Part 1

Emil and His Merry Friends

Chapter 1

The morning Emil woke up, he sensed something was wrong. Following his nature as a child, he cried until someone noticed and decided to help him. That was a year ago. Now, Emil was a proud six year-old with a hint of loneliness in his violet eyes. He started to live with Lukas's best friend, Tino Vaïnamoïnen in the cottage at the top of Cherry Hill. Of course, the neighbors helped the best they could. Only two people in the area, those who were the closest with the older brother, were informed about how to care for Emil the night he left.

Tino laughed as he heard the doorbell ring. "Oh Hana, don't be mean this time!" The young Finnish man grinned and picked his little white dog into his arms, opening the door with another hand. His delicate cottage was located on the top of a hill, with the fresh bread always in the oven. He smiled even more when he saw the familiar blue-eyed Lukas.

"Lukas! Why so late at the night? Would you like to talk over some tea?" Then he noticed the other man behind Lukas. "And who's this fellow? A new friend, perhaps?" Tino swung the door open fully and welcomed the two inside.

"The name is Mathias, Tino," Mathias beamed, an arm draping over Lukas's shoulder. "And I'm not just a friend! I'm his boyfriend!"

Tino beamed as well, while Hanatamago yipped happily. "Oh Lukas, it seems just like yesterday since you moved into the ruins! And here you are, with a boyfriend!" He squealed like the school girls from the private school on the East side of town. "Here I was thinking that you would remain lonely for most of your life!"

Lukas sighed and brushed his arm off. "Tino, there's something very important that we must talk about now," his eyes darkened and his lips pulled into the familiar thin frown. "I'm going with Mathias to a special University in another land… I've been accepted in… But Emil cannot come with me or Mathias." He grabbed the Finnish man's hands and sighed. "Can you take care of Emil? Please!" A wave of desperation crashed over the Norwegian immortal, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I beg of you Tino. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Lukas. He wouldn't want to leave Emil, but the city there is dangerous for a child his age."

The generous smile on Tino's face was enough for the two. The tea untouched along with the baked treats, Lukas and Mathias left without a trace.

"You didn't have to lie to leave for the Nowhere house, Lukas…" Tino sighed, Hanatamago sadly pawing the closed wooden door. "I already know your secret, along with Emil's true identity…"

Emil enjoyed Tino's company. The Fin was a gentle heart, who shared a similar loneliness of loss. Other than Tino, Emil had another dear friend who cared for him with much generosity. He was Berwald Oxenstierna, who was a single father of a young child a few years younger than Emil.

Berwald and Tino worked as a team to protect Emil. In exchange, Emil kept Hanatamago and Peter company when Berwald and Tino went out to buy something in the evening. Sometimes, Berwald and Tino would disappear with only a note saying they would be back soon.

No matter how kind Berwald and Tino were to him, and no matter how happy Emil was in the times shared with his new family, a huge piece of his heart was already gone, and still chipping away. Every dawn, he would wake up with tears in his eyes, already on his way to the ruins. He would sit by the lake behind the waterfall and weep for the loss of his brother. When he stopped crying, he would fall into the water and attempted to drown himself in his sorrows.

But on the sunny afternoons, the neighbors would visit him at the theatre, one at a time. There, Emil would listen to their sorrows as well. It was his gift. But everyone can listen, you may ask? Well, Emil was special. Even in his small life, he had experienced much more pain than anyone else in the area. Night after night, he would see visions of the people's sorrows. The morning after the visions, the person would wander in to his small room and spill their sadness until it was gone. Emil was that special child who could carry the sadness of the world itself.

One night, the day before his thirteenth birthday, a strange man about the age of twenty-one strolled into Tino's house and sat down beside Emil. He had thin rimmed glasses that were enhancing the brightness of the electric blue eyes. His warm sand hair was still unruly and spiked in several areas. He wore an expensive black coat adorned with shining gold buttons.

"Hey kid, wake up," Mathias whispered, shaking the silver haired boy awake. Outside, the stars shone brightly, the moon holding all the heavy burdens.

"Go away Peter, I'm trying to sleep…" the twelve-year old grumbled.

"Not Peter. I'm Mathias Andersen Kohler, and I will take you on an amazing adventure through the stars."

"Rubbish," Emil rubbed his eyes, sitting up.

"Anything but rubbish, dear Emil," Mathias lifted Emil with ease, opening the window to the balcony with his right hand. "Do you believe that anything is possible, Emil?"

The child thought for a moment, staring at the beautiful stars in the sky being reflected in the pools of Mathias's eyes.

"I believe that it is possible to see into the future," Emil murmured with a smile. Mathias grinned and stepped onto the edge of the balcony before jumping off and starting to fly with the child in his arms.

"Tonight, my early gift to you, dear Emil, is to show you the future!" He spun around happily until the child felt dizzy enough to rest his head on his shoulder.

The Danish man seemed to step on air itself, staring at the dazzling city below. From up here, Emil could see the ruins, the waterfall, the meadow, the homes of his neighbors and children dancing in the streets. However, the farther they travelled upwards in the sky, the darker and dirtier everything seemed to grow. Soon, the children were running with fear from the grim faced soldiers marching through the streets.

The grin fading into a deep frown, Mathias continued upwards. Eyes began to flood with tears as people were shot down and homes being wrecked. Soon enough, the town was filled with beggars who were kicked mercilessly and soldiers of foreign tongue. However, there was one child who seemed to be the most important to the terrible soldiers. A silver haired boy sprinted through the streets on the North side of town, stumbling over pebbles and the limbs of limp homeless people as hundreds of soldiers chased him.

"That's me…" Emil murmured, recognizing through the soot, the creamy skin and vibrant purple eyes. He swallowed hard, watching his future play before his eyes. Mathias was silent for once, carrying the quietly crying child as gently as he could.

Tino walked into Emil's room with a cup of warm milk with honey. "Emil? I heard some noise and I thought you couldn't sleep so I brought you—" The small mug shattered on the floor as the cool breeze flooded into the room through the open window. From afar, Tino could see two figures in the sky, one small and another big and strong.

"No…" Tino stumbled to the balcony. "Mathias, don't do this now! He's not ready to face the future!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, waking Peter and Berwald from the other room.

Mathias saw Tino scream from below. Realizing he's been found, he sped up, trying to show Emil the most he could before Berwald appeared and tore the child from his arms.

Emil was now sobbing. The future showed his loved ones dying in the meadow. Their blood staining the pink and blue flowers, the soldiers stood behind a tall, gruesome man with his blond hair slicked back under his military green cap.

"Stop!" Emil shouted to below, hoping that the leader would stop. Only one person left, with the kindest smile ever. The Finnish man's light blond hair was yanked harshly by the leader. Inaudible words and then an echoing gun shot, the smile still retained, mouthing the words, "Find Hana."

"Find Hana…" Emil thought to himself. His hands gripped at Mathias's shirt. "Please stop, Mathias… I have seen enough."

Mathias nodded and sat down mid-air. "Emil, you must know the reason why I'm showing you all of this…" Emil was silent, staring at the stars above, wrapping Mathias's arms around him for warmth and comfort.

"There's a reason why those soldiers will chase you. You're different from everyone else. You will not be convinced by their terrible words. You listen to others and share sadness. To them, emotions mean nothing to them. Their hearts are stone cold and their blood runs an icy blue."

Berwald rushed to the balcony and jumped off as well, heading towards Mathias at surprising speed. "Don't tell him now! He's too young!" The Swede's face darkened as he saw Emil's tears and Mathias speaking the truth.

Emil saw Berwald and waved, shyly.

Mathias continued to speak. Then as Berwald came near, he whispered into Emil's ear and smiled before kissing the child's forehead.

"Mathias, get out of here. You're not welcome in this place anymore."

"Berwald, come with me. With Tino. The other seven are already there. Even Lukas."

Emil froze as that last name ran down his spine. "Lukas…" He grabbed Mathias's necktie and yanked it hard. "My brother! Where is he?"

Easily, Mathias pulled Emil off and handed him to Berwald. "Remember Emil, don't get your personal feelings involved in this war until necessary."

Leaving the other two in the night sky, Mathias winked and suddenly dropped towards the Earth. Right before he landed and possibly died, he disappeared into dust.

"Ignore everything he told you… He's a dirty liar and he's never supposed to go near you ever again."

Of course. Everyone's a liar. Even you, Berwald.