CHAPTER 12: THE ONES WE HAVE LOST

Koven jerks in shock when he sees Keira. "Geez, what are you doing here?" he asks while trying to show he was not doing anything wrong.

Keira smirks for a few seconds, then straightens her face, "I should be asking you that same question."

"I went out to do something, how does that concern you?" He shrugs after his statement to show his lack of fear. Keira then raises her to hands to show innocence, "ok, it doesn't concern me. I'll just tell Reebabo or the other immortals that's I saw the leader of the werewolves, Koven outside the portal at night, with his human girlfriend or lover. I am so curious as to how they would react." She smiles after successfully delivering her blackmail in disguise.

Koven widens his eyes because he has realised his defeat. "Alright, I get it you caught me." Suddenly, he smirks and asks, "how did you know I was seeing a human friend, if you didn't go out of the portal too?"

Keira's smile fades a little before lighting up again, "I didn't go out of the portal. It took just my head and my two hands and I saw you guys from here. Give it up, Koven. But, don't worry, I will keep your secret?" Koven let's go of the breath he has been holding, to show relief.

"But!" Keira says quickly. "For a price of or favour."

Koven rolls his eyes and asks with annoyance, "what do you want? "

Keira gives him a knowing smile, "you know how you never liked training anyone and I have been begging you for ages to at least, show me one of those mad fighting skills. Well, just as long as you be my personal trainer, your secret is very safe."

Koven put his right index finger and thumb at the thin bridge of his nose, as if thinking so hard about it when clearly he knows he has no choice. "Okay, whatever." He finally responds.

Keira says with a big smile, "good! So we can start early tomorrow,that is if you don't have any important assignment. Also I need a healing ointment or potion for my lips and to ease my body pain, do you still....."

They both walk further into the forest as Keira keeps him occupied with her talking.

Next day................

The loud drums from Avalon go off to alert the gifted to gather for the memorial ceremony. Soon, everyone is gathered.

Reelora decides to speak to the beings,"everybody here has lost someone, either a friend, parent, sibling or members of your kind. I understand the pain of losing something dear to you, talk less of a person. This ceremony is not to make you move on from your grief, but it is one, that would make them remembered by the memories they share with us." Reelora goes silent and Cerberus continues, "this ceremony is important to ensure the spirit of the Dead, rest in peace at the other side. We will take eulogies, a song at the core and write messages to our various loved ones. So anyone with an eulogy can come forward. It could be a shared memory or anything you wish to say about that person. Some people raise their hands and among them is Toban and his wife.

After some heartfelt words, memories and tears, Toban and his wife come out to say their eulogy. Everywhere is quiet and the beings are waiting for them to speak.

"Some months ago, I had a complete family; my wife and I with my ten-year-old son. That dreadful day, when Felix's workers went around killing and trapping powers of various gifted beings,some of us adults were helping to guide the mermaidsndmen we could find to the depth of Kentucky lake. But sadly, when we thought we had already gotten him inside and he was safe. We saw him just about to enter......

MONTHS AGO.

"Leo!" Toban shouts at his son who is just about to dive into the water when one of Felix's goons seizes the struggling young boy. Toban is shouting at the top of his voice while trying to save his son with some water bending, when the goon injects his child thereby, extracting his powers. Toban and his wife cry out loud as they witness Leo fall dead, already disintegrating into gold dust.

BACK IN THE MEMORIAL

Toban and his wife are already in tears in front of the others.

"...I know that it wasn't entirely my fault but I can't help but blame myself. Till today, I don't know why he went out of the lake. Our boy was always so eager to learn the fighting ways as a gifted. I promised him I would personally train him in when he was older. I remember the day he was born. I also remember his first swim, first dagger I gave him. That boy is in a better place now, I'm sure of it. Our memories together will forever be with us."

After the eulogy session, gifted beings wrote letters and dropped them on the large silver tray in the front of the big hall. Cerberus opens the portal and Reelora takes the tray into the afterlife and drops them on the pathway. The sad ceremony ends with a  slow dirge in which, all the gifted gathered around the core where the powers of their loved ones were returned to. Reelora played the flute and they all sang slow traditional song of The gifted beings.

Later in the evening, Reebabo leaves the realm to the biggest library in United States, library of Congress. He went for a relaxation and relief of stress from the day. When night and darkness had befallen, he decides to fly back to Kentucky. When lands on the ground of the forest in Lexington, about to approach the portal that leads to The gifted realme.

There is a sudden shuffling noise in the bushes behind Reebabo. And he takes the hint, that someone was watching him. He knows that if he goes to check, the person might escape so, Reebabo continues and makes a turn away from the portal, in a way the spy would have to come out to follow him. As the dark figure leaves the bushes, Reebabo appears behind him and uses the edge of the wood on the spy's head, knocking the daylights out of him.

Reebabo wonders who sent him. Reebabo ties, blindfolds and drags him through the portal.

(who do you think sent the spy? Find out what happens to the spy at the other side in the next chapter.)