I ran the lap for the final time. It was my fiftieth lap that day and I smiled as I bolted past the deadly vines and starry trees. The sun was just starting to touch the horizon. Tomorrow, Sebastian and I were heading out, to find Leona and avenge Kiryu's death.
We had no leads and no clues that would point to where Leona could be. We thought we should start at the scene of the crime to see if there were any way to track her down. Mylene had stopped us leaving almost as soon as we arrived. Her reason was that even if we found Leona, we would be killed because we couldn't defend ourselves, much less avenge Kiryu. Though it made us frustrated, she had a point.
Kiryu was far more skilled than us and he was overpowered and murdered. It was a cruel reminder.
Seb was just behind me, jogging at the same pace. We hugged the wall, remembering what the event on our first lap had taught us. Kain wasn't present but I had learned that he could materialise at will which gave me a scare.
He was nice for the most part and respected my privacy which I was glad of. At first, he wasn't comfortable around Seb and Mylene, and, even though they couldn't see him, he disappeared in their presence. Eventually, he started to hang around more. He asked questions about things he didn't understand, especially my training. He explored the garden while I trained and ran laps. He didn't eat anything or need the toilet.
Sebastian and Mylene sometimes caught me talking to myself but mostly didn't comment and gave me strange looks.
We approached the end of our last run, panting but not really tired. Mylene stood there, beaming. I felt proud to have completed training and I grinned at Seb.
"You have both done excellently. Your training for now has been completed. Come inside, I have a surprise for you both." She turned and shuffled inside quietly.
I exchanged glances with Seb. 'For now'?. I shrugged it off. I hurried inside with him on my tail.
I gazed around the rooms, remembering the day we walked in, confused and totally oblivious. I followed Mylene through to the dining room. I gasped at the huge spread of food before us.
Usually, we would eat two persons worth of food, with three being our limit. Our training had greatly increased our strength and speed, so it made sense that we would eat more too. But the banquet Mylene had laid out was too much for both of us to eat. It had the most amazing dishes I had ever seen, all prepared to perfection.
Mylene lifted a glass. "To your last night."
I filled one with lemonade and clinked glasses. I drank deeply and started to load up my plate. Seb did the same.
We sat and laughed and told jokes. We reminisced about the year we had all spent together. I thought back on everything we accomplished. I found myself wishing that Kain were here. I wished that, even though they couldn't perceive him, he were here to laugh and listen. I felt sad.
But I tried to forget that and enjoy the evening. Mylene thought it appropriate that she provide some entertainment. She performed impossible tricks with her advanced knowledge of magic. She made water fly like a bird. She transformed a glass into a sculpture of her spirit animal. She manipulated the lamps and captured our wonder with an amazing light show. She even created a Chinese dragon out of fire which came alive and flew dangerously close.
We went to bed happy, full and content. Also very late. I was worn down from celebrating and training so I was sleeping as soon as my head hit the pillow. I could've sworn I saw Kain with an unhappy, thoughtful expression.
I stuffed what I could inside my blue and black backpack, faded from over-use. Kain leaned against the doorway.
"So this is it? Leaving for the first and last time?"
"Well hopefully it won't be the last time. You make it sound like it's the final goodbye." I glanced up at him. "You've already decided that you're coming. Having second thoughts?"
He hesitated. "No it's just...I'm hoping to find something out about me. I'm nervous, that's all." He looked away.
I laughed, surprised. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something."
I couldn't blame him, I was nervous too. Both Seb and I were excited to leave with our new skills. We both had training, with some separate from each other. I guessed that he was practising his magic. Mylene had told us to keep it to ourselves, and so we did. My training involved unlocking the secrets of my Buki.
The first thing was finding its name. She told me that the secret to wielding it was to call it's name and it would be willing to serve. It took three weeks to find and another two to master.
I was sure that Sebastian's private training had been magic and it's applications in combat. He accidentally showed his power when lighting a lantern and burned up the whole thing. Since then, I've been able to guess that his power lies in fire. Kain says he's seen him training but refuses to tell me anything.
Kain barely said anything while training and he was never around for any meals. As our last day drew closer, he's been getting quieter. At first, he was quite talkative, asking questions and making comments. We often had long conversations too. But now, I can barely get anything out of him.
Today, on the last day, he's almost silent. It was odd that he spoke that much at all. Now, he just stood there, staring at the ground as if thinking.
I zipped up the bag and tossed it into my shoulder. I took one last look at the room I had spent almost a year in. A few of my drawings hung on the walls still, but I decided to leave them there as a parting gift. The one that caught my eye was of the panther in Mylene's garden. It took me three weeks to draw and was one of the most life-like.
I turned away and left the room. Kain followed as I walked into the 'living room'. Mylene was sitting just as she was when we met her. She was talking with Seb and stood when she saw me. She walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I do believe you've grown since I met you." She smiled.
I grinned, very happy with myself. She picked up two packages and presented them to us. They were wrapped in plain, brown paper.
"Open these when you feel that you need a helping hand." She pressed them into our hands.
I put mine in my bag. We packed some food and Mylene gifted us with a thousand dollars each. We tried to refuse her but she insisted we take it. She also gave us a bottle of strange purple liquid, the same stuff I saw her use on wounds many times.
After the preparations were done, it was time for us to leave. We met at the front door. It was fairly early so the street was empty.
Kain decided to show up for goodbyes. He stood between and behind Seb and I, watching the whole affair.
"Well, this is farewell." Seb stated sadly.
"But hopefully not the last." I put in.
Mylene smiled as she stood in the doorway. "We will meet again." She said with certainty. "Our fates are intertwined."
I smiled sadly as I shook hands with her. "We can't thank you enough for what you've done for us." My eyes had begun to water.
Sebastian shook her hand and thanked her. She had been like a grandmother to us. It was sad to say goodbye. But I felt better with the thought that we would see each other again.
We were about to walk away when she added a few strange comments.
"I'm glad you were able to be trained. Otherwise, I would have had to kill you. Good luck, you three!" Then she shut the door.
I switched my astonished gaze between a dumbfounded Seb and a disconcerted Kain.
••••••••••
I walked down the street with Kain and Seb beside me. People were starting to populate the streets as the sun rose higher. It almost looked normal.
We were headed for the street where Kiryu was murdered to look for any leads that hadn't gone cold. Our memories were rusty after a whole year but luckily, nothing much had changed.
No buildings have been knocked down or rebuilt and the roads were pretty much the same. It took some time but we finally found the alleyway.
Even though it had been a year, I could still see the dark area where Kiryu's blood had soaked into the concrete and could not be washed away. I walked into the back street, half expecting to see Kiryu's rotting corpse on the ground.
It was gone, thankfully, but the place still brought back that disturbing memory. I felt nauseous and leaned against an open dumpster in case I threw up. Seb looked a little green himself.
He started to comb the area of any clues. I joined in after a few minutes but our search was futile.
"What if we re-enact the event?" Sebastian provided. "It might jog a memory or something."
I had no other ideas so we started walking from the other end. Kain appeared and watched us while he rested his back on the concrete wall. I felt silly to fall over with him watching, enacting the moment that giant lizard man had hit me.
Both of us fell to the ground, tackled by invisible enemies. We moved through the scene but I had to stop when Kiryu stood up for us. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes.
"This isn't working." I choked past the lump in my throat. "We have to find another way."
Kain chose this moment to speak up. "I...I can see a van."
I looked at him. His gaze was pointed towards the end of the alley, to the exact spot where the van was.
"I can also see some people...you and...these thugs....a woman with wings and an axe." He said distantly, looking around as if the characters he mentioned were standing in front of him. "They're taking you to the van."
I just stared at him, stunned. "How...?" I muttered.
"What?" Asked Seb, trying to see what I saw. "What is it?"
Kain started to walk to the end of the street. "It's like a snapshot of the scene you described. The people and objects look like holograms or ghosts. But I don't understand, it happened a year ago, how am I seeing this?!"
He stopped and inspected the empty air where the van would have been. For a split second, I saw it.
Valen and Cynthia were dragging us to the back of the van while Leona stood next to the body of Kiryu. Kain was right, they looked like holograms or spirits with a bluish white tinge and aura to them. My eyes fell on Kiryu and my heart ached. I could see some life still left in his eyes.
But the vision lasted only a second and was gone. I felt a little dizzy and caught myself on the scratched wall.
I had an idea that could give us a lead. "What's the model and number plate of the van?" I asked Kain.
Seb responded. "How could I remember that? It was a year ago." He looked concerned. "Hawk, you've been acting strange these last few weeks. Tell me, is something bothering you? Are you alright?"
I chuckled. "Even if I could explain it, you wouldn't believe me." I glanced at Kain.
He shrugged. "It's your choice to tell him about me. By the way, get something out so you can write this down."
I dumped my bag on the ground and pulled out a notebook I usually use for sketching. Kain read out the number plate and model and I wrote it down in my little book. Sebastian looked on in amazement as I was able to provide the details of the vehicle.
"How did you do that?"
I shrugged. "Magic."
He looked at me like I was a wizard while I briefly wondered what to do with this information I had written down.
"If we find the van that took us, it could lead right to Leona. First, we can take it to the car registry place thingy and ask them about it. Worst case scenario, we end up having to walk around town and look for it manually." I said, zipping up my backpack and slinging it onto my shoulder. My hand brushed my silver Buki.
Don't worry, Kiryu. We'll find her.
