows. She then sighed and spoke. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m Krystal, how come I can¡¯t read you at all?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shelly replied causing Krystal to raise an eyebrow and back off. Shelly then turned her attention to the two boys who made their way back up to the bridge with a smile on their faces as if the incident prior never happened.


    Boulder smiled at them and coughed embarrassingly. ¡°Ahaha, I lost again.¡± He then pushed the guy beside him forward before the rest of the kids. ¡°This is Poe, he¡¯s my rival.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your rival, you have to beat me once to be a rival.¡± Poe remarked and looked at those he¡¯s never met before. ¡°Hello, nice to meet you all, I¡¯m Poe.¡± The kids finally got a better look at the winner of the fight against Boulder. He had fair skin, clean cut hair and was slightly taller and skinnier than Boulder standing beside him. Both boys closely resembled their father in appearance.


    The group of five introduced themselves to the three little kids before them. Arthur couldn¡¯t help but exclaim ¡°That was so cool! You both were amazing!¡±


    The village kids and students who knew of Boulder and Poe¡¯s ¡®rivalry¡¯ remained in the audience making bets with those who didn¡¯t know anything about the two. Some of the students who were going home early alongside Boulderville villagers wanted to run up and congratulate their own classmate for beating Boulder. However, before they could they were warned by those who knew that it would be unwise to do so.


    They wanted to ask why but was only pointed to one woman whose face transitioned in a scowl the longer the fight went on. Her piercing yellow eyes and dark green hair was scary to behold as she glared at anyone who wanted to run up.


    To Orchid who believe she was going to be with Gran one day, Boulder was like a son to her. To see a child that closely resembled Gran in terms of appearance and for him to lose to another child was fine. However, if those outside students wanted to walk up and congratulate Poe for winning, pfft over her dead body.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Orchid only said two words and took the lead walking ahead of everyone else. No one in the audience could see the annoyed expression on her face as she gave Poe a death stare.


    Poe shuddered when he saw her face but remained collected, it wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯s given him this look after beating Boulder and it wouldn¡¯t be the last.


    Elroy smiled and patted his son on the head for beating Boulder again. He hurried up to Orchid¡¯s side and tried to appease her. Harmick and Karns left their daughters alone to chat with the group as they too rushed up to help Elroy in his predicament.


    ¡°So, you four were training with Gran before us?¡± Arthur asked them on the way back.


    ¡°Yes, the Chief trained us four the year before we wanted to go to school.¡± Poe replied.


    ¡°Does he train everyone?¡± Arthur turned around and looked behind him, there was no other students who had different colored eyes or hair walking from behind.


    ¡°No, only those who could beat Boulder.¡± Poe replied.


    His words made Arthur¡¯s eyes turned wide, he looked at both Carson and Krystal who was smiling at Poe¡¯s response. ¡°You mean you both beat Boulder too?¡±


    ¡°Yep~¡± Carson grinned widely and continued ¡°Boulder was too easy.¡±


    Krystal agreed, ¡°It doesn¡¯t take much to beat Boulder.¡± She then turned her attention to the red-haired boy who was too embarrassed to even look up at the three of them. ¡°How did we beat you again?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember~? Poe defeated him and you were laughing at him for losing.¡± Carson answered.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me; it was you.¡± Krystal rebuked.


    ¡°Well~ Boulder challenged both of us right after and we just did what Poe did. Hehe¡± Carson laughed at Boulder who was red in the face.


    The new trainees shook their head at Boulder who was completely embarrassed. It was one thing to lose, but it was something else to lose three times for the same reason.


    ¡°How come the others didn¡¯t beat Boulder too?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Oh, they tried to, but he¡¯s not that easy to beat.¡± Krystal replied. Her response caused the boy who was too embarrassed to even look up to lift his head. A smile sprawled on his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I only lost three times. I won many more that day.¡± Boulder eyed the rest of the village kids who were slightly ticked at his remark. ¡°Everyone else was a loser~ Ahaha¡±


    Poe immediately smacked Boulder on the back of the head for antagonizing his own friends and neighbors. ¡°They¡¯ve learned a lot at Naturelle, you shouldn¡¯t say such words. Especially not when there¡¯s a festival for us the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right~ they might just all choose to challenge you. Hehe¡± Carson¡¯s voice could be heard by everyone behind them.


    Boulder felt a chill crawl up his spine as he slowly turned his head around only to see death stares from every kid returning from Naturelle. The fire in their eyes as they stared down Boulder made him pale in fright.


    ¡°They, wouldn¡¯t all choose me at the festival, right?¡± Boulder turned and looked at the people around him.


    They completely ignored his question and picked up the pace following behind the adults up ahead.


    It wasn¡¯t until later into the afternoon that they finally arrive back at Boulderville. The first thing all the kids do was rush into the loving embrace of their father and mother, aunts and uncles, anyone who was waiting at the front of the village for their return.


    Orchid excused herself and brought the families who were looking for an Inn to stay back with her and settled them down into their rooms.


    The trainees returned back to their own rooms to rest up and prepare for meditation. They looked at the time on the wall and made their way to Gran¡¯s estate after a short break. Arthur and the rest of the group entered the gate and noticed that the two gatekeepers were playing against each other. Both were contemplating hard as they didn¡¯t utter much of a greeting to the kids below.


    Barkie and Silver could be heard barking and meowing in the back followed by orderly footsteps of the animals raised within the place. They were curious to see what was going on but was greeted by Gran who was waiting for them at the front entrance.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t bring Poe, Carson and Krystal with you?¡± Gran looked at his youngest son and asked.


    ¡°They wanted to be with their family for tonight.¡±


    ¡°Did you win this time?¡±


    ¡°Poe beat me again.¡±


    ¡°The girls?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t fight.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go meditate.¡±


    ¡°Even me?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±

 60. Screaming

    Chapter 60. Screaming


    <hr>


    Screaming could be heard coming from the meditation room from time to time as the handle on the clock ticked on by. An hour passed with Chief Gran walking out without a single expression on his face as he made way over to the kitchen.


    Pebble and Cobble was extremely curious about the screaming and yelping that they heard and waited outside of the meditation door. The last few days of meditation had been rough on the boys and they would release a few cries of pain from the training. However, tonight was different when most of the screaming was coming from one specific person.


    Shelly and Julie followed each other out and there wasn¡¯t a single sign of markings on their body. This meant that Gran didn¡¯t vastly increase the difficulty on them to make it beyond difficult.


    The brothers continued to wait patiently out the door, they didn¡¯t want to walk in immediately after meditation ended as they preferred to be surprised by the situation. Seth, Michael and Arthur followed suit. Their appearance was as expected with markings covered around their entire body for the most part.


    ¡°Is Boulder coming out?¡± They asked the kids who had exited.


    Arthur looked at the closing door behind him and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± before making his way over to the sofa and plopped himself down a hint of annoyance could be seen on his face.


    The door slowly opened again as both the brothers eyed it in anticipation. They were waiting to see what on earth happened to Boulder. However, to their surprise Boulder only walked out with a couple markings on the arms.


    ¡°Eh?¡± The two brothers were perplexed as they looked at each other. They had believed that Boulder would¡¯ve taken a lot more hits than just what was shown based on how frequently he screamed within the room.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here? I thought you got smacked more than that.¡± Pebble asked.


    Gran walked out of the room with a cup of water followed by servants with snacks and drinks. ¡°He was just screaming.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, why indeed? Why my son, it¡¯s only been two days since you¡¯ve come home why were you acting up?¡± Gran asked.


    ¡°Yeah, why were you screaming so much, I couldn¡¯t even concentrate.¡± Arthur complained, it was the first time in days that he took the all 60 hits, it felt awful losing that streak he was building up.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know either, I just had to scream. I-I don¡¯t know why.¡± Boulder stuttered as everyone looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s true, I felt like something inside me wanted to scream so they screamed through me¡­¡± Boulder was visibly shaking as a cold sweat could be seen forming on his forehead.


    ¡°I know you guys don¡¯t believe me but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Chief!¡± A servant ran into the living room straight for Gran in a panicked manner.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    The servant whispered into Gran¡¯s ear causing his eyes to go wide. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Gran raced up the stairs with the servant trailing from behind.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Julie asked Pebble and Cobble who remained seated at the sofa.


    ¡°Let me go check.¡± Pebble disappeared from his seat and vanished into the second floor. His footsteps returned and his face was bewildered and panicking just like that of the servant prior.


    ¡°Mother is in labor!¡± Pebble shouted creating a commotion from those within the group.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Everyone ran upstairs crowding the hallway as they stood outside the door. Servants continued to run in and out with both panic and excitement in their face as they brought fresh towels and water into the room.


    Gran¡¯s head peeked out of the door out with excitement and sweat perfusing down his face. ¡°Pebble, Cobble go get the water from our pond and bring it up here. Quickly!¡±


    Pebble and Cobble instantly moved the moment Gran finished his sentence. They both race down the stairs as fast as they could.


    ¡°Can we do anything to help?¡± Julie asked Gran who was looking at them.


    ¡°Just stay out there!¡± A little childish voice could be heard shouting from inside.


    ¡°Boss!?¡± The entire group was flabbergasted. Was Boss still with Dr. Galil and Roselyn this entire time!?


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be out here with us?¡± Seth asked. However, no one knew how to respond. Only Arthur and Shelly knew that Boss was not a 10-year-old kid and might be more helpful inside. Michael and Julie didn¡¯t know much about Boss either, besides him being the bodyguard for Arthur and Shelly and a temporary Emissary for the Pope.


    ¡°Where the heck is the pond water!?¡± Boss¡¯ voice could be heard again coming from inside.


    Pebble immediately ran in with two buckets of water and handed it over to Gran who was waiting at the door. ¡°More! Drain the pond!¡± Boss shouted from inside.


    Gran returned the empty buckets into Pebble¡¯s hands and handed a few more buckets to the rest of the group. ¡°Go get as much water from the rippling pond as you can and bring it to me, hurry!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll bring it inside for you!¡±


    ¡°Hand it to Gran, don¡¯t bring it inside!¡± The little boy¡¯s voice corrected. ¡°Go!¡±


    Like well trained soldiers listening to their leader¡¯s command everyone took a bucket and ran downstairs passing Cobble who was coming back with two enormous tubs of water, one in each arm. Cobble only gave them a short smile before carefully making his way back up the stairs.


    ¡°Nice Cobble! Again!¡±


    The entire household ran downstairs and removed buckets of water from the pond. The ripples within the pond was becoming more vigorous and was splashing about.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this pond!?¡± Seth exclaimed as he looked at the pond.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know!¡± Michael replied and dumped his buckets in and ran back inside. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Question things later!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh my gosh what is happening? When I was told that Roselyn was in labor, I wasn¡¯t expecting this! Why the heck is Galen just standing off to the side? Why is Boss doing all the work and MOST IMPORTANTLY! Why is she encased in a soundproof bubble? I can¡¯t even hear her from over here.¡± Gran thought to himself.


    ¡°I tried to enter the bubble, but the little brat was like ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you¡±. Like what kind of situation requires me, her HUSBAND, to not even be there beside her in her time of need? What gives my servants more rights than me to enter that bubble!? Oh my gosh, just look at her she¡¯s suffering!¡± Gran¡¯s mind was racing as he looked on at Roselyn who was pale as sheet.


    ¡°Now is not the time to lose your mind, Chief! You¡¯ve already done this three times, help me out here!¡± Boss was filling a small wooden tub of water beside the bubble encased Roselyn. No matter how much water he poured it the tub never seemed to fill up.


    ¡°Wh-what do you mean!? I-I¡¯ve never had to encase her in a bubble or use this much water!¡± Gran refuted; however, he quickly went over and helped Boss slowly pour the water into the tub.


    ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯re freaking weaker than this twerp, holy moly why is this baby so damn annoying!?¡± Boss¡¯ forehead was covered in sweat as he continued to extract all the energy within the pool and place it into the tub. ¡°I should just freaking drop you in the damn pond you little shit.¡± Boss continued to grumble.


    Smack!


    ¡°Wh-what was that for!?¡± Boss angrily shouted at the old man who smacked him on the back of the head.


    ¡°That¡¯s my son you¡¯re talking about, be thankful it was just a slap¡± Gran continued to slowly pour water into the tub while Boss returned to extracting the rest. ¡°Can you tell me why my wife is in that bubble?¡±


    ¡°Now!? Right freaking now!? Can you at least towel me first?¡± Boss¡¯ forehead was dripping with sweat, he was fully focused on condensing the entirety of the water from the pond.


    ¡°Not until you tell me why she¡¯s encased in a bubble! Why are my servants only allowed to enter!?¡± Gran questioned while hovering a towel a short distance from Boss¡¯ face.


    ¡°Because they have no energy!¡± Boss continued ¡°Did you forget what happened a freaking month ago!? That was when it was in the damn belly! Now, towel me!¡±


    Gran wiped the sweat off Boss¡¯ face and continued to say, ¡°But Galen doesn¡¯t have energy either.¡±


    ¡°He does now!¡± Boss didn¡¯t want to answer Gran anymore. He was currently racing against time. ¡°Where the heck are they with my water!¡± Boss angrily shouted; the entire water brought in was almost extracted he needed more.


    Knock knock


    ¡°Get it!¡± Boss commanded Gran who hurriedly ran over to the door and bringing in more buckets of water. The little kids and the three brothers continued to run in and out bringing in water from the pond.


    Boss continued to frantically extract all the energy in the water and place it in the tub.


    After almost an hour Boss managed to wipe the sweat from his forehead for the first time as he leaned back against the wall. ¡°Phew, it¡¯s all done, tell the people outside we don¡¯t need any more water¡­ if there is any left at this point¡­¡± He then turned his head over to Roselyn. ¡°Now, it¡¯s your turn, I¡¯ll try to keep you alive.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ll try to keep her alive? My wife won¡¯t die from this!¡± Gran was about to smack the little kid again when the kid turned his head over, the wig and glasses fell off revealing his pure black hair and eyes to Gran freezing the old man completely in place. The sheer pressure from that look alone made Gran felt like he had just looked at an archaic monster.


    ¡°Not her, the baby.¡± Boss sighed as he paid close attention to infant within Roselyn¡¯s belly. He carefully put the wig sunglasses on and continued ¡°You may not know this, or well now you do, but I¡¯m not from this world.¡± He paused and continued ¡°Before I slowly made my descent into your world, I had to make myself extremely, pitifully weak.¡±


    ¡°Why you may ask? Cause if I didn¡¯t, the moment I set foot on your either my power will accidently blow it up, or it¡¯ll blow itself up trying to stop me.¡±


    His words confused Gran even further, was there really someone who could blow up a planet just by trying to land on it? Why would it do that? Can a planet even do that?


    Sigh


    ¡°You¡¯re probably thinking why, eh? Well, I¡¯ll tell you since I¡¯m going to need your help for the next part.¡± He continued to say, ¡°When I descended all so elegantly, I only knew I was going to fool around in a mortal world with weak little monkeys and relax for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Turns out, your little world can evolve, and you guys aren¡¯t exactly the monkeys I was hoping to surround myself with. But, since your world can evolve, and all you guys can harness energy I uh, decided to tinker around a bit. I won¡¯t go into detail about the evolution of your world, because that takes too much time.


    Knock knock


    ¡°Don¡¯t need anymore water, thank you!¡± Boss shouted at the people from outside the door. The door slowly creaked open with Pebble and the group sneaking their head inside ¡°Can we come in?¡±


    ¡°No, stay outside.¡± Boss replied and pushed the door closed with his powers preventing them from opening it again.


    ¡°Anyways, as I was saying, I decided to tinker around a bit, like what would happen if I were to produce a child that would become the peak existence of this world? Well, don¡¯t slap me for this, but I didn¡¯t want to have my own baby, so I used yours. Or well, I gave the baby within Roselyn¡¯s body some of my own energy, just a bit not even a millionth of one percent of my original power.¡±


    Gran glared at the boy who was casually telling him all this.


    ¡°What? You two just left the pond out there for me to do some tinkering, don¡¯t blame me for your ambitions.¡± Boss commented. His words instantly shut Gran up, he realized Boss knew exactly what that pond was.


    ¡°Anyways, everything should¡¯ve been fine; I followed the rules of this world and you two were going to have a powerful baby Exotic. You guys get what you wanted, and I get what I wanted. Happy ending, right?¡±


    ¡°Well here¡¯s the fuck up. Like usual things don¡¯t always go the way you want, everything I did was perfect. However, there¡¯s an issue, your baby doesn¡¯t want to just be a normal peak existence exotic. Noooo, it wants to ruin my plans and do whatever the heck it wanted!¡± You damn brat! Wait until you come out, I¡¯ll smack you real good.


    ¡­


    Ruuuumble ruuumble


    ¡°Earthquake?¡± Pebble muttered. everyone outside the room felt tremors running all through the ground.


    ¡°Quickly! Out of the house!¡± Shelly exclaimed, her face pale.


    ¡°Why Shelly? It was just a little shaking, it stopped.¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Young master, quickly!¡± The panic and surprise on her face was real as she pulled Arthur along not giving him any say in the matter.


    Seeing the young boy and girl run out of the house everyone else hesitated on what to do. However, a loud booming voice from within the room made them hesitate no longer.


    ¡°GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!¡± Gran exclaimed.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on!? What about you and mom!?¡± Pebble exclaimed.


    ¡°Get out! We¡¯ll be fine! Stay as far away from here as possible!¡± Gran continued to shout from behind the door.


    ¡°Can you be quieter? Sheesh. Anyways, listen to your father, don¡¯t worry it¡¯ll end soon.¡± Boss¡¯ calmly commented in a childish voice. ¡°Now, go~.¡±


    Before they could even say another word, everyone¡¯s leg seemed to have a mind of their own and ran outside by themselves. In the far distance the rest of the group saw Shelly and Arthur already standing at the front entrance of the gate alongside the gatekeepers.


    Barkie, Silver and the rest of the animals were also standing at the gate shivering as they looked at the house further in the distance of them. If it wasn¡¯t for Barkie and Silver commanding them, they¡¯d have banged their heads against the gate until they got through.


    ¡°The hell is going on!? What happened to the sky!?¡± Pebble instantly shouted when they regained control of their legs, dark clouds started forming around the entire village. He and the rest quickly ran over to Shelly and Arthur who was the first one escape out of the house. Fear, panic, and anxiety were shown on everyone¡¯s face as the darkness overhead became blocked out all light within the skies.


    ¡­


    ¡°Mmm¡­ earthquakes already? Where¡¯s the lightning?¡±


    Boom! Ruuuumble, rumble.


    Small tendrils of lightning followed by thunder instantly collided with a tall tree in the back completely severing it in two. The leftover energy snaked in all directions burning up anything within two meters of the severed tree.


    ¡°There it is!¡± Boss exclaimed as enormously dark clouds converged around the home blanketing the sun completely. He continued, ¡°I told you what would happen if I, an anomaly beyond your world¡¯s capabilities descended without limiting my powers. That I would accidently blow it up, or it¡¯ll blow itself up trying to stop me.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, what do you think happens if it an anomaly was born on its own?¡±

 61. What do you think?

    Chapter 61. What do you think?


    <hr>


    ¡°What do you think? Come on I need you to answer me to show that you¡¯re still here.¡± Boss calmly stated.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, what?¡± Gran only managed to say those few words. There was just too much to process, he couldn¡¯t even think rationally right now to answer Boss question.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re still here, it¡¯s a simple answer. This world will try to eliminate your son or daughter and I¡¯m going to need your help to stop it.¡± Boss calmly remarked and looked up ahead. He can sense the anger of the world directly above him ready to strike the moment the baby is born.


    ¡°Mmm you¡¯re pretty angry, aren¡¯t you? Well I wasn¡¯t expecting this either, but I won¡¯t let you have this baby, so good luck trying to stop me.¡± Boss muttered. Gran was unsure why the boy was muttering to himself, however he was completely focused on what Boss had to say next.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve seen this a few times before and for the most part in a battle between a person and the planet, the planet wins almost all the time. The reason why the planet won most of the time back at home was because it happened suddenly, and people were unprepared for it. We call ours an Earthly Tribulation, you can call yours a¡­ Tierrian Tribulation.¡± Boss stated calmly as dark clouds continued to converge overhead of the home.


    Gran was growing even more confused as Boss continued to ramble on not paying attention to Roselyn and the servants who was entirely focused on delivering the baby on the bed completely unbeknownst to the happenings outside of the bubble.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re confused¡­? Well, to sum it up for you, I know how to save your baby.¡± Boss words instantly delighted Gran who could start to sense the growing energy directly above them. However, Boss¡¯ next words didn¡¯t really make him feel so sure. Boss continued ¡°But at the moment I¡¯m not in the best condition, I used up a lot of energy earlier filling that tub for what the baby is going to need, so I can¡¯t completely stop the full brunt of the planet¡¯s attack. However, I think I can weaken it enough for you to stop remaining energy.¡±


    ¡°So, this is what we¡¯re going to do, the planet will continue to build up energy until the baby is born, once the baby is born it¡¯ll unleash just one extremely powerful attack. We just have to stop that one attack. I will shield the majority of the strike while you just block the rest of the lightning from hitting everyone here.¡±


    Gran managed to calm down once Boss got straight to the point. The roaring of thunder and howling of wind can be heard screaming outside the house. The ground continued to shake as if the very own planet was both angry and nervous about the birth of this baby. ¡°H-how do I block it?¡±


    ¡°I think your body is pretty sturdy, not as sturdy as mine of course. But the moment it seems like my barrier can¡¯t hold on, just jump in front of the lightning bolt and hope that you¡¯ll live.¡± Boss remarked. His words were said so casually that Gran couldn¡¯t help but just wanted to kill the kid before him. It was this little brat that caused all of this problem, and he¡¯s the one that needs to go and take a hit from lightning that could potentially take his life¡­? Gran had other ideas in his mind. His eyes gleamed with sharpness as he nodded to Boss¡¯ remark.


    ¡°Great!¡± Boss smiled happily to Gran¡¯s serious determination and looked above the roof as the sky continued to darken.


    ¡­


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening?¡± Arthur asked. What he was currently seeing was beyond his wildest imagination. The animals all around him were completely frightened as they shivered beside them. Wild animals all around the forest and mountains of Rouge and Boulderville continued to release piercing roars and screech as if it was the end of the world.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Pebble responded and continued to stare at the skies. He didn¡¯t know why Shelly wanted to leave the house the moment they felt a slight earthquake. However, after witnessing the events above his house Pebble couldn¡¯t help but gulp at what he was witnessing.


    Those outside had a clearer picture as to what was happening as they huddled together and looked up. The once clear skies were completely blanketed by dark clouds coming from every direction as it converging to a central mass directly above the house. The ground continued to quake and tremble as winds were reaching speeds strong enough to throw an adult off their feet. All the while the roaring of thunder continued to build up overhead as if waiting to unleash a massive lightning strike.


    Shelly was standing beside Arthur with animals surrounding them as she looked up at the skies. She tried to maintain a calm fa?ade as she stayed quiet while holding the shivering kitten in her arms. However, inwardly she was the most frightened out of everyone around her.


    This was the first time in her life she felt such a powerful killing intent that shocked her to the core. Her heightened senses and her even more heightened ability to perceive danger was the only reason she¡¯s survived 10 years. The moment she felt that extreme intent to kill; her first thought was to get everyone out of the house.


    She wanted to run away as fast as she could because it was so powerful that if she stayed in there any longer, she¡¯d suffocate from just the pressure alone. What was even more surprising was that such a targeted killing intent wasn¡¯t even directed towards her, she knew whatever it was it was aiming squarely for someone within Roselyn¡¯s room.


    She already had her answer; Boss must¡¯ve had done something that would anger even the gods and devils alike for such a strong killing intent to form. But, would she walk inside that room and ask him? Hell no! Run! Escape! That was how you survive.


    The only reason she didn¡¯t keep running as far away as possible was because the moment she exited the house, that killing intent was completely gone. Anything that was going to happen will only happen within that house.


    ¡°Boulder, Are you alright?¡± Cobble noticed something weird when he looked down at Boulder whose eyes were completely vacant. The eyes of Boulder looked up at Cobble and then up at the skies. Cobble couldn¡¯t help but shudder the moment he made eye contact with Boulder; instinctively he felt that this this wasn¡¯t the brother he knew.


    ¡°Boulder?¡± Everyone¡¯s turned their head towards Boulder who was vacantly staring up at the skies. The boy no older than 12 didn¡¯t even hear his name as he continued to look up. He then turned his attention towards the house.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Boulder?¡± Arthur waved his hands before Boulder¡¯s eyes trying to get his attention. However, there was no response. Boulder¡¯s vacant eyes continued to stare straight at the house.


    Boulder¡¯s vacant face started to squint to a frown and then a scowl as it looked at the dark clouds above. It finally recognized what was going on and did not like it at all. A powerful energy started to well up within the body of the boy as it looked at the skies above.


    Shelly immediately sensed the weird energy coming from him and recognized it immediately. It was the same dangerous presence she felt before completely knocking out. ¡°You are¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Ruuuuumble ruuumble!


    ¡°It¡¯s coming! Get ready!¡± Boss immediately sensed the change in atmosphere and shouted. His eyes darted over to Roselyn who was both exhausted and relief after giving birth.


    The newborn baby was in the hands of an old maid as she gave it a good smack. ¡°Waaaah!¡± the new infant cried; however, the maid didn¡¯t stop there, she has been around for every single birth of Roselyn¡¯s child, she knew what she had to do next. Her eyes quickly darted over to the tub of pure energy and quickly placed the baby inside, leaving only the head above it so it could breathe.


    BOOM!


    A massive lightning strike extremely blue in color descended from the dark clouds above crashing onto the roof of house incinerating it in an instant before crashing onto an invisible barrier directly underneath.


    Bzz! Krssh!


    Lightning crawled down the dome of the protective sphere melting and destroying everything around it that wasn¡¯t protected. The once enormous house was completely in pieces by the force of the strike.


    However, it did not stop there, the lightning continued its relentless pressure drilling into the invisible sphere being held by boss, but the shockwave from its collision with the barrier blew everyone back at the front entrance of the gate causing them to fall flatly on the ground. Even Cobble and Pebble who were as strong as Teachers of Institutions couldn¡¯t handle the shockwave and were shoved all the way back to the gate that could barely hold itself up.


    Only one person remained standing outside of the house. Boulder continued to stare at dense lightning strike that seemed unceasing in its attack as it only grew heavier and heavier with its collision with the barrier. A shield was wrapped completely around his body stopping anything from even ruffling the hair on his head. The energy within his body was glowing brighter and brighter as he fixated his eyes on the enormous bolt of lightning melting everything around the home.


    ¡°God damn it! What kind of strike is this! Stop it already!¡± Boss was under immense pressure and shouted at the skies. The damn lightning continued to pound away at his barrier as cracks started to form on the barrier. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s much stronger than I thought! I don¡¯t know if you can block this Chief but take one for the team!¡± Boss shouted.


    Gran was completely focused and ready. He nodded his head and his entire body was poised to hop directly into the midst of the lightning strike.


    The spider web like cracks around the barrier continued to break into more and more pieces. ¡°I can¡¯t hold on!¡± Boss shouted. ¡°Go Chief!¡±


    CRACK!


    The lightning finally broke through the barrier, heading straight for the baby that was placed in the tub. Gran knew exactly what to do.


    Boss who was extremely tired out felt a sudden tug on his collar and his eyes went completely wide as he turned his head over to Gran. ¡°You!¡ª¡±


    ¡°Biiiiiiiiiitch!¡± Boss¡¯ entire body was flung straight into the center of the lightning taking the full brunt of the damage.


    Gran immediately ran over to the clean baby, grabbing both it and the maid beside it in the process and rolled off to the side completely shielding the both from the dust and debris flying towards him.


    BOOM!


    The lightning barreled into the second floor¡¯s room, destroying everything before slamming straight into the dirt creating a massive hole as far down as the eyes could see.


    ¡°Wahhh!¡± Boulder who was standing outside the house and the baby in Gran¡¯s arm released a cry in unison as the growing energy within Boulder¡¯s body climaxed and exploded out heading straight for the lightning.


    The energy coming from Boulder completely tore a hole through the lightning completely severing it into two. However, it didn¡¯t stop there it blasted all the way up to the massive center of the clouds blowing an enormous hole within it.


    A moment a silence followed as the lightnings from the clouds started to sizzle before weakening and then completely disappearing completely. Bright sunlight illuminated through the hole formed from the clouds as they started to recede and become lighter in color. Howling winds capable of knocking adults over died down instantly returning to a gentle breeze. Tremors within the ground was no longer felt as animals and birds started to recover.


    ¡°Father!¡± Pebble ran straight to the house the moment the lightning died down.


    ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± Cobble asked. He was the first one to get up from the blast and quickly helped everyone else back up. Everyone was patting away the dust and dirt on their body from the shockwave from the lightning. There seemed to be some minor injuries not even worser than what was received from daily meditation training.


    He then walked over to Boulder who was standing motionless after releasing that cry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him!¡± Shelly shouted the moment Boulder got closer.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Shelly?¡± Julie was the first to ask.


    ¡°He¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Everyone turned to look at Shelly with confusion in their face.


    ¡°The energy coming from Boulder is similar to the one that caused everyone to faint a month ago!" Shelly exclaimed.


    Cobble retrieved his hands away from almost touching Boulder. The motionless Boulder remained standing there as the energy around him slowly died down dispersing completely from his body. His once vacant look in his eyes slowly started to recover as he turned his head around to look at his older brother beside him.


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯m sleepy.¡± Boulder said only one word and fell asleep standing completely straight up.


    Shelly squinted her eyes and walked up to Boulder. She held out her hand and poked him softly on the shoulder. ¡°The energy is gone¡­¡±


    Cobble nodded his head and picked Boulder up. His attention finally returned to the now completely ruined house of theirs ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Everyone immediately ran towards the wreckage of the house. Pebble was helping the servants back up as Gran was standing off to the side with a baby in his arm. He looked at the mess of the house ahead and sighed.


    ¡°Are you kids okay?¡± Gran turned around and asked with the baby in his arm.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Cobble questioned.


    Gran nodded his head. ¡°Your mother is over there.¡± The group turned their head towards Roselyn who was asleep on a bed on the ground being checked on by Dr. Galil who had recovered. The sphere Boss had placed around her that Gran wasn¡¯t allowed to enter completely protected those within it completely.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Boss?¡± Arthur asked.


    Gran turned his attention to the enormous hole on the ground and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡ª¡±


    Boom! An explosion coming from the hole blasted rubble from the house apart as a black haired and black-eyed boy no older than 10 in appearance crawled out and made his way over.


    Cough cough


    The little black-haired kid coughed and walked over to the group waving his hands at them. He was covered in dust and dirt and the attack from the lightning completely destroyed everything he was currently wearing. Gran was completely frozen stiff; he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes at the sight of the person who he just threw into the lightning.


    The kid had a smile on his face and stood before Gran. He tapped on Gran indicating he wanted to whisper in his ears. Gran couldn¡¯t resist the demand and felt his entire body lurching down before the kid.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna¡­¡±


    ¡°Get you back...¡± Boss whispered flatly before pushing Gran away. He then reached out for the baby in Gran¡¯s arm. ¡°Lemme see what¡¯s so special about you.¡±


    Boss and the baby made eye contact for the first time.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Holy moly you are special."


    ¡°¡­ Now, close your eyes and don¡¯t you ever open it until I say so, okay?¡±


    "Good..."

 62. Lemme see

    Chapter 62. Lemme see


    <hr>


    ¡°Lemme see!¡± Arthur asked as he looked at baby wrapped up in a towel on Boss¡¯ arm. Boss completely covered the baby and hid it away from Arthur¡¯s eyes. ¡°Nuh uh, you can¡¯t see the baby yet.¡±


    ¡°Boss, your hair and eyes.¡± Shelly interrupted. She continued. ¡°It¡¯s back to black.¡±


    ¡°Oh shoot, hold up.¡± Boss replied and slowly walked over to find a mirror to look at. The other trainees with the exception of Seth silently followed behind the boy with the baby in his arms. They also wanted to have a closer look at the newborn baby.


    Pebble leaned over to his dad who he couldn¡¯t believe would just hand the baby over to Boss. ¡°Is that Boss? What happened inside?¡± he asked.


    Gran could only awkwardly shake his head. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes either. How was he supposed to tell his son that he threw this kid into lightning and he came out unscathed? He just did it because Boss kept going on about how powerful he was so he decided if it was anyone who should block the lightning, it¡¯d be the boy in front of him.


    ¡°There we go!¡± Boss replied and turned around looking towards them. His hair was back to a dark shade of purple and his eyes was a golden yellow. However, the electric shock from the lightning left his hair puffed up. ¡°You wanna know what¡¯s so special about this baby?¡±


    ¡°Yes! But can you first put some clothes on?¡± Arthur asked. He quickly hinted at Boss¡¯ body which was completely covered in dirt from top to bottom. Boss who didn¡¯t see the problem as the dirt was enough to cover every single part of his body, however he quickly obliged and reached for some clothes beside his feet.


    Wearing Roselyn¡¯s gown that was a bit too large for the current him spun around once with the baby still in arm and nodded in content. Boss turned to Arthur who was trying to have a better look at the baby in his arm.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll tell ya later. She¡¯s sleeping.¡± He said, as he carried the baby over to Roselyn who instinctively opened her eyes. ¡°Congratulations, it¡¯s a girl.¡± Boss handed the baby over to Roselyn and smiled.


    Roselyn¡¯s eyes were wide as saucers at Boss¡¯ response. Tears welled up and trickled down her face. She didn¡¯t even notice that the boy who handed the baby over to her was cross-dressed in her clothes.


    ¡°Hello sweetie, I¡¯m your mommy, that scary man with the gentle eyes over there is your daddy, the one with blue hair is your oldest brother.¡± Roselyn softly whispered to the baby who was asleep in her arm while pointing at Gran and Pebble who were awkwardly standing there. She continued ¡°You have two other older brothers, one with green hair and another with red like your daddy, I don¡¯t see them here right now but, I¡¯ll introduce you to them soon... Oh gosh, I want to hold you forever¡­¡±


    She pulled her daughter into her warm embrace and left out a tearful smile. Roselyn had always wanted a daughter and after having three straight boys, her thoughts of having one was like a fleeting dream. She knew that after this one, there wouldn¡¯t be another and was incredibly grateful that her last gift was a daughter for her to raise.


    The few trainees all huddled around Roselyn to excitedly greet the sleeping baby in her arms. The baby nestled closer to Roselyn for warmth as it continued to sleep quietly.


    While Roselyn was happy that she finally had herself a daughter, other people all over the world couldn¡¯t keep calm.


    Continent of Zel, Kingdom of Zeldova, the King¡¯s council chamber.


    King Baroque calmly sat on his throne and scanned the members of his council with his purple eyes as many of them flowed into the room one by one. Once the last member entered, the enormous door of the chamber closed, and the first member started to speak.


    ¡°Your Majesty, A new prophecy has been received by The Diviner.¡± A member of his council began the discussion.


    ¡°So I have heard, what did our Diviner say?¡± King Baroque asked.


    ¡°A mysterious entity has descended upon world through heavenly lightning in the form of a baby, there will be those who try to kill it, and there will be those who will try to protect it. If it is allowed to grow, there is no one on this planet that is capable of contending with it.¡± The adviser restated what The Diviner had stated.


    ¡°Oh? Did she say anything else?¡± King Baroque asked. The pressure within the room grew heavy as every man in the room could feel the gravity steadily rising.


    ¡°The Di-dviner said, your choice determines your destiny.¡± The adviser answered he was struggling to stand like everyone else within the room.


    ¡°My choice determines my destiny¡­? Did she hint at what I should do?¡± King Baroque asked, the pressure within the room continued to rise as some with weaker constitution felt their knees starting to buckle.


    ¡°I¡¯-I¡¯m afraid she didn¡¯t, your Majesty.¡± The adviser struggled to answer. He was sweating profusely trying to maintain his posture.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ what does everyone here think about this newfound prophecy?¡± King Baroque asked. He relieved the pressure within the room causing those within his council to let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Your Majesty, The Diviner is one of many prophets in the world who has foreseen the upcoming war, we must do what we can to better ourselves!¡± Another adviser answered, he was pudgy in appearance.


    ¡°And how do we do that?¡± King Baroque asked.


    ¡°The decision is yours, your Majesty.¡± The pudgy adviser replied, he was unwilling to influence the King in making a decision.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, this prophecy is unusual¡­¡± Another adviser walked up and stated.Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Unusual? How?¡± The King asked.


    ¡°On my way here, I¡¯ve heard rumors from people on the streets about the prophecy, it is not just The Diviner who received it.¡± He paused for a moment and continued ¡°It seems like every person capable has received this prophecy.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ is this the same for the rest of you guys?¡± The King glanced at the nine other advisers who haven¡¯t spoken up yet. They all silently nodded their head, this prophecy, whatever it was, was received by all who could.


    The King looked at third adviser who spoke up it seemed like he had something else he wanted to say.


    ¡°Is there anything else unusual about this prophecy Adviser Freefall?¡± King Baroque asked.


    ¡°Your Majesty, the people were arguing about the baby.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why were they arguing?¡±


    ¡°Some are calling the baby an angel that should be protected.¡± The Adviser paused for a moment; his pause caused the entire room to feel their entire knees start to buckle.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Some are calling it a¡­demon¡­that should be killed.¡± Adviser Freefall answer through gritted teeth he could hardly bear the weight of the force upon his body.


    ¡°There will be those will try to protect it, there will be those who will try to kill it, huh.¡± The King repeated what the Diviner had said. He looked all the 12 Advisers of his council and spoke up. ¡°Find out more about this prophecy, see if it is all the same, and bring every person capable of seeing this prophecy to me to immediately. Dismiss.¡±


    The Advisers quickly left the council room and hurried back to their resident. King Baroque silently tapped the arm of his seat. ¡°Jester, come here.¡±


    A mysterious person completely veiled from head to toe appeared beside the King. ¡°You called your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°This baby¡­bring it to me.¡±


    ¡°Dead or alive?¡±


    ¡°Alive.¡±


    Right away, your Majesty.¡± Jester disappeared as quickly as it came.


    ¡°I wonder if Tyran has heard of this yet¡­¡± King Baroque continued to tap on the arm of his throne.


    Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­


    Continent of Tillo, Tillowisk Empire, Kingdom of Tillowisk, King¡¯s royal bed chamber.


    SNORE¡­ SNORE¡­ SNORE


    An extremely loud snoring could be heard coming from a chamber deep within a castle. With every snore came rumblings quaking the ground beneath.


    SNORE!


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± A small calm voice instantly woke the King up from his slumber.


    ¡°Huh? Wife, is it morning already?¡± The King turned to his wife who had woken him up. She was a fair looking lady no older than 30 in terms of appearance with mesmerizing cyan eyes and equally beautiful cyan hair flowing down to her waist.


    The wife shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s only 3 in the morning. Your Majesty, Chief Commander will be here in a few minutes to discuss with you about a prophecy.¡± The wife stated calmly.


    ¡°The feck, what kind of freaking prophecy requires my attention this fecking early?¡± The King refrained from completely outright cursing in front of his wife.


    ¡°It¡¯s about a baby.¡±


    ¡°My wife, you¡¯ve dreamt it? See, this is why I should tell that fool about your powers, I don¡¯t want him coming here this fecking early.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, my prophecies only come when I¡¯m asleep, if I was awake, I doubt I¡¯d have received this one.¡± The wife answered. She then glanced at the door. ¡°He¡¯ll be here in three.¡±


    ¡°three minutes? That¡¯s plenty of time.¡±


    ¡°Two¡±


    Wait! three seconds!?¡±


    ¡°One¡±


    Knock knock!


    ¡°Your Majesty! An urgent prophecy!¡± A familiar voice could be heard coming from the outside of his door. The King¡¯s Chief Commander was urgently walking back and forth between the door to the inner chamber, he glanced at the handle on the door contemplating on whether or not he should barge right in.


    ¡°I¡¯m awake! Don¡¯t you fecking dare barge in again!¡± The King roared from within causing the Chief Commander to stop in place, the last time he barged in the King was with his wife, the moment the three made eye contact Chief Commander was flung out of the chamber with a voice so loud if it was any other person within his unit standing there they¡¯d burst into pieces.


    ¡°Give me a minute!¡± The King shuffled out of bed and put on his robe. He turned to his wife and gave her a quick peck on the lips and walked out standing before the Chief Commander.


    ¡°The feck you want, do you know how early it is!?¡± The King shouted at the Chief Commander before him.


    ¡°Your Majesty, our Oracles received a prophecy.¡±


    ¡°Something about some stupid fecking baby, right?¡± King Tyran asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard!?¡± The Chief Commander was shocked, was his King also able to receive the prophecy?


    ¡°No you fecking idiot, tell me what did the three Oracles say.¡±


    ¡°The first oracle said that a mysterious being was struck by heavenly lightning and survived and we must meet it. The second oracle said a demonic baby was born that heavenly lightning could not kill, we must kill it or else it¡¯ll become the strongest being on this planet. The third oracle said an angel was born from heavenly lightning and we must protect it and let it mature to become the strongest being on this planet to protect us.¡± The Chief Commander urgently repeated the gist of what the three oracles had said.


    ¡°The feck does that mean. Why the feck did you talk to the first Oracle, he¡¯s been wrong every goddamn time. Why are the other two conflicting? Are you sure you¡¯ve heard them right!?¡± King Tyran questioned he was getting more annoyed every second he was with the Chief Commander.


    Chief commander nodded his head.


    ¡°God damnit! Give me Baroque¡¯s Diviner! I¡¯ll trade these three idiots for that person!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    ¡°I was fecking just saying it, don¡¯t do it!¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Let me go back to sleep! I¡¯ll convene a meeting with the Advisers in the morning. Get that Sovereign of Safe Haven out of the dispersal area and have her meet with me, I want to see what she has to say.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    King Tyran turned back and closed the door in front of the Chief Commander. Loud snoring could be heard shaking the bedchamber soon after.


    Continent of Ere¡­ Wasteland


    ¡°Detah! Detah! DEH! TAHHHHHHHH!¡± An old man with a head of gray hair and dark grey eyes shouted on the top of his lungs. He was sitting on a stool in small wooden cottage with his right arm rested on the table beside him, waiting for the person he called to run in.


    Clang clang clang


    A tiny suit of armor with a helmet that was abnormally large walked in after hearing the shouting.


    ¡°What is it grandpa Torva! Why¡¯re you being so loud! It¡¯s early in the morning!¡± A little childish voice could be heard coming from within the tiny suit of armor.


    ¡°Boohoohoo I¡¯m not loud, ya¡¯see Grandpa just had a prophecy ya¡¯know.¡± Grandpa Torva responded.


    ¡°No way! Grandpa, you can¡¯t lie about this ya¡¯know!¡±


    Smack


    ¡°Auuuuu, why¡¯d you smack me Grandpa! My helmet is spinning!¡±


    ¡°Detah! I just had a prophecy, ya¡¯know!¡±


    Clang!


    The tiny suit of armor repositioned its head back to normal and sat down on the ground. ¡°Okay tell me! What did ya see!?¡±


    ¡°Ya¡¯know how I don¡¯t get prophecies often, right?¡±


    ¡°Ya, I know!¡±


    ¡°Well ya¡¯see I just got one!¡±


    ¡°OKAYYYYYYYY TELL ME!¡±


    Smack


    ¡°Auuuu, Grandpa Torva stop that, my helmet is spinning!¡±


    ¡°Ya¡¯know why your helmet is spinning?¡±


    ¡°Cause you smacked it?¡±


    Smack


    ¡°Auuuuu¡±


    ¡°Ya¡¯see it¡¯s because your helmet is too big! Ya¡¯know you¡¯re a tiny kid wearing an adult size helmet, right?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Torrrrrrvaaaaa just tell me about the prophecyyyyyyyy¡­ Will it help me make friends?¡±


    ¡°You have friends!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t count, Grandpa!¡±


    Smack


    ¡°Auuu¡±


    ¡°Ya¡¯see, of course I count. Ya¡¯know why?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Cause my first prophecy was you, ya¡¯know. It came to me in a dream¡ª¡±


    ¡°You said smoke cloud last time.¡±


    Smack


    ¡°My helmet is spinning!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll stop interrupting me and listen now ya hear?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Say something! Do you understand!?!¡±


    ¡°I hear!¡±


    Smack


    ¡°Auuu, why Grandpa I was listening!¡±


    ¡°That time, it was for fun.¡±


    ¡°Auu¡­¡±


    ¡°Detah¡­ it¡¯s time... Let¡¯s go make you some friends.¡± Grandpa Torva walked over to kid size armor with and patted its adult sized helmet causing it to tilt downward.


    A tiny little voice whispered softly through the helmet ¡°Really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ya, really! TO TILLO!¡±


    ¡°TO TILLO!¡±


    Smack


    ¡°Auu¡­¡±

 63. Orchid teleported

    Chapter 63. Orchid teleported


    <hr>


    Orchid teleported straight to Gran¡¯s home the moment the lightning subsided only to see their entire house destroyed into chunks of rubbles of various sizes. The guards posted at the gate prevented any curious eyes from peeking in. They were completely serious about not letting anyone to get close until they had confirmation from their Chief, only Orchid was an exception because they couldn¡¯t stop her, and it¡¯ll be more troublesome if they were to magically teleport away from their post.


    ¡°Wh-what happened!?¡±


    ¡°Orchid, come here.¡± Roselyn smiled and motion her little sister over to her.


    Orchid waddled over to her smiling sister. She noticed the little creature in her sister¡¯s arm halfway there and immediately teleported beside Roselyn. ¡°Yo-you gave birth!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the first thing you have to say?¡± Roselyn rolled her eyes at her younger sister. She then handed the sleeping baby in her arm over to Orchid. She whispered. ¡°She¡¯s my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Daughter¡­¡± Orchid paused for a long time while staring absentmindedly at the girl in her arms. ¡°D-do you have a name for her yet¡­?¡± Orchid asked. The baby girl in her arm was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.


    It wasn¡¯t just Roselyn who wanted a daughter, Orchid always wanted to have a younger sister. However, after Roselyn and her their parents were already too old to have a third child. To her, Roselyn¡¯s daughter was already officially her younger sister.


    ¡°I have a name¡­¡± Roselyn replied. She leaned into Orchid¡¯s ear and whispered the name to Orchid.


    ¡°What do you think? Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°I love it!¡± Orchid replied. She looked down at lovingly at the girl in her arms.


    ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± Orchid only just now realized that it was just Roselyn and her out in the opening with some servants at their side. Everyone else was just missing. ¡°Oh wait, nevermind, they¡¯re out back? Or well what¡¯s left of the back?¡±


    Roselyn nodded her head. ¡°They¡¯re rebuilding the house.¡± She then silently chucked to herself. ¡°I told them I won¡¯t tell them the baby¡¯s name until the house was finished.¡±


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re pure evil, sis.¡± Orchid laughed. She then remembered why she was here. ¡°What happened to the house anyways? I saw that there was a powerful lightning strike, did you two offend a powerful Exotic?¡±


    Roselyn furrowed her brows. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, everything is too hectic right now for me to get an answer. Once everyone saw that no one was hurt all their attention went on her.¡± She looked up at the baby fast asleep in Orchid¡¯s embrace. Orchid politely returned the baby back to Roselyn.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask them right now; I¡¯ll tell you what they say.¡± Orchid hurriedly walked off towards the back of the destroyed home.


    Sipppp


    Boss was lazily drinking water from a cup sitting off to the side watching the trainees and Gran work at restoring the house. His appearance cleaner, but for some reason he was still wearing Roselyn¡¯s gown.


    ¡°Oh man you guys have a lot of work to do, might take all day just fixing this.¡± Siiiip


    ¡°Come on Boss help us outtttt! Don¡¯t you want to know the name of the baby?¡± Arthur said exasperatingly.


    ¡°I already know the name of the baby, Dr. Galil, Roselyn and I narrowed it down to three, it¡¯s going to be one of them.¡± Boss replied and continued to sip his water slowly and loudly. He continued ¡°Besides, do you know what just happened to me? You know that big lightning bolt? I stopped it from hurting the baby, I threw my body straight into it you know? I deserve some time to recuperate.¡± Boss answered. His words caused Gran to stiffen up for a short moment before returning back to separating the rubble.


    ¡°You look fine though.¡± Julie quickly remarked while tossing the rubble aside. The current work they were doing was removing all the broken stuff and unbroken stuff into separate piles and then slowly fixing the entirety of the house.


    ¡°F-fine!? Look at me! LOOK AT ME! Does this look like someone who is fine!?


    ¡°Your hair just looks very poofy, what¡¯s the problem?¡± Michael replied.


    ¡°Just poofy? JUST POOFY? Let me zap you with the strongest lightning bolt on this planet and then you tell me if my poofy hair is just fine.¡± Boss angrily remarked,


    ¡°Oh? Poofy hair? Lightning bolt? Want me to comb your hair?¡± Orchid appeared behind Boss and started patting his electrified poofy hair.


    ¡°O-Orchid!¡± Cobble was the first to exclaim in surprise.


    ¡°Oh, this feels pretty good~¡± Orchid remarked while feeling Boss¡¯ hair through her fingers. She continued to reply to Cobble ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me your good ol¡¯ Auntie Orchid magically appearing out of nowhere. Cobble, you should¡¯ve been able to sense me the moment I showed up to talk with my sister. Why¡¯re you so distracted? Want me to beat you up a bit?¡±


    She then turned to look at Gran who was completely stiffen up from her sudden appearance and continued ¡°Future husband, what¡¯s going on? What happened here? Do you know that everyone in the village is already outside trying to have a peek? I¡¯ve heard some guests say this is because you guys scared someone related to a powerful Exotic and this was his revenge¡­?¡±


    ¡°Nope! It was something even scarier than a little Exotic.¡± Boss responded.


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s scarier than Exotics?¡± Orchid continued to feel the boy¡¯s poofy hair, the soft poofy hair in her hand felt irresistible to her, she just couldn¡¯t stop. Boss didn¡¯t try to stop her and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then why do you think it¡¯s scarier than Exotics?¡± Orchid continued to playfully ruffle the boy¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t not knowing something scarier than knowing it?¡± Boss asked. Orchid paused in her patting and thought for a moment. She nodded her head ¡°You are right boy.¡± She then turned her head toward¡¯s Gran who felt a chill crawl up his spine. That is why I know I¡¯ll be with Gran and Roselyn in the future.


    As if Gran could read Orchid¡¯s thought he quickly interrupted and answered. ¡°It wasn¡¯t an Exotic, just a natural phenomenon. Mhm.¡± Even Gran couldn¡¯t believe what he had said but what else would it be if it wasn¡¯t a natural phenomenon? An Earthly Tribulation? A Tierrian Tribulation? What does that even mean?


    ¡°But you are right, we should prevent weird rumors from spreading. I¡¯ll go and quell it immediately.¡± Gran quickly raced out of the backyard and rushed outside of the entrance to a crowd of people who have gathered around curious about the situation that happened inside.


    ¡°Ahem, what you all have seen was just a natural phenomenon that happens once every thousands of years at this very location.¡± Gran begun to tell his fib to the crowd of people who were standing outside.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°A natural phenomenon, why would such a thing happen here? I don¡¯t believe it!¡± A passerby shouted.


    ¡°Oh yes, a natural phenomenon, you¡¯re not from our Boulderville so you don¡¯t know. But it has been passed down from generations to generations through the words of my family and their ancestors that every thousands of years a lightning will fall from the sky and land here at this very spot!¡±


    The crowd began to whisper to themselves what Gran was saying wasn¡¯t something they have heard. Even when those who didn¡¯t know anything asked the villagers all they could do was shrug and wait for Gran to continue.


    ¡°Oh yeah? Why would it happen here every thousands of years?¡± The same passerby continued to argue.


    ¡°Do you know why my home is the only place that is completely gated from the rest of the village?¡± Gran asked the passerby who kept questioning him. The passerby didn¡¯t know what to say so he only waited for Gran to continue.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s because at this very spot thousands of years ago the same situation occurred. I built a wall around my entire home not because I don¡¯t want the rest of the world in, rather I want to make sure none of the villagers get harmed.¡±


    ¡°Chief~, are you okay~?¡± A little girl teleported beside Gran and asked.


    Gran looked down at the short 12 yr old girl and patted her head. ¡°Carson, don¡¯t worry it was just as predicted, I made sure everyone was safe and out of danger. Our ancestors also told us about that.¡± Gran smiled at the little girl and turned his attention to the audience.


    ¡°Now, I don¡¯t want people spreading rumors about what happened, it was just a natural phenomena that our ancestors predicted and dealt with thousands of years ago. Nothing more, nothing less. Like pfft, an Exotic that is powerful enough to ruin my home? What did they send? King Baroque himself? Wahaha!¡± Gran left out a hearty laugh turned around.


    ¡°I need to clean up the place before the festival, so head on home and get ready. Tomorrow will be the day and I hope everyone can come and watch our kids show what they¡¯ve learned.¡±


    ¡°Chief Gran~ Can I help you out with the cleaning?¡± Carson asked, her innocent puppy dog eyes made it so that Gran couldn¡¯t say no.


    ¡°Me too, I want to help Chief too.¡± A 12-year-old girl with cyan eyes walked up and bowed before Gran. Gran couldn¡¯t refuse either girl he just wanted to quickly head inside before anyone else showed up.


    Whish


    A pebble flew directly towards Gran face causing him to catch it in midair and crumpling it into dust.


    A little boy with magenta eyes walked up and stood before Gran who towered over him. He looked up at the Chief squarely in the eyes and calmly stated ¡°I¡¯m going too.¡±


    Gran sighed when he saw these three trainees, he taught alongside Boulder was standing before him with powers now.


    ¡°Alright Carson, Krystal, and Poe. Let¡¯s go clean up my house. Everyone else thank you all for worrying but this is enough.¡±


    Gran returned through the entrance of the house followed by three little kids beside him. The gate slowly closed on the audience who had yet to disperse.


    A mustached silhouette stood further away hidden in the audience at the backside of the Chief who returned inside.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± The moustache silhouette turned around disappeared into the dispersing crowd. He returned back to the Inn within the split of two mountains and calmly stared out the window.


    A letter magically appeared in his hand, causing him to raise his eyebrows. It was a letter written to all the teachers by the Headmaster himself, this way of messaging was only if the Headmaster had urgent news to report to all the Teachers. The gentleman walked over to the sofa and sat down with a drink in his hand as he began to read the content of the letter.


    ¡­


    ¡°Wow~ What a mess~¡± Carson teleported around the home and expressed her opinion. ¡°The meditation room is destroyed too! Yay~¡± She applauded.


    ¡°I mean, oh no, it¡¯s broken.¡± Carson quickly corrected herself as Gran gave her a displeased look.


    ¡°Knock it off Carson, we¡¯re here to help out the Chief not fool around.¡± Poe commented and walked over to the rubble. small pieces and medium sized pieces ranging anywhere from a pinky to a fist started to elevate off the ground floating over to the side next to the other piles of rubble.


    ¡°Teacher, I can move these for you so you can focus on the heavier ones.¡± Poe continued to send pieces flying off to the side onto the ground. Carson and Krystal walked over and picked up pieces they could toss and threw it over to the pile.


    ¡°Oh hey!¡± Carson immediately noticed there were other people helping out. ¡°It¡¯s you guys!¡± She waved at the trainees who were working on opposite side of the home.


    ¡°Hi C-c¡ª¡±


    ¡°Carson~¡±


    ¡°Hi Carson!¡± Arthur embarrassingly couldn¡¯t remember her name.


    ¡°Hi Krystal and Poe too!¡± Arthur waved at the other trainees who arrived shortly after Carson teleported over.


    ¡°You remember their name~?¡± Carson teasingly joked.


    Arthur embarrassingly scratched his head. He couldn¡¯t tell her that Krystal and Poe had an easier name for him to remember, could he?


    ¡°Are you guys here to help us clean up?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Yep~¡± Carson replied. Krystal and Poe nodded their heads. Little pebbles and rocks continued to move from one side of the home to the pile off to the side.


    ¡°Wow, I wish I had psychic powers.¡± Arthur sighed.


    ¡°My powers are alright, but aren¡¯t you an Exotic? I should be the one sighing about not having yours.¡± Poe jokingly remarked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what my power is yet¡­ what if it¡¯s no good?¡± Arthur sighed and muttered to himself.


    ¡°Power is power, there is no bad one only bad people.¡± Poe reply caused Arthur to let out a smile.


    ¡°What about a power that if you use it it¡¯ll instantly kill you~?¡± Carson asked.


    Her question resulted in Poe flicking a finger on her forehead.


    ¡°What kind of Exotic has a weird power like that? I don¡¯t think that kind of power even exist! Right, Chief?¡± Poe turned and asked Gran who was moving large chunks of rubbles off to the side. Gran looked over and answered. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of one.¡±


    ¡°Oww, I mean, we haven¡¯t heard of it because it¡¯ll kill them right~?¡± Carson asked while rubbing the mark on her forehead.


    Her question dumbfounded Poe and everyone else. It¡¯s true, what if that was the case. Almost everyone¡¯s eyes fell upon Arthur who hadn¡¯t found his powers yet and felt a little apologetic. What if¡­?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry young master, your powers won¡¯t be like that.¡± Shelly assured.


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Shelly nodded her head seriously.


    Her response made Arthur smile in delight. He didn¡¯t even question her how she knew; he was just happy that he won¡¯t instantly kill himself after obtaining it.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Poe raised an eyebrow at Shelly¡¯s answer and Arthur¡¯s change in behavior. He would have thought Arthur would ask her more questions about how she knows. Even the two girls beside him were also curious how Shelly knew, yet none was willing to ask her that question.


    Krystal was even more so not willing to ask Shelly questions. Ever since she learned her powers in Naturelle, she had been able to sense the thoughts and feelings of everyone she had made eye contact with. However, when she gazed into Shelly¡¯s eyes it was the first time, she wasn¡¯t able to read anything. Krystal hypothesized that either Shelly had no thoughts or feelings, or she was much more powerful than herself. But how could that be¡­? Even Gran wasn¡¯t immune to her.


    Krystal turned to look at Carson who would be the most willing to ask. However, when she turned to look at Carson who she thought would ask about it, to her surprise Carson only stood there not willing to ask.


    ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Boulder?¡± Poe noticed that Krystal and Carson were not going to ask and decided to change the subject. He looked around and noticed that Boulder was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°He¡¯s asleep, over there.¡± Arthur pointed further away towards a makeshift area that was quickly thrown together by Gran for everyone to rest. Roselyn didn¡¯t want to be inside yet so Gran left the servants to cater to her.


    ¡°Why is he asleep? Did something happen?¡± Poe asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he just said he felt tired and fell asleep while standing up. It was weird!¡± Arthur answered. His comment made Gran raise an eyebrow from afar. He didn¡¯t ask why Boulder was asleep either but maybe he should have? Gran decided he¡¯ll keep an ear out and listen.


    ¡°That is strange.¡± Poe remarked. He was about to ask more questions when Cobble interrupted. ¡°More working less talking.¡±


    Cobble¡¯s interruption made Gran completely annoyed at his own son. Don¡¯t you know I want to know what happened to Boulder? You better tell me later! Gran shot a glare at Cobble who didn¡¯t even notice what Gran was thinking and continued to separate the chunks of the home.


    His comment made everyone remember what they should be doing, and they quickly went back to work. Seth and Michael assisted each other in lifting heavier chunks of rubble that no one else was moving. Gran was already preoccupied with one section, so they moved the stuff that Gran wasn¡¯t doing.


    ¡°Psst, hey Arthur.¡± Poe leaned over and whispered in Arthur¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Who is he?¡± Poe asked he was wondering why there was a boy just sitting off to the side sipping on his second glass of water doing absolutely nothing.


    ¡°Oh, that is Boss. He doesn¡¯t wanna do work.¡± Arthur stated flatly. He continued ¡°He already knows the baby¡¯s name, so he didn¡¯t want to help out.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what baby?¡± Poe asked.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see Roselyn at the front with Auntie Orchid? Arthur replied.


    ¡°No, was she supposed to be there?¡± Poe asked. He didn¡¯t remember seeing anyone standing at the front. He shot a glance at Gran who seemed oblivious to it.


    ¡°Weird, where did she go?¡± Arthur muttered to himself. The two sisters alongside the baby and a few servants were nowhere to be seen.

 64. I said

    Chapter 64. I said


    <hr>


    ¡°I said I didn¡¯t want to be inside, sister. Why¡¯d you teleport us back to your Inn?¡± Roselyn sighed and asked.


    ¡°You may not want to be outside, but it¡¯s cold this morning. Do you want my younger sister to be freezing to death?¡± Orchid replied.


    ¡°She¡¯s your niece.¡± Roselyn corrected.


    ¡°Niece, daughter, sister. Same thing.¡± Orchid replied. She didn¡¯t let Roselyn continue to question her thinking and continued ¡°Besides, I brought the servants with us too so it¡¯s okay.¡±


    Roselyn sighed at Orchid¡¯s response. She could only go along with whatever Orchid as she was too weak right now. Roselyn also realized that Orchid was right, the air outside was quite chilly this morning. She looked down at the peacefully sleeping baby in her arm wrapped up in extremely warm cloth. ¡°Take us to your bedroom, we can talk in while she¡¯s asleep.¡±


    Orchid nodded her head and brought Roselyn and the baby to her room. Roselyn placed the baby beside her and looked at her younger sister. ¡°What did Gran say about what happened?¡±


    ¡°He said it was a natural phenomenon that happened every thousands of years and that he knew about it from his ancestors.¡± Orchid replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s completely not true, I¡¯ve never heard of anything like this.¡± Roselyn replied.


    ¡°What is he hiding from me?¡± Roselyn glanced at the baby resting beside her. She felt it may have something to do with her daughter but seeing her peaceful face Roselyn didn¡¯t want to wake her up and see if something would happen in doing so. Her daughter was just an Exotic like her¡­right?


    ¡°I think he¡¯ll tell you about it later, there shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about, rest up until tonight. I¡¯ll take you back when they¡¯re done rebuilding the house.


    Seven hours after the tribulation the house was rebuilt to livable conditions and Orchid teleported Roselyn back home. The entire day the baby not once woke up, but just from how healthy she appeared Roselyn and Orchid was not worried a single bit.


    However, during that seven hours, the whole village couldn¡¯t stop spreading rumors about what had happen. Not everyone believed what Gran had said even though it made sense. But if it was true then someone else in the Village would¡¯ve known something about it yet no one did. What was even more strange was that Gran didn¡¯t let anyone else go inside to help him repair his home, only little kids and the people Pebble brought back were allowed.


    The rumor spread like wildfire out of Boulderville to neighboring towns and villages and even reaching the ear of Samuel and Angel who was back at Rouge getting ready for their sneaking out later that night.


    ¡°This smells like something Boss had done.¡± Angel was the first to comment after hearing the rumor. She just instinctively thought it must¡¯ve been him who had done something to cause a natural phenomenon akin to the most powerful attack an Exotic was able to unleash.


    ¡°I agree that man child is always up to no good, first he got close to the kids, then he became one himself, now we have no choice but to let him escort them all the way to Naturelle.¡± Samuel complained.


    ¡°However, I don¡¯t get why he¡¯d blow up Chief Gran¡¯s home? Did he get bored and wanted to show off? Or did Gran do something to anger him? Could Arthur perhaps be in trouble?¡± Angel spoke her mind and immediately went straight to the worst case scenario.


    ¡°What if it wasn¡¯t him and the planet itself did it?¡± Samuel asked his wife.


    ¡°There would be no way our planet could do such a thing.¡± Angel tried to laugh it off but something in the back of her mind couldn¡¯t completely disagree with what her husband had said.


    ¡°Ever since we¡¯ve picked him up, I don¡¯t know if that was the right choice or not. But remember when he told us what was going to happen to our planet? At first I thought he was crazy for saying our planet could evolve and that we¡¯re going to have to fight against animals who can harness energy. But, more news from the other side of the world is starting to make me think that that man child wasn¡¯t lying.¡± Samuel expressed his thoughts.


    ¡°Did you know even though the Tillowisk Empire has been trying to hide information from us, I¡¯ve recently received news that King Tyran is looking for ways to quickly improve the strength of everyone around him? He even sent his own daughter to Naturelle to find capable students that would improve his strength!¡±


    Samuel then continued. ¡°Why would he need to rapidly improve the strength of his people? I¡¯ve thought about it and it¡¯s either what that man child had told us about creatures going out of control over there or those prophetic idiots who say there¡¯s going to be another war. Both are not good for us at all.¡± Samuel furrowed his brows and stated flatly.


    ¡°Like, what should we do in this situation? I just sent our son on his way over there and now I hear this kind of news?¡± Samuel sighed and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°I already disobeyed King Baroque and his decree, now I could potentially be sending our son to a continent of energy harnessing creatures and a King who is looking to increase his own strength!¡± Samuel couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡± He felt weak that there was nothing he could do in this situation. He was a freaking top tier Extoic and so was his wife, yet he didn¡¯t know what to do in this situation. He could recall Arthur, but then he¡¯ll be forced to send Arthur to Lumiere once King Baroque found out. If he sends Arthur to the Tillowisk Empire and their military strength can¡¯t hold off the creatures, then the whole continent is doomed.


    ¡°I think we should stick with our first decision.¡± Angel calmly replied after thinking it through.


    ¡°You¡¯d send him over there knowing there¡¯s extremely powerful creatures and a King that wants to strengthen himself?¡± Samuel asked his wife.


    ¡°It¡¯s no better than what¡¯s going to happen here.¡± Angel answered. She then continued ¡°Do you know what Boss said when Benjamin asked him if he could prevent all this?¡± Angel asked her husband.


    Samuel had no idea Benjamin had even asked this question and even moreso didn¡¯t know why Benjamin only told his wife and not him. ¡°What did he say?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He told Benjamin that he wouldn¡¯t let our kids die.¡± Angel replied. She continued ¡°I honestly don¡¯t like his behavior or how he does things. He seems to make mess everywhere he goes. But, just from the few times that we¡¯ve interacted and how he¡¯s willing to just get impaled¡­I mean he could kill us all if he wanted to, right? Just take our kids and do whatever the heck he wanted to. Yet, the whole time he¡¯s been with us he felt like an annoying guest we couldn¡¯t get rid of.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person is willing to get impaled by me so easily? He says he¡¯s an immortal, but it must hurt, right? There¡¯s no way he couldn¡¯t feel pain, otherwise why else would he be so damaged when we found him?¡± Angel asked.


    Samuel had no idea how to respond. He quietly waited for his wife to continue.


    ¡°If he does feel pain, why didn¡¯t he even let out a single sound when I pierced him straight through the chest with my icicle? I left a hole in his chest! The shirt proved it went straight through... Yet, why¡­?¡± Angel tried to recollect her thoughts and continued to ask. ¡°How much does someone have to go through to not even let out a single sound from that¡­?¡±


    Samuel could only remain quiet. He thought about what Angel had said and thought back to all the times he cried out in pain. Even stubbing his toe would make wince in pain for awhile. He sat and waited until Angel finished what she had to say.


    ¡°Samuel, I trust him.¡±


    Samuel knew she was going to say this and nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ll put my trust in him, too.¡± He then continued to ask. ¡°But we¡¯re still going to check on Arthur, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you outside in 5.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Shadows freely moved in the ground completely invisible to anything around them. The pale moonlight hung above illuminating the grounds below as the pair flowed from one location to the next. They were in no hurry as they kept themselves hidden from the elements calmly walking at constant pace.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°A few more hours until sunrise, at this rate we will be able to see him train in the morning.¡± Samuel commented while completely hidden in his shadow.


    ¡°Should we speed up?¡± He asks his wife who was hidden beside him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep our pace, I¡¯m sure the King will have a Teacher staying in Boulderville like the one back at home. I want to see if Gran knows anything yet.¡± Angel replied.


    ¡°Mm, it should be the same situation, they should be relaying the information to all the parents about the King¡¯s decree.¡± Samuel answered.


    ¡°Yeah, but Gran is almost as strong as us, which Teacher did they send to bring him the news I wonder¡­?¡± Angel thought to herself. The Kings Decree was only relayed to the most important individuals of more populous places like Towns, cities or other Kingdoms. This is normally because there is no incredibly strong individual above Tier 4 in villages, tribes or bands within the country of Zel.


    King Baroque didn¡¯t feel like it was necessary for his own personal envoys to send the message and used the Teachers of Lumiere themselves for these smaller places and less important normal people. However, to ensure that the King¡¯s decree isn¡¯t just a small matter, The Headmaster of Lumiere personally made sure Teachers sent to each place was more than capable of persuading the most influential person within them.


    ¡°I also want to gather some intel this rumor people have been spreading.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just before we left, I received urgent letters sent from my men I have stationed around the country, apparently every person who was capable all had the same prophecy about an angel and demon being born.¡± Samuel replied.


    ¡°Do you believe it?¡±


    ¡°I believe I forgot to give the carrier falcons their snacks for delivering these urgent messages.¡±


    ¡°Samuel¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, of course I fed them.¡±


    ¡°What do you think about the prophecy?¡±


    ¡°Mm, eh, we¡¯ll see.  I mean, there¡¯s already an Alien.¡±


    Angel facepalmed to Samuel¡¯s unconcerned comment as they continued to traverse from Rouge to Boulderville.


    Sunrise came and the two finally made it to Boulderville. Sneaking in of course, no one were to know about them. The couple quickly arrived at the center of the village flew directly over the gated walls around Gran¡¯s home.


    Immediately they noticed the sound of fighting near the back of the enormous shabbily rebuilt home of Gran.


    ¡°Wow, at least there¡¯s a roof.¡± Samuel commented and hurried to the back of the home quickening their pace to the sound of fighting.


    The moment they arrived, Angel immediately slapped him on the shoulder and spoke in a hush voice. ¡°I see Arthur!¡±


    Samuel rubbed his shoulder, he noticed Arthur the same time Angel did. The two quickly hid in the shadows of a nearby tree, the shadows of Samuel and Angel merged perfectly within the shadow of the tree.


    ¡°Oh my gosh he¡¯s using a real weapon!¡± Angel exclaimed. She was completely shocked to see Arthur holding a sword that wasn¡¯t wooden for training.


    ¡°Samuel what if he gets hurt? What should we do? Should we stop them?¡± Angel was already ready to blow her cover because the weapon in Arthur¡¯s hand was too dangerous.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be okay, this should be the training Gran assigned for them let¡¯s just watch for now, we can¡¯t just pop out and stop this, you know.¡±  Samuel assured trying to quiet down his extremely excited and worried wife.


    ¡°Samuel, he¡¯s charging at Gran¡¯s kid!¡± Angel exclaimed.


    Samuel and Angel watched as the five trainees all with charged at Cobble with weapons in their hands.


    ¡°Samuel! Did you see that!? My baby didn¡¯t release his grip on the sword!¡± Angel exclaimed as the five trainees¡¯ attacks were deflected by Cobble. Admittedly none of the trainees lost grip of their weapon. However, Angel was completely tunneled onto Arthur.


    ¡°He threw down the weapon! Why! Samuel, why?¡± Angel continued to commentate everything going on during the training and questioning Samuel about Arthur¡¯s decision.


    Samuel however was calmer than Angel and kept his eyes on all the trainees. One of them was very familiar to him. Isn¡¯t that the brat who tried to blackmail me? Why is he here? Samuel remembered Seth who was training alongside Arthur, Shelly, Michael and Julie.


    He then turned his attention to Arthur ¡°Nice punches son! That¡¯s my boy!¡± Samuel maintained his silence ignoring the smacks to his shoulders coming from the excited wife of his who was questioning everything.


    ¡°Samuel! They¡¯re breaking through Gran¡¯s kid defense!¡± Angel exclaimed. However, before she could cheer for Arthur¡¯s victory Cobble quickly spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m attacking!¡±


    ¡°What! He¡¯s attacking, that¡¯s not fair, he¡¯s cheating! I¡¯ll stop him!¡± Angel was about to send Cobble flying when Samuel quickly stopped her. ¡°Do you want to get us exposed!? Calm yourself and stop slapping me, I think my shoulder is all bruised up.¡± Samuel exclaimed. He kept quiet the entire hours of the training but had enough when Angel was about to intervene.


    ¡°My Angel, this is just training. The young man training them even warned them beforehand they should be okay.¡± Samuel responded.


    ¡°See? They¡¯re avoiding his attacks and are looking for opportunities. The young man is throwing slower punches since this is only training. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°But Arthur is going to lose¡­¡±


    ¡°Does he like he¡¯s worried about losing?¡± Samuel¡¯s comment got Angel to quickly observe Arthur¡¯s expression. She noticed that he while he was huffing and puffing from the constant attacks there was determination in his eyes and that look on his face that clearly showed he was not worried at all.


    ¡°Besides, there¡¯s Shelly.¡± Samuel stated calmly.


    The moment Samuel made that statement Shelly closed her eyes and began directing everyone to attack Cobble at extremely precise and specific places while avoiding every attack of Cobble. The battle continued to rage on with the five trainee and Cobble attacking and defending against each other until morning training was over.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! Arthur did it!¡± Angel exclaimed and smacked Samuel beside her. She continued to cheer for her son from afar.


    During the very last moment Shelly found a big enough flaw for them to exploit in Cobble¡¯s defense by forcing him to move at their tempo. Thanks to this Shelly managed to land a single hit on that flaw, her fist landing squarely on his body and concluding morning¡¯s training.


    ¡°Hm¡­ she¡¯s still hiding her power.¡± Samuel noted when Cobble took the hit from Shelly and felt unfazed. He continued to look at the group of trainees who had just completed training. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°Samuel, hide, hide¡± Angel pulled Samuel closer behind the tree as the door of the estate pushed open. ¡°It¡¯s Gran and Roselyn. She¡¯s as beautiful as ever.¡± Angel sighed as she looked at Roselyn who was 20 years older than her.


    ¡°That red hair boy must be their son, right? He looks just like Gran.¡± Angel commented at Boulder who followed behind Roselyn and Gran.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that in her hand? A baby!? FOUR KIDS!?¡± Angel¡¯s eyes were about to pop out as she noticed the newly born baby in Roselyn¡¯s hand. She looked at Samuel who returned the gaze. Both of them were amazed and had panic in their eyes. After they had Arthur, they realized one was enough. However, seeing Gran and Roselyn who was almost twice their age with four kids total made them gulp in admiration.


    Their eyes turned to Arthur who still had the energy to circle around the baby in Roselyn¡¯s arm and excitedly talking to Boulder.


    ¡°Samuel, is it me or does the boy look awfully tired?¡± Angel directed her attention to the boy who was replying to Arthur with a smile.


    Samuel squinted his eyes and nodded his head in response. ¡°Seems like he drained all of his inner energy. But, I¡¯m not sure how that happened. Some sort of training perhaps? Maybe the result of something happening yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Samuel paused and continued ¡°Angel, that prophecy.¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡± Angel asked she was confused at why Samuel would bring up the prophecy they heard last night.


    ¡°A baby demon or angel was born.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°A BABY! demon¡­ or angel¡­ Was born¡­¡± Samuel pointed at the baby in Roselyn¡¯s hand. ¡°That baby looks like it was born yesterday.¡± Samuel commented.


    ¡°Lots of babies are born every day what makes you think it¡¯ll be Roselyn¡¯s?¡± Angel rebuked.


    ¡°There¡¯s something strange about the baby.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something strange about you. It¡¯s just a baby, Samuel.¡±


    ¡°Look at it Angel. Do you not see it?¡±


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t see what¡¯s strange about it at all. It looks like a perfectly normal Exotic baby.¡± Angel remarked as she examined the baby.


    Sigh


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna sigh now instead of telling me Samuel?¡±


    ¡°Look at its face.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong about it! It looks completely fine!¡± Angel exclaimed. ¡°Just tell me already.¡±


    ¡°Its eyes are still closed.¡±


    ¡°Is it not just asleep?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°Look closer. The baby is actually awake, it¡¯s even turning it¡¯s head around and ¡®looking¡¯ at everyone around it.¡± Samuel replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Can it see with its eyes closed?¡± Angel asked as she settled her gaze on the baby.  She continued ¡°Do you think Boss was involved somehow?¡±


    ¡°Involved in making a baby? I think that¡¯s Gran and Roselyn¡¯s baby.¡± Samuel responded.


    ¡°I mean involved somehow in creating this prophecy and the destruction of Gran¡¯s house.¡± Angel corrected.


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine.¡± Samuel responded. He continued to examine the baby from afar. He continued ¡°Speaking of that manchild, where is he?¡±


    ¡°You called?¡± A childish voice could be heard right beside them causing Samuel and Angel to jump in alarm.


    ¡°B-Boss!¡± Samuel and Angel both exclaimed before abruptly closing their mouth trying to keep quiet.


    ¡°Eh, don¡¯t worry you can speak up, I¡¯ve nullified the sound around us, you can scream, and they won¡¯t be able to hear it.¡± Boss squatted down and barged himself into Samuel¡¯s shadows hiding himself away alongside them.


    ¡°H-how¡ª¡±


    ¡°How did I just enter your own domain? How did I just silence us from the world? It¡¯s cause I¡¯m Boss.¡±


    ¡°H-how long were you here!?... Did you hear everything we¡¯ve said¡­? Wait! Give me back my money!¡± Samuel exclaimed.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you have to ask? You¡¯re not amazed at how amazing I am?¡± Boss replied completely ignoring the latter half of Samuel¡¯s comment. He continued. ¡°Buuut, if you want to know, yes, I¡¯ve heard everything, and I¡¯ve been here since the beginning.¡± Boss pointed up at a large branch of the tree. ¡°I was napping right there.¡±


    There was even snacks and a cup of water tucked to the leaves of the tree from where Boss was napping at.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve heard everything, can you tell us about the baby, is it the one from the prophecy?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°Prophecy? What prophecy?¡±


    ¡°An Angel or demon is born we must protect or kill it. For it will either help us or destroy us.¡± Samuel replied.


    ¡°What kind of dumbass prophecy is that?¡± Boss remarked.


    ¡°Hell, if I know, I just combined two opposing prophecies I heard last night. You haven¡¯t heard it yet?¡± Samuel answered.


    ¡°Does it look like there¡¯s a prophet in the village?¡±


    ¡°Julie didn¡¯t show anything¡­?¡± Samuel asked. Wasn¡¯t Julie a Seer? Shouldn¡¯t she have seen something? Samuel turned his head around and returned to look at the kids and the baby.


    ¡°Her? The only thing she saw was me with a bad hair day.¡± Boss rebuked. ¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t know anything about this weird ass prophecy you¡¯ve heard. That baby is just a baby.¡±


    ¡°Just a baby?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°Just a baby.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°See Samuel, I told you it¡¯s just a baby¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah just a baby¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Samuel?¡± Angel turned to look at her husband who didn¡¯t respond to her. Samuel turned his head around and met her with gaze. However, the moment Angel saw his face she let out a gasp. Samuel¡¯s eyes were completely vacant as it looked at her and Boss beside her.


    ¡°¡­an extremely strong baby.¡±

 65. Hello

    Chapter 65. Hello


    <hr>


    ¡°Hello Lotus, what¡¯re you doing inside that old man¡¯s body? Go back to your mommy and keep your eyes closed. Okay?¡±


    Flick Boss jumped up and flicked Samuel¡¯s forehead sending the baby directly back to its body.


    ¡°Waaaaah¡± A baby¡¯s cry could be heard from afar startling everyone around it.


    ¡°Ah shit, I made her cry.¡± Boss stated and disappeared from Angel¡¯s side.


    Bang! The door from Gran¡¯s home slammed open and a boy with brown wig and sunglasses ran out.


    ¡°Awww, why is she crying come here, let me hold her¡­¡± Roselyn couldn¡¯t deny Boss¡¯ request and handed the baby over to him.  ¡°There there little girl, are you okay? It¡¯s alright, you¡¯re okay. That¡¯s it¡­ good girl¡­¡± Boss¡¯ childish voice could be heard off in the distance holding the infant in his hand slowly calming it down.


    Angel turned her attention to Samuel¡¯s whose lifeless eyes was slowly returning back to normal. She couldn¡¯t believe what she had just seen a short second ago. ¡°S-Samuel, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Agh, my head freaking hurts. What did Boss do to me? Why do I feel so tired all of a sudden?¡± Samuel held his head which was thumping loudly from within and asked.


    ¡°Y-you are right.¡± Angel stuttered.


    ¡°Right? Right about what?¡±


    ¡°Th-the baby.¡±


    ¡°What about the baby am I right about?¡±


    ¡°It-it took control of your body.¡± Angel was completely in shock at what she had just seen. A newborn baby managed to completely enter the body of Samuel as if it was nothing.


    ¡°What¡¯re you talking about? Are you sure that it wasn¡¯t something Boss was doing? Me having my body taken over by a baby, pfft.¡± Samuel regained control of his splitting headache and scoffed at Angel¡¯s comment.


    ¡°Where¡¯d he go?¡± Samuel asked and looked around within his domain. He eventually heard the sound of Boss off into the distance calming down the crying baby.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing over there? Wasn¡¯t he just here?¡±


    Sigh


    Angel exhaled and try to calm herself. ¡°He was¡­ until the baby took over your body¡­¡±


    Samuel looked at her in confusion. He was starting to believe what Angel was saying.


    ¡°So, he¡­flick¡± Angel flicked at Samuels forehead in the same spot Boss did it and continued ¡°he flicked your forehead and sent the baby back to her body. Letting you regain yours.¡±


    Samuel rubbed his forehead at where Angel flicked slowly coming to an understanding of what just happened. ¡°H-how is that possible?¡±


    Angel shook her head. ¡°You were right, that baby should be the one everyone around us prophesized. How can it take over your body so easily like that¡­?¡±


    The couple turned their attention to Boss and the now calm baby in his arms. The moment the baby calmed down enough Boss returned the baby to Roselyn and ran away back inside closing the door with a bang.


    The baby in Roselyn¡¯s arm turned its head towards the door where Boss had entered and then turned it back in the direction of where Angel and Samuel was. The couple was startled by the baby who seemed to be able to see them clearly all the way back here hidden in the shadows with its eyes closed.


    ¡°Sorry about that, I accidently made her cry.¡± Boss stated calmly standing beside the couple who had just seen him run back inside. They were startled again when Boss¡¯ voice was beside them after looking at the baby.


    ¡°You told Samuel already? That¡¯s good. Yep, it¡¯s just a baby, an extremely strong one though.¡± Boss stated calmly. He continued ¡°She¡¯s just a little curious, that is all didn¡¯t know who you two were and wanted to find out.¡± Boss answered.


    Angel and Samuel felt as if all this was already just too much for them to handle. It¡¯s only been less than four hours since they¡¯ve hidden themselves beside a tree watching their son train with one of Gran¡¯s kids and yet, now they¡¯ve found a baby that Boss had to apologize for.


    ¡°You¡­ What did you do¡­?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re blaming me?¡± Boss asked, trying to play innocent.


    Sigh


    ¡°I mean, do you know something about that baby?¡± Angel changed her words and asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Boss answered.


    ¡°¡­What do you know¡­?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°I know that¡­ the baby is extremely strong.¡±


    ¡°¡­and?¡±


    ¡°And extremely hard for me to handle.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I gave her a teeny-weeny itsy-bitsy bit of my energy¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­and it mutated.¡±


    Angel facepalmed at Boss¡¯ concluding remarks. What on Tierra did this Alien do!?!


    Sigh Angel sighed.


    ¡°B-but!¡± Boss quickly interrupted. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, I can take care of it! No problem!¡±


    His response caused both Angel and Samuel to facepalm. Samuel immediately regretted facepalming himself as it only just brought back the headache he had.


    ¡°How will you be able to take care of it? You¡¯re going with my son and Shelly to Naturelle, how are you going to make sure the baby doesn¡¯t cause problems?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°Naturelle-ly, I¡¯ll find a way.¡± Boss smiled at them and replied. He then continued ¡°Why¡¯re you two even here anyways? I thought you two wouldn¡¯t want to leave Rouge because your King might assume something. Isn¡¯t that why I¡¯m with them and not you two?¡±


    Angel and Samuel shared glances at each other and sighed. ¡°Gran sent out letters about the annual Festival happening tonight. We thought as long as no one sees us it¡¯ll be okay.¡± Samuel replied.


    ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t happen you two were spotted already¡­ by a baby.¡± Boss responded. He then continued ¡°You know, you could¡¯ve asked me for help in this situation, I could make you two completely invisible or even sent you real time visual about what¡¯s happening with the kids.¡±


    ¡°Y-you can do that!?¡± Angel and Samuel were completely shocked. They¡¯ve been too caught up about how things in this world was supposed to operate they still didn¡¯t fully understand the capabilities of this little manchild before them.


    ¡°Yep¡±


    ¡°Okay, then do that! Make us invisible.¡± Samuel exclaimed in excitement.


    ¡°Nah.¡± Boss instantly rejected, he quickly continued ¡°It¡¯s not like you two even need it anyways, this power of yours should be enough. Anyways, don¡¯tchu worry I got this.¡± Boss teleported away and the sound of the door to the back could be heard opening again as the manchild made his way over to the trainee with snacks in his arms.


    Angel looked over to her husband and asked, ¡°Why do I feel even more worried when he tells us to don¡¯t be?¡±


    Samuel scratched his head ¡°I don¡¯t know, I sure hope he doesn¡¯t give us a heart attack¡­¡± He continued. ¡°There¡¯s two more guys who can give me a heart attack that should be here.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re here?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just a feeling I have.¡± Samuel honestly replied. He then turned his attention to Arthur and Shelly having lunch with everyone and then at Boss beside them. ¡°I feel like we can be bystanders this time around.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Auntie Roselyn, can we get the name of the baby please?¡± Arthur eagerly asked the beautifully innocent looking woman with short orange hair and dark green eyes. His question caused all eyes to shuffle over to Roselyn.


    Roselyn softly held the in her arm and smiled at Arthur. She wasn¡¯t brought back home until late at night after the quick construction work was done on their home and went straight for bed with it. Everyone didn¡¯t get to know the name of the newborn baby yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s Block.¡± Gran answered for Roselyn causing her to softly chuckle. She quickly corrected ¡°She¡¯s not Block.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Lotus.¡±


    ¡°Hi Lotus!¡± Arthur immediately greeted the baby before him. He held out his finger and placed it in her palm softly shaking it. ¡°I¡¯m Arthur, I¡¯m going to be your big brother.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey, I¡¯m her real brother!¡± Boulder quickly ran over and placed his finger in Lotus¡¯ other palm shaking it and greeting her. ¡°Hi Lotus, I¡¯m Boulder, your real brother, and you¡¯re my younger sister, you¡¯re the youngest one in the family so now it¡¯s my duty to protect you.¡±


    Lotus firmly grasped both fingers in her hand causing both boys hearts to completely melt. Roselyn smiled at the two boys who were playfully competing for Lotus¡¯ attention. She then turned her attention to everyone else who was also eager to greet the newborn baby. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy now, come, come you all can say hi.¡±


    Everyone took turns greeting the newborn girl and returned to where they sat besides Arthur and Boulder who squeezed between Roselyn and Gran to play with the Lotus. ¡°Um, mom are babies supposed to not open their eyes?¡± Boulder asked Roselyn, he just now realized he never saw Lotus open her eyes.


    Roselyn had a worried look on her face when Boulder asked her this question but simply replied ¡°nothing is wrong. She¡¯s just not ready to open her eyes yet.¡±


    Roselyn didn¡¯t know what else to say. The night after Orchid teleported back with her, she immediately brought Lotus into the room and wanted ask Dr. Galil about it. However, before she could ask him Boss appeared beside her and told her that Lotus won¡¯t open her eyes and that Roselyn shouldn¡¯t try to look at it either. After Boss said that he immediately disappeared.


    Shortly after, Gran walked in and looked down at the baby on Roselyn¡¯s bedside and sighed. Roselyn scooted over and let him lay beside her. He recounted what Boss had told him during the birth of the baby. She didn¡¯t know anything about the situation or how deadly it was. She was extremely in shock when she heard the reason the house was destroyed was because lightning wanted to completely destroy her daughter out of existence.


    However what Gran had said next nearly caused her to faint.


    ¡°When I was repairing our home with the help of everyone involved. Boss pulled me aside and told me that our daughter won¡¯t ever open her eyes.¡± Gran said.


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with her eyes?¡± Roselyn asked.


    Gran sighed and shook his head. ¡°The boy told me that anytime she opens her eyes lightning as powerful as the one that destroyed our home will land wherever she is. He told me for now, it is best to not even try to open her eyes. At least, not until she¡¯s older¡­¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Mom?¡± Boulder looked at Roselyn who was lost in thought.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Is Lotus just shy?¡±


    ¡°Yes? I uh mean, yes, your little sister is just extremely shy. So, don¡¯t do anything okay? She¡¯ll open them when she¡¯s ready.¡± Roselyn collected herself and glanced at Boss who was slowly sipping on water.


    Boulder completely understood and playfully placed his finger back into Lotus¡¯ palm ¡°It¡¯s okay baby sister, take your time. Your big brother here will beat up anyone who judges you for being shy. I¡¯m super strong you know. So, you can be shy for as long as you like, I¡¯ll take care of you.¡±


    Lotus¡¯ palm firmly grasped Boulder¡¯s finger as if she completely understood. Her head turned to Boss who was sitting further away and then at the people around him, seemingly as if trying to remember all of them.


    Boss noticed the gaze underneath the cover of her eyes and smiled at Lotus and walked over doing exactly what Boulder and Artur had done placing his finger into her palm.


    ¡°Oh, look at you, already so curious. You¡¯re just a baby, so do what babies do, just eat and poop and leave the worrying for us adults.¡± Boss wiggled his finger and patted her soft pink hair.


    ¡°Once you¡¯re older, we can all go on a big adventure.¡± Boss released his finger and sat back down beside the trainees.


    Boulder looked over at Boss and asked. ¡°You¡¯re not an adult, aren¡¯t you just a kid?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m older than you.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m 12, how old are you?¡± Boulder responded.


    ¡°10.¡± Boss answered.


    Boulder didn¡¯t know what to say, he was expecting a number that was higher than his age, not lower. He wanted to say something but before he could Gran stood up. ¡°Son, it seems like your teacher is here.¡±


    ¡°He is!?¡± Boulder asked causing Gran to nod his head. ¡°Let me go get him! I¡¯ll introduce you guys to him.¡± Boulder ran to the front gated entrance and opened it.


    A man with bright red hair and a gentlemanly moustache stood outside.


    ¡°Teacher!¡± Boulder excitedly exclaimed at the man before him.


    ¡°Sorry, I was supposed to wait at the Inn until you come get me, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! Come my dad said he¡¯ll be happy to see you!¡±


    ¡°Well, alright then. I¡¯ll follow you in.¡±

 66. Dad this is my teacher

    Chapter 66. Dad this is my teacher


    <hr>


    ¡°Dad this is my teacher.¡± Boulder introduced the red hair gentleman clad in a standard purple and white Lumiere gown.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Boulder¡¯s personal teacher Marvis Klein, sorry for coming unannounced.¡± The gentleman tipped his hat and reached out to shake Gran¡¯s hand.


    Gran smiled at the teacher before him and introduced himself ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Marvis, Boulder has been spending the last few days telling me all about you. I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t meet sooner.¡± Gran apologized and reached out to shake the hand of the gentleman before him.


    The moment the two hands made contact the grip between the two red hair power users tightened causing their powers to explode outwards instantly creating a powerful gust of energy wind. It was an incredible sight; Gran was a head taller than the gentleman and his arms were twice that of the man before them. But the man was unfazed from the powerful grip of Gran.


    Most of the trainees did not expect the two men to use their powers the moment they shook hand, unprepared Seth, Michael, Julie and Arthur all took a step back from the shockwave of energy released.


    Everyone else remained unperturbed from the scene, Roselyn calmly shielded Lotus in her arm, whereas Pebble and Cobble only gave the gentleman a curious look before returning to converse with each other. Dr. Galil calmly hid himself between the two older brothers and didn¡¯t receive much of the impact coming from the energy.


    The two red hair power users released their grip a second later after testing the waters and smiled. Before they could continue to converse, Boulder exclaimed. ¡°THAT WAS SO COOL!¡± He continued ¡°I wanna do that!¡±


    Boulder reached out and gripped his dad¡¯s hands and using all his force to expel out his powers like what he had seen his dad and teacher do. However, Gran just calmly patted the boy¡¯s head and tightened his grip until Boulder felt enough pain to release it himself.


    ¡°Ow ow ow dad! That hurt!¡± Boulder exclaimed.


    ¡°Wahaha, sorry son, but you¡¯ve got to be stronger than that if you want to do it.¡± Gran laughed and turned to the teacher in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m glad my son has a strong teacher like you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you kindly, it means so much to hear that from someone as famous as yourself, but I¡¯m still no match for Gran the Beast of the frontline.¡± The gentleman shook his head and patted Boulder¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I had to squabble with a few of my peers in order to become Boulder¡¯s teacher.¡± Marvis stated honestly.


    ¡°Oh? You even know that?¡± Gran raised an eyebrow. Beast of the frontline. It was a name both friends and enemies alike had given to him decades ago when he was a twenty something young prodigy engaged in long and brutal 3-year war between Zeldova and Tillowisk Empire.


    ¡°Of course! Everyone in our Power department have heard of your name and believe that are the one who singlehandedly infiltrated the Tillowisk Empire¡¯s camp alone and escaped after defeating every person there.¡± Marvis worded it softly in consideration for all the kids sitting around.


    ¡°Dad, you did that!?¡± Boulder was shocked. He¡¯s overheard the teachers bicker as to who had done it. He didn¡¯t expect that most of the teachers in his department believe it was his own father who had done it.


    Gran ignored his son¡¯s excitement and continued to maintain eye contact with the gentleman before him, ¡°Is it not a rumor that a few people could¡¯ve been the one to have done that? Why do you guys firmly believe it is me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s still just a rumor in Zeldova as to who had done it. But everyone in our department firmly believes that it is you, sir.¡± The gentleman replied. ¡°If it isn¡¯t you, don¡¯t tell us, those in the other departments would be ecstatic.¡±


    ¡°Competition between department is still as intense as ever, huh?¡± Gran scratched his head and sighed. He supposes it would be fine if he didn¡¯t admit it.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Marvis answered.


    ¡°Anyways, how come you wanted to meet me?¡± Gran asked. It wasn¡¯t surprising for teachers to meet with parents, however for most of Gran¡¯s time as a father this had been the first case of a teacher wanting to meet with him personally.


    Marvis glanced at all the people sitting and standing around with curiosity in their eyes. ¡°May we go someplace private? It¡¯s a message from the King.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Doesn¡¯t he usually send out his own personal messengers? How come you¡¯re the one telling me?¡± Gran raised an eyebrow and asked. However, Marvis remained silent.


    ¡°Alright, come with me.¡± Knowing Marvis won¡¯t say it in public Gran relented and entered the house.


    Marvis eyes swept the entire group of kids before stopping momentarily on Lotus within Roselyn¡¯s arm. Roselyn immediately looked up at Marvis who had already started following Gran into the house. Her innocent face was calm and serene as she stared at the backside of the teacher who was almost as powerful as her husband.


    ¡°That was your teacher, Boulder!? He¡¯s so cool!¡± Arthur exclaimed.


    ¡°Right!? He even has a message from the King! Maybe we¡¯re gonna move to Zeldova!?¡± Boulder¡¯s eyes brightened at his own words. ¡°Won¡¯t that be cool!? It¡¯s really nice over there!¡±


    Cobble and Pebble who had remained seated all this while glanced at their younger brother and sighed.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to Zeldova, Boulder¡±


    ¡°How do you know Pebble!? The King could make it happen! You guys know how nice the kingdom is, don¡¯t you two want to go?¡± Boulder asked.


    Cobble and Pebble both shook their head and glanced at their mom. Roselyn didn¡¯t say anything, so Pebble got up and dusted himself off. He walked over to Boulder and looked down at the red hair younger brother before him. ¡°It¡¯s exactly that. We don¡¯t want to go live in Zeldova.¡±


    ¡°Brother...?¡± Boulder looked up at his older brother and asked. He turned to look at his mom who was taking care of Lotus. He wanted to ask her if she felt the same. However, before he could Cobble stood up and blocked Boulder¡¯s sight and stood before him alongside Pebble.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Sigh


    ¡°If we wanted to live there, we¡¯re more than capable of settling.¡± Cobble stated calmly.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we?¡± Boulder asked. He was extremely confused as to why both his brothers adamantly rejected living in Zeldova. They were both like him and even went to Lumiere for half their life. Why did they not want to live near a place that had done so much for them?


    ¡°Boulder, what do you think about our Village?¡± Cobble asked.


    ¡°I like it, but it¡¯s pretty boring and nothing ever happens¡­¡± Boulder honestly responded.


    ¡°We like that nothing ever happens.¡± Cobble answered.


    ¡°But don¡¯t you guys want to attract the attention of the King and become Nobles?¡± Boulder asked. He was repeating what most students back at Lumiere had said when they were asked about what they wanted to be when they grew up.


    ¡°What¡¯s so great about being a Noble?¡± Pebble asked. His face was slightly irritated. ¡°Being a Noble is a stupid farce, and if you believe¡ª¡±


    ¡°Pebble.¡± Roselyn¡¯s calm voice interrupted Pebble shutting him up completely. Cobble immediately moved out of the way allowing for Roselyn to look at Boulder.


    ¡°Boulder, come here.¡± Roselyn patted the spot beside her. Boulder quickly rushed over and sat beside his mother. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t we want to become Nobles?¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to become something that we already are?¡± Roselyn asked.


    Boulder was confused for a moment before his eyes widen. ¡°W-we¡¯re Nobles!?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Bu-but I don¡¯t feel like a Noble. All the children from Noble families know each other and wear beautiful clothes¡­¡± Boulder weakly responded.


    ¡°I think our clothes are pretty nice.¡± Roselyn stated calmly.


    Her response caused Arthur to nod his head. ¡°Roselyn, your dress is really pretty.¡±


    ¡°Haha, thank you Arthur. See my son, Arthur says our clothes are nice.¡±


    ¡°Mooom! What about knowing other Noble families and forming ties?¡± Boulder continued to repeat things he¡¯s heard back in school.


    ¡°Hm? We have ties to other Noble families. Right, Arthur?¡± Roselyn glanced at the silver haired boy with bright green eyes standing beside her son.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡± Arthur replied.


    Shelly got up and walked over to Arthur and whispered in his ear. ¡°You¡¯re a Noble, young master.¡±


    ¡°Oh right! Yeah! Boulder, I¡¯m a Noble too!¡± Arthur smiled at the red-haired boy beside him.


    ¡°You are!? Oh, you are!¡± Boulder¡¯s eyes widen. He had just remembered what he was just told a couple days ago from his brother. ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯re a Galafray!¡±


    The moment Seth heard Galafray he completely froze in place. The little kid he¡¯s been training with was a Galafray? His eyes then looked at the girl who calmly turned her head to look at him the moment he reacted oddly. Seth was nervous with sweat; I should have known! Two Exotic children! Who else would be their parents!? Do they know!?


    Seeing the odd reaction from Seth, Michael tapped Seth on the shoulder causing him to immediately shiver and jump in fright. ¡°Seth are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Julie also asked.


    Seth realized that the two kids definitely did not know anything about him trying to blackmail the two powerful Galafray servants. He quickly recollected himself and replied ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, I misheard what you said.¡±


    ¡°You misheard Galafray? I thought I said it pretty loudly.¡± Boulder questioned.


    ¡°Ye-yeah, I thought you said G-Galect Bay.¡± Seth stuttered and responded.


    ¡°Galect Bay?¡± Boulder asked. He didn¡¯t know what Galect Bay was. Almost everyone else was equally confused by what Seth had said. Only Roselyn had a slight reaction when she heard that name instantly covering both the ears of Lotus.


    ¡°H-hey!¡± Pebble immediately rushed over and pulled Seth away.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing saying that place, you freaking idiot!¡± Pebble whispered and reprimanded. Seth quickly realized he had said something he shouldn¡¯t have and apologized to Pebble.


    Arthur was equally confused when he heard Galect Bay and turned to Shelly. ¡°Do you know what Galect Bay is Shelly?¡±


    ¡°Mm, seeing their reaction, young master, I do not want to know.¡± Shelly calmly replied. Galect Bay was something she¡¯s never heard or seen in anything she¡¯s read. However, from how quickly those who knew reacted, she had a few guesses in mind.


    Pebble returned with Seth and coughed


    .¡°Ahem, what Seth meant to say was glabella.¡±


    ¡°You mean right here?¡± Boss pointed at the spot between his eyebrows.


    ¡°That¡¯s right Boss. you¡¯re such a smart boy!¡± Pebble softly rustled Boss¡¯ wig.


    ¡°Why¡¯d he turned all stiff when he heard that?¡± Boss asked.


    Pebble didn¡¯t know how to answer so he quickly nudged Seth telling him to reply. Seth had no idea what to do he just stared at everyone with wide eyes and words started to come out of his mouth.


    ¡°I uh, when I was a kid I had a friend who would always hit me in the face right on that spot.¡± Seth pointed at the spot between his eyebrows.


    ¡°Uh huh, but that doesn¡¯t explain why you stiffened up.¡± Boss remarked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ whenever my fr-friend hit me on that spot, h-he would sh-shout GLABELLA! Be-before hitting me right there. Th-that was why I st-stiffened up, I th-thought I-I was going to get hit again¡­¡±


    Everybody was momentarily speechless at what Seth had said.


    ¡°Pfft! AHAHA¡± Boss was the first to crack; laughing at Seth who was completely red with embarrassment. His laughter prompted everyone else who was trying to hold it in to follow suit in laughing at what they had just heard.


    Pebble was the loudest laughing beside Seth and patting him on the back. He quickly winked at Seth for telling such an incredible lie and returned back to laughing as loudly as possible.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ahaha! Did you hear that boy¡¯s story? Freaking I was about to kill him when I heard him say that place. But that recovery! HILARIOUS. Ahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, Samuel, be quiet, wh-what if they can hear us.¡± Angel tried to control her laughter.


    ¡°I-I-I can¡¯t ahaha, GLABELLA! Ahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Teacher Klein, do you not believe that this is an abuse of power?¡±


    ¡°It is loyalty, our people should be unified and grow strong as a whole for our King, no, for our Kingdom. The third war will come within our lifetime, your sons and baby daughter will be in danger if they step foot over there. This decree is preparation for the livelihood of our people. Is that an abuse of power?¡±


    Sigh


    Gran remained silent to Marvis¡¯ words, all of his sons have been taught in Lumiere, the King¡¯s decree had little effect on them unless they wanted to become prodigies like himself.


    ¡°Does everyone know of this yet?¡± Gran asked. He was thinking about the little trainees of his who were going to Naturelle.


    ¡°Every important figure of towns and cities have been notified by the King¡¯s messengers. The task given to us teachers is to inform the villages and the public to this news. I¡¯ll be going house to house after this. I figured it was best to inform the Chief first.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you Teacher Klein. I¡¯ve got the message.¡±


    Marvis Klein got up and was about to leave before sitting back down. He looked at Gran who was wondering what else he wanted to say.


    ¡°By the way, have you heard of the recent prophecy?¡±


    ¡°Hm? What prophecy?¡± Gran asked. He was too swamped with the recent happenings at home and finishing up preparations for the Festival tonight he didn¡¯t have enough time to listen to rumors and prophecies.


    ¡°Every Oracle, Seers, and Diviners that we know of in our Country received a strange premonition recently.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What did it show?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little confusing¡­ the prophecies they¡¯ve received was completely the opposite of the each other¡­¡± Marvis Klein paused for a moment before continuing. ¡°A child born under heavenly lightning will become either a demon or angel.¡±


    ¡°A child born under heavenly lightning¡­¡± Gran muttered and became lost in thought.


    Marvis Klein noticed Gran¡¯s abnormal reaction and calmly spoke. ¡°The lightning that destroyed your home yesterday, it was bright enough to illuminate the entire village...might I ask, was your daughter born yesterday?¡±


    Gran remained silent.


    ¡°Nevermind, don¡¯t answer that, but rumors have already spread about the lightning that occurred here, and along with the prophecies foretold. It won¡¯t take long for people to make speculations and connect the dots. Might I suggest you don¡¯t let the baby of yours be seen by the public? I won¡¯t speak a word of what I had seen here on the account of being Arthur¡¯s teacher and my respect for you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say, I¡¯ll be heading out now, I still need to inform the villagers about the King¡¯s decree.¡±


    Marvis got up and calmly walked out of the door. Gran stared at the back of the Marvis who was walking further and further away.


    Sigh


    Bang


    The door closed.

 67. Teacher

    Chapter 67. Teacher


    <hr>


    ¡°Teacher, what did you talk about with my dad?¡± Boulder asked.


    Marvis looked at the boy standing before him and smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll know it soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Boulder completely believed what his teacher said and nodded his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be watching you at the festival.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down!¡± Boulder pounded his chest and stood in attention. He continued ¡°But if I do, look away please.¡±


    Marvis Klein smiled at the little boy before him and patted Boulder on the shoulder and continued to walk out of the estate. ¡°I won¡¯t look away. You¡¯re my student. Do your best, show them what you¡¯ve learned.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t some time later that Gran walked out of the house. His expression was hard to decipher. Roselyn immediately knew something was wrong when she saw him walk over to her. However, she didn¡¯t say anything and calmly rubbed his back with her arm.


    Gran turned his attention to everyone around him. ¡°You guys are dismissed for today, there won¡¯t be meditation tonight, so you guys can go freshen up and make your way to the Festival grounds. They should be getting ready already, you can walk around and have fun.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Chief Gran!¡± Arthur exclaimed.


    ¡°Ahaha don¡¯t thank me yet, tomorrow it won¡¯t be Pebble training you guys, I¡¯ll finish up your training.¡± Gran laughed at the boy.


    The trainees gulped when Gran finished his statement. Two straight days of morning training with Gran? Give them Pebble and Cobble back! Heck give them both together instead of Gran!


    Gran saw their frozen faces and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re fine with that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­sir.¡± Arthur sighed dejectedly.


    ¡°Ahaha, it¡¯s just two days, I gotta make sure your father won¡¯t blame me for slacking on my training of you four.¡±


    ¡°But my dad doesn¡¯t even train me this hard¡­¡± Arthur mumbled.


    ¡°Ahaha! Alright, let¡¯s make a deal. You guys head back to the Inn, Boss stay back for a bit I need to have a word with you before you go.¡±


    Gran quickly hinted at Arthur and them to leave with his eyes. The trainees instantly got the message and scurried off faster than expected. Two shadows quickly trailed them from behind without anyone noticing.


    ¡°Wow, it seems like they hate your training more than mine.¡± Gran commented at the little boy who was quietly observing him.


    Gran then turned his attention to his sons ¡°Pebble, Cobble, Boulder you three can to the Festival grounds early to make sure everything is in order I¡¯ll head over in a bit after I discuss something with Boss.


    The three sons nodded their head to their father¡¯s command and departed out of the estate. Dr. Galil saw that it was an important discussion and returned inside.


    ¡°Teacher tell ya about the King¡¯s decree?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°You know of it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a Galafray.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good¡­I thought I might have to send them back to the Governor.¡±


    ¡°You know what else I know?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°The latest prophecy.¡± Boss eyed the baby in Roselyn¡¯s arm.


    His words caused Gran to freeze momentarily.


    ¡°Oh? So, you know of it?¡± Boss continued to ask after noticing Gran¡¯s change in behavior.


    ¡°Yeah, I know of it. So what? There¡¯s millions of us on this planet, everything happening here just a coincidence.¡± Gran returned to himself and replied calmly.


    ¡°Do you really believe that? After everything you¡¯ve seen and heard?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it to be right.¡± Gran replied. He then turned his attention to the gated entrance of his home. ¡°I guess the kids should be back at the Inn by now¡­are you still going to train them today?¡±


    ¡°Nope! I¡¯m going to the Festival! ~¡±


    ¡°Oh God, you¡¯re not participating, are you?¡±


    ¡°Heck no, the food should be good though. Anyways if that¡¯s all you wanted to ask, see ya!¡±


    Boss quickly waved the two goodbye and ran towards the entrance of the gate.


    Gran returned to look at Roselyn who was sitting beside him this entire time. He then turned his attention to the Lotus within her arms.


    ¡°May I hold her?¡± Gran reached out at the baby handed to him and looked down on the daughter of his. ¡°She looks just like you.¡± He noted.


    ¡°She¡¯s got your ears though.¡± Roselyn smiled and replied back at Gran.


    ¡°She does, huh?¡± Gran¡¯s finger interlocked with the palm of his daughter. ¡°I think this is the first time I¡¯ve actually gotten a clear look at her.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be the last time either.¡± Roselyn leaned her head on Gran¡¯s shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s going to be with us forever. No matter what trouble she causes, we¡¯re on her side. Who cares about some little lightning whenever she opens her eyes¡­we¡­we just need to lightning proof our home¡­yeah, that way she can open her eyes whenever she wants. That¡¯ll be fine right? She¡¯ll be okay right?¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Sigh


    ¡°She¡¯s a strong girl, if that boy says she can¡¯t open her eyes until she¡¯s older there¡¯s definitely a solution when she¡¯s older.¡± He continued, ¡°Did you know, she used up all the water you have been storing in the back?¡±


    ¡°Mhm~ it¡¯s connected to me, that water was something I¡¯ve been slowly saving up to one day give everyone in the village a better chance at obtaining a power. But this is fine too, right? I can just start over for them.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, we¡¯re already old we shouldn¡¯t use our powers whenever we want, especially you, you¡¯re in bed for days whenever you put some in that pond.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, remember what I¡¯ve said?¡± Roselyn asked.


    ¡°Of course, I know, you say it every time you drained yourself in front of the pond.


    ¡°Water is love; water is life.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Roselyn softly played with the small amount of hair on Lotus¡¯ head. ¡°She¡¯s a greedy one, she wanted all that water for herself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a greedy one too, you wanted all our villagers to have powers.¡± Gran playfully reminded her. ¡°Like mother, like daughter.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, she¡¯s a little flower that needs all the water she can get.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll grow to become the most beautiful flower.¡±


    ¡°She already is, Gran.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, you¡¯re right.¡±


    The two relaxed themselves completely as they leaned against each other while playing with Lotus.


    It wasn¡¯t until later that Roselyn decided to ask her husband, ¡°Is there anything else about Lotus that I should know about? Boss glanced at her when he mentioned some prophecy?¡±


    Gran knew she was going to ask him this, he was prepared to tell her everything. Gran spent the next hour recounting the events of the birth all the way up until present. Roselyn remained quiet the entire time only listening until he finished. Her eyes closed, lost in thought the moment Gran finished.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take Lotus back inside, you should head to the Festival now, everyone should be ready.¡± Roselyn calmly spoke and got up. Gran did the same handed Lotus who was fast asleep to back to her.


    Gran nodded his head and walked his wife back to her room. He quietly left the room and closed the door behind him. Roselyn looked lovingly at the daughter fast asleep beside her. ¡°If even the whole world sees you as a demon, to me you¡¯ll always be my angel.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°POE! I CHALLENGE YOU!¡± Boulder exclaimed while standing above the square shaped stage and pointed at Poe who was quietly eating a kebab from one of the many stalls set in place for the festival.


    ¡°It¡¯s not even time yet, Boulder, here take a bite.¡± Poe sent a kebab from one the stall flying towards Boulder who quickly received it and started tearing it away from the stick.


    ¡°I¡¯m just practicing what I¡¯m going to say.¡± Boulder replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to challenge me again this year?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll never stop!¡± Boulder exclaimed while finishing the rest of the kebab.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you even be remotely worried at all?¡±


    ¡°Why should I? Everyone else is weak, I¡¯m stronger than them.¡± Boulder confidently spoke up.


    ¡°Ahaha, say that when they¡¯re here and I¡¯ll believe you.¡± Poe remarked.


    ¡°I will!¡± Boulder hopped off the stage and rushed over to the vendor who had the kebab. He wanted another.


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat too much, you¡¯re going to have an upset stomach during the matches.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I won¡¯t.¡± Boulder cleaned a second kebab in his hand and reached for a third.


    Poe immediately turned his head around and gazed towards the direction of the entrance.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Poe?¡± Boulder asked before doing the same, he was staring at the entrance of the Festival ground.


    ¡°Resonance?¡± A young man with dull red hair walked in followed by a magenta eyed person. ¡°Check it out Mason, these must¡¯ve been the kids Seth talked about.¡± Riley commented as he looked at the young man beside him. Mason calmly nodded his head and observed the 12-year-old boy who he felt resonance from.


    ¡°Can you be any less suspicious Riley?¡± Seth walked up; his familiar face immediately calmed the two boys before them. ¡°They¡¯re my friends, don¡¯t worry about them, are we early?¡± Seth looked around there was only a handful of people walking around, everyone else was either a vendor selling merchandise or one at a stall selling food.


    ¡°Just a little bit, we¡¯re finishing up preparations right now.¡± Poe replied to Seth who he had met back at the bridge and when helping restore Gran¡¯s home.


    ¡°Anything you need for us to do?¡± Riley walked up and asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can fight me.¡± Boulder interrupted and set upon his gaze at Riley who was looking down at him.


    Poe immediately sighed when Boulder interrupted him. However, he was also feeling a bit competitive when he locked gazes with Mason who was smiling at him.


    ¡°For the Festival? Sure, if there¡¯s fighting allowed.¡± Riley commented. This was his first time to Boulderville¡¯s festival he didn¡¯t know anything besides that there was going to be one and there won¡¯t be scaring involved.


    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s the main event!¡± Boulder exclaimed.


    ¡°Alright, cool I¡¯ll see you on stage for the main event.¡± Riley smiled at the kid before him.


    ¡°Right now!¡± Boulder exclaimed.


    Everyone gave Boulder a curious look, wasn¡¯t he a bit too hasty in wanting to fight with Riley?


    Poe sighed a second time and chopped Boulder on the head with his hands. ¡°We can fight when the festival starts. Everyone should be coming soon.¡± He then turned his attention to the four others besides Seth. ¡°By the way, may I know your names?¡± Poe asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Riley, this is Mason, Gerald, and Sampson.¡± Riley introduced himself and his friends beside him.


    ¡°Are you their leader?¡± Boulder asked Riley.


    His words caused Riley to instantly wave his hands in refusal. ¡°Heavens no, they¡¯re my best friends. We¡¯ve grown up together.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you and Mason rivals?¡± Boulder asked.


    ¡°Uh, why would we be rivals?¡± Riley asked.


    ¡°Hm? Cause Poe and I am rivals and we¡¯re best friends too.¡± Boulder answered.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t believe we are rivals, we¡¯re just best friends.¡± Riley responded.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Boulder leaned over to whisper into Poe¡¯s ear. ¡°They¡¯re going to be easy for us to beat, no rivalry means they¡¯re weak.¡±


    Poe shook his head after hearing that, he didn¡¯t know what to say when it came to this ¡®rival¡¯ of his.


    ¡°Oh! Seth is here before us! And Boulder and Poe too! Hi you guys!¡± Arthur exclaimed the moment he entered and noticed Seth.


    Everyone standing around heard the little 10 year old boy shout and turned their gaze upon the silver haired kid with emerald green eyes.


    ¡°Hey Arthur!¡± Boulder exclaimed and waved back at the boy. He then immediately saw Shelly and Julie who was slowly walking in from further back. ¡°Hi Shelly~, hi Julie~¡± Boulder waved.


    ¡°Boulder, boulder~ Boulder~¡± Julie waved and did the villager greetings to Boulder.


    ¡°Ahaha, boulder boulder~¡± Boulder repeated and quickly ran up to the four who entered. ¡°Come on let me show you around.¡± Boulder quickly pulled on Shelly and Julie¡¯s hands around the festival grounds.


    The two boys quickly followed Boulder who was showing the girls around.


    ¡°This is the vendors for trinkets and stuff, this is the stalls for delicious food, and that is the outhouse area for when you need to poop.¡±


    ¡°Over there is the¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­and over there is the¡­¡±


    Boulder¡¯s voice was out of hearing range for the guys remaining near the entrance.


    ¡°Mason, will you agree to fight me if I challenge you?¡± Poe asked the magenta eyed young man standing before him.


    ¡°Mm, we¡¯ll see.¡± Mason smiled and replied back. ¡°There¡¯s no rush, I¡¯d like to take a look around first before I choose to do anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you guys later for if we fight.¡± Poe quickly ran after Boulder and the others who was following him around.


    Sampson looked at Riley and Mason who was calmly looking at Boulder and Poe further away. ¡°You¡¯re actually not going to fight them right? They¡¯re just kids.¡±


    ¡°Kids?¡± Riley smiled at Sampson¡¯s remark. ¡°It should be an honor to fight those who are as capable as us at such an early age. Don¡¯t look down on those two, they¡¯re already capable enough to match me and Mason here.¡±


    ¡°Are they really that capable?¡± Gerald asked.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ in terms of experience Riley and I have the advantage, but those two definitely have talent and potential to beat us if we look down on them.¡± Mason calmly responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen those two fight, they¡¯re very much capable.¡± Seth concluded.


    ¡°What do ya say Mason, fight em?¡± Riley asked.


    ¡°Of course, but let¡¯s go look around first.¡± Mason answered.


    Noise noise noise The sound of people started to gather near the entrance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go look around, a lot of people are coming it¡¯s going to get crowded we stand around here.¡± Riley stated the moment he heard the sound of everyone walking towards the festival grounds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The five young adults nodded and hurried towards the areas all around the festival grounds before it became crowded with people.

 68. Oh I almost forgot

    Chapter 68. Oh I almost forgot


    <hr>


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot.¡± Boss who was about to walk to the Festival grounds teleported to the back of Gran¡¯s estate where all the cattle resided.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna borrow these two for tonight.¡± Boss quickly grabbed Barkie in his palms and informed the enormous muscular livestock around it. Every single animal was startled by Boss who had shown up out of nowhere before their eyes and instantly grabbed their leader. They were about to rush at him and attack before they realized who it was that had shown up to take their leaders away and stopped their attack.


    ¡°Bark bark!¡± Where are you taking me!? A tiny golden labradoodle puppy barked in anger. It was struggling to claw its way from the grasp of the hand of the little boy before it.


    ¡°You two are having too much fun back here. However, tonight I need you two to come with me to the Festival grounds, don¡¯t you want to see how your masters does on stage?


    ¡°Bark!¡± No! Let go! My men must be better than that damn creature¡¯s!


    ¡°Uh huh, sounds, good. What about you, Silver?¡± Silver motioned the cow it was resting on over to Boss and hopped onto his shoulder.


    ¡°Mew.¡± It responded and smirked at the labradoodle who was barking objections at Boss.


    ¡°Alright, cool let¡¯s go!¡± Boss with the angry puppy shuffling in his hands and a kitty perched on his shoulder slowly walked out of the entrance of where the livestock were residing.


    ¡°Bark Bark! Grr! Bark!¡± Damn you! Grr, Everyone, don¡¯t stop training when I¡¯m gone!


    Every cattle on Barkie¡¯s team immediately bowed their head in submission and waited for their leader to leave.


    ¡°Mew.¡± Silver also directed its commands to those of its factions. Tears welled up in the cattle¡¯s eyes as they bowed to their leader.


    ¡°Look at your friends, they¡¯re saying goodbye. Say goodbye Barkie, you can play with them again tomorrow.¡± Boss held Barkie up and waved one of its paws at the cattle who had bowed to it.


    ¡°Bark!¡± Let me go! This is so embarrassing!!!


    ¡°Mhm~ Oh right you like to be on people¡¯s head.¡± Boss carefully placed Barkie on his head. ¡°Don¡¯t hop off or Arthur is getting a new puppy.¡±


    The puppy completely froze in place after hearing Boss¡¯ casual comment. As an animal with incredible instinct it couldn¡¯t sense any killing intent coming from the boy beneath it. However, every single fiber of its being was screaming to not disobey.


    ¡°Hm? Why¡¯re you so stiff? Relax~, you two can¡¯t just be with your friends all day, we¡¯re going to Asmar in a few days so you gotta have as much fun here as you can before you go.¡± Boss stated calmly as he walked with the pets through the empty village. Every villager had already left for the Festival grounds.


    The moment those three left, Barkie¡¯s faction slowly stood back up and angrily stared at Silver¡¯s faction who had done the same. Everyone from Silver¡¯s faction was smirking at Barkie¡¯s.


    ¡°Moo!¡± No fair, how come you guys get a break!? A cow from Barkie¡¯s faction exclaimed.


    ¡°Moo~¡± You should¡¯ve joined us in the beginning~ A cow from Silver¡¯s faction responded.


    ¡°Bok?¡± Is it too late to change teams? A chicken from Barkie¡¯s faction asked.


    ¡°Neigh!¡± Yes! A horse from Silver¡¯s faction exclaimed.


    ¡°Neigh Neigh~¡± ¡°Go go train or else I¡¯ll tell your leader you guys disobeyed~ it continued to say.


    Barkie¡¯s faction angrily grumbled to themselves and quickly returned to training.


    ¡°Neigh hei hei~¡± Hahaha~


    ¡­


    ¡°Haha, be good and let¡¯s go have fun tonight. Remember, you¡¯ve gotta become stronger than your masters in order to protect them in the future.¡±


    ¡°Bark bark!¡± I¡¯m already stronger than them!


    ¡°That¡¯s right you are, but you two cannot slack. I am their bodyguard, but they are your masters, what use are you if your masters die?¡± Boss¡¯ calm voice caused both the pets to tremble uncontrollably.


    ¡°Hm? Why¡¯re you both trembling? Gotta pee or something?¡± Boss asked as he quickly disappeared from the streets and reappearing before the entrance of the Festival grounds. The pets¡¯ trembling stopped the moment Boss reappeared before the entrance.


    ¡°Oh? That smells pretty good! Let¡¯s go!¡± Boss cheerfully exclaimed and ran through the entrance.


    The Festival ground was completely packed with the entirety of the village and people from neighboring towns and villages that was interested. Everywhere one looked there were parents and kids walking around conversing and forming connections with the villagers and their kids.


    The first thing one would see upon entering was an enormous stage at the center made out of mountain slabs neatly cut into a perfect square platform. Around stage was nearly two hundred stone benches circling the entirety of it for friends, family, and anyone else to sit and watch the children and young adults perform and demonstrate what they¡¯ve learned the past year of schooling.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Further north were stalls filled with people standing around ordering and waiting for their food to be prepared. A little over to the right of the stalls were the vendors selling souvenirs.


    The enormous fire grill used for the feast was lit once again, this time grilling the meat and vegetables that had arrived. People gathered from all over to sit around it and relax conversing with those beside them. The biggest topic was the rumored prophecy by all the people possible throughout the world about the demon and angelic baby.


    Currently a little boy with two pets was slowly eating before the grill.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Arthur waved at the boy who was stuffing himself. Boss lifted up his gaze at the boy who was waving at him and returned it with his own greasy hands. Immediately after he returned back to putting cooked meat and vegetables down his throat. The two pets beside him were eating glistening cubes of raw meat no one remembered seeing being placed upon the grill completely absorbed in their own world as they munched.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Arthur exclaimed again after running up to Boss. He continued ¡°Barkie is here too! Are you excited to see me?¡± The little puppy heard its name being called and looked up from finishing the last bite of the cubes of raw meat Boss gave to it. The puppy indifferently turned its head away, hmph hmph I¡¯m not excited to see you at all. However, its wagging tail easily gave away its true feelings.


    ¡°Barkie! ~¡± Arthur picked up the puppy and plopped it on his head. ¡°Ehehe, how are you buddy? We were going to pick you two up after the Festival, did Boss bring you here?¡±


    ¡°Bark! Bark!¡± He kidnapped me! I didn¡¯t want to go!


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m right, huh?¡± Arthur patted the above him on the head. He turned to the boy who was sitting beside Silver who was still slowly nibbling on its food. ¡°Boss, I didn¡¯t see you all day, did you just leave Chief Gran¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, how come no one is on stage yet?¡± Boss asked after finishing up everything on his plate.


    ¡°Boulder told me Chief Gran and his teacher went somewhere to talk again, he said they were going to start in a bit.¡± Arthur replied.


    ¡°Oh I see¡­¡± Boss turned his head in the direction of where Chief Gran and Marvis Klein had snuck away to talk. He then turned his head to the little white-haired girl with sapphire eyes that finally walked over. ¡°Shelly are you going on stage tonight?¡± he asked.


    Shelly walked over and pet the kitten who was finishing up its meal. Feeling its master¡¯s hand Silver quickly swallowed its last bite and hopped directly into Shelly¡¯s embrace. Shelly shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± She answered.


    ¡°Oh I see, what about you, Arthur?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Um¡­ probably not¡­ I don¡¯t know what to show to them.¡± Arthur answered honestly. He didn¡¯t even know what his powers were yet to show it for them. He also didn¡¯t want to try meditating in front of them and fighting actual students? No way.


    ¡°Ahaha, maybe you¡¯ll think of something before the night ends.¡± Boss answered.


    ¡°Boss! What about you go up there and show what you got! You can definitely beat everyone here!¡± Arthur exclaimed. His voice was loud enough for kids and young adults who were planning on going on stage to look at the two boys having a conversation. They were surprised to hear it was the Exotic boy with silver hair and emerald green eyes praising a normal looking boy.


    Shelly sighed the moment she heard Arthur speak up. However, she didn¡¯t bother to quickly inform Arthur that what he was going to say would cause trouble.


    ¡°Haha. Maybe and I haven¡¯t even gone to school yet.¡± Boss answered casually.


    A group of kids were irked by Boss¡¯ nonchalant answer, especially after realizing he was a normal boy who didn¡¯t even go to school believes he can beat up everyone on stage. One teenager broke off from the rest of the group and sauntered over, his finger pointed at Boss.


    ¡°You? Beat everyone here? You¡¯re just a normie!¡± An angry teenager head taller than Boss intruded their conversation and exclaimed.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Arthur wasn¡¯t expecting a teenager to show up in front of them angrily yelling at Boss. He quickly realized he said something he shouldn¡¯t have when he turned only to see Shelly sighing and shaking her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sor¡ª¡± Arthur tried to quickly apologize to the group of teenagers but immediately got cut off by Boss.


    ¡°Who are you? Go freak off. I¡¯m the amazing Boss, even this Exotic boy over here believes I can beat all you little idiots.¡± Boss arrogantly retorted back. His actions caught both Shelly and Arthur off guard, they didn¡¯t expect Boss to act in such a way. Shelly squinted her eyes; she immediately knew Boss was plotting something.


    Boss¡¯ words irritated the group of kids and their parents who was listening in on the conversation. A man who looked like the angry teenager¡¯s father walked up and looked down at down at Boss with contempt.


    ¡°Boy, where are your parents? You should apologize to him for being so rude, he was just telling you that beating everyone here is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Who the freak are you? You should apologize to me for ruining the air with such bad breath.¡± Boss angrily retorted.


    ¡°You!¡ª¡±


    ¡°You what? You a dumbass. That¡¯s what.¡±


    ¡°You!¡ª¡±


    ¡°Attention everyone!¡± A loud booming voice reverberated throughout the Festival quieting down everyone completely. It was a enormous man a head taller than everyone there. All of the villagers immediately recognized the voice of the person shouting. It was none other than Big T who had helped carrying the mountainside slabs for the festival. ¡°Chief Gran is here!¡±


    Everyone stood up and saw Chief Gran walking in with a smile on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make this quick, the stage is open for anyone who wishes to demonstrate what they¡¯ve learned. Go!¡±


    The teenager and father duo who got angrily rebuked by Boss immediately began to whisper to each other.


    ¡°What? You two are plotting to challenge me? Freaking idiots!¡± Boss exclaimed.


    Boss quickly got up from where he stood and ran to the center of the platform. Gran didn¡¯t expect the first person to run up on stage was Boss!


    Gran quickly ran up to Boss and looked down at Boss. ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Boss quickly cut Gran off and shouted loudly in a childish voice. ¡°Idiot boy with the father that had a bad breath, I challenge you!¡±


    Eyes from the fire grill all directed their gaze on the father and son duo who had angered Boss. Indeed, they were planning on the son going on stage to challenge Boss. However, they hadn¡¯t expect Boss to be so fast at running up and challenging them. Was the boy that confident he could beat them? The teenager was worried but with all eyes on them the teenager gulped and hurried onto the stage.


    ¡°Took you long enough, you freaking idiot, come meet your doom!¡± Boss exclaimed.


    Everyone who knew about Boss was wide eyed. Was Boss going up on stage even allowed!?


    ¡°Ahem, are you two sure you want a fight, we can do something else like meditation or showing off your skill?¡± Gran tried to stop the fight between to the two.


    ¡°No! I wanna beat him up!¡± Boss exclaimed. He quickly lowered his glasses and winked at Gran. Gran squinted wondering what the heck Boss was up to but seeing that Boss wasn¡¯t angry he could only relent.


    Sigh


    ¡°Alright, to your spots. I¡¯ll countdown from three. Once it hits 0 you may fight, but remember, this is a stage for demonstrating what you¡¯ve learned, not to bully others. So, stop once your opponent gives up.¡±


    The two nodded their head.


    ¡°3¡±


    ¡°2¡±


    ¡°1¡±


    ¡°Begin.¡±

 69. Boss quickly ran

    Chapter 69. Boss quickly ran


    <hr>


    Boss quickly ran up to the teenager and threw out a punch.


    ¡°Left punch!¡± Boss shouted as the punch flew at the teenager.


    The teenager quickly reacted and blocked the punch stopping the 10-year-old Boss completely in place.


    ¡°Huh? He¡¯s weak!¡± The teenager couldn¡¯t believe he even remotely thought the boy before him could be strong. The teenager became completely angry that this boy before him was super arrogant thinking he could beat everyone at the Festival. ¡°I¡¯m going to beat you up so hard.¡± He thought to himself.


    ¡°Right punch!¡± Boss was unfazed that the boy caught his left arm and threw out his right fist.


    The teenager reached out to the hand of Boss¡¯ fist and grabbed it, stopping Boss completely in place. With both of the boy¡¯s hands under his control, the teenager smiled menacingly as Boss struggled to pull himself apart.


    ¡°Let me go! I give up''!¡± Boss exclaimed as he struggled to remove himself from the boy.


    ¡°Give up? Hell no!¡± The teenager shouted. ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t say that!¡±


    Bam! The teenager pulled both hands of Boss tossing him face first onto the surface of the stage causing Boss to cover his face.


    Bam bam bam! A barrage of punches landed on Boss who was curled up into a ball trying to defend himself.


    The entire audience gasped; they didn¡¯t expect the teenager to be so violent to continue to attack after the boy had given up.


    ¡°Wait? What¡¯s going on!? I can¡¯t control myself!¡± The teenager exclaimed inwardly. ¡°My body! It¡¯s moving on its own!¡±


    ¡°S-stop him! Stop the match!¡± Someone in the audience shouted, he didn¡¯t want to see someone¡¯s kid get brutally attacked even after giving up. However, Gran remained silent staring at the two battle off on the sideline with no intention of stopping the match.


    ¡°Ahaha! Take that this is what you get!¡± The teenager laughed and got up and started to kick at Boss who was helplessly laying on the ground. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that! That¡¯s not me!!!¡±


    Everyone didn¡¯t know why Gran didn¡¯t stop the match. However, since Gran was the Chief, those near the fireplace glared at the father who was keeping silent. Their piercing gaze was truly frightening to behold. At first the father was completely happy that his son was winning. However, when his son continued to attack after the boy gave up, he completely froze.


    ¡°M-Mitchel!¡± The father exclaimed all the way from the grill. ¡°STOP!!!!¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Mitchel¡¯s voice was loud enough for the whole audience to hear. I can¡¯t! It¡¯s not me! I¡¯m not doing this!


    ¡°STOP YOU STUPID SON! THAT¡¯S ENOUGH!¡±


    ¡°AHAHAHA!¡±


    Bam bam bam


    ¡°Stop damnit stop!¡± Mitchel screamed inwardly. ¡°STOPPPPPP¡±


    Mitchel¡¯s body abruptly stopped in place, but not before the damage was done. ¡°Wha-what have I done!?¡± He looked down at the crumpled up unmoving boy.


    ¡°A-are you o-okay?¡± He asked, his voice, quivering, he didn¡¯t know what became of him, his entire body and even his voice was not under his control the moment the fight started.


    The body of Boss laid at the center of the stage, unmoving.


    Gran walked up on stage and softly pushed the distraught Mitchel out of the way to inspect Boss who was curled into a ball. He rolled the boy over only to see bruises and blood all over from the attacks of the teenager. It was a grisly sight; blood covered the boy from head to toe as a pool of blood slowly formed beneath him.


    ¡°B-boss!¡± Arthur exclaimed; he quickly ran up on stage and looked down at Boss who laid there motionless.


    ¡°B-Boss!? Chief Gran is Boss okay!?¡± Arthur pleaded to Gran who in return sighed and shook his head.


    Gran¡¯s action left Arthur distraught, the blood and bruises on Boss¡¯ body from the vicious attacks of the teenager was clearly shown before his eyes.


    Gran carefully picked the lifeless body of Boss up and walked off the stage. ¡°Remember what I said, this is a stage for demonstration, not to bully others.¡± He shook his head again and sighed. His performance was truly spectacular.


    Gran¡¯s silhouette disappeared off into the distance as Mitchel remained standing still on the stage.


    ¡°Y-You!¡± Tears trailing down Arthur¡¯s eyes he angrily pointed at Mitchel and exclaimed. ¡°I challenge you!¡±


    Mitchel was completely frozen in place. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean to, I-i-couldn¡¯t control myself! He-he made me angry you all saw that! He was the one that challenged me!¡± Mitchel tried to defend himself.


    The audience was becoming more and more angry at this situation. ¡°Just because you¡¯re angry doesn¡¯t mean you should brutally beat up a boy smaller than you!¡± They inwardly complained. Some kids wanted to throw their stuff at teenager but controlled themselves with their parents around.


    Pebble got up on stage and looked at the two boys. His face was expressionless as he repeated what Gran had said and began the countdown.


    ¡°3¡±


    ¡°2¡±


    ¡°1¡±


    ¡°Begin¡±


    Arthur quickly ran up to the teenager and threw a hard punch at the unprepared teenager¡¯s face knocking him down onto the surface of the stage. Arthur then took advantage of this and ran towards the teenager on the ground and raised his fist.


    Everyone in the audience assumed this was going to be a revenge beating on the teenager for what he did to the Exotic¡¯s friend. However, to their surprised the fist that was raised remained in the air as the silver haired boy remained still with tears flowing down his face.


    ¡°This is the person that messed Boss up! I should hit him and do the same thing he did to Boss!¡± Arthur inwardly thought to himself. ¡°It¡¯s so easy, he¡¯s right there! But¡­ I can¡¯t.¡± His tears continued to flow, dropping on the boy and the surface of the stage.


    ¡°You can¡¯t or you won¡¯t?¡± A voice that completely resembled that of Boss asked. ¡°B-Boss!? Arthur couldn¡¯t believe he could hear Boss¡¯ voice.


    ¡°You can¡¯t or you won¡¯t?¡± The voice repeated.


    ¡°Are you okay!?¡± Arthur exclaimed out loud.


    Everyone in the audience was confused, was he asking Mitchel if he was okay?


    Mitchel was equally confused as he looked up at the shocked Exotic before him. Mitchel was ready to take a beating for what he had done to Boss. He knew whatever he says will just look like excuses in front of everyone. However, he didn¡¯t expect that after getting punched once by Arthur that Arthur would stop hitting him and instead ask him if he was okay.


    Tears welled up on Mitchel¡¯s face as he started to sob uncontrollably. Too many different kinds of emotions struck him tonight that he didn¡¯t even know what to do anymore and began to cry.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Mitchel shouted.


    His sudden apologetic outburst brought Arthur back from his thoughts only to look down and see Mitchel crying.


    ¡°I-I know what I did was wrong! I completely regret it! I-if I could, I-I wouldn¡¯t do it again!¡± Mitchel continued to cry. How was he supposed to know that he was going to lose control the moment started and the life of the boy he fought was hanging by a thread?This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Y-you can keep hitting me I-I deserve it! I¡¯m terrible!¡± Snot flowed out of Mitchel¡¯s face as he continued to cry and talk to Arthur at the same time.


    ¡°You can¡¯t or you won¡¯t?¡± The voice repeated again in Arthur¡¯s head.


    Arthur saw the crying teenager beneath him and sympathized he sighed.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Arthur calmly spoke out loud.


    ¡°No matter how angry I am, I won¡¯t do something I don¡¯t want to.¡± Arthur stated flatly and got up. He closed his eyes trying to calm himself and prevent his tears from falling.


    He looked down at Mitchel who was laying underneath him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Arthur reached his hands out to Mitchel who was hesitant on reaching for the hand. ¡°Am I such a person to have someone be so nice to me?¡± Mitchel thought to himself.


    ¡°Come on, take my hand. If you¡¯re sorry, you should apologize to my friend.¡± Arthur tried to remain calm and kept his hands extended out to Mitchel.


    ¡°I-I¡± Mitchel weakly raised his hand closer to Arthur.


    Arthur reached out and grabbed Mitchel¡¯s hands pulling him up standing in the process.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go say sorry.¡± Arthur pulled the tearful Mitchel along with him. Leaving behind a completely stunned audience. A small little puppy quickly followed behind the two as they entered the back.


    ¡­


    Cobble looked down at his younger brother who had witnessed the entire scene. ¡°Boulder are you crying?¡± he asked.


    ¡°N-no! I-I¡¯m practicing my telekinesis!¡± Boulder wiped away the tears from his eyes and responded.


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely crying, that¡¯s not how you learn telekinesis.¡± Poe remarked as he watched the back of the two boys walk to where Gran and Boss was.


    ¡°Fight me Poe!¡± Boulder exclaimed with tears rolling down his eyes.


    Poe completely ignored Boulder¡¯ exclamation and asked Cobble ¡°is Arthur¡¯s friend okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we had already prepared a medical room in advance in case accidents happen, Dr. Galil will make sure he¡¯s fine.¡± Cobble assured.


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ why did he challenge someone when he¡¯s so weak though?¡± Poe muttered quietly.


    Cobble raised an eyebrow and remained silent. ¡°Boss? Weak? Yeah, right.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Did you see what just happened to Boss and Arthur!?¡± Seth and his friends along with Michael and Julie ran up and shouted in unison.


    Shelly turned her head to the direction to where Gran had carried Boss away, ¡°Let¡¯s go see if they¡¯re okay.¡± Shelly calmly replied and took the lead with Silver in her arms. Everyone else quickly followed suit. They didn¡¯t know why they went up to Shelly and ask, for the past month Shelly was their commander during training, it just felt natural to follow her orders.


    ¡­


    ¡°How is he Dr. Galil?¡± Julie asked as she looked down at the half wrapped up Boss.


    ¡°The attacks on him was vicious, he lost a lot of blood, but I managed to stop the bleeding, so he should be okay after he wakes up. However, I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be awake.¡± Dr. Galil calmly replied.


    His response caused both Arthur and Mitchel¡¯s eyes to brighten up with hope.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Mitchel exclaimed and bowed to Arthur.


    ¡°Shh, keep your voice down, he¡¯s asleep. If you¡¯re the person, apologize when he¡¯s awake.¡± Dr. Galil calmly quieted Mitchel down.


    More and more people gathered around huddling around the bandaged-up figure. They also expressed their concern for Boss and asked Dr. Galil some questions and concerns they had.


    Shelly remained off to the sideline as she calmly observed the figure underneath the bandage.


    Cough cough


    ¡°Boss!?¡± Arthur exclaimed ¡°Are you okay!?¡±


    ¡°Arthur¡­ is that you¡­?¡±  Boss weakly replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, I¡¯m here!¡± Arthur exclaimed. ¡°I brought Mitchel to come and apologize!¡±


    ¡°Who¡­?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to¡ªI couldn¡¯t control myself, I-I-I¡ª.¡± Mitchel stuttered; he didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    ¡°Oh¡­you¡­apology accepted¡­I need to sleep¡­¡± Boss weakly answered followed by the sound of some snoring afterwards.


    Mitchel was stunned alongside everyone else who had come to peek and see if anything else was going to happen. After a moment of silence, a second bout of tears trailed down Mitchel¡¯s eyes as he squeezed out a ¡°thank you¡± to the sleeping Boss.


    Everyone¡¯s heart softened as they looked upon the three boys who were engaged in conflict forgive each other. Some of the ones who were planning on berating Mitchel and his father gave up all ideas, it wasn¡¯t something that they should get involved in. Especially not after the three parties decided to forgive and forget.


    ¡°Everyone, please return and watch your kids show you what they¡¯ve learned.¡± Gran instantly cleared out the crowd of people who had come to watch. Only those that journeyed with Boss remained in the back with the door completely closed.


    ¡°How long will it take for Boss to be okay?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°How long will it be, Boss?¡± Gran looked at the snoring boy half wrapped up in bandages.


    ¡°Mmm¡­tomorrow?¡± Boss answered nonchalantly. His calm voice caused Arthur to be completely wide eyed.


    ¡°Boss! You¡¯re okay!?¡± Arthur exclaimed.


    ¡°What? Did you think a kid was going to beat me up?¡± The bandages tore loose as the little boy with his wig and sunglasses intact sat straight back up. His once beaten up body was completely pristine and healthy.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Arthur, that is what you call acting. I acted weak, faked getting hurt and then everyone around had already forgotten about me, see?¡± Boss opened the door slightly only to see the entire audience back on their seat with their eyes glued to the stage watching their kids demonstrate their abilities, as if the grisly battle between Boss and Mitchel had already went to the back of their mind.


    Pebble remained back on the stage serving as a referee for any other kids who wanted to challenge each other.


    ¡°Wh-why would you want to do that!?¡± Arthur stuttered.


    ¡°Hm? Why? If I put attention to myself as an incredibly strong normal boy that could beat up everyone on stage. Am I still a normal boy?¡± Boss asked


    ¡°I¡¯m not an Exotic at the moment Arthur, I¡¯m not invincible. Right now, I¡¯m a 10-year-old normal boy in front of their eyes, you gotta pay better attention to your surroundings and choose your words carefully next time. I don¡¯t want to keep getting beaten up when you praise me in front of everyone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I caused you trouble¡­¡± Arthur apologized.


    ¡°Hm? Nah, it¡¯s better for me to not show up on stage beating up kids, now I can relax and watch you guys fight.¡± Boss smiled at Arthur.


    ¡°How was it? Your first fight with someone around your age?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Go out there and enjoy yourself. Remember, this is a Festival, have fun and demonstrate what you¡¯ve learned. I¡¯ll watch you all from here. Don¡¯t let almost 30 days of Gran¡¯s training and mine down. Right, Chief?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, my trainees are not weak.¡± Gran calmly answered.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Arthur exclaimed and left the room.


    ¡°Shelly, you don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Boss spoke to the girl who was about to follow Arthur out of the door.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Shelly nodded her head and walked out.


    ¡°What about you two?¡± Boss asked Michael and Julie who was quiet.


    Sigh


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go participate.¡± Michael answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go as well; I challenge you Michael!¡± Julie exclaimed.


    ¡°Go easy on me¡­¡± Michael weakly replied.


    ¡°No!¡± Julie energetically responded with a smile as she pulled him further away.


    After everyone else had left the room Gran looked down at the boy who was watching the Festival from afar.


    ¡°Boss, what are you doing?¡± Gran asked.


    ¡°Hm? I do whatever I want.¡± Boss replied.


    He continued to watch young kids, young adults make their way up to the stage one at a time demonstrating what they¡¯ve learned or challenging a friend or rival of theirs.


    ¡°I mean¡­ why are you here?¡± Gran changed his wording.


    ¡°Hm? Like on your planet? Or this medical room?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°This¡­planet?¡± Gran asked after a couple seconds thinking about it.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m on a vacation.¡± Boss replied. ¡°Do you know what vacation is?¡± Boss asked.


    Gran shook his head. Vacation isn¡¯t a word that existed on this planet.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wandering around the entire universe with my crew looking for entities and civilizations powerful enough to contend with us and forming peace treaties with them. Sometimes they¡¯re friendly other times they want to kill us immediately. With those who harbor villainous tendencies and overwhelming bloodlust we¡¯ll engage war against them on a galactic scale usually resulting in the destruction of galaxies and solar systems¡­¡±


    His words confused Gran even more. ¡°Galaxies? Universe? Solar systems¡­? What is that?¡±


    Boss immediately noticed the confusion in Gran¡¯s face and calmly spoke up. ¡°Fights you can¡¯t comprehend currently, maybe one day I can show you it.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Gran answered.


    ¡°Anyways, a vacation is a break from doing what I¡¯ve been doing for centuries. I¡¯m going to be on your planet until my crew returns to pick me up.¡± Boss answered.


    Gran wanted to ask, ¡°how long is that?¡± but before he could the boy quickly continued.


    ¡°Anyways, get out there and do your thing, you¡¯re the Chief go show them you do more stuff than just making Pebble do everything for ya.¡± Boss shooed at Gran to leave.


    ¡°Alright. But, can you stop being so unpredictable? I don¡¯t want another case like my daughter¡­¡± Gran asked. He knew the boy was unwilling to say anything else.


    ¡°No promises.¡± Boss answered nonchalantly.


    Sigh


    Gran slowly exited the room leaving Boss sitting all alone on the beside.


    ¡°What do you think of my performance?¡± Boss asked the empty room.


    Two shadows hidden in the corner gradually walked out.


    ¡°It was so-so¡± Samuel calmly replied.


    ¡°What do you think of Arthur¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Spectacular, I raised my son right.¡± Samuel answered.


    ¡°We raised our son right.¡± Angel corrected. She then looked down at Boss who was currently watching a kid demonstrate his meditation on stage. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why you¡¯re sitting here, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to see?¡± Boss asked.


    The two nodded their head as Boss quickly created a portal within the room and within the portal, they were high above the skies looking down at people walking below.


    Angel and Gran was flabbergasted at Boss¡¯ ability to do this, was this what he meant when he can let them see what Arthur was up to? It was amazing as they were able to have a bird¡¯s eye view of the entire scenery. However, the two quickly turned their attention to what Boss was pointing at.


    Five hooded figures, two in green and three in purple were making their way towards Boulderville. Their pace was slow, as they walked on the road to Boulderville from Asmar. The most curious thing was those five completely stood out, but no one walking around even noticed their presence.


    ¡°Who¡­are they?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, but with millennium of experiences under my belt, usually people who are completely covered like that are either evil, monks, or evil monks.¡± Boss replied as the group calmly walked further into the village.


    ¡°Do you know why they¡¯re here? Are they going to hurt Arthur?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°How the heck would I know that? I¡¯m sure you two would intervene if they do.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°What¡¯re you going to do then?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m going to watch. You two can join me and see what happens, if you want to intervene you may.¡±


    ¡°Come come, sit let¡¯s watch.¡± Boss patted the spots next to him.


    The two knew they were incapable of changing Boss¡¯ mind and sat down beside him. They looked into the portal watching the robed individual¡¯s every step.


    ¡°Oh wait, Michael and Julie are fighting.¡± Boss quickly changed the view from above the five robed figures to Michael and Julie on stage.


    ¡°Boss¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shh, they¡¯re gonna start.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 70. I challenge you

    Chapter 70. I challenge you


    <hr>


    ¡°I challenge you, Michael!¡± Julie stretched out her arm and pointed at Michael in a dramatic fashion. Michael, who was already dejectedly standing on stage beside her nodded his head and sighed. They both waved at the audience cheering for them while waiting for Gran to make his way over.


    Gran walked up and glanced at the two contestants that were standing off against each other. He looked at Michael who didn¡¯t seem all that excited standing on stage alongside Julie.


    ¡°Goodluck Michael¡± Gran calmly stated before letting the two get to their positions.


    ¡°Remember, this is a stage to demonstrate what you¡¯ve learned, not bully others¡­Julie.¡±


    ¡°H-hey! What is that supposed to mean?¡± Julie exclaimed.


    ¡°3. 2. 1. Start¡± Gran quickly started the match and left the stage leaving behind Julie and Michael who was just as quick readjusting themselves waiting for the other to make their first move.


    The two circled the stage looking for an opportunity to attack. Julie was serious and smiling at Michael who could only warily look back at her.


    Training with Cobble, Pebble and Gran made them learn to always gauge their opponent and their surrounding before they attacked. This was especially important when they had to confront Gran who used both of his powers on them, they had to heighten their senses to dodge anything around them.


    ¡°Are you ready Michael? I¡¯m attacking.¡± Julie stated calmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m read¡ª¡±


    Julie didn¡¯t let Michael finish and ran up throwing out the first punch towards Michael¡¯s face. Michael narrowly dodged it and shuffled to the side. Michael was surprised that Julie didn¡¯t even let him finish before attacking but quickly realized that in a real match there was no way the other person would¡¯ve even informed him, that they were attacking. He was careless.


    The two continued their battle with Julie on the offensive and Michael on the defensive; narrowly avoiding every attack thrown at him. They were like two dancers as they stepped from one side of the stage to the other, quickly becoming accustomed to the other¡¯s movements.


    The audience was amazed at how quick both were. Every attack Julie threw out was quick and sharp aiming purely at vital points of the others. It was amazing to their eyes that Michael was just as quick avoiding every vital attack by a hair¡¯s breadth. The audience were completely engrossed at the display before them.


    As the battle progress a smile was sprawled on both of their faces as Michael started not just avoiding attacks but even parrying some of Julie¡¯s. Michael started to feel more and more confident as the battle went on switching from purely dodging in the beginning to going on the offensive.


    Bam bam


    Their two-fist collided against each other for the first time instantly sending both of them stumbling back a step. Michael shook his hand out, he was extremely surprised that Julie¡¯s fist was so freaking hard. Julie blew on her fist and smirked, she ran right back up on Michael as they continued to dance around the stage, both were swiftly switching back and forth from attacking and defending parrying and dodging any attack the other threw at them.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Michael, tired already?¡± Julie teased as they were exchanging blows.


    Michael smiled in response and said ¡°Not ye¡ª¡±


    Before Michael could finish, Julie sent a leg sweep at Michael who quickly hopped in the air as if he had already predicted that was going to happen. He wanted to say ¡°not this time.¡± But quickly realized something was wrong. His eyes went wide as he stared at Julie smiling at him.


    He was still in the air!


    Julie raised her fist and directed her eyes at the spot between his legs.


    ¡°I give, I give!¡± Michael shouted causing Julie to let out a satisfied smile releasing her power as Michael softly landed on his feet.


    Most of the people in the audience did not know what happened or wondered why the fight ended in such a way. All they saw was that the moment Michael jumped up he shouted I give up before landing back down. However, to those who knew of Julie¡¯s power instantly noticed that Michael was up in the air a second longer than he should have been.


    ¡°The winner is Julie Chartreuse.¡± Gran raised an eyebrow at Julie and announced.


    The first time Julie ever used her power was when he and his two sons tried to scare them. Back then, she had to use all her effort to just keep the broken back of the carriage afloat as a barricade. The second time she used her power only managed to stop Cobble for less than a second before Cobble broke free of it. He hadn¡¯t expected that her power would progress so much within this month to keep Michael frozen for a full second and still be able to throw out punch at him in doing so.


    ¡°I did it~¡± Julie energetically jumped for joy and hugged Michael in front of her. ¡°Thank you, Michael, you did great!¡±


    Michael couldn¡¯t say anything, it was him who should be thanking her for this match. Going into this fight he wasn¡¯t confident he could display anything against her. He knew if Julie wanted to, she could¡¯ve stopped him from the very start and quickly finished the match. He looked down at the girl who was hugging him happily and smiled. He whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Julie froze momentarily and smiled at him. ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Grumble grumble


    Michael embarrassingly scratched his head. ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go~¡± Julie pulled Michael off stage to the cheering applause of the audiences.


    ¡°Who wants to demonstrate what they¡¯ve learned next?¡± Gran asked the audience.


    No one moved, the fight between Julie and Michael replayed in their minds, the kids who hadn¡¯t even learned how to fight yet were unwilling to follow up after what they had seen. There were already too many kids who had went up and practiced their meditation or repeated an important phrase that they learned in Lumiere and Naturelle. Those who wanted to stand out more in front of their parents were unwilling to do something as boring as meditation after this fight.


    It won¡¯t be wrong to say that the fight between Michael and Julie set the bar too high for most of those who wanted to fight against their friends or rivals. Most of the kids were waiting for a better time to walk onstage.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Gran instantly noticed this conundrum and scanned the crowd. He noticed Boulder and Cobble talking to each other. ¡°He¡¯ll work.¡± Gran thought to himself.


    ¡°How about my son? Come up here Boulder.¡± Gran motioned at Boulder who was caught off guard, he was still talking to Cobble about the fight between Michael and Julie before he noticed a tug on the collar of his outfit. Before he even had time to realize what was going on, he was being dragged on his feet all the way towards the stage.


    ¡°Who wants to fight my son?¡± Gran patted Boulder in the shoulders and scanned the crowd.


    Many of the kids who were planning on defeating Boulder were interested, but they all knew if they went onstage right now, Boulder would outright defeat them. They wanted to win, not be Boulder¡¯s first, second or third punching bag.


    ¡°Heh heh, they¡¯re all too scared of me dad.¡± Boulder¡¯s smug face irked many of the kids there, but they remain seated and glared at the boy on stage.


    ¡°What about you Poe? Do you want to fight Boulder?¡± Gran asked.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Poe who was talking to some students they knew at Naturelle alongside Carson and Krystal.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass, there¡¯s someone else I want to fight.¡± Poe calmly rejected Gran¡¯s question. His eyes directed towards Mason who was smiling back at him.


    Gran turned his attention to Mason and Riley who were besides each other. Sampson Gerald and Seth were walking back from the stalls with food in their hand when everyone¡¯s eyes turned towards their friends. They too looked towards Riley and Mason.


    ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll go fight Boulder first and then I¡¯ll let you two fight afterwards.¡± Riley got up and stretched his arms and legs. Boulder was excited to see the person he wanted to fight get up.


    ¡°Fight me, Riley!¡± Boulder exclaimed onstage.


    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m coming.¡± Riley calmly stated as he started to walk.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose.¡± Mason calmly stated to Riley who was a short distance away.


    ¡°Hm, I might.¡± Riley answered after scanning the crowd of kids and parents looking at him. He continued to quietly walk onstage standing before Boulder who was only up to his chest in height.


    ¡°Are you ready to lose?¡± Boulder asked.


    ¡°Hm¡­ we¡¯ll see how it goes.¡± Riley smiled and replied.


    ¡°Alright, you two get to your positions.¡± Gran stated calmly.


    The two made their way over to the center of the stage and walked back a couple of meters. Once they were done, they looked towards Gran. Gran nodded his head once they made it to their spot, he quickly walked off and stood off to the side. He looked at the two individuals onstage, one was casually smiling at the boy before him, whereas the boy was excitedly ready to charge at the young man in front of him.


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    Boulder immediately darted towards Riley the moment he heard his dad start the fight. He was looking to attack Riley straight away. Riley continued to smile as Boulder charged up to him and reacted with a palm of his own.


    Bam!


    A fist and a palm collided causing a small gust of wind to spread out in all directions from the power of the two individuals. Both Riley and Boulder¡¯s hands were still connected pushing back and forth against the other.


    Boulder knew that his punch would not be able to budge Riley. He immediately threw out his left fist towards Riley¡¯s right shoulder. Riley countered grabbing onto the hand of Boulder.


    Every parent and child were amazed at the battle between two Power users, they knew the moment a child obtained red hair they¡¯d be strong, but they hadn¡¯t expected them to be strong enough to send out a small gust of wind with each blow.


    Boulder tugged his hands away and jumped a step back. He looked at the calm expression on Riley¡¯s smiling face and was getting more irritated.


    ¡°Fight back!¡± Boulder exclaimed.


    ¡°Make me.¡± Riley replied.


    Irritated, Boulder ran up at the young man before him and threw out another fist, the same situation happened again. Riley held both hands of Boulder causing the boy to break free and hop back.


    Poe sighed in the audience. ¡°He¡¯s too straightforward with his attacks.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t help it~ It¡¯s part of his personality~¡± Carson replied.


    ¡°It seems his opponent knows that too.¡± Krystal commented.


    ¡°Mhm~¡±


    I wonder how he¡¯ll deal with this¡­¡±


    Bam bam!


    Bam bam!


    Boulder continued to aggressively charge at Riley who consistently replied with his own palms.


    ¡°Hey Boulder, you have legs, why don¡¯t you use it?¡± Riley asked.


    ¡°S-shut up!¡± Boulder exclaimed and charged again at Riley throwing the same two punches. He was slowly tiring himself out.


    ¡°It¡¯d be a good opportunity for you to throw a kick, once both of my hands are occupied, you do know Power isn¡¯t just from punches, right?¡± Riley asked.


    ¡°I know!¡± Boulder exclaimed and backed off. He glared at Riley; he knew his attacks were going nowhere against those with red hair, especially against Riley who had more experience in the same stage as him. He calmed himself down decided to do to what Riley told him to do.


    Bam bam!


    He charged again his fists struck both palms. He looked at Riley¡¯s waist, his leg raised, he threw out a kick. Riley immediately tossed the fist in his palm to the side and reacted, blocking the leg with both of his arms.


    ¡°Woah, you actually listened. Well, now what? I¡¯ve caught your leg.¡± Riley answered and slowly lifted Boulder up in the air. Boulder was now upside down; both of his legs were held in Riley¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Boulder furiously shouted, he continued to struggle back and forth, pulling himself up and swinging at Riley who was holding him up by the legs.


    ¡°Haha, no.¡± Riley replied.


    Boulder tried to use his own legs to break free from Riley¡¯s grasp, but Riley¡¯s hands remained clenched onto the leg, there was no way he¡¯d easily let go.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Boulder exclaimed again; he was feeling completely helpless in Riley¡¯s hands. He couldn¡¯t kick, he couldn¡¯t punch, he was upside down and everyone was watching him.


    ¡°Now, what¡¯re you going to do?¡± Riley continued to smile and ask. He was taunting him, looking down at the boy who was struggling.


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!¡± Boulder roared, shaking incessantly until he pulled himself up midway, his knees bent, his face locking gaze with the smiling Riley before him. He instantly swung his forehead forward with the momentum of his entire body.


    Bang!


    Another gust of wind ensued as Riley¡¯s grasp of Boulder faltered, releasing the boy as both of his hands instinctively reached for his forehead, crying out in pain. ¡°Ow, ow, ow you headbutted me!?¡± Riley rubbed his forehead and turned around to look at the boy who rolled a short distance away from him.


    Boulder fell to the ground and rolled off to the side and pushed himself up locking gaze at Riley who was rubbing his forehead in surprise by Boulder¡¯s attack. It seemed that the headbutt had some effect on Riley. Boulder¡¯s nostrils flared as he blew out hot air from his nose.


    He bent down, tucked his head and charged forward at Riley. Riley¡¯s eyes went wide as he saw the attack coming at him, he quickly removed the palm rubbing his forehead and blocked the head of the boy charging at him. The boy however, continued to aggressively push at Riley with his head who was slowly being pushed back.


    Boulder didn¡¯t stop there, he wildly swung at Riley arms with his own trying to weaken it in order to break through.


    ¡°Ah, shit.¡± Riley calmly stated before his arm gave way, Boulder¡¯s entire body rammed the young man in the stomach. With a furious roar Boulder lifted Riley up with his head and grabbed onto both of Riley¡¯s arm. He threw him overhead behind him.


    Bam!


    Riley landed outside of the stage. Boulder stood there, panting as he looked at the young man slowly getting up.


    Riley dusted his clothes off and got back on stage. He walked up to Boulder who was warily looking back at him. ¡°Ahaha, I guess I lost.¡± Riley smiled and reached his hands out to shake Boulder¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Boulder was confused and could only reply by shaking Riley¡¯s hand.


    ¡°You tossed me off the stage, I think that disqualifies me, right?¡± Riley asked.


    ¡°Yep, you lost.¡± Gran walked up and looked at Riley who didn¡¯t seem mad at all that he had lost.


    ¡°I-I won?¡± Boulder looked up at Riley and Gran who was standing before them. Riley nodded his head and congratulated Boulder.


    ¡°The winner is, Boulder!¡± Gran exclaimed. He patted the boy on the head ¡°well done my son.¡±


    The audience were in an uproar and clapped excitedly. They had not expected the match to end the way it did, in fact no one did.


    ¡°I¡­ guess that¡¯s one way to win?¡± Poe looked at Krystal and Carson who couldn¡¯t hold in their laughter.


    ¡°He-he¡¯s really a mad bull~!¡± Carson laughed.


    Poe eyed Mason who shook his head at the result of the match. Mason smiled back at Poe and got up.


    ¡°Go Poe~¡± Carson exclaimed.


    ¡°I guess, it¡¯s my turn¡­¡± Poe got up and walked past by Boulder onto the stage.


    ¡°Good luck, they¡¯re pretty good.¡± Riley stated to Mason on his way onstage.


    Mason left out a smile. ¡°You let him win, now I¡¯ll show you what happens if you don¡¯t go easy.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t bully him.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, he¡¯s not like Boulder, I can¡¯t go easy¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­well good luck.¡±


    Riley walked over to Seth, Sampson and Gerald and sat down. He sighed and shook his head, he looked down. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Hm? I didn¡¯t even notice that at all.¡± Seth replied.


    ¡°Me either¡±


    ¡°same here.¡±


    Gerald and Sampson replied in unison.


    ¡°I wonder what this tally is for¡­? P and M? Poe? Mason? P has more tallies does that mean¡­?¡± Riley¡¯s eyes widen and looked up onstage at the two who got to position.


    ¡°Begin.¡±

 71. Are you ready

    Chapter 71. Are you ready


    <hr>


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Mason asked Poe who was standing a couple meters away from him. He continued to say. ¡°I won¡¯t go easy.¡±


    Poe casually stood there and smirked back at Mason. ¡°Are you?¡±


    Fwish fwish fwish


    Three rocks flew directly at Mason starting the fight between the two magenta eyed Telekinetic users.


    Mason keenly sensed the three rocks flying towards him and calmly spoke out. ¡°Good.¡±


    The three rocks that were flying towards him abruptly stopped in place. They were struggling to move forward. Mason had completely stopped Poe¡¯s first assault with his own powers. He then dashed towards Poe who was sending another three rocks directly at him.


    Mason dodged the first rock and smashed the other two using rocks of his own. He continued his pace as he ran up to Poe. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can actually control more than me, but how¡¯re you with close combat?¡±


    Mason swung downward at Poe who immediately ducked, sending out a straight jab at Mason¡¯s stomach at the same time. Mason jumped off to the side avoiding the jab and sent a rock directly towards the fist.


    Bam!


    Poe blocked the rock with one of his own protecting his hands as the two continued their attacks. Neither side was giving up ground as they tried to interrupt the other with their Telekinetic powers. Rocks continued to smash upon the rocks of the other and stalling and interrupting the other person preventing either side of gaining momentum.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good, kid.¡± Mason answered honestly as they continued to jump around dodging attacks coming from the other.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good yourself.¡± Poe admitted. This was the first time he¡¯s ever fought against another person with Telekinetic powers like this since he obtained his powers near the end of the school year. He knew himself, that he was better than all the normal kids within the same age group and Tier as him due to how easy school felt compared to the arduous training with Gran, but he hadn¡¯t expected his first hurdle would show up so soon after obtaining his powers.


    He was excited as he looked at the young man twice his age. The guy was more than head taller than him and was one third heavier than his weight in lean muscle, but was just as nimble as him, he couldn¡¯t get a single hit on Mason. His only advantage was that he was able to control more objects with his powers than Mason.


    Fwoosh! Fwoosh Fwoosh!


    Multiple rocks of various sizes all flew up surrounding Poe who stood calmly at the center. He calmly stared at the young man who had disengaged and covered himself with rocks of his own.


    Poe sent all the rocks in his possession directly at Mason who in return did the same.


    Bam bam bam!


    Two rocks of Poe¡¯s were not blocked as they clashed and barreled straight towards Mason who knew this was going to happen.


    Mason immediately reached his hands out and grabbing the rocks flying at him, the pain from the rocks were negligible as he leaped to the right tossing them at back at Poe. Poe tilted his head and stepped to the side to dodge the two rocks thrown at him.


    Fwoosh!


    Mason used his Telekinetic powers pulling one of the rocks he threw past Poe back, striking the boy from behind. Mason knew he had finally broken the stalemate and quickly aimed to gain control of the situation. He ran up and tossed out a few more rocks at Poe who could barely avoid them, being struck by a second one.


    Clamor and gasp came from the audience after Poe got struck by a second attack. Mason paid it no mind as he knew people wouldn¡¯t stay quiet while watching a fight. He was just surprised this was the first fight almost the entirety of the audience gasped at besides the first one between Boss and Mitchel.


    Mason ran up and aimed to throw a punch at Poe¡¯s gut ending this fight. However, Poe, out of sheer desperation fired two more rocks at Mason¡¯s face. Mason easily dodged the attack and continued his unrelenting pressure as he closed the gap. His elbow tucked, he aimed at the stomach of Poe before squinting his eyes. The boy in front of him was smirking at him, he wanted him to be here.


    Woosh~!


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Mason thought to himself and turned around. A tablecloth from one of the tables collided with him, enveloping his body completely. He immediately used his own telekinetic powers blasting the cloth away from him, however even though it was less than a second that he was enveloped, he looked at the boy who was standing there smiling at him and sighed.


    ¡°I lost.¡± Mason spoke up calmly stated. ¡°You let yourself get hit to think I had the momentum and used a cloth from the table to blind and envelope me. Smart I didn¡¯t think of that at all.¡±


    Mason sighed again, he assumed this was just going be a fight between rocks from the surrounding areas against the boy, who would he have thought the boy would try to completely cover him with a tablecloth from the audience?


    ¡°Yeah, it was the only way I could think of to for you to let your guard down.¡± Poe answered honestly. He continued, it would¡¯ve been over for me though, if you turned around when the audience made all that noise.¡± Poe walked up to Mason and looked up at the young man who smiled back at him. ¡°Thank you for the fight.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± They both shook hands to the uproarious applause of the audience. Those that gasped when Poe pulled the cloth from the table were embarrassed, they almost ruined Poe¡¯s plan but they were more excited than embarrassed as they cheered.


    Gran walked onstage and looked at Poe who was smiling brightly at him and shook his head and rolled his eyes. ¡°The winner is Poe Ferrarius.¡± Gran said. How could he not know where Poe learned to use tablecloths to cover people? It was something Gran used often for their training with blankets back at the estate.


    Mason congratulated Poe again and walked offstage back to his friends who was standing there teasing both him and Riley for losing to kids half their age. However, none of the three were willing to go up and fight against the kids. Seth took plate of food he carried earlier and handed it over to Mason who immediately noticed how he was famished after the fight and began to eat.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Sigh


    ¡°We really need to train our combat.¡± The five young adults agreed at once. With both Mason and Riley losing to kids half their age they felt that this was the case. They recalled Boss¡¯ words that day and thought about it more.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a dangerous place to train.¡± Mason spoke up as he ate.


    ¡°How about we kill those animals for meat?¡± Riley asks after some time. His words caught the attention of the other four who were eating.


    ¡°Are we really going to the Tillowisk Empire?¡± Sampson asked, he felt quite nervous about it.


    ¡°If we can trade it for more of those condensed energy marbles from that kid, I feel like it¡¯s a risk worth taking.¡± Gerald spoke up and reasoned.


    ¡°Seth, do you know if they¡¯re going to Naturelle?¡± Mason asked.


    ¡°They are.¡± Seth replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it, kill animals and trade it for energy marbles with Boss.¡± Riley spoke up. He raised his cup of alcohol and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s all become powerful together guys!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± The other four exclaimed and clanked their drinks together drowning the entirety of the cup in one gulp.


    Poe hopped offstage afterwards when the applause died down and walked over to Krystal and Carson who congratulated him. Boulder walked up to Poe and stared directly into the eyes of his rival.


    ¡°Fight me Poe.¡± Boulder muttered the moment they met.


    Poe rolled his eyes, Boulder was too much, he had just finished fighting against Mason and tired himself, there was no way he would willingly agree to a fight with Boulder right now.


    ¡°You won¡¯t fight me, huh?¡± Boulder asked. He continued ¡°I knew it, you¡¯re just scared I will beat you this time.¡± Boulder postured.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see Poe is tired? He can beat you again easily, just like back at the bridge!¡± A student from Naturelle spoke up for Poe. The student¡¯s words caused a flurry of other kids to join in and berate Boulder for being so shameless.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let him recover, how long will it be? 1 minute? 2 minutes?¡± Boulder turned and looked at Poe and asked.


    Poe rolled his eyes at Boulder¡¯s comment. The students got even more furious at how little time Boulder was giving Poe to relax and immediately shouted. ¡°I challenge you Boulder!¡±


    His words caused a storm of other kids to shout at Boulder, challenging him.


    Boulder¡¯s eyes went wide as he saw the angry kids all shouting their challenges at him. He gulped, he just wanted to fight Poe and thought this was the best time for him to finally beat Poe, what did he do wrong?


    One of the kids immediately stormed on stage and shouted at Boulder to fight him. Boulder knew it was over, once challenged he couldn¡¯t easily decline like what Poe had did with him, if they were weaker than him there was no way he was going to decline a fight he¡¯ll win.


    Boulder begrudgingly went up stage which made all the kids angrier that Boulder would agree to fight someone far weaker than him. However, no one paid this any mind as the fight start.


    As quick as it started Boulder ended the fight with a soft punch at the kid causing him to crumple onto the ground. Gran easily declared Boulder the winner. Boulder was about to head back down to the glares of the kids when the same voice coming on stage shouted again. ¡°I challenge you¡­ Boulder!¡±


    Boulder turned around to see that kid he just beat up earlier challenging him again. Sighing he got back up on stage and finished the kid with another soft punch. More and more students got angry at Boulder and all stormed the stage. Each kid continued to challenge Boulder who couldn¡¯t refuse. For the next hour Boulder was stuck on that stage battling off the challenges of a bunch of normal kids.


    ¡°Stop challenging me! You weaklings! I want to fight Poe!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°I challenge you, Boulder!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°What happened with Boulder, why is everyone challenging him?¡± Arthur turned to the girl beside him who was petting the kitten on her lap and ask.


    ¡°If I had to guess, he probably challenged Poe right after Poe had his fight with Mason which made those from Naturelle to be angry and challenged him to let Poe recover.¡± Shelly perfectly answered.


    ¡°Ohh! That makes sense!¡± Arthur exclaimed.


    ¡°By the way young master, how come you haven¡¯t challenged someone yet?¡± Shelly asked. She continued to say, ¡°You seem like you wanted to learn more about your eyes from fighting those from Naturelle.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who to challenge, everyone else from Naturelle didn¡¯t changed their eye colors yet, and there¡¯s only Carson and Krystal left¡­I don¡¯t know if I can beat them.¡± Arthur answered honestly.


    ¡°The stage is not for winning, it¡¯s for demonstrating what you¡¯ve learned, shouldn¡¯t you take advantage of this time to learn from Carson and Krystal? I¡¯m sure they¡¯re willing to help you by demonstrating how they obtained their powers.¡± Shelly replied.


    Her reply struck Arthur like a nail to the head, ¡°You¡¯re right! Thank you, Shelly! I¡¯m going to ask them right now!¡± Arthur got up and ran off. Barkie hopped off his head and stood on the bench beside Shelly.


    Shelly reached her hands out and petted the puppy on its head. ¡°You two¡­why did Boss bring you here with him?¡± Shelly asked. Her questioned caused both Barkie and Silver to bark and meow in response.


    ¡°Bark bark!¡± It¡¯s because we¡¯re stronger than you two and have to protect our masters. Barkie responded.


    ¡°Mew¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Shelly calmly thought to herself as she scanned the surrounding. Her hand paused from petting both the kitten and puppy who instantly noticed they were not receiving their pets. They looked up at the girl and looked towards the direction the girl was looking at. Shelly¡¯s eyes narrowed as she looked towards a certain direction.


    Five hooded figures. Two green robes, three purples. Their face and body completely covered as they stood together away from the rest of the audience. No one seemed to have paid them any mind as they walked around, even she could barely notice their presence if I wasn¡¯t for the fact that her perception was unordinary.


    ¡°Who are they¡­¡± Shelly thought to herself.


    One of the robed figures felt someone¡¯s gaze on him and immediately looked up.


    Shelly instantly turned her head away and smiled at Arthur who was running back. She got up and placed the puppy on his head.


    ¡°How was it young master, did they agree to demonstrate it for you on stage?¡± Shelly asked.


    Arthur shook his head. ¡°Nope, but they said they can show it for me later, they were too embarrassed to go on stage.¡± Arthur stated. He quickly corrected himself ¡°Or well that¡¯s what Carson said.¡±


    ¡°I see young master.¡± Shelly leaned forward and whispered in Arthur¡¯s ear. Her words caused Arthur to glance at where the five robed individuals and shook his head. He continued to nod his head as he listen until Shelly was done whispering. "I''ll go find Boss." Arthur spoke up and ran away.


    The puppy on Arthur¡¯s head remained still on the boy¡¯s head this time as it calmly scanned the surrounding people, it¡¯s eyes lingered just slightly longer on those five robed individuals before looking away.


    ¡°Hmph, like hell I¡¯d let anyone lay their hands on my master.¡± Barkie thought to itself and closed its eyes.


    Shelly sat back down and calmly pat the kitten on her lap. She looked down and continued to pet Silver.


    ¡°I think I know why Boss brought you two along tonight, but what can you two do?¡± Shelly asked.


    She had a feeling the two pets weren¡¯t normal since the day they¡¯ve got them, and it became more obvious during their time at Gran¡¯s. However, besides from being able to command animals around them, did they have any powers of their own?


    ¡°Mew.¡± Silver replied.


    Shelly smiled at her kitten¡¯s response, there was no way she knew what it was saying but based on how the two pet were able to see the robed individuals no one else can apparently see, they definitely were not ordinary pets.


    Shelly then and closed her eyes focusing her senses towards the five robed individuals ¡°Are they all Exotics¡­?¡± Shelly quietly muttered to herself.


    ¡­


    Bang!


    ¡°Boss!¡± Arthur shouted the moment he opened the room to the medical area.


    ¡°Boss¡­? Where¡¯d you go?¡± Arthur asked as he looked in the empty room. Boss was nowhere to be seen.


    Bang!


    He quickly closed the door and ran out.


    ¡°Hehe, seems like Shelly can see them.¡± Boss reappeared on the bed alongside Samuel and Angel sitting beside him.


    ¡°Are you really going to do nothing?¡± Angel asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s only if they don¡¯t touch those four.


    Sigh


    ¡°What if someone dies tonight?¡±


    ¡°Not my problem.¡± Boss answered. He continued, ¡°You two can intervene if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Samuel and Angel didn¡¯t respond.


    With a flick of his wrist the portal appeared again as the three continued to watch in silence.

 72. Michael! Julie!

    Chapter 72. Michael! Julie!


    <hr>


    ¡°Michael! Julie!¡± Arthur ran up and exclaimed at the two who were sitting beside each other enjoying snacks on an empty bench.


    ¡°What is it Arthur?¡± Julie asked.


    ¡°Shelly told me we¡¯re playing a game. We have to be on the lookout for suspicious looking people.¡± Arthur stated excitedly. His words confused Julie and Michael who raised their eyebrow at Arthur¡¯s comment.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Julie responded. She didn¡¯t know what else to say to Arthur¡¯s comment. She couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡°Did she say anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Arthur shook his head and quickly ran away. ¡°I¡¯m going to look for Seth now! Bye bye!¡±


    ¡°Bye Arthur!¡± Julie waved and turned back to Michael who was just as confused as her. ¡°Be on the lookout for suspicious people¡­?¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like a game¡­¡± Michael responded as he contemplated about Shelly¡¯s words.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ but if it¡¯s just keeping an eye out, we can do that.¡± Julie smiled and handed another kebab to Michael.


    ¡°Thanks, I sure hope nothing happens¡­¡± Michael sighed and accepted the kebab. He started to scan the surrounding, paying more attention to each and every individual hoping to see something suspicious. Julie did the same as she sat beside Michael.


    While those two were the first to receive Shelly¡¯s message. Arthur continued to run around the entire Festival smiling happily and excitedly talking to everyone he knew. Seth and his friends received the message and nodded their head, only Seth took Shelly¡¯s comment seriously as he looked around.


    After Seth and friends, Arthur ran to Poe who was calmly conversing with Carson and Krystal as they watched Boulder onstage still being challenged by an even bigger crowd of kids.


    It¡¯s been almost an hour since Boulder was challenged and yet, as the fight went on more kids went up and also challenged him after the group of enraged kids exhausted themselves.


    They didn¡¯t know why everyone was challenging Boulder but saw an opportunity to beat someone with Powers in front of their parents and took it. It didn¡¯t help that half of the parents in the audience even encouraged their kid to go up and challenge Boulder.


    If only it wasn¡¯t for Boulder¡¯s stubbornness to not to decline a challenge from those weaker than him, he¡¯d have call it quits a long time ago. His chance of beating Poe who was once tired after fighting Mason was gone. He didn¡¯t even try to step off the stage after every win. He just stood there and waited for the next kid to challenge him.


    ¡°Oh Arthur, what¡¯s up?¡± Poe glanced at the boy who was slightly out of breath after running around the entire Festival.


    ¡°Shelly said¡­we¡¯re playing a game! we have to keep an eye out for suspicious people.¡± Arthur repeated what he had said to everyone else.


    ¡°Oh a game? Where is she?¡± Poe asked as he looked around the festival ground trying to find the white-haired girl with sapphire eyes.


    Arthur turned to the spot where Shelly was and pointed at the girl who was calmly petting her kitten.


    ¡°Anyways bye!¡± Arthur ran back to Shelly immediately after pointing at Poe, he wanted to start the game already.


    Poe immediately noticed Shelly after Arthur¡¯s direction and calmly observed the girl sitting there. At first, he just assumed Shelly was enjoying this game that Arthur was talking about as she sat there looking at the people in the audience. However, immediately noticed she would close her eyes for roughly ten seconds every minute as if she was trying to sense something¡­


    ¡°Poe~?¡± Carson asked the boy who was staring at Shelly without blinking for almost a minute.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Poe turned around and looked at Carson and Krystal who was weirdly looking at him.


    ¡°Do you have a crush on Shelly?¡± Krystal asked.


    ¡°Huh!?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at her for almost two whole minutes~¡± Carson replied.


    ¡°N-No! you idiots, I was thinking about the game!¡± Poe retorted; he couldn¡¯t believe these two would assume that just because he was looking at someone for a minute.


    ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± The two were not convinced.


    ¡°Really! Look!¡± Poe pointed at Shelly who had Arthur beside her again. ¡°She¡¯s been closing her eyes for 10 seconds every minute.¡±


    ¡°Wow~ you paid that much attention to her already~?¡± Carson asked.


    ¡°C¡¯mon you two, Krystal, look at me in my eyes, do I have a crush on her or not?¡±


    Krystal looked at him deeply in the eyes and calmly replied. ¡°Mmm¡­ okay I¡¯ll believe you for now. Tell us, why are you looking at her then?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s meditating. I don¡¯t know why, but she probably saw some suspicious people and are trying to sense their energy.¡± Poe answered. He continued ¡°If that¡¯s the case I think they might be super strong; I can¡¯t sense anyone besides Mason.¡±


    ¡°What if they¡¯re Exotics~?¡± Carson asked.


    ¡°Then¡­ we¡¯d have to wait for them to use their powers to find them¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just tell the adults.¡± Krystal asked.


    ¡°We should~¡± Carson answered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find suspicious people first, we¡¯ll tell them after.¡± Poe replied. He didn¡¯t think it was right to bother Cobble, Pebble, and Gran who were busy with the Festival about suspicious people that they haven¡¯t seen yet.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to Shelly then, if she saw them then we can go tell the Chief about it.¡± Krystal answered.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    The three quickly hurried to Arthur and Shelly who were talking to each other. Arthur would at time scan the entire audience and pointing at people as he asked Shelly beside him, ¡°are they suspicious? What about him? Her?¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Shelly could only go with Arthur¡¯s enthusiasm and play along. Sometimes agreeing and other times disagreeing about the people Arthur pointed at, letting the boy beside her create a tally on the ground about the amount of suspicious people they¡¯ve found.


    While Arthur was doing that, Shelly continued to quietly observe the robed figures that no one else seemed to notice. The first time she looked at them one of their members immediately noticed someone looking at them and have been vigilant ever since. That person continued to scan the surrounding afterwards trying to see if it was just their imagination. However, he didn¡¯t sense anything unnatural besides that first instance. Eventually, his attention turned back to his target.


    ¡°Oh Poe! Carson! Krystal! Did you guys find someone suspicious already?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°No, we were going to ask Shelly if she¡¯s found some suspicious people.¡± Poe walked up and answered.


    The three turned to Shelly who turned her gaze at Poe.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only found those that young master has pointed out.¡± Shelly calmly replied. Her reply left the three who came up to be unconvinced. Krystal used her powers again hoping to sense any falsehood in Shelly but just like last time, it proved ineffective.


    Poe knew Shelly was hiding something and asked her if she would follow him further away to talk. Shelly agreed and carried Silver with her as Carson and Krystal entertained themselves with Arthur pointing at random people and guessing whether or not they were suspicious. Whenever Arthur pointed at a villager they knew, the girls would laugh and correct him about who those people are.


    Poe and Shelly didn¡¯t return until some time later. Poe tried to maintain his calm, but both girls instantly knew something was wrong when he returned. However, they didn¡¯t say anything as they bid Arthur and Shelly goodbye and followed Poe further away.


    ¡°So~? What happened~?¡± Carson asked as they found a comfortable spot to sit.


    Poe shook his head, ¡°Shelly told me they were standing over there.¡± Poe directed his gaze towards the spot where the five robed figures were standing and sighed. ¡°But I can¡¯t see anyone standing there. Can you two?¡± He asked the two girls.


    Carson and Krystal looked in the direction Poe gazed at and shook their heads; they didn¡¯t see anyone suspicious there. In fact, it was empty as there was nobody standing over there.


    ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡± Krystal asked.


    ¡°How can I be sure? It was just whatever Shelly was saying, she could be lying and is actually just playing a game with us.¡± Poe responded.


    ¡°Did she tell you what they looked like?¡± Krystal continued to ask.


    ¡°There¡¯s two in green robes and three in purple robes, completely covered from head to toe.¡± Poe answered. His words creeped the two girls out. What Shelly had told him sounded suspicious.


    ¡°P-Poe¡± Carson stuttered.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°D-Did Sh-shelly say th-that th-they c-could mu-multiply?¡± Carson asked, her eyes were wide with terror as she stuttered.


    ¡°Hm? No, she didn¡¯t say that at all¡­why?¡± Poe asked.


    Carson¡¯s hands shook as she pointed at the audience around them. Poe and Krystal immediately turned towards where Carson pointed at. People after people were slowly transforming into Green and purple robed figures right before their very eyes.


    They couldn¡¯t believe it; they wiped their eyes hoping that it would change things back, but everyone was transforming into robed figures.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on!?¡± The three exclaimed at once as they stood close to each other, their eyes were wide with panic.


    ¡°P-Poe! Yo-your arm!¡± Carson screamed.


    Poe immediately looked down at his arm, it wasn¡¯t his anymore, it was a sleeve of a purple robe.


    ¡°Wha-what¡¯s happening!?¡± Poe exclaimed. The sleeve continued to crawl up his shoulder enveloping it completely before spreading out to the rest of the body. Poe tried to shake it off however, no dice, in less than thirty seconds Poe¡¯s entire body transformed to that of a hooded figure in purple robe.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Carson and Krystal screamed when Poe finished his transformation.


    ¡°G-guys! It-it¡¯s still me!¡± Poe tried to explain himself. However, the two girls were completely frightened by what they were seeing, they slowly inched away from the purple robed Poe. If the person in front of them even so much as took a step forward they would instantly run away.


    ¡°C-Carson!¡± Krystal exclaimed when she looked over at Carson.


    ¡°No!¡± Carson cried out as she looked at the sleeve of her arm. It too was turning purple. ¡°Get it off, get it off!¡± Carson shouted.


    ¡°Kr-ystal, you too!¡± The purple robed Poe exclaimed as he pointed at Krystal¡¯s sleeve. The two girls were quickly becoming purple robed figures themselves!


    ¡°Nooo!¡± The two girls shouted as they became completely covered from head to toe.


    Their screams and panicked noise drew the attention of the adults and students sitting around. They turned over to look at who was making such a ruckus only to see it was just three preteens screaming and pointing at each other. They quickly ignored it and returned to look back on the stage where Boulder and the kids were still fighting.


    Boulder¡¯s eyes went wide as he looked at the kid before him. ¡°Hey! Your arm!¡± He pointed at the kid¡¯s arm that was slowly transforming to a sleeve.


    The kid looked down and then looked back at Boulder. ¡°What are you trying to pull? I won¡¯t fall for your trick again, Boulder!¡± The kid pointed at Boulder and exclaimed. ¡°Boulder, I challenge you!¡±


    ¡°D-dad!¡± Boulder shouted ignoring the challenge of the boy.


    ¡°No fair! You can¡¯t bring the Chief into this fight!¡± The kid shouted as his entire body became completely cloaked in a purple robe.


    Gran immediately noticed something was wrong on stage and rushed up beside Boulder. He looked at the opponent Boulder was facing and asked. ¡°Chama?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes Ch-chief!¡± The tiny purple robed figure saluted. ¡°I-I¡¯m ch-challenging Boulder.¡± The kid stuttered. He didn¡¯t know why his Chief was staring at him and asking for his name.


    ¡°D-dad! Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± Boulder turned to Gran and asked.


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Gran¡¯s brow furrowed as he looked at the kid before him. He immediately closed his eyes¡­there was energy surrounding the entire body of the kid before him.


    ¡°Chama, do you notice anything on your body?¡± Gran asked.


    The purple robed Chama looked at his arms and legs and shook his head.


    ¡°Stay still Chama.¡± Gran sent an energy blast blew away the energy surrounding the boy before him, turning him back to a pale faced frightened kid who almost peed his pants when he felt the energy blow at him.


    ¡°Ch-chief?¡±


    ¡°Chama, go down stage, the fight is over. I¡¯m postponing any more fights for the time being.¡± Gran¡¯s voice was serious. He immediately noticed the sleeve on the boy was slowly regenerating back to a purple sleeve. Whatever this illusion was it was powerful enough to come back after being blasted away.


    He quickly looked down at his son. There was a purple sleeve on him too.


    ¡°Boulder! Use your energy, expand it outwards, now!¡± Gran commanded.


    As if rehearsed thousands of times, Boulder instantly did what he was told and blasted his energy outwards removing the purple sleeve growing on his arms. Boulder sighed in relief, but then turned around and looked out towards the audience. His eyes went wide as he nearly fainted to seeing a sea of green and purple robes.


    Gran did the same and turned his attention to the audience who were confused about what was going on, why did Gran stop the match and tell Chama to go down the stage? However, while the audience was confused Gran couldn¡¯t tell at all. To him two-thirds of the audience were already Green and purple robed figures.


    ¡°Everyone!¡± Gran¡¯s voice was loud and clear as he instantly got the attention of the confused audience.


    ¡°The Festival is over! I¡¯m sorry about this, but I¡¯m going to need everyone to leave this place immediately!¡±


    BOOM!


    The moment Gran said that, the entrance to the Festival exploded and collapsed startling everyone in the Festival grounds. Whoever caused it, did not want anyone to leave.


    ¡°AHHHH¡±


    A shrill scream followed by many others echoed in the air as the entrance gate exploded bits and pieces. The panicked audience immediately got up and began running around like headless chickens trying to find an exit.


    ¡°STOP!¡± Gran shouted. His words caused the majority of those who were running to stop, they immediately looked over at the calm expression on Gran¡¯s face and calmed down.


    ¡°Return to your spot, don¡¯t move.¡± Gran¡¯s voice calmly reverberated in the air. The sound of his voice instantly got all the villagers to return to where they sat. It was their Chief, if he said something they would obey completely. Only those who weren¡¯t of Boulderville were still panicked and disobeyed.


    ¡°Back to your seat!¡± Gran shouted, this time everyone froze and returned to their seat after seeing the calm and serious gazes of the villagers sitting there waiting for orders.


    ¡°It¡¯s just an entrance, I can fix that easily. Don¡¯t worry don¡¯t worry¡± Gran tried to maintain calm as he looked at the pool of green and purple in front of him. He continued ¡°To those who have learned how to harness their energy, blast it outwards.¡±


    Poe, Carson, Krystal and everyone else who have obtained their powers instantly did what they were told. Their eyes went wide as they can see the looks of the people next to them again. However, it was still them surrounded by a sea of green and purple robes...

 73. Whats happening!

    Chapter 73. What¡¯s happening!


    <hr>


    ¡°What¡¯s happening!¡± Arthur exclaimed in fright as he was being swallowed by a purple robe crawling up his sleeve. His face wrought with terror as he tried to shake it off his arm however, it continued to cover his entire body, not caring about how frightened the 10-year-old boy was.


    Shelly knew in times like these she had to remain calm, she looked over at Gran and Boulder who was standing beside him on stage and calmly spoke up to the boy beside her ¡°Young master, meditate, try to release your energy like how¡¯ve you done it during meditation.¡±


    Arthur closed his eyes, however in his panicked state he couldn¡¯t easily do it as those who have already obtained their powers. He opened his eyes again only to see that the sleeve continued to crawl, covering the entire half of his body as it continued to make its way to the other side. Sixty percent, seventy percent, all that remained was Arthur¡¯s terrified face as a purple hood slowly inched its way up his neck, suffocating the boy in fright.


    ¡°Young master, close your eyes and don¡¯t look.¡± Shelly¡¯s voice was still as calm as water during this entire situation. She knew Arthur was a complete mess right now, if he were to faint here from terror, that creature will definitely reappear to take advantage of the boy beside her.


    Arthur immediately did what he was told and closed his eyes, not seeing the last remaining part the hood completely covering his head, turning him into a purple robed figure. He tried to remain calm, slowing down the pace of his breathing and his erratic heart.


    Shelly looked at the boy she closed her eyes, spreading out her energy towards the boy dispersing the purple robe growing on him. Shelly opened her eyes sighing in relief that the robe growing on him had disappeared. However, after a couple seconds it started reforming, starting back at the hands.


    ¡°Bark bark!¡± Barkie barked and rushed up to the girl headbutting her and pushing her away an inch away from Arthur. It opened its mouth and inhaled, the energy around Arthur dispersed into energy particles being swallowed by the puppy. The energy around Arthur completely vanished.


    Shelly looked down at the wagging tail of Barkie beside them. She exclaimed in surprise ¡°You can do that!?¡±


    Barkie tilted its head upwards and harrumphed. Of course I can do this puny human, who do you think I am? Barkie thought to itself.


    ¡°Do what? Do what!?¡± Arthur replied, he was panicking as he couldn¡¯t see what was going on.


    Shelly turned her attention to the kitten resting on her shoulder. Silver raised one eye and turned to look at the sleeve of Shelly that was slowly turning purple also.


    ¡°Mew.¡±


    The moment Silver meowed the sleeve instantly turned into energy particles and made its way to the kitten as it circled around a few times before being absorbed into the skin. Shelly¡¯s eyes were wide with surprise as she had seen at what the kitten just did. Whereas, the wagging tail of Barkie stiffened. As expected of the enemy currently stronger than it, the kitten¡¯s ability to absorb the world¡¯s energy was a tier above.


    ¡°Bark bark¡± Barkie barked at the kitten who paid the puppy no mind and closed its eyes again relaxing back in Shelly¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Mew.¡±


    ¡°Bark bark b-bark!¡± What do you mean I take care of everything!? You can¡¯t command me! I-I was going to do it anyways even if you hadn¡¯t told me to! Barkie angrily argued back and pawed at the leg of Shelly and pointed at Arthur¡¯s head.


    Shelly casually placed the puppy on Arthur who opened his eyes after recognizing a familiar weight above his head. He immediately looked down at his arms and chest and then at his legs only to see that everything was back to normal. Only then did he sigh of relief and turned to Shelly.


    ¡°Thank you, Shelly.¡± Arthur thanked the girl before him, he completely believes Shelly must¡¯ve done something to get rid of the purple sleeve on his body.


    Shelly shook her head. ¡°Young master, it was Barkie. But we¡¯ve got no time right now to find out how. Let¡¯s go!¡± Shelly quickly pulled Arthur along. She was going towards the same direction everyone else with powers were going. They were all rushing onstage to stand beside Gran. Like moths to fire, Gran was their beacon of hope and warmth as he and Boulder were the only two that wasn¡¯t green or purple.


    In less than a minute after Gran¡¯s orders, Pebble, Cobble, Seth and friends, and all of the trainees made it up on stage. Michael, Sampson, and Gerald were still green robed figures. However, as they were right beside their friends it was easy to pull them along onstage.


    Gran looked at the people standing around and looked at two little Exotics and their pets. ¡°It seems like that boy knew this was going to happen.¡± Gran thought to himself as he noticed Boss was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Teacher? Where are you?¡± Boulder looked around. He was confused, his teacher should be on stage with him, but after everyone made it up, he was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Marvis¡­where are you¡­?¡± Gran furrowed his brows and scanned the crowd; he was hoping find Arthur¡¯s teachers. But the moment this illusion showed up, he also lost his ability to sense resonance.


    BOOM! BOOM!


    Five figures surrounded one figure at the center as they attacked further away from the crowd. This illusion was just a distraction. Their real target was the person that was barely standing at the center.


    Gran instantly noticed the commotion and rushed right over alongside Pebble and Cobble. The two brothers stopped everyone else who wanted to join. This was something these kids were still too young and incapable of participating in.


    The three instantly caught up to where the commotion, however the in their eyes it was two greens and three purple attacking a green standing at the center.¡°Marvis!¡± Gran shouted. ¡°Use your energy!¡±


    ¡°Wish I could right now, but I¡¯m hurt. Cough cough.¡± A weak voice softly replied in the middle of the fight. Gran tried to track who spoke up, something was messing up his senses as the words sounded like an echo in his ears.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Whoever you are! What do you want!?¡± Gran exclaimed.


    There was no answer.


    The five figures ran up to the one it surrounded and went for another attack.


    ¡°Pebble!¡± Gran shouted.


    Pebble immediately understood and ran towards the one the five robed figures were attacking and swooped him off before the five could do anything.


    ¡°Fool...¡± The green robed figure casually spoke out one word. The moment Pebble heard the voice his eyes were wide with surprise, it wasn¡¯t the same voice he had remembered. A piercing blade struck the shoulder blade of Pebble, lodging it deeply inside causing him to scream out in pain, releasing the person he was carrying.


    ¡°Gahh!¡±


    ¡°Pebble!¡± Cobble and Gran exclaimed in unison.


    The person Pebble was carrying waved at the two and leaped backwards to the center with the remaining five.


    BOOM!


    As their attention was on Pebble and the mocking hooded figure, a silhouette within the group was sent flying through the air. Blood splattered the ground as the person flew towards a nearby wall.


    Gran instantly reacted and stretched his arms out piercing through the illusion, pulling at the fabric of the robe within the person who was sent flying immediately halted right before the wall a couple centimeters away from certain demise.


    Gran was dripping with sweat as he gently placed the person on the ground with his telekinesis. He wasn¡¯t sure if the person he just placed on the ground was Marvis or not after what happened to Pebble as he remained vigilant.


    ¡°Cough cough, thank you¡­Gran¡­¡± The voice weakly thanked Gran before peacefully collapsing on the ground, unmoving. This time Gran heard it clearly, that person was Marvis.


    Gran quickly sent Cobble over to check on both Pebble and Marvis. He turned to look at the two green and three purple robed figures calmly standing a few meters away from him.


    ¡°Who are you, and why are you attacking a teacher of Lumiere?¡± Gran asked with gritted teeth. He was trying to keep calm, but inside he was enraged. These five injured his eldest son and were out to murder a teacher of Institution in his village. If words were spread to the King and Headmaster, that a Teacher died while in his village, he knew he would be punished.


    ¡°Beast of the frontline¡­ Gran.¡± One of the two green robed figures calmly spoke up. ¡°You are¡­.¡±


    Woosh!


    The green robed figure instantly appeared before Gran stretching his arm outward grabbing Gran by the neck. Gran had no time to react. A snapping sound reverberated through the air as Gran¡¯s hands reached for his mouth trying to hold back the blood that was escaping his throat.


    ¡°¡­past your prime¡±


    ¡°What was that!?¡± Gran¡¯s eyes were wide with shock. That attack was an illusion, yet the pain felt so real his body reacted by coughing up blood.


    ¡°Weak¡­¡± The green robed figure calmly stood there back in his original position alongside his fellow companions.


    ¡°You¡­who are you?¡± Gran struggled to ask.


    ¡°Hand the teacher over to us, or everyone here will die too.¡± The green robed person spoke up and instantly vanished again reappearing right before Gran. Gran immediately used his telekinesis, however the person still managed to reach for his neck in time.


    Snap!


    ¡°Cough cough¡± The blood in Gran¡¯s mouth exploded outwards splattering the ground as he couldn¡¯t contain the unbearable pain within his throat. Every attack felt as if his entire throat was being crushed from the inside.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Cobble shouted; he was quickly getting up.


    ¡°Stay back! You¡¯re no match for them!¡±¡± Gran shouted, the pain in his throat felt like he had swallowed glass.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The person vanished and appeared directly before Cobble. He motioned his arm and aimed in directly at Cobble¡¯s throat.


    Boom!


    A silhouette flew into the air before dispersing into energy.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing but an illusion formed by energy! My dad might not be able to block it, but did you think you can actually penetrate my barrier!?¡± Cobble shouted in anger; his expression was solemn. The moment that robed figure reached for his neck; he exploded his energy outwards forming an incredibly thick barrier barely pushing back the hand that was inching closer to his neck before finally being repelled. That Exotic, it was a Tier 3!


    ¡°Tch, miscalculated, Tier¡­3?¡± The green robed calmly stood where it was and asked.


    Cobble didn¡¯t answer as he stood there, in front of both Marvis and his brother, he was the only one capable of protecting them. He turned to the other four who was standing in the back, not moving. Were they all Exotics too¡­?


    ¡°No matter.¡± The silhouette spoke up and disappeared again. It reappeared before Gran who was angrily staring back it. The hand reached for the neck, this time Gran¡¯s telekinesis didn¡¯t aim for the illusion in front of it, it aimed directly at the person who was controlling it, throwing that person into the three purple robes behind. The illusion that was an inch away from Gran¡¯s neck dispersed.


    ¡°Did you really think you can fool me a third time!?¡± Gan shouted angrily, barely holding back the sharpshooting pain he felt in his neck.


    ¡°P5, assist K2.¡± The other green robed individual spoke up and commanded. One of the purple robed individuals nodded its head and stepped up.


    The two robes remained in place as the energy illusion manifested abruptly appearing directly before Gran¡¯s face causing him to harrumph in annoyance. Gran instantly exerted his telekinesis at the green robed individual standing back. He was going to do the same thing. However, to his surprise his telekinesis only pierced through the entire person. "Crap it wasn an illusion!"


    ¡°Idiot.¡± The robed individual directly before him stated before grasping at his neck. Gran instantly directed his attention at the person before him, but before he could the person vanished again completely before his eyes.


    Bam!


    A powerful strike to his back caused Gran to stumble forward before angrily turning around staring at the silhouette standing directly in front of him. He exerted his telekinetic powers again, however the same situation happened, the person disappeared and another blow to Gran¡¯s back forced him to struggle keep himself up.


    Bam bam bam!


    K2 continued to teleport back and forth in front of Gran landing several blows, knocking the Chief down to his knees.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Cobble took a step and exclaimed; however, he turned his head back and looked down at Marvis and Pebble who were severely injured. He could only remain standing there watching, helpless. The sound of incoming footsteps alarmed him as he turned to look back. Please don¡¯t be more enemies!


    ¡°K2, hurry up. Ignore Gran, kill our target.¡± K1 ordered as a group of kids were running towards their direction. He didn¡¯t know why he felt rushed to end this fight, something in that group felt¡­ominous.


    K2 immediately obliged and vanished in place, arriving directly before Marvis who was helplessly laying on the ground. His feet raised as he prepared to stomp down. However, a strong shield exploded outwards from Cobble, propelling the green robed figure away.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong¡± Cobble exclaimed inwardly, the person he blasted away felt a Tier weaker than earlier. The robe of the green figure¡¯s outfit transitioned to purple as it stood back up.


    A silhouette from up above barreled straight down at Marvis directly below him. Cobble immediately reacted and used all his might to push the person back. As if the person had expected this, he vanished again completely from overhead and reappearing beside Cobble.


    Bam!


    The person sent a powerful punch at Cobble¡¯s defenseless back and stomped down at Marvis at the same time. Cobble swung his arm behind him ignoring the pain he felt. He had to stop that guy from landing a blow on Marvis at all cost. Cobble''s attack landed; however, it was another illusion.


    ¡°Crap!¡± Cobble exclaimed inwardly. Where is he!?


    Bam!


    Just as he had to guess another blow landed on Cobble¡¯s body as the person reappeared in front of him. This time Cobble managed to block the person completely, repelling the person a distance away.


    The moment K2 was blown back; a hidden purple robed figure loomed over Marvis as Cobble was held in place by P5.


    ¡°Now! P6!¡± K2 shouted.


    The hidden person stomped down their feet on command.


    Bark!¡±


    Boom!


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Everyone couldn¡¯t believe their eyes, they looked at what should have been Marvis¡¯ demise. P6 who was stomping down at Marvis was completely blown back by the headbutt of a puppy.


    ¡°Grr¡±

 74. A headbutt

    Chapter 74. A headbutt


    <hr>


    A headbutt from a golden labradoodle pup sent the attacker soaring through the air.


    ¡°P5 get P6.¡± K1 ordered instantly.


    P6 who was sent flying vanished in thin air and reappeared before K1 and P8 who have yet to make a move. P5 released his grasp on Cobble and teleported back alongside them.


    K1 gave the puppy a curious look and turned to P6. ¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡±


    P6 nodded his head in reply. He glared down the puppy through his hood. He couldn¡¯t believe that a puppy was able to send him flying, no¡­the puppy didn¡¯t send him flying. It only barked and tried to tackle him. He quickly turned his attention to Gran who was struggling to stand, a smirk on the Chief¡¯s face gave him his answer.


    ¡°What happened!? You had it P6!¡± K2 exclaimed as he looked back. He couldn¡¯t believe that this foolish person here would be so stupid to reveal himself at the last moment only to be blown back by a puppy.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the dog.¡± P6 answered. ¡°Gran saw me.¡±


    K1 looked at the group of kids who finally arrived protecting their target and the two brothers. He scanned at all the kids and young adults protecting his target. At a quick glance he knew the kids were insignificant, the only one he didn¡¯t know would cause a problem was the blonde Exotic. Was she the one that gave him this sense of discomfort?


    ¡°What¡¯re you kids doing here!?¡± Cobble exclaimed. However, he couldn¡¯t say anything else as they silently circled to protect him and the two injured people on the ground.


    ¡°What do we do now, K1?¡± K2 asked, he was personally annoyed at this situation, there was so many times that they could have killed the teacher. Yet, right when they were about to kill him, the stupid father and son managed to keep them at bay. He wondered why K1 decided not to participate, things wouldn¡¯t have gotten this problematic otherwise.


    ¡°Retreat¡± K1 thought for a moment before speaking up. ¡°P5, get us out of here.¡±


    P5 took a step forward and nodded his head. A second later the entire group of five disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°Group teleportation¡­¡± Gran muttered to himself. He tried to think about all the Exotics he¡¯s ever heard of or met that had this ability. There were multiple Exotics that had similar abilities; however, he couldn¡¯t think of one that can specifically teleport an entire group of people. Turned around and looked at the group of kids who disobeyed his command, he couldn¡¯t tell whether or not he was furious or grateful at their arrival. He glanced at the little girl who quickly ran forward past him where the enemies last stood.


    Shelly closed her eyes trying to find a trace of energy of where they had gone, however the distance of the teleportation was too far for her energy to reach. She only had a vague feeling that they were on the opposite side of the village, near the entrance of Boulderville¡­too far away from them to catch up.


    ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± Shelly commented and walked back.


    ¡°Teacher! Pebble! Dad!¡± Boulder exclaimed loudly as he rushed forward. It was only now, after the danger subsided did Boulder regained control of his feet.


    ¡°Check on Marvis.¡± Gran quickly directed their attention to the teacher.


    Boulder ran over to his teacher and kneeled in front of a red hair gentleman whose entire body was a mess. His face was bruised and fractured, his chest caved in, and both of his arms and legs were snapped. The only good news was that he was still breathing.


    Tears started streaming down the little boy¡¯s eyes¡­ ¡°teacher¡­¡± He quickly looked up and looked around.


    ¡°Anyone is anyone here able to help! Please! My teacher is dying!¡± Boulder started to cry. No one moved or answered his plea, the injuries on Marvis was far too advanced for anyone without any medical and surgical knowledge to help.


    ¡°Oof!¡± Dr. Galil appeared out of nowhere and fell onto the ground directly before them.


    ¡°Dr. Galil!¡± Boulder exclaimed.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± Dr. Galil looked around. The last thing he remembered was sitting back at the estate in the living room with Roselyn, Orchid, and the baby talking about his life.


    After getting Gran and Boss¡¯ guarantee that no one else would get injured. Dr. Galil quickly left the Festival grounds, he wasn¡¯t much of a party person, and preferred being indoors most of the time. He was only there to help Boss and Gran fool the kids in the beginning anyways. However, what was he looking at now? Gran was barely standing, Cobble had a serious look on his face, and both Pebble and Marvis was on the ground soaking in blood.


    ¡°Dr. Galil! Save my teacher!¡± Boulder cried beside the red-haired critically injured gentleman.


    Dr. Galil instantly rushed over and felt the teacher¡¯s pulse¡­ his brows furrowed to a frown. He looked over and felt Pebble¡¯s too, this one caused him to relax a bit.


    Sigh


    ¡°He¡¯s in critical condition, and we¡¯ll need to stop the bleeding for Pebble.¡± Dr. Galil spoke up and answered. He calmly spoke up. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, but these injuries are not light¡­¡±


    ¡°First, we need to bring him to the medical ro¡ª¡±


    Before Dr. Galil could even finish his sentence, everyone there vanished and reappeared inside the medical room. Flabbergasted everyone who didn¡¯t know about Boss were looking around in surprise.


    The three preteens were especially alert after they rushed up only to see robed individuals all disappeared. They had expected those people were back and teleported them together into this place.


    However, after stiffening up for almost a minute the kids realized nothing was happening. ¡°Was it Orchid?¡± They wondered. They turned their attention to the four people lying in bed, two with noticeable injuries and two who were sitting up on the edge of the bed.


    Dr. Galil looked around the medical room and furrowed his brows. ¡°I need my equipment.¡± He muttered. He was expecting whoever teleported him here would be able to teleport his equipment too.


    As if the sky gods heard, medical tools fell from ceiling landing on the old doctor, bombarding him and knocking him over.


    Dr. Galil quickly recovered and carried the tools, rushing over to the two bloodied bodies before him. He quickly applied medicine and ointment on Pebble to stop the bleeding and had Cobble bandaged his brother up as he focused his attention on the critical condition of the person on the other bed.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Give me some space¡­ is there anyone with medical knowledge that can assist me¡­?¡± Dr. Galil asked. It was a shot in the dark, he was hoping one of the young adults had medical knowledge that could assist him at this time.


    ¡°I can¡­¡± Gran tried to speak up. However, he couldn¡¯t say more than that as his throat was so hoarse and dry, even breathing was difficult at the moment.


    ¡°You need to rest, your throat is severely damaged, your body is also in terrible shape and you are far too exhausted, did you not expect me to notice it?¡± Dr. Galil replied. He knew Gran was probably his best choice based on military personnel having to learn first aid in war, but he also knew that at glance Gran may look okay, but underneath the Chief¡¯s robes were bloodied bruises from the vicious barrage of K2 on both his front and back.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m having you assist me.¡± Dr. Galil repeated. ¡°Get some rest.¡±


    Shelly stepped up and spoke. ¡°I can assist you.¡±


    Dr. Galil looked at the little girl and couldn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. ¡°This is no time to joke Shelly, you¡¯re only 10. Is there anyone else?¡± He knew Shelly was a capable Exotic but assisting him in surgery on a grown man where there will be blood, bones and organs exposed. He wasn¡¯t even sure she had medical knowledge or knew anything about the human body to help out. How much could a 10-year-old know?


    He turned to the young adults in the room however, there was no response. Gran shook his head sighed as he saw the helplessness in their eyes. As his eyes were getting heavy, he knew he wasn¡¯t going to be awake any longer to help out. The last thought on his mind before his mind went completely blank was. ¡°I need to teach them first aid.¡±


    Seeing that no one else spoke up after some time, Shelly calmly repeated ¡°I can assist you.¡±


    Dr. Galil was in a tough predicament no one else was willing to assist him with the surgery. He knows what this surgery is going to entail, there was no way he wanted to put a child through that sort of situation. However, he also knew that if he were to perform on this alone, the chance of saving Marvis is minimal at best.


    He sighed, ¡°I¡¯m going to have to test you. Name all of the tools beside me.¡±


    Shelly calmly responded by naming all the tools beside him and even mentioned what he¡¯s going to have to do during the surgery with each of them.


    Dr. Galil was completely amazed as was everyone else who was standing around. They didn¡¯t know if what she had said was true or not but judging by Dr. Galil¡¯s expression they can conclude that she was right. Dr. Galil didn¡¯t ask any more questions as time of was of the essence and quickly got to work.


    ¡°Everyone else, leave and don¡¯t¡¯ let anyone else come here until we are done. Shelly, you don¡¯t need to see it, just hand me the tools when I ask for it.¡±


    Dr. Galil decided this was the best option, if she doesn¡¯t look it should be less traumatizing. Shelly didn¡¯t respond as she calmly sat beside Dr. Galil with the first tool in hand.


    Everyone else was quickly made their way off. However, they didn¡¯t go too far as they still needed to keep an eye just in case those robed figures show up again.


    Cobble returned to the Festival and quickly separated the debris of the collapsing entrance himself. Pebble was bandaged up but wasn¡¯t allowed to move as he was suffering from the blade of the man, the jagged edge of the blade made it easy for insertion, but removing it tore at his flesh.


    Cobble quickly informed the audience that both Gran and Pebble were going to look for people to repair the entrance while they can continue to enjoy themselves. Luckily, for Cobble no one exactly knew what happened besides the entrance collapsing so they patiently waited and continued with the remainder of the Festival.


    ¡­


    P6, how did you get exposed?¡± K1 looked over and asked the purple hooded figure behind him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± P6 shook his head. ¡°All I know was that Gran managed to see me, I think something disrupted my power at the end¡­maybe there was someone in that group that could reveal us¡­?¡±


    P6 question caused K1 to furrow his brow as he thought. That ominous feeling, someone definitely could see him! ¡°Yes, I wasn¡¯t mistaken back then when I sensed someone looking this way¡­now¡­which of them did it? Was it the blonde Exotic?¡± K1 was immerse in his own thought.


    K1?¡± K2 looked at his partner beside him who hadn¡¯t said a word for over a minute. ¡°Should we return later and kill the teacher?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­it¡¯s fine.¡± K1 replied. He continued to say ¡°At least, he won¡¯t be an issue for now, we¡¯ve already crippled him.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    ¡°Teacher? What teacher?¡± Two silhouettes slowly walked up to the five robed men.


    ¡°P6, Are your abilities off?¡± K2 asked.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been on this whole time. Those guys can see us.¡± P6 replied. He was visibly annoyed, his cloaking powers failed the moment he was about to finish the teacher off and now, two more people were able to see them? What was going on!


    ¡°Hi~ who¡¯re you five?¡± One of the silhouettes walked into view and greeted the robed figures, he was a handsome man whose appearance was in the mid to late 30s his hair was eyes were dark blue and his hair was the same. Wearing a minimal amount of clothes revealing his muscular physique.


    None of the robed figures responded.


    ¡°Dylan, I think these five don¡¯t want to talk to us.¡± The handsome blue haired person commented to the person beside him. That person was fully covered from head to toe, only thing distinguishing about him was that he was wearing a leather backpack.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Dylan responded.


    ¡°Hey, Dylan just said you five are bad people and that we should beat you up.¡± The dark blue haired person continued at the five robed figures.


    The five robed figures remained silent; they were observing these two walking closer to them.


    ¡°Hello~ anyone in there~? By the way Dylan just said you¡¯re all losers whose mommies won¡¯t even acknowledge.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you said what now Dylan? Oh, that¡¯s so messed up! Of course, they¡¯re not dogs, that¡¯s an insult¡­to dogs!¡±


    The dark blue haired person calmly took another stepped and began to charge at them. Instantly he appeared directly beside P6 and with a quick chop to the neck a purple robed figure was left unconscious, nullifying the cloaking that was up. ¡°Oh my, you five are weak. Stay out of this Dylan, they¡¯re mine~¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°P5.¡± K1 spoke up. He quickly caught the hand of the blue haired person going for a second chop to the neck on P8. The moment both hands clashed an enormous amount of energy exploded outwards as both figures exchanged hundreds of blows in seconds before breaking apart. K2 quickly pulled P6 and P8 away during the attack between K1 and the blue haired man.


    ¡°Oh?¡± The blue haired person was surprise at the exchange between him and the green robed figure. ¡°Dylan, I might need your help actually. This vomit colored guy is pretty quick¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    K1 continued to warily look at the blue figure before him who wasn¡¯t even looking at them. He recognized this person and after K2 retrieving P6 and 8 he knew if he were to fight this person alone, there was only a 60% chance that he¡¯d win after a grueling battle. Not kill, but win. He then turned his attention to the leather backpack and the figure calmly standing there, their chances of winning as a group diminished to less than half if that guy gets involved.


    ¡°P5, now.¡± K1 spoke up again, P5 immediately knew what to do as the five robed figures slowly vanished completely from where they were at.


    ¡°Oh~ They¡¯re Exotics too? So weak~ I hope babysitting Arthur is more fun than this, if this is just it, I¡¯m going to be bored!¡±


    ¡°Bored eh? Want to fight me?¡± A mysteriously veiled person slowly walked up.


    ¡°Oh¡­? Jester! What¡¯re you doing here?¡± The blue haired instantly recognized the person who had shown up.


    Jester, the King¡¯s fool, one of several Exotic Elites of King Baroque. In order to be an Elite for the King the minimum requirement for them was to go to enemy countries and singlehandedly bring back a head of the military general. In most countries in order to be a general of an army one would have to be at least Tier 4.


    ¡°I¡¯m out here on the King¡¯s order. What do you say, do you two want to fight with me today? I¡¯ll even fight with 1 arm to make it fair.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Hell no! You¡¯re a freak!¡± The dark blue haired person laughed and continued to ask Jester ¡°Why¡¯re you in Boulderville?¡±


    ¡°Prophecy of a baby, The King wants it.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That strange prophecy about the angel or demon baby?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun! I¡¯ll help you out with kidnapping the baby! Is it here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, I¡¯m looking for it blindly as it is much more fun this way.¡± Jester replied.


    ¡°Haha! Dylan, want to help Jester?¡± The blue haired man asked.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Dylan responded.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right, we shouldn¡¯t we¡¯ve made a promise with Sammy.¡± The dark blue haired person replied. He continued, ¡°Sorry Jester, if you have issues with kidnapping a baby, we¡¯ll help you if we¡¯re around! We¡¯ve got other things to do right now.¡± The dark blue haired man and his quiet partner continued to walk further away.


    ¡°Wait how about this, we¡¯ll go this way and if we see the demon angel baby, we¡¯ll kidnap it for you.¡± The blue haired man proposed.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jester agreed.


    The blue haired person was about to make way towards the entrance of Boulderville further ahead but remembered something the robed figures said. ¡°Oh, by the way, I overheard five weirdos talking about killing a Teacher, apparently they¡¯re going to Zeldova and doing it because he¡¯s a cripple or something. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s who I think it is, but¡­ if it is well~ not our problem.¡± The blue haired figure finished what he had to say and started sprinting away. His partner followed suit.


    Jester calmly looked in the direction where the two were headed and then looked in the opposite direction.


    ¡°I guess¡­ I¡¯ll go this way¡­¡± Jester slowly walked in the direction of Rouge, peacefully humming a strange tune.

 75. Theyre your cousins?

    Chapter 75. They¡¯re your cousins?


    <hr>


    ¡°They¡¯re your cousins?¡± Boss asked in a slightly irritated voice.


    Angel and Samuel sighed as they overheard the conversation between Jester and Jacob and Dylan while blending into the shadows of a nearby mountainside.


    ¡°Yeah¡­they¡¯re mine¡­Jacob and Dylan Galafray.¡± Samuel responded.


    ¡°You sent those two to also help protect Arthur? My gosh, do you not believe in me at all?¡± Boss asked.


    His comment received weak embarrassed laughter from the two as they didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    ¡°Boss we¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, no I get it, I¡¯m a weird alien guy you two just met, there would be no way any sane parents would not send extra protection for their kids.¡± Boss interrupted and answered.


    He then turned his head towards the two cousins who was walking straight for the entrance of Boulderville and fiercely pointed at them.


    ¡°But instead of sending normal bodyguards, you two decided to send these two? Isn¡¯t that overkill? Why the hell are Exotics as strong as Sammy here, Arthur¡¯s freaking bodyguard?¡± Boss complained. ¡°Don¡¯t they have Exotic things to do? Shouldn¡¯t they be in Zeldova playing politics with the aristocrats and nobles and shit?¡± Boss continued to criticize.


    Angel and Samuel shared awkward glances. They couldn¡¯t tell him that while it is true both Jacob and Dylan were powerful, they were completely incompetent when it came to do just about anything that wasn¡¯t fighting.


    ¡°Boss.¡± Angel spoke up.


    ¡°What!?¡± Boss shouted.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± An enormous icicle condensed behind Angel as it pointed straight at the little immortal in front of it.


    ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯m calm now, I¡¯m calm.¡± Boss exhaled and inhaled loudly a few times as he maintained eye contact with the icicle that was slowly dissipating behind Angel. ¡°Yeesh, is this the first thing you¡¯ll resort to every time?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It works.¡± Angel bluntly replied.


    ¡°It works on me.¡± Boss corrected. ¡°Take almost any other immortals, even the new little munchkins on my planet and put them in my position. Well, I call them munchkins, but they¡¯re probably older than your world¡¯s written history. Anyways, do you know what happens if they were here?¡± Boss asks.


    ¡°What?¡± Samuel asks. He was curious about other immortals aside from Boss. Angel furrowed her brows as thought about the question.


    ¡°You¡¯d be dead.¡± Boss answered. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the correct choice? When ants around you try to bite, you smush them within your fingertips.¡±


    Samuel took a step backwards from Boss as he heard that. Whereas Angel only continued to stare down at him. Both she and Samuel knew this little boy before them wasn¡¯t lying as he spoke; however, she was subconsciously certain Boss wouldn¡¯t harm them.


    ¡°But, I on the other hand am a kind and caring individual, a ruler everyone respects. A leader everyone worships, a mastermind far smarter than all of mankind, a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Boss.¡± Angel interrupted.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Are they going to be alright?¡± She asks.


    ¡°Gran and them? Well, they¡¯re not dead.¡± Boss waved off their concerns. ¡°Your planet has some pretty interesting Exotics though and Dr. Galil is a pretty good doctor, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re worried about them, you should¡¯ve intervened when you had the chance.¡± His comment caused the two to remain silent. Their fist clenched as they recalled the scene.


    Marvis was standing within the audience watching the fight onstage. A bemused smile on his face as Boulder had to fight one student after the other with no breaks in between. A proud teacher of his student¡¯s carefreeness and straightforward approach to challenges. He wanted to walk up and pat Boulder on the shoulder and rustle the kid¡¯s hair.


    Then suddenly, he was teleported. Forcefully away from where he was standing to an empty location little bit further than where everyone had gathered to watch. Five robed individuals stood before him.


    He knew right away that they didn¡¯t teleport him just to talk. He instantly erupted his power hoping he could get Gran¡¯s attention. However, nothing happened, the resonance linked to Gran, Boulder, and Riley were cut off. He couldn¡¯t sense them, at all.


    The assault started, one of them released his powers, creating illusions as he attacked. Marvis couldn¡¯t tell which one was the actual person and which one was illusion, he could only block and swing back hoping to land a single blow.


    Instances where he felt he had caught the person in his grasp, another person stepped in, teleporting the green robed attacker making it an even more one-sided assault. What was real? What was an illusion? Every single attack landed, was heavy, powerful, and was ready to end his life if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that power was his advantage. The enemies didn¡¯t dare be complacent to take even a single hit which meant every attack was a jab at best.


    That was their biggest mistake.


    Marvis knew if he remained there, he¡¯d be a punching bag until he was killed. He took another attack to his back, using the momentum from it to fall to the ground, a handful of dirt and debris were thrown up in the air clouding their vision. He ran, desperately towards the entrance of the Festival ground, throwing anything up in the air to cloud their vision, from teleporting him.


    He managed to escape to the front of the entrance, avoiding any attempt to teleport him further away.  That¡¯s when they started to panic, they tried to use the illusion on a large scale, creating a diversion on the Festival grounds as they hurried to finish him off.


    However, Gran wasn¡¯t an idiot that could be fooled for long. His loud booming voice echoed off the stage telling everyone that the festival was over, fell upon Marvis¡¯ ears. Marvis quickly looked around and spotted the heaviest object he could find and flung it at the entrance catching Gran¡¯s attention that it was something nefarious.


    However, by then he was surrounded. The moment Gran, Boulder, and Cobble arrived it was too late, he took a savage blow to the chest by multiple people instantly sending him flying towards the wall, if it landed, everyone bone within his body would¡¯ve shattered. Surviving would be more than a miracle.


    There were many opportune times for Angel and Samuel to intervene and prevent everything happening. They saw when the robes arrived, they saw when Marvis was targeted, and they remained still. Watching in the shadows as spectators when the teacher was surrounded and attacked.


    Sigh


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Watching and not intervening?¡± Boss asked. The two remained quiet only their clenched fist showed the struggle they had within. ¡°You¡¯re both adults here, I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t make your decisions lightly when deciding to be an observer.¡± Boss shook his heads as he thought about what had happen.


    ¡°It¡¯s just the nature of being an intelligent species, you always have to make tough decisions. I¡¯m just surprised everyone I¡¯ve met so far there isn¡¯t one that is psychopathic. How¡­ refreshing.¡± Boss closed his eyes recalling his past.


    ¡°Anyways, what are you two going to do? If they find Lotus and tries kidnapping her, I¡¯m not responsible for whatever happens to them.¡± Boss commented.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°We¡¯ll let them know the baby is off limits.¡± Angel asserted.


    ¡°Right, right. We¡¯ll tell them. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Samuel added.


    ¡°You better do it soon; That Jester person is quickly approaching Rouge. I can teleport you two back after you tell your dark blue and backpack.¡± Boss commented.


    Angel and Samuel¡¯s eyes went wide. Crap! We almost forgot Jester was heading in that direction!


    ¡°Samuel, quickly!¡± Angel hurried her husband. The two shadows quickly departed from the entrance rushing in the general direction of where they last saw Jacob and Dylan go after entering Boulderville.


    Boss stepped out of the shadow and calmly looked off into the distance, it was the same direction where the five robed figures vanished to. ¡°Mmm¡­ they were pretty quick and vicious with their attack, they left the moment things didn¡¯t go as planned, and they never lost their composure¡­ah they¡¯re gonna make a mess, they¡¯re totally going to make a mess I just know it. Eh, whatever happens, happens.¡±


    He then turned back only to see two shadows quickly returning back to him.


    ¡°That was quick, did you tell them already?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve told them.¡± Angel replied. She continued to say, ¡°If we were with them any longer, Jacob would have never stopped talking.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­by the way, do you know who those attackers were?¡± Boss asked.


    Angel and Samuel shook their heads.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of these people.¡± Samuel responded. He continued ¡°Anyone who poses a threat to the Kingdom can be divined and found before they even committed a crime by the King¡¯s personal Diviner. These people¡­ either they don¡¯t pose a threat or¡­ they can¡¯t be divined.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s an interesting way to catch criminals.¡± Boss remarked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The three continued chatting for a bit until Boss abruptly teleported the two straight back to Rouge while Samuel was in the midst of talking. The sounds of villagers could be heard heading back from the Festival in Boulderville.


    It seems the Festival tonight has come to an end.


    While the festival may have ended, the surgery to keep Marvis was still going.


    ¡°Psst, Arthur.¡± Poe called out to the boy who was sitting alone off to the side with both pets beside him.


    Arthur looked up at Poe standing before him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Poe looked towards the room where the surgery was proceeding and turned back to Arthur. ¡°Is Shelly going to be alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Arthur paused and thought for a moment. He then nodded his head. ¡°Shelly is going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°How are you so sure?¡± Poe asked.


    ¡°Because Shelly is Shelly.¡± Arthur responded, his confidence in her was unordinary.


    Poe was dumbstruck to Arthur¡¯s response; he couldn¡¯t imagine how someone can be so confident in another person.


    He was about to say something when Arthur continued. ¡°Shelly is my best friend; she wouldn¡¯t do something she was unsure of.


    ¡°How did you two meet?¡± Krystal who was overhearing the conversation walked up and asked.


    ¡°Oh, my dad found her.¡±


    ¡°Your dad found her!?¡± The two were shocked, they had assumed Shelly was a relative or a neighbor. Their surprised reaction attracted the attention of Carson who curiously teleported over.


    Arthur nodded his head. ¡°Mhm, Two years ago, my dad brought her home and that was how we met.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait wait. Do you know anything about her?¡± Krystal asked. She wanted to know more about the girl she couldn¡¯t read.


    ¡°Hm? Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like, where did she live, who were her parents? Or if she¡¯s from here or the Empire?¡± Poe asked.


    ¡°Um¡­no. Shelly wouldn¡¯t tell me anything about it.¡± Arthur mumbled. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to ask, it just that he always felt like he shouldn¡¯t ask.


    ¡°Do you know anything?¡± Krystal repeated.


    ¡°Mhm, Shelly is 10 and a half, her brain is big, and her eyes are awesome.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The three didn¡¯t expect such odd answers.


    ¡°Do you mean she has good memory and can see well?¡± Poe asked.


    ¡°Uh huh, she can remember everything, and she can even see well in the dark!¡± Arthur replied.


    ¡°Is that her power?¡± Krystal asked. She was even more confused as to how having a good memory and being able to see well correlate with the ability to block her powers.


    Arthur shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, she¡¯s never had to show it.¡± Arthur replied. He completely forgot about the incident in the beginning on the way to Boulderville, nor was he awake when she found him unconscious inside a villager¡¯s home.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± The three were completely awestruck by what Arthur had said.


    ¡°Oh my dad did say one thing.¡± Arthur just remembered.


    ¡°What is it?¡± The three spoke up at once, even Carson joined in and asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make Shelly angry.¡± Arthur honestly answered. ¡°My dad said, Shelly is as scary as my mom if she¡¯s angry. He even shuddered when he told me.¡±


    ¡°How scary is that?¡± Krystal asked. She didn¡¯t know anything about Arthur¡¯s family. The Governor of Rouge was a figure a bit high in the ranks compared to kids like them.


    ¡°Um¡­I don¡¯t know. My mom just closes the door on my dad and makes him sleep on the couch when she gets mad at him¡­maybe it¡¯s colder when she¡¯s angry?¡± Arthur suggested.


    ¡°Ah, forget we asked Arthur, do you want to help us clean up? Everyone is leaving the Festival now, so it¡¯ll just be us and the grownups we can play while we¡¯re cleaning. Carson and I can help demonstrate what we¡¯ve learned to you too.¡± Krystal changed the subject.


    Krystal knew Arthur didn¡¯t know much at all about Shelly and decided to change the subject, it wouldn¡¯t be good if they tried to pry and deeper than this. Especially when Arthur said to not make Shelly angry. She was unwilling to be the first one to do so not because of The Governor¡¯s advice to Arthur, but Shelly being the first person ever that she couldn¡¯t read.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Arthur answered and ran alongside the three as they picked up trash and carried things they could around. Krystal and Carson demonstrated what they¡¯ve learned but everything they showed confused Arthur even more. But he didn¡¯t complain as he knew he¡¯d learn more about it himself once enrolled in Naturelle.


    The kids didn¡¯t return back to the medical room until four hours later when everything else was saved for tomorrow to finish up as it was already past midnight.


    It wasn¡¯t until two hours after when two silhouettes soaked in blood greeted the group of people waiting outside.


    ¡°Dr. Galil! Shelly! How is he?¡± Boulder exclaimed the moment the two walked out, he was extremely panicked and tired right now as it has been nearly 6 hours since the start of the surgery. Currently it was already two in the morning, well past everyone¡¯s bedtime. Seth and his friends had bid themselves goodbye after they finished cleaning up. Only Gran¡¯s family, Michael, Julie and Arthur remained.


    ¡°He¡¯s in stable condition.¡± Dr. Galil calmly replied. The past 6 hours was extremely tense as he performed surgery on Marvis alongside Shelly. He was extremely curious, impressed, and disturbed by this girl before him.


    As a doctor he had an idea of what he had to do going in on the surgery as everything was physical damage and not energy related. However, while some of the work he was doing was routine surgical work he¡¯s done countless of time, the girl beside him remained unfazed throughout. She even sat beside him watching the entire process and calmly conversing with him during those parts.


    When it came to the areas, he knew was going to be the most difficult parts where one mistake may result in a loss of life. The tools he asked for and the one she handed to him was entirely different. He assumed she was feigning her composure in the beginning and it finally cracked during the most difficult part. However, that was not the case at all as she calmly told him why she handed him one tool over the other.


    She was calm, she was efficient, and she was disturbing. Dr. Galil has never seen anyone like her around that age. Heck, even some of his peers if placed alongside her felt inferior in his mind.


    ¡°Thank you Dr. Galil, thank you¡­.¡± Boulder¡¯s entire body finally succumbed from exhaustion as he collapsed right there after thanking him.


    ¡°Thank you, Galen.¡± Gran who had woken up was right beside Boulder the moment he collapsed catching him in his arm.


    Dr. Galil nodded his head in response and looked down to the girl beside him. ¡°Thank you, Shelly.¡±


    Shelly nodded her head and walked over to Arthur who was momentarily intimidated by the massive amount of red blood on her clothes. However, he shook it off and greeted her with a smile.


    Shelly nodded her head in return and calmly stated. ¡°Young master, let¡¯s head back to the Inn, I need to clean up.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes! Let¡¯s do that.¡± Arthur answered and hurried ahead to the Inn with Shelly walking beside him.


    ¡°Are you alright Shelly?¡± Julie asked the calm blood-soaked girl standing in front of her.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Shelly replied.


    ¡°Come, Silver.¡± Shelly calmly stated causing the kitten who hadn¡¯t move yet to instantly follow her from behind, it was unwilling to leap on the girl at the moment.


    ¡°Michael, we¡¯re leaving.¡± Julie nudged the sleeping young man awake. He was still half asleep as he instinctively followed her back with the kids.


    Only Gran, Dr. Galil and the two brothers remained.


    ¡°Thank you again Galen for saving him.¡± Gran was incredibly grateful to Dr. Galil. This doctor has been here for less than a month, but it was thanks to him staying in the village that helped save both his wife and Boulder¡¯s teacher.


    ¡°I¡¯ve managed to put every bone back in place and stitched up the rest of his body, but he has nerve damage down his spine. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t be able to walk unless we find an Exotic with special healing properties.¡± Dr. Galil replied.


    Gran breathed a sigh in relief. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll ask around and see if there¡¯s someone who is able to help.¡±


    ¡°Goodluck.¡± Dr. Galil calmly nodded. He then turned to Pebble who was awake. ¡°You should go to bed; your shoulder injury is not light either.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you doctor, I was just about to do that.¡± Pebble replied.


    ¡°Good.¡± Dr. Galil nodded and walked off into the distance, heading back to Gran¡¯s estate. He wanted to get the blood off his clothes and sleep as fast as possible.


    Cobble looked over to his dad and spoke up. ¡°Pebble and I will head home with Dr. Galil, we¡¯ll see you soon.¡±


    Gran waved them off and entered the medical room. He removed the black cloth covering bright ball as he entered and sat beside the man completely bandaged up.


    ¡°Boss, are you here?¡± Gran spoke up.


    ¡°Whatcha want?¡± A childish voice followed by the silhouette of a child emerged out from the corner of the room.


    His presence startled the old chief, but he quickly recollected himself and looked over to Marvis.


    ¡°Can you heal him?¡± Gran asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you able to?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°What must I do?¡±


    ¡°Your spine for his¡­are you willing?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then no.¡±


    ¡°Do you know anyone who can help?¡±


    ¡°There is someone¡­¡± Boss thought for a moment. ¡°But¡­you¡¯re definitely not going to be able to invite him here, if you want his assistance, you¡¯ll have to go there yourself.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Gran asked.


    ¡°Rouge.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­?¡±


    ¡°The Pope.¡±

 76. Boss and Gran

    Chapter 76. Boss and Gran


    <hr>


    Boss and Gran conversed for an hour into the night. Gran wanted more information on the Pope, for as long as he remembered the Pope only had the power of materialization, transforming shapes and objects to what he so desires. It is a known fact to those who have the necessary knowledge that this was the case. However, no one knew what his second power was, a lot assumed it was his ability to calm those around them.


    This felt accurate when the powerful figures sent their investigators to spy on him. All of them concluded that it was just an ability to put everyone around him at ease. However, what Boss is telling him was that the Pope was a healer, an ability even amongst Exotics to be considered rare.


    After talking to Boss; Gran concluded that he would have to visit Rouge after the trainees leave for Asmar, he didn¡¯t want to put the kids¡¯ training off nor was Marvis in any condition to be moved at all.


    He exited the medical room after Boss had disappeared, most likely the alien was going to sleep. He looked out into the horizon, the dark night sky was slowly transitioning to morning.


    Sigh


    ¡°Why did I decide to train them for two days? Ah, I¡¯m tired.¡± Gran slowly walked back to his home, he entered his bedroom and began to change his clothes.


    While lying in bed sleeping alongside Lotus, the sound of her husband finally returning home caused her to open her eyes. Roselyn looked up at her husband with clothes in his hands and asked. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Gran continued to hold onto the clothes, not once turning back to look at her. He softly muttered ¡°Am I past my prime¡­?¡±


    Roselyn slowly fixed her position and sat up, not once disturbing the baby beside her. She calmly replied, ¡°My husband is always strong.¡±


    Hearing her words, the broad shoulders of Gran started to quiver as he stood there looking down at the clothes in his hands. Tears slowly trickled down his eyes soaking into it. He never felt so useless than last night. His first and second son was injured before his eyes. His third son¡¯s personal teacher is crippled and he, he couldn¡¯t do anything to stop it.


    ¡°Come here.¡± Roselyn softly muttered.


    Gran carried the clothes in his hands over and stood before her bedside.


    ¡°Lean down and look at me.¡±


    Gran did what he was told and looked into the clear green eyes of his wife. Two arms quickly wrapped around his neck pulling him into a warm embrace. Tears streamed down their eyes as Roselyn held onto him. The clothes in his hands dropped down onto the floor as he fully embraced his wife around the waist, the sound of the two silently crying could be heard.


    Sun began to rise outside their window, illuminating the room within. The silhouette of husband and wife softly crying in each other¡¯s embrace finally released.


    The two continued to lock gazes upon each other after that kiss and then gazed at to the morning sunrise outside of their window.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Lotus let out a sound as she grasped the back of Roselyn¡¯s gown still fast asleep.


    The two parents immediately looked down at their peacefully sleeping daughter.


    ¡°Even if we are weak, we have to be strong for them. What are we as parents if the future we give our children is worst than the one we¡¯ve got? Who cares if the world is against us? Even if we are weak, we must protect them.¡± These words both entered of their minds as they looked down at the sleeping baby of theirs.


    The two locked gazes with each other, a newfound sense of determination entered their tear-filled eyes.


    Roselyn laid back down and softly caressed the sleeping baby beside her. She turned and looked up at her husband and softly whispered. ¡°Go get dressed, the kids will be here soon.¡±


    Gran nodded his head and picked up the clothes on the floor. The outfit was quickly removed and replaced as he stood before their door. Gran turned around one last time to see his wife and daughter asleep in each other¡¯s embrace and walked out gently closing the door behind.


    ¡­


    Knock knock


    ¡°Oh? Who are you¡­?¡± Benjamin yawned looked at the mysterious veiled figure standing before the door of the mansion.


    ¡°Jester.¡±


    ¡°Jester¡­¡± JESTER!? Benjamin¡¯s eyes went wide as he looked at the figure before him.


    ¡°Come in, right this way.¡± Benjamin recalled what Angel and Samuel told him last night after they abruptly returned within the mansion.


    ¡°A person from the King will be here soon called Jester, let them in immediately.¡± Samuel instructed.


    Benjamin was slightly annoyed at this person he let in. ¡°What do you mean soon, they didn¡¯t show up until morning! I stayed up all night!¡± Benjamin exclaimed inwardly.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jester turned around and looked at the sleepy butler standing behind after sensing something.


    Yawn


    ¡°You may wait here; the lord will be here soon.¡± Benjamin quickly hid his irritation and calmly walked to the bedroom.


    Knock knock


    ¡°My Lord, Jester is here.¡±


    The sound of a person falling off the bed could be heard, followed by heavy footsteps as clothes were thrown in the air.


    A few moments later the door opened with a poorly dressed Samuel standing in front of him.


    Cough


    Benjamin reached over and fixed the articles of clothing on Samuel, straightening and adjusting them to make Samuel look proper.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Thank you, Benjamin.¡± Samuel replied and walked off.


    ¡°Jester!¡± Samuel¡¯s voice could be heard greeting the person from afar.


    Benjamin peeked inside and looked at the beautiful sleeping woman. He slowly closed the door until a faint voice called out to him.


    ¡°Benjamin.¡± A peacefully sleeping voice escaped through the door.


    ¡°Yes, my lady?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for staying up all night.¡± Angel¡¯s eyes remained closed as she muttered her thanks.


    ¡°It is not a problem.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­you may go to sleep now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired...¡±


    ¡°No, not at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Still¡­get some¡­ sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will, thank you.¡± Benjamin replied.


    He waited for a few seconds until the peaceful breathing of Angel could be heard. He gently closed the door and walked towards his own room. It was finally time for him to get some sleep of his own.


    ¡°I heard you were here last night; how come you didn¡¯t visit until this morning?¡± Samuel smiled and asked the veiled figure sitting before him.


    ¡°I was, but there was another person I had to visit first.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is it the Pope?¡±


    ¡°Yep, had to ask him if he knew we were planning on getting rid of him. He said yes, so we chatted¡± Jester answered.


    ¡°I¡­see¡­¡± Samuel was speechless at Jester¡¯s response. There was only this person here who would say whatever they wanted to, with no awareness of the repercussions of what they say.


    ¡°What brings you here this morning? I doubt it¡¯s for information.¡±


    ¡°Just dropping by, the King knows about your son going to Naturelle, and I¡¯m here to see if you¡¯re not assisting the Empire in any way. If you two weren¡¯t in, I would kill everyone here.¡± Jester nonchalantly replied.


    ¡°Haha, there¡¯s no assistance, as parents we just respect the boy¡¯s wishes, he was adamant on learning about his eyes first.¡± Samuel answered.


    ¡°I see¡­ I also saw Jacob and Dylan in Boulderville, why?¡± Jester asked.


    ¡°Did you two fight?¡± Samuel asked with a question of his own.


    ¡°Those two are too scared to fight me.¡±


    ¡°Haha, they¡¯re just Arthur¡¯s bodyguards until he¡¯s on the ship.¡± Samuel answered.


    ¡°Tch, fighting maniacs that have too much free time.¡± Jester clicked their tongue in annoyance.


    ¡°Haha¡± Samuel laughed at Jester¡¯s response.


    Inwardly he was thinking something else. The fighting maniac of this country wasn¡¯t his two cousins, but this person he was conversing with right here. Even though it¡¯s been a few years since they¡¯ve last met and the Jester before him has become more political. He knew it just meant that this person was just starving themselves, as he can sense the ferocious desire hidden behind the veil chilling his spine.


    ¡°So¡­will you be here for long?¡± Samuel asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to leave after this visit.¡± Jester replied.


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on an important mission by the King.¡± Jester spoke up.


    ¡°Oh? What mission.¡± Samuel feigned curiosity as if he hadn¡¯t overheard it yesterday back in Boulderville.


    ¡°Going to find a baby and bring it to the King.¡± Jester replied.


    ¡°Oh, the one from the prophecy? With someone like you, it shouldn¡¯t take long for you to find it.¡± Samuel honestly replied.


    ¡°If the baby is in this country, I¡¯ll find it within a week.¡± Jester replied.


    ¡°How many days has it been?¡± Samuel asked.


    ¡°One day, I¡¯m taking my time, so I¡¯ve only been to through a quarter of the country so far.¡± Jester answered.


    The smugness behind the veil couldn¡¯t be masked. With Jester¡¯s ability scouring an entire continent doesn¡¯t take long. Even people with long distance teleport aren¡¯t able to do what Jester can.


    ¡°Yeesh, bragging much?¡± Samuel laughed and asked.


    ¡°Why, of course.¡± Jester answered. The person paused and slowly got up. ¡°Time to go.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Samuel asked.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Jester slowly walked out of the entrance of the mansion and disappeared completely.


    Samuel sighed the moment Jester left.


    ¡°I thought we would have to fight, thank goodness that didn¡¯t happen.¡± Samuel muttered to himself and looked around his empty home. It was still too early for even the servants to up and about.


    Samuel quickly hustled his way over to his room and placed his hand on the doorknob.


    Click click


    ¡°It¡¯s lock? But I didn¡¯t lock it when I left?¡± Samuel thought to himself. He quickly realized what had happened.


    ¡°Benjamin!!!¡± Samuel screamed inwardly. Alas, no amount of blaming would open that door this morning as he didn¡¯t want to wake his wife.


    Samuel sighed again and pulled out the blankets and pillow from the drawer and placed it on the couch. He quickly got in and closed his eyes, grumbling annoyances at the culprit who locked the door.


    ¡°Freaking Benjamin, you did that on purpose.¡± Samuel closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep muttering those last words.


    Benjamin was peacefully sleeping in his own room, a smirk sprawled on his face as he if he can sense the annoyance coming from his lord.


    ¡­


    ¡°W-who are you people!? What do you want!?¡± A bloodied man wearing the gown representing that of a Lumiere¡¯s Teacher exclaimed.


    After dropping off the last student he was planning on heading back to Lumiere after staying for a couple days. However, after staying for a few days of relaxing, the day before his departure green and purple robed figures started popping up all over the place.


    He immediately sensed it was energy masking the bodies of everyone around him, including himself. However, no one in town besides him seemed to have noticed this change in appearance. It was a masking ability that only affected those with powers. He thought hard about what this could mean and if there was anyone else in the village that had powers.


    There wasn¡¯t.


    Realizing that he was the target he had to escape from the village, find an isolated spot and attack the target before they could attack him. What he didn¡¯t expect was that there wasn¡¯t just one or two people who were targeting him, there was five. A miscalculation on his part caused him to suffer a sneak attack after avoiding an attack from a green and purple robed individual.


    That sneak attack proved fatal.


    ¡°Who are we? What do we want? We want a better world.¡± K1 spoke up and answered.


    The moment he finished his sentence, the three purple silhouettes combined their attack and rushed at the injured man in front of them.


    Bam bam BAM!


    Each attack aiming for the vitals of the man¡¯s body instantly killing him on the spot. The corpse bloodied body plopped onto the ground as they surrounded it.


    ¡°Unfortunately, for that to happen some will need to die... Remove all traces P8.¡± K1 added.


    With a lit flame in hand, P8 tossed it at the corpse engulfing it in flames. The heat progressively got hotter and hotter as the flames grew bigger and brighter turning what once was a Teacher into a charred corpse. Eventually, the flames died down with nothing but ashes remaining where that Teacher once was. With a sweep of their sleeve the ashes spiraled into the air and disperse with the wind.


    Sigh


    P8 sighed as the all traces of what was once a teacher of Lumiere disappeared from this world.


    ¡°Don¡¯t empathize, don¡¯t sympathize.¡± K2 reminded P8. ¡°We must complete our mission. For a better world.¡±


    ¡°For a better world.¡± The three purple robes repeated.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡± K1 commanded.


    The five individuals continued to walk further and further up north. One of the two green robed individual looked over at the other. ¡°K1, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Jacob and Dylan Galafray¡­ why are they in Boulderville?¡± K1 thought long and hard about those two.


    ¡°Tch, fighting morons.¡± K2 replied, still irritated about what happened back there. He continued, ¡°Samuel Galafray is the Lord of Rouge, most likely they visited him before heading to Boulderville.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­I can¡¯t help but feel like we¡¯ve missed something.¡± K1 replied.


    ¡°Do we turn back?¡± K2 asks.


    ¡°No, let¡¯s continue. Our mission comes first.¡± K1 replied as they continued their pace.


    ¡°Are we still going to kill people¡­?¡± P8 meekly asked.


    ¡°Just one more teacher and then we¡¯re stopping.¡± K1 answered. He continued to say, ¡°Once we¡¯re in Zeldova, you three know what to do.¡±


    The three purple robed individuals nodded their head as they followed the two greens from behind.


    ¡­


    ¡°Mmm for a better world, eh?¡± Boss was squatting down staring down between his legs looking at a small portal on the ground. The sound of weapons deflecting objects can be heard coming from further up ahead.


    Gran and the trainees were training fiercely against each other as ordinary things from blankets to grass and dirt on the ground were continuously bombarding the trainees forcing them to dodge and parry anything that was coming their way.


    ¡°Oh? Not bad, now let¡¯s see if you can tag me.¡± Gran smirked as his power of telekinesis erupted to a hundred percent. Hundreds of objects around him, the majority of them rocks of various shapes and sizes, a few blankets, and some tree branches started to rotate around Gran.


    The objects begun to spin faster and faster as the trainee¡¯s eyes widen to the spiraling vortex starting to form. The wall of obstacles around Gran expanded outwards, five meters, ten meters, eventually twenty meters of hazardous objects all spinning around Gran.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not perfected, you five will help me with it. Tag me.¡± Gran casually spoke up. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

 77. Hey what are you doing?

    Chapter 77. Hey what are you doing?


    <hr>


    ¡°Hey what are you doing?¡± Boulder leaned over to Boss who was engrossed in watching the robed individuals.


    ¡°Hm? Oh, nothing.¡± Boss quickly removed the portal and looked up at Boulder and responded. He moved away and showed the 12-year-old boy some bugs crawling across the ground.


    Boulder raised an eyebrow and returned his attention to watching the trainees try to tag Gran. That was their objective for training today, to tag Gran as he hurled objects at them.


    It may sound easy at glance, but with Gran¡¯s ability to use telekinesis and his immense strength it was incredibly difficult to dodge anything thrown at them. The scariest part was that Gran cheats, any kid who got close would be caught by their clothes and hurled away using telekinesis.


    ¡°Are you ready, kids?¡± Things around Gran started to levitate off the ground. Rocks, twigs, blankets, anything that was brought out from inside the home this morning was gently floating around him. ¡°Tag me if you can.¡± Gran smirked as the levitating objects started to rotate around him.


    The revolving objects began to spin faster around Gran. If one listened closely, they could hear the objects cutting through the air. The trainees couldn¡¯t believe their eyes, balls of blankets, rocks, twigs, anything that was larger than the size of a fist was circling around the man at the center.


    ¡°Dad is getting serious.¡± Boulder commented. He continued to say, ¡°He didn¡¯t do this to me until almost after a year of training.¡±


    ¡°Seems to me, he¡¯s just showing off.¡± Boss replied as he looked at the trainees standing still, intimidated by the tornado that formed around Gran. The expression on their face clearly showed their loss about how they were to tag Gran in this situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you never managed to tag him until he formed this carousel of objects around him huh?¡± Boss asked Boulder standing beside him.


    ¡°Carousel¡­? I call it a tornado.¡± Boulder replied, he had no idea what a carousel was. ¡°But you are right, we could only tag dad when he did this.¡± Boulder was perplexed how Boss would know this. It was true that during training, other times when he and Poe would try to tag his dad he would always fail. It wasn¡¯t until the tornado that allowed for them to tag Gran.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, a carousel, ahem, tornado like this requires a lot more control and energy than just flinging people around when they get close.¡± Boss answered.


    ¡°Th-then how would you tag him?¡± Boulder asked.


    He wanted to know, the last time he managed to tag his father he just kept running up and getting blown back by the spinning objects within the tornado until he managed to touch an article of his dad¡¯s clothing with the combined efforts Poe, Krystal and Carson.


    ¡°I¡¯d just tag him.¡± Boss replied.


    ¡°How?¡± Boulder wanted to know.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you a way later. Let¡¯s see how they will do it.¡± Boss answered.


    Most of the trainees were intimidated as they looked at the tornado encapsulating Gran. The tornado was around 20 meters in diameters, about half a football field in size filled with objects spinning about. Gran stood in the center as hundreds of objects spun around him.


    ¡°Ahaha, are you guys scared?¡± Gran laughed at the trainees who were unmoving.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll move you, myself.¡± Gran continued to laugh with a hoarse voice, he hadn¡¯t completely recovered from the incident yesterday, yet.


    The moment Gran finished his sentence, the collar on Seth¡¯s shirt was tugged through telekinesis, pulling the struggling young man forward. The heel of his training shoes buried into the ground as he protests the pull.


    ¡°He-help!¡± Seth tried to pull away from the force exerted on his clothes, his hands clinging to the stretched-out collar.


    The rest of the trainees immediately ran up and pulled on Seth¡¯s shirt. It was a battle between one man and five trainees as they tugged on Seth.


    ¡°Wait-wait stop!¡± Seth exclaimed, but it was too late.


    Riiiiip


    The four who were tugging onto him, managed to tear him away from Gran¡¯s telekinesis but at the cost of Seth being half naked from the waist up.


    ¡°Ahaha! What will you do if I pulled your pants?¡± Gran laughed. He continued to say, ¡°Are you going to move now, or do you want me to continue?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll move, we¡¯ll move!¡± Seth exclaimed in embarrassment. He saw the smirk on Gran¡¯s face and knew if they remained still it was going to be him who gets his pants removed.


    Seth took a hesitant step forward. He honestly did not want to walk into the spinning objects in front of them. They were moving at a pace that wasn¡¯t too fast, but if he wasn¡¯t careful in avoiding them, then he was going to get pummeled.


    Gran rolled his eyes at how scared Seth was. ¡°Did the boy not know this was training, why on Tierra would I do what he¡¯s thinking? I¡¯ll have to control myself less I want angry parents at my doorsteps.¡± Gran thought to himself as he waited with a smirk on his face.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯ve fallen for your dad¡¯s trick.¡± Boss commented off on the side beside Boulder.


    Boulder wanted to ask what he meant by that, but Boss just pointed at Gran and told him to watch.


    The boys shared glances and nodded their head. They all begun to sprint at Gran who revealed a smirk.


    Bam bam bam!


    Three rocks the size of a fist collided with their body throwing them out of the periphery of the tornado.


    Cough cough!


    ¡°Ow, ow, ow!¡± Arthur shouted.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Seth exclaimed and winced in pain. The moment he and the other two were hit by the rocks, it felt as if it knocked the wind out of them.


    ¡°How the heck are we supposed to get through that!?¡± Seth continued to shout and complain.


    ¡°We have to dodge it.¡± Michael answered. He continued to say, ¡°It seems like the Chief is paying attention, the three rocks smacked us only in the stomach and only pushed us out when we got it.¡±


    ¡°You are right, if he wanted to, you three would¡¯ve been pierced right through.¡± Shelly calmly spoke up as she made it to them. Both she and Julie acted as observer and the boys as testers. It made sense in their mind that it was better for the girls to observe due to them having better control of energy compared to them.


    ¡°Did you notice anything Shelly?¡± Julie asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need a few more tries, can you three keep trying to get through?¡± Shelly asks.


    The three boys gulped and nodded their head.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    The three boys dashed forward dodging and weaving through the gaps within the attacks coming from the tornado.


    Bam!


    An object slammed into Seth flinging him out of the tornado and crashing onto the ground.


    Woosh!


    Michael managed to do better, but it wasn¡¯t enough, a blanket covered his entire body and threw him out of the tornado completely.


    Bam!


    Arthur made it the furthest, but even then, he couldn¡¯t make it more than a meter in before an object smashed into him flinging him completely out.


    The boys got up and looked towards Shelly and Julie furrowed their brows as they gazed upon Gran who was barely visible at the epicenter of this dust tornado. Julie and Shelly conversed for a short moment before Julie looked over to the boy and spoke up.


    ¡°Again, this time one of you charge in from behind him.¡± Shelly calmly spoke out.


    The three boys signaled each other with their eye and Michael decided to be the one to enter from behind.


    Dauntless, they were as they rushed forward into the tornado with little to no game plan besides listening to Shelly¡¯s orders.


    The three were inside longer this time as the girls waited outside trying to sense and see everything so that there wouldn¡¯t be a third time for failure.


    Shelly squinted her eyes and pulled out her bow, she steadied her arm, locked the bowstring and released an arrow. It whistled through the air heading straight for Gran at the center.


    Bam


    The shaft of the arrow was smashed in half by a rock, breaking it into pieces.


    Shelly continued to observe the situation, not going for a second attempt with the bow still in her hand. A short moment afterwards Seth was flung out of the tornado, followed by Arthur and then Michael last.


    The boys were covered in dirt and debris picked up by the spin of the objects around Gran, however besides from the initial impact from objects within they were in better condition than the first attempt.


    ¡°Have you two noticed anything?¡± Michael asked. ¡°I went from behind, and I came out last, maybe we can sneak up from him from behind?¡±


    Shelly shook her head. ¡°Chief Gran can still move in there.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, how do we get close to him then? I feel like even if we all go, we would still not reach him before getting tossed out!¡± Seth complained.


    ¡°Shelly, that rock, I think it sped up when you shot at Gran.¡± Julie spoke up her speculation.


    ¡°Chief Gran is controlling all the objects in there, of course he can speed it up!¡± Seth exclaimed. ¡°He¡¯s playing with us, he will just throw us out if we got closer, there¡¯s no way we can do it.¡±


    Shelly closed her eyes and replayed the entire scene again in her mind. Their first attempt the boys were flung out as they entered by objects under Gran¡¯s control. The second attempt it was the same, even when she shot an arrow. No, something was different, not the speed, but something else. What was it? Replay. Again. Again. Again.


    ¡°Shelly?¡± The other four noticed Shelly wasn¡¯t responding and suddenly felt a tug on their clothes.


    Gran didn¡¯t want them to wait, they had to keep going. The boys realized Shelly needed more time and turned to Gran, they rushed back into the tornado to buy time for her.


    A short moment later the same situation occurred, Arthur, Seth, Michael were flung out one by one as they were inside.


    The boys were walking over, their expression¡­ exasperated as they stood before the girls. Michael shook his head. ¡°I got closer this time, but no good.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go in there again.¡± Arthur complained, the moment they enter they had to dodge every object flying at them, one mistake and it was over.


    ¡°Maybe if we just keep running in over and over, we¡¯ll get closer bit by bit? Maybe he just wants us to persevere until we tag him?¡± Julie asked.


    Shelly¡¯s eyes opened slowly and looked off at Gran who was standing calmly in the center. She looked at where she had shot her arrow, where was it¡­? There. On the ground.


    ¡°Shelly! Did you figure it out?¡± Arthur asked, the moment Shelly opened her eyes he felt hopeful that they could get out of this situation.


    ¡°A little bit.¡± Shelly answered. ¡°What he is controlling right now is the most he can control, he didn¡¯t throw you guys out by pulling on you, he hit you with what he was controlling and pushed you out. When I shot my arrow, I saw it, a rock fell to the ground and another one sped up to collide with the that arrow that he stopped. There¡¯s a limit to how many he can have spinning around.¡±


    ¡°So¡­what you¡¯re trying to tell us is if we threw a bunch of stuff at him first and ran in, we can make it through?¡± Michael asked. Everyone else¡¯s thought was the same, they wondered if that was the case.


    ¡°It could work.¡± Seth agreed with what Michael said.


    ¡°Should we do it?¡± Julie asked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll only work once and we¡¯ll have to control what we throw at him, too much for him to handle will only backfire on us.¡± Shelly answered. ¡°If we fail to get through this time, we¡¯re going to have to think of another way.


    ¡°What if we blind him?¡± Arthur asks. ¡°If he can¡¯t see us we can probably tag him¡­?¡±


    ¡°If he can¡¯t see us, it¡¯ll get dangerous, do you want to take the full brunt of these objects?¡± Seth asked. ¡°I sure don¡¯t.¡±


    Arthur nodded his head in agreement, he too didn¡¯t want to get brutally hammered by the flying objects swirling around Gran.


    ¡°Maybe I can stop them for a bit?¡± Julie asks. ¡°They¡¯re not too fast that I can¡¯t see them, I could try stopping some of Gran¡¯s attacks that gets close?¡±


    Her suggestion caused everyone¡¯s eyes to brighten up. ¡°Let¡¯s try that.¡±


    ¡°Uh oh, what are you kids plotting?¡± Gran noticed the change in their expressions and remarked. He calmly remained at the center waiting for what¡¯s to come.


    Let¡¯s go.¡± The trainees all nodded and spread out around the tornado.


    ¡°We have one attempt at this! If we fail, we¡¯ll have to think of something else! On my count!¡± Seth shouted as everyone got into position.


    ¡°Three!¡±


    ¡°Two!¡±


    ¡°One!¡±


    ¡°Go!¡±

 78. Five trainees

    Chapter 78. Five trainees


    <hr>


    Five trainees all rushed at Gran at the same time, swerving, dodging, and leaping over objects all around them. Gran calmly stood at the center, squinting his eyes as he saw each kid barely making any progress as they tried to get to him. The distance of twenty meters between them and Gran felt like an almost impenetrable wall they couldn¡¯t get through. It was one step forward, two steps back as they had to avoid the objects barreling at them.


    ¡°They¡¯re not just going to run at me, are they?¡± Gran thought to himself, he recalled how Boulder, Poe, Carson, and Krystal had done it back when they were trainees. It was his first time attempting this kind of thing and the little trainees would just continue rushing in with no fear in their eyes.


    He didn¡¯t realize back then how taxing it was to keep his powers up and control precise in order to not hurt them. Over time the rotations would start to slow down mid-training. This led the kids who had an abundance amount of energy to forcefully rush at him until he couldn¡¯t maintain it anymore, resulting him getting tagged. However, were these five thinking they could do the same? ¡°They¡¯re foolish if they think they can exhaust me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get rid of the girls first, they¡¯re the biggest nuisance.¡± Gran thought to himself as he looked around. ¡°Are they behind me?¡± Gran turned around trying to find the girls. He immediately spotted Julie who was struggling her way through, she was barely a third way in before Gran set his eyes on her.


    Julie immediately sensed Gran¡¯s gaze on her and furrowed her brows. ¡°Crap he¡¯s targeting me!¡±


    Woosh


    A blanket sped up, outstretched, trying to cover her completely. She tumbled forward dodging the blanket and hopped to the side avoiding the rock coming at her from behind the blanket. She looked left, another rock was barreling straight at her, it¡¯s speed faster than the two others that came before.


    She threw her hand out, her powers activated pausing the rock momentarily as she quickly rushed forward barely avoiding it.


    ¡°Oh? Not bad.¡± Gran remarked at Julie¡¯s quick reaction. ¡°time to get rid of her¡± The rock that that was momentarily frozen changed angle as it chased after Julie.


    ¡°What!¡± Julie exclaimed as the rock she thought she had dodged started chasing after her. She leaped off to the right barely dodging it as it flew past her. However, she couldn¡¯t celebrate at all, the rock turned around again, rushing straight at her.


    Bam!


    ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡± Julie shouted right before being carried off by the rock, she was sent out of the tornado.


    ¡°One down, four to go.¡± Gran spoke up and looked around again. ¡°Now¡­where¡¯s Shelly¡­? Ah¡­ there you are¡­¡±


    Shelly furrowed her brows as she saw what had happened to Julie within her peripheral vision. She hadn¡¯t expected for Gran to target them specifically with the objects within the tornado and even moreso chase after them with it until they were sent out. This wasn¡¯t what was shown earlier. She looked left and right and quickly ran out of Gran¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡°Ohoho, you think you can tag me from the back?¡± Gran was amused at Shelly¡¯s actions and turned around to follow her.


    Shelly quickly ran over to Seth who was nearby.


    ¡°The Chief is specifically targeting us. Careful¡± She spoke up and quickly continued to run in circle. Seth became even more vigilant as Gran turned to him.


    Gulp


    Five objects that were consistently rotating counterclockwise around Gran sped up at Seth. Seth¡¯s eyes went wide as he saw it zooming straight at him. He quickly reacted and ran forward as fast as possible. ¡°If you¡¯re going to play dirty, I might as well do the same.¡± Seth pulled out the rocks he had hidden in his pockets and threw it at Gran.


    Two of the five objects flying at Seth immediately dropped to the ground as Gran had to stop the two objects flying at him. ¡°Yes! It works!¡± Seth exclaimed inwardly and quickly rolled off to the side dodging the remaining three. He quickly picked up the two Gran released and threw them at Gran.


    Gran shook his head at Seth¡¯s second rounds of rocks. ¡°So this is their plan? To throw a few rocks knowing I¡¯m at my limit? Tch, expected more from them.¡± Gran continued to play along and dropped another two rocks stopping the ones thrown by Seth. He quickly hurled it back at the young man who was reaching for another pair on the ground.


    Bam!


    ¡°Gah-ha!¡± Seth coughed loudly as he was sent out from the tornado. The last strike from Gran was too damn fast! Seth laid crumpled on the ground holding onto his stomach sweating form the pain.


    ¡°Maybe I hit him too hard that time?¡± Gran raised an eyebrow at the crumpled young adult laying outside and quickly turned his attention back to the happenings within the tornado.


    He quickly found Michael and Arthur who had barely made it past the halfway mark within the tornado. ¡°There¡¯s still time, I need to get rid of Shelly first.¡± Gran thought to himself and quickly turned around again, he finally spotted the little white-haired girl.


    ¡°As expected from her, she¡¯s already made it this close to me without much effort, if I were distracted by Michael and Arthur, I most likely would¡¯ve been tagged. Interesting.¡± Gran was amused at the girl less than a quarter away from him.


    Shelly instantly reacted and tried to circle around Gran again, hoping to get closer in the process. However, Gran wouldn¡¯t let her do as she pleases as all the objects within the tornado reversed in rotation. What was once counterclockwise was now clockwise.


    Shelly immediately halted her steps and tried to change position, however, in her haste she couldn¡¯t slow down quick enough.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Arthur shouted as he saw a rock hurling straight at Shelly. He quickly reached into his pocket and passed a rock over to Michael. ¡°Throw!¡±


    Michael took the rock and threw it at Gran from the opposite side. Gran saw the rock flying from within his periphery and dropped the attack on Shelly to counter the boys.


    Shelly regained her pace and continued to quickly make her escape behind Gran, she was getting closer.


    ¡°Tch.¡± Gran clicked his tongue and quickly followed after Shelly, he instantly sent three rocks hurling at the girl who was getting closer to him.


    Shelly completely ignored the rock aiming at her head and only dodged the two aiming for her stomach. The one flying at her head changed course last second and circled around. Shelly knew that Gran wouldn¡¯t target anywhere else on their body if he wanted to toss them out, a strike to the head would be too much for training.


    She quickly rushed at Gran in a straight line slipping through every attack that was aiming straight for her.


    Three meters.


    Two meters.


    One.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Gran exclaimed inwardly and dropped a few rocks around him. Shelly immediately felt a tug on her collar as she was less than an arm¡¯s reach away. She looked around and jumped into a rock flying at her, the rock landed directly in her stomach.


    Gran furrowed his brows and immediately focused on sending her out through the rock. However, Michael wouldn¡¯t let Gran do as he please as they threw another rock at Gran causing him to drop his control on Shelly, sending her only a quarter away to block the attack.


    Michael lunged forward at Gran instantly the moment he threw the rock. He was running with no fear in his eyes as he quickly evaded the rocks around him. He quickly made it within two meters of Gran. He reached into his pocket and threw out a handful of dirt.


    Gran was wide eyed as he saw what was flying at him, he quickly controlled the rocks around him and dispelled the dirt flying at his face. He pushed the rocks in front of him outwards towards Michael.


    Michael was too close! He couldn¡¯t dodge. He crossed his arms and braced himself for the impact of the rocks.


    Bam!


    Michael was caught by Gran¡¯s attack and was blown back at a rapid speed, Gran quickly readjusted himself and soften the push sending Michael directly out of the tornado.


    The sound of footsteps tingled his left ear as Gran quickly turned to it. ¡°Shelly!¡± Gran exclaimed as the girl was already this close up to him. He threw another rock at her catching her squarely in the stomach.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Yes!¡± A little boy shouted as he was less than a meter away.


    ¡°What!?¡± Gran exclaimed, as he looked to his right, Arthur was right about to touch him. Gran immediately dropped all the unnecessary rocks flying around him and grabbed onto the boy¡¯s collar with his telekinesis and flung the boy back.


    Gran then quickly turned to his left at Shelly whose arm was outstretched ready to tag him, he immediately used his telekinesis on the rock still on her stomach to push her back, however he suddenly felt his entire body stiffen. ¡°Crap! Julie!¡± He exclaimed inwardly as he dispelled Julie¡¯s powers.


    However, it was too late, the rock within Shelly¡¯s chest disintegrated to powder as she threw her entire self at Gran. ¡°Oh no you won¡¯t!¡± Gran shouted and unleashed his power.


    Riiiiip!


    Shelly¡¯s silhouette flew through the skies as Gran forcefully threw her off into the air.


    Gran quickly controlled himself and softly dropped the girl down on the ground, standing on her two legs. In her arm a piece of cloth from Gran¡¯s torn robe.


    ¡°Did we win?¡± Julie was the first to ask as she looked at the cloth in Shelly¡¯s hand and then back at Gran.


    ¡°Did we?¡± Michael also asked as he looked towards Gran.


    ¡°Yeah! Did we? Did we?¡± Arthur ran up to Gran and stood before him. ¡°Did we win?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Gran spoke up and instantly flung the 10-year-old boy further away. ¡°A piece of cloth doesn¡¯t count!¡±


    ¡°Oh? How about this?¡± A calm voice behind him spoke up and tagged him on the shoulder.


    ¡°What!?¡± Gran turned around and saw Seth¡¯s smiling face.


    ¡°Caught you.¡± Seth spoke up as he made eye contact with Gran.


    ¡°When!?¡± Gran exclaimed inwardly as he stared down the young scar faced man standing before him. He quickly recalled what happened, he clearly remembered throwing Seth a bit too hard, causing the young man to crumple onto the ground.


    ¡°You were too distracted by everyone else, you forgot about me. I waited on the ground and slowly rolled closer whenever you looked away. Once it was down to Arthur, Michael and Shelly, I quickly ran behind you and waited. The moment they got close enough for you to drop all your powers I immediately ran up from behind you and¡­tag.¡± Seth poked Gran on the chest with his finger.


    ¡°I think we win now, right?¡± Seth had a cocky smirk on his face as he looked at Gran.


    Woosh!


    Seth was immediately thrown away by Gran landing in a pile of hay left out for the horses.


    ¡°Tch, alright, you win.¡± Gran smacked his lips and answered. ¡°I was kidding about the sleeve anyways, the moment Shelly ripped it off it was already over. But, not bad, not bad at all.¡± Gran said calmly.


    None of trainees believed it, not even Seth who was spitting out hay from his face believed Gran¡¯s words. He knew if he didn¡¯t tag Gran there, they would still be running into that miserable tornado of Gran. However, knowing it¡¯d be awkward to criticize Gran they all rushed towards each other and congratulated each other high fiving in the process.


    After their celebration, a preteen quickly got up and shouted ¡°Dad!¡± Boulder exclaimed as he ran up to his father.


    ¡°Hm? What is it my son?¡± Gran asked.


    ¡°Can you make your tornado again!?¡± Boulder exclaimed.


    ¡°Uh, sure, do you want to give it a try?¡± Gran asked.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Boulder quickly ran off to the side beside Boss as objects started to levitate off the ground and spin around Gran again.


    Boulder leaned over to Boss who was sitting there. ¡°Okay, show me, how will you tag my dad?¡± Boulder asked.


    Boss flicked his sleeve and raised both his hands up in the air, the tip of the finger and thumb of his left hand connected forming an O shape. In his right hand, he raised one finger. Boss slowly put the finger in his right hand through the O of the left and wiggled it.


    ¡°Look at your dad.¡± Boss amusingly spoke up.


    Boulder looked over and immediately noticed his dad was starting to laugh as a finger floating in the air was tickling him on the neck.


    ¡°Done.¡± Boss pulled his right hand away from his left and the finger that was tickling Gran¡¯s neck disappeared.


    Boulder¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of his socket as he saw the scene before him. He couldn¡¯t believe the normal kid beside him was able to do something like this! The trainees who had struggled to tag Gran for the past hour rolled their eyes at what Boss had done. Leave it to Boss to ruin their mood.


    ¡°Hahaha! You thought I was just a normal boy, but in fact, I am an Exotic too!¡± Boss exclaimed and threw off his wig and sunglasses revealing his dark purple hair and bright yellow eyes.


    ¡°What!?¡± Boulder exclaimed as he looked at Boss. His mouth was agape as he turned to the trainees and then his dad who shook his head.


    ¡°Boulder.¡± Gran spoke up. ¡°You wanted to test yourself, right? Well come on my tornado is still here.¡± Gran was a little irritated his son used him to see what Boss could do.


    ¡°I-I-I¡± Boulder stuttered.


    Woooooosh!


    ¡°Wait no dad! Let me go!¡± Boulder was quickly pulled straight into the tornado.


    The five trainees gathered and sat down beside Boss as they looked at Boulder who was running around dodging the rocks within.


    ¡°How¡¯re you guys feeling?¡± Boss asked as he continued watching Boulder running around within the tornado.


    ¡°A little tired.¡± Arthur answered.


    ¡°How was yesterday? What do you think of those green and purple guys?¡± Boss asked.


    The five immediately recalled what had almost happened to Gran and the rest if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that they all decided to retreat. They knew if those five hadn¡¯t retreated there would be casualties, maybe they wouldn¡¯t even be alive training with Gran today.


    ¡°They¡¯re bad guys.¡± Arthur answered. ¡°I don¡¯t like them, they hurt Boulder¡¯s teacher, Pebble, Cobble and Chief Gran.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯re you asking?¡± Seth asked. He didn¡¯t like Boss much; it was this kid who still had stolen his meat. ¡°Wait, you were there?¡±


    ¡°I was watching from a safe distance.¡± Boss remarked. He continued to say ¡°The reason I¡¯m asking is because those guys are definitely the types who won¡¯t die easily. Maybe one day they might be after you or your loved ones. They¡¯ve probably already got their eyes on you guys for running their plan.¡±


    Boss warning made them gulp in fright.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to say it right now, if I think you guys can handle it, I won¡¯t interfere.¡± Boss answered. ¡°If I¡¯m wrong and you die, welp, I¡¯ll let your parents know.¡±


    ¡°Always try your best, it¡¯s never too late to get stronger and focus on the basics, don¡¯t try to take corners if you want to reach the top.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯re you telling us this?¡± Michael interrupted asked.


    ¡°Because it was pretty reckless of you guys to run into the fight yesterday, if it hadn¡¯t been for them retreating because something went wrong, you all would¡¯ve died. Do you not get that?¡±


    ¡°But we didn¡¯t though.¡± Arthur weakly replied. ¡°Barkie stopped them.¡±


    ¡°Are you hoping a puppy is going to protect you?¡± Boss rolled his eyes at Arthur¡¯s response. ¡°But I¡¯m glad, you kids are not one to cower in fear seeing danger before you, but try to have a better plan next time than just running in, okay? Like for example, all illusions have energy, if you''re together have someone be your eyes for those who can''t differentiate between reality and illusory, and then run in.¡±


    Boss got up and walked over to the trainees and patted their heads. The five of them couldn¡¯t move at all as Boss rustled their hair.


    Boss stopped at Arthur and patted the boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°To become strong, it¡¯s good to have companions you trust to support you. But you¡¯re all not going to be together all the time, when you¡¯re alone only you can protect yourself. You can¡¯t be reckless forever.¡± Boss released his hand and slowly walked off into the distance. The five trainees regained control of their body as Boss disappeared from view.


    The trainees didn¡¯t know why, but when they saw the back of Boss that morning, they couldn¡¯t help but feel that what he had said wasn¡¯t just something for them to hear. They turned to look at one another, complex thoughts ran through their mind as they remained quiet.


    Bam!


    A silhouette flew out of the tornado and landed on the grassy ground near the five trainees.


    ¡°No, no, no! Don¡¯t pull me in again! Ahhhh!¡± Boulder exclaimed as his body was slowly brought back into the tornado for another round of dodging practice. He didn¡¯t even try to tag his dad as he ran in circles avoiding the objects flying at him.


    It wasn¡¯t until another hour passed by before Gran finally felt satisfied with playing with his son and ended the training that morning.


    He walked over to the five trainees. He sighed and shook his head. ¡°The teamwork you five have built over this past month is remarkable. I honestly expected it would take two days for you guys to be able to tag me. However, I seem to underestimate how fast you kids adapt. So, tomorrow I want you five to write to Roselyn and I about your time in Boulderville, what you¡¯ve learned, what you liked, what you didn¡¯t like, blah blah blah.¡±


    ¡°Wait, is there no training tomorrow?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°That is right, no training. Just have something written for us by tomorrow morning. It¡¯ll be something for us to remember you kids by, so put some thought into it.¡± Gran smiled at the five stunned trainees before him. ¡°You may head back to the Inn now; I¡¯ll see you kids one last time tonight for our final meditation.¡±


    Gran slowly walked back into the house. Boulder followed behind his dad, he turned around and looked back at the trainees.


    ¡°Bye Shelly, Julie, and everyone else! See you tonight!¡± Boulder waved at them as they waved back.


    The five trainees didn¡¯t know what to feel that morning, usually after training, everyone in the house would come out and sit together enjoying some refreshments and relax until noon. It has been awhile since they were sent back early after training.


    The five quietly made it to the entrance of the estate.


    ¡°Heading back already?¡± The gatekeeper looked down at the kids and asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be back tonight.¡± Michael answered.


    ¡°Alright, good luck today!¡± The gatekeeper opened the gate and waved them off.


    The five waved back and slowly continued forward, they looked around and sighed in relief, it was another day without Boss¡¯ training. They continued to converse on their way back, talking about what they were going to write.


    However, their conversation didn¡¯t last long as they were all suddenly teleported to a different location. It was the Festival ground. What was filled with hundreds of people yesterday was empty and desolate this morning.


    The trainees squinted their eyes and looked around.


    ¡°Aw, I thought there would be no training from Boss today.¡± Arthur spoke up and commented.


    Shelly quickly closed her eyes and sensed her surrounding, she was trying to find the pathway back to the Inn again. However, there was no teleporting walls that they were used to. Even the gravity felt the same.


    ¡°I can¡¯t sense any energy.¡± Shelly finally concluded after closing her eyes for more than a minute.


    ¡°Weird¡­ what game is Boss playing today?¡± Julie looked around. She didn¡¯t know why but the empty festival ground felt eerie today. ¡°Shelly, are you sure there¡¯s nothing?¡±


    Shelly furrowed her brows and looked around. There was nothing in sight.


    ¡°Wait¡­what¡¯s that?¡± Five silhouettes slowly materialized before her eyes further off into the distance. Her eyes went wide as she saw exactly who those five were.


    ¡°Sh-shelly my arm!¡± Arthur exclaimed in fright. It was the same purple sleeve of those robed individuals crawling up his arms.


    ¡°W-what!?¡± Everyone was panicking as they noticed the situation. Their sleeve too, was changing to either green or purple.


    ¡°They¡¯re here! They¡¯re coming to kill us!¡± Arthur exclaimed in fright. The five trainees quickly stood in formation, their backs against each other as the five robed individuals spread out, circling around them.


    ¡°We¡¯re just here for the person that can cancel P6¡¯s powers. Which one of you did it?¡± K2 spoke up and asked. ¡°Tell me who it is, and we¡¯ll take them and be on our way.¡±


    The five trainees looked around, bewildered at each other. Julie and Shelly quickly shook their head, they were not the one that did it yesterday.


    ¡°So it was you, boy?¡± A purple robed individual walked up and asked. ¡°You¡¯re the one that cancelled my powers?¡±


    ¡°I-i-it wasn¡¯t me!¡± Arthur exclaimed. ¡°I-i-it was Barkie!¡±


    ¡°Which one of you is Barkie?¡± The purple robed individual asked.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s m-m-my dog.¡± Arthur stuttered to answer.


    ¡°Oh? You really think my powers can be cancelled by a mere puppy? Then¡­¡± The purple robed individual took a step forward. ¡°Can you still see me?¡±


    The five trainees nodded their head.


    ¡°WELL YOU SHOULDN¡¯T BE ABLE TO!¡± The purple robed individual exclaimed.


    ¡°DIE!¡±

 79. The purple robed individual

    Chapter 79. The purple robed individual


    <hr>


    The purple robed individual instantly rushed into the five of them and threw out a vicious punch straight at them.


    Michael quickly intervened to block it, however the impact from the strike shattered the bones in his arm creating a cracking sound.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Michael screamed as it shattered.


    ¡°Michael!¡± Everyone exclaimed, they didn¡¯t expect the purple robed figure to be so vicious.


    The purple robed individual grabbed onto Michael¡¯s collar and tossed him into the other four trainees.


    ¡°You really think you could block me? A mere normie thinks they can block my attack! AHAHAHA¡± The purple robed individual laughed maniacally as Seth helped Michael up.


    Julie quickly hurried over to Michael to check on his condition, however, the limp right arm hanging on Michael¡¯s side showed how brutal that punch was.


    ¡°Michael¡­¡± Tears streamed down Julie¡¯s eyes as she couldn¡¯t believe what just happened.


    ¡°Now¡­¡± The purple robed individual disappeared and reappeared back to where he once was. He took another step forward. ¡°Can you still see me?¡±


    The five trainees angrily glared at the purple robed individual standing before them.


    ¡°Oh? You still can? Then it¡¯s not that guy¡­you perhaps?¡± He pointed at Julie.


    ¡°P6, teleport me¡± The purple robed individual spoke up and quickly vanished from his spot. He appeared directly beside Julie who was completely caught off guard.


    ¡°Is it you¡­?¡±


    Bam!


    The purple robed individual threw a punch directly at Julie¡¯s face, causing her to spin midair before crashing on the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s not you either.¡± He turned to Seth and quickly kicked out. The body of the young man flew directly into Michael and Julie creating a pile of unconscious bodies on the ground. ¡°You¡¯re just a normie.¡±


    ¡°P6, teleport them.¡± The three bodies of Julie, Michael, and Seth, along with Arthur vanished reappeared before the five robed individuals.


    ¡°Shel¡ª¡±


    Arthur was instantly knocked unconscious and thrown alongside the rest.


    ¡°P5, burn them.¡± One of the green robed individuals spoke up and commanded. Immediately a ball of flame formed in one of the purple robed individual¡¯s hands and tossed it onto the four of them.


    ¡°Ahhhhh¡± Their loud screaming echoed in the air as they cried awake, they were being burned alive before Shelly¡¯s very eyes.


    ¡°Can you still see me, girl?¡± The purple robed individual stepped in front of Shelly, blocking her line of sight and spoke up.


    ¡°Can you still see me? Can you still see me? CAN YOU STILL SEE ME!?¡± The purple robed individual slowly grew larger and taller tearing away the robes within it¡¯s body as it begun to sprout bat-like wings transforming into a giant bat.


    However, before the enormous bat completed its transformation the little girl spoke up ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ it is you¡­! AHAHAHA! DIE!!!!¡ª¡±


    ¡°Boss, what¡¯re you doing?¡± Shelly quickly interrupted the bat who was flying straight at her.


    ¡°Boss, who is Boss? I¡¯m¡­P8.¡± The large bat creature sputtered to a halt and asked.


    ¡°Boss, P5 was the one who knew how to teleport. You said P6.¡± Shelly rolled her eyes. ¡°What¡¯re you doing? Where¡¯s young master?¡±


    ¡°Tch, you¡¯ve got me.¡±


    Boss calmly walked out as the illusions around him started to change. The trainees who were once burned quickly stood back up and blew out the flames on their body before coughing in embarrassment for their behavior. They quickly waved at her before vanishing with smiles on their face.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Shelly answered as she turned to look at the brown wigged sunglasses wearing immortal before her.


    Boss quietly nodded his head and spoke up, ¡°I¡¯m here for the training, did you forget?¡± Boss waved his hand in the air and four more portals appeared in front of Shelly. ¡°I swapped them after you inspected and sensed nothing, once you opened your eyes again the people besides you were my illusions. The real four are each in here.¡±


    Within the portals was similar scenario that Shelly had faced. Hooded figures who are completely obvious illusions of various shapes and sizes were faced off against them.


    ¡°Tell me, what should I do with Arthur?¡± Boss asked as he looked in the portal. ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    Shelly looked inside Arthur¡¯s portal and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want young master to get hurt, can you let him do well?¡± She asks.


    ¡°Hmm¡­a long arduous fight or a speedy finish?¡± Boss asked in reply.


    ¡°Arduous.¡± Shelly answered instantly.


    ¡°Ohoho, alright. But, it¡¯s up to you guys whether or not he can complete it. Would you like to watch?¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Shelly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the Inn.¡± Shelly calmly walked further away before suddenly stopping in place.


    ¡°Is there anything else, Shelly?¡± Boss asked as he noticed the girl not moving.


    Shelly didn¡¯t answer and continued to walk further away.


    Boss shook his head at seeing the departing figure of the girl walk away and returned to look through the remaining four portals, each one the size of an average adult. ¡°Calm even when the four of them were being burned, I know she knew they were illusions, but still, no reactions at all? What¡¯s up with you Shelly?¡± Boss muttered quietly to himself as he thought about the ever calm white haired girl with sapphire eyes. He then turned to look at the remaining four portals ¡°Hm, without her, I guess it¡¯ll be tougher for you four then.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Guys, where are you?¡± Seth shouted as he looked around. The landscape was forested area covered by trees back in Rouge. He had speculated that it was Boss¡¯ doing, however five robed individuals quickly appeared before his very eyes causing him to quickly change his mind as he hid behind a tree.


    ¡°Spread out, look for him.¡± One of the purple robed individuals spoke up. ¡°Teleport him to us immediately, P6 when you spot him.¡± The purple robed individual pointed at his green robed companion and commanded.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The green robed individual nodded and slowly started to move, the pathway he took was directly straight to Seth.


    Seeing the green robed individual walk towards him, Seth couldn¡¯t help but feel panicked, his eyes darted around towards a denser area as he quietly snuck away.


    ¡­


    ¡°Michael! Michael!¡± Julie cried as she held up the bloodied lifeless body within her arms.


    The five of them were teleported to the grassy fields on the way to Asmar, with beautiful flowers all around them. However, before they even had time to enjoy the scenery, five robed individuals appeared before them.


    ¡°P6, teleport Michael to us.¡± One of the green robed individuals spoke up causing Michael to instantly disappear from her grasp.


    Five violent strikes straight to the body of the young man caused him to collapse completely on the ground, blood flowing from every orifice before being teleported right back into her arms.


    ¡°Boss! Dr. Galil! Gran! Anyone! Save Michael! Save¡­Michael¡­¡± Julie shouted in despair as the blood of the young man she loved dyed her robe a dark shade of red. She looked at trainees around her, however, their expression was somber as they shook their head.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late.¡± The green robed individual spoke up. ¡°If only he wasn¡¯t such a pathetic normie¡­maybe he could¡¯ve defended our attacks.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Julie shouted at the five of them. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Fool.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°No! STOP ITTTT¡± Michael shouted as a ball of flame crashed into the piles of unconscious bodies before him burning them up completely. He tried desperately to put it out, but all that¡¯s left was his nearly destroyed hands.


    ¡°Good job, K2.¡± A green robed individual walked over and patted a purple robed individual on the shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault, you are the one that can nullify P5¡¯s cloaking abilities, you must die for us to complete our missions.¡±


    ¡°Powers? How many times do I have to say it? I don¡¯t have any, I don¡¯t have any, I DON¡¯T HAVE ANY.¡± Michael wailed as he knelt before the charred corpses of the trainees before him. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect everyone around him to die today. Wasn¡¯t he the one that was supposed to die¡­? ¡°Why? Why couldn¡¯t it be me¡­?¡± Michael crumpled his hand into a ball of fist as he got up.


    ¡°Hehe looks like he¡¯s lost it K4.¡± A green robed individual remarked ¡°Oooh, look at him so scary, right? P42¡± The robed individual continued to tease.


    ¡°Right.¡± An enormous purple robed individual replied as he stepped out from the opening.


    ¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re fighting with me, boy.¡± A tiny green robed individual with a childish voice stood directly before Arthur who tried to escape. However, before he could even run the person stood in his way.


    ¡°You friends? They¡¯re preoccupied right now.¡± The four other trainees were also against tiny green robed individuals the same height as them. ¡°If you don¡¯t defeat us, you¡¯ll never be able to make it back to them. Muahaha! The green robed individual laughed maniacally as he rushed directly at Arthur.


    ¡°You better block it.¡± The person said as he threw out a punch.


    Bam!


    Arthur was blown back from the punch in his attempt to block.


    ¡°Maybe you should¡¯ve dodged it.¡± The green robed individual remarked as he walked up to the silver haired boy and pulled him back up on two feet. ¡°Dodge it this time.¡±


    Bam!


    ¡­


    In less than five minutes an enraged voice could be heard coming from one of the portals.


    ¡°Boss! Enough!¡± Michael shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see this anymore!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve figured it out quite fast... I honestly thought you were done for after I burned them.¡± Boss calmly walked up to Michael who was struggling on his feet. The rage in the young man¡¯s eyes was apparent as he glared back at Boss.


    ¡°What kind of training is this!?¡± Michael shouted. ¡°What were we supposed to learn from this!?"


    ¡°How¡¯d you figure it out?¡± Boss paid no mind to how angry Michael was and asked.


    ¡°What do you mean!? It was obvious!¡± Michael exclaimed. ¡°K4!? P42!? Did you think I was stupid!? Did you think anyone is that stupid!?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I did, that¡¯s why I added those two.¡± Boss smirked. ¡°If you think everyone figured it out, it¡¯s been five minutes and only you and Shelly have called me out for this.¡± Boss pointed at the other three portals.


    ¡°Arthur is fighting children versions of the green robes, and they¡¯re all green. Seth is running away from a green guy who I called P6 and Julie¡­she¡¯s recklessly charging at the robed individuals even when everyone else is trying to calm her down because you died.¡±


    Michael walked over and gazed into each one of them, the scenes were ridiculous the names were mismatched, the appearance of the robes were completely different, and just like his, it was easy for them to spot what was wrong.


    ¡°Tell me, do you think people are smart when thrown into a stressful situation? Do think they know clearly what¡¯s real or fake?¡± Boss rolled his eyes at Michael. ¡°This training is for them to get a glimpse of it.¡±


    ¡°But, do you have to do it like this!? To be that cruel to her!? You killed me off in front of Julie! You know what happens to us, why would you do that!?¡± Michael asked through gritted teeth, the anger within him started to boil.


    ¡°It¡¯s all illusions anyways, are you that bothered by it?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°YES! How can you even think of such a thing, is this what an immortal is!? Is this what being extremely old is like!? You¡¯re playing with our humanity, you¡¯re playing with our lives, did you not get that!?¡± Michael exclaimed.


    ¡°Yeah so what?¡± If you got a problem, then do something about it.¡± Boss sat back down and watched the portals. He picked up a tiny rock and tossed it inside Seth¡¯s portal causing the young man to escape from where he was hiding. ¡°He¡¯s over there P6!¡±


    Michael angrily glared at Boss who had completely ignored his presence afterwards. He really wanted to give this boy in front of him a piece of his mind, but he knew he was helpless.


    Boss casually lifted up another rock from the pile besides him and tossed it inside the portal, landing again besides Seth who had to run again from his pursuers. ¡°He sure knows how to run and hide.¡± Boss muttered.


    Another rock appeared in Boss¡¯ hand as he tossed it up and down. He was waiting for Seth to hide again before throwing it in.


    Michael couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. ¡°This freaking asshole!!¡± Michael inwardly exclaimed; he was seething with rage as he glared at Boss who was waiting for Seth to hide again. Michael¡¯s eyes darted back and forth between the rock in Boss¡¯ hand and the portal.


    ¡°Ah, hiding again? Not for long.¡± Boss quickly caught the rock in his hand and motioned to throw it at the portal.


    Michael quickly caught Boss¡¯ hand, pulling the rock out and tossing it away.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing Michael!?¡± Boss angrily yelled at the young man in front of him.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do something about it.¡± Michael turned to Seth¡¯s portal and rushed inside, his legs landing on the forested environment within.


    ¡°Heh, guess I don¡¯t need to continue with these. Boss picked up the remaining rocks from the pile and scattered them across the ground.


    ¡°Training. Start.¡±

 80. Hurried footsteps

    Chapter 80. Hurried footsteps


    <hr>


    Hurried footsteps were quickly approaching Seth from the opposite direction. Seth started to panic. ¡°Were there more people? How did they get over there so fast? Am I trapped?¡± Tons of questions like that circled his mind as he hid himself behind an enormous tree.


    ¡°Seth!¡±


    The voice quickly called out to him. It was a familiar voice, a voice he¡¯s heard many times every day. He wanted to reply instantly, but quickly kept himself hidden, he was being pursued by those robed individuals and now, Michael magically appeared after they were closely behind him? It was too much of a coincidence. He knew those robed individuals had illusions, if they could create more illusory robes why couldn¡¯t they make Michael too?


    ¡°Seth, it¡¯s me, I know you¡¯re around here, where are you?¡± Michael called out as he hurried around the forested area looking for Seth. ¡°Seth, listen to me, all of this is¡ª¡±


    ¡°There you are.¡± A calm voice spoke up directly behind Seth.


    ¡°Crap!¡± Seth inwardly exclaimed as the green robed individual instantly placed a palm over his mouth. He couldn¡¯t make a sound as his body was being dragged away.


    Michael furrowed his brows as he ran around the area Seth was last seen, ¡°Seth! Listen to me! This whole thing is Boss¡¯ wicked training! They¡¯re not real!¡± He shouted again, hoping Seth would show himself. However, it was too quiet, the whole entire forest was completely devoid of a single sound. Only his own footsteps could be heard as he blindly ran around.


    ¡°Shit, Boss must¡¯ve done something to him!¡± Michael muttered and quickly ran towards where he last saw those robed individuals in Boss¡¯ portal.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt him, did you K2?¡± A purple robed individual spoke up as Seth was quickly tossed down before him. ¡°Hey there young man, we were looking everywhere for you.¡± The purple robed individual reached his hand out waiting for Seth to grab on.


    Seth warily looked up at the robed individual and quickly got up by himself. He was now completely confused, he thought these five were the same ones who they had fought yesterday, but on closer inspections, their robes were completely different than the ones he had seen yesterday. There was¡­floral patterns on them.


    The purple robed man removed his hood and a kindly looking old man with Blue hair and cyan eyes looked down at him. ¡°Hello there, young man. Sorry if we scared ya, but we don¡¯t have much time to explain to you. I don¡¯t know how you got here, but we need to leave quickly. We¡¯re in its hunting grounds.¡± The old man spoke up.


    ¡°Hunting grounds?¡± Seth asked.


    ¡°This forest is home to a shapeshifting monster. Have you noticed that there is no sound at all within this forest? Where did all the creatures go?¡± The kindly old man¡¯s words quickly caught Seth¡¯s attention. He realized that what the old man had said was true, there was no sound of any living creature in this forest at all.


    ¡°The monster can read your mind and shapeshift into the people you¡¯ve most recently made contact with.¡± The kindly old man answered. ¡°Did you see or heard anyone you¡¯re familiar with in this forest?¡± The purple robed man spoke.


    ¡°I heard the creature calling out his name, you¡¯re Seth, right?¡± K2 spoke up and asked. ¡°I¡¯m Kay Two by the way.¡± The green robed individual removed his hood, he was a blue haired yellow eyed individual. ¡°I¡¯m glad I caught up to you in time, if I was any slower, I¡¯m afraid that creature would¡¯ve taken you back to it¡¯s lair.¡±


    Rustle rustle


    The sound of footsteps could be heard quickly approaching from up ahead.


    ¡°Shit, quickly put on this robe. It¡¯ll stop the mind reading.¡± Kay Two quickly tossed Seth a green robe which he quickly put on.


    Rustle rustle


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to go now!¡± The kindly old man and Kay Two quickly covered their faces and turned to run. They quickly pulled on Seth¡¯s hand and pulled him along with them.


    ¡°Seth!¡± Michael shouted the moment he caught up.


    ¡°Your hood, hurry!¡± Seth quickly covered his head at Kay Two¡¯s command and quickly ran.


    ¡°Seth! Listen to me¡ª¡± Michael shouted as he saw Seth put on his hood.


    ¡°Never! You shapeshifting monster!¡± Kay Two interrupted and shouted as they ran away. ¡°You can¡¯t fool him no longer! We will come back to kill you and the destroy the portal from whence you came! Be prepared!¡±


    Michael slowed his steps as Seth and the five robed individuals quickly disappeared from view within the forest.


    ¡°Shapeshifting monster?¡± Michael muttered curiously as he looked ahead as his footsteps slowed to a sputter. ¡°Destroy my portal¡­? Oh no!¡± Michael quickly realized what Boss had done and chased after them. ¡°I¡¯ve got to find Seth and get him out of here, quickly!¡±


    ¡°Whew, we¡¯ve made it out of there.¡± Kay Two spoke up as the six of them slowly walked to the perimeter of the forest. A wooden log cabin two stories tall appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Seth asked as he looked around, they were still in the middle of the forest, yet Kay Two said they¡¯ve made it out.


    ¡°This is our cabin, we¡¯ve been staying here while we try to get rid of the shapeshifting bastard.¡± Kay Two answered. ¡°It was extremely difficult for us, but now thanks to you we should be able to kill it and destroy the portal it came through.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to me? What did I do?¡± Seth asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside first.¡± The voice of the kindly old man stated as he walked indoors. The moment Seth walked in he could see clearly for the first time the face of the five individuals before him. They were all kindly looking old men with various different hair colors of the Orthodox powers. In fact, if he wasn¡¯t mistaken all five of them sort of resembles Gran in appearance.


    ¡°I¡¯m Philip Syx.¡± The Blue haired, yellow eye kindly old man stated. ¡°These here are my fellow companions, Kay Two, Primordius Ayte, Kavalier Won and Pox Five-high.¡± Philip Syx introduced each individual to Seth.


    Kay had blue hair and magenta eyes, Primordius had Green hair, Kavalier had red, and Pox had cyan eyes.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°I can see that you find our names strange, but that¡¯s how we came to befriend each other. Ahaha, I¡¯m P6 for short, he¡¯s K2, P8, K1, and P5.¡± Philip quickly shortened the names of the five causing Seth to awkwardly nod his head in understanding. He noticed the cyan eyes on P6 and quickly realized that the kindly old man understood his emotional state.


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s get straight to the point, the reason we¡¯re thanking you is that the shapeshifter before you arrived took the form of our wife.¡± P6 quickly started talking about the shapeshifter. ¡°But, once it changes form it is stuck on that form until it reads another person¡¯s mind.¡±


    Seth nodded his head in understanding. ¡°So that¡¯s it took the form of someone I know, to get to me.¡±


    The five nodded their head. However, Seth furrowed his brows as he thought of it. ¡°Wait, if the shapeshifter can only change it¡¯s appearance once, why did you five have such a hard time, shouldn¡¯t only one of you be unwilling to kill your wife?¡± Seth question caused the five to quickly pull out a photo.


    ¡°Here¡¯s our wife.¡± The five handed the photo to Seth who was immediately flabbergasted at sight. Each woman in the photo looked exactly like the other, in fact he couldn¡¯t tell them apart at all! Five women, each looked exactly like Roselyn, the only difference was that their hair was brown!


    ¡°Our friendship also stemmed along from the fact that the woman we all married were¡ª¡±


    ¡°The same woman?¡± Seth interrupted and asked.


    ¡°Heavens no, they¡¯re identical quintuplets.¡± P6 quickly corrected.


    ¡°I see.¡± Seth rubbed the scar running down the right side of his face and nodded, understanding why the five were incapable of killing the shapeshifter. Five similar looking guys who all married identical quintuplets sisters. The shapeshifter instantly took form of their wife which made them hesitant on killing it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but now thanks to you, it¡¯s going to look like Michael. So, we just need to put on our robes and be able to kill it now.¡± P6 answered. ¡°You just have to remember that it is a shapeshifting monster, and not your friend.¡±


    Seth nodded his head, ¡°I understand.¡± He continued to ask. ¡°What about the portal? Where is that?¡±


    K1 pulled out a map and pointed at a location deeper in the forest an X marked the spot of where the portal was. ¡°We believe the portal is in that cave where the creature resides, we¡¯ve been tailing it for the past month and realized that it always go back to this area here.¡±


    ¡°How strong is the monster?¡± Seth asked.


    ¡°Beyond your wildest imagination, us five can barely deal with it, we don¡¯t expect you to fight it at all, just make sure to avoid it and don¡¯t fall for anything it might say to you.¡±


    Seth nodded his head. ¡°I see, when do we begin?¡±


    ¡°Soon, we can¡¯t let the monster realize that we¡¯re willing to kill it now.¡± P8 interrupted and answered.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be the best choice.¡± Pox added.


    ¡°Is there anywhere I can relieve myself?¡± Seth asked as he looked around the log cabin.


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to be outdoors unfortunately.¡± P6 answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Seth slowly walked out of the cabin.


    Two minutes passed by within the cabin.


    ¡°He¡¯s taking quite a while to pee, no?¡± K2 looked towards the other four within the cabin.


    ¡°Maybe he has to do his business too?¡± K1 asked.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The five individuals within the cabin squinted their eyes as they glanced at each other. Their expressions dark as they realized that Seth had ran away. ¡°Your acting sucks!¡± P5 exclaimed at them.


    ¡°Our acting sucks!? You didn¡¯t even say much!¡± P8 exclaimed.


    ¡°What!? I can say at lot with just a few words!¡± P5 retorted.


    ¡°Shut up, shut up, all of you shut up!¡± P6 shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s go chase after them!¡±


    ¡°Wait, why do we even have to? We¡¯re just manifestations for training.¡± K2 asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re right! Maybe we should just relax and let them escape?¡± K1 agreed.


    ¡°We¡¯re just bickering to give them time!¡± P6 shouted. ¡°This is just Boss putting words in our mouth!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± The other four exclaimed in unison.


    ¡°Did we give them enough time?¡± K2 asked.


    The five quickly looked back down on the map. Locations of Seth and Michael appeared before their eyes. ¡°They¡¯re getting close to each other, let¡¯s go after them.¡±


    The five of them began stretching their arms and legs as they nonchalantly got up and walked out of the door.


    Both K2 and P6 hopped up and down a few times before a gust of wind blasted off as both of them disappeared into the forest.


    ¡°Michael! We¡¯ve got to run!¡± Seth ran up to Michael who was running towards him. ¡°Quickly, there¡¯s no time!¡± Michael nodded his head and hurried after Seth.


    Michael looked over at Seth who was running away furiously. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you figured it out. Do you know where the portal is!?¡±


    Seth nodded his head, ¡°It¡¯s in a cave, but we¡¯ve got to quickly get out of here, I¡¯ve been gone for ten minutes, they should¡¯ve figured it out by now.¡±


    ¡°How did you figure they weren¡¯t real?¡±


    ¡°They all looked exactly like Chief Gran, except with different powers!¡± Seth exclaimed. He continued to say ¡°All their wives were Roselyn, Quintuplet sisters all looking exactly like Roselyn!? I couldn¡¯t believe it!¡±


    They continued to run further through the forest, their steps gave away no traces that they were secretive in what they were doing. ¡°But I finally realized it when one of them said your name, I never mentioned your name at all!¡±


    A trail of dust clouds roared up into the skies as it quickly approached them from behind.


    Crack, boom, boom!


    Trees left and right were collapsing under the power K2¡¯s telekinetic powers. They were blatantly informing the two young men in front how close they were.


    ¡°There¡¯s the cave!¡± Seth quickly noticed the cave within the location turned towards it. The two quickly rushed inside only to see an enormous cavern within, a hollow world hundreds of meters below teeming with luscious greenery and flora. The two = noticed a pathway on the side of the cavern and quickly rushed down.


    Less than a minute later two silhouettes arrived outside of the cave as they casually strolled in.


    ¡°Oooh, I wonder where the portal is?¡± K2 remarked as he gazed around the enormous cave. ¡°Oh? I see them!¡± His gaze was directed at the two who were running down below. He quickly noticed a few enormous boulders the of various sizes, the smallest being the height of an average adult.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if they can make it down there safely.¡± He quickly lifted one of the boulders with his telekinesis and flung it directly at the two silhouettes.


    ¡°Dodge!¡± Michael exclaimed as he noticed the boulder hurling straight at them. The two sped up barely dodging the boulder that lodged itself into the side of the cavern.


    ¡°Is Boss trying to kill us!?¡± Seth exclaimed.


    ¡°Maybe, I don¡¯t know!¡± Michael replied.


    ¡°Oh? They dodged it not bad.¡± K2 remarked as he looked around for another boulder of his liking. ¡°Oooh, that¡¯s a pretty round one.¡± K2 lifted the boulder and moved it towards the top of the steps. A gentle push triggered it to cascade downwards towards the two.


    ¡°Oh shit, oh shit!¡± The two turned around only to see an enormous round boulder rolling straight at them. They raced down the steps running straight ahead towards a small entrance ahead. ¡°Duck!¡± The two exclaimed as they got close, they quickly made it inside.


    Boom!


    The boulder collided with the small entrance, breaking it completely as it lodged itself in.


    Within the small entrance was a dark narrow pathway, only a dim light can be seen deeper within. Michael¡¯s eyes went wide as he noticed what that light was as they kept running.


    ¡°I see the portal!¡± Michael exclaimed; it was the exact same portal Boss had up around him when he was watching them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± The two quickly picked up speed as they finally found their goal in sight.


    Footsteps continued to rush towards the cavern as the three others finally made it to K2 and P6.


    ¡°Are we late?¡± P5 asked.


    P6 nodded his head, ¡°Yep, looks like our training here is over.¡± The four of them looked down the cavern as K2 levitated the boulder blocking the narrow entrance back to where it was.


    ¡°Well, this was just a tutorial, let¡¯s see how long they¡¯ll last in the other two.¡± P8 commented. ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys in the other ones.¡±


    ¡°See you there¡­¡±


    ¡°See ya¡­¡±


    The moment Seth and Michael rushed through the portal they were instantly ejected back out to the Festival grounds where the other four portals remained. Or well, two now as Seth¡¯s and Michael¡¯s portal had disappeared.


    Michael looked around only to not see Boss anywhere.


    ¡°Give Michael back¡­Give him back¡­give him back¡­¡±


    The two quickly heard Julie¡¯s voice coming from within her portal. She was weakly pounding at the five robed individuals before her who was unmoving the entire time. The Seth, Arthur and Shelly within there could only shake their heads as they stood there.


    ¡°Julie¡­¡± Michael muttered as he looked inside Julie¡¯s portal. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡±


    Michael¡¯s body slowly disappeared into the portal. Seth looked over to Arthur¡¯s portal and looked inside.


    ¡°Dodge! Good! Block. Good~! Dodge and then block. Good~! Keep it up!¡± The childish green robed individual instructed.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Arthur smiled in reply.


    After deliberating for a short moment Seth followed after Michael.

 81. Gasp!

    Chapter 81. Gasp!


    <hr>


    Gasp!


    Michael¡¯s lifeless body gasped for air as soon as he entered the portal. The illusory figures of Arthur and Shelly looked over and slowly disappeared. Only Seth¡¯s figure remained as he began to look around.


    Cough cough cough!


    Julie instantly noticed the excessive coughing and slowly turned her head around. Michael was standing there, his body battered and bloody, yet the smile on his face as he looked at her was the same one that she¡¯ll never forget.


    ¡°Michael!¡± Julie ran over to Michael and stood in front of him. Her hands hesitating to touch the person before her.


    Michael slowly reached out and grasped her hands in his. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Michael¡­¡± Julie started to loudly sob, as Michael pulled her into his embrace. He had forgotten what he wanted to do as the two remained lost in each other¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Ahem, Y¨­koso! Michael and Seth.¡± One of the robed figures stepped up and exclaimed disrupting the mood between the two. ¡°Welcome, welcome to Julie¡¯s training!¡±


    ¡°M-m-my training?¡± Julie looked at Michael and Seth in confusion.


    ¡°Yeah! Your training. Which you absolutely failed the first part.¡± The person removed his hood revealing a familiar looking face.


    ¡°Gran!?¡± Julie exclaimed.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m P6.¡± The guy smiled at Michael and Seth. ¡°You may call me Philip Syx.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­Wait, what¡¯s going on?¡± Julie was confused as she looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Shelly, where¡¯s Arthur?¡± The two kids were nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Shelly was the first to realize that this was all an illusion and went back to the Inn already. Arthur is still in his own training area. The four that were with you were illusions.¡± Philip Syx answered. ¡°That means, the Michael who we killed was just an illusion, you failed because you couldn¡¯t differentiate reality from illusory, you lost yourself to your emotions and begged us to bring him back after realizing you couldn¡¯t do anything to us.¡±


    Julie was silent as she listened to P6, it was exactly that, the moment she was teleported she should have sensed for any energy uses. If she even tried to sense she would have known that the people around her were just energy created illusions.


    ¡°Anyways, welcome to Julie¡¯s training Michael and Seth! Glad to see you two again.¡± P6 smiled at them and continued to say. ¡°Now that you two are here, we can begin the actual training.¡± P6 pointed up towards the sky.


    A portal started to form and hung from above. ¡°That portal is 20 meters (65 feet) up in the air or roughly 11 Michaels tall. Your objective is to enter a portal and escape.¡±


    ¡°Goodluck.¡±


    ¡­


    The scene of four defenseless trainees piled together screaming in anguish as they were burned before her very eyes. Shelly calmly opened her eyes from meditation as she looked outside the window.


    The sun was still high in the sky as it has not been more than two hours since she had returned to the Inn, however it could not be said the same for the four others. She recalled the words Boss had informed them that morning, ¡°I¡¯m going to say it right now, if I think you guys can handle it, I won¡¯t¡¯ interfere¡­if you¡¯re together, have someone be your eyes for those who can¡¯t differentiate reality from illusory and then run in¡­¡±


    Shelly never once forgot what Boss had said earlier that morning. It was the first thing she recalled when those five robed individuals appeared that calmed her down. When Seth, Michael, Julie¡­and Arthur¡¯s illusions were attacked one by one. It wasn¡¯t just an illusion for illusion¡¯s sake, it was a warning of what would¡¯ve happened to them if they weren¡¯t lucky.


    However, was that all there was to it? To see a different ending for them? Shelly wasn¡¯t sure, she quietly pondered her thought as she recalled the five robed individuals that attacked her. Only their names were wrong for Boss to inform her they were an illusion. But, were their abilities correct. ¡°teleportation, cloaking, illusions, and¡­fire? Was that one of their powers? Then¡­what about the last green robed one? Is there a hint?¡±


    Shelly calmly pondered her thoughts as she got up out of bed. She sighed and headed back downstairs. Two hours was too long for them to not figure out everything was an illusion. There must be more to it.


    The door to the Inn opened and closed as the calm white-haired girl made her way back to the festival grounds.


    ¡°Oh? Welcome back Shelly.¡± Boss quickly welcomed the girl who had returned after finishing her training two hours ago. ¡°What brings you back here? Did you decided to watch them with me?¡± Boss asked.


    Shelly looked over at the portal and quickly noticed the four portals around Boss from before turned to two. ¡°Which two?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Michael figured it out five minutes after you left and called me out for it¡­I think adding a P42 and K4 was a bit too obvious.¡±


    ¡°Where did he go?¡± Shelly asked.


    ¡°He figured it out and went inside.¡± Boss pointed towards Julie¡¯s portal. ¡°He first saw Seth being chased by my illusions and ran straight in. He brought Seth back and now they¡¯re helping Julie out with her training.¡± Boss answered.


    Shelly walked over to the two portals and furrowed her brows.


    In Julie¡¯s portal the three were struggling incredibly hard devising a way to reach the portal 30 meters in the air. Failed experiments from their attempts littered the ground as they continued to devise a way to get up.


    Arthur was still training within his portal, however that single individual he was up against, became two. ¡°I¡¯m adding in another one in an hour, I wonder if he can deal with three at once.¡± Boss muttered to himself as Shelly looked on.


    ¡°Can I help them?¡± Shelly asked.


    ¡°Did you really have to ask? Go~¡± Boss encouraged Shelly who was looking back and forth between the two portals. Shelly thought for a moment and turned to one. She quietly stepped in.


    ¡°Good thing she made it back, otherwise I¡¯d have to start giving them hints.¡± Boss sighed in relief as he watched what happening in Julie¡¯s portal. He then turned his attention over to Arthur¡¯s who was rapidly improving his combat experience against similar sized kids.


    Boss, however wasn¡¯t thrilled at all at Arthur¡¯s improvement. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to conserve energy at all kid!? So much wasted movements! Why? Why¡¯re you jumping from a punch! Just sidestep! Sidestep! Gahhh! Right there! Just tilt your head! C¡¯mon! Even a baby could do this! Where¡¯s Lotus? I need Lotus!¡± Boss was angrily shouting at the portal watching Arthur train. Sadly, his shouts were in vain as the boy within couldn¡¯t hear anything from outside and Lotus was still asleep.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°This is impossible! How¡¯re we supposed to get up there!¡± Seth shouted in anger. He then turned to glare at Philip Syx who was distance away playing card games with the other four robed individual and pointed. ¡°Why¡¯re you breaking everything we make!? What do we have to do!?¡±


    Philip Syx placed his cards down and looked up at Seth who was seething with rage and smiled. ¡°I break it because you don¡¯t need it, isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±


    Kay Two looked over to Seth seemed about ready attack and calmly added. ¡°Figure out what the objective of this training first before you try building a ladder to get up there. Remember, this is Julie¡¯s training which means it is indicative she¡¯s going to be how you get out.¡± He then looked over to P8 ¡°Do you have a 3?¡±


    ¡°Goldfish¡±


    ¡°Tch!¡±


    The three trainees sat down and looked up at the portal hanging high in the sky. ¡°If it¡¯s not a ladder then what?¡± Michael asked. He turned to look over at Julie ¡°Do you know, Julie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard you¡¯re a Seer, maybe you have to see how you got out from your powers?¡± Seth asked.


    Julie sat down and shook her head, her face buried in between her knees ¡°I don¡¯t know how to control it.¡± Over this month of training with Gran and Boss she felt more confident that her overall wellbeing and control of her powers improve. That was only the case for her ability to stop things, she still couldn¡¯t figure out how to control her foresight.


    Sigh


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that power.¡± Michael interjected.


    ¡°Then, what about your stopping ability? Maybe it¡¯s not a stopping ability but like telekinesis and you can move the portal down?¡± Seth asked.


    Julie¡¯s popped her head up and looked up at the portal. She stretched out her hand at the portal high in the sky. A couple seconds of struggling sounds flew by before Julie dug her head back into her knees. ¡°It¡¯s not moving.¡±


    ¡°Damn! Are we going to be trapped here until we figure it out!?¡± Seth exclaimed in irritation.


    ¡°Nope, we¡¯ll give you hints until you figure it out.¡± Kay Two answered from afar.


    ¡°Then give us a hint!¡± Seth exclaimed.


    ¡°She¡¯s over there.¡± Philip Syx pointed at the silhouette of a white-haired girl with sapphire eyes who was calmly walking over.


    Shelly arrived before Michael, Seth, and Julie who were curiously looking at her.


    ¡°She looks like Shelly.¡± Michael stated.


    ¡°She looks exactly like Shelly.¡± Seth corrected as he continued to look at her. ¡°How is she the hint?¡± He asks.


    Shelly raised her eyebrow at their confusion and decided to quietly play along. She sat down before the three of them and began to meditate.


    ¡°Meditate?¡± The three looked to each other and then at Julie.


    Julie quickly copied Shelly and closed her eyes.


    The five robed individual looked over and then back down at the cards in their hands.


    Flick


    A single card flew at Julie at an alarming speed, it instantly appeared before her and smacked her squarely in the forehead.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Julie exclaimed as she covered her forehead in pain.


    ¡°Is that the wrong answer too!?¡± Seth exclaimed at Philip Syx who had thrown the card.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Philip Syx stated calmly. ¡°But I¡¯m going to try to stop her from figuring it now.¡± Philip calmly stated as he pulled out more cards from within the sleeve of his robe.


    Flick Flick Flick


    Multiple cards were flying at them at rapid pace. Seth and Michael instantly got in front of Julie and Shelly who were sitting cross-legged on the ground. They grabbed the wooden planks beside them and blocked cards.


    ¡°We¡¯ll block their attacks, focus on getting us out of here!¡± Seth exclaimed.


    Julie nodded her head and started meditating. A whole different world of energy signatures invaded her senses the moment she closed her eyes. Everything around her was made of energy, the five robed individuals, the planks, this entire place was covered in energy.


    ¡°There¡¯s so much energy¡­¡± Julie muttered as she scanned the surrounding area. She tilted her head up, the portal that was supposed to be high up in the sky released an energy signature as the robed individuals. ¡°Was that portal an illusion too? Then where¡¯s the real one?¡± Julie thought to herself as she looked around.


    Julie stood up, her eyes remained closed as she slowly rotated herself around, trying to find the energy that was coming from the portal. Her brows furrowed as she noticed a small energy trace further ahead, it was a familiar energy that she¡¯s sensed every time they had Boss¡¯ training, it was the invisible teleportation walls.


    ¡°Perhaps¡­?¡± Julie opened her eyes and looked towards the direction of where the portal was.


    ¡°Did you figure it out!?¡± Seth exclaimed as the board in his hands completely crumbled to the assault of the cards. He quickly ran and hid behind Michael as he looked for another thing to shield them with.


    Julie nodded her head, ¡°I think so.¡± She pointed at an enormous lake up ahead. ¡°It¡¯s in the middle of the lake, above the water.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Seth and Michael exclaimed as they turned towards the lake. ¡°But there¡¯s no island there! Are you sure!?¡± Seth exclaimed.


    Julie nodded her head, ¡°The energy is the same as the teleporting walls, it¡¯s either the portal, or it¡¯ll teleport us to where the portal is.¡± Julie answered.


    ¡°Then what¡¯re we waiting for!? Let¡¯s go!¡± Seth shouted and ran, he picked up a few planks and rushed towards the lake. Julie and Shelly followed behind Seth as Michael continued to defend the assault of cards flying at them from the back.


    Seth instantly threw the plank in the water and laid down above it. However, the weight of Seth instantly sunk Seth into the water. ¡°Shit!¡± He quickly got out of the water and looked over to the other three trainees. ¡°I can¡¯t swim. What about you guys!?¡± He exclaimed.


    All three of them shook their head, none of them were able to swim. ¡°How are we supposed to get across then!?¡± Seth was annoyed, the assault from the P6 and the other four was never ending as they continuously flicked cards at them from afar.


    He really wanted to build a small boat, capable of keeping them afloat long enough for them to paddle to the center, however everyone knew that time was of the essence. Once the five Gran lookalikes destroyed the last defensive thing they had, they were sitting ducks, awaiting to get cut by thousands of cards.


    ¡°Use your power on the planks.¡± Shelly calmly spoke up as she tossed a small plank on the water. She then looked up to Julie ¡°Can you stop more than one?¡±


    Julie looked at the two floating planks on the water. ¡°I guess, I¡¯ll just have to try.¡± She stated as she stopped the first plank, then the second. ¡°It works! Go! Hurry!¡± She exclaimed as Seth, Shelly and Michael carefully stepped from one plank to the second.


    ¡°Now, what!? We¡¯re going to need at least 100 planks to get to the center!¡± Seth exclaimed.


    Shelly turned around and picked up the first plank and dropped it in front of the second one. ¡°Do you have enough energy?¡± Shelly asked.


    Julie instantly understood what Shelly was doing. Everyone just needed to stand on one plank together as they swapped planks around until they made it to the center.


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Julie responded.


    ¡°Everyone, step!¡± Julie commanded as the second plank stiffened. The three quickly took another step onto the plank as Julie maintain her hold. Shelly then quickly turned around and picked up the first plank and tossed it in front again.


    Everyone now understood what they had to do, they quickly caught onto what Shelly and Julie were doing and made their way towards the center together, one step at a time.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing it, we¡¯re doing it!¡± Seth exclaimed in delight as they were more than halfway there.


    ¡°Wait, hold on!¡± Julie exclaimed as Seth took the first step. The weight of Seth instantly flipped the plank around as he quickly fell into the water.


    ¡°Seth!¡±


    Julie quickly stopped Seth from sinking further with her power while Michael hurried to pull the young man up.


    ¡°Sorry Julie¡­¡± Seth apologized, in his own delight he forgot to wait for Julie to stop the plank before stepping on.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Julie replied. Her breathing was heavy, it was the first time ever that she had to stop three things at once. She needed to prevent the plank and Seth from sinking and also to keep the rest afloat.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡± Julie continued to say as the plank in front of them stiffened.


    The three quickly listened to Julie, this time everyone was moving as one as they made their way over to the center. The cards that were flying towards them abruptly stopped the moment they arrived.


    ¡°It¡¯s right here.¡± Julie stated as she pointed in front of them.


    Shelly nodded her head and stepped right through. Her body vanished before their very eyes. ¡°It works!¡±


    The three quickly followed from behind as they too entered the invisible teleportation wall.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad at all.¡± Philip Syx muttered as the four trainees vanished from the place. He looked over at the other four lookalikes as they returned to playing cards. ¡°What¡¯s gonna work? Teamwork~¡±


    The four rolled their eyes as Kay Two looked over to P6 and spoke up. ¡°Do you have a six?¡±


    ¡°I am a Syx.¡± Philip replied. His response caused the four to facepalm as he laughingly handed a six over to Kay Two.


    P8 looked towards the center and shook his head. ¡°I bet Seth is going to pee his pants at what he sees.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, at least he¡¯s already wet, nobody will know.¡± P5 remarked as they continued to play.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Seth exclaimed as he started to panic. The four trainees found themselves high above the skies. Their body floating as they looked down from above. Seth quickly went onto all fours hoping to not fall from the skies. ¡°How do we get down? How do we get down!?¡±


    ¡°Relax, Seth.¡± Michael replied as he looked over to Julie who was just as panicky as Seth. ¡°Can you two sense anything?¡±


    Julie remembered what she had to do and quickly closed her eyes. However, before she could say anything, Shelly spoke up. ¡°The energy holding us up is disappearing, we¡¯re going to fall.¡±


    Right after Shelly finished saying that the four of them felt the invisible ground beneath them disappear as their body started falling from the skies.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

 82. Roar!

    Chapter 82. Roar!


    <hr>


    ¡°Roar!¡±


    Clang clang clang!


    ¡°FORMATION, FORMATION, IT¡¯S INJURED! SURROUND AND KILL IT DON¡¯T LET IT GET AWAY!


    The sounds of beasts and armored soldiers could be heard attacking one another directly below the four trainees hovering in the air.


    They opened their eyes when they heard loud shouting coming from the ground. They were roughly 20 meters in the air the moment they stopped to a hover. Directly below them was an enormous tiger-like creature 10 meters long. It was three times bigger than any known tiger in existence, it was even bigger than most elephants.


    Boss casually appeared beside the four as he looked down at the creature and spoke up. ¡°That there is what¡¯s happening in the Tillowisk Empire currently. Animals you once knew will become massively large as the energy from the dispersal seeps into their body.¡±


    ¡°H-how big are they going to get?¡± Seth stuttered to ask. It was him and his friends who were planning on going to the Tillowisk Empire to get the meat from these kinds of creatures.


    ¡°Mmm, bigger.¡± Boss vaguely replied. He continued to say. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised to find ones twice that size in a few years as the energy around the world becomes more abundant.¡±


    The surprise in everyone¡¯s eyes was apparent as they looked down below. Hundreds of men dressed in metal suit of armor all barely up to the kneecap of the tiger was surrounding it and attacking at all angles with various types of weaponry in their hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m only showing you four this right now since three of you guys will be going in that direction. Luckily for Shelly, Arthur and I we¡¯ll be in the comfort of an institution protected by Teachers ahaha.¡± Boss laughed at the extremely panicked faces of Seth, Micahel and Julie.


    ¡°They¡¯re just big for now, they¡¯re not that strong yet.¡± Boss answered as the hundred men charged at the injured tiger-like creature below. ¡°Believe it or not every single one of those men are normal human beings. It¡¯ll take at least a hundred of them to deal with that thing right now. Oh look!¡± Boss pointed at the creature below ¡°see it is dead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!!!¡± The men cheers roared into the skies, vibrating the ground beneath as they rushed up and started cutting up the large body of the tiger.


    ¡°Wh-what are they doing?¡± Julie stuttered to ask.


    ¡°Hm? Can¡¯t you see? They¡¯re cutting it up. They¡¯re going to eat it. Even though most of the energy will be lost in the cooking process, it¡¯s still beneficial for one if they want to find their inner energy.¡± Boss answered.


    ¡°Anyways, this is just a teaser for what¡¯s to come, luckily for us we still have time until the world¡¯s evolution. Once the world completes its evolution, the animal kings will start to show themselves, oh man those things will make everyone you¡¯ve ever seen look like immature babies. Ahahaha¡± Boss laughed as the four of them descended straight down. Boss casually stretched his arm out and plucked an enormous chunk of the tiger before teleporting back to the festival grounds.


    At the festival grounds, a floating chunk of meat as large as an average king-sized bed floated up in the air. Boss slowly squeezed his hands together as the enormous meat began to compress, becoming smaller and smaller until only five tiny condensed energy marbles remained.


    ¡°Th-those are!¡± Seth exclaimed as he looked at what was in Boss¡¯ palm.


    ¡°Complete the last training with Arthur and each of you will get one.¡± Boss replied. ¡°However, if even one of you fail, you all won¡¯t get any.¡±


    ¡°What are they?¡± Michael asked as he curiously looked at the marbles in Boss¡¯ hands. As he observed the round marbles in Boss¡¯ hands he could not believe that just a second ago a chunk of the tiger turned into these little things.


    ¡°These are condensed energy marbles, energy pills, or whatever I want to call it. They¡¯re purified condensed energy extracted and solidified into a physical shape from that flesh of the creature for your consumption. One of these can improve your chances of finding your inner energy even if your affinity to the world¡¯s energy is mediocre.¡± Boss answered.


    The trainees looked at Boss in confusion.


    ¡°What do you mean our affinity to the world¡¯s energy?¡± Seth asked.


    Boss sat down and calmly answered. ¡°Affinity to the world¡¯s energy is exactly that, how well tuned in are you to the world, how fast you can absorb the energy of it and become a tiered person. Take for example, Gran¡¯s family, everyone there is either an Orthodox power user like Gran or an Exotic like Roselyn. Did you not find it weird that Boulder at the age of 12 is already a Tier 1 whereas you, Seth is still struggling?¡±


    ¡°Are-are you telling me that I¡¯m just borne unlucky?¡± Seth asked.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re just less talented than he is.¡± Boss bluntly replied. He continued to say ¡°However, this past month of training you¡¯ve noticed that your ability to manipulate energy has become better right? That is due to your constant exposure to energy, every day you had to fight one of those three in their tests. Whether it is landing one blow on Cobble, catching Pebble, or being thrown around by Gran each day of exposure is slowly adapting your body to being able to sense energy.¡±


    ¡°How come most students who go to school are not able to become Tier 1 then? Aren¡¯t they constantly exposed to energy from their teacher?¡± Julie asked.


    Boss looked at Julie and asked. ¡°Are you using your abilities right now?¡±


    Julie shook her head.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not using it, how are people going to be exposed to it?¡± Boss asked again. He turned to Seth and asked. ¡°Tell me, besides demonstrating what they could do, have you ever seen a Teacher use their energy as much as Gran does to you guys on a daily basis?¡±


    Seth instantly shook his head. ¡°Never, our teachers believe that we have to find it for ourselves, and they¡¯re only there to teach us how to find it.¡±


    Boss nodded his head. ¡°It is precisely that reason there, that each new generation of kids are less likely to find their inner energy. No knowledge in the world can help you if you¡¯ve never been exposed to it, right?¡± He continued to say. ¡°Well I can¡¯t entirely blame them for their way of teaching. From what I¡¯ve read your world once had an abundance of energy, however that energy diminished overtime which resulted what was once a useful way of training to become useless.¡±


    Boss then shows them the five energy pills in his hands. ¡°These helps supplement the energy that you lack. With a few of these plus constant training, it will not be surprising to make you all stronger than your wildest dreams.¡±


    The hopeful looks on the four faces were dashed away completely as Boss continued to say. ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to give you these all the time because that is cheating and Samuel chose the hard route¡ªI mean you¡¯ll have to face hardships and survive countless encounters for me to even give you one.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Anyways, your last training is simple. Enter Arthur¡¯s portal, and pace yourself until it is time for meditation tonight.¡±


    The four of them looked at Arthur¡¯s portal, it was still the same, Arthur was just facing off against two tiny green robed kids. One kid will rush at Arthur from one direction and attack, telling Arthur what to do in the process. After the first one was done with their attack pattern, the second one will follow right after, leaving Arthur barely any time to rest and recover.


    To the four of them it looked like a simple exercise where they just had to follow orders. Seth was especially excited about it and exclaimed ¡°Don¡¯t lie about it now!¡± as he ran in without hesitation.


    Michael and Julie looked at each other and nodded their heads. They walked inside the portal together.


    Shelly calmly looked over at Boss who was smiling at her. The smile on his face felt like that of a swindler as if he has no intention of giving those marbles over to them.


    ¡°Go, go~¡± Boss shooed the girl who was quietly observing him.


    Shelly slowly walked into the portal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s speed things up now.¡± Boss smiled as he looked inside.


    The two green robed kids that was once fighting Arthur turned into four. Everyone else was also fighting against four immediately upon entering.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­five hours in here, one every ten minutes. Let¡¯s see if you can deal with 34 kids with different attack patterns. Ahaha!¡± Boss laughed at the portal. Alas, his loud laughter was still in vain as none of them could hear him the moment he entered. ¡°No need to watch this mess, they¡¯ll exit if it¡¯s too much¡­I¡¯m gonna go nap.¡±


    Five hours later Boss woke up from his nap and scanned the surrounding. ¡°The heck? No one went out. Are they inside?¡± Boss muttered to himself as he slowly walked over to the portal. He gazed inside only to see all five of the trainees running away from a mob of 170 little green robed kids.


    ¡°The heck!? They chose to run out the time by running away!?¡± Boss instantly barged into the portal resulting in all 170 robed kids to halt in place. ¡°Boss!¡± They all exclaimed in Arthur¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Yo-you-you!¡± Boss pointed at the five trainees in an exasperated manner. ¡°Why are you running away from them!? Fight them! It¡¯s good training! If you lived from this you would be able to fight against anything!¡±


    Shelly walked up to Boss and looked him in the eye. ¡°Boss, they¡¯re too much.¡±


    ¡°Too much!? TOO MUCH!?¡±


    The five trainees nodded their head to Boss¡¯ outburst.


    ¡°But you just needed to dodge each of their attacks one by one!¡± Boss exclaimed. ¡°How is that too much?¡±


    The five of them gave Boss a weird look. ¡°They didn¡¯t do that.¡± Michael spoke up in reply. He walked over and looked down at Boss who was confused at his response. ¡°They charged us all at once. All. Of. Them.¡±


    ¡°You charged at all of them!?¡± Boss exclaimed at the 170 little green robed kids.


    ¡°We-we wanted to win!¡± The little green robed protested. ¡°They were able to dodge us if we attacked them one at a time! After little 15 showed up we gave up on going in one by one, we had to charge!¡±


    ¡°Charge!¡± The other 169 green robed kids exclaimed.


    ¡°You see?¡± Michael rolled his eyes at Boss. ¡°If you were paying attention you would have noticed that they all started charging us almost three hours ago, we had no choice but to run away.¡±


    Sigh


    Boss looked over to the 170 green robed kids and then back at the five trainees. ¡°Alright, 1 more hour. This time I¡¯ll watch.¡±


    Boss waved his hands, causing all 170 little green robed kids to disappear. He then looked over to the five trainees. ¡°One more hour, and your opponents will be these.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy is it us?¡± Philip Syx appeared beside Boss and asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Boss replied and shooed him away. ¡°It¡¯ll be these guys.¡± Boss answered as five exact lookalikes appeared before the trainees.


    The appearance of these five stunned the trainees completely as they walked over and examined their lookalike.


    ¡°Call me clich¨¦, I know, a training against yourself, but I¡¯ve learned that it¡¯s actually the best form of training to know of what you lack the most. I think I¡¯ll have them train with you annually for you to see how much you¡¯ve improved every year. Today will mark your beginning. Show them what you can do.¡± Boss stated.


    ¡°Oh, you can fight now.¡± Boss added


    The moment he said that the five copies all started their assault on the originals.


    ¡°This¡¯ll be interesting.¡± Philip Syx walked over to Boss and sat down beside him. ¡°You¡¯re going to beat the trainees up or let them win?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll beat them up.¡± Boss smiled in reply as he watched the tragedy that befell the trainees start to occur.


    Immediately Julie¡¯s copies froze her completely in place, she couldn¡¯t even move as the trainee rushed at her and battered her with a barrage of attacks.


    A seraphim with eight wings emerged behind Arthur¡¯s copy causing Arthur to stare at it in fright, it was the exact same one he had seen in his nightmares. He couldn¡¯t believe he was seeing it before his eyes. The seraphim slowly walked over to Arthur who fell onto his butt.


    Shelly calmly stared at the copy of herself. Both of them did not budge as they gauged each other. Eventually, the copy ran up to her with the first attack.


    Bam bam bam!


    Both little girls traded blows and dodged whatever they could, the agility they displayed was beyond that of a normal 10 year old.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that everyone else was focused on their own fight to look over, they would be shocked and awed by the sight.


    ¡°What do you think, Syx?¡± Boss asked the robe figure beside him.


    ¡°They¡¯re so weak.¡± Syx answered honestly. ¡°Only Shelly seems like she¡¯ll be able to keep up with the dispersal.¡±


    Boss leaned back and casually observed the five trainees train against their counterpart. ¡°I think the other four has potential.¡±


    Syx looked over at Boss and then back to the battle. ¡°Everyone has potential, but Shelly is the only one I can picture surviving. That is¡­without us around.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s good that we won¡¯t go anywhere, right?¡± Boss laid down and looked up at the clouds in the skies.


    Philip Syx did the same and looked up watching the clouds. ¡°It feels pretty good to be early for once.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Boss smiled and gently closed his eyes. He recalled all the planets he¡¯s visited in his lifetime. ¡°It¡¯s good to take a break every few hundred years in hopes to see miracles like this.¡±


    Syx looked over at the completely relaxed Boss and spoke up. ¡°You know, you¡¯re a bit too relaxed right now, is an evolving planet really a miracle?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you¡¯re just something I created, why¡¯re you questioning me?¡± Boss retorted.


    ¡°Cause I was made this way.¡± Philip Syx replied. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re not the only peak existence in this universe there¡¯s still others who are roaming around looking for planets like these¡­ if these inhabitants have prophecies about apostles, it could be us or another existence.¡±


    ¡°Peak? Not even close.¡± Boss replied. He continued to say, ¡°It¡¯s fine, she should be watching over me, I doubt she would let me die.¡±


    ¡°But, if you do die, she¡¯ll be the next King, everyone will be at her command.


    ¡°As if they aren¡¯t at her command already. She can have that title if she wants, I¡¯d rather be a drifter anyways.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha.¡± Syx laughed in response.


    The hour between copies and originals ended as expected. A one-sided beatdown as Boss continued to ramp up the powers of the copies. He wanted to show each of them what they could do with and without their powers. Seth and Michael were destroyed by pure martial arts technique. Showing them what absolute monsters they could become.


    Arthur and Julie were given a glimpse of how powerful their powers could be at just the lowest Tier.


    Boss knew Shelly didn¡¯t want to reveal anything about herself, so he allowed for the fight between her and the copy to be purely physical and technical. The two white haired 10 ? year old girls fought against each other purely with their hands and legs.


    To Boss¡¯ amusement Shelly¡¯s ability to remember everything she¡¯s seen even worked in terms of fighting as early on she quickly grasped the movements of her copy and replicated it. The copy and the original swapped places as Shelly quickly adapted to all the martial moves presented to her within the hour. Alas, a copy with near unlimited energy will always triumph over an original who, while talented is still only mortal.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Boss remarked as he gazed at the trainees who was covered in bruises. ¡°This was my final training for you kids.¡± Boss said in a childish voice. ¡°Once we¡¯re in Asmar you¡¯re free to relax and do whatever you want. Let¡¯s go back now.¡±


    The five trainees smiled and weakly nodded their heads before collapsing completely on the ground. They were too exhausted to even say a single word as Boss¡¯ training pushed each of them to their limits.


    Boss sighed and teleported them all back to the Inn. He pulled out the five energy pills and placed one in each of their mouth. the energy within the pill exploded and embraced their entire body in veil of light as it became one with their body.


    Immediately, the bruises on their body can be seen fading with the naked eye as their face once completely exhausted became vibrant with vitality.


    Another two hours passed by before everyone woke up at the same time. To their surprise they felt completely refreshed and energized as they turned to look at each other. A gasp could be heard coming from Julie amazed at how flawless everyone¡¯s skins looked, even the scar on Seth¡¯s face made him look more handsome.


    ¡°Woah¡­what happened to us?¡± Seth asked.


    ¡°Boss gave us the energy pills.¡± Shelly answered. She then turned her head towards the clock on the wall.


    Michael looked at the time and exclaimed ¡°Crap! We¡¯re going to be late!¡±


    ¡°Quickly!¡± Julie exclaimed as they all rushed out of the door.

 83. That evening Gran was curious

    Chapter 83. That evening Gran was curious


    <hr>


    That evening Gran was curious at the sight of the five trainees before him. There was something different about them, but he did not know what.


    It was not until the training commenced that he realizes what it was. Their ability to expand their meditative energy outwards and control it improved by a whole level. It was not the first time this happened, yet this time it was an even more apparent.


    The boys managed to almost make it halfway through the hour without getting a single hit. They were almost as good as Julie when she first attempted meditation a month ago. For the girls, Gran knew there was nothing left for him to teach, their abilities were already good before, but now? Gran could only shake his head when comparing them to his younger self.


    Gran smiled at the trainees like a master who is proud of his pupils. He wanted to teach them more but knew that it was time to say goodbye. He walked over to each of them and snapped the stick in his hand into five equally perfect pieces.


    ¡°To commemorate the last day of our training, here¡¯s something for you all to remember.¡± Gran handed the pieces to each of the trainees. ¡°No matter how weak, talentless, you feel that you are. Whether you are born normal or an Exotic, young or old. With hard work, dedication, and consistent training each day, you all have made improvements that shows for itself.¡±


    ¡°These pieces aren¡¯t just part of the stick I used to smack you all every evening. It is a reminder of all the days where you felt like giving up, but persevered. It is a reminder that if you just keep at it for one more day, it is another day of making progress towards your dreams and goals. It is a reminder that it is never too early or late for anything. All you have to do is start.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a broken stick, no?¡± Boss looked over and asked. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by this man here, he¡¯s the Chief. He could¡¯ve given you all anything you wanted and all he handed to you was a stick he didn¡¯t need anymore. How can you be so shameless? I won¡¯t bring this up again if you give me something too.¡±


    Gran and the five trainees didn¡¯t know what to say. In the end Gran walked over to the window and looked outside. He used his power and placed a smooth rock on Boss¡¯ hands. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Does this serve as a reminder that even if you¡¯re a small rock, one day you can become a big boulder like the name of this village?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°No, this is a reminder of something I want to hit you with.¡± Gran stated bluntly. He then looked over at the five trainees and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all first thing in the morning for the paper.¡±


    Gran sent the five out on their way and pulled Boss aside. He leaned down and whispered ¡°What happened to them? How did they improve so much since this morning?¡±


    Boss picked his nose and flicked the booger onto the ground. ¡°No idea Chief, must¡¯ve been something they ate or maybe they found a magic rock.¡±


    Gran leered at the boy who was hiding something and sighed. ¡°Gonna miss seeing you all each morning, you going to keep that?¡± Gran glanced at the rock in Boss¡¯ hands.


    Boss tucked the rock in between the sleeves of his robes and replied. ¡°Yep, it¡¯ll serve as a reminder for me to find ways to annoy you.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha.¡± Gran laughed as he rustled Boss¡¯ hair causing the wig to fall off.


    Sigh


    ¡°There¡¯s just too much going on in this world, too many weird people like those robed people are cropping up, I¡¯ve even heard rumors that those from Ere will be visiting our countries too. Gah, they always make us anxious whenever they show up.¡±


    Gran continued to look off towards where the kids all left. ¡°I¡¯m just glad that for most of the year our kids are under the protection of institutions surrounded by teachers who can keep them protected.¡±


    Boss turned towards the same direction and casually replied. ¡°What if there comes a day where they can¡¯t protect all the children?¡±


    Gran thought for a bit and calmly replied. ¡°Then that will be the day where nowhere in the world is safe.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that there¡¯s still many years of peace to come.¡± Boss answered.


    ¡°Ahaha, when the tension between countries and kingdoms are like this, I just wish it remains tense forever.¡±


    Boss picked the wig off the ground and dusted it off, placing it back on top of his head. ¡°Alright, I think it¡¯s time to head back. Do you know when you¡¯re visiting the Pope?¡±


    Boss asked. He continued to say, ¡°If you didn¡¯t know yet, he¡¯ll be leaving Rouge once his people are back.¡±


    Gran thought about it for a moment and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll wait until he can be moved, rushing it won¡¯t benefit anyone.¡±


    Boss nodded his head and walked off towards the entrance. ¡°Fudge, I¡¯m tired.¡± He muttered underneath his breath as he waved goodbye to the gatekeepers.


    He quickly disappeared after exiting the gate and faceplanted himself on the pillow in his room. The sound of heavy snoring could be heard as he slept throughout the night.


    Once morning arrived Boss woke up, relaxed, and energized as he looked around. The sun hadn¡¯t risen yet, but the room remained brightly lit from the bright balls. Both Michael and Arthur were putting their entire effort into writing what they wanted to say to Gran.


    Boss walked over and glanced over the shoulders of the two. Both Michael and Arthur were lost in their writing they didn¡¯t even notice his presence hanging over them.


    ¡°You two have written quite a lot.¡± Boss muttered out loud, startling the two from their writing.


    Yawn~


    ¡°Good morning Boss.¡± Arthur stretched himself as he greeted. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Did you two stay up all night?¡± Boss did not need an answer as just the look on their faces easily gave it away. ¡°The sun hasn¡¯t risen yet, you two have two hours left.¡± Boss answered.


    ¡°Are you getting breakfast?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°Probably.¡± Boss answered. ¡°If I do, are you two going to join me?¡±


    ¡°I want to finish writing first.¡± Arthur replied as he returned back to writing.


    ¡°I¡¯m with Arthur, we¡¯ll eat after we¡¯re done.¡± Michael also rejected.


    Both Michael and Arthur returned to writing, they wanted to express everything they had to say to Gran and to whoever else that would potentially read it.


    Boss left the two alone and looked around the room, the things that carried with them were already neatly packed and ready to go last night. The urn of the Tamarinds stood above the drawers, not once touched or move since their first day here. Boss quietly picked it up and sighed. ¡°It seems like it¡¯ll take awhile for us to find that peaceful place for you two.¡±


    Boss placed the urns back down and calmly exited the room. He walked into the dining hall where he was immediately greeted by one of the chefs. ¡°Avery, what¡¯re you doing standing outside?¡±


    ¡°I tasted the breakfast to serve this morning.¡± Avery replied, his response made Boss raise an eyebrow, tasting breakfast wasn¡¯t enough for him to just stand outside here as if he was in trouble. Luckily Boss didn¡¯t have to ask exactly why as Avery continued to say. ¡°It tasted good, so I ate all of it.¡±


    Boss laughed heartily as he looked at this chef who did whatever he wanted. ¡°I¡¯m going to use your kitchen again; you can help me out if you promise not to eat what I¡¯ve made until I say so.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Head Chef!¡± Avery bowed and opened the door prompting an angry yelling coming from inside.


    ¡°AVERY! CLOSE THAT DOOR! YOU¡¯RE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE!¡± The Head Chef exclaimed.


    ¡°It¡¯s me~¡± Boss answered as he walked in. ¡°I¡¯ll be using your kitchen again today.¡±


    ¡°H-Head Chef!¡± The Head Chef exclaimed as he quickly rushed up and greeted Boss.


    ¡°Stop calling me that.¡± Boss replied and answered. ¡°Just call me Boss, you¡¯re the Head Chef ya¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes! Boss!¡± The Head Chef instantly led Boss inside.


    Boss casually looked around and went to where he prepared his dishes last time. He spoke up. ¡°What ingredients do you have today?¡±


    The Head Chef alongside the other five quickly listed off everything they had inside for the day. Boss nodded his head and had them bring out a few ingredients.


    One of the Chef, Harla who was kicked out alongside Avery last time spoke up and asked, ¡°Are you making breakfast eggs?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ pretty much.¡±


    ¡°Why do you need these other stuff?¡± Avery asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m making a nostalgic dish I hadn¡¯t had in a long time.¡± Boss answered.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Avery asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s called Omurice.¡± Boss answered.


    ¡°Omu¡­rice?¡± The other chefs had never herd of such a name. Was it something another country or kingdom had made? They didn¡¯t know, they wanted to ask but Boss didn¡¯t give them time, he was already preparing the ingredients.


    ¡°Just do what I tell you, it¡¯s simple but may take you guys a few tries.¡± Boss answered. He then turned towards the door. ¡°Why¡¯re you still standing there Avery? Come in and close the door.¡±


    Avery quickly walked in as the door slowly swayed to a shut.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Boss asked.


    ¡°Yes! Head Chef!¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    ¡­


    Another piece of paper crumpled to a ball and tossed into the trash as Orchid leaned back into her seat. It was a paper from her personal teacher in Naturelle. She was lost in thought as she angrily tapped the desk with her fingertip, picking up pace as if she wanted to burn a hole straight through.


    ¡°Gah!¡± She quickly reached into the trash, unfurling the paper and opened it again, reading the contents inside. ¡°To Orchid, come to Naturelle, I need your help with another experiment, if we can get it to work, we can make everyone stronger, I¡¯ll tell you more when you¡¯re here. ¨C Magrov B.¡±


    Orchid was hesitating, she knew what this could mean, an experiment to make people stronger? She knew if she helped her teacher out the first one to benefit from it will be her and her closes friends and families. However, after that it will be in the control of Margov and the Tillowisk Empire, everything else will be for an enemy country.


    The only reason why she was hesitating was because of what happened to Gran. Enemies not even a prodigy like him was able to deal with them. From what Cobble told her one was a Tier 3, not even a Tier 4 but they managed to harm Gran, injure Pebble, and crippled a Teacher from Lumiere.


    She couldn¡¯t believe it until she saw the injuries on the three men. She wanted to make excuses that they were Exotics and the next time they fight it¡¯ll go better now that they understood the powers. But¡­ each of them only showed one ability and another didn¡¯t even fight the entire time. Will it really go the way she hopes it would? She shook her head.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯ll go eat first.¡± Orchid got up and walked downstairs, it was time for breakfast to be served.


    ¡­


    ¡°FINISHED!¡± Arthur exclaimed in excitement as he held up the paper in his hands waving it around in joy.


    Michael leaned back in his seat and stretched arms outwards. ¡°Aaaah, same here.¡± Michael quickly got up off his seat and fixed the papers in into a neat pile. ¡°Let¡¯s go get ready for today.¡±


    The two quickly got cleaned up and head out.


    They stopped by the girl¡¯s room and knocked.


    Knock knock


    Shelly calmly opened the door and looked at the two tired faces of the boys standing before her. She raised an eyebrow and let them in.


    ¡°How was your writing?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°We finished last night.¡± Julie answered as she dried her hair. ¡°How about you guys? It seems like you didn¡¯t sleep at all.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t.¡± Michael sighed in exasperation. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to write at all.¡±


    ¡°You finished it now, right?¡± Julie placed the towel down on the bedside and asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s done.¡± Michael answered.


    ¡°What about you Arthur, did you do the same as Michael? You look awfully tired too.¡±


    Arthur nodded his head. ¡°I finished it though.¡±


    ¡°Will you two be alright?¡± Julie asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just sleep on the ride to Asmar, there should be no problem.¡± Michael answered.


    ¡°Uh huh!¡± Arthur agreed.


    ¡°Did you two already pack up?¡± Julie asked.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re done with that too, everything is done on our side. Are you done too?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°Mhm~ Look!¡± Julie walked them over to the bedside hidden from their view. Piles of souvenirs and clothing could be seen neatly piled together, all that was left was to pack it up onto the carriage and depart.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat while we still have some time left.¡± Michael stated as he headed towards the door.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Julie was right beside him as she held onto his arm and pulled him in the lead.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡± Arthur repeated as he excitedly hurried out the door.


    Shelly calmly closed the door and followed the three from behind. The four of them were casually walking downstairs when a voice made them turn their head.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re having breakfast too?¡± Orchid spoke up and asked.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Arthur answered. ¡°I think Boss is making breakfast for us.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Orchid asked. ¡°The little boy can make breakfast?¡±


    ¡°I hope so! It¡¯s great!¡± Arthur¡¯s answer perplexed Orchid. Her chefs even let a kid like Boss operate and cook in the kitchen? ¡°Maybe I should discipline then more¡­¡± Orchid thought to herself as she quickly sped up her pace towards the dining hall.


    She barged straight into the kitchen where her eyes were bright in amazement as she stared at all six chefs moving around in perfect tandem with each other on Boss¡¯ order.


    ¡°Oh? Breakfast will be served soon, just wait outside.¡± Boss noticed the woman who was wide eyed at the scene and teleported her to a table.


    ¡°Ho-how?!¡± Orchid exclaimed as she found herself standing in front of a table next to the trainees.


    She quickly recalled the teleporting walls that she had seen on the first day and during the day of scares. ¡°Was it him?¡± Orchid thought to herself. She wanted to ask Gran about who was the person that created such a marvelous invisible teleporting walls, however Gran was kept avoiding her anytime he wasn¡¯t around Roselyn. That day Gran shamelessly stated it was Boss¡¯ doing but would anyone in their right mind believe a little boy did all of that? Of course not.


    ¡°Sit, auntie Orchid.¡± Arthur tapped on the table at the surprised woman standing before them. ¡°Is Boss inside?¡± He asked.


    Orchid nodded her head and slowly sat down. ¡°He-he teleported me¡­?¡± Orchid muttered.


    ¡°Uh huh, he can do that.¡± Arthur stated.


    ¡°He knows how to teleport and cook things with his mouth¡­?¡± Orchid asked again.


    ¡°Yeah¡­?¡± Arthur answered with a weird look on his face. ¡°He can do even more than that!¡±


    Orchid became lost in thought as she heard Arthur¡¯s reply.


    It wasn¡¯t until the kitchen door opened that she was back to herself as chefs after chefs walked out with the dishes in their hand, they were all the same thing. A yellowish oval shape thing with squiggly lines of sauce on top of it.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Orchid poked at the breakfast and asked.


    ¡°Boss called it omurice.¡± Harla answered. ¡°Be right back!¡± She quickly entered the kitchen and brought enough of the plates for everyone who was waiting for breakfast.


    Once the last plate was placed Boss casually walked out with a plate of his own and sat down on the table beside them. The moment he sat down all the other chefs sat down in unison.


    ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Eat up.¡± Boss ordered.


    ¡°Yes! Head Chef!¡± The six chefs exclaimed on Boss¡¯ order. Even the actual Head Chef did the same and started to dig in. The ecstasy on their face couldn¡¯t be controlled as they quickly expressed their joy on how delicious the food in their mouth was.


    Orchid raised an eyebrow and looked around her, everyone had the same expression of delight as they ate.


    ¡°Was it really that good?¡± Orchid thought to herself and slowly took a bite.


    Her eyes went wide the moment the flavor touched her tongue and down her throat. She couldn¡¯t stop, one scoop, two scoops, she kept going until the plate of hers was licked clean before she remembered where she was.


    ¡°What happened¡­?¡± Orchid thought as she looked down on the perfectly clean plate. ¡°Did I do that¡­?¡±


    Her expression caused everyone to laugh. They remembered their first time eating a dish of Boss, it was exactly how Orchid look like. They were lost in the food they didn¡¯t notice their surrounding until after they were done eating.


    ¡°That was good! Thank you Boss!¡± Arthur exclaimed. ¡°Can I get more?¡±


    His question caused Orchid to eagerly look at Boss who was smiling at them. Boss quickly replied, ¡°No, only one per person.¡±


    ¡°Awww¡­¡± Arthur sighed dejectedly. ¡°I wished I had another¡­¡±


    As if his wish was being granted, a silhouette loomed over Arthur and placed a plate of omurice directly before him.


    Arthur turned around and looked up at the tall fully covered dark hooded person with a backpack standing behind him.


    ¡°Wh-who are you?!¡± Arthur exclaimed; he was scared of hooded people after what happened a few days ago.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    The person didn¡¯t seem to hear his question or even paid attention to the gazes of everyone sitting around and walked over to a table.


    A dark blue haired man with dark blue eyes was eagerly about to dig into his plate of omurice after seeing everyone else eating.


    However, before he could even take the first bite the plate was quickly whisked away from him by the backpacked robed figure and carried over to Arthur and placed down before him.


    Arthur looked at the two plates with wide eye and asked. ¡°Fo-for me?¡±


    The person nodded their head and looked back at Boss who was curiously looking at him.


    ¡°Bu-but, Boss said only one per person¡­¡±


    The moment Orchid heard Arthur¡¯s refusal she inched her hand over to steal a plate only to receive a slap on the hand by the hooded fellow.


    ¡°H-hey! Do you know who I am!? I¡¯m the boss of this Inn!¡± Orchid exclaimed.


    However, the hooded figure did not care who she was and slowly pulled the plate closer to Arthur away from Orchid.


    Arthur was completely embarrassed at this situation as he looked at the two plates of omurice before him and at the enormous figure who was urging him to eat it.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Arthur was at a loss for words.


    Hearing Arthur¡¯s mutter the large figure tilted their head and looked behind them. They spotted another plate at a table nearby and slowly walked over to retrieve it.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± Arthur exclaimed as he finally realized this person will just steal every plate until he ate and stopped him. ¡°Thank you for the omurice, but it is yours and I can¡¯t eat it.¡± Arthur answered.


    The dark blue haired person and blue-eyed person sighed at his companion¡¯s troublemaking and quickly walked over.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing Dylan?¡± He stated to the dark robed figure.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Dylan replied.


    The dark blue haired figure rolled their eyes and reached down and took a plate in front of Arthur. He looked at the little silver haired boy and stated. ¡°Dylan says he¡¯s not hungry and you can have his. But! I¡¯ll take mine back, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Mister!¡± Arthur exclaimed as the blue haired and robed figure walk away.


    Sigh


    ¡°What is it?¡± The dark blue haired person turned around and asked.


    ¡°Here!¡± Arthur cut up half the omurice and handed plate back to Dylan and Jacob.


    ¡°You should try it! It¡¯s delicious.¡± Arthur answered. ¡°This is okay, right?¡±


    Dylan thought for a moment and accepted his plate back with half the omurice and walked back to their table. Everyone paid attention to the two people who were back at their table.


    Both of the two men took their first bite at the same time causing the entire atmosphere inside the room to change instantly. Before they knew it both the men were stealing pieces from the other¡¯s plate and shoving it in their mouth.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Everyone quickly turned their attention back to their table and then at Arthur ignoring the competitive scene between the two grown men fighting for each other¡¯s food.


    ¡°Do you know who were those two?¡± Julie asked.


    Arthur shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen them, but¡­ that blue hair guy looks familiar.


    ¡°Strange, they seemed like they know who you were though.¡± Michael replied.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t know them?¡± Orchid asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Arthur answered as he looked over to the grown men eating and then back at his plate.


    He split it in half again and handed it to Orchid. ¡°Here you go auntie, I know you wanted some more.¡±


    Orchid unashamedly took the plate to herself and started to eat.


    ¡°Mm~!¡± Orchid continued to eat without care of the attention on her.


    Arthur also finished remainder of the plate and sighed in satisfaction.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving today aren¡¯t ya?¡± Orchid asked.


    The trainees nodded their head. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to Naturelle?¡±


    ¡°Michael and I will be going to the area of the dispersal, but Shelly Arthur and Boss will be going to Naturelle.¡± Julie answered.


    ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Orchid thought to herself. She then looked over to Boss. ¡°Are you going to be making more food like this too?¡±


    Boss raised an eyebrow and replied. ¡°Most likely.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯m going with you guys too.¡± Orchid answered to the disbelief of on everyone¡¯s face. She quickly got up and walked towards the door. ¡°Tell me when you¡¯re leaving, I¡¯ll go pack up.¡±


    All eyes were on the trainees and Boss who were confused at what just happened. ¡°If she leaves, who will be taking care of the Inn?¡± Rea, one of the chefs spoke up and asked. ¡°Will we not have a job?¡±


    The Head Chef was equally confused. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just let Gran know.¡± Boss answered nonchalantly. ¡°Speaking of Gran, we¡¯ve got to go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡± Harla asked.


    ¡°When I¡¯m back I want to see more creative tasty dishes, alright?¡± Boss asked


    ¡°Yes chef!¡± They answered in unison.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go say goodbye to Gran and them.¡± Boss got up and walked out of the Inn. The rest of the trainees followed suit.


    ¡°Hey, guys¡­¡± Arthur spoke up halfway to Gran¡¯s estate. ¡°Where¡¯s Seth?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t sleep in did he?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°He might have.¡± Julie answered.


    By the time they arrived the loud sound of farm animals could be heard as they made it closer to the backside.


    Two rows of animals stood align as they looked up at Barkie and Silver who was sitting on top of the head of the tallest horse there.


    ¡°Bark bark!¡± I¡¯ll be back, so train hard and don¡¯t lose to that creature¡¯s army.


    ¡°Mew.¡±


    ¡°Barkie, Silver!¡± Arthur exclaimed at the two pets.


    Barkie and Silver turned around and the horse carrying them raced in front of the Arthur and Shelly as if they were competing.


    Both pets equally arrived before their masters at the same time. Barkie looked over at the kitten before it with a smug look on its face.


    ¡°Bark bark.¡± How does it feel to tie?


    The kitten paid Barkie no mind and hopped into Shelly¡¯s embrace. It then curled into a ball and started to purr.


    Seeing the kitten land on Shelly before it did the same to Arthur Barkie felt as if it had lost somehow.


    It dejectedly patted the horse¡¯s head and lowered the horse down before Arthur before hopping onto Arthur¡¯s embrace. Arthur quickly plopped Barkie on his head as the two continued trainees continued to walk towards where Gran was waiting for them


    ¡°Seth!¡± The four exclaimed the moment they saw Seth standing there waiting beside Gran.


    ¡°Took you four long enough.¡± Seth greeted the four and pulled out the paper in his hands. ¡°Took me all night writing this, I couldn¡¯t remain back at the Inn, so I left once I was done.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­Where is the Chief?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°Gran went inside, he said he¡¯ll be right back.¡± Seth answered.


    As if Gran heard Michael¡¯s question the door to the house opened up as Gran, Roselyn with Lotus, Pebble, Cobble, Boulder, and Dr. Galil all walked out with gifts in their hands.


    ¡°They¡¯re for you all.¡± Gran spoke up and said. ¡°Don¡¯t open it until you¡¯re in Asmar.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you!¡± The five trainees bowed and accepted the gifts.


    Gran then walked up and accepted the papers in everyone¡¯s hands. ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to write. Arthur answered. ¡°But I did it.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s good.¡± Gran rustled the boy¡¯s hair. ¡°Want to have snacks one last time before you go?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Clap! Clap!


    Maids and servants walked out with a variety of fruits and sliced cold cuts as they sat around enjoying their morning talking about their plans for the future. Arthur was especially happy that he was able to play with Lotus one last time before they had to go.


    Clip clop clip clop


    After a few hours the sound of horses could be heard walking towards them. Two large horse carriage arrived shortly after.


    ¡°Use our horse carriage for your trip to Asmar, it¡¯s better than any other ones.¡± Gran stated factually. ¡°There¡¯s enough room in the carriage to carry six people each.¡±


    The trainees all stepped inside the horse carriage with their gifts and looked back at the family who welcomed them. ¡°Thank you!¡± they shouted as their carriage went back to the Inn.


    Boss stood alongside Gran and the rest while watching the horse carriage carry the trainees away back to the Inn. ¡°Oh right, Orchid will be coming with us to Naturelle. Find someone to take over the Inn in her place.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Gran exclaimed in surprise.


    ¡°See ya.¡± Boss disappeared right after, reappearing on the seat within the carriage.


    ¡°Moo!¡± They¡¯re gone!


    ¡°Bok!¡± Finally!


    ¡°NEIGH HEI HEI~¡± Alright! Ahaha yay!


    Gran looked over to where the domesticated farm animals were. ¡°Why are you all so loud today?¡± muttered before heading back inside the house.


    The carriage continued to travel towards the inn, once they had arrived, Seth was the first to step out of the carriage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going with my friends, so I¡¯ll see you guys there.¡± Seth spoke up and bid the four of them farewell.


    The other four hopped out of the carriage one by one and quickly went inside to bring out their luggage.


    Orchid teleported beside Boss after everyone had left. ¡°I¡¯ve got my things.¡±


    Boss looked over to Orchid and asked. ¡°How come you¡¯re leaving with us today?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s some things I need to do in Asmar first before going to Naturelle. I figured it will be best if I joined you guys. Orchid placed her luggage in the back and turned to Boss. ¡°I also think it¡¯ll be more enjoyable with you kids around too.¡±


    Boss smiled at the woman sitting beside him and accepted her answer. Moments later the four returned and noticed Orchid sitting in the carriage.


    ¡°Boss and I will use this carriage, you four can use the other one.¡± Orchid stated calmly.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Arthur smiled at Orchid and hopped inside the other carriage.


    The horse carriage slowly trotted further and further away from the Inn. Their next destination Asmar.


    ¡­


    ¡°Ke ke ke¡­it¡¯s them isn¡¯t it?¡± A raspy voice could be heard talking a blue robed individual within the room of an Asmar Inn. ¡°They¡¯re coming here, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°The Galafray¡¯s kids¡­It seems like it.¡± B2 held the paper of with details of every single individual that intervened on the attack by K1 and K2.


    ¡°What if they know we killed the Tamarinds?¡± The raspy voice asked.


    ¡°That is not a problem.¡± B2 replied. He continued to look at the paper and squinted his eyes at two particular individuals. ¡°These two though¡­troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Jacob and Dylan Galafray? Ke ke ke! I want to kill them.¡±


    B2 sighed and placed the paper on the drawer beside him. ¡°Don¡¯t expose your bloodlust if you see them, I won¡¯t interfere if you do something reckless, Charlemagne¡±


    ¡°COME ON! COME ON! COME ON! LETS KILL THEM!!!¡±


    ¡°Kill them, or the energy dispersal point.¡± B2 stated calmly.


    ¡°BOTH!¡±


    ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°BOTH!¡±


    ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°Dispersal point then, ke ke ke."


    ¡°Will you do what I ask of you Charlemagne?¡± B2 sat down on the bed and asked.


    ¡°Why of course, Dr. Bishop. Ke ke ke¡­or should I say¡ª"


    ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ke¡­ke¡­ke¡­it¡¯s morning¡±


    ¡°Still¡­just go to sleep.¡±

 84. Woaah!

    Chapter 84. Woaah!


    <hr>


    ¡°Woaah!¡± Arthur in the second carriage exclaimed as he marveled at the sight. They had made it past the flowers, over the bridge and water was now everywhere. They looked off to their side only to see an ocean of water spanning far across the horizon with no end in sight. Sea birds hovered in the skies swooping down to catch fish, or sneak one from nearby fishermen boat further out in the middle of the ocean.


    On their right, wooden ships of various shapes and sizes were going in and out of the harbor docking, loading and unloading cargo. Merchants and their crew were swarming each ship loading the cargo into horse drawn carriages ready to move them to other towns, villages, and kingdoms across the country.


    On their left, an entire town further away from the water surrounded by vegetation. The town was filled with brightly colored buildings with road enough room for even the biggest horse carriages to easily walk to and from where they were going.


    One beautiful enormous white ship immediately caught their eyes as they looked around.


    ¡°Woaaah! It¡¯s such a pretty boat.¡± Arthur¡¯s eyes were glued on the sail of the ship, an enormous white background with a beautiful green and blue planet directly at the center.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s Naturelle¡¯s ship.¡± Julie speculated as she pointed at the insignia. ¡°Poe and the rest of the kids was wearing a robe that had that on it.¡±


    ¡°I wanna go exploring!¡± Arthur exclaimed in excitement.


    ¡°You all can go exploring after we settle at an Inn.¡± Boss overheard Arthur¡¯s excitement and replied. ¡°The Inn keeper is a friend of Orchid and she says there will be a good discount for us if we go there.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡± Arthur pointed forward as if he was able to command the horses carrying them to go faster. However, Arthur had no such ability, the second carriage maintained its speed as it followed behind the first.


    They turned left towards the brightly colored towns, on both side of the streets beautiful buildings were everywhere.


    Clang clang clang


    ¡°A blacksmith!¡± Arthur exclaimed as he looked out the window.


    The blacksmith who was refining the iron tools above the anvil noticed Arthur¡¯s exclamation and looked over. Wiping off the sweat, he smiled and wave at the boy as the carriage continued on by.


    ¡°What¡¯s that line for?¡± Arthur asked as he looked over to a line of people standing orderly in front of a white building.


    ¡°You see that blue cross sign right there?¡± Michael directed Arthur¡¯s attention towards the white building with a blue cross sign hanging at the front. ¡°That there is a hospital. You see how each building has different colors on them? It helps people easily tell what kind of place it is.¡±


    ¡°Really? Is that true?¡± Arthur asks as both Rouge and Boulderville wasn¡¯t like this at all.


    ¡°Mhm, remember the blacksmith? He was working right outside of his place, what color was it?¡± Julie asked Arthur whose eyes couldn¡¯t stop roaming around.


    ¡°Uhhh, it was brown!¡±


    Julie nodded her head, ¡°That¡¯s right, brown ones are the blacksmith, white ones are the doctors, oh and over there.¡± She pointed at an orange building. ¡°That there should be a restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Woaaah, can we go to eat there? BOSS CAN WE EAT OVER THERE!?¡± Arthur shouted towards the carriage in front.


    ¡°We¡¯re eating at the Inn today; did you even bring money to eat out?¡± Boss asked.


    Everyone in the second carriage looked at each other in confusion. ¡°We don¡¯t have any coins!¡± Arthur shouted after seeing the weird look on everyone¡¯s faces.


    Orchid curiously looked over at Boss who was sitting beside her. ¡°They didn¡¯t bring any coins at all? Did the Governor not give you guys anything?¡±


    ¡°He was in a rush to kick us out, I managed to borrow some from him before we go though.¡± Boss answered. He then shouted back to Arthur. ¡°Then too bad! I guess we¡¯re starving then!¡±


    ¡°Whaaat!?¡± Michael, Julie and Arthur couldn¡¯t believe what they heard. ¡°What do we do? What do we do!? WHAT DO WE DO!?~¡±


    ¡°Ahaha.¡± The two from the first carriage were laughing as they heard the trio¡¯s response.


    After a short moment later, Orchid then returned to Boss and continued to ask, ¡°Won¡¯t you think about it?¡±


    Boss slowly scooted away from Orchid and replied, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to teach you how to cook.¡±


    Orchid quickly grasped Boss and pulled him back close to her. ¡°Come on~ please?¡±


    ¡°Gah, why do you wanna learn how to cook from me anyways?¡±


    ¡°Because if I can cook as good as you, Gran will definitely marry me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ alright I¡¯ll teach you how to cook then.¡± Boss thought about it answered.


    Orchid was overjoyed after finally being able to persuade Boss to teach her how to cook that she couldn¡¯t help but hug the boy beside her tight.


    Boss rolled his eyes and sighed. ¡°If I didn¡¯t agree she would pester me the entire time we¡¯re together.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Did you say something?¡± Orchid looked down and asked.


    ¡°N-no, you¡¯re hearing things.¡±


    ¡°Yay~¡± Orchid continued to squeeze Boss tightly as the carriage continued to travel deeper into the town.


    The four in the second carriage continued to converse with each other about Asmar and the different colored buildings. It was mainly just Arthur asking every single question and Michael and Julie answering. Shelly was quietly asleep with Silver in her lap.


    The once brightly packed towns filled with people and buildings slowly started to become scarcer as the carriage continued to travel forward. The once smooth wide road became increasingly bumpy and narrow as the carriage rocked side to side.


    ¡°Are we really going to an Inn? Didn¡¯t we pass by at least a dozen of them? Why are we going further away from town?¡± Julie spoke up her thoughts and asked.


    Michael and Arthur had no idea why they did not take any of the Inns back near the harbor and shrugged their shoulders.


    Arthur did not mind all the greenery around him as it him of Rouge. It made him remember home.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Orchid¡¯s voice called out from the first carriage.


    Sparse hut-like homes started to crop up as they continued to traverse the road. The trio looked out and noticed that as they continued forward more and more huts started to form as the carriage turned towards the direction of the huts.


    The speed of the horses started to slow down before completely stopping. The once excited trio did not know what to say as they looked around. All around them were huts no bigger than a small house back in Rouge and Boulderville.


    Shelly opened her eyes the moment they stopped and picked up her luggage and hopped out following Boss and Orchid who had already exited.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    The trio followed after and stepped out from each side as they grouped up with Boss and Orchid who was standing ahead of them.


    Orchid took a long breath of air as she inhaled the smell all around them and exhaled in satisfaction. ¡°Aah~ we¡¯re here!¡± Orchid walked up to a shabby looking inn with a half-broken gate and gave it a kick to open.


    Boss and Shelly quietly followed behind Orchid who was practically skipping her way in. The expression between the first three and the last three people were completely opposites of one another as Orchid kicked opened the front door opened too.


    ¡°Orchy!~¡± An exited high pitch voice from a young girl could be heard coming from within as the group entered.


    ¡°Jella!~¡± Orchid ran up to the high pitched girl and tightly hugged her.


    ¡°Wh-what are we seeing?¡± Michael and Julie were completely flabbergasted at the sight between the two women.


    ¡°Everyone, this is Angelina, the best Inn Keeper of all of Asmar, and my best friend.¡±


    Angelina¡¯s rested head looked up from Orchid¡¯s shoulder towards the kids standing further behind. She was wearing a beautiful red, black and white gown as her beautiful brown hair flowed down to her backside. When she gazed upon them with her mesmerizing cyan eyes even Michael felt a bit guilty.


    Angelina smiled at them and walked over.


    ¡°Hey everyone, I¡¯m Angelina, Orchy likes to call me Jella, but I also go by Ange, Angie, Lina, and anything else you can think of. As long as it¡¯s something close I¡¯ll respond to it.¡± Angelina smiled at the kids and warmly welcomed them in.


    To their surprise the Inn was a lot more spacious than it looked from outside, the group was quickly escorted deeper in until they reached a hallway with six doors.


    Angelina quickly pulled out six keys and swirled it around her fingertip. ¡°Six rooms for six guests, if you like to sleep together, I can arrange that too.¡± Angelina¡¯s eyes lingered a bit longer on Michael and Julie as she finished saying that.


    Both Michael and Julie¡¯s face were red as they looked away from each other, trying to cool themselves down.


    ¡°Woaaah I get my own room?¡± Arthur asks, completely oblivious to what Angelina meant.


    ¡°Of course, here¡¯s your key.¡± Angelina handed the key to Arthur and tapped on door beside her.


    Arthur quickly unlocked the door and gasped in amazement. ¡°Wow!¡± before running in and looking around.


    The others looked inside as their eyes widen in surprise. The room was beautifully designed with an enormous soft bed at center. Drapes on both sides of the windows allowed for them to adjust the lighting coming through. A nightstand beside the bed with a familiar looking bright ball underneath a dark cloth could be seen.


    ¡°You can put your clothes in the drawer and shelves over here and this door leads you to the bathroom.¡± Angelina opened the door on the furthest side of the bed and led them in. It was another spacious room with a bathtub, sink, mirror and a toilet.


    ¡°Every room is like this one and the beds are easily big enough to fit two, if you want to sleep together you can let me know or just hand me one of the keys back.¡± Angelina stated again and quickly handed a key to everyone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in the front if anyone needs me, feel free to roam and enjoy yourself, we also have a small pool in the back if you want to go swimming. If you¡¯re hungry I can bring food to your room, or you can dine in the dining hall at the front.¡± Angelina smiled again and continued. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me it seems like another guest has arrived.¡±


    The five kids waved Angelina goodbye as Orchid also followed Angelina to the front. Michael and Julie held the key in their hand still embarrassed about the situation and took the two rooms next to each other. Shelly took the one next to Arthur and Boss took the one across from Orchid.


    ¡°Welcome to Asmar¡¯s finest Inn!¡± Orchid exclaimed the moment two silhouettes walked in. However, before she could continue the dark blue hair and eyes of one of the two silhouettes immediately made her eyes widen in surprise. ¡°It''s them!¡¯


    ¡°Welcome~¡± Angelina politely greeted the two men who was standing at the front desk. ¡°My name is Angelina; would you like one room or two?¡± Angelina asked.


    ¡°Hello~! We¡¯ll take one¡ª¡±


    Jacob tried to answer, but before he could finish Dylan pushed him away and lifted up two fingers. ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Two rooms? Alright, right this way.¡± Angelina calmly escorted the two men towards the room closest to Arthur. ¡°These two rooms are yours.¡± Angelina calmly handed the keys to the men and winked at Orchid who was awkwardly quiet.


    ¡°There¡¯s a pool in the back and if you want meal delivered to your room just let me know in the front or you can carry it yourself from the dining hall.¡± Angelina calmly restated what she had said to the kids.


    She continued to say, ¡°Two rooms will be 50 silver coins each day, I¡¯ll also accept 1,000 coppers or a gold coin too.¡±


    Both Jacob and Dylan stopped their hands from reaching the doorknob the moment they heard the price.


    Jacob smiled at Angelina in the sweetest way possible and spoke up. ¡°Miss, we don¡¯t have that much money.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­then I¡¯m sorry but if you can¡¯t afford a room, you should look elsewhere.¡± Angelina calmly replied.


    ¡°Miss¡ª¡±


    ¡°You may call me Angelina.¡±


    ¡°Angelina, we don¡¯t want to stay anywhere else, can you please let us have a room? We¡¯ll even just take one, no we¡¯ll take your cheapest, one.? Do you have an outhouse? We¡¯ll sleep in those too!¡± Jacob replied.


    Angelina raised an eyebrow whereas Orchid was flabbergasted at what she just heard. ¡°An Exotic that was willing to sleep in an outhouse?¡± Orchid couldn¡¯t believe it at all.


    ¡°Sir, do you know what an outhouse is?¡± Angelina asked.


    ¡°Of course! An outhouse is a house outsi¡ª¡±


    Jacob¡¯s mouth was instantly covered by Dylan before he could finish. Dylan pulled out a paper with letters already written on it and handed it over to Angelina.


    Angelina looked at the paper and started reading the contents inside. She continued to look up and down between the two individuals and down at the paper as if she wanted to see if the contents on the paper is true.


    Orchid peeked over Angelina¡¯s shoulder and also read the contents of the paper. She was as much surprised as Angelina when reading it. In fact, she was even more surprised by the time she finished.


    Angelina folded the paper and tucked it between her breast. She looked up at Jacob and Dylan who were anxiously waiting for her answer, she sighed and calmly replied ¡°Although, this paper is convincing enough. You two do not have any coins, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right but we¡ª"


    Dylan instantly covered Jacob¡¯s mouth again and nodded his head.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Angelina thought for a bit and continued. ¡°Okay, as you can see, I¡¯m the owner and the only person running this Inn currently. I¡¯ll let you two pay off your rooms each day if you work for me. Will that be alright?¡±


    Dylan nodded his head before Jacob could remove his hand in protest.


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s a deal. I will let you two put things in your room. 10 minutes is enough time for you to be in the front, ready to work, right?¡± Angelina asked.


    Dylan quickly pushed Jacob into his room and closed it. He looked at Angelina and nodded his head before hurrying into his own room beside Jacob¡¯s.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s great!¡± Angelina exclaimed outside and quickly pulled Orchid away.


    Orchid was completely amazed at Angelina who was smiling happily as she pulled the paper back out and reading the contents again.


    ¡°Angelina, do you think this is okay?¡± Orchid asked.


    ¡°Hm¡­of course! I made sure it was okay before I attempted it.¡± Angelina smiled at Orchid. She continued to say. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Jacob and Dylan Galafray will be my workers. Ahaha¡±


    ¡°But, they¡¯re here for Arthur, aren¡¯t you worried at all?¡± Orchid asked.


    ¡°Bodyguard.¡± Angelina corrected.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Body. Guard.¡± Angelina pointed at the content of the paper. ¡°They¡¯re here to protect him, not for him, as long as they¡¯re allowed to stay nearby then everything is fine, right?¡± Angelina looked over at Orchid and smiled.


    ¡°Jella¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, trust me, my eyes are never wrong.¡± Angelina calmly replied. She then furrowed her brow. ¡°By the way¡­who is the white haired girl with the kitten in her arm?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Shelly, Arthur¡¯s best friend¡± Orchid answered. ¡°Why¡¯d you ask?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see her.¡± Angelina replied. ¡°I can¡¯t read her at all.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Arthur¡¯s childhood friend, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s okay.¡± Orchid reasoned.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Angelina thought for a moment before the door to the front entrance opened up again.


    ¡°Welcome! I¡¯m Angelina owner if this Inn, will you be staying here?¡± Angelina looked at the bald blue robed figure standing before her.


    ¡°Miss!¡± Jacob and Dylan ran up to Angelina and greeted.


    ¡°Angelina¡± Angelina corrected.


    ¡°Angelina, what work do we have to do for you today?¡± Jacob asked. He continued to say ¡°I can do anything, except politics, they bore me, I¡¯m especially good at fighting and I¡¯m even better at fighting. If you don¡¯t believe me you can ask Dylan here, we¡¯re best suited for anything, but especially fighting, isn¡¯t that right Dylan?¡±


    Dylan nodded his head and replied, ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Angelina looked at her two workers and then back at the person who was waiting for a room. ¡°Here¡¯s a key, would you like to show him to his room?¡±


    Angelina turned to the bald blue robed individual and stated calmly, ¡°Sir, if you¡¯d like you can follow them to your room.¡±


    The bald individual looked over to Jacob and Dylan who was fighting over the key in their hands and shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll go elsewhere.¡± The bald figured slowly departed out of the Inn.


    Cling!


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh oh it broke¡­ Dylan did it!¡± Jacob shoved the broken key into Dylan¡¯s hands who immediately raised his hands and shook his head pleading innocence. He then shoved the key back to Jacob and stood by Angelina.


    Angelina sighed and opened out her palm.


    Jacob slowly walked over and dropped the broken key into it.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, Dylan was the one who bent it, I tried to fix it by straightening it back, but it didn¡¯t look right, so I tried to pull it to make it straighter and then it broke. But Dylan was the one who broke it first, Dylan was the one who bent it, it was Dylan, not me I¡¯m¡ª¡°


    ¡°First task, fix my gate.¡± Angelina calmly interrupted Jacob and pointed at the half-broken gate door.


    Both Jacob and Dylan immediately ran out and started adjusting the gates with their bare hands.


    Sigh


    Angelina facepalmed herself as she saw what they were doing to the gate ¡°Orchy¡­I¡¯m already starting to regret my decision¡­maybe it¡¯s not that I couldn¡¯t read Shelly, maybe those two broke my eyes.¡±


    Orchid¡¯s eyes were twitching as she was looking at the two who were fighting over on how to fix the gate. ¡°Are they perhaps¡­idiots?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­¡± Angelina sighed again and walked back to the counter, pulling out a toolbox. ¡°Orchy¡­ you can go back and unpack your stuff¡­ I think I might need to fix the gate myself before they break it even more.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Orchid replied and slowly walked away. Turning around a few times only to see the rage in Angelina build up as she walked closer to the two men.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING, I SAID FIX IT.¡±


    CLANG! The sound of a toolbox being tossed against the two men before crashing onto the ground can be heard from a distance.


    ¡°FIX IT OR YOU¡¯LL WORK FOR ME FOREVER!!!¡±