Adventure of The Ten Islands: Return to The Ten Islands

1. Lenny Lim

The school bell rang after a wonderful school semester. It was the last day of the school year, Lenny as the class representative for two years running was closing the classroom with his assistant after everyone had packed their things. The two of them were on duty to clean up the place one last time before the summer break began. It was another major turning point for the fifteen-year-old; the conclusion of a chapter in his school life. The national senior high school entrance exam was long over and Lenny was confident that he did well in it. The whole classroom had fun at a restaurant and karaoke station the other day after the exam was over. It was a decent and memorable farewell for the group which had spent their last three years studying together. Starting next semester, they'll be dispatched to different senior high based on their test results. "Another goodbye then," Lenny murmured to himself, reminiscing the Junior Scientist Camp he attended three years back. His reverie took him three years back, to that November holidays; just two weeks before he moved to Taiwan. It was tough coming to a new place and a new study environment all on your own. He had no friends there, no familiar faces to talk to. Everywhere he looked were new faces, speaking in the familiar Mandarin that he knew but with a different accent, a much softer and gentler one compared to back home. None of them seemed to know any other languages unlike Lenny who grew up learning three different languages. Just when Lenny began to take in the strange new environment he was in, a familiar yet distant face came into view.

It wasn't unheard of for foreigner to study in a Taiwanese junior high. However, most of them came from part of the Orient, usually of Chinese descendant. At that time when their homeroom teacher walked into the class on his first day of school in Taiwan, he was the only foreigner in class. But after everyone had settled down, a new foreign student came in. She quickly drew the class's attention with just her appearance. In a typical Taiwanese junior high classroom, almost everyone had black hair and brown eyes; the typical trait of an Asian. The girl who just entered was clearly not of Asian origin, not completely at least. The whole class stared attentively at her as she began to introduce herself in Mandarin, with an accent distinct of a European. She was half France and half Japanese. Her hair and eyes were the things that captivated the entire class; blonde hair and green eyes were very rare traits in that part of the globe. Probably the main reasons why the whole class was staring at her like some wild animals. Her parents decided that it was a good idea for her to learn Mandarin, so they ended up enrolling her in a Taiwanese junior high school. As the only two foreigners in class, they were paired and seated next to each other on their first day in the coed school. Her name was Iris Yamato, a name that jolted memories deep within Lenny's subconscious. Her name and her appearance drew images into Lenny's mind. However, he could not trace them back to their origins. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to place the images in their correct timeline. He knew he must have seen her somewhere before, but he simply couldn't determine when and where it was. There was a distinct familiarity about her appearance, her gestures and her scent. The familiarity bothered him so much and made him cleared his doubts the moment she sat down. "Hello, I'm Lenny Lim. Have we met somewhere before?" Lenny asked. "No, I don't think so. Nice to meet you, Lenny." She replied and offered her hand. "My bad, ha-ha." Lenny shook her hand and gave a silly grin. Although her reply clearly proved that it was a case of mistaken identity, Lenny couldn't help get the lingering feeling off of his chest.

The night after his first day of school, he had more flashbacks from the past, they were vivid images that Lenny had no memories of. He woke up in the middle of the night, his entire pajamas drenched in sweat. He dreamt that he was in the middle of a battle, fighting skeletal creatures. His heart was pounding hard, as if trying to break free from his chest. The nightmares continued for a week or so before they began to occur lesser and lesser. His relationship with his classmates also grew closer as the weeks went by. He was able to make many new friends and enjoyed a great time with them. His relationship with Iris grew particularly close as he was the only person in the class whom she could convey in English with. For that very reason, the two of them were often paired up together, in team activities and gym. Iris struck everyone as an exceptionally athletic person; she was fast, agile and unbelievably strong for girl. However, Lenny was not surprised by her athletic nature, unlike everyone else in class. He somehow knew that it was her true nature even though they have only met for the first time. Things went on as usual for him and the rest of his classmates; the typical daily life of junior high student. After school, he would walk back to his grandfather's house if there weren't any extracurricular activities. Iris would often tag along with him since both of them took the same route home. More often than not, the two of them were seen walking to school and back; causing rumors about them being a couple to spread. Rumors like those weren't uncommon in junior high school life. Rumors like those tend to spread whenever people of that age saw their peers together with the opposite sex frequently. Lenny was pretty used to that kind of thing since he was a kid. His charming looks and athletic nature attracted equally many admiration from the boys and the girls, not to mention envies. He even earned himself the nickname 'Lady-killer' back in his previous school.

Over the years, the rumors simply died off as nothing much happened to fuel the slander. Lenny did however developed feelings for the blonde girl after spending more time around her, getting to know her better. Iris's father worked at the Japanese embassy in Taipei while her mother was a travelling photographer for the Agence France-Presse. He didn't have the chance to meet her parents even though he had walked her home countless time since the last three years. She told Lenny that she was usually alone at home since both her parents were busy with work. Her mom was always abroad while her dad was always cooped up in that office of his. He didn't want to be labelled as a busybody, so he usually just took her word for it. However, Lenny always had the feeling that there was more to her than she was willing to share. As his feelings for her grew, he decided to get serious about it after two years or so. But when the moment came for him to confess his feelings for her, he froze. There was something about Iris that stopped Lenny from conveying the message to her. The feeling that she led a double life or had a dark past that she was desperately trying to hide from Lenny. He knew very well that those feelings were nothing but delusions, errors of his mind. Iris's reply had already made it clear that they have never met before until after coming to Taiwan. But that fact failed to convince Lenny's subconscious. He had repeated the same question to her over the years but the reply was always the same. The question was repeatedly asked in a different form, so much so that it irritates her the moment she hears it. Lenny however, never actually clarify why he kept bombarding her with same question. He couldn't actually put them in words, his feeling of paranoia. Iris on the other hand, never once sought the reason behind his peculiar act. He stopped doing it after he infuriated her one time and caused a scene in the school. Even though three years had passed since he first met her, the feeling that Iris was not the person whom she portrayed she was still persisted.

Lenny has his grandfather to thank for his athleticism. He was attracted by his grandfather practicing Tai Chi one early morning back when he was five. His grandfather was very happy that one of his grandchild was interested in the ancient arts. He began teaching Lenny Kung Fu since a very young age. Being a grandmaster in the Chinese martial arts himself, Lenny's grandfather owned a traditional Chinese martial arts center in Taiwan. Lenny's grandpa introduced him to a friend in Malaysia who teaches the ancient arts after he returned to Taiwan. After that, Lenny continued his martial arts training under the master his grandfather introduced. By the age of eleven, he had already won two silvers in the national Wushu competitions. His grandfather invited him to study over Taiwan after he finished his primary education seeing as how he loved Wushu. He took his grandfather's offer after getting the green lights from his parents. Everything went as planned after arriving in Taiwan. Every day after school, Lenny would visit his grandpa's martial arts center to practice Wushu. The 'Dao' or Chinese broadsword was his favorite weapon of choice. He would spend some time to learn new moves from his grandpa's disciples each day. His love for sword remained unchanged until about a year ago when he had that nightmare. He dreamt that he beheaded someone with a katana. The scene was so vivid that he could actually smell the stench of human blood in his nose. His hands would tremble, his heart would race and his whole body would begin to sweat whenever the images popped up in his head. It all started after he had a spar with Iris. It turned out she was pretty good with the sword as well. The nightmare severely crippled his ability to use the sword. The images would pop out all of a sudden while he was using his practice sword, causing him to drop to his knees and shiver. He couldn't explain why he got so afraid after seeing those images even though they were only a dream. When he mentioned his nightmare to Iris, she seemed to understand it the moment the words left his mouth. There was no need for any additional explanation. Her unconditional acceptance only fueled his paranoia of her.

Lenny was taken to see a psychiatrist after his condition worsened to the point that he could no longer hold a sword. He was told by the doctor that he suffered from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. The doctor's explanation only added more confusion to Lenny. How could a mere nightmare cause such a disorder? The psychiatrist tried to find the origin of the trauma but didn't manage to dig up anything useful from Lenny's history. He was later discharged after a few sessions of counselling with a psychologist. During his sessions with the psychiatrist and psychologist, he realized that all his problems began after he arrived in Taiwan; from his first day of school, his first meeting with Iris. Of course, blaming everything on Iris is absurd. It will only serve to fuel his delusion, the error in his memories. Besides, he couldn't bring his heart to associate her with all the nightmares and flashbacks after getting to know her better. Over the years, Lenny had developed a crush on the girl whom he mistakenly identified as someone he knew. He had fell for her to the point that he was willing to confess his feelings. But the delusions he had of her held him back each and every time. Lenny completely given up on his sword practice after his counselling sessions. He began training with other weapons such as spear, wooden bar and nunchaku. He had no problems when dealing with weapons other than the sword. The gruesome images no longer surfaced while he was practicing and the problem was eventually left forgotten; buried deep within his subconscious. After that incident, Lenny's routine was pretty much the same for the rest of the months; school in the day, martial arts training at night. His daily routine stayed the same except during the summer and spring breaks and the months before his senior high school entrance exam.

"Lenny, Lenny! Are you alright?" Iris's voice brought Lenny back to the present, pulling his consciousness from his flashbacks of the past three years. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just lack of sleep, that's all," Embarrassment began to show on his cheeks. Lenny quickly turned his head to hide his flushed face. "I'm done here, how about you?" Iris asked. "Same here," Lenny emptied the waste paper bin into a black plastic bag and tied it up. The two of them took their bags and locked the classroom. Lenny pulled the pad locks and doors to give them a final check before returning the keys to their teacher. They then dumped the waste into the large bin and began their journey towards the school entrance. It's an irony that things always look more beautiful when you are about to say goodbye. The flowers never looked lovelier as the two strolled down the familiar pavement, perhaps for the last time. They might not remain in the same school depending on their performance in the entrance exam. As they approached the guard post at the entrance, Lenny turned around to take in the view of his alma mater one more time. After that, they stepped outside and continued walking down the same route they took since three years back. "How do you plan to spend this summer vacation?" Iris asked. "As usual, I'll be going back to my hometown, it's been months since I last saw my parents and siblings. I really miss them." Lenny answered truthfully. "I see," Iris nodded. "What about you? Are you going to stay here all summer?" Lenny asked. "Neh, I have a relative who's coming over to visit tomorrow. Your flight is next week right?" Iris replied. "How did you know that?" Lenny tried to hide his surprise. "You know you can't hide any secrets from me," Iris gave him an impish smile with a wink. "Grandpa told you, didn't he?" Lenny replied. Iris's playfulness was part of the reason why Lenny grew so attracted to her. "Tsk, you're no fun, Lenny." She crossed her arms and picked up her pace. "Oh, come on! Don't do that," Lenny tried to catch up to her. Iris stopped abruptly and spun around. "I'll forgive you if you beat me to your house!" Iris said and took off at high speed. "Hey, that's not fair!" Lenny protested and dashed after her.

The two of them ended up panting heavily in front of Lenny's home. "You're forgiven." Iris said between quick breaths. "Not funny, ugh!" Lenny began coughing. The two of them sat facing the lawn, trying to cool down after the sprint. "I'll get us something to drink," Lenny took off his shoes and entered the house. He returned with two cans of fruit juice in hand, fresh from the fridge. "Thanks," Iris caught the can which was tossed her way. The two of them spent the next fifteen minutes gulping down the juice and staring at the mid-afternoon sky. It was a hot day. "Say, Lenny. Are you doing anything tomorrow?" Iris asked. "I'm free, what's up?" Lenny replied. "There's someone I want you to meet, why don't you drop by at my place tomorrow morning." Iris straightened her shirt as she stood. "Who's that?" Lenny asked. Iris turned her head to face Lenny and placed her right index finger over her lips. "He-he," She gave him a playful giggle and took off without another word. Lenny couldn't help suppress a titter of his own as he saw her ran out of the house. That giggle of hers caused Lenny to experience the same déjà vu as the first day he met her. He let the thought slid and went back into the house. As evening drew closer, Lenny donned his martial arts outfit and headed out to the practice hall. It was Friday night again, which means he would have another sparring session with his grandpa. He walked into the training hall as usual and began warming up. There were already a few groups of people practicing inside. After he had done warming up, he took a long stick from the neatly arranged weapon shelf and gave it a few practice swings. He then practiced the set of moves he learnt the other day. "Are you ready, Kai?" Lenny's grandpa left the group of student he was tutoring and walked over to Lenny. "Ready when you're!" Lenny took a battle stance.

The two of them began their spar in an empty corner of the hall. Lenny who was young and energetic went on the offensive against his eighty-five-year-old grandpa who had decades of experience in traditional Chinese martial arts. His grandpa's eyes constantly darted between his grandson's hands and feet. Every moves Lenny made were evaded or blocked by his grandfather with seemingly minimum effort, reflecting the old man's experience in the field. The old man's movements were clearly not as agile as his young descendant but they were precise. His reactions were swift and never excessive. He also did not make any unnecessary movements while dodging Lenny's attack. Lenny's relentless offense quickly put a toll on his stamina. Spotting an opening after wearing his younger opponent down, Lenny's grandpa feinted a low strike. Lenny's breathlessness got the better of him, causing him to take the bait. Lenny leapt backwards to avoid the stick aiming for his feet. At that moment, his grandpa took a large step forward and twisted his stick upwards, hitting Lenny's left ankle. Lenny lost his footing upon landing and stumbled to the ground. His grandpa pointed the end of the long stick at his neck with a triumphant smile on his face. He then removed the stick and helped Lenny to his feet. "Let's call it a day," Lenny's grandfather said. "Okay," Lenny rubbed his butt. The two of them shelved their weapons and headed over to the café beside the hall. The two of them sat down and ordered a pot of Chinese tea. "Grandpa, why do you like martial arts so much? Don't you find that it advocates violence a lot?" Lenny asked as he poured tea from the pot. "That's where you're wrong, Kai. Martial arts are merely tools, like weapons, they're neutral. But they grant you power and how you use that power is what determines whether it's violence or not." His grandpa lifted the small Chinese tea cup to his mouth. "But that kind of power is prone to being abused." Lenny replied. "I can't argue with you there. Abuse that power, that's violence; but use it correctly, that's strength. If you don't have such power in the time of needs, you won't have the strength to do what needs to be done." His grandfather explained. "I supposed you're right." Lenny said. "Listen, Lenny. You're still young, don't just take my word for it. Go experience it for yourself. That's what so good about youth, you get to learn through failures. The more you fail, the wiser you become." His grandpa continued with his explanation. "Right, how am I supposed to do that?" Lenny asked. "Your chance might be coming sooner than you think, he-he-he." "You always said weird things, grandpa." Lenny finished off his tea.

Lenny woke up the usual time the next morning. He took his shower and breakfast before heading off to Iris's place. Iris stayed at an apartment close to his grandpa's house. He had been there numerous time in the past. She stayed at the fifth floor. After giving the wooden door a knock, he waited patiently outside. Moments later, Iris opened the door and welcomed him inside. "Come, have a seat here." Iris guided Lenny to the dinner table at the back. "Why are we sitting here?" Lenny, curious of his friend's peculiar act. Usually someone would seat their guest in the living room, not around the dinner table unless they're eating. "You'll see," Iris's voice trailed off as she disappeared upstairs instead of the kitchen. Lenny sat obediently around the table as he was told. A minute later, a tall, medium built man in a black suit walked down the stairs. "Lenny, this is my uncle, Erik." Iris followed close behind Erik. A feeling of déjà vu was triggered once more the moment Lenny stared into that seamed face. "Nice to meet you, Lenny." Erik sat down on the chair opposite to Lenny. As Lenny extended his hand for a handshake, Erik took it and pulled him closer towards himself. At the same time, Erik leant forward, leaving only a small gap between their faces. "Réveiller, Child of Yume." Erik whispered into Lenny's ear. Lenny instinctively pulled his hand away and retreated. "What are you doing?" Lenny's vision suddenly became hazy, the world around him began to spin. His legs gave way all of a sudden, causing him to fall. He felt two warm hands caught hold of his body. He opened his eyes and saw Iris murmuring something before everything went blank.

Lenny found himself staring at the ceiling fan when he regained consciousness. He sat himself up on Iris's couch and put a hand on his throbbing forehead. Iris was sitting on the couch next to his. "Do you remember?" She asked. "Remember what?" Lenny put his hand down and turned to face Iris. In that very instant, all his delusions and paranoia regarding Iris vanished and were replaced by a flooding of images. The images quickly realigned themselves in the correct timeline, returning Lenny's suppressed memories from three years ago. "Your memories will take some time to set in. You'll just have to bear with the headache for a day or two." A familiar voice came from the dining room. Erik walked into the living room with a cup of Chinese tea in hand. "Why?" Lenny buried his face between his palms. "Your knowledge of Nirvana will prevent you from living a normal life on Earth, so we have to lock them away." Erik replied. "That's not what I meant. Why did you restore those terrible memories back? I could've live a happier life not knowing I'm a cold-blooded killer who had beheaded someone. Why? Tell me why!" Lenny grabbed Erik by the collar, causing the cup on his hand to fall. The shattering ceramic caused Lenny to release his grip. "Sorry." Lenny said and ran outside. "Lenny!" Iris was about to chase after him but was halted by Erik. "Let him be. Give him some time to sort things out." Erik said.

2. The Howard Legacy

It was another bright and sunny day in the sunshine state of Queensland. The winter vacation had just started for school-goers. The beach was full of surfers from all over Australia and beyond to catch the awesome waves despite the cold weather. It was a great day but not for the Howards as they gathered at Amity Funeral Home to pay their final respect. Stanley Oliver Howard, the man who founded Howard Enterprise, a commercial shipping company based in Brisbane had just passed away due to a heart attack the other day. His reputation as an altruistic entrepreneur was well known among the community, family and friends, earning him a full house farewell on his final journey. The people who attended the funeral service came from all walks of life, from an infant to the elderly; from cleaners to lawyers, everyone who had received his kindness came to bid the old man a final goodbye. Kelvin tried his best not to doze off as relatives and friends of his paternal grandfather shared their memories of the old man. By the time the tenth person went up the podium, Kelvin could no longer kept his eyes open. He excused himself from the front row seat and went to the toilet to wash his face. Kelvin did not know much about his grandpa, the last time he saw him was when he was in primary two, about seven years ago. They used to stay together in the equatorial nation of Malaysia seven years back but his grandpa suddenly moved back to Brisbane after that. Since then, he hardly had any encounter with the old man except during festive seasons but even then, their meetings were mere eye contacts. His grandpa was always busy with his work, even at the age of eighty-three. He had a bad habit of micro-managing his company; despite that, he was well respected and loved by his fellow employees. As Kelvin splashed cold water over his face to drive the sleepiness away, he noticed the door to the toilet being opened. A tall man walked in with an abnormal gait and a cane on his left hand. Kelvin felt a sense of familiarity as the man glanced at the mirror. "Ah, you must be Kelvin. I'm sorry for your loss." The man approached Kelvin the moment he saw the teenager's face. "Thanks. And you're mister…" Kelvin left his sentence hanging as he could not recall the man's name nor the reason why the man's face kept triggering déjà vu in his mind. "Maximus, Mr. Maximus. I'm one of your grandfather's attorneys." The man offered his right hand. Kelvin quickly wiped his hands dry and shook the lawyer's hand.

The moment Kelvin grabbed that large and calloused hand, he was immediately pulled into an embrace by that strong arm. The man then lowered his head beside Kelvin's ear and whispered. "Réveiller, Child of Yume." Kelvin immediately pulled his hand free and pushed the man aside, a normal reflex towards suspicious stranger. Kelvin had his doubts when he saw those thick and long fingers. His suspicion deepened the moment he felt the thickened skin on the man's hand, a hand uncharacteristic of a white-collar worker. "What are you trying to do?" Kelvin took a few steps backwards. "I thought you might need a hug, kid." The man replied calmly. He stood his ground and kept his eyes on Kelvin. There was something about those eyes, a hidden message or perhaps malicious intentions. Kelvin paused to take one last look at the man's face before running outside. The man did not chase after him. As he made his way back to the parlor, he began to feel weak and his eyes suddenly grew tired for no particular reason. There was a constant, deep throbbing pain in the center of his head but it disappeared the moment his eyes were shut. The eulogy continued while Kelvin slept. He was later awakened by a violent shook on the shoulder. "Wake up, Kelvin! The funeral procession is about to start!" Kelvin's eyes were half-opened, his appearance groggy as he stumbled to his feet. "I can't believe you fell asleep!" His mother hissed. The casket had already been moved into the hearse and most of the attendees had already left for the cemetery. "Hurry up, or we're gonna be late!" His mother ushered. Kelvin got inside the rented sedan after his brother and they followed the long lines of vehicles that were heading for the Amity Sanctuary. Once they reached the cemetery, his father and other pallbearers began moving the coffin from the hearse to the grave site. A grave had been dug close to the center of the cemetery. Many people had already gathered beside the grave. The coffin was lowered into the burial vault after a short prayer from the pastor. After that, the undertaker began pouring dirt to cover up the hole. The graveside service ended and everyone was dismissed.

After Kelvin got back into the car, he was reminded of the next day's meeting with his grandfather's attorneys at the family mansion. His grandfather's will shall be read inside the mansion and the Howard family fortune distributed among his two sons. Kelvin did not pay much attention to the conversations between his parents. The throbbing headache made he felt sleepy once again. He experienced constant lethargy after returning from the funeral and slept his way through both lunch and dinner. He couldn't even remember what he ate. The next morning came and Kelvin was awakened by the alarm his brother set. His feeling of extreme tiredness had somehow wore off by the long hours of sleep. However, the throbbing headache he had still persisted on a milder scale. Kelvin and his family left their hotel and headed for the Howard family mansion. Kelvin met with his uncle's family at the entrance of the mansion. The mansion was built overlooking the sea. Kelvin greeted his relatives and all of them were led inside by the attorneys. His grandfather's will was read aloud, the distribution of the inheritance was equal and fair. Both families were happy with the arrangement. Everyone got a piece of the pie. After that, each of the Howard family members were assigned to meet with different attorneys to settle the paperwork. Kelvin knocked on the mahogany door and entered the room he was assigned to. When the door swung open, Kelvin received a surprise. The stranger he met the other day was sitting behind the desk, waiting for him. "Hello, we meet again, Kelvin." He said. "You're Maximus, no Vice-president Max of the Freedom Clan or do you prefer me to still call you master?" Kelvin replied. "Glad you finally remember. Now, would you please close the door so that we can continue with the discussion?" Max said. "Why should I trust you after what you did to me and my friends?" The event which ended their adventure on Nirvana played back on Kelvin's mind, clear as day. "Believe me, Kelvin. It was done in your best interest. If you would sit down, I can explain everything to you, the reasons behind it all." Max replied. Kelvin hesitated before closing the door and sat down.

"I'm sure you have some idea by now that the person who recommended you for the journey to Nirvana was none other than your grandfather, Major Stanley. He was my teacher and also superior during the Great War. He was a great master and an excellent leader. Here is the letter he sent me before you were being brought to Nirvana by Erik." Max withdrew an envelope from the drawer. "He's an old-timer who prefer hand written letters compared to email." Max added. Kelvin opened the envelope and read the letter. "Dear General Max, I heard you're bringing Calvin to Nirvana under Lady Christina's order. Would you mind bringing my grandson, Kelvin as well? The two of them are close friends and I would like you to give him another exposure of this world. If he finds Nirvana to his liking, I might consider taking him in and training him to become the next Guru. Sorry to trouble you and thank you. Yours sincerely, Major Stanley Oliver Howard." "What is a Guru? And why did my grandpa said 'another' exposure?" Kelvin asked after reading the letter. "Do you remember the first time we met, Kelvin? Did I strike you as someone familiar, perhaps you recognized that you have seen me somewhere before?" Max tried to explain with a few questions of his own. "Now that you mention it, you did give me a sense of déjà vu when we first met." Kelvin replied. "That's because the last time you've been to Nirvana wasn't your first. We met each other way before that, when you were eight to be precise. Your grandfather brought you to the Pani Dojo on the Mountain of Waf Zile, an island suspended in the air. We met in a garden overlooking the edge of the floating island. Can you recall it?" Max said. "I do recall seeing a beautiful garden high up in the air." Kelvin replied. "That's the Sky Garden. As for your first question, a Guru is the honorary title given to the masters of the Pani Dojo." "I see. But why did you wipe my memories then? I don't remember having a chance to give you a feedback on how I feel about Nirvana." Kelvin returned the letter back into the envelope. "It was your grandfather's decision. He even came to the fortress personally to see the procedure's completion. After hearing what your group have been through, he decided it was best for you to forget everything about Nirvana and continue on with your normal life on Earth. He didn't want to risk losing you, like what happened to my wife." Max explained. "I'm sorry about your wife, Max. Why did you return my memories now?" Kelvin asked. "I was bounded by Gaea Inheritance Act since you're Major Stanley's only remaining next of kin with knowledge of Nirvana. So you shall receive all his properties in Nirvana but you're not allowed to mortgage or sell any of his estates until you've reached the age of sixteen years old." Kelvin interrupted before Max could proceed any further. "Wait, does this means none of my relatives know the existence of Nirvana? Not even my parents?" "That's correct. If any of them did, you wouldn't have been the one to inherit everything." Max explained. "Okay. How much are all his assets worth anyway?" Kelvin asked. "Well, your grandpa has a saving account of fifteen million Zenny and his properties are worth an estimate of one billion Zenny." Max read from a sheet he was holding. "Holy shit! That means I'm going to be a billionaire there!" Kelvin couldn't hold in his excitement.

"Pretty much. Your inheritance is worth more than everything I've earned so far! Congratulation, lucky brat! Anyway, here is the most important question of all, do you want them?" Max asked. "What are you talking about? I thought they're mine by default, until I'm sixteen that is." Kelvin replied. "Not exactly. You need to be a citizen in one of the country or clan on Nirvana to lay claim to those properties." Max explained. "And what if I don't do anything about the assets? What would happen then?" Kelvin asked. "All your grandfather's assets will become Gaea's property. As for you, you'll remain as you're right now, with memories of your adventures on Nirvana. You've until your sixteenth birthday to make the decision. The properties would remain under the guardianship of the Gaea government in the meantime. You're free to enter and claim any personal possessions of your grandpa inside the estates except for the estates themselves once you're a citizen or belong to a clan." Max clarified. "We were members of the Freedom Clan, right? My friends and I." Kelvin asked. "Not officially, I'm afraid. Your visit was under the pretense of an exposure." Max replied. "In that case, give me some time to think this through. How can I contact you once I found my answers?" Kelvin asked. "Just tell Julee about it, she knows how to contact me. She is your girlfriend after all. Ha-ha. Try not to break her heart, if you know what's best for you." Max's tone suddenly became more serious and his eyes were locked onto Kelvin's face. "I'll definitely keep that in mind, sir!" Kelvin replied defensively. "Oh, one last thing. Actually, this is the most important of them all." Max withdrew a thin folder from the drawer and handed it to Kelvin. "Major Stanley didn't die of a heart attack. He was murdered in his mansion by strong electric current. The photos are a bit graphical." Max pointed at the multiple Lichtenberg figures present on the post-mortem photographs. "These are the evidences that he was killed by lightning. An investigation on your grandfather's murder is still ongoing. The investigation is carried out by the Gaea police along with a team from the Spirit World. I'm sorry to have to tell you this." "Murdered! Then, the body they just buried, it wasn't him?" The color drained from Kelvin's face. "That's right. It was just a dummy. Your grandfather's real body is still at the mortuary in Gaea." Max replied. "Any idea why people would want him dead?" Kelvin asked. "Major Stanley was a man of secrets, Kelvin. There're many reasons why people would want him dead. Here's one of them." Max fished a sheet of paper from the folder. "Project MICON." Kelvin read the title. "It's one of the many secret projects before the start of the Great War. Those projects are now slowly being declassified by the Gaea central intelligence agency. This is the project that your grandfather was deeply involved with." Max said. "Project MICON, short for mitochondrion. An elemental enhancement project to enable Force element power users to wield the Light and Darkness elements. Wait! My grandfather was one of the test subjects?" Kelvin stopped reading halfway. "He was one of the beta testers who later became the prototype of the project. He was able to tolerate the Darkness and Light cores but his control over them were limited and unstable. However, the second generation was able to wield full control of the inherited artificial cores with minimal drawbacks." Max explained. "Wait, what do you meant by second generation?" Kelvin asked.

"Your aunt Linda seemed to be able to wield the same power as her father, with better control and minimal side effects. The cores they implanted into your grandfather seemed to be able to be inherited. They somehow altered the users' DNA. However, the project was terminated at the start of the war and was replaced by another secret project which still remained classified. Your grandfather left Nirvana to pursue his business career in Brisbane soon after the war has ended." Max said. "I still can't believe none of my relatives knew any of this." Kelvin said. "Both your father and your uncle were born and raised on Earth. They never knew Nirvana existed. Your aunt as the eldest child however was born and raised on Nirvana. She grew up following her father's footsteps." Max explained. "I see. Is there anything else that you want to tell me?" Kelvin asked. "I think we covered pretty much everything." Max answered. "I'll think about it on my way home. All these are a bit hard to swallow at the moment." Kelvin took the folder and stood up. "Leave the folder here, Kelvin. If you want to read them, finish reading them here. Don't want anyone else finding out about Nirvana." Max pointed out. "Right." Kelvin left the folder on the desk. "I think I got the gist of it. Thanks." Before Kelvin closed the door behind him, he heard Max called out to him. "It's good seeing you again, kid!" "Same here, master." Kelvin murmured to himself and closed the door. His other family members had already finished with their attorneys and were waiting for him in the parlor. ���What took you so long?" His brother complained, short-tempered and impatient as always. "Relax, I was just taking a look around the mansion." Kelvin made up a half-hearted attempt of an excuse. After that, Kelvin got into the same sedan and drove back to the city for a quick site-seeing. However, no one in particular was in the mood for it. They just did so for the sake of killing time before their flight in the evening. When the time came, his father returned the rented vehicle and Kelvin's family of four boarded the flight back to Melbourne. Kelvin's mind never stopped pondering on what Max had just told him earlier in the day. He eventually made up his mind on his next move and fell soundly asleep hallway through his flight back home.

Kelvin was awakened by the landing announcement made by the flight attendance. He rubbed his glistening eyes and straightened his seat as the plane started descending. After touch down, his family collected their luggage and headed for their Mercedes. It was drizzling with chilly winds in Melbourne city. Kelvin gazed blankly outside the car window, his mind mulling over the ways he should break the news. After reaching home, his mother ordered pizza while the rest of the family members went about their own business. Kelvin went back to his room and closed the door before reaching for the cellphone in his pocket. He scrolled through the list of contacts and hesitated before finally making the call. The other end rang twice before it was answered by a sweet, feminine voice. "Hi, Julee." Kelvin only managed to say his greetings before Julee took control of the conversation. "Hello, Kelvin. Sorry for you loss, my condolence to your family. How was the funeral?" "Thanks. It was a full house at the funeral home. Grandpa was a well-respected figure in his community. But there's a lot that I don't know about him until today." Kelvin said. "How are your parents doing?" Julee asked. "They're both sad, I guess. They were more close to grandpa than I ever was." Kelvin replied. "His passing must have hit them hard." Julee said. "I also learnt a lot about grandpa from one of his attorneys during the distribution of the family wealth." Kelvin said. "So what did your grandfather left for you in his will?" Julee asked. "An important information, like the identity of the boy who gave you that hairpin. The secret that you were reluctant to tell me about." Kelvin's call was interrupted by his mother, calling him for dinner downstairs. "You finally remember! Oh my god! Who told you?" Julee couldn't hold back her excitement. "Max restored my memories yesterday, some parts are still fuzzy but the rest are clear as day. Look, my mom's calling. Can we catch up on the lost memories tomorrow at the usual place?" Kelvin said. "See you at nine then, good night!" Julee said and hung up. "See you tomorrow," Kelvin murmured to himself.

The couple met at their usual hang out spot at Joe's Café at nine o'clock sharp. The two of them sat inside the shop where it was warmer. The temperature was a staggering nine degree Celsius, among the lowest temperature during winter season. They chose a secluded spot inside the café where they could see everyone else inside the coffee shop. After making sure no one was eavesdropping, the two began their secret conversation. Kelvin told Julee everything Max told him, his grandfather's murder, the inheritance and also Project MICON. Sharing those details with Julee put Kelvin at ease, lessening the burden he felt after finding out about his grandfather's secrets. Julee were as surprise as Kelvin was when she heard about the murder. She was also astonished by the fortune the old man left for Kelvin. "Why don't you go back to Nirvana for a visit? Maybe have a look at your grandfather's estate. You can use this winter vacation for the trip. You do have until your next birthday before deciding." Julee suggested. "Hmm." Kelvin thought for a moment and said. "That doesn't sound half bad at all. How fast can you inform Erik to bring us there?" "How about the day after tomorrow? Erik's coming to bring me home for the holidays, you are welcome to tag along." Julee replied. "Okay. I'll tell my parents about it tonight." The couple continued their reminiscence of the past until mid-afternoon.

3. The Reunion of Four

Lenny ran as fast as he could while flashbacks from the past kept on playing in his mind. He trotted into his grandpa's house and rushed up the stairs back into his room. He then lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling for the longest time. Many thoughts clouded his mind as he mulled over what he should do next. A soft knock on the door caught his attention and turned his gaze towards it. "May I come in, Kai?" His grandpa asked in his usual gentle tone. "Sure," Lenny answered dismissively. His grandpa entered his room and took a seat on the wooden chair beside his desk. "Why the long face, Kai?" His grandpa asked. "A lot of things happened." Lenny replied. "I see. I should have told you this earlier but I just never found the right time. I'm sorry for all that had happened to you. If you want to find someone to blame, blame me for it." Lenny's grandfather said. "What are you talking about, grandpa?" Lenny puzzled by the old man's sudden apology. "Your journey to Nirvana three years back, I was the one who recommended you for the trip." His grandpa explained. "Why would you do that?" Lenny asked, feeling more confused than before. "It was a decision made on a whim. Do you remember when you were eight, there was an animation which you loved so much? It was about a samurai performing many superhuman feats. I asked if you were to be given a choice, would you want to learn special moves like those. You told me you did love to, so I arranged for you to meet with Master Shin when you were twelve." His grandpa explained. "That was your reason? I was freaking eight, I was impressionable! How could you take the word of a child?" Lenny shot back, furious. "I know it was wrong of me but I couldn't help myself. Of all my children and grandchildren, only you were interested in the martial arts. I figure if I give you an exposure of Nirvana, perhaps you might like it there." His grandpa replied. "And what? Be a cold-blooded assassin for hire? A soldier or a gangster?" Lenny said, his grandpa's explanation only managed to fuel Lenny's anger. "No, you got that all wrong! I want you to be the master of martial arts, just like I was a long time ago. The war was long over, so I thought things might have gotten slightly more peaceful back on Nirvana but I was wrong. I never meant to put you through those ordeals." His grandpa said. "You were a master back on Nirvana? Why did you quit then? If life was so nice there." Lenny asked, his voice remained raised. "It's a long story if you don't mind hearing it." His grandpa answered.

"Back in the days, I was known as the Blue Swordsman because I wielded the Han Bing, one of the many Great Blades forged by the nameless black smith. The sword belonged to a series of Great Blades called the Elemental Series. I was the seventh generation Blue Swordsman to inherit the Han Bing. But a lot of things happened during the Great War, leaving me with lots of regrets and pain. I watched my best friend became my worst enemy, I attended the funeral of countless allies and I had to kill my best friend in the end. That's why your grandma and I made the decision to settle down on Earth and forget about Nirvana. Starting a new life here wasn't easy but we got by eventually. Erik sent observer to monitor our life on Earth for the first few years to make sure we kept Nirvana a secret. We never told anyone about it, not even our children. As the years went by, we were no longer under constant surveillance but Erik did drop by a couple of times as guest to see how we were doing. After my wife passed away, I stayed with your family for a few years. When I saw you practicing with the sword, it kind of reminded me of myself when I was younger. It brought back fond memories I had back there. So I thought you might like Nirvana." Tears unconsciously flowed down his grandpa's cheeks as he talked about the past. "Wow, I never knew our family had such a past." Lenny said with mixed feelings. His grandpa dried his tears with his sleeves and said. "Enough about me, what's important right now is you. You'll have to decide what to do with those memories of Nirvana. Stay oblivious to its existence and keep living your mundane life on Earth. Or you can live an extraordinary life on Nirvana." "If I chose to stay, will you guys wipe my memories again?" Lenny asked. "Not if you decide to keep quiet about Nirvana." His grandpa replied. "In fact, someone will be very sad and pissed if I do." "What do you mean?" "I'm talking about Iris. Do you know she has been with you all these while since you enrolled? She never once went back to Nirvana. Erik could've send anyone as your observer but she volunteered to be yours. And when she learnt that I was the one who sent you there, she won't stop bugging me to return your memories. She was even more persistent after you fell ill. And finally, I give in and here we are." Lenny's grandpa explained. Lenny just kept quiet, staring at the floor. "I heard the stories of your adventure three years back. Killing is a sin by all means but can you watch your friends get butchered and do nothing about it? The world is a dangerous place not because of people who are evil, but people who don't do anything about it. What you and your friends did back then was a good deed for the people of Nirvana. There is no shame in what you did." Lenny's grandpa continued.

"What do you want me to do then?" Lenny unsure of what to do anymore. "How about giving Nirvana another chance? Take this vacation to go on another trip there. Erik's bringing Iris back to Nirvana tomorrow. You can call her and tell her your decision by tonight." Lenny's grandpa rose from the chair and reached for the door. "It's just a suggestion though, the final decision is all up to you. You're old enough to make your own choices now. Tell me you decision by tonight if you plan to go back." Lenny turned his gaze outside the window as his grandpa left. His mind began mulling over his choices and their possible consequences. Time flies when you're deep in thoughts. When Lenny finally noticed the time, it was already late-evening. He got up from his bed and clomped down the stairs. The sound of knife on the chopping board resounded from the kitchen. "Have you finally made up your mind?" Lenny's grandpa called out when he heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Lenny slid onto the wooden stool and said. "I think I'll probably spend the summer vacation on Nirvana like you suggested." Lenny replied. "That's good to hear. I'm sure Iris will be happy. She's a wonderful girl you know and she really likes you a lot." His grandpa said. "How do you know?" Lenny asked. "For starters, I won't be with someone for three years and not going back home if I don't like them." His grandpa replied. "Maybe she just don't want to. I meant she's an observer after all." Lenny tried to come up with a half-ass excuse to hide his embarrassment. The sound from the chopping board stopped and Lenny's grandpa went into the dining room to join his grandson. "Since you're going to Nirvana, you're gonna need this." Lenny's grandpa proffered a piece of metallic card. "What's this?" Lenny took and examined the card closely. The card gave off a metallic silver shimmer and had his grandpa's name carved on its surface. There were other symbols that were engraved on the piece of metal. But they were incomprehensible to Lenny. "It's exactly what it looks like, an ATM card. It contains my entire savings back when I was a resident of Nirvana. But now those cash are useless to me. It's not worth it to trade them for Taiwan dollar or other Earth currency so I just kept my savings as it is. The opposite is true also, it'll cause you quite a fortune to trade Taiwan dollar for the Zenny." The old man explained. "Are you sure I can have it? I meant it's your life's savings." Lenny asked. "Knock yourself out. Just don't waste them in one go, alright? It's gonna be forfeited and claimed by the Water Clan once I passed on since none of my children or grandchildren live on Nirvana. If you decide to be a permanent resident there, you can have all of it. The password for the account is LennyKai15 without space, with capital L and K. Besides, I have my own savings on Earth." His grandpa replied. "Thanks, grandpa." Lenny shoved the metal card between the folds of his wallet. "One more thing, Kai." Lenny's grandpa beaconed Lenny to follow him. The two of them ended up inside an old storage room.

Lenny's grandpa pushed aside multiple heavy boxes and slid opened a secret compartment beneath the wooden floor. Inside the compartment was a sword casing. He removed the casing from the hidden space and placed it on the floor. "Inside the casing is the Han Bing. I should have given it to my younger brother back then when I had the chance but I never found the right time. Could you help me pass this to him?" Lenny's grandpa said. "Your brother? I don't think I know who that is. Do you have a picture of him?" Lenny replied. "Oh, don't worry. You definitely saw him once before. Do you remember that one time when your friends all went fishing in Vanilla Valley and you ended up having to welcome an old geezer from Gerona Island?" His grandpa asked. "That was him? No wonder he kept staring at my face." Lenny was surprised by the revelation. "Yup. His name is Shao Long, you can just call him Mr. Long. You looked a lot like me when I was your age. That's why he can tell from the similarity. He was both a blacksmith and a skilled swordsman. He was Master Shin's sensei, you know?" His grandpa added. "Wow, I never knew our family had such deep roots in swordsmanship. Anyway, what is he going to do with the sword? I doubt he has a need for it at his age." Lenny said. "Whatever he wants to do with it, that's up to him. It would be a waste for such a fine sword to be sitting here, idling." His grandpa closed the hidden compartment and gestured for them to leave the storage room. "Be sure to pass that to my brother and you do know how to use an ATM machine, right?" His grandpa reminded him once again when they were in the dining room. "Of course, I do! How old do you think I'm?" Lenny smelled a hint mockery coming from the old man. "Just checking," His grandpa snickered. "Be sure to call Iris and tell her about your decision!" His grandpa disappeared into the kitchen.

Lenny lay on his bed once more after dinner with his grandfather. His gaze was fixed onto his handphone screen as his mind searched for the proper words for his conversation. His left index finger unconsciously reached for the dial button and called Iris. She picked up his call almost immediately after he made it. "Lenny. I'm so sorry for all that had happened. I tried my best to persuade them but it… it took so-o …" Iris's voice suddenly turned into incomprehensible sob and sniffles. Lenny waited patiently for her to calm down before he spoke. "Grandpa told me everything. It's not your fault, so don't cry." "I should have told you the truth earlier. But… but…I was afraid that you might start to hate me!" She cried. "Guess it's a bad idea to talk over the phone after all." Lenny murmured softly to himself. "What was that, Lenny?" Iris asked. "Where are you now?" Lenny ignored her question. "In my room, why? Sob." Lenny didn't bother to reply, he rushed down the stairs, two steps at a time and sprinted towards the tall apartment building. "Lenny, are you there? Lenny?" Her voice was cracked, she was still sniveling. Iris hung up after she failed to get a response from Lenny. Lenny was panting heavily and drenched in sweat as he hurried up the flight of stairs. Iris tried calling back twice but Lenny just let the cellphone kept ringing. He picked up on her third call when he reached Iris's front door. "Lenny, are you alright?" Iris asked when she heard Lenny's heavy pants. "I'm…fine… hah-huh…huh…" Lenny said between rapid breathes. "Are you alright?" She asked again, concern rising in her tone. Lenny hung up and knocked on the door. He grabbed Iris in a tight embrace the moment the door flung open. It totally caught her by surprise and left her speechless. Her eyes were swollen and teary. She must have wept for quite some time. Lenny parted the tufts of blonde hair that framed her face and gave her a peck on the forehead. "Shh-h-h…It's not your fault," He whispered softly beside her ear. Iris wiped the tears from her reddened eyes and buried her face into Lenny's chest. "You're not playing fair!" The two of them retreated into Iris's apartment to escape from her neighbors' prying eyes. Lenny then explained everything he had heard from his grandpa and informed Iris regarding his decision. "Erik's outside now. I'll tell him when he returned. Just be here by nine tomorrow morning." Iris's mood seemed to have lightened up. She was particularly happy when she heard that Lenny was going back to Nirvana for a visit. "Guess I should be going back to pack now." Lenny rose from the sofa. "Probably need a shower as well." He added. "You are welcome to shower here. I can even wash your back for you." Iris gave Lenny a coquettish grin. She seemed to be back to her playful self again. "Thanks, but no thanks. You know, you look kinda cute especially when you're crying. Ha-ha." Lenny teased. "Shut up!" She gave Lenny's shoulder a jab. "Ouch! See you tomorrow." Lenny said and headed home.

"Glad you decide to give Nirvana a second chance," Erik said. "It's not all bad," Lenny stole a glance at Iris when she wasn't looking. "I see." Erik smiled. "We'll be taking a detour before going to Nirvana. You guys ready?" Erik motioned for the two of them to enter the portal. "Where're we going?" Lenny asked but didn't receive an answer. The three of them emerged in the living room of an apartment building. The weather was chilly compared to Taipei. "Where are we?" Iris asked. She was suddenly grabbed from behind by two slender arms. Her reflex almost took over as she swung her elbow backwards. She managed to withdraw her elbow in time when she heard the familiar voice. "Iris!" Julee wrapped her arms around Iris's neck. "You're in Melbourne." Kelvin emerged from behind with a backpack on his back. "Kelvin," Lenny shook his old friend's hand. "That's all you're bringing?" He pointed at the backpack. "I won't be staying for long. It's winter holidays here, you know. It's not as long a vacation as summer's." Kelvin explained. "Leave the chit chat for later. I can't hold this portal for long." Erik gestured for them to enter the dark hole. The four teens stepped inside without another word. Erik picked up the rear as usual. The five of them later reemerged on the nostalgic green plains overlooking the Freedom Fortress. Kelvin took a deep breath, taking in the grassy smell. "This sure brings back memories." Kelvin murmured. "C'mon, I got a surprise for you guys." Erik said and headed towards the fortress. Most parts of the fortress retained its former façade as the boys remembered. They made their way into the familiar home of Vice-president Max. Erik led them to the dining room where Max and two guests were already seated. "Welcome, fellers." Max greeted. The teens greeted Max in return. They then turned their attention to the two guests sitting beside Max.

The two guests stared back at them in return, with big smile on their faces. Their faces looked foreign yet oddly familiar at the same time. The two of them just kept quiet and maintained the big grin on their faces. "Wait a minute. Don't tell me, you're Kenneth!" Kelvin had a sudden realization. One of the young man's grin grew even wider than before. He broke the silence with a raucous laughter and said. "Told you he did recognize me! Ha-ha-ha!" Kenneth walked towards Kelvin and shook his hand. Kelvin on the other hand remained dumbfounded by Kenneth's transformation. No longer was him the lean and pale boy from his childhood. The young man who stood before him was well-tanned and muscular. They used to be of the same height but Kenneth seemed to have grown a lot taller since the last time they met. "Wow! What happened to you?" Lenny was as astonished as Kelvin. "If that's Kenneth, then you must be Chen!" Lenny said. "That's right, Lenny. You two didn't seem to change much over the years." Chen approached his old friends. He grew slightly taller than before but was still the shortest among his friends. He also grew more muscular and tanner, just like Kenneth. And his face was perhaps the most drastic change. It no longer had that childish look of a kid but the mature look of a man. "Sure we don't change much, it has only been three years. It's been so long since we last saw you two. I tried to get in touch but the number you gave me never managed to get through." Kelvin said. "It was three years for you guys but nearly nine years for us." Kenneth explained. "Yeah, and I'm turning twenty-one soon." Chen added. "Does that means the two of you spent the entire time here on Nirvana?" Lenny asked. "Yup, ever since that November holidays. I'm a citizen of Argia now and a member of the Council of Light. I did went back to Earth to visit my family a few times but otherwise I remained here. Sorry about the phone number though." Chen said. "Same goes for me. I'm currently a student of Idan and also a part time trainee at the Spokes, it's one of the peacekeeping forces on Nirvana." Kenneth said.

Everyone was eventually seated as brunch was served. "By the way, what happened to Alex? How come he wasn't here?" Kenneth asked. "He still got school to attend to. The education system in his country is different from Kelvin and Lenny's. Besides, he had a major exam this year. It's best not to disturb him." Erik explained. "But will you return his memories like these two?" Chen asked. "Eventually, I'll find him. It depends on the situation." Erik said. "How about the other Calvin? He isn't here either." Lenny said. "He is kind of hard to invite, being the prince of Gaea and all." Chen explained. "Seriously? He's a prince!" Kelvin dropped his spoon. "The news came as a surprise for us as well. In fact, Calvin is the crowned prince of Gaea. He's the only heir to his father's throne." Kenneth said. "Yeah, we might even get to attend his coronation in a couple of years. Who knows?" Chen added. Kenneth finished off his plate of pasta and picked up the cup of grape juice. "Just so you know, he's not hanging out with us not because he's too proud or anything. The three of us actually met up a few times in the past years. He's busy learning most of the time since he will be ruling Gaea someday. Another reason being he has a damn paranoid personal bodyguard. There was one time when she won't even let us see him at all!" "You meant Alia?" Lenny asked. "That's her," Kenneth nodded. The four friends together with Iris and Julee continued exchange stories of their years apart after Vice-president Max excused himself from the table. Lenny and Kelvin also told them the reasons they were here on Nirvana. "Gerona Island, huh? That's one damn isolated place you're going, Lenny. There's two ways to get there, either through a shipment route or your own transport. I recommend you seek Erik's help to get there. The shipment route takes longer." Kenneth explained. "As for Kelvin, I think you can get to Gaea with ease. It's accessible by almost all commercial flights. You might even get the chance to meet our prince, ha-ha." "What about you guys?" Lenny asked. "I'm going back to Argia tomorrow, Council of Light businesses." Chen replied. "I'm heading back tomorrow as well. To Idan." Kenneth said. They continued their chit chat until dinner time. They were once again joined by Erik and Max. Kelvin and Lenny discussed with Max and Erik regarding their transport arrangement during dinner. "That's settle then, let's eat!" Max picked up his fork and started eating.

4. Alex's Secret

The next morning, Kenneth woke up much earlier than the others. The rest met him on the lawn outside the dorm. He was drawing symbols on the grass. "What are you doing, Kenneth?" Lenny asked. "Oh, this? This is a magic circle, it's my transport back to Idan." Kenneth replied while he continued his drawing. "You can do magic?" Lenny took a closer look at the symbols Kenneth drawn on the grass with some sort of white powder. They were all incomprehensible to Lenny. After he had seemingly completed the magical illustration, Kenneth carefully stepped outside the circle. "Magic is an element that only the Natives can wield. The Natives are the indigenous people of Nirvana. They were the first human to inhabit Nirvana, but their origins weren't well recorded. So no one actually knows who they were. After coming to Nirvana, they didn't gain Elements and Abilities like us power users. On the other hand, they were able to use what we collectively called Magic. Nobody knows the reason why the humans who came to Nirvana at a later time could no longer wield Magic but were granted Elements and Abilities instead. Some of those who were able to use Magic began experiencing transformation. Their physical appearance and genetic make-up changed drastically after the exposure. A few generations later, many other humanoid-like creatures were born. They contributed to the diverse species that co-exist in Idan and other cities of the Natives. Those of whom still retain their human body were known as Wizards and Witches. My father is a Wizard, so that makes me half a wizard." Kenneth explained. "So that's how you were able to use Magic." Kelvin nodded. "By the way, I never get the chance to properly thank you for this, Lenny." Kenneth showed his friends the Demon Edge. "Thanks for giving it to me all those years ago. It really saved my ass countless times." "Don't mention it. The sword chose you back then. It's only fair that you have it." Lenny said. "Here, Chen and I got the two of you something. This should come in handy on your travel." Kenneth gave his friends a watch each. "A watch? Thanks!" Kelvin took off his own watch and strapped on his new present. "It mainly functions as a satellite phone actually. But it can tell the time too and many other functions of course. I have set our contacts into the contact list including Erik and Calvin's. So if you guys need anything, don't hesitate to call us." Kenneth replied. "So long then. I'll meet up with you guys again soon." Kenneth stepped back inside the magic circle. A scroll appeared on his hand after he positioned himself at the center of the circle. The scroll lit by itself and caused the entire circle to glow. Kenneth's figure slowly began to fade as he waved his goodbye. A moment later, he completely vanished, leaving only specks of powder that he used to construct the magic circle.

"What about you, Chen? Are you leaving soon?" Lenny turned to face Chen who was sitting on the bench outside the lawn. "Archdeacon Sylvester is going to pick me up." Chen replied. Suddenly, a bright vortex of white light appeared on the far side of the lawn. "There he is now, on time as always." Chen stood up and walked towards the light. The vortex stabilized to form a portal from which a tall and thin man stepped out. "Good morning, reverend." Chen greeted. "Good day to you too, Chen." Archdeacon Sylvester nodded. "Sylvester," Erik offered his hand. "Erik, it's been a while." The two of them shook hands. "You two must be Lenny and Kelvin. Welcome back to Nirvana." Sylvester turned towards Lenny and Kelvin. "It's nice to meet you too, Archdeacon." The two teens exchanged handshakes with Sylvester. "I'll be going then. Do keep in touch ya! See you soon." Chen pointed at his wrist watch. He was then joined by Sylvester and they disappeared into the portal Sylvester exited. "Kelvin, it's almost time to go to the airport." Julee called out from the dormitory. "That's my cue. See you later, Lenny." Kelvin patted Lenny's shoulder. "Send my regards to the other Calvin if you do happen to see him." Lenny said. Kelvin responded with a thumbs up. "How about you? Ready to go?" Erik asked. "I'll go get my backpack." Lenny walked back to the dormitory to get his backpack and also the sword casing. He left the rest of his luggage in the dormitory room. When he was on his way outside, he met Iris at the doorway. "What are you still doing here? I thought you went home." Lenny said. "There's nothing waiting for me back at the Fire Clan. I thought I might as well follow you to Gerona." Iris replied. Lenny knew what she was going to say when he saw her with her backpack. "I doubt I can convince you otherwise." Lenny said and reached for the door. "You know me too well, tee-he-he." Iris followed after him. "Iris, I thought you were going home." Erik asked the same question. "Don't really feel like it." She answered. "Alright then, suit yourself." Erik began opening a portal to Gerona Island. A breeze of chill wind rushed from the portal once it was fully opened. "It's cold there, I hope you brought your sweater like I told you to." Erik said. "After you then," Erik extended his arm. Lenny took the lead and Iris followed. Erik took the rear as usual. Erik kept his portal open even after they had stepped through to the other side. They appeared in a pier overlooking a small town. The entire place was covered in a thin layer of snow. "Man, it's cold alright." Lenny shivered. Condensed water vapor formed in the air as he spoke. "I did told you before, right. Call me when you decide to leave. I'll try to come and pick you up if I'm free. Board the cargo ship to Miri Harbor in Beihai, a district on the continent of Zui if I happens to be busy. From there, you can take any commercial flight back to Yume." Erik explained. "It's getting cold. See you guys back at the Freedom Fortress then." Erik shoved his hands between his armpits and retreated back into the portal.

Alex has always been a quiet person, an introvert most of the time. He had no problem getting friends with his helpful personality and friendly demeanor. However, he could not find people close enough that he was willing to open up to. Those that used to be in his close social circle of friends had all left to a different country with their family. He knew they did be far apart even before the November camp three years back. They might be able to meet up in the future, not as close friends, perhaps familiar strangers. Nevertheless, life goes on for everyone. Alex was no stranger to loneliness. With his father working as a pilot, he seldom saw his old man at home. Perhaps it was due to his work, or perhaps he just simply didn't want to come home. Alex never bothered to find out about it, he got used to it after his mother passed away when he was young. As the only child, he was usually alone when he came home. There was no one waiting for his return. His father however was generous to give him a hefty amount of monthly allowance for his daily living. His solitude trained him to be a self-sufficient teenager. He did not waste all his allowance on a lavish lifestyle but lived the life of a typical student. Thus, he had a fairly loaded bank account compared to his average peers. Just when he thought his mundane life would continue forever, the unexpected happened. Something unexplainable by the laws of science took over his life. A few months after starting in his junior high school, he discovered that he had a dormant talent for sprinting. He made the discovery during a typical P.E. class where everyone was ordered to go around the field. His teacher noted his talent and he was recruited into the track and field team. Alex was never much of a runner, let alone a sprinter back in his primary. In fact, he used to hate sports. After joining the track and field team, another weird occurrence happened.

Alex started hearing a familiar voice in his dream after a tiring day of training. The voice told him to pick up archery at his nearby archery center. At first he dismissed it as nothing but an ordinary dream. However, the voice kept harassing him in his dream, repeating the same command in his dream over and over again. He tried asking it for the reason behind it but he never got a reply. The harassment gave him severe daytime sleepiness. One day, it drove him over the edge and he decided to have a trial at the archery center. Another surprise awaited him at the center. As someone who had never seen an actual bow and arrow, he turned out to be a pretty good archer. It surprised even the instructor that taught him. With his savings, he bought a custom-made pair of bow and a few arrows and began taking lessons at the archery center. He attended the center regularly about once or twice a week. After that, the voice never once appeared in his dream again. Just when he thought things had finally began to normalize in his life, a new neighbor moved next door. It was a family of three, a parent with their only child. She was girl about Alex's age, raven black hair and brown eyes of an Asian. He welcomed them when they came to their new home for the first time. He even offered to help them with the move. However, something struck Alex as peculiar when he helped them move their belongings. For three person living under one roof, they sure had surprisingly little stuff. Judging from their belongings, they seemed likely to be for a single person rather than three. Alex pretended not to notice as he never likes meddling in other people's business. His neighbor seemed ordinary but they somehow gave him a feelings that they were hiding something, especially the daughter. She had her gaze fixed on him the moment they met. Alex acted obliviously and ignored his gut feeling. "They're just odd," or so he thought.

The next morning, he ran into the neighbor girl on his school bus. It turned out, she was attending the same junior high as he was, as his junior. He was in Form 2 when he first met her. "Coincidence much?" He thought to himself. His school was the nearest junior high from his residential area, so it was not really that surprising that he would ran into her. However, their encounters grew more frequent over the months that followed. In the hallway, in the canteen, on the bus and in the library; he always seemed to bump into her. At first it was only a short exchange of greetings but their conversation eventually grew lengthier starting from their tenth encounter. Soon, they were seen together on the bus and in the canteen, sometimes even in the library. Of course, rumors of them dating started to spread among his and her classmates. Not really a surprise there. For Alex, commuting from the school and back with his neighbor was nothing more than convenience for both of them. As for how they always ended up seated next to each other remained a mystery to him. Same goes during his lunch breaks and his free time at the library. Even a normal person could tell that was more than coincidence at work. However, Alex eventually grew used to it and decided not to dwell too much on the subject. At first, he found their encounters annoying, almost loathing them. But after getting to know the girl better, his attitude towards her changed. The changes occurred after Alex began his investigation on his new neighbor. It came as no surprise after their countless 'coincidences'. He gathered details about Natasha from her classmates, regarding her personality and behavior. After that, he would silently stalk her from blind spots. However, his gut feelings told him that his cover was blown whenever he tried to spy on her. Somehow, he had a feeling that she could sense his presence. Natasha turned out to be a quiet girl, an introvert just like Alex, perhaps even more. Despite being talkative with Alex, she seemed rather quiet in her class. She didn't have a lot of friends in her class and didn't seem eager or interested in making new friends. Other than Alex, she didn't seem particularly close with any of her peers. Which only added suspicion to Alex regarding her ulterior motives. He neither found out her motives nor how she pulled off those miraculous 'coincidences' at the end of his investigation. As to why he ended his investigation half way, he lost the need for an answer.

Natasha might have had her own skeleton in the closet, but Alex didn't seem to mind. He concluded at some point during his multiple conversations with her that she meant him no harm. She didn't ask Alex any sort of invasive questions regarding himself or his family. She also didn't try any sort of act that directly or indirectly brought harm to Alex. Therefore, Alex decided not to probe any further into it. He was contented with the fact that she meant no harm. Besides, he had grown fond of her company. Natasha was a smart girl, well-read and open-minded person. Alex could practically talk about anything under the sun with the girl. Alex's dinner time also grew less lonely. He usually had his own dinner all by himself, either cooking it or eating outside. After Natasha moved in, he was invited over her house for dinner quite frequently. However, each time he was there, her parents were never home. He did brought up the subject but she always pretended not to answer or change the topic. After months of getting to know her, Alex began sharing with her regarding the strange dream he had three years back. A dream that seemed too real to be mere figment of imagination. Alex was both happy and sad at Natasha's reaction. There wasn't a hint of doubt on her face when he mentioned about interdimensional travel and Nirvana. It was as if she knew exactly what Alex was talking about. That made him felt sad. Sad because the fact that she was still keeping secrets from him despite how close they had gotten over the past few months. Alex was happy that she didn't think of him as some lunatic. Alex's sharing of his weird dream somehow made him feel more at ease, it was like a heavy burden was taken off his shoulder. About a year and a half after meeting Natasha, Alex began to remember more and more details regarding the dream he had. And one day, after a conversation regarding his dream with Natasha, there was a concerned look on her face. She never told Alex the reason and disappeared all of a sudden. Without telling Alex anything, Natasha went missing for a few days. She was absent from school and also not at her home. Her parents weren't home either, it was like the entire family had just vanished. Alex tried searching for her around the city but to no avail.

Alex was utterly depressed after Natasha had gone missing. "Was it something I said?" The thought kept crossing his mind. After three days of frantic search, Alex finally gave up. He knew in his guts that such a day would come. He just never expected it to be so soon. It was back to the old days for him, or so he thought. On the fourth day after Natasha's disappearance, Alex found himself face to face with an intruder inside his home. It was dark inside so he couldn't really see his face but he was a tall man. The man was fast, he reached out to Alex and held him in a sleeper hold. The man then whispered some words beside his ear. Alex wasn't sure it was his hypnotic words or the sleeper hold that caused him to feel drowsy all of a sudden. The next thing he knew, he collapsed into the man's arms. Alex woke up after some time, staring at the ceiling of his own room. His head felt kind of heavy as he recalled what had happened. He checked himself for injuries and found himself to be unharmed. The sound of footsteps in the dining room caught his attention. He took careful and deliberate steps to mute his footsteps as he approached the dining place. "I see you're awake, Alex. You must be hungry, I prepared dinner." A familiar voice called out to him. Alex abandoned his stealthy approach and barged into the dining place. "Erik! Why are you here? Why now?" He was startled to see his old mentor before him. "Sit down, I'll explain over dinner." Erik lifted his fork and spoon. "What do you want to know first? But before that, you can come out now. That level of illusion doesn't work on me," Erik said to the wall. Natasha suddenly stepped out from the corner of the room. "Natasha? What are you doing here?" Alex asked, surprised by her sudden appearance. "I'm sure you realized by now that's not her real name." Erik said. Natasha's eyes suddenly turned from brown to a deep sapphire blue while her entire skin complexion took on a fairer tone. Her skin turned more pale than fair while her face remained the same. "Recognize her? You met her somewhere before three years back." Erik hinted. Alex squeezed his mind to remember but nothing came up. However, looking at the girl's face, he did notice that she did resemble someone he knew or saw before. "I'm Yui. You saved me back in Celestial City, remember?" The girl said. The name instantly triggered the image of a nine-year-old girl on Alex's mind. But the girl that stood before him looked nothing like the little girl, except perhaps her eyes.

"Did you fake your age as well?" Alex asked. "No, she didn't. She really is fourteen this year." Erik answered. Alex's stomach rumbled at the sight of food on the table. He took a seat opposite to Erik and picked up the spoon. "You should join us, Yui. I prepared yours as well." Erik said. She sat down at a corner, a seat away from both Alex and Erik. "You do look like a fourteen-year-old, Yui. But how?" Alex asked. "When you turned thirteen, I turned twelve. And when your started Form 2, I join you as your junior. One Earth year is three Nirvana years, remember?" Yui explained. "Right. I guess your parents were all just illusions then? There was never a family next door, it was only you all along." Alex said. Yui nodded and said. "It was a necessary cover as your observer. Your memories were recovering so I had to inform Erik about it." "I see. So I was just a job huh? It's alright, I half expected something like this." Alex sighed disappointedly. "No, I …" Yui turned her gaze to the ground, unable to face Alex. "What about you, Erik?" Alex asked. Erik put down his spoon and wiped his mouth with a tissue. "The reason I restored your memories was just as she said. You're starting to remember things. It won't be long before you start realizing your powers. As for the reason why they were wiped in the first place, it was for your own safety. We were planning to restore them when you grew older." Erik explained. "Who's we?" Alex asked. "The Gatekeepers. I believe I have told you this before. You and your friends weren't chosen to go to Nirvana by random chances. There was a reason that each of you were chosen. As for you, it's because you're one of the descendants of the Gatekeepers just like me." Erik replied. "What? I thought someone told us that the Gatekeepers were wiped out at the massacre of Endless Portal. And the place is in ruins." Alex clarified. "That's partially true. The massacre did occurred and they did lay waste to the place but that was many decades ago. You didn't think we were that easy to kill, did you? It's true that many of us died back then but many had escaped as well. The Endless Portal was rebuilt in secret and is now a bustling city once more. The decision to open the extra-dimensional city to all reduced the tension between the Gatekeepers and the rest of Nirvana. Now Endless Portal is just like any ordinary city inhabited by all sorts of power users." Erik explained.

"Is that all? Don't tell me that's the sole reason." Alex probed. "Of course not. Even after opening our borders to others, the Gatekeepers still have secrets that must be kept. And you are one of our deepest and darkest secrets." Erik turned to face Yui. "None of the content of this conversation should ever leave this room." Erik's right hand reached into his extra dimension and pulled out an Arc Net generator. After activating it, an invisible barrier jammed all communications from the dining room. "Do you know what makes a perfect prison? Us, we're the perfect prison." Erik continued. "Our extra dimension can trap someone or something without being traced. No distress signal can be send from inside the dimension. It's also impossible for the prisoner to escape if they don't have the ability to create a rift in the space-time continuum. And best of all, the prison cannot be accessed by anyone but the Gatekeeper himself. The prison will last as long as the Gatekeepers are alive. And when one Gatekeeper ages, he can simply pass his prisoner to the next generation. Making it an eternal imprisonment. We called those Gatekeepers – Wardens." Erik explained in a soft tone. "That's a very cruel thing to do! What kind of living things deserve such punishment?" Alex fumed, his voice raised. "They were called the Titans. Beings that inhabited Nirvana long before humans had ever set foot on it. It was a bitter tale of blood-shed, war and colonization. In the end, thirteen Wardens were appointed, sealing the Titans where no one can find, for all eternity. Over the centuries, tales of the Titans faded into myths and myths into legends. Today, not much people on Nirvana even know their existence. And you, Alex are one of the Wardens. You received your prisoner from your mother before she died. It was sealed away deep inside your extra dimension." Erik revealed the stunning truth.