While Aunt Joe cleaned up the kitchen, Darius went upstairs to his room and hid the jewelry box as ordered. Relatively small in the hand, it was easy enough to conceal but as for the jewel that Aunt Joe presented, she still wore it around her neck because that is to be saved for another time. Apparently, there’s a certain time gap to use the key every now and then but as to why he wasn’t allowed to hold it at first even he wasn’t told.

He changed his clothes and took his brief shower. He wore his best for the barbecue because this event, although originally planned for a much earlier precedent, was for his seventeenth birthday. Weirdly enough today is his birthday and as of several hours ago, he is officially sixteen. All of the timing seems to be perfectly in place: the dream, the two-day coma, the postponed barbecue, and who knows what else that’s perfectly timed although the events that led to this day weren’t all that comforting.
He headed to the back yard where the high view from the top of the hill could see the far beyond and an excellent view of the capital city. He’s never been there but he would love to visit it at least once someday and seeing he’s a whole new person now, such a wish is discreetly possible. Even though in the bright morning light, his eyes can see so much more than just the outlines and colors of the wild: he can see the stream of swirling colors and energy literally all over the skies, swirls of color brushed through every tree, every branch and leaf, through the rivers and rocks, even coursing beneath the hill itself. It’s as if the whole world just woke up to a powerful new day and the sun is like a giant orb of gold, fire, and Vermillion.
“Whoa… that is extremely wicked.” He said under his breath.
“What is?” a voice called out. He quickly turned around to see Aunt Joe setting plates on the wooden table looking a little perplexed as to why her nephew has become so interested in the view.
“Nature!” he said with a wide smile. He helped set up the grill and this time, there were no rain clouds coming to ruin the day. This time, the morning to set is perfect.
“Why don’t you call the neighbors? Mr. Burks always loved to decorate the table and it’s always a good chance for him to try his new fabric.” Aunt Joe said.
“Alright, sure.” He replied. He quickly ran around the house until he was sure he was clear from Aunt Joe’s line of sight. With a grin, he jumped forward down the hill although at this altitude he could be seen by anybody. Once landed with a hard smash to the dirt, he sprinted forward, and like a blur, he couldn’t see clear of anything but at the same time, he can see where he is going and where he wanted to go. Half of a blink of an eye later, he reached the first house nearest to the hill; the home of Mr. Dillinger. Like his own, this too is an isolated mansion but unlike his, this one has decorative walls and a gate. He slipped past through the gate which was already halfway open and knocked once on the large wooden doors but the mini door, just right in the left-center of the door, opened before the second knock connected.
“Ah, Darius, good to see you again, lad. We were just on our way out.” Mr. Dillinger said. He was a middle-aged man that had a thick blonde mustache and a goatee although his hair is mainly grey.
“Uh, ‘we’ Mr. Dillinger?” Darius asked. Surprising himself more to find that he’s not panting breath.
“Of course, me and Houser. You remember Houser, don’t you? Come, boy! We’re leaving!” Mr. Dillinger said and raised his voice to the inside of the house.
“Coming!” replied a voice. A boy came down, no older than Darius, both father and son wore matching clothes of red and white coats except Mr. Dillinger wore buttons while Houser wore zippers.
“Darius, haven’t seen you in a while, how have you been?” Houser asked as he extended him to shake. Darius shook the hand and replied, “Not that long, I think it’s only been fifteen months.”
To his surprise (and everyone else), no one believed he could remember that detail of their last meeting but to Darius’s memory, Houser looks exactly like when he was last year. Well, except that his hair got a little bit longer and he’s gotten taller by a few inches.
“You better run along then, there are a few more people that need to be called upon.” Mr. Dillinger said, Darius nodded in agreement and rushed to the next house which was at least a kilometer away. The strange thing about all his neighbors is that despite the fact that they live in lavish homes in relatively wide private lands, their lifestyle seems completely remote and isolated but at the same time with style and a certain class to them. Sometimes, it makes you think if they are banished nobles or something.
From house to house, isolated manor to manor, Darius knocked and invited all the people he’s ever known growing up. All of which are all the keener to attend the barbecue to celebrate his birthday. Darius isn’t all too excited about gifts that he saw a few of his guests brought, he’s just happy with them being present like they always have. Of course, there aren’t very many people who live around these parts. In total, Darius couldn’t have known more than a dozen people here including their sons and daughters if they had any as they are mostly old folks who have seen services in the palace, war, or old acquaintances of Razaius. After the last nearest neighbor was invited, Mrs. Davis, he searched for a clearing as he tried to find time for having another run with his new abilities. Super speed, high jumps, and telekinesis are basically standard as he’s seen plenty of people capable of doing much greater and they’re not even Psyon like himself.
After reaching a river nearby, he wanted to flex his mental muscle and moved a few rocks around for fun. As he chuckled with this sight, he senses something off. While amazed at the fact that he doesn’t have to use his hands anymore to move multiple objects, there’s something off about moving these rocks or at the very least peculiar. Darius could feel something within these rocks, something inside them that enables him to move these rocks around but he can’t get a grip on it. It’s the same feeling that he gets when he sees the river. He stopped the rocks in their place without any real mental effort and stood steady on his feet; he used both hands and aimed at the flowing river. All at once, the rocks felt heavier and the flow of the river is dragging him in; he can feel himself being dragged and sliding off the grass towards the river itself and no matter how he tried to stop his tracks, friction is not on his side.
Feeling the weight of the rocks and river being too overbearing, he dropped everything: the rocks dropped straight to the ground with a hard thud, the river splashed violently as if someone jumped a cannonball into it and a soft shockwave of the air blasted him just off his feet and he was compelled to sit on the warm grass. He panted for air as if it’s not enough for his brain but at the same time, he understands a little bit about this telekinesis and he doesn’t think it’s telekinesis at all but perhaps something much deeper. Either way, he doesn’t have any time to figure all this out now and decided to go back.
“A mere man cannot lift rock and stone with their minds, my young apprentice.” Darius jumped and swung everything else in range across the river with the shock as he saw his old master Rayleigh simply sitting on the ground watching him.
“Master Rayleigh, how long have you been sitting there?” Darius asked as he tried to focus on bringing the rocks back from the other side of the river.
“Quite a while, young one. It is you who came and intruded on my private moments of peace.” The master replied.
“Ah, my apologies for that, I didn’t notice anyone here… actually, I could never sense if you are around or not,” Darius said with a grin. He dusted his hands-free from dirt and sat down next to his master.
“Happy seventeenth birthday, Darius. It is indeed a good day for special occasions.” Rayleigh said as he turned his sights to the sky.
“Thank you, master. Quite the ways from the old river, aren’t you?” Darius said.
“Oh, you know me, wandering about wherever the stream goes…” Rayleigh returned, “So you are Psyon now… I wonder if I should be surprised or doubtful.”
“What made you assume such a thing? A few tricks here and there once in a while doesn’t mean very much in this world.” Darius said as suspicion and humor rose about him.
“One does not simply manifest ability to move rock and twig out of thin air, my student.” The master replied.
“And yet, you quickly came to the conclusion that I became a Psyon. It’s a little strange even coming from you, master.” Darius smiled.
“Oh, I’ve been around for a very long time, young one… Suffice it for me to say I know well enough when one has been chosen.” Rayleigh returned.
“I always thought that it would be a myth or a legend. Something made for bedtime stories to enchant children of dreams and wonders?” Darius picked up a nearby rock and levitated it around his hand.
“Ah, but you seem to forget, Darius. Legends and myths must come from a true story somewhere. Maybe one or two facts may have been exaggerated but the source is always true. Would you believe me if I told you I have met a Psyon before?” Rayleigh said. Darius paused for a second to stare into his master’s eyes and know there is no lie in his words.
“Somehow, judging by the size of your beard, you would have met every single Psyon in history.” Darius joked. Surprisingly, Rayleigh laughed much harder than Darius did but the amusement took effect nonetheless.
“Aye… Time seems to have changed me very little compared to all those years ago…” Rayleigh then closed his eyes and breathed in the cool air about him. Darius thought for a second that he might fall asleep.
“You know, you’re always welcome to the house for the food. If Aunt Joe is going to be all repellent about you then I can easily cancel the whole thing and run away.” Darius said, half-joking.
“Thank you, lad, but I must be elsewhere for now,” Rayleigh said as he woke from his false slumber and stood up, “I will see you again soon… will you be visiting by the river later today?”
“You bet I will! I will just be late compared to the usual time.” Darius followed.
“Do not forget a warrior’s key strength is humility. A boastful and proud warrior would have many weaknesses easily exposed.” Rayleigh said which made Darius blush.
“And I must apologize for not presenting you with a gift of your own. It would be a poor gesture from a master to his student.” Rayleigh smiled as he said this but Darius drew contempt from this old geezer for a long time.
“Seeing you here is present enough,” Darius said and bowed in respect, “I will see you again later today.” As he straightened himself from his bow, his master was already gone. Snapping back to reality, he jumped above the trees and soared through the air but this time, he managed to maintain airborne just a little longer but it was enough to allow him to glide. He shouts out in victory for this achievement because this is the closest thing he has to flying. And it just hit him as to what he felt just now during the river test.
As he slowly descended, he closed his eyes and felt the energy swirling around him like the wind. He could feel it all around him, at his fingertips, his feet, the very follicle of his hair, and the very tingling of his skin. He opened his eyes and took a step on the empty air, he felt a hard invisible surface beneath his shoes and jumped like how he normally jumped off the ground and thrust himself forward.
“HELL YEAH!” He screamed at the top of his lungs as he jumped again and again on air and soared higher and higher to the very clouds in the sky, completely forgetting what his master had just advised him. To the naked eye, one could see himself flying through a fog or a thick mist but to his eyes, he is flying through streams of colorful energy that he can feel on his skin as real as the wind around him. Stepping on these colors and soaring through the sky like this reminded him of a fantasy he had as a child when he would imagine that he is in a castle in the sky that’s levitated by a colorful yet strong cloud form.
He began his descent as the barbecue is starting and the guests have probably arrived by now. He landed far off the hill to ensure no one can see him and ran on foot up the hill, of course, much faster now and without a single sweatdropped. As he reached the manor on the hill, he straightened himself so that the effects of flying through clouds won’t be so obvious. He headed around the house and reached the backyard and as soon as he made his appearance, everyone there called out to him and some even clapped as he slowly walked towards the grill.
“Record time, Darius! Hope you didn’t ruin your legs now, we’ll need them for the games later!” Mr. Dillinger said as he patted Darius on the back.
“Looking forward to it, Mr. D,” Darius replied happily. Others came around and wished him happy birthday while some just sat around the grass and chatted. This is how they would normally hold barbecues by using as much of nature as possible except for the grill and as seeing how the old wooden table can’t really support any heavyweights, people would just use it to put their plates of food or drinks temporarily.
“Just in time, honey,” Aunt Joe said quietly as she approached from behind with the charcoal biscuits, “you know no one else can cook outdoors better than you can.”
“Thanks, Aunt Joe... Hopefully, I’ll make a really good roast today. Meat is never gonna taste better.” he said as he readied the heat of the grill.
“I know you would. I’m gonna go talk to Madam Kiss about her new flower business.” Aunt Joe said and went to talk to Madam Kiss who stood next to the rose bush with a drinking glass in her hand. Madam Kiss is a widow and is by far the wealthiest person he knows, she has light blonde hair all tied in a bow and hat while wearing an orange gown as if appearing for a wedding. Relatively old, she looks like she might be in her fifties but no one can really tell because nobody knows how old she really is.
As Darius lit the fire up with some matches, he remembered that his father was a Pyrelighter, so that means in his blood somewhere must have the same ability. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on how to heat up and burn the charcoal as fast as possible and just like turning on the light, he could feel a warm tingle at the tip of his finger. He opened his eyes and could see a small little fire just hovering above his index fingernail. Before anyone noticed, he waved his finger and the fire jumped into the grill and a much larger fire started. His rushing excitement for yet a new discovery of his profound abilities affected the flames as they grew larger and wilder until several people had no choice but to look.
“Whoa, easy there, boy. You could burn yourself there.” Mr. Dillinger said as he approached. He waved his hand once and the flames flickered to their small size in the grill and Darius is feeling the blood rushing to his cheeks.
“Didn’t know you were practicing the Pyre Arts. When did you become attuned?” Mr. Dillinger asked.
“Oh, uh, no, it wasn’t really Pyrelighting, sir; I was just playing around with some stuff that can make the fires grow. You know how it is; new toys are being made up every day.” Darius lied.
“I certainly hope so as well. But better keeps the toys away from the food or else it will be burnt!” he said with a loud laugh and walked back to his conversation with another elder in indigo robes (“Anyways, as I was saying, the Neutral State itself is not that entirely neutral”). Fortunately, everyone else thought it was a rather funny sight so the sheer embarrassment wasn’t a bad thing. But now Darius understands that his emotions can easily trigger small flames into a time bomb, something that he has to master as soon as possible.
The time passed by swiftly as beef, chicken, ribs, and lamb were cooked to perfection and served in the quickest time possible. Darius tried his hardest not to laugh at himself because he remembers how to cook barbecue during the first time he was taught. Old man Rayleigh, along with swordsmanship and martial arts, also taught him how to survive in the wilds such as what to eat when in a lost situation in jungles or forests, or deserts. In addition to that, he was also taught how to cook his meals properly should he have sufficient tools with him. Although Darius never knew why Old man Rayleigh gave him some pretty impressive recipes to cook as well although he never tried them himself.
The guests were happily talking amongst themselves about their share of life and every now and then complimenting on how well Joanna raised her nephew in hard times and even passed a few congratulatory shakes to Darius for coming of age. After all, as of now, he is seventeen years old with an impressive upbringing no less.
“Everyone, may I have your attention please?” Aunt Joe called out as she stood in the center of the yard, everyone turned their attention to her completely and Darius silenced himself.
“Today marks a good day for all of us as we stand here today, ever grateful for living yet another great day with each other,” she said, and (“here, here!” said a few people) many applauded after that, “and I would like to personally thank you all for coming here today from the bottom of my heart to celebrate the most precious day for a young boy who as of today is now a man of wisdom and virtue.” everyone cheered and clapped and raised their drinking glasses to honor themselves and their host. Darius felt the blood rush to his cheeks again but at the same time, he can proudly raise his head high for this day.
“And so, with the greatest honor that was granted to me by his parents, honey, can you please step forward?” Aunt Joe said. Darius gulped hard, straightened his suit, and slowly walked forward. He can sense everyone is just as anticipated about this as he is, if only he could read minds that would be so much more useful so that he can know what’s going to happen.
“Darling,” Aunt Joe said as he stopped in front of her, “you are the greatest treasure to me. And not just to me but everyone else here. And when your mother left you to me that fateful day those many years ago, I’ll admit I was scared because I’ve never had a child of my own. But you taught me that nothing is impossible and your father left me a great example of that.” everyone fell silent to these words and Darius could hear their heartbeats getting faster.
“Before your parents left, they have decided to leave to you a gift of their own but only for you to open once you have come of age. Master Saul, If could do the honors?” she said and turned to the man in the indigo robe.
“A lovely speech, Joanna, as always...” Master Saul said and passed her a parcel wrapped in pure red velvet. Aunt Joe took the parcel as gentle as she could and turned back to her nephew. As Darius reached his arm out to receive this highly anticipated gift, a new sudden surge shocked the senses that made him freeze on the spot. Something is here.
“Honey, are you alright?” Aunt Joe asked. Jerking himself back to reality, he returned, “Yeah, just excited to see what’s underneath.” everyone laughed lightly at his words but his attention was more to this new stranger suddenly in their midst.
“This was left to you by your father, Razaius Reign, with the wish that you could open it on this day.” Aunt Joe said and unwrap the parcel. It was the jewelry box she showed him earlier but it was different and this time there was a book underneath with the same type of lock the box has.
“And this was left by your Mother, Adriana Reign, as the key to open both treasures to you.” Aunt Joe said as she reached for the back of her neck and took off her necklace. The same necklace she showed him earlier and the red ruby in the center was burning as brightly as ever.
“Go on, darling, open It,” she said with a smile and took two steps back. Darius could sense now all eyes are on him and what he holds in his hand.
“Everyone, thank you all so much for this. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay your kindness throughout the years you have raised me... And Aunt Joe, if I could be granted any wish for my birthday, is that I can still spend the rest of my days here with you in this house on the hill.” Darius said with his chest swelling. Everyone cheered and clapped as hard as they could and Aunt Joe cried a tear while mouthing the words “Thank you, baby.”
As he took hold of the necklace, a black wisp of smoke and shadow appeared right in front of him. No one could react, nobody had time to acknowledge what is really happening and Darius was facing a man in a black hood and mask completely immobile.
“Sorry, buddy, touching speech but we gotta go.” the intruder said and thrust his palm to Darius’s chest, forcing him to drop everything and sending him flying off the hill.