Doodle Faces

One silent night...

When there was no light...

I doodled in YM, faces so bright...

Some were T.T, others were o.O

Others were Lol'ing while others were \(oAo)/

And while the whole world slept, I drew a smile with a heart...

And everybody LOL'D and Super Lol'd till they all went (x_x)

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Cosmic

The magic words had been uttered, the cosmic powers had been invoked.

Melodies of triumph had now begun to ring.

And as the cliche says, justice is now about to be served.

The medallion had begun to glow as light streamed and enveloped my body. Wisps of cosmic energy surged and filled every artery and every vein. Warmth replaced the cold reality and inevitability of defeat as the power of the moon heard my desperate plea.

I began to feel the floor below me disappear. It wasn't like levitation, it was instantaneous, like the floor itself chose to vanish, leaving me floating in mid-air. But it wasn't as if I was hanging either; it was as if some cosmic hand held me gently aloft.

Up became down and down became up as the transformation begun.

Streams of luminescent cloth-like projections spiraled around me, and as if by magic, the torn clothes I was wearing were restored, or more accurately, transformed. Luna's healing touch repaired any damage I had from the battle that had ensued. Beginning with the smaller injuries, one by one every broken bone in my body, every tear of my flesh, restored itself, closed up and healed. Literally I felt like I am a whole new me.

As more and more cosmic energy began to fill me and envelop me, the intensity of the transformation increased. Even my worn morale began to heighten up; all blessings be had anybody who dare oppose me now. No longer was I weary, no longer was I broken. I am revived, I am revitalized.

I am reborn.

Now the real battle has begun. Now, evil will fear the light of the moon. Luna shines upon both malevolence and benevolence, and treats each with what they justly deserve. You who crawl in the darkness, terrorizing innocent hearts stand no chance.

For it is I, the soft crimson light of serenity.

It is I.

Sailor Moon!

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Conflict

Where… am I?

“Mistress, the guest awaits. Shall we give him a warm welcome?”

I hear footsteps in the distance.

“Mistress… Will we be together again? Like how we used to?”

Slowly I snapped out of unconsciousness, only to find myself chained. It’s never easy isn’t it?

“We can be a family again, right mistress?”

As soon as I regained feeling over my arms and legs, I found myself involuntarily flailing against the chains, trying desperately to break free only to fail miserably. Guess the easy plan never works.

“Right here mistress, the white wolf had been dying to see you…”

An unseen door screeched open. A strong draft wafted into what now seemed to be my jail cell.

It’s been a number of years since I last saw her face, or should I say their faces. The young blue mage and the little red witch; I can’t even recall their faces anymore! But as if fate hadn’t been cruel enough, there they are now right in front of me.

The blue mage spoke first.

“Riiya, have our accommodations suited your tastes? Wolves were meant to be chained you know…”

Tch.

“But enough about that, I know you’ve been dying to see the mistress. It’s been... Ten years? Twenty? I can’t even recall how you looked like until I found you. Hasn’t fate been cruel huh?”

“Shiine! Enough!” the red witch interjected.

She approached me, with the caution and grace of a young child. You could suppose the ten or so years hadn’t changed her attitude that much; at least that’s the façade she’s showing me right now.

“Riiya right?” she said, her tone gentle and warm; almost as warm as the touch of her hand against my face.

“It’s been a long time now… How are you? I’ve missed you so much Riiya… So very much…” her smile was angelic, almost making the chains feel comfortable.

“Riiya… Let’s be... A family again… With my magic and Shiine’s magic... We can live forever! We can be happy for the rest of our immortal lives, just the three of us adventuring like we used to… It would be like Mochi mochi again; you, me and Shiine prancing around without a care for the world, only this time, the adventure never has to end!”

I turned my head in disgust. What magic? Magic that requires a payment of blood and life? Disgusting…

The slap that followed resounded like thunder in the mountains.

“Bastard wolf!”

Talk about moody…

“Shiine, dispose of him.”

“But mistress…”

“I do not want a trace of him anywhere in my mansion. The stench of his animal fur sickens me…”

She turned towards me, her face once again a visage of grace with a beautiful smile to boot.

“Oh, and Riiya, it was really nice meeting you again!”

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From An Other's Eyes Episode 1

I wonder why they had me sent here?

Everything here seems normal. You can say the only thing unique about this school is it being atop a small hill. The facilities are complete, the computers and other equipment are par at best; nothing hints of any unwanted malefactors. Clearly those who sent me here must be in the wrong.

And I suppose they did not send me here to study, that would be a joke I won't be able to forgive.

I suppose I should better just enjoy the scenery. The view from up a hill is simply astonishing; you can see for miles on end! The endless sky stretches as far as the eye can see, punctuated occasional white clouds floating nonchalantly, without a damn about the events transpiring below. Quite beautiful, on many layers.

The students here are about as normal as the clouds in the sky. The girls are quite unextraordinarily beautiful, though one can argue the concentration of beautiful girls in this school surpasses normal schools to a certain degree. The guys, well, let's just say I'm not really into them; though for the sake of observation, let's just say they're not really as par with the girls.

Still, jokes and quips aside, this school is quite fairly normal. Maybe this assignment was a mistake after all.

The requisite class introduction went as smooth as it can be. I've been "transferred" into this school about around two months into the academic year, so my introduction was rather brief. The agency gave me all the fake information I needed, even to the extent of giving me a staged family rest house in an island somewhere. Unnecessary in my opinion, but the agency I suppose knows best.

First and second periods went smoothly as well, although I'm only barely able to feign interest. They were not subjects alien to me; in fact I am quite familiar with them already. The teachers would ask me if I could keep up and replying affirmatively gets annoying and redundant. That said, first break was a much welcome respite, not that I do anything much during breaks except sit down and fake a smile. Agency orders, don't get me wrong.

It was of particular interest though that I saw this strange girl pacing along the corridor outside our classroom. She's not from my class, but she seems to be waiting for someone; her boyfriend perhaps? A shame really, she is quite a sight.

"Yo! Will you like to join us for lunch or something? You didn't leave the room during the first break so we thought you might not have got any friends, so you know, you could hang out with us if you want..."

Nosy kid. The next two periods went smoothly as well, lunch break has just about begun.

"H-Hey... Y-You're the new student right? I-I'm Aya... I-It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Pleasure to meet you too!"

Didn't imagine that I'd attract this much attention so soon.

"Transfer student! You may have seen me pacing around your classroom during first break. Meet me at the front gate after class."

And with that and a loud thud on my desk, the pretty girl left. Quite the energetic kid, and quite a surprise. Everyone stood still, frozen as if an apparition showed up in front of them. I can hear people murmuring her name; I infer she must be quite popular. And the invitation piqued my curiosity, as anyone would be. Still, she seemed oddly different, like there is something about her I cannot ascertain.

Things just might start to get interesting.

The rest of the class neither interested me nor gave me a reason to actually bother. Of course, it's not as if the teachers were incompetent, it's just that the subjects weren't really of much interest to me. Plus, I have an invitation I need to answer to, and I'm curious as to why it got my attention so much.

The next moment I found myself being pulled by the hand into a rather decrepit but still decent looking school building. The girl who gave me the rather extravagant invitation explained to me what the facility was for, saying that it was a building dedicated to school clubs and other extra-curricular activities and how she started a club of her own. In between she would ask me about my family, what my parents did for a living, if I know of any mysterious event with regards to my family. I answered with as much fake honesty and interest as I could, which did not help her incessant interrogation.

We finally stopped in front of what seems to be an old clubroom. The sign did not seem to fit her vibrant personality, but I digress. She went in ahead and began introducing everybody, me to them and them to me. Though I couldn't care less who they are.

What bothers me is how they have all assembled here. Coincidence perhaps?

They regarded me as I regarded them, with the exception of one who seemed irritated by my presence. They must have realized it as well; after all, what kind of happenstance would bring together an alien, a time traveller and an esper. After leading me in and locking the door shut, my host finally introduced herself, with her face glowing immaculate. Her introduction answered all the questions forming in my mind.

"... and I am Haruhi Suzumiya and this is the S.O.S Brigade! "

Seems like the agency was correct after all.

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Waiting: A LaMB Fanfiction

She worked for a hundred years, sentenced to forced labour on account of theft of a major degree; falsely accused by the way. Her crime? Stealing company secrets and selling them to the highest bidder. Her job? Executive Market Analyst for Serra’s second largest market consultancy firm, Serra:ONE or Serra OperatioNs Enterprise. Ironically named if you didn’t notice.

Her name was almost non-existent before her deed and eventual trial. Katherine Ross exposed Serra:ONE’s corrupt under the table transactions with the big-wigs of Serra’s Economics and Marketing Board. Serra:ONE evaded taxes and other government mandated expenses by bribing high officials huge sums of money whose source escapes even Ms. Ross. Her move earned her the ire of her company, and a laminated suit.

She worked as Eve 1401 under the jurisdiction of Sector 890 Shepherd Max Law, controversial for reports of LaMB molestation and abuse. After all, no man can resist the beauty of a laminated woman, not even a shepherd. LaMBs neither have feelings nor emotions, though they do have consciousness; a fetish that men find hard to resist. She would not remember a thing after they remove her from lamination; furthering LaMBs as a sex symbol for the underground pornography trade.

Still, she worked for a hundred years. Now marks her day of release; the day the lamination suit finally comes off. She would be wiped clean of any recollection she would have of the service she rendered, except the memory that she did render service as a LaMB. The higher ups believe that would be enough of a punishment for the crimes of LaMBs. Her body would be restored to how she was before lamination, stripping her of any beauty retaining nano-tech implanted into her skin. It would be as if the hundred years of service did not have any physical effect on her, and the only way for her to tell it had been a hundred years would be to check the year on her calendar.

September 26, 2507; exactly a hundred years after she was laminated. Walking out of the Sector 890 Constabulary Office, she immediately felt the crushing gravity of the one hundred years unspent. The roads are different, the buildings are different, the fashion, the cars; every single thing was different. But she knew deep inside that one thing would be constant. She fished out a small locket from under her clothes, slipping it right between her ample breasts, a passé to the current fad. Pushing a button, the locket opened revealing a hologram of a lady and a guy; he would be waiting.

One hundred years is a long time, and yet she knew he would be waiting. It was a promise they made a hundred years ago, before she was caught in a tangle of lies and deceit surrounding Serra:ONE and her fixed trial. He would wait for her, even if it takes a century. They knew deep in their hearts that it was impossible, and yet somehow they clung to the deeper truth behind the impossible promise.

Dan Schubert was a promising business man. At age 18, he already owned and ran two companies, with his business empire growing through the years. He acquired 50% stock ownership of most of his competitor’s businesses, enacting a monopoly of the trade, not too uncommon in the thrifty planet of Serra. He expanded further and further, and by age 24, he was already one of the leading business tycoons of his time, loved and hated for whatever he was. It was in the same year that he met Katherine. Then 22, she was also making little waves in the puddle that is Serra:ONE. He and she had a promising life together; raising a family wouldn’t be out of the question. It wasn’t long before she inevitably bore the fruit of their love. They could never have been happier.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck. Three years into their wonderfully engaged life, Katherine caught wind of the illegal trade happening behind the closed doors of higher ups of Serra:ONE. This led her to a trail of underhanded and despicable truths, each worse than the last. At last, she couldn’t take it any longer; silence wasn’t one of her best traits. She exposed Serra:ONE to the authorities but alas, one person, let alone a lady, cannot win a war against a nation. Serra:ONE had in it’s arsenal most of the government officials of Serra; in summary, she enticed the ire of Serra herself. Her trial was swift and her sentence was made: a hundred years in a laminated suit, serving as Eve 1401 in Sector 890, under the shepherd Meagan Law, mother of Max Law.

But before she was laminated, she and Dan made a promise. And now, a hundred years later, Katherine was hoping for the fulfilment of that promise.

Travelling the streets she thought she was familiar with, she made her way across various establishments, buildings, houses, condominium towers and various other structures littering Serra for miles on end. She passed by the old and now abandoned Serra:ONE tower; they had since merged with Skyline, the once top marketing consultancy firm of Serra. The buyout resulted in the biggest monopolies in Serra as of late, with Skyline:ONE owning 95% of the marketing consultancy industry market share. As if fate wasn’t cruel enough.

After some time her hazy memory made her way to the old residential lot she and Dan shared. It remained largely unchanged in the one hundred years; the garden even bore the flowers she used to love. The walls bear the same color as she remembered them from a century ago, only some wall panels were changed and even then they were made to look as close to the original as possible. She almost burst into tears. She already knew he wasn’t to be found here; she wasn’t naïve, she knew he was dead. And yet by the way the house was maintained, the garden cared for, the memories kept; she knew it was his doing. The promise wasn’t broken.

She walked up the garden walkway up to the front door. She tried to hold back her tears as she reached for the door handle, realizing there that this wasn’t her house anymore. She let go of the spindle, and was almost about to knock when somebody spoke from behind her. Turning around, she thought she was dreaming.

The man was visibly surprised. She ran to him, hugging him and sobbing, mentioning names familiar to him. Slowly she came to, pushing herself away from him. She calmed down eventually. She was first to break the silence.

“I’m sorry, I mistook you for Dan. You must be William then. Your dad must have told you, I bore you a year before I was laminated. You’ve grown so tall I almost mistook you for him!”

His surprise slowly turned into understanding. “So this must be Katherine”, he thought.

“Miss Ross was it? Actually, Dan was my grandfather. The William you were talking about was my father. He died twenty years ago, and twenty years before that, my grandfather passed away. I’m truly sorry…”

“Is that so? I see… So it has been that long. Well, its okay, I already knew this would happen. Can you take me to where he’s been buried? I would really like to visit him…”

The gravity of one hundred years had just begun to dawn on her. Their love child William was now a father and now in front of her is her grandchild. And yet, one could mistake them for a couple, if their looks would be the basis. She’ll just take this one step at a time, starting with Dan, then with William, then maybe she and her grandchild can spend some time together, to make up for lost time.

“We’re here Ms. Ross…”

Katherine burst into tears. She knew all about this already, that Dan wouldn’t be alive anymore. She knew that sad truth, still she couldn’t help but hope. Well, at least now she can begin to heal. She knelt in front of his headstone, pulling away the vines that have overgrown Dan’s tomb. Tears once again welled in her eyes when she read the inscription written on the headstone…

Dan F. Schubert

2380 to 2467

Ever dearest, I hope I did not make you wait, I love you

Katherine bit her lips, trying to stop herself from crying. She continued to pull the weeds away from the headstone, distracting herself and keeping herself from bursting. As she pulled the last few tendrils away, what she saw lashed against her like a cracking whip…

Dan F. Schubert

2380 to 2467

Ever dearest, I hope I did not make you wait, I love you

Melissa Schubert

A hundred years will not be enough to keep us apart

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Recollection

“Who- who are you?” but I already knew.

“You forgot? Aww, Mistress Chacha will be so sad if she finds that out…” he replied.

It’s been now ten years since I left Mochi Mochi. Not so long before I did, they left too, and not so long before that, my caretaker disappeared as well. I was saddened beyond comprehension because of their disappearances; I thought it was best to just forget about them completely.

Now he’s back.

“Are you sure you don’t remember me Riiya? Or are you just surprised…”

“You… Cannot be Shiine… Are you?”

“Aww, you remembered! Good dog…”

He’s taunting me. Confused beyond my wits, I stood frozen, afraid to move. Here is a figment of my memory, a long gone and long forgotten memory, standing right in front of me, talking to me; a shred of a long gone past now clearly in plain sight and in the flesh.

How do you suppose I should feel?

“Heh, come now Riiya, Mistress Chacha is waiting for you…”

He extended his hand towards me one more, beckoning me to follow him. Hesitantly I rose from my crouched position, still in shock at what has just transpired.

“What did you do to those poor souls?” I finally managed to ask.

Shiine, who was just about to turn his back, stopped for a moment feinting surprise. He turned to me and said

“Them? Mere fodder for my magic. Plus I didn’t know of any other way I could attract your attention…”

I could feel my fists clenching.

“… Besides, just what are you thinking? Becoming the self-proclaimed protector of life in this city? Trivial nonsense if you ask me…”

This guy…

“Trivial nonsense? You just killed someone…”

“Kill, murder, sacrifice, consume, mere technicalities of the term. I am a magician Riiya, a practitioner of the arts. It just so happened that in my line of specialization, I’m required to feed on a soul or two every now and then. Failure to do so would lead to my weakening and eventual death. I’m sure you’ll understand-“

“Shut up!” I growled, launching myself forward, catching him off guard, mounting him and grabbing his neck.

“Hey hey, there’s no need for violence. It’s just two measly people; they had their time coming anyway…”

“How can you be saying this? You… You are not the Shiine I knew…”

“Riiya, you’re still naïve as ever. Didn’t you realize why we left Mochi Mochi?”

I tried to talk but nothing came out.

“Simply put, Mochi Mochi was getting too nice, too cute. Me and my mistress wanted something else… Some excitement…”

“And you found this excitement in killing people? Are you insane?”

“Heh, killing people is an inevitable cost we had to pay…”

“Cost?!? For what?!? What would compel you to take life so indiscriminately?!?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Power, Riiya, power makes the world go round. If you have power, you can have everything.”

“Monster…” I spat out, tightening my grip on his neck.

“In due time I know you will understand…”

Ooof… What the hell was that? One moment I was on him, the next I was sent flying across the rooftop. Lifting himself up, he began to walk towards me, relishing each step as if he had just won a war.

“Did you like that Riiya? That’s not even a fraction of my power…”

He placed two fingers on my forehead.

“Don’t resist, this is going to hurt only for a little while.”

As soon as he pressed his fingers into my forehead, I felt a sudden and painful stream of electricity jolting up and down my body. My muscles began to twitch on it’s own in painful succession. It felt as if my blood vessels were going to burst open. I let out a scream, but even that was painful.

Just before everything went black, I heard him say.

“Sleep tight Riiya… Soon we would be together again… You, me and mistress Chacha…”

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Exposition

"White wolf huh? Nah, I don't believe that kind of crap."

"But some people claim they've seen him, it, whatever..."

"Aww, come on girl! Don't tell me you're into that sort of thing?!? Major turn off..."

"Sheesh, I was only asking!"

Such were the rumors about the legend of the white wolf. Truth be told, I'm not really that much interested about what people think about me. I'm just careful not to develop any close connections with anybody, here in this city or anywhere else.

You could say I learned my lesson.

Many years had gone since I last saw them. I don't know if I'm even interested in seeing them anymore. I would rather live my remaining days not hearing from them, if only to not reopen wounds that have only just begun to heal.

It still hurts a little when I try to remember.

"It's getting dark... Honey, should we go back now?"

"What? But it's just getting fun!"

"Erm... Fine, but I have to be home by ten in the evening, or else pops would be really mad..."

"Aww, don't worry about your old man, I'm sure he'd understand or somethin'! You're her Prima Donna after all!"

"Eww! Don't call me that!"

"Woah, ow ow ow! You don't have to be so harsh!"

Nightfall is fast approaching. The howl of the wolf is only ever heard at night; it's too noisy in the morning. Buzzing cars, people marching by; when there is light, people can see and people can work, but when darkness covers the sky, life stops.

That's the time the wolf feasts.

The city reeks of evil at night. From petty thieves to murderers, the city doesn't seem to have enough of them. Every time you take one down, another takes its place. But I'm not really interested in stopping them. After all, it's not that they have a choice. The city is a punishing place; you have to literally lose yourself to survive. It's no wonder criminals are so prevalent. But there are some who do it not for survival nor for self-sustenance.

That's my cue.

"Hun... Where are you taking me?"

"Hehe, just trust me alright... I know where we are going..."

"O-okay... But it's so dark in here... Are you really sure? I'm getting creeped out..."

"Don't worry honey... We're here!"

"Huh? Where? But it's all dark and -"

A scream. The shrill sound of an innocent life being defiled is to me an inexorable cry. Quickly I make my way through the maze of city walls. Each daring leap, each dangerous step brings me closer to the source of the sound. I care not if I fall or if I trip; life must be protected at all costs.

I do the city a favor by being its guardian of life.

I can feel that I'm almost there. The smell of life being crushed is getting stronger and stronger. I draw my staff for the judgement that lay ahead; whoever is doing this will most definitely get his or her just desserts. No one has ever the right to defile and destroy life-

Wait, what just happened? The sound... It's... Gone...

I stood frozen for a short while. My hair stood on end as I realized what just happened. The smell of life, both from the victim and the attacker are both gone. In it's place lie the cold emptiness of death. But I can't smell the trail of whoever did it, it's as if they both died just on their own. But somehow, I can sense the offender is still close by, very close by. Whoever or whatever is doing this... Is taunting me...

"Hello Riiya, it's been a while!"

That voice! I turned around to see where it was coming from.

"Did you miss us?"

It's unmistakable. Only those magically conscious can seal away their existence completely. And the way he did it, it's as if he knew me from long ago. He masked his existence in such a way that I will recognize it but only ever so subtly; with such a terrifying aura too.

He extended his hand towards me.

"Come now, White Wolf, Mistress Chacha would be very pleased!"

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Orange world

"May I be excused?"

Mom did not even budge. Both she and dad were eating dinner. I wasn't really that hungry, and I had something else to do.

Quietly I slipped out of their sight and went away.

The elevator door opened to reveal a strange world.

"At seven in the evening sharp okay? Don't forget." that was what he said.

Noiselessly I walked past the protocol lobby clerk. These days, PLC's don't really do much. Things would have been different just a year ago. Everybody who entered or left must go through at least three PLC's before they could successfully pass. Now, you just walk past them without them even batting an eyelash.

The world outside was steeped in vivid yellow and orange, as if stuck in perpetual sunset. As I stepped out of the building, I can spy for miles on end endless roads going nowhere in particular. Building walls glowing in shades of yellow, red and orange adorn the roadsides. I wonder how many of them are real?

Across the corner would be the intended meeting place. I had very fond memories of that place; that was the place where we first met! It was also the place where we would always agree to meet, and always at seven in the evening sharp. We would share some fond memories there: the first time I held his hand, the first time we watched the perpetually setting sun aimlessly, our first hug, our first kiss. If there was one place on Earth where I would like to be, that place would be it.

We would often meet every other day, sometimes skipping a day or sometimes meeting two consecutive days. He would almost always initiate the former while I would initiate the latter. You can say I just can't get enough of him really, every moment I spend with him was truly enjoyable. Of course he would leave at eight P.M. sharp, I dread the hour but what can I do?

Slowly I made my way across the bright orange streets, walking past empty building facades and virtuals. You can tell real humans from virtuals by the unique tags they are wearing. Each one is marked with a number unique to the human. Virtuals are merely empty shells created for the humans of this world: doing labor, calling attention, sometimes even becoming their partners. While I always laugh at people with a virtual hanging on their arms like a real person, I guess some people are just not that gifted with attracting mates. Not like him I guess.

Still, even with the tags on, its often very hard to distinguish people from people. Humans can change their appearance anytime they want. They can change their clothes, shoes, accessories, faces, bodies; their limited to just their imagination to use the cliche. As for me, I just go as myself, I don't really mind being myself here.

From where I am right now, I can see the orange sun that gives the world its distinctive red orange glow. I don't know who wished for it to be this way, but it sure is beautiful. It's an acquired taste though, so it's not like everybody likes it this way.

"Hi! How are you?" chimed a familiar female voice.

"Oh, I was just about to meet him, you know, the usual." I cheerfully replied.

"I see, well take care then! Be careful around him though, who knows what he might do to someone like you!"

"It's not like he's like that, and besides, it's not like I don't want him to do anything" I laughed.

After the customary goodbyes, I continued my walk to that place. People and virtuals pass me by, some of them unique, most of them funny. I walked past a couple of girls making out in a corner, a guy clinging to another guy. There was a mother and son couple who seem to be getting a little too intimate with how they hold each other's hands and how they exchange glances every now and then. I saw people in extravagant clothes, clothes no one in their right minds would wear. Every possible combination of people, fashion and relationships can be found in this world, and I have not even mentioned rule 34.

No sooner had I started walking when I got to where he told me to meet up with him. I was about to sit where I used to sit, but I decided to give him a little surprise. The cafe where we were supposed to meet had low walls with a few plants on top, obviously wake. I figured I'd wait and hide behind one of those low walls and give him a surprise hug grope.

Excitedly, I snuck behind one of the low walls and waited. It was six fifty five, five minutes and he'd be here. Peeking only ever so slightly, I waited for his arrival.

Ten minutes later and still he wasn't there. I thought maybe he was just late, probably something happened that held him up for some time. Still, I decided to give him more time, and the thought of his surprised face still made me tingle a little bit.

Fifteen minutes later and the tingling feeling was gone. It's annoying when people hold you up for long, but well, something big must have been up. I left the place where I was hiding and proceeded to walk aimlessly out of the cafe after paying the kind waiter who had been entertaining me with light banter every time he passes by my little hiding place.

I sat on one of the hand railings beside a road crossing, surveying the walkways around for any signs of him. The railing where I sat wasn't that much too far from the cafe and it gives me a good vantage point. Wherever he may be coming from, I can see perfectly from where I am sitting.

It was a good five minutes when I saw a familiar person walking. He wasn't wearing his usual clothes, and he looked slightly different, but I knew it was him. No matter how much people try to hide their identities here, some mannerisms are really hard to get rid off. I stood up to meet him, he would probably be surprised I knew who he was. What I saw next though made me stop dead on my tracks.

There was a girl. Clinging to him.

I can't tell if she's a human or a virtual. I really didn't care either which way.

And to make it worse, they...

Kissed.

And the world stopped right there.

I could hear my mom's voice repeatedly calling my name, I wonder why...

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Closer (a conversation with myself from a time long gone)

I can't believe it

Me neither, who knew it'd come to this?

How far we've come

Five years is not a short time

How close we are

We've known each other more since then...

With each passing moment

It had been so long, and still we count in moments

With each daring step

I made a lot of mistakes from then

We take on destiny

No, it's no longer destiny. It's providence.

With each push of will

Will alone cannot account for it, it's because we still choose to be

We traverse an everlasting journey

I was naive... But I still pray our journey together would last a lifetime

Fighting the urge to stop

Yes, there had been times, but I regret each one of them

Battling the will to give up

Each painful sin I commit, each offense I inadvertently did...

Unleashing all energies

I ask you for forgiveness, I know I've been unreasonable

Exhausting all available means

I tried as hard as I could, I really only wanted you to feel

But it doesn't matter

It does. The difficulties we faced, the hardships we endured

I don't care how hard

I still do not care

For us to be closer

For us to be closer

I'd give everything up

Everything is a heavy word...

Everything up...

Everything is not enough anyway, to express how I truly feel inside

Five years have passed. You've changed, I changed. The relationship we shared have changed. Still, three words would never change. And you know very well those three words.

I love you.

And I still do, and if you allow me, I would even more...

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Closer

I can't believe it

How far we've come

How close we are

With each passing moment

With each daring step

We take on destiny

With each push of will

We traverse an everlasting journey

Fighting the urge to stop

Battling the will to give up

Unleashing all energies

Exhausting all available means

But it doesn't matter

I don't care how hard

For us to be closer

I'd give everything up

Everything up...

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Then till now

"Must you be always so disagreeable?" he asks.

"You're the one disagreeing with me!" she claims.

"Geez..."

At least there was one thing they had agreed about.

"So you're not even gonna apologize huh?" he quips.

"Of course! What's there to apologize about?!? Shouldn't you be the one apologizing?" she retorts.

"Fine fine fine, geez... But I won't apologize, why should I?"

"Okay then, don't apologize. You and your stupid pride..."

You might be wondering, what was it that they had agreed about?

"Look who's taking now!" he answered in disgust.

"Oh please, will you just shut up?" she replied.

Well, in truth, it's really hard to believe really. Even if I tell you, you wouldn't believe it at all.

"Fine then! I will!"

"You better do ass-face, quiet is better than hearing your pathetic whining!"

It was about, well, maybe one year ago. Prior to that, well, let's just say they've been like this for the rest of there short lives. Eighteen years to be exact.

"Oh will you just shut up too, nagger-pants!"

"So now you're name calling clever-ass, why don't we just change your name to whiny while you're at it!"

One year ago, they both found themselves stranded in their school. It was raining hard, the sky was dark and all the buses home have left for their their first rounds. Serendipitously, they both ended up being last in line for their own bus services home.

"Nagger!"

"Whiny!"

They both had to wait for the next round of buses to arrive. Since it was raining really hard, commuting home wasn't a possibility. I know, I know, it was the perfect stage for some romantic lovey-dovey, maybe even steamy hot you know what. Well, yeah, you can say it was and even stereotypically so, but you might have forgotten who we are talking about here.

"Witch!"

"Ass-face!"

Yes. So what happened then? Did they just serendipitously parted ways too? Quite the contrary actually. And no, there wasn't any steamy hot you know what either. Things still got steamy though; at least their heads were.

"Oh would you just pipe down lady, this is getting too old."

"Then for once in your life, just swallow up your damn pride and apologize!"

It was the same, then till now.

"Fine fine, I apologize, are you happy now?"

"Hmph!"

"What did I do now?"

"HMPH!"

Still dreadfully, delightfully the same, then till now.

"Fine, I apologize, seriously."

"I'm sorry too."

Do I have to repeat myself? Then till now!

"Geez, this again? Come here you!"

"Hey!"

Then till now!

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Simply because

The heart of mine might be weak
But the love it gives is strong
That when we part or you're away
For your soul it misses, it longs

I had wished for us to be as one
Till the day my flesh lasts alive
It was folly to think, naive even
That I thought without you I won't survive

It's true perhaps, my heart is frail
That when you're gone I'm as in death
But I found it isn't true, merely an illusion
I've created, for my own continued breath

It was an excess of human love
That my heart had come to express
I boxed you in, trapped you shut
And forced myself in excess

I feared you'd be gone, you'd fly away
One of the only true family I've found
I treasured you, held you tight
But in the end, I only got you bound

Please do not think I'm in regret
That my life I lived for you alone
But now I'm wiser, I have thought more
And now I'm but no longer forlorn

For in human love I found one stronger
A perfect love that isn't mine
And this I give to you, with devotion true
Love that is patterned from the divine

A patient love, a kind love, a love that never envies
Nor does it boast, nor is it proud, nor rude or close to anger
A love that isn't self seeking nor remembers any fault
One that rejoices in truth and in evil it does not wander

A love that will forever protect
A love that will always persevere
A love that lasts and will always be true
A love that had never known failure

It's hard, be it so, it still stings a little
But obsession stepping into foolishness is not love
And though I may make the same mistakes from before
I'll try and promise to root my love from up above

If this all statements pressure you
I beg of you, just please be still
Don't worry, I ask you not to reciprocate
Just do things as you will

Because for you I will always be waiting
With a patient heart, be it weak
But the love it gives for you is strong
It's still more than I can speak

Just that today I think true love I've known
Though I can't deny I might still be lacking
But nonetheless, I still give to you my all
Just shut up and keep on living

For I told you before, still I'm telling you now
And I will always be telling you so
Be in proficiency and kind it had evolved;
Not a measure will it change

I love you dearest, I love you true
And till I can, my frail heart will always be for you

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Prologue

While the city sleeps, the wolf watches.

He stands guard amongst the tall spires and high towers, watching vigilantly as life slept below. With the moon as his only companion, he watches over the thankless world. Patiently he'd scan the horizon, observing intently every motion, every disturbance in the city below. Nothing escapes his senses. And when he finds something amiss, nothing escapes his claws.

His shiny blue hair contrasts against the darkness of the night; he covers it so he wont be noticed. If he passes by you, you're lucky to even see his shadow; no one has ever seen him. Very few acknowledged his existence anyway; to the waking world he is nothing more than a night-time shiver. He changes forms as he sees fit, man or wolf. He was from a clan of werewolves after all.

And when the day breaks, he leaves.

He once lived in a place of happiness. There, he enjoyed the companionship of his friends, his little so-called family. He never knew of his mother or father; he grew up an orphan, being taken care of by the most powerful wizard the world has ever seen. He would play everyday with his small group of rather clueless friends: a young witch in a red cowl and a young wizard under the tutelage of his caretaker's rival. He would go on adventures with them, strengthening their bonds and making them really close friends. He loved every minute of it.

But happiness cannot be forever. As they grew more mature, the young witch and wizard grew closer and closer together. He sensed he was becoming a third wheel, but the couple wouldn't want to push him away. So he hanged out with them still, going in lesser and lesser adventures as the couple furthered their magical arts, and their relationship. There was awkwardness of course, but they kept reassuring him that it was OK, he would always be their friend. They didn't know for him it was more than awkwardness, it was heartbreak.

With a broken heart he trudged on. He joined the couple wherever they went, loving their company but growing ever more distant. The couple fell so much into each other, it began to irritate him. So the white wolf moved on, accepting the fact that their group would never be the same.

Then one day, darkness struck.

The first wave came in the form of the disappearance of his caretaker. Nobody knew where he went, not even his rival turned wife. It came as a surprise to him and to the rest of the people who knew and recognized the power of his caretaker. Some asked "Why would he leave? He was very happy here?" Others asked "Who could have done this to him? How could anyone match his peerless wizardry?" The latter were the wiser.

To this day, no one can answer those questions.

But perhaps his so-called friends knew. A few days later they too disappeared without a trace. This was the second wave of darkness and confusion for him. His lupine senses told him something was up, yet his conscience could not accept what it was telling him. Racked with emotional pressure, he left Mochi mochi.

He left his home.

He took residence in a nearby city, adopting it as his new home. He never grew any new emotional attachments, not even to his new city home. He took on the role of protector, as a distraction more than as a commitment. Thus begins his story, my story.

I am Riiya, the White Wolf.

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Fiona Clyde

"Come on... Come on..." mumbled the sniper. Not too far, wild applause and uproar filled the open stadium.

"...And so I present our beacon of hope, the stalwart of peace and the light of our futures and the future of communism, Kayne Obama!"

"I see you know bi-"

The sniper did not even get the chance to put his finger on the trigger.

"Sir, the target has been taken care of. Mission accomplished" spoke Shawn through the intercom. Not so far away, Martin, assuming the role of Overseer, had a sigh of relief.

"Good, now you have 30 seconds to get your ass back here before I kick it. You obviously did not read the manual." shouted Martin.

"Okay, okay, sheesh. I already told you if the manual hadn't been long..."

"Yada yada, just get your ass back here. We have to get back soon or else the chrono plane would become unstable and God knows what would happen to us."

Chrono-folding is not without flaws. By sending something or someone back in time, it creates a something out of nothing effect. Matter cannot be created nor completely destroyed; it can only be transformed into energy. As the famous equation of Einstein puts it, energy produced by transforming matter is equal to the mass of the matter in question multiplied by the square of the speed of light; the inverse had also been proven to be true. This means that at any point in time, there exists a finite and unchanging amount of energy and matter; disturbing this could lead to catastrophic circumstances.

The chrono plane tries to remain stable even after infractions on it have occurred. This is the reason why changing something in the past would not have very major consequences in the present, depending of course on the amount and time of infraction. If a significant amount of matter is introduced anytime where it shouldn't be, the chrono plane tries to adapt by converting matter into energy, an effect known as the Tristan's effect named after its discoverer, chronologist Marco Tristan. Energy doesn't take up space like matter does, and so causes the conversion.

This conversion though leads to more instability, and even more conversion; the longer the foreign matter remains displaced in time, the more matter is converted to energy in the chrono plane's desperate attempt to remain stable. By Einstein's equation, this conversion could result in cataclysmic explosions of energy, although often it's too far away in space to be felt in any degree. Cosmic phenomenon like supernovaes and black holes had been attributed to the Tristan effect, but nobody knows for sure.

"Yo Shawn, what happened to your mission? You got kicked in the ass again haven't you?" Jonathan sneered as he sat down beside Shawn.

"Fuck off assface" Shawn replied, stuffing a mouthful of burger into his mouth.

"No seriously man, you should be more responsible about your duties as part of Chronos. It's not everyday a man jumps back in time you know..."

"Eh, I know... It's just that, I dunno... I'm probably just tired of the constant drills..." said Shawn.

"Tell me about it. But you shouldn't be getting too much of those, I mean, it's not like there had been many missions recently, right?"

"Whatever... I still don't have the drive anymore... I don't know really..."

Shawn took another mouthful of burger, Jonathan sipped from his cup of sparkling water.

"Hey man, is this about Fiona?" Jonathan said, trying to comfort Shawn.

"What?!? Now where did you get that idea?" exclaimed Shawn, knocking Jonathan off his seat and spilling his food all over him.

Fiona Clyde was the youngest High Captain General in the entire military. She was also a favorite contender to the position of High General in Command, the highest position in the hierarchy of Chronos. She excels in everything she does, from History to Time and Space studies; she knows the ins and outs of chrono-folding and the principles and theories behind the chrono plane. Plus she's terribly good looking.

She's graduated from the same school as Shawn and was a year his senior. She was a year younger though, because she was accelerated twice, first in Lower Education Level 4 then in Higher Education Level 3 from the Unified Education System. She was 20 when she graduated Advanced Education; it has been 5 years now since she entered the Chronos Division. She flew her way through the ranks, getting promotion after promotion. And it wasn't over yet.

"Speaking of Fiona, any news about her?" asked Shawn, food in his mouth.

"First you knock me off the chair when I reminded you of her, now you ask me how she's doing?" complained Jonathan.

Shawn simply stared at him.

"Fine... The higher ups are formalizing her promotion. Won't be soon they say before she becomes GC. The election process they say is only a formality now..."

"I see... Wow... To think she entered the division only a year before us..."

"I don't really think about it. I'm just glad I became part of this division. Keeps bread on the table, and its kinda fun at times too."

Fiona Clyde was rumored to be backed by currently the strongest party in the United Congress, the Naturalists. Since they were given representation in the United Congress, they have slowly amassed power and wealth. It has been said that if you seek election into the United Government, whether as a lowly Regions Governor or as the Supreme Sovereign, all you need is backing from the Naturalists.

It wasn't unnatural though for people like Fiona to rise through the ranks quickly. In previous years, similar incidents have happened where people fresh from graduation acquire notable and powerful positions in the United Government. By the turn of the century, it wasn't too uncommon to see a 20 something High Senate Representative, or a 30 something Supreme Sovereign. There seems to be a clamor for younger, more blue-blooded individuals to take up powerful offices, probably in the hopes of ending corruption. It's still not the norm though, but Fiona certainly wasn't an exception.

"Hey man, I better go, still got 'missions' in the morning, if you know what I mean. You better take a rest too, and begin thinking about taking the division seriously" Jonathan reminded Shawn.

"Yeah, says the guy who has 'missions' in the morning" Shawn objected.

Jonathan and Shawn deposited their food trays into the conveyor and parted ways as they headed for their bunks.

Shawn plunked immediately on his bed and picked up his kinetic phone, spinning it a few times before dialing a familiar number. An answering machine picked up on the other side.

"Hello... This is Shawn, if ever you're there, please call me back."

He didn't hang up for a while, thinking of something else to say. Then unexpectedly, a female voice answered.

"Shawn, it's me. I'm sorry if I haven't been answering you back, it's complicated. Anyway, for your sake and for mine, I'm really sorry but please..."

There was a short pause.

"Please..."

"... Don't call me anymore."

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Chronos division

"So tell me again, why are we doing this?" Shawn asked, hustling to catch up with his mentor.

Martin eyed him, half-irritated.

"Didn't you read the manual before you went here? It's part of a Chronos Division's responsibility to do that you know?"

"Well, if the manual weren't so long then maybe I could get to reading them..." Shawn complained.

Chronos Division is part of the United Government's military, directly under the Armed Guards. Members of this division are tasked to correct errors in the time line, caused by the tampering of previous generations.

"Fine... I wonder how you could not read the manual and still manage to be part of this division..." Martin said, obviously exasperated at the ignorance of his pupil.

Each year, the Chronos Division recruits fresh graduates from various academies that have shown proficiency in Time and History studies. It's of utmost importance that recruits know history like that back of their hand. One false move could mean the failure of a mission; an unwanted alteration in history that could call for numerous additional missions, which means additional unwanted expense.

"The first time Chrono-folding was achieved, our ancestors were of course very excited, so excited that they began causing alterations in the time line. But contrary to pop knowledge in that era, 'tampering with the time line' doesn't really cause much of a difference to how time flows..."

Chrono-folding is term coined in the early part of the 21st century. It's a fancy term for time travel, but not completely unfounded. Chrono-folding is done by literary bending the so-called "time-space continuum", or the "Chrono plane". Time and space had always been conventionally considered four dimensional: the first three dimensions (i.e. height, width and depth) serve to define space, and the fourth dimension (time) serves to define the constant passing of moments.

By the turn of the decade though, chronologists (scientists who study time) began to think of time and space as a plane; a 2-dimensional plane similar to a movie reel. It wasn't long before a team chronologists in the Integrated University of New Harvard were able to literally bend this 2-dimensional plane, which then became know as the Chrono plane. They did it by shooting photons at a target exponentially faster than the speed of light. This causes a phenomenon similar to the sonic boom, called the "phosphic boom". The tremendous amount of explosive energy forces the chrono plane to warp and fold, sending the target back into time. The energy and speed of the photons determine how far back in time the target would be sent to.

"... The chrono plane is immensely vast and the current by which it moves is extremely strong. 'Tampering' with it would be similar to dipping your finger into the ocean and watching the ripples flow. Sooner or later, something would replace whatever event that was "tampered" with, which means history would remain relatively unaltered." explained Martin.

"Wait, you mean even if we did things in the past to "alter" history, aside from probably a change in surname, nothing really large would change?" asked Shawn.

"No." answered Martin.

"So the grandfather anomaly is..." Shawn continued.

"Bullshit..." Martin interjected.

After chronologists were able to successfully develop Chrono-folding technology, it was of course natural for them to send people back into time. The first Chrono-walkers were uncertain about how "tampering" with space and time would affect history at large. They performed "controlled" experiments on history, going even as far as slaughtering lab animals to see whether the grandfather anomaly and other anomalies like it were real. They discovered that the further you travel back in time, the lesser of an effect tampering with something would have.

Suppose somebody kills on of your distant ancestors. Chances are you would still be born, with the same parents, same physical characteristics, and even lead the same life. Somebody would replace the killed ancestor, and the effect of the replacement would mitigate in due time. This is opposed to killing, say, a parent. There is still a chance you would be born, but from a different parent. Your appearance could remain unaltered and you could still live a relatively unchanged life, but there is also a chance you would never be born at all.

"So why then are we still chrono-folding if we aren't even going to be able to change anything that much?" asked Shawn.

"Well, for one, our ancestors did so many alterations into the past. Experiment after experiment made the public more and more uneasy about chrono-folding. Soon, the public uproar was on such a high level that chronologists were forced to perform experiments underground. For a while all seemed well, until somebody leaked information to the public about the underground experimentations. Feeding on the rage of the people, opposition politicians began including 'Stop chrono-experimentations' as part of their propaganda..."

In the middle of the 22nd century, an opposition candidate was sworn into the highest office of the United Government, the Supreme Sovereign of the Flags or Supreme Sovereign for short. And of course, part of her platform was to outlaw chrono-experimentation for good. This was not enough however to quell the public. A group, calling themselves the "Naturalists" began heckling the government to perform counter-measures to correct the "unnaturalism" caused by chrono-experimentation.

The Naturalists were at first ignored by the United Government. For them, sending people back in time to correct the mistakes were a waste of money; sending a single person to a two-way trip back in time through chrono-folding costs millions, especially since the technology to chrono-fold had to be carried back in time with the chrono-walkers.

This all changed when a string of skyscraper bombings and hostage takings were performed by the New Army, the militaristic wing of the Naturalists. The current supreme sovereign was impeached; her Vice Sovereign being sworn into office in lieu of her. He played to the whims of the Naturalists, even giving them a seat in the United Congress of Flag Representatives. And as part of the administrative switch, the Chronos Division was organized.

"I see..." said Shawn in a partly convinced, partly dubious tone.

The elevator door opened as they walked in. It would take about five minutes to get to the 35th level deep underground, where chrono-folding missions were briefed and held.

As the elevator door closed, Shawn asked something that caught Martin off-guard.

"So, if we are part of the 'unnaturalism' caused by previous chrono-foldings, and as such have no knowledge whatsoever of how things should've gone given that no previous chrono-foldings were performed; how then could we know how things should've naturally proceeded? Who calls the shots?"

For a few minutes, only the silent hum of the elevator could be heard. Shawn patiently waited for the answer as the elevator went further and further underground.

Just as the elevator door was about to open, Martin answered in a hushed, equally perplexed tone:

"It's... Classified..."

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The knife, the sword, the throne and the cross

The tunnel was dark and the corners were blind. I didn’t know where I was, nor did I know where I was heading. All I know is that I’m heading somewhere; expecting something that I feel very familiar yet escapes me at the same time.

The floors were damp, the air humid. With each corner turn, I feel myself going deeper and deeper into a maze I desperately try to find my bearings in. I struggle to know where I am – the place looks so familiar, like I have always been here. And yet, no matter how much I try to find out, the thoughts just muddle themselves all on their own. It feels like the more I try to find out where I was, the more I block my memory of the place. But amidst all this, every footstep sure, every footstep leading me to one sure destination.

The tunnel began to widen as I continued to tread along. The air suddenly felt cool, a slow steady breeze blowing towards me. It wasn’t long till I found myself inside a huge chamber that stretched seemingly infinitely in all directions and yet it still felt closed, bounded by walls I cannot see but I know exists. Light channeled from crags on the invisible ceiling, shining like soft fabric stretched from the ground to nowhere. The floor was damp, somewhere out in the distance I can hear what seemed like a small stream trickling.

“My guest has arrived.”

I instantly recognized the voice – there was no mistaken it. It was mine, but it did not come from me.

“Ah, a knife. A knife symbolizes hatred… Contempt… An attempt to appear courageous amidst adversity while inside you, you know you’re trembling. You’re no stranger to fear, but still you act courageous.”

A knife was in my hand. I did not know where it came from, I couldn’t even remember if I wasn’t carrying one in the first place. But now it was, and the hand that holds it was trembling.

“See? You tremble. You mask your fear with courage, yet within you, you are taken by fear. You do not have to be afraid of me you know…” the voice taunted.

I gripped the knife to stop myself from trembling, scanning the chamber for where the voice came from.

“I’m here…” he said knowingly.

As my eyes got accustomed to the low light, I begin to make out a silhouette not so far away. It was of a man standing in front of a throne. I can’t make out how he looked like but he seemed to be no different in height or form to me. He looked like he was wearing some form of cloak, which appeared to be parted neatly to his left side.

He took a few steps, moving closer into one of the light rays. I recognized his face instantly.

“There, is that better? Can you see me clearly now?” he said grinning.

I turned and faced him.

“I’m you! Well, I’m not really you, I’m what you can say the potential you. I’m everything you could be, everything you could possibly achieve. You can say I’m the perfect you, the ideal you. Genius beyond compare, good physique; I’m all you ever wanted to be. All you’d never ever be…” he chuckled.

Inside me, I felt anger swell up; anger I’ve never felt, anger I never knew I would ever feel. The knife in my hand felt more a part of me. It’s handle felt more comfortable in my hand, like it was really meant to be there, meant to sink into flesh and gouge out ribbons of blood.

“Ha, cute. You want to kill me now? Go ahead and try! You can never get rid of me, I’m a part of you! A part of you you’d never be able to reach. Come on, face the facts! You are never ever going to be like me! No matter how much you try, you can never be able to be what I am and yet you would never be able to get rid of me. You want me, you want to be like me, so you hold on to whatever hope you have and try all your hardest but in the end, you fail horribly.”

I felt my heart sink. The knife in my hand disintegrated, turned into dust and disappeared.

“See? Haha, I am you’re ambition, a hurdle you’d never ever be able to reach. You would try and try and try until you’re consumed by me. You’re desire to be like me would eat you, gnaw unto your very life. You would begin to hurt others, shove everybody away from you. You’re desire to be like me would burn you slowly away until you’re nothing more than dust, just like you’re measly courage… Why don’t we just speed things up and face the inevitable? It would be so much less painful…”

A sword materialized in his hand. It’s blade glinted so beautifully in the light, encrusted in gems and precious stones yet sharp as razor. He held the blade close to his face.

“You’ve seen a rapier before haven’t you? Did you know that although rapiers were the favorite dress weapon, it still took many lives in the days when it was in service? It’s tip is so well suited to thrusting, I can send it through your heart like you were made of paper…”

He snapped his sword forward, feinting a thrust into my heart.

“So, are you ready to accept your fate?”

My knees buckled. My death was right in front of me but it felt so right. If ambition would only cause me to hurt others then maybe… Maybe death was the right way…

He drew his sword back, ran at me, lunging and thrusting his sword straight at me in one smooth graceful motion; one I could only imagine I would be doing.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I said as I pulled my knee from his gut. “I’ve had enough of you.”

He fell to the ground, doubling over from the knee I landed squarely on his stomach.

“You’ve poisoned my mind long enough. Let the world do as it pleases. I have my own path now, and you are not part of it.”

Like the knife, he disintegrated into dust and disappeared. I sat on his throne – my throne. I felt my chest and felt at ease.

“Thank you” I said, as I held the cross hanging from my neck.

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Vis (part 2 of 2)

Vithia is no longer. Now there is only Grixis.

Now there is only undeath.

The fear the living has to bear grows and grows with each lost life; and as vis weakens, so too our ranks. The remaining life mages can only defend our strongholds with wards and repulsion magic, but in the absence of the mana of life, we can only delay the advance of this unstoppable epidemic.

“I am sorry sir, about the girl…”

“No. I was not strong enough. I could have saved her if we only had access to the mana of life…”

“We all know how futile are efforts are si-”

“Do not say that! We may be fighting a losing battle, but you as well as I know that this is a battle we chose to fight. We have sworn ourselves as guardians of whatever vis has been left. We as life mages are duty bound to protect whatever life is left in Sedraxis…”

“I am deeply sorry sir…”

“No, I understand, the weight of our duty is… Overwhelming”

“Sir, I have to tell you something… I must take my leave… For good sir… My family needs me; my heart is not… as strong as yours sir. I am deeply sorry.”

“My child, its difficult – almost impossible even – to bear the responsibilities of a life mage. It takes a noble heart and an unwavering courage. I do not blame you for your lack of strength; and I am not stopping you from leaving… Go, may good fortune be with you and your family…”

He didn’t have a family.

But I do not blame him for lying, for finding a way out. The weight we life mages bear on our shoulders is unimaginable. Undeath spreads exponentially while we work round the clock to suppress it using the only mana we have available. Cases like him isn’t new and isn’t uncommon.

We life mages constantly fight the urge to quit our cause; to give up, leave our mission behind and run. Or worse, turn over and submit to our enemies, joining them in their vile necromancy.

Suddenly, a light…

My psyche instantly attuned itself to the sudden outpouring of vis energy, my dying soul feeding, devouring it all. My legs moved on its own, following the source of this mysterious energy. Before I realized it, I was standing in front of a visage of awe.

He stared into my eyes; the fierce eyes of a hunter. He carries with him a twin headed axe, wielding it proudly in front of his chest. His head resembled that of a leotau, although I have never seen one as alive. His body frame bursts of untethered life and will. I hesitantly broke the silence.

“Sir… Tell me… Who are you? How are you… Where are you drawing this much mana? It’s so alien to me, yet it feels so… invigorating…”

“Human, I am Ajani. I am a planeswalker. From where I came, there is an abundance of this mana, the mana of the wild and the mana of life.”

Ajani? Planeswalker? Mana of the wild and mana of life?

“I have come here as a visitor, but I have an inkling I will not leave here alone…”

“Sir… From where you came… It’s hard to believe, but if it does truly exist, can I possibly draw this mana of life from there? My people… the remaining numbers in Sedraxis… long for this mana…”

“I assure you, my land exists. It exists outside your own, and yet it once existed as one with it. If your soul wants so bad to leave this place and seek out my land, you can go there. You yourself would be able to draw this mana, and possibly even call upon it in this death ridden plane…”

I can draw out mana of life? But to do that, I must leave Sedraxis?

I am a life mage, duty bound to protect whatever vis is left in my land. I have sworn to fight for this cause; I will not leave Sedraxis. But if what this… planeswalker says is true, I might find this mana of life and possibly save Sedraxis from the spreading undeath.

Sedraxis…

I have served my purpose here as a life mage… I do not wish to leave you behind, but…

Forgive me…

Someday, I will see you again…

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Vis (part 1 of 2)

“Quick, bring him into the healing pools…”

“Take him to the infirmary right now…”

“Help me! Anybody, please! Help me!”

Their shouts, the shouts of dying vis, is too hard, too painful to ignore.

People losing hope, losing life, surrendering life… Death rampant like an uncontrollable epidemic.

Screams, maddening screams of life sundering away, being consumed by horrors unimaginable.

If only we could do something. If only we could treat them all.

“Sir, we’ve got a patient awaiting your care. Other life mages are doing all they could to suppress the ebbing of vis, but its a losing battle. Sir, we really need your help.”

“Quick, take me to him now!”

This is one of the last bastions of life left alive. Others have mercilessly fallen to the uncontrollable hoard of undeath, constantly ebbing away at the life forces of our numbers in an unstoppable, exponential rate. We can only suppress them in vain. It’s painful to watch vis slip out of an innocent.

“My child, hold on…”

I took the child’s hand. His… Her… body has been reduced to a skeletal state, you can barely tell he or she was once human, or was once alive. The young innocent floated in one of our suppression pools, pure sources of the mana we have closest to that of life and healing. It’s below par, but its the only option we’ve got.

I rushed in beside the pool. The pool was filled with fresh water from an aquifer. Soon it too would drain up, and we have to find new source of mana to fuel our healings, or more aptly, suppressions. After a suppression has been done, the water that once filled the suppression pool would be so contaminated with death, it can no longer be used. This only adds to the gravity of the battle we cannot hope to win.

“Hold on my child”

A light blue glow emanated from my hands. I touched the child, channeling away undeath and holding back vis. She must survive…

The vis from her body was being pulled away, sucked out uncontrollably. I pressed my hand harder into her forehead, sending her into a fit of spasms. Her frail skeletal frame rocked violently, splashing water around her. Its as if undeath itself is fighting our efforts; and unfortunately, undeath is winning.

“My child, you will not die today!”

I pressed on harder, sealing off whatever vis she had left. She will survive this, she has too.

“Undeath, leave this innocent girl at once!”

Her frail frame jerked more violently than ever in all directions.

“My child, hold on! Be strong!”

Then she stopped moving.

I fell back first into the water, feeling part of my own vis draining away. At once I stepped away from the contaminated pool.

I drew as much pure blue mana from the pool, enough to allow me to check how much vis the young girl has left.

I turned my back. She was the fourth one today.

Sedraxis took another from our number. The land that once teemed with life now claimed one more.

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Ang kwento ni Florante Sibuyas

Si Florante Sibuyas ay isang malungkot na bata, emo sa makabagong salita.

Parati syang inaasar, pinagtatawanan at iniiwan ng kanyang mga kaibigan.

Sa paglalaro, s’ya parati ang huli, sa iskwela naman parating napagiiwanan.

Wala s’ya halos kaibigan, kaya ganun na lang ang lungkot n’ya.

Parati s’yang nagmumukmok, nagkukulong sa kwarto na nakakandado ang pinto.

Mahaba rin ang buhok nya, natatakpan pa ang isa n’yang mata.

Ganyan si Florante Sibuyas, isang emo na bata.

Pero masisisi mo ba si Florante Sibuyas? Ang baho nga naman daw ng pangalan n’ya.

Wala naman s’yang kaso sa Florante, yung apelydo nga lang daw nya eh!

Mabaho pa daw sa mabaho, as in parang pinagsakluban ng langit at ng mundo.

Pati mga bitwin sa langit nagtatago, s’ya rin siguro ang dahilan kaya may mga Solar Eclipse tayo.

“Hindi siguro ako magpapaka emo kung hindi lang sana Sibuyas nag apelydo ko” ani Sibuyas.

Kaya ganun na lang ang tuwa ni Sibuyas ng isang gabi, dinalaw s’ya ng isang fairy.

“Ako si Grasya Paraluman, at isa akong ilegal recruiter!”, sabi ng lalaki.

“Narinig ko ang kahilingan mo Sibuyas, kaya naman ipapadala kita ngaun sa Big Mansanas!”

“Saan po Kuya? Big Mansanas po Kuya? Saan po yun Kuya Grasya?”

“Gusto mong magahasa bata? Kung gusto mo pang mamaintain ang virginity mo, Ate, Ate Grasya!”

“Anyway Sibuyas, how would you like to change your life hmm? Malay mo, baka dun ka pa makahanap ng magandang wife!”

“Opo! Opo Kuya este Ate Grasya po pala! Sasama po ako sa inyo! Ayoko na dito!”

At ayun na nga. Sumama si Florante Sibuyas sa isang kidnapper na nagpapangap na ilegal recruiter.

Pero para kay Sibuyas, si Kuya, este, Ate Grasya ang hinihintay nyang himala…

At nang tumanda na si Florante, (mga eighteen years old, matanda na yun sa Amekrika eh)

Nagpalit sya ng pangalan, at ang buhay n’ya ay gumaan.

At makalipas ang ilan pang taon, binalikan nya ang bayan nya ng kahapon.

Pagtapak ng paa nya sa bansang sinilangan, sabay n’yang sinumbatan sa salitang dahuyan.

“Shame you mother country of my own, I never felt cared for at all!”

“In the Philippines, my name is felt with betrayal, in America, there I finded love!”

“And now, Florante Sibuyas is no more, I shall be called…”

“Fluorescent Bulb!!!”

- The End -

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Goodnight

To Lexan,

The days had been fun with you around. Gone were the days when I’d sit all alone in the park bench where I used to wait for my folks to pick me up. The days where I’d pore my nose on a book, acting like a total nerd. The days where I’d walk to school alone, with other students passing me by whispering among themselves in a language only they understood. I hated those days. It made me feel like all alone in my struggles. You know me, I’m not the type who’d talk to others and befriend them. I’m not exactly the social type…

But when you came into my life, you changed all that. The first time I saw you pass me by, it felt different. It felt great. It felt warm. When I see you walk passed me in the mornings, and then when I wait for you to go home, it made my day complete. It made my day worth living. It may seem like I’m blowing things out of proportion, but it’s very true! Without you knowing it, I might have… fallen in love with you…

I thought of you night and day, dreamed that one day you’d take notice. I’m not the prettiest of girls, and maybe I’m not your type. But still, I pray each night that at least our eyes would cross paths; just that and I’d be content. If only I could not be so shy when you are there, just maybe…

I love you Lexan, I would give the world to be with you. But every time I tried to make myself brave, each time I forced myself to swallow my fear and at least greet you with a smile, I failed. I failed horribly. I can only stare at you from afar, from a safe distance. Watch you walk, watch you smile, marvel at you, gave at you.

Only from afar can I dream that you and me were together. And then today came. I saw you. I swallowed all my fear, all my doubt. I swallowed all the negativity inside me, lifted my chin up and looked at you. How I wished now our glances would meet. How I wished for one moment I could smile and say hi. How I wished you’d look at me, just this one time.

And you did. With that girl tightly clutching your arm.

Good bye Lexan. Only in my dreams would I ever see you again, if I can dream wherever I’m going.

Bidding you goodnight,

Shiela

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Breaking waves

The sea waves crashing against the rocky shore, the breeze wafting cool against my skin, the sun hidden just right under a cloudy but not overcast sky; I really couldn’t care less.

But I do. I do care. Because 3000 miles into the sea, I know you’re there. Floating aimlessly on your self-made raft. You told me you wanted to rule the sea; it had been your dream, you said.

Idiot.

Why did you have to do that? Why did you have to let your selfish pride get the better of you? Were you not contented with our little strip of beach? Were you not contented with our simple lifestyle? Were you not contented… with me?

Did I not treat you nicely enough? Everything that made you smile I did. Everything. Every single thing.

That damned ambition of yours. Why couldn’t you just give it up? Isn’t it a lot easier if you just gave it all up? Did you really want to “conquer the sea” so badly? We could have been together if you didn’t!

We could have been together…

That day, when you took to the sea; nobody told me. Nobody knew, or at least that was what everybody told me. Liars. I know they were hiding the truth from me. I know they knew I would be sad if they told me. They knew it would hurt me a lot. At least they knew.

Did you?

That day, I was supposed to tell you… It was the day I had gathered up the courage. I was going to confess my feelings for you, hoping you’d sweep me off my feet and take me away, make me the happiest person alive. Did you know how much I valued you? Did you ever consider how much I liked you? Loved you?

But you didn’t know, did you?

The sea waves crashing against the rocky shore, the breeze wafting cool against my skin, the sun hidden just right under a cloudy but not overcast sky; I really couldn’t care less.

A voice out in the sea, a shout of excitement.

I stood up and gazed into the distance. That voice, that familiar voice, I know it couldn’t have come from anybody else…

First I saw the waves breaking.

Then I saw the raft.

Then I saw a dark figure standing on it. I couldn’t have mistaken; it was you!

You looked stupid waving frantically like that, but it didn’t matter.

You’re back!

You’re really back!

Then I saw somebody else. Somebody else on your self-made raft.

She took your hand… Kissed you in the cheek and waved like an idiot with you.

I knelt; looked down on what was once our rocky beach. Before my eyes, the waves were breaking.

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Disappearing Stars Level 0

I think saw one, through a clear patch of sky through a hole in the dome.

Were they called stars? I think that’s what the textbooks say. I mean, I haven’t seen one and really confirm it is one. Nobody knows anymore for sure, so I would suppose it was what I saw.

Let me describe it.

It was about half an inch wide in the sky, yeah, and it was glowing orange. It kind of made the dark sky look a little warm colored, though I am not even sure it was the ’sky’ I am seeing. It seemed so pretty right up there, and it seemed so high too.

No no no, I know it’s not the sun that I saw. I know the sun, its being reflected to level zero through the light shaft right? How should I say this. It was different from the sun that I see reflected on the dome. It’s not… flat… It looked as if though it was floating up on the sky.

How do I know it’s the ’sky’? I don’t know really… It’s one of the reasons I’m turning myself over to this unit. If there are people I know who can tell me, I think its you guys…

Sorry sir… Yes sir, understood sir…

Anyway sir, the sky that I saw, it was orange in color, I think it was because of that ’star’.

Yes sir, through a hole on the dome sir. I think it was from one of the breaches from level one. They have been pretty noisy these days sir.

Yes sir, I know its not part of my business sir, I apologize sir…

Yes sir, moving on. Before I saw the light sir, I was inside my shelter. Shelter number eight three one sir. I felt the ground shake and everything seemed to brighten up sir. It’s the reason why I decided to go out of my shelter sir. It was quite a deal actually sir, seeing as I’m disabled and this wheel chair unit is pretty old.

So I went out sir. As I said, I thought it was a breach on level one, then I looked up from the hole and saw the ’star’…

Yes sir, I think I remember seeing other levels sir. Aren’t they just part of level one sir? I mean, from what the scribes teach us, there are only two levels right? Level zero, our level, and level one right?

Sorry sir! I’m only recalling what the scribes taught us!

Yes sir, I would forget everything about it sir.

Yes sir, I did not see any star, or feel any quake or see any bright light. Yes sir, I did not see any hole. Yes sir, understood sir.

Yes sir, reporting out si-

- END OF RECORDING, AWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS -

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