Chapter 7: Shooting Star

It was evening in the calm City of New Orleans, 3 days have passed after the death of the last bloodline of the Kenway Family. The Manor was not the same anymore after losing a member of their family, but they tried to maintain a normal life as the lad tried his best to keep moving forward but deep inside he was troubled while having mixed feelings about whether to accept Ronald and Sasha's suggestion on leaving the mansion and being reunited with his Uncle who he never heard of or seen before. With nothing to do in the mansion anymore, he strolled around the large halls and arrived at the Artifact Hall, where the artifacts and relics of the Kenway family ancestor were held in display through a multilayer bulletproof glass. Each of the relics he gazed upon placed a memory of William giving him the information and history of each of them. The lad could not help but smile by the thought of how excited and thrilled he was, learning their heritage from William's words. He stopped in his tracks when he glanced over at the daggers, the first relic that William ever gave him information about. He took a few steps closer towards the two daggers with sharp bluish blades and golden handles.

"Autumn Kenway used this to fight his battles, many pirates and Navy tried to steal this away from him but the power within this blades made Autumn stronger than the others"

"How did Autumn use the power from the daggers?"

"Simple, my young, curious Ryan... He followed his heart, the blades reacted to his pure and untainted heart which allowed him to control the wind and tide. Always follow your heart Ryan, because I believe you can be like Autumn, pure of heart"

The memory ended with a small smile on the lad's face as he placed his right palm on the bulletproof glass.

"Always follow my heart..." Ryan muttered before clenching his chest tightly with his left hand, closing his eyes and letting out a soft breath before opening his eyes once more with a serious look as if he made an important decision in life.

"Ahh Ryan, there you are," Said the delighted butler, relieved to see Ryan gazing over at William's old possessions.

"Ronald... I think I have made up my mind..."

"About what, Master Ryan?" The butler asked in curiosity.

"I... want to see... my uncle"

With that final response, Ronald smiled joyfully before nodding his head and telling the news to Sasha who was thrilled for Ryan that he would finally meet his uncle but at the same time a bit sad, knowing that Ryan would no longer be with them. They began packing Ryan's luggage and placing them on the trunk of William's car which Ryan now owned. With the night rapidly disappearing as they slept, the morning light of the sun arrived. Ryan woke up early than he previously did but Sasha and Ronald were already at the entrance, waiting for his arrival. The lad made his way downstairs, wearing a plain black jacket, grey jeans, and shoes as he stopped in front of Sasha to converse with her in his final moment in the Manor.

"Ms. Sasha... I really am thankful for how you took care of me since I was young... If I don't come back... know that I will always remember your kindness"

"Your words melt my heart, Young Master. You will turn out to be a great person, might be even the best, one day"

"You're praising me too much" Both of them laughed softly before hugging each other as their probable last goodbye if Ryan decided to live with his Uncle.

"Please take care, Young Master..."

"I will... I love you, Ms. Sasha"

"I love you too, my child" Sasha gave him a quick kiss on the head before proceeding inside the car with Ronald behind the driver seat and Ryan on the back.

"Ronald thank you for agreeing to drive to my Uncle's location"

"Of course, it would be my pleasure. You can take a rest, for now, it will be a long ride"

The sound of the engine was heard as the car they drove away from the manor, Sasha was seen waving at them with a smile through the rearview mirror. Ryan buckled his seat belt and wore his Sony headphones before playing his favorite soft music as he leaned next to the car window, gazing at the familiar streets he used to walk with Selena through the past years, saying goodbye to them in his head as time went by. Several hours have passed, Ryan woke up after realizing he had fallen asleep through the whole trip. The car suddenly came to a stop, confusing Ryan on why they stopped in the middle of the road with huge forest trees beside the road.

"Ronald, why did we stop? Asked the lad.

"Because we are here... Shooting Star" Ryan's eyes slowly widened before getting out of the car to see a slightly foggy path through the forest beside them with an old sign that contained the words "Arriving at Shooting Star"

"We are here? So soon...? I thought we could still talk and catch up before I go... Sorry that I fell asleep"

"No, it is alright. It has been an honor serving someone as kind as you... To be honest all of us thought of you as our son... Sasha, William, and I... all three of us because that is how much we care about you... Take care out there and remember what I thought you, and what Sasha said about using violence, you can take the car with you there is a bus station nearby, I can catch a ride back home"

"I will, I promise... I guess this is goodbye?"

"Not goodbye... farewell" Ryan gave Ronald a sudden hug, embracing him as tight as he could while the butler could not help but smile and embrace Ryan as well. Soon the hug broke and Ryan manned the wheel and drove in the path towards Shooting Star, slowly. When the soft fog prevented Ronald from seeing the silhouette of the car, Sasha arrived from out of nowhere as both of them gazed at the path where Ryan drove off.

"It feels a bit great, arriving back at our hometown..."

"Do you think he will really end up changing the world's fate?" Ronald asked.

"Who knows... it's his future now, we just have to put all our trust in the boy like he put his trust in us by taking care of him... "

"Still as caring and beautiful as ever my gorgeous Fairy," Said the butler as he cuffed her cheeks gently which made her giggle.

"Still romantic as ever my Dark Fey '' Suddenly, large wings appeared behind both the butler and the maid before they flew off from the ground and headed back to the Manor. Ryan pushed through the coming fog and finally reached the end of the forest. The view of a small town was on display, despite how small it was, he can tell that this place has a beautiful Aura to it. But the moment he crossed the line by fully moving his car out of the forest, a sudden blow of a rough wind came from the north, it was so strong that small rocks were seen flying midair before suddenly coming to a stop, like a sudden storm, arriving without a forecast and disappearing like it was nothing. The lad was indeed shocked by the sudden phenomenon but decided to shrug off the thought and drove forwards, following the small road ahead, until he came to a stop in front of a large Antique Shop on the side of the road. He wanted to ask about Lucas as he spotted a half-naked Middle-aged man, fixing what appears to be a broken stand fan. He stepped out of his car and walked towards the man before stopping when the man threw the screwdriver on the ground in frustration.

"Damn it! Work!" Yelled the man before letting out a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Umm, excuse me? Sir?" Ryan asked, making the man turn around and notice him before clearing his thoughts and responding.

"Oh, hello there... Sorry you had to see that"

"It's alright, what seems to be the problem?"

"Ah, this stupid hunk of junk refuses to work anymore. I tried greasing it so the fan would move again but it had no effect, I would go to the store to buy a new one but it's too gosh darn hot..."

"Hmm, maybe I can do something if you mind?"

"Sure kid go ahead, but I don't want to get my hopes up"

Ryan nodded as a response before grabbing the screwdriver on the ground and unscrewing the stand fan where he dissembled every part of the fan to its main parts. He gazed over at the other end of the power cord to see a small part of it had been cut.

"Here's the problem, the end of the cord is cut, preventing the electricity to transfer to the fan"

"Probably those rats again, I'll get the electrical tape" The man stated as he wore his shirt that was placed on a Sun chair and went inside the Shop. A few minutes later the man arrived back and handed Ryan the tape where he wrapped the cut part with the sticky insulating tape before reassembling the stand fan and plugging it in the extended outlet as the fan suddenly started to run and produce a strong, refreshing breeze which delighted the man behind him.

"Wow, you did it! Thank you, Kid! Say, do you want something to drink? It's the least I could do" The man offered him a cold soft drink from the small cooler underneath the shade from the beach umbrella that was piercing through the hard ground.

"No, it's okay... I just need to ask a question if you don't mind"

"Oh sure, shoot it"

"Do you know someone named Lucas Cunningham?"

Suddenly the man became quiet for a short second before responding.

"Hmm, what do you want with him?"

"Oh... I received a letter from him, saying that I should meet him here in this town called Shooting Star"

"may I see?" The man asked and Ryan responded by handing him the letter from the pocket of his jacket. The man read the words contained in the old letter in silence before laughing silently and muttering a sentence.

"So it really is my handwriting..."

"Wait... what...?" Ryan asked in shock as he stared at the man who formed a smile across his face.

"I never thought I would finally see you... since you haven't responded to this letter... 7 years ago. I am Lucas Cunningham, you're uncle. I should have realized you sooner with those split colored hair of yours, it just slipped my mind"

"You know about my hair and eyes?"

"Correct, I used to visit you and your parents when you were a baby Haha, good memories... I'm truly sorry for your loss... I received news about their death and when I didn't hear any news about you, I tried everything to look for you. Flyers, ads, everything until a friend of mine came to my doorstep and told me you were alive and that you were in his care"

"Who?"

"Ronald, we used to know back in high school. Good times..."

"Ronald used to live here...?"

"Enough of that, look at you! You've grown up, a lot! You got your own car, and... You look just like your father. Come hug your uncle"

Ryan couldn't resist his urge and just sprung himself an embrace towards Lucas, he was both glad that his Uncle turned out to be a nice person and a caring one, maybe the universe gave him another shot to live a normal life he always desired.

"I don't know what happened to your parents but I hope the scum that did that to them would be punished... for now, you can live with me. I promise to take care of you"

"Thank you... Uncle Lucas"

"Oh, you should meet the staff"

"The staff?"

"Go inside the shop and say hi to them, I'll carry your luggage, I already prepared your room, 7 years ago and I have been cleaning it ever since, hoping you would arrive and here you are. Now don't be shy, Go"

The man gestured for Ryan to enter the shop with a wide smile across his shaved face. Ryan gave him the key to his car before walking inside the shop. As the door closed behind him, he realized that it was actually cooler in here than out there seeing that the inside is Air-conditioned, he guessed that Lucas just wanted to hang out outside while sipping from his cold drink and feeling the breeze on the fast running fan. There were more than 5 isles inside the large shop, all containing different varieties of antiques, the antiques that he first saw were Seasonal Glass Ornaments, and Small dragon statues along with other creatures of different mythologies, this truly was the most peculiar antique shop he has ever been. He walked slowly in-between the two Isle of Seasonal ornaments, gazing at each one of them until his eyes were stuck staring at a Snow globe with a silhouette of a blue butterfly and an ornament of a palm-size wolf with flame designs on its fur. Without seeing where he was going, he bumped into one of the staff, a female, causing her to drop a fragile glass ornament onto the floor and break into a million pieces, angering the female as she let out a loud voice.

"Hey, you have to pay for that!" Just as she turned around to see who had bumped her, the female's eyes slowly widened from the sight of a charming-looking person in front of her, her cheeks slowly glowed in faint red before suddenly disappearing as she was left paralyzed from the sight.

"Umm... are you alright? I'm sorry if I bump into you, I'll help you pick up the pieces" Ryan stated as he crouched down to pick up the broken pieces, alerting the female as she helped him with the broken ornament.

"N~no It's okay, I'm a staff here... let me do it, sorry for shouting earlier"

"No it's alright, I don't mind. I'm Ryan, Lucas told me to meet the staffs here"

"Lucas told you that? Hmm, why?"

"Oh, he's my Uncle"

"Uncle...? Wait, are you his lost nephew? He told us stories about you. My name is Wendy Springfield, nice to finally meet you" The girl introduced herself, both of them stood up and shook each other's hand. Suddenly, Ryan noticed that the smile Wendy had, resembled Selena and made her image pop in his mind for a split second before brushing it away from his thoughts. Wendy had gorgeous brown hair and a beautiful look that can make any man fall over heels from her but it seemed that the effect was reversed. She stared at Ryan for a few more minutes before snapping out of the trace when he spoke.

"Um... we've been shaking hands for a while now..." The lad chuckled lightly before quickly letting go of his hand, feeling embarrassed by the thought of not letting his soft hand go from her grasp. She placed her hands inside the pockets of her jacket as she stood awkwardly before apologizing.

"Hehe sorry about that, I just had something in my mind. Cool hair dude, did you dye it?"

"No, I was actually born with these colors, eyes included"

Suddenly a chubby male appeared out of nowhere and zoomed directly at Ryan's face, causing him to lean back out of reflex.

"Whoa, you were born with that?! Cool! I saw many people with different color eyes, mostly in movies while the rest wore colored contacts but I have never seen multi-colored eyes as good as yours!"

"Oh... well thank you"

"Joseph, don't get too excited, you're weirding him out" Wendy commented with a giggle.

"Oh sorry about that, I tend to get over-excited at certain things"

"No, no it's alright, I was just surprised that people actually like how I look. Nice to meet you as well Joseph" Ryan offered him a handshake and he happily shook his hand.

"My full name is Joseph Johanson, nice to finally meet you as well."

"So what do you guys do here?" Ryan asked out of Curiosity.

"I'm responsible for the 3Rs, Re-stocking, Re-supplying, and Re-opening the Cash register to give people their change, Joseph is in charge of cleaning both the house and the lawn."

"Hey Wendy, I told you Ryan would be likable," Said Lucas who just arrived inside, holding Ryan's luggage as he winked over at Wendy, as she noticed what he was referring she blushed faintly as she rolled her eyes before heading back behind the cash register as Joseph swept the broken ornaments and threw them into the trash can. Ryan followed Lucas towards his room on the second floor, opening the door as the view of his bed was on display. Along with posters of landscapes were seen on the wall.

"I know it's small, but I hope you like it... it's not a mansion like you used to live in"

"No, it's okay. I don't mind, I'm happy as long as I get be here"

Lucas smiled and ruffled his hair, joyfully before placing his luggage on the nearby desk.

"Well, you can get some rest, I'll help you with your luggage when you're done resting, I'll just be outside"

"Alright, see you soon, Uncle Lucas"

"Also... Welcome to Shooting Star"

Lucas closed the door behind him when he left the room, leaving Ryan alone as he hopped onto the bed and lied on the unbelievably comfortable bed, staring at the ceiling with a smile.

"Just like this... please let this be just like this... no more tragedies... No more mysteries..." The lad muttered to himself before closing his eyes and suddenly falling asleep. Somewhere in an unknown location with nothing but pure, pitch black, darkness. A tall, dark figure appeared whose arms and legs were cuffed with large, white shackles until the Shackle on its neck suddenly disappeared, leaving only the four shackles remaining. Slowly, it awakened, its face was distorted to the point no one could be able to describe what it looked like.

"So... The winds of fate are on course... finally... Soon, it will not be long now before I am free... and it is all thanks to you... Ryan"

With the mere mention of Ryan's name he suddenly woke up as if he dreamt of the same person with shackles, calling out his name. His left eye started to hurt for a second before coming to a fading stop, placing a hand on his left eye as he muttered a sentence.

"What was that...?"