KILLUA [NOVICE MADE]

Chapter 10

There was only a pale man with a white beard and white hair dressed in a neat loose shirt and pants of white, sitting in a chair.

Wow, talk about choice of color. I walked towards the man, expecting Francie's rude reply. But it never came. Francie? Still no reply. Weird.

The nan gestured a "come forward" with his hand. It was a light and gentle signal. I don't know why but it made me feel safe. I walked directly in front of me.

"Hello," the man spoke. "Hello," I replied. "Who are you?" The man cocked his head, showing his surprise when I asked.

     He touched his beard, combing it with his fingers. He had this pleasant and wise feeling to him. "Who I am or what I am?" He asked.

     "Both." I said. The man chuckled softly, "my name is Fosty and I am the Guardian of the Zodiacs."

     I scoffed, "you mean those 12 chinese animals?"
     "Ehhh, kind of," he trailed off.
     "What do you mean?"
     Fosty raised his eyebrow, "isn't that what you are? Was I?

     I was confused. Fosty closed his eyes, deeply breathing in the air. After a while, he finally spoke, "your name is Zodiac, correct?"

     I looked him in the eye, "correct." He smiled gently, "your dad named you well." I tumbled back, "you knew him?" I haven't even seen him in 11 years.

     He eyed me, "I guess I have to explain."
     "Where's Francie?"
     "Who? You mean the girl who was in your mind?"
     "Yes."
     "That girl wasn't real." I raised my eyebrow, "what do you mean?"

     He seemed serious. I couldn't judge him. "Let me start from the beginning. There are 12 zodiacs correct?" "Uhhhhh, yeah?"

     He crossed his arms, "there's a 13th zodiac, and that's you. The 12 zodiacs roam the Earth, not knowing their purpose.

     He cleared his throat, "each zodiac have a different set of powers. The 13th zodiac has the hidden power to change other's fate. That zodiac helps the lost zodiacs to help lead their way on their destiny to help. The 13th zodiac has the most power. Each zodiac is passed on from generation to generation. If one dies, a new one is born. If they reproduce, the child becomes the new zodiac."

     I clicked my tongue, "what do you mean hidden and destiny?"

     He stared at me dead in the eye, "the hidden you have to find out, the destiny... they use their powers to set people on the right path."

     "Why can't you help? You're the guardian right? Can you get my friends and I out of the school?"

     He looked sad, "no, my duty is to watch over the zodiacs. I'm not allowed to interfere. I can only talk to the 13th zodiac."

     My red eyes were itching, it was getting to hard to handle. A red outline could be seen out my eye. It cooled down, "does that mean you talked to my father?"

     Fosty slowly nodded, "do you want to know about him?" I shook my head, "I'll find him and to ask questions. My old man is still alive right?"

     He coughed, "yes, but he's losing his powers. It was the 12th zodiac."

     "What?" I asked. Fosty cleared his throat, "the 12th zodiac created your friend as a distraction. Although here, he or she can't activate its power on you here."

     "What about my red eyes? Do all zodiacs have it?" I asked.
     "No, only the 13th zodiac has it. The brighter they shone, the more power you get." He replied.