Deej sat up in the hospital bed. The door was knocked.
“Come in!” Deej said. The door opened and Ryuu, Cheng Yi and Kaie came
in. Deej smiled.
“So, feeling any better?” Ryuu asked, sitting next
to her.
“Much better,” Deej replied. She turned to Cheng
Yi. “The doctors said that what you did to me was a miracle. But we both
know that’s a Striding secret,” Deej winked. Cheng Yi smiled.
“You neutralized the poison before it invaded my
nervous system. That’s the main reason why I’m still alive and walking.
But something strange showed up in the X-rays.” Deej took out a small bottle
and showed it to them.
“It’s an implant,” Kaie remarked.
“Yes,” Deej confirmed. “It was found near the base
of my neck. I have no recollection of it being implanted there.”
“Allow me to digress,” Ryuu said. “Just before you
entered the emergency ward, you said ‘Alexis’. Did Alexis did this to you?”
Ryuu asked.
Deej appeared to be puzzled. “I did?”
“Actually, I remembered something that happened
around, 6 or 7 years ago. I remember, Alexis invaded Striding. They killed
all the Elders and whoever that tried to oppose.” Deej cast her eyes on
Cheng Yi.
“Alexis…invaded…Striding…” Cheng Yi muttered. He
closes his eyes for a moment.
“I recall it now!” he exclaimed. “Alexis invaded
Striding because they wanted the Children!”
“Excuse me for interrupting, but what are the Elders?
The Children?” Kaie asked.
“Striding was divided into 7 sections. Each section
was under the care of an Elder, someone who has been given the power and
wisdom to help to care of the area. Elders aren’t rulers, but more like
advisors for a certain area.”
“Children are chosen by Elders to be their successor.
They need not be their blood child, but any child that was born with exceptional
skills, power and wisdom. Only the Elders can determine this. There are
seven Elders and Children, according to the elements. Wind, Water, Wood,
Metal, Fire, Ice and Earth.”
“I am Lei Cheng Yi, the Seventh Child, the Earth
Child.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A man in a black suit stood by the entrance of the
dark alleyway, puffing a cigarette. The glow at the end of the cigarette
gave the man’s face a ghostly look. Other than the red embers, no other
light illuminated the area.
A shadow jumped down from the top of the man. He
jumped.
“You startled me, Jordan,” the man in the suit said,
with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“Where is my money?” Jordan demanded. It was clear
that the man in the suit was afraid of him, but was not willing to let
it show.
“Here, all 5000 of it,” he said, in the best business-like
tone he could manage. Jordan took the money and began to turn away, but
was stopped by the man in the suit.
“Is she dead?” he asked. Jordan started to get angry,
he had no patience for this … rookie.
“You do not trust my work?” he replied, sarcastically.
“No, no, of course I trust you,” the man hastily
replied. Jordan began to walk away.
“Where can we find you for future jobs?” the suited
man asked.
“I will find you.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three days later, in the hospital…
“So, ready to leave, Deej?” Ryuu asked. Deej nodded
enthusiastically.
“I thought they’d never let me out of here. It’s
been torturous not having the chance to even exercise!” Deej laughed.
The men laughed with her. They had become close
friends.
“So, where to?” Cheng Yi asked casually.
The impact of the question was hard on the people
in the room. All of sudden, they realized that they had no where to go,
no place to stay. They were all just wanderers on Earth, each seeking their
own goal, yet united by their quest.
After a few minutes of silence, Kaie spoke up.
“I know an innkeeper in Salem. It’s a town by the
sea, with its own seaport. The main city is under the influence of Alexis,
but the outskirts hasn’t changed since before the war. We can go the inn
at the edge of the town. Deej can get her rest, and we can plan our next
move there.”
Everyone agreed, and they began their journey to
Salem that very day.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go on to Part Six!
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