Tale Of The Half-Blood Wizard - Chapter 90

“Even when you get back to your place, don’t blame or scold the Manjis, no matter how upset you are. Remember, they don’t want you to go. I do understand how they feel,” He added.

“What about Naar?” I could not imagine what happened to that man. If no one replaces him, he will go for good.”

“I don’t know. Honestly, although I have never done it because I can’t see fire lilies,” Zie’s response confused me, “For you to know that fire lilies sold in Darkmoon were none real. But if you buy it and it is an original flower, it is the best luck in your life,” He said. Then the silence was between us. Later, he looked at me deeply.

“Did Mickey do it?” I didn’t know what the point of such a question was, so I did not reply to him. I looked at him, confused. “I have known your ability for so long but I did not want to trigger it. but it seemed that naughty cat did it,”

“Meaning?” I was still confused.

“How long ago did you realize you could see spirits, Charon, Lichen, and sort of things?” He asked, brushing my hair that covered my face. He looked into my eyes with a very strange look. “Do you realize that perhaps there was one or two persons only with such ees of yours?” He added.

“I dont know.” I replied the truth. “But I have ever seen the real form of Kerberos.”

“You?How is that possible?” He asked with a great surprise.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Leave it,” I said, then continued eating.

We were down in silent for some time with food in front of u. He might be upset because I didn’t want to tell him further about Kerberos, how we met. Or he might be my presumption because I could not really predict his mind at the moment.

…

We finished eating at around ten at night. We could not eat our food and decided to share it with the people in the park. We went home on foot, with Zie pushing my bike. In that very little time I wished I did not feel sleepy so that I could spend the remaining last moment with him.

We stared into each other in silence, until my eyes fell on my arm, the street light shone through my hand. I felt like I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

“It seems that tomorrow we need to meet Charon sooner. If it is too long, you may probably turn into a wandering spirit as he said,” After saying that Zie asked me to get on the bike so that he could ride me home faster.

“Go to sleep, okay? Don’t think about anything! Tomorrow at eight sharp, I will pick you up and you must be ready already.” I just cleared my throat in response.

“Keep in mind that you came here not to stay. It is not your time and place where you are supposed to stay. And you have to let go of things here, the moment of these days, and me. If in the world where you belong now I am not there anymore, it means that my responsibility to take care of you has finished

I was just silent and did not know what to say. All he said was true. I should not expect to be where I did not belong to.  If I changed this rule like what I wanted now, things would turn out really bad.

“Is there any way that I can meet you here?” I was full of hope.

“I should not have cheated death, though I could do that. When I got it, I shouldn’t be here anymore,” He said, ruffling my hair. “Even though I am gone in your time, everything I have ever given to you will always be with you, including Mickey. I believe he will obey you.”

“Lie!! He always takes my side dish,” I said, irritated recalling that fat sooty cat. “But it is true that he has accompanied me faithfully in many circumstances. He is a loyal naughty cat.” Zie chuckled at my words.

The night turned to morning faster than I expected, I didn’t even close my eyes the whole night. It was six in the morning and I already got things ready.

When I left my room, I saw Nana fixing things for my breakfast. “Tha, where are your school uniforms?” She asked.

I just smiled, lazy to reply, “Nana, come on. Let’s eat together!” Without waiting for her reply, I asked her to take a seat in front of me.

“What is wrong with you? Just tell me if you have anything to say.” She said as she poured tea into her cup. “What cake do you want me to make?”

“No, I don’t ask anything,” I said and smiled at her. I could not hide my happy feeling and how grateful I was to see her a few years younger than the last time I remembered about her. Back then, I never thought how happy I would be to see her fine and healthy like this moment.

Nana was not only a nanny for me, she was much closer to me than my mother to me. She was the one who accompanied me during my time being hospitalized and she took care of my brother’s needs as well. Sometimes she had to take a four hours trip to see him and brought all he needed.

After breakfast, I helped her in the kitchen although she forbade me and asked me to go to school instead. But I ignored her request

“What time does your class start? Why aren’t you leaving, yet?” She asked while feeding our cat.

“I’m waiting for Zie.” I told her the truth.

At 07.30, I heard a bike bell ringing from the front of the yard of my house. I ran out as soon as possible to see who was coming. It was Zie. He smiled at me and gestured to me to hurry.

I rushed back to the kitchen, hugged Nana from the back. I knew it would be a long farewell. “Nana, I am leaving,” I said, and walked fast out of the house.

…

“Do you bring the box Charon gave to you?” Zie asked.

I cleared my throat as yes while playing Zie’s shirt at his back. “Brother, will you come to my time later?” I asked him. “Didn’t you tell me yesterday that you could do that? Why didn’t you just lock me here but asked me to come back instead?” I asked continuously and he just kept quiet.

For some time it went with quietness, no reply from him. It drove me nuts.”Brother!” I called out for him as he remained silent.

“It’s possible. Although I have died thirteen years from now, I still can travel to your time and to the past time. But I have so little time and it takes so big energy to do that. And if I allow you to stay in this time, you in your time never exist. Are you willing to do that again and again nonstop? My advice is just don’t do that.” I did not know, I just thought he wanted me to go back to that place, whatever the reasons were, either I wanted it or not.

“Sometimes we simply need to let things happen as they are.” He added, “You have to get up and fight better in your time, okay?!” a message that sounded sincere, but reflected sadness. Perhaps it was because of the separation we would face for the second time.

When I returned from this time, I knew that I was not living in the illusion world any longer. I really had to get up and start all over myself.

…

River Mother was quiet that morning. Charon was waiting for us by the river in a white and silver canoe, and an oar made of a part of a living plant. I saw the small boat was a bit different from yesterday’s, more suitable and comfortable to ride on it. There was a stand and an oil lamp with a white flame.

“I hope you are ready to come back!” Charon said, asking me to get into the canoe.

“Be careful!” Zie said, “Remember, never try to make a pact with the Manjis again. If you have to come back here again, it’s luck for you. But if you go straight to the spirit realm, I don’t know what the story would be like. After this you have to strive again, okay?” He said at length.

I nodded with a sad smile. It was time to say goodbye. “Thank you very much,” I said before I got into the canoe.

The boat took me away slowly. I saw Zie kept waving even though we were quite far away. Charon sang a happy song although I did not really understand the lyrics at all. I felt so happy to hear it.. Slowly a thin mist began to cover the scene around me and Zie was gone behind the mist.