Hellkeeper-Chapter 2

Chap 2

Strangers


Cole rushed in. Mike was seen struggling with some thing, but it only appeared to be nothing for Cole.

"What are you doing?" Cole raised her voice.

"Huh? Ah! Why are you here? I thought I told you to stay out?" Mike appeared rather hasty.

"Oh. I thought you told me to come in." Cole’s tone seemed to be rather guilty.
Mike changed his position. He tried to stand properly, only to be fidgeting.

"About this thing…" Mike paused. He didn’t know where to start.

"What thing?" Cole frowned at Mike.

"Huh? This…" Mike looked at the emptiness and then looked back.

Cole still carried this puzzled look on her face. She tried to comprehend what Mike was doing and saying, but she still could not figure out.

"Who is she?"
Mike turned around. He was standing right in front of a huge figure, the one that just let those words slip out of his mouth.

"She is…" Mike cut off in midway, just remembering that Cole could not see or hear the spirits. Maybe she can’t not feel them too. Mike forced a smile towards Cole. Cole is starting to look bored now.

"Can you go out for a while, please?" Mike smiled really unnaturally. Cole only shrugged her shoulders, and walked out of the room. Mike immediately shut the door behind her, heaving a deep sigh of relief.

"She is Cole, a friend of mine." Mike sighed towards the figure.

"She looks familiar. I think I have seen her before." The figure thought aloud.

"Really? Many people look alike, you know? It’s not very surprising." Mike widened his eyes.

"Ok. Forget about that already. Gorge told me to tell you something he forgot. I think it’s about that girl. You know, the fallen angel?"

"Yeah. What about her?"

"He just found out that she’s not in the underworld anymore. You might be interested in this topic."

"Just continue. I am interested."

"Gorge thinks that she is on Earth. Here, looking for something. Should I just say, ‘taking care’ of something…" With that, the figure disappeared.

"Wait! What the heck was the full story?" Mike frowned at the empty space.
Cole smiled outside his room.

"Just in time ~" She walked away, letting the shadows cover her presence.(-to be continued-)

Hellkeeper(continued)

"Is anyone there? Mike, can you hear me?" A female’s voice called for him at the other side of his main door. Mike was still a little dazed to answer her. The footsteps on the other side seemed to move away. Only then did Mike come to his senses.

Mike swung the door open.

"Oh…Hi Cole." Mike called from his door. Cole turned around, and in her hands laid something.

"So you are awake." Cole strolled towards him.

"This is for you." Cole handed a small bottle of transparent liquid to Mike.

"It may come in handy, in case you faint in there again. I would not have to drag you all the way to your apartment." Cole joked.

Mike’s entire face turned red as a tomato.

"But…But the lift…" Mike tried to explain.

Cole looked at him as if he was totally out of this world. Mike paused and tried to think of another excuse.

"Maybe I was just hallucinating… Sorry for all the trouble caused."

"That’s what the liquid prevents." Cole pointed to the bottle of liquid that Mike is holding.

Mike lifted the bottle so that he could have a clearer view of the liquid inside. The liquid gives out a shiny radiance under the afternoon light that filled the room.

"Wow…It’s pretty… Thanks for that." Mike wooed over the liquid.

"You’d better bring it along, in case anything happens again." Cole giggled.

"OK then. I can’t deny it."

A noise came from Mike’s apartment. It sounded like a mouse scratching on the floor mat.

"Oh, darn it." Mike muttered, rushing into his house, leaving door wide open. Cole stood outside his house, trying to peep in.

Minutes passed. Cole still stood there, itching to go into Mike’s apartment.

"Sorry! Can you not come in!? I’ll with you later!" Mike yelled from inside.
Cole raised her eyebrow. Did he tell me to stay out or go in? Maybe he needs some help.

Cole walked in, wondering where Mike was. She walked past the living room and the kitchen.

There was still no sigh of Mike. Cole decided to intrude into the rooms, hopefully not to bump into any of Mike’s family members. The first door, no Mike. The second door, still no Mike. Cole was a little depressed. Why are there so many rooms? I only have 3 rooms altogether.
Cole pushed the final door open.

"Ah!" Mike’s voice was heard from a corner.

The Path (part 1)

Nothing is left.

Not a single trace of life could be found. Ruins lie on the deserted ground, abandoned by all its life forces. Even the trees refused to hold on to their remains and allowed it to rot under the scorching sun.

"What…What happened here?" A young boy fell onto his knees. A place that should be filled with joy and happiness is now lifeless. Skeletons that lie without a grave could be able to understand the boy’s feelings. They are only as empty as he is.

"The war… It’s real. The military ordered everyone from our tribe to be terminated. Heaven knows what they are thinking. " An elderly lady muttered to the boy, moving towards the skeletons. She showed no tenderness to the boy, only to leave him alone to dry his tears. An entire tribe being wiped out, no home for them to return to, how could anyone withstand this pain?

The boy grasped a handful of sand and tossed it at the old lady. His furious eyes behind the tears are full of hate for her.

"Why must everyone be killed? How many families must the military kill in order to satisfy their greed? Tell me!" The boy screamed.

"They’ll never stop killing. Soon, they will rebel against each other, making the same foolish decision that would mark their end." The old lady sighed.

"So that was why you left the military! Came back to be one of us, and flee from those murderers to avoid being killed yourself! Now you did not even bother to save this tribe!" The boy cursed the old lady.

She grew silent. She knew that she did not have enough time to quarrel with the boy. He was too young to understand anything. She watched the tribe grew and now, it is dead, lying in front of her without a reason.
****************

The old lady dug her spade into the dried sand. It was only her first grave, but the boy had already dug four. He marked each of the graves with a wooden stick, or anything that he can find on the ground. So much for the old age that wears people out.

"Let’s retire for today." The old lady sighed, but the boy did not even respond. She gazed at the moon and guessed that it was about midnight.

"If you continue on, there will be no end. We did not even build a tent for ourselves. There will be no way to stand through the cold night…" Before she could finish her sentence, the boy cut in, "Then you stop and make a tent."

She sighed, but left. She shuffled to a cliff nearby, where a tunnel could be seen under the dim moonlight. Even if there were no light, she would still know that there was one. With a snap of her fingers, the tunnel instantly disappeared. In its place is now a structure of a house made of stone. She touched the doorframe, allowing plants to sprout leaves, branching out to form a door. The young leaves suddenly turned brown and hardened to become wood. A complete wooden door with a handle is formed.

"Complete." The old lady went into the house, leaving the boy to continue the tedious work. Drops of hot perspiration dripped from his face. He kneeled on the ground; it was now impossible to hold on anymore. How long is this going to continue?

The boy opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground, with a quilt made of leaves providing warmth for him. The air was crisp although the sun could be seen in the north. The boy got up and looked around him. There were smoke coming from the nearby tunnel, and it smelt of roasted meat. That was enough to make his stomach groan with hunger. Left with no choice, he went to have breakfast.

The old lady sat beside a roasted pig. The skin of the boar had turned to a delicious-looking golden-brown. The old lady took the boar away from the tip of the fire, putting it beside her.

"You really need to regain your strength after collapsing yesterday. The cold would have killed…" The old lady began.

"I just wanted to take a break and thanks for the blanket." The boy said sarcastically, knowing that the old lady was right.

"Fine, eat up." The old lady twisted a leg and gave it to him. He immediately gobbled it down without any hesitation.

"A boy is still a boy," The old lady teased, laughing it off as a joke. The boy glared at her, muttering, "At least I am not as heartless." She sighed.

"But you can do after finishing the graves? This tribe is still gone…And there is no way you can bring it back. Even if you do, the military will have it eliminated. They have their reasons for doing certain things too. " The old lady said out of a blue.

"…Then the military shall fall. I’ll revive my tribe and you, stay out."

"How are you going to do that?"

"…"

The boy was speechless. Creating a tribe is no easy matter. Although it once existed, but all its remains were destroyed by the military.

At this thought, he cursed the military. But there must be some way… At least… Suddenly, his eyes brightened up. The boy remembered that there is a way.

"So?" The old lady asked, sensing that he figured out something.

"The oracle! The one in the legends! He will gave me a wish if I went to him…" The boy almost yelled out of excitement.

The old lady bit her lips with those remaining yellow teeth.

"That…Will never work." It was all that she managed to speak.

"But…"

"What you are asking for is against the laws of this world! Asking for the return of something that is dead… It’s a crime that is unforgivable!"

"The laws of this world? Who cares? As long as I get what I want… It will be fine with me!"

The old lady tried to make him change his ideas.

"How can one brat like you… Who can’t even his name… Do something so foolish!" The old lady turned angry.

"I only have to go to the oracle and make a wish! That’s simple! My memory will come back some day… I must have parents who are waiting for me… Loving parents…" Tears whelmed up in his eyes; he felt so foolish to forget his family. Now he could not even feel their love… But soon they will return to him, he was sure.

"You… remember… The place where I found you? It was all ruins when I came, and it was a miracle that you survived… So please… At least bring back the tribe without the Oracle’s powers…" The old lady begged him.

"I survived… And that’s why I must revive our tribe! Going to the Oracle is the only way!" The boy exclaimed.

"Fool! Do you know how many people died on their way to find him… How many tortures they have to go through? All they can get is one wish, a wish that will be the greatest crime!"

"Crime! The military is the one who does all these crimes! There is no such thing as the laws of this world!"

The old lady could only stare at him. She knew that his determination was too great for her to convince him. He was a goner now.

"Fine. Leave at once. Go to the oracle and revive the tribe. You must make sure that everything comes back to normal. Then the laws of this world will show you. They will turn their back towards you and abandon you."

"Who needs those laws to follow me!" The boy stomped away, taking all his unpacked belongings along.

The old lady did not even try to stop him.

"They’ll abandon you like how they abandoned me, Ven." The old lady muttered, as a gust of wind turned her into sand and carried it away.
(To be continued)

HellKeeper

"Cough…Cough…" Mike choked on the terrifying smoke that made it hard for him to see the lift’s burning walls. His eyes were tearing, and that only made the matter worse.

‘Now I’ll never manage to get out from here…’ Mike’s vision started to blur. Everything was black before he himself knew what was happening.

Cole reappeared, standing beside Mike, who had already blacked-out due to all the smoke. "How weak…" Cole sighed, giving her fingers a snap. Immediately, the chaos in the lift disappeared.

"Can’t he see that it was an illusion? Maybe I was a little too rough on him." Cole rolled her eyes. She pressed the ‘Open’ button and walked out. Surprisingly, Mike’s unconscious body floated out from it, following Cole was she went to his apartment.

A stream of light flooded into Mike’s eyes.

"Whatttttttttt!?" Mike sat upright on his bed, shouting. He looked around himself, wondering which part of heaven he was.

"Huh? Isn’t this my house? Was I rescued from that lift?" Mike scratched his messy black hair. What a jerk. I really wonder why that cute girl wasted her effort carrying him back to his house.

"Huh?" Mike turned, surprised to know that anyone was in his house. But what he saw only gave him the shock of his life.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Mike yelled on the top of his voice. "What are you guys doing in my house?" Mike pointed a finger at the two transparent figures sitting on the windowsill of his room. The two figures carried an astonished expression on their faces when they saw Mike’s reaction. They returned back to their normal expressions only after Mike lowered his finger at them.

"You can see us?" The longer white figure asked.

"Why can’t I see you guys? And what are both of you doing in my house?" Mike still seemed shocked, but he cooled down a little bit.

Confusion was written all over Mike’s face.

"I can understand if you are thieves, but that transparent costume is totally…weird!" Mike blurted out.

"No wonder."

The three of them looked up at the same time. There, standing on a lamppost was a little boy dressed in black rags. He seemed to be a lot younger than Mike, about 7 or 8 in age.
The two white figures immediately bowed in respect. Mike only stared at the little boy with amazement.

"Don’t stare, it’s rude." The little boy’s voice echoed in Mike’s head. With that, the little boy disappeared.

"Prey…" The boy suddenly reappeared right beside Mike’s ear, whispering in this wild cry. Mike was totally shocked, turning around to face the little boy. Standing in mid-air, the little boy seemed somehow a little deformed. His left hand changed to an ugly shape, like the hand of a demon, with sharp claws that emit a terrifying aura.

"Master Yin! He’s not a prey! He’s only a human!" The long figure behind Mike suddenly yelled.
The little boy looked at the figure. His kind look suddenly turned into a shade of absolute hatred.

"You dare deny me…?" The little boy glared at the figure.
The long figure suddenly staggered a few steps behind.

"No! …Never in my entire life, shall I deny… you!" The figure stammered in reply.
The little boy went up to it with slow, causal steps. His look became kind again. He put his normal right hand on the head of the figure.

"You are dead, remember?" With that, the boy’s left shot into the long figure’s head, turning it into ashes. The smaller figure fell onto the floor, shivering in horror. Mike was dumbfounded, shivering with the thought of how easily that little boy kills.

The little boy smiled at Mike. His left deformed hand turned back into a normal hand.

"See you around, human. It’s fun scaring you, but if I continue, your sis will kill me!" The little boy laughed cheerfully. His rags suddenly whirled around the little boy, swallowing him like a deadly poison cloud.

Moments passed after the little boy disappeared. Mike and the figure are both still speechless from shock. Mike suddenly thought of something, and yelled, "What was that? I thought that he was human!"

The figure on the floor glared at Mike.

"He is the Demon Child. Now you should know that he’s definitely not human, right?" The figure questioned Mike.
Mike thought for a while.

"Why is his hand like that? It’s so huge! And that colour! Is it something that all of you are scared of?" Mike asked in wonder.

"He’s still not the scariest in the Demon world, I guess. There’s a girl guarding the doors and the affairs of both worlds. I heard that she’s pretty, but she can kill anyone that she doesn’t like."

"Anyway, are you a ghost?"

"What? Ghosts! I’m a spirit! A spirit! You filthy human!" The figure yelled at Mike.

"That’s sudden. But are really no ghosts in this world?" Mike held back a little, afraid that he might offend the figure again.

"Ghosts are lowly humans that are dead but still have connection to this world. They are usually bad."

"What? Then is that kid a ghost?"

"Shhh! If that Demon Child hears you, he’ll tear you into pieces!"

"A Demon Child? Is that somehow related to ghosts?"

"Grow up, kid! Don’t you know that Demons are of the highest rank in the Demon World?"

"Oh…Yeah. So he’s the highest rank in the Demon World?"

"You are so stupid. He’s just a Demon Child. A Kid. Ok? There are people of higher ranks than him."

"You know any of them?"

"Well… It’s hard to say. I think there’s one girl. She’s the guard of Hell, and of course, there’s the Demon Lord. No one has seen his true form though."

Mike kept silent for a while. Demons… Demons… Are there no angels?

"How about angels? Are there any of them?" Mike thought aloud.
The spirit seemed to be deep in thoughts. Finally, it spoke, "I think they’ve all perished. The Demon Lord slaughtered the whole group. But there is one in the Demon World. She’s the guard."

"WTF?" Mike burst out.

The spirit frowned at him.

"Nothing. Sorry. But how can an angel be in Hell?" Mike scratched his head.

"I heard that she has incredible talents and skills to fight. Maybe that’s why our Lord accepted her."

Mike’s face seemed shadowed.

"So she joined the Demon World willingly?"

"Err… Nope. The Lord is clever enough to spot her weakness and force her to join. Angels’ weaknesses are so easy to spot, you know! They are way too kind!" The spirit snorted.

"If they did not perish, I would have joined them! It would be fun, you know? I do not know what their lives are, though. But I heard that the life there is way more interesting than life on Earth!" The spirit seemed to be talking to itself.

Mike frowned. Poor Angels… Why can’t they live on? Even they can die? Mike sighed.

"Hey…Kid." A translucent hand waved in front of Mike.

"What!" Mike yelled, taken aback.

"It’s so damn rude to shout all of a sudden. But I’ll have to go. See you!" The spirit said, changing into a human form. He looked like a cool guy, in about his twenties or so.

"Wait! Do all of you look like that?" The words burst of Mike’s mouth without any hesitation.

"Huh? Of course not! There are older ones, but I died when I was in High School, and that was years ago. And the girls, they are just hard to find! Do all girls’ life span longer than guys’?" The spirit gritted his teeth.

"Can you at least introduce yourself? I’m Mike, in High School. Still living, that is."

"Ha! I’m Gorge. Short form for ‘gorgeous’, that is. Really, I have to go! But I’ll come again. See ya!" Gorge disappeared in a flash.

Mike stared at the spot where Gorge was gone. All of these just seemed too hard to believe. Mike fell onto his bed and started to recall. There was this Demon kid… And for no reason, he attacked me, and for no reason, he ran away. Wait… He did explain himself, didn’t he? Mike sat up straight on his bed.

"See you around, human. It’s fun scaring you, but if I continue, your sis will kill me!" The little boy laughed cheerfully. Mike recalled.

"My sister? When did I have a sister?" Mike let those words dash out from his mouth. He scratched his head, looking confused.

The Dream Of Three

Continued from last time's


That’s why, she only had three friends. Everyone have their own way to go now, and their distances had furthered with every minute. Now, she stood facing one of her sealed secrets—her love for so long.

The princess placed her cold hands onto the palace doors and pushed. The doors slung back, revealing a hall that seemed to be unused for a very long time. The princess awkwardly stepped into the hall, her eyes scanning the huge hall. To her amazement, there was a painting of her face in the corner of the hall. It was the only thing that has no spider webs covering it. The princess went towards it. She bent down, picking up the framed picture. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw the words, ‘Her majesty.’

A figure stopped just behind her. The princess knew that he was there, and turned slowly to face him. Under the moonlight, she could only catch a few figures that still haunt her in her dreams. Her teardrop finally dropped. The person seemed shocked to see her crying. The princess bit her lips.

"I thought that I told you many times not to call me using formalities? Aren’t we…" The princess broke off.

"…Friends?" The man continued for her. The princess could not look up into his eyes. They only reminded her of the pain and years of suffering that she had.

"You are engaged, unlike me. Why don’t you just forget about the years we had together? Forget about me?" The man said.

"Never! You don’t know what’s it’s like to have you in my dreams but you are never there when I wake up!"

"Sometimes I feel as if this is just a dream, too."
The princess said no more. Her heart totally tore apart. Instantly, her knees went soft and landed on the cold marble floor. Her tears poured down uncontrollably. She sat there, crying like a baby.

The man kneeled down beside her. He wiped away her tears, but not a single word came from his mouth. He felt like crying too, for not being there to help her like what he once did. He felt so useless.

"What a lovely scene," A voice broke the man’s thoughts. The voice caused the princess to stutter. That voice. That man. The princess’s sorrowful eyes suddenly turned to a pair of hateful eyes. She eased her tears and stared at the man who said that.

"Jin…" The princess gritted her teeth. The figure that appeared leaning against the doorway frowned at her. The man beside the princess stood up.

"What do you want?" He breathed. Jin looked at him through the corner of his eyes. Slowly, Jin strolled towards the man.

"Did I not make it clear, that her majesty is going to be my wife soon? So keep your dirty hands off her, prisoner." Jin threatened him.

"He is not a prisoner!" The princess glared at Jin, which only made him laugh.

"Are every one of you here getting senile? Yu, you are not supposed to meet him ever again. What have gotten into you today? He is a prisoner now, the one who is imprisoned for your sake!" Jin shouted at the princess, pointing at the man.

"The evil are always on the loose, right Shu?" The princess asked suddenly, giving the man a strained smile. Jin clenched his fists. Shu only gave the princess a worried look.

"You are my wife!" Jin was outraged, grabbing the princess by her shoulder. Princess Yu did not hold up against him, but only continued to look at Shu. Jin tried to think of a solution to win the princess’ heart. Shu returned princess Yu a comforting smile, assuring her that he will be fine.
In his frustration, Jin made a dash for Shu. Only then did the princess look worried, but before she could respond to Jin’s fast movements, Jin was too close to Shu. He aimed his fist towards Shu.

"No! Stop!" The princess cried.
Jin landed on the ground, coughing. Shu frowned at him, with his fists clenched.

"You’ll have to train for two years before you can land your fists on me, junior." Shu sighed.
Shu walked towards the princess with a smile.

"You never change, do you?" Princess Yu asked Shu teasingly.
Jin panted on the ground.

"Both of you will never end up together." Jin’s words stunned the princess. His words reminded of what her father said to her. It was the last time before she ever saw Shu again until now.

"The guards have been dismissed doesn’t mean that Shu will be free. His punishment will probably be much heavier than now. You should know what the Emperor will do if he find me missing, right?" Jin just could not keep his big mouth shut.

The princess stopped dead in her tracks. Shu seemed to be deep in thoughts too. ‘Shu will be beheaded…’ the thought of this made princess Yu’s face turned pale. Jin smirked, his plan worked. Being so close to the princess, Jin did know a few of her weaknesses. She’s really sensitive whenever anyone mentions about Shu.

The princess started to shiver. Shu looked worried, glaring at Jin. He never expected Jin to be so mean, hurting his wife-to-be with rather harsh words. (to be continued)

[Extra] Paranormal Chap 2

Chap 1
&
The other side

"Susanne! Chad! Time for dinner!" A familiar figure appeared at the doorstep of the main residence called out. It was Mr. Roger, of course, who came out to call the girls in. He only found Sue, who was still standing in the garden, her intense forcus still on the book.

"Oh, Sue! There you are! Have you seen Chad?" Sue shook her head, her eyes barely leaving the book.

"Don't tell me that she left the house again!? Oh great, she'll just have to eat the leftovers again. Come on, Ms. Alise, you surely wouldn't want to freeze here, starving with a book?"

The dining room was simply majestic. The lights were candles that were being stuck on candle holders. Although the light was not very bright, it ensured that none of the diners accidentally stuck their forks into their nose. Sue ate her food silently, her head lowered to a position in which no one could figure out whether she was sleeping or eating. Mr. Roger talked to Mrs. Alise about his sight-seeing 'business trips' while Sue gave them a bored-to-death-but-faking-interest look.

'Well, no wonder that Cad ran off, she'a really lucky..." Sue's eyes suddenely widened at this thought.

"Excuse me, Mr. Roger, but does Cad always ran away at dinner-time?" Sue blurted out.
Mr. Roger looked at her for a long time.

"She only took up this habit in the beginning of the year. Does it bother you that much?" He sighed, waiting for Sue to reply. Sue seemed to be dazed for a moment, sitting at place, frozen.

"Sue...?" Mrs. Alise looked worried, trying to distract Sue. Sue looked up with rather thoughtful eyes and sighed. Without acknowledging anyone, she left the table. Mrs. Alise wanted to say something, but she stopped when Mr. Roger sighed.

"Maybe I was thinking too much," Sue thought to herself. Are you so sure? A voice echoed in her mind.

'What!' Sue screamed, chilled to her bones. Her eyes moved around nervously.

What are you so frightened about? You know that you can't escape. Soon you will be on our side, along with that one. Rejoice. The voice faded away slowly, but Sue's nervousness only got worse. Beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks and soon she was shivering.

"What are you doing here? Don't tell me that you want the leftovers, too?" Another voice disturbed Sue's thoughts. Sue's head jerked towards the voice, only making her regret it. Cad was looking at her with a pair of marble-cold eyes.

There was only silence for the rest 10 minutes. Cad's eyes only narrowed when she noticed how pale Sue's face had turned to. Cad's eyes suddenly turned soft. She turned away, walking back to the residence with casual steps.

"Where were you just now!?" Sue yelled behind her. Cad never stopped, "At least have the courtesy to say what were you doing there? Very suspicious." Sue's lips tightened when she heard that. How could she reply? There was absoultely no way.

The Alise family went to take their belongings right after Cad returned. Cad was 'enjoying' her leftovers and did not bother to see the Alise family take their leave.

"Cad, why were you so cold to Sue? Is there something wrong?" Mr. Roger asked Cad soon after Alise family's departure. Cad only glanced at her father, not replying as her mouth was full of salad.

"Mfth...I don't really like ver... she vot a funny scent..." Cad replied, still chewing on her salad.

"Scent? When did my daughter started sniffing things out like that? You mean that you just don't get along well with her, right?" Mr. Roger sighed.

"You can say that again." Cad left the table. Her father stared at her plate and shook his head when he noticed that Cad only took a bite of the salad. Dinner, huh? Only one mouth of cold salad. That doesn't look like a diet at all, more like, no appetite to eat after a meeting with Ms. Alise. It was definitely a bad starting.

Paranormal [Extra] introduction

Paranormal
1#Discovery#
Written by: Jade Blue

Introduction

"Welcome," A soothing voice echohed through the large waiting hall of the castle-like house. The voice came from a middle-aged man, with him stood a proud-looking teenager who had her eyes fixed on the smaller girl just in front of her. She narrowed her eyes at the other girl as she scanned her from head to toe.

The middle-aged man noticed his daughter's coldness towards their guest, but simply continued to speak words of welcome to a delicate lady who was obviously the other girl's mother.

"Cad, would you mind taking our little guest here around the house? She would be keeping you company for a while and please allow myself and this wonderful lady to moam about."

Cad moaned deep in her heart but only nodded slightly and reluctantly towards her dad. She shuffled her feet as she guestured the smaller girl to follow her. The other girl looked hesitating at her mother for a while and took leave after her mother gave her a smile. The two pairs separated as each pair took their different paths, slowing increasing the difference between them.

"So, what's your name? You seem timid to me but i can't eat you." Cad tried to use her most ignorant voice to show the other girl who's boss, but in her heart, she is fumbling to find a way to start her words right. The girl gave her a side-way glance and replied, "Sue. Now's what's that funny tone you are using?" Cad looked at her silently, trying to read her thoughts.

"That's what i do when juniors behave as if they are boss." Cad uttered to Sue. Sue noticed the extreme change in Cad's attitude towards her, but chose not to speak about it. As Cad led Sue through every corner of the house, their silent battle was the only thing that connected them.

Cad's house was larger than anyone could imagine. But it was also understandable as Cad's father, Mr. Roger, was the well-known millionare in this region. Cad's mom had passed away in an accident which broke Mr. Roger's heart. Cad was still very young at that time, thus she did not really miss her mother. Now, to mend his broken heart, Mr. Roger's latest flame is a divorcee, Mrs Alise, Sue's mother.

Sue's mother was Mr. Roger's assistant, and that was how both of them met. Now, both of them are getting married, that's why Mrs. Alise is moving to Roger's residence.

Cad and Sue walked for two whole hours around the house, including the gym, the swimming pool, and the library. Sue hardly moved on when she saw the huge number of books placed on shelves, while Cad scanned the comics' section for any new books. In the end, Cad had to drag Sue out from the library, who was still engrossed in a history book. The garden was the furthest place that Cad could toll Sue to; she simply froze like a stone stuck to the ground. The book was the only thing differing her for a live statue. It was thus the ending to Sue's tour in the house, as she was so obviously touring another place in the book already.

"For heaven's sake, that little bookworm's going tear down the library sooner or later. I hope she's not going to tear the whole house down." Cad sat on a stump tree watching Sue and thought. In her thoughts, Cad accidentally broke a twig when she laid her hand on its surface.

"Oops! Sorry! I'm so sorry!" Cad apologized to the poor tree, making such a din over it.
Sue looked away from the book, staring at Cad from the corner of her eyes.

'For heaven's sake, that crazy girl's going to break more branches if she continue to wriggle like that. What a jerk.' Sue thought to herself. Cad had already noticed Sue's distracted attention towards herself and stepped off from the stump tree. She strolled towards the main gate of Roger's residence, preparing to leave Sue alone. Sue's attention had then returned to the book, as Cad walked out from the residence. She did not even turn her head to look at Sue; merely disappearing into the fading light of the street.
* * * * *

The Dream Of Three(2) -continued

-Continued-

The princess went through a series of doors and gigantic corridors with ease. She had lived in this cold marble castle for all her life, never leaving it until today. Her tears drowned her big coal-like eyes as she ran closer to another smaller palace just in the gates of the palace. The princess’s feet finally landed on the marble floor just a stone’s throw away from the palace.

All the smaller palaces that surrounded the main palace were connected by corridors, in a way that it was more like a huge maze rather than a home for many. Its design was to prevent intruders from reaching the main palace in which the royal lived. Any newcomers that forgot the way round the palace would be bound to lose his or her way. They could be found by soldiers who petrol the palace once a day.

Its design only made the palace as cold as its marble walls. The people hardly met each other on normal days and many longed to be in a friendlier environment like the noisy cities. The princess hoped that it would happen too, but she herself knew very clearly that her father, the emperor, would never allow such a thing to happen. (-to be continued)

HellKeeper(2) Bonus Story

Missing Identity

Chap 1

"Hey! Wait up!" Mike’s voice echoed through the dark valley. Cole turned to face him. She gave him a smile while watching him hurrying towards her. "You…live here?" Mike panted. Cole looked surprised at first, and simply nodded. "Wow, I live here too by the way, can I walk you to your house then? My friends are not around and…eh…you know…" Mike stopped halfway, wondering what made him say that, while looking down at his feet to prevent Cole from noticing his blush.

Cole did not blush like Mike did; instead she simply nodded her head in an understanding manner. Mike cursed himself for saying those embarrassing words but gave her his charming grin upon her approval. Both of them walked causally along a small path leading to a private condominium with a luxury restaurant, fitness room and a huge swimming pool. "Which floor do you live on?" Mike was the one who started the conversation. Cole looked at the levels of the condominium hesitantly and replied, "22nd floor."

Mike scratched his messy brown hair. "I thought that floor was empty? I heard that a fire broke out and killed a whole family. How come you got to stay on that floor?" Cole’s eyes widened when she heard this. She kept quiet until they passed the security and went into the lift. Cole only muttered, " The manager sold it to my family because my family insisted it. They wanted to experience what it was like to be in a burning hell. My mom’s a writer, you see."

Mike thought aloud, "What does it feel like in a burning hell? I’m curious," "You want to know?" Cole’s usual downcast eyes lifted up. It was then Cole’s eyes met Mike’s. Only then did Mike notice that Cole’s eyes were purple, just like his, but it contained a shimmer of fire in the very end. Mike couldn’t help but stare into her eyes.

All of the sudden, the fire in Cole’s eyes seemed to become real. A gush of fire swallowed Cole and surrounded Mike within seconds. It was like a burning hell, with no escape out from this fiery place. Mike’s hand reached for the lift buttons. He pressed the ‘open’ button, but it seemed that the lift’s not functioning at all. "Help!" Mike yelled. He banged his fists on the lift's doors, but it did not give way at all. Mike panicked and watched the flames turn into a fiery monster. The smoke was starting to thicken, choking Mike like a snake surrounding a poor little mouse. (-to be continued)

HellKeeper(1) Bonus story

Introduction

Time passed painfully slow as Mike stare blankly at the blackboard filled with words. That examination’s answers are totally crap to him and no one in class seems to be listening. The teacher seemed to notice the class’s ignorance, but continued to teach in her own method: nagging and nagging until the class starts copying the answers down. However, her method never seemed to work as none of them are moving their pens. With a small sigh, the teacher gave in, deciding to give out the papers. She viewed the record slip and told the class to collect their scripts once their names are called.

Cole Helen, the new transfer student did not even fidget under her dirty looking over-sized clothes. She has won her teacher’s trust, never saying a single word in class. In the teacher’s eyes, she was merely a shy girl who listens intently during every lesson. She never seemed a rebel like other students in the class and had her eyes glued to the white board, as if memorizing the answers.

"Well, If none of you would be so ignorant, maybe you all would score higher than expected! And," The teacher stopped in midway, giving Mike a suspicious glance. Only then did Cole’s eyes moved away from the white board and landed nervously on Mike. "Mike, work harder next time! Miss Cole has surpassed you in this year’s exams! Congratulations, Cole! Here’s your script!" The teacher handed Cole her paper while Mike stared at her with his extended jaw. Others too gave Cole a look as if she was out of this world. Cole only smiled weakly in reply.

For the next half of the day, Cole became the top of the class’s gossips as almost no one would bother to study for the exams during their first week of school. All got their fair share of bad results, except Mike. The rumors said that he never even lay a finger on his textbooks, yet he always managed to get the top results of the school, until Cole came to this school. Whenever Mike’s friends asked him what he wanted to do in order to beat Cole, he just shrugged, making an unconcerned face. But others would just think that he was longing to ‘kill’ her and snatch back his top place.

Cole seemed unconcerned about her good results too and that made busybodies pair Mike and her up. "Both are so alike," That’s how many would say when either of the ‘brainy’ students pass by. Cole hardly ever listened to those rumors even when people told her that. Mike, on the other hand, would frown and say, "Stop pairing me up with a girl, it’s embarrassing."

The Dream of Three(2) -The two horses

The scene of the palace was simply too majestic to describe in words. Pin-pointed in the heart of the bamboo forest, the palace stood tall and mighty, facing different harsh weather conditions at different times of a year. Although it may seem a little old, but it never failed to stand once and its beautiful pure white walls still remained.

The white horse approached the palace's grand main doors soon enough. Without the help of the young man, the princess dismounted the horse with ease. She ignored all those court ladies who came rushing towards her. The young man stood behind, giving her darkening shadow a blank look. He forgot that others were trying to help him put his horse to comfort, as his mind was filled with other things. "Mister...Mister?" A sudden sound disturbed his thoughts and he frowned towards the voice.

"Oh, its you, Sui. Please lead my horse back to its stable. Remember to give it some fresh grass and take it out for walks while I'm with the princess. It may take some time." The young man gave orders to the stable maid*(one looking after the stables) and was gone in a jiffy. Sui tried to catch a glance of him but he was not within her sight anymore. "He always amazes me with his charm and speed..." She sighed, leading the horse into its warm stable.

The young man pursued the princess and caught up with her soon enough. "Why such hastiness and coldness, your highness?" The young man followed her footsteps, asking her in a cold voice. The princess quickened her steps and muttered,"I'll tell you if you had the right to know." The young man's eyes flahed with anger at her harsh words. He jerked his brakes and bit his lips as he stood watching the princess move away. (-To be continued)

The dream of three(1)

Introduction

Snow flew from the heavens; slowly one by one touched the surface of the ground that was tainted by the colours of the evening sky. A delicate hand held out, catching a small snowflake. As it started changing into tears on the warm surface of the hand, a young lady rubbed it gently, giving it a last bit of warmth before letting it join the others on the freezing ground surrounded by the bamboo forest.
"Ah! So your highness is here! I’ve been looking for you for quite some time already. Please return to the palace before night befalls or the emperor would worry." A young fellow dressed in white yet majestic robes rushed out from a small path of the forest, his voice as soft as a white dove. The lady simply gave him a plain smile, her eyes wondering into the fading light behind him. Her face showed a slight trace of disappointment when she realized that the man came alone. "Princess?" The young man tried to catch her attention with his heart-warming voice, but to no avail. The princess shook her head in disappointment, but replied in a sad voice, "Alright, let’s proceed before it’s too late."
With her voice as a signal, the young man immediately held up a whistle hang on his neck. Taking a deep breath, he blew into the whistle, making a loud musical noise. Soon, hooves of a horse could be heard and a dashing white horse trotted into view. Not giving the young man a chance to speak, the princess got up onto the horse with a single leap. The young man immediately followed up, hopping onto the front seat just in front of the princess.
"Hold on tight," the young man whispered into her ear quickly as the horse trotted towards the palace with astounding speed. (-To be continued)