Snowflake: Frozen Child

IN Aeonria...

"Janix! Janix! Your ship has been taken away by the hunters!" Jhavu's loud and horrid voice echoed in Haji's ears as he opened his eyes. Jhavu's long hand left a red mark on Haji's face. He shouted mentally, "You slapped me?!" as he glared at Jhavu. Of course Haji never said it out loud, he believed he was too young to die.

"My ship?! No!" Haji shouted. He took no time to hesitate and was about to go back to where his spaceship was but Jhavu reached him with his long elastic arms. Haji struggled as Jhavu's grip tightened.

Haji was having a mental breakdown as he thought, "If my ship would be taken away...I'd rather die on that ship than die here!"

"Janix! The hunters will definitely capture you if they see you!" Jhavu said as he tried to put Haji in a constant place.

"I can't go back home! I need my ship!" Haji said while struggling to escape from Jhavu's grip.

"Janix! calm down! There is a way to take your ship back!" Jhavu said and Haji instantly stopped struggling.

"You should have told me sooner!" Haji said in a cool manner as he shove Jhavu's  sticky arms away. Haji saw the Aeoni sighed and placed his long arms beside him.

"So tell me, how can I get my ship back?" Haji asked excitedly. The danger could never be avoided and that exciting feeling drove Haji crazy. Jhavu gestured Haji to follow him. They were walking in a narrow tunnel, Haji could kiss the ceilings above them. After the long walk, they reached the end of the tunnel and Haji's eyes witnessed a very wide desert.

"Is this hell?" Haji asked sarcastically .

"What is hell?" Jhavu asked innocently. For aeonis were pure hearted that the closest definition of hell for them was only King Kradus.

"A place where humans hate to step on. But they kept doing things, bad things that will slowly dragged their feet towards it." Haji answered.

"I don't understand" Jhavu said as he handed Haji a map.

"You better not, because in my world humans are afraid of hell... " Haji said honestly.

"...But brave enough to commit sins" he added.

"Okay, what is this again?" Haji asked as he raised the thing Jhavu just handed him.

"A map" Jhavu said. Jhavu's sharp ears instinctively moved when a small rumbling sound came from the ground. In all fours, Jhavu placed his ear on the ground. His sticky long arms laid on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Haji thought maybe Jhavu was eavesdropping or something.

"Silence" Jhavu said as he continued listening. The rumbling stopped and Jhavu stood up then they continued walking.

"What's that sound?" Haji asked, it was like a water rumbling underground. Jhavu ignored Haji's question and proceeded.

"Is this Sahara or the like?" Haji thought when another scenery welcomed his eyes.

Haji looked around and found nothing but that large piece of land with no signs of life -except the warm breathing of the ground underneath them.

Haji thought, "Where is Jhavu going to take me? Is he going to offer me as a sacrifice?!"

Haji slapped himself mentally as Jhavu looked back at him with an innocent look.

"You want your ship back, we want freedom. Let's make a Pramia" Jhavu said. Haji had enough. He couldn't understand aeoni language at all.

"Okay..." Haji sighed. "...What is this 'Pramia' thing?" Haji asked. He got no idea at all.

"A trade, a deal or a contract" Jhavu said.

"What contract?" Haji raised his left brow to let Jhavu know that he was confused. Honestly, all the time ever since he arrived on that planet, he was totally confused.

"I will accompany you to Zakir, the hidden Prophet of Aeonria." Jhavu said.

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NINE years ago...

Zakir told the Aeonis, "A new king will rule over Umbra. He will shed the good king Verma's blood and will mercilessly kill anyone who dares to oppose him."

The Aeonis never listened to Zakir nor the kingdom. The good king Verma decided to throw Zakir to Aeonria's forbidden land instead of killing him. Zakir has been wandering on that forbidden land for nine years.

End of flashback...

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What made that place forbidden?

"Why is this place forbidden?" Haji asked Jhavu as they walked towards ahead of them. Haji felt like he was walking on a land that led them to nowhere, the warm and dusty wind c.a.r.e.s.sed Haji's b.a.r.e face. He never knew he could end up in a place like that.

True peace.

"This land-!!!" Jhavu failed to finish speaking when the ground suddenly cracked open and both of them fell under it. Jhavu hurriedly ran towards Haji's location as the ground began to start shaking nonstop. Haji felt his head was about to crack when his vision was spinning. He might puke anytime soon. The impact was too strong and Haji's whole body could feel the vibrations of the ground that made him feel worse. Haji tried to close his eyes as the shaking never stopped. His head hurt so much that he could barely move.

"Janix! Give me your hand!" Haji heard Jhavu shouting as he closed his eyes. Haji reached out his hands and waited for Jhavu to grab him. Haji bravely opened his eyes and he saw a different place.

Darkness.

"What's going on here?!" Haji shouted but he couldn't hear his own voice, as if he was muted. Haji blinked his eyes a thousand times just to clear his vision but all he could see was the black background everywhere.

He thought in fear, "Am I blind now?!"

"Jhavu?! Hey! where are you?!" Haji refrained himself from panicking. No response. The shaking stopped and it was so silent. Haji was starting to feel dizzy because of the total silence whispering in his ears. He could almost hear the rapid flow of his own blood in his veins. Haji's heart beated rapidly as the rushing blood in every inch of his veins sounded louder. Haji placed both his hands on either side of his head as he tried to get rid of the flowing sound.

"Antos to Aeonria"

(Sufferings of Aeonria) Haji heard Jhavu's voice and the boy reached out his hands in the darkness once again. Finally, Haji's hand felt a slimy yet muscular arms. He hurriedly grabbed Jhavu's arm like a lost child. He stopped himself self from crying caused by the worst headache ever he had. Haji finally saw a little glimpse of light from above and everything went back to a normal and peaceful desert.

"BWAAAAAKKK!!!" Haji made a horrible sound as he began vomiting on the ground. His vomit immediately evaporated as he stared at it with an impressed look. Haji didn't mind Jhavu watching and waiting for him to finish his business.

Haji thought, "It was his fault in the first place. That was insane!"

"What the hell just happened, Jhavu?!" Haji asked, wiping his saliva away with his loose, ragged and dirty shirt.

"Antos to Aeonria reacted to your presence. This land is Zakir's cell. Nine years ago Antos to Aeonria reacted this way too." Jhavu said.

Haji thought hypothetically,  "So basically, Zakir reacted to me? I thought this Zakir guy was just an Hermit or a legendary warrior, or hell would I know?!"

"Is it a good sign or a bad one?" Haji asked Jhavu who was currently investigating their surroundings.

"Zakir is hiding somewhere near us." Jhavu said in an almost whispered tone.

"What do you want, lowly aeoni?" A low pitched yet manly voice echoed through Haji's ears as another aeoni came out from nowhere and called Jhavu. The Aeoni looked a little bit different from the others. He was wearing a very long brown cape with light feathers around his neck. A bow and arrows behind him and his face was fiercer, not resembling any harmless aeoni.

"Zakir, is this the one who you saw in the prophecy?" Jhavu asked.

Haji thought, "So this dude is Zakir?! He looked younger than I expected. And what prophecy is Jhavu talking about?"

"I do not know. Let him go to the Chimeras' nest and summon one that could defeat the king's pet. If he fails, he stands no chance to defeat the cruel King Kradus." Zakir told Jhavu.

Haji panickedly thought, "I'm going where?!"

Haji have heard about chimeras. In his planet, it was known as a monster from Greek mythology that breathes fire like that of the inferno. Has a lion's head, a goat's body and a snake's tail. A totally monstrous creature. In Haji's country's mythology, they also had what they call 'Bakunawa'. It was a serpent-like dragon that is believed to be the cause of eclipses, earthquakes, rains, and wind. It looked like a moon eating dragon according to Haji's older neighbors.

"That chimera you're talking about..." Haji decided to join in their alienated conversation. "...how does it look like?". Two Aeonis both looked at Haji with fearful eyes. Even Zakir couldn't hide his expression when he heard Haji ask what chimeras looked like.

Haji mentally slapped himself as he thought, "Don't tell me that my imagination was right?!"

"A monster" said Zakir.

Haji almost stumbled on his feet.

He thought, "And they're telling me to summon one?! No way I'm not ready to die!"

"Jhavu, I think we should go back now. There must be another way to take my ship back, right?" Haji said as he started walking away but Jhavu stretched out his long arm that immediately wrapped around Haji's shoulders.

"Listen to me, Janix. Zakir will be the one to train you, he will guide and help you." Jhavu said.

"Then, why not let him do it then?!" Haji screamed out of frustration.

Haji thought, "Zakir has been living with the chimeras for nine years here, he's the capable one and no one else."

"I can no longer leave here. The chimeras will all die if I leave this place. King Kradus labeled me as a traitor of the kingdom, as a punishment he threw me here with the chimeras." Zakir said.

"And why would they die if you leave?" Haji asked. Jhavu remained silent as Haji let his curiosity ruled over.

"A chimera's heart is impossible to tame. King Kradus proved it wrong. He tamed Stalwa, the former king of chimeras. As I've said, the monster that has been tamed will die if left behind. Stalwa followed king Kradus and left Antos to Aeonria." Zakir said. Which meant, Stalwa left his fellows for Kradus. Stalwa abandoned his kingdom of chimeras for a single aeoni. And Zakir have tamed all the chimeras, but he couldn't make use of them, since all the monsters were too scared to fight against King Kradus, with Stalwa their former king.

"Then I am no match for Zakir either! I feel like I'm going to be dead right after a chimera appears before me!" Haji said. He thought, "I'm just a sixteen year old brat who only knows how to play Mortal Combat."

"That's why I will train you. You just have to follow me, you will tame a stronger chimera and you'll get your ship back." Zakir said as he placed his forehead on Haji's left shoulder.

Haji thought, "Is Zakir gay?!"

"It is called Verion, it means trust and love." Jhavu immediately responded as he saw Haji's awkward reaction. They place their foreheads on top of your left shoulder as a sign of respect, trust and love. Haji did the same to Zakir, which seemed pretty normal for the prophet.

"Then, please take care of me." Haji said.

Haji's mind was left chaotic as he told himself, "There's no turning back, Haji. Imagine this is just a virtual game and that you were lucky enough to have this kind of experience!"

Haji sighed as Jhavu motioned him to follow him back to the city. A preparation or a fest for Haji's departure awaits.

"Do you think I can do it?" Haji asked Jhavu. The leader continued walking, his hands were sweeping the ground.

"Do you think you can do it?" Jhavu said returning back Haji's question. They continued walking in the dark tunnel side by side. Never knew that Haji would do such a risky thing just to get his ship back. He was not even sure if his ship was still reliable.

"Jhavu, I don't want you to expect anything from me. I was not born strong and I'm just a brat. It's just that, I'm doing this because... I really want to go home." Haji said honestly to Jhavu. Haji could not even imagine about winning but he would have to try than do nothing. Even if it cost him his life.

"Believe me, Zakir never failed to train someone to become stronger." Jhavu said and gave Haji an encouraging look that seemed to enlighten the boy a little bit. Haji thought, "So Zakir have trained someone?"

"Where is that person then?" Haji asked as he let out a heavy sigh, they have been walking for almost an eternity.

"There, sitting on the throne. Zakir was the former friend of the cruel king Kradus. Zakir was the one who trained the king, and was the only one who saw the king's face. King Kradus betrayed Zakir and slaughtered the late king Verma for the throne, together with his fellow king of chimeras, Stalwa." as Haji listened to Jhavu, he felt butterflies in his stomach.

"If king Kradus had Stalwa, there can't be a possibility to defeat them" Haji said. Haji believed there was no way to defeat two king's at once. Obviously, the chimeras feared Stalwa. The Aeonis feared Kradus.

"What chance do I have?" Haji asked and bowed his head as if he was losing hope already.

"There is" Jhavu said. Haji could almost hear the City's voice, that even if they've been living underground and that they belonged to the slave city, they were still happy.

"You just have to tame the only chimera Zakir failed to tame for almost a decade. Its name is Lurkia, Stalwa's lifetime enemy." Jhavu said that made Haji's blood rushed through his veins.

Haji thought, "Finding Lurkia doesn't mean meeting all of the other chimeras out there, right?" 

"Just how many chimeras have Zakir tamed that stopped him from leaving that place?" Haji asked, anyone would be curious. Plus, he needed to know the possibility of meeting some of them in the future.

"There were about a thousand of them, but don't worry you only need to tame one chimera. And it should be Lurkia" Jhavu said.

"What?! That many?!" Haji shouted in awe. He thought, "Should I feel relieved or be worried?"

Haji thought as he remembered Jhay, "Hey Jhay, can I do it? Do you think we can still see each other?"

Would Haji be brave enough to meet Lurkia?