Chapter Two: Bomar

Hina…

Jaden awakens, panting and sweating profusely, his heart beating immensely. He sits upright on his bed, the strong-orange beam of the sun casting a shadow in the corner of his bedroom. He looks at his right hand carrying the Totem of Undying, admiring the inscription on the golden talisman, not paying attention to the missing eye. Billiwog, Jaden's gray cat, makes its way to him. Pouncing onto the bed and curling upon him. Jaden strokes his beloved cat, but his thoughts immediately go to the battle before. We failed Yomar, he thinks to himself, where do we find the others? Where do I find Hina? He takes the blanket off going downstairs to figure out how to assemble the others. He finds his way to the door and opens it into the streets of Bomar. The sun momentarily blinds his vision, but he regains it and admires the beauty of his island. It was a relatively peaceful, small island, separate from the mainland of Yomar, a region part of the Resort Kingdom, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Jaden traverses through his town smiling as he goes. The nutty-roasted aroma of bread baking in the ovens, steel clashing against one another and the sound of horses galloping in the background struck home. It had been ninety-years since the Bomarians colonised this island away from the Yomarians. They wanted to establish their own island and decided this location was the best to do so. Although they aren't as technologically advanced as the main-island, the deep connection within the community indicates a sense of family and compensates for their lack of advancement.

"Jaden?" a voice calls to his right

Jaden faces Steven who came back from hunting animals in The Jokla Woods opposite the town, crossing a river connected by a bridge and through a waterfall to the woods. The river held various types of sea life, Jaden found a particular attraction to the luminous sea-pickles hidden amongst the kelp.

"You finally left your house?" Steven exclaims, "I'm going around the town and giving my killings, would you like some?"

"It's alright. Have you seen Hina?"

Steven stares in bewilderment, tilting his head, scrunching his face creating a confused look.

"Sorry, I'm not sure who you are referring to"

"Don't you know Hina? Apparently she goes by the name of President"

Steven stops passing his food to the Bomarians, turns to Jaden pulling him in

"You never call The President by her first name, ever. What are you, her friend?"

"So you have heard of Hina. Do you know where I can find her?"

Steven sighs, nods and directs Jaden to a poster

"This afternoon the Yomarians will open safe passage to their lands via boat. Go to Blowop Pier at the end of the town, closest to the Fuenji Redwoods and you can catch a ride to Briyako Coast. There you can begin your journey to Neon Kingdom. The President is situated there"

Jaden nods, hugs Steven then returns to his home to prepare the journey. He collects his backpack placing food, water and weapons. He looks back at Billiwog who purrs at him in a loving way, and Jaden picks it up, kissing it on the forehead. He puts Billiwog on his shoulder packing an assortment of seafood for his cat. Then Jaden departs from his house sliding his sword in his back, making his way to Blowop Pier with his horse, making his way to Hina.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hina's consciousness is thrown back into her body abruptly, and the force pushes her physical body backwards causing her to fall on the floor. The Council of Yomar stare in disbelief as their leader becomes unbalanced. She picks herself up, dazed, but is able to compose herself.

"Are you alright, President?" the Warlock of Briyako Coast asks

"I'm...alright', Hina says, catching her breath, "I am uncertain of what just occurred. Excuse me, my council, I need a few minutes to myself"

The members bow their heads in respect then watch her leave to her chambers at the back of the hall, making a turn at the left. The Judge observes from his seat. The unusual behaviour, the unnerving energies radiating from her body. It's not her, he thinks to himself and leaves the table with the other members slipping away to her chambers. Hina clutches her head clinging onto the dresser, sits down and looks at herself in the mirror. She recalls the death of her comrades, their failed attempt to stop the ender dragon from destroying Yomar, and a soldier? A person that accompanied her as she was sent back into the past, but who was that person? She remembers his voice but not his face, it's all but a mystery to her.

"President, are you alright?", The Judge calls from outside her chambers, the door muffling his voice, "may I enter?"

"Yes, love, you may"

He opens the door with his familiar, Mr J, following behind. The door closes and it's just the two friends. The Judge claws his right hand in the air, spins it across and lifts the emerald-projectile into the room creating a sound-barrier.

"What's the matter, Franni?" Hina asks

Franni crosses the room, "We've known each other for a long time, right?". He picks up a statue of Poolius Caesar then places it down

"Yes, why?"

"Then what I do is not treason"

An emerald flame emerges from his hand. He slams it on the floor sending it across the room into a pentagram, while Hina avoids the attack placing herself in the centre of the sigil. Once the symbol is created Franni lifts his right hand, pointing it inwards to his opposite, forming a trap on The President suspending her in the air. He drags his right hand away from his left, tightening the restraints on Hina

"What are you doing?" she screams

"I can easily remove you, imposter, from the face of the earth," he smiles, "if I pull just enough your innards will spill onto the wooden floorboards. Do you know how excruciatingly painful that would be?"

"Franni, please, it's me"

"That's nice. What have you done with The President?" he tightens the emerald bindings, spawning spider-legs aimed at her stomach

"I don't...I don't know what's happening, please"

Franni twists his hands one ninety-degrees in the opposite direction causing Hina to move closer to him. He leans in

"Enlighten me"

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He finally arrives at Briyako Pier landing at the end of the bay where the sky meets the sea. Jaden jumps off with his horse riding into town making his way to the nearest inn. The sky has almost set, the golden rays scratching the surface of each stone and wood. But this type of material amazes the young traveller. He had heard stories about Briyako Coast having rare ocean crystals that glistened in the sunlight, beaming a radiant aquamarine in the sun, but morphed into a richer turquoise when the night replaced the sun. There was talk of warm, coarse sand as bright as the sun itself, where merchants would pay millions of Yomerelds for this beautiful item. Said merchants could even transform the sand into beautiful glass that had various types of colours one could imagine. Although the four kingdoms were united by the Bukana Trading Town, the people of Yomar believed only three kingdoms existed in harmony. The forbidden kingdom, Ghibli Kingdom, held a singular portal that was sealed by the founding members of Yomar. They deemed it inescapable death where the dragon lay, dormant, for a warrior to retrieve the dragon egg.

Jaden makes it to the inn leaving his horse in the hands of a stable owner, paying twenty Yomereleds including food and caring. He opens the door ducking immediately, avoiding a person that came flying after him and slamming into another customer. Jaden looks at the direction of the brawl finding a tall and yet powerful lady engaged in an attack with other men. Her hair flinging around but tied as she punches another. She maintains a smile as she ducks, swerves the assault and follows up with payback. Jaden sits on a stool in the bar away from the action. The woman finishes, cracking her knuckles, moving closer to Jaden and asks for a mug of soju. The bartender rolls her eyes, opening the barrel allowing the translucent liquid to flow into the mug, stopping just before the foam overflows. She passes it to her. The lady winks, disgusting the bartender, and the lady chugs it down instantly. She gasps for air after finishing her beverage and slams the mug aggressively onto the bench, then turns to Jaden

"Hey, baby, don't ever mess with me", she snickers, "do you know who I am?"

"A lady with an alcoholic issue?" a bright, yet alluring voice calls from the back tables

The woman turns clenching a knife in her fist, stomping over to the shadowed woman

"I'm Chohyeon, you loser", Jaden looks up at the woman, "who are you?"

"The Treasurer. Surely you know who I am, no?" she says rising from her seat wielding a fireball

Chohyeon backs off from her but is stopped from going anywhere else by Jaden. The Treasurer tilts her head, bemused by the tiny man and chuckles raising a potion of invisibility to her lips.

"Stop, please", Jaden exclaims, "I know you both, but I don't believe you recognise me"

"Haha no shit. Who are you?" the lady ponders lowering the bottle

"I'm Jaden, The Guardian, my consciousness was sent into the past to assemble everyone again. We were in Tero Joklip fighting the ender dragon but we were killed. I came here to-"

"Look we don't know who you are, and considering that we all died I don't want to join your merry-band, alright?"

"I'm with the soju-breath on this one, sorry. Let's leave?"

Jaden watches helplessly as the pair leaves the bar and into the night. He talks to the bartender who helps him find his room 05 in the middle of the hall, and he exhales heavily once he enters. Billiwog jumps out of his pouch landing onto the bed. Jaden watches it circle multiple times before settling in the middle of the bed, closing its eyes. How do I persuade them? Jaden thinks, I wonder what Hina is doing?

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"So you're telling me", Franni walks around Hina, crossing his arms, "I sent you and this warrior into the past, and you have no clue what he looks like?"

Hina nods

"Not to mention, you don't know where said warrior is?"

Hina divertes her eyes away making Franni groan in dismay

"Alright", Franni sighs, assuming the same hand movements twisting his right hand left-to-right removing the emerald binding on Hina

"Where to?"

"Form a map, girl"

Franni rolls his eyes creating a map out of thin air placing it upon the table

"One thing that I remember is that my warrior was born in Bomar which is in the Resort Kingdom", Hina points at the end of the mainland, "We start there. Can you teleport us there?"

"I'll construct a portal in the morning, we need to prepare the items that we need for the journey. Don't wear something lavishing, please"

Franni looks down at Hina's hand finding a bright-green stone in her palm.

"Do you know what that is?" Franni points

"I'm not quite sure, it might be important"

It can't be, Franni says to himself, and he bows to The President leaving her chambers