Chapter 6 A sudden visit to Samari

Rico saw King Seres from Eris’ memory, they were having a meeting with his evil soldiers and red-eyed sorcerers.

“Are you saying that the forest near Aldon was burned with the bright light?!” asked Maru the second strongest red-eyed sorcerer and also Seres’ right hand.

“Yes sir. The townspeople saw it some said that heavy rains poured down as it happened intentionally to kill the fire,” one of the soldiers said.

“What do you think about it, your highness?” Maru asked Seres who was just calm in his seat.

“I killed the royalties of Aldon. Only Luize can control the rain so how are you sure about what the townspeople said?” Seres asked with his husky voice.

The soldier trembled in fear as the others stared at him.

“But your highness, they claimed that the bright light was so powerful as it covers the entire forest! They said it was more powerful than yours!” he said as King Seres suddenly widened his eyes.

“Maru”

“Yes, your highness?” Maru looks back with his sharp eyes.

“Execute that soldier,” Seres commanded with his evil smile.

“Yes sir.”

“No! Please spare me my king!” the soldier begs for his life while Maru grabs his hair he creates red fire on his hand and without hesitation, he burned the soldier’s head as it cries in pain. The other soldiers trembled as well.

“That’s what you get when you underestimate the king’s power!” Maru shouted as they all keep their heads bowed down in fear.

“Well then, let’s begin our search for whoever did that light and fire in the forest. I know it has something to do with that damn sorcerer,” Seres said as his eyes flame red.

Eris’ memories cut off as Rico tried to seek more information but it was gone. He quickly opened his eyes and freed Eris for a while.

“I need to find a new place for us, I don’t want Niffa to be in trouble. I don’t want Seres to find out that she’s the holder of the green flame,” he said. He felt a droplet on his cheek the rain started pouring again as he remembered Niffa who was still on the cliff. He snap his finger and in just a second he was in the river, he saw Niffa sitting on the huge stone near the cliff while playing with the fish.

“Niffa!”

“Rico?” She quickly looks behind her.

“Look! I can control the rain!” she said with a wide smile while raising her hands.

“I know! I need to tell you something. Damn this girl is not listening she keeps on playing with the fish.” He quickly raised his two fingers as he controlled the water and grab Niffa’s waist. The water put her down on the ground beside Rico who seems to be in his serious-face mode.

“What’s with that face?” she asks.

“I need you to listen carefully. We have to move far away from this place.” His eyes were full of range with his concerned face.

“What? Do you mean now? But why?” Niffa said with confusion on her face.

“Seres knows about me. He knows I’m here,” he said.

“That evil brat! Then we just have to fight him!” Niffa clench her fist as she heated.

“No Niffa! You don’t know how strong King Seres was. Right now we have to be patient in killing him we need to hide first.” He grab both of Niffa’s shoulders as she stared into his angry eyes.

“I want to kill him with my own hands.”

“Niffa not now! You have to trust me on this. I already have my plan on how to kill him and I hope it will work.”

“How?”

“I don’t have time to discuss that right now, let’s go we have to move.” He lets go of Niffa and they teleport back into the house as they pack some of the important things. Rico pulled a huge old box under the table.

“Rico, what was that? Is it a treasure?” Niffa kneeled down beside Rico as she look at the dusty box.

“Nope,” he said as he slowly opened it. Niffa was surprised to see a bunch of swords from the kingdom of Aldon and she saw a piece of green clothing with a logo on it same as Aldon’s logo. She wanted to have a sword as she intend to touch it.

“Nope! You can’t have one of these,” he said as he quickly close the box.

“No way! It’s not fair!” she said as she crossed her arms and pouted as she look away.

“This will be reserved for later,” he said as he carried them outside.

“Wait, you told me that Prado can carry the entire house right? Why don’t we just use him to carry the house so that we will not carry this whole stuffs?” Niffa approaches him wiping the toolbox.

“Nice idea Niffa, but I was planning to leave the house burned down and leave some corpses behind, pretending it was just a town people’s house. Don’t worry it was not a real corpse I can create a fake one.” He beams a smile.

“I see, now I know why I can rely on you,” Niffa said as she smiled leaning her elbow on Rico’s shoulder.

“Okay then, step back and I will start to burn the house now.” Rico opened his right palm towards the house and it produce a violet fire. Niffa watch the house burn down slowly as some of the debris turned into ashes. Then Rico quickly snap his finger in concentration as two corpses suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Where did those bodies come from?” Niffa asked as her eyes were wide open looking at the corpses.

“My imagination. Remember I’m a sorcerer it’s my special ability,” he said as he quickly tossed the bodies into the fire.

“Let’s go,” he said as he grab the toolbox as walked away.

“But Rico, how about the forest? Are we going to abandon it?” she asked while looking back.

“I Rico the violet-eyed sorcerer and the protector of the forest will never abandon the life of the living creatures in the woods. I prepare everything and I already assigned some of my men to protect the forest.”

“Your men? Do you mean soldiers? Since when did you have soldiers?” She was confused.

“Remember your first training where you use your father’s strength?” he asked.

“Oh, those whom I just fought before. So you still have them,” she said as they kept on walking.

“Of course as long as my mind is still working, I can produce what I imagined.” He beamed towards her.

“Wait I just realized something, you mean all this time the cookies and the milk come from your imagination?” Her eyes were wide open.

“Yeah, sort of.”

“No way!” she said as she covered her mouth in disgust.

“Don’t worry I imagined it well-cooked and fresh. If you are hungry just tell me if you need some,” he said as he stopped and stares at her for a while still with a beaming smile.

“Ugh, no thanks! I already know where it came from I thought you baked them?” she said as her eyebrows furrowed looking dismayed.

“Relax, it’s cleaner than the fresh ones you keep on buying.” Rico pat her head and left her looking so shocked.

“Did he just pat me?” Niffa thought.

“Come on,” Rico shouted towards her.

“Well, can you give me a whole cake then?” Rico just chuckled, Niffa looked at his pretty face as she felt the burn on her cheek once again. She just ignored it as she chuckled with him.

They came across the river, then down the slopes, and saw another forest as they entered it and rest behind the trees for a while.

“Why do we have to walk this far? We can always use your colossus or just snap your fingers like before.” Niffa said as she pants and wipe her sweat.

“I can only use teleportation when I know the place we're going. Besides you have to remind yourself that you should’ve relied on your powers that much. You also have to be strong in your own way without using them.” Rico lay down on the grassy ground.

“Fine, that’s a lesson from you that I will remember for life. But right now I need water I’m so tired and thirsty,” she said as looks around, she cannot see any signs of bodies of water.

“Wait let me help you with that,” Rico said as he snaps his fingers and a glass of water was in his hand.

“Here, take it.” He handed it to her but she insisted.

“No, I don’t know if it’s clean or not.”

“You really don’t trust me, aren’t you? Of course, this is clean I always thought about cleanliness when it comes to creating foods.”

“Fine, I can’t resist it though I’m really thirsty,” she said as she grab and drink it. They decided to rest a little more as they both are laying down on the grass looking at the bright sky.

“By the way Niffa, you succeed in creating the rain so you are called the rain keeper,” Rico said as he looked at her lying beside him.

“Rain keeper?” She asked.

“Yeah, it’s your mother’s term from her power.”

“Okay, what about it?” She look at him as he tried to explain.

“There is more weather you need to find in order to complete Queen Luize’s full power.”

Niffa widened her eyes upon hearing it as he look at Rico pointing at the sky.

“See the sun? It doesn’t actually shine as bright as before.”

“Sun keeper?” She asked upon realizing it.

“You guess right Niffa. The day you were born Queen Luize lost her powers that the sun only shines in a glimmer way until now.” They look at the sun. Rico was right, it wasn’t so shiny.

“So you knew me since the day I was born?” Niffa asks as her eyes concentrate on him.

“Of course, I’m a friend of your mother,” Rico responded with a smile on his face, she saw a paint of red on his cheek as she feel his cheek.

“What are you doing?” Rico asked in surprise. Niffa was shocked by her actions as she quickly removed her hand as she looks away feeling awkward.

“How can the sun retrieve its light then?” she asked trying to get back from their topic a while ago.

“You are the chosen one to do it.” Rico was still looking at her but she just look at the sky.

“How can I do it?”

“Well, I guess you need more meditation to find it.” Rico turned to look at the sky as well.

“So we meditate to find something we need right?”

“Yeah”

“Like the way you do? So tell me why do you meditate sometimes?” She cannot help but to look back at him, but his eyes were closed this time.

“To find my past,” he responded still eyes closed.

“Of course you do, but did it help?” she ask as she trace her eyes on his side-viewed face.

“In some ways yes but the last time you dream about Samari 10 years ago, it actually helps me remember some of my past.”

“Maybe you have connections in Samari,” she said. Rico opened his eyes in surprise at what she said as their eyes locked.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m.”

Suddenly they heard the sound of horses coming from afar.

“How did they find out were in this direction?” Niffa asked as they quickly stands up.

“I’m sure the sorcerers know about it,” Rico said as he quickly grab Niffa’s hand.

“I don’t have a choice but to be in this place.” Rico snapped his fingers and to their surprise, they were inside an abandoned area. The place was burned and wrecked while ashes thickened on the floor.

“Rico? I’m sure this is a castle,” she said as she walk further and look around.

“I know. How many years is this being abandoned?” Rico kneeled down and touch the ash. He can feel by his sorcerer’s gut that it was more than 20 years ago.

“Look! I saw a logo of this castle,” Niffa said as they quickly run towards the huge dusty blue banner beside the burned chairs of the royalties. Rico wipe the dust from the banner as he saw a rose, bow, and arrow design on it.

“Wait, I know that logo I’ve seen that before in my mother’s book I think it was Samari? Yes, I’m right we are here in Samari. But how did you know about the kingdom of Samari?” Niffa ask.

“I saw it in my dream,” Rico said as he touch the banner.

“In your dream? That means I’m right your past has to do here in Samari.”