Chapter Six: Tokyo, Japan

The Chosen Warrior of Xerox must work to prevent dissension from dividing both races against each other, in time before The Chaos rises completely...

Once everything came back into focus, Samson turned to face his group. He saw that they were clearly exhausted and they wouldn’t continue unless they could lie down. Samson sighed, “So, where do you want to start, guys?” he asked.

“Can’t we rest awhile?” Tamar asked. “We’ve been going nonstop for two days now. No rest at all. We’re exhausted.”

“Alright, I’ll find us a hotel,” Samson said. But before they could get too happy, he added, “But only for a few hours. Rest and when you’re ready to go, we’ll leave okay? We only have four days left to stop this Chaos.”

“When we left Berlin, Germany it was five days left to stop The Chaos,” Exaephor Smith said. “How is it then already four days left to stop The Chaos?”

Samson sighed and looked at Ziero for help. “We go through different time zones when we go through different countries,” Ziero said. “So, we risk setting our clocks forward a few more hours ahead of the time it was when we left planet Xerox.”

“Well, that complicates things. Why not just have one time-zone that everyone uses?” Exaephor Smith asked.

Ziero glared at him. Is he serious? If there was only one time-zone, there would be so much confusion. It can’t be the same time everywhere. They really need to grow up, he thought. “Anyway, we’ve lost eight hours just by leaving Berlin,” he said. “It’s 6 o’clock in the morning here.” 

Samson sighed, “So, perhaps the exhaustion you’re feeling is jet lag,” he speculated. “It’ll wear off after a while. But for now, let’s focus on finding us a hotel.”

“Six in the morning already?” Tamar moaned.

Samson started forward but noticed that Jantis and Koby hung behind. He fell in beside them and noticed how glum they were. “Hey, don’t worry, everything will be fine,” he said.

Koby shook his head, “No. I’m worried about Mutti,” he said. “When we left Berlin, there was a huge earthquake. I just hope she’s okay, that’s all. I want to see my mum again.”

Samson put his hand on his shoulder, “And you will,” he said. “But for now, I need you to trust me when I say that your mother is fine. Officer Andros and the other Officers were on call at that moment. I’m pretty sure they would have come up with an evacuation plan. So don’t worry.”

Don’t worry? Koby thought, I bet Samson’s never had the lives of those he loved at stake. Why should I trust him?

Ziero used the GPS on his wrist phone, trying to find the nearest hotel from them. Since Tokyo, Japan had no street names and many of the people there didn’t speak English, they had a hard time searching for a hotel by address. Ziero growled and sighed exasperated.

Samson glanced at him, “Ziero, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “We’ll just have to walk by sight.”

“What does that mean?” Samson asked.

“That means, open your eyes and see if you can spot a hotel, fool,” Ziero snapped.

Samson checked his surroundings for landmarks that he knew he’d recognize immediately like shops and restaurants. He finally spotted a building at a street corner across the way that looked like a hotel. He led the group towards it and they entered.

On the inside of the building, they found a nicely furnished lobby. Its walls were painted an off-white color, to their left it had a fake plant and two black and white patterned chairs one on each side of a beige mantle, the floor was a white and brown diamond pattern, to their right there also was a fake plant and there were two taupe chairs on opposite sides of a glass table on a tan and brown rug, and behind the chairs there was an off-white sofa.

Up ahead, was the front desk with its neutral marble color and browns. Samson approached the front desk and saw that there were a couple of people manning the desk and a few people in front of them. After a while of waiting, Samson finally got them a few suites at the hotel and finally convinced the person at the front desk to allow him to book with cash instead of a credit card. He learned from the person at the front desk that the building they were in was called the Tokyo Station Hotel. The person at the front desk handed Samson the keys to their rooms and Samson led the group to their rooms.

Every room in the suite had two full-sized beds and they included a desk, a TV, and an armchair by the window. Samson, Ziero, Paradise, Ptolemy and Exaephor Smith all collapsed on the beds and the chair for a while. If Samson was being honest with himself, he was really tuckered out from this trip. He hadn’t slept in two days because he was busy leading them around the cities and he didn’t even remember the last time he had a good meal. He heard a few stomachs growl at once, including his own, once the room fell silent.

“You probably didn’t pack any food for us, did you Samson?” Ptolemy asked. “You were betting on us to die on this trip were you? So you wouldn’t have to worry about anybody but yourself.”

“Ptolemy, I’m really not in the mood for your mind games, okay?” Samson said. “So, what do you guys want to eat?”

“When you were leading us to our room, I think we passed by a dining room, and I smelt something…really delicious,” Paradise said.

Samson sat up, “So, you guys want to go check it out?” he asked.

They all nodded, and Samson led them out of their room. He went to the other rooms in their suite, “Hey, guys, y’all want something to eat?” he called. They nodded and followed him out of their rooms into the hallway.

He led them to one of the dining rooms in the Tokyo Station Hotel, which was The Atrium. As they entered the Atrium, the delicious smell Paradise mentioned became much stronger. They were able to identify the smell as a combination of sausage and sweet rolls. They had enough strength to get their food before they all collapsed on a couch near the door to The Atrium. They ate their fill before they finally came up for air. As they were relaxing, a waiter approached their table, cleared it and left Samson the bill. Samson read it, making sure nobody else saw it and cursed silently.

“Y’all gonna be the death of me,” he said aloud as he paid the bill for their meal. “Let’s go back to our rooms.”

“Why are we going to be the death of you? What did the bill say?” Ptolemy asked.

“Wouldn’t you want to know?” Samson retorted. “You’re the one with the three stomachs.”

Everyone laughed and Ptolemy glared at Samson, “What do you mean “three stomachs”?” he demanded.

“Calm down, Ptolemy,” Samson replied, “it was a joke.”

They finally made it back to their rooms and some of them napped on the beds in their rooms and on the armchair near their window for a while. Jesse, Rueban, and Koby came into Samson’s hotel room, claiming they couldn’t sleep. Jesse and Exaephor gazed out the window at Tokyo for a few minutes, while Rueban sat on the bed next to Ptolemy and Samson. Koby sat on the bed next to Ziero and Paradise as Tamar napped at the foot of the bed with EJ slumbering on the floor beneath her.

Jesse sighed, “I bet Tokyo would have been very beautiful in the sunlight.”

Exaephor sighed and nodded, “Yeah, if the sun hadn’t been swallowed by The Chaos,” he said.

“Don’t worry, once we destroy The Chaos, Earth and planet Xerox will be restored to their former glory,” Samson said.

“But, that’s thinking too highly of ourselves,” Rueban said. “Even if we could fight The Chaos, provided we have the time, we wouldn’t be able to defeat him effectively. I’m not sure if the Earthlings will be of much help.”

“Don’t talk like that, Rueban,” Samson urged, “Otherwise there’ll be no need to recruit them. Xerox may be taken over by The Chaos but it’s not destroyed by The Chaos. The planet will give them what they need to fight The Chaos with, so don’t worry about that. Let planet Xerox worry about that.”

Koby leaned over to Tamar, who had just woken up from her nap, “What does he mean by “the planet will give them what they need to fight The Chaos with”?” he asked her.

Tamar stretched and sat up, “Every Ancient Xeroxian in here knows about the old legend of planet Xerox,” she replied, crossing her legs on the foot of the bed. “The legend states that any Earthling, upon entering planet Xerox, would be “blessed” by the planet with abilities beyond human understanding. These abilities are based on the person’s personality or any other qualities they have that make up who that person is. For instance, if you are known for having a hot temper, you’d gain power over fire.”

Jesse nodded, “But didn’t that change after the war?” he asked just as a few Earthlings entered the hotel room.

“There was another war?” Paul asked. “What happened?”

“There was a war a long time ago during which planet Xerox was invaded by Earthlings and there was a huge massacre. The Earthlings that invaded murdered some Ancient Xeroxians and some of those that survived are here with me,” Samson said. “Anyway, the legend of the “blessing” of planet Xerox didn’t change after this war. Earthlings can still be “blessed” by planet Xerox with abilities beyond human understanding.”

“Why did the Earthlings invade planet Xerox?” Koby asked just as Ralph entered the hotel room. He stood silently in the corner, listening to the conversation. Everyone in his hotel room was asleep.

“They wanted to find something else to divide and conquer, other than the other empires on Earth they had already conquered. Plus, they didn’t like that planet Xerox looked just like Earth and they pegged the planet and its inhabitants as copycats,” Samson replied. “Can we please change the subject?”

“Here’s a subject changer: What’s this flat rectangular thing sitting on top of this platform?” Ralph asked pointing to the TV.

Samson laughed, “Come on Ralph, don’t tell me you’ve never seen a TV before!”

“He doesn’t even watch TV back at home,” Jesse said. “Much less even know we have one.”

Ralph glared at Jesse, “I do watch TV,” he said, “but that’s beside the point. I only asked that because Samson wanted to change the subject. Anyway, Prince--um, Exaephor, what time is it?”

Exaephor wagged his finger at him, “That’s your first warning, Ralph,” he said. “I don’t call you that, so don’t call me that, as long as we’re on Earth. As for what time it is, it’s time for you to get a watch. That’s what time it is.”

“You guys are princes?” Koby asked. “What kingdom are you guys from?”

Exaephor glared at Ralph, “Way to go, Ralph,” he said. “You blew our cover.”

“They were going to find out eventually,” Ralph defended.

“Yeah eventually, but not today,” Exaephor said. He turned to Koby and sighed, “Yeah I guess you can say we’re princes. We are only princes on planet Xerox, me, Ralph, Jesse, and Rueban. We’re not princes on Earth and the kingdom we’re from is on planet Xerox. It’s known as the Golden Twinkle Kingdom and it’s a short distance from the Magical Forest. I’d take you there, but we’re not ready to leave Earth yet.”

“Oh, wow,” Koby said. “Being a prince must be a lot better than travelling around Earth with us and Samson.”

“Samson’s my friend, Earth’s our neighbor and our friend, if I had to choose between The Chaos and them, I’d chose them,” Exaephor replied. “Why would being a prince be a lot better than travelling around Earth with you guys if I have no kingdom to return to?”

Koby shrugged, “I don’t know,” he said. “It was a stupid question, I guess.”

Exaephor sighed and leaned against the wall, “It’s fine,” he said, “I was still mad at Ralph for inadvertently telling you that I was a prince. I didn’t want anyone to know because I’m currently away from my kingdom and I didn’t want any…problems. I apologize if I was a little harsh.”

“You’re still paranoid after that encounter on the streets of Jackson, are you?” Samson asked. “I thought you got over that?”

“They tried to steal my pants,” Exaephor said. “People usually don’t touch my pants. Besides, the only valuable items I’m carrying with me right now are my tunic, my sword and my boots. But, I don’t want anyone to touch those either.”

“Is your tunic made from the finest silk on planet Xerox or something like that? What makes it so valuable?” Koby asked. “And your sword and boots, why are they so valuable?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” Exaephor Smith remarked, “I might have to watch you. No, my tunic isn’t made from the finest silk on planet Xerox. It is made from the finest material on planet Xerox. My tunic is woven from pure gold. My boots are made from a mixture of pure gold and genuine leather. My sword is forged from light and has a diamond hilt, which is why it is so valuable and also why it is called The Light Sword.”

“Your tunic and boots are made from pure gold and your sword is made from diamonds and light? Wow, I’m surprised you kept them this long,” Jantis said.

“Thankfully, most artificial gold and diamond products have been engineered to mimic the real thing so that’s how I kept them this long,” Exaephor replied, “Plus, I didn’t tell anyone until now, so don’t get any ideas.”

“Don’t worry Your Highness, there aren’t many people here you have to worry about taking your tunic, sword, and boots,” Solé Anna said as she took a seat on the floor next to the arm chair by the window. “So, keep your shirt on, it’ll be okay. Anyway, how are we doing on time?”

“It is 10 am in Tokyo, Japan,” Exaephor replied. “So, we’re doing pretty good, I guess. And, Solé Anna, don’t call me Your Highness, at least not until we make it back to planet Xerox. I don’t want to draw too much attention to myself.”

“According to the guy at the front desk, the check-out time for the hotel is at 12 pm,” Samson said, “so if we leave, we’ll have to check out as soon as we return because all I gave them was cash. What do you guys want to do to pass the time?”

The group thought about it for a while just as a few more people entered their hotel room before finally deciding on something. “Maybe we could take this time to get to know each other, since we didn’t have the time to do it in Germany?” Koby suggested.

Everyone in the room was silent considering the suggestion. “Okay,” Samson said, “there’s an idea.”

“Or, we could go downtown to the Winter Festival,” a young Caucasian male called from the entrance to the adjacent hotel room in the hotel suite. He had a golden tan, green eyes, and black hair. He wore a navy collared shirt, khakis, and brown loafers. “I saw a pamphlet in the lobby. I think we should probably check it out,” he suggested.

Samson smiled, “Thanks for the suggestion, Mr. um, what’s your name?” he said.

“Oh, my name is Daniel Mikelweed, Jr., but you can call me Daniel,” Daniel said. “The Winter Festival starts at 11, so what do you think? You want to go?”

The room fell silent. “So, do y’all want to go?” Samson asked the rest of the group.

A few people nodded. “So, how much is the festival?” Samson asked.

“Oh, it’s free,” Daniel replied. “So, what do you want to do?”

“Alright, let’s go,” Tamar said.

“Hold it, how about we find out some more information on this Winter Festival before we go?” a peach-colored girl called from behind the door of the hotel suite. She had sandy hair and hazel eyes, and she wore a blue jean jacket, T-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers.

“Okay, but I don’t know what other information you’d require, Miss,” Daniel said.

“My name is Karen,” the girl said, pulling a slender electronic device from the back pocket of her jeans. She tapped on the screen and studied it for a while. “Apparently, this Winter Festival is a very serious religious event that involves a man’s head being carried in a cloth bag by 47 samurai.”

Everyone in the room freaked. “Whoa! Did you just say a man’s head is carried in a cloth bag?” a peach-colored boy standing beside her asked. He had sandy hair and blue eyes, and he wore a button down shirt, khakis, and sneakers.

“Yes, Chester, I did,” Karen said to him. “The 47 samurai swore to get revenge on Kira Yoshihisa for their former master’s demise. They severed his head from his body, washed it in a well and put it on Asano Naganori’s grave with a dagger stabbed through it.”

Samson cleared his throat, “So, how about a movie then?” he suggested.

“I’ll see if there’s anything nearby,” Karen offered. She tapped on the screen of her slender electronic device and studied the screen a while. She sighed, “It looks like there’s a performance at the Kabukiza Theatre just twenty minutes from here,” she said. “Part 1 starts at 11 am. It’s a Kabuki performance and it has three parts to it. So, what do y’all want to do?”

The room fell silent as everyone considered the suggestion. “Well, anything is better than watching 47 men carry a man’s head in a cloth bag,” Elisha Zing said, “Unless, of course, you’re into that kind of thing.”

They departed the hotel suite, went down to the lobby, and out the entrance to the hotel. Ziero tapped his wrist phone and consulted his GPS for the directions to the Kabukiza Theatre. Since there were no street names, he wasn’t able to adequately lead the group to the Theater. He sighed exasperated, “F**k it, let’s just ask someone,” he said.

A few pedestrians passed them by, engaged in conversation in Japanese. Ziero used his wrist phone to translate his speech into Japanese to ask them directions to the Kabukiza Theatre. They agreed to lead them there because they were headed that way themselves. Ziero turned to Samson and the others, “Alright, let’s follow them,” he said.

They made it to the theatre but they were stopped at the entrance. "Hold it, ticket please," the man at the entrance said in Japanese.

Ziero sighed exasperated, "We'll pay," he replied in Japanese. "Where's the ticket booth?"

"Right this way," the man responded in Japanese, pointing them to where a long line was.

Ziero led the group to it and they waited for their turn. Everyone in the group was watching him. “What?” Ziero demanded.

“I didn’t know you spoke Japanese,” Samson said.

He sighed, “Don’t make such a big deal out of it,” he said. “Right now, I’m trying to help us blend in. Let’s not draw too much attention to ourselves.”

It soon became their turn to deal with the clerk behind the ticket counter. "So, what will it be?" the woman behind the counter asked in Japanese.

"94 tickets to the Kabuki performance, please," Ziero replied in Japanese.

"Do you want the box seat, first class, second class, upper tier A, or upper tier B?" the woman asked in Japanese.

Ziero sighed, "Whichever is the lowest," he replied in Japanese.

"You want the upper tier B," the woman said in Japanese. "That will be 282000 yen."

Ziero tapped on his wrist phone and consulted his currency converter to calculate how much 282000 yen would be in dollars. He studied the screen a while and cursed silently.

“Ziero what’s wrong?” Samson asked. “How much is it?”

“It’s $2,516.85,” Ziero whispered to him.

Samson whistled, “That’s a lot of money,” he whispered back. “So, what are we going to do?”

Ptolemy sighed exasperated, “Go inside and find a seat,” he growled. “I’ll get the tickets.”

“You?” Samson asked. “Are you sure about this? You don’t even know how much it is.”

“I heard him when he said it,” Ptolemy replied. “Now, just go.” 

Once they were gone, he handed the woman behind the ticket counter a fat wad of cash, about $2,520, “Keep the change,” he said.

She handed him the 94 tickets and he met them near the entrance where they were being turned around for not having a ticket. “It’s okay, I have their tickets here,” Ptolemy said.

"I have their tickets," Ziero told the man in Japanese.

"You may enter," the man responded in Japanese.

Ziero and Ptolemy led the group to the upper tier B where they took their seats and watched part 1 of the Kabuki performance unfold. The performance began with a history play that concerned a rivalry between two military clans. A widow of one of the military clans was pregnant and hiding at a man’s house. A warrior who was once of one military clan but is now of another, came to this man’s house with another warrior fearing that the child would be a boy. Instead, the baby turned out to be a woman’s severed arm.

Following the history play was a dance drama. A samurai, famous for destroying demons, was ill in bed. No medicines seemed to work and the cause was suspected to be of an evil curse. Priest visit and pray but to no avail, but another priest appeared at night to pray for him. Turns out this priest was the spirit of an earth spider but he was defeated in an exciting fight.

Many of the Ancient Xeroxians and Earthlings in Samson’s group enjoyed the performance of Part 1, but some of the others dozed off through some of it. “Hey, wake up,” Samson said, shaking Tamar and some of the others around him.

“Hmm? What time is it?” Tamar asked, sleepily.

“It’s half-past 2 in the afternoon,” Ziero replied. “Part 2 is coming up in another half hour.”

Tamar yawned, “I’m bored,” she said.

“Try to at least stay awake,” Ptolemy said. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I did pay $2,500 on our tickets. So, don’t waste this okay?”

Tamar sighed exasperated, “Oh, alright,” she relented. 

 Part 2 began with a comic story dramatization. After the death of a petty gang boss, one of his gang members found him and hoped to bury him but he was broke. He asked for contributions from his neighbors, but they were too busy celebrating the gang boss’s death that they didn’t even contribute a cent. The gang member called in the favor of a passing waste collector, forcing him to carry the gang boss’s body around and to threaten to make it dance if no one paid up. Everyone contributed after that.

Following the comic dramatization was another history play, which involved a footman who in reality was this great swordsman who prevailed against a man and his retainer. During the middle of the fight scene, there appeared a swirling vortex of darkness from the roof of the Theatre. The vortex consumed everything near it and continued to expand to the rest of the Theatre. 

A shape formed from within the swirling vortex. “It’s The Chaos,” Samson said as he stood. “He has finally caught up with us. We have to hurry and put a stop to his rise. We cannot let him hurt anymore Earthlings.”

“So what do you think we should do?” Daniel asked him.

“We must stick together,” Samson said. “The Chaos knows there’s strength in numbers. But as long as we are on Earth, the Earthlings in our group are vulnerable to destruction by The Chaos.”

“Why would The Chaos attack us?” Koby whispered. “He can’t know we’re here.”

“Of course he knows you’re here,” Samson said. “He knows we’re all here. But, The Chaos is after one thing: the destruction of The Living Circle and he will destroy anything that threatens his progress. Now, don’t get out of sight, okay?”

They heard a loud rumbling sound, like thunder booming across the pitch black roof. “We meet again, my Ancient Xeroxian friends,” The Chaos said, his voice deep and monstrous. The Chaos’s voice seemed to come from all areas of the Theatre at once, even from beneath them. “It’s a shame that you are in a hurry to put an end to our fun scavenger hunt. Such a shame, I was just getting warmed up to you. But, I’m glad you decided to rest to allow me to catch up with you. You know what they say: you snooze, you lose.” The Chaos’s laugh boomed like an explosion. 

Samson growled, “I didn’t let them rest to allow you to catch up with us, I let them rest because they were tired!” he shouted.

“Your compassion is touching Samson, but they were also tired in Germany. You never asked why. Oh, but I will tell you,” The Chaos taunted. “It was because I was gaining on you guys, that’s why you were exhausted. But, you are much stronger than I expected, Samson. I have something very special planned for your arrival. As for your Earthling and Ancient Xeroxian friends, just don’t worry about them. They’ll make strong hosts for my power and if they oppose, they’ll make great appetizers!”

“Leave them alone The Chaos!” Samson shouted as The Chaos filled the entire Kabukiza Theatre from roof to floor with his power. Everyone shrieked and ran to escape from the swirling vortex of darkness in the middle of the theatre but to no avail. Everyone who opposed were immediately consumed by The Chaos. Ziero, Paradise, Samson and the rest of his group watched in horror as everyone in the Theater perished before their eyes. We must do something, Samson thought.

Before Samson could move, Jesse stood and looked Samson in his eyes, “Don’t worry, Samson,” he said, quietly, “Let me handle this.” He departed the upper tier B and approached The Chaos.

“Jesse, come back! You could get hurt!” Samson called after him, but it was too late.

As Jesse got closer to the swirling vortex of darkness, The Chaos’s laugh went from a loud booming laugh to a shocked shrill. Jesse stopped directly beneath the vortex of The Chaos and ignited his hands with white hot flames. Jesse kept his eyes on The Chaos the whole time as the white hot flames encircled him. The swirling vortex came to a halt and the Kabukiza Theater began to slowly return to its former glory. Even the people The Chaos consumed were slowly returning.

The Chaos panicked, “What’s this power? What’s happening? No! No, it can’t be you! You’re supposed to be dead!” The Chaos retreated and the people that had been consumed by him were replaced in their respectable positions throughout the Kabukiza Theater. The roof to the Theater was restored and everything was as though The Chaos had never been there. Part 2 of the Kabuki performance resumed from where it left off with the fight scene concluding with the swordsman’s arrest.

Jesse extinguished the white hot flames on his hands and went to rejoin the group, dodging glances from members of the audience. Once he was back with them, they all stared at him as though he had recently dropped from the sky

.

“What?” he asked as he took his seat.

They all sat down and looked away. “Nothing, Jesse,” Samson said. “Nothing at all.”

“Samson please, you can tell me,” Jesse said. “You can tell me anything.”

“Okay,” Samson said. “Jesse, um, did you die? The Chaos seemed to be so sure of it. He even said, “No it can’t be you. You’re supposed to be dead.” So, did you die?”

Jesse shook his head, “No, I never died. I think I would know if I died,” he replied.

“Then what could The Chaos have been talking about?” Samson asked.

“Jesse has the power of the Forgotten Galaxy’s White Star Pearl,” Exaephor said. “Maybe The Chaos was reacting to Jesse’s power. The power of the White Star Pearl.”

“But he said, “You’re supposed to be dead”. What did that mean?” Samson asked.

“You remember when you asked me about Pearl being my grandfather?” Jesse asked.

Samson nodded.

“Well, a long time ago, when the rise of Chaos first began, he faced The Chaos just when he was about to annihilate an entire race,” Jesse said. “It was said that he saved The Living Circle from The Chaos with his death. That’s probably why The Chaos said I should be dead.”

“But why should you be dead?” Samson asked. “The Chaos was talking about Pearl being dead, not you. So, why should you be dead?”

Jesse smiled, “Samson, think,” he said. “Do you remember what I told you when you asked me about Pearl being my grandfather?”

Samson thought back to their conversation in the Sunshine Palace, which seemed like so long ago. Samson’s eyes widened, “Yeah, you said that he wasn’t your grandfather,” he replied. “But, I also remember that you look just like the pictures they had for…Pearl…but, you can’t be…”

Jesse sighed and lowered his gaze, “Yes, Samson,” he said, quietly, “I am.”

Samson gasped, “How?” he asked.

Jesse sighed, “Samson, what else do you know about Pearl?” he asked.

Samson thought for a while, recalling all the stories the villagers told him about the Great Pearl of planet Xerox. “Um, I remember that he was known as The Light of The Living Circle and that he was indestructible,” he replied. “Not even The Chaos could destroy him.”

“So, why is it surprising that I survived?” Jesse asked.

“But, I didn’t know,” Samson said. “I didn’t know you were--I mean are the Pearl of legend.”

Jesse sighed and lowered his gaze, “It was meant to stay secret,” he said, quietly. “No one--not even my brothers--was to know who I really am.”

Exaephor Smith, Ralph, Rueban, Ptolemy, Ziero and Paradise were all shocked to silence. Unbelievable, Exaephor thought. Pearl, the white star Pearl is my baby brother? I can’t believe it! “I guess that explains your immense power,” Exaephor said. “But, I also remember that according to legend, Pearl carried with him the Serenity Bow and possessed all the abilities of Ataraxia.”

“I only use the Bow to prevent anyone whom The Chaos has touched from converting to the dark side,” Jesse replied. “Thus, the Bow is only used when the situation permits. Plus, there are other things I can do with that Bow.”

Everyone was shocked to silence, studying Jesse in awe. Samson still couldn’t believe that he was face to face with the same Pearl he had heard so much of. No wonder he looked like the pictures they had for him and wielded the same Blazers he did, Samson thought. Those were his pictures and his Blazers all along.

“But, I’ve never seen The Chaos get out of a place as fast as he did just then,” Samson said, mesmerized. “He ran like he was mad at the grass!”

“You may be the underlying reason behind why The Chaos didn’t attempt an attack on us before,” Paradise said. “He’s scared of you because you have his weakness.”

Jesse shook his head, “No, I don’t have his weakness,” he said. “I am The Light of The Living Circle. I am his weakness, as are you Samson.”

Samson’s eyes widened, “What? Me?” he asked. “How can I be his weakness?”

The Chaos knows that Samson and I both hold the power to purify The Living Circle of his influence once and for all, Ptolemy thought, studying Samson with concern. All we need is the sword. The sword our grandfather made and we will be able to tame The Chaos into being just Samson’s shadow again, not The Living Circle’s ultimate destruction. Ptolemy’s hand drifted towards the ruby and sapphire hilt of their sword, Infinite Blade. This sword will do anything we want it to… he thought. We must wield it together.

Jesse smiled, “I’ll let Ptolemy explain,” he said, glancing at Ptolemy.

“So, you’re The Chaos’s weakness?” Koby asked. “Then, what are we? What do you need us for? Were you just going around the globe recruiting losers so you can rub it in our face just how pathetic we are?”

“Koby, stop it, okay?” Samson snapped.

Ptolemy grabbed his arm, “Samson, you really must remain calm,” he said, quietly. He recalled how the Battle for The Living Circle began. Everything took a turn for the worse when Ptolemy mentioned them being one big happy family together. Samson shouted at him and almost destroyed The Living Circle before Ptolemy finally mustered up the courage to shoot him. I still wish there was another way, Ptolemy thought, holding back tears.

Samson studied him, “Ptolemy, are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Ptolemy insisted, blinking the tears out of his eyes, “but, you really must remain calm, okay? That’s all I have to say about that. And, as for you, Koby, no we didn’t come here to recruit losers. We came to recruit champions, but if you’re already starting to doubt yourselves then The Chaos has already won.”

Koby glared at Samson, “Whatever,” he griped.

Samson sighed, “I don’t even know what I did to deserve that,” he remarked.

Jesse sighed and summoned the Serenity Bow. He notched an arrow on it and aimed at Koby. He said a silent incantation and released. The arrow struck Koby in his chest and he crumbled to the ground.

Samson gasped, “What’d you do that for?” he demanded. “We’re not here to kill the Earthlings.”

Karen and Chester gasped, “Oh my gosh, you killed him?” Karen asked. “How can we continue with you guys when you insist on acting like savages?”

“Savages?” Ziero demanded. “The only savages around here are you guys.”

"Hey, quiet or be put out of the Theater," a man called to them in Japanese.

Jesse shushed them, “Relax, he’s only sleeping,” he whispered. “The Serenity Bow isn’t used for killing. It is only used to remove the darkness from inside the hearts of anyone whom The Chaos has touched.”

“How do we know if we’ve been touched?” Chester asked.

“It is evident in how easy it is to turn on each other,” Jesse replied. “I’m sure you felt the hate when Koby screamed at you, didn’t you Samson?”

Samson nodded, “Yeah, I did,” he said.

“It grows stronger with resentment, doubt, and fear,” Jesse said. “Maybe Koby still resented you for making him leave his mother behind. He might even doubt his own worth and is probably even afraid of what lies ahead.”

Samson gathered Koby in his arms and went down towards the exit to the Theatre, “I think it’s time we returned to the hotel,” he said. “The Chaos is already starting to divide us against each other, we must remove ourselves from this Theater.”

“Why? Why must we remove ourselves from this Theater?” Karen demanded.

“The Chaos has been here,” Samson replied. “He might be using this Theater as an oven to bake all of his evil thoughts into our minds and turn us on each other. We can’t let him win.”

“Why don’t you and The Light of The Living Circle fight The Chaos yourselves?” Paul asked. “It’s clear you don’t need us anyway.”

“Guys, stop this, okay?” Samson said. “That’s The Chaos speaking to you. You must block the thoughts.”

“Shut up, Samson,” Pablo snapped. “We’re done listening to you.”

Samson gasped, “Pablo, not you too!” he said.

Koby awoke and gasped, “What happened?” he asked.

Karen, Paul, and Pablo turned towards the entrance followed by the rest of the Earthlings. “Where’s everyone going?” Koby asked. “What about The Chaos? We have to stop him from rising.”

“Forget it, Koby,” Pablo snapped, “Your precious líder is a fraud. He was only tricking us into following him because he really wants to lead us to our deaths.”

Samson gasped, shocked at Pablo’s comment. I’m not leading anyone to their deaths, he thought. I’m trying to save The Living Circle from The Chaos. If The Living Circle is destroyed, there will be no life.

Koby looked at Samson apprehensively, “Samson, is this true?” he asked.

“No,” Samson snapped, “Why would I go all the way through Earth looking for recruits to bring down The Chaos if I wanted y’all dead? If I wanted to kill you, believe me, I would’ve killed you on sight. Now, stop your bitching and let’s finish our mission.”

“No, we’re not coming with you anymore,” Pablo said.

Jesse said an incantation and shot an arrow into the ceiling of the Theater. Beams of multicolored light rained down on all them and all of them were confused about what was going on. “What are we doing?” Karen asked. “Were we just about to walk away from destroying The Chaos?”

“Yeah, I can’t believe how easily I forgot who the enemy was,” Pablo said. “Why would I do that?”

Everyone else murmured the same thing, puzzled at how quickly they forgot about who they were really up against. Of course The Chaos would make me sound like the bad guy, Samson thought. He’s still trying to rise. With only four more days, he’s getting desperate and since this is my last stop, this is his last chance to stop me.

“Samson is right, we really need to get out of this Theater,” Jesse announced. “The Chaos’s power is no doubt getting stronger but Samson mentioned something about this Theater being an oven to bake his evil thoughts into our minds. We mustn’t let him win.”

Samson led the group towards the entrance and were shocked with how dark it had become outside the windows. Sure, it was already dark, but this darkness even blocked out the streetlights. Tamar gasped, “What should we do?” she asked.

“We really need to get out of this Theater, now,” Samson said. He fell silent, listening, and was shocked with the silence of the Theatre. What happened? Where is everybody, he thought. “Is everyone alright?” he asked. “Jesse, give us a little light here.”

Jesse ignited his hands into flames and the entire Theatre was filled with light. Samson looked around, studying his surroundings. He began to hear sounds of voices coming from inside the Theater where Part 3 of the performance was still being performed. He glanced around at the Earthlings in his group and was relieved that they were all there. A loud thud hit the windows and everyone shrieked. A few people that were about to leave the Theatre, hid behind Samson’s group just as the glass cracked.

Jesse led the group back into the Theatre where Part 3 of the performance was coming to a close. They went to the upper tier B and took their seats. Everyone will be leaving soon, Samson thought, apprehensively. We must do something to ensure the safety of the people here. But what? “Everyone, stick together, okay?” Samson said. “We mustn’t let The Chaos divide us.”

The people in the Theatre became frustrated with each other and there arose an uproar. Fights broke out all over the place and it was so bad that even the men at the entrance to the Theatre couldn’t break them up. Everyone screamed at each other and nearly ripped the Theatre in half. “What’s going on?” Enrique asked. He wore a bandana, a leather jacket with a motorcycle on the back, a T-shirt, jeans, and black leather boots just like Pablo, Raúl, Tito, and the rest of the Solo Angeles, except his bandana was purple.

Samson growled, The Chaos has done this, he thought. He’s trapped us here and has caused an uproar amongst the people in the Theater. What is he planning?

"Break it up, break it up," someone called to the people in the Theater in Japanese. "Who started it?"

"It was them!" the crowd shouted in Japanese, pointing at Samson's group.

Ziero growled, "That's a lie! We did not start anything!" he shouted in Japanese.

"Let's go," the man said in Japanese as he pulled Samson and his group from their seats and threw them out of the Theatre.

“Wait, don’t leave us,” a Japanese adolescent called, running after them. She was followed by three other frightened girls. “Please, can we come with you?” they asked once they caught up to them.

Ziero was shocked, “Guys, what are you doing here?” he asked them.

“Ziero, you know these girls?” Samson asked him.

Ziero sighed, “Yeah, you don’t remember?” he asked him. “These are the girls who led us to this Theater.”

They looked around, panting. It appeared they were running from something and they were very frightened. They kept looking behind them and they were crying. “Please, may we come with you guys?” they pleaded.

Samson slowly came out of his shock as he beheld the four young girls. He sighed, “Alright, you can come with us,” he said, finally, as they rushed to their side.

Samson led them back to their hotel to find it deserted and very dark. He shut the door behind them. “Hey, Jesse, could you give us a little light, please?” he requested.

Jesse ignited his hands into flames, filling the deserted Tokyo Station Hotel with his light. His light stretched throughout every corner of the hotel and purified it of The Chaos’s drastic touch. They took their seats on the sofas and chairs in the lobby and relaxed for a while within the light of Jesse’s white fire.

“Wow! That is so cool,” a Japanese girl said. “How are you able to do that?”

“Oh, um, it’s a long story,” Jesse said, blushing. “A very long story. So, what compelled y’all to want to come with us?”

The girls shuddered, “We were so scared when that darkness appeared during the Kabuki performance,” one of them replied. “But, you saved us.”

“We just feel so safe with you,” another Japanese girl chimed in. She blushed, “We would rather be here with you than in that Theater. Did you see how crazy it had gotten in there?”

Samson and the others nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it was brutal,” Samson said.

“Well, don’t y’all worry, y’all are safe in here. My name is Daniel,” Daniel said. “What’s y’all’s names?”

The girl that commented on Jesse’s white fire ability, stood next to Jesse and waved, “My name is Emi,” she said.

Another Japanese girl smiled and waved, “My name is Chouko,” she said.

“My name is Etsuko,” another Japanese girl said.

“And my name is Ena,” the other Japanese girl said.

“It’s nice to meet you guys. My name is Jesse,” Jesse said.

“Nice to meet you too, Jesse,” Emi said, smiling.

“Don’t get too close, I might burn you,” Jesse said, his face bright red like a cherry.

“Ooh, I’m already on fire,” Emi replied, rubbing one of his arms.

He chuckled nervously. Is she flirting with me? Jesse thought. “So, um, Samson what’s the plan?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.

Samson fell silent, pondering all possible answers to that question, but he couldn’t come up with any. “I think we should first explain to the newest members of our group what we’re about to do,” he said.

“We already know,” Ena replied. “We caught the distress signal. And we think what you’re doing is great. So, if we’ve calculated correctly, there’s only three days left to prevent The Chaos’s rise, right?”

Samson’s eyes widened, Only three more days? We really need to get back to planet Xerox, he thought. “Alright, we really need to get back to planet Xerox,” he said. “We have to stop The Chaos before he rises.”

Ron grunted, “Well, we better act fast,” he said, gazing out the windows in the lobby. “The Chaos is getting busier with each passing second.”

Samson stood and went to see what Ron was looking at. Outside the Tokyo Station Hotel was a giant army of people The Chaos consumed and reanimated for his purpose. Samson gasped, “Oh no,” he said.

The Tokyo Station Hotel rumbled and shook. The ground around the entrance to the lobby began to split as a dark silhouette of a giant dragon with red eyes rose from the split and glared at them through the glass windows, “Why must we get back to planet Xerox to have our battle?” The Chaos asked, his voice thundering throughout the entire hotel. “Let’s settle the score now, Samson. Here on Earth. Finish what you started!”

Samson gritted his teeth. What is he talking about, finish what I started? I never wanted this, he thought.

“First planet Eros then planet Xerox, finally we’ve made it to planet Earth,” The Chaos continued. “Finish the job, Samson. Finish the destruction of The Living Circle!”

Koby and the rest of the Earthlings in Samson’s group glanced at Samson, “Samson, what is he talking about?” David Sesame asked.

Samson gritted his teeth, “Quit this nonsense, The Chaos! I never started the destruction of The Living Circle!” he shouted.

The Chaos’s laugh boomed like an explosion, “Oh, how quickly do we forget?” he asked. Immediately, an image flashed across Samson’s mind. There was a guy who was slobbering drunk, but he looked just like him. He was hanging out with a bunch of hoodlums and they were laughing hysterically as they led The Living Circle near The Quietus and fled as the cave’s waves trapped her inside and killed her.

Samson bounced back into reality, What is this game The Chaos is playing with me? I’m not Asus, he thought. He growled, “We’ve already wasted enough time!” he said. “Quick, everyone hold hands!”

“Where are we going?” Chouko asked.

“Far, far away from here,” Samson replied.

Everyone held hands and Samson transported them all away from the Tokyo Station Hotel. The Chaos chuckled, “Go ahead, Samson,” he teased, “run. Run far, far, away. You can run all you want, but you can never escape your past. I will be waiting.”

Author's Note

Excuse the dialogue. Some parts of this chapter were originally written in Japanese. Ignore any spelling and grammatical errors, please