Chapter 5: We Thought He Got You

If you remember nothing else, then remember this. Always treasure your time with your loved ones with wild abandonment, If not for their sakes, then for your own. You never know how precious such a thing is until you’ve lost it.

Ryan watched Éclair as she made her way to her vessel and met with a kindly-looking old man in silver armor and white robes. The old man in silver armor ran to Éclair, scooped her up in his arms and embraced her. Ryan didn’t even sense any frustration or judgment in the old man’s demeanor, just benevolent concern. Ryan expected the man to scold her, but he never did. It was as if the man had known all along what Éclair had just been through, and he reasoned that her ordeal was punishment enough.

Oh, what am I thinking? That’s just silly. Even Elementals don’t know everything, right?

Ryan was still puzzling over the exchange as the man led Éclair to the ship’s ramp followed closely by an entourage of guards. Éclair looked happy to be with the man that Ryan could only guess was her godfather. More than happy, she seemed ecstatic. For some reason, the two of them complemented each other, like twin stars shining so bright, everything seemed dark in comparison. Ryan wondered if Éclair had been wrong about the man not being her real father. But then again, with his large, white beard, the old geezer looked far too ancient to have sired a daughter so young. And yet at the same time, his agile movements made him seem ageless, as if time had no hold on him.

Ryan awakened from his contemplations as the ship’s engines roared to life, and he realized with a growing sense of depression that this would be the last time he would see Éclair. He watched the back of her silver head as she stepped across the threshold to the vessel on the verge of takeoff. She turned right to the bush where he hid and waved at him with a smile. He waved back at her as a tear rolled down his cheek. And then the portal closed. The vessel vanished into the sky just as quickly as it had come. She was gone.

Ryan quickly pushed back any feelings of despair. No! It won’t be forever! We’ll see each other again someday ... someday when we’re both Elementals of the Tarrus Empire just like we promised each other! Then Ryan remembered the fact that it was now nighttime and that he’d stayed out most of the night. His parents weren’t going to be happy. I only hope they let me live long enough to become an Elemental!

Miraculously, he survived. As soon as he walked in the door, Brianna grabbed him frantically, nearly tackling him. Ryan could tell from the red in her eyes that she’d been crying for hours. He felt so bad, he wanted to crawl in a dark hole somewhere and die. She got on her knees and hugged him fiercely, all the while sobbing even more fiercely. Ryan had never seen his mother so miserable in his life. Plus, he thought he could hear her saying something funny in between sobs. It sounded like, “We thought he got you! We thought he got you!”

Right at that moment, Richard came through the door with the scariest look on his face that Ryan had ever seen. Ryan’s father had been replaced by a creature of such deep intensity that he actually seemed a little frightening. As Richard focused on Brianna and Ryan, his expression changed to utter relief. Richard fell to the floor, wrapping his large arms over the both of them.

They stayed like that for a while; mother, father, and son embracing each other in a triangle of intimacy. It might’ve been awkward for Ryan if he hadn’t been so thankful to be alive. Then the moment ended as Ryan’s father broke the contact and looked at him sternly. Judgment day had come at last.

“Where were you? Your mother and I were driven half-mad with worry! I had the whole colony going crazy looking for you! Do you realize what could have happened if you stayed away too long ... if you went past the border? Don’t you know that-”

Ryan’s mother raised a hand to shush Richard. Ryan’s father visibly cooled a little, but he didn’t seem any less intimidating. His father then fixed him with his piercing red eyes, and Ryan thought that not even an Ogre Clown could’ve been scarier.

“What do you have to say for yourself, young man?”

Ryan gulped. How could he put something like this into words? His father had disciplined him before when he was bad, but never angrily. But this felt different somehow. The sheer emotion emanating from his father seemed palpable.

He almost looks scared, which is nearly as bad as ‘Mount-fall-to-your-death.’ Not only is dad just about the toughest guy in the universe, but he’s also pretty much the toughest guy in the universe! I just can’t imagine dad being afraid of anything or anybody, except maybe mom.

With an alarming sense of foreboding, Ryan carefully explained his little misadventure into Pinnfar Woods. He thought his mom would faint when he skimmed through the part about the cliff; he toned it down just a little so she wouldn’t have a heart attack. Ryan’s father listened objectively with an indiscernible expression. As Ryan finished his story, his parents visibly sighed, as if nearly falling to one’s death was just some run-of-the-mill kid mischief.

His father then turned to his wife with his serious, grown-up face. “It wasn’t what we thought it was.”

“So, young man,” started Brianna wryly. “What were the words you used to describe this mystery girl of yours? Oh, yes; the ‘silver-haired princess’.”

Ryan started turning purple again. “I-I didn’t say that. What’re you crazy, woman? I’m nine years old for crying out loud.”

Instead of coming to his aid, Ryan’s father only laughed at his despair.

TRAITOR! Ryan wanted to tell his dad.

“Heh, heh, heh! Nine years old and already a heartbreaker! That’s my son for you! Chip off the old block!”

Ryan’s mother punched Richard in the shoulder playfully. “Oh, stop it, Richard! If I remember correctly, you were no Casa Nova. It took you forever to ask me out, and even then, I had to practically spoon-feed you every step of the way.”

Richard grinned sheepishly, much in the same way that Ryan did. “What can I say, dear? You do whatever works for you. Am I right, kid? Huh ... huh?” Richard shoved his son playfully as he and Brianna shared a laugh.

Ryan had absolutely no idea what either of them were talking about, but since they seemed to be in such a good mood, he thought he might as well try to milk this cow for all its worth. “So, does this mean we’re good? You know, I feel like I’ve learned soooo much from this experience, and punishment would only deter my spiritual growth and wellbeing, don’t you think so too?”

The parents both stopped laughing. Ryan’s father lost a bit of his human quality to take on a more lizard likeness. “Oh, we’re always good, son. But every action has an equal and opposite reaction. You disobeyed us and almost got yourself thrown off a cliff. Do you really think you can just sweep that under the rug?”

Shoot me in the face! If I’d just kept my mouth shut, they might’ve forgotten. Put that down as a future mental note. Never tell the truth to parents!

As Richard beckoned Ryan, the boy shuffled forward like a man facing his executioner. The spanking that followed was worse than Ryan thought it’d be. He didn’t think he’d be able to sit right for a week after the pounding his dad gave his backside. And if that wasn’t enough, his mom brought out the wheel of pain just to further his torment.

That’s not fair! Usually, they give him one or the other; dad’s wrath, or mom’s creative will of torture that promises an indeterminate fate!

The wheel of pain was an old dart board with different words taped to each of the colored sections. They balanced the board on a nail, and whichever section pointed to Ryan would be his punishment. Father held the special privilege of writing down his most diabolical torture schemes, from making Ryan eat wild troll-cat liver to massaging his father’s feet. Ryan preferred the former considering that his father’s toenails were sharp as knives. Plus, the weird toe jam that got stuck in between his old man’s toes gave Ryan the willies.

This time, the wheel of pain landed on a special item that was one of mom’s more devious creations. Enough sentences to last him a week. As terrible as his dad’s toes were, Ryan knew that the sentences were by far the worst fate that he could endure. At least with dad, he could get it over with quickly. Writing sentences was prolonged punishment.

That’s just inhumane! I know they must have it rigged somehow! Ryan spent several hours after that writing over and over again the sentence, ‘I will not sneak out.’ It may be short, but try writing that about five thousand times in one sitting, thought Ryan despairingly. Oh, well. It’s really not that bad. Mom usually lessens my load of sentences if she sees that I’m working diligently.

Despite everything that happened, his mother came to Ryan’s bed just like she always did every night. Ryan and his mother had struck up a deal years ago. She promised him that if he could stay awake after she finished singing, then he could stay up as long as he wanted to. Having inherited his father’s competitive nature, he always accepted her challenge. So far, she had won every night for as long as he could remember, but Ryan didn’t mind. Though he had the sneaking suspicion that she was cheating somehow.

As Ryan’s mother settled into her position, she started to sing. From what Ryan had heard from some travellers around the colony, his mother was once considered famous for her singing. He even heard a rumor that her voice was so enchanting, enemies would stop in their tracks and surrender.

Brianna’s songs were always different every night. Some of them were in basic, but many were in languages that Ryan didn’t recognize. It felt like she weaved a spell of safety and contentment over him. Even though her songs were always different, there would always be this one verse towards the end that she would sing every time, and then he would always fall asleep shortly after.

The Angels sing in heavenly chorus,

Deep in the grounds of ancient forest,

Oh dangers that misdeeds do bring,

And yet the Angels still sing,

Death is stayed, love is found,

In the forest of ancient ground.

As Ryan slept, he dreamed of his dad coming into his room right after mom had finished her song. His father looked down at Ryan and smiled contentedly.

“Is he asleep?” he said carefully.

“Yes,” she replied softly.

“Good. I hope I wasn’t too hard on him.”

“Have no fear. Our son loves you just as much as he did yesterday. I can at least feel that much from him.”

His father exhaled in relief. “I just hope he knows that anything I may do or say, it’s only because I love him so much, and that I just can’t stand the thought of losing him.”

His mother caressed Richard’s knuckles sympathetically. “I’m sure he does. Don’t forget that he inherited his brains from me.”

His father sniffed at the jest. “As well as your humility.”

They both chuckled at that part. This was quite a realistic dream. It got all the details right. Ryan had often wondered what his parents talked about when they thought he wasn’t around or not listening. They were oddly secretive sometimes.

In the dream, his mother then became sad and forlorn. “We had a close call today. He almost died and we weren’t there to protect him. Even though a visit from the Sacred Vessel is enough to throw just about anyone off, I still feel awful.”

“It could have been worse, honey. A lot worse. And you know that I’m not just talking about him falling off the cliff.”

Ryan’s mother suddenly seemed on the verge of panic. “Do you think that ‘he’ saw Ryan? He’s always looking, always searching the stars for the slightest trace of our presence. I can still feel it. What if Ryan crossed beyond the boundary of protection that Zand erected around Pinnfar Woods.”

Ryan’s father sounded equally shaken. “I doubt it, dear, or he’d be here by now. You know who we’re up against. That creature is just as powerful and cunning as Zand is in every way. Besides, Zand would’ve said something if his protection field was breached.” Richard paused a few minutes before speaking again. “Zand’s words have me disturbed. Political unrest ... talk of an uprising against the Royal Family. And even more alarming, there are rumors of Black Dragons roaming dangerously close to the borders. The line of Hamashe may be in danger, and I have a feeling that ‘he’ is involved somehow. Zand might have to call us back to protect the Royal Family, threat or no threat.”

“I know,” said Brianna darkly. “Either way, I have a feeling that this universe is about to go through a great season of change. But whatever we do, we must make sure that Ryan is well looked after.”

“Why must he plague us so?” said Richard in a shaky voice as he clenched his fist. “He used to be my mentor ... my friend! He and Zand were like brothers. They both meant everything to me. And now, all I can do is wait and dread. If I hadn’t failed to stop him all those years ago ... if I was a better man, I would have-”

Ryan’s mother traced a finger across Richard’s lips. “No one blames you for the past, so please, don’t blame yourself. It hurts me to see you torture yourself so.”

Ryan’s father sighed and took Brianna’s hand into his own. “It’s just that ... everything is so wonderful now. For the first time in my life, I have everything I could ever want. I have you and I have Ryan, and I’m terrified of losing it all. I’m terrified that our past will catch up to us and will tear us apart like it has before. I’m scared for you, my love ... and I’m scared for our son ... for what the future may hold for him.”

At this, Ryan’s mother reached up and kissed Richard on the lips. She then stroked his face gently as she spoke in a melodic voice. “You know that I will always be there for you, just like we will always be there for Ryan. Do not create troubles where none exist. Just stay here with me and cherish the time we have together, just as I will cherish the time we have with our son.”

His father hugged her close to himself, bringing her scarlet head under his chin. They just stayed there for a while watching Ryan as he slept. Then they started for the door, but before they left, Ryan’s dad appraised his son one last time.

“I should’ve known he’d be okay when he turned up missing. Zand seemed as calm as ever while we spoke. He would’ve told us if there was any danger. He was probably looking after Ryan even during our conversation. Ryan, and the little Empress as well,” said Richard laughingly. “To think that our boy actually met the daughter of light herself. We best keep a close eye on him from now on, Brianna. Clearly, there’s more to our child than even we can see.”

And then Ryan woke up and it was morning. What a weird dream.

“Waaaah,” cried Ryan with as much gusto as he could muster. “Fraka shiga.”

Whenever Ryan was with Henry and he wished to display his displeasure for something, he would make an obnoxious noise reminiscent of a baby crying, though slightly more annoying. Henry referred to it as one of Ryan’s many peculiar quarks. He’d also occasionally curse in his nonsense language.

“I find those noises you make 30% endearing, and 70% aggravating,” commented Henry.

“I find your face 100% aggravating,” replied Ryan scathingly.

The reason for Ryan’s sudden noise of displeasure was due to Henry’s suggestion that instead of sword fighting, that they play a game with his uncle, Kazz, called Universal Theory. A strategy game created many thousands of years ago and a best-seller among aliens, especially the pointy-eared kind.