1 | Evening In The Garden|

Author's Initial Note: Don't forget to scroll up to the topmost to read the Prologue and Welcoming Remarks.

 THERE were only two choices: to be fooled and admit stupidity, or not to be fooled and show how stupid you really are.

 Had he not been of good sportsmanship, Kayne would have slit the smirk off the idiot's face, whose dark eyes mocked him behind a pair of eyeglass under the shadows cast by his raven hair.

 "Well?" Zakuro teased, as he had been doing since the beginning of playing chess. "It's an opportunity I'm offering: a queen for a queen. Take the shot? Or not?"

 The brunette was on the edge of his seat. His sky-blue eyes surveyed the pieces on the hollow green and white squares, scratching his cream chestnut locks. From the position of the wood-carved pieces, he could infer two possibilities. One, his contender may be planning on ridding their most powerful piece each to minimize their advantages to their lesser units, in which he counted three ranked units at his disposal while his opponent had five. Two, it was common to think that chess is a game of the mind; you do not just play the pieces, you play your opponent.

 And if one knows his foe too well, Kayne knew Zakuro was too cautious a player to pull a bluff. Kayne brought a pon forward, blocking the diagonal passage between the two confronting queens. 

 "Suit yourself." 

 The night was young. It had only been past a quarter hour since they started laying out the pieces of the game on one of the table stones. What felt like long due hours playing was a mere couple of minutes. The limited time counter while playing gave their duels a fast pace, and despite the seconds of thinking of strategies and constructing predictions from the countless probabilities of the game's turnabout, it was exactly that feature of chess that thrilled the two boys at most. 

 A match between thinking grounded on decisiveness, risk, confidence, and strength of mind, all determining your rate of winning. Kayne, on the other hand, may have only needed to think further beyond his choices.

 "Checkmate. I win again."

 It was a quick maneuver. A few moves no less than five. Zakuro held his hand out, which Kayne willingly shook in defeat. 

 "You could have taken my bid. It was an anticipated draw, after all."

 A draw. 

 Kayne clicked his tongue at the remark, stretching his arms. "So you meant to say it was never meant to give me leverage to chance a win?"

 Zakuro placed the pieces back in their box, careful not to miss out on one to put it back in the convenience cabinet. "Could be. Or you just gotta believe I'm unequaled."

 Kayne rolled his eyes. He had grown accustomed to this brat's arrogance, yet again, he could not deny a sense of truth in those words. The sooner someone accepts his vanity, the better for their sanity's sake. "Whatever, Nut Head."

 In the middle of the park, the glinting fountain put up a serene show, lit only by the miniature garden lamps hanging on the fieldstone walls that marked the boundary of the territory while others flanked along the edges of the marble pathways, lined along by a few ornate street lights splashing a wide range of white dazzle. The bright moon was in its full appearance, high above the clouded night sky sprinkled with the first few stars. Rings of flower beds in rainbow batches furnished the lawns. Lush shrubs snipped into small delicate trees budding the most endearing blossoms of roses, jasmine, bougainvillea, and such on the lime fields.

 The tranquility was disturbed by the sounds of two more of their companions already scuffling in the early pleasant evening. One grappled the other boy by the head, pulling him into a lock while drilling his knuckles into his captive's cobalt blue hair.

 "I said enough! You're ruining my gel!" The hostage, Ryeld, exclaimed to no avail.

 "Chill out. I'm just fixing your groove if you want to charm some girls," Hiro said. Half his attention turned to Zakuro and Kayne, eyes wandering about. "She's still not here?"

 Kayne shrugged emptily. "Guess not."

 The climate had brought about cozy winds that were neither too cold nor too hot for one who had been a native of the eastern hemisphere. Nevertheless, everyone wore whatever snuggly their closets had provided for them.

 Exerting one more final thew, Ryeld managed to free himself. "You half-wit brat head of an imbecile! This took me a whole hour to perfect! I swear if my bodyguards were here, I'd ... aghh! I'm gonna give you a whole lot of beating after this, Hiro Taravon Amaerys!" he snarled, combing his hair with olive-tanned fingers back to their decent shape in a slicked-back fashion, leaving the twin, sharp-pointed bangs hovering above his jade eyes as if his irises were carved from the Emergaea Mountains. "Great! There's not even a mirror here."

 "Yeah, yeah, you and your precious, fragile locks that always needed to be tended to every thirty seconds or so," Kayne commented.

 "At least my natural appeal speaks for itself," Hiro said, pumping his sienna-red tricep. His hair were alike to the scarlet flames of his Fire, challenging eyes glistening of amber pupils. "My incomparable plumps will no doubt lure the ladies. Don't fret yourself over it, Rye. After all, some women are into tall walking sticks."

 Ryeld almost laughed, more so to mock. "Gee, you're charm is working well. If you want to attract girls, it's all about elegance and formality. You really are all brawn but no brains if you think they're going to choose a hunk of dried-age meat over a proper gentleman."

 "Hey, hey, I'm just saying. But know I appreciate a good criticism from a bitter spectator."

 "Bitter? Me? Oh please, you're just in denial Dana got over you."

 Hiro's light demeanor changed. "You don't dare bring that up!"

 "Oh? Or what? Am I hurting your feewings?" Ryeld gibed.

 Hiro's face blushed with rosy red. "Don't make me-"

 "Aaand there they are again." Kayne sighed, watching the two dogs who could only growl but swallow their bites. "You look awful."

 The shift of shadow in his peripheral caught his attention. Zakuro was rubbing his temples, almost looking exhausted as he sat on the cedar bench. "Just thinking about the upcoming test."

 Kayne stared at him for a brief second. He was quick to recognize the subtext within shallow words, but brushed it off. "Alright then." The brunette proceeded to clear his throat to steer the conversation. "Speaking of school, mind if I copy your homework? I dozed off throughout Professor Herring's mid-lecture about the Ecological Crisis again. Had to catch up with the latest season of Uncanny Valley. You understand I can't miss the whole night premiere."

 "Hiro has my paper, but he hasn't returned it yet."

 "Hope he didn't spill his coffee all over it again," Kayne jested, but Zakuro could give no more than an impassive response.

 He better be joking.

 Over the trickling flow of the fountain and the consistent prattle of the raucous two, the sound of scurrying shoes came into. "I'm here!" A familiar voice called out. Upon arrival, Cazzie panted thinly from what looked like a several-kilometer marathon, ash ponytail sweeping down. She wiped the fog from the round lens of her glasses, and put it back to augment her black eyes. "Sorry for the delay."

 "Finally!" Ryeld had his arms up his waist. "My patience was just about to run out with this mutt. Having trouble with your door again?"

 "No," the girl said in between gasps. "I had to return some rented books at the library. I'm sorry I kept you all waiting."

 "You're here and safe, it's what matters. Anyway, we're all here now." Kayne glanced at his phone. "The Meteor Showers will turn up at any minute."

 They peered around. The wall was yet untouched, the stone pathway maintained its fresh glamour, and the cafes had not yet opened. The empty venue bestowed an unwelcome presence of ominosity.

 "Strange. It's not like the garden's closed for the night," Hiro said. "You think we picked the wrong spot?"

 Zakuro shook his head. "I don't think so. The newscast said it would perfectly cover the whole sector of the city."

 "Welp, at least we get to have all the space. I'll just be strolling around the flower beds," Kayne said, then sauntered over in between the fields.

 Ryeld, Hiro, and Cazzie spurred to their feet like children running toward a playground. Hiro rushed to the hedges while Ryeld stood by the fountain to resume fixing his hair.

 "Hey, Caz. Watch me get to the other side without touching the bushes."

 Cazzie amusingly watched as the sprightly boy hopped over the green thickets that reached up to his stomach. "Be careful! You might destroy something,"

 As the wild tearaway as he is, Hiro leaped on a bush after vaulting over the previous two, subsequently tripping on his shoe tip and stumbling awkwardly on landing. Ryeld cackled, commenting on his folly, while Cazzie tended to him.

 "I've seen toddlers do better."

 Cazzie chided, "It doesn't look like you have an abrasion. But I do hope you've heard me, Hiro. For the hundredth time this month. Don't make me reach a thousand until you listen. It'd be safer if we stay out of the bushes and flowers. There might be security looking."

 "You're probably right. I felt my hipbone touch the ground." Hiro grimaced, rubbing the back of his waist. "And don't worry about me, sis. I never bleed, remember?"

 "Still."

 With its shimmering lake in the heart of its domain and the endpoint cliff fringed with fences bordering the thick blanket of trees below, displaying the horizon overhead, the Greens Grandiose Galore, composed of almost all the distinguished names of blooms from around the Sphere, was depicted as one of the emblematic tokens in behalf of the fertile land of Flaurella. Appealing and magnificent to some for its pomp, many, as well, fancy the place for its ancient background. Rumors told that before the garden had flourished its artistry, it had become more than once a renowned combat zone during the foregone wars, civil or worldwide, fictitious or historic. It was a favorite among tourists whenever their eyes would wonder of the abundant greens from all the eight lands, yet already exhibited in a single park with surrounding cafes and fares in addition to the aspects that make it irresistible to not want to visit one of the wonders of the way the kingdom could represent its glory.

 Ryeld and Hiro resumed their leisure by passing a ball of energy in rapid and vigorous courses as the gap between them narrows and the ball grows until one of them successfully hits the other who failed to catch the ball, their opponent claiming the victory and earning a debt to pay as if the impact was not damaging enough. A perilous game should it reach over ten minutes that could either result in losing a head or falling to mana fatigue.

 "Come on, Zak. Join them. Loser gets to buy more food." Cazzie urged the idle Nyrhaean, who returned from drinking at the water fountain.

 It was not until the nightly wind had grown icy that a hefty stream of gusts whispered a sinister whoosh. No one spoke, allowing the flurry to pass as it glided across their body, bringing about goosebumps like silk rubbing against their skin. In the following few more seconds, it finally paused.

 "Probably an expected rainstorm this week," Kayne said, back from his tread.

 It took about two breaths for Zakuro to react when his heed was seized by another abrupt disruption. An intrusion only he is aware of. It lurked nearby like a predator skulking behind the queues of grasses, ready to pounce on its prey.

 "Uhm, Zak?"

 Cazzie's voice was drowned out by his apprehensive thought.

 They were not alone.

 Expression hardening, his sharp senses were at their weakest yet it hardly failed him. Another press upon his detection, the maneuver of the unseen unco felt not a few meters away.

 "Is something wrong?"

 The ball flew over Ryeld's head before dissipating on the ground, who also took notice of Zakuro's change in stance.

 "Ha!" Hiro bawled, ultimately silenced by a chorus of shushes.

 Zakuro's focus was beyond all range. All was still, unmoving... until he trailed the odd presence with a flick. Looking ahead, his body tensed.

 "LOOK OUT!"

 Their hearts dropped at the commotion.

 "NO!" Hiro yelled.

 Before she could respond, outstretched obscure cloaks veiled Cazzie from both sides. Towering behind her stood a dark silhouette, brooding and nimble enough to snatch her under its wing-like veils, cloaking her whole. Zakuro watched, stunned as Cazzie vanished straightaway beneath the dark covers.

 "Cazzie!" Ryeld cried out.

 The figure's glare narrowed into a scowl. Spreading its dark curtains, Zakuro grimaced.

 This was no petty trick. The girl was nowhere there.

 The buoyant milieu dramatically switched to a dour state. Blazing essences coursed through their veins, brimming to burst out once filled to the tip of their fingers. It was as if the crickets too were awed by the growing heat of the fuss that they shut their chirring in fear.

 Voicing a battle cry, Hiro hurdled himself over a bush, out for the ambush from behind, but was instantly pushed aside by an unseen force of the wind, brutal enough to propel him aside and cause him to roll on the solid ground. Kayne rushed over to him, pulling up his arm as the redhead gauchely rose to his feet.

 "That was stupid!"

 Hiro groaned. "Force of habit."

 The moonlight introduced the shadow-coated stranger to be a man seemingly in his middle ages. Wrinkles marked his age, grey strands starting to grow on the sides of his hair fastened to a classic side fix, and intolerating eyes. He wore a navy-blue trench coat, buttoned from the hem to the trunk, overlaying a white, long-sleeve polo underneath over a pair of polished black shoes.

 "The girl does not concern you," the stranger alas spoke, voice hoarse. "Now if I were you, I'd be better off with this childish charade. Let the adults take care of subtle matters."