34Nogar (My violet fearsome dragon muse): *is eating a five gallon Dryers double fudge ice cream* Are we finished already? Let's get this story started.
Okay! Ready everyone? . . .Um, Nogar, do you mind putting your ice cream elsewhere?
Nogar: *glares at me* For your information, one of your reviewers was kind and caring enough to give me this and I'm not letting it go to waste!
That's great, but do you mind putting that elsewhere lest someone tries to /steal/ it?
Nogar: *blinks* Oh. *glares at the reader and walks away*
Sorry about that! Didn't want my muse to distract my faithful readers.
Nogar: *from far away* I heard that!
Eep. Anyway. . .Ready? Sit back and relax! Spell ya later!
*~*~*
The Verses of Drueth
"An angel places her faith in the seeds of hope. . ."
"Speaking her heart, a wish was formed. . ."
"Four souls, interwoven by destiny. . ."
"Summoned in the essence of time. . ."
"Then a new tale will be born once again. . ."
The Angel's Seal
Chapter 1
*~*~*
"Good morning!"
A piercing shout echoed throughout the rocky, precarious mountain, the songbirds scattered by the uncommon shrill emanating from a glassy dome- like house that settled on the mountain's side between the sunrise and the twin cities. Even after they returned to chirp their hellos to each other, another cry waved against still air and frightened them away to their nests.
"Yay! Another day has arrived!"
A girl just awoke, quick to dress up as her lemon boots knocked against the carpeted stairs.
*~*~*
The green raptor-human winced, grimacing from the high-pitched greeting as he stirred the noodles in the wok. "Gah, doesn't she get tired of saying that every morning?" He brushed his raven hair away from his eye in irritation. Glancing at the blue armored dragon-human, he asked, annoyed, "Don't you ever get pissed off by her?"
The dragon sipped from his coffee mug, sitting with the same melancholic look on his furrowed face, answering, "After living with her for six months, I got used to it." For moments, his ocean eyes locked gaze with the raptor's blood-red eyes. Then he closed his eyes, looked away and resumed drinking.
"Well, I guess I should," he muttered, opening the fridge nearby and picking some needed ingredients, "I know she's a nice girl and all, but she can really get on my nerves some-!"
"Good morning!" A smiling girl appeared behind the fridge door as the raptor closed it with his slithering tail.
"Yah!" He nearly lost his balance, his arms full when he struggled to keep the food from falling. "Hana, you gotta stop doing that!" he scolded her, "You almost scared the life out of me!"
But the pink-haired girl looked back with sun-filled eyes, her brows arching in curiosity. "Doing what, Kazo?"
He bent his long head sideways as if the heavy weight of realization hit him there. "Never mind," he said, shaking his head, "Just don't do that again." He returned to the wok, piling the counter with spices and seasonings.
Hana blinked twice and smiled again. "Okay!" She strolled to the mahogany table and sat on the chair opposite of the dragon. "Good morning, Granar!" she greeted him with her casual grin.
The demi-human called 'Granar' simply waved back without pausing his drinking, a gesture he always used when he felt like greeting back. Hana knew that so she smiled again and picked up the peppershaker from Granar's side. An aroma of pungency and spiciness arose from the raptor's cooking. One sniff and she was quickly enticed to insatiable hunger. "Hmm, that smells so good. What are you cooking?"
He turned to face the golden-dressed girl, flashing his wild smile at her. "Glad you asked. It's my newest dish. Just thought it up when I remembered that nasty cold I had a couple of months ago. It'll be ready soon." Snatching a whetted butcher knife from his right, he flipped it with effortless ease to his left hand and twirled it with swiftness of a well- oiled turbine. Showing how serious he was, he halted spinning his cooking blade, his index claw across the back of the knife and with a thunderous shout, he chopped the vegetables on the chopping board with incredible quickness. His eyes glowed a burning shade of unmatched passion, letting the sliced pieces fly in the air before dicing them in a single swipe into miniscule bits, falling into the wok like raindrops.
Awestruck by the impressive display of sheer power and precise handling of food, she watched him toil as stirred the rounded frying pan in unquenchable fury, merging all the ingredients in one continuous flow. She resisted the urge to applaud for his magnificent performance, biting her lips in eager excitement. Her eyes glittered when he poured the broth into two equally-sized bowl, each provided with a wide-mouthed spoon. She couldn't wait to put her taste buds in such a delightful-looking dish.
Soon after, Kazo placed the bowls in front of Granar and Hana. "Hot Energy Noodles!" he announced, his face beaming with pride, "The perfect breakfast, guaranteed to fill you up with spicy energy and is also very nutritious too."
Granar glanced from reading the newspaper and examined the meal before him. Fresh, ripe wiggles swam beneath orange pools with square debris plaguing incredulously. "Small cut noodles and diced vegetables. But the broth. . ." With nimble claws, he dipped the spoon into the soup and procured a sample from it. Upon closer inspection did he realize the orange broth was perfectly vivid, lyeless and untainted, a glassy surface as his gaze fell on his own reflection upon it.
He sipped the soup in silence, the broth passing through his lips. Then a tender sensation came over him and his scarred left eye widened as he perceived a new feeling. He took another spoonful, sipping like before but now it blazed within him, burning through all exhaustion he had before. The racy flavor somehow revitalized his senses and erased his weariness. His long feathery scales hiding his ears perked up at this in an instinctive motion.
Though amazed, he kept his expression moody. "This soup. . .you never cease to astound me with your remarkable cooking skills, I give you that."
Kazo placed his arms behind his head, accepting such a rare compliment from someone who was so annoyingly serious all the time. "What can I say? I learned from the best!"
Hana spooned herself some of the broth and gulped it. She licked her lips, a pleased smile smeared on her pale face. "It was very good, Kazo." With that, she picked up the peppershaker and started emptying the contents.
His eyes enlarged as she did this and he seized the peppershaker from her hand. "Hey, what's the big idea? I already peppered it," he stated.
She took the glass container back without him noticing. "You used too little. A little more will do it." Ivory claws grabbed the peppershaker, struggling to pull it from her tight grasp. "Hey!"
"A little?" His teeth gritted and his arms wrestled in a tug of war for the ground pepper. "You'll completely ruin the taste, you half-witted brat! I just had it cooked to perfection and now you're gonna mess it up!"
"No I won't! It'll taste a lot better if I add more pepper to it," she said, her sleeves twisted from all the pulling.
"You can't just add pepper to everything you eat! Can't you be normal for once and eat without the fricking pepper?!" He pulled with all his might, his muscles straining to get the contained pepper out of her fingers when suddenly she let it go, causing the raptor to stumble on the wooden floor, landing in an agonizing manner. He sat up, grimacing from his sore back and glared at the girl. "Ow, what did you do that for?"
She blinked with child-like innocence, her hands holding where the peppershaker should have been. "You could have said you didn't like the peppershaker in the first place." She returned to her seat and resumed eating the soup.
Having an angry vein on his forehead, Kazo stood up, infuriated as he raised his left fist to her. "Why you! I-!"
"I'm done." Without a second's loss, she presented to him an empty bowl, free of grime and no drop of broth was left.
His jaw dropped, shocked by the sudden consumption. "How the heck did you eat so fast?"
"Granar's finished too," she added, "Shouldn't you eat too?"
He sighed, having lost his temper on a girl like her. "Naw, already had my fill at the apartment." He took the empty kitchenware and placed them by the sink, refitting his red wristbands and bandana sagging like slugs.
Granar turned to the last page of the newspaper, barely noticing Hana smiling, cupping her chin on her hands.
"Granar, I just remembered something."
He glanced shortly at her but returned to read the newspaper. "Hm?"
"Today's our anniversary." She pressed her bangs away from her face, fingers combing freely across her flowery crown.
Kazo turned around, his face plastered with curiosity. "Anniversary? What are you talking about?"
She leaned on the table and faced the green raptor. "Remember what happened a year ago?"
"A year ago?" He crossed his arms, looking deep in thought. He strained to recall but it was a complete blank.
Granar put the newspaper down. "It was our first meeting."
"You remembered, Granar! You know what? At that time, I thought your name was 'Green Shins'." She chuckled, fondly recalling the memories.
The dragon narrowed his ocean eyes at her. "Don't remind me," he said sternly.
Kazo snapped his claws, a smirk playing at his teeth. "Oh yeah, 'Green Shins'," he said, snickering. "Can't believe I forgot that she called you that. We had our first fight too. A certain 'hotshot' didn't know how to keep his mouth shut," he added with a hint of sarcasm.
Granar snorted, giving the raptor a well-deserved glare. "It wasn't my fault you were short-tempered."
"Short-tempered? You're talking to Royikito's greatest fighter here! Don't think you can insult me and get away with it."
He stood up against Kazo with his armor gleaming in the sunlight and said sharply, "Don't talk as if you deserve everything."
"Like I care about that! I can take you on and beat you to a pulp, right here, right now!" Kazo stood in his fighting stance, his left leg flexed forward, fists raised. Granar did the same, except he bended slightly forward, his right fist pulled back as if it wielded great power in its grasp.
The aura between the two fighters flared enormously, muscle tensed and pulsed with the rush of adrenaline. Still and silent, they drew no breaths and willpower and concentration stole over all reason. Everything around them seemed so blurred like time halted to a stop, both eyes burned into each other.
Then, the lines of tension snapped. Clearly the sound of applause rang in their unseen ears.
"That was really good acting, guys. It was nice of you to re-enact the fight for me."
Both stared dumbfounded at the denseness of her mind.
"Um, Hana, we weren't acting," Kazo said, losing any thoughts of fighting in front of her. "We were really fighting. Isn't that right, Granar?" When he turned his head, he found the dragon standing by the cooking counter, drinking coffee.
His jaw almost scraped the ground, the raptor disbelieving his eyes. "What? You weren't serious in fighting me?" he exclaimed.
"Oh. But if you were, at least Daddy would have been here to stop you." Suddenly Hana gazed down and turned away, as if a dire dream flew back to her mind, causing the two to look at her. "Daddy," she continued, "He was a very special person to me, to us. Remember the last time we saw him? It was almost six months ago, wasn't it?" Her voice quivered, sounding forlorn in her words.
His blood-red eyes flecked a trace of regret. "Yeah, it was. Who'd ever forget him, that mute he was," Kazo said, joking to enlighten the gloominess away.
Granar placed the mug down, looking with solemn eyes at the flower girl.
Carnation hair drooped, almost weary and despaired. And her dress shone a dull shine, losing its luster beneath the fading sunlight. But quickly she spun around, sparking an angelic smile to the two demi-humans. "But it's going to be all right," she insisted, wiping the tears frolicking on her blushed cheeks, "he promised he would come back. He did."
He almost felt pity for her just by looking at those mellow golden eyes. "Hana."
"I'm fine now, Kazo." She brushed her creased dress, fixing the laces wrinkled by her breast. "I'm going to check if there's any mail for us, okay?" She threw a cheerful wink at them and trotted off to the front door, boots tapping like a melody.
"She still misses him badly," Kazo commented long after the girl left the room.
"It can't be helped." He looked out the window and watched the summer sun hide by black clouds. "She's still a child and only we can protect her precious smile."
The raptor strode beside the dragon, looking at the irony above them. "Yeah, if only he could see how strong we are now," he whispered loud enough for the dragon to hear as he glanced at his left palm clenched.
Granar nodded to that.
*~*~*
"Empty." She found nothing in the black metal box. She sighed, her heart beating to a slow pace as she leaned against the front door. Looking again at the mailbox on the painted wall, she let out another heavy sigh and glanced at the key chain hanging from the wrist of her left sleeve. It bore a translucent feeling into her whenever she looked at it. She barely shook her head, wishing he was here to comfort her in her dreary loneliness. Though she still had Kazo and Granar in her life, she couldn't help feeling a certain hollowness in her heart, gnawing endlessly like a haunted nightmare. Lips shivered. "Daddy. . ."
Hardly did she notice the sky dimming from crystal clear to an ominous shade of gray, white feathers swept in an uproar, and what has been left of the green, only few saplings and a withered oak, quivered and leaned from biting breezes. Instead, she focused on the key chain that radiated a luminous glow, rays refracted from the watery form in her hand, as if it was calling out for something, calling for her. . .
A tremor shook her thoughts. She looked ahead, sensing a strong presence somewhere. It was so powerful she could have sworn it was a bad omen, a passing of what was worst had yet to come. But on the dusty, barren road stood a lone figure, looking at her like in a trance. Although she felt no malice from it, she felt familiarity reeling in as she gazed at the stranger.
She stepped closer to the figure, boots skidding on planted stepping stones, with trembling hands. Unaware of the key chain suddenly dwindling to a flicker as if it was frightened, she stopped a few feet away from the figure when winds began to settle down, her heels teetering on the edge of the road. For a moment, she recognized the stranger standing before her - brown hooded cloak, scarred hands and those deathlike white lips smiling at her - but before her mouth could even speak a word, the heavens completely blackened and all that was light vanished within the key chain.
But the darkness was a fleeting moment and soon it was like before; the sun revealed itself again and dressed the world with its never-ending warmth. To Hana, it seemed like another dream, like the darkness and the hooded figure were only visions. But she was convinced it was real, though there was no proof of it - no footprints on the road, no fallen leaves, no black clouds - she wouldn't believe that all of this happened in her mind. She still stood on the edge of the road. When she looked down, her eyes fluttered in surprise.
A white envelope lay at her booted feet, half-buried in the yellow sandy soil. Plucking it out and dusting the remaining dirt off, she flipped to its front and saw only five words, but those words made a difference to her:
"To Hana, Kazo and Granar"
Cloth feet clamored past the doorstep.
*~*~*
"Please come to the White Condominium today. I'll be waiting for you." Granar placed the letter down, pondering about what was written on it. "It ends there."
Kazo tapped his clawed foot impatiently, arms crossed against his lavender vest. "Well, can you make anything out of it? For all I know, this could be just a bait to lure us in a trap."
The dragon looked at him in a calculating manner. "There's no sender and there's nothing suspicious about its obscure handwriting. But reading it makes it clear that whoever wrote this must have known us and where we live."
The raptor grimaced. "Crap. That means it could be anybody from Kujon and Royikito. We're practically famous, you know!" He leaned back on the counter, closing his blood red eyes in exasperation. "What about that 'White Condominium' it was talking about?"
"Just an empty building on a small plateau not too far from here. It used to be a real condominium until an earthquake destroyed nearly all of it. Only one house remained unscathed and I heard someone moved in there a few weeks ago, a professor."
"A professor huh? Sounds pretty harmless. But. . ." There was a scary glint in his eyes. "It could actually be a mad scientist bent on creating illegal mutation freaks," he spoke in a half-mocking, half-convincing tone.
He made a sarcastic glare. "Kazo, you're too paranoid about this. . ."
"You think so? We'll let Hana decide this then."
"Fine by me." He turned to the girl reading the letter with both hands. "Hana?"
Looking from the letter, she paused to think about her answer and closed her eyes. Then, with a wide grin, her eyes flashed a young exuberance and she replied in a cute voice peaking from puberty, "Let's go then. But you have to race me first!" With that, she shot on her feet and a trail of dust smoke led out the front door.
Crimson eyes blinked twice before taking in what happened. "Hana! Don't rush off like that! We don't know who we're dealing with!" He dashed out the door, lurching before running up the mountain, jumping on its jagged edges like they were wall-steep stairs as he followed the girl's trail. "Hana, wait up!"
Calmly Granar followed suit after locking both doors to the house, his steps turning into leaps as he trod in the rear of the raptor's haphazard path.
*~*~*
On that early morning, the trio ventured higher up the mountain into the cooler region. But as they continued, the scenery transformed from a glass dome in a desolate oasis to a plateau of unusual forestry, bountiful plants thriving where the condominium used to be. Now the only inhabitant of the plateau was a one-storied house, the outside walls freshly painted in marble white and the roof moss with sleek brick tiles. Two parallel rectangular windows adorned the front with silvery reflections making it impossible to see inside and between them stood a looming oak door, carved in oriental images like dragons and fairy-like angels. Strange enough, there were traces of modern images, a raptor and a leopard, though drawn grotesquely like the rest. All in all, it was a mysterious building and it seemed only the owner would know its secrets.
The two demi-humans eventually found the girl cheerily waiting for them at the front door. One wasn't happy about it, though.
"Hi, Kazo," she greeted, waving at him, "What took you so long?"
He leaned on his knees, panting his tongue out. "Gah, how'd you get here so darn fast?"
"It's a secret."
"Grr, you're more trouble than your worth, you ras-!"
A firm grip on the shoulder halted him. "Let it go, Kazo. It's not worth it."
A hand was pushed away. "Who do you think you are, my conscience?"
". . ."
"Come on guys! Let's knock on the door!" Hana shouted.
Kazo sighed reluctantly. "We'll settle this later, hotshot," he spat out, then went beside Hana and knocked thrice. Knock knock knock.
"Knock-knock-knock!" it mimicked.
"What the?" He knocked again, only slightly harder.
"Knock-knock-knock!"
He turned back and gave Hana and Granar a shell-shocked face. Returning to the door, he pounded on the door, shouting, "Hey, let us in already! Don't keep us waiting, you know!"
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," replied a voice behind the door.
Kazo dove back, eyes widening at the familiar response. "Did you hear that? I swear it sounded just like-!" Before he could finish his sentence, the giant door swung open and his eyes widened even further. His mouth hung open, too paralyzed to say anything.
"G-Granar," he managed to sputter out, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
The blue dragon held his head back, eyes blinking in incredulous speed at the figure standing by the doorway. It was a lean creature as tall and upright as the green raptor, bearing tawny fur all over its body save for the open palms. Wearing ocher pants that were held up by durable strap-like suspenders intersecting at its heart, it held a gentle smile on its fierce face. Forest-green eyes glittered back like sunlight through a sea of leaves from above, the small sky covering them in dirt brown bangs. It scratched its short brown chair, still holding its gentle smile with closed eyes. Granar continued to blink a few seconds more, his breath cut short by shock, before finally saying, ". . .Hyo?"
The leopard grinned back at them. "Really guys, can't you be a bit more patient?"
"Daddy!" Hana leaped to hug the leopard's waist, snuggling her cold cheeks upon his warm, furry chest.
The leopard, whom Granar had called 'Hyo', proceeded to pat the girl's head, which she enjoyed very much, ruffling her hair a little. "Hana, it's good to see you a-"
"Stay away from him, Hana!" A fist connected to the leopard's face, causing him to fall down unconscious in a rather awkward manner.
The girl realized she was holding air and turned to the raptor, a scowl marked on her face. "Kazo, what are you doing? That was Daddy!"
"Daddy? Ha, yeah right. I can't believe you were fooled by this cheap imitator," the raptor replied, proceeding to pick the comatose leopard by the straps. "Who are you and why are you imitating my best friend?" he shouted.
Unfortunately, the leopard was conscious enough to sing a run-down song off- key. "La la la la. . ." he said with eyes spinning dizzily.
Kazo looked freaked out by this. "Don't tell me I knocked his brain out," he muttered to himself.
"You did?" said Hana, who happened to overhear Kazo's comment.
A sweat bead hung on his head as he turned to face the girl. "I was being sarcastic, Hana." Kazo's brows twitched when he noticed the leopard was still singing the same song off-key. "Quit singing and answer me," he shouted again, shaking the leopard vigorously, "Answer me before-!"
BAM!
Granar elbowed Kazo right on the forehead, knocking him out cold as he collapsed on the leopard.
"Thanks, Granar. I didn't want things to get out of hand already," Hana said.
"Don't mention it, I've been wanting to shut that idiot up long beforehand."
Upon hearing the dragon's words, Kazo recovered rather quickly and stood up, raising his fist at him. "Who are you calling an idiot?"
Granar glared back. "Don't you ever stay down for long?"
The leopard began to sit up, rubbing his sore face. "Guys, can't we settle this amicably?"
Kazo leaned close to the leopard, glaring out of spite. "You stay out of this, imposter."
"Imposter?"
"That's right. You can't fool me with that disguise."
"Disguise?"
A vein popped out of Kazo's forehead. "Will you stop repeating me? Just who are you anyway?"
He flashed a smile. "I'm Hyo."
"Hyo what?" He leaned closer, barely giving the leopard any breathing space.
"What do you mean 'Hyo what'?"
"I mean what is your last name?"
"Um, I don't have a last name. I've been called Hyo for as long as I can remember," the leopard replied sheepishly.
". . .No one could be that naïve enough to forget his own last name."
"Um, Kazo," asked Hana, raising her left hand, "I don't have a last name too, remember?"
"That's because you're human, Hana." He turned back his attention to the leopard at hand. "Okay, next question: How old are you?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Don't you have a birthday?"
"I don't remember that, either."
"Kazo, don't you think this is really Hyo?" Granar asked.
"He has to convince me first!" POW! "Agh!" Kazo was completely thrown back by a punch to the face and landed between Hana and Granar. He lay unconscious on the mossy ground, images of crystalline key chains revolving around his head.
"Kazo?"
"Hmm?"
The two turned to the sitting leopard, noticing his right fist outstretched as if it hit something with excessive force. He opened his fist, saying to himself, "I guess I don't know my own strength." He stood up properly and brushed the dirt off himself. "So, did I convince him?"
Huge sweat beads hung on both of their heads. "Um, Daddy," she said, trying not to sound stupefied, "I don't know if hurting Kazo was what he had in mind. . ."
Granar shook his head in shame. He looked down on the green raptor and kicked him a bit, trying to wake him up. After a while, his claws began to stir, a sign that he regained consciousness. He sat up, trying to soothe the pain in his aching face. ". . .Ow, someone get the license of that pagoda." He blinked wearily, shaking the lethargy off his mind. Then he stood up and faced the leopard, a deadliest glare etched in his blood red eyes. He advanced and stopped, his snout mere centimeters away from the leopard's muddy nose.
The leopard looked intimidated as he noticed the deep frown, curving with ivory dagger-like teeth. ". . .Kazo?" he said, his voice sounding almost frightened by the high, rising pitch.
The raptor continued to glower at the leopard, eyes narrowing at its narrowest and then, without any hesitation, he bared his fangs, showing a mischievous toothy grin.
"I can't believe it's really you, Hyo!" he shouted, excitement pouring from his teary eyes as he embraced the leopard with the hardest bear hug he ever gave. Far from relieved, Hana and Granar were utterly shell-shocked by Kazo's sudden approval with draping jaws and bulging eyes.
Hyo was just as shocked as the two were as he restrained himself from grimacing from pain. "I convinced you?" he croaked.
"You sure did! Nobody could hit the great Kazo with such style like my best friend here!" he cried out, unabashed of making his proclamation loud and clear. He shortly released the leopard, only to have him in a headlock, rubbing his knuckles atop Hyo's scalp.
"Gee, that went well," said the flower girl, smiling at the scene of two great friends finally reunited.
Granar simply replied in his cold voice, "I'm afraid to think what would happen if it didn't."
The two demi-humans gave each other a hearty laugh, one boisterous and blissful and the other simple yet strong. Then the two friends separated, a joyous aura fluttering around them.
"Man, it's feel great to be with friends again! You won't believe it, but I actually grew stronger in those six months you were gone." He cracked his knuckles noisily, still playing the same toothy grin he had. "Can't wait to spar with you. It's just like old times, isn't it?"
"I guess so," Hyo replied.
"Now that Daddy's here, we can celebrate our anniversary together!" shouted Hana, dancing in joy round the dragon.
"Anniversary? What day is today?"
"Well, today is the day we first met each other, duh! How could you forget that?" Kazo said sarcastically.
Hyo looked a little embarrassed, his tawny cheeks blushing slightly. "Really? I didn't realize how much time passed since we first met."
"A year has passed to be exact," Granar said unobtrusively, "but nothing has really changed, hasn't it?"
"Well yeah, but we weren't friends in the first place. But something's still bothering me. . ."
"?" Hana stopped parading as soon as she heard Kazo's words, facing at the raptor in unison with Granar, who was equally intrigued with the last statement.
"How did you get here?" A question both literal and metaphorical. Just as the leopard began to move his lips, a voice spoke from behind him.
"I can answer that."
Hyo spun around, facing at the figure and scratching his hair apologetically. "Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up? I thought you were still sleeping."
"That's okay, Hyo," said the figure, yawning. "I was getting tired of dozing my head off anyway. So these are your friends?"
Hana, Granar and Kazo stepped closer, squinting as the figure shot forward in the filtered sunlight. It was a human boy, nearly five feet tall with a well-pressed white lab coat and equally unsoiled blue pants. His coal-black eyes, magnified by his thick glasses, glanced fastidiously at the trio and he wiped the chalky dust off his short, raven hair. His dark brown shoes glimmered a little despite the vast light encompassing the small forest. But his face looked too young for his attire, a youthful grin decorating his maturing features.
"Hi," the boy introduced himself, "I'm Ruiji Tebiki, but you can call me Professor if you want."
The three looked flabbergasted. "Professor?!"
"Are you joking with us?" Kazo retorted, "No way a kid like you can be a professor."
"No, I'm serious," Ruiji replied, "My parents allowed me to get a high- paying course because of my inherent high IQ, though the Saigo University needed some coaxing because they wouldn't allow anybody who was barely 14 years old."
"14?!" Kazo'e eyes widened, overwhelmed by the boy's words. "That's impossible! Saigo University is the best university in all of Drueth and only the best students could make it there."
Ruiji smiled at that and pulled out a golden paper slip from his lab coat. "I knew it sounded too good for you, so here's a permit indicating my acceptance to the Saigo University."
He handed the permit to Granar, who read it with great reverence. His narrow eyes glanced down at the lustrous symbol at the bottom-right corner: a silver cross expanding over an bluish-green orb that resembled Drueth, the world they lived in. "He's not lying, Kazo," said the armored dragon, convinced, "this is no doubt the emblem of Saigo University."
The disbelieving raptor snatched the permit from Granar, skimming for the emblem and handing it back to the boy, his face struggling not to look defeated. "Okay, you may have gotten into the best university in the world, but you still haven't told us how Hyo got back here."
Ruiji nodded. "Sure, I'd be happy to explain, but you must be tired from your journey. You can wait in the living room while I prepare the refreshments."
"Can I have desserts too, like ice cream and cake?" Hana eagerly asked.
"Sure, you can even help me serve them if you want."
"Yay!" She darted through the doorway, with the Professor behind her.
"Don't worry, Kazo," Hyo assured, noticing his friend's hesitations, "You can trust the Professor." He grabbed by Kazo's wristband as he entered the white house.
"Hey, stop that!" he shouted, trying in vain to escape from the leopard's bone-breaking grip while being practically dragged inside.
Granar took a moment to ruminate about their situation. With much pensiveness, he sighed and entered the house, closing the oak door behind him.
*~*~*
The house was a lot larger than they previously thought. The living room was huge and spacious, arrayed by walls as blandly white as the ones outside but the contents made up for that - A milky sofa and two upholstered black chairs arranged in a semi-circle, movable electric fans that operate according to the temperature, a sturdy mahogany table with a bonsai in the center, easy-to- reach magazine racks and a wide-screen TV to top it all off.
Hyo and Kazo comported themselves comfortably on the sofa while Granar propped himself in the left-sided chair near Kazo with crossed arms. Feeling indignant, Kazo picked a magazine nearby and read it to relieve himself. After a while, his uneasiness alleviated as he continued reading the mag, his frowning lips lifting up. Unawares, he turned to the dragon who looked at the magazine with tenacity. "Want it?"
He accepted the magazine, commenting, "I'm surprised you didn't turn to the pages of pornography in that mag."
"Are you kidding? I don't need those images in my head right now. Who needs naked woman taking up too much space and wasting time by being drooled at? I've got better things to do, you know." The dragon would have grinned to that if he didn't add, "Of course, cute babes in sexy bikinis are way better than nude ones."
Granar hung his long head in disappointment and returned the porn mag when Professor arrived from the kitchen orifice, behind the TV carrying a tray of glasses full of orange juice, followed by Hana.
"Here, sorry if it's not beer. I'm still too young to have that around." Ruiji placed the tray down on the table and sat on the other black chair, his hands on his lap.
"Hey, as long as I'm parched, any drink will do," Kazo said.
"And here are the cookies," said Hana as she placed her silver tray next to the glasses.
Hyo stared at the cookie tray, with forest green eyes blinking, perplexed. "Hana, I don't see anything."
"Huh?" She looked down and saw only bits of crumbs scattered round the tray. "Oops, sorry. They were too delicious," she said before letting out a tiny burp.
"It doesn't matter. We weren't hungry anyway," replied Granar. He took his glass and raised it high as Kazo, Hyo and Hana followed suit. "A toast, for our reunion," he proclaimed. Glasses rung in crystal harmony as the four were finally reunited.
Granar sipped his drink in his melancholy manner. Hyo saw this and tried to mimic it, only to find himself swallowing more ice than juice which he coughed back to his glass. Kazo gulped the whole glass and licked his lips, savoring the remaining drops. To the raptor's surprise, Hana drank her share normally without adding any pepper.
"What happened to your pepper? I didn't think you actually stop using that," he said.
"I didn't. I already mixed mine with pepper."
A sweat bead appeared on his head.
"But it's strange why mine still tastes the same."
A stinging sensation caught Kazo unaware, his throat panged in quick, raspy strikes as glass shattered across the floor. "Ack! Ca-caf-cak!" He gripped his own neck, his head bent forward as he struggled to cough the acidic substance seeping, burning and exploding like firecrackers. His blood eyes now bloodshot from being tortured, pain shooting like fiery needles. "Wa- wate-erk!" he shouted in desperation as the others watched in perplexed glances.
Then yellow-orange water struck in his face, his throat suddenly cleansed by clean, sweetish fluid. The burns vanished like a nightmare and Kazo found himself extremely relieved. . .and his hair dripping wet. "Grr, what did you go and do that for? Your drink almost killed me!" he bellowed at Hana.
"At least I saved you, didn't I?" she replied, smiling at him.
"Don't get too upset over it, Kazo," Hyo said, handing him a paper towel, "It could happen to anybody."
"Gee thanks," Kazo said sarcastically. He took the towel and wiped the juice off, muttering about having the brat's tongue checked.
"Is it always like this with the four of you?" Ruiji asked Granar, his glasses tilting from bizarreness.
The dragon snorted in his reply, "I should know. It's because of our bond that these things happen."
"At least we won't lead uninteresting lives that way," Hyo pointed out.
"Speak for yourself," muttered Kazo, still steamed about the 'pepper drink' incident. "Weren't you gonna tell us about how Hyo got here?" he asked the boy.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about that." He waited until Hana sat beside Hyo so everyone could hear his story. "Well, it all started a week ago. . ."
"I was working on a mysterious relic my colleague gave me. He was an archeologist so when he unearthed this large glass tube, I was surprised he came and asked for my help. I accepted his offer and received it for examination.
"However, I couldn't understand this fossil of a possible ancient civilization or any of its purposes. There were buttons too rusted to be pressed and inside the tube was this strange green water. I wasn't sure if it was contaminated because there was no opening to the tube that I could use. I made little progress and the closest conclusions I reached so far was a coffin designed for aquatic beings or an unused, ancient fish tank. It was an impossible research.
"Then on a stormy day, there was a knock on the door. I was in my lab at that time, so I couldn't hear it at first. Then, the knocking gradually got louder and eventually I took notice of it. It was so persistent, it never stopped knocking until I rushed over and opened the door. There standing before me was a man wearing a brown hooded cloak. Though it was raining hard, the man didn't look the least bit wet. His face, it was all black except his ghastly white lips. Without warning, his right hand shot for my shoulder, gripping firmly. I barely glanced at it, but I was certain I saw deep scars on the back of his hand. . ."
Ruiji stopped when he noticed Hana turning slightly pale, eyes drooping like they were grieving. "Hana, what happened? Do you feel sick?"
The girl looked up to him, putting a smile on her still-pale face. "No, I'm okay. Just feeling a little cold, that's all." Though she said that, she looked withdrawn, as if he knew something about her. He didn't understand what caused her to act like this.
Hyo sat closer to Hana and laced his strong arms around her. "Hana, you can stay close to me if you're feeling too cold."
She looked up, comforted by his caring voice and steadfast smile. "Thanks, Daddy," she whispered as she nestled herself against the leopard's warm chest.
Kazo looked over to the two and somewhat sighed wistfully at this. Granar remained stoical, his ears intent on listening as he gestured Professor to continue when everyone seemed comfortable.
He nodded. "For some reason, I didn't feel afraid of him. He smiled at me and said in a firm voice, 'Forgive me for my abrupt entrance. I came here to visit Professor Ruiji Tebiki.'.
"I was surprised that I was so well-known, that this man came just to meet me. I replied, 'Yes, I'm the Professor, sir. Please come in. You must have come such a long way to see me.'.
"He bowed his head and came in. We had a lot to talk, seeing we had common interests: about ancient civilizations buried beneath Drueth, local legends of Royikito and its ancestry, and other controversial issues about Drueth's history. Eventually, we came to the part about the mysterious relic when I told him about it.
" 'So, your friend claimed he found a fossil of Drueth's ancient technology and gave it to you?' he asked."
" 'Yes, but unfortunately I can't study it even close enough to know what it is.' "
"I noticed his lips smiling at this. 'Show me this relic. I may be able to help you understand it,' he said."
"At first, I refused. I explained to him that nobody without any authority should temper with any 'unknowns' but he kept assuring me that he can be trusted and he knows what he's doing. With much hesitation, I complied his request and showed him the relic in my lab. He gazed at the relic as if he could study it from a glance. At last, he shook his head, saying, "Amazing. After so many decades, this Soul Re-Conceiver is still intact and functional.
"I stared at him, awed. 'You know how to use this?' I exclaimed.
"He didn't reply. Instead, he bent down, pressing buttons in some order, even the rusted ones. When he stood up, there was an eerie ringing noise and almost immediately the water in the tube glowed, flashing ominous green and murky yellow. Only then when I stopped being dumbstruck did I notice he pulled something from his cloak. There sitting on his palm was a transparent orb, emitting the same colors as the tube's. Taking a step forward, he thrust his hand *through* the glass, along with the orb. You won't believe that this mysterious man must have held some power, a power that allowed him to defy the laws of normality, possibly a new science. . ?
"Ahem, sorry about that. Anyway, I tried to follow him but I guess my hand is still too solid to pass through. When he withdrew his hand, the glass tube grew increasingly brighter, then, in a moment, I saw the orb inside shatter in innumerable pieces which vanished, as if dissolved by the water. At the same time, the tube flashed a radiant burst of light so strong, I had to shield my eyes from being blind. Soon, the explosion dwindled but still the relic shone brightly, constantly lighting my lab with the same air of eeriness.
" 'Do you mind explaining me what just happened?" I blurted out.
"He turned his hood to face me. 'Forgive me but I was only demonstrating to you its power,' he said.
" 'Power?'
" 'This relic is the incubator of revived souls. That orb you saw is made to encase that same soul and is made of the water inside the Soul Re- Conceiver which is why it dissolved.'
" 'Soul Re-Conceiver? Wait, are you saying that this relic can revive people's souls, a resurrection of the spirit?'
" 'What you say is exactly true. However, only people imbued with the power of Spirits of Holy and Dark can use this spiritual device.'
" 'Spirits of Holy and Dark? You mean powers that manipulate the essence of Drueth, like magic?'
" 'Magic? Ha, such unscientific terms like magic shouldn't be in the presence of Spirits. It's best to call it as Spirit Knowledge from now on.'
" 'Right, Spirit Knowledge. You said that orb contained a soul. Whose soul is it exactly?'
" 'You will know in a matter of time, when it becomes complete.' For reasons I can't imagine, he left the lab in such a hurry, I couldn't keep up with him.
" 'Wait! You haven't told who you are! Where are you going? Wait!' There were so many questions I haven't yet asked, like how he knew what the relic was, how he made the orb and most importantly, how he obtained what he called Spirit Knowledge. But when I came into the living room, panting, the front door was already open. I looked out, but saw no trace of that man, no sign of his footprints on the wet, muddy trail. I was so confused, I couldn't tell if I was talking to a ghost or a real person.'
"Hold it right there!" Kazo interrupted, "I don't get any of this stuff! Spirit jumbo or that cloaked guy, I still don't see how Hyo got here-!" WHACK! A swift blow hit upside his head. "Agh! What's that for?" he shouted, standing up to the dragon as he rubbed his sore head.
"Couldn't you shut up and stop interrupting him? I believe he was getting there," Granar said, justifying himself.
"Hotshot," he grunted, sitting back in his place.
"Actually, you're right about that, Granar," the boy said, "In fact, I've only met Hyo a few hours ago."
"Really?" said a shocked Kazo.
Ruiji nodded. "It was past midnight. Almost a week passed since I saw that man. I was reading in my study room when I heard glass breaking from the lab. Armed with only my nightclothes and a paperback book, I carefully entered the lab, looking for the source of the noise. My equipment seemed to be fine and none of my beakers were broken. Then I remembered the relic. I rushed over to where it was and stopped when there was no one around save a stranger sprawled on the floor, just a few feet away from relic. The glass tube broke only in the front portion and water leaked out from it. I approached it when suddenly it looked up to me and smiled. Then it stood up, greeting himself.
" 'Hi, I'm Hyo,' he said, 'Do you happen to know where I am?'."
" 'Um, you're in my house,' I replied. When I looked down, I instantly regretted it. 'Ah, whoever you are, please be decent and wear clothes!' From the corner of my eye, I saw a pile of clothes lying on one corner. Pointing at them, I said, 'I think those are yours.'."
" 'Sure.'
"I shielded my eyes until he said he was fully dressed. He said after I made sure he was wearing his clothes, 'Sorry, I guess I should have worn them before coming here.'
" 'It's okay. I'm Ruiji Tebiki. How did you get here?'
" 'To be honest, I don't remember.'
" 'That wasn't very helpful. Wait, you said you were Hyo. Are you the same Hyo, one of the strongest boxers of all of Royikito?'
" 'Yes. Am I really that popular?'
" 'It's because of your death by Granar Giezhen that you're so well-known.'
" 'My death. . ? Oh, I remember. How long has it been since then?'
" 'Well, today's March 30, 2492. You've been dead for around six months.'
" 'Six months? I guess I've been away for too long. I hope they're doing fine without me.'
" 'What do you mean? You knew you'd be resurrected?'
" 'In a way. I promised to myself that I'd come back for them, my friends.'
"I smiled. 'Don't worry. You can see your friends again and you can stay here until they arrive here.'
" 'Thanks, um, Ruiji Tebiki.'
" 'Just call me Professor, okay?'
"Whew. And that's my story." The boy leaned back on his chair, stretching his arms and legs yawning.
Granar opened his eyes. "I think I understand. Hyo came back because of the Soul Re-Conceiver, isn't that right?"
The boy nodded. "Yes, that's what I suspected too."
"Wait, I understand that too," said Kazo, "But that cloaked guy. . .I can't help feeling confused about him, like we met him somewhere. Don't you think so, Hana?"
The girl almost jumped out of the leopard's arms from that remark. She nodded quickly, saying, "Sure, I think so too."
Granar leaned slightly forward, towards Ruiji. "In any case, we'll probably never know. Might you show us the relic, Professor?"
"Why not? You're trustworthy enough, being Hyo's friends and all."
The green raptor shot up, his tail springing eagerly. "Then what are we waiting for? This relic sounds a bit interesting, but don't bore us with fancy-chancy lectures. Got that?"
"Of course. Just follow me to the platform." Ruiji stood up and walked up to the far corner of the living room where there were some buttons and metal rungs running downwards along the wall. Granar and Kazo followed the Professor, leaving Hyo and Hana on the sofa.
She tugged on his ears with both hands, smiling from below. "Daddy, what's it like being dead?"
Hyo looked at her in a thoughtful manner and answered, "It's not as bad as others thought it would be. It's like sleeping. You don't see or feel anything. For a while, you feel like floating in a void, then you sense you'll be going somewhere, you just don't know where it is. Was that enough, Hana?"
"Yup, very enough Daddy."
"Hey guys, you coming or do I have to drag you over?" shouted the raptor.
"We're coming!" Hyo shouted back. Hana leaped off his lap and the two soon joined up with others.
Ruiji punched in the code and part of the floor they stood on descended into the lower part of the house.
"Wow!" shouted Hana, noticing a plasma-like barrier surrounding them as the platform descended further in a small but deep octagonal shaft. "You also live underground, Professor?"
"Not really. Underground is my main lab, where I work at."
A ripple permeated across the phosphorescent barrier, his claw tingling from touching. "Such advanced technology," the dragon remarked, "You must have been a scientist and a worker to build something this impressive."
"Thanks, I also work as a scientist if not professor, but it was actually my younger brother who helped me build this place."
"Younger brother?"
"Yes. He's Reo Tebiki and is around the same age as Hana's, 11."
Kazo's eyes nearly popped out. "11? What is this, another brainchild?"
"Actually, my father passed on his profession, seeing I already had a job in mind, to Reo and trained him to be a great mechanic and builder. As you can see, my brother's work is impressive. Without him, none of this would have possible."
"So Reo is as smart as you are?" Hyo asked.
Ruiji shook his head. "Unfortunately not. Unlike me, Reo doesn't have a great intellect and is barely keeping up with his grades. Also, nobody at his school gives him any recognition for his unsurpassed mechanic skills and has become rebellious because of it. I, too, am of blame; I always forget to give him credit and appreciation whenever he did favors for me. Perhaps I shouldn't have been too neglectful of him. . ."
". . ."
"That's the sappiest story I ever heard. Taking your own brother for granted, who'd ever believe that? Not my best buddy! Right, Hyo? Hyo?"
"Sniff, that's so sad. . ." Waterfalls poured from the leopard's eyes.
Blink, blink. "What's gotten into you?" Kazo turned away and started punching the buttons randomly. "Hey, is this thing even moving? My hair grows faster than this."
"Kazo, don't do that! You might accelerate it to hyperspe-!"
Before Ruiji could warn the raptor, the platform dropped in the speed of light and the five were paralyzed by the gargantuan force of gravity as a girl's screams echoed throughout the shaft.
Plummeting to an untimely doom, Ruiji struggled against the momentum, reaching for the control panel. Lights scattered in the shaft twinkled in incredulous acceleration. His legs wiggled like jelly and he barely kept his eyes open as he gripped desperately onto the panel. He brought his right hand down as one would with a flying ton and strenuously pressed the correct buttons. With all his strength, he pounded the final button. The words 'Command executed' appeared on the screen. Then everything vanished in a blast of light.
*~*~*
In the lab, the sound of crashing metal exploded everywhere, toppling nearby beakers and shaking the most sturdiest of equipments. The silvery titanium door slid open and revealed the Professor panting on his knees. "Ugh, next time, I'm taking the stairs," he gasped before his cheeks turned into a sickly shade of green. A paper bag was pulled out and much vomiting ensued in it.
Depositing the bag in a built-in trash chute, he turned to the others. "Is everyone okay?" With blinking eyes, he saw before him a ridiculous heap of unconscious bodies. "Oops."
Granar was the first to recover, shaking the lethargic pain off him. "Uh, we're. . .alive?"
"Ah, I thought I saw my death flash before my eyes." Hana rose from the pile, brushing her hair from her eyes.
Hyo sat up beside her. "Hana, it's 'life before your eyes'. But I guess death works too." He looked around, but the raptor was nowhere in sight. "Hey, where's Kazo?"
"Ugh, get off me, you mute!" A voice croaked from below.
Hyo glanced down and saw he was sitting on Kazo's back and Hana by his tail and legs. "Kazo, are you all right?" he said, standing up and helping his best friend get on his feet.
"Gee, does being flattened like a pancake register to you as an 'all right'?"
"Well, it depends on your definition of 'all right'."
"In that case, I'M NOT ALL RIGHT!" He brought his hand to his aching head, glaring at the professor. "Gah, I am never touching any buttons as long as I live."
Granar looked at the raptor with a gesture of pity. "You had to learn it the hard way."
Hana nodded. "It was funny seeing you as a pancake, at least."
The dragon shot a confused look at her. "Hana, you're hardly helping."
"At least I tried," she replied, smiling.
Ruiji distracted the four, saying, "Well, putting aside all complaints, I guess everybody's fine. We're lucky we didn't reach the bottom of this shaft."
"What exactly is at the bottom of this shaft?" Kazo asked, standing on his own feet again.
Silence. Then he voiced a nervous laugh as he pointed at the open doorway leading to the lab. "You know, I think we're quite close to the relic from here. Just follow me!" he said, running past the doorway.
"What the?" Eyes blinked, then realization hit him. "Hey, answer my question!"
"It's a secret, Kazo!" replied Hana as she trotted past him, following Professor's trail.
Hyo left his side, aiming not to lose his daughter in the mechanical labyrinth. "Wait for us, Hana!"
Granar walked off, following the two. "I rather not know the answer to that, either."
"Grr, doesn't anybody agree with me? I'm the one who got hurt the most!" He raised his left fist, clenching. Realizing that he was all alone, he quickly shot his feet. "Guys, wait for me!"
*~*~*
After a while, the five arrived in the room where the relic was. Standing among the obsolete machines in the facility was a glass cylinder with thick bronze stony bases, the bottom inscribed with ancient writing and smudged symbols. Some of the buttons there jutted out of place and looked rusted for a long time, making them hard to press manually. The front portion of the cylinder was lost; it was broken with massive force and little water was left in it. It looked big enough for a human to fit in or in this case, a demi-human.
Granar stepped forward and knelt on one knee before the relic. His navy blue claws traced over the engraved images of a dead language. "So this is the Soul Re-conceiver," he said, his mouth slightly ajar from touching the skin of antiquity.
"Hmph," Kazo cracked, "It looks more like a giant blender than something that could have revived Hyo."
Ruiji stretched his arms, yawning loudly. "Feel free to look around as much as you want. If you're finished, I'll be waiting by the entrance."
After the professor left the room, the four started inspecting the relic, hoping to find any clues connecting to Hyo's resurrection. But despite great effort, they weren't able to find anything whatsoever.
"This is hopeless. What made you think we could find something the Professor couldn't?" Kazo said.
Hyo kept searching fervently while he answered, "We have to try, Kazo. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to find whatever it is we were looking for."
Granar, on the other hand, stopped looking some time ago and was now staring at it wistfully. "Kazo has a point, Hyo. There's no use in trying."
After thinking for a while, the three demi-human sighed in agreement and decided to leave. "Come on, Hana. You can look at that later after we eat," said Hyo.
"Hmm?" She turned back from looking at the relic. She shook her head at him. "No, Daddy. I really think I can find what we're looking for."
The raptor snickered at her for her persistence. "Yeah right. You can think a kid like you can find it? Us adult already gave up on that."
Then, out of annoyance, she stood up to him, her face scowling in determination. "Oh yeah? I know exactly what we're looking for!" She raised her voise loud enough for everyone to hear, certainty sprouting from her words. "I think, it's one big triangle!"
Suddenly, glinting in residence, there appeared three lines, forming an outline of a big triangle amidst the age-smitten images and buttons on the bottom pedestal.
His blood-red eyes flickered in unexpected surprise. "What the? How did you do that?" he exclaimed.
The flower girl spun toward the shining triangle. "Yes," she spoke like she knew what she talked about, "And in that big triangle, there are four small triangles!" Three smaller lines grew inside the glistening shape, making four equally small triangles in response to her words.
While filled with awe, the dragon dimly observed that there were no signs in the key chain hanging from her left wrist. 'The key chain, it's not reacting to Hana's words,' he thought, 'Then how could she have known. . ?'
"And finally, in each triangle, there's a letter, four letters of the Spirit!" Engraved symbols of ancient were carved by rays of lights, a letter occupying in each triangle. A total of four letters were embedded in the symbol, just as Hana described.
Hyo stood numbly, watching the relic's symbol glow more radiant by each rainbow flash. "Hana. . ."
But she paid no attention, for she herself was drawn to the symbol. Her golden eyes turned dull grey as she drew closer to the luminous triangle. As she pressed her left palm, the key chain tingled and blinding light illuminated the entire room.
*~*~*
A series of memories passed through her thoughts.
An ominous torrent swam across the landscape, defiling with swarms of inky smoke and hordes of blood-craving minions.
From the epicenter of that chaotic earthquake rose a demon so monstrous, Drueth quivered.
Then there stood an angel of gilt hair and willowy body, facing the demon alone.
With praying hands, she called for strength from the seeds of hope.
Golden light pierced the sky and sinewy dark clouds swerved away as it encased the demon. Forced back into the heart of Drueth, the demon lay dormant and waited for the second beckoning.
The angel fell down and her life-force began to depart from her.
For one last time, the angel looked at her, smiling. Then she realized that the angel looked like her, only older and more beautiful. The angel spoke her last breath and everything faded into nothingness.
The demon appeared to her, smiling devilishly as her vision turned blood red. Called as she might, her voice was taken away. Then the same sickening slice, a painless shock impaling her soul over and over in her nightmares, struck through her. And she fell. Falling until the nothingness consumed her. But it wasn't over yet.
Sparks of lightning fluttered round her. Her body now in stasis, electricity continued to swirl around her. For a while, she couldn't feel anything. Then she saw a star. However, it turned out to be a lightning bolt, surging through every tiny nerve in her body. She convulsed, her eyes dilated and shocked, screaming from the excruciating pain.
There was a soft thud and she woke up.
*~*~*
"Hana, are you all right?"
The girl's eyelids flapped open and saw a worried, tawny-spotted face. "Daddy?" She quickly sat up, noticing she was in a clinic-like room, including all the paraphernalia needed. Scanning her surroundings, she found Ruiji working nearby on a computer and a reptilian silhouette by the drapery behind the leopard. The silhouette turned out to be Kazo, passing under the drapery.
"You awake already?" he asked.
She nodded, only to be shaken violently by his sinewy arms.
"Good, because I've got half a mind to beat the sense into you! Do you know everybody's worried sick because of you?"
"You were worried about me?"
His narrowed eyes blinked before his dry lips responded, "Of course I was worried about you. Who do you think I am, some kind of heartless freak? Listen, I don't want you pulling off stunts like anymore, Hana. We can't always be there for you if that ever happened again. Got it?"
She nodded again.
"Good." A wild smirk formed on his face. "I don't think I could survive another heart attack till then," he joked before leaving the room.
Hana couldn't help smiling at him. Then she turned to Hyo. "Daddy, what happened? I remembered that I found what we looked for. It was that seal - " She felt faint all of a sudden, leaning on Hyo's chest for support.
"Don't force yourself," he said, "Professor said you should get as much rest as possible. It's because you went into a coma for many hours."
"I was?" It was only then that a ravenous roar erupted from her stomach. "I didn't know I was that hungry. . ."
"That's because you missed lunch and dinner. Stay here," he commanded her, "I'll go get some food for you."
"But Daddy, wait - !" But the leopard already sprinted out the clinic, even as she called out for him. She placed her hands on her hips. "Hmph." Leaping off the cot, she almost stumbled as she landed on the floor.
"You should listen to your father more often," said the boy professor, sounding stern even as he continued working, "Don't think you can just run off and not hurt yourself in the process."
"But I have to tell Daddy - !"
"You can tell him later when he comes back. He isn't that far-off anyway. I know you're a bit excited about what happened, but give your body some rest. You don't want to faint again like last time."
She looked down half-heartedly and climbed back on the cot with obedience. She gazed at the tiled ceiling. "Professor, where's Granar?"
"I sent him back to the relic room to retrieve the video tape. It should help us get a clearer view on what happened. He should be here soon."
"Oh." Right on time, the leopard arrived with tray filled with assorted desserts. "Wow! Thank you!" She prayed for a short while, then proceeded to stuff her mouth with tasty delights. Hyo watched numbly as she consumed foods of vast proportions.
"Uh, Hana, maybe you should slow down a bit."
She paused, halfway eating her loaf of bread, when Granar arrived with the videotape. She waved and handed the other half to the armored dragon. "Hi, Granar! Want some bread?"
He glanced gravely at the salivated piece of bread and handed it back. "No thanks," he politely declined, giving the tape to Ruiji.
"Oh." She put the bread in her mouth, swallowed it whole and continued feasting on her meal.
"Thanks Granar," said the boy, placing the tape into the VCR.
"Great, now all we need is hot chocolate," Hyo said.
"Did somebody say hot chocolate?" Kazo entered abruptly, carrying a tray with five mugs filled with steaming cocoa goodness. "Here you go," said the raptor, placing a mug next to Hana's food tray, "I mixed that with pepper, just the way you like it."
"Thanks, Kazo." She drank the chocolate with both hands as everyone had their own mugs. She looked up the TV, as well as everyone else, which was showing what happened in the relic room earlier. It started where the four first entered inside.
"Boring." Kazo sipped his mug and grabbed the remote control. He pushed the fast-forward button until the tape stopped at the part where Hana was drawn to the triangular symbol on the bottom base. The screen was filled with light and it immediately went static. "Hey, what happened? We were just getting to the good part!"
Ruiji reclaimed the remote control from the raptor. "It's the tape, Kazo. Something must have happened to it while you four were blinded." He rewound the tape back to where Hana was drawn to the symbol again. He stopped as soon as light filled the screen. "Wait." He rewound again to where Hana touched the symbol. Using the computer, he enlarged the image of the symbol blocked by Hana's left hand. This time, he rewound only a little, showing the symbol with the hand removed. Everyone crowded close to the screen, looking closely at the symbol.
"That's it! It's the Angel's Seal!" Hana announced.
Everyone turned to face the flower girl. "Angel's Seal? You mean that thing?" Kazo asked.
She nodded affirmatively. "The Angel's Seal was made by the Spirit of Holy, one that is said to have the power to revive lost souls."
Ruiji nearly gaped at her. "The Angel's Seal?" He turned back to the screen, watching the said seal shine all of its glory. "What a wondrous discovery! And to think it was only a story."
"Story? What are you guys babbling about?" Kazo retorted.
Granar looked at him, explaining what the Professor meant. "The story about the demon who devastated the world when demi-humans fought against the Druethians, the humans of Drueth. An angel appeared and sealed the demon in the heart of the Drueth. But the angel sacrificed its life for the sake of demi-humans and humans alike and so disappeared, along with the devastation and technology akin to ours. So the world re-populated itself because of the lives lost during the war and rebuilt the technology up to today. It figures you wouldn't know any of this, seeing your kind wasn't the one to listen to legends and myths."
"Hey! I resent that!"
Hyo finished his drink and noticed Hana looking a bit shaken. "Hana, is something wrong?"
She looked back, with cherry lips smiling. "Not really. I just thought Granar's story sounded familiar."
"Have you heard it before?"
She stared at her empty mug. "No. It's strange, isn't it, Daddy?"
"No, it's not strange at all." He brushed the hair away from her blushing cheeks. "You're looking a little better."
"Yes, but I'm still tired," she said, yawning.
Ruiji shifted his glasses. "It is getting late. I suggest you stay here for the night and use the guest quarters upstairs."
"Upstairs?" Kazo looked disbelieved. "I didn't know you had a second floor."
"It's in the mountain. I moved the house close to the edge of the mountain so my brother could build a room inside it. That reminds me, Reo hasn't come back yet from school. I hope he's fine." The boy gazed out the window, the moon reflecting a white, moody glow against the canopy of trees surrounding his house. "Oh, sorry about that. Just head into the kitchen. The stairs there should lead you to the guest quarters."
She leaped off the cot and ran to the doorway. "Just follow the leader!" she shouted to the three before running off again.
Hyo and Kazo followed her, but Granar stayed behind, giving the boy a few words. "Thank you for hospitality," he said in his normally grim voice, "and I hope your brother comes home fine too."
"Thanks. I appreciate that thought."
The dragon bowed in a graceful manner and left the clinic, leaving the young professor with his thoughts.
Ruiji glanced at the screen one more time before turning it off. "The Angel's Seal. Perhaps I should look that up." He sat back to his computer desk and continued his nightly work.
*~*~*
Unaware to the five, a young dark-haired boy stood on a small cliff overlooking the white house. His fair skin basked in moonlight, sharply contrasting with his heinous outfit. Standing on his shadow was a taller figure, his body scrawny but well-built, and his eyes gleamed a horrendous shade of red, like blood-filled orbs infused with vengeance and hatred.
The boy looked down on the house with eyes of malicious black and put up a sly, wicked grin. "Soon you will regret your mistake to forget me. You and your friends will succumb to my power and we'll see who deserves all the glory now."
*~*~*
"Hi, This is Hana. My friends and I will take turns telling you our story. Finally we get to see Reo. He looks quite cute for Professor's brother. What? Two Daddys? I'm so confused! Granar, what happened to you? Why aren't you answering me? Next chapter on The Angel's Seal: Dusky Dawn. Till another day comes!"
TRIVIA NOTE: Some scenes here weren't included in the first draft. Examples: The elevator scene, the discovery of The Angel's Seal and the lemonade scene (lol). And some were changed. Example: Kazo wasn't punched in order to be convinced that Hyo was alive and neither did Granar hit Kazo. (The original scenario wasn't just as funny, believe me.)