CHAPTER 10

“Falling like snow, falling for you.”

Awakened by the alarm he had set in his Visual-C, Raviex laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. He inhaled and then exhaled deeply, hoping for the best on this brand new day. Not wanting to wake Kyoden up from his dreams, he slipped quietly out of bed and entered the washroom. It was strange to share his room as this was his first time in his life, but really, he didn’t mind… so long as his room mate here didn’t snore.

He walked out of the inn’s lobby and started his morning walk. He still wore Kyoden’s cloak for he was taking Letaikno along. Although it was only seven in the morning, shops were open and stalls were set up for business. The peaceful town was already buzzing with activities. A strong aroma of freshly-baked buns sparkled Raviex’s sense of smell. He searched around for the source of the smell and found it—a large bakery shop just ahead. Targeting it as his next destination, he picked up his pace to a jog.

“Up early today, young lad?” greeted the elderly owner of the shop heartily. Raviex nodded and smiled. He was quick in getting used to the friendliness of the people there. He entered and wandered about in the bakery shop, watching out for his favourite cookie. Rows and rows of various kinds of buns and cookies were displayed, yet, he could not find it.

Then—

Ah-ha!

Raviex grabbed a fanciful cookie which took on the shape of the Floating Land. It was made of butter with a rich layer of chocolate cream smeared on its top. Above the chocolate cream layer, colourful rice toppings were dashed over it. Hidden inside the cookie were delicious, crunchy chocolate chips.

When he wanted to pay for it, the owner whose hair was greying declined his money. “It’s my bakery’s policy: no payment charged on the first customer of the day. That’s you. Enjoy your Floating Land cookie while it’s still warm, sonny!”

“Sure thing, kind sir, thanks,” said Raviex, leaving the shop. He munched into it as he resumed his sight-seeing. Within two bites, it was gone. How he had loved eating it since young! He thought the Floating Land cookie he had just eaten tasted almost as delicious as the ones made by the Royal Baker.

He came across lots of stalls and shops, selling books, paintings, potteries, flowers, fruits, meat, souvenir and many others. Unquestionably, this was the commercial area of Little Dai Town, situated at the heart of the town.

Unknowingly, he stopped on his spot. Though the road was wide and there were people (mostly housewives) around, he didn’t doubt himself for one second when he saw that vibrant, brownish-red hair. She was coming at his direction but her eyes had a soft and faraway look while gazing ahead. Her arms were crossed and her steps were organized and graceful.

Raviex wanted to call out to her, however, something pulled him back. Perhaps it was because he wished to see her natural side a little longer. For some reason, his heartbeat increased as he watched her. Abrupt warmth blanketed him. He ordered himself to get a grip, yet, he felt weak at that very moment. He was flooded with feelings he could not comprehend. Her gentle, placid face was so… hypnotizing. He did not even notice that his heart had failed him at the second it surrendered completely before this girl.

Standing at a short distance from him now, sensing someone’s eyes on her, Christine looked up. Meeting her dark, mysterious, golden-brown eyes, Raviex almost believed his world froze. He couldn’t hear anything. A fruit seller who was shouting his sale a while ago was cut off. The fuzzy speeches of others became muted. All he could see was her, staring back at him.

A gust of wind blew by, returning him to reality. Christine tugged a strand of hair behind her ear, breaking off their eye contact. She took a few steps to him until they were at arm’s length. “Good morning, Raviex,” she started, smiling.

On hearing her voice, he shook himself and blinked hard a few times. ‘Snap out of it, Raviex,’ he screamed loudly in his mind. He brought a clenched hand to his lips and cleared his throat. Glancing away from her nervously, it needed all his efforts to calm himself down. ‘Maybe I’m getting sick, that’s why I’m feeling a little weird,’ he reasoned. No way was he—no, it couldn’t be. He would never do a thing to hurt Kairalina.

“Err… good morning, Ryn. I… erm… I thought some fresh air would be good—I mean, I thought taking in some fresh air would err… do me good,” babbled Raviex. Smooth save for the Prince of the Kingdom, he groaned silently.

“O—kay, point taken,” said Christine, refraining herself from showing too much amusement by his jumbled words. It was her turn to clear her throat. Quickly patching up the situation, she invited him to have breakfast with her at the inn’s café then as it was nearly eight o’clock anyway. Delighted by her invitation, he accepted it and accompanied her on the way back to the Poets’ Inspiration Inn.

Stepping into the named café, they caught up with Kyoden who was already busy with his breakfast. He signalled them from a table in a corner. Christine frowned at the piles of plates which were on his table. He belched out loudly, earning himself disgusted looks from his companions. “Excuse me! Gosh, I can’t help it. The food here’s deli-i-cious!” commented Kyoden, as if he had just experienced paradise. “Did I mention the richness of the chocolate cake desserts served in here?” he added gleefully.

“Are you some sort of food vacuum machine dressed up in a human form?” teased Raviex. “There are at least fifteen plates here!”

“You know, there is such a thing called a light breakfast, Kyoden,” added Christine.

“What can I say? It’s a buffet and I’m hungry. Besides, the term ‘light breakfast’ does not exist in my dictionary, o’ dearest Christine,” said Kyoden casually.

“You’re still hungry?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. He nodded childishly. “Doesn’t he just make you wonder how much food he consumes in a day?” she snorted, shaking her head helplessly as he got up to get more food. Obeying his rumbling stomach, Raviex followed behind Kyoden and was trailed by Christine.

Out of the blue, an explosion outside made the ground tremored. The windows of the café burst from the shockwave of the explosion, causing pieces of glass to fly in every direction. Fragile bowls and plates fell off their shelves and tables and shattered as they hit the floor. Everyone ducked and held on to chairs and tables nearest to them. Maintaining their balance, Raviex, Christine and Kyoden charged for the exit at the lobby simultaneously to see the source of the explosion.

“The Valkyr Empire!” spat Kyoden. “Why can’t they attack after I’m done with my breakfast?”

“We got more important things to worry about than breakfast,” muttered Christine when she saw a building nearby engulfed in flames.

“Yeah, like are we gonna finish these boys in time for a second round on breakfast,” quipped Kyoden, sniggering. The other two stared at him, wondering if they should give him a punch or two.

“Quit the little talks for now. We have to stop them before they destroy the whole town!” commanded Raviex, fearing for the lives of his people. Watching a troop of Valkyr’s men advancing on the invasion of the town, the public began to panic. Some ran for their lives but there were also those who stood their ground, willing to fight for their town. Though he would have called them foolhardy, Raviex had to give them credits for their courage.

Four Z-tech Destructors in the air decided to land on the ground, backing up four hundred soldiers on foot to join in the fun of thrashing the magnificent town without firing missiles. Nothing could be better than delivering destruction in person with your bare hands. They marched in, resembling the forces of terror. Chaos swept the town and cold-blooded murder was about to begin.

Raviex watched in horror as a Z-tech Destructor smashed a building using a gigantic axe. People were screaming at the top of their lungs, scrambling out of the building. Its glassy emerald-like roof broke into a million pieces. For a moment, the air was filled with the shiny particles. The three who were only thirty feet away from the blast shielded their eyes.

“Dylan!!” shrieked a woman, aghast. She searched wildly for her son in despair, going against the current of scared people, fleeing for safety. The mother and son were separated when they were also trying to save themselves. A man had thoughtlessly pushed himself between them to stay ahead of the Valkyrians, splitting them up in the process.

Unable to find his mother, a little boy huddled up and cried. The woman shouted his name again but he couldn’t hear her through the commotion. He was confused and frightened by his surroundings. Everything became so unfamiliar to his naïve eyes. He begged for someone to bring him to his mother in his sobs, hoping his plead would be heeded.

Her frantic efforts were finally rewarded. She was freed from the crowd and she had found her son. She thanked the gods above as she made her way to him. Her soul was comforted and her heart sang blissfully. Then, an enormous shadow clouded over her son. It grew larger and larger by the second. Her smile was wiped away immediately. The curious and alarmed mother gazed upwards and what she saw next drove her to the edge of sanity.

The colours were drained from her face. She was on the brink of fainting. No mother could stand the torture of witnessing her child’s life draw to an end helplessly. Her eyes widened, sinking on her knees and clutching her chest while a ghastly appearance of Morkhan, the god of Death in black flowing cloak gleamed in devilish pleasure. He raised his bloody scythe, alike to how he had done countless of times, thrilled to strike it down onto the unaware child.

It was a matter of time before the Z-tech Destructor next to the one which had smashed the building crushed the vulnerable boy. A thousand needles stung the mother’s heart as she screamed for her son with all her might.

“DYLAN!!!”

The three started when they heard the heart-piercing and sorrowful scream. Raviex and Kyoden trained their eyes on the woman whom they thought had screamed. But Christine had her gaze on the little boy. As a Yamist of Light, she was a protector of the people against the Darkness. Once she saw Morkhan, it was clear what she must do next.

“Angel’s Flight!”

A vibrating and shimmering blue light enveloped her. The Interpreter was activated and complicated numbers appeare on the visor formed across her eyes. Locking on to her target, the Interpreter calculated the distance between them.

Christine crouched forwards and took her first step, sending her to an amazing speed. Her feet scarcely tipped the ground and her body was lifted slightly higher, directly reducing most of the friction she had with the ground. She focused on her target and her timing like an aimed shooting bullet. It was going to be a narrow save or she would be crushed too along with the boy.

Before Raviex and Kyoden could react, the Z-tech Destructor shook the earth as its robotic feet hit dirt. Both of them gasped for Christine. What if she didn’t make it? The sand which rose from beneath the Z-tech Destructor enshrouded its foot, leaving the guys unsure whether she had successfully pulled out her outrageous and perilous stunt. Kyoden strained his eyes to check for any sign of her.

“You think she survived?” he said, almost in a whisper.

“I believe she knows what she’s doing,” replied Raviex with assurance. A few tense seconds later, he caught sight of a blue flame. “There, she totally survived that one,” he announced, grinning.

Carrying Dylan close to her in one arm to prevent his eyes from hurting, Christine made a wide U-turn. Letting his curiosity overcome his fear, he observed his rescuer in fascination. She gave him a quick smile while heading for his mother.

“Mommy!” cried Dylan happily. The woman looked up with hope to see a brilliant blue light rushing towards her in an impossible speed. She dripped tears of indescribable joy and relief at seeing her son alive after she thought he was dead. She praised and thanked fervently to the gods once again for returning her only treasure to her.

Christine reached out a hand to Dylan’s mother so as to get her to safety as well. Suddenly, the instant she grabbed the elder woman’s arm, her body froze completely. Her eyes widened in surprise. The mother was confused by her unexpected pause.

“I’ll teach you a lesson to interfere with a god’s business, you impudent Yamist!” thundered Morkhan. Dramatically, it became dark. Christine turned her head to see the Z-tech Destructor’s other feet closing in on them. If she didn’t do anything soon, they would be kicked by it with a fatal blow. The impact would be puny human bones versus incoming full force gigantic metal. She gathered all her strength and shoved Dylan to his mother, pushing them away the hardest she could out of death’s reach.

Concentrating on breaking the curse on her, she cleared her mind of emotions: no fear, no anger, no hatred and no sadness. Disposing all the negative energy, she opened up her heart to the god of Righteousness, Calith. She filled the vacant space of the negative energy with righteousness, heightening her power. Ready, she summoned,

“Angel’s Flight!”

Morkhan cackled, making the hair on Christine’s neck stand. “How foolish this Yamist is; just as how foolish Calith is!” he gloated.

Trapped with undefined shock, she gasped, realizing she managed only a step. No way! Her god wouldn’t abandon her, especially not when she needed him most. Yet, she never did receive her Scroll. Was it possible that her destiny as a Yamist was not blessed by Calith from the very beginning?

Losing her hope and faith in Calith, she lowered her head and decided to accept death quietly. Maybe death wouldn’t be so bad after all. At least she would be free from her terror of the haunting punishment which might befall on her sixteenth birthday. Either way, she was going to due. Dying now simply meant leaving the living world a few months earlier.

I call that cowardice!

Huh? It was an unfamiliar voice speaking in her head. She was sure it wasn’t…

“Rope!”

What?

A single rope coiled around Christine’s waist. It appeared out of nowhere! She lifted her eyes to see a girl reeling her in out of harm’s way in the nick of time as the Z-tech Destructor’s feet swooped down on her. The girl saved her life. She was pulled from the death spot by a foot or two sideways. She broke her fall using her hands. At the same time, she noticed the rope had faded and vanished completely. The girl helped her to her feet, supporting her.

“No!!!” roared the infuriated Morkhan. “I shall return for both of you Yamists and make you pay for disrupting my pleasure!” With his warning delivered, his body erupted in black flames and he disappeared into thin air.

“Calith needs you. He needs your faith in him. He has not abandoned you, Yamist of Righteousness,” said the girl who wore long, silky, light brown hair to Christine. Her soft emerald eyes showed sincerity. She felt comforted and dumbfounded simultaneously. How could she speak the doubts in her mind? ‘I do not know her,’ thought Christine.

“I think I’m gonna suffer from heart attacks if Christine continues to scare the hell out of me!” muttered Kyoden. Raviex smiled grimly. That was too close. She could’ve easily lost her life back then.

“Brace yourselves - boys and girls! The Valkyrian soldiers are approaching!” shouted yet another unknown girl who was standing on a rooftop of a double-storey shop lot on Raviex’s right. She jumped off the roof with her arms spread wide open and landed professionally in front of the two guys after a somersault, her long, wavy blond hair flying wild, blown by the wind. Kyoden labelled her as a nuisance straight away. ‘She thinks she’s so good,’ he sneered.

Facing Christine and her sister, she yelled loudly, “There are approximately four hundred men on foot, five war crafts and four Z-tech Destructors. The soldiers will be here in a minute max. There are five of us. The girls will handle the soldiers while the guys take care of the Z-Genes and war crafts. They mustn’t reach the interior of the town!”

Everyone nodded in comprehension regarding their duties except Kyoden. “Who are you to order us around?” he snapped.

The girl snorted and turned around, speaking in mockery, “It’s fine with me if the ladies sit this one out and let you handle our share. May I remind you that you were doing nothing when that Yamist risked her life to save the boy?”

Raviex cleverly stood aside quietly, safe from the line of fire. He was fortunate he did not make any remark about her being in charge. She was obviously older than him, a grown lady entering her twenties. The one thing he had learnt when travelling with Christine was never to question a girl of her ability. Good for him, too. It would be bad if his butt got kicked by a girl. It’d definitely discredit him as a king!

“Now quit talking and start fighting!” ended the girl. Kyoden glared at her. How he would love to hang her upside down from a tree and hear her screaming for help. After registering her mentally into his revenge list, he forced himself instead to outline a plan to destroy those Z-Genes and war crafts.

“Any lovely idea on how to squash those giants?” asked Kyoden to Raviex under his breath, hoping it would not be them in turn that would be squashed.

The inside of Raviex churned as his mind raced against time to figure out a solution to save the situation. Tightening his grip on his blade, he spoke as calmly as he could, “I don’t know how but we have got to defeat them.”

Gods of Light, heed my prayers…