Selenia is the Priestess of the Holy Song, the last survivor of the destroyed Order of the Starsilver. During the final battle against the forces of Halleb, the Caretaker of the Dead, she was suddenly sent back in time seven years in the past, during the time when peace was cheap and lives were flourishing. Yet for Selenia, there is no peace or happiness, for she knows what will happen seven years later and she pledges to prevent that at all cost. Seven Years of Hope Prologue 2 The Fall of Those Who Live By Shiina Ai

On the surface, the forces of General Uleb, The Kin of Champions are pressed to its last man by the rampaging forces of Airu The Plague Bearer. Knowing no other path of retreat, General Uleb raises his hammer, Heaven’s Boulder, that stands the full height of a grown man and slams it against the ground. The ground cracks, creating a wide rift that separates the armies of the allied nations and the plague monsters.

It is unfortunate that he is on the side with the plague monsters, for he could not control how the cracks would form. He could not foresee what would happen in the future. Yet he stands firm.

A man against many, his blows throwing monsters twice his height to the sky, his hammer smashing the skulls, bones and flesh of the plague monsters to mush. The blood of the plague monsters falls on his face, burning him with their acidic substance. Yet he stands firm before the thousands of plague beasts, each the match of a hundred men.

Alas, not even he can stand against so many. For he is only one man. A single man who bought the allied armies precious time to retreat and reorganize at what would be the last line of the defense just outside the city of Gralnika.

It is the same on the high grounds of the mountain pass. While the long-eared soldiers of the Lost Woods stand their ground better than the others, they are about to face their greatest adversary. The black dragons, long thought to have died off, appeared at the battlefield right after the sun reached midday. Despite the power of their long bows made of the sacred oaks nurtured until a spirit resided inside them, they were no match for the scalding breaths of the black dragons.

As the flames with the heat and substance of volcanic magma burn their soldiers, the venerable soldiers of the Lost Woods are routed. These legendary soldiers thought to be mere myths passed down from parents to children, lost their will to fight against the unstoppable might of the black dragon flight. None of them were alive during the battle that saw the annihilation of the black dragons a millennia ago, as all those who fought died during the battle or during the march home. What they knew of the black dragons prowess were second hand stories passed down to the folks who went to look for the survivors before being passed down to the rest.

How did our ancestors defeat them at the height of their power? That same thought plays in each of their minds. Despite their pride of being the most powerful warriors in the world, they now understand that it was mere arrogance. Facing a true foe, their power is found wanting.

Yet one among them stands firm. Slapping the banner bearers and trumpeters to their senses, she urges them to their feet. Sounding the rallying call for perhaps the final time, High Commander Restini stands firm. With her armour broken, her helm missing and her body still suffering numerous bloody wounds, she raises the legendary spear Hal’geris in the air with one good hand and charges alone.

She knows her army’s morale is at its lowest point, yet she is unwilling to give up. She realizes that she can no longer urge her army to fight, not with the powerful black dragons as the enemy’s vanguard. But she must fight, for this must not be the end. She swore to live and die with Selenia, so how can she run away now and allow Selenia to fight alone?

“Great ancestors, I am Restini, daughter of Sayol and Ileas, descendant of Aharis, who fought the black dragons at the valley of death. Grant me the strength with which my ancestor slew the foul black dragons. Take my blood and give me the strength to annihilate them again!”

Restini can feel the ancestors answering her call. Her power surges, her wounds close and her broken right arm heals itself. The ancestors have responded to her wish, to turn her blood into pure power. The same power that the long ears once relied on in the same battle thousands of years before.

She jumps ahead at the face of a vile black dragon. Seeing the lone long ear warrior approaching them, the black dragons together pour forth a torrent of fire and magma at Restini. As Restini is still in the air, she has no way to avoid the rush of fire and magma. Thus she calls for the spirits, “Spirits of air, I beg for wings!”

Mere seconds before the flames devour her, she appears above the torrent of flames, seemingly lifted up by the very wind itself. Concentrating her wild magic into the spear, she makes a wide slash downwards towards the three black dragons that released their breaths at her just a moment before. The force of the slash makes a blade of wind and magic, carving deep into the backs of the dragons, cutting their tough bodies into twos.

Seeing her resolve, the other soldiers of the Lost Woods turn back toward the dragons. Firming their hold against their spears, swords and bows, they take a step forward. And then they take another step. And another. Until in the end it becomes a thunderous charge.

“Great ancestors, I, Murle son of Yum and Sarla offer my blood, my life. Grant me the power to fight besides my lord.”

“Great ancestors, Arin of Ayn and Mare pays my respect. Give me the power to defeat our ancient enemies, no matter what the cost.”

“Great ancestors, great spirits, I am Felmor. Take my everything, let me fight again for the last time!”

“Great ancestors, grant this child your blessing. Let our blood never be remembered as the blood of cowards.”

And so they fight again. Not with weapons made by mortal hands, but with weapons made of blood and nature. Their own bodies become the weapons by which they cut and stab hundreds of black dragons. What was once a hopeless fight has become a fair battle, with thousands of long ears fighting together to defeat hundreds of their ancient enemies, the black dragons.

Yet still, they fail. The power received by exchanging their blood was a temporary and final measure. Had it only been a couple hundred black dragons, they might’ve won. But they were too many. As the long ears skin pales and their movements stiffen, one by one they are ripped apart by the black dragons’ claws or burned to cinders with their magma breath.

As for Restini, she already fell long before the first of the other long ears start to fall. Not even able to utter a single word as she breathed her last, her spirit uttered, “I go first, Selenia.”

*As always, your comments are very appreciated. Praises help me write faster, constructive criticisms help me write better.
**Thank you to Eric for helping me edit this chapter.
***The other titles may take more time. Sorry.

Selenia is the Priestess of the Holy Song, the last survivor of the destroyed Order of the Starsilver. During the final battle against the forces of Halleb, the Caretaker of the Dead, she was suddenly sent back in time seven years in the past, during the time when peace was cheap and lives were flourishing. Yet for Selenia, there is no peace or happiness, for she knows what will happen seven years later and she pledges to prevent that at all cost. Seven Years of Hope Prologue 3 The End of All Things By Shiina Ai

"Hold the line!" General Falrus, the grand commander of all allied armies bellows his orders. His voice loud and powerful, enhanced by his personal charisma and command magic so that even the front line troops two miles in front of him are able to hear him clearly.

"Hold the line! You are humanity's last line of defense. Do not falter. We must delay them here! Now!"

General Falrus looks at the four lines of defense before him stretching throughout the wheat fields east of Gralnika. Their numbers are great, but this is all that is left. There is nothing else to deploy, no one else to conscript. These men who stand before the city of Gralnika are truly the last line of defense. Not only for humanity, they are the last line of defense for all who live.

After all, the mountain people were eaten to the last man by strange monsters that came out of the shadows of their caves two seasons earlier. The short folks succumbed to a mysterious plague that wiped them out the year before. The fae folks disappeared so mysteriously that not one scholar could offer a theory. The bird folks escaped in fear to the west, hoping that the rumoured continent of Naksa existed. The merfolks were eaten by monsters that rose from the deep oceans. And the most powerful creatures, the red and gold dragons were wiped out by who knows what and who knows when. If not for the Saint of Starsilver journeying to their nests and finding only bones, none would've known that the good dragons were all dead.

As for the soldiers, they know in their hearts that they are all that's left. They toughen their resolve, hoping that with their sacrifice, there will be a future for those they left behind. Despite the increasing casualties, they stand firm, unmoving, awaiting the last battle of their lives.

To some, it is for their families who are being transported through a magical portal to gods know where, far in the western part of the continent. To some, it is a matter of national pride, for they will not admit that their nation is weaker than mere monsters. To some, it is their belief that their commanders will stand with them through thick and thin. To some, it is their faith that the Priestess of the Holy Song will be able to sway the gods to join their struggle.

For those who fight for their families, they fight only to buy time for the Twelve Heavenly Maidens. For these maidens are the only help granted by the gods. These maidens, blessed by the gods and ordained by the Saint of Starsilver are the only ones left who can protect their families and loved ones. The only reason for them to stay and fight is to delay the forces of doom for as long as they can. The longer they can hold the enemy off, the more time the Twelve Heavenly Maidens will have to gather the survivors and escape through the portal.

Praises to Grexia The Sailor, may she forever guide the sailors and merchants.
Praises to Illumia of The Dawn, may she protect our children and future.
Praises to Allyn Who Perseveres, who rewards hard work and blesses diligence.
Praises to Miol The Shield, may our homes be forever protected.
Praises to Amarita of Desire, who blesses those who pursue their goals.
Praises to Unar Who Is Passionate, who blesses families to be fruitful.
Praises to Lenya Who Entertains, may she give hope to those without.
Praises to Nuei the Guide of Souls, may she bring the dead to eternal peace.
Praises to Maika The Crafter, may she guide their prosperity.
Praises to Irua The Guard, may she forever protect their lives.
Praises to Nila of the Dusk, may she continue to protect their souls.
Praises to Ya of Abundance, may she feed them always.

This chant is repeated over and over, as these men can only pray that the Maidens of Guidance will succeed. To most, this chant is the only thing preventing them from deserting. It's a constant reminder that if they desert here, not only they, but their families will also perish.

As for the rest, their only hope is that they will not fight alone. For this is the last hour of all who live and it is this last hour that they must fight, even to the last blood. Doom has come to their world, and they shall fight so that those they are protecting can prosper, or die doing their best. To these men and women, they are aware they will die today, and they have resolved to fight their hardest to bring down as many of the enemy as possible and buy as much time that their lives can exchange.

"Your excellency, how is it? Will the gods offer assistance?" General Falrus asks Selenia, the Priestess of the Holy Song.

Throughout the battle that saw the annihilation of the long ears and the death of General Uleb, Selenia was dancing following the tune of the Staff of Melodies. It was a ritual meant to summon the gods to appear in their physical forms. However, it did not work. With every dance, her moves became increasingly erratic, her feelings increasingly desperate. Finally, her stamina gone, she fell to the blighted ground, its grass long consumed by the taint of the demons, plague monsters and undead that press against their combined armies.

"Your excellency, please, will the gods help us? It is now or never. Look, our front lines are already massacred. It is only a matter of time before they break through our rear defensive line as well. We cannot hold the ground!"

Without looking up at the general, Selenia mutters in a voice so soft it can barely be heard over the chaos. "... silent."

"What?" the general asks as he kneels on leg beside Selenia.

"The gods... THEY ARE SILENT!" Selenia cries aloud. If her voice does not betray her despair, her droplets falling from her face certainly do. For a priestess most favoured by the gods to no longer be able to hear the gods, it can only mean one thing.

"What? The gods are silent?" A nearby officer asks.

"The gods are silent?" These words spread like wildfire among the ranking officers.

"Have we been abandoned?" This thought plays among the soldiers, increasing their anxiety the more they repeat it in their minds.

"Are we now truly alone?" This sentiment grows with every word spoken.

These thoughts finally become the breaking point for the allied army. As word spreads that the gods no longer respond to the dances of the Saint of Starsilver, the hopelessness of the situation sets in. Although they didn't truly count on the gods to turn their fates around before, they were comfortable with the hope that perhaps, the gods would lend a hand.

Now that they know with certainty that the gods will not do so, the resolve in their hearts wavers. As more of their fellow soldiers fall by their sides, the fear that took root in their hearts becomes a monster that claws from the deep corner of their hearts, persistent and unyielding. As they see the terrain covered entirely in the mass of enemy monsters, undead and demons, one man turns around to flee. Then another follows, and another, and another. In mere moments the entire remainder of the front lines as well as half of the rear lines deserted the battlefield.

"No! Stop running! We are the last line of defense! Stand your ground!" General Falrus cries his commands to deaf ears. He knows now that not even his voice can persuade the routing soldiers.

Despite his usual polite demeanor, he grabs Selenia's hand, still weak from the despair of being abandoned and throws her to the single remaining officer by his side. The Duke of Marlis catches the young priestess in his arms and receives the general's order to take her away through the portal. The duke gives a single bow of respect, the last of its kind before he puts Selenia on his horse and flees in the direction of the portal. The duke himself is unsure if he will be able to reach the portal that is five days distance from Gralnika.

As General Falrus looks at the prone form of the priestess, he says so quietly that none can hear even if the battlefield is silent, "The gods may have abandoned us in this world, but perhaps the gods of this new world will still listen to your songs, Your Excellency. You are our last hope."

Then he looks up at the sky, raises his broadsword up high and yells aloud, "You gods who reign above, this is my final prayer. Let my life be the payment for hers. Protect her as you have protected her before. My life, I offer it to you."

And so General Falrus, first of the allied armies, the Hero of Canrad Pass, charges into his final battle with the misguided hope that he alone can delay the approaching mass.

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*Here is the last of the prologue for SYOH. There was originally a 4th prologue, but that has no bearing on this story from here afterwards. The 4th prologue was originally the prelude to the story of the refugee humans in this new world with the Twelve Heavenly Maidens as the main characters. Selenia won't even be there except for a single mention.
**Thank you to Eric for editing the chapter.
***As always, please leave your comment or feedback. Praises help me write faster, constructive criticisms help me write better.
****The other titles still need more time, sorry.

Selenia is the Priestess of the Holy Song, the last survivor of the destroyed Order of the Starsilver. During the final battle against the forces of Halleb, the Caretaker of the Dead, she was suddenly sent back in time seven years in the past, during the time when peace was cheap and lives were flourishing. Yet for Selenia, there is no peace or happiness, for she knows what will happen seven years later and she pledges to prevent that at all cost. Seven Years of Hope Chapter 1 A New Start By Shiina Ai

"Sister Selenia! Sister Selenia!"

The loud voice in my ears along with the shaking of my shoulders wake me from the fog in my mind. As I open my eyes, a soft blue light enters my eyes reminding me of what we once lost. It is a familiar light, one I've seen probably a thousand times, even tens of thousands of times. It is the light of the Holy Starsilver, spinning slowly above the magical altar made by the now extinct azure mountain people.

"What - where..." I look around the room, recognizing a chamber that I haven't seen for years.

It is a chamber that I haven't entered for at least six years. This chamber shouldn't exist anymore. Six years ago, this place was attacked and ransacked by the demons of fire and the demons of blades that killed all the priestesses and burned the entire temple complex down. Even the Holy Starsilver that had adorned this chamber for the past 600 years was taken away to gods know where. Only a handful of priestesses and Knights of the Holy Starsilver survived the sudden attack. I was one of those who survived and had to escape alone.

The sister breathes a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you are awake. You suddenly lost consciousness during dawn worship. Are you alright?"

"Sister Eryes?" I ask in disbelief. Sister Eryes was one of those who sat in worship during the attack on the Hall of Stellar Radiance. She should be the first to die. How can she still be alive?

"Yes, Sister Selenia. Greetings of dawn. If you are feeling unwell, you should've told me. It is not good to pray with an ill body."

"No... no, I am fine. Is this a dream?"

"A dream?" Sister Elyes seems to fall into deep thought before she hit the palm of her left hand with her other fist, "Indeed! Life is a dream. A dream that speaks of our worth before the stars. I have finally found the answer!"

"Uh? What?"

Sister Elyes falls to her knees facing the giant crystal of the Holy Starsilver. She closes her eyes, clasps her hands at her chest and says, "Oh Radiance of the Night, I thank thee for thine guidance. Please continue to guide this humble self forever more, until this dream ends and this humble self returns to the stars."

A door behind me opens. "Sister, I heard you collapsed. What happened? Are you alright?"

It is the voice of someone who shouldn't exist anymore. It is the voice of someoneI have missed so very much. Someone who should already be dead, long, long ago.

"Kal-Kaldar?" I turn around, looking at the face that I haven't seen for six long years.

"Yes, it is me. Is something wrong, sister?" Kaldar answers as he gets on his knees with a face full of worry.

"Kaldar!" I cry, my feet push me towards him in a sudden jump.

Caught off guard by my sudden move, he instinctively opens his arms, allowing me to jump into his embrace. His body covered in chain mail is hard and cold, but this... knowing that behind it Kaldar still breathes and his blood still courses through his veins, is such a great comfort that my tears can no longer be stopped.

"Kaldar! Kaldar!"

This Kaldar who followed me when I was chosen as a trainee priestess of the Holy Starsilver. This Kaldar who said he would protect me from the mean senior priestesses. This Kaldar who pledged he would protect my chastity and purity. This Kaldar who swore that he would be my knight once he passed the selection ceremony for the Knights of Starsilver. This Kaldar who trained alone in the woods, fighting wolves, imps and kobolds from the age of 5 to the day he turned 13. This Kaldar who did everything for my good and supported me throughout my whole life. This Kaldar who I remember more than my own parents.

This Kaldar who swore to protect me for as long as I live.

This Kaldar... who said he would protect me, but he lied. He swore to be my shield, promised to be my sword for as long as I lived, but he lied. His promises were empty. His vows were unfulfilled.

Despite swearing to be my knight, he perished right after swearing the oath. With his own strength, nurtured for years in the wilderness, he alone took me out of the burning temple complex into the hidden path under the Hall of Repentance. He alone fought off the pursuing demons of blades, dozens of them, against his single might. Yet he did not complain, he did not tire. He simply fought them one after another. And in the end, he sent me off with a smile as his broken body spilled its lifeblood on the ground.

Kaldar, what was the use of saving me, if you're not there to walk with me? What was the use of saving me, if you perish soon after? What was the use of saving me, this useless me, if you die in my stead? Why was I the one alive? I who was useless, and always useless. It was you who should live. You who were called The Shield of the Stars.

Had it been you, instead of me, Entou would not have fallen in vain. Had it been you, Erle would not have died that day. Had it been you... if it was you... if you only you were alive...

"Kaldar! Kaldar! Kaldar!" There is no other word to say. My mind can no longer form any words. Kaldar is alive.

Kaldar is alive! The feeling of helplessness when Kaldar gave his life for me. The regret of not being able to do anything when Kaldar could only smile to sooth my heart despite the pain in his body. The despair of seeing him hacked into pieces and beheaded by the blade demons. The feeling of being unworthy of such a sacrifice. It is now undone. If this is a dream, this is a wonderful dream.

Now Kaldar is alive again! That is all that matters!

Kaldar is alive!

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*Thank you Eric for editing this chapter.
**Your comments and feedbacks are much appreciated. Praises help me write faster, constructive criticisms help me write better.
***Actually thought of not posting this, since it doesn't seem like the bigcloset crowd enjoys it. However, I received a nice mail recently and I thought, "Heck, if this person likes it that much, then I'll post for as long as this person enjoys it." The comments also helped. So everyone who commented/mailed, your effort wasn't wasted. Thanks a lot.
****Yeah, so this is the first chapter since the time-reversal. In the visual novel, there is another scene where Selenia meets The Anchor, but I decided it would be too slow and therefore skipped it. Probably would skip it in the visual novel as well.

Selenia is the Priestess of the Holy Song, the last survivor of the destroyed Order of the Starsilver. During the final battle against the forces of Halleb, the Caretaker of the Dead, she was suddenly sent back in time seven years in the past, during the time when peace was cheap and lives were flourishing. Yet for Selenia, there is no peace or happiness, for she knows what will happen seven years later and she pledges to prevent that at all cost. Seven Years of Hope Chapter 2 A New Start By Shiina Ai

"Selenia? I could hear you from the hall - oh dung, Sister Eryes!"

This voice...

"Umm, greetings of dawn, Sister Eryes."

Aria? Is it truly Aria? Aria is alive? Aria...

Will I be forgiven for embracing this dream?

"Greetings of dawn, Sister Aria," Sister Eryes greets back making a small bow just like Aria probably did.

"Aria? Is that really you?" I speak as softly as I can, afraid of my voice shattering her image like it has so my times before. My eyes grasp at Aria's fleeting figure, afraid it will fade away again. This Aria who kept running away from me in my dreams. No matter how hard I chased, no matter how much I begged, no matter how many tears I shed, I was never able to catch her.

Aria makes that teasing grin that I have already started to forget. That same grin that I kept clawing through my memory just to remember but failing increasingly often. "Silly Nia. Of course it's me. It's only been a few hours and you can't recognize me anymore?"

Aria! I slacken my arms that are wrapped around Kaldar. Getting on my feet, I take a step slowly in Aria's direction. I do not want my steps to disturb her image. I do not want the sound of my movements to scare her away. I do not want her to disappear again. I can't bear it anymore.

Please don't disappear, Aria.

Please don't disappear.

Please don't disappear.

Please don't disappear.

Please I beg you, stay where you are. Just this once.

Please don't leave me again. Just this once.

Please gods who reign in Heaven, allow me this one selfishness. Just this one. You have never allowed me any.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Aria!" I throw myself at her.

My arms wrap around her waist, expecting her to turn into butterflies again. It doesn't happen. She doesn't disappear. She doesn't fade away. She doesn't shatter. She doesn't run away. Aria is here, in my arms. She feels real, this feeling that I have already started to forget.

Oh gods, thank you for letting me hold her one last time.

"Nia, why are you crying?" She asks as she wipes the tears from my eyes with a jasmine scented handkerchief.

I bury my face in her voluminous breasts covered in a particularly revealing fashion common among the divine dancers of the Starsilver. I remember this raiment from long ago. She used to wear it on every special day. And in this raiment, she would dance for me, just for me.

On the Day of the Silver Sun, she danced and sang the Hymn of Guiding Light. On the Night of Endless Stars, she danced with a hum following the song Light of A Thousand Lights. On the day we kissed for the first time, she danced to the silent tune of Eternally, Passionately. And on the day of my first foray into the cursed forests to study the demon monsters, she danced the steps for The Way Home, as if praying to the gods for my return. I only learned later that she danced The Way Home for the whole night until she fell exhausted at ghost hour.

I look up at her face as I tell her, "I miss you." I do not know how I look like to her with all my crying, but it doesn't matter. I miss her. For the whole six years we've been apart, I've missed her. My dear, dear Aria. My first love.

"Umm, it's only been a couple of hours. Are you that excited for today?" She looks embarrassed as she looks to the side. Then her face goes pale and cold sweat appears on her forehead.

"Selenia, get off me! We'll both get in trouble. Look! Sister Eryes is looking! And her mouth and eyes are wide open! Get off!"

I tune out her words. Nothing else seems to matter anymore. Aria is here, in my arms, her face only inches from mine.

Aria, I miss you. For the past six years, I have longed for you. Your face that I saw every night as we sleep. Your hands that stroke me softly while you told me how I've been doing a good job. Your scent that calmed me and made everything felt right. Your kiss that made me feel alive and cherished. Your voice that sings me to sleep.

Your voice. Aria, for these six years, I keep replaying your voice in my head. As I do good deeds, I would play your words, "That's my girl." When I failed, your "You've done your best" would always bring me back up. When I was about to do something wrong, your "I don't like this Nia" would always stay my hand. Your voice in my memories have always been the only thing that kept me on the right path.

Aria, your beauty that radiates like the full moon.

Aria, your voice that is like the songs of angels.

Aria, your dances that move heaven and earth.

Aria, your smile that lights up even the darkest of days.

I miss all of those.

You have always been the only one I longed for. You and only you. When King Garan forced me to be God's Chosen Saint, I wished you were there to tell him off. When I had to fight for my life in the back streets of Kellomis, I wish you were there to pull me away. When I had to beg for food to fill my belly, I imagined that you were there pulling my hand to the dining halls again.

If I wasn't at the library at that time, would I have been able to save you? Would I have had your company while I walk through that path alone? Would you stay with me through thick and thin, penniless, hungry and at the mercy of people who only had their own self-interest in mind? Aria, what a wonderful world it would have been if only you had been there to walk it with me.

I will say this now, so that I will not regret it again. Even if this is a dream. Even if this is an illusion I'm seeing at the end of the doom of our world. Even if this is the illusion I'm seeing at the end of my life, I will say it. The words that I couldn't say six years ago. The words I couldn't say before that. The words I had tried to keep secret in my heart, afraid of the punishment I would receive for saying it aloud.

I hold the back of her head in my right hand and say it aloud, clearly, without pretense, without hesitation, without any doubt, "I love you, Aria."

Aria, if I have only one regret in this world, it is that I never said these words until it was too late. I will not make the same mistake again. And with that, I give her the kiss that I had been dreaming about for the past six years. The same kiss I was afraid of initiating. The same kiss that I have been afraid of savouring. It is the kiss and passion that I have kept bottled up for the past six years.

For this moment, there are only the two of us in the world. A world of our own. A world with no one else. A world we belong. Nothing matters to me in this world other than Aria.

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*Thank you Eric for editing this chapter.
**Your comments and feedbacks are much appreciated. Praises help me write faster, constructive criticisms help me write better. I do enjoy reading all your comments and your speculations. Please keep them coming.
***I'm feeling somewhat motivated lately, so I've been slowly writing the continuation for Escape! and Age of Gods Online. Cross Race Destiny may need more time. It's almost finished but I just feel the chapter is not ready to be read.
****The cover picture fits my imageof Aria, except Aria like all priestesses of Starsilver has silver hair.
*****Since this story is very long, and some of you may not be interested in staying for that long, I'll give a bit of spoiler. Halled is without a doubt the reason for the Doom March, but she is not actually evil. Want to know why she started the Doom March? Please stick with this story to the end, or you can buy the visual novel when it's out one day.

Selenia is the Priestess of the Holy Song, the last survivor of the destroyed Order of the Starsilver. During the final battle against the forces of Halleb, the Caretaker of the Dead, she was suddenly sent back in time seven years in the past, during the time when peace was cheap and lives were flourishing. Yet for Selenia, there is no peace or happiness, for she knows what will happen seven years later and she pledges to prevent that at all cost. Seven Years of Hope Chapter 3 A New Start By Shiina Ai

"So am I to get this right? You can see the future?" The head priestess narrows her eyes, her cheekbones move a fraction of an inch higher with her hands clasped in front of her lips. Her eyes pierce through me, as if trying to see any falsehood, any lies in my words.

But there is no lie. I have not uttered a single lie. My words have been the truth and nothing but the truth, as far as my knowledge goes. And I know, very well, that seven years from now, the world will meet its doom.

If we, the sentient creatures of this world continue to bicker among each other, that future will come true again. Humans enslaving long ears. Long ears killing humans who enter their forests. Mountain folks isolating themselves from the other races. Short folks who steal, rob and murder. The fae folks and their mischievous tricks. The forest maidens who jealously guard and propagate their sacred trees. The bird folks who look down on the land dwellers. The merfolks who prey on fishermen and sailors. And the red and gold dragons who constantly fight each other for dominance.

This must all come to an end. If we are to stop the end of the world, all the races must work together. We cannot afford to lose any of the sentient races again. But before all that can happen, I must first convince the head priestess, Sister Jihan the Unforgiving, that our future is bleak.

"I do not see the future, I am from the future, Sister Jihan."

It is amusing to see her left eyebrow tick upward hearing me speak her name so casually. I actually forgot that as a mere Listener, it was rude of me to speak her name so casually. It's because I've been at the top of the clergy for several years that I forgot that right now, I'm only at the second lowest tier of the ordained priestesses of the Starsilver. In comparison, Sister Jihan is at the highest rank, a Keeper, as only a Keeper may lead the sanctuary. She is a Starkeeper, one who foretells the coming events by watching the stars.

It is at this point that I hope that Aria who is standing beside me will stop fidgeting at everything. I don't remember much about Aria of this time, but had she always been this nervous? Or is it because we are in front of the high priestess? Regardless, if she is this nervous, it's like she's admitting that everything is our fault.

Instead of making an issue about my transgression, she decides to drop the issue. "Am I supposed to believe the predictions of a Listener without any evidence?"

"What kind of evidence would you like to see, high priestess?"

"Anything that proves you are from the future, of course."

I say nothing as I look back into my past trying my best to find evidence that cannot be doubted. I have no items from my seven years of wandering. I have no friends to vouch for me, for I have not met any of them yet right now. I have no wealth to show. What can I provide as evidence other than my own knowledge?

And therefore, I look into my memories and find the answer. A prayer that I had sung hundreds, thousands of times, that I now know by heart. Every word, every syllable, every note, every single meaning, I knew them all. I knew the Call of the Dead Queen more than I knew the Path of Starsilver, the sendoff prayer for the faithful of the Starsilver. For the Starsilver was lost, what reason would I have for praying to a lost god?

And so I sang, just like I had done hundreds, thousands of times before. Pleading for the Queen of Death, Halleb to honour the ancient covenant and provide safe passage for the souls to their final destination. To never corrupt, to never mislead and to never refuse.

Listen to my call
Oh wandering soul
My voice
shall guide you home

The light in your eyes
Your shadows undone
The day is past
And night has come

The clock has struck
And time is out
This is the time
to celebrate
All you have done
in memory

Was it regret
or pride indeed?

Oh my child
can you hear?
The voice of the crows
calling for a feast?

Now or never
Your world has ended
Another world awaits
A new journey
Follow my voice
Come to me.

Oh dear child
Be naught afraid
Those left behind
shall be just fine

Listen to my voice
I'm calling you
Follow my voice
Come to me

Worry not my child
The darkness before you
Is your own darkness
Your darkest heart

Face the darkness
And you shall be free
Let not your fear guide your way
Your heart shall be the answer

Come forth my child
Fear not the darkness inside

The taint in your soul
The burden you hold
Leave all behind
Come home to me

The gate is now open
Your path is now clear
Leave your past
And don't look back

Leaving this world
Eternally

"I see," the head priestess looks at me with a glare, "Is that a challenge, brat?"

"What? What do you-"

My blood goes cold as I notice the atmosphere change. The air turns colder, my breath comes out as fog. Her blood filled with magic, carrying the mana around her body to complete a magic circuit. I know what this is.

She wants to kill me! The thought appears in my head as the blade of ice in her hand becomes longer and longer before my eyes.

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*Thank you Eric for editing this chapter.
**Your comments and feedbacks are much appreciated. Praises help me write faster, constructive criticisms help me write better. I do enjoy reading all your comments and your speculations. Please keep them coming.
***Sorry about the wait. The truth is, the song Call of the Dead Queen was lost somehow. Wrote that about a month ago and either I lost the document or I never saved it in the first place. Unfortunately I couldn't remember how it went, so I had to rewrite everything from scratch. Such a pity, the original was very good if I may say so myself :(

Selenia is the Priestess of the Holy Song, the last survivor of the destroyed Order of the Starsilver. During the final battle against the forces of Halleb, the Caretaker of the Dead, she was suddenly sent back in time seven years in the past, during the time when peace was cheap and lives were flourishing. Yet for Selenia, there is no peace or happiness, for she knows what will happen seven years later and she pledges to prevent that at all cost. Seven Years of Hope Chapter 4 A New Start By Shiina Ai

The tip of the spear of ice approaches at a speed too fast for the eyes to catch. It would've been too fast for even my eyes to catch if it were the old me. But I am not the old me. I have fought monsters the size of a castle, dragons that breathed poisonous acids and even fiends that charged out of the shadows.

A familiar coldness spreads around my right hand. There is no moment of hesitation as I raise my right hand and it smacks the approaching tip of the ice spear to my left. The bookshelf on the wall beside me breaks as the seven-foot long ice spear crashes against it, throwing the leatherbound books and numerous trinkets on the floor.

It was an impressive ice spear. Indeed, there was nothing to complain about the power, shape, size or toughness of the ice spear. It was solid and merely being stabbed with it could've frozen the victim if one didn't have any resistance to frost.

However, it was still merely an ice spear. If she had any hope of killing me with it, she'd have to cast Ice Chains and Flight of the Polar Birds as well, or employ some other similar strategy. But that is something someone who is familiar with the battlefield will do. I have nothing to fear from someone who lives her life in peace and sits in a comfy chair behind an ornate desk made out of holy oak.

Sister Jihan looks at me in disbelief. Her right hand is extended towards me, still covered in mist of frost, but without the ice spear she sent my way earlier. The moment lasts merely seconds and her blood quickly forms another spell.

"Who sent you?" she asks while the magic circuit circulates around her body.

"I don't know! One moment I was on our final battlefield, and the next I was in the Hall of Stellar Radiance."

"Still playing dumb, huh? Alright, I will make it easier for you. Crimson Crusade or Temple of Flames, which one?"

"What? I don't even know who those are!"

"Oh? You don't sound like you're lying. There is another group of thugs out for my blood? Well, it doesn't matter. I survived four cullings, I will survive another. Say hello to your bosses in Halla."

She won't even listen! It seems like she has it set that I'm here to kill her. "Won't you please stop and listen?!" I ask for the last time.

"No. Your friends didn't listen when they cut off my mother's head. They didn't listen when they stabbed me twice and left me bleeding on the ground. Why would I give you that benefit?" She refuses as her magic gets nearer to completion.

With diplomacy failing, there was nothing else I can do but to survive long enough and hopefully show her that she was wrong about me. The pattern of her spell suggests something remote casting and area effect with high damage, which means either Frost Field or Icicle Nova, two of the spells that Erle used quite often. Neither of which is good. Both can be countered, but the counter spell requires a lot of mana, which I in my current form do not have. What I do have, is knowledge.

"Aria!" I grab Aria's hand and pulls her close to me.

"Ah, eh, what... what just happened?" she asks as she recovers from her shock.

Holding her right hand in my left with my right hand on her back pulling her against me, I close her lips with my own. She struggles, flustered at the sudden kiss, but I hope she stops misunderstanding this. This is not anything romantic.

Back in my previous life, there was one time when I arrived at a hidden castle deep in the woods. The residents were friendly and looked just like normal people, but they weren't normal people. They were vampires. On the very first night, my whole party was feasted on. As for me, I attracted the attention of the vampire lord and she attempted to turn me into one of them.

Thankfully, all initiates of Starsilver were imbued with a small amount of Starsilver dust. The head priestess back then told us it was so that we would never lose our way. The real purpose was to keep our bodies pure to prevent all transformations that defile the purity of life. For that reason, my body rejected vampirification, but I pretended that I was turned with incomplete transformation, and there I learned their secret art of life feeding.

Life Feeding is a shameful method of consuming life and mana from another person to nourish the life and mana of the one feeding. It is shameful even for vampires, for a different reason. After escaping from the vampire castle, I swore to never use this technique again. Now there is no other choice. If I do not do this, we will both die.

I am sorry, Aria.

And so I start feeding on Aria, my beloved, my cherished, my only one. I am aware that this may turn bad, but as long as I consume only her mana, she should be fine. It is difficult, particularly since I haven't done this for years, but as long as I stay in the region of 'energy' and stay away from 'life', and not touching the blurry boundary that separates the two, there should be little chance of consuming her life.

While feeding on my dear, sweet Aria, I start preparing the magic circuit to defend myself from Sister Jihan's attack.

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<-.->

*Thank you Eric for editing this chapter.
**Your comments and feedbacks are much appreciated. Praises help me write faster, constructive criticisms help me write better. I do enjoy reading all your comments and your speculations. Please keep them coming.

Selenia is the Priestess of the Holy Song, the last survivor of the destroyed Order of the Starsilver. During the final battle against the forces of Halleb, the Caretaker of the Dead, she was suddenly sent back in time seven years in the past, during the time when peace was cheap and lives were flourishing. Yet for Selenia, there is no peace or happiness, for she knows what will happen seven years later and she pledges to prevent that at all cost. Seven Years of Hope Chapter 5 A New Start By Shiina Ai

The spell completed, Sister Jihan activates the magic, causing a large magic circle to appear under our feet. I know this magic, I was right when I deduced that the magic is remote casting and area effect. If the caster were just another person, this might be complicated. Thankfully, Sister Jihan is a descendant of a certain distinguished bloodline, and those people can only use ice magic. While strong, their magic is predictable by someone of my experience.

As I cast my magic, an orb the size of a fist forms above my head. This is not my magic, it is Sister Jihan's magic. This is Frost Nova, a fairly high ranked magic, but pretty useless in a melee. I've never seen this used in battle, and the only one I know from my past life who could use this used it only once when he was angry about failing to catch fish and decided to freeze the whole lake in revenge. It can create a whole field of ice, but it takes time to do it.

If this were a battle situation, interrupting the caster's concentration would break the spell being cast. Unfortunately, descendants of this special bloodline use their magic differently. Even if the caster is killed, the magic will continue to drain remnant magic and mass from the dead body, effectively exchanging the corpse for the completion of the magic.

That's not a problem for me. My counter is perfect. As the orb of Frost Nova pulses with the terrifying sound of a hail storm, releasing a wave of frost that freezes the water in the fishbowl on Sister Jihan's desk, my spell completes. I push Aria down on the floor feeling the first pulse of the Frost Nova hitting my body and covering my back in ice. The cold makes me wince, but this is nothing compared to falling into a frozen lake when I went to search for the gold dragons.

I press Aria down with my own body, and in this position, I can feel how close we are, her breasts pressing against mine, her arms up on the sides of her head as she looks up at me. Her face is framed by the curls of her silver tresses, emphasizing her oval-shaped face, her long eyelashes that partially cover her wide open eyes, her small nose free from any blemish and her red lips that seduce and tease.

Instead of an angel, perhaps Aria can best be described as a devilish temptation. But I have no time to indulge in her beauty. I push my own silver hair aside with my right hand, get up on my knees and thrust my left hand up a few inches above my head.

"Protect us, Dome of Winter!"

From my palms, a bluish barrier spreads out. It forms a dome above us as the second pulse of Frost Nova releases more cold air into the room. The surface of the barrier immediately becomes covered in ice but the effects of the Frost Nova miss us this time and once the Dome of Winter comes into contact with the floor, we are no longer in danger. Ice is a terrible conductor of heat and therefore, it is possible to defend against the heat-robbing effects of ice magic with another ice magic.

The Frost Nova pulses seven more times before the orb in the air disappears. When the sound of hail storm stops and the waves of frost stop hitting the dome, I release the magic that holds the dome in existence. But despite cancelling the spell, the dome remains in place, which puzzles me as it should have already been dispelled.

"Ah! I see!"

As I look at the smooth dome of ice above us, I realize the reason the dome is still up. The answer is that this is not my spell. I can remove the barrier, but I can't remove the ice that accumulated before I removed the barrier. So with this knowledge, I brace myself beside Aria and kick the ice with my right leg to break out.

"How did you do that?" Sister Jihan asks without even caring that her body is covered in fragments of ice. Apparently not even the caster who should have had complete immunity to ice is spared from the spell.

"This is not the first ice magic I've seen. Were you trying to kill me, high priestess?"

"That is impossible!"

"Impossible, yes, if you consider that everything I have said was a lie. But it is a fact that I came from the future and I saw the exact same thing many times in the last two years of my other life. The bloodlust, the mana buildup, the magic circuit that your blood completes, I have seen it a hundred times. I knew you were going to cast the ice magic before you could cast them. One grows up quickly in the middle of war, especially if it is a war of genocide."

"Even if you've seen it a hundred times, even a thousand times, you still shouldn't be able to see my magic and have enough time to prepare a counterspell to deflect it. No mage can rival my ice magic even if they were to train for half a century!"

"Bloodline of King Frost, isn't it?" I ask as her eyes widen in shock.

"Yes, I know of that. While I do not have that blood, I do have the same blessing, you see." To prove my point, I conjure a blade of ice from my right hand in a single breath.

It is a small blade, no bigger than a very short dagger, but this is all I can do with my current mana capacity. Despite draining a lot of mana from Aria, I have used up most of it to form the Dome of Winter. I'm not a real descendant of King Frost after all.

"How... the previous High Priestess examined your family bloodline. Apart from the Blessing of Starsilver, there was nothing of note in your bloodline. How can you have the power of King Frost?"

Blessing of Starsilver is actually a misleading term. There is actually no real blessing, except for the families who are able to get a lot of money from selling their daughters. You're said to have the Blessing of Starsilver if you have silver hair. When a baby is found to have silver hair, a Watcher of Starsilver will be sent to monitor the child until she completes six years of summer. If after six summers she retains her silver hair, the Starsilver Sanctuary shall then buy the child and have her brought to the Sanctuary to be raised as a priestess of Starsilver.

Initiates of Starsilver are forbidden from cutting off their silver hair until they achieve the qualifications to be a Watcher of Starsilver. For that reason, all the priestesses of Starsilver have silver hair and almost all of them have hair that reaches their waists. If an initiate of Starsilver were to cut off her hair, she would be chained atop the Tower of Repentance until her hair grew back. The faith of Starsilver teaches respect towards silver hair, which by itself is the Blessing of Starsilver.

It is different for the Knights of Starsilver. While some of them do have silver hair, they are treated no different from knights with different coloured hair. In the faith of Starsilver, men cannot become priests of Starsilver as they are impure and vulnerable to greed and lust. Despite that, their position is indispensable as the knights protect the sanctuary and the priestresses and even conduct deals with outsiders in place of the keepers.

"I can assure you that I am not your relative, High Priestess. But I know someone who is. His name is Erlesion, the first son of Duke Rarnwad. I believe you know him, High Priestess?"

<-.->
<-.->

*Thank you Eric for editing this chapter.
**Your comments and feedbacks are much appreciated. Praises help me write faster, constructive criticisms help me write better. I do enjoy reading all your comments and your speculations. Please keep them coming.
*** Psst! If you want to support me and want to encourage me to absolutely deliver quicker, I've decided to make a patreon at https://www.patreon.com/shiinaai . This is completely voluntary, you don't have to pledge if you don't want to. I'll still update stories as much and as often as I can even without this. Where I live, $2 can feed a dude for a day.

Selenia is the Priestess of the Holy Song, the last survivor of the destroyed Order of the Starsilver. During the final battle against the forces of Halleb, the Caretaker of the Dead, she was suddenly sent back in time seven years in the past, during the time when peace was cheap and lives were flourishing. Yet for Selenia, there is no peace or happiness, for she knows what will happen seven years later and she pledges to prevent that at all cost. Seven Years of Hope Chapter 6 A New Start By Shiina Ai

Sister Jihan falls back down on her chair, stunned by the one name she didn't expect me to mention. It was really a shot in the dark. While the surviving bloodline of King Frost had scattered to the four corners of the map, it was still possible to find two who carried the bloodline in the same city, however diluted they would be. At least, that was the case before the Doom March started.

"I have never heard of that name," the high priestess says, clearly denying her connection to both Duke Rarnwad and his heir Erlesion.

It is foolish to deny the connection. While she may have her own reasons, her reasons pale in significance to the doom of our world. There are two simple reasons why I believed the high priestess is connected to them.

"Erlesion told me he never knew his real mother. She left a month after he was born. He should be ten years old now. I also happen to know that you came to the Sanctuary ten years ago. Was I wrong?"

She gets up from her chair, her face a mix of emotions as she walks to the window and looks outside. With her back to me, she asks with a small voice, "Is he well?"

The question was almost too quiet to hear. It was as if she was trying to speak normally, but something inside her restrained it. I wonder what happened in the past. As Erlesion never met his real mother, I have no way of knowing the story behind how Sister Jihan ended up leaving her newborn child behind and seeking shelter with the Starsilver.

"He died in the ambush at Selemir Road six years from now. I was there when it happened."

"I see..." her voice flat, but the trembles in the end betray her emotions.

I still remember that day. We were accompanying the 5th Malrim Army to deliver a relic called The Migration of Spring to reinforce the recently built border fortress Whiterock. We were ambushed by blade demons and undead right after passing the split in the road that led to a small lumber cutter village in the forest.

While the number of the blade demons and undead were double our number, it wasn't too big of a problem. All the members of my party back then were battle veterans, each having felled hundreds of blade demons and even more undead for the past years. However, none of us could prepare ourselves for the attack from three lichs, each having the power to best my entire party.

The melee happened so quickly that I was not able to perform my dance. The battle was joined so quickly that our Priestess of the Holy Light, Aramantine Caludell, could not even cast her protection spell. It was so quick that our support archer, Clemindel, had his life drained within a minute of the battle. Although we won, the victory was pyrrhic at best.

We did not defeat any of the lichs. We did not drive away the undead. They simply left after they had killed many of us. It was as if they took pity on us. Imagine that, lichs taking pity on the living.

We were cautious as we travelled to the closest city. That delayed us so much that many of our injured ones lost their lives while on the road. Erlesion was one of those who lost his life after the battle, he was only sixteen summers at that time.

"Sis... ter." He called my name right after the battle.

"Sis... sister." He called me again and this time I was right beside him on my knees, the clean white silk dress I wore stained by the blood on the ground.

"Erle, don't speak. You're going to be fine."

It was a lie. He was not going to be fine. How could someone who had a gaping hole in his stomach be fine? But it was my duty.

I who could do nothing. I who had no power. I who depended on others. I who merely did what the people in power wanted. I who was the puppet of the kings, priests and nobles. What could I do apart from easing their deaths? What could I offer other than lies and empty promises that everything was going to be alright?

I had done it so many times, I no longer thought differently. It had become second nature. My second nature. To lie to people in their final moments. To sing the Call of the Dead Queen. It was my duty, a duty that I myself undertook. The only duty I was not told to do, but one that was the only thing I could do.

I was never trained in swords. I was never trained in magic. I was never trained in diplomacy. I was never trained in healing. All my life, I was trained to appease the gods, but even that education was lacking. In my previous life when I had to escape the Sanctuary of the Starsilver, I was only a priestess with the rank and position of Scribe. All I did was copy old tomes so that the Sanctuary could sell them for gold coins.

Yes, I did learn a lot from those old tomes. But without the physical strength, I could not apply the martial skills. Without the mana required, I could not cast the grand spells even if I had practiced them. Without influence or power, I could not use the knowledge of statehood and diplomacy. If Duke Rarnwad hadn't recognized my raiment when I was lying hungry and wounded from fending off the scum of society in the back streets of Kellomis, would I even have lived past the month after escaping from the Sanctuary?

Yet, four years later, I would watch the boy who came to see me as his older sister die. And there was nothing I could do but to tell him that he would be okay. It was the same lie that I had spoken so many times. Yet, why did this one feel so painful?

"Khok khok..." he coughed, spraying blood in the air. With his mouth covered in fresh blood, he said with as much coherence as he could, "Sis... sorry."

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for! It was my fault! If I could only fight, I could've at least been of some help. But without my song and dance magic, I have nothing. Nothing at all! I am useless. Useless!"

"Sis... where," he coughed again, the reddish stain on his face grew. I tried to wipe it with the sleeves of my dress, but the only thing it did was smear the blood from one cold cheek to the other.

"Sis... can't... see... where?" Erle asked as his eyes clouded over. The black in his eyes slowly turned grey, a sign of approaching parting.

"I'm here!" I quickly caught his hand with both of mine and raised it to his face. "See, I'm here. I'm right beside you, Erle. I will never leave you behind. Never, you know I won't. You'll be fine."

"Sis... not... fault... I..."

"Don't speak. It will be fine. We will be fine. We will go home."

"Take... for you..." Erle suddenly went silent. I shook his body, but it only caused more blood to drip from the hole in his stomach.

"ERLE!!! Don't go! Please Erle, don't you leave me too. Erle, please, hold on a little longer."

I buried my face in his chest. The steel plate he wore was covered in slick, drying blood, mostly his own. Hugging him by his armour, I could only blame myself. If I didn't have the grand goal of avenging my friends at the Sanctuary. If I didn't tell him I would avenge Aria. If I did not make it sound as if my vengeance was such a noble endeavour, would he have joined me in this pointless quest? If he did not follow me, wouldn't he have stayed in the castle, perfectly safe in the comfort of his own home, his maids, his knights and his parents?

"O gods, if you still have any mercy left for me, please don't take Erle away from me too. Goddess of Life Amman, please spare a speck of your power, just a little, and allow my brother to live for a little longer. Goddess of Death Halleb, please do not take my brother so soon. Please give me another chance, for this is my sin and mine alone. Must you do this to me again?"

"Do not cry, sister."

"Erle?!" I raised my head, relief washed over me. I thought the gods finally showed mercy on me. But no, the gods did no such thing. Erle was still. Erle remained dead. His body cold, freezing.

"It is not your fault, big sister. I chose this."

"Erle?"

"Yes, it is me. But I will not be here much longer."

"Erle, I'm sorry. I'm very sorry."

"I never blamed you, sister. I am happy. I died protecting the person I cared for the most. It is not a long life, but for the time I have lived. I've felt what it meant to be loved, the warmth of my father, my mother and my sister. I've gotten to know what it feels to have a sibling. I've gotten to know the feeling of adventure together with my sister."

"Erle..." I didn't know what else to say as I cried against his armour, now so cold it was like hugging a block of ice.

"I have to go, sister. This is all I can give you. I hope my power can continue to protect you even after I'm gone. Goodbye, sister."

"Erle! No!"

I cried against the sky, but as my tears froze, I noticed the strange coldness that should not have existed here, at this moment. I opened my eyes and as my tears dried into ice, his corpse under me turned as white as virgin snow. Then his corpse exploded and the snow that was his body flew outward, floating around me. The floating snow that was white and pure, just like Erle, spun fast around me like a hurricane. Just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, leaving a strange coldness around my body. It was the same coldness I have felt whenever I touched Erle. It was the same comforting coldness as Erle in the summer. It felt like I was being embraced by Erle.

Erle, my little brother. We did not come from the same blood, not from the same origin, nor from the same fate, but you are certainly my one and only little brother. Your big sister will do her best this time, do it differently, so that the same outcome will not happen again.

<-.->
<-.->

*Thank you Eric for editing this chapter.
**Your comments and feedbacks are much appreciated. Praises help me write faster, constructive criticisms help me write better. I do enjoy reading all your comments and your speculations. Please keep them coming.
*** Psst! If you want to support me and want to encourage me to absolutely deliver quicker, I've decided to make a patreon at https://www.patreon.com/shiinaai . This is completely voluntary, you don't have to pledge if you don't want to. I'll still update stories as much and as often as I can even without this. Where I live, $2 can feed a dude for a day.
**** The next chapter of Age of Gods Online will probably come out within 2 weeks. Hopefully it can come out next week, but I've been so busy with work.

Some of you may have read Seven Years of Hope, a non-TG story written by yours truly. It's a novelization of my visual novel meant to create hype for the game. Anyhow, for the next chapter, the player will be given a choice of which power (only 1) they want to inherit from their past life:

1) Legacy of King Frost - ice magic
2) Shaadi's Tears - healing magic
3) Wisdom of Marras - appraisal magic (identification magic in Diablo game series)
4) Voice of Anra'e - enchantment magic (adds temporary additional quality to an item such as fire magic)
5) Arel's Anvil - inscription magic (adds permanent additional quality to an item but requires time to inscribe even one)
6) Black Dragon's Hoard - not magic really, but a knowledge she acquired from a party member that she'd meet on the 6th year, this is a shortcut to allow her to start preparing early instead of waiting for the 6th year to start extensive preparations. This one opens the way for the development of cannons and battle golems

There's a 7th power that I feel to be breaking character, which is Whispers Of The Dead, which allows Selenia to speak with the dead and even command undead beings in some events. I thought of removing it as it doesn't go in line with her character, who hates Halleb, the Goddess of the Dead for creating the Doom March.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Do you have anything to add? For the novelization, which of these powers do you want to be written as canon?

Washed ashore with no money, no identity and no memory of a life before. Adopted by a kind family only to be plunged into the fires of war. Will the boy, more beautiful than any girl, live a life of happiness or one of sadness? A Tale of A Thousand Days and A Promise Chapter 2 By Shinieris

“I think I’m going to join the army,” Mugi said as he bent down to pick a mushroom.

“Haa? What nonsense are you saying?” Ayu said as he threw away a mushroom that looked poisonous from the pile in front of him.

“People are saying that there’s going to be another drought, like the one from two years ago. If it’s true, there won’t be enough food for everyone in the village.”

“So your solution is to die on the battlefield?”

“It’s not like death is guaranteed. We’d be fed while in the army, and that means there will be more food in the village.”

“Wait, ‘we’?Are you asking me to join the army with you? Definitely not!”

“Why would I ask a girl to join the army?”

“As mentioned many times, I’m not a girl! Should I strip naked before you’d believe me?”

“Yes please. I’m ready to strip naked too. Anytime you’re ready.”

“Uhh, no. Nevermind,” Ayu said, slightly taken aback by Mugi’s readiness to strip together. By right, if Ayu just wanted to prove his manhood, Mugi wouldn’t have to strip as well. Ayu knew very well that the only reason Mugi volunteered to strip naked as well, was because he was expecting to get lucky. Adult kind of lucky.

It was clear to Ayu that Mugi did not believe Ayu was a boy even for a second. Knowing that his own best friend wanted to do the nasty with him made Ayu feel like vomiting the contents of his breakfast. Despite knowing how Mugi lusted after him, Ayu had no intention of stopping being his friend. Regardless of his flaws, Mugi had been the single shield that protected him from the lusty intentions of the other boys. He also found it weird that ever since he became good friends with Mugi, the older girls treated him nicely, where it was all scorn and mistreatment before that.

Ayu wanted to believe the older girls had warmed up to him. It would be bad if he couldn’t get married because all the girls hated him. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder what the sudden change in attitude was about. After years of treating him badly, the older girls suddenly treated him well the moment he turned 10, a few weeks after he started hanging around with Mugi exclusively.

“Are we not getting naked?” Mugi asked with a voice of disappointment.

“I’m worried for my ass even after I strip naked and despite showing you the proof.”

“Haha. Well anyway, I’m talking about the boys of the village. Most of us decided to join the army.”

“Why haven’t I heard anything about this?”

“Why would we invite a girl to a boy’s only gathering?”

“I’M A BOY!”

“Yes, keep thinking that. Say, can I join your family dinner tomorrow?”

“Why? Is your family out of food?”

“No, it’s your birthday dinner tomorrow, right? Don’t you turn 13 tomorrow?”

“It’s tomorrow?”

“You don’t even know?”

“It’s only the anniversary of the time when I was found washed ashore anyway, not my real birthday.”

“So, can I?”

“It’s fine, as long as you bring some food as well. I also want the sweet muffin your mom makes. Bring two, Lila likes it too.”

“Alright, I’ll ask mom.”

“Anyway, let’s pack up. I think we have enough mushrooms to last a week. Thank goodness we’ve had plenty of rain for the past few days.”

“Okay, put the edible ones away. I’ll gather some wood while you’re doing that.”

Once they arrived at the village, they went straight to Mugi’s house, where they unloaded half of the edible mushrooms and damp wood they collected in the forest.

“Mugi, wear your mountain climbing boots and bring your pickaxe and a stronger basket.”

“Mountain climbing boots?”

“Don’t tell me you sold it away. I made it just for you, remember? For free too! I will be very pissed if it’s being worn by some kid in the city.”

“No, how would I dare sell it away, Ayu? We both know you will kill me if I do that. I mean, are we going to the mountains?”

“Yes, take some ropes too if you have any.”

“A change of scenery? I think I remember father saying something about a blossom tree in the mountains that mom and dad used to go dating under.”

“Mugi, we’re not going on a date.”

Mugi made a shocked expression.

“We’re going to mine some iron ores.”

“There are iron ores in the mountains?”

“Why are you surprised at everything I've said?”

“Umm, wait, hold on a minute. Why would we gather iron ore? Blacksmith Jaqs died last month, remember. What could we ever possibly need it for?”

“I have plans for it, and you’re going to help me every single step of the way. So meet me at my house. I’m going to drop this stuff and change into my mountain gear set too.”

******

Ayu’s birthday dinner the next day turned out to be a backyard bonfire. Originally, it was only going to be Ayu’s family dinner plus Mugi. Mugi’s family, minus the eldest son crashed the party instead. Since there was not enough room in the house for nine people to dine together, they set up a bonfire in the clearing behind Ayu’s house. Naturally, where there were bonfires, there would be gatecrashers too, so Ayu’s neighbors also joined in. Thankfully, as this was a rural society, everyone pitched in with their dinner as well, so there was enough food for everyone.

“Noisy...” Ayu remarked as the dinner party went full swing.

Ayu, just like several others, sat on boulders of iron ore that he and Mugi had been mining since yesterday while munching on roasted mushrooms and wild bird meat. Some others sat on logs or chairs they brought from their own homes. It wasn’t long before the noise also drew random passersby. At some point, a keg of beer and even more food appeared.

Sitting in circles, the drunken adults toasted to everything from the rain to the harvest to the mushrooms being roasted. That was, until some random drunk decided to toast to Ayu and Mugi’s happy wedded life. It made Ayu choke on his roasted mushroom.

“Wait! Who said we’re getting married?!!!” Ayu yelled to the group of adult men beside the bonfire.

“Isn’t this your wedding feast?” Brewer Tont asked as one of the few sober adult.

“No! Why would you think that? Mugi, say some... thing...”

“Hic!” Mugi replied with a stupid smile on his face before he took another gulp of beer from his mug.

“Why are you drinking with them?!!!”

“Now now, don’t be so angry, Ayu. Come have a drink, it’s your wedding feast after all,” one of the adult women handed Ayu a mug of beer as the women made their own toast.

“... You all just want an excuse to get drunk, aren’t you?”

“Come, come, lets drink to your happy wedded life, my daughter-in-law!”

“Who’s your daughter-in-law, Aunt Helga? And stop trying to push the mug to my lips!”

“Oh just a sip. You wouldn’t embarrass your mother-in-law, would you?”

“You’re not my mother-in-law! Mom, help!”

“Mmm, Ayu... happy to get a son... help at... farm,” Ayu’s mom, who was already halfway drunk said.

“Mom! I AM your son!”

“Nnn, need to... extend... the house...” Ayu’s mom said before she passed out against the wall of the house.

And thus, Ayu’s 13th birthday dinner turned into Ayu and Mugi’s wedding feast, despite neither of them actually getting married. The next day, the rest of the village came to Ayu and Mugi’s family homes to congratulate them while at the same time complaining about not being invited to the feast the previous night. Ayu, tired of trying to fix their misunderstanding without success, fled into the forest. Mugi eventually found him picking fruits alone under the blossom tree in the mountains. They ended up staying in the mountains for the whole night, further fanning the rumors traveling among the gossiping housewives.

******

“So what’s this for?” Mugi asked as he folded and hammered the piece of iron in front of him. He couldn’t understand why the iron had to be folded, but he trusted Ayu when he told him to just do as told.

“Don’t talk. Focus on that thing you’re working on,” Ayu said as he worked on a much smaller piece of glowing metal, hammering it at precise points against the anvil with a smaller hammer.

“What am I working on, really?” Mugi asked again as he continued to hammer the strip of iron into something thinner and longer.

“A dagger. How can you go to war without your own dagger? Do you want to get laughed at by the other soldiers?” Ayu said as he hammered the glowing steel into the shape of a ring-like object.

“Oh, now that you mention it, it’s true that I don’t have a dagger of my own. Horon bought one from Blacksmith Jaqs before he died. Kelk said he’d just borrow big brother Horon’s dagger. I assumed I would be borrowing big brother Horon’s dagger as well.”

“Borrowing daggers? What nonsense is this? It’s fine if you share daggers during meals, but you can’t do that during battle. What would you do if you lose your spears? Fight bare-handed? Wait, you are getting spears at least?”

In this age when states and cities warred against each other almost every week, when alliances were made and broken almost every month and when human lives were cheaper than the price of equipping them, warlords would generally be in charge of equipping their soldiers for battle. While some rabbles were sometimes formed carrying their own makeshift weapons, warlords would often take great pains to equip their soldiers with at least something basic and cheap such as a short spear and a small shield. Being cheap, these warlords could field thousands of soldiers with every engagement. It had nothing to do with trying to preserve lives, it was simply that, if the soldiers couldn’t even last the first few skirmishes, there would be no point in hiring them in the first place. Therefore, a short spear, a small shield and sometimes leather body armor would be provided to every soldier. Of course, the equipment belonged to the warlord and would be returned at the conclusion of the campaign.

Although not a written rule, if the soldier wanted something better, they’d have to prepare it themselves. That was why Ayu brought Mugi to the late Blacksmith Jaqs’s smithy to craft additional equipment for Mugi. A dagger for example, wouldn’t be provided by the warlord.

“Should be, but I’d like a plate mail too, and a sword. Then I can join the swordsman company.”

“If we have the time, sure, let’s make one. By the way, focus on the job. Your ‘dagger’ is looking terrible.”

“I can’t help it. I’m not a blacksmith in the first place. Say, you’re not going to tell me not to go anymore?”

“It’s not like you’d listen even if I tell you not to go. The iron is getting cold, heat it up again. And stop talking,” Ayu said as he threw another ring-like object made of steel into the quenching bowl filled with vegetable oil. He proceeded to measure another glowing hot steel piece against a cast iron replica of a person’s hand.

“Maybe if you beg me in a sweet voice, I’ll think it over-“

“In your dreams. Besides, if I do that and you actually end up staying behind, you’ll be shamed, won’t you? The others will think you’re a coward after already agreeing to go with them.”

“Well, I think they’ll be a bit more lenient with me. After all, everyone thinks we’re a newly married couple.”

“That’s why you should fix that misunderstanding! How can I get married now if everyone thinks I’m married to another boy? And how long are you going to take to make a dagger? I think it’s – what is this piece of worthless lump?!!!”

Ayu ended up having to help Mugi make the dagger with precise instructions. The dagger was eventually completed, at the cost of much coal and many failures. Lured by the sound of hammer against hot steel, the other boys looked through the open door and thought that Mugi and Ayu were having some kind of strange tryst, in a smithy. When they saw Mugi’s new dagger and breastplate, they also wanted the same things. As payment for his instructions, Ayu had them all mine the ores from the mountain and carry it to the smithy. The raw ores eventually piled up behind the smithy after the boys were done making their own daggers and breastplates.

All the boys enquired as to how Ayu knew exactly what to do. Of course, Ayu had no answer. After all, Ayu had never forged a single blade in his life. In the end, Ayu simply imagined that his real parents must’ve been blacksmiths and that Ayu’s knowledge came from watching them at work.

*****

After weeks of preparation, it was finally the day for the boys to depart for the battlefield. The boys, numbering 47 people and several adult men would walk by foot together to the city of Arsac. They would serve under the banner of Warlord Juc for a period of one year, during which they would be provided with a salary and meals. For city-dwellers, serving under the Warlord’s banner was a no-brainer. With their lives tied directly to the city, the fall of the city also meant the ruin of the citizens. For the residents of the outlying villages though, it was a matter of choice.

After all, the villages didn’t pay the cities any amount of tax. Nor would they be required to assist if the cities were under attack. At most, some villages would pay a tribute to the cities close to them, similar in a way to protection fee. Otherwise, they would probably suffer raids repeatedly.

For villages like Easthill, where Ayu and Mugi lived in, that situation wouldn’t apply to them. Easthill was situated near the eastern shore, east of Shrine Hill, with a river running along the eastern side of the village. To the north, a mountain range blocked any passage of hostile armies. The city of Arsac was far to the west, past the villages of Westhill, Farfright, Halfmight and Borling. One could say that the village of Easthill was probably the safest place in this war-torn era, if one regarded a naval raid or invasion as a far possibility.

There would be only two reasons why a small village like Easthill would volunteer to serve under a warlord. The first would be the fear of being invaded. In this case, some of the boys would aim for a military career, where they would gain enough trust and responsibility to have their own troops with which to defend their village from raids or invasions. The second would be to avoid starvation. In this case, the volunteers would leave the village, leaving more food for storage and consumption of those who remained behind. They would also supplement the village’s food stores and income from the salary they received under service of the warlords. While one could serve under any warlord, most would choose to serve under the closest warlord, in this case, Warlord Juc.

The latter was the reason for the boys signing up under Warlord Juc’s banner. With the rumor that there would be another drought this year, many were afraid. The draught two years previous ruined much of the crop and caused famine in the upper villages. While Easthill, being situated closest to the sea wasn’t affected as badly as others, a draught would still cause them trouble. Thus why, they had to prepare for the worst.

A more egotistical reason would be that participating in a war was often considered a rite of passage into adulthood. In this rural society, a man who had never tasted war would be considered a ‘virgin’ and wouldn’t have any level of standing in the village. While there were a few men who had never went to war and managed to live a more or less sedentary life, they were never looked upon as anything other than immature men. Thus why, even though nobody would admit it, at least some of the boys decided to go to war not for the sake of the village, but for their own selfish ego.

On this day, everyone in the village took a day off, wearing their best clothes to send off the young men. For a family like Ayu’s that had no boys (apart from Ayu), they would still stand on the side of the road waving goodbye and sending off the boys with well wishes and prayers. For families where their sons would be going to war, it was a scene where tears and pleadings could commonly be seen. Of course, mothers who carried their boys in their womb for nine months and raised them to maturity couldn’t possibly bear simply watching their sons march off to war where they could be maimed or killed.

It was shortly after Aunt Helga hugged her sons with tears in her eyes that Ayu approached and pulled the sleeve of Mugi’s hemp shirt. “Hey,” he said.

Mugi turned around. “Ayu? Are you here to send me off?”

“Umm, can we go somewhere else?”

Mugi looked at his brothers and parents before he turned back towards Ayu and said, “Okay, but not too far.”

“Un, just under that tree,” Ayu pointed at a large apple tree not far from Mugi’s home before he started walking away without even looking to see if Mugi was following.

It was then that Mugi noticed the leather package in Ayu’s hand.

“That’s right, Ayu. Tie him up so he won’t leave!” Aunt Helga urged.

“What are you saying?!!!” Ayu started running without looking back.

Mugi went to chase, despite being encumbered by the steel breastplate, steel reinforced mountain climbing boots, leather shin protector and leather bracers. He had gotten used to wearing his dagger everywhere, so it was no longer a problem for him to run with it strapped to his belt. It was probably important to know that everything apart from the hemp clothes, the dagger and the steel breastplate were handmade by Ayu himself.

Mugi arrived just as Ayu sat down under the shade of the big apple tree. Ayu patted the ground next to him, urging Mugi to take a seat on the grassy ground. Mugi took a seat, all the while admiring the white dress that Ayu was wearing for this occasion. Unlike the everyday manly clothing that Ayu wore to imitate boys, this dress emphasized Ayu’s beauty and hugged his body enticingly. He thought it was a shame that Ayu had nothing up top, but he wouldn’t exchange Ayu for any other girl.

Ayu was wearing a one piece dress that ended a little above his ankles. The dress was made from the fibers of the ayu tree, twisted when wet and dried under the sun for half a year and moistened by morning dew until the fibers separated itself from the rest of the plant. Compared to other materials such as hemp, a single sheet of woven Ayu fibers wasn’t very strong. However, it was light, stretchy, thin and soft compared to any other cloths they had access to. Due to the long processing time required, it was considered a luxury item among the villagers.

“You look nice,” Mugi uttered a compliment.

“Thanks. Mom forced me to wear it. She said since everyone thinks that we’re married, I should send you off properly so that you won’t be shamed.”

“That’s good. But now I’m afraid everyone’s seen how beautiful my ‘wife’ is. I don’t think I can rest easy knowing that every men will be lusting over you in my absence.”

“Hey, don’t misunderstood, okay? I’m only wearing this because mom pestered me. I’m not doing this because of you!”

“Yes yes, I understand,” Mugi said as he took Ayu’s hand, “I appreciate the gesture either way.”

They were silent for some time as they held hands under the tree. Their backs leaning against the bark of the apple tree with their eyes looking in the distance, empty of all thoughts. This was the first time they would be apart. After years of being beside each other, neither could imagine how they would be living their lives without the other in the future.

“Hey, could you somehow not go?” Ayu asked while still looking at the blue sky.

“It’s a little late to say that, isn’t it?” Mugi said with a smile. Just like Ayu, he was still looking at the sky.

Ayu turned his head to his right, looking at Mugi’s face. “Maybe I’ll take your mom’s advice. Tie you up and tell them I’m kidnapping you.”

“Hahaha, that would work. Instead of going to war, the boys would be chasing the pretty kidnapper instead,” Mugi said while turning his face towards Ayu.

There was silence again as their eyes locked on each other’s. An awkward silence. A silence that Mugi tried to fix by moving his lips closer to Ayu’s.

“Hnngh!” Ayu blocked Mugi’s lips with the leather package he was carrying.

“What’s this?” Mugi asked as he took the package.

“Open it,” Ayu said while looking away with a red face.

“Gloves? What are these metal plate on the back?” Mugi asked while raising the pair of gloves with metal plates affixed to the back of the glove.

“It’s a gauntlet. See, the palm part is all leather, so you can have a firm grip on your weapons. The back of the hand and fingers are attached with steel plates. It will give minor protection from swords and spears but it can also be used to punch people’s faces. It should hurt a lot.”

This was the final form of the small steel rings and plates Ayu crafted some weeks ago.

“Thanks, Ayu. Not just for the gauntlet, but everything you’ve made for me. You’re the best wife any man could ask for.”

“Don’t go overboard. When you come back, you’re going to make everything clear to everyone, okay?”

“If I come back.”

“You MUST come back. Don’t forget your promise.”

“My promise? Was it the one about building a ship and sailing the seas?”

“Not that one, it’s the other one.”

“The one about having a party under the waterfall?”

“Not that!”

“The one about making a hut in the forest?”

“No! You’re just making fun of me aren’t you?”

“Is it the one about proposing to you after I return?”

“No! Actually, when did we ever make that promise? I meant the promise that we’d always be together for-“

It was stopped with a kiss. The moment Ayu realized what was going on, Mugi already had his left hand hugging Ayu’s waist and his right hand on Ayu’s back. On the contrary, Ayu, who was caught off-guard turned red as tomato while flailing his arms around in panic. He tried to push Mugi away and stop the sneak kiss.

Eventually, Ayu stopped trying and just surrendered his lips to Mugi’s insistent assault.

When they finally separated, Ayu was panting and his eyes were closed. A trail of saliva connected their tongues together as Ayu slowly came to realize that he was no longer being assaulted. Ayu slowly opened his eyes as if he just awoke from a slumber.

“How was it?” Mugi asked, referring to their first ever kiss.

Ayu, whose eyes were still only half-way open, replied with, “... disgusting...”

Hearing that, Mugi attacked Ayu with another deep kiss. Ayu tried to push Mugi away, even hitting his chest with his much smaller fists. Panting and feeling his skin becoming sensitive to the caressing of the ayu cloth, he eventually surrendered again. He placed his hands on Mugi’s shoulders and instead of pushing him away, Ayu held him close, as if begging him not to stop.

“Still disgusting?” Mugi asked, watching his bride panting in need.

When Ayu didn’t reply, Mugi kissed Ayu’s cheeks before going lower. Mugi kissed Ayu’s neck, his collarbone and proceeded lower, pulling apart the fold of the cloth that covered Ayu’s chest. Ayu grabbed his head and pulled him up before Mugi could do anything else.

“If I say it was disgusting, are you going to do it again?” Ayu asked while breathing heavily.

“I don’t know. Was it disgusting?” Mugi taunted with a smile.

“...It was very disgusting,” Ayu answered before he was again assaulted by Mugi’s lips.

Unlike before, Mugi became a little more aggressive. He pushed Ayu down on the grassy ground, kissing Ayu with abandon as his tongue wrestled with Ayu’s submissive tongue. Ayu’s hands that previously fought Mugi off were now crossed behind Mugi’s neck, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away. Ayu could feel Mugi’s manhood hardening against his leg as Mugi caressed his thin legs that was exposed when the folds of his dress opened, but Ayu couldn’t begin to care. For some reason, feeling Mugi’s hot and hard manhood pressing against him made him even hotter. As the caressing on Ayu's sensitive snow-white legs, his arching back and the delicious kiss intensified, Ayu felt like he no longer wanted it to stop.

It was the whistles and the catcalls that broke them up.

“Hey you two, couldn’t you have done that yesterday? We’re going to be late!”

“Kyaaa, that was so hot!”

“Why can’t I be married before I leave?!!!”

"Big sister... shameful..."

“Ayu, please give birth to girls.”

“You rascal Mugi! I hate your rotten luck!”

“Get a room!”

Since everyone thought Ayu was Mugi’s bride and their earlier actions proved it to most of the villagers, it was considered only right that Ayu stood with Mugi’s family. After all, a bride’s place was with her husband, it was only right. As everyone else already said their goodbyes and gathered at the village entrance, only Mugi was left behind.

“Hey, Mugi.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll forgive you for every other promise, but promise me something, okay?”

“What would that be?”

“Come home in one piece, with your heart still beating.”

“Alright, I promise I’ll come home in one piece, with my heart still beating.”

“You really promise?”

“Of course! Let’s seal it with a kiss.”

With a short kiss on the lips, Ayu sealed the promise.

 

*As usual, all your comments and feedbacks are welcomed. Praises helps me puff myself up so I can write faster. Constructive criticisms humbles me so I can do better job at writing. So please say something, okay?
**Had a little bit of continuation of the dream. So I'm writing another chapter. The kissing part was written exactly or as similar as I could to my dream. I wonder if it's working. Ever since my trauma at Literotica, I've not been able to write any good ero-story.

Washed ashore with no money, no identity and no memory of a life before. Adopted by a kind family only to be plunged into the fires of war. Will the boy, more beautiful than any girl, live a life of happiness or one of sadness? A Tale of A Thousand Days and A Promise Chapter 3 By Shinieris

“We’re hoome,” Ayu announced right after opening the front door.

“Welcome home,” Ayu’s mom greeted.

“Mom! Look, look. I caught some fish!” Ayu’s 7 years old little sister Lila said while jumping up and down with the fish-filled basket raised above her head.

“Oh, that sounds like a good catch there. I hope you didn’t give your big brother much trouble?”

“Lila didn’t cause trouble for big sister,” the little girl stated while pouting.

Ayu winced hearing the term ‘big sister’ being said by his little sister. He knew by now he should be getting used to it already, but he still couldn’t understand how preposterous the people of the village were. Although Ayu had soft and long dark blue hair, a beautiful face and very fair skin, traits that only females have in this region, Ayu was actually a boy. Ayu was found washed ashore about 8 years ago and Ayu theorized that where he came from all boys probably had soft dark blue hair, beautiful faces and very fair skin. The family that Ayu came home to adopted him shortly after he was found.

The long hair was actually Ayu’s best friend Mugi’s preference, though. Every time Ayu stated an intention to cut it, Mugi would defend the length with all his might. When they were younger, they even came to blows whenever Ayu stated that he wanted to cut his hair. As they grew up, Ayu stopped being bothered by his hair and just allowed it grow. Now the length of Ayu’s hair had reached below his hips, a length uncommon even among the women of the village.

“Lila has been a great help, mom. I’d like to take Lila fishing again tomorrow.”

“I don’t mind, but Lila needs to learn how to cook as well,” his mom replied.

“Lila doesn’t need to cook. Mom and big sister can cook.”

“Lila, you can’t depend on big sister – I mean, big brother – umm, you can’t depend on your big brother anymore. He’s married now, he’s not just your big sister anymore,” Ayu’s mom explained.

Ayu winced again at the mention of his ‘marriage’. Due to a misunderstanding during his 13th birthday, everyone in the village now thought that Ayu and his best friend Mugi was married, when in fact, both of them were boys. Unfortunately, their actions shortly afterwards, leading up to Mugi’s departure to join the army of Warlord Juc did nothing to dispel the misunderstanding. Truthfully, nobody could even begin to consider that their ‘marriage’ was not real. After all, they did almost ‘consummate’ their wedded life under the apple tree before the eyes of almost every villager on the day of Mugi’s departure.

Thinking about that particular scene under the apple tree made Ayu’s face red. Not only was he ashamed at being seen doing such an intimate thing, he was also ashamed at acting so wanton with another boy, his best friend, even. Ever since then he had wondered if he had some kind of strange tendency towards other boys.

Ayu shrugged off the memory of that time under the apple tree and said to his mom, “Now that you mention it, can you put aside two of the fish we caught today, mom?”

“Are you having dinner with your in-laws today?” his mom asked.

Ayu tried not to be affected by the word ‘in-laws’ as he answered, “Yes, they don’t have any other child apart from Mikke right now, and that boy’s almost useless. He plays around all the time.”

Ayu’s in-laws, the farmer Glen and the baker Helga had four sons. The eldest was Horon, a boy larger than most boys his age. It was followed by Kelk, who was skilled in the use of a bow. Mugi was the third and having been with Ayu for years, was good at many things, such as the use of a bow or a spear and many survival skills, as they spent most of their childhood frolicking like wild children in the forest or at the mountains. The only things that Mugi was bad at, were crafting skills. It was because Mugi was someone who relied on brute force, as he had good muscle strength compared to Ayu, who had good hand-eye coordination and relied on precision. Ayu’s last brother-in-law was the 8 year old Mikke, a good-for-nothing brat with nothing special to his name.

“Big sister won’t have dinner with Lila today?” Lila asked while giving Ayu her signature puppy-dog eyes.

“Sorry, Lila. Let’s have dinner together tomorrow.”

“Okay...” Lila said with drooped shoulders as she put her boots aside to go help her mom with the fish.

******

“I’ll be going, mom,” Ayu said as he put on his self-made leather boots and picked up the basket containing the fish and vegetables his mom prepared.

“Say hello to your in-laws for me and tell Helga thanks for the muffins yesterday,” his mom said.

“Thanks for the muffins!” Lila repeated.

“Alright, I’ll tell them. Lila, be a good girl and help mom, okay?”

“Aye!”

Ayu closed the door and walked in the direction of his in-law’s home with his left hand holding the basket containing the fish and vegetables. In his right hand, he held a coiled length of rope. On his belt was a steel dagger, one he made on his own a few days after Mugi’s departure.

Despite being Mugi’s teacher in smithing, Ayu himself never did any smithing before they had to make a dagger for Mugi. Ayu theorized that he probably received the knowledge on smithing because he watched his real parents doing it. He couldn’t be sure, as he had lost all memory of his life before being washed ashore near the village. However, having the knowledge and actually doing it was two totally different things. Ayu could craft rings and smaller plates of steel easily enough. When he tried to craft his own dagger though, it proved to be a daunting effort. Unlike Mugi and his thicker muscles, Ayu’s muscle strength was pretty weak. Where Mugi failed because he swung the hammer without caring where it hit, Ayu hit exactly where he wanted, except that the strength was low. So it took Ayu almost a week just to make one dagger after many trials and errors.

“Ah? Isn’t that Mikke?” Ayu said to himself when he saw a boy sneaking about behind a tree.

“Oi, Mikke,” Ayu called.

Mikke’s neck turned back so fast that it must’ve snapped. With fear in his eyes, he cried, “No, no! I haven’t done anything! It’s a lie. Slander!”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Eh? Isn’t this about – cough – well, nothing. What can I help you with, sister-in-law?”

“Are you up to something bad, Mikke?”

“What? No! What gave you that idea? Hohoho!”

“Too suspicious,” Ayu said as he approached Mikke.

“Wait! I haven’t done anything! Whatever they said, it’s not true!” Mikke said as he took a few steps back.

“Stop walking away if you haven’t done anything wrong,” Ayu said as he continued walking towards Mikke.

“Then, would you stop coming closer, sister-in-law?”

“You don’t have the right to make demands, Mikke,” Ayu stated as he walked with even faster steps.

“Hiii!!!” Mikke turned around and broke into a full sprint. Of course, this meant Ayu had to chase him.

After running a full lap around the village, they eventually stopped when Ayu managed to lasso Mikke’s torso, causing Mikke to stop in his tracks. While still doing his best to run despite the rope around his body, Ayu approached slowly, while pulling on the rope that bound Mikke. With Ayu’s strong grip on his head, Mikke no longer have any chance to run away.

“Calm down, you damned brat. I haven’t heard anything bad about you... yet. I only want you to help me give this to your mom,” Ayu said as he pushed the basket containing fish and vegetables at Mikke.

Mikke looked at the basket in his hands and finally understood. “Ah, are you having dinner with us tonight?”

“Yes, I have to go to the forest first. Tell your mom I’ll arrive before sunset.”

“Yes, sister-in-law, I’ll tell mom. So please release me from the rope.”

Ayu held the length of rope and was about to release Mikke when he said, “After you’ve given the basket to your mom, go help your dad at the field. You’re the only boy in the house now. Stop playing around.”

“Eh? But-“

“Go help your dad.”

“Yes!”

Ayu managed to arrive at his in-laws’ home a little earlier than expected. Giving a short greeting to his mother-in-law Helga, he went into the barn beside the house and placed the bundle of firewood in his hands onto a stack of similar sized firewood. The firewood was actually long and uncut, so that it would be easier for him to carry. Like usual, his father-in-law would have to cut it himself depending on how many would be needed. It was Mugi’s job to bring home firewood before this and it was Mugi’s eldest brother Horon’s job to cut the firewood. Ever since they all left to join the army, bringing home firewood became Ayu’s responsibility. His father-in-law once said it wasn’t necessary for him to do it, but Ayu figured that since he ‘married’ into this family, he had to at least show that he wasn’t an irresponsible ‘bride’ despite the ‘marriage’ being a misunderstanding.

When Ayu arrived, his mother-in-law Helga was almost done preparing dinner, so the only thing left was just setting the table. Ayu’s father-in-law and brother-in-law arrived home right after Ayu placed the jug filled with beer on the table. It seemed like Mikke obediently helped his father at the field today.

“Oh, if it isn’t Ayu. I was wondering what made Mikke suddenly volunteer to help at the field today.”

“Good evening, Uncle Glen. Mikke didn’t tell you I’m coming?”

“No, he didn’t. Besides that, I’ve said it many times, call me daddy.”

“And I’ve also said it many times, Uncle Glen. Why?”

“Because you’re our daughter-in-law, Ayu. Call me mommy,” Ayu’s mother-in-law answered from behind.

“I’m a boy!”

“She’s still saying that, dear,” Ayu’s mother-in-law said it with her right palm on her cheek.

“She is, my dear,” Ayu’s father-in-law agreed.

“Can we just eat, please?” Ayu pleaded.

After dinner, Ayu stayed over to help with the chores. When Ayu was about to wash the dishes, Helga pushed a folded letter made of hemp paper into Ayu’s hand. Ayu looked at the front of the folded letter and saw that written there was “To Baker Helga, Farmer Glen, Shoemaker Ayu. From Soldier Mugi, Horon, Kelk.”

“It’s a letter from Mugi!” Ayu exclaimed.

“I know, can you read it?” Helga asked.

Ayu once took a reading and writing lesson from the village chief for the fee of a small basket of fish for every session. Naturally, since Ayu didn’t want to study alone, he roped Mugi into the lessons too, ending up with them having to pay a basket of small fish and either a basket of forest fruits or a small basket of edible mushrooms. Since reading and writing was not a necessary skill in a small village like Easthill, Ayu and Mugi could be said to be the only ones from the new generation that could read and write. So it wasn’t surprising that Ayu’s in-laws had to wait for Ayu to come before they could read the letter from their sons.

Ayu opened the folded letter and his face couldn’t help make a grimace. “Barely, his handwriting is terrible like always.”

Dear mom, dad and my dear wife,
 
That last part sound wonderful. I’m sorry for not sending a letter earlier as the training regime had been too rigid to do anything with our free time. We have successfully joined Warlord Juc’s forces. Big brother Horon was sent to the axemen company, big brother Kelk was sent to the archers company and I’ve been put into the spearmen company, just as expected. I wish I can buy a sword so I can be put into the swordsmen company, but with my current pay, it’s too expensive for me. Since there has not been even a single battle since we joined, I can’t loot the battlefield either.
 
We also decided to send some gifts home with our first pay. For dad, Horon bought a leather jacket. For mom, Kelk bought a fur muffler. For my wife, I bought a box of Ullo roots. For our little brother Mikke, we got you a backscratcher.

“Are you kidding me? What am I going to do with a backscratcher?” Mikke yelled at the letter.

For my dear wife Ayu, I know you’ve always been dissatisfied with your breast size, so I bought the Ullo roots from the same merchant we’re using to send you this letter. It was said to be a root blessed by the goddess of beauty and believed to be able to make even ugly girls beautiful. I’m sorry, I can’t afford to buy the really good stuff, so I can only buy you the cheaper one. It’s still pretty expensive, so I’d appreciate if you would drink it instead of throwing it away as you would probably do.
 
Regardless, we’re doing fine here. We hope all of you are in good health over there too. If you need to send a letter, just address it to ‘Soldier Mugi of the 3rd Spearmen Company’ and hand it to the merchant who delivered the letter and the gifts. I was told he would visit Easthill every month.
 
That’s all from us. We’ll try to send another letter soon. Goodbye for now.

Ayu sighed. “Mugi, if you have the money to buy something expensive, then why don’t you save that money to buy a sword instead?”

Ayu decided to give the Ullo Roots to Lila. He thought it would be better if Lila who was an actual girl to consume it. It is definitely not because I’m afraid of growing breasts, was what he thought.

“He’s just showing how much he loves his wife, Ayu dear,” Helga said as she reached for something under one of the beds.

“That idiot. Nevermind then, I’ll just make him a sword by myself.”

“You can make a sword?” Glen asked.

“How different can it be from making a dagger? It should follow the same principle, only longer and heavier.”

“Can you make me a sword, sister-in-law?” Mikke asked with shining eyes.

“No. Instead of playing around with a sword, why don’t you help your dad and mom more?”

“Eh~ but that’s boring.”

In one flash movement Ayu reached out his hand and grabbed Mikke’s face in his vice-like grip.

“I get it! I’ll help! Stop!!!”

Meanwhile, a short distance away, Ayu’s foster family was also having their dinner. Ayu’s absence didn’t bother them too much, as Ayu have had meals with his in-laws several times since Mugi went to join Warlord Juc’s army. The only one still sulking at Ayu’s absence was his foster sister Lila, who had already forgotten that Ayu wasn’t actually her blood-related sister.

Ayu was a boy, though.

“I assume Ayu is with his in-laws tonight?” Ayu’s dad ask his mom during dinner.

“Yes, he said since all of their grown-up sons joined the army, he has to act like a good bride for appearance sake at least. He’ll be back after dinner, though.”

“It seems like he’s taking this fake wedding too seriously. I thought he said he didn’t want it.”

“Ayu is a responsible girl – I mean, boy. Despite not wanting it, he will do his best to fulfill expectations. Just like how he went and tamed that wild horse when he said he won’t be able to help at the farm much anymore.”

“Hn, indeed. That horse is worth three of Ayu when it comes to farm work.”

“This is our son you’re dissing, dear.”

“Hahaha, sorry, my love. I ran my mouth, but you have to admit, Ayu is terrible with working the farm. He’s even worse than you, and you are about the daintiest woman I ever know.”

“Oh… a rare compliment!”

“Hahaha, sometimes I wonder if Ayu is even a boy. Nothing about him says ‘boy’.”

“Of course big sister isn’t a boy, dad! She’s the prettiest girl in the village!” Lila interrupted.

Ayu’s father patted the little girl’s head. “Yes yes, as you say. I bet Lila will become prettier than big sister when you grow up.”

“Un! Lila will do my best!”

“Then if Lila wants to become pretty like big sister, Lila has to eat the vegetables too, okay?”

“Un! Lila will eat everything, dad!”

Ayu’s mom placed her hand in front of her mouth as she giggled quietly at Lila’s enthusiasm. While watching Lila do her best munching the slices of carrot in the stew, she looked at Ayu’s dad and said, “Yes, I’m very sure. I used to bathe with him myself, remember? It was small, at least compared to the boys of his age, but it was certainly there.”

“Let’s not talk about that in front of the dinner.”

“Agreed.”

******

The clanging of metal against metal could be heard from old Blacksmith Jaqs smithy. As Blacksmith Jaqs along with his two apprentices were swept away when the river flooded several months earlier, such a sound should not have been heard in what should have been an empty smithy. Those curious enough did peek through the large double door, which was left open to allow the heat from the forge to escape. When they saw who was inside, they shrugged and left.

For inside the smithy was the recently wedded bride, Ayu. For the sake of making a sword for her – no, his – husband Mugi, Ayu had been spending the past twenty evenings in the smithy. Around him were fragments of shattered or cracked swords. These were all failed swords, and he didn’t know why it failed.

“Why is a sword so much harder to make than a dagger?” Ayu complained as he made a couple more strikes at the piece of steel in front of him.

Truthfully, there was no need for him to make Mugi a sword. According to Fisherman Leck, these mobilization practices were mostly just for show. It was nothing more a move to maintain the status quo. In essence, the warlords will perform recruitments, to ensure that their armies were at the preferred strength and size. This had nothing to do with going to war. It was simply to show the other warlords that they could comfortably maintain an army of that size and any invasion attempts would be met with this amount of soldiers.

For example, Warlord Juc who governed Arsac, had a peacetime army count of around 4000 men, not including the support staff. The total peacetime army count of its closest belligerent neighbor Heamoor was around 3000. Assuming that these two cities went to war, they could summon probably between 7000 to 10000 additional soldiers from their own population. Since their army count would be about equal, a battle would likely not yield much result, making army mobilization nothing more than a wasteful act. Therefore, maintaining a volunteer army served to intimidate the other side, so that they would think of an invasion as a waste of time and resource.

In other words, whether Mugi had a sword or not, it wouldn’t matter. Since Mugi would never see battle, Mugi would have no use for a sword except as bragging rights. Simply said, while swords could be bought for a few silver, good swords that would retain its edge in battle were quite expensive. To hold such swords would mean one of two things; the first being that the person was rich enough to be able to afford a good sword and the second was that the person had seen his fair share of battles and looted it from the hands of a dead officer. With a good sword, Mugi would likely receive respect and could probably even be raised to a sub-officer, which would mean better pay and working conditions.

Ayu knew a little about smithing. A wrought iron sword was really easy to make. You just needed to heat a lump of iron until red hot, pound it with a hammer until it barely forms the shape of a sword, quench it and then sharpen it. What Ayu was looking to send to Mugi was not some cheap, shoddy piece of metal, Ayu wanted Mugi to be able to brag about it as well. Ayu did not want Mugi to have to lower his head in shame for carrying a cheap sword in the swordsmen company. If Mugi was to join the swordsmen company, then Ayu wanted him to have the best sword.

Unfortunately, Ayu’s image of the ‘best’ sword couldn’t compare to reality. Ayu only vaguely knew how to make a good steel sword, but the details eluded him. Some of the swords he made cracked when he sharpened it. Some showed cracks even while it was cooling. Some shattered as soon as he quenched it. It came to the point where Ayu simply sat quietly in the smithy, watching his workplace and the mountain of cracked and shattered swords on the floor while thinking.

It was a few days later that Ayu decided on making experiments of making steel in very controlled conditions, using sealed clay crucibles to contain iron fragments, coal powder and glass, a method he barely recalled from his memory, as if watching a slideshow of pictures. Two weeks later, he successfully made a sword that neither cracked, shattered nor dulled after a few use. As he paid Carpenter Frug with a new steel dagger to make a sheath for the sword, he thought about sending it to Mugi the next time the merchant came.

In the meantime, Ayu also made a steel helm, for he was sure Mugi did not have a proper helmet yet. As Ayu was too busy working, he didn’t even realize that the merchant had already come and gone. The merchant went back carrying the letter Ayu left with his in-laws and a package of smoked meat. As if in exchange, the merchant left behind another delivery of Ullo roots for Ayu with his in-laws, paid for with Mugi’s salary.

Originally Ayu left the Ullo roots to Lila before Lila refused to drink it as it tasted too bitter. Ayu ended up having to drink the juice from the boiled roots himself, mixed with honey. Despite the addition of honey, Lila still wouldn’t drink it, so Ayu had to continue drinking it himself. Now that another delivery arrived, Ayu had to drink double the portion because he just knew Mugi would raise a fuss if he returned and saw it wasn’t finished. Ayu didn’t realize it, as he had never seen a grown woman naked, but he had already grown a small, budding pair of breasts. He didn’t realize that drinking the Ullo juice with bee honey was actually the proper way of drinking it. He only added the honey because it would be too bitter to drink otherwise without knowing that it activated the root’s special properties.

******

“I wonder what would be good…” Ayu wondered loudly as he walked into the forest, carrying with him a coil of rope, an axe and a spear. Of course, his steel dagger was still strapped to his belt. He also carried with him a leather bag containing food and water.

As someone who spent his entire childhood running around like a wild child in the forest, Ayu knew enough that there was no such thing as ‘one size fits all’ trap. Snares were the simplest and easiest to make, but could only trap small animals. Deadfall traps would be better for larger animals, as smaller animals were generally faster and would be able to avoid the falling tree trunk, but it would take time to prepare. Pitfall traps would work best but would take too long to prepare. It would also require a shovel, something that Ayu forgot to bring. Needless to say, these would all be dangerous to humans or other unintended victims. Therefore Ayu had to look for a place that people would rarely venture to and set up a trap for the largest animal that frequent that area.

Now why would Ayu suddenly want to trap a large animal? Was it no longer enough for him to eat fish and rabbits anymore? No, it had nothing to do with eating. Ayu was looking for bones, bones from animals stronger than a fish or a rabbit.

This all started from a story told by Hunter Muric. From his story, it seemed like all the good swords were created not only with coal, but also with beast’s bones. Some smiths even use the bones of famous warriors. Apparently the bones made the swords stronger and the spirit from the bones made the swords sharper and the wielder more skillful. Ayu wondered if he failed the first fourteen swords because he didn’t make use of animal bones. Being raised in a superstitious society, Ayu believed the story in its entirety.

That was why Ayu was in the forest. Of course, Ayu could just get some pig, cow or rabbit bones, but Ayu didn’t want to use those. According to Hunter Muric, the stronger the animal, the stronger the weapon’s power would be. After making Mugi’s sword, Ayu realized that Mugi would just brag about serving in the swordsmen company and make fun of Ayu for not having battle experience. Ayu, being someone who didn’t like losing, didn’t want to suffer the ridicule. Therefore, Ayu decided to make a sword of his own, and not just any sword, but the best sword possible.

For that reason, Ayu had to find a strong animal. Rabbits just won’t cut it. He was aiming for a wild boar, but a deer would be good too. It was while Ayu was looking for tracks in the part of the forest that bordered the mountains that he heard a growl to his left. It was in the direction of the mountains. In his desire to find a good material, he didn’t realize that he had ventured too close to the mountains.

Unlike the place Ayu mined iron ores, this area of the mountain was rarely visited by the villagers. There were very good reasons for that. The first was because this part of the forest was very deep and there was no need for anyone to venture that far when they could’ve gotten it from the edge of the forest. Another reason was the name of this part of the mountain. It was called The Howling Ridge and for good reason. This area was home to several wolf packs, all of which were hostile to humans

Ayu looked to his left. Growling there was a big white wolf, the biggest wolf Ayu had ever seen. Ayu had seen many wolves while exploring the forest with Mugi. Most of them minded their own business, though some, like the Red Striped Wolves were very hostile and would chase them every time they caught their scent. So both Ayu and Mugi had to be aware of their surroundings at all times while they were in the forest or near the mountains. They complimented each other’s blind spots. Not having Mugi around had messed up Ayu’s sense of awareness, causing him to lose sense of his surroundings.

Normally it was fine, wolves move in packs, so Ayu could tell if they were there if his senses could catch just one. The difference here was that it was not a pack but a lone wolf. No matter how often Ayu stopped and listened, if this single wolf moved silently, he would not be able to detect it. At least, not without Mugi.

Ayu couldn’t run. Wolves were generally stronger and faster than humans. They were also predators that chase, so by running, Ayu would present his vulnerability and would be overtaken instantly. The best course would be to face the wolf and back away slowly. However, that was a problem by itself. As wolves hunt in packs, there should be more than one. There was only one wolf in front of Ayu. Where would the other wolves be?

Ayu tried to expand his awareness, listening to the sound of ground being stepped on, leaves being brushed against and branches being snapped. There was none. So unlike the standard strategy of surrounding him, they were doing something else. Could it be they were in ambush? Using this single wolf to guide him to their ambush spot, then pounce on him when Ayu was close? Could wolves think of something so elaborate? It was too suspicious for wolves that would always hunt in packs to be hunting alone. No matter how unlikely, they must have been attempting to ambush him.

Ayu froze again, listening to the sound around him. After he was confident that there was nothing suspicious, he released his burdens and grabbed both his spear and hatchet. With a short spear in his right hand and a hatcher in his left, he made a stance against the wolf. It wasn’t even a minute before the wolf sprinted forward, its jaws wide open, intent of making Ayu its prey.

Ayu calmly watched the white wolf’s feet, silently made a calculation in his mind and evaded at the very last moments to his right, where the positioning of the wolf’s feet would not allow it to turn towards Ayu. Waiting for the right moment, Ayu then swung his hatchet down at the wolf’s neck the moment it missed his arm. Yet, it didn’t hit as the wolf, aware about the danger, shifted its feet causing it to lose its balance and rolled on the ground.

Safe from Ayu’s hatchet, the wolf righted itself and stared down at Ayu. Having turned around to face the wolf again, Ayu posed his spear forward, as if challenging the wolf to charge. It did not. Instead, it walked around Ayu in a circle, sizing him up, observing his weakness.

This move made Ayu sweat. Ayu had never personally fought wolves. The few times Ayu and Mugi were chased by wolves, they made them turn around by firing arrows or throwing rocks at the approaching wolves. Ayu did not carry arrows, he planned to make traps, not hunt. It was also too late to bend down and pick up rocks with the wolf being so close. Ayu admitted his oversight on both accounts. It was too late to blame himself though, as he prepared to bet his life on what was probably going to be the first and last showdown in his life.

Ayu really wished Mugi was here. Had Mugi been here, they would’ve flanked the wolf easily. They probably wouldn’t be able to kill the wolf, but at least they could intimidate it enough that it would leave. No chance of that now.

The wolf growled.

Ayu fixed his stance just as the wolf pounced at him from a slightly higher elevation. Panicked at seeing a wolf larger than a man approaching fast, Ayu swung his hatchet. Unfortunately, because of the sweat that accumulated in his left palm, the hatchet’s handle slipped from his hand. As it flew in the air, it grazed the belly of the wolf slightly and finally stuck itself into the trunk of a tree behind the wolf.

Ayu was barely able to avoid the jaws and paws of the wolf that was flying at him, but his long hair was caught by the jaws of the wolf. Thankfully, Ayu managed to take out his steel dagger and cut the hair before he was dragged down by the wolf. Seeing as its prey was still free, the wolf spat out the hair it caught. Without allowing Ayu to catch his breath, the wolf righted itself and charged towards Ayu’s unprotected back.

Unable to defend himself, Ayu could only jump to the side. The charging wolf failed to bite him again, but its large paw smacked against the unsteady Ayu. The impact caused him to be thrown away and his hemp shirt to tear when it was caught in the wolf’s claw. The impact was so great he flew and hit a tree trunk so violently that he lost grip on both his weapons as he ended up at the foot of the tree.

Seeing that its prey was now unarmed and defenseless, the wolf made one final lunge. Ayu, his vision still blurry, felt around the ground until his right hand grabbed something. He didn’t know what it was, only that it felt like a tree branch, but he threw it at the still blurry form of the wolf with all his strength.

The wolf howled in pain.

When Ayu’s vision returned, Ayu saw the wolf struggling to its feet in front of him. Its mouth was overflowing with blood, and the reason was the short spear in its throat. In Ayu’s moment of confusion, Ayu had somehow grabbed the spear and threw it into the large wolf’s maw. It had nothing to do with skill, it was simply luck.

Ayu thanked whatever power in the sky for being able to live another day.

Meanwhile, the large white wolf struggled to drag itself away. Seeing the wolf’s retreating figure with the spear still stuck deep inside the wolf, Ayu grabbed the dagger next to his left hand and got up unsteadily. With her body still shaking in fear and pain, Ayu crossed the short distance to the hatchet and pulled it out of the tree trunk. He followed the mewls of pain whenever the wolf or the spear in its throat hit against the ground or a tree. The trail of blood on the ground also ensured that Ayu would never lose his prey.

Despite his shaky legs, Ayu quickened his pace. He wanted to catch up with the wolf as soon as he could. He now knew what bones he wanted to use. He was going to use wolf bone, and he wanted this particular wolf’s bone to become his sword. Stalking silently through the undergrowth guided by the trail of blood and the noise of something big bumping against the trees, Ayu finally came out of the forest, into a clearing at the base of the mountain. In front of him, just a few feet from a small cave, the wolf lay barely alive.

What amazing vitality, Ayu thought as he looked at the spear sticking out of the wolf’s mouth.

It was while he was admiring the wolf’s life force that he heard squeaks from inside the cave. Giving the wolf a wide berth, he walked past the wolf and into the cave. Following the sound of the squeaks, Ayu discovered that the cave was a small lair. Not far from the cave’s mouth, Ayu found the origin of the noise. It was a small litter of wolf pups, five of them. Their eyes were still closed, they were probably only a few days old.

Ayu suddenly felt guilty. Ayu now understood why the wolf stood alone. It was probably chased out of its pack for some reason. It was merely guarding its lair, all alone when Ayu appeared. Had Ayu just leave, it would likely not give chase. Horrified at what he did, Ayu quickly went back to the wolf. Slowly and gently, Ayu pulled the spear out, taking care to avoid giving it any additional damage. Ayu knew it was probably useless, but he reasoned that if it stayed inside, it would continue to cause damage every time the wolf breathed. So Ayu had to do something.

Ayu quickly brought the blind wolf pups to the mother wolf one at a time, hoping to give it a chance to say goodbye in its own words. The wolf coughed, causing red showers to come out of its mouth while the pups suckled on the wolf’s teats. Ayu tried not to look at the dying wolf and the suckling pups as he cut some branches with the hatchet in order to make a simple triangle carrier to carry the wolf’s body back to the village. It was nothing elaborate, just a bunch of branches, tied in the shape of a triangle, with a narrow base. It would be pulled by its upper corner as the two long branches were dragged on the ground. Along the length of the lower side of the triangle, smaller branches were tied to hold the wolf while it’s being carried. In essence it would be similar to a wheeled shopping carrier, but without the wheels and instead of a horizontal bar, it would only have two ends of a branch tied together as a handhold.

Ayu knew it wouldn’t be the most efficient or the safest type of carrier, but he had no other choice and no other resources. It would be uncomfortable for the dying fox, but Ayu hoped its life force would be strong enough to survive the journey back to the village. Ayu couldn’t know for sure if it would recover, but Ayu thought he could at least ask the herbalists to try save it.

Once Ayu finished, he quickly rolled the wolf onto the carrier, causing it to release another rain of blood on the ground. Ayu had no choice. It was a huge wolf, even bigger than him. It would probably be different if Mugi was around, but alone, it was impossible for Ayu to pick it up. Then Ayu tied the wolf to the carrier with the remaining rope.

Satisfied that the wolf was secure, Ayu scooped up the wolf pups and placed them into the leather bag containing Ayu’s water and food supplies. Then, Ayu ran, pulling the carrier behind him. Due to the wolf’s weight, Ayu had to take a rest from time to time. Since Ayu didn’t want to hurt the wolf any further, Ayu also had to make detours several times to avoid particularly hard drops in elevation or tree roots too big to cross comfortably. Ayu ended up taking almost seven hours to reach the village. By the time he arrived, it was too late. The wolf mother was already dead.

He fell to his knees next to the carrier with the dead wolf. Rubbing the mane of the huge white wolf, which was now covered in dried blood, he swore that the wolf’s death would not be in vain. To the spirit of the wolf, he swore that every part of the wolf would be made useful and become a part of him. As for the wolf’s pups, he would take care of them as if they were his own children, until they matured and able to survive in the wilds on their own.

He hugged the bloody and cold body of the wolf, promising it that he would take over its responsibilities from now on.

*As usual, all your comments and feedbacks are welcomed. Praises helps me puff myself up so I can write faster. Constructive criticisms humbles me so I can do better job at writing. So please say something, okay?
**This chapter ended up becoming too long, so I had to split it. Please keep on reading.

Serena was a top player in the popular browser game Age of Gods Online which combines elements of strategy and RPG on a platform available to everyone with access to the internet. As an RMT scum, she climbed the ranks of the deathmatch with real world money. One day, after she was defeated in battle by another player, she went to sleep and woke up in the world of AGO. But something was wrong. She woke up 300 years in the future of the current Age of Gods Online. Will she be able to unravel why or how she got there and if she'll ever return home? Age of Gods Online Chapter 2 The epic struggles of young gods in another world. By Shiina Ai

Serena slowly opened her eyes at the sound of chirping birds. A sharp ray of sunlight hit her eyes, causing her to squint, before her brain woke up and the realization hit her. She sat up, thinking it was the next day and cursing Alice for not waking her up yesterday.

But then, she realized something else instead. She was sitting in bed, in a room made of wooden walls. Not just any wooden walls, but log walls. The kind of walls you often see in western cowboy movies.

She looked around her. Above her was a roof made of long grass woven together. The wall on her right had an open window right in the middle, allowing her to see a garden where bean-like plants were being cultivated. Under that window was a bed made of wood, with stitched fur covering the straw seen poking out underneath it. Right in front of her was a wooden door, crudely crafted from planks nailed together.

Serena considered it such a bizarre sight that she concluded she was dreaming. After all, she took a nap in her classroom so she couldn't have ended up in a place so bizarrely different. She thought it was possible that she was kidnapped, but if that was true, she would've been tied up when she woke up. Convinced that she was dreaming, she went back to sleep.

"Hello," a voice broke through her dream.

Serena opened her eyes slightly. Through her half-lidded eyes, she spied a young girl, not much older than herself. She had shoulder-length dark brown hair, slightly wide mouth to be considered pretty, tanned skin and oval face. But what was most striking about her was her eyes.

It was red, like a ruby placed by a skilled jeweller in the center of egg white. Serena imagined the girl's eyes would glow in the dark if light shone at it. It reminded her of her avatar in AGO, Aelrea of the Divine Arms, she had the same red eyes too. It reminded her of the mycra race, that she as the goddess Aelrea created as her kin in AGO.

But that couldn't be the case. AGO was a game. The girl in front of her looked very real. Serena pinched her thigh, winced in pain and figured she was probably not dreaming. So by process of elimination, she came to a different conclusion.

This girl is an albino, she thought.

She completely ignored the girl's dark brown hair and tanned skin.

"Umm, hi there. I bring you breakfast," the girl said.

Only now Serena realised the girl was carrying a plate in her right hand and a mug on her left. She had been too mesmerised by the girl's beautiful red eyes that shined like expensive ruby to notice anything else. While the girl crossed the short distance to the table beside her bed, she placed both her burden on the table under Serena's watchful eyes.

"Eat up. I know it's not much, but I'm sure you can appreciate a warm meal after your perilous journey."

Perilous journey?

"Didn't you come from outside the valley? Grandpa found you collapsed by the side of the road on his way home from Rycius Watchtower."

Valley?

"Could it be... you don't realise where you are?"

Seeing Serena's confused face, the girl said, "You're home!"

"Pardon?" Serena asked. In her mind, she thought this was certainly not her home.

"The Crimson Valley! The land that hero Lasrios tried to lead the mycra to! Oh wait, since you're a 'lost hammer', you probably grew up hearing it's original name 'Valley of Snakes' instead."

Certainly, Serena have heard the name Lasrios and Valley of Snakes before. However, putting both phrases in one breath, brought into mind a possibility that she couldn't believe could be real. Added to the fact that the girl admitted that her people were called the mycra, it could only bring her to one conclusion. A conclusion which was simply impossible. Not even in fairytales.

So of course, Serena was in denial.

"Are you messing with me?" Serena asked with suspicion.

"No! This really is the promised land, it is the Valley of Snakes that the hero Lasrios said was prepared by Goddess Aelrea for us. He brought us here following our time of great need."

What nonsense is this? I never did anything like that. Wait, this means... oh man, I'm getting a headache.

Serena indeed knew of a Lasrios, but that was in AGO. Lasrios was none other than one of her hero units. Serena had other hero units as well, such as Pegasus Knight Heriane and Guardian of the Forge Maristes. They fought Ukhlar together with her before she died and she could only assume they died too afterward. Sword Brave Lasrios was the strongest of them all, making Serena as Aelrea decide to equip him with an S-class weapon that she created specifically for him, the cursed Blood Forge. It was a blade of immense power that it consumed the souls of its users to become stronger. She then sent him on a long term quest to defeat one of the players from the Theocracy of Lyrica, so he was too far to be recalled when Ukhlar the Scourge of Blood invaded the Aelrean Mountain Range.

Lasrios was deep in enemy territory, accompanied by only a handful of skilled mycras and a company of khalisian mercenaries. They were in a place called the Valley of Snakes. According to the girl, this place was called the Valley of Snakes once. If one were to assume that the game had somehow become a reality, that meant, this was the place. If the game had become reality, then it would be safe to assume that just like this girl before her, Lasrios had also gained sentience.

That idiot probably misunderstood my reasoning for ordering him to come here. He probably thought I sent him here to invade it for the mycra's future settlement. I actually gave him that quest because the player who owned this land was weak. Oh Lasrios, there should be a limit to your prowess.

Serena was impressed at herself for creating such a resourceful minion. The actual reason she sent Lasrios to the Valley of Snakes was not to take the valley for her use, but to raise Lasrios's level by defeating a weak god. Then when he would be a lot stronger, she'd kill his character and have his soul consumed by the blade. This would hopefully raise the blade's level from S-class to SS-class. How could she have known he would misunderstood her intentions?

"Didn't your parent teach you?" the girl asked again.

"Pardon?" Serena almost forgot about this girl standing next to her bed.

"Didn't your parents teach you about the Valley of Snakes? Even if you're a lost hammer, you must've heard them talk about it, right?"

"You kept talking about 'lost hammer'. Is that some kind of insult or something?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. It's just what we call the mycras who have never set foot inside the Crimson Valley."

"What did you say?"

"We call people like you lost hammer because-"

"No, did you just call me a mycra?"

"Aren't you? What are you other than a mycra? Your red eyes that shine like ruby is telling enough."

Wait, my eyes are red? I'm a normal girl! My eyes are blue!

"But the real proof is in your blood," the girl said as she touched Serena's hand.

Hey, overly friendly girl. Just because I'm sitting in bed, doesn't mean you can touch me so casually.

The girl wrapped her fingers around Serena's, causing jolts of energy to pass through the palm of Serena's hand, up to her arm then into her heart. As if in response, a stronger jolt then fired out of Serena's heart and transmitted through their linked hands into the girl. Both of them reacted to that pulse of energy in different ways.

"Ahhhnn, nooo..." the girl moaned while making a blissful face that could easily be misunderstood as something lewd.

As for Serena, she made a muffled moan and panted while thinking, I didn't know I swing that way too.

"What was that?" the girl asked while panting.

"How would I know?"

"That was amazing!"

"I never knew another girl could make me feel this way."

"You must be someone talented!"

"This can't be real, I can't be bent."

"I've never felt something so wonderful!"

"Ai, it seems like life is not so straightforward as I'd like to believe."

"I think if you work hard, you can even be a master craftsman!"

"I may need to redefine my sexuality."

"With your talent, I think you have a shot. What have you made so far?"

"Excuse me? Were you talking to me?"

"... Who else is here?"

"I thought you were talking to yourself. What were you saying just now?"

"I said your magic is so strong, you probably have the talent to become a master crafter. That pulse of energy just now was proof. All mycra can exchange energy that way, but your energy was amazing!"

"You mean that feeling just now, it wasn't love?"

"Love? Why would you suddenly ask that?"

"Thank god! I thought I've become a lesbian!" Serena breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, thank Goddess Aelrea for your talent. There are many magic crafters from the hamlet, but you're far above them! You must be blessed. I think you should join the crafter's competition this year."

"One thing at a time, my excited tanned... uhh... acquaintance. What do I call you?"

"Oh, sorry, I was too excited, I forgot my manners. My name is Iina."

"Serena," Serena introduced herself.

She entertained the thought of introducing herself as Aelrea, but considering Aelrea was the mycra's goddess, they probably wouldn't take kindly to someone using their goddess's name. Even though she was Aelrea in the game, they'd probably expect her to perform some kind of miracle, which Serena had no idea how to do at the moment.

"Then Serena, let me be the first to welcome you to Clear River Hamlet."

*As always, please leave your comments and feedback. Praises motivates me to write faster. Constructive criticisms helps me to write better. Thanks for reading and supporting me.

Serena was a top player in the popular browser game Age of Gods Online which combines elements of strategy and RPG on a platform available to everyone with access to the internet. As an RMT scum, she climbed the ranks of the deathmatch with real world money. One day, after she was defeated in battle by another player, she went to sleep and woke up in the world of AGO. But something was wrong. She woke up 300 years in the future of the current Age of Gods Online. Will she be able to unravel why or how she got there and if she'll ever return home? Age of Gods Online Chapter 3 The epic struggles of young gods in another world. By Shiina Ai

"We're home~" Iina announced as she put her basket on the floor beside the door.

"Welcome back, Iina and Grandpa Luus. Did you get anything good today?" Serena asked while sweeping the dirt floor.

"Un, we got lots of iron ingots, rubies and diamond fragments. We got a good deal on the ruby, but iron was a bit more expensive than usual," Iina answered, looking a bit depressed.

"Are they all for crafting?" Serena asked while looking at the ingots and gem fragments in the basket.

"Yes, but there isn't much profit in making amulets and accessories these days."

"That's because everyone's making the same thing nowadays. Too much supply and and not enough people buying them. To make matters worse, the khalis merchant only comes once a month and only brings two wagons."

Serena knew of the khalis, of course. Back in the game, the khalis were the minions of Ikhlis the Mother Goddess, 3rd in ranking. Ikhlis herself was weak and offered no challenge one on one. The only problem fighting her one on one was due to fact that she had an annoying unique ability to spawn strong but short-lived khalis minions every five seconds. So it was never truly one on one.

What made Ikhlis truly formidable though was her minions, the khalis. It was often said that Ikhlis showered all her love towards her minions. One can even call them the chosen of god, their god, at least. The khalis, also called Children of Ikhlis, looked no different from a normal human. However, that was the only similarity.

The khalis were stronger, more athletic and more capable than a normal human side by side. They could also learn and cast any magic available to Ikhlis, even divine magics were possible for them. They were the kind of race that had only advantages and not even a single weakness. In fighting Ikhlis, the fighter must finish the battle quickly as khalis as a race has a telepathic link to Ikhlis. The moment they sense Ikhlis in danger, whole cities will leave everything behind and attempt to save Ikhlis.

Serena remembered the only time she fought Ikhlis. She remembered the notifications popping up one after another as her whole region map started being filled with hostile khalis from all directions. Within minutes, her whole region map were almost completely filled by hostile khalis. As the red dots representing hostile units approached within ten miles of her battleground, she fled the scene and had to sacrifice the mycras who went to battle with her. Serena still had shivers every time she recalled that battle.

"Then why not make something else?" Serena asked.

"Something else? Such as what?" Grandpa Luus asked.

Serena thought it was strange that they hadn't thought about it. They were mycras after all. Crafting was their forte, it was in their blood. Mycras had no value other than their crafting skills. They had Strength 7 out of the maximum 20, but strength alone couldn't win battles. The only reason that Serena's mycra army could stand toe to toe with the other races was their high quality, personalized equipment.

"Why not forge weapons, shields or armour? The mycras are a race of magic crafters and blacksmiths after all."

Both Grandpa Luus and Iina laughed hearing her words. Grandpa Luus smacked his own legs as he laughed. It finally ended when Grandpa Luus coughed his lungs out that both of them stopped laughing as Iina brought him a tankard of drinking water.

"It's not that we don't want to make weapons, shields or armours. We're just not allowed to," Iina answered while rubbing Grandpa Luus's back.

"Why not?"

"It's the law. Only the central towns are allowed to craft equipment of war. The fringe hamlets are only allowed to craft farm equipments and trinkets. We're also not allowed to hold weapons unless we're part of the border guards and we're not allowed to bring our weapons home even when we're one of the guards."

"Not knowing this simple fact proves you're not from around here, Serena," Grandpa Luus chuckled.

"But why does the law forbid you from doing that?" Serena asked.

"It's been like that since the Kafri Revolution. The revolutionists, they call themselves the Unifiers these days, took over the central valley and made unreasonable demands. The rest of us who didn't want to comply to their demands left the central cities and settled at the outskirts of the valley."

"What were their demands?"

"Renounce Aelrea and unite under the flag of the United Mycran Kingdom."

"Excuse me?"

Renounce me? I created you ungrateful bastards. You're removing your creator now? Oh, this makes me rage.

Serena could feel blood rush to her head. If this was a western cartoon, she would be blowing steam out of her ears. They were her creation, yet, they pushed her away. Serena felt like punishing them with the 8th Heaven's main cannon, like she had done to her enemies many times in the past. When she recalled 8th Heaven though, she started cooling and calming herself down.

She did play as Aelrea in AGO. She did create the mycra as Aelrea's minions. However, that was in AGO. When she arrived here, to this world in the game, she wasn't Aelrea. She was just Serena, a normal sixteen years old school girl. It was entirely possible that there was another Aelrea in this world, the real Aelrea, instead of the Aelrea that she created as her avatar.

Grandpa Luus took another gulp from his tankard. "So that's how the numerous hamlets came to be. But after that, the central cities came to our hamlets with armies and demanded us to surrender all our weapons and forbade us from making weapons or other tools of war."

"And that's how we're reduced to making accessories and trinkets. But what can we do? We can't fight them," Iina shrugged.

"Didn't anyone resist when they took away your weapons and made that unreasonable demand?"

"Of course, my father fought them and they defeated him handily. It didn't even take more than five blows. My mother said they were too powerful. Their strength was unmatched, their speed was faster than the eye could see and their reflex was as good as a mountain lion. My father and the other residents were no match for them. We never fought them since."

"But Aelrea did create the mycra to be strong so that the mycra can hammer rare metals with ease. How could your father lose in less than five blows?"

"You forgot, Serena. Ever since Aelrea was slain, we as a race lost much of our power. That was why we had to run away from our homeland in the north. Even the great hero Lasrios could only fight at half his power as he fought to protect our race on our exodus through the plains, the rivers, the mountains and the great swamp. But these soldiers, my mother told me they fought as if they still had the blessings of Aelrea, no, they were probably stronger than mycras with Aelrea's blessing."

"What makes you think that?"

Without saying anything, the old man Luus got to his feet. He walked up to the door, but when he couldn't hear either of them getting up, he gestured for Serena to follow him. They walked a fair distance up the mountain behind the cottage.

Serena noticed that she had not run out of breath even once. If this was the world outside the game, she would've been wheezing by now. At her father's insistence, Serena enrolled at a nearby kendo dojo where she learned shinai and naginata techniques, so she was slightly more fit than most schoolgirls. That however, didn't give her the stamina and strength of a mountain climber. She deduced it must be the mycra's racial perk, Strength 7, fulfilling it's purpose because just like her, Grandpa Luus also climbed the mountain with ease.

"This is where my father breathed his last breath," Grandpa Luus suddenly stopped while pointing at the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Serena said, empathizing with his loss.

"That's not what I brought you here for, Serena."

"Then?"

"Look behind you. That was the one blow that killed my father."

Serena turned around. Her eyes went wide at the evidence before her. It was a hole, a large, deep hole. A hole with walls so smooth all the way throughout, so deep that she could see the sky on the other side of the mountain.

Forget the mycras, even the marble giants would find it hard to do this in one blow.

*As always, please leave your comments and feedback. Praises motivates me to write faster. Constructive criticisms helps me to write better. Thanks for reading and supporting me.

Serena was a top player in the popular browser game Age of Gods Online which combines elements of strategy and RPG on a platform available to everyone with access to the internet. As an RMT scum, she climbed the ranks of the deathmatch with real world money. One day, after she was defeated in battle by another player, she went to sleep and woke up in the world of AGO. But something was wrong. She woke up 300 years in the future of the current Age of Gods Online. Will she be able to unravel why or how she got there and if she'll ever return home? Age of Gods Online Chapter 4 The epic struggles of young gods in another world. By Shiina Ai

Serena stepped closer to the miles-long tunnel that cut cleanly through the mountain. The inside of the tunnel was dark as light from the other side of the tunnel could barely penetrate through the twenty feet-wide circular tunnel. But from time to time one could see a tiny fleck of light, far in the distance.

"This hole connects to the other side of the mountain," Grandpa Luus explained without being asked.

"What's on the other side of this mountain?"

"The central valley, where all our first cities are. Before this hole was made, contact with the central cities can only be made through the gorge several miles from here. This mountain used to isolate us from the unifiers - that was what they called themselves after succeeding in their revolution. They call themselves the royalists now."

"So it's a shortcut?"

"No, we don't use it. They use it from time to time, but we don't."

"Why not? Wouldn't it be convenient?"

"It is a symbol of our defeat, a monument to our failed resistance. Many among us wish to forget that battle ever happened. Some others refuse to use it because they fear they will lose their hatred the moment they started thinking "it's useful". So we chose to ignore it."

"I see," Serena said while touching the smooth wall of the tunnel.

"Careful, Serena. Some monsters made their lair inside the tunnel from time to time."

Serena pulled her hands in haste.

"Now that you know about our situation, I'm sure you understand why we can't oppose them," Grandpa Luus sighed before he continued, "We are a broken people, Serena."

Grandpa Luus started climbing down the mountain, leaving Serena to ponder his words. They climbed down the mountain in silence until they reached Clear Water. Before they entered the house, Serena stopped him at the door.

"When you said we are a broken people, did you mean the Kafri Revolution?"

"No..." Grandpa Luus continued walking and opened the front door while saying 'we're home' to Iina who replied a welcome home while she prepared the ingredients for dinner. He then sat at the table before taking off his shoes and massaging his feet.

Serena, unable to remain patient, asked, "Then what do you mean?"

Grandpa Luus looked at Serena's face while still massaging his feet. Then he said, "We were broken long ago, Serena. Long before we reached the Valley of Snakes. Before we reached this place, we were wretched people. We begged, we stole, we killed and we sold ourselves for a loaf of bread. Only when we arrived here did we manage to farm, mine and craft magical items that sustained our lives. You as a lost hammer should know more than I do since you've spent all your early years out there, in a world where mycras are treated as no better than stray dogs."

Serena could only nod. After all, she wasn't really a mycra, let alone a 'lost hammer'. 'Lost hammer' is a term for mycras who never set foot in the Valley of Snakes, the old name for this place, now known as the Crimson Valley. Just over a week ago, she was just another sixteen year old highschool girl. She had accepted that she looked like a mycra and because she didn't know anything about how the mycran society work, she pretended to be a lost hammer.

"I know many lost hammers who managed to find this place, long after those who were supposed to guide them died for various reasons. A family who arrived just a month before you lamented how they had to sell their two daughters to a porkin brothel. But they had no choice, without Aelrea's blessings we are weaker than a sick rattanor. They also couldn't find work as a crafter, because without the blessed golden hammer, even a mycra is no better than an average crafter."

"But I thought all mycras receive blessed hammers?" Serena said.

"Do you have a blessed hammer?" Grandpa Luus asked in exchange.

"No... but I thought-"

"You think you will receive a blessed hammer at a certain age?"

"Yes," Serena said, playing along with Grandpa Luus's misunderstanding.

"An old wives tale. Too many mycran parents lied to their children, telling them they would receive their blessed hammer when they're old enough. In truth, most mycras would never get to hold their own blessed hammer to the end of their lives."

"Why not?"

"Ever since Aelrea was slain 300 years ago, not even a single newborn mycra received a blessed hammer at birth. Only those who were born before Aelrea was slain had their blessed hammers when we started our exodus south."

"Wait, did you just say Alrea was slain 300 years ago?"

Grandpa Luus nodded.

"Killed by Ukhlar?"

"I don't know the name of the god that slew Aelrea. Ancient records don't keep well when you're running for your lives while being chased by blood maidens and dreamreavers."

Chased by both Ukhlar's and Falgur's kins, huh? I'm sorry, I didn't know what you guys went through, Serena thought as she said, "Did I - did Aelrea die at Monolith Square?"

Monolith Square, from Serena's memory, was the center of the old mycran capital of Hammerdale, at the foot of the Aelrean Mountains. It was the final battlefield where Serena as Aelrea, alongside her hero units Pegasus Knight Heriane, Guardian of the Forge Meristes, Mechanical Knight Alou, Spearmaster Gardi and Forgemaster Eri made their final stand against waves after waves of Ukhlar's cash items. He even made them so busy fighting that the only way she could summon her own cash items were by sacrificing her hero units to buy time. In the end, not even her cash items could save her and her hitpoints became zero.

As for Hammerdale as a whole, it was built in a region of permanent winter. Serena chose the site for being close to the previously unnamed mountain range which was rich in all kinds of minerals. But the coldness never bothered the mycras, for they were a people of the forge. The whole city was warmed by the fires of the forge, so much so that even snowstorms shied away from the city. In comparison, the Valley of Snakes was hot all year around, for it was at the center of the equator. Serena could only imagine the suffering they had to suffer, having to traverse the treacherous path to safety.

"Yes, our goddess was slain at Monolith Square," Grandpa Luus confirmed, "The only thing passed down throughout the generation without any deviation in storytelling was how the enemy god impaled Aelrea's body on the Iron Monolith at the end of the battle and how her burning blood continued to flow down the monolith for days, melting the monolith slowly and covering the ground in flowing magma."

Burning blood? Flowing magma? I'm pretty sure I have normal blood. I don't remember choosing the perk 'burning blood' or something cool like that. But according to this story, I or this world's Aelrea have been dead for the past 300 years. Wait, something doesn't click.

"How old are you?" Serena asked as the average age of the mycras were only specified as 120 years in AGO.

"I'm 104 years old. It is almost time for me to hand over the blessed hammer to Iina," Grandpa Luus said as his eyes drooped, looking tired as he looked at Iina who was chopping some kind of bird with a small cleaver for dinner.

Iina stopped what she was doing to object. "No grandpa. Please, I don't need the hammer. You still have many more years. You're still strong, no need to hand the hammer to me yet."

"What do you mean hand over the blessed hammer? Didn't you just say nobody born after Aelrea's death received the blessed hammer at birth? You can't give your blessed hammer to others, right?" Serena asked.

"While that's true," Grandpa Luus said while materializing a glowing golden hammer with handle as long as his arm and head much large than his fist, "There is a method to grant the new generation their own hammer."

"How?"

"You know that blessed hammers can't be inherited or handed away, right?"

Serena nodded. Of course she knew that. She explicitly stated in AGO's blessed hammer equipment setting that a blessed hammer would be soul bound to the person it was granted to. It could not be gifted away, sold away or be inherited. When a mycra dies, their blessed hammer disappears with their last breath. So how would Grandpa Luus hand over his hammer to Iina?

"There is a method. It is not exactly a transfer of ownership. It is basically crafting a blessed hammer using another blessed hammer."

Serena thought about about what Grandpa Luus just said. Blessed hammers are special items granted to mycras upon birth. They are S-class items thus giving them the ability to deal 75% damage to gods despite having low damage. Another characteristic of the blessed hammer is its ability to craft another S-class equipments at the cost of the user's life.

Wait, this means...

"You transfer blessed hammers by sacrificing yourself?!"

"It's the only way. Otherwise, my blessed hammer will disappear when I die. This hammer," Grandpa Luus looked at the glowing golden hammer in his hand, "I received it from my mother, who crafted it with the last strength of her life. Even at her death bed, she practiced, trained so that she could have enough skill to create an S-class equipment. She in turn received hers from her father. I do not know who her father received his blessed hammer from."

"But that... there must be a better way!"

"There is none. We lost thousands of blessed hammers before we found out that you can make a blessed hammer using another blessed hammer. It's usually passed down from parent to child at the end of the parent's life. It is considered an honour for the parents and for the child. These days, the amount of mycras with their own blessed hammer is less than a hundred people."

"Grandpa, please wait for a few more years. There are still a lot of things I need to learn from you," Iina pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, there is still much you need to learn. I guess I won't die so soon after all," Grandpa Luus chuckled.

Serena could only watch the exchange. As Aelrea, she would most likely be able to change this cruel fate, but she was not Aelrea. She entertained the thought of herself being Aelrea because she created and played that character in AGO. However, the fact that Iina still hasn't received her blessed hammer somewhat proved that she was not Aelrea. She figured the real Aelrea of this world probably still hasn't revived yet.

"Enough of this depressing talk. How about we have Serena cook this fried chicken she talked about early this week?"

*As always, please leave your comments and feedback. Praises motivates me to write faster. Constructive criticisms helps me to write better. Thanks for reading and supporting me.

Serena was a top player in the popular browser game Age of Gods Online which combines elements of strategy and RPG on a platform available to everyone with access to the internet. As an RMT scum, she climbed the ranks of the deathmatch with real world money. One day, after she was defeated in battle by another player, she went to sleep and woke up in the world of AGO. But something was wrong. She woke up 300 years in the future of the current Age of Gods Online. Will she be able to unravel why or how she got there and if she'll ever return home? Age of Gods Online Chapter 5 The epic struggles of young gods in another world. By Shiina Ai

"Umm, how do I use the magic skillet again?" Serena asked while holding the magic skillet with rune-like carvings on its side.

"Just like how you use any magic equipment. Just pour magic power into it," Iina explained.

"Like this?" Serena closed her eyes and saw in her mind's eye a mist-like thing moving from her arms toward the skillet. She felt the same jolt of electricity moving from her heart, down to her arms, to her hands, before disappearing into the skillet. Her magic power successfully entered the skillet and activated the runes on the side.

And the magic skillet became a flamethrower.

"Stop! Stop! Are you trying to burn the house?" Iina yelled as she quickly covered the skillet in a blanket, which also caught fire.

It took them ten minutes to stop the fire. Another five minutes to clear the smoke and almost an hour listening to Grandpa Luus's scolding. In the end, instead of cooking fried chicken, Iina banned Serena from cooking and Serena was told to help Grandpa Luus fix the parts of the house damaged by the fire instead. Thankfully, the villagers living nearby helped. Being a rich girl, Serena had absolutely no idea how to fix a house.

******

"We're off, Grandpa," Iina yelled as she stepped out.

"Ah," Grandpa Luus answered from inside the forge attached to the house.

Serena picked up her school backpack, originally filled with books and stationery, now empty save for a few bottles of water and provisions. Other than her school uniform, her backpack was her only possession. She had a credit card and cash in her purse, but she just knew it had as much value as a dashboard ornament.

She remembered the conversation last night as Grandpa Luus gave her the backpack.

"That's a very good leatherwork. Did you make it yourself?" Grandpa Luus asked as he handed Serena the backpack.

Serena was about to say yes, as telling him that she bought it at a designer store would bring up more questions. But then she remembered that the mycras weren't known for leatherworking. The mycras were the people of the forge, Serena never allocated any points to leatherworking. So she answered in the only way that made sense.

"It was my father's. He bought it from a grass bunny by the name of Armani."

In AGO, 'grass bunnies' or just 'bunnies' were minions of Doubt, the Rabbit of Murder. Unlike their name, the grass bunnies were omnivorous, eating both vegetables and meat equally. They were a little shorter than a human, standing at only 5 feet tall at the most from their feet to the top of their heads, if their tall rabbit ears were to be ignored. Unlike real rabbits, they didn't have the large front teeth, their teeth were no different from human teeth. Ability-wise, they could jump the highest among humanoid races and ranked second behind the necattans when it came to surviving a fall from great heights. They were also very agile in battle, making them the only human-sized race that could fight the marble giants as equals.

They were also the best when it came to leather products. Their best leather armour had as much protection as a mass-produced steel plate mail while remaining light and not restricting movement. Serena thought it was the best cover for the bag.

"But the grass bunnies are all dead," Grandpa Luus said.

Of course, that cover would be useless if they were all extinct.

"Umm, no, father said he bought it from the grass bunnies. It must be true!" Sorry daddy, let me use your name just this once.

Serena could feel her daddy raising a thumbs up while saying, "It's fine. It's fine."

"Hm, I see. He must have found remnant communities of them somewhere. I'm sorry I make you remember your father. I was just curious," Grandpa Luus said as he patted Serena's head, "Why don't you show the bag to Uuki? I think she'd give you something for your time, just don't forget to tell her not to take it apart."

"But isn't this great?" Iina jumped in, "This bag seems more durable than our baskets, then wouldn't this mean it can carry more stuff?"

What are you getting at?

"Hour about you go gather materials with me tomorrow, Serena?"

"Gather materials? You mean for crafting?"

"Yes."

"But i don't know anything about gathering materials."

"You didn't learn that from your parents?"

They taught me other things. My parents taught me ethics, house cleaning, accounting, riding a bike and cooking. Gathering minerals was not part of my education.

"Don't worry, Serena. Just do what Iina do. You'll learn in no time."

"You're not coming with us, grandpa?"

"I would've, at first. But with Serena there, there won't be much need for me to be there too. Anyway, I've been wanting to start work on that runed plough. Hopefully I'll can finish enough for our trip to Derena."

"If that's the case, then it's okay. I'll teach Serena everything she needs to know."

Serena just stayed quiet. After all, she had been freeloading in this house for a week. She thought it was about time she earned her keep.

It was afternoon when they finally arrived at the gathering place. It wasn't really far with their mycran stats, only treacherous. Several times, Serena lost her footing and if not for the rope attached to Iina, she would've fallen two hundred feet to her death. Their destination was a mesa at the peak, where rare herbs and mineral could be collected for those who dare to tempt the treacherous path.

Unlike the rest of the valley, this region was often rocked with minor earthquakes. Most the time it could easily be predicted beforehand but sometimes earthquakes happen with no warning. For those on the ground, it was merely at the level of uncomfortable shaking, but for those scaling the rocky cliff side, those uncomfortable shaking could easily dislodge them from the rock they were hanging on to. This was why, it was considered a very hard location to gather from.

Which made Serena wonder why Iina chose this place for her first time.

"Alright! We're done here. Let's go down," Iina said as she picked up her basket, almost completely filled with ores of all kind.

Serena wanted to question how so many different ores could be found at the same place but decided not to. After all, this was the game world. Serena had never gone this far south but she knew from experience that common sense could rarely be applied to the AGO. The players as gods could modify the landscape at will if they were willing to spend all those faiths that could be better used for winning the game.

At least this mesa wasn't as common sense defying as The Magical Milk Fountain of Titty Mountain. Delicious Creamer was such a pervert.

Serena picked up her own backpack, also filled to bursting with ores of all kind. She hefted the pickaxe she used just before, thinking again how light something that looked so heavy felt in her hands. Thank goodness for Strength 7, she thought. Before either of them could grab the rope and descend, Serena heard the sound of flapping wings.

"Thunder crows!" Iina cried when she saw two human-sized crows approaching them fast from the air.

Serena had heard of thunder crows, but never actually seen them outside of the pictures that Whimmer the Thunder Goddess posted in the forum. Supposedly they were born with great affinity to air magics and inability to perform any other kind of magic. In exchange for these, they get increased physical and magical talents and immunity to air magics besides their natural ability to fly.

"Gather the rocks, Serena. Just pelt them with it!" Iina said as she gather fist-sized ores from the ground.

"Will this work on them?" Serena asked while picking up rocks around her.

"Who knows? We don't have any better weapon!"

Serena however, had a better idea.

"Spirits of wood, spirits of air," Serena chanted. She didn't know if it would work, since much of her power as Aelrea from the game never activated. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw two coloured lights, one green and one yellow appeared before her eyes.

In AGO, to perform magic, one must first call the spirits. This defines the elements in play. Only once it is done that the main aria can be chanted.

"Gather wind in my hands," Serena chanted as wind started gathering between her palms, "Bring sharp wood into the wind," Serena continued as wood chips as sharp as knives formed inside the raging wind between her palms, "Materialize, Sickle Winds!"

Serena threw the ball of wind towards the two thunder crows. The wind expanded into a tornado, engulfing both thunder crows in its strong, debilitating flow. However, the wind did nothing to the thunder crows, only the wood managed to wound them, but the damage was minimal.

"What is this? It tickles!" The thunder crows laughed. It actually sounded more like cawing.

"As expected. I can't defeat them with wind magics, even with the addition of wood element," Serena muttered.

In general, wood element magics are most effective for recovery instead of dealing damage. The reason she used wood element with wind element was because both elements were the most effective crowd control magic in AGO. Metal element, which deals the most physical damage has very low affinity with wind element.

"Spirits of fire!" Serena chanted with her forefinger pointed at the two thunder crows. A red orb of light appeared in front of Serena as she finished calling the element.

"Gather fire at my finger. Release in burst. Materialize, Flame Spout!" A fountain of fire burst forth from her forefinger, burning the first thunder crow, making it fall from the sky. The second one managed to avoid the line of flame. Serena thought he must have already guessed the type of magic she would cast.

This was the reason why most players chose not to practice battle magics. While in theory any player could use any magic unless they chose perks that stripped them of such abilily, in practice nobody would use magic in battle unless it was a lazy, easy fight where you were just having fun bullying a much weaker opponent. In real battle between two evenly matched players, by the time a player finished casting one magic, the other would've already delivered about a dozen blows. The magic system was simply that troublesome.

There was an exception, however. Flowing Coffeepot the Goddess Who Weaved Magic aka the self proclaimed Mistress of Magic was the only one who fought completely using magic. The was a good reason for that. Flowing Coffeepot cheated. Unlike Serena and Ukhlar, she didn't cheat using cash items. Flowing Coffeepot hacked the server. She programmed the keywords that allowed her to use a shortened chant of programmed magic spells.

Problem was, nobody knew what the keywords were. The developers tried again and again to ban her and patch the game, but she kept coming back and hacked the server again after the game was patched. By the time the final five players were announced, the issue called Flowing Coffeepot Problem was still not solved.

The other thunder crow glared at Serena and shouted, "Glory of Whimmer!"

The first lightning struck very close to Serena. She could feel her hair rising from the electric charge in the air. Then the second lightning came down. Then the third, and the fourth. Before she could count, almost a dozen lightning had struck the mountaintop.

All Serena could think of while barely avoiding the lightning strikes was protecting Iina. "Spirits of gold, spirits of earth. Gather under her feet. Materialize, Lightning Ward!"

Right after Serena cast the spell, a feeling of fatigue washed over her body. That made her unable to avoid the next lightning strike, with no physical strength to avoid it, she was hit from above by one lightning strike. Then another lightning strike hit her and she was barely able to push herself away to avoid the third strike.

[HP and MP bars activated] appeared in her vision before disappearing. It was replaced with two blue and red bars in the upper right corner of her vision.

What the hell?!!! Get out of my sight! You're blocking my view. Disappear! Turn off!

The red HP bar and blue MP bar disappeared.

Thank you! she said in her mind as she avoided the last lightning strike.

"Damn, that was Mass Lightning. How could he just cast it with such a short chant?" Serena wondered aloud while slowly pushing herself up. Her whole body was charred and much of her school uniform was burned. There was not much left of her clothes to cover herself, but it was a life and death situation. Being covered or not, she had a greater worry than shame.

"HP and MP bar appear," she said as the red and blue bars appeared in her vision again.

"That two lightning strikes took out more than half of my life. And what's this? I have only 4000 HP maximum and 800 MP maximum? Am I even less than a level 1 hero unit?" Serena wanted to cry.

In AGO as Aelrea, Serena had a maximum of 296,000 HP and 250,000 MP. Even Spearmaster Garda, her spear specialist hero unit had 7,000 HP when he was level 1. By the time Garda reached level 12, he had 92,000 HP. In comparison, Sword Brave Lasrios started at 5000 HP and 700 MP. When Lasrios was sent to kill Theocracy of Lyrica's Uranus Who Sings In the Rear, he was level 25 and had 145,000 HP and 180,000 MP. When she thought of how any of her own hero units could kill her, she felt depressed.

But then, she realized something important. The thunder crow had not moved from his position. Usually after an attack, most opponents would follow up with a distraction attack or even a killing blow. This would make her earlier absent-mindedness absolutely dangerous and could've taken her life.

Serena moved out of the thunder crow's field of vision. While his wings still flapped keeping him hovering above the ground, he made no move signifying that he noticed her movements. Serena subconsciously tilted her head, wondering what was happening. At first she thought he was casting another spell, but that didn't feel right. Even if one was interrupted during casting, it wouldn't make them catatonic like this.

"Magic backlash!" Serena suddenly remembered a condition suffered in the early days of AGO. Before it was discovered that magic was extremely inefficient in one-on-one battles, everyone was racing to create their own top tier magic spells. Among the most common top tier spells back then were pentacle spells, spells that used five different elements and had the power to protect of destroy countries. They were very complicated spells that could very easily fizzle with just the tiniest mistake. Even after the caster spent 3-5 minutes getting everything right, just one operator wrong could cause the spell to fail. The only way it could be used in a one-on-one fight would be if the opponent allowed it to be cast.

Serena too had cast one of those pentacle spells before, but not in battle. She named it Great Hostility Barrier and she cast it on Hammerdale, the capital of Serena's mycran dominion. It greatly weakened enemy minions and restricted the powers of hostile gods to a minor extent. Serena recalled how she ended up stuck in that one position for the whole day and ended up filing a bug report. The developer's reply was a link to a forum thread where the developers already explained it was the result of using magics beyond the player character's abilities. Obviously, Serena didn't read the thread before she sent the bug report.

Armed with this knowledge, Serena cast a spell, "Spirits of fire. Gather fire at my finger. Release in burst. Materialize, Flame Spout!"
The burst of flame shot out from her forefinger and charred the still airborn thunder crow. He fell to his death in the valley below. The spell consumed twenty of her total MP. Now she knew for sure that she was in AGO.

She looked around for Iina, feeling elation at knowing she could use this fantastic power called magic. When her eyes fell on Iina though, she froze. During the mass lightning strikes one of lightning had struck a tree and the whole tree had fallen on Iina's body. Serena couldn't know. She was too busy avoiding the lightning strikes aimed at her.

Serena quickly ran to Iina's side. Using mycran strength, she tried to push the tree off her body, but the tree was too big and too heavy to push off. Serena tried to find something as leverage, but there was nothing suitable. With time running out and no other option, Serena had to use magic.

"Spirits of metal. Empower my body with strength. Materialize, Strength Boost!" Serena felt power overflowed in her body. With this new strength, she gripped on of the branches of the tree and pulled it up before throwing it away

It was one of the boost spells Serena as Aelrea was very familiar with. But as Aelrea, this boost allowed Aelrea to crush a castle. She couldn't hope for something similar as Serena.

"Iina! Iina, can you hear me?" Serena asked while feeling Iina's wounds.

Her worry increased as she felt the blood on Iina's chest. Her worry turned to fear when she felt Iina's cracked ribcage. When her eyes reached the gaping in her lower belly, her fear turned to despair. Even in the modern world, this was not the kind of wound that could be handled lightly. Even a skilled surgeon would not dare give assurance of a successful operation.

As Aelrea, Serena never had to cast healing magic. She was a blacksmith goddess, a crafter. She was never one who carried the ideals of holiness. If minions were lost, she'd just create temporary automatons to bolster her army while waiting for the population to increase. After all, they were just pixels, datas that she couldn't care less about. Even when there was any need to instantly heal her hero units, she simply bought a potion off the premium shop. But at this moment, she didn't have a healing potion or the convenience of a debit card and premium shop.

"Spirits of Light. Gather around this body, nourish the growth, heal the wounds. Materialize, Healing Light!"

Nothing happened.

Serena cursed. Her previous spells worked, so she had hoped that this would work too. While she had never cast this spell before, she knew the incantation. It was the one healing spell that would definitely work in healing damage of this magnitude. She forgot that 'light element' was a divine element in AGO. As she was only a mycra, spirits of light would not obey her call.

Serena wracked her brain trying to find a spell of healing. She could create her own healing spell, but she didnt how healing spells work in the first place. So she could only rely on spells already created by the other players.

"Spirits of wood," she called, as a green orb appeared before her. "Umm, empower this body with vitality. Materialize, Healing... uhh... Boost?"

The spell exploded between Serena's hands. The impact hit Iina's body, causing her to cough and blood to pool in her lungs. Serena could do nothing to make things right. She had learned first aid before, but there was nothing she could do to fix a damage this bad.

All she could do was try to recall the few times she visited AGO's forums. Her mind kept scrolling through the memories of the posts in the forum, until she finally found it. A healing spell weaved into a song, composed by a Theocracy of Lyrica member, Helari the Eternal Melody. The song was actually pretty long, consisting of several healing spells that not only cured the body, but also cured curses, poison and warded the body against damage from both physical and magic as well as curses. Serena only chose the section containing the healing spell.

"Spirits of water. Listen to my voice. Whispers to the flowing river. To heal and recover. In waves and torrents. Materialize, Healing Water!" Serena shouted the final word, before drowsiness overtook her and she fell unconscious on the ground.

Despite the caster no longer conscious to give the spell direction, a large droplet of water formed above Iina's body, floating in the air. It fell on Iina's body, soaking Iina's body, covered in blood with the healing water that washed away the blood. With every pulse of water, more of her wounds closed. Her bones mended itself, the large hole in her stomach shrunk until it finally disappeared as if there was nothing there in the first place. However, that was only on the surface, the internal wounds were not completely healed.

It was because Serena did not have enough magic power for this spell. This spell was not meant for a mortal, like Serena. It was meant to be cast by a god, like Aelrea. Or at least a hero unit, like Lasrios. For someone with 800 MP like Serena, this spell was too much for her body. In AGO, losing all your HP meant death, and losing all of your MP meant passing out. Either way, you would have lost the battle.

Iina woke up first. By the time she woke up, night had already fallen. She recalled Serena's battle, up until the tree fell on top of her. She thought she should've been dead. She certainly felt the weight of the tree trunk and the pain of the branch punching through her guts, yet, there was not even a wound. She tried to get up too quickly, resulting in her coughing up blood. It was obvious she was still bleeding internally.

Iina fell back on the ground. She was still coughing blood, but it was not as bad as when she tried to get up. As she fell, her left hand touched something. She slowly turned her head to her left and saw Serena lying unconscious beside her. She didn't know how, but she could tell that she owed Serena her life.

"Serena..." Iina said slowly, trying not to exert herself. There was no response.

"Serena..." she repeated, still without a response.

With her hands, she dragged and pushed her body so that she could touch Serena's face.

"Serena..." she slapped Serena's face lightly, trying to wake her up. Serena made no move.

"Don't die on me, Serena. Your talent, don't let it end here," Iina said while slapping Serena's face a little harder.

Iina knew Serena was still alive from her warmth and breathing. But she thought they did not have the leisure of resting here. If two thunder crows could appear, two more could appear at any time. If any more thunder crows appeared here now, they'd be as good as dead.

Realizing that simply slapping Serena's face didn't work and she was far too injured do anything more vigorous, she tried to wake Serena up by supplying Serena with magic power. The moment her magic power reached Serena's heart, it was rejected so roughly that the blast threw both of them apart.

Iina coughed blood again as she fell on her front. She knew what had just happened. It was magic withdrawal. She herself had experienced it before when she was much younger. Back then, Grandpa Luus simply put her in bed so that she could recover. It took her a week to wake up. They didn't have that luxury here.

When a magic withdrawal happened, the person's heart, the core that contained a person's magic formed a protective barrier that nullified all magic. It was so that nothing could disturb the recovery of that person. In a way, this made the person who experienced magic withdrawal immune to certain types of magic. Iina's attempt just now was one such magic. It identified Iina's magic as foreign substance and rejected it.

Iina didn't know, but this more or less reflected the gameplay of AGO. While characters that ran out of HP received the status of 'dead' and would need to be revived through faith, characters that ran out of MP received the status of 'knocked out' and would need to rest for a time depending on how bad their magic withdrawal were. Knocked out characters did not need to be revived, but would be unusable until the negative mana value or negative MP recovered enough to reach at least 1. Later patches removed the possibility of extreme negative MP and simply applied a set amount of 'rest days' depending on the type of spell used that caused the condition and setting the limit to negative 100 MP.

Iina dragged herself to Serena's prone body with her arms. Now that she knew what happened, she knew what to do. She heard of this method from a peddler during one of her trade visits to the central cities. If Serena's locked heart could not accept foreign magic, she would have to trick it into think it was Serena's own magic.

And so she pressed her lips against Serena's and gave her a deep kiss.

*As always, please leave your comments and feedback. Praises motivates me to write faster. Constructive criticisms helps me to write better. Thanks for reading and supporting me.

Serena was a top player in the popular browser game Age of Gods Online which combines elements of strategy and RPG on a platform available to everyone with access to the internet. As an RMT scum, she climbed the ranks of the deathmatch with real world money. One day, after she was defeated in battle by another player, she went to sleep and woke up in the world of AGO. But something was wrong. She woke up 300 years in the future of the current Age of Gods Online. Will she be able to unravel why or how she got there and if she'll ever return home? Age of Gods Online Chapter 6 The epic struggles of young gods in another world. By Shiina Ai

Serena awoke feeling something pressing against her lips. It was a soft feeling, gentle, calming. It felt like she was in the clouds, floating, embraced by a pair of soft invisible arms. It was a nice feeling. It made her feel safe, warm, comfortable, as if she was back in her mother's womb.

She welcomed the nourishing liquid, that curled behind her lips. Sweet and thick like a deluxe chocolate fondue. It flowed, snaked around her tongue, bathing it in a joyful embrace. Running down her throat, into her stomach.

As the essence was consumed, she moaned in pleasure. Her heart screamed in joy as it finally received it's nourishment. Euphoria washes over her, as her body completely devoid of energy becomes alive again.

The snaking feeling around her tongue continued, releasing even more of the delicious nourishing nectar into her throat. It's fulfilling essence became the waves that swept her consciousness over and over, until she wasn't sure that she was dreaming of if it was reality. She heard a moan, a voice that wasn't hers and she came to the realisation...

What the hell?

Serena opened her eyes, and in front of her face, kissing her so passionately, was Iina's face. She had her eyes closed while making easily misunderstood moaning sounds as she ate Serena's lips. Their tongues in full contact with each other all the way from the very tip down to under the tongue, which Serena had always thought sacred.

As Serena recognised her position, she pushed away Iina by her larger than average breasts, separating their lips and tongues as she screamed, "Iyaaaa!!!"

Iina who flew in the air from the force of the push could only make a quiet protest. When she fell, her body rolled around on the rocky ground, aggravating her internal injuries. Every time the stray rocks punched into her body, she could only complain with "Ow" and accept the punishment on her abused body. When her rolling body finally stopped against a large rock, she was already too tired and in too much pain to care.

"Y - you - pervert! So you've been having impure thoughts about me all along!"

"Wro... ng... I..."

"Taking advantage of me when I fainted. You lowlife! How dare you, not even Marc has kissed me yet. But for my first kiss to be with a girl. Uuuu, I'm sorry, I can't get married anymore."

"No... he... lp..."

"Hmph, fine. I'm not petty. I'll help you this time. But if you do this again, I'll ignore you even if you beg for help, alright?"

Iina could only keep silent. Her broken body could no longer speak. Her condition might've been better than before the healing spell that Serena performed, but she still suffered from internal bleeding.

Meanwhile, Serena was thinking. Although she said she would help, but how would she help? The only healing spell she knew pushed her MP to zero. Although she had recovered a little, courtesy of Iina's misunderstood attempt, it was nowhere near the amount suitable for that healing spell to work. So she had to abandon the idea of healing her by herself. In other words, the only way she would be able to help Iina would be to get her medical help elsewhere.

"Alright, pervert. I'm going to bring you back to the village. It's going to be rough. So don't blame me, okay?" Serena said while she lifted Iina's bloody body.

"Spirits of air. Surround our body. Lighten our body like a leaf in the wind. Materialise: Feather Light."

The spirits of air spun around their bodies, covering it in a thick layer heavy breeze. Both their long, brown hair flew all over their faces, blown around by the air surrounding their bodies.

Serena cursed as she couldn't see what was in front of her. This was never a problem in the game, she muttered in a low voice.

Nevertheless, she held tight to Iina. Tight enough to prevent her from falling, but not tight enough to crush her damaged body. Carrying Iina's barely conscious body, Serena stepped close to the western edge the mesa.

Serena peeked down at the ground, and she hated that it made her have goosebumps. She wondered if she could actually do this and suddenly felt a sinking fear rising up in the pit of her stomach. If possible, she wanted to back out.

Serena looked at Iina in her arms, being held in a princess carry that all girls, even her wish to experience at least once. She watched Iina's face, distorted as she tried to hold back the waves of pain in her body. Serena strengthened her resolve.

"You may be a pervert but you're my first friend in this world," Serena said as she turned around, her back to the edge.

"Hold tight, pervert. Things are gonna get rough!!!" Serena warned she put one foot before the other, then she followed suit with her other foot.

A second later, Serena was running at the speed of an Olympic champion. At that speed, she crossed the mesa in only nine seconds. At that speed, she placed her right foot on the very last inch of the mesa. At that speed, she pushed her right foot against the mesa, propelling her into the air.

If Iina was conscious, she would've screamed loud enough to wake the dead.

"Hoowah!" Serena cried to settle her nerves as they flew in the sky.

Instead of feeling fear, Serena felt great exhilaration. The feeling of wind violently slapping against her face was refreshing. Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but smile as she remembered a very similar feeling.

It was a memory from years ago, of the time when she was still a child and Marc was a highschool student. He used to take her riding on his cheap bike whenever he came to play. She remembered sitting in front with his arms on each side of her body. She remembered the wind against her face and how she always laughed when Marc complained about her long hair tickling his nose.

I wonder how he's doing. It's been over a week since I came here. Is he eating well? Has he found a job yet? He always makes me worry.

Now that I think about it, what about mom and dad? Am I missing over there? Or maybe this is a really vivid dream and I actually haven't even left my house. But if I'm really missing, I wonder what they'll do. I wish I can leave them a message or something.

I wonder if I can send a message or something. Maybe I can activate it like the HP and MP bar. Hm, worth a try, but first...

Serena prepared herself for landing. Due to the effect of Feather Light, her body became so light that her single jump was able to carry her in the air for almost a mile. However, everything that went up must come down. So she prepared herself for a soft landing, a little hop, a short run and off she went again, to the sky. Unfortunately, the effect was incomparable to her first jump as this time she started at a much lower elevation.

Must be quick, she said to herself, there must be someone in the village who can heal Iina's wounds.

******

In another continent, hundreds of miles away from Serena's location, was a mountain peak named Esra's Tomb. For underneath this mountain, laid an ancient power, a being once called Esra the Primordial King. For he was believed to be born when the world was still a hell of flames and magma. He alone, out of hundred others survived the Age of Inferno into the Age of Gods, where he reigned supreme amongst the younger gods.

Countless gods had fallen under his gigantic fists, his figure so huge that it seemed like it could reach the twin moons, Arica and Sarisa. Countless armies had fallen under the rampage of his minions, the marble giants. It was once said that had Esra chosen to conquer the world, he could have, for none in this world would be able to stand on their own against him.

In AGO, he was known as Esra the Primordial King. Against all odds, he was ranked as number 1 on the chart of most powerful gods, despite facing off against RMT scums like Aelrea and Ukhlar many times. Where they cheated with real money, he won with pure skills. His title of Emperor Esra was well deserved. He was also the first player to be transported to this world, much earlier than Serena, even much earlier than Ukhlar.

As the shockwave of unfamiliar divine presence reached every corner of the world, this ancient power stirred. Where there were once hollow caves inside a granite mountain, now two orbs of light appeared. It glowed inside the marble cavity, emitting blue light with the occasional thunder streaking through, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing in the same way.

It raised its head, so massive that it dwarfed the mountain peaks. So huge that even the tiniest of movements caused an avalanche from the snowy mountaintop. Had there been any mortal on that mountain, they would have certainly perished.

"Master, you are awake at last!" a marble giant larger than the others appeared. His arms held high in a gesture that could only be seen as excitement.

"Uuu, Una, huh? You're still alive." Esra spoke, his eyes gazing at this marble giant that has the basic shape of a humanoid creature, except it was 10 metres tall.

"Master, what a mean thing to say to your first champion..." The marble giant by the name of Uno said with a tone of sadness, despite his face or the lack of it showing any change in expression.

"Wait, you look a little different. Have you gained weight?"

"I was Dua when you were awake last time, master. I became Una about 60 years ago."

"What happened to the previous Una?"

"He fell into a deep swamp and sank, master. When we couldn't sense him anymore, I became Una."

"Well, good thing you're here anyway. Do you know anything about the new divine power in the continent east of here?"

"I didn't notice anything, master. But do not worry, we marble giants have reach anywhere in the world. We will certainly find out what you need to know."

"Good, wake me up when you know something," the huge granite mountain yawned before the light in its eyes dimmed and disappeared again.

"Master, don't go back to sleep!!!"

******

A crystal ball shined brightly before exploding, showering the room it was in with hundreds of small, sharp shards. It startled the rooms occupants, a large khalissian man lying on the bed and a winged woman kneeling above him. The winged woman looked back at the crystal ball on the table in surprise, her own magic wavered under the shockwave released by the exploding crystal ball. As the woman's magic faltered, the khalissian man under her slowly regained control of his focus and awareness, at the same time losing the look of lust in his eyes.

"Foul spawn of Ukhlar!" The man cried as he pushed her away and tried to reach for his sword.

He was stopped when the woman extended her arms to grab his wrist. She literally extended her arms from six feet away, preventing the man from grabbing his sword. It was not a special skill of her race, but her own transformation spell, that she had used regularly over the years for various purposes.

"Now that's not nice. The correct term is blood maiden, you know. I mean look at me. Do I resemble something like a foul spawn?" she said as she blew him a kiss with a wink.

"I must've been blind! To not see the foul abomination that disgraced my goddess. This oversight, I shall offer Mother Ikhlis your head!"

"You could've just quietly accepted your death, you know. At least you won't feel too much pain. I was even willing to let you die in pleasure for all your 'services' thus far," the winged woman said with a grin while licking her lips.

"Great Mother Ikhlis, with great love, by fire I shall purge, by light I shall cast the demon back to the hell that spawned them. Grant me-"

His words were cut short when the woman buried her elongated nails into his chest.

"You can't seriously believe I will allow you to cast Greater Banish, do you?"

"Mon-ster,"he said with great difficulty. With his heart already pierced by the venom within the bloody maiden's nails, he knew his life would only last seconds. "One day, jus... tice... will pre... va... il."

"So annoying. Can't you just die quietly? This is why I hate chatty men." She said as she closed her hands penetrated deeper around the man's heart, before crushing it in her grip.

As the man's soul left for the underworld, the winged woman licked her bloody fingers and thought aloud, "So, my lord's prophecy has come true. She is revived at last. Guess it's time for me to visit my pets again."

She made a sadistic smile as she blinked away, having no care for the corpse and the mess she left behind.

<-.-> <-.->

*A reader messaged me about this story and I realized it's been so long since I've released a chapter. So since this chapter was mostly completed anyway, I decided to release it now. Hope you enjoyed it, dear readers.
**As always, your comments and feedbacks are greatly welcomed. Praises help me write faster while constructive criticism helps me write better. Thank you for reading my work.

Serena was a top player in the popular browser game Age of Gods Online which combines elements of strategy and RPG on a platform available to everyone with access to the internet. As an RMT scum, she climbed the ranks of the deathmatch with real world money. One day, after she was defeated in battle by another player, she went to sleep and woke up in the world of AGO. But something was wrong. She woke up 300 years in the future of the current Age of Gods Online. Will she be able to unravel why or how she got there and if she'll ever return home? Age of Gods Online Chapter 7 The epic struggles of young gods in another world. By Shiina Ai

"Is there a healer in the village? A healer! Anyone know a healer?!" Serena yelled the moment she ran past the boundary of Clear River Hamlet.

"Please, is there a healer?" Serena yelled again.

"Serena!" one of the young girls from a nearby house called, Serena felt like she had seen the girl before, but couldn't remember when and her mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of Iina.

It was because while Serena was running at her top speed, Iina's body became increasingly cold. Iina's once laboured breathing had become so shallow that Serena could barely hear it. Even checking for her pulse returned a very weak one. Serena had little choice but to slow down her running, as she was afraid that the jostling had further weakened Iina and caused her more damage, but she knew she had little time left.

"Go to the village chief's house. He can help," the same girl said once she had gotten Serena's attention.

Serena quickly ran to the village chief's place while minding herself so that she didn't give additional damage to Iina's fragile body. She momentarily thought, "Ah, I forgot to thank her," but decided she would say it another time. At this moment, Iina was in critical condition and required her utmost attention and care.

"Village chief! Village chief!" Serena yelled before she even arrived at the village chief's home. She had come here once when she first arrived in the village as Grandpa Luus introduced her to the village chief. However, this was the first time she had come here by herself and she hoped that he was home.

"Serena, what's wrong?"

Serena breathed a sigh of relief seeing the village chief's face.

"Please, we were attacked by Thunder Crows while mining for ores. Iina was injured. Please help!" Serena pleaded as she stood in front of the open door.

The old village chief whose name Serena kept forgetting told her to put Iina on the straw mat in the common room. Serena quickly did so, but it was clear that Iina's condition had turned even worse. There was no colour in her face anymore and Serena feared that she might've been too late.

"She's still alive, but barely. I don't see any injury or sign of lightning strike. How was she injured?" the village chief asked after a short examination.

Serena tried to recall the events as best as she could, but there were gaps in her memory, such as when she fell unconscious after casting the healing magic, "I don't think she was hit with lightning strike, but during the fighting, she was pinned under a tree and her stomach was gouged by a falling branch. I tried casting healing magic, but it only closed the wound. I think she still has internal bleeding."

"If she is bleeding inside, then we need to drain the blood between her organs before we can do anything more," the village chief said as he opened a drawer at the side of the common room while asking his wife to bring in a bucket of hot water, healing poultice and clean cloths.

"Umm, is there anything I can do?" Serena asked as she stood at Iina's foot.

"That healing magic that you mentioned earlier. Can you do it again?" the village chief asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Serena answered with much regret.

After all that running, Serena was left with only 28 MP. It was only enough to cast one Fire Spout or to create a bucket of clean water. It was not enough for anything else, not that Serena knew any spell that could help in this situation. Aelrea was the goddess of craftsmanship after all, there was no need for Serena to remember or use any healing magic in the game. Serena regretted that kind of thinking now.

The village chief's wife stood up and guided Serena outside, telling her, "Then there is nothing you can help with." To the villagers who stood outside the village chief's home wanting to know what happened, she said, "Everyone, please, let us all pray to our goddess, the great Aelrea to grant her blessings so that Iina may live to see another day."

As soon as she finished her words, some of those present took out a pendant from inside their clothes. Some were wooden carvings, some were cast iron items but they all had the same basic shape. A hammer, Aelrea's symbol, though some appeared to be more stylized than others. Those without one simply clasped their hands together and closed their eyes.

Serena too prayed to Aelrea, despite her previous faith in her human form. As a mycra, she was a creation of Aelrea, and it only made sense to pray to Aelrea, even if Aelrea was her own creation. "Aelrea, if you truly exist, then please answer my prayers. If we are not the same person, then please save Iina with your powers. But if you and I are the same person, then please give me a way to save Iina."

Serena lost herself in her prayers. Over and over, she repeated the same prayer, hoping for Aelrea to save Iina or provide her a way to save Iina herself. In the end, she heard the 'ping' that she understood as a system message. She opened her eyes and saw the notification saying [Spatial Inventory Activated].

Huh? Spatial inventory? What is that? There was no such thing in AGO.

Serena pondered over the notification before saying, "Inventory."

A window appeared to her left, showing a number of items neatly organized in what appeared to be two-dimensional square lockers. Serena knew what this was. It was the personal inventory that was provided for every unit. In AGO, there was no backpack implemented. So every hero unit had their own equipment screen with an inventory pack consisting of 6x12 individual squares. Each square could hold one item stacked up to 99. It was nowhere near the level of her Treasure Vault back in her floating fortress 8th Heaven, but even this was better than nothing.

Serena understood now why it was called Spacial Inventory. It was because it was a pocket universe accessible only by the person themself and was separate from other methods of carrying items. She took a look at her inventory screen, hoping against hope that there was a healing potion in there somewhere, but was not surprised that she could not find any.

It was because Aelrea herself rarely fought a battle personally and thus had no use for healing potions. Whenever Aelrea was injured enough, she would just return to 8th Heaven to either be healed slowly or imbibe one of the premium potions stacked in her Treasure Vault. Whenever Aelrea moved personally, it was for gathering materials for crafting. And so her spatial inventory was full of crafting materials.

Wait, I can use this! Serena thought as her eyes caught sight of certain items in her inventory.

The First Anvil. Made of Niana's Tear, it was the ore that fell from the sky in the backstory of AGO and the rare Rib of Milomarus, a limited item supposedly from the rib bones of a dead old god during the War of Molten Earth, also from the backstory of AGO. Serena had to pay a lot of real world money to get these two items. It was a sum that gave her father no choice but to deliver the first real scolding in years for wasting money. Its effect is giving anything crafted the minimum grade of B and allows the creation of high grade items even without high grade catalysts.

The Hammer of Enchanting. It was actually a failed hammer that Serena crafted with mithril and premium jewel. She actually wanted to craft Hammer of the Forge Lord, a weapon of vast power that could smash mountains, an SS class weapon which also had the effect of increasing the value of any crafted item by 1. She intended to give it to Guardian of the Forge Meristes. Unfortunately, she missed the timings in the smithing process several times and it became a junk item. She intended to craft another Hammer of the Forge Lord, but unfortunately, Ukhlar's invasion happened. Despite it being called a junk item, it was still a better hammer than the one that Granpa Luus and Iina had been using. As the Hammer of Enchanting, it allows Serena to enchant the item with a special effect, depending on her crafting mastery and the materials used. Since Serena didn't have a Blessed Hammer, this was the most she could hope for.

The Heart of the Rainbow Lizard. It was a large carrion lizard that lived in the Swamp of Sorrows at the edge of Selion's Magic Forest. It wasn't really a tough monster, but it was dangerous because its tongue contained dangerous toxins, so toxic that it could kill the lizard itself. However, the lizard had another property, which was high regeneration which allowed it to negate the damage of the toxin while healing itself from any injury in short order. Aelrea rarely hunted them herself, but since it was at the edge of her pantheon-member Selion's forest, she often bought it off Selion. Selion spawn-camped them so much that if AGO was the real world, the rainbow lizards would've reached near extinction. Spawn-camping is considered a really dastardly way of getting materials by putting a bunch of soldiers near where mobs would appear and then killing them the moment they spawned. Serena recalled that their heart was the key ingredient in high level recovery medicines.

Azureum ore. In AGO, it was a common ore. It was pretty useless as weapons due to its softness, but it had a special ability of being very accommodating to enchants. Even when Aelrea wanted to make SS class divine weapons, she used large quantities of melted azureum ore in her alloy of antinium, auricalcum and maginium. Mithril was useless for forging divine weapons as its properties made it impossible to bond with other metals except for iron, which wasn't used in high grade crafting.

For her purpose, she needed the magical capabilities of The First Anvil, the enchanting bonus from Hammer of Enchanting, the regeneration buff from Heart of the Rainbow Lizard and the enchanting-friendliness of azureum ores. As Aelrea, she had forged one before and she did it often, as she granted one to each of her hero units. Just like in the game, she was going to craft the Amulet of Regeneration. Serena was going to make her first magical artifact in this new world.

Although she was briefly delighted at the sight of her Premium Wyverns and Premium Flame Dragon, she decided not to use them. After all, neither of them could cast healing spells. What she needed was a way to save Iina, not weapons to raid a village.

She quickly asked those in attendance if there was a nearby forge she could borrow. There was a murmur of confusion at first, before a man offered the forge in his home which was only a short walk away. Guided by the man, Serena quickly went to the forge and found the place satisfactory for her purpose. In front of the man's wide open eyes, she pulled out The First Anvil, the Hammer of Enchanting, five still-bloody Hearts of the Rainbow Lizards, two large blue azureum ores twice bigger than her fist and a pile of coal. She pulled it nonchalantly from thin air, not realizing that the man behind her had never seen such a thing and could not comprehend what he was seeing.

"Alright! Just wait, Iina, you'll be as good as new soon," Serena said to herself as she tied up her sleeves and filled the coal tray.

Serena then chanted, "Spirits of fire. Listen to my words. Bring forth sustainable fire. Feed upon these coals. Materialize: Flames of the Forge."

Right after her chanting completed, her barely recovered MP plunged to almost 10 again, specifically, it was reduced by 19 MP to 12 MP. Despite her small MP recovery, if she had taken a bit longer casting the magic, she wouldn't have had enough magic to cast the spell. Thankfully, it was only the Tier 1 Flames of the Forge. She believed she could probably cast the Tier 8 Forgefire at full MP, but she had no need for such a high level spell in this instance.

Of course, she didn't realize that the older man who lent her his forge was looking slack-jawed at her back. For Serena, it wasn't weird for a mycra to be able to use Tier 1 arcane spells as she did set them to have Arcane 1 proficiency. However, much had changed since Serena played as Aelrea. In this village at least, nobody could use the magic their ancestors wielded so readily. Not a single one.

As more of the villages gathered and stood watching behind Serena, she worked the bellows of the smelter in order to melt the azureum ores in an attempt to reduce it to its liquid metal. At the same time, she threw an iron blank into the forge, powered by the Tier 1 persistent fire spell, Flames of the Forge. Realizing that there won't be enough hand for her to melt the azureum ore while striking the metal at the same time, Serena decided to employ another magic, one she rarely used in the latter days of AGO but was of great help in the early days.

"Spirits of wind. I call upon the rough autumn winds. By my will, blow life into this vessel. Materialize: Strong Winds of Autumn!" Serena chanted as instead of bellows, wind came from all over the workshop, gathering into the air holes of the smelter at the bottom before coming out again at the top of the smelter, continuously throwing embers to the air.

"Ohhhhh!!!" the crowd gave their appreciation.

"The peanut gallery is too noisy," Serena commented under her breath. Regardless, she gave it no attention, as for now, Iina was her priority. With that thought in mind, she pulled out the iron blank with a tong, carried the red hot iron to The First Anvil and started hammering.

Tiny sparks flew with each hammering, as she first elongated one point of the blank before widening it, making a very thin sheet of iron. Serena wanted to create a steel amulet, but she was afraid she would run out of strength before she finished. After all, she did run miles away at top speed with assistance from magic. Even if her body could still somehow hold on, she would need the assistance of body strengthening and strength boost, neither of which she had enough magic power for.

Serena kept hammering, feeling elated in its ease. Despite never having held a smithing hammer before as Serena, right now she felt as if she had been doing it all her life. She instinctively knew where and when to strike the iron, when to flip it over, and when to put it back into the forge for reheating. It was as if all the knowledge and skills simply flew into her body as she went along. Serena assumed it must've been Aelrea's skills that she had been using, as Aelrea had forged thousands of artifacts and failed tens of thousands more.

Or it could just be the mycra's innate skill with metalworking, Crafting Skill Level 7. She recalled the ridicule in the forum back when she posted the mycra's racial stats. She was called crazy, a noob and they told her it would make her race so unbalanced she would lose the game within a week. They tried to prove it by attacking Hammerdale one after another.

However, the mycras were a race of crafters. Their single purpose was to craft something. Due to that, the attackers eventually had to retreat one after another. They lost to the mycra's ability to craft everything, including the landscape itself. They lost to the mycra's motto of 'Craft The World'.

Where other gods used their faith to transform landscapes, Serena used the mycras to craft natural traps and golems to defeat her enemies. The very land itself became Serena's ally. Serena recalled laughing alone in her room every time her enemies fell into the traps laid for them and died without even reaching Hammerdale.

And now, instead of relying on the mycras, Serena decided to rely on herself. Her and her skills, whether as Aelrea or a mycra, she would save Iina. This was the way that Aelrea showed her. Only through crafting would she save Iina.

She managed to make two similar sheets of iron about the size of three fingers put together. It was still attached on one corner to the blanks and with it, she sent both sheets back into the forge. Then she grabbed the five hearts of the Rainbow Lizards in both hands. She looked at the magic power in the corner of her vision and was satisfied with its amount, believing it to be enough for the spell she wanted to cast. With blood flowing through the spaces between her fingers, she chanted a spell.

"Spirits of Water. Abide by my command. Release the water from this vessel. Spirits of Air..."

She could see her magic power reducing at double the rate with the calling of the second element. This is called a line spell, a spell that uses two separate incantations for two different elements. With every element chanted separately, the amount of magic drain doubles. For a triangle spell where three separate incantations of three different elements are used, the magic drain doubles again, causing more than four times the magic drain.

"Come into this vessel. Let hot winds dry it to dust. Materialize: Drain Swamp!"

The effect was immediate. The five hearts of the lizard, previously fat and continuously pumping out blood had now become small, hard and blackened. Without even washing her hands, Serena placed the five dried hearts on the anvil and struck it again and again with her hammer until it turned into fine dusts. Then she brought the two sheets of iron and struck it against the heart dusts on the anvil. She repeated it until there was no more of the dust left on the anvil before sending it back into the forge. Once the iron became red hot again, she folded the iron sheets over and over, making the heart dust one with the iron.

She would've continued striking the iron, if not for a sudden ringing in her head. It was as if an alarm went off and she knew what it was for. She turned to the smelter, pulled off the exit and watched as melted slag flowed out of the smelter. She could see some of the blue melted azureum flowing out together with the slag, but there was nothing she could do about that. The man who loaned her his forge used it for reducing steel. He had no specialized facility for producing the more delicate metals.

Once the slag had stopped flowing out of the exit hole, she closed it again. While azureum had lower melting point than iron, it still required a bit more time to completely melt. She knew that this meant she should move on to the next procedure.

She took a chisel and started carving out one of the iron sheet with runes of power. While the rainbow lizards themselves were good enough for crafting regeneration talismans, Iina's body was in very bad shape. Therefore, Serena decided to carve the runes for 'healing' and 'constitution' to augment the healing power of the talisman. This was not a problem for her, as all mycras, or at least the mycras from AGO knew of runecrafting from birth.

Once she finished carving the runes, she turned back toward the smelter. Grabbing an earthen cup from her inventory, she placed it under the exit hole of the smelter before opening the gate. The melted azureum flowed smoothly out on the guide before collecting inside the cup. Serena quickly grabbed the cup with her hand before pouring its contents into the runes carved into iron sheet.

It was a slow process. The pouring had to be done carefully and precisely. The melted azureum must not spill out of the carved depressions or it would create completely different effects from one intended. Serena had never done it before, but she knew exactly how to do it, likely owing to the divine crafting skill that Aelrea had. Or perhaps it was mycra's innate crafting skill, but judging from how impressed the peanute gallery were, she doubted it.

Once she was confident that she did not make any mistake, she left the iron sheet with the cooling azureum to cool slowly on the anvil. While shutting down the smelter, she looks into her slowly replenishing mana count. The final spell would require quite a significant amount of mana and worse, she didn't know how long it would take to achieve the desired result. If it took too long and she didn't have enough mana, the whole thing could become a useless junk.

However, she knew she couldn't wait for too long. Who knew how long Iina had before she would succumb to her injuries. Therefore, she decided to gamble it all.

She grabbed both the pieces of metal, one with azureum and one without as she chanted, "Spirits of Metal. Behold the structure of this metal. Connect these two pieces by the azureum metal. Merge these two pieces into one. Materialize, Alchemical Meld."

The two pieces of iron sheets floated up from her hands. It spun around each other in the air, a flow of mana linking them to each other. It slowly came closer as the two pieces alligned and the more chains of mana shot out and bound the two pieces with each other. It spun faster, with more chains of mana coming out to bind these two pieces, but it had stopped coming closer to each other. It was now only spinning in the air, releasing a buzzing sound and blinding light, but did nothing else.

For awhile there, Serena feared she had failed. She feared it had become a junk item as it could not meld into each other. But she still had some mana and there was no spell rejection, so the spell couldn't have failed. With no idea what else to do, she raised her two hands up, the palms facing the two pieces of iron.

She said, "By my wish, become one, Runed Amulet of Regeneration!"

And as if abiding by her will, the chains of mana shined brightly and pulled the two pieces together, combining with a blinding flash. While even Serena had to close her eyes, she knew that she had succeeded. The proof had just fallen into her hands. Without even looking, she knew it was the Runed Amulet of Regeneration.

She no longer felt so helpless. She now knew that she was Aelrea, Aelrea said so herself when she gave her back some of the skills from the game. With this power, she could save Iina for sure.

With these thoughts in mind, she took off towards the village chief's home without a moment to lose. The amulet grasped tightly, she said, "Wait for me, Iina. I'm coming."

<-.-> <-.->

*Yeaaaa, sorry for not posting for a very long time. You see, I've been having some problems and writing a new chapter was not quite the priority. Only recently I managed to regain the motivation. I will also update two other stories in short order. What those stories are? Well, you can only wait. Ahahahaha.
**As always, your comments and feedbacks are greatly welcomed. Praises help me write faster while constructive criticism helps me write better. Thank you for reading my work.

Hail to you, who are of strong will. Hail to you, a man of faith. Hail to your strength, your courage and your life. Deliver us, from this terrible end. Deliver us, from these wretched demons. Twelve men, with twelve goals, stood together, side by side, hand in hand, against the unholy wave. Shall you take up your weapon, Shall you be our saviour? Armageddon Chapter 2 By Shinieris

"Sis, I need a heal."

"Okay," I said as I dropped my pen and grabbed the gamepad. I held button 10 then pressed button 1 to use the equipped artifact, the Glove of Lesser Recovery.

"Sis, you just healed that monster!"

I did? I lowered the VR goggle and looked through the screen. "Oh crap!" I said as I nudged the right analog a little to the left. My fingers must've nudged the pointer at some point.

"Shit, I died!" my brother whined when his HP bar went down to zero.

I held button 10 and pressed button 2 to use Ankh of Minor Revive. Then I shot 4 pieces of lead to the zombie's limbs to weaken it before my brother finished it for the XP.

"Why is it that you still need aid against a zombie?" I asked as he picked up his loot.

"Well, because sword skills are hard to use," he said with his big butt and big breasts swinging everytime he bent over to pick up the scattered loot.

"Nobody told you to pick Neet."

"It's because I can't pick Sniper that I pick Neet."

"You could've just picked Soldier, you can advance to Gunman."

"Gunman sucks. My friend said he fired 8 times with his dual guns and the shots went everywhere but the target!"

"Well, dual wielding does have accuracy issues."

"And Sniper is impossible!"

Let me explain a little. Being a sniper is NOT impossible at all. The only problem is for some reason, players whose avatar have big breasts suffer accuracy issues with all kinds of rifles, including sniper rifle. Now go back a little bit in time and notice that I say his character has big butt and big breasts. See the problem? Yeap, my brother is a breast man. I suppose he's an ass man too.

His character's breast size are even twice bigger than mine in real life. Does he think that the value of girls are only in their breasts? If that's what he really thinks, I'll tell mom.

Still, my value as a girl is in neither breasts nor ass. It's my brain. And my gorgeous long legs. Oh, I have a pretty face too, if I may add. I know men made a double take when I walk past them on the street in my casual clothes, even the men who was walking with their girlfriends. Oh my, I'm blushing.

"Sis."

"Yes?"

"How much do you think this is worth?"

I pushed down the visor part of my headset and saw him pointing to a rusty magic sword.

"Were you fighting a [zombie knight]?" Since [zombie knights] were about the only low level zombie that dropped magic items.

"Didn't you see earlier?"

"No, I was studying."

"So how much can I make with this?"

I looked at the unidentified rusty magic sword. Then I tried to search my memory for an average price for rusty magic swords. I knew I came across a few in the past few years in the auction houses, but since I had always been a rifle-wielder, I didn't take much notice of the swords. I can use it of course, since the nature of the game allows every character to wield every weapon in the game, as long as the stats allow it. But what would be the point in me wielding a sword? It would be like giving a man a bow and telling him to go fishing.

"I think you can get between 20-40 Euro in the auction houses."

"No, not the auction houses, how much will I get with dollars for example?"

"Stop there! It is against game rules to sell game items for real world money. You will get banned and your headset ID blacklisted. Heck, even I will probably be banned since we're playing using the same VRPwr2 unit."

"What? I can't sell this for real money? God damned! There goes my perfect plan!" He swung his sword against a tree repeatedly as if trying to vent his frustration.

"You planned to sell game items for real world money?"

"Of course! That's why I invested in the headset in the first place. My perfect plan is in ruins..."

So buying the headset wasn't actually a boy's short-sighted quest for fun? He actually considered recouping the money spent by making money from the game itself? That was unexpected. I didn't know my pest of a brother actually thought ahead. He should still read the terms of use in the first place, though.

I sighed, thinking I should help him a little in this. If he did well, surely he could pitch in with the game's monthly fees or something. "If you want to make money from the game, I can probably help you in a way."

"Really?" He stopped swinging his sword at the tree.

"Yup, but not through item selling. Once you can kill an [elder necromancer] on your own, talk to me about making money."

"But [elder necromancer] is a D level monster!"

"If you want to make money, you need to be able to beat up at least D level monsters, better if you can beat C, but that may take too long for you."

"What level can you defeat now, sis?"

"Remember the monster rampage in London last week? That was upper level B. I won because its HP was already depleted from being attacked by other players."

Suddenly I heard the sound of a bell in the real world.

"Hey, go play somewhere. Take this," I tossed him the [glove of lesser recovery], the same one I used to heal his HP.

"You're really giving this to me, sis?" he or she, the character in the game, looked at me in awe. At least I assumed that was 'awe', VR games hadn't advanced far enough yet to be able to create facial expressions through a person's emotions. There were in-game emoticons that could show emotions, but most people just used it to play around.

As for why he could possibly be in awe, it was because recovery equipments, as opposed to food and potions are very rare in Armageddon. People who wanted to heal without using potions or food would normally sit somewhere safe and heal through passive healing, use a doctor or priest for quick healing, or pay a hospital or clinic for full healing.

"Yes, it's no longer as useful to me anymore," I said, since the glove healed only 20 HP per use. My HP was already 600 in total. If I used the the glove to heal myself, I wouldn't be able to fight.

"Thanks!" he said as his avatar ran along a side street, probably looking for more zombies.

I logged out of the game and took off the headset. Then I looked at the computer screen in front of me, bringing up the corresponding gahoo chat message. It was from Sara aka Nutcase, the suicide bomber.

"Hey Ria, how's it going?"

"You have a reason for disturbing my study time, Sara?"

"Oh you were studying? Haha, sorry. It's just that something came up."

"And what would that be? If you tell me your laundry flew off again, I will snipe you next time I see you."

"Oh poo! That was a real distress, if you don't know. Who knows what kind of evil a pervert would do if he got his hands on my well-worn lacy bra."

"You're the biggest pervert around. I'm busy."

"Wait wait."

"Waiting."

"Don't you want to take part in liberating Athens?"

"Athens fell?"

"Yeah, 6 hours ago. It was broadcasted throughout the world, just like that time when they lost Rome."

"I was at school, sorry."

"So you wanna join?"

"I got exams coming up."

"It's a paid job."

My ears perked up, despite this being a text conversation. "Details?"

"We got two employers to choose from. One's the Crimean Alliance, they pay in real world money, but only hires high level players. The other's Graeco-Roman Initiative, they pay in in-game currency and in-game bonus for high contribution."

"Tell me more about Crimean Alliance," I typed before going back to my math homework.

"Crimean Alliance is a guild of salary workers and self-employed players who are based in Athens. They're generally mid-level players but they regularly use real world money to pay players to stop demon excursions around Athens. This time they were too late, so their home city got invaded. Right now they supposedly have a budget of almost 800 Euro to hire mercenaries. They can't log in because the central warp crystal is crawling with demons and they need to wait 60 hours from the time of the invasion before they can change spawn location."

"Any problem with the admins?" I wouldn't want to be banned after working on my character for so long.

"Some accusations, but since money and items didn't change hands through their system and negotiations were done using outside softwares, they had no proof."

"Will there be any problem?"

"Minimal, the Crimean Alliance had done this many times. There is no risk."

"Payment?"

"There's 5 of us. 10 Euro each."

"Are you freaking joking with me? Ask for more, my bullets aren't cheap."

"But you can get bullets from the Sanctuary Warehouse daily."

"Normal bullets. I use armour-piercing, high-explosive, acid, poison and holy bullets. Those are expensive and not available everywhere. The only place that sold holy bullets was in Rome."

"It will be hard to ask for more. They won't be very generous with their real world money."

"Tell them to contact me themselves then. Weren't I the hero who killed the Monster of Trafalgar Square?"

"Fine. You okay with me giving him your Gahoo ID?"

"Yea-wait. Make sure he's not a stalker pervert or a network hacker before you give him my ID."

"Still got a phobia, huh?"

"Don't you know it." I shivered recalling the memory of being stalked by a computer hacker a year ago.

I was chatting like normal when this guy came out of nowhere and asked to chat. I humoured him. We chatted about many things until he offered to do cam-to-cam and voice chat. I agreed and there came the face of a caucasian man probably in his early twenties. To tell the truth, I had a little crush on him the first time I saw his face. He wasn't ugly at all, for start, and his voice was quite dreamy. The level of our chat raised a little since then, going from the subject of favourite food and daily complains to being alone at home and the colour of my panties and the kind of bra I wore at any given day.

I flirted back good-naturedly, since it felt nice doing dirty chats a bit on the net. He managed to make me hot often that I... maybe I shouldn't say that. Anyway, my face was clearly transmitted to the other side and he definitely seemed to like it. Then I stopped chatting for a few days to concentrate on my studies.

When I came back online, he had sent all kinds of creepy messages. Such as, "What are you doing in just your underwear on the bed, sweety?" or "I know the colour of your panties today," or "I want to touch your pretty butt," or "Don't ignore me, bitch. I know you're at your desk."

That scared me so much that I didn't turn my computer on for days. When I did, he sent me a download link for a movie. When I downloaded it and watched it, it was a video of me changing clothes naked in my room. From the viewpoint, it was from my own webcam. I was very scared and didn't know what to do. I sat alone in my room for hours until I ripped out the USB cable for my webcam and called Sara for help. Sara was my neighbour a little further down the street back then, and left for Germany a few months later. I didn't know what I would've done without her.

She came over right away and comforted me as best as she could, pulling my face into her very prominent bosom. She asked me if anyone else knew. I told her no, as if I would tell my family about this in the first place. She told me that it was pointless calling the police, since the problem still wouldn't be solved and once my family found out they will just take away my computer. There was also the issue of my spycam video, the police could ask the site admins to take down the video, but the stalker still had the original video, and probably a whole lot more videos than the one he showed me.

So Sara told me to reattach the webcam and contact that stalker. He looked happy to see me, but then his expression changed when he saw my crying face. Sara then pulled me off my chair and chatted with that guy, telling him that she was my big sister. Despite Sara having bigger breasts and a mature beauty, he didn't seem attracted to her at all and kept asking to chat with me.

Sara, blessed her, managed to talk him down. Sara told him to destroy the videos, but he refused, saying that he loved me so much he wouldn't be able to sleep without seeing me. Eventually, he agreed to keep my naked videos locked and that he wouldn't hack into my PC anymore. His conditions was that I continued to chat with him daily and that I set aside a few days upon my 18th birthday to meet him for a date. Maybe I was just a masochist, but I agreed. I was 15 back then.

Now, a year after, I feel a little lonely. Sure, he was a creep, but he was a handsome creep. And even after the compromise, he genuinely cared for me and my complains. He was sort of like 'a creepy best friend who has an abnormal carnal crush on a schoolgirl' kind of person. Sometimes I would ask his help to hack some youtube asshole's computer as a prank. After about half a year though, our daily conversations became something like bland greetings, asking what's new, and then being quiet for a long time until one of us logged off. Sometimes I complained and he would listen, but it was obvious he was bored. When I pointed it out to him, he admitted it. He said he still loved me but he wished he didn't agree with our compromise back then. I told him to watch my naked videos again whenever he felt horny, and he laughed good-naturedly, but he said he wanted something fresh. Now we hardly chatted with each other anymore.

Of course, since that compromise, I ensured the webcam's cable was pulled out whenever I wasn't using it. I wouldn't let him take nude videos of me anymore. But anyway, that incident was in the past.

At night, I received a message on my gahoo. No, it wasn't the stalker, it was apparently the leader of the Crimean Alliance.

"Good evening, are you Doomgunner?"

"Yes, who are you?"

"I am Alexander Nikolaidis. I go by the same name in the game Armageddon. I am the co-leader of the Crimean Alliance."

Same name in-game and in real-life? This guy is weird.

"My name is Ria. Yes, I am Doomgunner. How can I help you?"

"Are you aware of the fact that Athens fell some hours ago?"

"I am aware of that."

"We, the Crimean Alliance are hiring mercenaries to retake Athens. We offer real world money of the currency of your choice in exchange for your services in the liberation of Athens."

"Any currency?"

"Yes, it will be transferred to your bank once the objective is achieved. As for your fee, I have been cleared to pay you 30 Euro upon the completion of the mission."

30 Euro is quite something. That can feed me for like five days, if for some reason mom wouldn't feed me. From the looks she gave me everytime she saw me playing with VrPwr though, I don't doubt that it will happen one day.

"Can you state clearly the objective of the mission?"

"There are 5 objectives. Primary objective is the annihilation of all demonic entities inside the municipality of Athens. Secondary objectives are: Destruction of the demon's recall crystal; Death of all 10 demon summoners; Construction of 5 watch towers around Athens; Destruction of the closest Hellgate to Athens."

"That's pretty hard. Hellgates are very well protected. Even if you have 100 players together, assaulting Hellgates will mean extremely heavy losses."

"Of course we are aware of the dangers, the mission is considered complete once Athens is liberated. The secondary objectives are not necessary, but welcomed. The parties that successfully completed the objectives will receive bonus pay."

"How much are we talking about?"

"Destruction of recall crystal - 10 Euro, death of all 10 summoners - 10 Euro, construction of 5 watch towers - 15 Euro, destruction of Hellgate - 50 Euro."

"For each person?"

"No, it's group bonus. For example, if 20 players participate in destruction of recall crystal, each will be paid additional 0.5 Euro. I doubt you would need more than 10 players to destroy a recall crystal, though."

"What about reinforcements?"

"None during the battle except for other mercenaries. Upon completion of the main objective, Crimean Alliance members will spawn in Athens and take over sentry duties."

"When will the mission start?"

"9 PM Saturday, your time. Do you accept this mission?"

"Yes, who do I report to?"

"You will be part of the First Support Squad, your Squad leader is Olson Welles. Please go to this link for your group chat. Do you have any further questions?"

"No."

"Very well. We look forward to your success. Good day."

Hoooo, 30 Euro, for just a few hours work. That's way more than what my sister make as a Sugar Beats employee. If only these kinds of jobs come everyday. I'm definitely going to take those secondary objectives, alone if possible. 65 Euro within a single day, that's nice. I won't bother with the Hellgate mission, since it needs a few hundred players together to destroy it. The amount of demons protecting Hellgates are simply massive.

Seeing as I would be fighting a large scale battle in two days, I decided to practice. Unlike other games, the cities of Armageddon are faithfully modeled following its real world self. In other words, the city of Athens would be huge. If one were to spend their time exploring the Armageddon version, they would be as familiar to the city just like a local. I aced a few of my geography tests because of that.

I put my pen down and put away my books before picking up my headset and wireless gamepad. I kicked my brother to the other side of the bed as I plopped down on the bed, put on the headset and started the game. I went through the usual game start screen and emerged at the central warp crystal of the city of London. I touched the warp crystal and chose a location I previously registered to, Milltown Malbay, in Ireland. It was time to start killing the boss monsters of Hy-Brasil.

It was part of a chain quest that I acquired after taking on a quest of clearing out the entire library of the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin of demons. I don't want to brag, but I did it all alone. Armed with my trusty assault rifle, I took on hundreds of level C demons within a manner of hours. The fight against the boss demon itself took almost an hour and hundreds of bullets. It was a tough fight. For my troubles, the boss demon dropped the Unique item The Book of Hy Brasil as well as other more regular drops.

Maybe I need to give a short explanation about item quality in Armageddon. The quality of items, whether equipments, potions, artifacts and the like range from Poor up to Ancient. The order would be Poor being the lowest, followed by Inferior, Common, Uncommon, Magic, Rare, Epic and Ancient. Out of all these, each quality had their own ups and downs, mostly in the form of power and price. Needless to say, the higher the quality of an item is, the pricier it becomes. The power of the higher quality items are also generally better than those with lower quality, whether in terms of damage, bonuses or special attacks. Items with Ancient quality are always more powerful, but also more brittle. The hero of Paris, Christophe Arceneau destroyed the Hellgate near Paris within hours of its appearance, alone. He was decked in ancient armour, ancient axe, ancient arquebus and ancient amulets. He succeeded in destroying the Hellgate, but lost his ancient equipments due to low durability and was killed by the mass of the remaining demons.

As for Unique items, they're different. Equivalently, they range from Common to Ancient, with varrying powers and bonuses. The only different is that they're limited in number. For example, there is only one Spear of Longinus, a Unique item at Ancient quality, currently owned by a member of the Knights of Rome. Similarly, there are only two Book of Hy Brasil. From the bonuses, I assume it is simply the equivalent of Rare.

I looked up the story of the book on the internet and it was true. The book was real. I'm going to spare you the details and simply say that the book not only started the next leg of the chain quest, but also granted a permanent Intelligence score of 20, 5HP per second passive healing and 2000HP active healing that could be activated every three hours. I also got an ability labelled 'Beacon of Hy Brasil', which from the description, allowed me to summon the island of Hy Brasil no matter where in the Atlantic Ocean I was. It was a fantastic drop, even if it didn't give the quest. Regrettably, this particular drop disappeared after I used it, so I couldn't resell it to others. But I got the permanent Intelligence, passive healing and active healing ability. So everything's fine.

Still, since I got the book, I could go to the Island of Hy Brasil, the first ever player to have ever set foot on that mythical island surrounded by mist in the middle of nowhere. As for why I was going to Milltown Malbay, that town was the only place in western coast Ireland that had a warp crystal. I didn't want to spend hours riding from Limerick. Unlike the rest of Europe, the British Isles are pretty safe from the demon apocalypse, with new Hellgates quickly brought down by the combined strength of the local guilds. Therefore, there was not much need for the Order of Divine Mercy to construct warp crystals in the British Isles, preferring to divert their logistical and military resources to the European mainland.

By the way, the Order of Divine Mercy is also known as 'gamemaster'. It is a guild of gamemasters, who are also players paid by the developers of Armageddon with weekly resources in order to help players push back the demon hordes. Right now, 5 out of 6 gamemasters were focused on European mainland. 2 of them were focused on liberating Rome. They conduct events regularly to gain players' assistance in pushing the battle lines. They also have their own AI armies, but are not allowed to use them except as part of an event. Any guilds who want to aid in the liberation events often have to submit a proposal to the gamemasters to get in-game funding.

I warped into the the town of Milltown Malbay from London. It was a small thriving town, filled with NPCs and players who hunted demons in the surrounding countryside. The level of demons in this vicinity was rather low, mostly of the rank E and D, so it was a good place for beginner players. As I materialized, I immediately became the center of attention, probably because of my gear. Unlike the new players, I was wearing an Ancient Breastplate of St. Dunstan as well as one sniper rifle and one assault rifle on my back. On my belt, I had one Sig Sauer P226 firmly in its holster, with four magazines also strapped to the belt.

I am one of the opinion that you only need one magazine to kill anything. If you need to use all four magazines at any given event, you would be better of just running away. If four magazines couldn't kill a target, there's a very slim chance that six magazines would make a difference. Either way, if you need more than four magazines to down something, it isn't the weapon's problem, it's the user's problem. I have seen many who fired full spreads of assault rifle bullets on a single demon. I am not one of those idiots.

"Never thought I'd see a Pulsed Plasma Sniper Rifle. They only give that as event rewards."

Correct. It was an event reward.

"I'd like to have his breastplate. That's obviously an Rare Unique at least."

It's Ancient Unique, you noob. There's only 4 of these in the whole world.

"I think I've seen him before."

Really? If there's someone as handsome and as caddish as my character in real life, I'd like to marry him.

"Hey, isn't that the Hero of Trafalgar Square?"

Oh, that's what she meant.

"Come to think of it, he does look familiar."

Well, duh! If you watched the video I uploaded to the Armageddon Hall of Scenes, you'd know. I made over $200 from the 700,000 viewership royalty for the past week alone. Money, best colour in the world.

"It's him! I watched the video on bootube!"

Wait, somebody uploaded it on bootube? Who the fuck cheated me of my income? I'm definitely gonna report this. I wonder if I got 'cheers' or 'boos', though.

"Umm, hello. I'm a fan of your videos. Would you sign my sniper rifle?" a young girl character came up to me and presented me her sniper rifle, a Hans-Wesley Coil-action Sniper Rifle. This thing is rare, must've costed her a fortune.

"Sure," I said as I opened the signature window and wrote my real world signature, Ruria, onto the side of the weapon using the touchpad. I just couldn't be bothered with designing a totally different signature for my in-game character.

In Armageddon, since there's no such thing as levels, most people end up suffering from having powerful weapons, but low attributes and stats to use them. Therefore, most people use lower level weapons to compensate. However, this means that their attack power are weak. To overcome this, Armageddon uses a system called 'Signature' which allows players to enchant their equipment so it become a living item. The weapon or equipment receives 50% bonus stats from the person signing it. As the person who signed it grows, so will the weapon grow together. There are several restrictions, though. An equipment can only have one signature. An equipment can only be signed by the classes that use them as primary weapons (snipers can't sign a sword, axes and pikes can't be signed). The equipment can't be either Epic, Ancient or Unique.

"Thanks, can we be friends?" the girl asked.

"Sure," I said as I friendlisted her. Her name was Felixia. Cute name.

I should mention that in Armageddon, one could only send whispers to people they had friendlisted.

"Where are you heading to now?"

"I'm going on a quest west of Ireland."

"Can I come along? I'm a pretty good sniper."

"What level can you defeat?"

"I can kill several D level monsters now in less than 3 minutes."

"Unless you have a strong party, no. The place I'm going is crawling with B level monsters. You'll die in seconds."

"I have a party, together we can kill lower B monsters," the girl said, looking excited.

To her, this was probably a good place to farm skill experience.

"Fine, call them. I'll wait for 5 minutes," I said, thinking that even if they would die, at least they would be able to buy me enough time as distraction while I enter the Ruined Temple of Breasal, to slaughter the Irish god Breasal, who'd be minding his own business until I come along and kill him.

Please forgive me, Breasal, a quest is a quest after all.

"Can we join too?" the bystanders came and asked.

There were twelve of them, not including Felixia's party. I shrugged. I wanted to rent a small rowing boat but from the looks of it, I'd have to rent a charter boat instead.

"Fine, but space is limited. The highest level ones gets to go," I said as I head to the pier to search charter boats for rent.

I got one that could take all of us. At my prompting, the players all pitched in with their own money for the rent fees, seeing as this place would be a great place to increase their skills. It was a great day, I double-charged everyone. Because of that, I got to rent a boat without having to pay the boat owner with my own money and still make a lot of profit. Money, the best colour in the world, even if it's digital currency.

Once we boarded the boat, I activated the Beacon of Hy-Brasil and chanted the words using the microphone attached to my headset.

Iarraim ar an Rí na Gheimhridh,
An té a fuil a chroí sioc,
An té a anáil a scaoileadh amachs ceo,
An té a seithí dóibh siúd ar mian leo a bheith i bhfolach,
Impigh mé leat,
Oscail an mbealach seo,
Is mian liom chos a chéim
ar an Oileán Hy-Brasil.

Nothing happened. I chanted again. Nothing happened again. That was until one of the players, who happened to be Irish, said that he recognized some of the words and asked me to allow him to give it a go. I shared with him the chants and he pronounced it in sounds that didn't match the spelling at all. How the heck did the creator of the quest even expect people to finish the quest if it had to be spoken in Irish tongue?

Anyway, mist then appeared out of nowhere and inside the mist, we could see the silhuette of an island. I instructed the boat driver NPC to navigate towards the island. As we entered together, each of us received the Explorer of Hy-Brasil achievement, signifying that we were the first to enter the island. Which meant that each of us would get double the skill experience over a period of 3 days. Perfect!

******

"Alright guys, I have to go do my quest now. See you at the boat later. By the way, do not even dare to leave without me."

"Can I go with you?" a guy in swordsman outfit stepped closer. He was one of those who could barely kill a C level monster even with his entire party helping.

"No, this is a B level quest, you won't survive."

"I can be the tank. My swordskill is great!"

I doubt it. From what I could see, you were just as noobish as my brother.

"No, there's no need. I'll be fine on my own."

"Come on, you can't beat a B level quest on your own."

Why is this guy so annoying? Can't he take a hint?

"For your information, I already beat a B level quest on my own. That's how I got to come here," I said as I unslung my sniper rifle. I climbed a big rock and then pointed my pulsed plasma sniper rifle at the ground.

This is going to hurt, greatly.

"No way, stop acting tough. I can help," the noob swordsman arrogantly offered his help, as if he would be able to actually do something.

"No thanks, I don't need you," I said as I fired the pulsed plasma sniper rifle at the ground at EXCEED power. The shockwave reduced my HP by almost 200 and gave critical damage to my feet, but it propelled me up the sky and got me away from that annoying noob in the blink of an eye.

Of course, landing would be another matter altogether. Not to mention that this place was crawling with lower B level monsters. I would need to do some quick massacre the moment I landed. Then it would be time for my trusty 'Ambush' skill to show its usefulness again.

******

"Great god, how many of them are here?" I asked myself after killing about a hundred [beast elves] and [unicorns] inside the Ruined Temple of Breasal.

At first, it was easy, snipe a few of the monsters, and then use the Ambush skill as camouflage. Once the cooldown timer ended, I would snipe again and then hide again. Unfortunately, as I proceeded deeper into the underground temple, the overhead crystal light became many and brighter and the hallways became longer and straighter. It came to a point where it was impossible to hide, even with the Ambush skill. I had to shoot some of the overhead crystal lights on the ceiling a few times to make myself some hiding spots.

Unfortunately the darkness inside the temple also made it possible to encounter [wraiths] who were attracted to the darkness beyond light. Even the dark spots that I had cleared earlier would be no use. The [wraiths] could teleport. Whether they teleported from somewhere else or materialized out of thin air I had no idea. [Wraiths] are upper C level monsters, so it wasn't an easy creature to beat. Plus, unlike the [beast elves], [wraiths] could only be harmed by holy, blessed or light bullets. I hated fighting [wraiths] because they were about the most expensive non-demon monsters to fight and dropped no loot.

Unless if one counts the [darkness fragments] which is useless, as a loot. It's only used to craft darkness bullets and darkness weapons, which is equally useless since it doesn't harm demons. Darkness weapons can only harm angels and since angels aren't hostile, it's pointless. So [wraiths] is often called, [useless demons].

Finally, after fighting three dozens more monsters, I arrived at the Hall of Breasal, which looked like a meadow despite being underground. The god of the wilds, the giant Breasal, held a pike in his hand as he spoke of something in Irish, which I couldn't understand a single word of, so I didn't bother. Without letting him finish his words, I fired my sniper rifle as a greeting. That initiated combat.

Breasal charged forward, brandishing his pike as if it was as light as wood. With my high Agility score though, I managed to avoid it easily. Unlike other idiots, I didn't spend time developing my other stats. A sniper wasn't supposed to be seen, heard nor attacked. A sniper hid and fired from the most convenient places.

Breasal, seeing me evade his first attack, swung his pike left at my direction. This time I couldn't evade in time and suffered a graze on my chest. That pike must be at least an Epic, to be able to cut through the Ancient Breastplate of St. Dunstan as if through paper.

"Poison!" I cried as my HP dropped steadily with each second in addition to the damage from the attack.

The god of the wilds attacked again, slicing the air left and right. Barely avoiding it, I put away my sniper rifle and took out the Sig Sauer. I emptied the whole magazine of [curse bullets] onto Breasal. I looked in satisfaction as his movements slowed and eventually stopped. Not only that, he also suffered the 'amplify damage' curse, which randomly activated with 12% chance upon using curse bullets.

I reloaded the ammunition of the pistol with [poison bullets] before I unslung my sniper rifle again. I took aim at his heart and fired an [HE bullet], causing an explosion around his chest. It didn't make much of an impact, as Breasal seemed to have some kind of barrier around him.

"So... holy bullets?" I asked myself as I took out my holy bullets clip to replace the HE bullets. Then I pressed the trigger and bingo, the bullet went past the barrier. It shattered Breasal's chest and exposed his beating heart to the air.

Unexpectedly, Breasal made a loud roar, which increased his strength and dispelled all the cursed. He came at me with twice the speed he had before and I just barely managed to avoid it. At that point, all thoughts of attacking went out the window. I was already too busy avoiding his attacks to worry about counter-attacking. If I was a swordsman, this would be a different matter.

A rifle couldn't block a pike, especially a divine pike. If I blocked it with my rifle, my rifle would break in two. I would rather die than let it happen. Besides, his [roar] halved all my skills. Even blocking would be affected. I'd be better off just running.

It took me about 6 minutes of running and evading, but eventually his enchantment wore off and his speed slowed down to its original level. I took this chance to mute my headset and drop a contact-sensitive flashbang to the ground in front of me before jumping over it just as the flashbang went off. With the flashbang behind me and the sound muted, the flashbang hand minimal effect on me. I hid behind a tree, took out my sniper rifle and fired another holy bullet, dealing a headshot in his moment of confusion. Then I activated the 'Ambush' skill.

I waited for him to walk past my hiding place, remaining silent all through it. Then once he was far enough, I dealt another headshot from the back, this time, with the ambush bonus damage applied. I quickly changed place and reactivated the Ambush skill. I repeated this eight more times until he wised up and used his power to cast [grass bind]. It wasn't a particularly powerful magic, as it only bound people and the binding could be easily broken. The only problem was, he now knew where I was.

I had no time to cut down the grass. So I fired the sniper rifle and got myself a chest shot twice more as Breasal charged towards me. I put away the sniper rifle and threw several grenades in his way, dealing area effect damage despite his divine protection. Then I took out my assault rifle, which I had earlier switched into using holy bullets and fired controlled burst. As he got closer, I panicked and fired full burst instead.

In the real world, I cried a river for throwing my precious holy bullets down the crapper.

When Breasal got within a few metres from me, I knew I was done for. With my legs bound by the [grass bind] spell and my assault rifle out of ammo, there wasn't a lot I could do. So I put away my assault rifle and grabbed my Sig instead, along with a [holy grenade]. It was my last holy grenade, made only in Rome. Unless Rome was liberated, this may be the last holy grenade in the world. Nevertheless, I primed the grenade.

As he approached, I fired my pistol with poison bullets blindly. It wouldn't matter where it hit, as long as the poison entered his body. It would be better if it hit his head or heart, but I couldn't be choosy. My only hope would be to get enough DoT (damage over time) and stall time long enough for the poison to take effect.

It happened as I managed to put the 7th bullet into his chest, that his pike hit the shoulder guard of my Ancient Breastplate of St. Dunstan, and was stopped short of damaging my flesh. Sure, I got myself another poison damage stacked on top of the previous one, but at least it wasn't the one hit kill that I was expecting.

Breasal then raised his pike as I took that opportunity to empty the rest of the pistol's bullets into his open heart. At this distance, even with crappy pistol skill, even the most inept couldn't possibly miss that target. Then as he swung down the blade of his pike, I threw the holy grenade into his open chest. Then I activated the active healing, filling my HP gauge as the holy grenade went off inside the open cavity of Breasal's chest.

I flew away from the impact of the holy grenade, which also threw Breasal back a few steps. I refilled my Sig's clip with holy bullets and with tears in my eyes, fired the last of my holy bullets at his heart and head. He staggered and he became a lot slower, but he still came closer, wielding his pike as a walking stick. There was no time to reload any of my weapons, and he was still faster than my running speed. So I took out my bowie knife, crossed the single step needed to reach him, and stabbed the knife into his heart.

I stabbed and stabbed, not even caring about anything else. It was either him or me. I'd rather that I was the one remaining alive.

Suddenly a dialogue box opened. That was weird, I had killed many bosses before, but this was the first time that I received a choice of something. I couldn't tell what the choices were supposed to be, as both the question and the answers were written in gaelic. So I chose the one with bonus Purity reward. High Purity was always good.

In Armageddon, high Purity helps NPC interactions because they think that you're the good guys.

You have decided to spare Breasal's life. Although Breasal was a pagan god, God would never ask his people to kill indiscriminately. Your willingness to grant forgiveness is an example to all who follow the way of the light. For this act of compassion, you have been granted 10 Purity.

"Are you freaking kidding me? What the hell did I waste my holy bullets for if I let him go now?!" I shouted at the game. Breasal said something in Irish again.

For your mercy, Breasal has granted you the power of nature. You can now enchant any bullets with poison damage on top of its original enchantments. The effectiveness of this skill improves with practice. You have acquired [Breasal's Bloodpact].

"Ah, that's better. So even if I use blessed bullets, it can also have poison enchantment," I said as the usual money rewards flowed in with the sound of coins being poured into a metal container.

Oh, the beautiful sound of money.

I left Breasal to recover on his own. Along the way to the boat, the [beast elves], [dire bears] and [unicorns] stayed out of my way, not even once challenging me. When I arrived at the boat, only Felixia and two of her party members were waiting. I asked her where the rest were and what happened to the others. She told me that they were all slaughtered within a couple of hours. She and her friends were all that remained. Still, she said her skills improved a lot in the past two hours. She seemed to think that she would be able to beat up C level monsters on her own now. We'll see.

So seeing as there was nobody else to wait for, we headed back to Ireland. As we left the mist, the hidden island of Hy-Brasil faded and disappeared. When we look back, it was like there was never anything there.

Back at the pier of Milltown Malbay, we said our goodbyes and parted ways. I think she had a little crush on me, but unfortunately for her, I'm straight. I wouldn't date a girl, ever.

She then greeted a group of people who waited at the town's warp crystal. It seemed like her party members who died during the Hy-Brasil excursion had already respawned and was waiting for her. Instead of friends, I was greeted by a monster instead.

In front of me, was The Monster. Yup, that same monster I killed in Trafalgar Square. That same monster that was so damned hard to kill, it required hundreds of players to weaken it before I managed to kill it with critical hits. Was this another event? Why haven't I heard of this? Or did it come to take revenge? Was there a 'revenge' event or something?

The Monster was definitely stronger and tougher than Breasal, the boss that took me an hour and a lot of holy bullets to kill. It was probably the strongest monster I had fought, probably even stronger than Asmodeus, which took the combined effort of 80 high level players to bring down. I stole a glance at the warp crystal behind me. If I started to run, I could possibly warp away before the monster could reach me. Last time I only won because a lot of players had already weakened it. No chance of that in this town filled with noobs.

I took a step back, which was copied by The Monster. I took another step, which was also copied by The Monster. But The Monster was twice my size and height. Its single step was bigger than three of my steps. With sweat pouring down my face in real life, I turned around and ran full speed towards the town's warp crystal as the townsfolk and low level players scattered in all directions.

*As always, comments and feedbacks are greatly appreciated. Praises help me write faster. Constructive criticisms helps me to write better.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and he was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cost him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 1 By Shinieris

"If it is a boy, then my master will bring you both into his family."

The woman, who was lying on the hospital bed with her baby in her arms, said in a quiet voice, "If it's a boy, then he will accept us into his family?"

"Yes."

"How dare he..." her eyes shooting daggers at this man in a crisp business suit, "They threw me away, ruined me because I fell in love with their favourite son. Now they want us back, if he's a boy?"

"Yes, that is correct-"

"GO BACK TO YOUR MASTERS!" she cried at the top of her lungs, as the baby woke and cried, "Tell them this baby is a girl. MY baby is a girl!"

------

"Ah! I'm so sorry, sir," Hazrin said to the white collar businessman who had his table covered in spilt coffee, "I'll get this cleaned right away."

"No, don't worry about it," the man said as he grabbed his briefcase and suit. He was handsome, with well-defined face and mature disposition. "Take your time," he said as he sat at the bar.

"I'm very sorry, sir," Hazrin bowed repeatedly to the man's back, before he ran into the service closet to fetch a towel.

"The usual?" the bartender asked.

"You know I can't get away with 'the usual' in broad daylight. Just get me a cup of coffee," he said as he buried his face in his crossed hands on the counter.

"Rough day, Iskandar?" the bartender asked when he came back with a cup of hot coffee.

"You don't know half of it. And what's worse, my uncle arranged for me to have dinner with the daughter of his business partner," he said without lifting his head.

"Again? Which one is it this time?" the bartender asked.

"Marina Adawiyah Syed Zaki Mukhtar," he said.

"Syed Zaki Mukhtar? The Vice President of Kental Holdings Group?" the bartender whistled.

"You know about him? I was under the impression that you don't care much about rich people anymore."

"Just because I got kicked out of my family for marrying a penniless orphan, doesn't mean I don't have any brothers or sisters in the family. So what's wrong with her? I assume you don't want to go to the dinner appointment?"

"You know damned well why! In a way, I feel bad about this. She's pretty, smart, nice and from a good family. She's perfect. She doesn't deserve me," he said as he sipped his coffee.

"Let me guess, you're still gay," the bartender said as Iskandar sprayed forth whatever coffee he had in his mouth.

"Pipe it down! Geez! For your information, I do enjoy female companionship from time to time. Say, that boy just now, the one who spilled coffee on my sleeve. Is he new?" he said as his eyes scanned the coffeehouse.

"What? You want him to pay compensation for your expensive designer shirt?"

"No, I-"

"Let it go, Is. He's just an orphan. And his monthly pay isn't even enough to cover half your shirt."

"You and your orphans..."

The bartender shrugged, "What can I say? I have a soft spot for orphans."

"No, I wanted to ask, is he like me?" Iskander surveyed the coffeehouse, hoping to catch another glimpse of the boy.

"You mean gay?" the bartender asked as Iskandar shot daggers from his eyes, "No, I don't know, and I don't care to know something so personal. If they want to talk about it, fine by me. I just won't go poking around and making them uncomfortable."

"I just feel that he was too jumpy when our hands touched just now," Iskandar stated as he made a fist.

"What, you find him cute now?" the bartender chuckled.

"No, instead of cute, he was more along the lines of pretty, and fragile. And his voice sounds like a girl," he said as his mind drifted off.

The bartender leaned forward, pulling Iskandar's necktie to him, so that their faces were just inches apart. "Now, you don't go around making passes on my staffs. I'm not running a lowly brothel here."

"Your ugly face is too close, Eric," Iskandar said as he released his necktie from the bartender's hand, "I was just interested, that's all." Then Iskandar grabbed his briefcase and stood fixing his necktie.

"Well, time to go back to work. That was an excellent coffee," Iskandar said as he walked out.

"Hey Is, who's going to pay for this?" the bartender yelled at his back.

"My tab," Iskandar waved without turning around.

------

Hazrin leaned to the wall of the service closet. His face was flushed and his body trembled. He looked at his hand, and with his other hand, rubbed at the place that brushed the man's hand just now.

Calm down, he said to himself, It was just a little touch. I've practiced lots of times, I shouldn't be so excited from just touching a man's hand. Hazrin took a deep breath, counted to ten and then slapped his face with both hands. I've resolved to go back to being a man. Just need to pull myself together.

Hazrin fixed his uniform, grabbed a clean towel from the towel rack and walked out just as his name was called.

------

Azrina Sofiana Abdullah, so said on her National Identity Card, pruned the stalk of a rose as the evening summer winds blew her baju kebaya open slightly. She did it with skill and grace, as one who had been doing it for almost twenty years. Flower arrangement was her favourite hobby, as the sweet smell of roses, jasmine and lavender around her home attested. She found its slow and gentle pace soothing, and the sweet smell of flowers and the act of making it, healed whatever hurt she accumulated during the day.

"Sister, sister, look, look!" Rina looked at her sister, who was skiping along so happily with a sheet of exam paper in her small hands. She was wearing a typical middle school uniform, and did her hair in twin ponytails, making her look younger than she really was. She could already guess what it was about, but she put her pruning shears down and waited for her sister to tell her.

"I got full marks on last week's test, sister!" the girl said as she showed Azrina a math test sheet with 100% written on the upper right corner.

Rina smiled, took the test paper from her sister's hands and without looking at it, hugged the girl, "I never doubted even once, Nini. You're a very bright girl and if you work real hard, you will surely become a doctor in the future."

"Hee, I'm going to be a doctor for you, big sister. Just wait for me," Nini then pushed Rina an arm's length, "Would you teach me match and biology again tonight, sister?"

Rina patted Nini's head as she said, "Sure, but only after dinner. Now go take a bath."

Nini hugged her sister then disengaged and went to her room, discarding her school uniform along the way. Rina was about to get up when a voice spoke from behind the door.

"That girl, she has no sense of shame," a hand picked up the collar ribbon and hair ribbon that Nini dropped.

"She's just a little girl, Mira," Rina sat back down, then she picked up her shears and another stalk of rose.

"Little? She's already 14! You're being too nice to her, Rina. She's becoming spoiled," the girl, still in her high school uniform bent over and picked up another piece of Nini's clothing. At school, she wore her hair in high ponytail, as befitting her reputation for being a sporty girl, at home, she wore her hair loose, and it reached halfway beyond her back.

"Do I need to remind you that calling your sister by her name is rude?" Rina said as she picked up a length of freshly-cut grass.

Mira frowned. "Nuh-uh, I'm not calling my crossdressing brother as 'sister'."

"My identity card stated that I am female, ever since I was born. For all purposes, you see me as your sister," Rina said without missing a beat with her pruning.

"You see, that's just so messed up. That's identity fraud! Why would mom do that?"

"I failed to ask her that question when she was still alive," Rina said without emotion.

"What does it matter anyhow? You're training yourself to be a guy anyway!"

The phone rang before they could say anything more, and Mira, ever the popular girl, picked it up before the third ring. She spoke into the phone, then handed it to her sister, "Yours," she looked almost disappointed with that.

Rina got up unhurriedly, brushed the accumulated rubbish from her skirt and grabbed the handle of the phone. "Hello?" she spoke into the phone.

"Oh ma fille bien-aimée. Votre voix est toujours aussi doux que le jour oá¹ tu m'as laissé," said the voice in rapid french.

Rina sighed. She didn't need to ask to know who it was. "Maman, tu parle trop vite."

"Don't tell me you have forgotten how to speak french? My dear daughter can't speak french! Ce monde va se terminer" said the voice on the other side.

"Mama, it's hardly the end of the world. Why do you call anyway?" Rina asked, feeling slightly annoyed.

"Je veux que tu rentres. Je m'ennuie de ma fille," the voice said as if she was about to cry.

"Stop, mama. I didn't spend the past 20 years with you without knowing which tears are real and which tears are fake. Now level with me," Rina said.

"Tch, you're no fun. Tu étiez beaucoup plus doux."

"What is it, mama?"

"Someone asked for your hand."

"To do gardening?" she asked confused.

"No, you silly girl. To marry. You are already of that age, Rina. If you have stayed here, you would have been considered an old maid already," the voice in the phone admonished.

"Mama," Rina said, suddenly thinking of her genetic mother, and realized how much this woman in the phone had been closer to a real mother than her genetic mother ever was, "In case you don't remember, mama, I'm not exactly what they're looking for."

"What are you babbling about? Many people are looking for you. That Duffort boy, he's been coming around here asking if you're back since the day you left. The Schlechers been asking about you since before you left. And the de Barry-"

"OK, stop. They can ask all they want, but mama, I've resolved to become a man."

"Such a waste. I groomed you for the past twenty years and look at what you're doing to me!"

"I never asked to be raised as a girl!" Rina raised her voice.

"That was for your own protection!"

"How was that called protecting?!" Rina yelled into the phone.

Silence. Neither spoke a word for the next few minutes.

"Are you okay with not saying anything, mama? I'm sure long-distance calls are very pricey."

"I was waiting for you to calm down, dear daughter," the voice replied.

"Whatever you say, I'm not going back."

"Think of your sisters, and your brother in university. I can set you up with a good husband, and if it's for the good of the vineyard, I can arrange for you to inherit the land and the business as well," the voice on the other end pleaded.

"You want me to be at the mercy of my future husband? To stay behind in the house, quilting, knitting and doing whatever the lady of the house do around there? You want me to be you?" Rina fumed.

"Now that hurts, dear daughter. What's wrong with being me? It's not like you can live for long with the insurance payout. Your bank is surely becoming empty by now, I believe?"

"NE REGARDEZ PAS VERS LE BAS SUR NOUS! It may not be much, but that's what our parents left us! Don't you dare make fun of their effort, mama!"

"No, I'm just saying-"

"Have a nice day, mama!" Rina said right before she smashed the handle onto the phone holder.

"Careful with that," Mira said, "We're out of warranty for that one."

*Sorry for being away for so long. My laptop is under repair again , huuuuu :( I really need a tablet.
*As always, comments and feedbacks are very appreciated.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cause him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 2 By Shinieris

"Are you sure about this, sis?" the woman with wavy brown locks said to a tired-looking, black-haired woman.

"Yes, I am sure. His men are very close to finding us. I won't be able to protect her anymore," the dark-haired woman said as she looked at her two year old daughter playing with building blocks.

"Are you sure you're protecting her? I fairly believe you're protecting yourself," the brown-haired woman asked suspiciously

"Please, little sister. Zul must not find her. I beg you this, for the first time in my life," the dark-haired woman held her sister's hand tightly.

******

"Are you sure about this, sis?" the woman with wavy brown locks said to a tired-looking, black-haired woman.

"Yes, I am sure. His men are very close to finding us. I won't be able to protect her anymore," the dark-haired woman said as she looked at her two year old daughter playing with building blocks.

"Are you sure you're protecting her? I fairly believe you're protecting yourself," the brown-haired woman asked suspiciously

"Please, little sister. Zul must not find her. I beg you this, for the first time in my life," the dark-haired woman held her sister's hand tightly.

The brown-haired woman placed her palm ontop of her sister's hand. "Sister, have you think this through? Do you really want to send your own daughter away?"

"Son."

"Pardon?"

"She is not my daughter, she is my son," the dark-haired woman burst into tears.

Neither said anything as the brown-haired woman tried to recover from her shock. When she recovered, she said, "I understand now. I will take her back with me to France. I will hide her for you. But know this, sister, she will never come back here, no matter what happens."

"Thank you," the dark-haired woman sobbed, "That will be for the best."

------

Azrina ran a comb through her long dark hair as she took a good look at herself in the mirror. She sighed. Even without trying, she still looked no different from a woman, and judging from the looks she got from drooling males on the street, she knew she looked better than most women here. Then she unceremoniously pulled the wig off her head, and what greeted her was the face of Hazrin, her daytime male persona. Hazrin looked slightly more masculine than Azrina, but if one were to take just a glance, they would see a tomboy instead of a man.

She groaned, even without the long hair, people still mistake her as a woman, or a young girl. She took off her t-shirt, the one she wore to bed, and looked into the mirror at the bulging flesh on her chest. She tested it with her fingers, and gasped when she felt something tingly. She had wondered why she grew breasts, as she wasn't even a girl, but she imagined that it must have been caused by all the conditioning she received as she grew up to be a girl. That, or these girl clothes have cursed me, she thought. Then she took off her panties, a simply white cotton affair, and dove under the shower.

When she came out, she was gloriously naked. Then she caught a reflection in the mirror and cursed. Her body, her face, looked well like a woman's. Even her waist was tight and tiny, and with all the steam, one could mistake her as a woman. If only there was nothing dangling between her legs, nobody would ever think otherwise. She sighed again. She had a long way to go to being a man.

She took a clean towel and dried herself. She was very careful when cleaning her crotch and breasts, as she knew from experience that those places were very sensitive. She had seen pornographic pictures of course, there were plenty in her brother's room, and so she knew what her breasts and the dangling thing on her crotch was for. What she couldn't understand was why her breasts were more developed than her shrivelled up penis, when she wasn't even a woman in the first place. She looked at the bra she had left inside the hamper, 32B written on one small piece of cloth and sighed. Even that was getting tight, she thought as she took the length of bandage she placed on the counter earlier and proceeded to wrap her breasts tightly.

It was torturous. Trying to get her breasts to stay still as she tried her best to wrap the bandage around it was a pain. Then comes the pain from having her breasts squeezed tightly by the unforgiving bandages. A tear of pain dropped from her eyes as she tried to endure the pain. It was at this point every morning that she regretted her decision to cut her long beautiful hair, cared with absolute love from herself and her aunt since she was 12. Regretted never asking to go with her birth mother whenever she came to the vineyards for a visit. Regretted living as a girl til now. Regretted choosing to become a man. And most of all, regretted that she wasn't really born as a girl.

There, she remarked, slipping the end of the second bandage into a fold and cinching it with a bracer. She turned around, feeling security in the way the bandage constricted her movements. In a way, it's no different from the corsets mama used to make me wear, she thought. Then she wrapped her towel around herself in the way girls normally do, covering the chest and showing lots of legs, and got out of the bathroom, to the glowering face of her 17 year old sister, Mira.

"How long does it take you to bathe? You're worse than Nini!" Mira scolded as Rina came out.

"Sorry," Rina allowed.

Mira growled as she stepped in, "If I didn't know better, I would've thought you're a girl". Then Mira shut the door closed with a bang.

Rina shrugged, then went to her room to prepare for work.

------

"How was dinner last night, Is?" the man at the head of the table asked from behind his newspaper. He had the look of an intelligent man, but behind the wide-rimmed grandpa glasses that he wore, one could see a hint of sadness and perhaps regret.

Iskandar was spreading chocolate on his bread when he paused mid-spread regarding his uncle's question. What should he say, he wondered as his mind went back to the night before...

"You look beautiful tonight, Marina," Iskandar said to his companion.

Marina looked up from the menu, "Thank you. You look pretty good yourself," she said as she went back to perusing the menu.

Neither had been to the restaurant before. The meeting was arranged by both Iskandar's uncle and Marina's father. This particular restaurant, while upscale and had received numerous good reviews before, were considered a neutral ground as neither Iskandar's uncle nor Marina's father had any influence here. For both reluctant Iskandar, and distant Marina, this was the perfect place to speak their minds.

They did that right after dessert.

"Look, Marina. I know it is bad of me to say this, since this is our first date and all. But I'm afraid, I must say something before this leads to somehing more," Iskandar said while nursing his orange juice.

Marina stopped spooning the ice cream into her mouth and put the spoon into the half-empty bowl. "What do you mean?"

"We shouldn't be doing this," Iskandar stated.

"Oh that," Marina picked up the spoon and proceeded to indulge in her dessert, a strawberry and vanilla with cherry, crushed nuts and cendol ice-cream. "I totally agree, Mr. Obvious."

"No, I mean," Iskandar stuttered, "We're not meant for each other. You're pretty, you're smart, you're nice-"

"And you're gay?"

"Yes, and - what?"

Marina laughed. Laughed so hard she snorted her ice-cream. When she recovered, she said, "I always case my dates. You're no exception. Imagine that, Mohamad Iskandar, son of the late Dato' Muktamar Zamri, is gay. I wonder how your 'defender-of-faith' parents would feel about it if they're still alive." She laughed again, only with a bit more composure now.

"How?" Iskandar stutted. For some reason, Marina Adawiyah Binti Syed Zaki Mukhtar, three years his junior, made him feel like a pathetic little boy.

"A piece of advice, Iskandar, stay away from your usual haunts. It's not good for your reputation," Marina laughed again, "Oh, but that coffeehouse near KLCC, the one called Towkey? My informants told me they serve good coffee, I may even pay a visit myself."

Iskandar looked furious. "Don't you dare, Marina," he said as his voice lost all traces of uncertainty, "The last time people like you made trouble there, they had to close for a month, and they lost lots of loyal customers."

"You're afraid I would cause trouble to one Eric Wong, former second son of Wong Chai Loong, the underworld king of 'property'?" she grinned.

"If you even flick a finger in their direction, I will make you suffer, Marina," his voice became lower, hinting at violence.

"You and what army, Iskandar? You don't even have any means of striking back at me."

Iskandar stabbed the meatball in his plate with his fork. "There are plenty of ways for a girl to suffer, Marina. Even one as rich and powerful as you. At the end of the day, you're still a little girl."

Marina grinned. "I'm starting to like you, Iskandar. How about a truce?" She held out her hand across the table.

Iskandar caught it and shook her hand. "Truce."

Marina wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Now that we have a truce, I would like to make an exchange."

"What kind of exchange?" Iskandar asked suspiciously.

"Oh, just information on my part. I so happened to hear you making deals to acquire a little bit of capital so you can take over your uncle's company. Now, hold on a minute, before you say something, this information didn't come cheap, so you don't have to worry about other people finding out, much." Marina made a sly grin as she saw Iskandar's face became redder.

"And you want something in exchange for keeping this secret?" Iskandar fumed.

Marina's grin got wider. "Oh no no. I would keep that secret for free. I want to exchange this information with you, and it's cheap."

"What is it?" Iskandar's voice has lost all patience.

"Your uncle has a daughter," she waited for effect, enjoying Iskandar's look of shock, before continuing, "But they have been apart for so long, that he's been looking all over for her. Your uncle, has pledged to retire and pass down everything he owned, every share, every office, even every cars he owned to his daughter, if she could be found. However, to avoid from getting plenty of 'fake daughters', your uncle has been keeping this very hush hush. Now if you are to find this daughter and marry her..."

"I would get the company. No fuss, no mess." Iskandar looked thoughtful.

"Exactly!" Marina clapped like a giddy little girl.

"And what do you want in exchange for this little piece of cheap information?" Iskandar asked as he leaned forward, squinting his eyes.

"Oh, just the chance to do this in public," Marina said before she slapped Iskandar with all her energy. Then she picked her handbag, slung it on her shoulder, and screamed to the confused Iskandar, "You pig!"

Then Marina walked away, leaving behind the still confused Iskandar.

"Is!" Iskandar's uncle yelled.

"Yes?" Iskandar dropped his chocolate toast.

"I asked you how last night went," his uncle said, as he put down the newspaper he was reading.

"Not very well," he replied without looking at his uncle. Since last night, he had wondered about his uncle's lost daughter, and wondered if the only reason his uncle had taken him after his parent's death was to fill the emptiness of being without a child. Even after many years, his uncle still had no other children to this day.

Unexpectedly, his uncle laughed.

"I've heard," his uncle said, as a plate of nasi lemak with anchovy sambal, a common Malaysian breakfast was placed in front of him. He went on to describe the whole affair, except for the hush hush things Iskandar had discussed with Marina to his wife, while allowing a few laughs in between.

Iskandar wondered why his uncle even bothered to ask if he already knew. Under his breath, he muttered, "Damned corporate spies."

------

"Mira, why don't you have breakfast first?" Rina, now in her male persona, said to her sister.

"No time, the school bus is coming," Mira said as she brought her white school shoes to the front door.

"Just a bite, Mira," Rina pleaded.

"I wouldn't even need to rush if the two other people in this house didn't spend a full hour each in the bathroom," she cursed.

"I'm going off too, big sis," Nini said as she grabbed her paperbag containing her lunch box and gave Rina a hug.

"At least take the lunchbox, Mira," Rina said as she grabbed the paperbag from the kitchen counter.

Mira scoffed. "No friggin' way! Do you know how much ridicule I'll get from my classmates when I'm the only one who go to break with a homemade lunch?"

Rina pushed the paperbag at Mira's chest, "Either you bring the lunchbox to school or no spending money for you today."

Mira grudgingly accepted the paperbag and looked at Rina. When the schoolbus honked and Rina still looking at her like an idiot, she said, "Where's my spending money?" She opened her palm.

"It's inside the paperbag! Now hurry, your bus is waiting," she said the last bit to both her sisters.

"Goodbye, big sis," Nini kissed Rina on the cheek before skippinga along.

"Mira..." Rina said.

Mira grudgingly kissed her sister's other cheek before running off, muttering to herself, "All these hallmark moments are making me pissed."

Rina watched her sisters go off to school from the front door. Once sure her sisters were on the bus, she closed the front door and took off her apron. As a matter of habit, she popped a pink coloured vitamin pill onto her palm and swallowed it with a glass of water, something she had been doing since she was 12. It started when she complained of fatigue and muscle pains to her aunt, and her aunt had brought her to the village pharmacy then brought home a mass of pills and capsules. A visit to the doctor caused her aunt to stop giving her each of everything so she was only stuck with the one pink pill she was supposed to take everyday.

After that, she washed all the plates, bowls and glasses, then she went to the back, and went out through the back door. Hazrin never left from the front door.

*It's amazing how much I can accomplish when I don't play games. As always, comments and fedbacks are very appreciated.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cause him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 3 By Shinieris

"When I grow up, I'm going to be your bride," the seven year old girl said to the older boy.

The boy smiled, "Then I will give you the best life you can possibly wish for, or I am not worthy of marrying you."

"Really?" the girl giggled, "You promise?"

The boy raised his right hand, with the other placed close to his heart, "I swear on my father's memory, I will regain my family's fortune and you will never want for another husband. But how about you?"

"What about me?" the girl smiled innocently.

"Will you wait for me, until the time when I can fulfill my promise, my dear Sophiana?"

"Hehe, of course. I will wait for you forever," the girl then kissed the boy's temple, and with a wave, ran home for dinner.

That was the last time they met each other. Two days later, the boy and his mother left the vineyards. For the harvest season is over, and there was not much work left for casual labourers to make ends meet.

******

"When I grow up, I'm going to be your bride," the seven year old girl said to the older boy.

The boy smiled, "Then I will give you the best life you can possibly wish for, or I am not worthy of marrying you."

"Really?" the girl giggled, "You promise?"

The boy raised his right hand, with the other placed close to his heart, "I swear on my father's memory, I will regain my family's fortune and you will never want for another husband. But how about you?"

"What about me?" the girl smiled innocently.

"Will you wait for me, until the time when I can fulfill my promise, my dear Sophiana?"

"Hehe, of course. I will wait for you forever," the girl then kissed the boy's temple, and with a wave, ran home for dinner.

That was the last time they met each other. Two days later, the boy and his mother left the vineyards. For the harvest season is over, and there was not much work left for casual labourers to make ends meet.

------

"Miss," one of the customers called.

"I'll be there in a minute," Hazrin said to the businessman.

"So one arabica coffee, one ice blended cappucino, one blueberry cheesecake and one soup of the day. Would you like anything else, sir and ma'am?" Hazrin said to the two customers he was currently attending.

"No, that will be all, thank you," the man said as he pushed both menus to their waiter.

Hazrin accepted the menus gratefully, "Your order will arrive shortly, sir." Then he turned to the serving counter and clipped the customer's orders before going back to the other table.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Hazrin handed the menu to the three businessmen at the table, "How can I assist you today?"

The man who called for Hazrin just now, whom Hazrin assumed to be the lead asked, "What would you suggest I choose?"

Hazrin pondered for a few seconds, then he said, "For starters, we have a wide variety of coffee for you to choose from. The mildest ranging from local Highlands Coffee to the strongest, Sumatran Cofee. And of course, we have many different kinds of cakes, which you can see from here," Hazrin gestured to the cake's display beside him, "Or you can try our special soup of the day, which is excellent chicken soup by the way. I've tried it myself," Hazrin said with a wink.

The man flipped the menu without actually looking at it. "Any combo you would suggest?"

"We have only three combos for lunch, sir. The first is the 'Soup of the Day Combo', which consists of the soup of the day, a cup of coffee or tea of your choice, lunch salad and potato wedges in cheese. The second combo is the 'Midday Cake Combo' which consists of a cup of coffee or tea of your choice and a slice of cake of your choice. Another one is the Lunch Break Combo, which gives you a cup of coffee or tea of your choice, lunch salad and a choice of one of seven western dishes we have today, sir.

As the other two businessmen made their choices and handed Hazrin their menus, the first man lazily flipped through the menu, his eyes on Hazrin's face and said, "Any of those choices include being spoonfed by you, miss?"

Without realizing it, Hazrin made a very girlish giggle and a wide, embarrassed smile. With great difficulty he supressed his giggling and said, "I'm sorry, sir," he giggles, "But our cafe doesn't allow employees to have unhealthy mingling with customers."

"Oh, that's too bad," the man gave Hazrin his most winning smile, "Then I shall have the Lunch Break Combo, with a sumatran coffee and chicken chop," he handed his menu to Hazrin, who had moved to stand next to him, "And your phone number, please."

Hazrin smiled widely and giggled continuously as he clipped their orders at the serving counter and proceeded to the staffroom to attempt to stop giggling and to try bringing down the red in his face.

Right after Hazrin disappeared into the staffroom, one of the men said to the first man, "Aiman, I know you're a playboy, but come on, that's approaching gay, dude."

"What gay, Hafiz?" the man asked.

"Dude, did you not realize you have just flirted with a guy?" the man clarified.

"What are you talking about? Seriously, me, flirting with a guy? Hafiz, you know my reputation. Have I ever been gay?" Aiman said.

Hafiz frowned. "Dude, were you blind? His nametag said Hazrin!"

"So she borrowed her vest from a guy, big deal. Listen, Hafiz," Aiman put his hand on the guy's shoulder, "I have had many experiences with women. I know how their bodies looked like. Now that, just now, had the body of a woman or at least a barely legal girl with B cup breasts."

"How the heck can you see that?" Hafiz asked with his mouth wide open.

"I have an x-ray vision."

"You know," the other guy butted in, "I actually do agree with Aiman. Although short-haired women aren't my preference, that was definitely a woman. If you can't tell from the face, you can confirm it with the voice."

Hafiz raised both hands in surrender. "All right, whatever! I'm here to eat! Get off my case!"

------

"S. Karanathan, Private Investigator speaking," said the voice on the phone.

"Hey Nathan, it's me, Iskandar here, how's business?"

"Aiyoo, you know this business, sometimes you're rich, most of the time you're broke. But how are you old friend?"

"Doing fine, but listen. I have a job for you. Where can we meet?"

"How about that usual place? Towkey?"

"No, that place is not safe at the moment, Nathan. An annoying little bird is using that place as an insurance."

"Want me to investigate this little bird, Iskandar?"

"No no, that bird just wants to watch for now. She's not a problem. I need you to investigate something else, old friend."

"Okay then, meet me at the mamak restaurant below my office."

"Sure, 2 o' clock?"

"2 o' clock would be great."

"See you there then," Iskandar pressed the 'disengage' button on his handsfree as he tried to add a few more elements to his spreadsheet. Then he laid back on his large executive chair and muttered, "Uncle's daughter, huh?"

------

"Hazrin," the large chinese bartender called to his newest employee.

"Yes, boss?" Hazrin turned around.

"Come," the bartender said as he gestured to the tall chair on the other side of the bar, "And have a seat."

Hazrin approached with apprehension as he wondered why he was called. He then put his notepad on the bar and sat with his hands on his lap.

"Don't worry, it's a lull time. Can I get you anything?" the bartender asked with his back turned.

"Umm, no thank you, Mr. Wong," he said to the bartender.

"I've told you to call me Eric, remember? Here, I don't know what your religious beliefs are, but I think a melon juice would be a safe choice," the bartender said as he pushed forward a glass of cool watermelon juice.

Hazrin took it gratefully. He took a sip through the straw and felt the cool water refreshed him. "I'm sorry, Mr - Eric, I'm just not used to it yet." Hazrin said.

"It's been a week since you started working here. How are you holding up?" the bartender asked as he grabbed a cup of coffee he made earlier and took a sip.

"I'm fine. It's kind of hard, but I'll manage," Hazrin said to his watermelon juice.

"How about your half-siblings? How are they holding up?"

"Mira and Nini are both strong girls.They don't show it, but I know they cried at night. I told them that it's OK to talk to me, but they must have been trying to deal with it in their own way," Hazrin said as he felt a tear starting to form in his eyes.

"What about Fahmi? How's he holding up?"

Hazrin made a sad laugh. "Fahmi... I think he hates me. Before he left for Germany, he told me that he'd rather prefer that I don't exist." Tears flowed from Hazrin's eyes.

The bartender quickly pulled out a sheet of tissue paper and offered it to Hazrin, who graciously took it.

"But why..." Hazrin sobbed, "We don't even know each other well. Why would he hate me so?"

The bartender patted Hazrin's head and said, "Siblings always quarrel, always argued. Doesn't mean they meant what they say. True, it's possible that he felt some resentment towards you. After all, he spent the past 18 years thinking that he was the oldest of your mom's children, then suddenly his older sister came-"

"Boss!" Hazrin said through sobs.

"Oops, sorry. Slip of the tongue," then he lowered his voice to a whisper, "But seriously, Azrina, why are you doing this? With your beauty and your education, you can get a much better job, with better pay than I can offer you."

"I have my own reasons... Eric," Hazrin got up, "Thank you for the drink, I'll go freshen up."

"No, you sit down," the bartender said sternly, "You finish the juice first, then you can go."

Despite feeling like he'd rather be anywhere but there, Hazrin quietly sat back onto the tall chair and tried to drain the cold fruit juice quickly. That earned him a dose of brainfreeze.

*As always, your comments and feedbacks are very appreciated. Compliments make me write faster and constructive criticisms helps me improve. Speculations are also welcomed.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cause him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 4 By Shinieris

"Promise me, never show anyone your body," her aunt demanded.

"But what if the teacher told me to change in front of everyone?" Rina asked again.

"Tell her you're not allowed to change in front of others. If she insists, you tell the school to call me!" then her voice became gentler, "Do you understand, sweetie?"

"Yes," Rina pushed herself up and kissed her aunt's forehead, "Rina understand. I won't change in front of anyone, mama."

******

"You must promise mama, Rina, don't ever change in front of anyone," her aunt said.

"But why, mama?" Rina asked with her sweet and innocent voice.

"Promise me, never show anyone your body," her aunt demanded.

"But what if the teacher told me to change in front of everyone?" Rina asked again.

"Tell her you're not allowed to change in front of others. If she insists, you tell the school to call me!" then her voice became gentler, "Do you understand, sweetie?"

"Yes," Rina pushed herself up and kissed her aunt's forehead, "Rina understand. I won't change in front of anyone, mama."

------

It's been five weeks since Rina came home to her birthplace Malaysia and life is starting to settle down for her. She had settled into the routine of cleaning the house daily, doing it the way she had been taught to by her aunt in France since she was a child. On all fours, staying close to the surface she's cleaning, so she would easily spot anything particularly necessary to pay attention to. She never used a mop, and only used a broom on the grounds, never in the house. Her aunt told her that brooms, dusters and mops were for lazy girls. Her aunt trained her to do her work on her hands and feets almost as fast as an unrefined girl with a broom or mop, but twice as clean and thrice as sparkly as anything cleaned with a broom and mop.

Most of her cooking were still very much french. She knew her meals were good, but her sisters were malays, and therefore, have malay tongues. While they could appreciate exotic french dishes such as bouillabaisse or pot-au-feu, they really couldn't handle eating it everyday. So on her free time, she would take up cookbooks and try to learn how to cook malay dishes. It was a good thing that her aunt taught her some malay dishes as she was growing up, so she could whip up something that appealed to her sisters' tastebuds. She still wasn't very good, but which idiot could mess up fried rice? You basically just lightly fry chopped onions and chillies, then throw in some anchovies and seasonings, crack open an egg, then pour a day-old rice before throwing anything appealing in the fridge into the rice and mix them together over medium flame. She refused to be an idiot who can't cook fried rice.

She still had a mountain of bills and letters she really should take care of soon though. Unfortunately, she had never done any family accounting and was at a loss as to what she should do. Simply holding one gave her a headache, opening one made her eyes spin like a spiral and reading one gave her haemorrage. She decided to pile it all onto a table at the corner of the living room and try asking for help from the nice lady next door, when she came back from her weeklong vacation with her children tomorrow.

At this very moment, Rina as Hazrin was waiting tables at Towkey. She had no time to ponder her accounting woes because there was a lot of ravenous and very impatient patrons at this time, which was lunchtime. Trying to remain graceful while rushing about with cakes, coffees main course and keeping up with a chorus of 'order' by recently arriving patrons were no easy task. Thankfully she has had some practice as winegirl during harvest festivals at the nearby village in France.

"He seems to be doing well," Iskandar said to the big chinese bartender as he eyed Hazrin.

"The fastest learner I've had so far," the bartender agreed as he put a glass of pineapple juice onto a tray on a counter to his left, right before a practiced hand swiped the tray off the counter and went off to serve it to the customers.

"How long has he been working here, a week?" Iskandar asked.

"Two actually," the bartender said as he poured out ice blended mocha from the blender and into a tall glass. He put it onto another tray as his other hand cleaned out the blender.

"And you say he has never worked in the food and beverage industry before?" Iskandar said.

"Not that I know of," the bartender placed a brazillian coffee onto a tray as another person from the other side of the bar's semi-wall placed a glass of orange juice onto the same tray.

"Dear Eric, you are a cheapskate as usual, I see. Getting good help for the price of a noob," Iskandar smirked as he sipped his coffee.

"Hey, it's not my fault that she didn't provide any particulars in the application form," the bartender placed a bottle of mineral water and a glass of ice on the same tray before a waiter swiped it and served it to the customers.

"Boss, another pineapple and vanilla ice cream, please," Hazrin appeared as he clipped the drinks order at the bar.

When Hazrin left, Iskandar stared at the bartender and said, "She?"

"Who?" the bartender asked as he chopped a slice of pineapple.

Iskandar looked at the bartender suspiciously, "You said 'she' when referring to that waiter just now."

"I did?" the bartender looked horrified before his facial expression returned to normal, "Slip of the tongue, must be."

"You said 'she'," Iskandar repeated.

"Get off my case, Is!" the bartender scooped up three scoops of vanila ice cream and poured the cut pieces of pineapple and clear syrup on top of it, "I'm busy!"

------

Later that evening, Iskandar was driving around trying to reach the address his friend the P.I. gave him earlier. Looking up the GPS was useless as it gave him the location of the housing area, but not the house itself. The fact that most of the houses didn't even place their housenumbers in front made it even harder. He had asked people who lived there, but they were either illegal immigrants who couldn't speak a word of either malay or english or they were locals who were as confused with the address as he was. He learned from them that they didn't use house numbers here, they knew their neighbours' houses by simply walking there often.

Iskandar hit his head on the steering, feeling very frustrated. He was also very angry at his friend as he recalled their conversation an hour earlier...

"Hallo, Iskandar. How are you doing?" came the voice on the phone, which had a very indian tone.

"Hey there, Nathan. Doing fine, doing fine. You got anything for me?" Iskandar said as he reclined on his chair.

"Definitely, my friend! I found that the lead you gave me was a dead end. But I looked around, Iskandar, and guess what?"

"I'm not in the mood for guessing, Nathan," Iskandar said as he closed his eyes to rest.

The voice in the phone groaned. "It's your uncle's lover!"

Iskandar quickly shot up. "My uncle has a lover?!"

"Well, not anymore," the voice sounded apologetic, "She disappeared 20 years ago. The story goes, that she was one of the best managers in your uncle's company. Then your uncle and her fell in love and your uncle wanted to make her his second wife. But your grandparents and your parents saw her as a golddigger and chased her out of your uncle's company, shamed and ruined, and her name was spattered with mud by your whole extended family. It was so bad that she could not find any respectable work and she lost her home eventually. Half a year later, she ran off with your uncle's illegitimate daughter and nobody has seen her every since."

"So it's a dead end?" Iskandar reclined back on his chair, "No wonder my uncle still hasn't found her."

"Haha! You underestimate me, my friend. I didn't spend 12 years in the police's Special Investigation Division without picking up a few tricks.""

"Explain," Iskandar demanded.

The voice laughed, "You will be awed by my skills, my friend. I made some digging in the police records through backdoor methods and I found your uncle's lover's death certificate!"

Iskandar wasn't impressed. "Am I supposed to be awed by your ability to find a dead person, Nathan?"

"Now now, that is not all. I found an insurance record mentioning the next of kin, her daughter, Azrina Sofiana binti Abdullah, 22 years old this year," the voice laughed in satisfaction.

"And considering 'Abdullah' as a muslim's mark of an illegitimate child, she's possibly my uncle's daughter," Iskandar said in realization.

"Corrrreect! Now I haven't seen her myself, but I have sniffed a trail in the area called Provence in France, Iskandar and I'm going there today. Just want to confirm, you're paying for this, right Iskandar?" the voice said hopefully.

"Yes, don't worry about the money, buy something for your children too while you're there. Just get me my proof, Nathan. And give me her address, I'll check it myself. " Iskandar said before he hung up...

Blast you, Nathan. You couldn't find this place yourself and tricked me into coming here so I would do your work. Very sneaky, Nathan! he cursed.

A knock on his window got his attention and he sat straight up in his Mercedes before sliding down the window. What he saw made his heart beat so fast. He would've thought he was in love, for the woman in front him was breathtakingly beautiful, it was like she was sent down from heaven. If my uncle arranged this woman for me, I would probably get married for real, he thought.

She was wearing a blue 'baju kurung' with floral motives that hugged the contours of her body, making the dress originally designed to look chaste actually appeared quite scandalous. It emphasized the shape of her hips and her small waist. It also emphasized the two ripe orbs on her chest which jiggled firmly when she said, "You know, you are the first person to actually drool while looking at my breasts. Snap out of it!" She proceeded to slap his face.

"Okay, I deserve that," he said as he rubbed his cheek, then he added, "I'm sorry I was being rude. You were just so beautiful."

"Apology accepted, now drive off from my front gate before the neighbours got the wrong idea," she said dismissively.

"Umm, right, I'm sorry about that," Iskandar said as he noticed the grocery bags in her hands.

She watched as Iskandar turned the ignition with no effect. She watched as he tried turning the ignition again, and again. She noticed his confusion at the engine's lack of response. He tried again, and again, and again, to no avail. All these while, her arms were getting tired from holding her grocery bags.

"Damned you, Nathan!" Iskandar shouted to his steering wheel, making her jump a little on her feet.

Iskandar whipped out his handphone and noticed that it displayed 'roaming'. "What the hell?!!! Which part of the world doesn't have a signal anymore?"

"It happens around here," the woman said, "Sometimes due to some reason, handphone signals are negated around here. It should clear up in a few hours though."

"Suppose you're right, miss. I can't wait a few hours. It's already 5, it will be dark soon," Iskandar groaned.

The woman pondered the situation for a moment and said, "You can use my phone if you want to. I wouldn't trust Pak Abu with your Mercedes. He'd probably have no idea where to start from."

"Thank you, that would be great," Iskandar said as he got out of his car and locked it, "Who's Pak Abu?"

"The local plumber cum mechanic. He basically an all-around handyman in this neighbourhood. But I'm telling you, no funny stuff or I'll scream," she warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it, miss. My name is Iskandar, by the way. Friends call me Is," he said as he held out his hand.

The woman stared at Iskandar's hand and turned around without shaking it. "I'm Rina, and I've told you, no funny stuff."

------

"My mechanic should arrive in half an hour," Iskandar said to Rina, who was carrying a tray holding a jug of orange juice and two glasses filled with ice.

"Well, that's good. I don't want you to stay here for too long," Rina said as she placed the tray onto the coffee table, before gracefully pouring in the orange juice into both glasses. Then she place the glasses onto two coasters before gesturing to the sofa and saying to Iskandar, "Please have a drink."

Iskandar walked around the sofa and sat down as Rina did the same. He noticed Rina watching him as he took a sip of his orange juice. "What? You're not drinking?" he asked.

"I'm not thirsty," she said coldly.

He placed his drink back on the coaster. "Ah, I see now. You didn't drink because you knew what's inside this unassuming juice."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You drugged the orange juice, and ah, I'm feeling the effect, you're going to do nasty things when I fainted, aren't you?" Iskandar said as he acted as if he was falling under.

"Ewww! Gross! Like I'd do that, ew!" Rina grimaced and curled in disgust.

Iskandar laughed. "Come on, it was just a joke."

Rina fumed as she held out her hand, palm's up. Iskandar noticed it and moved to shake her hand but Rina pulled back her hand before Iskandar's hand touched hers. "Eeww!" she said to Iskandar, "Who'd want to shake hands with you! I'm asking you for the money for using my phone."

"You're charging me for using the phone?" Iskandar said shocked.

"Well, money's been tight. Now pay up!" she said as she wiggled her fingers in a sign of impatience.

"I suppose you're charging me for the drink too?" he said, annoyed.

"No, the drink is free. What kind of host do you think I am to charge my guest for the drink?" she said as she again opened her palm.

"You have a very screwed up manners, dear lady. I only got RM 50, here," he said as he placed it onto the coffee table.

Rina rose from the sofa and yelled, "RM50 for a single call? Are you mocking me?!"

Iskandar also rose from the sofa and yelled, "You're the one who's charging me for using the phone! Now you say that I'm the one mocking you? That's the smallest note I got!"

"What's with you rich people?" Rina said, "Don't you rich people keep small change anymore?"

"No, we left that in the donation boxes at the supermarkets," Iskandar said while trying to keep a straight face, "Or perhaps there's something I can do for you in exchange?"

"Like what?" Rina asked as she landed onto the sofa behind her very gently.

"Say, I've been meaning to ask," Iskandar pointed a table with a mountain of papers and letters on top, "What's that?"

*As always, feel free to comment and give feedback. I really really do appreciate those, you know.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cause him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 5 By Shinieris

"Yes! Thank you, thank you. I love you, Rina!" Mira cheered as she hugged Rina tightly. Then she got up and skipped to the door.

She opened the door and went out, but before she closed the door again, she poked her head and said, "You know, if you had said no, I would've had to ask your boyfriend."

Rina frowned. "Who's my boyfriend?"

"Mr. Iskandar," Mira giggled as she barely avoided a flying pillow. Mira then closed the door and laughed all the way to the room she shared with Nini.

******

"Who's that, uncle?" Fahmi pointed to a pretty girl in floral black 'baju kurung' with a scarf around her head. She was holding hands with an older woman wearing a pastel blue, lightly paterned 'baju kurung'.

The older man looked up and asked, "The young one or the old one?"

"I know the older one. She's mom's little sister, the one living in France, isn't she?" Fahmi said while his eyes stared at the pretty girl.

"That is correct. Which makes the younger one her adopted daughter, your half-sister," the old man answered calmly as he took out a cigarette.

"What? Sister?!!!" Fahmi exclaimed.

------

"I don't think it's any of your business," Rina said with arms crossed.

"It piqued my interest," Iskandar said as he got up and walked to the corner table.

"Don't touch it!" Rina said when she saw Iskandar picking up one of the already opened bills.

Iskandar read the bill and without turning to Rina, he said, "Sorry, I have the curiosity of a cat." Then Iskandar took a peek at the other already opened letters. "So..." he said, "These are all bills? Won't you get in trouble if you let this pile up here?"

"Shut up... I've never done this before. I don't know where to start," Rina countered before she caught herself and turned herself away from Iskandar.

"If you don't know how to settle this, you could've just hired a certified accountant," Iskandar said as he picked up another bill. He did not realize that this was the house he came here to look for, as all the bills were in Rina's stepfather's name.

"Helloo..." Rina turned back to Iskandar, "Do I look like I'm swimming in money?"

Iskandar's mind suddenly went to AKPK, the free volunteer financial consultant service. "Even if you can't afford a certified accountant, you can just-" Iskandar stopped mid-sentence, finding this an opportunity to get to know this beautiful lady even closer. Eric was wrong, he wasn't gay, he was a bi. It was just that most of the time, pretty boys interest him more. At this particular time, he felt more attracted to a woman, one particular woman. He was pretty much hoping to share her bed tonight.

"What? What were you about to say?" Rina asked as she placed her arms on the backrest of the sofa.

Iskandar looked at Rina and Rina's beautiful innocent face leaning on her arms. "Hm, nothing. I'll just have a look at this if you don't mind. I've had some experience with this," Iskandar lied. In truth, he have never touched one of those bills in his life ever, but he had seen invoices, and he thought, how much difference could it be?

"Do as you wish," Rina said as she got up to bring Iskandar's refilled glass of orange juice to him.

At the same time, Iskandar's mind was running with images of the inappropriate things he wished to do to her and with her.

"But open the sliding door. I don't want the neighbours to get the wrong idea," Rina said as she gracefully placed his drink next to him on the floor.

"Oh, okay then," Iskandar got up, unlocked the sliding door and tried to slide it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"There's a trick to it," Rina came over, "The door is out of it's hinges. You just lightly pull it up, align it with the rail. Here, I'll show you."

Iskandar's pride reared its ugly head as the girl tried to show him how to open a door. "No, just tell me what to do. I'm sure I can do it."

"It's kinda hard to explain." Rina said as she shooed him aside, "It's faster if I just open it myself."

"No, I can do it!" Iskandar objected as he refused to budge.

"Move aside! You don't know how to do it." Rina elbowed him on his rib.

"It's just a stupid door!" Iskandar countered as he repositioned his feet and stood his ground.

Several things happened at once. Their feet tangled and Rina fell backward after being unintentionally tackled by Iskandar's leg. Iskandar, trying to save Rina also leaned forward to catch her with his right hand, but ended up losing his balance as well. A key turned in the front door's knob, and Rina's sisters came in after walking home from school.

"Owww," Rina moaned as she closed her eyes in pain.

"Orh, are you okay, Rina?" Iskandar asked as he tried to push himself up. He noticed that the floor his left hand was on was very soft. He looked down and noticed belatedly that instead of the floor, he had his right arm around her waist, his face on her left breast and his left hand squeezing Rina's very soft and very firm right breast gently and continuously.

"We're ho~me!" came a voice from the doorway, right before Nini's cheerful face appeared, "Big sis, there's someone parking a car..." her voice trailed off as she saw her sister lying under a stranger she hasn't met before.

It was at this time that Rina opened her eyes, saw the hand that was grasping and squeezing her right breast so gently, and she screamed. Nini took that opportunity to scream too.

"What? What?" Mira appeared behind Nini, and gasped. She then grabbed her schoolbag and raised it above her head as she charged at Iskandar, whose right hand was still under Rina's waist. "Get off of my sister, you rapist!" Mira yelled as she beat Iskandar with her bag.

"Ouch, ow, hey, you got it all, ow, wrong," Iskandar tried to explain as he tried to free his hand.

Rina just laid there, with tears in her eyes. "Mother in heaven," she sobbed, "Mama still alive," she sobbed again, "Rina has been defiled." She burst into tears.

"Hey you," Iskandar said as he tried to parry Mira's beating, which made his face come in contact with Rina's breast again, "Ow, stop it! Rina, don't say something that will, ouwh, make people misunderstood!"

Mira beaten him over and over again until she got tired about a minute later. Rina then rolled away, closer to the sliding door, freeing Iskandar's right hand, to which he later laid there unmoving. It was a good thing that the next door neighbours were away, or there would probably be several villagers carrying shovels and baseball bats crowding around and adding more injury to Iskandar's badly beaten body.

------

"So you weren't raping my sister?" Mira asked.

"Suddenly I understand why I don't get close to women much," Iskandar said as Nini rubbed a balm on his topless back. "I think I'm going to take tomorrow off," he added.

"Sorry," Mira put her palms together in an apologetic manner, "But from my point of view, it looked like you were dryhumping my sister."

"Mira! Watch your language!" Rina, who was hiding behind Mira scolded. She was clutching the back of Mira's school shirt tightly.

"And you, Rina, why didn't you say anything?" Mira said as she twisted her head to look at her sister, who was still hiding behind her.

"You know how I get around guys..." Rina trailed off, her face still hadn't lost the blush from being pinned down by a guy, who had one arm around her waist, one arm squeezing her right breast and his face rubbing her other breast.

"Geez, you're freaking hopeless. My only brother rarely comes home. One sister is afraid of guys. One sister is a flirt. Why do I have to suffer such a friggin' weird family?" she mumbled as she spied Iskandar's well-formed torso.

"Hey, be nice," Nini said, "I'm not a flirt, aren't I, mister..."

"Iskandar, you can just call me Is," Iskandar said as he flinched at having one sore spot pressed.

"Mmm, Is, that doesn't sound ap-rop-ri-ate," Nini whispered into Iskandar's ears as she pressed a few more sore spots.

Iskandar suddenly had goosebumps.

"Nini! Stop acting like a cat in heat!" Mira admonished.

"Aww, come on, sis. It's fun watching him squirm, hehehe."

Iskandar now wondered what he had gotten himself into.

------

Rina was sitting at the edge of the bed, getting ready to go to sleep when the door to her room, previously her mother and stepfather's room, opened slightly. Then it cracked open wider and Mira poked her head slowly.

"Ri~na..." Mira called.

Rina sighed. "Mi~ra..."

"Ri~na..." Mira called again.

"Mi~ra..." Rina called back as she suspected that there was something her little sister wanted.

"Ri~na..." Mira called again.

"Mi~ra, what do you want now?" Rina asked melodiously.

"Well," Mira opened the door wider and got in, before closing the door, "My school has this trip planned on the 15th. I was wondering if I can go?"

Rina bit her lips. She knew about school trips of course, she had went on school trips quite often while was still in school. She recalled how she was looking forward to every single one of them. But...

"How much is the fee?" Rina asked.

"RM70," Mira said as her toes drew patterns on the carpet.

Rina's face fell as she realized what RM70 could be better used for. Rina said, "We're not made of money, Mira. We can't just spend that much in one day."

"I know. I know money's been tight," Mira walked closer until she sat next to Rina on the bed, "But Rina, this is my final year in high school. If I missed this one, there won't be a next time, Rina."

Rina debated on the issue, until Mira placed her hands onto Rina's and said, "Please Rina. Just this once. I'll pay you back after SPM."

SPM, referring to Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, or Malaysian Certificate of Education which marked the end of school life for most youths. She never took the exam of course, as she was living in France until last month, where she took her baccalauréat diploma and went off to a university shortly afterwards. Rina pondered her sister's words in her head, then she said, "Alright, you can go. There's no need to pay me back, but promise me you will study hard. Okay?"

"Yes! Thank you, thank you. I love you, Rina!" Mira cheered as she hugged Rina tightly. Then she got up and skipped to the door.

She opened the door and went out, but before she closed the door again, she poked her head and said, "You know, if you had said no, I would've had to ask your boyfriend."

Rina frowned. "Who's my boyfriend?"

"Mr. Iskandar," Mira giggled as she barely avoided a flying pillow. Mira then closed the door and laughed all the way to the room she shared with Nini.

Rina laid down on the bed, thinking that she would have to do more than a week's worth of overtime at Towkey just so she could afford to send Mira on that trip. Despite knowing that it would be very tiring, she knew she could do it. It was just a few extra hours anyhow. That night she fell asleep with dreams of her breasts being squeezed by unseen hands.

------

"Je t'ai dit, elle n'est pas ici (As I've told you before, she is not here)," the woman with brown locks said to the young man as she dropped the stalks of leek she was holding to the floor.

"Aber Sie wissen, wo sie sicher ist (But you must know where she is)," the young man said as he took out a picture from his wallet.

"Comme je l'ai dit je ne sais pas. elle vient de partir (As I said, I don't know. She just left)," the woman said as she became impatient.

"Aber schauen, Tante Sarah ich bin kein Fremder. deine Tochter und ich waren Freunde (But look here, Aunt Sarah, I'm no stranger, I was your daughter's friend)," the young man said as he showed a picture of a boy around 12 holding hands with a much younger girl.

"Je sais qui tu es, Max. Je ne sais pas oá¹ elle est (I know who you are, Max. I just don't know where she is)," the woman said as she tried to convince the boy to leave.

"Wenn Sie wissen, wo sie ist, bitte rufen Sie mich unter dieser Nummer (If you know where she is, please call me at this number)," the young man gave the woman a card, "Ich werde warten (I'll be waiting)."

The young man then went to his car and drove away, passing rows upon rows of grapevines. It brought a tear to his eyes as he recalled that wonderful memory long ago, of his dear Sophiana chasing him among the hanging vines. And the memory of Sophiana meeting him outside her house on her birthday, and he gave her a necklace of hemp and jasmine, and how instead of scolding him for giving her such a cheap present, she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. It was about the best days of his young life. He had left the vines long ago with his mother, chasing jobs wherever one can be found. He had collected bits by bits, fighting hunger and sickness, and after many years, he had his own business. Small, yes, but it was his, and he founded it with his own strength and sweat, and his faith that his beloved would still be waiting for him to fulfill his promise.

Now he just needed to find his beloved so she could fulfill her promise.

Sarah, Rina's aunt, watched as the car disappear behind the vines. She looked at the card and was really surprised at how far the dirty boy that her daughter would chase around in their childhood had become. She picked up the stalks of leek she dropped earlier and closed the front door with her foot. As she carried the stalks of leek to the kitchen, she thought that if only she hadn't already had a candidate to be Rina's husband, she would have considered Max.

Regardless, if anybody noticed that both of them were conversing in two different languages, both seemingly able to understand perfectly what the other was saying, nobody said anything.

*As always, comments and feedbacks are very very appreciated.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cause him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 6 By Shinieris

---

"Hello?" Zulkifli said into the phone.

"Hello, Zul," the voice in the phone said.

"Lila?" he asked as he recognized the voice on the other end.

"It's me. How are you doing, Zul?" Lila said.

"Lila, where are you? Where have you been for the past two years?" Zul asked desperately while his hand gestured for his assistant to start tracing the call.

"I am leaving the country, Zul. Do not try to stop me and do not try to find us ever again," she said firmly.

"Lila, stop. We can discuss this," Zul pleaded as he spied his assistant setting up the equipments next to the phone.

"It is too late to discuss anything, Zul. Remember how you and your family threw me out and ruined my life? Remember how your family ensured that I would never work a respectable job again? Go back to your wife, Zul. I'm sure she's waiting patiently for you to repent."

"Lila please, we can work this out. I'm the head of the family now. I can take care of you and our daughter," Zul pleaded.

"It's too late, I'm too dirty to be near your noble self now. You will never see me nor my daughter ever in your entire life."

"Lila, please..."

"Goodbye, Zul," she said as she hung up.

* * *

"Hello?" Zulkifli said into the phone.

"Hello, Zul," the voice in the phone said.

"Lila?" he asked as he recognized the voice on the other end.

"It's me. How are you doing, Zul?" Lila said.

"Lila, where are you? Where have you been for the past two years?" Zul asked desperately while his hand gestured for his assistant to start tracing the call.

"I am leaving the country, Zul. Do not try to stop me and do not try to find us ever again," she said firmly.

"Lila, stop. We can discuss this," Zul pleaded as he spied his assistant setting up the equipments next to the phone.

"It is too late to discuss anything, Zul. Remember how you and your family threw me out and ruined my life? Remember how your family ensured that I would never work a respectable job again? Go back to your wife, Zul. I'm sure she's waiting patiently for you to repent."

"Lila please, we can work this out. I'm the head of the family now. I can take care of you and our daughter," Zul pleaded.

"It's too late, I'm too dirty to be near your noble self now. You will never see me or my daughter ever in your entire life."

"Lila, please..."

"Goodbye, Zul," she said as she hung up.

"Did you get the location?" he asked the man who was untangling a mass of wires. "Nevermind then," he said.

He dialed a number and said into the phone, "Dato' Zulkifli here. I want you to send everyone you have to all international airports and exit points out of the country. Get them to search for Lila. And file a missing persons report to the police, tell them whatever you want. I want her found and brought back, you hear me? Don't mess this up," he said before he hung up and went to prepare for his meeting.

* * *

"Were you looking for me, Is?" the man said as he dropped a pile of papers onto Iskandar's desk.

"Yes, I did," Iskandar produced a plastic folder from his drawer and pushed it to the man in front of him.

"You're finally letting me quit, Is?" he said as he picked up the folder.

"Don't be silly, Joe. You're working for me until the day you die," he smirked.

"Bills?" Joe asked when he recognized the contents.

"Yes, please pass it on to Ms. Yong," Iskandar said as he typed something into his computer.

"You're asking the accounts department to do your bills? Who the hell is this Mohamad Razak guy anyway?"

"Just someone you don't need to worry about. Now go," he shooed.

* * *

"Madame, je suis désolé de vous informer qu'il ya un problá¨me dans les villages (My lady, there are reports of a problem in the villages)," said the elderly man after he took off his hat and held it on his chest.

"Quel est le problá¨me? (What is the problem?)" the mistress of the house asked.

"Un homme est posé beaucoup de questions au sujet de la jeune maá®tresse dans les villages á  proximité, madame (There is a man asking a lot of questions about the young mistress in the villages, my lady)," the elderly man said.

The mistress of the house dropped her knitting and looked at the old man. "Quelles sont les questions? (What kind of questions?)" the mistress of the house demanded.

"Questions relatives á  la localisation de la jeune femme et de sa vie ici, madame (Basically questions about the young mistress's whereabouts and her life here, my lady)," he explained.

"Quelqu'un at-il dit quelque chose? (Has anyone spilled anything?)" the mistress enquired.

"Non, madame. Mais les propriétaires de fermes d'autres vous demandent ce qu'ils doivent dire s'il va vers eux, madame. (None, my lady. But the other farms are asking you what they should say if he goes to them, madame)," he said.

"Dites-leur de faire semblant qu'ils n'ont jamais entendu parler de Rina. Apportez les malfrats, je veux cet homme capturé et amené á  la cabine.Vous pouvez commettre des violences, mais ne faites pas de dommages permanents. Aprá¨s cela, attendre de nouvelles instructions. (Tell them to pretend they've never heard of Rina. Get the men, I want this man captured and brought to the shack. You may commit violence, but don't do any permanent damage. After that wait for further instructions)," Sarah, Rina’s aunt commanded without getting up from her rocking chair.

"Je compris, madame. (Understood, my lady), " the man bowed and left through the back door.

* * *

"I'm sorry, sir, we're closing," Hazrin said to the businessman with his back to him.

Iskandar turned around at the sweet voice speaking to him. His eyes widened at seeing the pretty boy who dropped coffee on his shirt a few days ago. The boy was really quite pretty, with long eyelashes, smooth flawless skin and high cheekbones. He noted that the boy's hair was cut unevenly, long in some places, short in another. It was a messy hairstyle, but Iskandar knew that certain kinds of girls love that tragic badboy hairstyle. Iskandar used to play computer games in his youth and the boy's hairstyle reminded him of Cloud from Final Fantasy 7.

"Sir, the restaurant's closing. Are you waiting for your food order, sir?" Hazrin repeated.

Iskandar made a smile. "No, I'm just wasting time here. Have a seat," Iskandar said as he pulled out the seat next to him.

"I really shouldn't, sir. I'm still working," Hazrin refused as he recognized the customer as the same guy who groped his - Rina's breasts last night. Hazrin had to fight the urge to cover his chest.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Eric and I, we go a long way. I actually helped him start this cafe," Iskandar said with a wink.

This pervert helped boss start the cafe? "Please forgive me if I can't take your words at face value, sir," Hazrin refused.

"You don't believe me. Alright then. Hey Eric!" Iskandar bellowed to the big chinese guy cleaning the bar.

"What?!"

"Can I borrow your staff here for a bit?"

"Shouldn't you be home already, Iskandar? Don't you have a party to go to?"

"I'm here exactly because of the party, Eric. So can I?"

Eric took one look at Hazrin. Hazrin shook his head. Eric thought, Here's my chance to cure my homosexual friend and tomboyish best friend's daughter. Eric then said, "Sure, if she - he doesn't mind."

"Excellent," Iskandar said as he patted the chair right beside him.

Hazrin groaned inside.

*Hello there everyone. Sorry for the slow update. Been too busy with everything that I ended up not doing anything. On a plus side though, I have a Sony Tablet S now, so I should be able to do something at work too.

As always, comments and feedbacks are very appreciated. Praises helps me write faster but constructive criticisms helps me write better.

*Dato' or Datuk refers to a class of non-hereditary and hereditary minor nobilities in the Malay royalty culture granted by the king (sultan). It is the equivalent of Lord (non-hereditary) and Baron (hereditary). While there is no restriction on non-malays in being granted the title, hereditary Dato' are purely used by those of noble blood. The current Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato's Sri Najib Tun Razak is hereditary Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar of a noble family of Pahang, and would be called Dato' even if he wasn't granted the title Dato's Sri. Dato' Sri is a non-hereditary title that is higher in rank than the hereditary Dato' in the greater context of the Malaysian Federation. This is different from 'datuk', which means grandfather.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cause him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 7 By Shinieris

"Lila please, we can work this out. I'm the head of the family now. I can take care of you and our daughter," Zul pleaded.

"It's too late, I'm too dirty to be near your noble self now. You will never see me or my daughter ever."

"Lila, please..."

"Goodbye, Zul," she said as she hung up.

Nurdarlila Binti Abdul Rahman snickered once she hung up. She was at this moment sipping tea about 5,000 kilometres away from Bukit Damansara, where Dato' Zulkifli currently was. Her sister Nursarahina, who was sitting in front putting creamer into her own coffee stared confused.

"What's so funny?" her sister asked.

"I'd love to see him searching frantically at every international airports. Oh well," she grinned.

"If you want to go back, I can arrange it," Sarah said.

"No need," Lila grinned, "Let him stew forever. More fun that way."

------

The ringing jarred Iskandar awake. He sleepily looked at the table clock next to his bed and cursed. It was only three in the morning afterall.

"Hello?" Iskandar said into the phone.

"Boss, Bernie here," came a voice from the other side.

"Bernie..." it took Iskandar a few seconds to register the name.

"Do you realise it's three in the morning?" Iskandar said to Bernie, aka Karanathan, his private investigator.

"No choice, boss. Listen boss, be careful of the girl. She's not normal," Nathan said with a little bit of apprehension.

"The girl?" Iskandar asked, wide awake now.

"I may have underestimated them, boss. I'm pretty much trapped now. Be careful, boss, she's there. Please tell my wife and kids that I love them, boss. Need to go-" Nathan said before the line suddenly ended.

"Bernie! Bernie!" Iskandar said to the dead tone.

------

"Hey there, miss," greeted the man in black-and-peach striped shirt.

"Oh hello there, Mr. Aiman. What can I get you today?" Hazrin asked as he smiled.

"How about that phone number?" Aiman said without looking up at Hazrin.

Puzzled, Hazrin said, "We do include our contact number at your receipts in cases where you'd like to make reservations or make your orders ahead of time on your next visit, sir."

"Oh, not that. I meant your phone number, miss," Aiman finally looked up at Hazrin showing his most dazzling smile.

Hazrin giggled girlishly, his face starting to redden. "But sir, you made a mistake surely. I'm a guy, you got me all wrong."

Aiman gently took Hazrin's right hand, folded over a little notebook in front Hazrin's flat tummy, into his hands, "A beautiful young lady like you shouldn't say that, miss. Your beauty mesmerizes me everytime I see you walking by. Please tell me your name, your real name, my dear lady," he said as he smoothly kissed the back of Hazrin's hand.

By this time, Hazrin's face had gone redder than a lobster, and he said, "I'll come later to take your orders, sirs," before bolting from the scene. He probably said it a bit too loud too, because the other patrons of the restaurant turned to see the tomboyish new waitress running into the supply closet blushing red. Eric, the boss-bartender simply shook his head.

"Overkill, man," one of the man sitting with Aiman at the same table, a sophisticated-looking glasses guy commented.

"She's just shy, Lan. I'll give her a week," Aiman countered.

Hafiz grumbled. "I need to start making a list of the restaurants I've been banned from because of you, Aiman," he said pointedly.

------

Bernie aka S. Karanathan jerked awake as a bucket of water was splashed at his face. As he started to come around, out of the darkness of the room, a very bright spotlight shone directly at his face. His eyes lost focus instantly. He tried to shield his eyes, but his arms won't move, and he realized that he was tied to a chair.

"Typical," he mumbled.

Out of the darkness behind him, someone grabbed his hair and wrenched it backward roughly. Another man came out of the darkness, stood between him and the spotlight. Without warning, the man gave him a punch in the face, hard, causing his face to point at the wall to his right. The man let Nathan move his head to face his tormentor before punching his face again, this time with the man's left fist. Nathan noted that the man's left strength wasn't as great as the right, but it still hurt like hell. His whole body still hurt like hell from the beatings he received from what looked like peasants carrying pitchforks earlier.

"How long have I been here? Did Iskandar heed my warning? Is my family alright? Nathan thought as another punch hit him in the jaw.

"Qui vous a envoyé? (Who sent you?)" the man said as he punched Nathan's stomache twice.

"Ouff! I don't speak french," he said to the man beating his stomache.

"Qui vous a envoyé? (Who sent you?)" the man asked while punching him in the stomache again.

"I've told you, I don't speak french," Nathan said as he slumped forward.

The man punched him in the stomache again, before going out of the room with the man holding his hair.

"Interrogation should be about asking questions first before beating victims up. Not the other way around. They must've learned the craft from the russians," Nathan mumbled to the empty room.

------

"Bukit Aman Police Headquarters, how can I serve you?" came a voice from the phone. It was a gentle, female voice.

Iskandar knew enough however, that in Bukit Aman, everyone can kill. Even the receptionists are well-versed in silat* and handguns. If James Born was a malaysian, he'd either be in Bukit Aman or military intelligence. Bukit Aman has a restriction on indiscriminate killing, but the military intelligence can do whatever they want. Bukit Aman generally deals with internal intelligence, military intelligence generally deal with everything else.

"Hello, may I speak to Assistant Commisioner Ahmad Bilal Ahmad Hussein?" Iskandar said into the phone. He had wondered what to do about Nathan then he remembered that Nathan once gave him a number to call in case of emergencies, and a code. He had to go to the mamak restaurant under Nathan's place to make the call with his cellphone. at 8 in the morning.

"May I know who's speaking, please?" the voice said again.

"Restoran Ali Mamak here. The assistant commissioner booked a table with us for tonight and ordered our daily special, the Mas Bernielicious, but we're having problems with providing his food orders. Would like his request on alternatives," Iskandar said in codes, believing that the policewoman on the other end already had his call recorded and his location traced.

"The assistant commissioner is in a meeting at the moment, sir. I will pass on the message as soon as possible. Is this your phone number, sir?" the policewoman asked before repeating the number.

"Yes, that's my number," Iskandar answered. Unlike the other localized police stations, Bukit Aman Police Headquarters does its jobs very efficiently. When the policewoman said 'as soon as possible', there was a big chance that the message had already reached the assistant commissioner, meeting or not.

"Thank you, sir. Have a good day," the policewoman hung up.

Iskandar sighed. He opened up his handphone's casing, took out the battery, then took out the simcard. He then took a clean handkerchief and wiped clean every single surface of the tiny simcard. Then he put back his own simcard into the phone's slot before replacing the battery and cover. He deleted all records of the past 20 minutes from his phone and broke the tiny simcard into two pieces. He got out of his car, that was parked right in front of Restoran Ali Mamak and dropped the broken simcard into two separate trashcans.

He knew that Bukit Aman already had every single piece of details about him when he called, as in Malaysia, every purchase of pre-paid simcards were required by law to be registered. If shit came his way though, he'd just say his phone was stolen.

★Hey all, thanks for reading again. As always comments and feedbacks are very appreciated.

* Silat is a collective word for indigenous martial arts that originates from Indonesia, it is traditionally practiced in, Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines. Police silat is often considered the most brutal and can be used to subdue or kill the opponent. Most styles uses little throws and focuses on quick jabs, strong strikes and agile movements.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cause him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 7 EX By Shinieris

"Yes?" a cute teenage girl with twin pigtails peered through the barely opened door.

"Ah, Nini, isn't it? I'm Iskandar. I came here a couple of days ago, remember?" Iskandar said the moment he recognized Rina's little sister.

"Oh, Mr. Iskandar. How do you do? Would you like to come in?" Nini said as she opened the door wider.

"Oh thank you, if you don't mind," Iskandar said as he slid off his shoes and entered the house.

Nini grinned to Iskandar's back. "Oh not at all. Please have a seat, Mr. Iskandar. Would you like a drink?"

"Sure, if it's free," Iskandar said recalling the last time he was here with Rina.

Nini cocked her head to the left, not able to pick up Iskandar's meaning before she smiled and ignored the remark, "Sure, it's free now, if you're okay with orange juice."

"Orange will be great, thank you," Iskandar said.

"Coming right up!" Nini skipped to the kitchen merrily, humming a cheerful tune.

Iskandar paced around the living room. He looked at the pictures and trophies lining the cabinets and peered closely at every family pictures. They looked like a happy family of five. He understood from his chat with Rina and her sisters a couple of days ago that their parents died of an accident just months ago and that it was now just Rina and her sisters living there now. What he was very curious about was where exactly was Rina in those pictures? He looked at the lone beefy boy and thought,No way!

"Juice is served!" Nini said as she placed a tray with two glasses of fruit juice onto the coffee table.

Without even looking at Nini, Iskandar asked, "Nini, where is your sister Rina in these pictures?"

"Kak Rina?** She won't possibly be in those pictures, Mr. Iskandar. Ah! I bet you're wondering if that big guy with me and Kak Mira was Kak Rina, don't you, Mr. Iskandar?"

Iskandar coughed. "No, I didn't think that at all."

Nini giggled. "That big guy in those pics is our big brother Fahmi. He's studying in Germany now. Kak Rina is our half-sister. Same mother, different father."

"I see, so that explains why she's not in there," Iskandar nodded.

"Yea, we didn't even know we had a sister until Aunt Sarah, mom's sister, came back from France during our parent's funeral and introduced us to our long-lost older half sister," Nini explained.

"France?" Iskandar thought, Could it be? "Where in France exactly?"

"Does it matter?" Nini asked.

Iskandar was about to say yes when he felt a pair of soft mounds of flesh on his side. He froze and cautiously looked at the offending object as a pair of arms wrapped itself around his arm. He saw Nini's cute face smiling up at him.

"Are you here for my sister," Nini spoke softly, "Or me?" she blew gently on Iskandar's ear.

Iskandar couldn't get away fast enough. He disentangled Nini's arms from his, and stood away with his back flat to the wall. "Nini, where is Rina?"

"She's still at work," Nini shrugged. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes! Great heavens, how old are you, Nini?"

"I'll be 15 next year," Nini stated.

"15 next year? You're just 14! I can go to jail!"

"Come on, who's going to tell? You? I won't tell if you won't. Would you teach me about adult pleasure, big brother?" Nini giggled as she stepped closer.

Iskandar inched sideways, away from Nini before bolting to the front door and running out without even putting on his shoes. "I'll come back when your sister's around!" he cried before starting his engine and driving off.

Nini giggled as she caressed Iskandar's shoes. That was so funny! she thought to herself.

"Nini, did somebody came while I was in the shower?" Mira said as she appeared from the corridor.

"It's just my new toy, don't worry about it," Nini smirked.

------

Later that night...

Iskandar got out from his car feeling that he had forgotten something.

"Is?" his uncle said from the front door.

"Oh uncle, you're still awake?"

"Yes, I am. But forget that, why are you driving without shoes, Is?"

Iskandar looked at his feet and thought, Blast it! So that's what I forgot! but to his uncle, he said, "Uhm, a dog ran off with it, uncle."

"Both of your shoes?" his uncle said with disbelief.

Iskandar looked down at his feet again, then looked up at his uncle. "Two dogs. Very big ones."

Iskandar's uncle rolled his eyes as he turned around. "Take off the socks before you come in then. Your aunt had the cook make 'ikan pari masak asam pedas'*** today."

"Woah! That's my favourite!" Iskandar enthused as he entered the dark house

"I know," his uncle said as the whole house lighted up and about 14 people shouted, "Happy Birthday!"

Iskandar had forgotten that it was his birthday.

------

Later, later that night...

"Hello," Iskandar said into the phone.

"Restoran Ali Mamak?" said a gruff voice from the other end.

"What? Dude, this isn't some friggin' restaurant. You got the wrong number!" Iskandar moved to disengage the call.

"Farn Bernilicious," the voice said before Iskandar was able to drop the call.

"Excuse me?" Iskandar said.

"That was the reason you called today, didn't you? Bernie is in danger?"

"Yes, I believe so. Are you assistant-"

"No names please, Ali Mamak. Call me King."

"Isn't it risky to be talking on the phone like this? Shouldn't we meet somewhere and discuss it face to face? And how did you found out my real contact number so quickly?" Iskandar said as he thought about phone taps.

"I don't care what kind of fiction you watch, Ali Mamak, but a man in my position has friends and foes keeping tabs on me all the time. Meeting you face to face will put unnecessary danger on you and your uncle's family, Ali Mamak. Don't worry, this is a secure channel. As for how I found your real contact number, let's just say I have my ways. Therefore I must insist that I be the one asking questions and you be the one answering it. Do you understand me, Ali Mamak?"

"Yes, I do, sorry."

"Now tell me everything. Start from the beginning."

"Before that, can I change my nick from Ali Mamak**** to something cool, like Triple Seven or something?" Iskandar said. He could hear a groan from the other side.

It was an hour later that Iskandar was able to fully tell the story, minus the part about him looking to find his uncle's daughter. He simply mentioned that he hired Karanathan for a personal reason. He could guess that King probably knew he wasn't telling everything, but didn't push the issue. He hoped he had given enough information to help Nathan without telling too much that his agendas were found out.

"You did a good job contacting me, Triple. I have some contact in the area, I'll have them snoop around a bit and find out what they can. I doubt they'd kill Bernie so soon, they will likely torture him and interrogate him first," King explained.

"That's comforting," Iskandar muttered under his breath.

"From now on, this is not your problem anymore, Triple, leave this to the pro."

"By pro, you mean you?" Iskandar taunted.

"No, by pro, I mean we'll be hiring snotty teenage girls diagnosed with Bieber-fever and several little spastic kids with a fetish for cupcakes. We'll probably be bringing in the heavy guns too, such as little boys suffering severe cases of sinusitis and terrible acne problems brought on by unstable puberty," the voice in the other side said calmly.

"Was that a joke?" Iskandar asked as he heard the disengaged tone. "Gee, you don't have to be sarcastic.

------

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world...

"No, no, you can't do this," Nathan stared wide eyed at the implement of torture in front of him.

"Eef you do not want zis, tell us what we want to know!" said one of the men as he fixed a harness to keep Nathan's head in place.

"I'm telling you, I'm not a spy, I'm just a curious tourist!" Nathan struggles failed as his head was held fast by the harness fitting to the top of his chair, meant to keep his head from moving.

"Ooh, I do no sink you are tourist," the same man said as he pulled both of Nathan's feet up and placed it on the desk, before tying it up.

Another man who was fumbling with the wires behind the implement of torture in front of Nathan, a TV set, switched on the power. As the screen came to life, he showed Nathan a DVD, which turned Nathan's dark complexion pale. Then he put it into the DVD player and the words 'The Catherine Tate Show' appeared on the screen.

"No! You can't do this. I'm a Malaysian, I don't understand Catherine Tate's dry british humour!"

"Iz zat our probleme?" the man who propped Nathan up produced two of what looked to be the softest and firmest goose feathers.

"No, this is wrong!" Nathan watched helplessly as the man moved the feathers close to his feet, "The Geneva Convention clearly states - GYA AHAHH AHAYA HHAHA HA"

For the next few hours, Nathan aka Bernie suffered unspeakable torments at the hands of his french captors. To a man who rarely laughs or smiles, being forced to laugh (through foot tickling) at a marathon of a comedy show that he could not understand was akin to walking a trail of fire with his bare feet. Times that with how long he was there, it was a true show of the cruelty of man against a fellow man.

*For those who are wondering, this is the missing part of the previous chapter. Consider it an addon content. As always comments and feedbacks are very appreciated.
**In malay culture, it is rude to call someone older than you by their given name. People would normally use words such as 'bang' (older brother), 'kak' (older sister), 'pakcik' (uncle), 'makcik' (aunt). As a form of endearment, someone totally unrelated can also call someone younger as 'dik' (little brother/sister) or 'nak' (young boy/girl). It is perhaps similar to the japanese's use of 'san', 'sama', 'chan'.
***Means 'stingray cooked in sour and spicy chilli stew'. It is slightly different from curry as the gravy is not at all thick, but runny, though it sticks to your tastebuds and makes you drool like a pavlov's dog. You will never forget the taste of a good 'asam pedas' and once you've tasted a properly-cooked asam pedas, you will be able to sniff its smell from blocks away. Philipines restaurants in US do use asam pedas in their cooking, but it is pretty mild and can't compare to a real Malaysian asam pedas. Be warned, it is very spicy. Prepare lots of milk and cold breeze if you're not used to spicy foods.
****Mamak in malaysia culture refers to indian muslim exclusively. While the word is not deragoratory in itself, calling a muslim as mamak simply because of the colour of his skin is considered rude. Same goes with calling an indian man as mamak, it's insulting. However, since mamak is not by itself a deragoratory word, newcomers can safely say it without offending 95% of the malaysian populace. Just make sure you know what mamak actually means before you use it.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cause him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 8 By Shinieris

"So you really won't change your mind?" the older woman said.

"No ma. I must go back to take care of my siblings," the young Rina said.

The older woman sighed. "It seems I can't change your mind. But promise me, no matter what, do not ever go near Arif Global Ventures. Do you understand?" she said to her daughter.

"That's the fifth time you reminded me, but what is so important about staying away from them, Mama?"

"Do NOT argue with me! You will stay away from them and that's final!"

------

"Is, do you happen to have a minute?" a man in a blue shirt with horizontal stripes on the left side poked his head through the barely opened door.

Iskandar took off his reading glasses. He had been reading the company's latest fiscal report and had frowned the entire time. Someone, somewhere had messed something up, he thought as he waved the man in. Iskandar thought he could use a little break as he had been looking at reports all morning his eyes were starting to turn entirely white.

"Something wrong, Joe?" Iskandar asked, his vision still quite blurry.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Oh nothing's wrong really, I was just having a little trouble finding a NONEXISTENT ADDRESS!"

Iskandar stretched calmly, delaying his response. "And you're here in my office because...?"

"Is this a joke, Is? A new method of torture? Are you having your sadistic jollies now?" Joe fumed.

Iskandar stretched his body. Sitting on his ass all day was pretty tiring. He took his time, playing with Joe's patience, before he finally said, "When writing a thesis, you must have the preface at the start and the appendix or summary at the end with the main content in the middle, Joe."

"I'm talking about those bills and other documents you gave me, Is. I spent three hours trying to find the address and you know what? I still couldn't find it. My GPS was of no use, it kept asking me to wait for directions. Don't even get me started on the terrible handphone reception in that area."

"Which documents? What address?"

"Don't play dumb with me, it's insulting!" Joe glared angrily.

"Unless you tell me exactly what you're talking about, I can't possibly have any idea what it is about. How about a clue? Maybe a word? Or whether it's a place, an animal or a phrase?" Iskandar said.

"I'm talking about these bills!" Joe exclaimed as he slammed a folder onto Iskandar's desk.

Iskandar took the folder, opened it and peered inside. "Ah, I see. Didn't expect the accounts people would finish it so quickly-"

"I didn't see the damned accounts department. Do you have any idea what kind of crap I'll get into if I asked Ms Yong to do your private bills?" Joe said between gritted teeth as he leaned forward with his hand on Iskandar's desk.

"Oh really? Don't you have a really good relationship with Ms. Yong?" Iskandar laughed.

"If you truly thinks so, then go get your eyes checked, Is. Because I can assure you, that rumour was in no way true," Joe denied, referring to the recent rumour that he and Ms. Yong was seen dining together. In truth, it was simply that the restaurant mixed up the reservations and neither would budge when given an alternative by the restaurant manager. Stubbornness was about the only trait they ever shared.

------

"You must be joking," Sarah, Rina's aunt said into the phone.

"But why is he even doing this? This isn't right. It has always been my job before,"
she said as she stopped to listen.

"Yes that sounds just like him. So what exactly do you want me to do?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I already have an idea where he is."

"Yes, I do. I got it covered, and stop calling me everytime you stumbled into a problem here. I'm retired, remember?"

"Yes, as if you would let me forget," she huffed.

------

"Please, please, please. I'll never forget, I promise" Hazrin said to his coworker, a woman whose name Sasha was sewn to her vest.

"You know, I've never had your problem. Seeing a prettyboy like you being chased around by a handsome rich guy really rubs me in a bad way."

"You can have him if you want, Sasha," Hazrin offered.

"No thanks, I'm not interested in gay guys, even if he's rich and handsome."

"So you see my problem now, don't you? How can I handle that?"

"Funny, I could've sworn that you liked the attention. You were giggling and blushing like a lovesick little virgin just the other day when he kissed the back of your hand," Sasha stated while fixing her unforgiving stare onto Hazrin's face.

"What? I didn't like it at all. I just found it funny, that's all," Hazrin denied while averting his gaze.

"Funny? That's a very funny way of showing your appreciation for humour. Perhaps-"

Just then, one of the senior staffs whose name Hazrin couldn't remember poked his head in through the doorway and said, "Less chit chatting and more working, girls."

Sasha shrugged after he left and said, "Time to earn my pay. I'll handle this for you today, but you really need to learn to be firm if you don't like it."

"Firm? But I-"

Sasha turned around and placed both hands on Hazrin's shoulders, "Look, take it from me. I know all kinds of jerks and guys you don't want to bring home to mom. You can't really avoid them, you make mistakes from time to time no matter how careful you are and most of them were really faking it in the first place anyway. What you can do is to reevaluate, admit that the relationship's over and firmly tell him exactly that. If he won't accept it, then it's time to get a restraining order so he'd leave you alone."

"But Sasha..." Hazrin said gently, "We aren't in a relationship."

Sasha looked at Hazrin's face, appeared as if she just remembered something and slapped her forehead, "Right, I forgot that we're only talking about a customer. I swear you looked just like my little sister whenever she got harrassed by her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. You're a guy, stop being so cute and defenseless like a pre-pubescent little virgin, would you?"

Sasha threw her hands up in frustration and went outside to serve one Mr. Aiman, who had decided to make Hazrin, who was really Rina in her male persona, his next short-term girlfriend. Hazrin wisely took over Sasha's task of mixing drinks to avoid being called over by her new fan. It made less income in tips, but Rina as Hazrin still had no clue how to fob off a male admirer.

------

"Kak Rina," Nini called from the hallway.

"Yes Nini? What's the matter? Why are you not asleep yet?" Rina asked as she placed the stalk of rose she was holding to the floor and raised her head facing Nini. She tucked her skirt under her legs the way she was taught since she was a child.

"I can ask you the same thing, Kak Rina. Why are you arranging flowers so late into the night?" Nini asked once she knelt next to Rina on the floor.

"I haven't been able to do it the past few days, it's starting to bug me. Don't worry about me, Nini. Just go to sleep, you have to wake up early tomorrow," Rina said as she picked up the rose again.

"What are you talking about, big sis? You always woke up earlier than any of us to prepare breakfast."

"Yes, how things have changed. I used to be a very heavy sleeper," Rina smiled wistfully.

Just then they heard heavy knocks from the front door. For a moment there, both of them were worried that the door might be knocked down from the heavy thumping. Both of them looked at each other and wondered who would be coming so late at night. Apart from certain emergencies in the village, such as a house on fire, or the recent 'orang minyak'* incident, residents of the village are quite happy staying in their own houses.

Nini turned around and was about to go back into the hallway to open the door when Rina grabbed her wrists and hissed, "Don't!"

"What? Why?" Nini asked as the banging resumed.

"Go back to your room, Nini," Rina ordered.

"But why?" Nini questioned.

"Just go. Please," Rina hissed as she grabbed Mira's wooden baseball bat.

Nini saw where Rina's hand was and understood. "Alright, but scream real loud if something happens, ok?"

"Fine, I'll try my best to wake up the whole neighbourhood."

Nini giggled quietly as she went back to her room while Rina went to the front door.

Rina jumped slightly when the banging resumed.

"Who's there?" Rina called.

"Hello, is that Rina? It's me. Iskandar," Iskandar announced. Next to him was Joe, whom he had brought with him after he complained about not being able to find the house.

"Which Iskandar?" Rina called back from the other side of the door.

"The Iskandar whose car broke down in front of your house a few days ago." Iskandar shrugged as Joe lifted an eyebrow. Iskandar motioned Joe to keep quiet.

"Go away!" Rina replied.

Joe chuckled as he heard Rina's reply. Iskandar glared at him, wanting to turn him into scorched dirt with his stare. "Rina, we came today to discuss something important, may we come in?"

"Do you know what time it is?" Rina fumed, "Where are your manners, coming to a girl's house in the middle of the night? And what's this with calling me by my name? It's Ms Rina to you, Mr Iskandar!"

"But dear Ms Rina, I thought we're close enough to call each other by name-"

"Groping me isn't how people get closer, Mr Iskandar. Go away!"

Joe's lips moved as if saying, you groped her?

Iskandar glared at Joe again, while Joe just grinned at seeing Iskandar being yelled at. Still glaring at Joe, Iskandar said, "OK, first, that was an accident, Rina. I didn't mean to touch your breasts, it was an act of god!"

Joe broke into laughter now, annoying Iskandar even more. It wasn't very common for Iskandar to be flustered, so the few times he did, Joe enjoyed every second of it. Rina however thought it was Iskandar tgwho had laughed.

Iskandar immnediately clamped his palm on Joe's mouth the moment Joe laughed, but the damage was done.

"Oh, you think this is funny, don't you? I spent my whole life saving myself for my future husband, and now you simply come in, fondled my breasts and you think it's a joke? Leave! Or I'll call the police," Rina yelled.

"Alright, alright. We'll come back tomorrow, don't get your panties in a wad, Rina. "

"What I maudite marde do with my own damned panties is my own damned business, you lecherous perverted bastard!"

"I guess it's time to go. Never knew the girl could cuss that much." Iskandar said to Joe, who was trying real hard not to laugh.

Rina gingerly walked closer to the front door. She puts her ears to the door, trying to catch any sound from outside. When she was satisfied that Iskandar had left, she let out a breath and relaxed against the door.

"You're not still bothered by that, are you? Lots of girls had their breasts fondled before high school, it's not that strange anymore, Kak Rina," Nini stated.

"Nini! What are you saying? Simpang malaikat 44**, purge these evil influences from your young mind," Rina admonished as she made a sign of warding evil.

"What are you, a grandma? Who says 'simpang malaikat 44' anymore? Besides, I'm already 14," Nini said, annoyed, "You can't expect me to be innocent forever. Anyhow, the way he explained it last time, it really did sound like it was an accident, even you admitted later that it was an accident, Kak Rina."

"Oh no, until you learn to wash your own panties, you're still a kid. So as long as you're still a kid, you will do and say what little girls do and say, Nini. Now go to sleep," Rina said as she continued trimming the rose to the intended length.

Nini walked back to the room she shared with Mira and muttered to herself, "Being a kid sucks."

------

Sarah, Rina's aunt entered the darkened room with the only light source directed at a bound man who had seen better days. He looked haggard, as he lacked water, nourishment and sunlight, and his eyes were blinded to his surroundings by the single bright light directed at his face. The steel door creaked from rust as she opened it wider. The two men sitting by the desk looked up at her as she entered.

"Out," she said to the two men. They nodded and left her alone with the captive.

"Look," Nathan a.k.a. Bernie said, "I told them before, I don't speak French, so if you're here to interrogate me, you need to use English."

"Oh, but there's nothing more to interrogate. I already know all there is to know about you... Bernie," Sarah teased.

"What? How-"

"How I know your codename? But Bernie, I know everything about you," Sarah ran her long fingers under Nathan's bearded chin, "Such as how much debt you have with the bank, how many children you have, what they want for Christmas."

"You're bluffing!" Nathan stated.

"Oh am I? I also happens to know that you pissed your pants in Api's car during the firefight in Kabul."

"What? How? But the only one who knew that was- oh, I'll be damned."

"And damned you will be, every word's a prayer," Sarah giggled girlishly.

"Dahlia? After all these years, I thought you're dead. Did King send you here to rescue me?"

"Well, he did say something along that line, but I refused."

"You what? But I need rescuing."

"First yell loud and clear that you're 'a dumbass who likes to kiss duck's butt with peanut butter sandwich'."

"What?"

"Say it!"

"But me yelling would bring the house down on you."

"Oh please, my house is as sturdy as a Tiger Tank, maybe more."

"What do you mean 'your house'?"

"I meant exactly that. This is my outfit and you're in my turf."

"...I'll be damned."

*'Orang Minyak' is a kind of demon who preyed on virgin girls. They are actually human men who learned black magic and required by their studies to rape virgin girls before they acquire their full power. Some say they need to rape virgins every night for the whole month, some others claim that they need 100 virgins to graduate, without a need for time frame. They can go invisible and has the ability to climb very high without any aid.

**'Simpang Malaikat 44' literally translates to '44 Angel Crossroads'. It doesn't make much sense in English, so I left it in its original Malay. Basically it's what old people say when someone said something bad and they're admonishing them, hoping that the bad things said won't happen. It has something to do with the idea that every word is a prayer and god listens even when one doesn't mean what was said.

-As always please send me comments and feedbacks. Good comments encourages me to write faster and positive criticisms helps me improve. Also I love it that my readers speculate. Mind you, I'm not going to say you're right or wrong, just wants to see if I've become predictable.

Hazrin, born Azrina, was born a boy and was genetically a boy. Then his mother registered him as a baby girl. When he was 2, his mother sent him away to live with his aunt, deep inside the vineyards of France. Without knowing anything, he lived almost twenty years of his life as a girl. Now he has returned home, to his home country, and decided to care for his little brother and sisters, as a man. Can he untrain himself of all feminine gestures and become a real man? Enter Iskandar, the nephew of one of the wealthiest tycoons in Southeast Asia. He had a plan, of becoming independent from his uncle, but that would cause him to betray the only one he holds dear. Will he sacrifice all for Azrina's love? Or will he sacrifice Azrina instead? Then comes Max, a german man from an impoverished noble household. For the past fifteen years, Rina Sofiana de Havensall, has always been in his mind. Now that he had fulfilled his promise, he came to find Rina, to ask her to honour her part of the promise. Bliss Behind A Stalk of Rose Part 9 By Shinieris

"So what have you found?" Dato' Zulkifli asked the man in the phone.

"We could not find any trace of Lila, Dato'," the man said, "It's like she just disappeared."

"Could it be that she's still in Malaysia?" he asked.

"If she is, she's very good at covering her tracks, Dato'. My men searched the house she lived in up til yesterday and we conclude that she wasn't planning on coming back."

Dato' Zulkifli sat down on his chair a little harder than he intended. "What makes you think that?"

"Her... roommates told us that Lila never had much in the way of belongings, but last night Lila sold everything she had at a great discount. The total value amounts to about RM2300.00, Dato'," the man in the phone explained.

"Where can she go with that much money?" Dato' Zulkifli asked.

"Not far, Dato'. Thailand, Singapore, India, Indonesia, probably Australia, Taiwan or Japan, assuming of course that she used it to buy plane tickets. There is also the added burden of bringing a two year old girl with her, we can follow that trail if we have to."

"Good. Milk as much information you can from those whores then get rid of them. Do whatever you have to, I don't want them to talk, ever."

"It will be done, Dato'," the man in the phone said.

"Oh, before I forget." Dato' Zulkifli said right before the man on the other side was about to disengage.

"Yes, Dato'?"

"Do not call my daughter a burden again. Otherwise, expect an early and violent 'retirement'."

"Yes, Dato'. It will not happen again.

------

"So that's how it goes. From my assessment, you cannot afford to settle everything in full. While you do have enough money, on paper at least, to pay for everything, in reality, those money won't be coming for at least a few months," Joe said, as he peeked at Iskandar who was watching the girls very intently. Joe noted that both girls were very pretty, and pretty fetching. He did hope however, that the focus of Iskandar's gaze wasn't the cute pigtailed middle school girl, that would be one more of Iskandar's vices if it was true.

"So if the money won't be coming for at least a few months, what do I do now?" Rina asked the man that Iskandar introduced as Johari.

"There are several things you can do. Easiest would be to make a personal loan, though if you're anything like me, you won't likely choose this option. One option is to choose the most essential ones and pay only those in full," Joe stated.

"But what about those that I don't pay?" Rina asked.

"Termination of service or suspension of service. Don't worry, all your bills are pretty minor, you won't get a lawsuit for not paying your bills. Another option is to pay all of them, but only what's necessary to maintain their service. However, this is only a temporary measure."

"So what would be a permanent solution?" Rina asked.

"Even with what I suggested, you still have a problem, namely, what would you do with next month, or the month after? What about the issue of property tax, I assume this house, which is under your stepfather's name is paid for, but what about next year? As head of the household, you are responsible for everything from now on. I understand you have never done this before?"

Rina leaned back on the sofa, her head resting on the headrest. "No, never. So what should I do?"

"For starters, you can pay half of all the bills if that is what you choose to do, and then... I suppose, get a job."

At this point, Nini, who had been quiet since the start, snorted a laugh in response. To this, Rina quickly elbowed her rib, forcing a small cry of pain from Nini. Both Iskandar and Joe noticed these, but with no reference to draw conclusions from, both of them incorrectly assumed that this was 'a sisterly thing'.

"Where would I find work at such a short notice? I tried an interview before, but they asked for papers that I don't have," Rina asked, keeping the charade.

"I heard you've been living in France, Ms. Rina. Tell me, which part of France and what do you do for a living there?" Iskandar interjected.

"Farm work, mostly. Mama- I mean, my aunt has a large vineyard in Provence. I've been working there since I was a child. But when did I tell you about living in France?"

Iskandar was about to tell her that he found out from Nini, but a glance at Nini's face told him that he better keep her name out of it. "It was just one of those things you let out the last time we talked, I'm surprised that you forgot."

"I did? I totally can't remember. Why do you ask though?"

"Nothing in particular. Just wondering, what qualifications do you have?"

"Academics, you mean?"

"Of course."

"I have baccalaureat diploma, that's the French equivalent of SPM and a degree of agriculture from University of Nice."

"A degree from Nice?" Joe stepped in, "How come you can't find a job here then? As long as you're not too picky, you can get jobs easily here. You can even get management positions with your overseas degree, and I imagine you can speak french?"

Rina nodded.

Joe nodded. "Another plus. Employers here are always looking for people who speak foreign languages. I don't see how they can refuse you."

"I've told you earlier, I don't have my papers."

"You can ask your friends there or even the faculty at the university to mail or fax them. You have an aunt there, don't you?"

Rina felt trapped. "It's complicated."

"Either you do, or you don't," Joe said pointedly.

Rina started feeling really trapped.

"Then there's also the issue of ownership change. From the documents I have seen, this house is in your father's name with your mother as the co-owner. Since both of them are now gone, the house needs to change name soon, both for convenience and for legal purposes. Then there's also the debts."

At this point, Rina's head is starting to swim and her eyes are starting to spin in it's sockets.

Joe then continued, "They're giving you grace period now, it's customary in Malaysia, but pretty soon, they're going to pounce on you like it's the end of the world. If you are to delay them, you need to find an excuse or a proof that you're doing something to pay them back. Otherwise-"

"I think we've done enough damage for a day, Joe," Iskandar said as he saw that Rina was about to faint.

Joe finally noticed Rina's state and with an apologetic tone said, "Sorry, I get carried away sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Iskandar chuckled, "Try everyday."

Joe simply ignored his boss as he suggested that he come back another day to let Rina digest the information.

"No," Rina refused, "Please stay, I need to know how to go about doing this. If I delay it any more, there's a good chance that it would have already been too late."

"Would love to, Miss Rina," Iskandar said, emphasizing her name, "But you see, Ms. Rina, it's already seven in the evening, and you said yourself that it's mannerless for men to come to a girl's home in the evening. Besides, we men shall need to perform Maghrib* prayer soon, then perhaps grab some takeaway dinner before we go home."

Rina blushed at the mention of prayer. She knew that the daily five prayers were compulsory to all muslims. She felt very ashamed that she never actually did it seriously. Her aunt was never a very religious person and had never pushed her to do any prayers except for the yearly month-long fasting on Ramadhan. When she moved in here, the only people she had seen to pray consistently were Fahmi and Mira, as well as her half-sibling's relatives. She pursed her lips as she thought it over, "Then stay for dinner. You can use my brother's room for prayer. We can continue after dinner."

Iskandar mentally punched the air in victory.

------

"Why did you say you need to pray? You never prayed. Why start now?"

"Ulterior motive and all, you know how it is," Iskandar smirked.

"Right. That's so like you. Do you even know how to pray?"

"I did go to school remember? Islamic Education was a compulsory subject in school."

"Yes, and the way I remembered it, you'd rather go for Moral Education instead, though you never were very moral even at school. Can you even read the Quran?"

"Hush, I'll read it when I'm old."

"If you live that long. There's a very good chance you will die in sin long before that."

"Nah, I'll be more likely to die from a road accident. It's one of the most common cause of death afterall."

------

"So, which one, kak?" Nini said as she hit some chillies a little harder with a pestle.

"What do you mean, which one?" Rina asked as she turned to tend to a whistling pot.

"Which one do you think is more handsome?"

Rina blushed. "Wha- how would I know?"

"Oh, don't deny, I saw you checking him out."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Nini," Rina said as she sliced some baby carrots.

"Oh, I think you do," Nini nudged Rina's side, "Come on, you were flirting with Abang Is with your eyes. Admit it."

"I was glaring at him," Rina hissed. "That man, how dare he come to our house uninvited, and bringing another man with him too. Brought another man-" Rina chopped some onions, "-into a house-" Rina cut some squids, "-lived in by only girls!"

"Calm down, Kak Rina, you're going to end up cutting your fingers," Nini said as she looked worriedly at Rina, who had instead of cutting the squid gently like usual, had been smashing the blade of the knife onto the squid as if the squid intended her great harm.

"I AM calm!" Rina hissed again just as the kettle whistled steam, but she did slow down and finally came to a brisk, but not angry pace.

"I'm just annoyed, that's all."

"But Abang Is was flirting with you too, I saw that as well, clearly, you know."

"I wasn't flirting! Besides, have you forgotten that I- I-" Rina paused, then looked behind her at the direction of the hallway that led to the living room before she bent to Nini's ears and whispered, "You know that I can't have children. There's nothing I can give him."

"You can give him mouth service," Nini said.

"NINI!" Rina yelled.

On the other side of the house, the two gentlemen were wondering what war was being fought in the kitchen.

------

"Seriously?" Rina's aunt, Sarah laughed, "You're here to search for some rich girl?"

They were sitting in the living room, after Sarah ordered her men to cut him loose. Nathan, aka Bernie, who were once part of police-military intelligence task force had already experienced interrogation and didn't hold the men at fault. They then drove him to the main house where Sarah waited with a flute of good Provencal white wine.

S. Karanathan, the P.I. that Iskandar hired laughed and said in his indian accented voice, "Aiyoo, not rich yet. She stands to inherit billions, but she doesn't know it yet. Anyway, it's not her I'm looking for, I'm looking for proof of her lineage. My client has already met up with her, though I'm not so sure if he realized it yet."

Sarah's eyes grew wide as she grabbed Nathan's collars. "Zul has already met her?"

"Uhh? What? No, my client isn't-"

Sarah pulled Nathan's collar upward before she accused, "Salmah then?" Salmah being the name of Iskandar's aunt.

"No! But how-"

"Iskandar!" Sarah let go of Nathan's shirt collar as she paled.

"How did you know? Were you spying on me?" Nathan asked after he fell with a plop onto the wooden chair.

"Excuse me for a moment," she said as she got up. She then went into another room, locked it firmly, closed the curtains and made a long distance call to Malaysia.

------

Iskandar was sipping the orange juice in his hand when he felt a pair of slender arms wrapping itself around his neck from behind. He was about to turn around when he got chills in his spine as he recalled that Rina would never do this. He knew of only one person in this house who would be bold enough to do this, and he froze in horror.

"Abang Is," Nini said in a seductive tone, "Kak Rina said dinner will be served in about ten minutes. You might want to pray first. There's some of Abang Fahmi's kain pelekat** and some sejadah*** on the bed, you can use that. And then..." Nini nuzzled the back of Iskandar's neck before she breathlessly whispered rather loudly in his left ear, "...maybe later we can have some fun? Just the two of us, of course. Or with Kak Rina maybe? We don't mind sharing."

Iskandar saw Joe's face forming an expression of shock at the implication of the words and was about to stutter a reply when Nini disengaged and left him stuttering alone.

"Is, I suppose congratulations is in order. Good to know that you're no longer gay. I have a sudden respect for you now," Joe said as he patted Iskandar's shoulder.

------

Mira glared at the faces at the dinner table. They were sitting at a low table with the girls sitting with their ankles to the side and the men sitting crosslegged. Her glare passed over Rina, who was looking embarrased and avoiding her eyes as she handed plates of white rice to everyone on the table. Then she glared at her younger sister Nini, who was sitting next to Iskandar and apparently trying her best to meld her body into his. She glared at both men then and considered approaching the subject of why they were there having dinner with them. One of them she knew because he had come before. The other was someone new.

Then she glared at the meal. "Ri- Kakak Rina, are we entertaining the Prime Minister?" Mira remarked about the number of dishes on the table.

"I was just..."

"Kak Rina was excited about having men over for dinner," Nini answered for her.

"No!" Rina denied.

"Is this true, Kak Rina?" Mira asked as she squinted her eyes at Rina.

"No!" Rina crossed her hands in front of her in a symbol of denial, "No, no, it's not like that at all!"

Nini giggled seeing Rina's exaggerated gestures, "Kak Rina, the way you deny it, it's like it's really true."

"Nini, stop teasing Kak Rina," Mira scolded, "And stop doing that with him!" Mira glared at Nini who had been rubbing her shoulder on Iskandar's arm since the start of the meal.

"I was just playing," Nini pouted, but proceeded to separate herself from Iskandar, to his ultimate relief.

It was then that a cellphone rang to the tone of Rihanna's Te'amor. It came from Nini's schoolbag. Everyone at the dinner table looked and wondered.

"Back in my days, any handphones brought to school would be confiscated," Iskandar said.

"Yes, I remember the discipline teacher being so pissed he found your handphone for the third time that he kept it under lock and key for a week and forgot about it," Joe agreed.

"To which I just bought a new phone. Man, handphones back then were heavy bricks, it was impossible to conceal."

"That's beside the point! How come you even have a cellphone, Nini?" Rina asked.

"How can you even afford it? It and the monthly bill?" Mira added.

"Hey, I bought it, ok?" Nini replied defensively, "I have a part-time job. Besides, it's prepaid. I only top up the credits when I want to use it."

She went to her bag on the floor, took out the cellphone from her bag and uttered a single, "Oh!" when she saw who was calling. The ringtone stopped, but then started again.

"Excuse me for a bit," she said to her sisters and the guests as she stepped out through the opened sliding door and out to the garden.

"Must be her boyfriend calling," Mira supplied as she started eating again.

"She has a boyfriend?" Rina asked.

"Yes, a badboy wannabe. I won't worry about him though, she's not serious about him," Mira explained.

"Pretty girl like her, there's bound to be guys who wants to be her boyfriend," Iskandar said, relieved to know that Nini already had a boyfriend. In his mind, he reasoned that Nini was just in need of an older man in her life, what with being orphan and all.

"She's too young!" Rina said just as Mira said, "Stay out of this!"

------

"Hi, Aunt Sarah," Nini said into the phone.

"Don't you 'hi' me. Is there anything you wanted to tell me?" Sarah said on the other side.

"Seeing as you called, I bet there's no point in me reporting anything, Aunt Sarah," Nini answered.

"Damned right! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I just found it amusing, that's all. Did you know that they're already at the point where Abang Is gropes Kak Rina's tits freely?" Nini giggled as she exaggerated the incident.

"They did WHAT?!!!" Sarah fumed.

"Do I get paid for this information, Aunt Sarah?"

"You watch them properly and tell me everything that happens right away and maybe I'll give you something for your time. Do NOT mess this up!"

"You can count on-" the line went dead, "Bitch!"

------

"Maximillian speaking."

"Max, this is Sarah, Rina's mother. I know where Rina is." In Sarah's panic, she totally forgot that she was speaking English.

"Oh, I thought I would have to wait longer. What changed your mind, Aunt Sarah?" Max taunted, also in English, though heavily accented.

"Doesn't matter. Do you want to know or not?"

"Of course, Aunt Sarah. Where can I find her?"

"If I tell you, you will persuade her to come back?"

"Of course, it will be as you wish," he said as he opened his little notebook to jot down Rina's address.

Then he made a call to one of his friends, a classmate from his business degree class. "Hello Fahmi, how would you like to go back to your home country, all expenses paid?"

------

"Oh, before I leave," Iskandar said as he turned around facing Rina and feeling his pants pocket, "Here," he dropped a cellphone onto Rina's hand, feeling his finger brushing Rina's outstretched palms.

A minute touch between Iskandar's fingers and Rina's palm caused an electrical charge felt by both. Iskandar who was no stranger to both men and women wondered what the feeling was. To the virgin Rina however, it made her heart go flip flop and her face red from a deep blush.

"What's this?" Rina asked once she composed herself.

"It's a handphone," Iskandar said, stating the obvious.

Rina glared at Iskandar's grinning face. "I know it's a handphone. I may have been raised on a farm but I'm not stupid. Why are you giving me this?" Rina asked as she raised the phone in her right hand and showing it to Iskandar.

"I'm thinking... you should come work for me. I can offer you a very competitive salary as my secretary," Iskandar said, to which Joe gave him a raised eyebrow.

Rina gasped. "Excuse me?"

"Think about it. I'll have Joe come over to help you with the bills in the coming days, if you don't mind."

"But... but..." Rina stuttered, "I already told you... I don't have my papers."

"No problem. You have your passport and Identity Card with you, don't you?" Iskandar asked, to which Rina nodded.

"Excellent," Iskandar smiled, "I'll leave the phone with you for now. Think about my offer. If you will excuse me, Miss Rina," Iskandar said as he turned back to his car.

Rina's body froze on the steps in front of her front door and only came back to life when Iskandar was about to enter the driver's seat. "Wait!" she shouted, "This is expensive!"

Iskandar shouted back, "Keep it for now, that's just my spare!"

Rina shouted back, "Are you sure? I'm going to call Alaska!"

Iskandar laughed good-naturedly as he shouted, "Go ahead! I can afford it." Then he closed the door and drove off, leaving a very conflicted Rina behind.

When Rina went back into the house, both Mira and Nini approached her together. They had heard the conversation outside, what with the walls being so thin and was very curious at what Iskandar gave their eldest sister/brother. When they saw what Rina held in her hands, they gave ooohs of amazement.

"Is that what I think it is?" Mira asked.

"Yup, that's an Iphone 4," Nini confirmed, "I can't believe he gave you this. This is state of the art."

"What's an Iphone?" Rina asked.

"You don't know what an Iphone is?" both Mira and Nini exclaimed.

"Is it something good?" Rina asked.

Both of them groaned as Mira muttered, "Country bumpkin!"

------

"So Is, explain to me how you of all people ended up offering a nobody a job. My job no less! She cast a spell on you or something, Is?" Joe asked.

"Nonsense! I'm just trying to help a poor orphan," Iskandar smiled beatifically.

"That the fact she's gorgeously beautiful didn't enter your mind, I suppose?"

"Nope! I'm a charitable person at heart if you don't recall," Iskandar grinned.

"Bullshit! Charitable my butt, I suppose this means you're finally going straight? I suppose you want me to convince her to take the job?"

"Listen, Joe. You need to look at this from your point of view."

"Whose point of view have I been looking at this from, then?"

"Okay, consider this. If I have her as my secretary, then I won't be needing you anymore."

That ticked Joe off. "That helps me how?"

"You can go anywhere you want then. You can resign, if you so choose and you can be free. Heck, I'll go all out and have your record cleared to pristine condition. What do you say?"

"That does sound attractive," Joe pondered, "Alright, I'll persuade her. If I dont succeed in a week I'll tender my resignation."

"Nice try, Joe, not going to work. How many times do I need to tell you that I won't ever approve your resignation letter?" Iskandar smirked.

Hi all. Sorry for the extremely slow progress. Thing is, lots of things had happened, and I was not in a position to write. Oh well, what's past is past. Still not in the pink, but I suppose I'm better than most. No, I don't have AIDS, I am very healthy in that regard.

Anyway, thank you all for your support. Of course, I appreciate your comments and feedbacks. Praises helps me write faster. Constructive criticisms helps me get better. Insults better not be said, but if you must, well, I can take an insult or two. I am very much in the zoone...

*Maghrib - One of the 5 daily prayers for muslim. It is often performed after the sun has set. The other four prayers are Subuh, Zuhur, Asar and Isya'. There are also specialized prayers for certain occasions, like the Juma'at prayer every fridays. Tarawih during the fasting month and Solat Hajat for asking a specific boon of Allah. As the definition of Malay includes being a muslim, both Rina and Iskandar are muslims by birth, although they never practiced it. Converting from Islam, otherwise known as 'murtad' is against the law and in most muslim countries are punishable by death.

**Kain pelekat - A simple piece of stitched cloth which functions as replacement for pants during prayers. As it is abhorred for muslims to pray with soiled clothes, kain pelekat or anything similar serves as a change of clothes just for prayer. It is quite thin and coarse, but can be folded and can be carried inside a person's pants pocket.

***Sejadah - A medium for prayer. It is unnecessary and not a required piece for muslims. However, since muslims pray on the floor or ground, a sejadah (or whatever it's called in the middle east) helps reduce contact between the praying person's face and the dusty floor. In this respect, it is considered necessary, as it gives comfort to the person who prayed and allow him to focus better on praying instead of wiping dust from his face. Sejadah is often sewn in intricate patterns, much like tapestries, and to foreigners, it is considered a work of art displayed right next to nude paintings. It has no special powers, so the foreigner wouldn't be cursed just from doing that.

The Human Realm is not the only world that exists. There are other realms apart from human. The Dragon Realm where the Dragon God rules supreme. The Under Realm, where souls receive torment. The Spirit Realm, where friendly spirits dwell. The Light Realm, where good spirits go to. And then, there's the Demon Realm. There is a power struggle in the Demon Realm right now, and it is about to spill over to the Human Realm. Correction, it has already spilled over.     Blood & Brimstone - Agrat Route 2.0 A dating sim played on your browser, eventually. By Shinieris

“I am Myra of Thantos, who seeks to enter the human realm?”
A beautiful woman in long purple dress appeared from the darkness of the void between worlds.
She had a bluish long hair that reached her bottom and a smile that bordered on a grin.
She had in her hands a 2 meter-long straight staff with a large blue jewel at one end.

“I am the Witch Queen Anastasia. I seek unrestricted passage in the human world.”
A cute girl about the age of 14 in gothic lolita cosplay answered.
She was the Witch Queen Anastasia, one of the 10 Councillors of the Demon Realm.

“What is your purpose, Witch Queen Anastasia?”

“To find the power that will grant me the strength to overthrow the Demon Emperor Samyaza.”

“Very well, you shall be granted access to the human world, but the price will be for your power to be reduced to the level you had when you were 16 years old. Do you accept?”

“16? Isn’t that too much of a handicap? I only started learning magic when I was 12!”

“That is not my problem. The other lords were also given equally harsh penalties. I don’t see why I should be giving you any special treatment, Witch Queen.”

“The other lords?”

“Yup! You’re the last of the demon lords to enter the human world actually. Took your sweet time healing, I bet.”

“Damned it, I’m late! Fine, I’ll accept your penalty. Just let me in immediately!”

“Great! Have a safe trip, you’ll need it. Hihihi.”

Then with a flash, the void world that served as the border between the demon world and the human world disappeared, replaced by a view of the night sky and an unfamiliar town.
It was a small town, with probably around 2,000 homes.
Through research in the demon realm, she knew the town’s name was Twin Lakes, due to the two connecting lakes on other side of the town.
However, that really shouldn’t be her focus right now.

“Uwaaah!!! That damned fake witch! Why am I in the air?!!!”

Quickly she summoned the spirits of wind to carry her up, but...
“Why are they not responding?!!!” Anastasia cried as she crashed into the tiled roof of a random house.

“What the hellllll?!!!”
A woman about 20 years old screamed.
She looked at the hole in her roof and the girl who fell on her butt into her room.

“Owieee...”

“Look here, missy. Don’t you know it’s bad manners to enter another person’s home through the roof? Is this a new form of harrassment? Is it not enough that the boy next door kept making that horrible screeching with his violin? Or how the damned couple in unit 311 kept mating like wild animals for the whole night when I haven’t been getting any for the past half a year? And who’s gonna pay for all the repairs? Plus, I have to deliver my manuscript tomorrow, how will I work with a hole in my ceiling? You better have a quick solu-“

“Sleep.” Anastasia pressed her forefinger against the woman’s forehead.

The woman slapped her hand away before planting her adult foot onto Anastasia’s lovely loli face.
“If you think telling me to go to sleep will make me want to go to sleep, you got another thing coming, little girl. Now tell me your parent’s phone number before I give you a spanking!”

Anastasia used her telekinesis to pull a random item from around the room.

“Guah!” a table lamp smashed against the left side of the woman’s head.

Anastasia used her powers again.

“Buh!” a table fan smashed against the woman’s back.

And she used her powers again and again.

“Gyah!” pencils and pens stabbed the woman’s back.
“Iyaa!” gold fishes from the woman’s aquarium flew and slapped against her face.
“Cooooolddd!!!” ice from the woman’s fridge flew into her clothes.
“Aiya!” a book hit her head from behind.
“Oya!” her laptop hit her head from behind.
“Aita!!!” a laser printer hit her head from behind.

“Kaahhh!!!” a whole desk smashed against the woman’s back, finally ending her torment.
No, the woman only fainted, not dead.
Manga artists are strangely resilient.

“Huff, huff. Scary... humans are surprisingly tough.”
Anastasia said as she left the woman’s home.
“Alright! Let’s go enter a computer!”

Meanwhile, about a half a mile away, in a house by the Eastern Lake...

“Sammy, Sammy, I found her again!” a sweet female voice exclaimed as she kicked the door open.

“Maria, would you please enter like any normal girl?”
A boy who was studying at the desk in that room complained without looking back.
It had become so routine that the boy removed the locking mechanism on his door.
He had gotten tired of having to replace it every few days.

“Oh poo! Opening doors is for wimps. Anyway, I met her again! Virgin Mary! I met her again!”
The 14 year old girl spoke excitedly.

“Why am I not surprised?”
Sammy said as he pushed his math homework aside and turned his swivel chair around.
“So what did you ask for this time?”
He asked as he swept his short brown hair to the left side of his head.

“Magic!”
Her eyes sparkled.

“So what have you burned so far other than the kitchen?”

“Oh you! I’ve told you the fire was an accident. But Virgin Mary didn’t actually give me any magical power.”

“Oh, that’s a shocker. I thought she fulfill all wishes? Are you sure you didn’t meet a fake one?”

“Geez! What do you think I am? I’ve met her four times including this one, you know? She just told me my body isn’t suitable for magic.”

“So what did you ask for instead?”

Maria held out her hand, in her hand was bracelet of some kind.
“I asked for good luck. Here, good luck on your exam next week.”

“That’s strange.”
Sammy took the charm.
“For you to give me a gift... are you sure you’re not sick?”

“You, it’s not like I wanted to do it, you know! Humph!”
Maria turned around and left the room, without bothering to close the door she just kicked open.

======
The Roman Life... it is a revolutionary virtual reality game, created by a local game company and released for free to the areas covering Twin Lakes, South Selkie and Fellows River.
Players may engage in unlimited interaction in an expansive world that covers the whole of Italian Peninsular during the age of the Roman Republic.
As players they may choose to become either a roman, etruscan or barbarian.
After a short tutorial, players are released into a world so expansive and so unlimited in its scope that players may become anything they wish to be.
While some may choose to become part of the Roman Legionaries, a shopkeeper or even a bandit, some others chose to live a quiet life in the countryside as farmers or adventurers.
The possibilities are endless.

Rumours say that a certain figure called the Virgin Mary have made an appearance in the game.
The Virgin Mary supposedly could grant minor wishes if met in the game and that wish will be carried over into real life.
Pegasus Entertainment Inc. the company that made the game denied the rumour and informed the public that they had not programmed a character called ‘The Virgin Mary’.

It is said that an average person has a 40% chance of meeting the Virgin Mary once.
10% chance to meet the Virgin Mary twice.
Anyone who could meet the Virgin Mary thrice would be either extremely lucky or actually lying.
Considering the number of people who have met her, one has to wonder, is she really just a rumour?

The Roman Life is played via a bulky machine which transfers a person’s consciousness into the virtual world.
Because of its high price, the machines can only be accessed at and maintained by a dedication VR center.
It is currently in closed beta.

======

“Good morning.”
Anastasia said to a middle aged woman who was watering her garden.

“Good morning, young lady. I haven’t met you here before, did you just moved in?”
The old lady replied kindly.

“I’m just visiting... umm, would you tell me where I can find a computer?”
Anastasia asked timidly, as she has not been to the human realm ever since her mother took her into the demon realm centuries ago.

“A computer?”
Anastasia nodded.
“Why, a computer shop of course.”
The old lady looked puzzled.

“Where is a computer shop?”
Anastasia asked.
She looked awfully cute asking such naive questions in her gothloli costume.

“Oh my, you must really be new here. Just walk along this road, turn left at the third junction and go straight along Ivy Road. You’ll get to the commercial district eventually. I think Old John’s son runs a computer store there.”

“Thank you very much.”
Anastasia said with a bow.

Once at the computer store...
“Excuse me, I’d like to enter a computer.”
Anastasia asked one of the shop assistant.

“Enter... a computer?”
The shop assistant asked back with a confused expression.

“Yes, I’d like to enter a computer.”
Anastasia nodded cutely.

The shop assistant, a guy in his mid-20s felt like an arrow from Cupid had struck his heart at the girl’s cuteness.
Calm down, calm down, she’s under aged. I’ll go to jail, he thought.
He coughed as he wiped his mind clean of any dirty thoughts towards this exotic-looking girl.
“Do you actually mean you want to buy a computer?”

“No, I don’t want to buy it. I don’t have this world’s money. I just want to enter it.”

This world’s money? Enter a computer? Is she a foreigner and mixed up her vocabulary?
He thought as he tried to understand what she was trying to say.
Is she saying she wants to test it or borrow it?

“I want to play football!”
Anastasia said loudly, as if that magically made everything a whole lot clearer.

“Ohh, if it’s football, you came to the wrong place, sweetie. There’s a football field right next to the school along Wisteria Road. They have girls playing football there too.”

“Can I enter the computer from there?”

“Umm... maybe?”
What’s with this entering computer thing? Is it an internet slang?

“Thank you. I’ll be going now.”
Anastasia bowed and left.

At the football field...
“Good morning! I’d like to play football.”
Anastasia greeted a bunch of girls kicking a ball.

“Oh, sure. Have you ever played before?”
An older girl wearing a stretchy blue shirt with the number ‘1’ sewn on the back and a smaller ‘1’ on the front replied.
‘Thomas’ was sewn above the number ‘1’ on the back of the girl’s shirt.

Anastasia assumed the girl’s name to be ‘Thomas’.
Strange how someone would name their daughter ‘Thomas’. In my days it was a boy’s name.
“No, I’ve never played before. Is that a problem?”
She answered innocently.

“No, no need to worry. We’re all just playing for fun here.”
Then the Thomas girl called another girl who had her hair in twintails.
“Remy, do you want another girl in your team? She never played, by the way.”

“I don’t mind, but... are you really going to play in that?”
Remy asked, referring to Anastasia’s gothic lolita black dress.

“I can’t?”
Anastasia asked innocently.

Remy and ‘Thomas’ looked at each other.
“Oh hell, if you don’t care about it being dirty, more power to you.”
Remy then pointed at the goal post behind ‘Thomas’.
“That is the enemy’s side.”
And Remy pointed at the goal post behind herself.
“That is our side.”

“Hey, hey, who are you calling an enemy?”
‘Thomas’ rebuked.

“Shut it, enemy number one!”
Then to Anastasia, she said,
“The point of the game is to kick the ball into the enemy’s goal post while preventing them from kicking the ball into our own goal post. You can use your head, your chest, your knees or any part of your legs. You must never touch the ball with your hands, okay?”

Anastasia nodded repeatedly.

“Good, my name is Remy, by the way.”
Remy smiled.
“And I’m Melissa, call me Lisa.”
‘Thomas’ added.

“Unn, I’m called Anastasia. Nice to meet you.”

“Anastasia is too long, I’ll just call you Anna. Alright, your position is Left Defense. Steal any balls that come your way and pass it to our team.”

“Our team?”
Anastasia, nicknamed ‘Anna’ tilted her head to the left.

“Hey, Team Remy, make some noise!”
Remy yelled, to the cheer of six girls on the pitch.
“That’s our team. So shall we get back to trashing Lisa's Team?”

Anastasia nodded and followed behind Remy.
“Unn, I’ll do my best to enter the computer!”

About an hour later, the game ended.
Anastasia bungled through the game for the first 10 minutes.
But she quickly learned how to play and from then on she kept stealing balls and passing it to Remy.
She quickly became known as ‘The Devil of Left Field’.
The game ended in overwhelming victory for Team Remy.

“Thanks, Anna. You’ve played well today. Let’s play again next weekend, okay?”
Remy high-fived the confused Anna, whose gothloli dress was covered in dust and pieces of grass and left with the others.
Both Team Remy and Team Lisa waved her goodbye and left the field, leaving Anastasia alone.

Anastasia was still no closer to entering a computer.
Anastasia was having so much fun she forgot to ask them about it.
Anastasia wondered if she had just wasted the whole morning.
Anastasia wondered if she had made a horrible mistake.

 
 

*Thanks for reading. As always, your comments, whether good or bad are very appreciated. Do minimize the bad, though, my heart probably won't be able to take it.
**Watch out for the next chapter of Felicia's Second Life within the next few days.

In this world, there is a balance. When there are too many women, the world changed girls into boys. When there are too many men, the world changed boys into girls. If you are changed before you reached 12, you have 98% chance to emerge as the opposite sex. The closer you are to adulthood, the more dangerous the change becomes. By the time you are 18, 'change' means 100% death. My name is Ahmad Zarif, 16 years old. This is my story, of the longest year in my life. Butterfly Girlfriend Part 1 By Shinieris

My name is Ahmad Zarif bin Amir Hamzah, 16 years old, Form 4 student at the St. Joseph Secondary School. I am a normal guy, with normal desires and normal life. What I am about to tell you is the story of the longest year of my life.

"Zar, you free this evening?" came a voice from my right while I was finishing my mind map at the end of the history class.

I knew who it was without looking, but I looked anyway, just out of habit. Standing there was Arif, also 16 years old, the guy who'd been my friend since kindergarten. He and I had been in the same class for as long as I could remember, except perhaps back in Standard 5 back when we were 11 years old, simply because I found a passion in Playstation and couldn't get good enough exam results because I couldn't put the controller down long enough to study. He had always been my best and closest friend and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"You mean right after school or at dusk?" I asked him.

"Right after school, of course," he said with a smile.

I twirled the marker pen that I used for drawing my mind map, thought about it and shook my head. "Nah, got nothing planned. Why?"

He laughed embarrassedly. "Well, you see, I'm short of 100 bucks."

I knew where that was going. "So... you're looking to borrow 100 bucks from me?"

He grinned. "Naw man, I'm gonna win it from ya!"

I sighed. I knew it would come to this. "Okay, what's the game?"

"Tennis! Best 2 out of 3. I win, you hand over the 100 bucks!" he said as he patted my shoulder.

Let me explain. We're very competitive. Ever since we were children, we've competed in everything. It didn't matter whether it was sports, school or a card game. We always competed and we always made bets. The one who lost the bet, paid the price. I suppose all that competition was what made us the best of our year. Heck, I've been school champion in sprinting for the past 3 years and Arif had been the school champion in swimming since Standard 6, that's 5 years, give or take a few months. Don't even get me started on academics.

"Alright, what if you lose? I get 100 bucks?" I asked.

"Definitely not! I don't have 100 bucks in the first place. If I lose, I'll do your homework for 3 days."

I screwed my face at his bet. "That's not very fair, is it? I mean, I'm putting 100 bucks on the table and you do my homework for a measly 3 days?"

He frowned. "Dude, that's a lot of homework! 3 days is equal value."

"Considering that my brother do part-time work for 8 hours a day and only got paid 30 bucks a day, I very doubt it's equal value. Besides, we have the same homework. You'll just be copying your work into mine anyway. One week or no deal," I negotiated pushing it further.

He bit his lower lip as he considered my bet. I couldn't understand why the girls said it looked adorable on him. He was just the same stupid friend I've had all these time.

"5 days," he relented, "And not a day more."

"Deal!" I offered my hand.

To tell the truth, I am a very lazy person when it comes to doing homework. I mean, it's all fine if you need it, but for someone with perfect memory like me, it's totally pointless.

"Deal!" he shook it right before the door of the classroom opened and the next teacher came in.

He went to his seat and I got on my feet as the class monitor said, "Good morning, teacher," and the rest of the class followed.

Thus I went through another pre-calculus class in my short life.

------

"Come on man, don't you love your 100 bucks? I swear you're not even trying," Arif shouted from the other side of the court as we concluded the first match.

Frankly, I was trying, quite hard in fact. For some reason, tennis was never my strongest arena. I was good enough with badminton, but he dominated in tennis. Right now, my win to lose ratio was 45:51. Maybe my problem was with bouncing the ball.

The second match was mine, but it took all my concentration and stamina to barely beat him. The third one was his and there went my 100 bucks.

"Alright, bitch, pay up!" He held out his hands, grinning in triump.

I took out my wallet and pulled out two sheets of 50s. "Here, don't spend it in one place. What do you need it for, anyway?

"A date," his grin got wider.

Let me give a little background. Form 4 is the year after the national examination PMR, short for Junior-Secondary Assessment. Form 4 is also the year before Form 5, when students take the national examination SPM short for Malaysian Assessment Certificate. Therefore, the one year that students took during Form 4, when there is no major examination is often fondly called the Honeymoon Year. Basically, because you just went through a terrifying experience the year before, and you're looking to relax before working your butt of next year. The difference between Form 4 and Form 1 or 2 is that at 16 years old, you understand your hormones better and you are old enough to appreciate the opposite sex. That's why so many students couple up in Form 4 and break up in Form 5.

"Just don't bother introducing her to me, okay casanova? I doubt you will be together long enough for me to remember her name," I told him.

"You already know her, stupid. She's Fiora in 4 Cempaka."

My mouth gaped. "What the hell? She confessed to me last month!"

"Tsk tsk, too bad. She confessed to me earlier this week. I ain't gonna let that beauty go when she handed herself to me on a silver platter. Your loss, my dear friend, why did you reject her in the first place?" he said as he patted my back as if to reassure me.

"I wasn't interested," I mumbled.

"Weelll, I'm interested. So I'm taking her on a date. No hard feelings okay?"

"Sure, go have fun. I'll be at home playing Final Fantasy 8 if you need me or anything."

He grinned, then he jiggled a bunch of keys and ran off. "Awesome! Thanks for the bike."

My hands flew to my pants pockets and I shouted at his back the moment it hit me, "Hey! When did I say I'm letting you borrow my bike?"

------

"Hey Zarif, thanks for helping me out with modern math yesterday. I swear they keep getting harder and harder," one of my friends said suddenly the next week.

"Don't mention it, was happy to help. By the way, I heard your little brother got 'The Illness'. How's he doing?" I asked as I looked around at my schoolmates who was packing their bags to head home at the end of the day.

"He's been inside the cocoon for the whole week and it worries the hell out of my ma and pa. But the doctor said the risk is minimal, you see, because at his age, 'The Illness' has little risk of being fatal. He may change a little but I'm sure our family can handle it. I'm just worried how he'll take to being a girl and such," he replied with a sad smile on his lips.

'The Illness' or 'The Change' or 'Metamorphosis' as some people call it, was a phenomenon that started about 60 years ago. Experts concluded that whenever the balance of males and females go out of whack, the world will somehow compensate by turning males into females and females into males. The years following the Vietnam War and the Korean War saw many girls entering cocoons and emerging as boys. When it was leaked that the possible reason for 'The Illness' was an unbalance of male and female in the world, people all over the world picketed for the end of wars and urged for peaceful solutions to conflicts. The governments on the other hand responded by removing restrictions on women in the armed services so even if there was a war, the number of men and women casualties would be about equal.

For some reason, up to a certain age, both men and women become immune to 'The Illness', so adults can't 'Change'. The ones who are changed are mostly children at around 8 to 12 years old. There were also cases where teenagers at 18 years old changed, but such changes were always fatal. The oldest to change was an 18 year old girl, and she died two months after. 98% of children under 12 years old that 'changed' suffered no such risk and they often lived a long and fulfilling life.

"What about you? You're sure you'll be alright, Im?" I asked him.

He scratched his head. "Yeah, well, it's going to be tough, what with him suddenly becoming a girl and such. But no matter what gender he is, he's my little brother-sister and if anyone bullies him because of 'The Change', I'm gonna beat them up with these fists of mine."

I laughed. "Don't be too rough. Don't want to see you going to juvi."

"Haha, no way. I'm too smart for that. Anyway, the next time you see him, you'll have to call him Aliyah. Ali won't cut it anymore."

"Well, tell me when he finally punched out of the cocoon. I'll be sure to visit," I said giving him a smile.

"Yeah, thanks man. See you tomorrow," he said as he took his bag and went out of the classroom.

I went back to drawing my mind maps when I got the chills from someone blowing into my ear. I turned around and saw Arif grinning at me. "Hey, stop that. That was creepy, man. God, I got chills from that short indecent act."

"You my friend, needs to chill out and stop being so uptight. You're nice to guys and you give the girls the cold shoulder any longer, people will think you're gay," he said as he patted my head.

I went back to my mind maps. "You know I'm not gay, Arif. I'm just... I can't get along with girls."

He suddenly crossed the short distance to the other side of my desk and squatted with his chin on the desk. "You're a growing boy. You need to get a girlfriend to get you out of your pre-pubescent mindset. What will you do if I suddenly die or something?"

"Please, you won't die even if you got killed. Remember that time you got hit by a car?" I said as I drew another mindmap bubble, labelling it '1511' with a red marker.

He cackled at the memory. "Oh yeah, I can still remember that guy's face when I got up, all bloody and all and chased him across the carpark."

I nodded and let out a chuckle. "That was a riot, yup."

"Well anyway, you remember Fiora?"

"How could I not? She switched to you two weeks after confessing to me," I said as I put the finishing touches on my history mindmap.

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that, you rejected her, remember? Well anyway, she got this friend, a girl if you're wondering, who's very interested in you," he said as he studied my face.

I tidied up my desk and packed my books preparing to go home. "You know I don't do dates, Arif. Besides, I got much better things to do this evening."

"Playing Final Fantasy 8 is not-" he smashed his hand on the front pocket of my school bag with a squishy sound. He looked at his hand and the pocket. "What did I just smashed?"

"The sushi that I forgot to eat at break-time."

He unzipped the front pocket, took out the package of home-made sushi and ate one. "Still good. Can I have it?"

I looked at him chewing the bite-sized home-made sushi and said, "You asked me this after already eating one. Just take the whole damned thing."

"Cool, so let's go home. Unless you want to stay here until tomorrow?" he said as he grabbed his bag.

"Relax, you're always so pushy," I said as I grabbed my bag and we walked out the classroom together.

------

"..." I thought.

"..." I wondered.

"..." It was a question that really bugged me.

"Why are you making that face, Zar?" Arif asked as he turned the corner to the house of the girl who was supposed to be my date.

"It's really bugging me, how did you convince your very strict mother to lend you her car? For a date no less?" I asked as I looked at him.

"I asked, of course."

Enough to say that I didn't believe that for a second. "You asked her if you could borrow her car for a date?"

"Well, not exactly," he answered evasively.

"What exactly did you say to her, Arif?"

"I asked her for her car key."

"And she just gave it to you?"

"No way! You know my mother. I told her I'm sending it to the car wash."

"She bought it?"

"Of course not, she's not stupid. But you know my mother, as long as a promise is fulfilled, she won't sweat the small details. I just need to send it to the car wash later."

"Actually I don't think I know her that well now."

"Oh let's not worry about that. We're here," he cut off the engine, "Come, let's go."

"To where?"

"To meet your date's mother. It's common courtesy. Now come on."

"Just great," I muttered under my breath.

We were at the shopping mall an hour later. He was walking in front with Fiora, and I was walking next to this shy girl who told me call her Sara. I looked at her, she was a petite girl, the top of her head reaching only my neck and she wore her hair short that framed her roundish face. From what her mother said earlier she was a year younger and would be facing her PMR examination soon. So her mother told us to not get serious until she was done with it. Then our eyes met and we both looked away at the same time. It was a fine deal with me. I couldn't handle girls even if my life depended on it.

Fiora dragged us into a girl's accessories shop and I could see for the first time Sara being a little less shy and a lot more excited about the date. They both matched bracelets, necklaces and earrings and asked for our opinions. Sara was still shy, but despite the blush in her cheeks, she managed to asked me which earrings or bracelets would look good on her.

"They're both good," I told her as I looked away, which earned me a smacked on the back of my head.

"What the hell, man?" I asked Arif.

"Help her make her mind, man. Geez, you are so clueless. Girls like guys who are decisive. So go and make a decision!" he said as he pushed me towards her.

I staggered a few steps towards Sara. As I stood awkwardly behind her, I whispered, "I think the blue one suits your eyes better."

She turned towards me. "Really? I'll take this one then," she said as she went to the cashier. She looked visibly happier, in her shy way.

I got another smack on the back of my head.

"Dude, stop that!" I said to Arif.

"Pay!" he said.

"Excuse me?"

"Pay for her!" he added.

I refused. "Why? I'm not gonna wear it. Besides you're not paying for Fiora's purchase."

"This is our 4th date, so there's no expectations. The first dates are special. Go make this an unforgettable experience for her," he said as he pushed me again.

I walked reluctantly towards the cashier. While Sara was looking for the money inside her handbag, I took out my wallet and handed the cashier 5 bucks. Sara looked very embarrassed and tried to ask the cashier to not take the money.

I told her, "This one's on me. I would love to see you wear it someday."

She blushed and looked down to the floor.

Suddenly somebody slapped my back. I thought it was Arif again, but instead...

"Wow, I didn't know you had it in you, Zarif!" It was Fiora.

Suddenly I got chills from her touch.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Fiora asked.

"It... it's... nuh... nuthing... wrong," I stuttered.

"Are you okay, Arif?" she asked again.

"Arif?" I turned around. "What's wrong with Arif?"

Arif looked pale and he looked unsteady on his feet. "No, I'm okay. Just disorientation, I guess. It's nothing, really," then he looked at me and pointed, "I can still beat you at basketball with my hands tied, Zar."

"Dude, you can't play basketball with your hands tied."

"Anyway, I'm fine. Let's go eat."

"You're sure you okay, Arif?" I asked as we walked back to the car.

"I've told you. I'm fine!" he said as whispered something to Fiora which made her giggle.

I thought he was just as he said he was. So I let it go. I should've known something wasn't right. He looked pale, that was the first indication. His legs were unsteady, that was the second indication. He leaned a little heavily on Fiora, which was the third indication.

When we arrived at the car, he simply collapsed. No word, no sound, his legs simply gave out and he collapsed. The only reason he didn't fall flat on his face was because Fiora had her arms hooked around his left, but even Fiora was dragged down by his weight.

"Arif, what's wrong?" she asked my unconcious friend.

"Arif! Arif!" I turned him around and slapped his face.

A man who passed by us knelt next to us and offered to help bring Arif to the car. Together with him, we carried Arif to the back seat where we laid him down and tried all kinds of ways to wake him up. We wiped his face with waters, we fed him water and we slapped his face, but nothing worked.

"What's wrong with him?" Fiora asked as she started to panic.

"We need to get him to a hospital. Do you know if his family has any prefered hospital?" the man asked me.

"No, not that I know of."

"Then we'll go with SJMC," the man said as he opened the door on the other side and pulled Arif to let his legs in.

I pushed Arif's leg in as I closed the door, then I realized something, "But I can't drive! Arif was the one who drove us here."

"Then I'll drive!" he said as he threw his keys to his wife and told her girls to ride with her, then once he backed the car out of the parking box, he shouted to his wife, "Hani, we're taking them to SJMC!"

My mind was playing scenario after scenario of what happened and what would happen while on the way to the hospital. Arif had always been a healthy boy, the healthiest I knew. He would recover from colds without even needing to take medications and he could win a swimming competition even if he had a fever. In my mind I imagined lots of things that could go wrong.

God, please let him be okay.

------

It had been three weeks ever since that day. I contacted his mother the moment we got to the hospital and she came soon after with his father. I told them what happened and I told them I was sorry. Then they told me that it wasn't my fault. It made me glad when they said it, but I was shocked when they told me that he had been feeling unwell for days before that.

Arif, apparently had been running into tables, chairs and walls. At first they thought he was starting to suffer short-sightedness. But then he would lose his grip on things he was holding and he would suddenly lose his balance for apparently no reason. They wanted to send him for a checkup, but the soonest they could have it was only the following Thursday. It was apparently three days too late for Arif.

I went to their house the next day, and the day after that, as well as the day after that. It didn't appear as if their family was at home. I went again, with Fiora the next Monday, but they were still out. I even went back to the hospital SJMC, but the receptionists told me that he was moved to another hospital. I asked them where, but they couldn't tell me, unless I was a family member. I was stricken with grief, not knowing what happened, whether he was still alive or not. This was my best friend, my best friend since we were little children. And I was helpless to do anything.

"Arif's been skipping school for two weeks now. What happened to him?" a boy in my class asked another.

"Don't know. Heard he had some illness or something," the other boy said.

"What did his best friend say?" another boy asked.

"Shh, just look at him. He's been like that since Arif stopped coming to school. You want to be the one who asked?" the second boy said.

I guess he was probably referring to the time when I punched a boy for saying that Arif was so lucky to be able to skip school for so long.

When the bell rang signifying the end of school, I picked my bag and left without saying a word to anyone. Both Sara and Fiora had been chatting about it on yahoo messenger at night, but I guess I wasn't a very good listener or speaker, because Fiora would cry and Sara would try to comfort her.

I rode my bike home. I must have blanked out because the next thing I knew, I was riding in front of his house and I stopped my bike so suddenly, I made a skidmark in front of his gate. Both of his parent's car was in the driveway. I turned off the bike, left if in front of the gate and I walked in. My feet stopped in front of the door, and I knocked. It started slow, as I was unsure of myself. I wanted to know, I wanted to hear some news, any news of what happened to Arif. But I was afraid, what if it was a terribly bad news, what if I could never see Arif, my best friend again. The fear made me frantic, that my tears flowed and I knocked the front door with all the strength I could muster. Then the door opened.

"Ararara, it's been so long since we've seen each other. And suddenly you're here trying to smash down my front door, Zar?" the person said. The tone was like Arif, but the voice...

"Wait, are you crying, Zar? Hold there, I'm gonna have to get my camera."

"Arif?" I raised my head, but the person in front of me was...

"The one and only! Oh wait, I guess I can't be called Arif anymore. Just call me Arifah. Sounds cute, don't you agree?"

In front of me stood, Arif with his usual grin, but this was not Arif. This long hair, this curvy body and and the voice...

"A girl?!!!"

"Right-o! I think I'll be going to school starting tomorrow," this beauty in front of me said with a smile.

My name is Ahmad Zarif, 16 years old. And this is the longest year of my life.

*As always, feedbacks and comments are always appreciated. Praises helps me write faster and constructive criticisms helps me write better. Thanks in advance.

In this world, there is a balance. When there are too many women, the world changes girls into boys. When there are too many men, the world changes boys into girls. If you are changed before you reached 12, you have 98% chance to emerge as the opposite sex. The closer you are to adulthood, the more dangerous the change becomes. By the time you are 18, 'change' means 100% death. Due to the change, my dear friend Arif is now Arifah. She now returns to school as a girl, determined to enjoy everything about school life, this time as a girl. My name is Ahmad Zarif, 16 years old. This is my story, of the longest year of my life. Butterfly Girlfriend Part 2 By Shinieris

"Stand up!" the class monitor cried as the homeroom teacher entered.

"Good morning, teacher!" the class monitor greeted followed by a chorus of lazy, uncoordinated and some gibberish noises from the rest of the class.

"Good morning, class. Please sit down," the teacher, Mr. Azmi said to the class, then he gestured for someone outside to enter, "Class, I'd like to reintroduce you to a returning student."

Then a girl entered, and everyone's eyes were riveted to her long, lean legs that weren't covered by her knee-length red school skirt. Then they looked upward, and marvelled at the smoothness of her tummy and the shape of her butt, before looking further up and salivated at her big shapely breasts that was straining to burst from her tight white shirt, with a necktie that seemed to emphasize the valley between her breasts. When their eyes finally reached her face, she giggled and brushed her long hair aside showing more of her pretty face and big breasts. If this was a hollywood chick flick, this would all appear as if it was in slow motion with a corny sound effect along the lines of 'ooh la la' or something like that.

Then Mr. Azmi cut the show short. "Arifah, stop posing like a fashion idol. You're in school, act like a schoolgirl!"

I sighed. My friend Arif, now Arifah, was always the center of attention. When he was a guy, as Arif, he was shameless, and that was the only thing I couldn't compete in. As Arifah, he seemed to be even more shameless.

"God, she's hot," I heard one of the boys say.

"I wanna date her," said another guy in front of me.

"Aww," Arifah pouted, as she looked at Mr. Azmi, "Can't I have a little fun?"

"No!" Mr. Azmi said as he sat down on his chair in front of the class, "Now go ahead and reintroduce yourself to the class so we that can proceed with doing what we're here for."

"She sounds sexy!" another guy remarked.

"I want to hear her saying 'I love you' to me through the phone," another guy said.

"Or through a webcam," another guy said.

"Ohhhh, webcam..." I heard several guys said at the same time. I looked, and they were already in their own world.

"Hey everyone! I'm Arifah! Nice to meet you all again. It's been so long! I miss you guys," she said giddily, with all the bounce and expressions of a japanese pop idol.

"She seems to know us," one of the girls said.

"Do we know her?" another girl replied.

"I personally don't remember her," another girl said.

"I know you from my dreams," said one of the boys. He was salivating.

I sighed. It was painful seeing my classmates like this. I felt like I should say something, but knowing Arif, now Arifah, she would want to do what would come next by herself. Not because she had a sense of responsibility, but because she was a sadistic bitch who enjoyed all the pleasures of life.

"Oh, I forgot to mention!" she clapped her hands together, with all the bounce of her schoolskirt-clad butt, "You all used to know me as Arif Bin Mohamad Zafri. Well, I'm now Arifah Binti Mohamad Zafri. Please take -very- good care of me," she said with a wink.

A little explanation, the difference between 'Bin' and 'Binti' is the gender it's used on. Arifah Binti Mohamad Zafri means 'Arifah, the daughter of Mohamad Zafri'. It's similar to the Jewish use of 'Ben' and 'Bat', because 'Bin' and 'Binti' was derived from it's Arabic origin.

There was a long silence as everyone in the class tried to digest her words. A minute later, the class was in an uproar with the boys screaming, "EHHHH!!!!" while the girls screamed, "NOOOO!!!!!" I saw some of the boys died inside that day, with their souls leaving their body like smoke. Arifah, blessed be her sadistic soul, giggled and grinned in satisfaction.

The teacher rubbed his head as he turned to Arifah, "I regret asking you to introduce yourself. Just go to your seat."

Arifah giggled as she made exaggerated movements with her heels and hips. As she made her way to the end of the row, where her desk remained next to mine, she made an effort to touch every single boys face or head with her long, manicured fingers. I saw several more boys died and became zombies that way.

When she arrived next to me, she leaned over and whispered, "Hey handsome, that was rude running away from me yesterday. I wonder if you're looking to be punished." Without waiting for my answer, she plopped down on her seat and placed her school bag right next to her chair.

As we went through the day's lessons, she would catch some of our classmates giving her a glance, and she would always wave at them with just her fingers. On the other hand, I myself noticed several glares pointed at me, and I couldn't help but sweat and cower behind my desk. This was going to be a long day.

------

The school bell rang signifying break-time. As was my habit, I would spend the end of the classes drawing mindmaps to help me memorize the lessons. Today, I was in a hurry and tried to finish my mindmaps as soon as possible. I should've just left it at that and ran at the very first opportunity, because seconds after I finished the mindmap and pushed my chair back, I felt fingers carressing the back of my head before closing to grab my hair.

"That was very rude of you yesterday. Now explain why you just bolted from my house like you saw a flesh-eating zombie," Arifah whispered into my left ear.

"Th-th-I-wa-was..." I stuttered.

"Cheh," she let go of my hair and proceeded to sit on my desk with her legs spread. "I may need to do something about your girl-phobia."

"Panties! Panties!" I said looking at her revealed panties.

"Huh?" she looked down and quickly pushed her skirt down while closing her legs at the same time. She had the sense to feel embarrassed as her cheeks reddened. But then she grinned at me and said, "Don't fall for me now!"

"A-as if!" I stuttered as I got up from my chair and headed off to the school canteen, with Arifah in tow.

I turned around as I walked backwards. "Why are you following me?"

"In case you don't know yet, my dear old friend, girls need to eat too. Besides, I've always wanted to go into the girl's queue. I'm tired of being pushed while waiting in queue."

------

"Not done yet? It's time to go home," whispered a feminine voice into my left ear making me jump from my seat.

"S-Stop that! It's creepy!" I said to Arifah as I put some distance from her. It had been 4 days since she came back to school and I still couldn't get used to her overly friendly way of talking.

"Really?" she said as she turned to the boy sitting in front of her, whispering into his ear loud enough for me to hear, "San, am I creepy?"

The boy in front of her froze and stammered a response, "N-no, you're-you're..."

"See?" she turned back to me, "He thinks I'm me. Come on, don't be so shy. It's just me."

She placed her hand on my arm, the arm which I pulled back quickly and abruptly, that she was left touching the wood of the desk. Then she looked at me, her lips forming an evil grin as her eyes sparkle in malice. I didn't like the look of this. Without warning, her hands flew to grab mine, to which I barely dodged. She made another attack on my hands, to which I dodged to the left. She attacked me again and I dodged to the right. Then I backed away from her. She moved forward, and I continued to move backward. Finally, as if bored of the fruitless chase, she quickened her pace and I turned around and ran out of the class at full speed. When I turned around to look, I saw her close at my heels, and I sped up even more, to which she also responded by speeding up.

"Don't run in the hallway!" Mrs. Salmah, the teacher in charge of girl's discipline yelled.

"Sorry!" both Arifah and I chorused.

"You, catch them!" she ordered one of the Form 4 school prefects.

"Me? Are you freaking kidding me? They're school champions!" he argued, but sprinted after us anyway.

I weaved through the hallways, corridors and school blocks as I tried to escape from Arifah. I looked around and she was still on my heels, with that evil grin on her face. The prefect meanwhile had surrendered and collapsed 2 minutes after the chase. So now, there was only us, running around, jumping ledges, threading ropes, avoiding other people, climbing walls and jumping staircases until I made a mistake and ran into a dead end.

"Hahahaha, end of the line," she laughed as she advanced, "Now be a good boy and surrender yourself."

I looked out the window behind me, noting that I would break my legs if I jumped out from there. I looked to the right and left, tested the doors, and was dismayed to find that they were all locked. I looked at the advancing Arifah, and was filled with a feeling of dread. Then I noticed one of the doors that led to a barely used and never locked staircase was slightly parted. So I made my pokerface, the ones I would normally make when we competed in basketball and prepared to play ball and planned my strategies.

I crouched low, legs spread and eyes scanning every detail in front of me. Arifah, being my rival for years, knew I wasn't giving up, and she was extra alert with my movements. That was exactly what I was hoping for, as long as she focused on my movements, she would be helpless when this Starcraft champion strategist make sudden on-the-spot decision.

"Gonna make a break for it, then? Come to momma, bitch," she said as she spread her legs a little, waiting to catch me when I make my move. Then as if impatient, she gestured me to come to her.

I backed up a few steps until my back touched the wall, then I placed one foot on the wall for leverage. We looked at each other's eyes, trying to gauge each other's moves and strategies. Then without warning, I pushed my leg back against the wall and sprinted to Arifah's left. Arifah to her credit, made little movements, keeping herself ready in case it was a feint. When she noticed that my movements were too fast to be a feint, she cracked a smile and moved her whole body to the left, attempting to catch me as I ran past her. She didn't know I had a plan.

"Panties!" I cried as I ran past her.

"Eek!" she cried as her hands went back to push her skirt down. Then she realized that there was nothing wrong with her skirt and she turned around to give chase, "That was low, damned you!" she yelled at my back.

I was almost at the door when she grabbed my shoulder from behind making me lose balance, while causing me to fly in the air legs first and fall flat on my back, skidding a little after passing through the door. "Oww," I whined just as Arifah came, closed the door and then she made my stomache her meat seat.

"That... wasn't... very... nice," Arifah said breathlessly.

Frankly, I was very exhausted too. Thinking back, we must have ran a mile through the school grounds. Adrenaline works in mysterious ways. Then again, I forgot that while I could maintain high speeds longer, Arif was always the one who could go from 0 to 3km/h in the shortest of time. No wonder he could catch me.

"We need to do something about your girl-phobia," she remarked as she tried to catch her breath.

"Mind... your own... business," I said while also trying to catch my breath.

"I mean, come on, that thing happened like 7 years ago. I doubt she even remembers you," she said as she supported herself with one hand on my chest.

"Don't remind me," I said as looked at the ceiling.

"I mean, you were rejected once. Granted, everyone in class knew about your confession and bullied you for being rejected. But that's a long time ago. Heck, I've been rejected so many times, I lost-"

"I said don't remind me."

"Well I think you're a great person. If she meets you now, she will definitely regret rejecting you last time. It's time to move on, my dear friend," she said as she watched my face.

"I'll move on when I graduate from school," I said noncommittally.

"That won't do!" she said as she bumped my chest, "Don't you want to have a proper girlfriend? Now that I'm like this, we can't go out on double dates anymore, so I can't help you with your dates."

"Too much trouble," I replied.

"You!" she turned her body around facing my head, with her legs on both sides of my stomache, "I'm gonna fix your issues right now!" Then almost as if she suddenly remembered, she fixed her knee-length skirt so that I wouldn't be able to see her panties.

"Please don't bother," I said while starting to feel her weight on my stomache.

She glared at me. "You're starting to piss me off. Touch me!"

"Pardon?"

"I said touch me. Anywhere you like," she said as her lips formed a sweet smile which may turn into an evil grin sometime soon.

"Excuse me!!!?"

"Touch... me! Do you need me to spell it for you?"

"No th-thanks," I stuttered as I finally noticed that there was a gorgeous school girl sitting on my stomache. A gorgeous school girl whose breasts were just a little way above my eyes.

"Hmm, you know, any boy would jump for a chance to have a beautiful girl, like me, tell him he can touch me anywhere he want. It's every boy's wet dream, you know. Come to think of it, I'm every boy's wet dream. So don't be so shy, it's just me!" she said as she grabbed my hands and guided it to cup her soft, pillowy butt.

"Now this here is a girl's butt. Go ahead, squeeze, feel how soft it is," she said, to which I was too frozen to do anything, causing her to guide my hands to squeeze it herself.

Then she pulled my hands and guided it to her waist. "This is a girl's waist. Feel how small it is compared to when I was a boy?"

I could feel the blood rushing to my face.

"Now..." she guided my hands upward, carressing her body until it rested on her big school girl breasts, "This here are a girl's breasts. It's 34C, you see. Feel how-"

My vision went dark.

"Damn, he fainted. Shouldn't have teased him so much," I heard her say before I completely blacked out.

When I came around, she had moved down from my stomache and now sitting on my thighs as she played with her handphone.

"Oh there you are. Was starting to wonder if you died or something. Bet it would be nice, dying after touching a girl's breasts. But you know what would be nicer? Dying while having sex," she grinned.

"How long was I out?" I asked as I got up with her still sitting on my thighs.

"Half an hour, give or take 5 minutes or so. I'm seriously gonna be late for my violin lesson. Mom suddenly thought that as a girl, I need to be able to play either piano, violin or flute. I told her I already knew how to play a guitar, but she said it's coarse and not lady-like, whatever that means."

"You could go back yourself," I stated while my brain was still addled from the sudden rush of blood half an hour ago.

"No transport," she stated, still playing with her phone.

"Take a bus," I suggested.

"You would have all those boys watch my cute butt, long legs and big breasts with their perverted eyes. Or let them have the opportunity to brush against my untouched body while the bus moved?" she said as she looked at me with made-up tears.

God, she's cute.

"You just made me touch you everywhere," I stated.

"Yes, well, you're different. We go way back. Besides, busses are unreliable," she said.

"Can you get off me now?" I said as I started to lose feeling in my legs.

"Tell you what," she turned her face towards me as she snapped close her handphone, "I challenge you!"

"What?"

"If you can touch me without flinching or blushing, you win. I'll do whatever you wish."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Don't tempt me like that. You're not a guy anymore, what if I asked for 'that'?"

"If that's what you want, maybe I won't mind. I know you watched those p-movies and h-toons. So I know you have the urge."

"H-how did you know?"

"I saw your browsing history and I copied your torrent folder into my external hard disk."

I was suddenly depressed. "What if I lose?"

"Oh course if you lose, you will do whatever I wish."

"Don't look down on me. I can at least do this," I said as my arm circled her waist, her face close to mine.

Within a minute, I started to break into cold sweat and and my eyes started to blur.

"Oi, don't go passing out on me again," she said right before my vision darkened and my body fell back to the floor.

------

"You really need to get used to me. I didn't go to violin class because you kept passing out yesterday. Do you know how much damage my ears suffered from being scolded by mom? If she was speaking japanese, I would be able to call it kanji poisoning, that would at least be funny," Arifah said as she sat on my desk during lunch-break.

At that time, I had just finished my bento, of which half was stolen by Arifah. Bento is a boxed lunch, but many young Malaysians are calling it bento which is japanese, due to the popularity of manga and anime in Malaysia. Arifah really seemed to like my bento, even back when she was Arif.

I put the bento box into my bag and stood up to wash my hands in the nearby toilet sink. In the malay culture, whether or not you use utensils such as fork and spoon or chopsticks to eat your meal, it's customary to wash your hands before and after your meal. Arifah didn't seem to follow this particular custom. Even back when she was Arif, she would pick up the pieces she liked, without washing her hands, and just lick her fingers after she's done. As Arif, it looked disgusting, but as Arifah, it looked so enticingly erotic.

"Well, you could just go back by yourself. Maybe hitch a ride with some of the girls if you don't like the bus. Besides, what were you doing sitting on me yesterday?" I asked when I got back.

"Girls have to take care of appearances, you know. I couldn't sit on the floor, it was very dusty. I doubt it's been cleaned for months," she said while reading one of my chemistry mindmaps.

"This coming from the girl who flirts with every guy in class and flashes her panties to everyone," I stated.

"I did NOT do that!" she exclaimed as she slammed my book onto the desk, "Yes, true, I did flirt with every boy in class, but only because it's funny. And I didn't flash my panties to anyone, the only person I showed my panties to was... you," she said as she had the decency to blush.

"You're trying to say that the only person you flash your panties to was me?"

"I did NOT flash my panties at you!" she said, startling the students walking past our class, "Look, is this in anyway important? Ah!" she looked at me, "Are you still uncomfortable around me?"

"No, what makes you think that?" I leaned against the wall behind me.

"What's with the distance then?" she asked, referring to the 4 meter-long space between me and her.

"Nuh-nothing. I just wanted to lean on the wall," I replied.

"Uh-huh?" she came closer to me, which caused me to sidle sideways along the wall.

Then her eyes sparkled and she rushed to grab me, which caused me to dodge to the left, then she rushed my left, to which I dodged to the right again, the to the left again, before I skipped backwards, painfully hitting the lockers at the rear of the class with my legs outstretched. Arifah in her eagerness to grab me didn't notice my outstretched legs and tripped over one, putting her on a crash course towards the wooden shoe lockers.

"Arifah!" I shouted as my hand stretched to grab her arms while pushing myself towards her.

The sudden movements made me lose my own footing and although I did manage to catch her, we were falling to the floor before any of us could do anything about it. We fell with me flat on my back, while Arifah fell on top of me, her arms still in my hands. We moaned in pain at the same time as I felt like my spine was broken into many pieces. When I opened my eyes, Arifah was lying on top of me, her eyes looking into mine. And her lips, so red, parted slightly, as if begging for a kiss. For awhile there, the world stood still as we breathed in each other's breath, looked into each other's eyes as our noses nuzzled each other. I was made conscious of her shampoo, and her perfume, and it smelled like the sweetest things in the world. I felt like I wanted us to stay like this forever.

That was before I heard a sound above me. Both Arifah and I looked up at the same time and saw one of our classmates, a girl named Suraya, holding her phone up to take our pictures. Our minds froze with my hands on Arifah's waist and her hands on my chest.

"Pret-ty bold, you two. I think this is the first time in school history that students dared to have sex in the classroom during lunch-break. This will look so good in the yearbook," she giggled as she typed some stuff into her phone.

Arifah quickly got up from me and dashed towards Suraya. It was a bit of a struggle, but Arifah quickly managed to steal Suraya's phone and threw it out of the open window. So powerful was her throw that we couldn't see it anymore beyond the window.

Suraya was speechless for a minute. "I know it's a cheap phone, but you didn't have to throw it away like that," Suraya said to the still panting Arifah.

"I'll buy you a new one," I promised.

"Oh that's so nice of you. See Arifah, you should be nicer like your boyfriend," she said.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Really? From where I stood while taking 4-5 pictures before you realized I was here, you both looked very tight!" she giggled as she made kissing noises.

Arifah blushed red like a lobster, "You have no proof! Even if you found the phone it should have already been smashed to pieces from the fall."

"Oh you let me worry about that. I already mailed it to myself before you grabbed my phone."

"YOU WHAT?!" both Arifah and I yelled at the same time

"Don't worry, I can keep quiet if you want," she winked, "Of course, you'll both owe me."

Arifah turned around and walked out of the classroom through the back door.

"Now where'd you be going?" Suraya asked.

"Washroom!" Arifah said before she stopped and turned to look at me, "You know, that doesn't count!"

"What doesn't count?" Suraya asked.

"Don't bother," I replied.

Regardless, Arifah still rode on my bike at the end of the day. I was still very uncomfortable having a beautiful girl wrapping her arms around me. We had a very silent ride home.

------

We spent the rest of the next day not speaking to each other. During lunch, I left my mindmaps still unfinished and took the most crowded table during lunch. Arifah threw many small, balled up papers to my desk, but I took no notice. I knew Arifah was looking at me through the corner of my eyes. I ignored her, because I was still embarrassed about yesterday.

At the end of the school day, Suraya ushered everyone to leave quickly. Then, giving me a wink, she left as well, leaving only Arifah and I inside the classroom. I wanted to bolt, but I knew Arifah had no transport home, so I stayed behind waiting for her. I hoped that the others weren't so eager to leave, though.

"Zar, how about a challenge?" Arifah asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Anything you want. Football, basketbal, badminton, sprint or swimming. I don't mind," she said as she looked at me with a sad face.

"I don't think... what is this about?" I asked.

"I need a reason to challenge you? Since when do we need a reason to challenge each other?" she asked.

"I... well. It's just-"

"I see. You don't think I'm much of a rival now, do you? Because I become a girl, I don't have the strength and muscles to beat you in sports. I'm just a weak girl to you, aren't I? There's no point in challenging a weak girl," she said that last sentence with a sob, before she grabbed her bag and turned to leave.

"Wait, Arifah..." I grabbed her arm.

Without turning back, she sobbed, "Let go, I'll go back on my own today, you don't need to send me home."

"Arifah, what's this about?" I asked pulling her to me.

"You know how hard it was to cope with this?" she fell to her knees, "I didn't ask to be weak! I didn't ask to be this emotional. I didn't ask be a girl!"

She sobbed, her face wet with tears. I got down on my knees and caressed the back of her head. I wanted to say something, to comfort her in anyway I could, but I didn't know what to say. I was afraid that anything I said would make her even more sad than she already was.

"But you know what hurts the most?" she looked at me with face wet with tears, "You!"

"Me?" I asked.

"Yes you! I could've coped with everything. All the jeers, all the insults, all the bullying-"

"Wait, people bullied you? Who? Tell me, Arifah!"

"Quiet you! Don't interrupt! I could've dealt with everything. I'm weaker, so fine, I will beat you in academics. I'm more emotional, fine, I'll just learn how to deal with it." she said.

"But you! You hurt me the most. I thought no matter what, my best friend would be here for me. But all you see of me is nothing more than a pest. You ignored me, distanced yourself from me. If I don't talk to you, you wouldn't even say a word to me. Do you know how much it hurts? To be alone, where my own best friend ignored me?" she sobbed even more.

"Arifah..." I carressed the back of her head as I pulled her to rest her head on my chest, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way."

"If only you would be more alert to my needs. I wouldn't be this - oh god, what am I doing?" she looked at my shirt that was wet with her tears.

"What? What do you mean?" I asked before she pushed my head upward by my chin.

"Don't look! Don't look! You damned bastard! This is all your fault!"

Twenty minutes later, after Arifah had washed her face of her tears, we set out on our way home.

"Why are we walking?" Arifah asked.

"My bike wouldn't start this morning."

"So how'd you come to school?" Arifah asked again.

"My father sent me. I do have a father, in case you don't know."

"Oh poo. I was just asking." Arifah said, as her fingers tightened around mine.

"We can call a taxi," I suggested.

"I'm not going to let you pay for our fare. We're just going home. Besides, Malaysian taxi always overcharge," she whispered.

"I was... thinking that we could split the fare, like, you know, in the middle?" I clarified.

"Would work, if I have money. A bus would've been a lot cheaper," she replied.

"Come to think of it, why didn't we take a bus just now?"

"Would you like to show our friends that we're holding hands now?" she stated as she raised our locked hands.

"Right," I said, "Maybe you should let go of my hands then."

"You're the one who should let go. You're the one holding my hand," Arifah argued.

"No, you're the one who should let go," I said, to which I felt her squeeze my hand.

"No, you should let go," Arifah said.

"I'm not the one holding your hand. Let go," I asked.

"No, you should let go. Why are you holding my hand anyway, are you bent?" she asked without any malicious tone.

"No, I'm not gay. You're a girl now," I reasoned

"Oh right. So it's okay then?"

"I suppose. You can let go of my hand now if you want," I suggested.

"No, YOU let go!"

*As usual, please leave your comments and feedbacks. Praises help me write faster and constructive criticisms help me write better.

In this world, there is a balance. When there are too many women, the world changes girls into boys. When there are too many men, the world changes boys into girls. If you are changed before you reached 12, you have 98% chance to emerge as the opposite sex. The closer you are to adulthood, the more dangerous the change becomes. By the time you are 18, 'change' means 100% death. My name was Arif bin Mohamad Zafri. This is the story of the worst, most annoying year of my life. Butterfly Girlfriend Part 2.5 By Shinieris

My name was Arif bin Mohamad Zafri. This is the story of the worst, most annoying year of my life.

"Waaaiii!" I said as I placed my newly god-given breasts on Zar's head while wrapping my arms around his neck. It had been three months since I came back to school and teasing Zar was still the highlight of my day.

"Wah!!! Cut it out!" Zar cried and he broke free from me and scrambled his way to the shoe lockers at the back of the class.

We called it shoe locker, because that was what it was, but there was never any shoes in there. Except during the occasional events, such as mass prayers, sports day, canteen day, school festival and the such. Most often we store our textbooks there just so we didn't have to lug our heavy backpacks back and forth between home and school.

"Ararara? So your gynyphobia is still not cured it seems?" I taunted, seeing how red his face was.

"How the hell can it be cured when you kept shoving your boobs at my face every single minute?" he said. He really did look cute all flushed liked that.

"Huh? What did you say? You got Arifah's boobs on your face every single minute?" a boy by the name of Azman enquired.

"You lucky bastard! Ifa, shove your tits at my face too!!!" a chubby boy by the name of Aita pleaded, while at the same time rushing at me from the other side of the classroom.

"No!!! Me first!" a thin boy by the name of Zamani, a close friend of Aita and probably the most perverted out of the whole class also rushed at me. Together, they were known as the pervert trio, the third guy had a cold that day and was resting at home.

Just as they got close, I stuck out my foot, tripping Aita's overweight body as he fell like a rock onto the cement floor. With my right hand, I slapped Zamani's face before I made him lose balance with a well-placed kick on the back of his knee. Then I skillfully used my Judo expertise to guide him to fall onto Aita.

When I placed my foot on Zamani's back, I said, "When did I give you permission to call me Ifa, Aita? And how many times do I have to teach you three a lesson before you know better than to mess with the school champion?"

"Actually there's only two of them," Azman interjected.

I turned to him. "Thank you, Mr. Obvious. I am still Top 2 in Mathematics, if you remember. I can definitely tell the difference between two and three."

Azman backed off then. "Okay... have it your way. Was just trying to help."

"I think this feels good too," Zamani said.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"Your foot, can you put your foot a little higher?" Zamani said.

"What? Ifa is stepping on you? No fair!" Aita said.

"You got her boobs on your back when she strangled you from the back last time, it's my turn now!" Zamani replied.

"Ifa, please step on me too!" Aita pleaded from under Zamani.

"You little perverts! I'll give you all the foot I have then!" I said as I stomped my foot on both their backs.

"ARIFAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?" Ms. Ayu, our homeroom teacher shouted from the front of the class.

I didn't realize she came in.

"Uhhh, I was... dusting away dust from their backs."

"You're dusting with your foot?" Ms. Ayu asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, that's it, right guys?" I turned to them, though at the end of my sentence, my tone changed into threatening mode.

"Oh yeah! Best massage of my life," Zamani said, obviously not hearing my excuse to the teacher.

"Yes, she was great, teacher. My underwear's all wet," Aita said next.

"Ewww!" came the unified cry of disgust from the girls in the class, me included.

------

"Kak Arifah," came a voice that I haven't heard for some time now.

"Sara? What are you doing at Form 4's corridor?" I asked. It was Sara, the girl I matched up with my close friend Zarif before I became this.

"Umm, I have something to ask you. Is it okay to call you Kak Arifah? Do you prefer to be called Abang Arif still?"

'Abang' is a malay term for big brother, sometimes shortened to 'bang'. 'Kakak' is the female equivalent, often shortened to 'kak'. Similar to Japanese term of onii-san and onee-chan.

"Well, since I'm already like this, there's no point confusing everyone by calling me 'abang' anymore. What is it that you want to talk about?" I said.

"Can we talk elsewhere? This is embarrassing," she said, her face downward.

Once we were out of earshot, I asked, "This isn't about a sanitary pad, right?"

"No! No! It's not that," she denied.

"Oh, thank goodness. I forgot to carry one with me today. I can't believe how you girls can live with it. My first period made me feel like I was dying. Even til now I can't shake the feeling of embarrassment that I told Zar I was going to die and to take my treasured Gundam collection," my face reddened at the memory of me lying on the health room bed, all pale with him holding my hand as I told him my 'final will'. How embarrassing! When the nurse told us that I was just having my first period, I was so ashamed I avoided and ignored Zar for a whole week, despite us sitting right next to each other in class.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk about," she said in a soft voice.

"What? You want to know about my first period? Don't tell me you haven't had your period yet!" I asked.

"No! No! I meant it's..." she became inaudible at this point.

"What?" I asked.

"..." she was even more inaudible now.

"Alien's landed on your backyard? Quick! Call the Royal Air Force!"

"NO! I'm talking about Abang Zarif!" she shouted before she closed her mouth and reddened.

"What about Zarif? Wait, did he touch you inappropriately?"

"No, he-"

"Did he stalk your home at night and pelted your window with rotten eggs?"

"No, why-"

"Did he put spycams in your bath and bedroom?"

"No, don't-"

"Did he send you a chain letter and now you need to forward the chain letter to seven other people or you'll die at the end of the week?"

"No, I-"

"Did he steal your lunch money?"

"NO, I LOVE ABANG ZARIF!!!" she shouted before she covered her mouth with both hands.

"Oh! Well, did you have to shout? I think my eardrum's burst."

"I-I really like Abang Zarif. Kak Arifah, you don't like him too, right?" she asked as if pleading for me to agree.

"Of course I like him. He's my best friend."

"No, not like that. I mean like in the way a girl loves a boy," she clarified.

"Ohhh..."

"Kak Arifah, you don't like him in that way, right? You don't want him to be your boyfriend, right?" she asked, her gestures as if pleading to me.

"Of course not. He's just the same stupid best friend I happened to grow up with anyway. There no way I will have a much deeper feeling for him in that way," I stated with much haughtiness.

Then came the million dollar question. "Then is it okay if I ask him to be my boyfriend?"

"EH? Him? But what do you see in him? He's a geek, a dork, he spends his time at the library and he has absolutely no clue on how to deal with a girl's sensitive heart. You will be heartbroken before long," I said as I hugged her tightly.

She hugged me back, before she argued, "That's what I like about Abang Zarif, Kak Arifah. He's smart, he's diligent, her's athletic, he's from an elite family, even my mother said he'll be a great catch. As for being clueless, I know he has no experience, so I was thinking of exploring together with him.

That kinda made my blood pressure rise. "You... what are you saying?! How can you say... explore... you're only 15!"

"But Kak Arifah and Kak Fiora explore each other whenever Kak Fiora's parents aren't home. You're both only a year older, aren't you?" she countered with a piercing argument.

Damned this kid, how the heck did she know?

"Umm, well, we're on our honeymoon year. You're on exam year. Won't this distract you from your priorities? You still need good PMR results to enter our Form 4, remember?"

Honeymoon Year is Form 4. PMR exam is taken at Form 3.

"I'm not worried!" she said excitedly, "Abang Zarif is first in academics-"

"Sorry to break it up to you, but most of the time, I'm first in academics."

"He can surely help me study if we spend time together. He won't be like some of those boys who only want to go on pointless dates and waste time doing useless things," she rolled on so passionately.

"You don't want to go on pointless dates?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Well, sometimes it will be great to go on dates. But it's exam year, so my studies come first."

"My, how sensible of you," I leered.

"Kak Arifah, you will support me, won't you?"

It took me moment to reply to that, but finally, I said, "Sure, it's your funeral, kid. May you be happy til your grandchildren have children."

"You're talking as if we're going to get married and have children," she said with a blush, "But thank you for your blessing, Kak Arifah."

I patted her on the shoulder, "What else can I say? You kids just go have fun." Then I turned to walk back to class.

"Umm..."

"Something wrong?"

"Would you promise to stop sexually teasing Abang Zarif, Kak Arifah? It's not appropriate..."

That kind riled me up. "Look kid, this is skin-ship. We're best friends, that's how we roll, been so for years. Have you seen his face whenever I did that? It was priceless! Who are you to tell me what I shouldn't do? You just came along into our lives a few months ago and it was Fiora, my girlfriend, who introduced you to us."

"Well, I'm going to be his girlfriend, Kak Arifah. Please think of my feelings too."

"Humpfh!" I turned around and walked back to class.

------

"Mmmph!" Fiora moaned through her hands.

"You don't have to hold back, you know," I said between licks, "No one's home, remember?"

"But, but this is so shameful!" she said while I squeezed her breasts.

"Then, maybe I should stop?" I said as I rolled away from on top of her naked body.

"No!" she grabbed my now slim waist with her dainty fingers, trying to pull me back on top of her but ended up being pulled my way and she ended up being on top of me instead.

"Why not?" I teased as my arms circled her small waist.

"How can you stop when I'm just about to reach my limit?" she said with a red face.

"Aha! So that's all this is about, eh? You want to cum by my hands," I said, while squeezing her naked butt.

"Eww!" she slapped my breasts, "You're so crude!"

I rubbed the breast she slapped and rubbed it gently, "Oww... that really hurts, you know. What if I got breast cancer from that slap?"

"Oh, you big baby! Nobody ever got breast cancer because of a slap," he said as she also rubbed the part that got slapped.

"But what if I did? They'll have to cut my breasts off, and it will all be your fault, Fio. You'll have to take responsibility of me your whole life," I said with fake tears.

"There there, it will be okay," she bent down and kissed the part that she slapped, "Does that feel better?"

"You can kiss the other one too," I suggested.

"But I didn't slap the other one," she argued.

"But what if the other one become bigger than the other? I will look deformed," I said.

"You're such a baby," she said as she kissed my lips.

Of course, I reciprocated with a few gentle pecks of my own, then a little licking of each other's lips before it became a full blown, passionate french kiss. Our hands weren't idle meanwhile. While we rubbed our breasts on each other, our four hands explored each other's bodies, heightening our body's sensitivity until it came to our most cherished spots and we came together in an explosion of fireworks.

"You always become so wild whenever you're on top, Fio," I commented after we caught our breaths.

"Hehe, I can't help it, you look so beautiful lying there. Still, the universe is so cruel," she said as she grabbed both my breasts with her hands, "Why do you have bigger tits than I? I've been a girl far longer than you. And it's shaped better too."

"You can try asking God," I suggested.

"I don't think God has anything to do with it. It's probably a genetically engineered virus the Nazi or Japanese developed during the Second World War. Did you know that while the first reported incident happened several years after the Second World War, there has been eyewitness accounts of Allied soldiers turning into women in POW camps?"

"Wow, you really love conspiracy theories, huh?"

"It's not the conspiracy theories that I enjoy. It's the mystery of 'The Change' that captures my attention. Geneticists and scientists from mechanical engineering, quantum physics, robotics and paranormal research, even witchdoctors and shamans has been baffled by the cause and mechanics of 'The Change' for half a century now."

"Right, you want to become a genetics scientist," I smiled at her passion.

"Wouldn't it be great if I become the one who unravel the mysteries and allow mankind to control this phenomenon?" she explained animatedly.

She was still sitting on my stomache though. Naked, if I may add. It's hard to take her seriously like that, especially when my love box started juicing up again seeing her breasts, which was quite ample, jiggle with every movements. Without realizing it, my hands crept up to her waist and rubbed it discretely.

"So I'm just your test subject?" I teased.

"Don't joke like that! I love you, I really really do! You're my most precious boyfriend!" she said as she bent down to kiss me with our breasts mashing together.

"But I'm a girl now though," I pointed out once our lips separate.

"It's no problem. You can be my most precious girlfriend," she said as she kissed me again.

I kissed her back and started squeezing her butt cheeks more blatantly.

"Ohh, look who's excited now. Want to go another round?" she grinned excitedly.

"Why not?" I grinned back, and we took another half an hour making love to each other until we cummed.

We would've gone another round if not for a sound so terrifying it made us both froze.

"It's my mom's car! Hurry, wear your clothes!" Fiora said as we scrambled off the bed to search for our clothes.

Fiora had it easy, it was her room, so she could just pick up any clothes from her drawers. As for me, my clothes were all over the place. We didn't actually strip with the intention of stripping, it just happened. So by the time her mother came up to her room to check up on us, we were barely clothed and back at the study table. I hoped her mom didn't notice that I wasn't wearing bra and panties that time.

------

The next week I saw Zar and Sara talking with each other behind Science Lab 4. They were out of earshot, so I couldn't make out what they were talking about. Unfortunately, there was not a single cover to sneak up with. It kinda pissed me off.

"What did you talk about with her?" I asked when we got back to class.

"Who?" he asked.

"Her," I asked again.

"Which 'her'?" he asked again.

"That... Sara." For some reason, it was very hard for me to say her name.

"She just asked me if I'd be free this evening. She wanted me to teach her some math, science and mandarin," he said as he dropped his Chemistry books in the shoe locker that we shared.

"But you already promised to take me shopping today!"

"Maybe another time, Arifah? It's her exam year, she needs all the help she can get. Besides, you can go shopping on your own," he said cheekily.

"You! Don't you know girls don't go shopping alone?"

"Sure they do. My mom always go shopping alone. Nina goes shopping alone too!" he reasoned.

Of course, I argued back. "Shopping for grocery and shopping for stuff isn't the same!!!"

"Chill! Why are you shouting at me?"

"I DID NOT shout!"

"Sure, you did. Right, guys?" he said while looking at the other students near our seats.

"Uhh, don't involve me, man," Azman, the guy sitting in front of me said.

"Over the fence," Senji, the guy sitting in front of Zarif said.

"You're so dense, Zarif," Aminah, the girl sitting on my right said.

"He can't help it, Mina. He has no experience in these matters. Want me to teach you a thing or two, boy?" Xiao Han, the girl sitting in front of Aminah winked.

"Alright! Everyone heard that, right?," our class treasurer, Shu Fong said, "I'm taking bets! Who's on Zarif's and who's on Arifah's side? Majority Rule game!"

"WOULD YOU CUT IT OUT?!" I shouted, but nobody seemed to hear me.

Before long, the whole class had torn up a piece of paper and dropped it into the ballot box which Shu Fong kept handy for things like these. Shu Fong took only 3 minutes to count the ballot and calculate the winnings, as expected from the school's best accounting student. My side won, though I had no idea what the wager was actually about until Xiao Han told me about it after class. I hoped all that profit would go to this year's class trip. It would piss me a lot if Shu Fong kept it all to himself.

------

"So, that's why you suddenly called me out today?" Fiora asked as she licked her ice cream.

"You're the only other person I'd like to go out shopping with. Sorry to drag you out, Fio," I said as took a long lick of my own ice cream.

"Nnh, I don't mind. I love spending time with you, Ifa."

"Thanks, Fio," I turned to hug her, "You're the best girlfriend ever! I can't believe he would cancel the plans we made, for someone he only barely knew."

"Hey hey, don't talk about other guys when you're with me, okay? I'll get jealous," Fiora said as she pecked my lips.

I could taste the flavour of the ice cream from her lips.

"Jealous?"

"Of course I'd be jealous. You're my girlfriend, aren't you? So pay more attention to me," she said.

"You're so adorable, Fio," I said as I kissed her lips. She returned my kiss with a kiss of her own. Before long, I had pushed her to a back alley wall and we were playing tongue tennis with each other.

A gruff voice broke us from our passionate kiss. "Hey, what do we have here?"

I looked to my left and saw two big guys, probably college students or jobless bums approach us. Fio meanwhile was still panting as if in heat and continued to kiss my neck while rubbing the back of my waist. Somehow we still managed to hold the ice creams in our hands.

"Hey, check it out. Two gorgeous lesbians!" the other guy said.

"Mind if we get a piece of the action, girls?" the first guy said with a laugh.

"Fio!" I said as I slapped Fio's face a little.

"What?" Fio pouted before she noticed the two guys, "Eeek! Who are they?"

"Come on, let's just go," I grabbed her hand and led her out of there.

"Hey, hold on a minute!"

I felt Fio stop. I turned around and saw that the first guy had grabbed Fio's wrist. He was holding tight, making her wince and pulling her back.

"Come on, don't go. You made us all hot like this and you want to leave without fixing the problem that you caused?" the other guy said as he patted his bulging crotch.

"Let go, you piece of shit! You are not qualified to touch her with your dirty hands," I said with barely contained anger.

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it... if I do this?" the first guy said as he yanked Fio's arm, pulling her away from my hand and throwing her ice cream in the air..

In response, I grabbed Fio's ice cream in my left and with my own ice cream in my right hand, I threw both ice creams at the two guys' eyes with pinpoint accuracy.

"That's cold!!!" the two guys clawed at their own face to wipe away the ice cream in their eyes. Without meaning to, the first guy let go of Fio's arm and soon Fio dashed to hide behind me.

On the other hand, I dashed forward, my left hand rushed upward, hitting his throat while my right hand formed a fork that hit at the bottom of his heart. In just a moment, I raised my left foot and brought it down on the back of his knees, causing him to fall to his knees where it was easier for me to karate chop him in the back. Once the first guy was dealt with, I turned to the other guy. He only barely managed to see my first attack, a combination of left fork on his neck veins and elbow on his heart. Then I stepped back before jumping and using my Judo moves to throw this big guy over my shoulders, where I made him unconscious with a well-placed karate chop on his neck.

"Don't mess with the school champion, bitches," I saw as I took Fio out of the back alley and into the main street.

------

"Did you call for me, Kak Arifah?" Sara said when she came out of her classroom.

"What's this I've been hearing about you having a date with Zar in the Audio-Visual Room, Sarah?" I asked.

She looked shocked and appeared as if she was feeling guilty. "I don't know how that came out, Kak Arifah. We were just studying. I'm sorry, I'll try to be careful in the future.

This little bitch. She has absolutely no intention of stopping. "Look, I know you have the key to the Audio-Visual Room, what with you being the Chief of Audio-Visual Room and all. Don't lie to me about studying. I know what you're really doing in there!"

"I'm telling you, Kak Arifah, we were just studying!" she said, still trying to feign innocense.

"Do NOT drag Zar down, Sara. He's a pure virginal type, I don't want you to influence him with unnecessary things," I warned her as her face slowly turned red from shame.

"Let me guess... because you can't accept that another girl gets to do nasty things with him. You can't accept that I am the one he kisses everyday, don't you? I know you watched us, Kak Arifah, I always let you watch. I love watching your face when he kisses me. Did you ever look at your face in the mirror at those time, Kak Arifah?"

"You little bitch..."

She smirked. "You should, Kak Arifah. You looked absolutely adorable, looking all jealous like that, even when you have Kak Fiora."

I felt the veins in my hands suddenly bulging.

She moved closer, leaned forward and whispered into my ears, "Uh uh, remember where we are? If you do anything to a 3rd Year, in the 3rd Year section, do you think you can walk away easily? Even if you are the school champion, the school's pride and joy, do you think I will let you get away with this? I will milk this hard to the very end and I will make sure Abang Zarif hates you when I'm done with him, Kak Arifah."

How could I be so weak, to a 3rd Year girl?

"Don't worry, I'll let you keep on watching us kiss. I love how you looked when you see us, yet you know you can't turn your gaze away," then she said with a lower voice, "It's just a small payback for defiling Kak Fiora, you self-centered pervert."

It took all my control just to restrain myself from throwing this little girl down from the 3rd floor.

------

"You can't solve this? Seriously? Aren't you top of your class?" Zar said to the little girl who came to our class uninvited.

"Sorry Abang Zarif. For some reason this question is really hard for me," she said while giving me a wink.

"Let's see," Zar read the mathematical problem on the paper, "[Swee Lee bought two dozens of apples. If she eats two apples everyday for three days, how many apples she has left?] Which part of this do you not understand?"

She smiled sweetly. "Everything?"

That riled me up as I went to them and wrote, 24=(2x3)+x, "There! I just made it easy for you!"

"Arifah is right, Sara. If you turn it into an equation, it's easy," Zar agreed.

"But I still don't understand, Abang Zarif. How do I get the answer with this? How do I get the value for x?" she said as she gave me a smirk.

My teeth chattered in rage, my veins about to pop. I had to hold my own hand down to stop myself from punching her smirking face. I could now understand how people could claim that they didn't realize what they were doing when they killed someone.

------

"And now they're happily sitting inside her room 'studying'. As if nobody knows what they're actually doing," I said as I laid back on Fiora's bed.

"You're wrong, Ifa," Fio said as she rubbed my flat tummy, "Sara isn't like that. She's a nice girl."

"That's because she's your cousin. You have no idea how evil she is in front of others," I argued.

"Ifa, hold me?" she looked up at me with eyes full of hope.

My heart melted and I hugged her so tight mashing our breasts together. "You're just so cute I can't control myself, my dear spoiled princess!" Then I kissed her on the lips and we played tongue tennis inside our mouths.

Then she went down, kissing my breasts, licking the sweat off it as she went. She sucked my distended nipples, like a nursing baby while at the same time squeezing my buttcheeks and grinding her thigh against my bare leaking pussy. It felt so good that I screamed in pleasure pulling her head into my breasts, trapping her thigh in between mine as I cummed hard.

She got up and placed her own bald pussy on my mouth, "Lick me, servant," she said she lowered her crotch onto my mouth while at the same time she bent over and proceeded to lick my own pussy until we both cummed again.

My heart was pumping so hard, it was like I was about to have a heart attack from so much lesbian sex.

------

I was walking back to class after realizing that I had forgotten to bring back one of my homework. Just as I turned the corner, a girl bumped into me, making me hit the wall from the impact. The girl staggered, but kept on running.

"Hoi! Third Year! Get back here and apologize!" I shouted.

The girl stopped and turned back. When I saw her face, I almost gasped, "Sara, is that you? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"This is all your fault!" she accused as she banged her fists on my chest.

"Hey, what's going on? What happened?" I asked, as I grabbed her hands.

"This is all your fault! He dumped me, just like you wanted to," she cried with tears streaming down her eyes, "I bet you love this, don't you? Go on, laugh at me!"

"Wait, hold on, you mean Zar? He dumped you? How did it happen?"

"Sara," Zar said behind me.

Sara yanked her hands from my grip, turned around and attempted to run off. I managed to grab one of her hands and pulled her into my embrace. I hugged her as gently as I could as she cried into my shirt.

"Zar, explain," I said.

Zar scratched the back of his head, looking like he was feeling guilty. Then he said, "Umm, I told her that it is her exam year and that she should be focusing on her exams instead of trying to hook up."

"And?" I demanded.

"Well, I told her that I wasn't interested in her in that way. I told her that if that's the only reason, then it's best that we go our separate ways," Zar said as he looked down at the concrete floor.

"Zar, you are such a jerk. There are plenty of better ways to dump a girl. Why'd you have to be so direct like that?" I scolded.

"I didn't-"

"Save it!" I held out a hand, "The key, please."

"But you don't even know how to ride," he complained.

"Not your motorcycle key. The annex key!" I snapped as I told him to hand over the key to the 5th Floor Student Council Annex. Both Zar and I carried the key in turn, originally as a reward for being the school champion for three years in a row. This year the school simply forgot to ask the key back.

"Oh, I thought you're taking her home," he said as he searched his pocket and handed me a padlock key with a keychain read 'B5J', short for Block B, Level 5, Room J.

"Come, Sara," I coaxed her as I gently pulled her hand.

------

"I can't believe how insensitive Zar is," I said to Fiora as I finally caught my breath.

"What's wrong now?" Fiora said as she put her head on my arm with her eyes looking at my face.

"Sara didn't tell you?" I asked as I turned to lie on my side looking at her.

"About what?" she said as she moved herself closer while pulling my waist closer.

"About how Zar dumped her?" I said. The feeling of our naked nipples rubbing together gave me such wonderful feelings.

She rolled her eyes as she said, "Forget I asked."

"I mean, there's plenty of ways to let go of a girl. There are ways to lessen the blow. But I guess I can't blame him. He's always so serious and so clueless!" I said as I mashed our breasts together while trying to peck her lips.

Unexpectedly, she rolled off my arm and said something like, "You're clueless too."

"What?" I said as I edged closer.

She however, edged farther from me until she reached the other side of the bed, "Now that he's free, why don't you just hook up with him?"

I had a bad feeling about this. "Fio? What's wrong? I thought we've discussed this?"

She turned to me, she had tears in her eyes. "It's always Zar, Zar, Zar! Even after we made love you still talked of him. What am I to you?"

"Fio, what brought this up?" I asked as I sat up and tried to pull her to me.

I was shocked when she slapped my hand away before she stood up herself. Then she said, "You're my girlfriend! I'm your girlfriend! Think about me! Me! What do you think I feel when you keep on talking about another guy all the time?

"Fio, I..." I didn't know what to say.

She pounced on me, pushing me back down on the bed. "I'm NOT a lesbian!" she cried as she pulled my body up and slamming me down on the bed. "I'm NOT a lesbian!" she said as she did it again. "I'm NOT a lesbian!" she said as she did it yet again.

"Fio! Calm down!" I said as I grabbed both her hands.

"I'm not a lesbian..." she said as she laid down ontop of me. "I didn't do this because I'm attracted to another girl. I love you, I love you a lot. That was why I pushed down this bile in my throat everytime we had sex. After awhile, I learned to like it, but I'm still not a lesbian. The only girl I did it with was you, only you, because I love you."

"I love you too, Fio," I said as I caressed her hair.

"No you don't!" she slapped my hand as she got up from me, "The one you love is not me! You've always loved Zarif, don't you? Well now that he's free, why don't you go to him, then?" Then she got up from the bed entirely and started collecting my bra, panties and the other pieces of clothing.

"Fio, let's discuss this," I said as I also got up from the bed and hugged her from behind.

"Don't!" she said as she wept, "Stop torturing me like this."

Then she broke free from my arms and handed me my clothes before she grabbed a towel from her hanger, "I want you to leave, Ifa. I don't want to see you in my room after I return from my bath. You are no longer welcomed here."

I wore back my clothes as if in a daze. I couldn't believe what just happened. All these time, starting from the time when Fiora came to me saying she didn't care whether I was a boy or a girl, I didn't think we would really break up. At first, I was willing to just let us grow apart until we finally stopped seeing each other. When she said she would accept me the way I was, I felt happy, so very happy.

Now this beautiful dream had shattered. I didn't know what to do. I didn't cry, God forbid, but I wasn't laughing either. I just kept on walking, avoiding people as much as I could, because I didn't have any idea what kind of face I was making. I didn't want to see people, I didn't want people to see me. Not like this. Before I knew it, I ended up in a back alley somewhere, resting my feet.

That was when this group of guys came in, led by the two guys I beaten up last week. There were five of them.

"Hey there, karate girl. Fancy seeing you here. Do you still remember what you did to me and my brother last time?" the guy I identified as the first guy last time said.

One of the others, a really dark Indian guy said, "Yo Burn, this the chick who beaten you up so badly that you fainted last time?"

"Mani, don't look down on her. She must have learnt kung fu. Heyah!" Burn said as he made a move that would have made Mr. Miyagi embarrassed.

"Doesn't look much. How can such a pretty doll beat you guys up?" a guy who could be a wrestler said as he held my hand.

"How dare you!" I said as I grabbed his hand and twisted it behind him, putting all of my weight into making it as painful as possible, "It's good you guys came. I'm very mad now and I feel the need to kill people."

"Ahh!!! You little bitch! Let go! Let go!" he cried out.

A sudden whooshing sound behind me alerted me to a sense of danger and I quickly let go of the wrestler's arm and ducked, just in time to avoid a baseball bat to my head. I turned around and watched as another wrestler-type man prepared to throw a punch at my face. I stepped aside just in time, but by then the other guys had also decided to take part. I parried their punches, disabled them with my fists and back-swung my legs in a wide arc until it hit one of them. It was all pointless. The moment I downed one, another took his place. I simply didn't have the strength nor the time to put them down for good.

"Kill us? Who's going to do it? You and your puny arms?" Burn taunted.

Despite managing to hold my own, having to parry and attack all five of them was too much for me. I had neither the strength nor the stamina I used to have as a guy, sooner or later I would be too tired to fight anymore. So with that in mind, I started to look for an opening that I could use to escape to the main street. I saw that opening when I downed two of them with well placed kicks and karate chops. As soon as I parried the other two's punches and avoided the last one's kick, I made my escape. What bad luck that avoiding the last kick made me jump a step more than I planned. I didn't see the block of concrete that was on my way and I fell to the ground, skidding and rolling several metres away.

I was almost at the main street when hands grabbed me from behind and pulled me back. One hand clasped on my mouth as I was carried deeper into the back alley. When the hand on my mouth was lifted, I tried to call for help, but a fast karate chop on my throat took that ability. Instead of calling for help, I was gagging and choking on my own spit.

"Now let's see that sexy body this feisty lesbian's been hiding," Burn said as he took off my skirt.

"Nice cameltoe there," one of the wrestler guys said as he looked at my panties.

"Let's see the tits on this doll," the other wrestler guy said as he tried to pull my blouse off.

I fought him, struggled against all of them. "Help..." I croaked.

That was when one of the guys punched me in the stomache, causing me to puke. Most of the bile was caught in my throat between the spit and it made it an effort just to breathe. I didn't even realize when my blouse was off and my bra unhooked.

"Booyeah! Nice big lesbian tits you have there. What a waste that only girls get to play with them," one of them said as he proceeded to squeeze my breasts roughly.

"Man, I can't take it anymore, she's too gorgeous."

"Hey! Me first! I found her, I'm going to make her lesbian cunt enjoy a big man's cock for the first time."

"Okay, she's yours, Burn. I'll go second, okay?"

"Mmh, this is it, you little dyke, time to be a woman!" he said as he rubbed his dick on my secret place while the others held my arms and body down.

For some reason, my eyes became so blurry, it was hard to see anything in front of me, only that there was a man on his knees between my legs. I fought back. It was futile, I knew it, but I could not be raped here. I could not have my virginity taken by a group of back alley thugs. I could not let myself be defiled by these worthless insects!

"Oh, still resisting, eh? Hey, hold her legs."

It was then I heard a 'thud'! A second later, I felt Burn collapse onto my body. His face was on my naked breasts and I felt a warm fluid running down my chest.

"Five guys ganging up on a girl? Where do you put your pride as men? Under your feet?" came a masculine voice as the others let go of my arm and threw themselves at this man.

He made short work of them with his bat and his fist. When I finally wiped the tears from my eyes, I saw Zar in front of me, the wooden baseball bat in his left hand was bloody as he proceeded to break the bones in one of the wrestler's body. When another guy interrupted him, his right hand flew to grab the guy's neck and raised the guy in the air. Zar let go of the baseball bat and used his own fist to punch the guy so thoroughly with his fist that the guy was coughing blood on his face. Then he punched the guy's face over and over until it appeared sunken, and threw him aside. The last guy tried to run away, but Zar chased him and dragged him back, before pushing him down to his knees to my right.

"Apologize to her!" Zar said, his face was a mask of sheer terror, even I was trembling.

"I-I apologize!" the guy, who was muscly all over said out of fear.

"You don't sound sincere, apologize properly!"

"I apologize. Forgive me! I was only following them, I didn't want to do it!"

"Bullshit! You looked so eager just now, you worthless pile of shit!"

"It's true, I swear, they forced me!"

"In Japan, there is culture called seppuku. They say that if you're an honourable man, you will commit ritualized suicide to convince others of your honour. I won't ask you to commit suicide, but I still need you to give up something to prove that you are saying the truth," Zar said in an almost gentle way but to anyone who heared, it was filled with malice.

"Anything! My parents have a lot of money, they'll give you anything," he begged.

"Oh, I have no need for money, I have plenty. I think I'll just take one of your arms," Zar said he raised the guy's muscle arm with his left hand.

"No no, please, not my arm! I beg you, please spare me!"

"Oh sure, I'll leave you one spare arm," Zar said as he used a karate chop to break the guy's arm bone, then tossed him aside.

"You okay, Arifah?" Zar said as he kicked Burn's body away. Then he gave me back my panties, skirt and blouse. He could not find my bra.

"Take me away," I told him.

"Soon after you're decent," he said with a gentle smile on his bloody face.

While I was wearing my clothes again, he propped the guys on the ground, slapped them awake and with their eyes covered, he said, "This ends here, you pile of garbage. If you go to the police about this, you will all be in hot water. You see, I am the son a high-ranking lord. If this goes to the police, I will walk out with just a few words from my father. You on the other hand won't be so lucky. Do you have any idea what the punishment for the crime of rape and murder amount to? I've heard ones from 99 years of prison to mandatory death. Even if you are sentenced to 99 years of prison, do you think you will live that long?"

"But we didn't try to kill her," Burns said in his groggy state.

"Doesn't matter. Who do you think the police will believe? Worthless scumbags like you? Or would they believe the son of a lord who tries to save his girlfriend who was about to raped and killed as well as the rape victim herself? Think long and hard," Zar said as he washed his face and fist with bottled water.

I approached Zar from behind and with my face on his back, I pulled at his shirt and said, "Take me away from here."

"Of course, let's go," then to the thugs, he said, "Get out of town, if I see any of you here again, be prepared to swim in the waters of Port Klang with a concrete slab around your legs."

He turned around, wrapped his arm around me and led me away, taking the back alley to avoid the embarrassing stares of everyone in the main street. The ride to my home was silent and somber. I couldn't let go of his shirt and I cried a river on his back. When we arrived at my house, he pulled me off the bike, but I was scared, what would the neighbours think? What would my mother say?

When Zar saw me like that, he instead put his hand under my knees and carried me into the house like a princess. The moment we passed through my front door, I was prepared to hear the worried voice of my mother, but there was none.

"I think your mom's not at home, Arifah," Zar said as he carried me up the stairs to my room.

"No, don't take me to my bed. Take me to the bath, I don't want their stench on my bed," I asked with tears anew.

"Alright," he said gently as he carried me all the way to the bath.

He let me down on the toilet seat as he went out to my bedroom to get me a towel and a change of clothes. I immediately start stripping my clothes off. Once naked, I stood in front of the mirror and rubbed the skin that the thugs touched roughly, as if trying to wipe away the memory of their filthy touch. That was the condition Zar saw me when he came back with a change of clothes and a towel.

"Wahh!! I'm sorry, I'll get out now!" he said as he closed his eyes and slowly put my change of clothes on the floor next to the door.

I pulled his hand, gently until he came close to me as if in a trance. "No, please, don't go. Don't leave me alone..."

He smiled, still with his eyes closed and being pulled closer to me until I stood at the edge of the bathtub, "I won't leave you alone, but I don't have to be in here, do I?"

I turned the pipe to let the bathtub fill up with water. Then I got into the bathtub and sat, pulling Zar to sit next to the bathtub with out hands still clasped together. Then I poured in the bath oils and said, "Zar, would you wash my back?"

"Sure," he said as he blindly rubbed my back with a sponge.

"You can open your eyes, you already saw all of me," I said.

"That was unintentional. There was no way I could not see after what they did to you," he said as his face blushed a deeper red.

"Oh stop being a hypocrite. If you want to look at it, just look at it. I know you peeked on me just now, didn't you?" I teased.

"I-I-I did not!"

"You totally did. You think I didn't saw all those squints just now?" I said I blocked some of the water from the pipes and opened it just enough to spray Zar with a stream of water.

"Arifah! What the heck was that?" he said as he stood up looking at his soaked clothes and pants. He saw my naked breasts as he looked down and turned his face away when he realized I was watching.

"Alright! Now you have to take a bath too!" I said.

"No thanks. I hope you don't mind that I borrow some of your old guy clothes," he said as he turned to leave.

"No please!" I said as I stood up and pulled him back, "Please don't leave, I'm sorry. I won't do it again, I'm sorry, please don't leave me." Without intending to, I broke into tears. Somehow, the memory of all that happened today, with Fiora leaving me, the rape in the back alley and Zar leaving, was too much for me.

Zar turned around and hugged the naked me. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize what you've been through. I won't leave you. I'll always be with you."

"Promise?" I said as my tears started to dry.

"Promise," he said as he tried very hard not to notice my nipples poking his chest and to avoid looking down.

"Seal with a kiss?"

"I don't think that's appropriate."

"Oh shut up, you," I said as I kissed him, "And thank you for saving me today. I don't know what I would've done if you didn't come."

"You're welcome," he said as he kissed me back.

It was the first kiss of the many that followed. No, we didn't have sex that day, but we did share a very bonding bath. That was when my older sister who was supposed to be at her university walked into the bath and saw us bathing together while kissing passionately. But that was another story.

My name is now Arifah binti Mohamad Zafri. This is still the most annoying year of my life, but at least it's not all bad.

*Hi all, it's the new chapter of Butterfly Girlfriend, this time it's told from Arifah's point of view. It's a bit darker than the others, but I hope the romantic part can still be appreciated.
**As always, please leave your feedbacks and comments. Praises helps me write faster and constructive criticisms helps me write better. Even if you dislike this story, as long as you're polite with your comments, I shall welcome it. Thank you for reading.

"Zar, get up, we're going to be late."

Just a few more minutes.

"Zar, wake up," she said as she shook my body.

Come here.

"What? Zar, what are you trying to do?"

Come here, you.

"Okay, fine. Why do I have to get on the bed?"

I love your shampoo.

"Hey Zar, that tickles. Haha, hihi, stop, haha, stop smelling me. This feels weird."

Mm, you're so soft.

"Hey, where are you touching? Ahn, don't touch there. Guess you're the kind who's bold in the morning, huh? Ohh, didn't know that feels good."

I want to touch you everywhere.

"Zar, you have to stop, your mom can come in any minute."

Why is my mom a problem?

"Ohhhh, that feels good. Ahhn, stop, you're making me feel funny. We shouldn't do this."

Why not? We're married.

"Zar, stop! That's going too -hnnn- too far. Stop."

Come on. It's weekend

"No... I said STOP!"

I felt myself flying through the air, before my head hit something solid and I fell to the floor. I opened my eyes, confused, looking around while feeling like there was a gooseegg on my forehead. For awhile, my dream and my reality overlapped, making me wonder why my wife of 6 years kicked me out of bed. That was before I recognized 'my wife' was none other than my friend Arifah, the schoolgirl and that this bed wasn't my marriage bed, but the bed that I spent my childhood sleeping on. I wondered briefly if I went back in time.

"Arifah, why are you on the bed, and why is my son on the floor? Arifah why are you blushing?" my mom came in, without knocking, and looked at both of us confusedly.

"Nn-nothing," Arifah said as she turned away.

My mom looked at me, "Rep, what did you do with someone else's daughter just now?"

"I didn't do anything!" I replied defensively, "In the first place, why is Arifah even on my bed?"

My mom seemed to think and apparently she agreed it was peculiar. "That's a good question. Why are you on the bed, Arifah?"

"I-I was trying to wake him up. He wouldn't wake up," Arifah answered.

"That is a logical answer. Waking you up on a holiday is always a pain. That was why I asked her to wake you up. Anyway, let's go down, Arifah. Breakfast is ready," my mother said dismissively.

"Um, okay," Arifah said as she got up from the bed, her skirt askew.

"Arifah..." my mom called the moment Arifah walked past her.

"Yes, Datin?" Arifah cowered a little under my mom's gaze. Arif always called my mom Datin, which was her title, as the wife of a Dato', Malaysia's non-hereditary nobility title. As Arifah, she continued this habit despite the fact that my mom repeatedly told her to just call her 'aunt'.

"Nothing happened on the bed?" my mom inquired.

Arifah's face coloured redder, "Nothing happened." Then she ran off.

My mom then turned to look at me and knitting her brows together, she said, "Rep, I don't want any girl coming here telling me she's carrying your baby out of wedlock."

"Th-that won't happen!"

My mom squinted her eyes as she said, "Make sure it does not and will not happen," as she went out of my room.

Ten minutes later, after a short bath, I went down to a waiting breakfast. My father was surprisingly absent. He was always around on a Sunday morning. Sitting there at the dining table was my mom and Arifah, both already halfway to finishing their meals, which was a mix of nasi lemak with copious sambal ikan bilis and fried noodles. We Malaysians love a breakfast consisting of lots of calories, lots of fat and lots of oil.

Nasi Lemak literally means Fat Rice, though most would argue that you can't get fat just from eating Nasi Lemak. A nasi lemak without sambal is often considered as not a nasi lemak.

I took a seat on my usual chair at the dining table, which was right next to Arifah, since that was the chair Arif used to sit on when he came over. Normally, Arif would be stealing some of my food even when there were a pile of it just in front of us. But since he became Arifah, it seemed like he became a lot more ladylike, at least in front of my mother. Her mother must have been drilling lady training into her since the day she became a girl. That would be half a year ago.

"Thanks, Nina," I said to my 19 year old maid as she put a cup of coffee in front of me.

"You're welcome," Nina said as she refilled Arifah's tea. Nina obviously didn't recognize Arifah, otherwise, Nina would have asked her if she's grown up yet. It was a passing joke, from the time when Arifah was still Arif.

My father came across Nina, her mother and her sisters while he was doing a survey of the state's rural areas. My father took pity on their family after the death of Nina's father due to a hit-and-run and offered them to work in our home to replace our Indonesian maid. That Indonesian maid made up a sob story of how her children in Madura was suffering some illness and asked for advance on her wages. She took her first and second wage after working for two weeks and ran off. My father used his influence to find her cozying up with her boyfriend and deported both their asses out of the country.

Nina's mother on the other hand was very reliable, and so was Nina. They were both great cook and very good housekeepers. Nina was also quite easy on the eyes. Back when Arif was a boy, he kept teasing Nina about going on a date with him, to which Nina would tell him he was too young for her and told him to grow up first. It was quite a good arrangement for everyone involved. Nina and her mom cook the meals and manage the house 6 days a week while my father gave them a house in the nearby low-cost neighbourhood and paid for Nina and her sister's education up to junior college in addition to their monthly wages for as long as they stayed.

"So what's the deal with waking me up so early on a Sunday?" I asked as I nibbled on my karipap (curry puff), a kind of Malaysian snack which were often eaten at any time of day.

"Sunday?" my mom looked at me like I just grew horns, "Are you still dreaming, my dear son? It's a Friday."

"Friday? But it's already 8 in the morning. Then why aren't we... shit! We're late for school!" I scrambled to my feet, drained the hot coffee into my gullet and froze when both my mom and Arifah giggled.

"Sit down, Zar," Arifah pulled me back down by my shirt, "It's school holiday. I'm willing to bet you have forgotten what you promised me yesterday."

"School holiday? Why?" then I suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, we're going on a school trip this evening. Oh shit! I haven't packed!"

"You always left it for the last minute. I'll help you pack later, I've gotten good at this packing stuff," Arifah patted my arm.

"Thanks for the offer, but why are you here so early in the morning, Arifah?"

"Just as I thought," Arifah stated, "You forgot. And you kept boasting that you have perfect memory."

"My brain doesn't work so early in the morning. What did I forgot?" I asked as I finished the curry puff I was eating.

"You promised to take me shopping, you know, for the school trip?" Arifah said as Nina refilled her tea.

"Oh right," I remembered, "We're going to go buy drinks and snacks for our 3 days 4 nights trip."

"And some other things too."

"Such as what? Panties and bras?" I joked.

Arifah smacked my arm a little loudly, "What are you saying in front of your mother?"

"Oops, my mistake," I said while watching my mom so see if she'd got mad at that as I raised my cup of coffee for a sip.

My mom smiled as she said, "Arifah. Would you do me a favour?"

Arifah turned to look at mom, "Sure, what is it, Datin?" Then she took a sip of her own tea.

"Arifah, would you marry my son?"

Both Arifah and I sprayed our mouthfuls of coffee and tea at my mom in shock. Nina quickly grabbed a clean towel and wiped my mom's face and the front of her blouse.

"Ma!" I coughed.

"Datin, don't joke around like that!" Arifah yelled as she wiped her mouth clean with a serviette.

"I wasn't expecting that. Guess that was bad timing," mom said once her face was dry from a mixture of coffee and tea, "But my dear Arifah, won't you consider it? Don't you think my son's adorable?"

"Umm," Arifah looked conflicted.

"Mom, she's Arif! I'm not gonna marry my best friend," I objected loudly.

"How could you say that?" Arifah interjected with a voice that sounded like she was about to cry, "After what you did to me, after what your hands explored... you were just going to... to... say I'm just your best friend?"

My mom shot daggers at me, "Rep... what did I say this morning?"

"I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything! She's not going to get pregnant, ma!"

Arifah suddenly broke into a laugh. "Pregnant? Me? What did you talk about with him this morning, Datin?"

My mom giggled. "Look at him blush. Anyway, it's been five months since Arif become Arifah. You can't deny she's turned out to be such a beautiful maiden."

"Ma, I am going to disengage my ears so I don't hear anything else and then I'm going to finish my breakfast. Goodbye, noisy world," I said as I tuned out both of them and dug into my plateful of roti canai.

Roti Canai means Slammed Bread, because of the way it's prepared. You make it into balls until it expands into a ball, then you flatten it by slamming your fists into it, then you toss it overhead until it becomes as thin as paper. In this form it's stretchy, but you must take care to avoid the having the paper-thin roti canai from tearing. Making of Roti Canai This is an example. Personally I don't like this kind. There's another method, where the paper-thin thingy gets folded. Unfortunately, most people don't do that anymore, reserving this special technique only for the special roti canais with fillings. It's often eaten with either dhal or curry gravy.

------

An hour later, we arrived at Berjaya Times Square, one of Malaysia's biggest covered shopping mall, It was also the third biggest shopping mall in the world. For premium merchandise, one could find plenty of choices from Level 1 to Level 4. For cheap, everyday items and meals, one could go to the basement levels where everything could possibly be bought and sold, except for real live slave girls. For specialty items, such as Gothloli, Emo, Visual K fashion, as well as hobby and culture such as Gundam models, Yu-gi-oh and Magic the Gathering stores, one can go to the level 5 up to level 8. Anything higher would be for nightclubs, kareokes and offices. At the top level of the shopping area, level 6-8, one could go to the gaming areas, where teacups made everyone barf while roller coasters torment those with fear of heights. The building is also attached to a condominium building as well as a classy monorail system. I've always thought that those who lived here must have been having fun all day.

"So would you tell me why we are here?" I asked Arifah.

Arifah feigned ignorance. "Whatever do you mean?"

"If we want to buy snacks, there are four supermarkets within less than 20 minutes ride from my house. Why'd we have to come to Times Square of all places?"

"It's a secret!" Arifah winked.

"I don't dig secrets. So tell me what we're buying here so we can buy it then get our asses back home. And don't you dare tell me we're only here to window shop."

"I'll buy it later, let's go have a look around first," Arifah said as she locked arms with me and dragged me to the first of the many designer stores that I had to accompany her to for the day.

"Come on, let's go to GSC!" Arifah pulled my elbow after our 8th designer store visit.

"Why?" I asked as my arms became increasingly tired from carrying her purchases.

"They're showing Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince!" she said enthusiastically.

"The movie sucks. They cut so much from the novel. Why do you still insist on watching it?"

"Enough with your purity crap!" she said as she placed her hands on her waist, "The book was too thick, so of course they had to shorten it. Otherwise the single book would've been a trilogy, like the Lord of the Rings. And LotR was still very long individually."

"Exactly! Why didn't they do it like LotR? If they could make a movie that lasts for 3 hours, why not do it to this one?"

"Because, silly," she poked my cheek, "Harry Potter is a children's title. LotR is an adult title."

"I seriously don't see the difference. The first Harry Potter was a children's book, sure, but it has gotten darker and darker with each book. By number 4, there's really no doubt that the book isn't for children under the age of 12 anymore," I said as I started walking ahead of her.

"That's how the author portray a growing boy. Each book represents one year, you know," she said as she walked beside me.

"That's just rationalizing it. I bet Rowling didn't even notice how dark her books became until after she finished. But by then it was too late to change anything anymore, the book was done."

Arifah pouted as she slapped my arm, "Mou! Are you going to watch it with me or not?"

"Where do you think I'm heading to?" I asked.

Arifah looked forward and saw the signboard pointing to Golden Screen Cinemas. Her pout turned to smile. Then she giggled and wrapped her arms around mine.

"Girls!" I cursed.

I stood in a queue with Arifah at the ticketing booth a moment later. I placed the bags down on the floor as I looked at the flat-screen monitors displaying the screening time for the day's featured movies. I vaguely recall a time when the old cinemas used to have the screen times displayed on a board and changed by hand. Now it's all digital, manipulated by the invisible hands of electric charge and processing cores. It was while we were looking at the screening time that I realized something.

"Arifah," I called.

She turned around. "Yes?"

"I think we better choose the one at 3pm. I'm not sure what time I'll be back," I suggested.

"What? You're going somewhere? Right while we're on a date?" she appeared offended.

"This isn't a date! Besides, don't you remember what day it is today?"

"What day? It's Friday, isn't it?" she appeared lost in thought, "Not my birthday, not yours either. Ah! It must be treat Arifah a Secret Recipe cheesecake day!"

"Not!" I karate-chopped her lightly on the head, "It's Friday Prayer, remember?"

"Oh right!" she smiled sheepishly, "It's been so long since I've been to one that I forgot."

"You're a girl, you don't have to go to one. Us guys needs to go every week," I said as i pushed the shopping bags forward with my legs as the queue moved forward.

"Alright, 3pm then. Let's buy the ticket first and then you go to your Friday Prayer," she said as she patted my chest.

"What will you be doing then?"

"Oh, this and that. It's a secret."

"You and your secret. Just don't go too far, and keep your phone with you."

"A girl never leaves her phone, that was one of the lessons I learned when I first became a girl, you know. The problem now is," she looked at the shopping bags at our feet, "Where the heck are we going to put these bags at? You can't bring it with you to the mosque, and I don't think I can carry this many bags on my own."

"I'll rent one of the locker space. I think there's some on the 8th floor."

"Oh that'll work!"

I came back from Friday Prayer a bit later than I intended. I wasn't familiar with the route to the mosque and it wasn't like the Komuter train was punctual in the first place. There was still plenty of time before the movie though.

My heart skipped a beat when I read an SMS that just arrived on my phone. "Help, I'm being tailed by a few guys on the basement level near B1-51. Hurry."

I immediately hurried through the crowd, slipping through the other patrons like a ninja while fearing for Arifah's life. I have never heard of people being murdered near Times Square, but mugging and raping was still a real possibility. Either of those could descend to a murder, whether intentional or not. I lost Arif once, I wouldn't lose Arifah too.

When I arrived at the section B1-51, I looked around frantically for Arifah. I must have looked like a dork, looking around corners, under the escalator, around the benches. I finally found her after I rounded the corner leading to the emergency fire escape. She was surrounded by a group of three guys, all looking slightly older than us.

As I got closer, I heard them talking and I breathed a sigh of relief. "They're just lonely guys trolling the malls looking for girlfriends. Not muggers," I thought.

"Arifah," I called her with my manliest voice, "What are you doing here? Come on, we need to get going. Ah, are you her friends?" I ask the three guys.

"Oh, so you're the boyfriend," one of the guys said.

"Yeap!" In this kind of situation I wasn't about to deny it.

"Zar!" she hurried to my side, "They're horrible! Not only are they ugly and they smell bad..."

Wait, what?

"They told me that they'd want to take your place as my boyfriend. How horrible for filthy little trolls to try getting along with their betters. Did I mention their breaths smell like they haven't brushed their teeth for, like, a month?"

"Hey, Arifah, what-"

"Damned you, little girl! To think you were so demure when you're on your own. Now your boyfriend's here, you suddenly turn into a foulmouthed little bitch!" one of them, apparently the biggest of them, spat.

"Hah! As if you can beat my boyfriend. Not only you lose in class, looks and intellect. You also lose in strength, and there's three of you. Pathetic!"

"Why, you little bitch! I'm gonna throw you on my lap and spank you because obviously your ma and pa never did!"

I took a step forward, between him and Arifah. "Friend, please. She's just a silly, rambling little girl. We'll just turn around and leave, we'll be out of your hair right now."

"Hah! If you're a man, do as you say! Of course, a coward like you wouldn't dare pick fights with my boyfriend. He'll wipe the floor with-"

"Arifah!"

"That's it, you bitch!" he lunged as he attempted to grab Arifah's arm.

In response, I quickly positioned myself into a brawling formation, taking into account his movements and his big frame. With one quick movement, my right fist connected with his neck while my left elbow punched through his solar plexus. In less than a second, he fell to the floor in pain. The other two guys looked in shocked, before they took lunged at me. The first guy was easy enough, I deflected his fist to the side before throwing a punch that buried into his stomache.

The second one was a bit of a problem. Obviously, he had studied Silat before and after his first attack failed to connect, he repositioned himself to face me properly. I studied his form and I could tell that it was firm, even if I try to trip him, it wouldn't work. His kekuda looked very strong. So the only moves I could use on him would be either a well-timed fist or Judo-style throw. Then unexpectedly he took a step forward, and I took that opportunity to deliver a twirling high backkick at his face. He managed to block it with both arms, but the force was too strong for his unfortified move that it threw him to the wall. While he was still in a daze, I took a step forward and palmed his chest with a strong enough force to make him gasp for breath.

I relaxed my body as I watched their two bodies slump to the floor. Neither of them were dead, of course. They weren't even unconcious. Also, I made sure that the only places I hit were covered by clothing. It would invite a damned lot of questions if they came out with bruises on their faces.

"Zar!" came Arifah's warning as I felt a towering aura behind me.

I turned around and delivered a strong punch at his stomache, while at the same time, Arifah knocked him out with a karate-chop from behind just a little below his neck. He fell down quite quickly. I wasn't expecting him to recover so quickly as the move I made was originally the moved Arif once hit me with. It hurt real bad. Now however, it seemed like there was one who actually fainted.

As the two other guys groaned in pain, I fixed my shirt while Arifah flicked her long hair. Then, as if on cue, we both said, "Know your place. Don't look down on school champions!"

That was actually our (Arif and I) motto whenever we beat up bullies or thugs. We used to practice daily to get it timed perfectly, often ended up brawling with each other when we weren't in sync. Amazing how after half a year we could still do it perfectly. Of course we then we ran from the scene. When I asked her later, she admitted that she could've taken on all of them herself, but she just wanted to see how I would fare against them. She made things clear that I had weakened a lot since Junior High.

------

"Toothbrush and toothpaste??" Arifah asked.

"Checked!" I answered while throwing the items into my backpack sidepocket, pushing it between some other toiletries.

"Sportswear?"

"Checked!" I answered as I rolled it and shoved it into the main compartment of my backpack.

"Me?"

"Che-hey! Stop playing around! We're gonna be late."

"And whose fault was it? I know I offered to help you pack, but that was under the assumption that you already chose what to bring. Why'd I have to spend half an hour going through your boxers?"

"Stop your nagging, come on!" I said as I grabbed my backpack and ran down the stairs two at a time followed closely by Arifah.

"Oh, there you are," my mom said once I was at the bottom of the stairs, "How long will you be gone again?"

"4 nights and 3 days, ma. We're going, now," I stated as I took her hand and kissed it.

"See ya later, auntie," Arifah said as she also took my mother's hand and kissed it.

In Malaysian culture, it's good manners for those younger to kiss the hand of those older when meeting or departing. Between close family members, this is a no brainer. Such manners are also expected among relatives. Among strangers, avoid doing this unless you know the other person is incredibly traditional, for which s/he will appreciate the gesture. If you do not know the person at all, do not do this at all. Same goes if the other person is a stranger of opposite sex, you don't want the embarrassment of your hand being ignored. In a society where public display of affection can get you a warning or thrown in jail in worse cases, like Malaysia, kissing hands and hugging is about all you can do to show your affection. You also sometimes do this for special occasions, such as Aidilfitri, when begging forgiveness or when showing respect, but those are the exceptions, watch what people do if you want to do it, but if you're a foreigner, you can be forgiven for not doing it.

Then my mother said something that made us both blush. "It feels like you're both already married. Would you call me momma as well, Arifah?"

"Ma!"

"Umm, haha, can't do that," Arifah said as she bolted past me and wore her shoes as she ran.

In Malaysia, and most other traditional asian countries (Japan and Indonesia, for example), people don't wear shoes in their homes. It's considered very rude. So guests will need to take off their shoes outside the door and arrange it neatly. Some areas of the country take this a step further and the parents the person you want to marry will look at how you arrange you shoes to determine your upbringing and if you would be good for their child. In Japan in comparison, if you want to commit suicide, it's good manners to take off your shoes and arrange them neatly to the side before doing the deed.

"Geez, ma!" I said as I ran after Arifah, who had by then waited next to my bike. We were going to ride to school, where I would park my bike on school grounds before we both board the school bus that will take us to our campsite.

While I was wearing my shoes, I could hear my mother giggling. She said, probably to herself, "That is just so adorable."

------

I stood bewildered at the lobby of a hotel-kind of place. The plaque at the front gate called this place Meru Valley Resort. I had never heard of this place, ever.

"Teacher," I called one of the teachers, Form 4-B homeroom teacher, Mr. Lokman, simply because he was the closest, "Why are we here? I thought we're going camping?"

"Camping? What Form are you? Camping's for Form 2 and 3. Didn't you read the pamphlet?" he scolded.

"Yea, I got one from the student office last week."

He glared at me as he ushered the other students to get in line. "You took the one meant for either Form 2 or Form 3, no doubt. For Form 4, it's Fitness and Bonding Camp. For Form 5, it's Study Camp. All Forms do their school trips at different places. For this year, we're doing Form 4's Camp here. I'm just so glad we made reservations a year in advance. The new rate for just this weekend is astronomical. Now please, get into your line, by class, please."

Unlike in American schools, where students take classes based on their preferences and schedules, Malaysian schools are more rigid. Malaysian schools, like Japanese schools, separate students by classes for the whole year. With the exception of elective classes, such as Moral/Islamic Studies, Home Improvements, Farming and Home Economics, all students go to the same classes as the other students in their classes using the same schedules for the whole class. So if you got thrown into a class that you don't like, you're stuck with it for the whole year, though you can request for a transfer to another class, which will most likely be ignored by the teachers. At the end of the year, you take a final exam and it determines the class you'll be in next year. It is entirely possible for close friends with similar exam results to enter the same classes from Standard 1 to Standard 6(primary school) up to Form 3 (junior secondary). They will most likely separate upon entering Form 4 (Secondary) as students start taking specializations at Form 4. But those who enters the same class at Form 4 often continues being in the same class at Form 5. Form 6 (high school, two years) is optional, students can opt for matriculation, preparatory, foundation or jump straight to university instead.

Arifah was waiting for me when I arrived at my line, "Where have you been? She's been calling your name twice now!"

Just then the teacher called my name and I answered, the teacher looked visibly relieved. "Why didn't you tell me we're going to this golf resort? I thought we were going camping."

"Didn't you read the pamphlet?"

"I got the wrong pamphlet."

She giggled. "Now you understand why I took out the camping stove from your backpack?"

"Shut up."

It was about time too, because after doing a rollcall for the whole class, our line finally moved on to getting our room assignments, two at a time. I was standing next to Arifah and didn't notice anything wrong with this picture. That was, until my turn for room assignments came.

"Arif bin Mohamad Zafri and Ahmad Zarif bin Amir Hamzah?" our homeroom teacher, Ms. Ayu, asked.

"It's 'binti' now, teacher," Arifah corrected, "And I'm called Arifah now".

I believe I don't need to mention that 'bin' is for males and 'binti' is for females?

"Oh, I see. I'll just make some amendments here..." then she froze.

Then Ms. Ayu looked at Arifah and she broke into sweats. "Eh?" her voice trembled.

"What's wrong, teacher?" Arifah asked, sounding as if she was starting to get worried.

"Haaaa..." Ms. Ayu was really sweating now, her collar was damp with sweat.

"Is... there a problem?" I asked.

"HEAD TEACHER!!!" Ms. Ayu screamed as she ran for Mrs. Kartini, who was Head Teacher for Humanities Department. She was also the main coordinator for this trip.

Arifah and I looked at each other, wondering what the heck was going on. When the teachers left everything and convened at a hidden corner, we became suspicious. So we telepathically agreed to snoop in on their conversation and together, we tiptoed close to them.

"This is a big problem. What should we do?" I heard one of the teacher, a woman said.

Then I heard the panicked voice of our homeroom teacher Ms. Ayu, "This is all my fault! I totally forgot to change her gender for the school trip!"

"What's done is done, Ayu. The question now is, how do we solve this. Any ideas?" one of the male teachers said.

"Obviously we have to change the room assignments. This won't do!" another female teacher said.

A different male teacher argued. "But how? All the room assignments have been handed out. We can't just change it now. Besides the matter is still not solved even if we change the room assignments."

"And we can't get any extra rooms right now either," the first male teacher added.

"Yes, I already asked the receptionist just now, all the other apartment units has been fully booked. They said it's because of tomorrow's event," said the voice that sounded like Mrs. Kartini, the head teacher.

"Yea, amazing coincidence that the dates that we booked a year ago coincided with that event this year," said another female voice, I couldn't tell who's who anymore.

One of the female teachers said, "Can't we, like, ask them to add a bed-"

"No, I already asked, they said there's a strict maximum two bed a room policy. They won't add another bed even if we paid extra," one of the male teachers answered.

"Maybe it's just me, but don't you guys find this situation familiar? Like it has happened before, not in our school, but another school?" the first male teacher mentioned.

The was a long silence.

"I see, we can do that too," one of the male teachers said.

Mrs. Kartini agreed. "The situation is not just similar. It's exactly the same. Since there is a precedence, we can minimize the backlash if we take exactly the same methods."

"Wait what? So this can be solved?" Ms. Ayu sobbed.

"Not solved, actually. We'll still need to answer to the school board, but since it's only Ayu's second year, not to mention that there is a precedence, the school board will not hold us responsible, much. Prepare an apology letter though, just in case," Mrs. Kartini explained.

"So we're doing this, then?" one of the male teachers asked.

"Yes, let's do this," Mrs. Kartini said, "And please fix your makeup before you go meet the students, Ayu. You look like a raccoon."

It was too late for us to hide when the teachers came out from their hidden corner. They noticed us immediately as they walked out. One of the male teachers told us, "Oh you're here. Good, stay here while we fix this problem." Then they proceeded to give all the students their room assignments until in the end, only four of us students were left in the lobby. The other two students were both girls.

"Alright, so here is our problem," Mrs. Kartini pointed at Arifah, "You... aren't supposed to be here."

Arifah looked hurt. "You're going to send me back home?"

"No no. I didn't mean it like that," Mrs. Kartini corrected, "We had a slight clerical error. In our records, you're still a boy and is paired up with your friend here."

At that point we finally understood. "We're sleeping in the same room?!" we said at the same time.

"Yes, and unfortunately because of the event tomorrow, we cannot get you separate rooms right now. Things may change on Sunday, but for now, all we can do is swap room assignments."

"Okaayy," Arifah said, amidst Ms. Ayu's sobs.

"Ayu, please stop crying!" Mrs. Kartini admonished, before getting back to us, "So, after some very confusing room swappings between the teachers and some of the students, these girls will be staying in the same apartment unit with you both," Mrs. Kartini gestured to the two girls beside us.

"Hi there," one of the girls greeted. I recalled that she was Mrs. Kartini's daughter.

"Hey," Arifah greeted back.

I objected, of course. "Wait, you can't do this. It's against common decency for a boy and a girl to be rooming in together. It's like sleeping in the same tent during camping."

"You think we didn't know that already, boy? Apart from sending one of you home, there is nothing else we can do at this point. That being said," she glared at both of us with a look that said we better listen well, "Do NOT do anything indecent in the room while you're here. I will NOT accept any excuses if I found that you've been enjoying INTIMATE moments in the room. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Uh yes," I said.

"Okay," Arifah said.

"Good, now take your bags and go get settled in your apartment unit," Mrs. Kartini handed us each a pair of keys, "Another thing, DO NOT tell anyone else that you're rooming together for whatever reason. To be safe, just don't tell them your apartment number. Or just tell them you're rooming with the teachers. That will keep them quiet. Understood?"

"Understood," we answered.

"Good. Go get settled. Dinner at Hall 2, casual clothes, but NOT tank tops and short shorts, Ema!" Mrs. Kartini said.

The other girl, whom I assumed was Ema, simply giggled and headed off to one of the elevators.

The teachers took off to do their own things. Mrs. Kartini went back to the reception counter to ask a few things. The other teachers went their separate ways, I supposed to rest before dinnertime.

I asked Arifah. "Well, shall we go to our room then?"

Arifah blushed before she made a grin. "Our room... you made it sound like we're going to do xxx things, then more xxx things before we finished it with more xxx things."

"Geez, you're so crude!"

"I was a boy too, you know. I know what boys like to do with cute little things like me. But I'd prefer if it's after an expensive and luxurious candlelit dinner" she said coyly.

"Enough of your daydreams, Miss Romantic. Come on," I pulled her hand the moment the elevator door opened.

*This chapter has been split into two parts because it ended up being too long. Chapter 3 for day one, Chapter 4 for day 2. Please bear with me. As always, all comments and feedbacks are welcomed. Praises helps me write faster while constructive criticisms helps me write better.

In this world, there is a balance. When there are too many women, the world changes girls into boys. When there are too many men, the world changes boys into girls. If you are changed before you reached 12, you have 98% chance to emerge as the opposite sex. The closer you are to adulthood, the more dangerous the change becomes. By the time you are 18, 'change' means 100% death. My name was Arif bin Mohamad Zafri. This is the story of that fateful night when I was confronted with a very difficult decision. Butterfly Girlfriend Part 3.5 By Shinieris

"With this, I am pleased to announce the official start of Form 4's trip at Meru Valley Resort following the theme of Fitness and Bonding. Please enjoy your meals and try not to start a food fight this time," Mrs Kartini said.

"Yeah! Food fight!" one of the guys yelled, as several other boys joined in.

"I SAID NO FOOD FIGHT!" Mrs Kartini yelled into the mic.

------

"Alright, first thing's first. I called both your parents this evening and-"

"Why'd you have to do that? Now they're going to call us back home!" I complained.

"Quiet, girl! Don't interrupt me. But you don't need to worry about that. It is very peculiar," she said with a trace of confusion on her face.

"What is very peculiar?" Zar asked.

"None of your parents told me to send either of you back. Arifah's mother even said, 'Oh is that all? That's no problem at all', which is very peculiar."

"She said no problem at all? Are you sure?" I asked with my mouth gaping open. I wasn't expecting mom to say yes.

"Word by word, strange... As for your mother," Mrs Kartini looked at Zar, "She asked me to tell you not to get Arifah pregnant. Now, why would your mother say that?"

"Goodness gracious, mom! Why'd you have to say that?" Zar said as he squatted on the floor with his hand on own head.

"It's because the datin wants us to get married," I stated, which was quite true.

"ARIFAH!!!" Zar shouted in my ears.

"Ow, ow! Do you have to shout so loudly?" I said with much pain in my ears.

"Embarrassing things like that should be kept in secret!" Zar said, he looked so cute when he was all embarrassed like this.

Mrs. Kartini rubbed her forehead with her fingers as she said, "I don't care what you do in the privacy of your own homes, but you are NOT allowed to have sex with each other for the duration of the trip."

"She said the three-letter word," I whispered loudly enough for both of them to hear.

"She did," Zar whispered back.

Then I turned towards Mrs. Kartini and asked her so sweetly, "So if we can't have sex with each other, can we have sex with other people instead?"

"NOT WITH OTHER PEOPLE EITHER! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" Mrs Kartini shouted so loud, everyone in the dining hall stared at us.

"Okay! He won't," I said. Neither of them realized that I said 'he' and not 'I' or 'we'.

"We're done here. But if I ever catch you in bed with each other, prepare to suffer the consequences!" Mrs Kartini said as she turned and left.

"What were you trying to do? You just confirmed her suspicion that we're sleeping together! Which I must remind you that we are not!" Zar scolded, his face still red in embarrassment.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about it. I mean what we do behind closed doors is our business. Don't worry about others!" I said as I patted his back.

"You are so annoyingly positive," Zar said drily.

------

"Hey, Zar," I called after we got back to our apartment.

"Yeah?" he said between sips of his coffee.

"They have a big, shiny and awesome bathtub here," I stated.

"And?"

"Wanna bathe together?" I said as Zar choked on his coffee.

"ARIFAH!" Zar scolded as he wiped the front of his shirt.

"What? It's not like it is our first time."

"So that's what you guys been doing at home," Yaya, Mrs. Kartini daughter said.

"Ah? Umm, didn't see you guys there," Zar said as his face turned pale.

"Chillax, dude. I'm not gonna tattle. Right Ema?" she asked her roommate.

"Definitely!" Ema agreed.

"You're going to keep our secret?" I asked disbelievingly. I mean, this girl was Mrs. Kartini's daughter.

"You misunderstand me, we won't tattle. Doesn't mean we will keep your secret. If my mother asks, of course I will have to tell the truth," she giggled.

"Ah, gotcha." That means that as long as they don't see anything, there's no problem and they won't try to find out what we're doing either

"Do keep the door open, though," Ema said, which earned her smack on the head from Yaya.

"You just want to watch a free show," Yaya scolded.

"Owie, why not? I mean if they want to show it..." then Ema turned to us, "You're going to give us a free show, right? I can watch you get friendly on the bed, right? Or in the bath?"

Frankly Ema kinda scares me. I mean, what's with all that saliva dripping from her chin?

"Knock that off, Ema!" Yaya smacked Ema's head again, "You're drooling again."

"Eh? I am? Sorry," she said as she wiped her chin with a handkerchief, "Say, can I please put a DVcam inside your room? I promise I won't share-"

Yaya smacked Ema on the head again before dragging her to their shared room.

"I may have misunderstood, but was she trying to peek on us?" Zar asked.

I shrugged, wrapped my arms around his and said, "Who cares? So how about that bath?"

------

It was already 11pm when I left my friend's room after a couple hour's of blackjack and boardgames. I was on my way back to the room I shared with Zar when suddenly one of the doors to the apartments opened and a hand pulled me inside. I looked at the person who pulled me and was rendered speechless when I saw it was none other than my ex-girlfriend Fiora.

"Come," Fiora said as she pulled my hand into her room without even giving me a word of explanation.

It was while we were standing next to the bed as she went pushed the door close with her leg that I finally slapped her hand away and spoke, "What are you trying to do? You're the one who pushed me away, remember?"

She turned around, and that was when I saw her tears flowing down from her eyes. She took my hand and kissed my fingers gently, as if begging me for forgiveness. Then she put my hand to her temple and without looking at me, she said, "Please, will you listen to me, just for a few minutes?"

I looked at her, with her tears wetting my hand. Without realizing it, my other hand moved behind her head and stroked it gently, the same way I used to do when she was still my girlfriend. She seemed to take it as an approval, because she then pulled me gently down to sit on her bed. Then wrapped her arm around my left arm and curled her fingers around mine as she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Fio, why did you bring me here?" I asked without looking her way.

Fiora kept silent for a few minutes longer. Whether she didn't know what to say or she didn't have anything to say, I couldn't tell for sure. Only when I got up did she finally opened her mouth while frantically trying to pull me back down.

"Please, I missed you," she said as she pinned me down on the bed with her body.

I didn't try to get up this time as I said, "You pushed me away, remember? Now you suddenly say that you missed me? What, do you expect me to forgive you and just let it go?"

She sobbed with her face on my breasts, "I'm sorry, Ifa. You have no idea how much I regretted that."

"You think saying that will make me forget?"

"No, but..." she said between sobs, "You were the one... who can't... let go..." she sniffed, "... of Zarif. How did you think... I feel? My girlfriend... was longing... for a man," she sniffed again.

I kept quiet as I recalled how it must have looked to her back then.

"I was insecure enough, being in a lesbian relationship with my former boyfriend. How did you expect me to act when your heart longed for Zarif!" she said as she hit my stomache with her fist.

I caressed her head. "You didn't have to push me away. I wasn't looking to act on it. I was content just being with you, Fio."

"Content isn't enough!" she said as she hit my stomache again, which kind of hurts after she did it several times, "I know you will always need him. You will never be happy with me."

"I was happy, Fio," I said as I grabbed her head with both my hand and looked deep into her watery eyes, "I was happy with you. I really did. I loved you. I loved you very much."

"But... the one you really love was him," she said as she got up from me and curled herself up on the bed, crying even more.

I got up then laid myself next to her. I pulled her close to me and hugged her close. "How can you tell for sure? We're still young, we don't know what we're feeling. We can't even tell for sure if this thing we're feeling is really love."

She sobbed a little between my breasts hearing that.

"What I do know is that I love you, both of you, in a different way from how I love my parents, my sisters or my friends. This is a unique love, and I only have this feeling for two people in the entire world," I said as I rubbed her back.

"How can you tell?" she asked with a voice muffled by the cloth between my breasts.

I made a wicked grin as I pulled her face up to mine and said, "Because I only want to kiss two people in this world. You're one of it."

I gave her a deep but gentle kiss.

She responded by pulling my head down against her face and reciprocated my kiss. While my kiss was deep but gentle, hers was hurried and needful, as if she was trying to push her entire being into the kiss. Was this how she expressed herself, I wonder. Had she always been this needy, this forceful?

Then she kissed my neck, biting it a little, making me moan in pleasure. At the same time, her hands went under my t-shirt, making me mewl with delight from the way she touched my bare skin. She traced my spine with the fingers of her hands, and then her hands separated, going to different directions. Her left hand went up, further tracing my spine with her fingers and palm until it reached the base of my neck, causing me to gasp as if I was short of breath. Her right hand went lower, tracing my spine to my tailbone, making my crotch wet from desire. When her hand went to my butt and squeezed it lovingly, I moaned loudly in her embrace as a minor orgasm washed over me.

Then she got up, raised her nightdress above her and threw it to the floor, leaving her with only her bra and panties. Then as I came down from my orgasm, she helped me push my t-shirt, that had bunched up above my breasts, up and off my arms. She did the same with my shorts, pulling it slowly, gently, erotically down my legs until I could no longer stand it. I pulled her down on me, kissing her deeply as I kicked my shorts off and away. My left hand went down the back of her panties, squeezing her butt while my right went behind her pulling her closer as our bra-covered breasts squeezed against each other. She moaned as I squeeze her butt cheeks as she did the same with mine.

I kissed her lips, licking her lips with my tongue as I slowly slid her panties down her legs, doing my best to not alert her to the fact that I was making her bottomless. In response, both her hands went to my back and unhooked my bra gently before pulling it off my arm and throwing it somewhere. Then she went down on my naked breasts, kissing and licking all around, before she grabbed both breasts in her hands and brought both my nipples into her mouth, sucking it like a baby. I moaned loudly in pleasure as I found myself pulling my own panties down my legs and kicked it away before rubbing my own snatch and finding myself already drooling wet. Then Fiora sat up on my stomache, reached behind herself and unhooked her own bra. She giggled as she dropped her bra onto my face which I grabbed with my hand and put aside before she came down and kissed me deeply, grinding her beautifully shaped breasts on mine.

"Holy shit!" we heard someone say.

It took awhile for us to come down from our high and as we looked into each other's eyes, we came to the same word to describe our situation. "Busted!"

"What? What?" another voice said, "Oh my god!" It was definitely female.

"Sweet! I think I'm scarred for life now!" another female voice said.

Great, there's three of them now. They must've had a very good look up Fiora's very beautifully formed snatch. All thanks to the bright and possibly new fluorescent light on the ceiling.

"Eeek!!!" Fiora squealed as she grabbed the blanket and covered herself next to me.

I grabbed some of the blanket before Fiora took it all.

"Should we leave you alone?" said the girl I knew as Maria, from her voice, she must've been the first person to saw us.

"No way! I wanna watch!" one of them, the one from the voice I recognized as the third girl to discover us said in delight.

The other girl, by process of elimination, must be the second person to discover us, grabbed the third girl by the collar and pulled her away. "Don't butt it. It's their room. We'll talk in the morning."

I recognized them all as being from the same class as Fiora, though, apart from Maria, I never had contact with the other two. Even so, I only knew Maria because she was in the same club as I was.

"Would you close the door?" Fiora said from under the covers.

"Oh, okay," Maria said as she closed the door, but she stood there not knowing what to do, "Should I go?" she asked.

I looked at Fiora, who was still hiding under the covers. She said nothing as she looked away. I turned towards Maria and said, "It's your room too."

Maria walked the short distance to her bed and sat down. She looked intently at us, as if she wanted to burn the image into her mind. Then she said, "I won't tell the teachers, if you're worried about that. I don't squeal on my friends."

"Well, that's good to hear. Thanks," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"How long have you been doing this with each other?" she asked.

"Probably four-five months? I don't quite remember," I answered.

"But I thought you guys broke up or something? Is that the right word in this case?"

"Well yes, Fio dumped me!" I said.

"I said I'm sorry!" Fiora said from under the covers.

"So you're like... a lesbian couple?"

"I guess you can call us that."

"But I don't understand one thing. If you and Fiora's a lesbian couple, where does that leave Zarif?"

I groaned. "Does everyone know about me and Zar?"

"Yes!" both of them said at the same time as Fiora came up from under the covers.

"I want to know too!" Fiora said as she got ontop of me and pinned me down with her own body.

I groaned again and remembering something, I said, "Fio, could you get up please?"

"No! I want to hear your answer," she said like a petulant child.

"Maria, could you please be so kind as to help me find my handphone? It should be inside my shorts pocket," I said while I squeezed Fiora's butt with both hands. Payback!

She gasped and started rubbing her crotch on my thighs. She moaned softly as she ran her crotch up and down my thighs, which drew curious looks from Maria. I guess Fiora's still feeling randy.

"Here," Maria said as she handed my handphone, which she found under Fiora's naked legs after she pulled up the covers, "Are you having lesbian sex again?"

"I'm sorry, once Fio's flick has been switched, eh, I mean switch has been flicked, she'll remain horny all day unless I made her cum," I said as I felt my thigh wet from her moisture.

"Shut up and kiss me, lover," she said as she stole a kiss.

"Wait, wait, I need to make a call," I said as I pressed a speed-dial button.

"Hello?" I heard Zar's voice from the other side.

"Zar, I won't be coming back to our room tonight."

"Oh, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, really. I-" I gasped when Fiora pushed a little finger inside my lovenest.

"Are you ill, Arifah?" Zar asked from the other side.

"No, I'm fine, really," I moaned loud when Fiora wiggled her finger inside.

"Arifah, did you change my blue pen?" Zar asked, using the same codewords we've been using since we were kids, in cases where one of us was in trouble and we couldn't ask for help normally.

"No Zar, I didn't touch your blue pen," I said, telling him that I wasn't in any danger. If I was in danger, I would be telling him that I changed it into a red pen, if I needed help, or black pen, if I could get out of the danger on my own.

"So what's the deal?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I won't be - oh god, Fiooooooo!" I said as Fio made me orgasm with her fingers.

Zar waited until I came down from my orgasm before asking, "Arifah, are you with Fiora?"

"Umm..."

"Hi!" Fiora said into the phone.

"Hi Fiora," Zar said, "Arifah, I thought she dumped you?"

"It's complicated... I'll explain in the morning. Geez stop that!" I said as I pushed Fiora's face from between my legs.

"Just get back here before breakfast. You think you can do that?"

"Yeah, sure. Bye," I said I snapped my phone shut. Then to Fiora, I said, "Fio, I was on the phone!"

"When you're with me, you're with me. I don't like you talking to him when you're with me," Fiora said as she crawled up to my face and planted her lips right onto mine.

"Click!" I heard the sound of a camera snapping pictures.

"Hey! No pictures!" Fiora scolded.

"Sorry, but that just now was very kodak moment. Do it again," Maria said excitedly.

"Like this?" Fiora said as she pecked my lips.

I heard the sound of camera again.

"No, a little more feeling, please. Do like what you normally do, ignore me," Maria said as she snapped a few more pics.

"Wait wait, stop!" I said as I pushed Fiora's head aside, "Cut that out! I don't want to be an amateur pornstar!"

"This won't go on the net. It's just for personal collection. Do a different pose," she urged.

"Personal collection will still end up on some storage somewhere. What if I want to become rich and famous one day and suddenly some of your family or friends find my naked pics and uses it to blackmail me?" I reasoned.

"Oh right, you're going to become Datin Paduka when you marry Zarif one day, won't you?" she said as she snapped another pic of Fiora kissing my neck. That's something like a countess in the western world.

"It's not about the title, I said stop doing that!" I said as I saw her continue taking pics.

Maria sighed as she put her camera on the bookshelf next to the door. She pressed the lock on the door and then proceeded to pull her blouse above her head. Then she threw it away and started unbuttoning her shorts, which she pushed down her legs before kicking it away. Then she took off her bra and panties and stood posed in front of us.

God, she's beautiful I thought as both Fiora and I watched her with our mouths agape.

Then she took her camera, did a selfie of her naked self and said, "Now we're even, right?"

Both Fiora and I froze at the sight.

"Close your mouths, you'll catch a fly," she said as she snapped another pic of us.

She looked at the camera viewer screen and said, "Urgh, I thought it would have its charm, but it doesn't look very photogenic."

She looked at us still looking at her and said, "Oh come on! This should be fair, right?"

I coughed, trying to compose myself as I said, "You can still use the pics you took of us and ruin our lives. No, the only way it will be fair is if you join us on the bed and snap pictures with us. That way, we'll all have something to lose. If you don't want to do that, then you'll just have to delete everything."

"I can?" she asked earnestly.

"Eh?" I asked back.

"She can?" Fiora asked in shock.

"I was only jo-" I said when I saw Maria placed the camera on the bookshelf facing us and joined us on the bed, next to Fiora.

Ten seconds later, the first pic of the three of us naked together on the bed was captured on digital. Fiora was cold at first, but she eventually warmed up and even gave Maria a peck on her lips on the last few pics. I still couldn't get over the shock, but eventually I warmed up to the idea and by the end of our intimate 'photoshoot', I started to enjoy it, even did lewd poses with both of them for the camera.

"Another thing, Maria," I said when it was all over.

"Yes?"

"We keep our pics, you keep your pics," I said.

Maria nodded, but then she asked, "What about the pics that we took together?"

I looked at Fiora for support.

"I think it's okay for each of us to keep the pics we took together. It's okay, Maria's really nice," then she turned to Maria and said, "But if you dare show it to anyone else, you better be ready to leave the country, Maria!"

Maria raised her hands in surrender before she wore her clothes back and laid down on her bed. Meanwhile, both Fiora and I was exhausted from everything and we simply snuggled together facing each other after she switched off the lights. We kissed each other goodnight.

Just as I was about to doze off though, Fiora suddenly asked, "What did you mean when you said 'our room' to Zarif in the phone?"

*Here's the next half chapter from Arifah's side. Next's chapter would be a full chapter from Zarif's point of view.
**As always, please leave your comments and feedbacks. Praises helps me write faster. Constructive criticisms helps me right better. I appreciate and welcome either.