chapter 3: strange liquid: Blue Trails of Destiny

After arriving in Zebha, Edward and his family decided to go deep into the kingdom where their enemies would not be able to find them. They started a new life in the mountains near Nâçiteñe'v city. Edward built his family a home in the most secluded part of the mountain, with beasts being their only surrounding neighbors. Carol joined a mercenary guild named the Black Hawks, while her brother Edward became a calligrapher. Gabby became a full-time housewife, spending most of her time taking care of her newborn son, who seemed to be always sick in his first three years. On the boy's fourth birthday, something happened while he was playing outside with his makeshift sword.

A man clad in pure white robes appeared in front of young Timothy, startling him beyond words. The man glanced at the little boy with an amused expression before kneeling down on one knee, saying, "Do not be scared, young one. I am not here to hurt you. You must be Edward's offspring. My name is Li; I am an old friend of your father. I also have a child your age; I hope you can be friends one day. Anyways, is your father home?...Oh, here he comes." With that being said, Edward materialized between Timothy and the man named Li, instructing, "Mí'tûr, go to your mother."

Young Timothy took off running, finding himself confused by what just happened. "Father?" Timothy, unable to comprehend what just happened, started crying as he ran to his mother. The man named Li frowned as he got up, remarking, "You made the child cry, Ed; that is not nice."

Edward chose to ignore what Li had just said and asked in a calm voice, "What do you want, Li?" Li shook his head and chuckled, "You haven't dropped the serious act? Come on now, you big fool, give me a hug." Edward eventually smiled and hugged his old friend, "Let us go somewhere private." With that, they vanished from where they were and appeared in front of a beautiful waterfall hidden deep in the mountain. Breaking up the hug, Edward's serious expression was back on his face, "Now tell me what made you seek me out, Li?" He asked.

Li turned to look at the waterfall and smiled, but the smile on his face seemed to be hiding a great deal of pain and regret. "The prophesied war is almost upon us; the age of Konquerors is coming to an end. If we do not find the Forsaken son, the gods will abandon this universe, and it will become a forgotten land, and every mortal in it will die. We were the ones that ushered in the age of Konquerors, and we will be the ones to watch it end. I want to back the Forsaken son; I am tired of their rule. The reason me and you are like this is because we were tricked by one of them, and now we are a pair of undying fools. If it wasn't for your breakthrough in your research, we would not even be able to have offspring. I-" Li was cut off by Edward who raised a hand.

"I too harbored the same thoughts, but who is to know if this is the end of our world? Destiny is tricky; the divine threads that are weaved by the hags are not predictable. When the age of Konquerors started, I thought we had done a bad idea in giving power to the rest of the world, and it turns out I was right but at the same time also wrong. We gave the rest of the world a fighting chance; I believe that is what that fallen deity intended. He planned to use us in the upcoming war as his ultimate pawns to deal with the gods. I am currently trying to find a way for me and you to ascend; have faith, I believe we will survive, and by we, I mean us and the rest of the world." Edward spoke, his calm resolve unwavering.

Li inspected his friend from head to toe before chuckling, "Ahhh, you have a point, but we also have to find the Blood Empress's reincarnated form and groom her. I believe Sega is still searching for our dear Night Walker; Vlad told me that the soul imprint he had placed on her half-soul is signaling from Publius's kingdom. I will send my trusted aids to search." Li spoke. Edward gently nodded before staring at the sky and sighing, "Lilith Mendabich, your soul has returned to the world of the living...again." Ed thought.

After talking about a few other things, Edward gradually returned home to his family. Upon his return, it was already late in the evening, and his son was already sleeping. Gabby came up to him and whispered, "I have replaced today's memories; try not to scare him like that again, Ed." Edward nodded quickly, "Scare who?" Carol appeared in the room drunk.

"No one, now leave before you wake the boy." Edward answered through gritted teeth; he did not want his son exposed to alcohol or any other bad thing. Carol shook her head and approached Timothy's bed, kissing the boy's forehead, she vanished. Edward breathed out heavily and smiled, "That was easy, hehe." Edward chuckled lightly. Gabby hopelessly shook her head after observing the interactions between the two siblings, "Totally hopeless."

"Huh?" Edward turned to Gabby with a huge grin; Gabby stared at him for a while before sighing.

Deep in the night when everybody was asleep, there was an ethereal figure of a man in black robes standing in Timothy's room watching him sleep; the ethereal figure's face was obscured. The figure bent down and placed a hand on Timothy's forehead before quickly retracting it, "I have locked your soul from awakening, old friend; I want you to find a way back to being yourself without losing your humanity. I have tasked them to look for you, but I know they won't find you. Our plan rests on your little shoulders. Goodbye, we will meet again after the wars have started." With that, Timothy's room was empty again.

Everyone slept soundly, oblivious to the fact that someone had entered and left their home.

The years passed by within a blink of an eye; a decade had already passed, and young Timothy had grown into a teenager obsessed with knighthood. Today marked his 15th birthday, yet celebration was the farthest thing from his mind. All he craved was the rhythmic dance of sword forms with his father. Rising from his bed, he slipped into a simple linen shirt and headed to the stable, his everyday routine.

Once the horses were tended to, he made his way to the river for fresh water. Nestled in the mountain's embrace, his home stood alone, isolated, guarded by various creatures. Descending with empty buckets and a sword at his side, he took in the cinematic view as the city below stirs to life.

On his way to the river, strange drops of blue liquid caught his eye, leaving a trail. Following it, he arrived at a bush between two trees. Recalling his father's advice to leave mysteries unexplored, hesitating, Timothy was about to leave and continue on his path until he saw a small blue handprint on one of the trees. Leaving his empty buckets by the imprinted tree and entering the bushes with his sword, Timothy continued following the trail deeper into the mountain. Along the way, he discovered more handprints on trees and rocks. The trail eventually led him to an enormous tree with a substantial hole at its base. Timothy contemplated whether to venture inside or not.

The tree's interior was dark, with scant light filtering through cracks.As Timothy continued his exploration, the sound of his footsteps merged with the ethereal melodies echoing through the chamber. The trail of luminous handprints guided him deeper, each imprint a testament to the mysterious journey of the figure he pursued. The air grew thicker with enchantment, a palpable force that seemed to awaken a dormant curiosity within Timothy's soul. The ancient tree, standing as a guardian of secrets, whispered tales of forgotten realms and destinies entwined with the threads of time.

Suddenly, a soft glow emanated from the heart of the massive tree, casting an otherworldly light upon the cavern. The silhouette of a little girl materialized, clad in a white chemise. Timothy's eyes widened as he beheld her, a sense of wonder and concern welling up within him.

The girl, her hand clutching a wounded side, looked up at Timothy with a mix of fear and gratitude. Timothy, moved by an inexplicable force, dropped his sword and approached the injured girl with a gentle determination. Together, they stood within the mystical embrace of the ancient tree, entangled in a destiny yet to unfold.

Meanwhile, outside the mountain, near the riverside, two figures stood with eager anticipation. The girl, her eyes fixed on the mountain path, expressed concern for Timothy's absence on his special day.

"What if he won't come? It's his day of birth, and he's never late," she said, pacing with restless energy.

The boy, undisturbed, wore a reassuring smile. "What did you get him? Oh, wait, nothing, am I right? Your friendship is the best gift you could ever give anyone, isn't it?" he teased.

"Haha, yes, you've got that right, my friend," the boy chuckled, earning himself a playful smack on the head.

"You just can't be serious, can you?" the girl asked. The boy, rubbing his head, suggested, "You may leave. After all, we are still going to meet up at his house later. So, you should probably go and start preparing yourself. I will remain here and wait for him."

The girl nodded and left towards the city gates. The boy shook his head, settling down to patiently await his friend's arrival by the riverside.