Snowflake: Frozen Child

HAJI had been training hard day by day. He could feel his built and body structures became more visible and stronger. He was merely sixteen yet he looked a bit muscular compared to other teenagers. The time has come. Haji must meet Lurkia. He already met some of Zakir's other Egoris. Most of them never welcomed him. Whenever they see Haji, they would attack him and would definitely kill the Janix if Zakir wasn't around. Though Haji hated the idea of being attacked by those egoris, he was thankful that they really helped him a lot. Haji could fight close combats and was very used to defending himself from behind attacks. His fighting skills and instincts became more s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and active. The nourishments from the foods he daily took from that world really gave him strengths. As what Zakir said, Egoris differ in sizes. Haji have never asked Zakir what Lurkia looked like.

"What does Lurkia look like?" Haji asked Zakir as the janix took a big bite from a delicious and juicy fruit he just picked from a single tree in the middle of the dessert.

"I do not know, Janix" Zakir answered. Haji thought, "What did he mean by he doesn't know?"

"I haven't met him once" Zakir said. Haji shouted in his mind, "He can't be kidding me!"

"Keep calm, Haji. I am fully sure that Lurkia exists, stop thinking hopeless things again" Zakir said.

Haji thought in his mind loudly that Zakir could almost hear the voices in his mind, "Ow? So he knows what am I thinking right now?"

Haji was about to say that those whole trainings and hardsh.i.p.s were intended for something that was unsure.

"I know where I can find him" Zakir said. Haji hoped that Lurkia wasn't a wanderer and that he only loves to stay in his territorial place. Haji hated chasing things and he found them absolutely tiring.

"You will go there in the morning. Lurkia sleeps in the morning and is barely visible at night. He is active during the night where mostly Egoris sleep." Zakir said. It suddenly reminded Haji of Jhay. Jhay usually stays late at night and he had to accompany her until dawn by playing video games. Damian would just fall asleep on Jhay's bed and usually they ended up sleeping on the carpet in her room. Jhay would ask Haji a lot of questions about the stars and the possibility rate of having a snow in their country. Haji remembered her drawing multiple poops in his face when he fell asleep earlier in her room one night. Jhay laughed hard because he looked like a thousand poops in the mirror when he woke up the next morning. Haji wished in his return that Jhay would only ask him a lot of stories instead of being mad at him for being unreached.

*

*

*

THE day after...

It was too early and the place was so quiet. Egoris has been living inside the caves. Those caves looked bigger than Agya's cave. They were even darker and more quiet. The foul smell never helped Haji from getting rid of negative thoughts inside his brain as he entered the cave deeper. Haji picked two stones inside his pocket bag and started rubbing them together. A little spark was created in the dark and later it became a candle like flame. Haji placed the two yellowish red lighting stones inside a transparent glass lamp. Zakir provided the lamp him and he started walking ahead. As the pale support of light guided Haji inside, he saw no signs of life nor noises coming from a sleeping monster. Haji remembered talking to Zakir yesterday about Lurkia and him. Lurkia loved being with Kradus (who was the current king of Umbra) all the time. Kradus used to adore Lurkia before Stalwa came. When Kradus became more attached to Stalwa, he ignored Lurkia's presence. The poor egori developed envy towards Stalwa and attacked him continuously. They started fighting nonstop and Kradus only considered their fights a cause by jealousy and not a serious matter. The fighting never stopped until something happened and Kradus decided to leave the forbidden land. He brought along the king of egoris with him and that was when Lurkia started hating Stalwa even more. Lurkia hated everyone who loved Kradus. The main reason why Lurkia never wanted to be tamed by Zakir was that his heart could identify how deep Kradus and Zakir's relationship was. Lurkia ended up treating Zakir as another rival. Egoris could not leave the forbidden land without being tamed by anyone. Lurkia was left alone there, felt being abandoned by Kradus for a long time.

Haji suddenly stopped from walking when he noticed something from a distance. There was a cute white little creature with a short transparent tail and a pair of transparent wings coiling like a cat on the ground. It was sleeping peacefully and a little bit loud. It was snoring and breathing heavily like it was in a very deep sleep. It has eight small antenas on its head which made it looked even cuter.

"Cute" Haji said in the most adorable but small voice. Right after he said the word, the cute little creature s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.ely responded and opened its eyes quickly, revealing it's golden and silver irises. Haji was captivated by the two different colors of its eyes and he stepped forward to lighten up a bit the harmless creature, he wished he didn't do that. The moment the light hit the small figure of the creature, Haji saw an unwanted figure behind it. Its shadow was unpredictable and impressive in any angle.

"These flamestones create lights when rubbed together, the Egori's real ability will be identified once you use this light and reveals their shadows." Haji remembered Zakir told him before he went into the caves.

The shadow of the white little creature in front of Haji was more terrifying than any other egoris he had ever encountered. A gigantic shadow of a black dragon with eight heads, a very long wide wings and eighth chainlike sharp tails. Every dragon heads has different forms of horns and fangs. Even without a sound, Haji could imaginely hear the loud thunderlike roars of the eight serpents in the background as the little creature looked at him. The little creature looked at Haji with deadly eyes as it stood and spread its little transparent wings. Haji could see its shadow with the longest wingspan he had ever seen.

He thought, "Is this Lurkia?!"

The little creature began to inhale and when it was about to breathe fire, it stumbled on the ground and fell. Haji flinched as he watched the little creature fainted and he discovered that the egori's left foot was severely injured.

"Oh no! Are you okay?!" Haji asked. The little creature's rapid and heavy breaths fanned Haji's stomach as he placed the poor creature on his l.a.p. That little creature was Lurkia and Haji was aware that he was a dangerous Egori. But right at the moment, the poor egori looked so weak and helpless that Haji just wanted to help him eagerly.

*

*

*

TWO hours later...

Lurkia was still sleeping. Haji went out to look for food and hunt some animals for Lurkia too. Haji thought, "Maybe it would be very helpful if I show him my good side. That way it would be easier to tame him."

Haji went back inside the cave and a raging silver fire strucked him directly. Luckily, he was wearing Zakir's armor or else he was a dead meat. Lurkia attacked Haji without hesitations and it fell down again. He was still not doing fine yet he still wanted to fight Haji.

Haji whistled and walked towards the little being and offered his overcooked food in his hands. It was a monster creature that he hunted down with a little bit of guilt inside him. Haji was attached to animals on earth and looking at those creatures, he sometimes sees them as the same as animals.

"Here! Don't blame me if it tastes bitter! It's your fault anyway!" Haji scowled. Lurkia refused to eat and was about to breath fire again but he coughed. Haji chuckled as he let the adorable creature choked his own saliva like a baby. Haji saw Lurkia frowned but the injured egori remained himself on guard in a defensive position. His transparent wings were placed in front of him like a shield and his eight antenas hiding under it.

"Hey look! Even if you attack me over again, I won't hurt you back" Haji said. Honestly, he wanted to cook that fluffy creature and teach him a lesson for attacking him multiple times. Lurkia looked at Haji with suspicious eyes, his golden and silver irises shone like elegant stones.

"I bet you're hungry, just eat it already. There's no poison on it. And if ever there was, you already killed it" Haji said and started eating the fruit he was carrying underneath his armor. Lurkia's size was similar to a regular house cat. The animal Haji hunted was as big as a goat but the egori finished it all at once. Haji was remembering how Lurkia looked when he used the flaming stones, he could tell that the little creature really was a monster after all.

"It's not even bitter?" Haji asked curiously. Lurkia ignored his question and headed outside. Haji followed Lurkia and luckily he never attacked the janix again. Haji watched the little Lurkia studied the small creature that doesn't look like an Egori. Haji thought, "He's still hungry?!"

Lurkia was a great hunter. In an awesome speed, he jumped towards the big creature and bit its neck. His prey roared in pain as Lurkia's sharp fangs digged in his neck. Lurkia's eight antenas turned into sharp tentacles and it started stabbing the creature's face and eyes. Blood dripping from the creature's face as Lurkia spreaded his transparent wings and swayed it like a chopping knife across the creature's neck. The poor creature's head rolled down as its body fell on the ground. Lurkia's white fur and wings became more visible because of the bloodstains. Lurkia then breathed another silver flame towards the dead meat in front of him and it instantly turned into an overcooked meat. Haji gasped as he realized how bitter would it taste like!. He thought, "So, he really loved overcooked dishes?!"

Right after Lurkia finished eating in an instant, he started hunting two or more. After his meal he went back inside his cave. He didn't mind Haji following him. He was heading into another direction and Haji was about to protest. The Janix thought, "Does he sometimes get lost here? Or he is trying to get rid of me and is planning to get me lost?"

Haji followed the egori silently but carefully. They arrived in a place Haji never imagined could possibly exists.

"This is paradise!" Haji yelled with excitement in his mind. Inside the cave was a wide spring with a diamond colored water. Lurkia walked towards the water and dipped himself under the water. The water was so clear that Haji could clearly see the egori swimming underwater, and 'clearly' meant Lurkia's real form.

Haji thought, "Jhay I just saw a very magical image. It was a black beautiful monster with Eight serpent heads, a beautiful black wide wings that seemed to guide the waves. It has eight pretty tails that looked like a ribbon and its eyes has two colors. One is silver that represents courage, the other one is gold that represents the importance of time. It swims under the diamondlike water. There was a miracle, this Egori was once tamed by a king. The tragedy was that the king abadoned him and chose the king of Egoris. This beautiful image just looked so lonely."

Haji watched Lurkia for a long time and finally the egori rose from the water. He showed himself above the water and flocked his wings. Later then, he turned back to his previous shape. Haji walked towards the floating and adorable Lurkia as he raised his head.

"Hey little pal!" Haji started. Lurkia looked down on Haji with deadful eyes. Haji thought, "Will I lose my pride if I beg for his help to fight beside me, for the sake of a certain city? If loosing my pride would result freedom for others, I would gladly let it go."

"Can you do me a favor?" Haji gulped as he continued talking.

"You see, I have someone very dear to me and I just abandoned her without telling anything" Haji saw Lurkia frowned and he could tell that the egori hates someone who definitely abandons things.

"I wanted to go back to her and tell her how important she is to me, but I cannot do it if I can't have my ship back. The king confiscated it and I can no longer go back." Haji said. Lurkia gave Haji a That's-not-my-problem look and the Janix chuckled. Haji assumed he was already rejected.

"You see, I know how it feels to be abandoned suddenly. Do you have someone you wanted to see once again?" Haji asked Lurkia.

"I beg of you. Help me get my ship back and I'll help you see that someone once again." Haji said and kneeled one of his knees down on the ground, like a knight kneeling in front of his princess.

"Please, Lurkia" Haji added. Haji dared not to raise his head up and remained bowing on the egori in front of him. Haji heard Lurkia's wings flocked as the adorable creature landed in front of him. On the ground, there was a necklace with a whistle made up of mixed gold and silver color. The necklace looked like that of Zakir's when he calls Agya. Zakir has a lot of whistles with him underneath his cape. He uses it when he wants his egoris to come and find him. Haji looked at Lurkia with wide eyes and smiled. He quickly wore the necklace and excitedly tested it. Haji used the whistle and it created a harmonious sharp sound, Lurkia's eight antenas responded immediately and he transformed into his real form. Haji was amazed by how everything worked and he suddenly forgot something

"How do I get you back to your adorable form then?" the Janix asked with an awkward chuckle.