Merry christmas...!

I know, I know... I should've said that yesterday, but you know the term:"Better late than nothing." don't you?

Anyways, I want to thank RiodanJaneiro97, guest 6494, and storm129 for another favs and or/ follows...

Then, here we are... at the end of this little arc. Without another words from me... happy reading.


Emy's POV

Our disguise is perfect... that's what my stupid friend says, Alex...

"What do you think, Emy?" he stood in front of the mirror, at our editorial residence, Aryna, with a large window-like wall that let the morning light from the lake illuminate this room.

"You look... ridiculous." I gave my cool comment sitting on a sofa right behind the mirror.

"No, this is not ridiculous." Alex angrily turned from the mirror and looked at me.

"Black suit, black tie, sunglasses, beak-mask, and... why are you wearing a turban? You actually look striking and... weird."

"Ah..." Alex turned back to the mirror, and watched his face covered in strange things as I mentioned, "You might be right." he then took off his turban... just the turban, "Now?" he turned around, and asked me to give my cold opinion again...

"Great... you now look like a spy agent."

"Cool, huh?" and for the third time, Alex looked back at himself in the mirror.

"What it is? You look so excited." I said, interrupting his dressed session.

"Of course... and you are just as excited as me, aren't you?" Alex began talking with his teasing tone.

"Am I?" I answered, giving my cold gaze to the shadow of his face reflected by the mirror.

"Of course you are..." Alex turned around, looked at me with a teasing look, "If not, why are you wearing your sunglasses and white beak-mask, huh?"

"Shu-shut up... I just don't want to be the center of attention there..." I turned my face away from him.

"Tsundere, huh..." continued Alex, still teasing me.

"Who's Tsundere?!" I snapped.

"Nothing... just forget what I said..."

Alright, I admit that I am really excited like it seems. I am forced to wear these sunglasses and beak-mask to hide my identity. Besides I don't want to be the center of attention there, I also want to meet him face to face without being disturbed by the mass media. I think Alex already knows my purpose in doing this, because both me and him... we both have the same final goal. Even though both of us also know if his book won't be displayed there, but at least we can hope if he is there. After all, these glasses and beak-mask are not my idea. This is his stupid idea, which claimed by him this disguise would be perfect.

Then...

"Alright kids, get ready for..." our editor's voice, Aryna, was heard from the hallway, behind the door. However, after she opened the door and entered a few steps, she saw the disguise of both of us, "Wha-what is this? Do you want to do a robbery?" she commented on our appearance in a formal dress, sunglasses and beak-mask in surprise.

"Don't ask me, but ask him." I replied calmly, pointing to Alex, "This is his idea." I then walked past Aryna, and came out of this room.

"Okay... alright..." I saw Aryna who was behind me sighing, "Let us go."

A few minutes later, the three of us were already in Aryna's white sedan. I sat in the rear passenger seat with Alex, while Aryna sat in the driver's seat...

"I hope you are ready for today..." Aryna gave her advice, before starting our journey this morning, "I heard that there will be more visitors than usual."

"Take it easy, Aryna. Our disguise is perfect." Alex answered confidently.

"I hope you're right." Aryna then turned on the engine, "To the Magna House we go." she moved the gearstick, and stepped on the gas pedal.

On this sunny morning, from the car that moving slowly beside the lake... I can very clearly see the rows of trees around the lake that have perfectly and beautifully blossomed its flowers. There are several petals that have fallen, and drifted above the surface of the small lake wave.

'This is the end of spring...' I whispered to myself.

A few hours later...

"Timans Noque and Deduvox... I have a few questions for you two."

"Can you step aside, I first met them. I am the one who should have interviewed them first!"

"No... my crew has guessed about the arrival of Timans Noque and Deduvox. We come first. We even set up tents outside the building."

Perfect disguise, huh? This can't even be called disguise...

After a few steps into the main hall in the Magna House building, hordes of reporters from various media have surrounded us, like the hordes of ants who have found their sugar. There are some of them who are scrambling, and some are directly attacking us with mass media-style questions...

"Timans Noque and Deduvox... is it true that you two refused the offer from Isla Indrotil?"

"Yes... that's why we are here now."

When it comes to interviews, I leave it entirely to Alex, because I don't like it at all.

"But why? Why did you refuse the offer from such an important person? Though, your books can become famous in Europe."

"I implore you all... this is our personal matter. There is no compulsion or extrinsic influence. This is purely our decision ... I implore you all once more, let-"

Alex suddenly stopped in the middle of his speech before the reporters. He seemed to see something from behind the reporters in the distance...

"What's wrong?" I asked, standing next to him.

"It's nothing..." he then looked back at the reporter and continued his speech...

I felt compelled to see what he had just seen...

'Oh... he also came here, eh...' I murmured to myself, after knowing what he had seen.

But this is strange, where is his morning-spirits? If he wanted to, he can just run pass the journalist's fence and meet him immediately. But this is very strange... Is it because of something that I gave to him on the way here made his spirits fade away and replaced by a feeling of disappointment, disbelief, shock... like me?

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Meanwhile... on the second floor of Magna House building

3rd person POV

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One of the interesting things about this year's art exhibition is the soundproof glass wall system that is applied within the literary room on the second floor. Both from inside and outside the glass wall, there is no sound frequency that can penetrate a clear barrier with a thickness of almost one meter. It can even be said to be bulletproof and difficult for an explosive power to destroy dozens of laminated glass.

"This is awesome... we are like in the labyrinth of the library...!" Gracie expressed a scene that was rarely seen by her, giving excited comments.

The scene seen by her was a row of bookshelves arranged almost three meters high and specifically arranged like a labyrinth. There are even floor plans available in each corner of the room and taped to each bookcase to avoid visitors getting lost.

"Oh... this is amazing...!" so did Roberto, who was standing next to her, "So, this is what we saw from the outside...!"

Right... almost all of this floor was covered with glass walls, so people could look inside, and vice versa.

"Shshh... shss..." Blu, who was around them, who began to attract the attention of the visitors, began to panic and repeatedly tried to calm his two excited friends, "Lower your voice..." he whispered, "We'd better go from here first. Come on... you block the elevator door."

Because of their enthusiasm, Roberto and Gracie immediately enjoyed the uniqueness before their eyes after one step out of the elevator, so that the inter-floor transportation lines faltered a little.

"They look very harmonious." Jewel smiled, said to herself. She walked behind Blu who was leading his two friends to a quieter place. She could only smile at Blu's panicked behavior, and her two too excited friends.

Then...

"Phew..." Blu sighed with relief, after finding an empty seat in the corner of the room close to the glass wall, so that they could see the city view outside the window.

"Hmpp... have you been tired now, old bird?" Roberto who saw Blu was sitting in panting, giving a teasing look.

Blu, because he was too tired, he did not answer him directly, but only muttered to himself in an annoyed tone, 'Whose fault is this?'

Then... after the situation between them began to calm down...

"Well now..." Gracie began to say, "How do we find a book written by Hyacinthum G? There are like ten times more books than on a book fair." she showed her confused expression.

"So do I..." Roberto continued, "I also don't know where to start."

"Come on, guys... there are thousands of books here. Why do you insist on looking for my book?" Blu responded, "Are you come here just for-"

Not finished with the question, Roberto and Gracie immediately answered in a compact manner as if they knew where this question lead to, "Yes..."

"Great..." Blu sighed.

"Hmm... I don't think it's that difficult." Jewel joined in this conversation, proposing her opinion which might be the solution to this small problem.

"What do you mean, Jewel?" Roberto asked, curious about what she was thinking.

"Well, as you all know... Hyacinthum G's book is a book that has not been fully published. It's still in the form of a script." Jewel began to explain, while Roberto and Gracie listened carefully, "So the point is that the book is still in the form of a pile of paper held together by paperclips, without any cover. I doubt if there are other books that are shaped like his. Therefore, I think his book will be very striking and easily recognizable among the bookshelves here."

"Oh..." Roberto nodded.

"I see..." Gracie also seemed to begin to understand her point.

'Uncovered book, eh?' Murmured Blu to himself, who was still sitting and looking at his three friends who were planning a search expedition for his latest book.

"Then we split...!" Cried Roberto, "Jewel... you explore the north."

"Okay..." Jewel responded eagerly.

"I think we should split up...!" said Roberto, "Jewel... you explore the north."

"Okay..." Jewel responded eagerly.

"Gracie, you're heading west..." Roberto continued, like a military leader, he gave orders to her.

"Roger that...!" Gracie also seemed excited.

Roberto then looked at Blu, "You also have to help us find your book, okay? I will look to the east. The southern part I leave it to you...!"

"Wait... why me too?" Blu looked confused, and slightly refused the order he received.

"You'll help us, won't you?" Roberto smiled at him. He then looked back at his two soldiers, Jewel and Gracie, "Alright, we gather here again after one of us found it."

Gracie and Jewel nodded simultaneously...

"Alright... let's do it...!

Shortly after the command was said, Jewel and Gracie began walking towards their respective search areas, leaving Blu with Roberto alone. When Roberto was about to walk towards his 'post', Blu stopped his steps by giving him a question...

"Why are you doing all this?" that's the question said by Blu between this silence.

"I... I don't know..." Roberto paused for a moment, turned his back on Blu, "I think I just want to find a star during the day."

"A dusk star, eh..."

"Well, you may say that... but, for me... no, but for all of us... it's more than just a dusk star."

Blu was silent. Once again he didn't know what words were suitable enough for replying to such words... a few moments after Roberto disappeared between the labyrinth book, Blu rose from his seat, and walked to the southern part just like what Roberto has ordered to him... that part was near the entrance to this room.

'There's something else I want to look for, after all.' Blu said to himself, before starting to step.

The search has lasted for half an hour, without reaching the desired final result. Neither Roberto, Jewel and Gracie have not been able to find what they call a dusk star... aka, an uncovered book written by a 'former' great writer, Hyacinthum G. His uncovered book, which should have been easily recognized among other covered books, had never been caught by the eyes of the three of them. Instead, their action attracted the attention of visitors -who were sitting, and standing near the bookcase while reading books they liked- because they always walked back and forth looking for a book they would never found. Because... at the same time, when Blu was standing alone beside a bookcase while reading a book...

"Hyacinthum G?" a peacock dressed in a neat black suit, calling him by the name of his pen, Blu immediately turned around and looked at a peacock who had a high charisma, and some people who dressed as neatly as him stood behind him, and followed him wherever he go.

"Yes... I am Hyacinthum G." Blu replied politely, not knowing what his purpose was. But, what caught Blu's attention was sheets of paper that was very similar to his script in the peacock's grasp.

Without saying anything, the peacock immediately handed over those sheets of paper. And it is true, when Blu received the sheet of paper he could confirm that it is his script.

Blu, who was confused, attacked immediately by a cold remark coming out of the peacock's beak, "The art exhibition is a sacred place for artists. Not as a place to look for identity, and convey personal things." after the peacock was finished with his business, he walked away leaving Blu alone.

At that moment, shortly after the peacock left him... he realized that his script was completely rejected... not because it had not been officially published, but maybe because of its quality...

'I see... this script is really rejected, huh...' murmured Blu to himself, frozen in place, 'Well, I don't really care about that. Because it's only shown to one person... right, just one is enough.'

After a few moments of silence, Gracie, Roberto, and Jewel approached Blu ... maybe to see if he had found his uncovered book...

"Blu..." Gracie called him from behind, followed by Roberto and Jewel who walked behind him, "Have you found it?" when Blu turned, Gracie's gaze was immediately fixed on the sheets of paper in his grasp, "You found it..."

Blu paused for a moment, then smiled at her, "No... I didn't find it. It's only returned to me."

"What do you mean, Blu?" asked Gracie once again, not understanding what he was saying.

But Jewel seemed to know the meaning of his words, and realized it, "I see... your script was rejected..."

Blu just smiled, and nodded...

"But... isn't sis Mi already-" Gracie was about to refute the fact, but Blu immediately interrupted her...

"No... this is not because of Sis Mi. This is purely a result of what I created." Blu was able to answer her calmly, as if nothing had happened.

Gracie, Roberto and Jewel were only silent... unable to reply to his words that were spoken through his smile. Blu seemed so resilient with this, even though they knew his gaze showed a very large sense of disappointment. His disappointment apparently wasn't over. A few moments later, someone called his pen name again from behind him...

"Hyacinthum G...!" his tone of voice seemed to show anger, and also disappointment...

Blu immediately turned around, and stared at a yellow female and a male scarlet macaw birds standing behind him. The Scarlet Macaw stared at him with an angry, irritated and disappointed look... while holding a sheet of paper on his wing.

"Why? Why is the story you wrote so bad?!" cried the scarlet macaw,"Where is the unbeaten Hyacinthum G?"

Blu's friends, who were standing behind him, could only see what was happening before them...

"Hey... who are they?" Gracie whispered to Jewel.

"The scarlet macaw is Timans Noque, while the yellow one is Deduvox." Jewel also whispered.

"Oh, that's why I've seen them before." Gracie continued.

"What do you mean?" Roberto whispered, asking Gracie.

"Every time there is a writing contest, they always occupy the top three. That's why their faces are always appear in the paper with Blu." she replied to Roberto.

"Eh... so, it's like a reunion between rivals, huh..." Roberto gave his flat response.

'But this is weird...' continued Jewel, saying to herself. She seemed to be watching something on the wing of the known scarlet macaw, Timans Noque, 'Is that Blu's script?'

Meanwhile... the reunion between rivals is still continuing...

"You're like a child who is writing for the first time. Poor writing style, broken plots, messy and too simple wording, deepening of character that is not detailed. What have you been doing all this time?" Timans Noque still blows Blu with his criticism, "Where is the invincible Hyacinthum G?"

'Where is my hero...?'

Seeing Blu being depressed made Gracie upset and was about to walk towards him when Jewel intercepted her...

"It's okay... Gunderson can handle this." Jewel said to her, smiling.

Then...

Blu smiled, "I see... it's really that bad, eh..." he replied calmly, then put the book he had read back to the bookcase, then looked back at Timans Noque's face who was surprised by his calm answer, "As long as you know, I'm not lazing around. I even wrote all night until I fell unconscious. I've been trying hard. This is my current piece with all the abilities I have."

Gracie, Roberto and Jewel were as surprised as those two great writers. Blu's calm answer made them all speechless. Especially for those two great writers... all this time they knew Hyacinthum G was a cold writer who was always alone. They didn't expect such an answer to come out from the cold writer's beak like him.

'I have no idea what will happen after this. But, I have started my first step.' whispered Blu to himself.

"We are still on our way." Blu cut the answer by looking back, staring at his friends, "Let's go home..." he said to them.

Gracie, Roberto and Jewel can only nod...

Before Blu began to move, he continued the answer to those two writers, "Right... I am a writer just like you. And I have started my first step..."

Blu then walked away from those two writers as did his friends, following him from behind...

"He has changed, hasn't he?" Deduvox... Emy said after seeing Blu with his friends entering the elevator and going downstairs.

Timans Noque aka Alex, then looked at her, "Yeah..." he replied, nodding, "He finally read our books. He finally acknowledged our existence as writers."

"I'm sure he found the reason for writing." Emy continued. She then smiled, and said to herself while staring at the sheets of paper, which was indeed Hyacinthum G's script, on Alex's wing, 'In his script... at a glance, I could hear the sigh of a girl sleeping near the window where the flower petals were flying in...'

A few hours passed... after Blu, Roberto, Gracie and Jewel had spent this tiring day, they walked on the sidewalk beside a busy highway with passing vehicles with their headlights turned on. Because now, the stars have started to appear above them. After hours of riding the bus, now they just need to walk to get to their home...

"Hey Gracie... say something to him. He must have felt sad because this is the first time for his book to be rejected." Roberto, who walked behind Blu, whispered to Gracie.

"You're the one who should do that. You're both men, aren't you?" answered Gracie, whispering too.

Blu who walked in front alone, heard the words of their low tone. He knew if today's events might made his two childhood friends worry about him.

Blu paused for a moment, "It's okay, I'm fine." he replied, staring at his two best friends with smiles.

Then, they continued their steps again. Nobody spoke again, they all walked quietly beside the busy highway quietly...

However, Blu who walked in front began to accelerate his pace... the script on his wings was increasingly gripped by him, 'I am so upset... very upset...' he then began to whisper to himself, and gritted his teeth...

("I'm so upset! Very upset!")

His memory brings him back to the night after the baseball game...

("I've failed to become a star.")

Also, when Roberto suffered a defeat in his last tournament...

"A doll of Anicius G... his own mother's doll..."

"He's a literary bird... like a robot."

"I bet, his mother who wrote the story for him... he only contributed a name."

"He is indeed a multiple personality writer..."

And also the words spit out by people about him...

'If I am a robot... if I am a doll.' he still said to himself, 'What is the meaning of this feeling?' He accelerated his pace much more, 'Like something moved me...' without realized by him, his steps become fast... as fast as running, 'Run...! Run...! Run...!' and suddenly, "Aghhhgghhhgghggg...!" he shouted out and ran, leaving his friend behind him...

"Blu... what's wrong with you?" Gracie asked, trying to catch up with his steps as well as Roberto and Jewel...

"Blu went crazy...!" exclaimed Roberto, who now ran following him...

'That's right... Robe, Gres...' Blu said to be directed to himself again, 'I'm just an ordinary bird like you...'

Meanwhile, Jewel... a wide smile on her happy face saw her three friends running in front of her, 'I see...' she whispered to herself, 'You have found it...'


Chapter 23 : Screaming Heart


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'That screaming heart...'

And done...

This chapter apparently took more words than I expected. But with that we are going to wrap up... it's the end of the art exhibition arc, and we are going to enter the more deepest plot, more mysteries to be uncovered, and more truths to be revealed. After I finished with the 19th chapter of Planet-X.

See you again guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for stop by.

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"I am home..."

Moments later, after getting tired of running under the starry sky... Jewel arrived at her house... Helados Blue Alas, an ice cream shop. The shop seems to be still open, though there are no customers around it right now.

"Oh, welcome home, sweetie..." her father, Eduardo... welcomed her after she opened the bell door.

"So, what about Hyacinthum G?" asked her mother, Clairine, who was helping her husband clean up the ice cream that was left over from the sale today.

"He's such an interesting bird...!" Jewel answered excitedly.

"Really?" continued her father.

Jewel just nodded with her cheerful face...

"It's good to hear." her mother smiled, "We will have dinner together... you will join us, won't you?"

Jewel nodded, "Yeah, but I'll change my clothes first. I'm very sweaty." when she was about to walk up the stairs, her father remembered something...

"Oh, Jewel... you got a letter." her father handed over a letter that was still sealed with a brown envelope.

"For me?" Jewel asked her father in disbelief.

Her father nodded...

"Thanks, dad..." Jewel, without having seen the letter sent by whom, walked back up the stairs to her room.

At the end of the stairs, right at the front door of her room, she suddenly stopped again and she almost fell, but thanks to the handrail in the hallway, she could restore her balance by holding onto it, then opened the door, and immediately dropped her trembling body on her bed unconscious, with her tightly sealed letter in her wing grasp...