The young Arcturus summarized their conversation with words and context that a seven-year-old girl could process in her developing mind. As he was doing so, the adults started a conversation of their own.
"Your mother was quite the beauty," Nova remarked. "You look just like her, except for the gender and the eye color."
"Yet, her looks were the reason she passed away."
Nova quickly clammed up. To ease up the abrupt tense atmosphere between them, Nova asked another question: "Why did you carry around a lantern? Flashlights exist in your time period, right?"
Arcturus became flustered. It was an embarrassing reason that he did not have the confidence to spill out to anyone. "I'll tell you when I feel comfortable talking about it." He was honestly just making an excuse to not talk about it. He also could tell Nova did not buy it at all, but pretended to do so.
Nova's playful demeanor suddenly changed into a serious one. "I hear something."
The older Arcturus looked up to see flashing lights meandering. The younger Arcturus seemed to have noticed them too, for he abruptly stopped. He rushed out in front to protect his sister. The source of the flashing lights belonged to two soldiers with large flashlights; the light was so bright that Arcturus closed his eyes shut.
The older Arcturus then noticed a third figure approaching them with the soldiers, a middle-aged man with bright green hair. "Arcturus, Ariel!"
The younger Arcturus slightly opened his eyes. "Mayor…?"
The mayor's face contorted as he approached Arcturus and slapped him.
Shocked, Arcturus uttered while rubbing his cheek, "What did you do that for?"
"I told you not to wander off! Why can't you listen? You even brought your seven-year-old sister with you! What if you had met aggressive animals?"
Arcturus glared. "Why do you care when you're the one who caused Mom to die?" The older Arcturus felt his younger self's bursting anger; a child's rage was quite a force.
The mayor's expression darkened; his eyes narrowed, glaring at the young boy. "So, it was you who hacked into the database."
"You're the one who allowed the soldiers to kill all those workers and when Mom was the only survivor, you decided to let soldiers have their way with her as 'atonement' for the workers' rebellion. Now, you hit me for wandering off when you don't care for us at all. Why are you like this?"
"A mixed blood like you should keep your trap shut."
"I also overheard you…talking about giving us away to people who have a fondness for children."
"Well, my wife doesn't like children. Sending you two to someone who does would be a better idea. You need a loving family, after all."
The younger Arcturus glared. "No. You're not sending us to a loving family. You're trying to sell us. I overheard you talking about selling in a sexual context."
The mayor just glared at him again. "So, being mixed blood means you're so smart, huh? I should punish naughty children like you. Hacking into the government's database is a crime. However, I find you mouthing off to me even more disrespectful." He turned to the soldiers and smirked. "I'll turn a blind eye again, so do what you want with these kids. Shoot them. Kick them. Punch them. Do whatever."
The soldiers looked rather excited as one of them kicked Arcuturus straight in the gut and the other one shoved Ariel onto the ground. The older Arcturus quickly turned around as he heard disconcerting sounds of his younger self being physically assaulted by adults. The feeling of being trampled on was excruciating; the feeling of the guns hitting him hurt more than actual bullets. He had remembered how he had covered Ariel so she would get fewer wounds. He did his best to subdue his own anger; all he could do was curl his hands into fists, purse his lips, breathe heavily and bottle everything in.
The older Arcturus clenched his head. "Make it stop! Please! I can't bear remembering this scene!" His pleads were loud, as if he was screaming. He fell onto his knees in despair.
It hurts. Why are adults like this? I wish someone…anyone…can save us.
The older Arcturus looked up to see Nova kneeling down next to him; his hand was on his back as if he was helping him ease his fears. Arcturus had recalled Nova's warning about wishes. Was this what Nova had warned him about? About how wishes could be made but never granted? About how some wishes wouldn't come true no matter how much one prayed for it? About how agonizing it was to have a wish in a hopeless situation?
Nova was disgusted at the sight. "I don't get it. Didn't Laminans choose to dilute their blood? Why are they looked down upon?"
"That's just how Plasma's society is. Discrimination against our own people is so common. Pureblooded Plasmians are the highest in hierarchy while mixed-bloods are at the bottom; they look down on us. The government is also the most powerful authority in Plasma for we only have one city in Plasma given how barren it is. The mayor is one of the few pureblooded Plasmians left in the world and he has a superiority complex because of it. The city had become so twisted under his control."
Nova then became sullen. "I had no idea Plasma was in such a state."
"The whole world is like this. The world changes with technology yet it stagnates when it comes to human development."
Nova closed his eyes. "I hear additional footsteps approaching."
Arcturus slowly felt relieved as he heard a woman hysterically yell out, "What are you doing?" He slowly turned around to wince at the sight of his bloodied and battered younger self; seeing the actual sight sent chills down his spine. The woman that yelled out was an elderly one who was accompanied by an elderly man who was recording the scene; they both had brown hair.
The sight appalled the man. "Do soldiers beat up young children these days? How despicable."
"Who the hell are you Laminans?" The mayor inquired.
"We're those kids' grandparents." The woman said. "I'm Caroline Mercury and he's Neil Mercury."
The mayor raised an eyebrow. "Mercury? Like that bastard Arthur Mercury?"
"Do not speak ill of our son." The man glared at him, sending a chilling down his spine.
The older Arcturus noticed the younger Arcturus staring at the elderly couple intensely. Although it was dark, they looked very bright to him; they had minimal lighting in the form of a flashlight and a cellphone.
Someone really did come to save us… The younger Arcturus thought. My wish did come true… The older Arcturus could feel the happiness pouring within himself. It was a tingling sensation that warmed his heart.
Looking back at this memory, Arcturus realized why the power of wishes was amazing. He had wished for something and it came true–he knew his grandparents' arrival was pure coincidence.
Arcturus started rambling to Nova. "When my grandparents came, I thought that wishes really did exist. Before then, I didn't believe in wishes at all because my dad left and never came back. Knowing that my wish came true, it felt like anything was possible in life. I feel like if wishes were more prevalent, Terrenter would be a better world."
He then noticed Nova's intense gaze on him. Nova's stares always caught him off guard; he had a tendency to stare at him with wide eyes and did not seem to blink at all. It was like he was staring into his soul and it made him quite uncomfortable; the fact that he had no idea what Nova was thinking made it even scarier. When he focused back on his memory to distract himself from Nova, the memory started to fade away; the familiar library greeted him. A glowing apple floated down towards him. He held onto it.
"Did I pass this trial?" Arcturus asked in a careful manner.
"Yes." Nova nodded along with his response.
"Can I ask why?"
"Even through the pain of the assault, you did not develop a hatred for people."
"You're wrong. I hate soldiers very much…"
That incident caused Arcturus to despise soldiers and the military very much. The thought of a soldier touching him instilled anger within him. However, he wouldn't let his hatred get the best of him; even if he hated them, they were still people–alive. Being alive meant embracing the good and the bad aspects of the world. He also knew letting his hatred overcome him would only affect his mental state and his condition; if he wanted to keep traveling, he needed to set it aside–which he did.
"...but, I don't hate people." Arcturus muttered.
Nova smiled. "You are strong enough to not let your hatred consume you. I think that is a great feat in itself. It is also a quality that I look for in someone."
Arcturus couldn't help but to smile after hearing Nova's words. He took them as praise and it made him feel happy. It felt like Nova understood him more than his own self. He was glad that his mindset allowed him to get him this far in life.
He placed the second apple on a table where the first apple happened to be. He could tell the trial was not over yet, so he searched around for another glowing book, hoping to start his third trial.
Nova quipped, "Do you need some help?"
"No," Arcturus replied as he kept searching for a glowing tome.
After searching high and low, he eventually found a glowing book and quickly opened it.