Moving forward

"You know, out of everything that you have just told me and that I read, and do not get me wrong, I just can't wrap my head around that... I can weave curses? Man, am I OP or what?"

"Don't you dare stray off-topic you fool, there are more important pieces at play here than your ant ability."

"Ant ability? Are you comparing my ability to an ant? You seem to be forgetting that you have two curses that I cast, me...."

Nolamine looked at him like he was about to serve him another punch on a platter, which worked wonders as it resulted in calming his self prays down.

"Cough, cough. Anyways, I am so sorry about your father. I do not know what to say about that, but one thing is for sure, he is one awesome dude."

Nolamine smiled.

"Coming back to life, going against some powerful group, yeah, that is awesome."

He said with approval.

"So, looking at all this, it seems like you made up your mind, but can you trust what that old hag told you?"

"She was not lying when she told me all this, just that she did not know most of what she was telling me, and that's why she needed me, I think."

"Mmm, let's see, about the Blood Curse, that your mother had come to this world when they were on the run, that your father is what they call a Schrödinger, where he is and that madness is eating at him."

"Yes."

"So you really going to kill him?"

"I have no choice."

"But it will be dangerous and where would you start? Not to mention that the old hag wants to kill you, do you know why?"

"It's because I am both my mother and father's child. I think she is one of those who he took that important thing from and they want it back. That is why she did not kill me when she first saw me."

Son-join shook his head. Talking about being killed was just not what he pitched in his life.

"Then why would she want to kill you when you are the only one who could kill him? Why was she not lying that she was fulfilling a promise?"

"That I do not know."

Son-join's thought for a bit and started laughing.

"You know, seeing you like this, reminds me of the time I got beat up by that boy from a different school just because I was friends with you. He was a big feller and in his last year, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

"I believe you told me you would break both of the hands that he used to inflict pain on me. They say his left arm was bent 90 degrees in the opposite direction with his bone showing and his right hand was pummeled to bits. It's a miracle they never took you to juvy, well, he had been bullying many kids so they took it as self-defense."

Nolamine kept quiet.

"My point is that it seems like whoever they are, they do not know which tree they just shook, for it is full of razor-sharp thorns and poisons snakes that will bite and keep on biting until they get their required result. You may same young and venerable, but I know the real you."

Nolamine looked at Son-join.

"So, what are you going to do for your father?"

"I will kill him and liberate him."

"What are you going to do to the old hag and her kind together with all that will want to stop you in achieving this?"

"I shall kill them all."

"And those who come after you?"

"What else... kill, kill, kill."

"Damn man, all those words coming out of a fourteen-year-old's mouth sound funny and disturbing at the same time. I should have recorded this."

Son-join laughed.

"Man, are you ever serious?"

"I am, just that have you ever killed before?"

"Well, no..."

"Get what I mean, but I have a feeling that when it comes to you, killing is something you can cope with."

"Well, I do not know."

The room went quiet.

"So, what about these memories you say that have been flashing by?"

"When did we first meet?"

"When we were nine years old, why?"

"My earliest memories are from around that time and maybe when I was eight years old. The time when I was in the parking lot I had two memories; when I was around four or five, and the other when I was around eight years old."

"What? Meaning?"

"Well, I think I lost my memory from when I was around eight years old and younger somehow."

"Man, this is just getting to be too much. So with all this going on, you have to find out what happened for you to lose your memory too?"

"Yes, but on the second flashback, I was with my auntie going to see a shaman. I'm sure she would knows something about it. I called her and she was not available like always but she is scheduled to come back next Saturday."

"Ok, good.... damn, we got our date that Saturday."

"Date? What date?"

"Well, I would have told you if you had not cowardly punched me. We will be going on a date with Ara and Si-woo that Saturday."

"How in all that is of sanity and tranquility did I get involved in this?"

"Well, it's not because I am scared of being alone with Ara, I will tell you that much. Just take it as a friend hooking you up."

Nolamine sighed. He had no strength to argue.

"Anyways, I still have not shown you this."

He said, showing him his phone. On it was a map of the earth millions of years ago.

"And this is?"

"When her smoke turned into the map of that world, it looked similar to a map of the earth we once studied in history class with Miss Park. I looked it up on the internet and there it was, it looked exactly like this."

Son-join studied the map. It was of the earth when it was presumed to be the peak of the dinosaur era. The supercontinent Pangea was starting to split up. The North American continent had pulled away from Pangea, splitting right down along the Appalachian mountains, with the mountains remaining around the eastern coastline but smaller and eroded. At the time, they called the mountains that appeared as it bulldozed its way along the pacific ocean the Severe Orogeny. Nolamine was comprehensive about them as there would be severe weather and the mountains would be huge.

Europe and Asia had split off, forming a broad series of islands called the Archipelago. In the center, a little bit south, Africa and South America still embraced each other. Australia and Antarctica were still locked just north of the south pole.

"So, you are telling me, whatever world she and Pulchra were talking about, it is the same one as when the dinosaurs ruled the world?"

"Well, that is exactly the same map she showed me with her smoke."

"Man, you better hold your houses. Information overload is a bad thing. A motivated you is dangerous to oneself. This map begs even more questions."

"Hey, I know, that is why I will take all this one step at a time. I will speak to my auntie first and see where I go from there."

"Good. One day we were talking about lizards and now we were talking about worlds. This is insane. I wonder what the other world's, The Veil's world map looks like, . But this is good. This might be the only concrete information we know about this world they are talking about."

Nolamine smiled.

"Wait, how will we know that that old hag wont try to kill you again?"

"I have been thinking about that too. But after what Pulchra called the lord of this region attacked her, I do not think, well, I hope she would not risk fighting that thing, whatever it is just to kill me."

"Let's hope she does not send her minions then. You know how these witches are. We have read about them. They must have someone under them.

They talked for a while until Son-join had to go home.

A week passed and Nolamine had organized his thoughts about all of what he found out. More importantly, no one had attacked him. It was Saturday and he could not wait to talk to his auntie, but first, he had a date to get out of the way.

Si-woo had been looking at him shyly at school and with all that was happening, it was a welcomed distraction. She looked like your typical girl next door, with a cute face that grew on you each time you saw her.

Meeting Son-join at his house, he waited for him outside.

"To all the gods of dating and fashion, please, please strike this reprobate down, for he has sinned."

He said in dismay as Son-join walked out wearing a old brown suit made from suede.

"Ok, now that thing looks so old, I think it is alive. Where do you think we are going, to scare children away?"

"You insolent fool, mind you, this is vintage, a classical hammer that I, who is both hot and sexy impose on the fashion world. A guaranteed hit on the hearts of the opposite sex that dare look upon such godly cloth."

Nolamine just left him as he rumbled about and went into the house. He came out with matches and lit one up, putting it against his suit so to burn such an unsightly thing.

After running around and with Son-join's mother having a laugh as she watched them but then stopped them as they were playing with fire, Nolamine pointed him to his room to change, threatening not to go on the date with him wearing alive clothes.