Chapter Six

We left the cart as we exit the west wing of the mall. And Calvary begins.

"You carry your own burdens kids, don't let me do all the hard work here okay?" She's pertaining to the boxes that weigh about thirty kilos each. One box is approximately double my own weight. How am I supposed to carry a thing that is almost double my own weight? I may be stronger than any kid at my age or any normal kid at Threin's age but this...I don't think I can do it.

But I have no options but carry it or I will never see them in my room.

I tried to lift my box from the ground with both hands. To my surprise I was able to lift it. This might be the result of doing push ups for five months. The only problem is, I can't walk with it. My box is about 3/5 of my whole height, it's impossible for me to carry it while walking.

I'm about to lose hope again when Threin offered me a hand. He is carrying his own box with his right hand and started picking the rope of my box with his left.

Mom glares at us. Enough to tell us I'm cheating.

There's nothing I can do. I was the one who filled up the cart with too many toys, and Mom already gave me a favor by buying them all. A favor I never thought I'd have. I was the one who packed my own burden, and I should be the one to carry it. I became blinded by my greed that I didn't see the consequences of my actions. Even when my buddy offered me a hand, there's nothing in me that is worth his help. It is not his fault that I'm having a hard time now, he is not obliged to help me. And there's nothing, nothing I can do now that it's time for me to take full responsibility.

So I tried again. I inhale for strength and brace myself.

I huffed again and lifted the 30-kilogram box. It was as easy as my first lift. But now, it's time to face the real problem.

Walk with it.

I took a step. I almost tripped. I need to establish my balance.

I did. Good.

Second step. I'm pretty aware of my balance now. Success.

Third step. Perfect. Just perfect.

Fourth step. Excellent.

Fifth step. No, no, no.

Sixth step. Barely.

Seventh. Not counted. I tripped. And I'm falling face first to the ground fast.

I can't prevent the fall so I just prepared myself for the soil I'm about to partake in my mouth when I hit the ground. I don't scream. I don't look for any safety handles. I clutched my arms around my head almost as immediately as I admited my defeat. There is no sense asking for help. No sense trying to save myself. I failed to carry my own burden. It's much more easy to let go. Admit my limitation and welcome its punishment.

What I did not expect is a hand ready to catch me. A hand who is always there to help me. It's my half brother's left. He caught my right shoulder as he lays down his box.

I fell into a kneeling position instead.

"You okay?" He asked as he dust my trousers and searches for any bruise. Fortunately there's none to worry about.

I stood to retrieve my box from where I dropped it and answered, "Yeah. I'm okay."

He took his box on his left hand again and locked his right fist on the rope of mine. When Mom tried to eye us again he said, "I put some toys in his cart and told him it's fine to get as many as he can so I think that means I drove him to fill his own cart. And that also means we share his burden." That's true I remember him put 3 to 4 toys in my cart before we decided to split up, and he did say to me to get as many as I WANT, not as many as I CAN handle so basically he's telling the truth, only that it's not completely true. What is four toys compared to a hundred? And when he said I can get as many as I want, I already saw the chance of bringing the whole toy department in our house. "He was just about to take the sword and the guitar so I said he'll need to get as many so we can busy ourselves playing these stuffs while you busy yourself doing your work without us bugging you." Now that's a pure lie.

"Okay, fine." Says Mom sternly. "Next time, you have to be more responsible, Johann. When you grow up and become a man, do not commit something more than you could bear because when you see the consequences, it's easier to just give up or run away." I can almost hear her say the words "just like what your father did to us" at the back of her head. Then she shifted to Threin, "And you, tough guy. It's alright to always offer help, but you need to let your brother alone sometimes. You're going to make him weaker instead of making him stronger."

"I told you, I influenced him to grab 'em all."

"Yeah yeah alright alright. I know you got my point." We totally did get her point. "Let us not keep Mr.T waiting by the plaza."

I am in the brink of tears when I learned my second lesson in life. Too many pleasures may result in to too many responsibilities.

And I'm very very sorry that I've been too greedy.

Mom turns to me, "All you have to do is say it, Johann."

Huh? Say what?

Oh well I just have to say I'm sorry.

"Sorry Mom." With tears. And hug. And all.

"It's okay now sweetie. It's okay." She hugged me back.

Threin flashed a thumbs up in my peripheral.

Then I thought of him. He is always the strong ones, and that could only mean one thing; I am the weak ones.

Until when does he have to help me, or save me? All this time I've always been the one incapable of helping, even helping myself. It's pathetic. I'm pathetic.

After that moment, I promised myself that I will no longer be weak and eventually be able to help Threin and make my Mom proud.

"I'm gonna have to get back on you. You can't fit inside my side car with all these." Says Mang Tony as he loads the last plastic bag inside his vehicle. "I have to go to Raha Shiram Abdhul and fetch his carabao milk and deliver them to Julie's. I'm afraid I won't be back until eight, Ma'am. I'm sorry."

"Oh I see. It's okay, I just hope we could stay somewhere else aside from the mall. I can't breath in there, I don't like the smell of their fumes." Mom replied.

"You could stay here a little, and then the carnival opens by 5pm." He answered pointing to a massive wheel with cabins.

"Oh yeah, good idea! Good thing you mentioned the carnival. I thought they won't be around until next month."

"They arrived early. As you know, the southern part of Sulu is under state of calamity. So instead of going there, they chose to stay here up until our festivities."

"The calamity. I just hope they are all fine, I've got to know who's caused it."

They? Who are They? And IT? What is IT?

"Don't worry too much, they'll be fine." He turned to me and said "And ma'am, I have a feeling we shouldn't be talking about this as of the moment." He must've noticed me listening to their "grown-up" conversation, and even if Threin seems oblivious I know he also listened to their conversation.

"Alright then, please pick us up in the carnival as soon as you can."

"Roger that."

Roger what?

I hope they're okay. I cannot lose another Garde anymore. And I can't afford to lose Meelek either. After all that the Lorics had done to him, he had the guts to betray us.

I have to. I have to protect our secrets. But for now I'll have to protect my Garde units from this bastard.

He must be stopped before he reaches one of our Loralite stones. He cannot be allowed to travel back especially now that the Quarter Moon festival is coming. He is no longer worthy of the land of Lorien, no longer worthy of being a Garde, not even worthy to be called a Loric.

If I could just pursue him myself then he can no longer cause any more problems.

But I can't just leave my sons in here. They're still young. They can't even cook rice yet. Especially Johann. He's still too young. He still needs to learn to be independent, and he's not yet ready for it. I know his limitations being a half blood but he still is my son and I know somehow he's stronger than any other half- bloods out there.

But he is not yet ready. And I'm afraid that he'll never be ready.

Oh, Kevin why do you have to be so meek and let your son inherit that trait of yours?

I'm also worried about the training. No Cephan can ever achieve such a leap of progress in such a very short time. Threin has to be strong enough to defend himself even before he develops his legacies. And if we stop now, that will cause too much delay on his progress.

Their progress.

And if Meelek knew about them, without legacies, they'll have no chance of fighting back.

It's too risky.

My hate for Meelek heightens as I think of my kids. He will never lay a finger on them. Not while I live. And if I die, I'm not gonna leave my sons with zero percent chance of winning.

I need to focus on training them.

As soon as Threin and Johann have developed their legacies, only then will I face Meelek to kill him.

"Do you think she's okay?" Asks Threin standing on a swing next to me.

"Don't know." I say enjoying my time with my own swing.

"She looks bothered all of a sudden." I looked over to Mom from afar and saw what Threin saw. She is clutching her palms together and occasionally tightening her jaw. She's sweating real hard even when the weather is cool and windy. That's weird.

"What should we do?"

"I don't know. Do you think we should ask her?" I shrugged. "Yeah, me neither. And even if we do ask her I don't think she'd ever tell us about it."

"Yeah."

"Has she already found out about the ballpen?" He whispered.

"What ballpen?" I heard him.

"The ballpen that I..." Then he hesitates, "No. Nothing. Forget it. I-it was another thing. It has nothing to do with this."

"Okay." I said innocently and enjoyed my swing again.

We entered the carnival gate as soon as it opens by 5pm. The sun is about to set so the booths' lights are all opened, although the beauty of its colors are yet to bloom after dusk.

My eyes can't get enough of all the lights, sounds, games, shows and rides. This is more extravagant than the market and the mall.

I like this place.

"Oh well, this is no better than the ones in Lorien. It's practically old fashioned and ridiculous. Look at that..." Threin pointed at a black tent, "Sign board reads:

Know what future holds,

Hear stories untold,

Eyes that see each code,

Every young and old.

Sound's weird and stupid to me." He adds.

"Uncle Flavium has this Legacy of seeing the future. He once foretold that I'll be living in earth for a long time, and then I'll be back home. Mom hasn't thought of bringing me to earth back then. But after two years, when it's time for me to have a Cephan, she suggested to Dad that she wanted to prepare me for future duties." He pointed to another booth, "Look at that. It's crazy."

"And then what happened?" I brought him back to track.

"Dad agreed. Not until we landed earth did we realized what Uncle Flavium had foretold."

"Awesome!"

"You bet. And they..." he pointed to the fortune teller tent again, "...are making money out of it. We don't even know if what they're saying is really going to happen. They are simply making things up trying to make people believe. But they won't fool a Loric. We have Legacies and that's always reliable."

"What if they have the same Legacies as Uncle Flavium's?"

"That's not possible. Gardes are not supposed to make money out of their Legacies, especially the earthen inhabitants. On our way here, Mom told me the restrictions that I have to consider as I live here on Earth. She said that the Earthen Loric Council supports all the operations of the inhabitants. And they are also funding for the inhabitants' financial needs, so basically the Lorics are taken cared for as far as money is concerned. They don't need to take a job here on earth, but some Lorics do take jobs to blend in. But not a kind of job that's connected in their legacies. Often they choose to apply to small jobs, or put up a small business to keep their heads low." He paused for a moment "Oh! I forgot to tell you that Uncle Flavium's voice is so deep, it was kind of hilarious actually." He raises his chin up, extends he's chest out, puts his hands on his waist and pretended to sound adult. "Your son will live a long life on the Earth's soil and will do great things for both Earth and Lorien. But he will die, yet his death will be your real Legacy. So you should keep him safe, do everything you could to not let him astray."

"He says you're gonna die. Aren't you afraid?"

"Nope. For as long as it's for Lorien."

With that, I share his thoughts.

Mom's already been acting indifferently, so we just did a lot of walking until Mang Tony arrived. We ate dinner with him before went on to the road going back to our village.

Mom didn't talk much. There's been too much silence. Maybe because all of us are just exhausted after a long day.

Summing it up, it was an awesome experience. We get to do things we don't normally do. And we got a whole toy department waiting for us back home.

It was all thanks to... Oh wait! I remember Mom's statement a while ago "you just have to say it Yo."

"Mom," I hugged her while she's oblivious.

"Thank you so much." She was surprised but she hugged me back smiling. Threin joins in and we stayed there for about five minutes, feeling each others heat of love. Greatest day ever.

"What's the news?"

"Eclair and Ray has joined their team." I can see sadness in Mr.T's eyes.

Damn you Eclair!

Of all the Gardes out there why another transport Garde?

"What do these people want to prove? They are being used by that bastard!"

"Meelek only corrupted their perceptions. There's nothing we can do to pull them back now. The only thing we could is to cut off their HEAD, and they will be nothing."

"I don't think Meelek is the head. He wouldn't do such a stupid thing if there is no means behind it. I'm sure he is just a dummy. There is a more powerful force concealed behind him. I believe that THIS GUY, whoever he is, is the HEAD. Meelek is not doing this alone. I just don't know who this guy is, but I'm pretty sure he IS one of us."

"That's a theory Ma'am. What makes you think of that?"

"I know Meelek. He once was a good man. He'd never do this thing without a reason. Someone must've black mailed him."

Mr.T rubbed the tip of his chin, "You have a point there. I know some of the Gardes that he took as allies. And I've been wondering what must've caused them to turn sides? What must've forced them to steal the Clanberrus. What must've Meelek told them so they'd sign up for the rebellion?"

"I don't know, Tony. I need to see this man face to face to read what's behind his actions."

"What do we do now, Commander?"

"We will be leaving for the festivities in a month's time. Have the Lorilite stones monitored 24/7. We're expecting them in any of the stone locations, but considering that Meelek is here in Sulu, double your units in Somalia."

"Roger that, Ma'am."

"One more thing, assemble the Gardes with teleportation Legacies for our trip to Lorien. Make sure Eclair is the last to turn their side. Do not let any of them be captured by Meelek and his crew. The Clanberrus will not work without the Blight. They will have to steal that too from Jethro's custody in Lorien. Without enough transport Gardes, they won't make it to Lorien."

"Affirmative. Do you have any orders left, Ma'am."

"Uh yes. Do not send Johann to school anymore. We must ready ourselves."

"But that's..."

"You heard me. Tomorrow he trains with us. Understood?"

"Ma'am you might wanna..."

"Understood?!"

"W-well...Yes ma'am. No school it is."

"Dismissed." The tablet beeps as I conclude our conversation.

"Threin! Threin! Threin!" I shake him from sleeping.

"Wharrrtt?" He half glanced at our alarm clock. "Itsshh ornly 8am, whattssshh do you wanth?" Tucked a pillow over his head.

"I have something for you! C'mon sit up!"

"What do you want?!" He sat up quickly as he threw the pillow upward. "Can't you see I'm..."

I handed out the Batman and Robin toy I picked for him with a large smile. "Here, you're Batman and I'm Robin."

He gestures a finger, "One second please?" He rolls over his bed and slides out his box of toys under it and started digging in it. "Uhuh!" When he's found it, he handed it to me. The same toy I gave him. "I got one too."

"Oh." I didn't mean to sound sad.

"Don't be sad." He said. "Okay. How about...we exchange instead? I keep this toy you gave me and you keep this toy I took-although originally I took it for myself- so that you'll have a token from me too!"

I thought that's fair enough. I accepted it.

By then Mom enters our room.

"Stand up! Rest day's over!" She shouted.

"B-but I thought we have two days off?" Asked Threin.

"Plan's changed. We train immediately after breakfast." When Threin's about to raise another question she cuts him "No more questions! Get up!" And she leaves the room immediately.

Threin and I just shrugged at each other.

After breakfast we headed towards the pond and started training.

Mom now uses tennis balls for us to catch. The smaller the ball the harder it is to catch, because of its size and its speed. But we quickly got the principle after a few drills, we didn't get much taxes to pay for when we got home by 7pm.

"Johann, no more school starting tomorrow." She said to me on our way home.

I was about to object when I thought about my adventures in school. The singing, the friendship, and my first crush. How am I going to give her the key chain?

But when I thought of what I've promised, It became my resolve so I just answered, "Okay Mom."

I can tell by the looks of her that she's a bit surprised by my attitude about not going to school. "Good."

"But Mom, Johann is..." Threin was cut again by a no-more-questions-asked-look of Mom.

"Ready yourself Threin, we will be leaving for Lorien next month. Johann will stay at Meridith's for another month. The Census is about to be released later by dinner. Dress up coz your Dad, Jethro, will be speaking to you through the tablet."

Threin sensed the urge to address a circumstance, "Mom, what's wrong? Something is not right in here." He replied.

"I said NO QUESTIONS, didn't I?" She's pissed.

"But we were okay just yesterday! You can't just be angry at us without telling us the reason why you're doing this!"

"You're too young to understand Threin! There are things you cannot comprehend because you are too young and naïve to process it."

"Try me."

"Not gonna happen. Not today. You're not yet ready."

"You just saw our progress Mom, I only got 16 push ups a while ago. Johann got 10! We get it! We know your next moves! We know something now! We're not that young anymore! And we're not humans, Mom! So don't treat us like them!"

Mom is now very pissed that she slapped Threin, "Just because you can catch some puny little balls doesn't mean you can kill a Garde already!"

Kill? A Garde? Why?

"You want answers huh Threin?" You can see tears and confusion in Threin's eyes. "We are under attack! By our own kind! And if you are not going to be strong enough when the fight comes down to us, you'll be dead! Both of you will be dead!"

"It doesn't make sense?" Says Threin.

"That's what I've been telling you a while ago. You are naïve! So stop acting like an adult when you know you're not!" Mom tries to compose herself. "Stop asking questions. From now on, I'll tell you bits of it as you grow stronger. So you have to be stronger to uncover the whole truth. Because you are still too weak to handle it. Knowing it without enough strength to fight against it is vanity. Prove me your strength and I will give you what you want to know."

Threin dressed his best when we arrived home. He is about to face his father through a hologram.

"He's very formal, you know? He doesn't want to see me wearing a T-shirt or a jogging pants. He always wanted to see me dressed in our traditional Loric suits. This suit. Even if it doesn't SUIT me. I never really wanted to wear this stupid suit. But what could I do? I'm just a kid." I didn't answer. I didn't know how and what to answer. So he chose to divert the topic, "Come, I'll introduce you to him. I bet he also wanted to see you." He clutched his arm around my shoulders and pulled me towards the kitchen.

"We are not discussing about this again, Jethro! Don't give me that kind of sentiments because you know the reason behind my actions!" She's angry again.

At least not to us.

"You've proven your actions wrong again Chiara, that's what I see. You said that when you isolate Meelek there on Earth you'll be able to extract the information about the where abouts of the Clanberrus. But where is it now? It can't be found! And so is Meelek!"

"That bastard had already convinced other Gardes to join the insurgency before he even got here on Earth. You should've known that his transport was a part of his plan to convince more members to join his army when he was still in your custody! And now that he has escaped because of your lack of Intel, you would put the blame on me?!" We were stucked behind the kitchen wall listening to the conversation.

"I admit. We have our own faults, but you have yours too. You didn't go to Mexico to greet him there two years ago. Why? Because you said you can't." He lets out a mocking chuckle. "You know Chiara, Meelek is not the only bastard running around the Earth's soil."

"Stop doing that. You are only trying to complicate things instead of trying to help me out in this hell I'm living!"

"You were the one's who made it complicated." Mom didn't reply. "I don't have much time, where is Threin?"

She tried to compose herself and sound casual. "Threin dear, Daddy's waiting for you."

"Wait a minute." He whispered to my ears. After a minute he gestured me to stay and he walked out from our hiding place. "I'm here." He said to the hologram.

"Good. The Tenth Generation Earthen Census has finally arrived. Since your Mom is the Commanding officer in there, the Lorien council permitted to give you the Number 1. And I will enlist you after you give your statement of confirmation."

"Wait dad. First off, I just wanna say I already missed you."

"Don't worry, you'll be home soon."

"I know. But I just want to say that. And I want you to meet my best friend here on earth." He signal me to come out. I came out, head bowed out of shyness.

Mom looks at us with wide eyes.

"His name is Johann, my half..." He was cut by a loud sound. Mr. Jethro slammed his right hand on his table that broke in half after the impact.

"I did not summon anyone but you, Threin! I don't care who he is. Just get him out of my sight!"

Mom quickly led me outside the kitchen and hugged me as she saw me shocked by what I've heard.

I was crying.

And she too was crying.

After the great day comes the most painful night of my life.

"Why'd you have to do that Dad?! That's rude he is my..."

"You have no brother Threin! And never will you have any! That boy is not a part of our race! He is an accident! He will never be your brother because he is not from me! Now just give me that damn statement so we can finish here, will you?!"

"Dad you're...and Mom you're..." He stops himself from his rage against his parents. "Okay I'll record my statement." He says trying to sound calm.

"Good. You've got one shot so don't screw it." presses a button somewhere around his table and as it beeps, Threin spoke.

"I, Threin Azodnem, a pure blooded Loric Garde, am here to confirm that I'm a part of the Earthen Loric Inhabitants located at Jolo, Sulu, Philippines." He paused, "I therefore accept to be acknowledge by the council as Number 21." 's face reddened. "Where the second exceeds the first." began to stand in rage against his son's statement. "I accept all the terms and conditions of the Loric Council upon reading and studying them in the Earthen Syllabus as I stayed here for approximately five months, three days, two hours and twenty minutes." Threin looks at the hologram of his Dad with full conviction.

"I..." He fixed his gaze at 's eyes

"am..." fixes his eyes to him too.

"Number..." Threin slowly moves his face towards his digital father. Defiant.

"21." He turns the tablet off.

The following day, and for the rest of the month, we tried to dodge balls blindfolded. Mom already set up a tent and a swing so we could take a nap there on breaks. She also let us throw tennis balls to the mountain foot as hard as we can so that she can test our strength.

Of course, my strength never matched up with Threin's.

After one of our breaks, Mom talks to me heart to heart.

"I have arranged your transportation to Meridith's tomorrow, Yo. We need to leave this evening. Mr.T will pick you up by 10am and he'll escort you upto Meridith's." Mom said during one of our lunch breaks.

"I don't wanna go to Meridith's place anymore."

"You can't stay here on your own, son."

"All my toys are in here, and I wanna stay in Mang Tony's place instead." We all know now that Mang Tony is a Cephan after we've gained some strength to uncover another TRUTH.

"The reason why I'm sending you to Davao is the fact that Meridith is a half-blooded Garde. She can protect you more than Tony if anything bad happens."

"I still don't wanna go." I said. Mom has been treating me lightly since the night I heard them talking with .

"Okay honey, if you insist. You'll stay with Tony. Let me just cancel your flight for a while."

"Thanks." And then we waited for the next session.

And then we waited for their departure.

Before riding the boat, Threin whispered to me something "I'll be bringing something for you when we get back here buddy. I promise."

I nod and watch them vanish on the vast ocean.

"First squadron, how's your position."

"New Mexico's clear."

"How about you there, Redd?"

"Clear, no sign of any of 'em."

"Good. All African pure bloods will travel to Lorien in two hours. I need you to stay alert for any sign of Meelek." I looked over to our boatman, Anton. "Aren't we there yet? We're taking to long."

"Not yet Ma'am. In fact we've been faster compared to your first transport." He said.

"Why does it feel like we've been traveling forever?!" I can't focus knowing Meelek is on the loose.

"Ma'am what are you worried about?" Erin spoke from the back.

"I have a bad feeling, Erin. I can feel him closing in." Threin sits quiet in one corner.

"It's not gonna be easy for him to breach our defenses."

"Mom?" Cries Threin.

"How do you think he's managed to breach the loyalty of those Gardes, huh Erin?"

"Well that's..."

"Mom!"

"What's the point of this whole defense activities if he can convince our soldiers to turn against us? What if he convinced our defense personnels?! What do you think will happen?!"

"Mom!"

"Will you shut up Threin! I didn't give you any permission to speak up, soldier!"

"No! I won't shut up until you look behind you!"

I turned to see smoke hovering above the Somalian Island. Thick black smoke. And fire the brightens up the night sky.

Shit! The defense camp! It's burning in flames!

"What the hell?! Anton, contact Redd immediately." Forget this stealth travel crap.

"Roger that!"

I jumped in the front of the boat and focus my hand to the warm water which turned ice cold after two seconds. I focused again and made an ice path for our boat towards the far end of the shore in front of us. "Erin, give us a push."

I try my best to make the ice path reach the shore as quickly as possible while Erin uses her super speed legacy to push our boat forward. "How's Redd?!" I shout to Anton.

"Negative, commander. He's not responding."

"Damn you Redd! You said everything is okay! Keep his tablet beeping until he picks up! He needs to tell us what's happening."

I look at Threin. He's panicking. I can't do anything for him now. Our priority is to reach the camp as soon as possible.

"Any news yet, Anton?" Good thing we reached the shore after about 1 hour earlier than our scheduled arrival.

I can smell the smoke hovering thick above us and can see clearly where the fire has taken it's hold.

"Not yet. I'm tryinna...N-no wait! He beeped!" He quickly placed the tablet on the sand and opened the communication.

The sound of gunfires and explosions are clearly heard, erasing almost any message Redd tries to communicate us.

"What's he saying?" I hate delays.

"Payr...p-payrtssss..rrrtsss..." Redd says.

"Redd we can't hear you! We can't make out any word you're saying!" Erin adds.

Redd seemed to move to a less noisy place. And we heard it. We understood what he's saying. What he's trying to communicate to us. And as we here it, I became afraid that we've already lost the battle. That we will be as helpless as they are in trying to defend the camp for nothing. We will not be able to stop them.

They are invinsible...because they are...

"Pirates!"

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning and I'll teach you how to fish." Mang Tony said as I insisted to stay at our house for the night.

"I don't wanna go fishing, Mang Tony."

"What do you wanna do then, Yo?"

"Don't know." I guess I just wanna be alone.

"Alright I'll take off now. You sure you don't wanna come, lad?"

"No thanks. I'm fine." Maybe.

Mang Tony let's out a sigh, "Alright. Whatever you want."

"Hey wait!" I forgot to give him something. Threin and I have been playing it for a while now and I think this will be of good use to our situation now. I handed Mang Tony a Radio Transmitter.

"Oh, a radio. Right! Bright thinking boy." I just nod at him. "Okay, I'm just around the corner if you need me. You can just call me if anything. I don't mind you calling for a midnight snack or something, just call and I'd be there. Okay Lad?"

"Sure. Thanks."

"Adios little amigo." He took off.

After about ten minutes, I picked up my radio and muttered something to it. "I'm very very sad. Over and out."

He didn't call back.

"Do not engage!" I know we shouldn't. "I repeat, do not engage!"

"We haven't but they're closing in." I can feel that he is nervous. "I'm afraid we'll have to retaliate soon! They've reached the first line of our defenses, commander. We need orders. And we need them fast! They're bombing us so hard that the southern gate is burned to ashes. Commander we need your orders!" I'm getting more pissed.

"We're on our way there. Until then, do not do anything stupid. Okay?"

"I'll try not to, Ma'am."

"Good, just hold your positions and be ready to engage. You're free to go if anyone's been hurt or taken captive. But as much as possible stay put." I turned to Anton. "Take Threin with you, follow me but walk in shadows."

"Affirmative." Anton took the disoriented Threin by the hand and they turned invisible.

"Erin, scout through the woods, we still don't know what's out there. I will go straight towards the camp. Meet me halfway."

"With great haste." And she went high speed to the direction I pointed her.

I run straight to the woods and called a pack of wolves along the way. If anything happens, these pups may come in handy.

I see the flames that ate the whole of the southern gate as we approach the camp. And then I saw the Pirates with their guns and grenades, marching to the second gate. There are many of them. Too many to count.

What are they doing here? And what do they want? How did they know this place?

I kept our distance and ordered Anton to contact Lorien for confirmation to engage this battalion of pirates. And as expected we were not allowed to touch them.

"What the hell are they thinking? Do they actually think they could just let these pirates to the Loralite stones?" Before I could order Anton to send another request to engage, the pirates had began shooting at the second gate.

I need to do something. Behind that gate is Redd and my Garde units. There won't be any place to hide. If that gate is breached, we will have to fight back lest they discover the location of our Loralite stone.

As they are about to bomb the second gate, someone used a telekenesis to detach the bombs off the gate.

It's Erin. I can see her running through the pirates disarming them with their guns. Although Erin's got a super speed legacy, it's impossible for her to disarm nearly a hundred pirates without having a fight from them. As soon as the pirates saw Erin's act of valor, they point their guns up to her and open fired.

"Shit! I can't just stand here. I'll have to help her." I ordered the wolves to attack the rear of the pirate lines as I run past to Erin turning pirates to blocks of ice. Erin now screams to make a piercing sound that made some pirates stunned. I use my telekenesis to shield her from a hundred of bullets that made their way out of the guns of the enemies. I managed to stop most of them, and she was able to deflect the others.

The wolves had done their share of taking away a few of the pirates, but we are still heavily outnumbered.

Four of the pirates had managed to plant another set of bombs on the gate. I successfully turned two of them to ice before they could reach the detonators, but the other two had successfully detonated the bombs that broke half of the gate and left four Lorics dead on the ground.

"Shit!" I remember the ambush that happened two years ago. But I also remember Redd waiting for my command. "Forget the Jurisdiction! Engage now! Now!"

They did not need anymore words from me, the word "Shit" and four lying breathless on the ground are enough for them to return fire.

"Do not let any of them live! Kill them all!" I said for I know there shouldn't be any human witnesses to this event.

I float over a crowd of pirates and attacked them from above with dagger-like icicles raining down on them. About 8 person died on that single attack.

Erin puts on her wrist shield and swept through the pirates using her spear.

Ten other Gardes are stationed in this area including Redd, and they did their share of taking down pirates after pirates using different kinds of Legacies.

The pirates are desperately trying to shoot us down with their puny guns and grenades. But only their number diminishes as the battle goes on.

Not until they've learned to focus their attacks to just one Garde at a time. Their first target was the flying Garde named Caspar. About twenty pirates fired at him all at ones, he wasn't prepared for that number so he fell from being hit by a dozen of grenade launchers. When he fell down they turned their fire to another Garde. And then to another until we were down to only six of us left.

Me, Erin, Redd and the remaining three teleporting Gardes.

Less than half of the pirates remains, and we thought that we'll easily take them down. That's when about thirty more pirates appeared for reinforcements. The second wave is about to come.

"Redd!" I turned to Erin "Erin!" Then pointed to the three "We can't afford to loose the other three Gardes. We have to protect them with our lives. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Says Erin.

"Alright let's do this. Redd, on my cue, take away their visions. I will turn their feet to ice to limit their motions and to prevent them from moving towards our stone."

"Consider it done." Answered Redd.

I pointed to the telepoting Gardes, "You, and you, teleport and take away those on the right. My wolves will help you out in there, but if you sense any trouble, teleport to safety okay? Redd will cover you." They nod. "I will try to interrogate one of them so we'd know what they're up to. Erin, you cover me."

"Roger that."

"And you..." Referring to the the girl teleporting Garde, "...stay beside the Loralite stone and when the worse comes to worst, use the stone to transfer yourself. Bring the news to the other Lorics." She nods.

"Alright people! Move out!" I shout as second wave begins.

Everything went as planned. Redd emerges with his blinding light Legacies that temporarily took the visions of our opponents. And I took that time to make their feet hardly glued to the ground with ice. The teleporting Gardes swept through the right side of the enemy lines with the help of my wolves and Redd. And Erin escorts me as I try to hunt down the commander of the enemy units.

It was a perfect plan, until one sound distracted us all.

A tablet. Anton's tablet. It beeps for an upcoming call. He holds the tablet. He also holds my Son.

Some of the pirates have turned their gazes to the direction of the sound. When they are about to shoot at Anton's direction, he cried out.

"Screw this!" And I see him charging to the enemies leaving the tablet to Threins hands. Anton tries to fight back but with twenty or so pirates in front of him each armed with grenade launchers and high caliber guns, he didn't survive.

Threin saw how he was killed just a few meters away from him. He was shot multiple times on the head and body, convulsing violently upon the shots he'd taken.

Before he died I read his mind. The Lorien Defenses did not grant us a permission to engage the enemies and we will be held in custody if we kill any of the humans.

He is right. And I understood him for shouting towards the enemy instead of fleeing. But that doesn't give him the rights to leave my son out there, nor the rights of letting Threin see him die in battle.

So I shouted, "Erin! Get him!" Even if I didn't think Erin's speed is enough.

The Pirates have noticed Threin as Anton's body fell to the ground. And they are shooting at him. He needs instant rescue. I saw one bullet penetrate his left leg. And another on his right shoulder.

More bullets are threatening to blow his head off until he disappeared from where he is standing.

Thank God, one of the two offensive teleporting Gardes has managed to save him in time.

The death of Anton and the dangers they put my son into infuriates me. I grabbed one of the pirates and broke both of his hands. He screams in pain.

"Why are you here?! What do you want?!"

His mind races through the thoughts of his pain, his family and this...GOLD? Someone has tricked them that they could find gold in this area!

I took his gun from his side and shoot him in his ankle. "Who brought you here?! Who?!"

I need not hear his word. I don't even need to read his thoughts coz when I looked back at the Loralite stone's location I saw her.

The teleporting Garde that I assigned at the Loralite stone. She stands there smiling at me. A smile that is very familiar to me. I watch her slowly transform from a black girl to someone I used to know.

"Eclair you bitch!"

I pointed the gun I'm holding to the throat of the pirate I interrogated and ended his life.

How long has she been infiltrating our units? For days? Weeks? Even months?

I don't care. She caught us by surprise. And I'm not letting this whole operation to fail.

But what happened next is what surprised me more.

They all stood.

The four Lorics whom we saw lying on the ground when the gate was bombed.

They walk towards the location of the Loralite stone.

I saw the Garde who has saved Threin immediately work on Anton's tablet when he first saw Meelek walk over the Loralite stone. He knows the drill.

At the sight of Meelek, anyone in the Garde units should immediately alert Lorien Defenses. Meelek will be trying to get there for his missing piece, and that's what we are trying to prevent.

As I try to stop his transport, a large number of pirates blocks our way through. Behind the fighting, I can see Meelek grinning at us. A grin of malice. A grin of greed. A grin of victory.

His transport team positioned themselves for the teleportation process. And at a blink of an eye, they were gone.

And we knew we've just lost our battle.

"No!" I ran through the crowd taking down pirates after pirates. "Fall back! Transport me to Lorien immediately!" I say to Redd who's trying his best to watch our backs.

"You go commander, I'll stay here and help Redd. He can't handle this alone." I nod at Erin while one of our loyal transport Garde teleported me to the Loralite location where Threin and the other transport Garde wait for us.

"Are you sure two transport Gardes will be enough for our travel?" I asked one of them.

"Yes commander, we did this once and it was successful. But it will exhaust all of our remaining powers and will no longer be strong enough for another transport."

"The African Lorics will have to wait. This is an emergency."

"Roger that."

And we tie our arms to each other.

Next thing I saw was a squadron of Gardes ready to attack.

And Jethro.

"What the hell?!" Says the confused Jethro. I tried skim the area for any sign of Meelek, "We were told Meelek is about to transport here, but all that arrived were you! Where in the world is Meelek?!" I saw Threin being treated by a Medic Garde behind Jethro.

"He is supposed to be here by now! He is supposed to be here!"

And then it dawned to me.

It was another trick. They were not headed to Lorien.

Not yet.

They teleported somewhere else.

"Chiara, what's going on?! Where on earth is..." He says angrily as I snatch his tablet from his hand.

Yeah. Where on earth? Where on earth is he?

"New Mexico! Come in!" No answer. "New Mexico!" Nothing.