Chapter 3

Part 1

Its been a while since the two Lunar Children decided to leave San Miguel and start their journey to Azure Sky Tower located somewhere around Istrakan. The City of Death. At first, the young Moon Beauty in training was wondering why Istrakan is called by such name. Until he found it out in the hard way.

Istrakan is full of Undead. Anywhere he look, he sees nothing but Boks and Skeletons. To be serious, he can't even see a normal person on the road. Only caves, forest, and well, there is still old house but Undead occupied it instead of humans. The night is twice dangerous in Istrakan rather than the gates of San Miguel according to Cressent. Also, it is really hard to fight them specially if you only have the ability to protect. But in the end, Mani did teach him how to use that shield magic of them as a weapon. However he did realized that he really need to practice... A LOT.

And until he cannot master the only magic he can learn, Mani let him take the two daggers that the Skeletons were wielding earlier as something he can use to protect himself from enemies. Well at least daggers are not that hard to use. With daggers resting on both of his waist, and that long cape he wore, he somehow look like an assassin from the past.

Part 2

Its did not take too long before Cressent got tired. Fighting Undead late at night is too much for a five years old boy after all. So the two of them decided to sleep under a tree located not too far from the entrance of Istrakan. He do really want to sleep on one of the rooms of that giant mansion he saw in the north but Mani is against the idea after seeing more Boks and its upgraded form, Ghoul. So they decided to just sleep under a tree. It may not be the best to sleep under a tree but it is the Solar Tree. A tree that is known to purify the land.

He didn't know what time it is when some strange sound wake him up from his deep sleep. At first he just ignored it however, the sound of rustling leaves keep on waking him up everytime he close his eyes. He wonder how can his mother sleep so soundly with all those rustling...

So without wasting anymore time, Cressent stood up and grab his daggers. He carefully move to the source of the sound, making sure he doesn't make any noticeable sound as he walk. With both daggers on his hand, he jump from the bushes and what he sees behind it surprises him.

Part 3

He hated it.

No matter how he is interested in magic, he is now HATING it. Every single day is nothing but perfecting a star reading then magics then going to look at theory behind it then blah blah blah... HE DIDN'T GET A SINGLE SOLAR NUT! What does he look like in the eyes of that man? A kid who has an unlimited source of mana?! He is an orphan! He didn't even have a blood of a mage...

...okay, maybe he does and he didn't know but still-!

"That old man!" He said, using a staff obviously way bigger than his own body to pick the Solar Nut off the tree. "I'm doin' every single thing yet I didn't deserve just a single fruit! How cruel can he be?! If yer going to treat me this way then don't bother adopting me, awright!"

He continued talking to himself and with all that anger, he slammed the staff as hard as he can. It did create a loud rustle but he don't care. He still didn't hit that piece of fruit!

"Yer lucky I'm still too small to climb up there!" He said and once more, do a full swing of the staff. It hit the Solar Nut this time and it fall to the ground. His anger were replaced by happiness as he grab the fallen fruit and quickly eating it. Oh yeahhhh... That sweet taste of the Solar Nut is enough to give him the energy and mana he need and shut his growling stomach up-

"Umm..."

Upon hearing a new voice from behind, he turned his head, still chewing and without even wiping the yellow juice on his cheek. There behind him stands a young boy around his age with purple hair and pale red eyes. On his neck were a torn light blue scarf and the rest of his body were hidden inside the long coat he wears. But he can still notice the two daggers on his hands.

Part 4

"Umm..." Cressent don't know what else to say.

To find a young boy at near the Solar Tree eating a Solar Nut and staring at him with that face... How could he react on that. He and the young boy seems to share the same age. He had a short pink hair and dark brown eyes wearing a orange hoodie jacket and white shorts. Beside him is a staff two or three times bigger than his own size. He didn't know if the staff was really his or he just stole it from someone else...

The boy keep on staring at him like examining him from head to toe without even stopping his eating. Okay that seems to be kinda... Uh... How will he describe it? ... Rude? He was about to start another sentence but the pink haired boy stops when their eyes met.

Rising up from his seat and with a big gulp, he pointed his big staff at him.

"Red eyes!" He shouted.

"Huh?"

"Yer an Immortal! Yah have red eyes!"

"W-wait! Hold on a sec!"

"Those daggers... Yer about to kill me, aren't yah!?"

"This is a misunderstanding, I swear!"

"Yah can't hide from me, yah hear! The color of yer eyes are solid proof awready!"

"Yes, yes, I hear. But Immortal's eyes have much more deeper shade of red than mines."

"Yeah? Prove it!"

"Immortals have bluish skin." And Cressent raised both of his hands above his head, showing his arms.

Seeing the skin color of Cressent's arms and face, he put down his staff and resume eating.

"Fine then." He said.

"Um... May I know your name? And what are you doing here?"

"In one condition. I can throw yah the same question."

"Fine."

"The names Zack. Sunflower in training. I don't really like that title but its all what that old man can give." He said and wipe his face using the end of his sleeve. Tapping the grass just beside him is a small sign for Cressent to sit there. With a sigh, he put his weapons back on their cases and sat beside Zack. "As for my reason, the old man is to cruel that he didn't gave me anythin' to eat till I master a certain magic. So I come here to find food instead."

"Oh... I see."

"So? What about yah?"

"I'm Cressent."

"Crescent? As in Crescent Moon?"

"Its spelled with double S instead of S-C."

"Ohhh... Double S. So yah wont mind if I call yah Cress?"

"Nope. Its how my sister call me anyway so I'm used to it."

"So you have a sister?! Neh, can you introduce me to her?"

"For the Sol's sake, she's only two!"

"I see I see! We'll met someday! Trust me! Anyways, why yer parents name yah like that?"

"Because I'm the next heir to the title Moon Beauty."

"Gee... So we both share the fate of having girlish titles eh..."

"I don't mind about that at all. To be serious, I'm proud of it!"

"Awright, awright. So why yer here?"

"I'm on my way to Azure Sky Tower together with my mom. I'm taking the trial."

"Already? At that age? Lucky yah... I'm stuck with theories..."

"Well at least you have a wide selection of magic to use and study. Unlike me, I only have one defensive magic."

"That magic is in yer blood. It comes naturally. So yah dont need to find theories about it."

"So what magic do you study?"

"Frost magic. If yah count it as a magic, then throw in the Star Readin'"

"What's Star Reading?"

"Its basically readin' the position of the stars to predict the future. I'm still in trainin' so my readin' is not that accurate yet."

"Cool!" Cressent said and lean closer to the other boy. "Can you read my future?!"

"I'll try." And Zack stood up from his seat.

He grab the oversized staff beside him and closed his eyes. The red orb near the end of his staff glowed, signaling that he is using his magic. On the other hand, Cressent keep on watching and waiting, excitement painted all over his face. The orb stop glowing as Zack opened his eyes again. He look at Cressent with rather a frown.

"Something bad will happen to yah. I can't tell when or where but I can say that the event will happen like years from this day. But like I said, my readin' is not that accurate yet. So dont let it get yah down!"

"Oh... But I still pass the trial in Azure Sky Tower, right?"

"I wont answer that."

"Ehhh?! Why not?"

"If I do, everythin' might change from what it was destinied."

"Hmm... Maybe you're right... Anyway, I have to return. Mom will be worried if she woke up without me by her side." He said as he prepared to leave. But before he can walk far enough, Zack stopped him.

"Ahh, wait, Cress!"

"Hmm?"

"If we see each other again... We're not going to fight each other, right...?"

Cressent look at Zack with a confused expression. That question come out of blue. Did he see something else when he read his future? He wanted to ask. But if he ask that right now, there's a high chance that he will avoid the question. So he just give him a smile and a thumbs up.

"Of course not! Why are we going to do that?"

"Yeah. Yer right. Well, see ya. Someday!"

Part 5

'Its not accurate, its not accurate, its not accurate...'

Zack keep on saying this three words inside his head like a prayer. For the first time, he met someone who can be his friend. However, as he read his future, he saw that being friend with Cressent will be hard. He wish that his star reading is still not that good but everything he predict from before is really happening.

'What if my Star Readin' is accurate...? That old man is pushin' me during trainin' so there's a possibility that I improve... Then... That means...'

Looking up in the sky, he can clearly see the full moon along with the stars. However, as he stare more, he saw the dark clouds began to cover the moon, bathing the forest into the darkness.

'Years from now, we'll met again. But he's a different person. He will see me as an enemy and... We'll fight each other...'