Chapter 22
The Beginning
End was brought back to the place he was born in the City of Lions. The Cow House hospital cleared out almost an entire block to house all who had been treated by the Sphere of Influence. On the television, in one of the recreational rooms of the hospital, a Nation Earth conference was being held. Photographers flashed away at the surprise appearance of the Mentor, wheeled in a wheel chair with life support systems by the Silver Servant. As the conference settled, the Mentor projected the story of End on to a large screen for all to see.
“This is the great sacrifice I have witnessed by a fellow citizen. He has convinced me that any argument, that insists upon the importance of the Sphere of Influence pertaining to the sustainability of the economy of Nation Earth, is completely and utterly unfounded.”
His statements met with heavy murmuring. People loved to murmur when they don’t agree with something. The Nation Earth panel began to debate heavily on the subject.
“As such, the City of Lions will not sanction the use of the Sphere, as a stand against its purpose of oppression.”
Photographers fired away. The Silver Servant pushed the Mentor out of the conference.
Back in the hospital, End was watching the television. Whether he understood what was going on would be a mystery as he was completely zombie-fied. Even after the nurse had switched off the television because it was a little faulty, he still continued to stare in that direction. A nurse pushed another patient into the room. End turned his head and looked at the patient beside him.
It was ?.
They stared at each other for the longest time. It was as if they remembered something. But they didn’t, and they continued to look back in the direction of the television.
In the next few weeks, the number one favorite pastime of all citizens of the City of Lions, known as gossiping, began again. The hospital was abuzz about the two zombies, End and ?, who seemed very calm when placed next to one other. The nurses noticed that they seem to begin to communicate with one another through hand signals. This was of course a feat never before witnessed amongst victims of the Sphere of Influence.
One day, the newly appointed CEO of Cow House hospital, Officer Yum, was sent to witness and investigate this phenomenon. Along the long corridors of the hospital, the chief nurse, a Madam Cradlerocker, briefed him of the two zombie’s progress so far.
“You’re say they did what?”
“Watch television. You have to see it for yourself. And also, I think they are laughing.”
“Laughing? Laughing zombies?”
Nurse Cradlerocker finally brought Officer Yum to the recreational room. She pointed at the two. End and ? were watching a famous cooking show known as Oily James, a chef from the City of Three Lions who was an absolute clown and grand master chef in the kitchen. Each time, a fire exploded in the kitchen or a frying pan fell to the ground, it was witnessed that End and ? looked at each other and giggled.
“Giggling zombies?” said Officer Yum as he sat down beside End. He began to watch the show as well. “Leave us, I need to investigate.”
As the nurse left, Officer Yum checked that she was really gone, before stretching his legs and relaxing on the sofa.
“I think I will take an hour long lunch break here if you guys don’t mind. The office has a more strict lunch policy.” Said Officer Yum as he watched the television with End and ?. The two zombies did not respond as they continued to watch television and giggle.
“You guys just don’t talk back do you?”
No response.
“I love you guys. You have no idea how many people talk back to me in the office. It’s like I have no authority.”
Officer Yum put an arm around ?
“If you weren’t in this state, I may even consider asking you out.”
End turned his head slowly in the direction of Officer Yum. It was not clear what emotion he had, but it looked a bit like jealousy. The officer was still busy glancing at ?, that he did not notice that reaction from End. End turned his head back to watching the show. As the Officer got engrossed with the comedy, he did not notice that End suddenly felt hungry. Oily James was trying in all his desperation to make a chicken drumstick and it looked delicious. His poor efforts only made anyone watching hungrier as the show got along. End mistook Officer Yum’s hand for a drum stick and bit it.
“Ah! No! No!” shouted Officer Yum.
“What happened?” asked the nurse.
“I am infected! I have been infected! Oh no! My life, my career!”
The nurse looked at him.
“Sir, they are not real zombies. There’s nothing to be infected with.”
Officer Yum felt stupid.
“I knew that. I’ll be off, filing a report. They are dangerous and should be put out of their misery.”
Officer Yum left. The nurse came and switched off the television.
“Alright it’s time for bed.”
Both End and ? did not budge. This was strange, as zombies manufactured by the Sphere of Influence were very obedient.
“Suit yourself.” Said the nurse as she left the room. End got up, walked over to the television remote and switched the television on again. He sat down next to ? again, and they held hands.
In the weeks that followed, there was a night when End slipped out of his own room. He couldn’t sleep. He walked into the recreational room and saw that ? was there too. Both zombies sat back at exactly the same position, and End switched the television on again. This time, Oily James was cooking Dim Sum.
End began to feel something. With each little comical error that Oily James made, End seemed to experience a flashback of the times he and ? had dim sum together. ? was getting the same response. As the show progressed, there were more flashes. End began to remember how he hated dim sum, but how she loved it. She began to remember End’s promise to her, and how she enjoyed his company. Slowly ? put her head on End’s shoulder.
“?” said End.
“Yes?” replied ?.
They looked at each other.
“I missed you.” said End as tears flooded his eyes. In that instance, both recalled who they were. They hugged and embraced each other so hard that you would think their spines would break. Tear rolled down their eyes. The nurses rushed to the room having heard crying, and they stood at the doorway in disbelief. More nurses came to join her, and all of them were weeping. Some went to get tissue boxes so that they could all watch on. Soon there was a bucket of wet and used tissues on the floor.
“It’s not over yet.” Said ?.
“What do you mean?”
“You have not fulfilled your promise.”
“To finish the ILC?”
? nodded. Then, as painful as a wrecking train crashing into End’s heart, ? relapsed back into the Zombie state.
“?! NO! No!” End began to cry out loud and unabashedly. All the nurses touched their own chest like synchronized swimmers. They were all speechless and in awe of the amazing love that they were witnessing. End just held on to ? for the rest of the night.
The final thing that ? was talking about was the passing out parade. As its name suggested it was a parade where people passed out, usually from exhaustion. It consisted of a twenty-four kilometers route march that the recruits had to endure as a final right of passage in their paths to becoming full-fledged soldiers. It was named the passing out parade, because for all that the recruits had to endure in these three months, should they passed out now they would have to take the entire course again. You can laugh at its irony, but I assure you that the recruits who had slogged for all these months, only to drop out at this final juncture, never found it funny.
But because of End’s actions in the LFC, all the recruits of the four schools found a new sense of unity and bonding. Anyone found to be falling asleep would be awakened immediately by a brother next to him. Some would use their light to supply additional stamina to whoever was fainting. Instead of the ruthless quest to top
someone else, End’s philosophy during the LFC changed their way of behaving, and the entire four schools of recruits helped each other through the long and difficult march through the night.
End had shone his boots. He never liked any of the ILC military training but he was proud to have come this far, and wanted his boots to be shiny to complete the final march. More importantly, he shone his boots in memory of Quentin. As for his stamina and energy, he was fuelled by the memory of his parents and of ?.
As the recruits marched from night to day, End saw the moon again and in it, all the memories of everything he had to endure. He didn’t feel tired, because his body had been conditioned well by the training. Instead, he took the long journey to reflect on everything that had happened so far. That long line of endless recruits disappearing in front of him over a hill path seemed to be telling him that the road ahead is still long and uncertain. The songs that the recruits were singing in order to keep their morals high, seemed to echo his newfound courage to never give up in the face of all adversity.
He stepped into a puddle of mud. The mud splashed over his polished boot. He took a moment to think about Quentin. End’s boots were no longer shiny. He had wanted to keep it shiny for as long as possible. End finally understood that that would be impossible. In that tiny moment, End finally let go of the pain of losing Quentin. He thought instead of the good times they had, and quietly thanked him for the advice and encouragement that his best friend had showered on him during his limited time.
“I couldn’t keep the boots shiny all the way Quentin, but I will always remember you.”
The recruits completed the march, and came into the parade square. There were huge stands that contained about a few thousand parents happy to see their child complete the ILC course. The recruits were lined up in neat rows, as the new commanding officer of the ILC stepped up to address everyone. It was Colonel Eastwood. He gave everyone the beady eye glare for the longest time.
“I am trying to spot anyone who had fallen asleep. Anyone here want to fall asleep?”
“No sir!” was the thunderous echo.
“I don’t have to tell you that if I catch you sleeping right now, that you will have to do the entire course all over again. I don’t have to tell you how tough that is, and how draining that would be on your soul. Anyone feel like falling out?”
“No sir!”
“Good, because if it’s not sleep you want, then I think you want something else. I think you want to succeed in life. I think you have just successfully completed your first phase of your ILC training. You are now a full-fledged LightCatcher. So fall out, and celebrate with your families. Senang Diri (At ease)!”
There was a great cheer as the recruits threw their caps into the sky. No one ever expects to find the jockey cap ever again in this strange hat throwing custom but it didn’t matter. The parade square once so formal in its prestige was invaded onto by parents and loved ones of each soldier. There were parents wiping sweat off their son’s forehead. There were grandmothers were taking over the duty of carrying their grandson’s heavy backpack. And there were maids carrying the heavy backpacks of the recruit back to the ferry terminal.
End cut through the entire commotion. His happiness was internal. His parents and loved one was not here. As he walked through the crowd he saw Beef who was anxious to find out which unit he had been posted to. As he opened the letter, horror found its way back into his heart. His new vocation was Artillery. He looked up and saw Eastwood smiling and nodding at him.
End laughed. In a distance he could make out the Wa Brothers chatting with Dr Brown. Dr Brown shook their hands and welcomed them into Armored E division. In the far right corner of his eye, he saw Billy Gin trailing behind Colonel King with an excited look on his face. Colonel Chuck poached Patrick, Mickey and Guile into his unit.
End walked through the happy crowds of the parade square, and saw two crying parents. They were holding a letter, and on top of the letter was the name “Ed John.” End felt sorry for Ed John. He walked towards the ferry terminal, but he passed by the Warmart first. It was closed, but there was a letter on the front doors. End stepped forward and found to his surprise that the letter was addressed to him. It was from Uncle E.
“To End,
I know what you did. You told everyone my story didn’t you. You made my memories into a video and circulated it amongst the recruits.
Why did you do such a thing?
I will never be able to thank you enough if you did.
When they knew my story they came forth and basically bought out my supplies in a week. They somehow thought that I gave up my chance of being with my beloved in order to save their lives.
I am not that noble. I am heroic but not noble.
Anyway, they were so grateful that even when they ran out of LFC credits they took money out of their own pockets, because, as some of them put it, they wanted to see me finally reunited with my love. What a lovely world where people help one another. In retrospective, I can only laugh at my own childish ways of being a scrooge all my life. The one time, I helped others, my woes were resolved in days.
As we speak, I have closed the war mart and resigned. I have returned to ask my beloved for her hand in marriage. Respecting the terms set by her late father, I have become a millionaire overnight before asking her the big question. I don’t know why, but every time I see her, I feel the distant sound of a tiger roaring. Maybe it is her character, a very fierce lady. I think we are going to open a tailor shop together, but then again, we might also do something with Tiger oil. I don’t know yet.
I thank you, and if we ever meet in life again. I will help you. I will find a way to repay you.”
End came to the second last line of the letter.
“P.S you still owe me $24.15.”
End laughed. The final line in the letter read as followed:
“Enclosed is a gift for you that would be essential for the next part of your training as instructed by the Mentor. Look behind the dustbin.”
End walked to the back of the dustbin and saw a box. He opened it, and found a tuxedo. End kept the letter and gift in his backpack. Just then, something caught his eye, it was a photo stuck on the “Dark War” billboard that no one ever noticed. It was when End finally paid attention that he saw the picture of Mahatma in the photo. He took it off to read. Someone wrote that Mahatma was a courageous Janitor who died while defending the students at Charlie Charlie Company during the Dark war. End was at first filled with fear, but he knew what he had to do.
End found his way to Charlie Charlie Company. At the entrance, he stopped, and clasped his hands together in prayer.
“Thank you Mahatma.”
End raised his head. There was no one else there. After End had left, Mahatma came out and watched him go. Beside him were Eleven, who was now under the tutelage of Mahatma.
End was finally granted a rare one-day pass into his own beloved city. On the boat, some news was playing on the television in the boat. There were two news articles. One was that Dr Lecter had faked death and was now a fugitive on the run. Another was that two fugitives, Snakeskin and Akira, who were believed to have killed Hoofhearted Junior, were now on the run as well and being hunted by Hoofhearted Senior. Hoofhearted Senior was now bent on vengeance, and had made a one billion dollar bounty for anyone who could bring the two back alive. He coined the bounty for the local paper headlines as “The offer that would be refused.”
Tuning his mind away from world politics, End’s first step off the fast craft and on to the shores of his city almost brought tears to his eyes. It was hard to imagine that it had only been three months. It felt like he had gone to hell and back and time was moving so slowly. End felt that his happiness was kind of like aged wine. It was a strange kind of matured happiness, which was happiness that took time and experience to brew. As he took a city bus, he observed people. He saw the busy business district area full of people rushing up and down the streets. He saw a working
father holding the hand of a child. The father was busy on the phone, and the child had drawn a nice picture for the father to see, but the man was just too busy on the phone to care. End thought to himself, how strange it was that human beings would never appreciate the small things in life until they are taken away from them.
End took a cab to a place given to him on a piece of paper. When he arrived he found that he had come to a tavern. The name of the tavern as promised to him by the Mentor was “Cloud Link Tavern”. It was just the way he had wanted for his parents.
Then came the moment. End saw his parents. It came suddenly and without warning, he fell to his knees and broke down to cry. He was sorry that his own immaturity had caused them suffering, but he was happy that they were alive. He was also emotional about carrying out his mission to bring them back to life, and to end the mindless state that they were currently in.
A waitress came over to pick End up, and projected a video message for him to see that was from the Mentor.
“It was a terrible mistake for us to have subjected your father to the Sphere. Your father was a great man who had built almost half the cloudscape of the city. Do well in your mission, and we will do our part to restore him and your mother. This tavern is my little gift to them and you.” Said the Mentor in the video.
End spent a little more time in the tavern just watching his parents. His father was swimming in the pool beside the beautiful tavern and his mother was tending to the garden. They saw End, but due to the Sphere of Influence conditioning, they no longer had any memory of him. End had to cry at this moment. It was only natural. The only solace he had, was that at least they were safe.
“I need to spend more time with you both. I get it now, and it was something I never did or cared to do. I will complete my mission, and I will return. And one day, all of this will be over.”
With that, End left the tavern.
End then travelled to his birthplace, Cow house hospital. There, under the gentle stirs of the wind, the curtains by the window danced softly to illuminate the beautiful face of the sleeping ?. She was still unconscious. Beside her, by the side of the wall was a carton of Essence of Guava, as promised by the Mentor. End came forward and held her hand. With quiet whispers, he spoke many thanks. He thanked her for giving him hope in his darkest time, to remember to honor his parents, and many other things.
On the table before her, he placed a brand new, Food Stamp album.
“The old one got destroyed by Beef, but I made a new one. When you wake up, we are going to fill an even bigger Food stamp album. And together, we are going to try the Liquid Nitrogen treated, Mozzarella Cheese flavored, frog porridge served with Pitcher Plant Acid juice. And one day, I will bring you to the City of Dim Sum.”
End kissed her forehead. End cried.
“I am so afraid. Like Quentin said, we don’t always remember to say ‘Thank you’ or ‘I love you’ until the opportunity is gone. I am so afraid that you won’t wake up. But I can only do my part now, and have a little faith. You have always been the hope in my life and I will make you well again.”
End left the ward with that promise.
At evening time, End found himself in a fancy restaurant waiting for his contact. He was following the instructions of the electronic letter that was given to him by the Mentor.
“Unlike the rest of your compatriots, the next part of your education with the ILC will not be confined to the boundaries of the Institute alone. At the Hill of Red, at 1900 hours, and at a restaurant named ‘Swordfish’, you will meet your contact. He is a man from the City of Three Lions, he will instruct you on the next training mission. Remember to wear your tuxedo.”
End was early, and dressed well in his well-tailored tuxedo. The Swordfish was a classy restaurant and anything less would be a crime. He saw the clock on the wall indicating that the time was 6:50pm. There was still ten more minutes to the meeting. He allowed his eyes to wander around the restaurant. There, he saw rich men laughing as they dined. Eating their expensive breads and local cuisines that were far more expensive than the price you would get them for on the streets. End was not from a poor family, so he knew what that felt like. He was once one of them. But now, all these expensive indulgences meant nothing to him.
Through a huge glass window, End looked out into the city. He does not know when he will be back here again, to experience all the normal things that a normal citizen would experience, all the simple things we take for granted, like a simple kiss or hug, like a simple ride on a bus to work, or an argument with your parents. Only when we lose these privileges do we find their true value and meaning. The new End now had focus. He knew his purpose now. He must and will succeed, for he must be re-united with ?, and he must save his parents.
“You must be famished,” said a handsome man who had sat down in the sit in front of him. “Let’s order.”
The man had a distinct accent that indicated that he was indeed from the City of Three Lions. He was also in a tuxedo. The man saw that End was looking at his tuxedo and smiled.
“You like this one? Next time, I’ll get you one. It even comes in sexy silver.”
The man touched his own wrist as if something was there. He was not wearing any watch or viewfinder. As he did, his tuxedo began to have a little more silver tint to it. An old man dining in the next table looked back at the man’s tuxedo and questioned his own memory of whether he remembered correctly that the man’s suit was black.
“..or dashing diamond.” Said the man in the tuxedo.
The man clicked his VF once more, and the tuxedo became a diamond surfaced silver tuxedo with little histories of black. The old man in the next table took off his glasses and began wiping them with vigor as he swore that he saw that the tuxedo was a little bit silvery before.
“I am famished too. What shall we eat? I heard this place is famous for its swordfish.”
“Are you my contact?”
“Unless I am a well informed waiter, I think the answer is yes.”
“My name is End. And you are?”
“Names. What good are names in the line we do?”
The man clicked his fingers and a waiter came to take orders.
“Two House special swordfish sets. Would you like something to drink?”
“I, erm.”
“Two Vespers then.”
“I am sorry sir, what is a Vesper?”
“What is a Vesper? Good Lord! Do you watch movies at all? Three measures of Tanqueray, one of Stolichnaya and half a measure of Lilet Blanc. Shake it hard but fast, with a vengeance and till a frostbite. Then punish a lemon by a quarter into the mix, but show class by displaying a lemon peel to complete presentation. No stirring!”
The waiter seemed to panic. The man was calm. He smiled with a wrinkle by the side of both eyes.
“Young man, bring your bar here. I will entertain myself and absolve you of the troubles.”
The waiter looked left and right for an affirmation.
“Don’t worry. Your boss and I are high school mates. Just bring the bottles of liquor I have requested for. Run along.”
The waiter ran along and came back with the bottles. As he left, End spoke.
“You know the boss of this restaurant?”
“Never heard of him.” Said the man with a smile. The man looked at End, expecting him to do something. End could feel it, but he wasn’t sure what the man was hinting at.
The man smiled, and came forward to embrace End’s hand.
“Alright, let me get the ball rolling then. It is truly a pleasure to have met you.”
As his hands left End’s, a new VF has been placed and locked on End’s wrist. As the VF found its correct spot on End’s wrist, it vanished. End looked at the man, and the man smiled back. The waiter came back with all the bottles and ingredients and left. The man smiled and thanked him, and began mixing the Vesper.
“Now boy, do you mind if I speak the King’s?”
End’s new invisible VF was
doing something for him. It seemed to decode, scramble and translate the real message that the man was sending him. For instance, “Now boy, do you mind if I speak the King’s?” was decoded as “Let’s speak in code.” End was amazed by the new technology of the VF. He could not understand the coded messages, but he still did not know how to code his own. The conversation continued. The man spoke again.
“Do you know why we use Tanqueray gin instead of Gordon’s which would have been more traditional?” Asked the man.
“(Decoded) Do you know why you are here?”
“I don’t.” answered End.
“Gordon’s gin has been reformulated and doesn’t taste the same anymore. It’s just not old school enough. We have got to go back to the roots of making the best Vesper.”
“(Decoded) You are no longer safe here in the City of Lions. Men are trying to kill you. But focus on your new mission. The Mentor’s mission for you, is to find out the origins of the Sphere of Influence and rid it from the world.”
The man started mixing the cocktail. Some of the other guests in the restaurant began looking at him, but he was the friendly type, and his smile solved anything the world could throw at him.
“Three measures of Tanqueray, one of Stolichnaya and half a measure of Lilet Blanc.”
“(Decoded) There are three enemy spies sitting behind you, one behind me and one half agent somewhere in this room.”
End wanted to look around, but the man held his hand and motioned him not to.
“Shake it hard but fast, with a vengeance and till a frostbite. Although I wouldn’t put so much ice, because ice dilutes the taste.”
“(Decoded) Sit tight. I am going to take them out with no mess. I don’t have a gun by the way.”
End was not sure if he heard the last part right.
“You don’t have a…?”
“Yes, dilutes the taste.”
“Oh no! How are you going to frostbite then?”
“No, no, no. Frostbite doesn’t mean…”
“Oh, sorry.”
The man glared at End.
“Punish a lemon by a quarter into the mix, but show class by displaying a lemon peel to complete the presentation.”
“(Decoded) At a quarter past seven, they will shoot you and me with their silencer equipped gun.”
“No stirring.”
“(Decoded) All you have to do is enjoy my cocktail. Relax and no need to worry.”
“How?” said a very nervous End. End was nervous but the man was so smooth and calm that he must be high on something.
“Well if you can’t find Kina Lilet anymore,
you can always compensate with the two dashes of bitters.”
“(Decoded) If we don’t have guns, then we will have to think of something else.”
“Why don’t you stir?” asked End in code.
“(Decoded) Why aren’t you afraid?”
The man was surprised.
“Finally my boy! Some King’s.”
He was happy that finally, the boy was calm enough to speak in code.
“Well my boy, a shaken martini contains more anti-oxidants than a stirred martini. For health reasons of course.”
“(Decoded) Being afraid solves nothing and gets you killed.”
“And besides, Stirring diminishes the flavor.” Were the final words of the man as the clock on the restaurant wall showed “1915”. The three assailants fired photon bullets from their silencer-equipped guns at End and the man. With a soft kick, the man shifted both his and End’s chair ever so slightly such that the bullets missed them both. Before the four man could even retaliate, they suddenly began choking and their head smacked their plates. They were out cold. End saw it.
“What happened?” asked End.
“Their cocktail tasted a little sour.”
“(Decoded) I poisoned them, and set them to die at 1915 hours.”
“But, I don’t seem to taste the half portion of Lilet Blanc anywhere.” Said the man, “Ah there it is.”
The waiter who had served them previously got up and pointed a photon magnum at End and the Man. He fired just as the man pushed End to the ground and advanced towards the waiter. The Photon magnum was scary, as it blasted a huge hole in the table. The people in the restaurant panicked and ran all over the place. The waiter missed his second shot in the confusion as the man continued to advance towards him jumping on tables if he had to. The waiter tried to measure the man within his crosshair but could not do it in the commotion.
Finally, the man was right in his crosshairs, and about an inch away from him. The man stopped, as he knew he had nowhere to run. The waiter smiled and fired. The man dodged the bullet in the last second and knocked the waiter out cold with a punch. He handcuffed him to the ground.
“W, I got him. Send backup.” He communicated to his VF. He went back to get End. He was back to his chirpy self, nothing like the trained killer he turned into seconds ago, though the people around him were all frantic and running around screaming. He took some fries from his tables and ate them. End ran forward. He was still shaking and nervous. He opened his mouth, and finally managed to work the translator to send a coded message.
“Was the Vesper good?” asked End.
The man switched off the translator in End’s VF and laughed.
“Silly boy. We can talk in clear now.”
And then, the man spoke in code.
“The sky is falling down, we must leave.” End did not need a VF to decipher that code as the two men ran out of the restaurant. The man brought End to the car park area. Without any indication, his car arrived for him on time.
“How does the car know when to come?” asked End.
“She comes when she misses me.”
They got in and drove off. As the car sped off into dimly lit street lamps on top of the road escaping from the Swordfish restaurant on Hill of Red, End found himself embarking on a new and mysterious adventure. The City of Lions was always bursting with adventure and filled with people. So definitely, not many parts of the City of Lions were lonely. And that’s exactly why it’s strange to think that the beautiful city had no idea of what just happened. There was always peace in the place of panic. They would come to know so little of the incident that occurred in the restaurant, just as they would know nothing of End’s heroics and danger for the City of Lions.
Inside the mysterious man’s car, our hero’s mind was not preoccupied with thoughts of pride, or prestige. Instead he preferred to focus on the task at hand. End used his ID tag to display videos of his parents and ?. The man driving in the car watched him, as he played the videos again and again. A special section of his VF, updated him on the status of ?. She seemed fine, and End was at peace.
“Where are we going?” asked End.
“To the city of Dim Sum.” said the man with a smile. End smiled. If only ? was here with him.
“Why are we going there?”
“Your leader, Mr Mentor, decided that the next part of your education should include some of the basics of the Olden form of LightCatching. And who else to teach that olden form, than the masters themselves, whom may I add, are good old friends to the Mentor.”
“Who are these masters?”
“The two brothers of the Eastern and Western shorelines of the City of Dim Sum, the Shore Brothers. You will need the tutelage of these grandmasters if you are to grow as a true LightCatcher.” Said the man, “So sit back and relax, its going to be quite a ride.”
His two shadow buddies sat on the arm-rest in the car and watched the videos with him. They seemed to be slightly bigger now. End still had no clue as to why he was able to summon shadows. Even with all this Lightcatching training, he pondered about shadows. What if his true gift was never to control light, but shadows. And if so, why was this so? What use was there of such a skill in the world? End found that even after the events of the three months, he still knew little about himself. Try as he might, the truth remained that he still d
idn’t know what destiny had in store for him. All he really hoped for, was that it did not revolve around destroying the world as his future self once did.
End may still be grasping with his destiny. But me, on the other hand, known exactly what my destiny is. My job was to watch him. And on top of the Hill of Red, on the roof of the Swordfish restaurant, I watched him go. But sometimes I admit, that it is boring just to watch somebody, but if I ever met him, I would tell him that perhaps I knew him even better than he knew himself.
His destiny was shaped like a two edged sword. It was either to eventually save the world or destroy it. My destiny in this universe was to make sure that the world does not end in his hands.
If anything, it should end in mine.
For now, neither End nor I were ready to face each other. When that day comes, we shall dance and the earth shall tremble to our beat.
Hello World.
My name is The Beginning.
To be Continued…
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