Chapter 36

“White lies.”

“Xeloah!”

The figure which emanated commanding violet aura raised an eyebrow, his pair of indigo eyes skeptical and unimpressed at the grinning face closed to his. He folded his arms before speaking with his bass voice which likened to the rumble of thunder. “May I remind you, Kaisen, that I am not amused when one abuses his holy abilities to appear out of the blue inches away from me.”

The god of Prosperity brushed back the front of his aquamarine hair as he laughed. “Come now, Xelo, you should really loosen up a little.”

Xeloah glared at him. “Do not nickname me as you wish, Kaisen.”

Cheekily, the playful one wrung an arm over his taller colleague. “It’s okay to have a nick, you know. Nicknames are given to express one’s affection for the other, Xellie.”

A streak of lightning zapped down between the two. Kaisen cringed and gulped at his fortune of being able to avoid it. “Big meanie…” he sobbed.

“After all these millenniums, haven’t you learnt not to provoke Xeloah with your playful antiques, Kaisen?”

The clouds around them swirled and revealed the goddess of Inspiration. She bowed her head slightly as a polite greeting to the two gods. “Blessed day, Xeloah.”

“Blessed day, indeed, Elinas.” He studied her carefully. Her long silver hair which was tied in two thick locks before her chest with rose-red ribbons was a stark contrast to his black and purple hair. But her eyes were his colour—purple, and he adored them. He understood, however, that they now looked differently at him ever since he banished Calith from Amaea. There was respect in them, yes, but nothing more personal or intimate than that.

Xeloah looked away from her as Kaisen gave a small cough. “Excuse me, I must attend to the faithfuls’ prayers now.”

“Xeloah,” the melodious voice halted his leave. “Kaisen and I have something to discuss with you.”

“It can wait until the next meeting at the Hall of the Holies when everyone is present,” he said briskly. He could instantly guess what they were about to tell him: Return Calith back to his throne as the god of Righteousness. They were the close ones of the fallen god from the start and it was not the first time they did just that.

“It’s not what you think it is, Xeloah, listen to the lady,” said Kaisen. His humourous side disappeared. Xeloah sighed, a sign that he was listening. Kaisen nodded at Elinas.

“Xeloah, Kairos and Chronos are planning something,” she began. “My Yamist has informed me of some strange activities going on. An unknown being has approached my Messenger as well.”

Up to this point, she assumed the god of Justice could have at least shown some concern. Nevertheless, his cool countenance did not alter. “How can you determine that it is Kairos and Chronos’ doings? Certainly, the mortals know nothing about their existence.”

“They do not know. It is by my own reasoning. Shenjoon had seen Green Dragon, the same one wielded by Gan Yi. We know it is them who guard Green Dragon. It is after all, their creation,” explained Elinas. “I am worried about their purpose for doing so.”

Xeloah sighed again. “No, Elinas. You are only expressing the worries of Calith.” She dared not look at him in the eye, guilty. It was the same for Kaisen.

“I know of your visits to the mortal world and I do not think highly of it. There are consequences you will have to face, the two of you. There is a reason why the mortals and immortals do not live in the same world,” he reprimanded in a stern voice. Below Amaea, there were clapping and roaring thunders. The mortals might have wondered why the sudden change of weather.

He breathed in, exercising patience and released his breath. “I will look into this matter,” he said officially. Elinas and Kaisen exchanged bright smiles. “However,” Xeloah added. They quickly resumed their sober expressions. “I hope that you bring issues directly to me henceforth, Elinas. There is no need to refer to an unqualified being.”

There was an instant when the two immortals shared eye contact. Xeloah broke it by turning away from her. Without a word, he went off to his Throne of Prayers, vanishing after gliding a few feet away from them.

Kyoden laid an arm on Shenjoon’s left shoulder. The extra weight was the last straw for the boy. He collapsed to the ground, tired and weak. “Wha… what did you… do that… for?” he yelled between gasps of breath. The commotion interrupted the journey.

The Haikenese was alarmed and fumbled to help him up. “I am SO sorry! I was just curious how much more weight you could take.” Shenjoon stared at him in disbelief but was too exhausted to speak.

“Shenjoon, now that we are travelling again, isn’t it a burden for you to bring it along? Your urn looks awfully heavier than the past times you’ve carried it,” remarked Christine.

Lorenne observed the brown urn. Her green eyes then fell on its owner and on Yexi, who was by her husband’s side. Yexi said that the urn was found by luck in the pottery shop. When asked if there was an encounter like the one with a so-called Mr. Gan-Zhang, she insisted there was none. However, the peculiar increase of the urn’s weight was not negligible.

“I don’t need to guess. I know Yexi is hiding something from us,” whispered Sonia into her ears. Lorenne glanced nervously at the Daiburno. “Shenjoon seems perfectly perplexed like the rest of us regarding his urn and he doesn’t appear to be lying about the discovery of his urn in the pottery shop.”

“You are suggesting…?” Lorenne allowed her voice to trail off, not eager to finish her sentence.

“Shenjoon is a Messenger but Yexi said it before that his Mortal Vein has not opened. Negative flow of Sacred Energy makes him still a non-Lundea and we know she has that memory modification ability upon non-Lundea. I have no doubt that Yexi has modified Shenjoon’s memory,” deducted Sonia.

“But why would she do that to her own husband?” asked the younger sister nervously.

Upon this question, Sonia could only shrug. “You’re the one who has the gift of all-knowing. You tell me.”

Lorenne’s eyes drooped to the ground. “I know things others do not only when Her Holiness tells me.”

“Silly girl,” chided Sonia. “I meant it as a joke. Of course I know that. Well, whatever the reason is, we can only trust Yexi. She is by far the most rational of us all anyway.”

Meanwhile, Christine was debating with Shenjoon about discarding his urn. “It is too much for you to carry. Forget the group’s progress; it’s limiting your movement.”

“But… I can’t just abandon it!” protested Shenjoon.

“It’s just too heavy. We’ve travelled a mere hour and you’re already at your limit.”

“But I—”

“You are forcing yourself to carry it! We’re going to be moving for the whole day. You’d be a corpse by then!”

Mutterings from the Prince and Kyoden who was bent over the urn next to them ceased their argument. They looked like they were inspecting it. Christine frowned. “Raviex?”

“Hey, Shenjoon, I thought this thing was empty,” wondered Kyoden aloud. His statement caught everyone’s attention. Soon, they were all crowding over the object.

Shenjoon raked his mind. “I don’t remember putting anything into it…” Before anyone could say a word, he groped inside the urn and fished out three bronze hoop-like things. “Wait, there’re more!”

It was an odd scene to see seven teenagers huddled together in the middle of nowhere. A few travelers who were heading north too avoided them in case they were from some strange occult. When the urn was empty, they counted twelve hoops. Each was as thick as Shenjoon’s thumb.

The Flamese congratulated himself, thinking that he had rid the cause of the extra weight of his urn. But as he picked up the urn, he found that it was just as heavy as before he removed the hoops! He was officially dumbfounded, flopping hopelessly onto the ground which was dotted with grasses and wild weeds.

“This is strange…” murmured Sonia. The round urn was obviously empty now. So, why did the weight of it not reduce?

Kyoden picked up one of the bronze hoops and examined it. “Hmm… I wonder what these are for.” He placed it on Raviex’s head, which immediately earned him an annoyed look from him. “Too small to be a crown for the Prince.” He sniffed it, then shook his head. “Definitely not food either.”

“OBVIOUSLY!” blurted his companions.

Shenjoon snatched it from the archer’s hand and frowned at it. “Actually, these hoops remind me of something back at my home we use for training.”

“Training?” repeated Christine.

He nodded. He started gathering the twelve hoops into two equal stacks. As though they were customised for him, he was able to slip his two arms comfortably through the hoops; six hoops now encircling each arm. To his amazement, the weight of the hoops was not as deadening as he thought they would be. Yes, they were heavy and pushing him to his limits to lift them but otherwise, they were bearable.

“You don’t have to push yourself too hard, kiddo,” said Kyoden.

The boy, however, did not seem to hear him. He performed a short combination of vigorous punches before he stared at his hands as though he just realized it was made of something else besides flesh and blood.

“Wow,” breathed Christine when Shenjoon actually lifted the urn without feeling as strained as ten minutes ago.

“Believe it or not, the urn feels lighter now. I mean, it’s still heavier than its original weight but definitely lighter than before we took out these hoops,” said Shenjoon, astonished, nonetheless pleased about it.

“This does not make sense,” Raviex mused aloud. “Logically speaking, the weight of the urn and the hoops should add up without any changes. How can it be lighter when you are bearing the weight of the hoops and the urn simultaneously?”

Shenjoon shrugged. It did not matter to him. “I don’t know what’s going on but if putting on these hoops helps me to keep my urn by my side, well, that’s that! I’ll keep the hoops!”

His simple-mindedness might have been infectious, leading the others to overlook the illogical occurence but it certainly did not stop the Fierell sisters from casting doubtful looks at one another.

“It’s some sorcery at work, isn’t it?” asked Sonia softly.

“Most probably… I think we’re more interested in the question, ‘why?’…” said Lorenne. What secret are you keeping to yourself, Yexi?

“Okay!” exclaimed Kyoden. “Now that no one will have to be left behind… forward, march!”

Erik was pouring through files of official documents when he heard gentle knockings on his office door. “Come in,” he called out without looking up, expecting a subordinate officer. “I hope it’s not more stuff for me to read, Sunders…”

He caught himself when he sensed the familiar tint of sweet perfume in his room. He ceased his work and for a second there he wasn’t really sure how to face her. He reached up a hand to adjust his glasses awkwardly. “I… I was not expecting you. Sorry…”

“I just wanted to… apologise for what I’ve said the other day,” said Kairalina with remorse. “It was terrible of me and I hope you can forgive me.” Her head hung low.

The Colonel was quick to stand as if it was a crime to accept an apology from the precious jewel of the Royal Advisor. “I…I…I’m supposed to apologise to you, Kaira. I shouldn’t have…have yelled at you.”

“Stop being so kind towards me, Erik,” she muttered.

“What?”

She shook her head and put on a smile. “So are we back on speaking terms?”

Erik chuckled, “I guess… and you…okay?”

Kairalina lifted her shoulders lightly. “Well, you were right about taking good care of myself, for my father’s sake—as well as Raviex’s.”

As well as Raviex’s, huh? Looks like he’s still the only one who could affect you…

“Thank you for helping me to get a grip on myself.”

“You’re welcome.” He gazed at her but he hid his emotions adeptly so that she could not detect the ungentlemanly bitterness he had against Raviex. He was ashamed of it but there simply were times when he could not help himself. But a sudden beep from his GP on his working desk startled him and caused him to panic.

Not now!

Kairalina watched curiously as he practically lunged at the GP and disconnected the incoming call before the caller’s ID appeared in holographic image in the air. He had never done things in unrefined ways, considering that he was always with excellent manners and etiquettes.

He sighed thankfully that he was in time to stop the call but realised that he had to cover up his abrupt action. Lying to Kairalina had always been the hardest thing for him to do. Yet, he had been lying to her ever since he discovered Raviex’s whereabouts.

No, I was never honest with her since day one. I never told her that I’m in love with her since I first met her.

“Why did you do that, Erik?” she questioned, as he anticipated.

“Because it’s umm… a call that I umm… don’t want to take,” he fibbed. Erik groaned in his head. That was simply weak and he could slap himself for that.

“A call you don’t want to take? Oh…! I get it! Someone’s stalking you!” Kairalina giggled.

“Wha..t?” His brain did not process her statement as swiftly; his expression a mere blank.

“Don’t act innocent!” she teased. “It’s about time girls start to appreciate you anyway. I understand how you may find all these phone calls annoying though.”

Erik laughed nervously, a little embarrassed but just glad enough that suspicion was no where near him. He took a step back shyly as the girl went around his desk to approach him, his eyes glued to the carpeted floor.

“You know, Erik, if you aren’t such an introvert, you’d have been a popular icon back in school,” remarked Kairalina candidly, her hands behind her. “It’s as if you’re hiding behind that pair of glasses of yours. Are you going to get a new pair if you lose your glasses again?”

He involuntarily touched his glasses. “Of… of course, I can’t really see without them.”

“There’s always the contact lenses!” she pouted.

“I don’t think they’re safe,” he said bluntly which caused her to laugh.

Kairalina took his hand and placed his old pair of glasses in it. “There! Now you have two pairs of glasses. I’ve been meaning to return this to you…”

Erik’s cheeks flushed when he remembered how they were taken away from him and the kiss that followed. “Thanks…”

“Erik, I believe Raviex is still alive and I know you will be able to find him and bring him back to me,” she said confidently.

He forced himself to smile. “I will find him.”

She beamed, “To express my thanks, come over to my place for dinner tonight. I’ll cook for you personally.” She went off before he gave his answer, not knowing that she was leaving him to deal with his guilt for dishonesty.