Chapter 8

“Ready, set, go!”

I

Throughout the three years, Raviex grew close to Christine and knew her very well. He also introduced her to his two good friends—Kairalina and Erik. Between the two of them, there was not a secret which was not shared. They enjoyed the company of one another and their fathers were, too, pleased that their younger generations were inheriting the friendship of theirs.

Christine had demonstrated her gifted ability for Raviex to content his curiosity. He was utterly amazed when she dashed aimlessly in front of him. He could barely see her. Exhilarating to her fastest speed, she was practically nine out of ten invisible. The other power she possessed which the children around her was frightened of was Force Unleash. It was a destructive power. Unable for little Christine to control, her parents requested a high priest to seal it. The word ‘sealed’ in ancient writings became part of her as a marking on her right arm ever since then.

When she was eight, King Levon witnessed her ability, Angel’s Flight, during a training session with General Falcon. His Majesty required her to be sent to the King Leo Katelion Royal School and to be entered to the special talents stream, thinking that her gift would be of great service to the Kingdom. Professionals were there to train her. A unique technique of combat skills was developed especially for her by combining her incredible agility and martial arts. At the age of twelve, she was a respected student and a master of her own outstanding fighting techniques. She was recognized as a child prodigy by her professors.

For all of that, she paid a heavy prize. She lost her childhood. When she returned home, she spent her days with her family which she missed so much. She was forbidden to see any of her family members or friends while she was in school to prevent any distraction from her concentration. Of course, practicing her combat skills remained as her daily routine. Her father was astounded and pleased of her achievement.

“I was with my father for only two years before I lost him again in the Kaza War. My mother died when I was in my third year of schooling. I never had the chance to see her one last time,” said Christine bitterly.

Raviex looked away uncomfortably. He should not have brought up this subject. Because of it, she had to relive the memories she wanted to forget so much. Now he understood why she did not want to mention about their past friendship. It began in the first place because she was an outcast of the society. He had thought the marking was a tattoo she etched on her skin out of interest but it was a reminder to her that she was not an ordinary person.

“I’m sorry,” muttered Raviex softly. He recalled what Keith had told him regarding Christine but he was sure he did not reveal that she had supernatural abilities. Then again, perhaps Keith preferred it to come out from Christine herself. “It’s that legend, isn’t it? You were born on ‘the night a star falls’, giving you those powers, right?”

Christine nodded. “All I know is there are others out there like me. I can’t be the one child who was delivered on the last night of the 94^th year of Bravery. The last time a star had fallen before ours was on the 89^th year of Prosperity which obviously is more than a century ago since the reign of Kaisen; the god of Prosperity lasted for 119 years, adding the 108 years of reign of Zephod, the god of Bravery and presently, the second year of the newly declared reign of Xeloah, the god of Justice. So, my batch would be the only existing people with extraordinary powers.”

“Doesn’t the legend also tells about the consequences of having the powers?” wondered Raviex, somewhat having a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Yes,” she confirmed darkly, “The few individuals who have the ‘powers from the stars’ are called the Yamists. Every Yamist has a task to fulfil in his life. If he is successful, he can keep or dispose his powers as he wishes. If he fails, he will perish from the face of the earth. The same punishment goes to Yamists who do not receive their callings by the age of sixteen.”

‘Hang on,’ mused Raviex, ‘she’s going to be sixteen this year.’ “What’s your calling?” His heart drummed as he waited for her answer. “Ryn?” His feeling went from bad to worse. The shadows hid her eyes again.

“I… I have not received mine.”

II

‘I’m running and I’m running away for good,’ thought Kyoden resolutely. Marriage is not a joke. He tried being reasonable with his father but he was shunned off. Fed up with his father’s character, he opted to leave home.

He slipped all his personal savings into his money bag and tied it around his belt. He fastened a crossbow-like gadget on his left arm. By a mind command, he felt a tingling sense as a layer of titanium formed and wrapped his lower arm, making the gadget a solid part of him. He smiled in satisfaction. He went to his bedroom window to have a look outside to make sure no one was at sight. He threw down a rope of clothes out of the window and prayed it was long enough for him to escape.

“Yes!” Kyoden whooped in joy in a fierce whisper. His hand-made rope of clothes was ten feet from touching the ground but he was confident he could land safely without a scratch.

Eagerly, he tested the rope to ensure it could support his weight. He swung a foot over the window and was soon on his way down. He was careful not to scratch his beloved automatic crossbow gadget against the wall. Most of his money was used to enhance and maintain it. Its paint was of the best quality; its shape was sleek and custom-made to fit on his forearm. The bow was retractable and it had an automatic reload function. The crossbow was made not only for self-defence but also elegance and exhibition.

Kyoden sneaked across the enormous and beautiful garden to the main gate, ignoring Lady Kyoko’s number one rule: NEVER ever step on the grass. Freedom was just a step away. He got out his remote control to remove the lasers from the main gate. He grinned gleefully as he pressed the button.

I AM FREE!

Shattering his dream, the alarm rang! Worse, the lasers were not even removed! Damn! His father thought of everything to keep him in, including setting up a trap by changing the programming codes of the lasers. Refusing to give up, he retreated a few metres instantaneously from the wall of his prison and powered up his legs. Jumping at the last moment, he dug a feet onto it to give him a boost. He reached out both arms thoroughly and grabbed hold the flat top surface of it, hoisting himself over the wall with great upper body strength. Then, he dropped himself stylishly on the ground. Kyoden fled immediately.

Security guards were on his tail in seconds. It did not take them long to figure out it was their young master they were on hot pursue. Confusion broke out between them. Nevertheless, they did not need to be geniuses to know they must not open fire at him. Grasping the advantage, Kyoden raced down the deserted sidewalks of Haiken Metropolis. He turned sharply to the left into an alley. Out of breath, he banged on a door urgently. When it opened, he pushed himself in and slammed the door shut. The guards chased blindly down the backstreet, oblivious that they were on a wild goose chase.

Hearing the thunderous footsteps gone in a distant, he told the innkeeper who knew him well, “Nagi, old pal, I’d like a few things from you.”

The galloping of a horse alerted the guards who were back on the street. A cloaked and hooded man was riding it. They recognized him as their Master Kyoden and tried to make a barrier to block his horse. Instead of charging towards them, the horse leaped over them. The guard who stood directly facing the speeding horse gaped in passing fear and fell to his trembling feet.

Kyoden’s horse effortlessly outran his father’s guards. This might be the last time he would set foot on Haiken Metropolis but he was not going to slow down and admire the metro city the final time. Lord Hiroshi would issue an order without delay to capture him. After all his efforts and paying six Eun which was in the form of gold coins for the cloak and the best horse he could get, Kyoden did not want to risk getting caught.

Spotting the triangular gateway of the metro city, his spirit soared. His succeeding escapade was unchallenged. As he crossed the gateway, Kyoden knew his life would never be the same.

The wheels of destiny and fate began to turn…

Kyoden moaned as he felt something wet nosing on his face. His head lolled left and right as it disturbed his sleep. He woke up to find his horse sniffing at him. Annoyed, though amused, he pushed it away from him and got up. It was the second day after he had left Haiken Metropolis and today was supposed to be his wedding day if he had not run for it. He shivered a little because of the cold weather in the morning and also at the thought of Olivia Padsburgh.

He was doing some stretching exercises when his horse neighed softly and tossed its head uncomfortably, as if warning its master of the changed atmosphere. “What is it, Interi?” acknowledged Kyoden. He gave his horse its name last night before he slept. The name was given based on its characteristics and he could tell that it was an ‘intelligent’ horse. It knew its master’s enemies and had loyally helped to keep a lookout for him.

Interi jerked its head in a direction and pricked its ear. Kyoden understood and he listened carefully. Unlike the usual calm and peaceful mornings with birds chirping in the air, their surrounding was in total silence. Slowly, he could make out rustlings of bushes and leaves. The branches and twigs which were snapped sounded like fireworks in the stillness of the woods. Without wondering if he was paranoid about being hunted by Lord Hiroshi’s men, he mounted on Interi and hurriedly led them deeper into the forest.

For ten minutes, Interi managed to trot smoothly, avoiding the men. Suddenly, a shrill whistle sliced through the woods. “I see him! Master Kyoden up ahead!” shouted a man, exposing Kyoden’s position. He froze on his horse, panicking. He recomposed himself immediately and kicked on its sides. It lifted its two front legs in the air, momentarily standing on its hind legs and neighed aggressively. Back on its four, it began its urgent gallop.

“I’ll give you five carrots if you can shake them off,” bargained Kyoden, baiting it to run its fastest. He had crouched down until his head was almost levelled to Interi’s. His body bopped along with the horse’s rise and fall, his cloaked flapped furiously behind him.

Interi snorted its refusal and deliberately slowed down its speed. Desperate, Kyoden bid a higher price, “Alright! Alright! I’ll give you ten fat and juicy red carrots but that’s it!” It picked up its velocity steadily, contented with the reward. He sighed helplessly at its behaviour. This was ironic. Please, who was the master, him or the horse?

Suddenly, Interi pulled itself to a tight halt, throwing an unexpected Kyoden off the saddle.

“Ahh!!!” he shouted as he flew over the horse. It cleverly ducked its head to avoid getting hit by its rider. “Oof!” Kyoden had his breath knocked out of him. He landed flat on dirt with his head in a bush. Interi snorted and neighed derisively.

‘That horse is so going to be a ‘horse steak’ if my beautiful face has any scratch from this fall,’ cursed Kyoden as he picked himself up.

He grumbled at the pain it cost him. When he saw the reason why they had stopped, he stiffened. It was not going to be an easy fight, considering he was surrounded and outnumbered by approximately fifty men. He had to get it over with soon or he’d be encircled by the opposition party’s backup too when they arrived.

“No carrots for you, Interi,” muttered Kyoden lowly into its ear. It jerked its head a few times and made a gruff noise, protesting on the punishment pronounced to it. Its tail slapped hard left and right as Kyoden’s father’s men waited for his move while he waited for theirs.

At last, an irritated Kyoden decided to be the first one to trigger the fight. It was practically boring when both sides were merely on standby phases without action. The young man prepared himself in a fighting stance. Like a reflection in the mirror, so did the men. They had direct orders from Lord Hiroshi: they were to bring him back alive and unharmed but if the situation twisted into an ugly one, they were permitted to knock him unconscious. It was thought best to capture Kyoden with bare hands.

“Master Kyoden, please come quietly with us. Don’t make things hard for us,” requested the man nearest up-front to him. Kyoden recognized him as Jihas, his father’s best man. Why did he have to bring matters to this scale? Couldn’t his father see that all he ever wanted was to take control on his own personal happiness?

“If Father ordered you to take me back to Haiken, I’m not giving in without a fight!” growled Kyoden. Interpreting it as a cue to attack, a man on his right jumped at him. He avoided him with ease and sent a blow with his right knee into the man’s abdomen. Kyoden threw his elbow downwards, coming in contact with his back. The man plunged face first onto the ground.

Shifting his gear from warm up to serious workout, his eyes turned sharply to Jihas. Kyoden wasn’t the slightest discouraged by the current barrier. In a way, he felt even more of the need to battle a stand for his own life. All his years, he had assisted his father on nothing but multiplying his wealth. He was sick of managing his father’s global business; sicker he was of being manipulated by his own father because of his greed for money. It was time he took his life into his own hands.

“Who’s next?”

The pair started out early after dawn although they retired to bed pretty late the previous night. It had been a tongue-tied night for Raviex. He did not expect to uncover so much about Christine, or rather to discover a lingering death haunting her on her sixteenth birthday. For a Yamist who was unknown to her fate, he found it disturbing of her to be so tranquil regarding it.

It was crystal clear she didn’t want him to pursue any further regarding her Yamist affair. Nevertheless, it occurred to Raviex that last night’s chatting session was out of topic, really. It began with him asking what had happened the past afternoon when she behaved weirdly. As if trying to drive him away from the subject, she directed him to another matter and played along. When the talking was over, he was as clueless as before referring to his very question of her actions.

‘Maybe I should just forget it to make my life easier and simpler,’ he suggested to himself. Then again, he was delivered into a world of complicated decisions and formalities. When was his life ever simple as he judged it? Raviex smiled wryly at his thought. At least, a new friendship had been forged between him and Christine during the night—that was unmistakable.

Suddenly, Christine came to a wary stop. Worried that she was experiencing the similar strange acts, Raviex stopped, too and checked on her. Much to his relief, she was just cautioning him to stay quiet by putting her forefinger to her lips. The girl told him to listen carefully and so he did.

“It sounds like there’s a fight or something,” muttered Raviex after he was certain it wasn’t his imagination running wild.

Christine nodded in agreement. “It’s coming from our right. Let’s go see if anyone needs our help.”

Since there was no reason to not help others who were in need of assistance, Raviex went with Christine. Eager to hurry to the scene of action, she grabbed his hand. Doubtful of what she was going to do next, he gave her a face of anxiety.

“Trust me,” said Christine, lifting a free finger to press a button on the two shimmering hair clips she wore on both sides of her head. The clips turned silver and a headgear was formed, connected from one ear to another by the back of the head. The ends of it cuffed behind her ears and little folds of gold plates formed a structure like tiny angel wings on the silver headgear, where the green clips previously were. Promptly, a light blue visor formed across her eyes. Complex information and numbers flashed past the visor.

Raviex remembered she had told him once that it was designed by Keith to help her cope with her special power. Her Angel’s Flight ability required her to move in an unearthly speed no normal human could ever achieve. Naturally, movements would turn into fuzzy pictures, too fast to be interpreted by the brain. The headgear (Interpreter as Keith named it) had three functions: supporting her brain to keep up with her sight, protecting her eyes from strong blast of wind she would encounter for moving at such a speed and also, aiding her on her sense of hearing when performing the skill.

Believing in her assurance, he relaxed and had full confidence in her. Settled, she commanded, “Angel’s Flight!”

Feeling a powerful thug, his body instantly surged forwards. It was an incredible sensation he had never come across before. The trees beside him were a blur. He had to block his eyes with the other hand which was holding Letaikno from the vicious wind since he didn’t wear an Interpreter. His feet weren’t even touching the ground.

He also noticed a bright blue light had engulfed him and Christine entirely. The light trailed slightly behind them as they moved. Raviex was positive that if there was a third person was watching them; he would see only a dash of blue light, instead of two figures moving.

Meanwhile, Christine was concentrating on reaching the place pronto. She had conveniently left out the fact to Raviex that this was her first time she performed her Yamist Physical Ability with a passenger on board. To her surprise, her speed was not affected and she was rather in control.

Within five seconds, they intruded upon a forty versus one fight. For a while, everyone present was puzzled at the sudden interval.

“So which side do we help? The forty or the one?” whispered Raviex while keeping a sharp eye around him in case anyone made a move. The forty men looked from their subjected target to the duo. Were the two alliances of their master Kyoden?

“We pound the forty men,” she answered curtly.

“You’re sure they’re the bad guys? They’re wearing uniforms but they don’t look like the Valkyrians’. They could be guards,” argued the Prince.

She shrugged. “We’ll ask for the credentials later. If that man turns out to be the rotten one, we could always take him down ourselves later.”

The long-haired runaway shouted at her and Raviex non-chalantly, as though they were teaming for a game of football, “Are you two done talking yet?”

“Yeah, we’re pretty much done,” she yelled back. Jihas slapped a hand on his own cheek and uttered some unintelligible words at the ridiculous scene. He barked an order to his men to capture all three of them.

A man lunged at Christine, a baton in his right hand. She dodged with ease and shoved a well-aimed, powerful fist at his cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Kyoden Kaneshiro was also bewildered by the arrival of the strangers. But he didn’t mind since they were seemingly on his side. Saving the first-time-meeting-courtesy for later, the three of them focused on defeating their opponents.