Preparing for San Pluto

"I'm…back?" Ivan muttered to himself in confusion.

" Holy hell! Don't just jump so suddenly like that, you almost gave me a heart attack!" Glen exclaimed as he jumped off of the old bench as well.

Ivan's sudden jump had startled him so much that his heart almost went up his throat. Ralph was also equally startled but did not react as strongly as Glen, they both stared at Ivan with questioning eyes waiting for him to explain himself.

It took Ivan more than a minute to finally wake up from his shock. He turned and started at his surrounding, the playground, his friends, everything was back to normal and it appeared like nothing had happened but Ivan was dead sure that everything he had experienced was real.

The yellow mist monster, the little girl, the strange sea, and the experience of being a little child who was subdued to torture, he was certain that everything was real but could not understand how it all suddenly looked like a dream.

Before Ivan could speak, Ralph positioned his glasses and stood up while saying.

"I don't usually talk a lot but you should try not to sleep off when someone is talking to you next time. I thought you were listening to what we were saying, who knew that you slept off? Seems like you had a nightmare, that's good " Ralph's tone expressed how offended he was that Ivan had slept off while he was talking earlier.

Ralph stared at the boy who still had a look of confusion on his face and shook his head, deciding not to hold it against Ivan for sleeping off; he might not have gotten enough sleep last night which caused him to suddenly doze off.

"Anyway, Glen and I are going to inform our parents about this and make plans to leave for San Pluto as soon as possible so we can awaken. We'll look for you once we have prepared, alright?" Ralph said with a sigh before turning to leave the playground.

Ivan wordlessly stared at Ralph's back before turning to look at Glen who shook his head at him in response.

"It's alright, although he hates being ignored I'm sure that he won't hold it against you; he's not that petty. Anyway, you should cheer up. You'll soon awaken and be able to live a more comfortable life. Ah! I can't wait to start making thousands and moving out of this place, just the thought of it alone makes me excited.

I'm going to inform my parents too, see you later!"

Glen gave a wide grin and waved at Ivan before speeding away into the distance, leaving Ivan alone.

Ivan watched Glen disappear from his line of sight in a flash, his mind still filled with bothering thoughts that would haunt him for the rest of the day as questions after questions constantly spawned in his head.

...

Glen and Ralph came looking for Ivan later that evening, the matter of the two boys finally agreeing to awaken their talents were of great importance to their parents that they did not want even a moment of delay. Ralph's father was especially the most excited upon hearing that his son was finally ready to awaken since he had been pestering him for weeks now.

Both families had learned that the reason for this news was Ivan showing sign of awakening as well and were happy for the la. They were aware of the suffering Ivan had been going through all these years but did not dare to step up for him since the Nexulytes who were supposed to protect them were instead suppressing them.

But with Ivan now being able to become a Nexulyte like them, his life was bound to change for the better.

That evening, the two families had decided to have a meal together to celebrate the news. Of course, Ivan was also invited. Since he was going to awaken soon, they no longer had nothing to fear because even if he would not be able to fight these despicable bastards immediately, he would at least be able to get the backing of a tower that would protect him.

The dinner was held at Ralph's home with Glen and his parents attending, as well as Ivan of course. Since Ralph's mother was unable to move, Glen's mother had taken it upon herself to do justice to the ingredients which Ralph's father had provided.

The meal that evening was especially grand and the taste memorable, Glen's mother had really went all out considering that this was considered a celebration for the future success of their children.

For the first time in Ivan's life, he was able to eat such a delicious meal till he was full. Most times he had very tasty dishes, they were always in small quantities because he couldn't get his hands on a lot of them.

After the dinner, Ivan was asked to sleep over for the night as they would be leaving for San Pluto the next day. The adults took some minutes to give the young ones some words of advice before finally allowing them to go get some sleep.

That night could be said to be the best night in all of Ivan's life as not only was his stomach filled with such an amazing dish, he also did not need to brace the cold of the night and the had floor like he usually did.

...

Morning came with a wave of refreshing feeling for Ivan, he was very reluctant to get up from the bed he had spent the night but knew that he had to since there was much to be done.

The three boys had their baths and changed into the best clothes that they could find, Ralph offered Ivan some clothes to wear since the boy had none except for some tattered old rags.

Breakfast was set by Glen's mother and they all ate with smiling faces; with Ivan being the only exception since he did not interact much and only spoke when spoken to.

After breakfast, Ivan, Glen, and Ralph left Ralph's home in the company of Glen's parents who would see them to the light train station before going home.

"We used to live in San Pluto so you don't have to worry too much about how they will fare there, Ralph can take care of that" Ralph's father said to Glen's parents while he stood at the entrance of their house.

Glen's father replied with a nod before turning to leave with the boys and his wife.

They attracted a lot of attention as they made their way toward the location of the light train station where the boys were to board a light train to San Pluto. After all, it wasn't everyday that you saw people dressed up so nicely in the outskirt. This was especially true for those who recognized Ivan.

The boy who was usually always dirty and dressed in rags looked nothing like his usual self. Ivan had almost changed after taking a proper bath and changing into a set of nice clothes.

Dressed in a neat white polo shirt, short brown pants, and black sandles, Ivan looked almost like a stranger in his own neighborhood. Only his sickly appearance that was a result of years of malnourishment, long white hair, and cold sky blue eyes gave out his identity.

Glen and Ralph were also nicely dressed but their appearance was not as baffling as that of Ivan because the boy had almost transformed.

They arrived at the light train station a couple of minutes later and found a few people were already there and were waiting to board the light train, some people gave the new arrivals odd stares before looking away. Their stares only lingered when they fell on Ivan as most of them expressed how shocked they were to see Ivan.

They wondered what he would be looking for at the light train station since this place led to San Pluto, one of the remaining three major cities on earth. What business could Ivan have in such a place?

They only refrained from asking, seeing that he wasn't alone.

"I can't find the Nexulytes in charge here, where did they go?" Glen's mother muttered in a low voice which only those around her could hear.

"I don't know, they should have come to request payment to get on the light train already. Maybe they are not around, that's good for us too" Glen's father grunted in response as he looked around with a sharp glint in his eyes.

The light train soon arrived and everyone began to get on, Ivan and his friends also stepped forward to get on the light train too.

"We've given Ralph two hundred, it should be enough for your expenses as long as you don't spend over a week there. That's all we can afford, I don't expect you all to go laze around for a week there though. Remember that we are waiting for you to successfully get recruited into a tower as soon as possible or we might starve" Glen's father said with all seriousness.

" Ouch!" He exclaimed the next moment because his wife had pinched him all of a sudden.

" Don't scare the kids like that" Glen's mother reprimanded her husband before facing the boys "Don't take his words seriously, just remember to do well and we will be waiting for you good news " she said to them with a smile as the doors of the light train slid shut.

Glen and Ralph waved at the husband and wife duo through the glass of the light train while Ivan stared at the people sitting in the same section of the train, a strange glint flashed past his eyes.

'San Pluto, huh? Will things really change there?' Was the thought on Ivan's mind as the light train began to move.