One after another weirdos keep popping up like baboons.

LANCE

In the morning, me and my Dad get on to our usual routine. It's Tuesday. So Karate. The very happy day I always got my virgin chest kicked. Hurray.

But Dad is smooth in his training today. He taught me how to strike harder with no strength wasted in my kicks. How to keep my balance at safeguard. How to block and use their attacks against them. This time, we took longer than usual.

I find myself not thinking between strikes. I give in to my senses, my reflexes. Letting my arms and legs do the work. And somehow it works better than desperately trying to figure out his next move. I'm pumping sweat, my muscles ache, especially my legs.

I'm just so glad I wasn't filled with purplish bruises or wounds today, just muscle strain. A blessing in disguise. After an hour and thirty minutes, we wrapped it up and got ready to leave.

Unfortunately, his car never makes it out alive. He had to 'borrow' this another shabby, and obviously too cranky to survive long roads pick-up truck from Pete.

I'm in no position to complain. After all, it's free ride. Yet, I can't help having a nervous breakdown whenever the car suddenly bumps up. Not to mention the occasional white smoke fishing out at front. They told me to relax. That it's nothing.

I really want to believe them. I'm half way there if it wasn't for a lost goat crossing the road and we almost run it over. Good thing Pete is a bit smart and has control over the wheels, he managed to maneuver in time and dodge the poor goat.

"Die you worthless piece of horsesh*t!" Pete shouted over the the driver's seat. Sticking his head outside the window pane.

"It's a goat actually, not a horse."

Dad raised an eyebrow at me and slowly shake his head. A warning that I shouldn't offend the generous man. We already rubbed him for free. Best not to get on his bad side or we'll be the next goat he'll shout horsesh*t with.

"Yeah I know! You know why I can't stand horse Dan?!" Dan is my Dad's name And Pete here, with his scruffy almost white beard and worn out cap is his coworker at the town's hall. My Dad applied as an accounting staff. Don't know it's possible for an ex-cop but he nailed it. And Pete is somewhat a volunteer patrol.

No wonder his voice always bounce in high volume out of this cramped space. I can totally picture him out, screaming at the top of his lungs, trying to catch the attention of cows, telling them to behave properly or they'll be butchered.

I wonder if that works.

"I don't know. You tell me." Dad replied in fake enthusiasm. I can tell he didn't like to be in a conversation with Pete very much.

"It's because they're slapping tails! You see how a horse butt shapes like an apple? Almost like a woman eh? But then their tail came and ruin the beauty of nature!"

"Huh…Okay."

I shake my head. It's useless to talk to lunatics whose obsessed with horse butt Dad. Especially when they see it as 'beauty of nature'. Maybe we'll find him molesting a horse on the roadside later.

Along the way I tried to silence their – I mean Pete's exploding voice by stuffing my mind with thoughts. I've been thinking about it. The death, the power something, my Mom…everything.

I figured the first step would be to go back to that wooden house of the old shifting bat man. Find some clues. Trying to make sense out of this stuff.

The flower Moon Rose gave me last night is still there. When I shut my eyes to sleep, there's only one, in the morning, I woke up to find two. I pinch the rose's stem. I must find her as well. I have this inkling feeling that maybe she is like me.

The old man said with bitter regrets, 'If only I've known there are two Eklektos in this town I shouldn't have come here'

So, assuming that I'm this 'Eklektos' he's talking about, and there was another one, I figured it must be her. It should be.

After I scoured through the wooden house, I will seek her out. Using this persistent flower she gave me.

The car gave a guttural brrr sound, like a pig with a stick at its mouth on a deathbed.

"Dad? What's going on? Another car broke down?"

Dad looked over at the passenger seat. "No it's – "

"Do we have to run? I'll take the road." I shouldered my bag and stretch my feet, ready for a long sprint.

"Holla ho kid! We've arrived!"

"Huh?"

Pete came out of the driver seat and open my car door.

"Your school. Phalthorn Academy right?" I nod. Trying hard to swallow down the vomit at the sight of his almost orange teeth stuffed with plaque and tartar.

How long has it been since he brushed his teeth? A year ago? I tore my eyes from his face and looked ahead.

A metal gate rose one and a half meter high with welcoming arc of 'Welcome to Phalthorn Academy'.

I pat the car once and said my goodbyes to Dad. He said he'll work an hour overtime today. So he can't pick me up. Giving me the opportunity to venture the wooden house after class.

I'm one step away from stepping inside when I notice a yellow bleak light flash at the corner of my eye. Followed by a loud crash and low groan of a boy. I looked up, the gray wall is a bit lower than the metal gate. Did he jump through walls to ditch class?

Why?

There's a frail fence I used as an escape route yesterday. Didn't he use that? Small thin trees joined together by a barbed wire separated me from the boy, I walked around it.

Trying to locate where it ends.

After pacing ten steps, I found him. A crouching figure with sandy hair. I jumped over the knee length plants and came up to his side.

Shocks. His landing ground sucks. It's pooled with mud. Now his black sleeves and pants are covered in black slimy mud. Even his hair.

"Hey," I called out. He didn't hear me. I tried again.

"Are you okay?" His eyes flutter open and he gasped. Chest rising above his chin. His wild frantic eyes tell me he broke some bones on his back.

"I better take you to –"

I almost trip on my feet when he suddenly twirled around and kneels in front of me. Clearly not bothered by the drops of mud dripping from his hair.

"It's an honor to finally meet you, great Eklektos. The Chosen One of the sovereign Deity Pente. The bearer, Five."

I froze. What did he just call me?