When Alex opened his eyes, he couldn't believe the sight before him. It was a huge peninsula and he didn't know how he got here. The different structures covering the entire island seemed to have been built with the rules of another world. Water bridges that defied gravity were suspended in the air and this supernatural sight both astonished and fascinated people. While Alex was trying to make sense of this strangeness in his mind, the voice of a girl with an Italian accent woke him up from his spell.
'Hey! Are you awake? You must be Alex. My name is Sofia, welcome to the academy.' Sofia's blue eyes, like everything else on this island, were radiant.
'I wonder if I've had too much alcohol...' For a moment, the last gun pointed at her head flashed before her eyes. Her heart squeezed, her breathing quickened. 'Or... am I dead?'
'I don't think you're dead.' Sofia continued with a sincere smile. 'But I can see that you are confused, Alex, and I hope that with my guidance you will find answers to some of your questions.'
Alex was a little relieved by this answer. But suddenly Marco's words about the academy echoed in his mind. 'Is this the academy that nutcase was talking about?'
Sofia smiled and replied sarcastically: 'That 'freak' you're talking about is definitely the man you recognise as Marco. We call him 'Kai' around here. Let me teach you my first lesson: Never trust Marco.'
Alex already knew he couldn't trust a lunatic with red roses coming out of his shirt. 'Don't worry, I could have taken it off without you telling me.'
Sofia laughed at Alex's joke. 'I like you. Come on, follow me.'
As Sofia started to walk ahead, Alex listened to her and was fascinated by the strangeness of what was happening around her. The streams of water floating in the air blended together like a rainbow and dispersed in different directions. 'I wouldn't be surprised if I saw flying fish in this dream,' Alex thought to himself. Sofia began to speak as they made their way towards a large common area in the centre of the island.
'Firstly, where you are now is one of the academies that is completely independent of the outside world,' Sofia said, noticing Alex's curious gaze. 'The academy islands are built on special grounds, so an outsider can't see this place. Think of it as an illusion.'
'There's more than one academy?' asked Alex, surprised.
'Yes, there are. Our general organisation is called Kaizen. The purpose of Kaizen is to maintain the existing balance of the world. However, Kaizen has many academies and bases around the world. The academy we are in is called the Ascension Academy. It was founded about two hundred years ago, so it is the youngest academy. You've already met the person who founded the academy.'
Alex immediately realised who Sofia was talking about. It was that white-eyed man with a look that penetrated people's souls. 'What, Marco is two hundred years old?' she asked in surprise.
'Actually, he might be even older. There is no historian on record who knows his age,' Sofia explained. 'There was even a war between him and Kaizen's ruling council. After Marco won that battle, a new management team was appointed. His only wish was to establish his own academy. That war had repercussions even on Earth.'
Alex found what he heard absurd. Although his knowledge of history was not good, he knew that water streams floating in the air or people of unknown age did not fight each other in the past. 'Although I don't follow history much, I don't think it had the effect you say,' he said sceptically.
Sofia replied with a slight sigh. 'Causes overshadow facts, Alex. People felt the effects more during the great Chilean earthquake and the world wars.'
This seemed strange to Alex. How could Kaizen be responsible for the imbalances people were experiencing? 'So the wars were caused by Kaizen?' he asked, trying to clarify his questions.
'No,' Sofia said, her tone serious. 'When Kaizen went to war, the process of destabilising the world accelerated. So such disasters could not be contained. When the balance was disturbed, the whole world felt the consequences.'
Questions began to accumulate in Alex's head. Didn't Marco ever think about what would happen while he was doing all this? It was impossible that the man he was talking to was a good man. But another issue was on his mind: The 'deterioration process' Sofia had mentioned. What did that mean? 'What does the process of deterioration mean? Wasn't Kaizen established to achieve balance? Then why is there a deterioration process?' he asked curiously.
Sofia answered Alex's question. 'That's a good point. These concepts are a bit complicated, but basically you need to know this: No one, not even Kaizen, can stop the process of destabilisation of the planet. We can only delay this process. Without Kaizen, the human era would have ended before it began.'
Drowning in these complex concepts, Alex questioned why he was so interested in this conversation. He was in an unrealistically extraordinary place, and he didn't even know how he had arrived. But he had adapted very quickly. As the conversation continued, he realised that they had reached the main square. From this square in the centre of the island, three separate roads branched off into three large areas. There were different buildings in each direction and each had its own theme.
Sofia continued her speech. 'Going back to the introduction, the square is divided into four sides. The factions in each direction have their own rules. I will briefly introduce them to you.'
The first direction Sofia introduced was South. Alex was fascinated by the strange structures of the South. Each structure had its own strange energy. The first building that caught her attention was a large hall illuminated by the wild dance of fires inside. The flames seemed to be alive, swirling in the air. Immediately afterwards, he saw a field of ice, around which snowflakes floated gracefully. The cold and still air of this structure contrasted sharply with the warmth of the previous structure. Thirdly, he recognised the structure where the water was filtering down from the sky and merging into a huge aquarium. This structure had a calmness that reflected the gentle but powerful flow of water.
'The South is home to the Elementalists. The Elementalists, as the name suggests, is a faction that trains people who control the elements,' Sofia explained. 'That's why there are so many buildings in different areas.' Alex now understood the reason for the large number of structures in the south. The number of areas symbolised the diversity of the elements. Sofia continued: 'Thanks to them, extraordinary natural phenomena on Earth are kept under control. But some disasters, no matter how hard they try to mitigate them, still manage to have an impact.'
'What if there is someone who can control more than one element, where would they go?' asked Alex, curiously.
Sofia replied with a serious expression: 'There's a rule with ability mutations: it's either one or all. That is, you can either control only one element or all of them. However, a mutation that can control all elements is extremely rare, making you a gifted immortal in Kaizen. We call such people 'Rarities'. That's what this next faction was all about.' Sofia pointed to the location of the second unit, this time facing east. To the east, there was only one large structure that stood out. It had a curved shape reminiscent of a hypnotic tunnel, and the colour complexity created by the different lights on it made it both eye-catching and mysterious.
'This area you see here is home to the Ender, or Immortal League,' Sofia explained. 'They don't take part in ordinary missions. Their work has never been with humans anyway. Their abilities are so powerful that they spend most of their time balancing that power. Some of them take thousands of years to graduate from the academy.'
Alex heard the word 'immortal' and immediately thought of vampires. I wonder what immortality felt like, what about Marco... Could he be a vampire? Marco's funny, expressionless face appeared in his mind while pretending to be a vampire. Unable to bear this thought, he grinned involuntarily. 'Are you sure these rare ones aren't in there doing some kind of ritual or something?'
'Partly, yes,' Sofia replied. 'Some of them are truly strange, very few are human. But if they don't balance their powers, they can cause a major upset in the balance. Usually those who don't find their balance during the training period end up on Kaizen's execution list, which means their death.'
Alex didn't know what to say. While he was thinking about what kind of beings the Ender were, Sofia turned to the west and pointed to another formation. The first thing that stood out to the west was a circle of smokeless blue fire decorating the structure in the centre of the field. Interestingly, the structure was undergoing a constant transformation, revealing shapes that Alex saw for the first time in his life.
'The Elite are perhaps the most interesting class. They are otherwise known as Changelings. Their abilities are directly related to their name. They are always involved in various missions, but they cannot turn into everything they want. For this reason, vampires and similar mystical creatures have been the subject of books all over the world.' Sofia paused for a moment. 'By the way, they're obsessed with wearing black; I'd be careful if I were you. We always compete with them for first place in Academy tournaments.'
Alex thought he was seeing extraordinary things in all three areas. If this was a dream, he would do anything not to wake up. For the first time in his life he was so excited. 'We compete? I thought you were a teacher or a guide.'
'Maybe one day I might be. But for now, just know that I'm your upperclassman,' Sofia said with a quick grin, turning north before Alex could ask any questions. Channels of water floated through the air, heading towards an island perched high above the clouds. Alex was about to stubbornly ask what class she was in, but was silenced by the peaceful view of the mountains above the island. The mountains were arranged in an orderly succession, creating an exotic aura, which was further enhanced by the water from the hills. The wind danced harmoniously, meeting the towering buildings. The buildings were arranged in an order reminiscent of Chinese dojos.
'The last faction stands before you,' Sofia said. 'The Elites, this is where you and I will be trained. The Elites are the chosen ones. Here you will find Elementalists, Changelings, even Ender. It's a special class created entirely by the ruler.'
Alex was surprised to still be in the same place as Sofia. She had the impression that Sofia was experienced in this dreamlike environment; her confidence gave Alex a little more courage.
'Shouldn't I have demonstrated my ability before I was chosen?' Alex asked, questions popping into her head.
'Yes, you did, but you didn't have a choice because the head of the Elites personally chose you,' Sofia replied. 'I don't know about your talent, but it must be important. I've never seen anyone make it to the Elites without training from the three main units.'
Alex thought that according to Sofia's words, the head of the elite class was also the head of the Academy. 'And who is the head of the Elite? And why do I feel like I'm looking at one of the landscapes in China?'
'Because Kai, the Head of the Elite, grew up in these mountain temples, called 'dojo' in China, and his ego made him build one here,' Sofia said.
Alex looked at Sofia as if to say, 'Who's Kai?' but when he heard the voice behind him, it wasn't hard to guess who it was.
'Hey guys!'
Sofia's angry gaze immediately turned in Kai's direction. This man was Marco himself. Standing, looking at them with a mocking smile, Sofia started to speak.
'You're late! Why am I doing all the work you should be doing?' Alex had never thought the Italian girl would be so loud and forceful in her introduction.
Kai replied with a grin. 'I told you I had something important to do, come on, it's just a little request for your teacher, you don't have to make a big deal out of it.' Kai was trying to keep the closed coloured bag in his right hand away from Sofia. Alex, with his detective-like observation skills, was sure that he had noticed that there was definitely a French perfume inside the bag.
Sofia's anger still hadn't subsided. 'Demand? You threatened me,' she said in a harsh tone. 'No offence, Alex; my anger is not at you.' With those last words, her entire body suddenly transformed into the water form she had seen in the air, merging into the branching water orbits above the field. Alex, meanwhile, was watching frantically.
Kai continued to speak, looking after Sofia. 'I think she likes you, Alex.'
Alex, still looking up at the water bridges above him, replied, 'Really? Hey, wait a second! What the hell happened to her?'
Kai replied, pointing to the ribbons of water that spread across the square in four main directions. 'We call this the 'Artery'. It's like the living arteries of the island. It's the best way to get around. It's also how we travel between planets. That's exactly how you got here.'
Alex remembered that the last time he'd heard Kai's words he'd been in the bathroom at home. The only waterway that could reach such a vast network was a sewer.
'Don't tell me it's what I think it is!' Alex said, turning his gaze back to Kai.
Kai replied with a shake of his head. 'A ribbon of water flying from your house to here would attract people's attention. But don't worry; the arterial pathway is like body and soul transforming into a different form. It doesn't touch anything else. Of course, there are still those who are offended by it.'
Alex thought, maybe that's what the perfume Kai bought was for. This guy was really interesting.
'Really disgusting,' Alex said, grimacing.
Kai scratched his head. 'It's interesting that you'd rather hang out in a sewer than transform into a different form.'
'Here I am with a man with the brightest eyes in the world and a place straight out of fairyland. Do you think I care about that?' Alex now thought he was either completely insane or dreaming. Instead of trying to answer these questions, he decided it would be smoother to go with the flow.
'That's a nice thought. A little madness is good. Some people were so attached to the impossible that they committed suicide after what they saw. Not you, of course,' Kai said. Alex felt a sigh of relief as he realised that Kai didn't know about his suicide attempt in the sink. But then the thought occurred to him that he might actually be dead if this irresponsible man hadn't brought him here in time. 'Anyway, I've prepared an introductory chart for you; take a look at this.' Kai handed Alex a black card. On the card were the factions of the academy and their symbols.
Alex couldn't help but laugh at Kai's writing and drawing skills. 'Your handwriting is really bad. Why are the Elementalists called 'Rookies'?'
Kai replied with a laugh, 'Haha, those rookies, we mock them that way because they haven't won a single tournament. Any other questions?'
He actually had many questions, but basically two questions needed to be answered. 'Where is Jessy and what do you want from me?'
Kai continued as if he had never heard the question. 'Before I explain these questions, I need to clarify a few things.' Mysteriously, he began to read the paper in his hand. 'This, of course, will be about Kaizen. The world has come a long way to achieve its current balance. It is through the academies that we have achieved the co-operation of different classes.'
Alex interrupted because he didn't want to hear the information he had already learnt again. 'Sofia already told me all this, but my mind still can't grasp this place. Nevertheless, I want you to show me every single part of it.'
Kai crumpled the paper and threw it in a random direction when he realised that Sofia had told him these details. 'She did? All right. I hope you can see everywhere. Now that the presentation is over, we can go to the Dojos.'
Alex was about to protest when he suddenly found himself in a different form; someone was dragging him. He felt like a runny pudding. He had become accustomed to the beauty of the sensation when suddenly he was back to his old self. As he slowly got up from the ground, he began to look around. It was as if he was in a garden where the most beautiful flowers of the planet came together. He didn't know which Dojo he was in, but there was a large temple-like structure on the summit of the majestic mountain and many students around. The students were dressed in grey uniforms similar to the ones Kai wore, a colour that seemed to have been chosen to match the colour of his hair. Alex sat up and realised that he was wearing the same suit.
As he was checking if what he was wearing was real or an illusion, he saw Sofia and the blond-haired German boy with her. As he locked eyes with the duo and waved, a hand emerged from behind him, materialised out of the watery form, grabbed him and pulled him back into the Artery. Alex was once again inside the Artery. When he opened his eyes, he realised that he had arrived in the best place among the Dojos. Without a doubt, this magnificent structure belonged to Kai. Grumbling to himself when he realised that no one was around, he began to move forward.
In the colourful garden, pink roses fluttered in the air, giving the place an exotic look. The sight filled Alex with an involuntary peace. Slowly, he arrived in front of the Dojo, which was decorated with diamonds and gold ornaments.
Alex realised he was on the highest mountain on the island. When he opened the door and entered, he felt like he had stepped out of his imagination and into a museum. The inside was filled with many miniature artefacts. These artefacts were created by depicting different places and began to show their beauty as they got closer, as if they were trying to draw in the person looking at them. As Alex quickly looked at them, he thought that they were all connected to cultures from different periods of history.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he noticed Kai sitting on the Dojo's terrace with a view. The silence of the temple was broken when Kai turned to him and began to speak.
'Welcome home, Alex, I hope it was nice of you to say hello to your friends.'
'Yeah...' Alex came over to Kai and sat down on one of the floor cushions with strange markings on it and began to talk. 'Look, I still need a little time to believe what's happening here,' Alex said in a voice filled with indecision. 'But after what I've seen, are you sure I'm fit to be in a place like this?' Alex thought Kai was going to make another careless joke, but he was surprised to see Kai's expressionless demeanour.
'I'll be brief Alex, you were put on Kaizen's execution list the moment you were born because you had a dangerous ability. The reason your execution didn't happen and the reason I protected you all these years was because Logan, Kaizen's guide, thought you were the last hope to save this world. There was a time when I joined Logan, but things have changed for me. The person I care about most now is Jessy.'
'What are you talking about, what does Jessy have to do with anything?' Alex watched as Kai turned his eyes away from him and focused on the sunset view.
'It's complicated. All you need to know for now is that the end of humanity has been brought to an early date because of a war I fought. I have accelerated the Decay Process, and in my opinion, you are not the only way out of this world. There's only one thing we can do, and that's the Change Process. What we call the Process of Change has happened before; the event that changed the leadership of species on the planet millions of years ago will happen again.' Alex thought Kai was talking about the meteorite event that had been the bane of the dinosaurs. 'As for Jessy, her excellent memory technique will pass on Kaizen to the next generation. so that mankind will once again be able to survive.'
Alex could no longer believe that this man had good intentions. Many thoughts were going round and round in his head. Someone who had trusted him before had now changed and seemed to hate him. 'So you don't trust me... What, a fucking egotistical, powerful guy like you can't stop this? Then why did you go and kill the managers?'
Kai's eyes suddenly shone like the moon. A cloud of white mist had formed around him, indicating that his anger was rising.
Alex was trying to process what had happened. When had he ever thought of someone else before in his life? A man who couldn't even help people on the street was going to be responsible for saving the world. It was all too much. Maybe Kai was right, he wasn't the salvation. Alex had thought of his father in this predicament. If you are happy when someone else is happy, there is still hope for humanity. Those were his father's words. Maybe he had known about them all along...
The thought came to his mind that the man in front of him had been looking at him since he was little. That meant Kai might know something about his father. 'I don't care what you say,' Alex said, his voice shaky but determined. 'If I'm too weak to save Earth, I don't care about humanity. But I want one thing: I want to know what happened to my father. Please, tell me what happened to him.'
Kai replied, focusing on Alex. 'You know that better than I do, Alex, but you still don't know that you know.'
'You're being mysterious again,' Alex reproached.
'Time is a complex concept, Alex. This conversation is just a formality; I already know what your decision will be. Do you think it was by chance that the person who will carry the secrets of the planet to the next generation came to you, or that it was by chance that I found you?'
As Alex listened intently to what Kai was saying, he realised he hadn't thought about things in this way before. First his father, then these events... He couldn't possibly understand what was going on.
'You sound like someone told you about me...' Alex felt lost in the depths of Kai's eyes and focused on the one answer that would come out of his mouth.
'Yes, he did, Alex, it was you...'
End of Chapter Two