Midori was skipping back and forth of the bridge until she suddenly dropped sideways onto the floor, her hands spread eagle. I laughed at her antics and approached her on my knees. Maybe I should try it her way in the future… I thought. I peered over at her, her face was pale and her red eyes were wide open with a blank expression. Her chest was rising and falling slowly at an abnormal pace. My breath stopped suddenly as a placed my hand over her face; it was cold.

‘M-Midori? Please don’t frighten me like that…’ I mumbled softly, not knowing what to do. I pushed her body lightly, but she had no response. I was shaking uncontrollably, my breath was choking my throat and lungs as my eyes started to tear up. My mind went blank all of a sudden, an image of a dead Knight on the battlefield flew into sight. Flash. Mr. Yoshinobu’s family members were weeping as they stood by his bedside at the clinic, his legs were permanently handicapped. Flash. I was crying over Midori’s dead body, the village people were pointing their fingers violently at me, calling me names and blaming me for all the bad things that happened…

‘Please… stop all of this…’ I pleaded. A dagger appeared by the side of my feet, my hands unconsciously grabbed onto its hilt. I never learned how to use a knife before, but I knew how to bring the blade to my neck, and to steadily make a cut.

‘Hirei! Snap out of it!’

I blinked, finding myself back on the bridge over the little pond, kneeling over at Midori’s motionless body. There was no dagger in my hands, no blood down my neck, no dead Midori. It was just me, unconscious Midori, and Mini Hirei who was hanging down the edge of my fringe.

‘Stay strong, kid! You’re the only one who can help Midori now,’ said Mini Hirei sternly at the tip of my nose. ‘There’s only the two of you in this secluded area. Bring her to the centre of town, shout, get help or something! Prove that you’re not worthless and unlucky!’

Mini Hirei then used his free hand to wipe the tears off my eyes before I could do it myself. I had a sudden surge of gratefulness for Mini Hirei, carrying him up with the back of my hand and placed him on my left shoulder. ‘Thanks, little guy… I’ll trim the hair on the right side for you.’

I pulled out all my hidden strength to carry Midori up. I placed her arm over my shoulders and had my arm around her waist to support her. As I slowly heaved her down the bridge, I breathed in deeply and yelled at the top of my voice.

‘Please help! Anybody?’ I shouted. I took another mouthful of air before attempting to call for help. It was taxing on me as I have never carried a person before, nor cried louder than the time I used to be a baby. I have always walked this way whenever I wanted some alone time at the bridge. But as I walked with Midori’s weight resting on me, it seemed as if the path became more rocky, more distant, more harder for me to return back to the centre of the village.

I can’t do this… I’m too weak… too useless to anybody to help at all…

‘Oh, stop having such negative thoughts!’ Mini Hirei barked angrily. ‘You can do this, trust me! You’re much better than you think you are. You just have to do your best!’

I stopped for a moment to catch my breath. Once I was ready, I pushed myself once again to its limits. Eventually, I managed to attract the people’s attention. A few of the worker’s at the Lord’s Residence ran towards me to assist me, carrying Midori off my shoulders before I keeled over and lost my consciousness.


***

I felt myself coming back to my senses as I slowly forced my eyelids up. I found myself resting at home on my warm bed, Mini Hirei slowly materializing on my abdomen.

‘Oooh, it’s so good to be back,’ Mini Hirei stretched his arms as he yawned. He crawled up to my face and gave me a bright smile. ‘I’m proud of you that you managed to go through that! Don’t forget what you promised me two days ago!’

Two days? I’ve been sleeping for two days now? I pushed myself up into a sitting position, and then I was taken into an embrace, a curtain of fine white hair caressed my face.

‘Oh Hirei, I’m so glad to see that you’re alright!’ came Midori’s voice, her hands around my shoulders. I gave a sigh of relieve knowing that Midori was alive and fine. ‘I’m so sorry to have frightened you the other day. I’m okay now so you don’t have to worry.’

‘I’m just happy that they managed to save you,’ I replied weakly as we came apart, Midori looking at me closely with her red eyes to confirm that I was alright. She scowled and pushed my forehead lightly at my statement.

‘You moron! You were the one who saved me!’ said Midori, Mini Hirei drawing an imaginary question mark for me on my sheets. ‘If you weren’t there, I could’ve been comatose, or even lose my life! Don’t you understand? Your white hair killing people, that’s not true! After all, you’ve just saved my life.’

Midori heaved a sigh, holding my hands tightly in her cold, nervous ones. ‘I thought that I was prepared for death, that I wouldn’t mind dying the next minute,’ she said. ‘But now, I realized there are so many things I still want to do before I leave, like, getting to know you better and to be your friend. I’m thankful to still be breathing today, and to able to speak with you now. All this because I’ve met you two days ago. Thank you…’

Midori’s words made me realize that I was not just “the Unlucky White Boy”. I was capable of achieving more than I imagined. I have saved someone’s life, and better, I have made someone’s life worth living. After our chance encounter that day, Midori and I became friends, my first one ever. It became the talk of the town, how the two white haired children met, how “the Unlucky White Boy” saved the girl’s life, and that they were both inseparable. The people started gossiping more, throwing us deadly glares when we were together. But with Midori around, she would defend us in a comical manner and it made me feel, literally, light-hearted. It was also easier for me to be myself and converse more than I usually would, much to Mini Hirei’s pleasure.

‘Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Kusano!’ said Midori as she bowed deeply to my parents at my doorsteps one day. She was holding a bucket with fishing bait and two homemade fishing rods.

‘Hello there Midori,’ smiled otosan as he scanned her equipments, okasan on the other hand pushed me out of the sliding door, throwing my backpack over my shoulders. ‘Are you bringing Hirei fishing today?’

‘Yes sir! It’s just an idea I thought of when I saw the Samurais carrying off some fish to the battlefield. I think it’s supposed to be rations for their army,’ said Midori, my parents finding the last statement worrying. ‘Oh, don’t worry! I didn’t get into any harm. Two hands, two legs, see? I have relatives with the Samurai Guild actually, so I’ll be fine.’

Midori paused for a moment with her finger on her lips, suddenly feeling that it might have been the wrong thing to say. She threw her hands in the air, disregarding the thought and made a little noise before pulling my arm, dragging me towards the wharf. ‘Well then, Mr. and Mrs. Kusano, ittekimasu!’ she yelled.

‘Come back early and we can make sushi and sashimi with your catch!’ okasan called back while I waved her goodbye. ‘Itterasshai!’

It was just a short walk from my house to the wharf that faces the vast seas. There was a number of fishing boats along the horizon, still making a living even during these times of trouble. After setting up our fishing equipments, we sat around the edges and dipped our legs into the cold water, patiently waiting for any movements from our fishing rods.

---

Current Word Count: 34,969

Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians

I couldn’t have killed the Knight, right? All he did was touch my hair… But I would never kill anybody! I picked myself up from the puddle of mud; I couldn’t stand being around them any longer. I wanted to run away, but one of my seniors, the biggest bully of the bunch had pinned me to the wall. I closed my eyes tightly, expecting the worse.

‘Leave him alone!’

I opened my eyes, startled when there was no impact. I found a curtain of beautiful, long white hair in front of me. The white haired girl being paled skin dressed in an apple green dress and was gripping the bully’s fist tightly. The bully pulled back his arm forcefully, staggering backwards.

‘It’s that sick white haired girl…’ he mumbled, apparently intimidated by the girl. She was standing with her arms akimbo, eyebrows furrowed and was glaring at the bullies with her bold red eyes.

‘Yes, I am. If you come any closer, you might die from my contagious disease and his horrible luck,’ she added sarcastically. The crowd started to disperse, afraid of the girl who seemed to be a few years older than I am. The girl then turned to me and gave me a smile. She had a more gentle look than I expected, judging from the way she had spoken to the bullies. She offered me her hand and a green speckled handkerchief.

‘Do you need some help?’ she asked kindly. My heart started racing as I side stepped away from the tree and away, not in the mood to speak to anyone right now. There were too many things running through my mind and I just needed to be alone. I dashed away from the girl, running as fast as my feet could bring me towards the northeast corner of the village. It was my secret spot, a bridge across a small lake, surrounded by sakura trees. The sounds of war was louder here because it was closer to the battlefield up north, and everyone was afraid to approach this area, which was better for my case. I sat on the bridge alone as I always do, hugging my legs and hiding my face between my knees. Thankfully, Mini Hirei was kind enough to know when I needed some quiet time.

Whatever the bullies said might have been true… those who were too close to me were struck with misfortune. Okasan and otosan had such a hard time with me, the Knight who simply touched me was killed at war, Mr. Yoshinobu broke his leg when walking me to school, the kid who lent me his eraser at school was bullied… If my white hair was supposed to be a symbol of peace, a gift from the Gods, why are they doing this to me and everyone close to me? I did not want that white haired girl to be in trouble, nice people should not be hurt because of me. Maybe… I was fated to live all by myself, without by my side.

‘Hello there, did you know that it was rude to run off from your savior like that?’

I raised my head to find that the white haired girl was crouching down by my side, my eyes and mouth widened on its own. ‘Aren’t you scared of being so near to the battlefield?’ I asked. ‘It’s dangerous out here, innocent people get hurt by the battle.’

The girl seemed amazed by my speech, her red eyes blinking slowly. Mini Hirei did a somersault onto my spiky white hair, striking a victorious pose that I have finally spoken.

‘Firstly, nope, I’m not scared, especially not of dying. Secondly, it doesn’t bother me, my house is just over there,’ said the girl, pointing at the houses nearby. ‘Lastly, you’re out here, near the town exit too, aren’t you? Why should you be allowed to sit here and yet, you’re questioning me for being here? And I had to help you out earlier too…’

I turned away from her and stared into the lake. ‘Wow, what a cute girl! She’s coming onto you, it’s your chance to go for the kill mate,’ Mini Rei babbled on as he slide down my hair and landed on my shoulders once more, getting excited over meeting someone as talkative as he was. Oh, wouldn’t you just keep quiet? I thought hard, attempting to send silent warnings to him.

‘You’re not talking to me already?’ asked the girl, frowning as she adjusted her dress and sat on the wooded floor. ‘You had such a sweet voice too, you should talk more often.’

I could not help but laugh at the compliment, a light feeling lifting my heart. I stopped and tried to remain my quiet demeanor, reminding myself that I should not get too close with anyone else before they get in trouble.

‘You don’t have to worry if you think you’ll bring me bad luck,’ said the girl suddenly while she brushed her white hair, as if able to read my mind. ‘I’m really ill, and I’m going to die soon anyway. That’s the meaning behind my white hair.’

I stared at her, confused at what she was trying to say, or if there was any hidden meanings behind it. Is what she said true? She had the same white hair as me, so she must have been through many hardships like I did. And she knew she was going to die too, how could she still stay so cheerful? I am not dying and yet I am…

‘I’m sorry to hear that…’ I said, not knowing how to respond. She simply smiled again and shook her head, not troubled by the topic.

‘I really don’t mind anymore. All that matters is that I live life to the fullest, right? No regrets!’ she said as she punched the air enthusiastically. ‘White haired people like us should stick together. We must be pretty alike. What’s your name anyway?’

‘Hirei Kusano,’ I replied hesitantly, still unwilling to converse.

‘I’m Midori Kyohana, nice to meet you Hirei!’ the girl introduced herself without being asked. ‘Hirei… is that what those feng shui people from Louyang named you?’

‘No… they didn’t get a chance to,’ I said as I recalled what my parents have told me. ‘My parents insisted that they’d give me a name they had chosen. It’s one of the reasons why they blame my family for all the bad things that was happening.’

‘Wow, your parents are so cool! It must be hard for you and your parents though, since you were born during a terrible time. I had it easy because it was peaceful back then, so they never really took noticed about my white hair. And then you came a few years after that and they shifted all the attention to you…’ said Midori sadly. ‘They did call the feng shui people over a few days after I was born though since I didn’t look too well. They said that I would have major health issues, which was true. And they named me Midori, because I lacked “earth” element in my name, and something about adding more “colours” to my name. They made sure I wore bright colours on myself like today. It’s supposed to reduce the effects of the white in my hair, and remedy my situation. But no matter how much we try to remedy it, it doesn’t change the fact that I will die anyway. I’m just doing this for my parents. I personally think that this feng shui thing is really funny… pretty weird philosophy.’

‘I could relate,’ I sighed. ‘I don’t know why, but it seems to make people feel better to make me miserable for having white hair. Humans are weird sometimes… like the Ninjas and Samurais. Aren’t there more peaceful ways to settle their indifferences?’

‘Wow mate! I’m amazed by how much you’re talking now!’ said Mini Hirei, beaming proudly. I paused for awhile, surprised by myself too. I reorganized my thoughts, looking nervously over at Midori and wondered what she thought of me as she had a suspicious looking smirk on her face.

‘I’m sorry if I sounded too serious… they always said that my thinking is too matured for my age,’ I added quickly.

‘Oh, don’t worry, that’s what I think too! It’s nice to see someone my age thinking like an adult, they say the same thing about me too,’ Midori giggled as she surprised me by patting my back like an old friend.

‘Aaaah, don’t you feel glad to have found someone that shared so many similarities with yourself?’ said Mini Hirei teasingly as he lie down on his stomach. ‘You’ve only spoken to her for a short while, and yet the both of you understand each other like you’ve met since you were babies.’

Sometimes, I cannot help but agree with what Mini Hirei says. He must have some sort of link to my thoughts to know what I was feeling. While I was still deep in my thoughts, Midori stood up suddenly and leaned against the railings of the bridge.

‘But I always like to think that I age fast and think like a child. That must be why I talk like an old woman and that I’m going to die so soon. And no matter how matured my thoughts might be, I always want to act like a child. Not being childish and innocent, but speaking my mind all the time and curious about everything I see,’ she said casually as she looked at her surroundings dreamily. ‘You know, I always liked it here. But I always wonder why the sakura trees never bloom anymore. They say it’s been like this for four years, right?’

‘It’s because of my birth…’ I said grimly, the sakura trees having lost their pink glow on my one year old birthday. The season for the sakura trees was supposed to be around my birthday, but they too, have left me. Suddenly, I had a stretching feeling on my cheeks.

‘Oh gosh, cheer up!’ said Midori who was pulling my cheeks sideway so my mouth would form a smile. ‘You’re being too pessimistic, that’s what people want you to be. What you should do is let everything inside you, out. You’re keeping it in too much! Talk more, laugh more, enjoy yourself more!’

‘She’s right, y’know. I’ve been trying to tell you that for years,’ Mini Hirei chipped in as I brushed him off my left shoulder (Mini Hirei still found my right shoulder to be spiky). I pursed my lips and looked up at Midori, whose red eyes were staring at me gently.

‘I’m scared…’ I whispered softly, the words coming out of me from a fear I never knew existed. ‘I’m scared to express myself. I don’t want people to think badly about me. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.’

‘Trouble is the meaning of life! If you stop being so careful, you’ll be happier, trust me!’ Midori laughed softly as she released my cheeks from her fingers, spinning on her feet cheerfully. ‘You’ll want to do everything without caring what happens next, and never looking back. You never know when you’ll be leaving, so do everything you ever want or think of doing so you’ll never regret. Live in the here and now without regrets, that’s my life’s philosophy!’

---

Current Word Count: 33,706

Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians

Yes, I've still been slacking lately... On top of that, it's the last stretch of NaNoWriMo, with only 6 days left and 16,000 words to go! I'll need almost 3,000 words per day, starting today. I've been having a bad writer's block, as I haven't written this far back when I was writing the original "The Eminent Guardians". From this point on, if my writing isn't as interesting as before, please forgive me! The top priority for now would be quantity, just like what NaNoWriMo always tells their participant.

Labels: Break Time, NaNoMadness

Fifteen years ago…

‘Please… hang in there,’ said the brown haired man, clutching his wife’s hand tightly in his hands as she yelled in pain. A few of the village women had come to offer assistance and support while she was bringing her first child to the world. Amidst the excruciating cries of the woman, there came a knock on the wooden door. An elderly man walked in, his face pale from fear.

‘The Ninjas and the Samurais are at it again…’ he panted nervously, trembling helplessly while holding himself up with his walking stick. ‘They are serious this time, and they are planning to engage at daybreak! We need everyone to stay indoors and keep low. I don’t want any of our villagers in danger.’

‘But she’s still in labour! The child needs close attention once it comes!’

‘H-He’s here…’

After hours of anxious anticipation and agonizing suffering, the newborn baby’s cry echoed as the first sunlight of the morning crept through the windows. The village women exchanged uneasy looks when they first laid eyes the child, wrapped in a sleet white blanket.

‘Congratulations, it’s a healthy boy,’ said the village lady to the couple, safely carrying their baby in her arms. As the people drew closer to take a peek at the baby, they all expressed their surprise, soft whispers and opinions issued around the room about him.

‘His hair… it’s so bizarre!’

‘It’s all white! We never see that around here.’

‘At this time of crisis too. It must be an omen!’

‘I think that –’ the brown haired man spoke suddenly, taking the child from the woman into his arms as he smiled blissfully. He brought his baby boy closer to his wife, the baby’s hair although bare was visibly sleet white, clean and pure against his yellow skin and the white blanket that covered his body. ‘– white is a beautiful colour.’

‘He’s my baby… he’s a gift… This white hair must mean hope and peace… a gift from the Gods,’ the mother uttered with tears of joy as roars and sounds of clashing swords were heard from the nearby forest, signaling the start of a long war.

***

It was the year 1473 and it has not been peaceful for the island of Amatsu. It has been one year since a sibling war broke out between the Ninjas and Samurais who fought because of their contradicting beliefs and conduct while proving the supremacy of their own kind. The right to protect the royal family was also at stake, the organization that earns this will have their guild officially recognize by adventurers worldwide and indirectly determining the propagation of their teachings. However, this affair had been extended too long, bringing unwanted suffering to the people of Amatsu.

It has not been a peaceful year for the Kusano’s either, even with the arrival of their first son. It should have been a cause for celebration for the villagers, as everyone were closely knitted on the island of Amatsu where any matters would not go unheard of, especially when in the ears of the housewives, who would pass it to the children and their husbands, who would pass it to anyone else who was uninformed. It was a joint effort, which became the reason why Amatsu never had any need for the printing press. This remained true until the curfew was imposed on the villagers the day of Kusano’s first son’s birthday, which also became the mark of the Amatsu Sibling War. Their son’s birthday was only celebrated on a small scale with some of their close family friends in their little home situated in south Amatsu near the wharf and the sea.

Four days after their son’s birthday, the Kusano’s were graced by the visit of the village elders, who were very disturbed by their son’s hair colour. It was not only unusual to find a child with white hair in these parts, but also for the islanders, white held a symbolic sign of misfortune. Many villagers found the birth of Kusano’s white haired child to be a bad omen, especially when a war broke out right after he was born. There were those who were ready to stand behind the Kusano’s and defend the child, asserting that the misfortunes that followed the child’s birth should not be tied together.

“Mr. and Mrs. Kusano, we have invited feng shui experts from Louyang to help us with this situation,” said the elder who was tall and had a pointed nose, speaking for the Amatsu majority who were superstitious. “They will study your son’s ba zhi and see if we can remedy this bad luck. We would hope that you name your child only after listening to their readings and advice, I’m sure it’ll be helpful to the situation in Amatsu.”

“But the little boy has nothing to do with this!” said the woman who was the white haired child’s midwife. “We shouldn’t believe in this feng shui thing, village elders. We can only try to stop the Ninjas and Samurais from continuing this war.”

“Um… village elder sir…” Mrs. Kusano interrupted softly from her bed, her baby sleeping sounding in her arms. “We have already given him a name yesterday.”

The village elders were displeased by the Kusano’s and their casual behaviour even after bringing in what they claimed as a bad luck charm to Amatsu. Everyday after then was filled with war cries and the sounds of battle, inflicting panic into everyone in Amatsu. On many days, every week for the whole year, Mr. Kusano would need to leave his wife and son at home in his neighbour’s care while he dashed to the centre of the village, bringing himself closer to the battlefield up north to retrieve household supplies, just like many of the other men in the village. However, Mr. Kusano had found himself in tight spots on many of these occasions, often being insulted for fathering “the Unlucky White Boy”, giving him enough bad memories of war to last for a lifetime. Even then, the Kusano’s had been very loving to their son, making sure that he was always in good shape and insisting that his unique white hair was a gift from the Gods, and was a symbol that peach would come.

Today, the current king of Rune Midgard, King Tristan the Third decided to intervene in Amatsu, sending his Knights from the Prontera Chivalry to control the situation. Rune Midgard and Amatsu were trading allies, and King Tristan the Third had found the need to inspect the state of their trading ally. Because of grandeur of the event, the Ninjas and Samurais made a mutual agreement to cease fire for that day, and all of Amatsu would flock the streets to welcome the arrival of the Prontera Knights. This was no exception for the Kusano’s, who brought their son out to the wharf. As expected, they received negative reaction from most of the villagers, staring at their son’s white hair in disgust.

‘It’s that “Unlucky White Boy”!’

‘Aaaah! Don’t come close! You’ll bring me bad luck!’

‘I used to like you, Kusano. But you should’ve done something about that kid.’

The Kusano’s had grown numb by the pointless comments the villagers had about their son’s white hair. They remained in this discussion even until the village elders had brought the Knights down on to shore from the ship that brought them from Rune Midgard’s Port City, Alberta. The Knights were dressed in a chain mail that guards their body and neck under a silver armour, the proud emblem of Rune Midgard decorated their chests. Some of the Knights were mounted on Peco Pecos, giant bird-like creatures with a large beak and colourful feathers. There were those who preferred to travel on their foot at a moderate pace too. The Knights, males and females, were all curious and awed by the exotic beauty of this strange, war torn land.

‘Uh, let’s take a look in my handbook… hajimemashite everyone!’

‘Oh look at the people, they have a yellowish tinge in their skin.’

‘Hey, where are the cherry blossoms they were talking so much about? The trees that’s all pink?’

‘Sir, it’s not yet season for the sakura trees to bloom,’ the pointed nosed village elder explained to the Knight who was on a Peco Peco while the local tour guide pointed out notes of interest about Amatsu. The Knights continued to look around in excitement, trying to enjoy the breath-taking surroundings before heading over to the Amatsu Castle, also known as the Lakeside Castle for it is surrounded by a stream of water. Some of the Knights had even started to mingle with the locals, sharing stories about their own lands.

‘Oh… this is an Amatsu child…’ said a dark haired Knight on his feet. He had a faint blue aura around him and was carrying a spear along his back, approaching the Kusano’s who were standing innocently near the front doors of the weapon shop. He smiled at the couple, and with his hand he caressed the soft, white hair of their son, sending gasps amongst the villagers.

‘Sir, please don’t do that!’ a plump village elder snapped quick. ‘That child is unlucky, white hair is a bad omen in Amatsu.’

The dark haired Knight laughed, maintaining a tender look at the baby with his blue eyes that had a similar tone as the ocean pendant that hung from his neck. ‘It’s alright, little kids always bring luck,’ said the man. ‘This white hair… it’s beautiful and pure. Both of you must be really fortunate to have him. What’s his name?’

‘Hirei. Hirei Kusano, sir,’ Mr. Kusano replied after lowering into a bow, which the dark haired Knight responded in the same way.

‘Hirei… It sounds like Ray, like a droplet from the sun,’ the dark haired Knight laughed heartily once more, contagious enough for the Kusano’s to join in as well. ‘I have an affection for little kids lately. I’ve only had a baby girl a few months ago, you see. She’s a little smaller than Ray here.’

‘Oh, congratulations!’ Mr. Kusano said. ‘Hirei is almost a year old now. His birthday is around the corner now.’

‘Wow, will the both of you be celebrating his first birthday?’ the dark haired Knight asked. ‘If you are, I’d love to come to your house then. Would that be alright?’

‘It’ll be an honour, sir,’ said Mrs. Kusano happily, touched by the fact that someone had appreciated the beauty of Hirei’s hair just like they did. ‘We’ll welcome you with open arms.’

‘Hey, Darian! We’re heading to the Amatsu Castle already,’ yelled a female Knight with a red scarf tied at her neck to her colleague. The dark haired Knight waved back upon being addressed to, and said his goodbyes to the villagers and the Kusano’s.

‘Be good, little boy,’ said Darian to the baby Hirei before he left. ‘May Odin protect you, and that your white hair will prove that it is a sign of peace.’

***

Four years later…

‘Hey “Unlucky White Boy”! You forgot to finish my homework!’ yelled one of my schoolmates at me while I was walking towards the school gates after the bell rang. Amatsu was still in a middle of a war, but the villagers decided that we should still carry out some activities, like schooling for kids like me at the south side of Amatsu where we are far from the battlefield in the Amatsu Fields.

And by “Unlucky White Boy”, they are referring to me. For some odd reasons, they probably find it more fun to say something with five syllables instead of “Hirei”, an old-fashioned, not so interesting and potentially harmful two syllable name. The children liked teasing me, and had a weird theory that by bullying me, they could reduce the apparent “bad luck” that I bring. It is the kind of thing five year old kids would do to a five year old who did not act childish like me. It was made clear to me that no one would become friends with the boy who was a bad omen, said to have brought about the Amatsu Sibling War. Other than some of the adults who pitied me and my family, I have never had the chance to interact with kids my age before. You could call me anti-social in a way; I am always alone in silent areas, where I start to become fond of. I did not like talking much either and try not to bother with their insults as I hate to get into trouble, although there’s this conscious inside me that keeps talking and disturbing my peace. He is like this mini version of me that sits on my right shoulder, nagging on and having an opinion about everything and anything under the sun. Just the other day, he shifted over to my left shoulder and complained that the spikes on the right side of my head were too long and sharp and that I needed a haircut soon. And right this moment, he is asking me to run towards the boy who is threatening me right now and stomp over his homework.

I lowered my head and pulled my brown bag closer to myself, running off quickly before the boy called his friends to gang up on me. I did not want to pull too much attention to myself, but with my spiky white hair, and the fact that I had just slipped into a puddle of mud when turning out of the school compound, I always seem to do the opposite. The kids were laughing at me now, cheering that my bad luck has only been affecting me.

‘Haha! Clumsy little Hirei!’ a bespectacled boy jeered as he clapped his hands happily. ‘See what happens after you bring bad luck to other people? You know what I heard from my dad, that Hirei killed a Knight who touched him on his one year old birthday!’

Oh, come on Hirei! You don’t have to keep it in! Just give that kid a good one two! Mini Hirei was at it again, and was insensitive to my feelings. I could not remember the Knight they were talking about, but okasan told me that a really kind man from Prontera said that the colour of my hair was beautiful; I always loved it when okasan and otosan say that my white hair was beautiful. The Knight said he was going to celebrate my birthday for me that year, but he died in the war on that very day.

Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians

Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah started to look around, searching for the source of the voice but they saw no one. Eventually, they noticed Ace kneeling down on one knee, his golden eyes planted on the wall of a building nearby where the shadows on the wall started to shift and materialized, an outline of a human started to gain its colours as the light finally caught its figure and allowed others to see its owner, a cloth-like veil dispersed into the air before revealing it to be an elder and more matured woman. She leaned backwards with her short brown hair pressed against the wall and her arms crossed casually, opening her eyes to show a pair of blue eyes. The woman had an abnormally, unhealthy tone of pale white skin and was dressed in a dark, tight outfit wrapped in bandages along with shoulder pads, recognizably the outfit of a female Assassin. Cedric unsheathed his sword and took a step in front of his friends, wary of the newcomer. He was nervous, being his first time face-to-face with an assassin, said to strike swiftly from the shadow, but he was prepared to fight for his comrades.

‘Mistress Cecilia Thyride,’ said Ace with his head bowed down. ‘You’ve heard, haven’t you.’

‘Of course I heard, silly. What do you think I’m Cloaking here for, watching the Merchants spit over their products?’ said the Assassin in a surprisingly upbeat manner, who seemed to have Ace’s respect. She looked over at Cedric and the others who stood behind him, armed and ready to defend themselves. She laughed. ‘Oh gosh, what a bunch of quick-to-move kids you found here. Haven’t I proven that I’m Ace’s master? I shouldn’t be any harm, right?’

They withdraw the weapons, but were still keeping a close eye on the Assassin’s movements, somehow an amusement to the latter. She turned back her attention to Ace, tapping her feet impatiently on the ground. ‘So, the day you decide to abandon your Morroc life and the Thief Society has finally come, huh?’ she said. ‘You’re even gonna leave me, your dear master, who took you under my wing for so many years.’

‘You have been too kind to me, Mistress Thyride, too kind compared to the masters and mistresses the other Thieves,’ Ace said simply, his voice never faltering. ‘I’m fortunate to have met you. I’ll forever be indebted to you, and I’ll definitely repay you in the near future.’

Cecilia sighed, a cheeky smile spreading across her pale face. ‘I guess you could say that I’m one-of-a-kind, huh?’ she said cheerfully. She then raised her gloved arm, beckoning Ace towards her with her long fingers. ‘Come closer, would you? You know I’m not a fan of sunlight.’

Ace stood up obediently and approached his mistress, who wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer into a hug. ‘Aaaah… I’m gonna miss you so much, Ace. You know I’ve already approved of your departure long ago. Just don’t die before I do, although that’d be a pretty hard feat,’ she laughed jokingly once more before shifting her attention. ‘Before I’ll allow Ace to join the four of you, I’ll have to borrow him a bit for an errand, alright?’

Cedric raised his eyebrows, taken aback by the master behaved more childishly than her apprentice and had just asked for the permission of a group of strangers to get the assistance of her own student. To all this, they simply answered with a nod.

‘Good, Ace will see you tomorrow at the North Gate when the sun rises, that is if you trust him and me, and still want him in your party,’ said Cecilia, dragging Ace off by his shoulders, waving one arm in the air with her back facing them. ‘So long kids!’

Hirei ran forward to chase Ace and Cecilia as they made a turn behind the building, but they had went out of sight and disappeared into the shadows.

***

‘Shall we wait a while more?’ asked Nellie who was holding tightly to her baggage and documents she had spent the whole night packing up. Thankfully, they had dropped by at Nellie’s place to inform her about their new plans before heading back to the inn last night, as the room was still in a horrible mess and she needed their help for her preparation to Al de Baran the next morning. She managed to make it to the North Gate on time where the other four had been waiting, but their party was still missing of their newest member.

‘That Thief guy better show up,’ Hirei muttered as he fiddled with his bow. ‘I hope we weren’t wrong trusting him. I don’t want him to take our money and run off half way through our journey.’

‘Don’t worry Hirei,’ said Penelope as she smiled silently. ‘I’m sure we can put our faith in him. He looked sincere enough, and he had a nice mistress too.’

‘But come on, don’t you think that they’re a bit odd?’ Hirei reasoned, partly out of boredom. ‘I mean, Ace tried to steal our money the day before yesterday, and he has this big wish of changing everyone’s bad impression of Morroc Thieves. And then his mistress is just this weird character, and she’s an Assassin too! Aren’t Assassins dangerous and shouldn’t be trusted?’

‘Oh hush Rei,’ said Cedric. ‘Aren’t you a pretty shady character yourself? With your weird white hair and huge mouth, especially unusual for you people from the islands.’

‘I think white hair is fine. It’s a beautiful and pure colour.’

Hirei rotated his head in surprise and delight, looking for the person who had complimented his hair colour. Everyone shook their head or waved in denial, sending everyone in confusion.

‘Aaaaaah!’ yelled Aalaiyah as she saw a red-haired head wrapped in a ragged, coral scarf that was floating in the air. With her telekinetic powers, she started sending the bits of debris on the ground to attack the strange head.

‘Hey, I’m not gonna attack you. It’s alright, it’s just me,’ said the red head, a pair a hands shielding it from the sand and stones. Upon closer inspection, they realized that the red head was attached normally to a body which was suspended upside-down by its legs. The hanged man did a flip and landed cleanly and silently on his feet, brushing his scarlet red hair which covered his golden eyes. The man was draped in an Assassin’s garb similar to Cecilia’s, bandages wrapping around his upper arm, calves and torso. He nodded in acknowledgement, exchanging looks with Nellie as they made a silent greeting.

‘You came, it’s you!’ said Penelope in a happy tone, scanning the man with her emerald eyes, jaw dropping as she went. ‘You’re an Assassin now! That’s the errand your mistress wanted you to carry out, isn’t it.

Ace signature smile widened as he nodded. ‘I never break my promises, especially to sweet girls like you,’ he said, sending Penelope’s cheeks flushing in red before he threw his old tan cloak over his body. ‘Let’s leave before the Society learns of my departure. It’ll cause too much unwanted trouble for us and Mistress Thyride.’

‘Definitely, we can introduce ourselves once we get out of Morroc. But before that, let’s finish something I haven’t been able to do yesterday,’ said Cedric, walking forward towards Ace as he extended his right hand. ‘Welcome to our party, Ace!’

The Assassin took Cedric’s gauntleted hand gracefully with his gloved ones. ‘My “Ace” days are over now,’ said the Assassin, shaking his head playfully as he smiled. ‘My name is Arsen.’

***

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Current Word Count: 29,206

Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians

I'm trying to get back my pace now that I'm home and on holidays. Give me some time, and I promise you that I'll be typing like crazy again. (Thinking back, I've only had less than 9k at this point last year. 8D)

Labels: Break Time, NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians

They left for the inn when the sun had already set, Nellie requesting them to return to her place again tomorrow to check on her, reminding them to prepare all their required supplies for the long trip north. They walked towards the southeast corner of the city, the street lamps that lined the walkways were glowing in a faint light, complimenting the sky which had been dyed in midnight blue. Some merchants were keeping up their wares and retiring for the day. There were less people on the streets now, but it was never quiet as the people start to fill up the inns and pubs, drinking and laughing into the night, some still wandering the streets suspiciously and others were picking verbal and physical fights with each other. Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah tried to avoid all the commotion and took a more secluded road back to the inn. It was a bad choice, as the people hanging out in these alleys looked dodgier and potentially more dangerous than the foolish ones who just wanted to flash their fists at each other but would never dare to cause havoc under the street lamps in the open. There was a young girl sitting against the wall while sharpening her knife, a man staring at them with his bloodshot eyes, an elderly woman begging for money, drawing too close for Hirei’s comfort as he ran ahead of the group to avoid her from touching him.

‘Ugh!’

Hirei ran right into a young man wearing a tan cloak, both of them falling backwards onto the sandy ground. The young man’s hood fell backwards to reveal a head of flaming, scarlet red hair tied lowly in a short ponytail and a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

‘Sorry,’ said the young man shortly with a deep, cool voice as his face glittered in the night with his charming smile. He pushed his hood back up and ran off quickly before Hirei could say anything. The young man might have disappeared, but left behind a panting Penelope and Aalaiyah who were blushing madly, Cedric thought. But the man did not only leave something behind, he took something else as well.

‘That guy’s a thief!’ Hirei yelled furiously as he turned the way they came from, the young man in cloak had vanished. He moved backwards to rejoin the group when the elderly woman started to reach out her boney fingers towards him. ‘He took my money bad when I bumped into him!’

‘W-What? He’s a thief?’ Penelope gasped as she snapped back to reality, running forward to see Hirei emptying his pockets, the brown satchel she had entrusted to him that morning was no longer there. ‘Oh no… our money…’

‘But you guys only bumped into each other for a short moment!’ said Cedric in disbelieve. ‘It was so quick… Did you lose anything else?’

‘Just our money,’ said Hirei as he sighed heavily. ‘How could I lose it just like that? That thief, if I see his red head again I’ll let him taste my arrows!’

‘Relax, Hirei, none of us wanted it to happen, we can’t do anything about it now anyway,’ said Aalaiyah. ‘We’ll just have to be thankful that Penelope split the money, and we’ve just finished shopping too. At least it wasn’t too big of a lost as it could’ve been.’

They decided never to wander into dark alleys anymore, especially in Morroc. They scurried out of the area and rested peacefully in the inn, much safer and more comfortable than most of Morroc.

***

The next day, the four slept in late, the blazing Morrocan sun hanging at the highest point before they decided to roll out of bed for branch. They treated themselves to some Steamed Desert Scorpians near the bazaar after being convinced by the innkeeper, a scorpion dish of scorpion tails, nippers and meat cooked using the heat of the desert sands. It was not the first thing they would yearn for when they were hungry, but the cuisine turned out to be appetizing, the colours of the vegetables alongside the red scorpion meat and the strong spicy smell lured them to sink in their teeth. Eating it confirmed its status as one of the four best dishes in the Sograt Desert; sweet, bitter and spicy flavours melted in their mouths. It was even more a luxury alongside a bottle of Morroc Fruit Wine, a sweet and sour juice that was invented by a merchant from Morroc.

‘Aaaaaah! That’s what I call a feast,’ Hirei leaned back on his wooden chair, his hands behind his white spiky hair. ‘So, where are we headed after this?’

‘No idea,’ Cedric said, downing his cup of fruit wine, his insides cooled down at once from the heat. ‘We could walk around Morroc some more, or take a look at the Morroc Ruins.’

‘Would it be alright if I go north from Morroc to find someone?’ Penelope asked. ‘I heard from the Church that an ascetic is living there. I’d like to visit her.’

The four then left for the north exit of Morroc, avoiding the bustle of the bazaar at the centre of the city. Along the side streets of Morroc, there were many Dancers and Bards making a living by performing, dancing gracefully and singing with the rhythm of the music. Some of the passer-by requested for a song of their liking, some others offering tips by tossing zennies into a hat that lay on the ground.

‘Psst, over here,’ came a female whisper. Cedric felt a tap on his shoulders and turned around, finding himself face-to-face cloaked figure, a dark violet gleam shining from the person’s eyes under the hood.

‘What is it?’ asked Hirei as he scanned the girl with his little brown eyes. The girl laughed, stepping backwards and lowering her hood to reveal a long, dark hair tied in a side ponytail to the right.

‘Don’t worry, I mean no harm,’ she reassured them with a soft, shadowy voice. ‘I’ve been watching you guys for awhile, and I think I have something that might interest you.’

The elder, mysterious female extracted a worn out scroll from her cloak, bitten at its edges and was tied up neatly with a shabby red ribbon. ‘This here is a very old scroll I came across while venturing deep inside the Sphinx, guarded by a few Anubis and horrible booby traps I wouldn’t like to detail. I asked some Wizards to decipher this for me, they told me that it’s an ancient scroll that holds some secrets to the Heart of Ymir,’ she said, smiling as Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah reacted positively to her statement. ‘I know that the four of you are on a search for the Heart. Well, you’re in luck because I’m trying to find a new owner for this scroll, someone who would appreciate this more than I do. I just don’t have the time to chase after some mythical relic.’

‘So, you’re trying to sell this scroll to us?’ asked Cedric.

‘Ah… smart boy aren’t you? I need to make some money out of this too, don’t I. Can’t live on tattered scrolls and nose rings from the monsters underground. I’ll make you an offer, just 10,000 zeny,’ said the cloaked female, twirling the scroll between her fingers. ‘The Wizards are even paying me to read this, but I wouldn’t let them.’

‘It’s a good offer, but asking us to pay for something which we don’t know what the real contents are is irrelevant,’ said Penelope wisely. ‘We’ll pay you 5,000 zeny first, and if the scroll is genuine, we’ll pay you the other half.’

The cloaked female looked unconvinced. After giving it a little thought, her eyes rolling back and forth as if trying hard to maintain her coolness, she shrugged and replied. ‘Fine, it’s a deal then. I’ll tell you, it’s worth it.’

Penelope made a satisfied smile after successfully displaying her haggling skills once again, and Cedric turned to the others. ‘So, will we buy this?’

‘It’s worth a bet,’ Aalaiyah nodded in excitement. ‘If it turns out to be a scam, we demand a refund!’

The dark-haired female then stepped forward with her hands outstretched, one hand holding onto the scroll tightly and the other empty to collect the money. Penelope placed her hand into her pouch bag to search for their funds which was all stored away in her leather bag.

‘It’s gone…’ Penelope uttered slowly with her hands over her mouth, a fearful look in her eyes. ‘All our money is gone…’

‘W-What?’ Cedric exclaimed in shock, running forward to inspect Penelope’s pouch bag. Just as he approached Penelope, he tripped over what seemed to be nothing and fell face first onto the floor.

‘Oww!’ Cedric yelped as he bit his lip, biting some sand in the process. Somehow, he was not the only one who cried. Cedric found himself lying on top of a bundle of cloth.

‘Cedric! Are you alright?’ asked Penelope as she helped him up. She gasped in surprised when the bundle of cloth started to move. ‘You fell on top of someone!’

‘When did he get there?’ Hirei pondered aloud. A head of bright, scarlet hair pushed itself out of the bundle of cloth, its owner being a young man who was wearing a beach coloured jacket and a pair of dark pants. The young man sat upright and brushed his long red hair off his yellow eyes before massaging his arm with his hands. He remained seated on the ground, looking upwards to flash a charming smile at his onlookers.

‘Isn’t that our money bag?’ Aalaiyah pointed out, turning everyone’s attention to the leather money bag that lay by the unidentified male’s side. As she bent down to recover their money bag, the young man snatched it swiftly and leapt onto his feet.

‘Greetings, and I’m sorry young lady,’ the young man said coolly as he tossed the money bag in the air and grabbed it tightly in his fist. ‘This’ll be mine now.’

‘That moron! He’s a Thief!’ Hirei snapped angrily with his fingers waving threateningly at the man, bringing them to realize that he was wearing the outfit of the Thief’s Society. ‘And the same one from yesterday who stole my money!’

‘Oh Ace, can’t you just leave me alone?’ said the cloaked female in annoyance, dropping her air of mystery as her voice became harsh and loud, withdrawing her arms along with the scroll. ‘They were supposed to be my catch!’

‘Well, isn’t it nice to see you here, Jasmine. Small town,’ said the male Thief who seemed to be called Ace. ‘Since when did you put your name on their money? Besides, if it was the matter of stealing targets, you should rethink that statement, since they have met me before you offered them that scroll.’

‘They are acquainted?’ Cedric said as he slowly came to a realization of the situation, staring at the cloaked female with a hostile glare. ‘Then… you must be…’

Cedric could not continue his sentence, as the female known as Jasmine tossed the worn out scroll at his forehead, the scroll rolled open upon impact to release a burst of grey gas.

‘P-pepper gas!’ Cedric gagged and sneeze as the cloud of gas surrounded his face, drowning his eyes in tears which trickled down his cheeks. He choked, rubbing his eyes frantically with the back of his hand as his face started to burn in red, immediately wishing that he had a bottle of Morroc Fruit Wine stored in his rucksack.

‘Ace, we’re splitting that prize, 50-50!’ Jasmine yelled to her Thief friend while throwing her cloak at Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah, hindering their chase. When the cloak was thrown aside, they could see Ace running into a dark alley with Jasmine tailing behind him, also garbed in a beach coloured jacket and a pair of brown pants of a Thief. Without any questions or gestures, the four raced after the two Thieves to retrieve their lost possession.

‘Make way, make way!’ Hirei called out to the people in the alley, some dragging themselves sluggishly away from harm’s way and others did not budge at all, delaying them in their pursuit. ‘We can’t lose them!’

They raced as fast as their legs could take them, trying their best to keep the Thieves in view. Cedric visualized his brother running in front of him, just like how they would race to the old Swordsman Guild. He could only see his brother’s back, his cape fluttering behind him. Clenching his teeth and using that visualization as motivation, Cedric started to run faster than before, partly thanks to the supportive spells Penelope had cast on the whole party while they were still running down the streets. They ran out of the alley into the main streets of Morroc, catching up after Ace and Jasmine.

‘Decrease Agility!’ Penelope chanted with her Bible opened in her arms, her palms stretched forwards with a blinding light. She directed the energy towards the two Thieves, weighing them down upon contact and slowing down their movements. Cedric reached out his hand, drawing closer to tap his brother’s shoulders. Pulling out all the energy in his body, he sprinted forward and was standing in front of the Thieves’ way. Jasmine turned to Ace with an anxious look on her face, the latter responded by stopping in his tracks altogether when faced with the pincer attack, both his hands in his pocket.

‘Giving up now?’ asked Cedric as he cautiously took a step forward having surrounded the Thieves. ‘At least you’re wise enough to know when to stop.’

‘Never make assumptions too soon,’ said Ace he pulled out a small bag from his pocket and flung it in the air. ‘Sand Attack!’

An infinite amount of sand poured out of the small bag, much more than a merchant’s cart could even hold. Cedric staggered backwards, receiving the unexpected attack face on, the sand got into his face and eyes, effectively blinding and stunning him for the moment. The Thieves took this opportunity to flee.

‘I’m not gonna let you trick me again! We need that money for Al de Baran!’ Hirei yelled as he set nine fire arrows on his composite bow and pointed it to the cloudless sky. ‘Arrow Shower!’

A burst of energy pushed the arrows high into the air as he released the string of the bow. The fire arrows lined up neatly in front of the Thieves before bursting up into a wall of flames, obstructing their way.

‘Man, I can’t believe I took her move,’ Hirei mumbled as he ruffled his white hair. The Thieves tried to escape through a different way until they realized that a magic glyph was rotating around their feet – a target for a magician’s spell. All of them turned towards the Mage, a deep blue aura was bursting from her feet and wand which she raised in front of her, her brown hair fluttering in the mystical air.

‘Don’t try to escape now,’ Aalaiyah spoke softly, her eyes glaring with determination. ‘I won’t hesitate to unleash my cold bolts on the both of you.’

Ace sighed in a rather relaxed manner, his smile never fading from his face while he raised both his arms at shoulder height, their money bag in his fist. Jasmine did the opposite, crossing her arms and shuddering in aggravation. The money bag started glowing in an eerie aura before it levitated into the air by an invisible force and flew into Cedric’s hands. Aalaiyah took a deep breath as she lowered her wand and the magic circles a blue aura disappeared at once, feeling the strain from focusing her magic and using her telekinetic powers at the same time.

‘Ace, you owe me lunch tomorrow,’ said Jasmine angrily, eyebrows furrowed. ‘If you would’ve just stayed out of my plan, we wouldn’t have ended up like this! There, you’ve gotten all you stuff back now kids, happy?’

‘No, they haven’t,’ said Ace suddenly as he dug his hands into his jacket, taking out a familiar brown satchel and returning it to a confused Hirei. Hirei opened the satchel and started to run his fingers through all the zennies, confirming that none of their money was missing.

‘Uh… thanks,’ said Hirei with a stunned face, not sure if he understood what was the meaning of this.

‘Now, may I ask you a question?’ Ace spoke again, his face seem to be concentrated on a thought in his mind. ‘Are the four of you travelers, and are headed to Al de Baran after this?’

‘Hey, how’d you know that – oh… I mentioned it earlier didn’t I…’

‘Yeah, we’re traveling across Rune Midgard, and Al de Baran will be our next destination,’ Cedric replied. ‘We’re in search of –’

‘Ymir’s Heart, am I right?’ said Ace, finishing Cedric’s statement. ‘Jasmine and I have been spying on you. We know you’ve been seeing that researcher in the inn east of the bazaar.’

‘Yeah… way to break a Thief’s work to commoners who would never understand our way of living,’ Jasmine said boringly as she pursed her lips, tapping her fingers on her crossed arms.

‘But stealing is not a way of living!’ Penelope retorted. ‘Why don’t you both get a job and earn money the right way? You can correct yourselves from your old ways and repent!’

‘It’s different when you’re orphaned in Morroc. There are far too many of us and the society here is pretty much a mess, scientists and treasure hunters flocking to our city and occupying it from the locals. The only choice we have is to be a thief,’ explained Ace stiffly as he smiled bitterly, Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah had a sudden sympathy for them. ‘In any case, I did not ask the question so that I could earn pity from you. It is my personal wish that I could change this fate of mine, and dispel this horrible impression the masses have of people like myself.’

‘What are you trying to imply, Ace?’ Jasmine stared at Ace in equal confusion as Hirei, having no idea what her friend was trying to achieve with his talk. Whatever it was, she did not like the way it sounds.

‘I’m trying to ask if, just if,’ Ace said, clearing his throat before he continued. ‘Could this mere Thief, Ace, join your party in your journey across the land?’

All of them were flabbergasted except for Ace, whose smile remained on his handsome face. Even with Hirei’s loud mouth and I-don’t-care-what-you-think attitude, it was not one of the foursome who made the biggest reaction.

‘Ace! What are you thinking?’ Jasmine bellowed as she yanked Ace by his shirt, their faces were only inches away from each other as she gritted her teeth. ‘We are the proud Thieves of the Thief Society, of Morroc! These pompous brats deserve to be robbed. First you messed up my plan, then you returned them the money you stole yesterday, and now you’re planning to leave Morroc and go journeying? What will you do next? Shave your red head bald and join the Monastery?’

‘I know fully well what I want to do, and I don’t have to answer to you,’ Ace answered calmly as he raised his chin fearlessly. ‘I want the people know that not all Thieves are ill-mannered and that we do have ambitions and hopes for our own future. I’ve always planned to leave Morroc, you just never knew.’

‘What a load of Willow leftovers!’ Jasmine jeered with disgust. ‘Even if you ran off, how positive are you that they would take a Thief into their party? Everyone knows that Thieves are like a Condor in a flock of Peco Pecos. Birds of different feathers don’t flock together, Ace!’

‘We’ll take him in,’ said Cedric, breaking the tension momentarily between Ace and Jasmine. He turned towards the others, who approved of Ace’s participation. Even Hirei, who did not like the idea of the Thief who once stole from them joining their party, was persuaded into an agreement. ‘There you go Ace, we accept your offer, under the terms that you would not steal from us and run after that.’

This sent Jasmine into a deeper rage, pushing Ace aside and pointing fiercely at all of them. ‘You… all of you… are crazy!’ she yelled, throwing her dark hair into a state of mess. She gave Ace a deadly glare, her violet eyes widening. ‘You disgusting scum. I never thought you’d be like this. Fine! Turn your back on the Thief Society! Your deed won’t go unknown, and don’t you ever try returning to Morroc! I’d like to see you try answering to your mistress! And don’t you even expect any help from me.’

‘Jasmine –’

‘Don’t you call me by that name!’ Jasmine barked back violently. ‘I am a proud Thief! You don’t deserve to call me by my codename! Heck, you shouldn’t even be carrying that stupid “Ace” name anymore! If it went my way, I would’ve banished you right this instance!’

Ace had his eyes closed shut, maintaining his calm demeanor. He wet his lips and took a deep breath before he started again. ‘Jill –’

‘Shut… up…’ Jasmine hissed venomously, her fist shaking badly. With one last glare at Ace and the foursome, she turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

‘What an ending eh?’ said Hirei in an awkward attempt to break the silence.

‘Thanks a lot for accepting my participation so swiftly,’ said Ace gratefully. ‘After all, we’ve only just met through a theft, with me being the robber.’

‘Same to you,’ Penelope laughed softly. ‘It’s not very surprising, after you who thieved from us returned our possessions.’

‘What made you suddenly so interested to join us?’ asked Aalaiyah. ‘Does it have to do with Al de Baran?’

‘I have my reasons,’ Ace smiled, obviously the type who would not kill and tell. ‘My thoughts and problems are insignificant for you to worry about. However, I will promise that I will not cause us any trouble, and that I will be a great asset as a Thief, not limited to my thieving skills.’

‘In any case,’ Cedric beamed happily, stretching out his hand. ‘Welcome to the –’

‘Not yet,’ said Ace as he raised a hand in the air, his yellow eyes wandering around, his mind still concentrated on a different thought. ‘Before we do anything else, there is someone I must see before I leave.’

‘There’s no need to go anywhere, Ace,’

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Current Word Count: 28,050

Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians