"Say Globus, what is the life expectancy in Cazanette?" Reevahn asked while we were on our way to the shrine.
"What do you mean?" Globus confirmed.
"What is the maximum age of the citizens to live, he means." Said Brix.
"I don't have an idea. We, hybrids, have no memories of our childhood that is why we don't know how our parents died or how they died." explained Granger.
"I believe that is the same case in purebreeds." said Globus.
"I think not." Gaila contradicted. "Master Ren said earlier that… umm… I mean, he knows who his father is."
"If we thought that earlier, we should have asked a purebreed or the Elder. Are we going to the town of knowledge?" I asked.
"Hey! You're still here?"
"Chaeldra!" called Brix. "Good timing. We have something to ask you."
"About what?"
"How long does the Cazanette citizens live? What is the maximum age? Of course excluding the Elder." Reevahn asked.
"About forty to forty seven in both hybrids and purebreeds."
"Hmmm… forty times eighteen divided by twenty four… thirty?" I computed.
"What are you computing?"
"How old is that in our world? Thirty? That is too young. But the dowager is older than that"
"That's it. Why are the citizens die in that age? Sickness? Accident?"
"They were taken by the holy creator and were sent to the shrine."
"What do you mean taken?"
"Their spirits are automatically taken."
"Meaning, dying for no reason?"
"Yeah, like that."
I thought, maybe the dowager is exempted with their life expectancy is because she is also not of this world.
"I want to go to the funeral." Reevahn said.
"What?! How?! You are not allowed to attend a funeral!" said Chaeldra. "The funeral is only done by the shrine people."
"Ooooh… That makes me more curious." Said Revahn. "I have a plan."
Reevahn stated his plan to us. Because we decided to take the responsibility, we are going to do every little thing that is related to Cazanette. Chaeldra told us that last wills are allowed in the shrine. Reevahn planned to fake his and Granger's death to be able to research the funeral ceremony. If anything weird happens, he will communicate with us. If the funeral is only normal, which is they will be buried, he will tell us to save him. Brix and I will go to the shrine to send Reevahn and Granger's fake dead bodies and act like we are grieving. After that, we will go straight to the glowing castle.
"Don't worry, they do not check the bodies if there is a confirmation from a person like me." Chaeldra said. "So they won't know if they are still alive."
"Don't they care about the citizens?" said Brix. "They could bury them alive if they are only in the state of coma."
"They don't even know the citizens. They don't interact to the people. They only stay in the Shrine. What is a coma?"
"Comatose or coma state is also called brain dead. They cannot move but they can still listen and their bodies are still physically alive. The heartbeat is still present." I explained.
"Oooh… but here, brain dead is still dead, so they are buried,"
"Poor citizens. Anyway, let's start faking our death so we can proceed to the mission." Reevahn suggested.
We marched to the shrine with the fake dead bodies of Reevahn and Granger. At the shrine, we found some of the people from the earlier burial who are marching out of the castle. While our heads were still bowing while marching towards the shrine, I noticed that Brix was staring at those people.
We were brought by the shrine maidens to one of the shrine building – located at left of the building where we wished and is connected to the mountains. The front half of the building is like a temple's gate with two Greek pillars supported the awning – which is wood-colored. When we were inside, the shrine priestess told us that the hybrid's body will be the first to be laid to rest, followed by the purebreed.
The burial has begun. Granger was put to the altar then suddenly the altar opened and Granger was suddenly gone, same goes for Reevahn. We planned to move out of the shrine as soon as possible after Reevahn and Granger has lost by our sight. We were just waiting for Reevahn and Granger to contact us.
Immediately after Reevahn was thrown to the hole, "Granger, where are you?" Reevahn whispered while still falling down the unmeasurable and dark hole. Suddenly, he felt like he landed on a surface. "Are you alright, Reevahn?" The surface is Granger's back. "Yes, I am, but are you flying? I can't see anything."
"Yes, I am flying." Granger answered while making his horn illuminate and gave light to the dark abyss.
"Where are we exactly?" Reevahn asked. "This supposed to be like a cemetery, right?"
They were in a very wide pit with immeasurable depth. The walls are only made of soil and no other scenery aside from the pit and the dark bottom. Granger is flying to reach the bottom of the pit.
"Can you contact Brix and Nina?" Reevahn asked.
"Of course." Aside from light that conquers darkness, Granger's horn blinks from time to time. "Gaila, Globus, can you hear me? We have something to tell you."
"Are they already in? Nina, Brix, can you hear me?"
"Yes, what happened? How are you?" asked Brix.
"We are literally more than six feet under the ground but we can't see anything other than this abysmal pit."
"Okay, we are going now to the glowing castle. Contact us when you have more information and so we will too."
"Okay."
Granger's blinking light was gone and flew down to find a surface.
"Granger, can you see that glistening surface? Is that water?"
"I think so. Can you breathe in water?" asked Granger.
"Of course not. Can you?"
"I can't, I don't have gills."
"Let's call for them again. We can't explore further." Said Reevahn.
"What?" Brix asked
"We can't explore further. There is water. We both cannot breathe in water."
"Your power is water." I said.
"But, I'm still human even if I have the power of water."
"Remember, you and Granger are one and you are water. So both of you are water. If you want, you can ask nymph Theta to help you/ she is a water nymph anyway."
"Thanks for that, Nina. How should I ask for her help?"
"She is a nymph so you should call her the way a nymph would like."
"Like courting her?"
"Exactly! Okay, good luck about that. We are on our way to the town of knowledge."
"W-wait!" Reevahn called before he lost the connection. "Okay, Granger, let's do this."
"Are you ready to call the nymph?"
"If there are no rules in calling a nymph, then I am."
"Start now."
"Eeee…. I'm shy… okay… here it is. I hope she will hear this… Beautiful water nymph Theta of Cazanette, the pearl in the river that shines with glory, hear my call..." Reevahn called. "Is it alright?" Reevahn whispered to Granger.
"I hope so."
There was a moment of silence inside the pit and Reevahn and Granger felt clueless about summoning the nymph. Later, they saw the water eventually glistened and illuminated its own light. They weren't looked surprised as they were eagerly waiting for the nymph's answer.
"Who are you?" the voice asked.
"My name is Reevahn and I am with Granger. We are Nina's friends and colleagues. We need your help."
"Reevahn and Granger? Reevahn, the person who was baptized with the water element. How may I help you?"
"We are investigating in Cazanette for our mission. We are currently inside a pit for burial under the shrine and we can't further explore because of the water. May you help us breathe in water?"
"Okay. But remember, you were baptized with water and it means that water is also part of you. The next time you are troubled like this, you should feel that you are the water."
"Yes."
"Now, Granger, dive in water with Reevahn."
Granger obeyed.
The water splashed and the two are already underwater. Reevahn and Granger tried to breathe but they felt that they were drowning.
"The water is part of you and you are water." The nymph said.
"(How can you talk to us?)" Reevahn asked in his mind while trying to breathe.
"Because I am in my water and you should also." She said. "Breathe properly as you were out of water."
Reevahn and Granger tried and eventually became successful. "Now, I can breathe and move properly." Granger said while walking in water.
"Wish granted. Good luck."
"Where are you? Why don't you show us yourself?"
"I'm sorry but I can't. Anymore questions or requests?"
"No more. Thank you."
The sparkles in water faded with the nymph's voice but the light still illuminates the area surrounding Reevahn and Granger.
"Reevahn." called Granger. "I can sense a boundary not so far in front of us."
"How did you know? How did you feel that?"
"Because water is part of us and we are water."
"I see. That boundary may be an extension of the boundary we found before."
"Another boundary above us, Reevahn."
"Be careful. We might break them."
"Reevahn, can you see that?"
"What?"
"Something is happening. Look. Isn't that the killed purebreed earlier?"
"You're right. Aren't those the black suited men Nina. Gaila and the dowager told us about?"
What Reevahn and Granger saw were three black suited men who were diving and collecting the separated parts of the purebreed.
"What are they going to do to him?" asked Granger.
One of them noticed Reevahn and Granger so that he left his companions and checked the surroundings.
"Do something!" said Granger
"Like what?"
"Camouflage?"
"Okay, I'll try."
Reevahn released the water power from his gems and as it twisted, it covered Reevahn and Granger instead of forming a sword.
The man didn't see them and suddenly hurried up when he realized that is oxygen is almost out. They swam northwards while Reevahn and Granger followed them until they reached the boundary.
At the boundary, the three opened a small gate below. The gate was two-by-two-meter fiberglass. When they opened the gate, an air pressure separated the water and the room beyond the gate. They pulled themselves towards the gate.
"Are we still going to follow them? Granger asked.
"Yes. Let's connect to Gaila and Globus and we'll follow them next." Said Reevahn.
Granger connected to Gaila and Globus.
"We're going to follow where they brought the corpse. If ever we won't see each other very soon, let's meet on the other side."
"What are you taking about? You are not going to die." I said.
"Say that again, you'll be dead meat." said Brix.
"What I mean is, if our reunion is delayed, let's meet in our world."
"That's it. Okay, just take care of yourselves. We are still walking. We are currently in the fields. We're on our way to the glowing castle." Brix said.
"Just contact us if you have an opportunity." I said.
"Yes. We will. We're going to hang up. Bye." Reevahn said.
Reevahn and Granger swam their way to the boundary's gate and tried to open it the same way the others did.
Brix and I finally found ourselves, with Globus and Gaila, made our first step on the crystal bridge that leads to the glowing castle. The crystal bridge is a little longer than the other bridges in Cazanette maybe because the bridge leads exactly in front of the castle's gate which is located higher than the Cazanette's main land. We just noticed that below the end of the bridge, the castle has its own gate as well. The castle looks like it was made of gold and diamonds that's why it was glowing in appearance but I can't think of the reason why it was still glowing in the dark.
"Now, what?" said Globus.
"Should we knock?" I said. "It is the most courteous way isn't it?" I added.
"Then who will open for us? Is there anyone living here?" said Brix.
"Just try." Globus replied.
Brix knocked on the big door three times. He stepped back and we waited for about ten seconds for the response but nothing happened. He tried for the second time to knock strongly and hardly at the castle's thick wooden door and waited for about fifteen seconds but nothing happened again.
"Go and try for your Morse code. They used them before anyway." I said.
Brix stopped for a while and thought for a message knock. He then started to knock four continuous knocks like counting one to four paused for one count, knocked a short knock, paused again for one count, followed by one short, one long and two short knocks., paused again and repeated the last one, paused and ended with three long counts of knocks. I was brushing Gaila's hair while counting those knocks.
"What did your knocks mean?" I asked.
"I just said hello"
"What?! That was just hello?! And who will open a gate for you if you just said -"
The gate suddenly opened.
"What were you saying?" said Brix.
We entered the big door and found ourselves inside a very dark castle. As the door shut, I can't see anything but black. A few seconds later, torches lighted a path for us. We walked straight until we reach the end of the path which is another wooden arch door that looks thinner than the large door at the entrance. A small camera-like machine suddenly descended from the ceiling. It was an eye-scanner – a retinal scanner – which red light was blinking in front of our faces. Because we were not recognized by the machine, the scanner's built-in automatic shutter suddenly flashed. It wasn't just an ordinary flash. You can say that it was a flash bomb. Even Gaila and Globus were affected by the flash.
There was a moment of silence and sight adaptation. We didn't have enough time to rest our sight when a sudden heavy falling sound was heard near us.
"What was that?!"
As our sights eventually returned, we saw sparkling metals around us. We were surrounded by bars.
"Huhhh?!! What happened?!" said Globus
"We're trapped." Said Gaila
"Guh…" I mumbled
"Why?" asked Brix
"Of course we are not recognized by the scanner, duh…" I said.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Gaila
"Cut the bars?" said Globus
Brix summoned his sword and tried to cut the bars.
"It's unmalleable."
I tried to hit it also with my sword to cut it but nothing happened as well. "So what should we do?"
"Remember what the nymph told us? We should discover how to use of gifted elements. I'll try to concentrate." Brix said. He slowly closed his eyes and concentrated as we watched him breathe. Later, he breathed deeply and exhaled with pursed lips. As he exhaled, we heard a low toned whistling sond – Globus and Gaila suddenly sneezed and I covered my nose and mouth. Out of irrational thinking, I suddenly jumped and kicked Brix's back that made him hit the bars. "Ouch! You distract my concentration!"
I, still covering my nose and mouth, answered hum, "You just farted! God of fart! Enough with your concentration! It's awful! I can't even breathe! How do you call that concentration?!"
"I concentrated enough to make by body process become normal!"
Globus whipped his tail to Brix. "That's for irritating my nasal receptors!"
Because of the commotion, I rolled my eyes and suddenly noticed the ceiling. "Hey, everyone, look up. Is that ceiling made of wood?"
"It looks like it." said Globus.
"I have an idea. Brix, watch how concentration is used." I calmed my spirit down and look for the igniting power inside me. My body heat increased from my chest running through my arms, flowing to my hands. I can now feel that flame is igniting around my hands. As it feels heavier, I threw the flames to the ceiling. The ceiling burned down and Gaila protected us with her wings that were changed to volcanic rock texture. The bars around us had fallen. We ran our way out of the area of burning ceiling. Brix suddenly slashed the wooden door that made us enter a round hall with revolving stairs which are rested to the walls and start from right direction.
"Now, what to do?" asked Brix. "That revolving stairs will make us exhausted.
The stairs surrounded the wide round hall. The height of the space in between steps is less than a foot. It will really take time and energy to reach the top storey.
"Let's fly to the top." Said Brix then he rode in Globus. I mounted on Gaila as well and started to fly.
Before we reach the next storey, the two unicorns warned us. "There's a boundary just right above us." said Globus, who is flying ahead of us.
Brix's eyes suddenly changed to his serious mode and summoned his sword. Globus was suddenly covered in armored metal – which is a sign or power sharing from the rider. The boys advanced flying as Brix slashed the said boundary as it shattered. Globus' wings protected us from shattered objects until we reached the highest floor.
"This might be the last floor. I destroy the horizontal boundary, there's no floor to be stand on anymore. Let's use the stairs." said Brix
We climbed the stairs and reached the last step. "we will stay here. Our weight might break the boundary." said Gaila.
Brix and I walked around the invisible floor. I'm glad that I didn't have acrophobia. "This is already the glowing tower, isn't it?" I started. "Yeah." Brix replied seriously. I went to one window where the view of whole Cazanette can be seen. The light of the skies was becoming dimmer. It is the Cazanette version of our world's twilight. The castle has small non-glowing-like towers. The glowing castle seemed unmanned for no traces of living can be seen around except from us, intruders of the castle.
"Look Brix. It's the whole map of Cazanette!" I exclaimed. Brix was still silent that time. I didn't know what he was thinking. I kept talking since I'm not used to seeing Brix this serious. "I can see the cracks on the sky…" I said, while Brix is still silent "What are you looking for?" I followed.
He was walking clockwise while touching the walls and opened windows with his left hand while holding his sword with his right. "I am looking for a secret passage." He suddenly said.
"Secret passage? According to the vision that the Elder showed us and the dowager's story, it's under the castle."
"If that's so, let's just wait until tomorrow."
"Why?"
"My instinct says to stay her for the whole night and I'll discover something."
"Okay. It's good to rest anyway."
Brix kept walking around the perimeter of the invisible floor of glowing tower while I rest my cheeks on the heel of my hand, resting my elbows on the window. I looked through the window and glanced at the view of Cazanette.
"Say, Brix…"
"Yeah?"
"Can you fly?"
"Huh?! What are you talking about? We are humans and what they so-called purebreeds. How can I fly?" He reacted. "You're teasing me again." He whispered.
"Well, you see, we were given different elemental powers by this world as their last hope, weren't we? So I'm thinking that you, with your wind element can give you the ability to fly."
"Hmmmm… well, I haven't tried that yet."
"We might need it."
"Yeah. I think, I should learn it now while we're resting."
"Good luck." I said while continuing to watch the whole kingdom's dark night – except for some illuminating torch lights from the town of knowledge and the village of royal servants which is beside the Cazanette palace. I tried to close my eyes while still in the window. It was very nice to sleep while the surroundings are dark. Gaila and Globus were resting at the stairs.
Because of sleeping at improper position, I experienced being surprised about nothing that made me wake up. My hands, which my head used for resting, accidentally released from my control and touched the outside wall of the tower's window. I felt something moist and icky thing on my finger. I didn't have a second thought to wake up Brix.
"Brix! Brix! Help me! Get the flashlight inside my bag and check what's on my hand!!! It feels disgusting!"
So he did. "Let me see." He consulted. "Isn't this alga?"
"EEEEEEK!!! Remove it! Remove it!"
"How can I? Wash it with something" Brix suggested
I wanted to take them off in my hand instantly. A flame suddenly ignited around my hand but it doesn't hurt. "I… did I do it?"
"Yeah! You did remove it with fire. Wow. You can control it now. How did you do that?"
"I didn't do anything. I just felt disgusted and wanted to remove it this very instant. Well, it wasn't icky anymore.
"Anyway, where did you get them?"
"Outside the window walls."
Brix and I checked the window walls and we found luminous moving objects from the soils of riverbank.
"What are those?" I asked
"I'm not sure. Those are too far to see. Let's observe them for now."
"I can see a little. It seems to be crawling to the walls of the castle towards this tower." I put the flashlight back to my bag.
We watched the luminous objects crawl until they reach a meter away below the tower window. Those look like they were eating the substance of the tower walls.
"They look like fat caterpillars." I said while looking at the crawling luminous objects.
Brix looked at the creatures more as if his eyes were zooming at the image of the caterpillars. "Um… Nina, I think we need to go now."
"W-what? W-why?"
"Those are motyxia species. I read that they release cyanide. The problem is they may be hybrids."
Suddenly, Brix grabbed my hand and tried to jump through a back window. "Globus, Gaila, Come on!"
The window openings are big enough for Gaila and Globus to jump through without their wings so they leaped simultaneously through two different windows. Soon after they jumped, they spread their wings. I and Brix simultaneously and hastily mounted on Gaila and Globus. I felt like we were a team of pilots in a show I watched.
We flew towards to mountain range that encircles the Cazanette soil. We heard some explosions behind us but I believed that the sound isn't as near as the glowing tower – or should I call it now, motyxia infested tower. "Gaila! Let's check where that sound comes from!" I ordered Gaila. "Nina, Gaila, don't!" called Brix.
We turned and flew upwards then suddenly, I banged my head and held it as much as I can. It hurts so much that I got out of balance from Gaila and fall. "Nina!" they called.
As Gaila approached me, she tripped to something and hurt herself too. We were surprised to find ourselves floating in the air like we are also touching the ground.
"Thank you, Brix!" I said, for saving us from fall.
"For what?" he said. "I didn't do anything, really." His and Globus' face looked surprised.
Almost five meters above us, they flew down carefully to our level. They landed very carefully and Brix gave his hand to help us out. "What happened?" he asked sacredly.
"We flew on rush to check the explosion, but…" said Gaila, "I'm sorry, Nina."
"But you cannot feel a boundary around us." followed Globus.
"Yes. You too?" said Gaila
"This is a little bit of a big problem." said Brix
"Your statement is ambivalent. How would you say that?"
"Look. Big problem: We don't know where we are inside of. Are we trapped again? We can barely see these mountain ranges and forests around us behind that glowing castle. We thought we were flying above land but here we are now. It seems like, we are inside a tube or an overpass. Even Gaila and Globus cannot sense this area's boundary."
"And a little bit of?"
"A little bit of a problem. Since we came from the glowing tower, this may be the exit that the purebreed was talking about. If we follow this invisible tunnel, we might really find an exit."
"You are right. So how will we do that? We are not even sure if it's a curve or a straight tunnel. It will take a lot of time. We might meet Reevahn with multiple bruises in our body. He is waiting for us."
"Hmmm… Can you ignite yourself?"
"What the hell are you talking about?! Of course not!"
"You can't… hmmm… if only Reevahn is here, it will be fast… and, hmmm… okay, fire cannot help. How should I do it…"
"Huh?" I wondered what Brix was thinking that time.
"You know, by the pull of gravity, a thing can go down. If we can have access to water, we can use its properties to make it flow through the invisible tunnel or road."
"Yes. And you were asking me to ignite myself earlier. The smoke always goes up. We might be suffocated." I said to Brix while thinking of another way. "I have an idea. I hope it works."
"What is it?" Brix asked.
"I will try to form lava and let it flow by the floor. Then, we will fly and follow the lava. Though, it has disadvantages. If this pass is going upwards, the lava will flow towards the castle. The cyanide that was produced by motyxia, as you said, might react to the lava. We will be trapped again. But if not, it is our lucky day."
Brix liked the idea and didn't mind if the lava flows backwards. He was so positive in this idea. The idea worked. While the lava flows downwards towards the summit in the mountain range, we flew and followed its direction which leads us to a wooden door. The door has a similar color with the soul of the mountain range. At first look, it is unnoticeable.
"Ignite a fire. We need light." Globus commanded.
"I have a flashlight. We can use it."
"But we may run out of that flashlight's energy source. Whatever you call it."
"Battery. But…"
"Let's use the flashlight." Brix said. "A flame consumes oxygen to prolong its life. We are inside a tunnel which has little oxygen supply. We may die of hypoxia."
"This may be a long walk. Why don't we try to use Brix's wind to ensure that Nina's flame wouldn't wear out?" said Gaila.
"That's possible." Said Brix
"I agree." I said.
Meanwhile, Reevahn and Granger were walking in a nine-feet-tall-five-feet-wide-tunnel-shaped-glass-walled hallway. On the right side of the tunnel is the translucent blue water and on the left side is an aluminum alloy wall and the mirror-like glass wall.
After several walks, they reached a T intersection wherein there is a tall double door directly at the end of the tunnel-like hallway. To the right from the intersection is an aluminum walled curve hallway and to the left is another hallway with doors approximately fifty meters apart. At the corner of the left hallway is a door.
Granger heard footsteps coming from the left hallway so they decided to hide in the door on their left. The men were talking about something so they tried to listen.
"Are we going to do the next project? It's a pure human, isn't it? It does look difficult."
"Don't worry. Professor Lax said it is up to us if he is going to remain as purebreed human or make him a hybrid. Besides, he died three times already. Making him a hybrid is easier. He was also killed by hybrids so let's make him a hybrid."
"So, hybrid it is. I will choose his next identity."
Reevahn and Granger peeped at the door and saw two men, holding a cup of coffee, entered a code on the door lock of the double door and remembered the combination. The men are purebreeds who are wearing white laboratory gowns. Before going out of the room, they looked behind them and saw lots of large cylindrical glasses which illuminate blue light from the liquid inside, "What are those?" Reevahn whispered, opening his eyes wide out of surprise.
"These are stem cells that were acquired from the living above. It is how you, Cazanette citizens are made of." The voice explained.
"Who are you?!"
"I should be the one to ask that. Who are you and how did you get here, Cazanettians?" said the voice of the person who is now can be viewed as walking silhouette towards them.
The man; about thirty five years old in our world, with white hair and has a face similar to Master Ren's, put his face so close to Reevahn's face and said, "What do you want from here?"
"We want to save the people of Cazanette and ourselves. Just like what you want us to do… Master Ren."
"Save the people just like what I want you to do? Hahahaha! Master Ren?! You make me laugh so hard! That is so funny."
"Don't laugh. You disguised and played with us. How could you…" said Reevahn while summoning his sword.
"Take it easy. I don't even know you. And, you cannot hurt me."
"Oh, really? So who are you?!"
"My name is Zai. I am now an AI. I am the creator of this world so be proud to meet your God!"
Reevahn slashed him but nothing happened. "You are not my God! You are just a mere AI! And how the hell do you look like our Master Ren?!"
"Curiosity kills the cat. I am the father of their cells, the great father of Rab, who may be the ancestor of you Master Ren. Put down your sword and bow before me, Cazanettian."
"I am not a Cazanettian!!!" Reevahn shouted while chasing and trying to slash the AI.
"You can't kill me, you know that. You are wasting your energy. You are not a Cazanettian? So, the nymph's legend is true."
"Let them live freely, Zai!"
"Hahahaha!!! Whatever you want, I won't be able to do anything. I am an AI anyway." Zai's image faded and left Reevahn exhausted.
Our group expected to encounter cave traps but luckily, we have not. There was a long downward walk inside the tunnel with an alternating hot and cold temperature. As we felt that the way is going upwards, the tunnel eventually widens until we reached an aluminum door with a number pad on left side.
"Now, what? What should we put here?" asked Globus.
"Let's ask Reevahn if he found out something." said Brix.
Gaila, contacted Granger. "Granger, we are stuck. Do you have an idea about the password?" "Reevahn has, but he is…"Granger answered.
"Granger!" shouted Gaila.
"What happened to Reevahn?!" shouted Brix
Out of anger, I found myself summoning my sword and destroying the door. I luckily thrusted my sword through the aluminum door and tried to experiment both the earth and fire element to concentrate to my sword, then fortunately,
"Move aside, make a barrier." I said.
"What are you planning? You will attract everybody's atten-"
Finally, the door exploded as I wished and soon after the smoke faded, a group of black suited men pointed swords to us. Our group fought them and breakthrough. Brix and I were back to back sword fighting while Globus and Gaila kicked and thrust the enemies with their horns.
"We need to go to Reevahn immediately! Let's defeat anyone who stops us!" shouted Brix while running towards the left hallway – as the right side of the door is a dead end.
"Globus! Find Granger's location and we'll find Reevahn!" ordered Brix.
We suddenly heard a loud emergency siren and everything around is covered with red light and more black suited men attacked us. We ran and slashed, and run and thrust until we reached an intersection.
"Granger and Reevahn are here." Globus said while pointing his horn to the door beside the tunnel-like hallway.
We found Reevahn inside the room amidst large floor-to-ceiling glass cylinders filled with bubbling blue liquid and hand-sized-grape-like-pale-flesh-colored thing inside those. Reevahn was on his knees. Granger was beside him. We approached him and closed the door – while the siren was still active at the hallway.
"Reevahn! What happened?!" Brix grabbed Reevahn's shoulder.
Reevahn slowly looked at Brix as he seriously said, "I feel like we were dragged into this to be played and experimented."
"Why did you say that?"
"Zai. The AI in this room earlier, he said he created Cazanette…"
"And?"
"Master Ren is his clone."
"But a clone is a clone. They have different minds."
"Don't you notice? If it weren't our detours, Master Ren told us where to go. That letter, it may not be the message for that purebreed but it is for someone inside the palace during the ceremony. The location of his mansion is around the mountain ranges just like the castle and the shrine. It is possible that there is a passageway to this laboratory."
"But, if he is a clone, his memories should also… wait…"
"The citizens, hybrid or purebreed, do not have any memory of their family's death. The purebreed who died said he'll be back. Master Ren knows his father. He was not surprised by knowing Arthemia is Allythycne's mother though no one saw their parents. And they did not see their parents because they are already cloned."
"Ren and Rem must have met each other because?"
"There must be one clone present every time to look for the citizens and to guide them to a different path. There must be endorsement between clones before they take the previous clone's body."
"That is why the shrine is opposite his ranch. It is easy for them to communicate using a flag or light signs communication."
"Let us get out of here and go home. I feel like we are being played too."
"And what about these three?" Brix pointed the three horses
"I believe in the nymph's power but I think they should go back."
"What? But we are not spies! We can help you!" cried Gaila.
"It is not what you think. We believe in our bonds. Many of us are just victims of someone's desire to become God of his own world."
"Then, why are you sending us away?"
"We will go find the master and when we do, everyone will be freed from Cazanette." said Brix.
"We believe in unison that we are still in the same world, but your world where you grew up might be destroyed." said Reevahn.
"And if it happens, if ever Cazanette is located underwater or soil, the prophecy of the first rain will happen."
"You know how we get here. Now, go back and send all of the people here, purebreeds or hybrids and bring their necessities to the new world… our world." Reevahn smiled and instructed.
"I wil boost your strength, power, speed and everything you need for it to be done. By the wonders of trust between you shall you become one." said the voice.
"It is the nymph!" we said in chorus as our body and armory glows in the color of our elements and our strength boosted up. The three unicorns spread their wings and grew their glowing horns equipped by the nymph's blessings, they flew and destroyed the walls where Brix, Globus, Gaila and I came from and barged through the boundaries and made holes in it. They flew around the land and met in the middle – just above the rotunda and put their horns together as they emit a laser of light that went upwards and downwards – like making an axis made of it. All the hybrids understood the message immediately and spread the message about the first rain prophecy.
Everyone in Cazanette packed their necessities and gather in the field before the crystal bridge. The whole population of Cazanette; which consists of twenty percent purebreeds and eighty percent hybrids wherein winged hybrid population is sixty percent of the total hybrid population, gather to help all the non-winged Cazanettians to fly to the hole that the unicorns made.
Gaila took Allythycne and a maid, Globus took the Elder and the Smith, Granger took Chaeldra and the inn owner, Arthemia mounted in the back of an HGHM with two more passengers, all the HGHMs took all the people of town of knowledge in pairs, some other winged hybrids took the non-winged cattle and other hybrids, Alnah, Funny and some other big winged hybrids helped the hybrid chief – as he cannot fly due to his weak body.
We went outside the room and rushed to raid every room to look for the exit. There was nothing but a facility of laboratories until we reached a staircase leading to a thick stainless door with a digital lock. Luckily, we were boosted up by the nymph that made us easier to break the door. As the door opened, we saw many wires and tubes in the room which is all connected to an iron chair.
There was a door in front of the chair – the chair was not facing towards us. There was an emergency button at the back of the chair. It must be the switch to the exit. We stepped forward and suddenly, a platoon of men pointed guns toward us.
"What are you looking for?" said one of them
"Who is Zai? Who operates him?!" shouted Reevahn
"Lower your voice! Or we will pull the trigger!"
"Stop. Let them receive the knowledge they need." A female voice said. The chair turned and faced towards us. "Give them way and stand by." She commanded.
A blonde woman whose head and spine were connected to tubes and wires faced us and sarcastically smiled. "Welcome to our world."
"Who are you?" Brix asked angrily.
"My name is Lax. What do you need?"
"Where is Zai? Who operates him?!" asked Reevahn.
"Zai. The great Zai, He, who formulated the formula for making successful hybrids and clones. He, who died of suffering because of non-believers of science, puts his children's life to danger just to please those leaders who are full of themselves. The great Zai just wanted to use his intelligence to save technology to all the people.. to all the people… except his family. He used his very own children and grandchildren just to achieve acknowledgement but nothing happened." The woman stood up and slowly walked towards us, pulling the cables and tubes attached to her. She seductively glanced at Brix and smiled, "but, look at his works. He succeeded in making an immortal human by just maintaining the body's electricity and replacing tissues the undergo necrosis with an advanced stem cell cloning mutation procedure. Yes, I am the great Zai's granddaughter who managed to continue my grandfather's wishes before he died… and I looked through his works and fortunately, I surpassed him by making him an AI. With the help of the legendary hidden spring of youth, I surpassed not just his technology but also the belief that science cannot even explain." Zai's image suddenly showed beside Lax.
"You really surpassed me, my beloved granddaughter. I just wanted to be recognized as scientist but you became the hands of my ideas. You are the real creator of Cazanette!" said the AI.
"Enough of your praises! They are the people who seek for freedom that they even not know about! They are not guinea pigs for your gratification!" Brix said to the AI.
"Just one question." said Brix "How long in standard Earth years have you lived?"
Lax giggled. "Does it matter? I've been thirty years old until now."
Brix got angry and tried to attack her but someone suddenly grabbed his hand to prevent him. "She is four hundred eighty seven years old. You should know that women don't like their age to be asked."
"Master Ren" we recognized surprisingly. Reevahn took out his sword and point it at Master Ren's neck. "You traitor…" Master Ren just defended himself with iron armor in his arms.
"You played us in your palms! No one wanted to be played!" said Brix.
"Your trained us, invited us and convinced us to save the people but everything was a set-up! You only wanted more subjects for your hybrid experiments, and then what? You will be awarded as great scientists?" I screeched.
"Good work, my son, for training them and luring them. I'm very proud of you." said Lax.
"Thank you, mother. Now that we've got these three who were the sole team that the nymph entrusted her powers, we got the examples of the four elements that you needed." said Master Ren.
"So, you are really after the nymph's power. What do you want with the elements that were granted to us? You don't need to wish for anything." said Brix.
"I want a new world, different from this world, a world that I will make, a world that I can control freely. By those four elements, I can capture the nymph and force her to grant my wish!"
"You can't do that! The people need freedom! Some of them want to become somebody! You just put limits to the beings. You played their DNA, their life is limited even though no one knows how somebody dies! Everything is awful! And we, we have a family outside Cazanette that are waiting for us. Not just us, but all of the species inside this closed space! Don't take someone's love ones because your family betrayed you!"
"Betrayed… yes. I was betrayed by my grandfather… he killed my parents. He made me into this… I was made into a puppet and I will take revenge in his experiments!!!"
"You are an experiment too! Let the people go now and stop playing their DNA components!" Reevahn said.
"I'm sorry, mother, but I agree with them. With this non-ending process of cloning and laboratory mixed breeding, I too want to go on outside this dome laboratory and discover my true self. Not as a clone but as an individual." said Master Ren. "and I am here to support them and oppose you!" he added.
"You traitor! Get them! Part of you is still Zai's!" Lax said
"Let's run!" Master Ren commanded.
We ran outside that room with Master Ren but Reevahn ran with hesitation. "How can we trust you? You already know this place but you didn't tell us. Now you are bringing us in an area that we don't know about."
"Lax knows everything that happens in Cazanette especially when I say something. I am tired of being manipulated, killed, cloned, then modified again with somebody's cells and partial memories. It is kind of tiring."
"So, where are you going to bring us?" asked Brix
"You already know that I can't tell you." said Master Ren. "but I can show you." He held Brix's shoulders and turned it to a frame with eight rayed sun in the middle and eight holes opposite its rays. "I think you already know what that puzzle means. I don't know how to solve it but what I know is of the center turns black, she will take you as subjects, but if it turns white, it is the prophecy."
"The prophecy is obviously the destruction of Cazanette, but I wonder how it became the first rain prophecy. Is it yourselves that you are going to save and destroy the land that might kill everyone in Cazanette? Or are you going to sacrifice yourselves to let them live?" said Master Ren. "However, if you choose to save yourselves and plan to make it white, you need to put the opposite on the holes. Even I don't have an idea how to solve that." He added.
The gems in our armor seem to fit the holes in the frame but we can only count seven. The sun figure's center which is the circle has four dots, wherein if you connect those dots, you can form a square. At the center of an imaginary square is a crescent that turns upward.
"Doesn't it resemble a smiling mouth with eyes? It's a smiling face!" Brix said.
"There are still two dots under the mouth." Reevahn said.
"Then, those are its dimples. Well, if you turn it upside down, the dimples became eyes while the mouth frowns." said Brix. "I know how to fix this." He followed.
Brix took his four green gems, Reevahn's two blue gems and my red gem.
"So, how is it done?" asked Reevahn.
"Only Nina has the odd numbered gem and that would be the indicator for our choice. Mine is four, just like the four dots, so I'll put them in line with those dots." He put them and pushed a little. "Then, Reevahn's would be just like the ends of an arrow, so we will put it in between mine, opposite sides. Then, Nina's will be the indicator."
"I see. That is why Arthemia's group was taken because it is an instinct that you put the top first." said Master Ren.
We heard footsteps afterwards before we put the last gem. "Hurry! They are here. I will buy you time so they can not distract you." Master Ren said as he ran towards the group of guards.
"Now, all we need to do is put the last one to the bottom hole and let's see what happens." Brix gently put the red gem to the bottom hole. There was a moment of silence that was suddenly broken by a fast clicking sound while the sun figure rotates so fast. It slowed down until it stopped to a smiling position.
"No!!!" I shouted.
"Wait. It is not yet done. There is no color black or white in the sun." Reevahn suggested. The sun suddenly rotated one last click – a frowning face. There was a loud growling sound while the sun slowly changed its color from a crystal gray to a pure white.
A group of black suited men came to us. They got Master Ren. We did not know where to go since we were standing in a dead end. We saw Master Ren on his knees restrained by four men. I want to get my sword but the gems were taken by the sun figure. There were only footsteps and they could attack us in a horde. "Open my bag and let us use the things inside it." I suggested.
They took out the ropes, the slingshot and the tear gas. I sprayed the teargas but nothing happened. I could not use it anymore – maybe the bottle is already filled with water the moment we jumped from the falls when we came here. We can't use the slingshot without pebbles – unless we hit it's rubber to the face of the black men. We could only think of the ropes. We did not have time to think if we can still use our baptized powers.
"Nina, hit them with all you can. You are used to that." Reevahn commanded. I prepared myself like how I fight in school against student bullies. Brix and Reevahn hold both sides of the rope and stood behind me, on opposite sides; Brix on my right and Reevahn on my left. It seemed that our group and the group of black suited man were just preparing to attack. On the count of three, "One… two… three!" We attacked the,. I jumped and kneed the face of the first in front of me and jumped to the next and broke his leg. I think I was on the verge of excitement and adrenaline rush. It has been a while since I was on my killing spree. I think I could feel more excited if I slash them with sword. It was like I could feel the sword hilt in my hands… wait. I really had a sword! It was back!"
"Brix! Reevahn! We can still summon our sword!" I shouted while I was kneeling on someone's shoulders. They got excited and tripped everyone using the rope then summoned the swords. There were hundreds of black enemies that hurdled off our small path to Master Ren. We wanted to help him.
As we slashed everyone in our way, the scarlet blood that gushes out of them made me more excited. My red hair that flies with every moment and my red armor contrasts with the oozing blood. I defeated fifty percent of them and walked towards the restrained Master Ren with a yandere face. The four black suited man ran from fear. We positioned Master Ren to sit the moment Brix and Reevahn finished the rest of the enemies.
"How can we get out of here?" Brix asked.
"I am not sure."
Suddenly, we felt a strong quake that could have shaken the whole Cazanette.