Stargazer

A novel.

Part I

Slave Period: age 10-13 yrs.

Chapter The First:

A Prisoner With No Reason

“Because you may find out something you do not like…”
The sentence echoed in the boy’s head. It was not the only thing strange. He had also woken up with a message on his arm. It had long been there but had been smudged by something unknown. Now he did not know what it was supposed to read, nor did he think much of it. 

The boy’s name was Ned. He did not think much of that either. That was something he had known all the ten years of his life. 

He sat up and put a hand to his forehead. His head was hurting so much, he could not think straight. Thoughts went through his mind in a non-linear fashion. The echo in his head. What did it mean? Where had it come from?

He was beginning to remember some things now. He was taken from his home during a raid. The emperor, Emperor Juranix, He Who Is Great And Sublime, was not known for taking many prisoners. He mostly killed them all. But for some reason, he was an exception. A lot of people died during the attack. He hoped his family was not part of them. 

The boy groaned as everything in him ached. His longing for home, his limbs and joints. He wished the empire had not found his town. They had a grip on the planet for years now. 

People say they came in a massive armada and invaded the planet. But the truth as it is, nobody really knew where they came from. They seemed to appear out of nowhere, a race of beasts that sought out to conquer all of what they could. Their descriptions were not any brighter than they were. They were people-shaped, with the face of a wild boar’s, with two huge tusks protruding from the sides of their cheeks. They were green-skinned, with upturned noses, and were taller and stronger than anything Ned had seen before. They were heavily armoured, had slightly more advanced technology, and had a mysterious history nobody knew. They were the pignauts.

The boy barely remembered being captured by them. Now he was in a barred carriage pulled by horses that trod across the land to wherever Emperor Juranix was. 

He could not stand the pain much longer. He was so hungry and thirsty, he was beginning to consider licking the moisture off the floor of his cage. After a moment, he did. He was too desperate. 

Doing so made him feel ashamed, but he could not help it. Something told him this was going to be a long ride. He tried to go back to sleep, but could not. Instead, to overcome his boredom, he spent his valuable and abounding time to think. 

How am I going to escape? I cannot stay here much longer. They are going to take me to prison, so escaping now is the time, is it not?

The boy’s feet were chained to the ground anyway. He could not escape without cutting them. He would have to wait until they finally reached their destination. That meant he could not do anything. 

Looking through the bars of the cage, he could see the landscape blur past. Pine trees, waterfalls, grass, streams. He was in the wilderness. He definitely, surely had no idea where the empire’s base was. Nobody did. 

He looked at his arm again. The message was smudged to a point where you could not read it, but you still knew it was supposed to read something. The boy tried to anyway. It almost looked like it read the word, hoop, or noop. And on the bottom of it, It is a and then, whatever it was, it was completely smudged. But that was all he could make out. For all he knew, it could have said something entirely different. It could have been the way to escape or a message of what was to come. He did not know, and it frustrated him. 

He tried to remember the last memory he had before the raid. It was…nothing. No memory. He only remembered himself sleeping. That bit was strange. He knew he had a family, a home, a life, but he could not remember who they were, where it was, or what it was. It was bizarre. 

The boy decided to let that go. For now. He would find out later on. He would remember. And then his life would be back. Even though that was wishful thinking, it was all he could muster. He still knew the reality: he was captured, was going to be a prisoner, and most likely tortured. Though he did not know why, nor why he was kept alive.

The moments in the carriage turned to hours. The hours turned to days. Ned fell asleep time and time again, and every time he woke up he was thirstier and thirstier, hungrier and hungrier. He was so hungry, he began to chew his own fingernails, which was not a delightful meal at all. But he was desperate. This trip was long. For all he knew, they were going to carry him around until he died. But that could not be the case, since they could simply do it now, with a tip of a blade. Was this a form of torture he did not know about?

At that moment, they were treading through a desert canyon, with plateaus and valleys of granite rock. The sun was blazing hot, and the boy felt scorch marks all over him. He was not wearing a shirt, so the heat seared him on contact. He was sweating, and he tried to lick all the escaping moisture on his skin before it would be gone. He could not take it much longer. 

I am a prisoner, he thought. Nothing could get worse than this. 

Throughout the desert, the boy saw multiple mine-shafts that carved tunnels in the valleys. Slaves were mining ores like coal, iron, gold and silver from the tunnels. They brought the loads on wheelbarrows, and they heaved pickaxes. Pure manual labour. The scariest part was that there was some roughly the same age as Ned. 

Of course, there is something worse. There is always something worse. I am going to be a slave. 

It seemed like they reached their destination, or so, Ned thought. It turned out they were not even close. There were still miles and miles to cover, and everywhere Ned looked he saw the same things. Mines, ores, and slaves. He did not think it would be much longer until he joined them.

But he had not yet. They still trod on. The boy lost track of time, but he figured it was nighttime from the fact the sun was down, and he was not being attacked by heat any longer. 

He watched the slaves being ordered by pignaut guards to sleep, and then soon, nobody was working.

Ned was so drained at this point, his mind stopped working. He was going to pass out. From thirst, hunger, heat and exhaustion. He felt himself on the verge of death. 

That was until he was thrown out of the cage and onto the ground. He suddenly awoke, not knowing he had fallen asleep. A few pignaut guards were looming over him, seeing a boy covered in scars and bruises, blood and sweat. He was in terrible shape, having not eaten or drunk in two days. What a pity he is, they thought.

The guards did not speak. They only tied up the boy’s hands, put a chain collar on his neck, slid a sack over his head, and forced him to move. He was so weak, he could not. He kept falling over and over again, but somehow he managed. He did not know where he was with the sack on his face not allowing him to be able to tell, but finally, the guards pulled that off. They also untied his bounds. The boy finally saw his cell. A small, dirty room, with a single toilet, and a slab of stone that was supposedly his bed. There were no bars, no windows--only dark, cold, stone walls and a lantern that was always on, with a few hay piles on the ground. For extra comfort, it seemed. He did not care as much for the extent of space, as finally, he had a more pleasant and reliable zone than his old one. 

He cooped himself up in a corner and sat there, until later in the evening a guard brought him a sack of food through an opening that slid open in the giant, iron prison door. It slumped on the floor, landing with a puff of dust, and the guard left. The boy went for it and saw what was inside. 

Rice and corn. A mix of it. He was overwhelmed. There was also a huge container of water, which he gulped down immediately as if somebody would take it away from him if he did not. Then he began wolfing down his meal. With such plain taste, it was heaven for him. 

“Thank you,” his voice croaked, to no one in particular. It simply felt good to hear his voice again. 

He slept in his cell for quite a while. He was so bored, days passed by without him knowing it. They gave him the same exact thing every meal, and he did not get sick of it. He always gulped it down immediately as soon as he heard it drop onto the floor. In time, he felt himself get better, and he felt himself heal. But he was still in terrible pain, and none of his memories recovered. He did not think it was serious; they would just come back eventually. He did not think he cracked his skull or anything of the sort, although he sometimes got paranoid about the idea and checked his head.

Occasionally, he would drift into daydreams or hallucinations. He would dream of the home he never remembered or the family he never knew. He would dream of a paradise, of good food and water, of luxurious palaces and citadels he owned across the continent. Sometimes they were so real, when he awoke back to reality he forgot that it was not, and he would be extremely disappointed and sad. 

He was lonely, too. He would practice his voice by pretending to talk to friends, especially the ones he forgot, or could not remember. He could not tell the difference between the two after being so long trapped. He began to think he was going mad. 

One day, or night--he could not tell--the door to his cell opened and a pignaut guard grabbed him. He was put into a chain collar again, and it felt cold on his bare skin. Two more pignauts waited for him outside.

He was lead through a long hallway. Prison cells lined the interior, and the boy did not see anyone in any of them. Finally, he was brought upstairs into a bright light. He was out of the dungeon. 

He went through the hallways of a gigantic palace he did not know he had been underneath. Servants cleaned and did chores. Light poured through multi-coloured stained glass windows. Royal red carpets and marble pillars. Golden furniture. The three pignaut guards escorted him around the place. 

Sooner or later, the boy brought up the courage to ask where he was being taken.

The one holding him grunted as if he should have known already. “You are going to be executed, under the orders of the emperor.”

Chapter The Second:

The Lord Of The Planet

They took him to the throne room, where the emperor would be. He was waiting for him, they told him. Said he was being kept alive for a reason. 

The boy was not so sure. He did not know anything about what was going on. He half-hoped that he could have died a lot sooner. He did not want to keep experiencing this pain. 

They reached a set of doors in front of them, and a pignaut guard used his palm to burst them open. They went onwards slowly, precariously, entering a cage with the beast. 

The throne room was big and decorated. Huge pillars held up the ceiling, shining beams of heavenly light poured from the top, guards with spears were lined on the sides, and at the end of the hall was a giant gold throne with red cushions, a big pignaut sitting on it. He wore the most intricate armour and had a crown on his head. He was Emperor Juranix, the most feared warlord on the planet. He was the leader of the pignauts, the very one that set the empire’s grip on the planet. He was the one that controlled the entire world, and the vast armies of slaves and pignauts bowed down to his supreme and superior will. He was the very core of it all. 

The guards brought the boy up to him. With the iron brace around his neck and chains connected around it to the guards’ hands holding them, he wondered why he needed such protection. He was not dangerous. 

The emperor had a smug look on his face as he approached. The pignaut’s face read that he had accomplished something, but Ned did not know what. 

I have him, finally, the emperor thought. And he does not know a single thing. Why, the old buzzard is dead if this is not the one he mentioned. So, surely he would not lie.

When the boy stood in front of his throne, which was high up, the emperor studied him. “I finally have you,” he boasted throughout the whole hallway. “Tell me, what is thy name?”

The boy cowered in fear, knowing whom he was laying his eyes upon held tremendous power. He hoped he was not showing that. He wanted to make a good impression. “Nediom, Your Majesty. Ned.”

“Ha!” the emperor said. So I have him indeed. This is no mistake. “Respectful, I see. Do you think that I have forgotten what you have done?”

The boy did not know, sincerely and genuinely. “I am truly sorry, but I aim to understand something that I do not know, Your Majesty. What have I done to upset you?”

“Exactly. Nobody knows. But I do.”

Ned gulped. What is this man saying? “I promise I did not do anything that would harm you, Your Majesty. I was just taken here, against my pleading wishes, taken from my beloved home. Why keep me alive and then threaten to execute me?”

The pignaut snorted. “You really have no idea, do you? Let us start at the beginning. Tell me, Ned, do you know about The Vast War?”

The boy shook his head. He did not.

“No, I suppose you do not. You do not remember. Perhaps because The Vast War never existed, in this timeline, perhaps. Precisely. Have you ever been taught about it in school?”

The boy shook his head once more. He really did not know what the emperor was talking about. 

“You do not remember how we came here to this planet either, do you? Do any of your people know?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Have you considered why?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

The emperor suddenly slammed his giant fist on his armrest, which startled the boy. “STOP PLAYING YOUR GAMES!” he yelled. 

The sound had hurt the ears of the boy. It echoed throughout the hallway. Then there was absolute silence. 

The frustrated pignaut took a deep breath. “I know you remember,” he said, at last calmly. “At least, I remember.”

“You had said that the event was not of this timeline,” Ned said. “How come you are the only one to know about it?”

So the boy is smart, the emperor thought. Just like what the old buzzard had warned me to expect. ‘He does not miss a single thing you say,’ he had said. ‘Be careful’.

“Very well, then,” he said. “You have caught me. Someone told me.”

“Who?”

The emperor was about to say something, then stopped. He did not know. He did not remember, which was mysterious.

“That is not part of the things that you shall know,” he said instead. I know he is going to think I am avoiding the question. He is too smart not to notice.

He has avoided the question, the boy thought. And I know surely he knows that I know. 

“You once did a heroic deed in the past, Ned. It stopped the biggest war ever in our history. It made everyone forget why or how we came here.”

The boy cleared his throat. “Your Majesty, why do you still want a war to happen? You control this planet now. There is no point in--”

“Silence,” he said, raising a hand. “You did it, and that is the point. You ruined what was supposed to happen. You ruined time.” I absolutely hate when continuum is changed. 

The boy was afraid to speak again. But he gathered up his courage and did. “Your Majesty, time travel is impossible.”

“It was,” he corrected. “That was until a man came to me, to my palace. It is actually a long story. Let us start from the beginning.”

The emperor cleared his throat. “It all began with something that was sent to us, to our planet. At this time, I had already claimed the planet, and it was in my grip. So whatever extraterrestrial objects came this way, my men were the first to find it.

“It was a probe. From outer space. Not ours. This was proof that aliens existed beyond this planet, other than both our races. As far as I know, your race and my race are the only two intelligent life forms in the universe. But not anymore. Do you know what was inside it?”

Ned shook his head.

The guards beside him were equally bored and did not care for the answer, as if the emperor had told the story many times. What a drag, this is, they thought.

“We did not know either, at first. We just read the message that came along with the object inside. It told us that it was from some planet called Earth, and this was some kind of note in a bottle thrown into the sea. We read the message. To this day, I memorized it by heart. It read:

“Dear whoever finds this,

Whoever finds this, hear this message. Our planet is doomed to extinction. We have not lived long enough for intergalactic space travel, and so we know that Earth is the final resting place for us humans. In this probe, inside what you find in it, is our last remnant. What you find, and hold very much in your hands, is humanity’s final hope of being remembered, our final hope of survival. This message contains our very much beloved last words, written by all of mankind. What you have found is what is left of us. Please, in the hopes that we will survive, or someone will send us help, this is what we remain as, so take care of it and remember us. We are the humans, and lest we forget.”

The emperor looked a bit genuinely sad. “The race is truly extinct,” he said. “I have sent scouts there myself, to the paradise they call Earth, and all they had found was nothing except billions of dead bodies. We do not know what caused them this.

“So we took their object. Their apparent, ‘last remnant,’ and we treasured it. It is called, The Labyrinx. Or, The Library Of Reverie, or Humanity’s Repose. It is a collection of all their letters, including simple punctuation symbols, in every combination possible. Essentially, what that means, is that every word combination possible up to infinity is in there. Anything. Your secrets, the names of everyone you know, the names of the places you have been to, what your plans may be, the time, place, and description of your birth, and every single possible other description of it. The description of your death, including every other possible description of it. Quite impossibly, The Labyrinx holds everything and anything you could possibly think of. It holds all secrets. The cures for incurable diseases could be in there. The stories of the humans, the stories of us. Even this very sentence that I am saying, every single word, letter for letter, word for word, comma for comma, is in there. You just have to search it up, and you will find it. Now, is that not eerie?”

The boy nodded his head, agreeing. 

“There are seemingly infinite pages. More pages than the atoms of the universe, or the ancient seconds of time. More than the stars, or the grains of sand on this world. More than what the word, ‘more,’ can explain, or comprehend. You can find anything in there. The only problem is, The Labyrinx is so massive, every page looks like gibberish nonsense. This is because there are billions more of combinations of letters that make up nonsense rather than actual words. You have to search through all of that to find what you are looking for. It takes extreme luck.

“I have spent most of my time searching The Labyrinx for information I could use to run my empire better. Though it was mostly nonsense, I found something in there. It was an old tale of the humans, about a king that did something impressive in the past. For every meal of his, he chose to add a drop of poison in his food. He got sick from that, as it built up, but he had made sure it was not enough to kill him. Eventually, he had built it up so much that his body had immunity to anything. It was so strong that nobody could poison him, and no disease could kill him.

“I tried this myself, and although I do not know how, it worked. I have the strongest immune system of anyone on the planet. So then I used this to run my empire better. I ordered my guards to bring in very ill people from my empire to this palace, so my finest doctors could check on them, study new diseases, find new cures, and help those people feel better. There was no danger for me, the emperor, because I would not get sick.

“And so one day, there was this man who was very, very deathly-ill. You may have heard of him. This is known as the legend of The Time Traveller. He was brought to my palace, and there he told me something. He had said that for sure he was going to die, and although for my kindness in taking care of him, there was nothing we could do for him. He told me that he was from the future, and he came back in time here to tell me that time travel was possible, and that was why and how he came here. To tell us about it. He told me he would die before he would teach us how to do it, so instead he told us the exact page the formula was on in The Labyrinx because in the future he said we would find it in there.”

“Did the man tell you how the people in his time learned?” the boy asked with interest. 

“Good question. Yes, in fact. He had said that they had known all along. This is called a predestination paradox.”

“I understand what you mean. You are saying the reason they know how to time travel is that they used it to tell us in the past how to. And then we keep the knowledge until the future, where it would be their time.”

“Yes, indeed. The knowledge for time travel was never created since both timelines depend on each other’s version of how they figured it out for the concept to even exist.”

“That is impossible.”

“As I was saying, the man had predicted right. He died from his sickness. But by then, my scientists knew the formula for time travel.”

There was silence again. 

“And now, I tell you,” the emperor continued. “In an alternate dimension, you were captured, like here. But somehow, and I do not know how, you surely broke in my lab and found my time travel formula. And then, you used it to go back in time to stop The Vast War. I do not know how you did that either, and now I guess we will never know. That is the crime you did. The one I am executing you for. The Vast War was erased from existence. The Vast War was a time of greatness for the pignauts and for your people, believe it or not. There were many heroes. All this was told to me by an old buzzard.” He is going to question me on how I know he is correct. “And do not question me on how I know he is correct. I can predict your moves.”

“Then…” the boy began, “how do I not remember doing this? How does nobody remember, except the so-called old buzzard who told you, and you?”

“That is where you failed. When you stopped The Vast War from happening, you went back to the future in your time, which is an obvious move. But you did not know that when you would go back, you would live in a time The Vast War never happened. And so you never got taught about it in school and you never knew about it. Nobody did. So that meant you would never have the urge to go back in time to stop it, which meant that you forgot you even did it. That is why you do not remember your own crimes. I simply interrogated you for the slim hope that perhaps you did remember them, but alas, the theory was proven wrong. Because in this timeline, it never happened. Coincidently, The Vast War was the fight that happened when we landed here, wishing to conquer the planet. So nobody remembered how we got here either since all memories of that time are erased from existence. We just came, and suddenly we were controlling your planet. And it is all your fault.”

The boy stared at the ground. Finally, this was beginning to make sense. But he still had many questions. For example, how can he not remember the details of his past, but yet he knew he had one? And what about the smudged message on his arm? 

He asked the emperor about it.

“Oh, that?” Emperor Juranix said. “The message on your arm? Yes, I know about that.”

A guard must have told him, Ned thought. 

“I know what that message is supposed to read. The only thing is…I will not tell you.”

“Why not?” the boy asked. “Why keep me in the dark? Is there a reason? Also, I cannot help but think of the answer to how the person who told you about The Vast War remembered it. It is gone from existence, is it not?”

I do not know either, Juranix thought. I am as clueless as he is. I do not even remember if someone actually told it to me. I do not even remember the experience in learning the information. I was just happy one day until it had popped into my head.

“What are you going to do with me?” the boy asked nervously. “You have me now. You have me for something I did not do--at least not in this timeline--or remember doing.”

“You are going to be executed,” the emperor said. “You know I am not known for keeping prisoners. I find them useless, with only a ransom or agreement with the other side for their worth. You will die, and I will finally have my revenge.”

“No,” Ned said. He stepped forward, and every muscle in his body ached in doing so. “Please, I can be useful. I can help.”

The boy did not actually want to help the empire or the emperor in any way, but he figured, if he became a slave for them, he could have more time to plan an escape.

He saw an executioner show up in front of the emperor. A huge bulk of pignaut, with a giant war axe, meant to chop the boy’s head off. I will have fun once again, he thought. It has been so long since the emperor has used me.

The sight of the pignaut walking toward Ned with his beastly weapon only made him act faster. 

“Please, Your Majesty!” he cried. “I will help you. I will join you. I have always liked the empire, and I have always wanted to join you.” 

“Lies,” the emperor said, disgusted.

“Even if you are correct in that, what harm is there to give me a chance to prove myself? At least I can become a slave. Or give me a test to prove my worth.”

The emperor thought about it for a second. The executioner brought up his axe, and Ned closed his eyes. But the blow did not come. The boy opened his eyes, and after a thrilling moment, he saw the emperor give the command to stop. 

“I will consider it,” he said, although it looked like he did not really believe the boy. “You are smart, like me, so you may prove some worth. To test your intelligence, you will be given a test. It is an impossible riddle, one from The Labyrinx, and then you will have the chance at becoming a slave. Here it is: How many stars are in the sky?

“If you get it wrong, you will certainly die. You have twenty-four hours. Now get out of my sight.”

Chapter The Third:

A Boy With A Message

The boy thought and thought. Wondered and wondered. He just could not seem to solve it. It seemed impossible. The answer had to be the correct one, and there was only one correct answer out of thousands. He wanted to be certain because he did not want to die. 

It was so unfair to him, he almost laughed. He had all the words in his language to compose of the answer, every single one of them. All he had to do was find the right combination. All his materials were without a doubt laid in front of him on the desk, but he did not know what to do with them, or how to assemble them. It bothered him because the answer was right in front of him, but he just did not know it. 

It was just like a passcode. All the keys, right in front of you, and you do not know what is the right combination. You could try and go forever, and do a different rearrangement each time, and perhaps you would get it your first try, or perhaps you would get it your last try. It was all things that made Ned think. Why was it that way? Why could it not be that all first tries were the correct answer?

The boy was taken back to his cell. For the first few hours of his time limit, he did not know what to do. 

He just sat there. Thinking. Soon, he began falling asleep. But I do not want to, he thought. 

He did anyway. He was back home. It was raining, and it was during a time that money was scarce for everyone. Father had left the family. He had said he did so to look for new opportunities.

Ned’s brother was walking in the rain one day, angry. Ned did not know why. He was always angry, for no reason. 

“Why are you angry?” A little, six-year-old Ned asked.

“Mother is lying,” he said. “Father is not looking for new opportunities. He left us to save his gene daughter, who is in danger of being captured or even killed by the pignauts. And he is never coming back.”

“Why would Mother lie?”

“Because she does not want us to know the truth. To scare us into thinking Father will never come back.”

“It is hard to believe he left us.”

“Well, he did.”

“Why are you out here? Mother said that you should not be walking in the rain.”

“I have a new job, remember? Do not tell Mother. If we are to survive here, I have to get money for the three of us. I need to support ourselves.”

For a while, they walked in silence. The rain poured heavily on them, and Ned liked to watch the puddles splash with the incoming droplets. 

Seyron, his brother who was near sixteen, had gotten a job requiring no education from the emperor. As a soldier, he was to kill rebels. That was his job. And he enjoyed doing it.

“There, a thief,” he said, pointing at a bakery shop.

They arrived just before the shop doors burst open and the thief sprinted across the streets. It was a boy, not much older than Ned. The shop owner yelled for help. 

“They are more common now that there is no more money around,” Sey commented as they walked after the thief. “‘The Ultimate Depression is upon us!’, they say. ‘We are all at risk of starvation!’”

“Why are we not we running after him, brother?”

“He has nowhere to go. I thought you were smart. You are smarter than me, are you not? You are a pure.”

“The purest. Whoever was my gene parent, they were extremely intelligent indeed.”

“Do not get ahead of yourself, brother.” He thinks he is so smart, does he? he thought. He thinks he is so high above us in perfection. How fortunate he is.

I wish to fit in, Ned thought. I wish I was not so high above everyone else in perfection. How unfortunate I am.

“You do have the qualities that make people able to tell that you are a pure,” Sey said. “Like your eyes, green like a pignaut’s. But you are different from the other pures. Not as perfect, it seems.”

Eventually, they caught up to their target. The thief could not run forever, as long as he was in sight. He was out of breath and was at a dead-ended alley. Meanwhile, Ned and Sey had caught up and were not tired at all. 

“You know better than that,” Sey told the thief. “To steal, and cheat at life? To commit a crime? There are many other people that deserve that bread more than you!”

He punched him straight in the nose, and the thief fell, along with a bag spilling loaves of bread into the moist, damp ground. The precious food got soaked in the dirty puddles.

“Please! Please!” the thief said, pleading. “I need the food. I am going to die out here!”

“You will die, either way, imbecile. Juranix’s soldiers have this city. If you commit cretinous behaviour, such as to steal as you have, you will also die. Why did you think you could run?”

Sey kicked him on the ground so hard, the boy rolled over in pain, whimpering loudly.

“You are such a savage tyrant,” Ned said, without thinking. He knew better than to upset his older brother.

“What did you say? He deserves the cruelty, little brother.” He grabbed him by the hair. “Now, shut up.”

He dropped him, and Ned cried out in pain while he clutched his head. “Mother will not be pleased.”

“Mother is never pleased.”

“I am calling her now.”

“Do what you want little brother, but she cannot stop me from doing my job.”

“Your job is to kill rebels.”

“My job is to be the will of the emperor, to enforce his law on everyone and everything in the vicinity under his almighty rule and power. Anything that stands in his way shall be executed righteously.”

“You mean murdered wrongly.”

“Why do you question justice, brother?”

“I question the emperor, not justice. I suppose I can ask you: why do you work for the enemy?”

He jabbed a thumb at his chest. “I work for money, and money only. I do not care whose side I am on. As long as I am living, I consider myself doing good in life. Is that not what everyone values? You should value your life too, brother. If the emperor finds out about your acts of treason, you will die.”

“Going by that same logic, everyone in this town shall be dead, then.”

“You are correct, brother. But not me. Because I am on the side that will live and rule. Does it matter if other people view you as bad if you get all that you have wanted? Power, authority, slaves? Sides are only people’s opinions and judgments. One side may view the other as bad, but the same may go the other way.”

“So then you have to ask yourself, what is your view? By my view, I think you are on the wrong side. You have crossed the line.”

“Again, if I get money to keep us alive, then so be it.”

Ned began to cry. “You are cruel! You have left this family for real. Not Father, who will come back. Father has never left us, and he never will. He will come back with a billion credits, you will rot in a garbage dump.”

“I am not sure if your insults are supposed to offend me, brother. But I have a job to do.”

“I am going home,” Ned said. He left the alley and left Sey to kill the thief. 

But he did not come home to his loving mother, as he would expect. Nor a loving home. Instead, he came back to a cold, musty cell. Back in a dump that was supposed to be his brother’s. He did not end up here because he works for Juranix, and that crazy pignaut agrees with his opinions. 

The boy rose and winced in pain. He was aching, and his cuts still had not been treated. He did not know how much time had passed. Perhaps the executioner would come with his hefty axe and slay him on the spot. Perhaps he still had half a day left. This time, the answer was not in front of him because he had no materials to find them. 

He almost fell asleep again because he no longer cared about solving the riddle anymore. He did not care if he would die or not. He would just spend his last moments with rest. But before he could, a servant boy’s whisper interrupted him.

“Hey…Hey! Your food is here.” 

Isolation from any person in a while had startled Ned. A servant slid a tray of food through the bars for him, not a guard this time. But it was the same thing: rice and corn. 

Ned started eating before he could thank the boy. 

He had not left yet, anyway. He just sat there and watched Ned eat. Ned thought he must be some sort of Juranix spy. Perhaps Juranix needed to know everything he did, and all the details of him, like how this boy was watching him eat, and he was going to tell Juranix how much he--

“How did you come to be here?” the boy asked, staring at the ground sadly. “If you have not noticed, you are the only one in this prison. The emperor usually kills every single person that is not a part of his empire as soon as he sees them.”

Ned relaxed. He was being paranoid. Juranix did not need spies. He was too powerful to be overthrown.

“First, let me ask how you came to be here,” Ned asked the boy. “If you have not noticed, you are the only non-pignaut servant in this palace.”

“You are right on that one. I recently just killed a pignaut guard, by accident, when I was trying to save a boy. I did not even know how I did it. It was a mysterious experience. I was taken to the palace for my fate to be decided by Juranix immediately. You know how he goes by the, ‘a life for a life’, rule. He has decided to let me live because I passed a test, and now I am his slave. Now, answer my question.”

“I am like you. I pleaded for a chance to be a slave for him,” Ned said quietly. “I have to solve a riddle for him first. It is impossible though, and I know it. He wants me executed, so I expected that he would not give me a chance.”

“Is it about the number of stars in the sky, at night?”

“You know it?” 

“Yes. Juranix may have no mercy, but he does not disrespect The Labyrinx. It is his most valuable treasure. He knows and understands the extent to which the humans have gone to send that message out into the cosmos. There is an answer.”

“Do you know it?”

“Say, ‘You will know if you count them all’.”

“Is that supposed to be an insult to my complex thinking? Is it really that simple?”

“Really.”

Ned could not speak. Surely the boy was wrong, was he not? He knew Juranix was much wiser than that. 

But then, he realized why. It was a trick. To see if you would overcomplicate your thinking and stress about it when really you did not have to say the expected answer to be correct. The answer that the boy had told him was not the real answer, but it was still correct and acceptable.

Juranix had told him that he would die if he answered wrong. He had never said he would die if he did not answer right. That was the trick of the riddle. Common sense. Sometimes overthinking caused heavy problems. Well, now he learned his lesson. He would incorporate this in the future when he would need it. It was something not to be forgotten.

“How did you figure this out?” he asked the boy.

“Someone told me, a while ago.” He knitted his eyebrows. “In fact, he looked a bit like you. A bit. Only he was much older.”

“Interesting.”

“Do not tell Juranix I have told you. Keep it a secret. Or else I will get killed.”

The servant got up and began to leave, but before he did Ned said, “Wait. Do you have a name?”

“Millton,” he said when he looked back at the doorway about to leave, smiling. “But you can call me Mill.”

Chapter The Fourth:

Career Of A Slave

When he awoke, he remembered something in his past. He remembered a faint memory of his childhood, something his father hid, buried in the canyons, for him. But as soon as it came, it was gone, and he had forgotten. 

Twenty-four hours had passed by quickly. The boy was out of time, but he was not out of answers.

Once again he was chained to the neck as if he were a deadly threat if he was not, and the same three guards brought him before Emperor Juranix in the throne hall. 

The executioner was by the throne with his axe once again. The emperor was in the same spot, same position. Even the guards went to the same spots they were yesterday. It was an exact repetition, except the air was tenser around them. This was the day that would decide the boy’s fate: dead or alive.

There was something else different. He smelled something in the air, something not so nice. He sniffed quietly and caught the scent’s trace. He looked up.

Crows. They were there, about half a dozen of them, staring at him perched on wooden beams near the ceiling. Just waiting. The boy knew what they were here for. The emperor expected him to die here, and so if he did the scavengers would eat him up. They were only waiting he dropped dead from the executioner, then with the emperor’s signal of the palm, they would swoop down to eat his remains.

For a moment, nobody moved, nobody spoke. Emperor Juranix made no signal to begin, no signal to anything.

The boy bowed in front of him, only for the sake of giving awareness of his presence. He felt strange in doing so.

“So you have arrived,” the emperor finally spoke. “Ready to die.”

We will see about that, Ned thought.

Juranix leaned forward, studying him closely. “From the first day I met you, I knew there was something about those eyes. They are green. Not uncommon, but strange nonetheless. They are not the regular type of green, either. They are like a pignaut’s. If I may ask, are you a pure?”

“The purest,” the boy answered. 

“So you are hated across the world for your absolute perfections?”

“Aye, it seems that way, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, may we remember why we are here? I am supposed to answer a question of yours to survive, am I not?”

“Yes.”

“And I have just done so. I get to live, then. Do I not?”

He is better at this game than I thought, Juranix thought. “I have made that rule after your answer, child.”

He is true on that one, the boy thought. But I am not out of tricks. “All right, Your Majesty. Give me the riddle at this moment, and I will…answer.”

“Why the big pause?”

Ned held up his arms and looked at his hands. “I am not a bear, Your Majesty. I have hands. And they are not that large. There, I have answered a question of yours once again. Now let me go.”

“You know better to toy with me, child,” Juranix said. Keep your temper. Keep your temper. “Curse your purity. You must have an intelligence gene from whomever your gene parent is. Anyway, let us not get ahead of ourselves. Let us do what you came here for. Your execution.”

“The riddle first, Your Majesty.”

Now I know, Juranix thought. Just by the tone in his voice, and his eagerness in wanting to get it over with. He already knows the answer. It may not matter anymore if I say the riddle or not. 

“Here it goes, then: How many stars are in the sky?”

“You will know if you count them all.”

So I was right, Juranix thought. “Very good.”

“Was I correct?”

“Yes. Your life has been spared. Now I am beginning to see how you may have stood a chance at stopping The Vast War. A child prodigy you are, as such.”

“I am not a child prodigy, Your Majesty. Any person can become me.”

“That is not true. Unless he or she is born as you.”

Ned smiled. I am so glad to finally meet someone who thinks like me. 

This boy is valuable, Juranix thought. Perhaps it is wise to let him live. I am going to abandon my plan to execute him whether he got the riddle right or wrong. He does not have to know that was my plan.

“Congratulations,” he said. “You are officially a slave. My slave. You are my property, and you shall forever be until death does us apart. Do not mistake this as an indefinite peace treaty, child. I may decide later in the future to kill you again.”

“And when you will, you will give me another chance to prove myself worthy of living by a test or riddle. Correct?”

The pignaut was silent, staring at the boy. The boy stayed his ground, staring right back. “Correct?”

After a long moment, the emperor made a frustrated noise. “All right.” Then, after, he felt ashamed. Who am I to let such a boy decide something for me, against my wishes? How do I deserve to be the ruler of the planet if I succumb to this boy’s masterful glare, which bore a hole straight through my soul?

“I will answer all of them correctly,” the boy said. “So beware.”

Now he is making threats? “I am sure you will, boy. You are a box-outsider.”

“No. Most may think in the box. Some may think outside. But for me? I am the box. I will be the boundary between thinking good and bad. And I will not be on the side of either. I will be the doer of all things that are able to be done…as long as they are things. I will train myself until I can to kill two stones with one bird.”

“You have reversed the saying.”

“Have I? What if I like to sentences my mix up?”

“So you have done it on purpose. Even so, it does not make sense. It is impossible.”

“I recall you saying that the riddle you would give me is impossible. I answered it, did I not?” 

The boy winked, leaving the emperor speechless in the amount of truth that came with the statement. Then, he turned around and went for the exit, going to his cell on his own, not even waiting for the three guards to catch up to him.

#

The boy was back in his cell. He was to wait until further instructions, but he did not care. He finally had time to think by himself, all alone. 

He had remembered a spark of his past. A spark in the darkness, though just one, had given him a glimpse of the whole life he had before he was captured. 

Yesterday, in his cell, the boy had a dream. One that was a memory, one that he remembered. He remembered his brother, and how he thought he was doing good for the family because he killed rebels for money. He took the job because it required no education, and it was one that not many people wanted. And yet it insured that you were paid. The empire had lots of money and many sponsors. The Ultimate Depression did not bother them at the slightest bit. The high class lived in huge palaces and ate good food.

But the memory of his brother was the only one he remembered. He still did not remember his mother and his apparent loving father. It was a blank sheet, and only Emperor Juranix had the pencil to fill it in. The boy had managed to steal a lead piece from another test taker next to him and used that to write in the blank that was meant to be about his brother. But then the piece broke and he now did not have anything to write with again. But he felt he had all the answers. He did not know his past, but he knew he had one. He did not have a pencil to complete the test, but he had the answers.

Juranix has the pencil, he thought. I know it. 

The emperor had secrets of the past; he had secrets of them all. He had the key to infinite knowledge: The Labyrinx. He knew everything because of it. The boy needed the privilege of The Labyrinx, and then he could answer all of his questions. The Labyrinx did not need a pencil since all its answers are already written, already predetermined. 

That is why only Juranix keeps it to himself. Because he has all the pencils to write my past, my present, and my future.

I belong to Juranix now, just like my brother. Just like everyone else on this planet. But unlike everyone, I have a plan. I have a chance. I have hope. 

Now the boy was a slave. But he promised himself that during his time here, no matter how long it would take, he would never forget his purpose. To escape. He would not forget who he was; he would not change the person he would be in the future. He would recover his memory, the one he knew he had, and return to his family, the one he knew loved him and missed him. The only problem was, he could not love and miss them back since he did not know who they were. To Ned, this was only the beginning. 

This was going to be a long three years.

#

“Why do we hide ourselves from him? We are a part of him. And why do we not give him back all his memories? They are rightfully his. Perhaps he has forgotten everything in his past, but we have not.”

“Stop with all these questions. They are useless. You know all the answers. You know that now is not the right time. Old Ned told us to wait until his isolation from slavery makes him believe we are just voices in his head that signal the start of his madness. Why, will you not stop fooling around and start helping me find his memories, Billy?”

“We cannot do that.”

“He is listening.”

“I do not care.”

“We might be able to find them all if you help me.”

“Sometimes I do not want to help, Francesca. Just because you were born a few minutes before me, it does not mean you are the leader.”

“I am not. Ned is.”

“And yet he does not know about us.”

“He cannot, yet. By his own rule.”

“Because he has not gone insane yet. But he will, right? Of all the children we have guided, they have always gone insane first. Why should this one be any different? That is why I do not want to help you give his memories.”

“Why can this one not be different? We can make him different. We will comfort him. He will not go crazy.”

“You said that to every person we have helped.”

“We have helped no one but him, Billy. We are all in his head. Our pasts were created by his imagination. If you dig down deep inside, you know that we are not real. We are only his imagination.”

“Then you better not tell him about us. If he stops imagining us, we will disappear. Our existence is dependent on him. So if you discontinue our shut out he will find out about us, and we will die. Is this really what you want, sister?”

“Stop being a fool. He is listening, you know. He hears us, and--”

“Shh! Quiet down! If he hears us then he knows about us. We will disappear, Francesca.”

“So be it. This is our fate. We have to conclude our shut out sooner or later.”

“He is asleep, but I think he can hear us. He only has a few hours left until he has to answer the riddle that could end his life.”

“Yes, I know, brother. Give him the gift that we are supposed to. Make him believe his father left it for him when he had gone on his heroic solo journey so he will feel like it is safe for him to find. When he will wake up, he will get a glimpse of the memory, and he will find it later.”

“I think he is waking up right now. We have to leave this place, quick.”

“Give him the gift before he leaves, remember.”

“There. I have done it. Now let us go.”

A gift buried in the canyons…

Chapter The Fifth:

The Dark Days Of Isolation

The time that the boy was confined only to the limits of the spaces within his cell, he spent the abundance of days contemplating of his one chance of execution at escaping. 

At least, he did not have a plan yet. But he was sure that with all the time he had, he would think of something. There was no way he could withstand the isolation of being in a cell--occasionally doing slave work outside--forever. 

But already he felt his mental state gradually decline. Too much time in the cell alone, isolated for months, had made him think his brain was damaged. There was no one to talk to and nothing to do. And he did not want to talk to the pignaut guards that brought him food every few hours. The boy that once came never came back again. Perhaps he had gotten a new job. Now he could not thank him for saving his life.

So as time passed, and the lights of his hopeful future dimmed in the presence of the cell, he began to feel a sense of hopelessness. It was because of this that he tried to think of something to do. He would need something to keep his mind busy on before he would go mad. Already he could not remember how to count to fifty very well. He had not talked in so long his voice was gone, for when he tried to use it, the silence was all he heard. He tallied the days in his cell on a wall with a rock, and already he was forgetting how to do them. Forgetting if you cross the line over a group of four or five. Forgetting if you cross a line at all. 

One day he had the idea of talking with imaginary friends. He practised his voice so that it could be brought back to full health, every day. There was no one around to hear him, so he could talk about anything he wanted. How funny that there would be a sliver of freedom in a dungeon where it was meant to give him none.

“Hello, Billy,” he said, as he always liked that name. “How are you doing today? The weather is nice, is it not? Oh, and is that your sister, Francesca? How nice of you to come as well, miss! Join us at our picnic.” He shook their nonexistent, incorporeal hands. 

What do we have for lunch, mister? Billy asked.

Sandwiches, Francesca answered. 

The days went on where he was on and off of sleep. There was one night that was…quite strange. In his dream, he saw Billy and Francesca in real life, standing before him. 

He stood up, rubbing his eyes to know if they were real. 

“Hello, mister,” Billy said. He looked as how he was imagined, too. He wore an orange and blue striped shirt and a propeller cap with the same colours. He looked like a typical little boy you would find at a fair.

The girl was also as imagined. She had a pink dress and pigtails. 

“We are the Lumos,” she said. “Shining lights to help and guide you. Our names are Billy and Francesca Arion, but please, call me Fran. Yes, we are twins--we look similar.”

“We have helped many kids like you already,” Billy said. “We are two friends to be with you at all times. And we know things that we should not.”

Fran smacked Billy on the head. “I told you! Ned is our first client! We are solely in his head, in his imagination! How can we have also been in the minds of others if we were born in his?”

“Ohh, I get it now,” Billy said. “We were born in his head with the fake memories of helping other kids. In reality, we have not. It reminds me of Last Thursdayism.”

“What is that?” Ned asked.

“Nothing, sweetie!” Fran said, smiling as she clamped a hand onto her brother’s mouth. “Too much foreshadowing. We are not that far into the story. Or the loop, I should say.”

“What story? What loop?”

“So yes, we are the Lumos. And we have many things to show and inform you--”

“Wait.” Ned put a hand to his forehead. “I am sorry, this is confusing. A lot to take in. You are in my head?”

Fran nodded. “Get used to it. Your imagination is very powerful, Ned. One of a kind.”

I am going mad, he thought. Crazy. Insane. Voices and appearances of my fictional characters are in my head. Do not worry, it will all end when the dream is over.

“Anything we do or say or think is completely done by you,” Billy said. “But we seem like we have our own minds and are separate entities because your imagination is that powerful. We are just two helpful friends to guide you whenever you need us.”

“Why would I need you?” The boy meant it as harsh as it sounded.

“For many things, sweetie!” Fran said. 

“Do not call me that. You may address me as Ned.”

“Sure. Anyway, you can use us for many things. For one…Billy.”

Billy grabbed Ned’s arm, and suddenly he felt dizzy. He awoke in a split second to another place. He was sitting in a single wooden chair, in an expanse of nothingness with darkness in all directions, for there was only a single, lone light shining down from the unknown abyss onto him, like a spotlight. Billy and Fran were in front of him.

“Well?” Billy said. 

Then his sister explained: “This is called, ‘going into your mind’. It can be used as an escape place from the outside world. It can be used to talk to us privately because in the outside world…it may seem strange to see a boy talking to no one in particular. And they might think he is crazy because he has imaginary friends in his head.”

I already am, he thought.

“In the outside world, your body will be in a state of sleep,” Billy said. “Also, you can initiate a trip to your mind whenever you want, instantly pulling us both in. But be warned. If for any reason both of us are incapacitated, and our presence is nonexistent, you will cease your time here and be kicked back into reality.”

“And let me show you one last thing,” Fran said. She disappeared and suddenly came back. “We can do that. You can stop Billy and me from doing it if you have a grasp on us. Grab my hand.”

Reluctantly, Ned did. 

“I cannot escape anymore. See? I am trying.”

“You can leave anytime?” Ned asked. I hope I did not sound as interested in it as I actually am. Get these nuisances out of my head as fast as possible.

“Yes,” she said. “It is called, a ‘shut out’. We shut ourselves out from you. We do it every time you sleep, and sometimes in the day. It is because we want a break.”

“How can you two do that--leave whenever you want to--if I control what you do since you are in my imagination?” This dream really is weird. I better entertain these two a while longer until I wake up. I suppose it is all I can do.

For once, they did not know. They shrugged. 

“There are many more things to show you outside,” Billy said. “Come.”

They went back into reality. Ned got up and saw the two standing, watching the cell door.

“One of them is coming,” Billy said. “A few more things to teach you, Ned. We are only in your head. Anything we touch does not affect reality. Anything we say cannot be heard by other people.”

To demonstrate this he waited until the servant gave the boy’s meal through a plate that opened on the door, grunting. He slammed a fist on the hands and said a few insults at him, but the pignaut acted as if he was invisible.

“And finally,” Fran said, “perhaps the most useful ability we can provide you with, is the ability of your imagination with your extreme luck.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have both. With those two powers, you can practically do anything. Look. I will read the mind of this servant.”

She looked at the pignaut, concentrating. 

What a pitiful boy. I may be a servant but he is a slave. There is a difference. Pathetic. Shame on him.

“He said that you are pathetic,” Fran said. “And he thinks you are lower rank in status than him. Proud of it, too.”

Ned’s eyes widened. “Wait…I heard it too.”

“Yes. It is because we are in your head. So whatever we tell you, you know.”

“But how can that be? How did I get this information? I did not read his mind. You told me what went through his mind, and you are in my head. So basically, I made up what he said.”

“Exactly.”

“Do I really know if this was what went through his mind?”

“That is where the extreme luck comes into play,” Billy said. “For some unexplainable reason, you have a quality of extreme luck. Whatever you guess, you are correct. Out of nowhere, plucking this information only from the roots of your imagination, you made up the sentence.”

“I made it up. So I do not know if it is true that he actually thought it.”

“Yes. But it is true because your extreme luck ability allows you to always get things right. In a way, you are a psychic. But not the way everyone thinks a usual one is. You think of something--like a sentence that goes through people’s heads--and every time you get it right.”

“So there is a chance I can get it wrong?”

“Possibly. But probably not, due to your luck. Test it. Talk to the servant.”

Ned stood up, going over to him. “Thank you,” he said. “And no, I am not pathetic. You are. Servants and slaves are the same. Practically synonyms. Shame on you, pig.”

The servant’s eyes widened in fear. He snorted and quickly ran, giving the expected reaction of one finding out about one’s secrets without explanation.

“Amazing,” Ned said.

“Truly is,” Fran said. “We can tell you almost everything. With luck, we will be right. In theory, this is totally possible for everyone. If everyone guessed correctly all the time, due to luckiness, people would call them psychics. It is basically a chance. Take a deck of cards and tell them to think of a card. Ace of spades. Let us say your top card, by chance--one over fifty-two if we count out the jokers--is an ace of spades. And you tell the person to take the top card. He does and calls you a wizard for finding out. In truth, you did absolutely nothing. You were just lucky and he guessed the exact card that was on top of the deck--that you yourself did not even know was on top. 

“It is like that in real life. Only, you need more luck. There is an almost infinite number of possibilities of sentences of what a person can think in their head. You just have to be lucky, guess what they think, and get it right.”

“That is remarkable,” Ned said. “Anyone in real life can be a psychic with luck.” Too bad I am dreaming. It would be cool to have these powers.

“We can use it to do a lot of things,” Billy said. “For instance, I can memorize an entire book you read without turning a single page.”

“How?”

“I simply guess what each page says, and luckily, I get it right. You can read an entire book without actually reading it. You can even make up one yourself, in your head. The imagination of a mind is epic.”

“So yes, that is the most useful feature we can provide for you,” Fran said. “So before you go ahead and assume that we are useless, think twice.”

Ned was speechless. “How did you know? How did you know I thought that?”

“We are in your head, remember?” Billy said. “We know your thoughts, and you know ours. 

“And no. This is not a dream.”

#

As if to prove Billy’s sudden statement, Ned was called later to meet with the emperor.

The guards brought him, in chains, to the front of the seat of the almighty ruler of everything. 

“I have claims from a so-called witness servant of a psychic with the ability to read minds,” he said. “His mind. You.”

Crazy servant, the pignaut guards around them thought. Drunk. 

“It is not true,” the boy said. “But I did, in fact, know what he was thinking. I just did not read any mind.”

Juranix leaned forward. “Do not lie, child. To prove this abnormality, show it.” 

The boy smiled. He gestured around the room. “All the guards here think the servant was just drunk and crazy.”

All around them, the pignauts gasped and muttered in confusion.

Fake, Juranix thought. Perhaps one of them just told him.

“And no, Your Majesty,” the boy said. “No guard told me.”

Lucky coincidence, he just knew what I was going to think.

“It was not a coincidence. And yes, in a way, I knew.”

It was at this point that the emperor began to feel nervous. He was not in total belief yet, and he still believed it was a scam. 

“Your explanation, please.”

“I have a rare quality of extreme luck. Or perhaps I do not, and it just seems like I do. Some people do not believe in luck. They do not think the number of good things that happen to a person can be measured with, ‘luck’, and are all purely coincidences.”

The emperor narrowed his eyes at him, thinking. I shall test this quality. See if it is real and that he has it in him. 

“Very well. Dismissed. Guards, take him away.”

He was taken back. Back to his musty, old, eerie dungeon cell. Back to the days of solitary confinement and isolation. Back to the lonely, cold, hours of boredom. 

But even with all those thoughts in his head, for some reason, he was smiling.

Chapter The Sixth:

Solitary Tales Of The Past

This time, sleep was not so kind to him.

He saw his father, stepping into the rain after something terrible happened. He was angry, gripping his sword, walking alone. Solo. Going who knew where.

“I will come for you, my gene daughter,” he said. “Elsie. I will not forget.”

The following scenes consisted of battles with pignauts. Close encounters with deaths. Raids and sneak attacks. All wild feats done by himself, a maximum party of one. Truly remarkable, and the boy was proud to have such a father, even if he had left them. In the dream, he was searching for someone. Not looking for money opportunities, like his mother said. 

But then things got worse. The scenes changed until more of them were now focused on his status of isolation. He dragged himself on and on through deserts and canyons, sometimes bleeding in the snow of winter, or sweating in the heat in a forest. 

Until finally, when he had seemingly reached his destination, he died. He did not see what killed him, how he died, or what even happened next. All he saw was pitch black and a feeling that washed over him that he was dead.

He woke up crying tears, understanding the pain of his father’s journey. And finally knowing the truth, that his father was dead, and his brother was right. He would not come back.

And that gave him his idea. It inspired him to create his plan on escaping. 

He loved the courage and bravery of his father on the battlefield. He decided he could become a great soldier too. Soldiers of the emperor were highly regarded, went to more frequent battles than guards, and were overall generally more trusted. 

Runs in the family, then, he thought. My father, my brother, and now me. But the difference between me and my brother is that he enjoys the killing part of it, and he honours Juranix. I will do it to escape. 

Soldiers were allowed to roam around freely because they were more trusted. He could easily escape if he were one instead of a slave that was always in his cell or doing labour in the canyons.

That was his plan. However, a technicality was that you had to reach thirteen years of age. No matter if you were a pignaut or not. Anyone was welcome to join the emperor’s enforcement army.

Escaping would be the hard part, as all guards would be on him in an instant. Where would he run, too? The entire planet was controlled by Juranix. Word of his treason as an ex-soldier would spread like wildfire, and the only punishment would be a brutal execution.

“You can try, but I am certain that you will not make it far,” Billy said, as Fran nodded.

The boy jumped. “Oh. You two are back again.” This time he really tried his best to not sound so disappointed. The two of them had appeared suddenly…or had they? It also seemed like they were always there. He found himself not able to tell the difference. 

I suppose they are always there, he thought. 

“Do not be rude,” Billy said. “It might take time getting used to us, but we are here now. Forever. But do not worry, for you, forever will not be such a long time.”

“No more story foreshadowing!” Fran said, smacking her brother again. “Anyway, our shut out was concluded since your nightly sleep is currently over.”

The boy nodded. He had something that he had wanted to ask them. “You two said you can tell me almost anything. Tell me if this is true: is my father dead?”

“Well, it was just a dream…” Billy said, “…but yes.”

“I--I mean you can be wrong.”

“It is a fifty per cent chance: yes or no, whether he is dead or not. With your extreme luck, I doubt you would fail a fifty per cent chance guess. You have to learn to trust Francesca and me more. There is a reason you have us and not yourself to tell you the answers. Sometimes it is easier to trust others than yourself.”

“Fine. I will not doubt you anymore. I just need proof that I have extreme luck. Once I do, I will believe anything you two tell me.”

“Wait.” Fran raised a finger, pausing. “I see the emperor’s guards coming. They are taking him to you again, to do the tests he promised to do on you. To see if you have extreme luck.”

“He planned something?”

“The point is, this is a perfect time for you to see your capabilities.” She smiled. “Good luck…but wait, you will not need it. Also, do not ask if the games are rigged because they are not. Juranix is true to his word. Come on, Billy. Let us shut out.”

“But…” It was too late. They were gone. And instead replaced by the marching sounds of footsteps. 

I am definitely mad, he thought.

His two companions were replaced by two pignaut guards, who again, brought him in front of the glorious might of the emperor and his throne.

“I have invited you to play some games with me,” he said. “Come. Sit.”

This time, there was a wooden table in the centre of the throne room. The emperor got out of his seat and moved forward to sit on one of two chairs at the table. 

“Do not be scared,” he said, smiling, which did not help. Oh, we are going to have much fun, he thought. 

The boy sniffed the air, smelling something strange once again. The crows. Many of them, all perched on wooden beams in the ceiling. Emperor Juranix expected him to die again.

The boy, out of respect, sat down at the other end of the table, still chained, forcing the guards holding them to move forward. 

“Now, we are going to test your luck,” Juranix said. “Child, I am not so forgiving. Your crime against The Vast War and its history is unforgivable. I do not care about the state of your life. I will push your luck to the limits. If you have lied to me that you have an extraordinary abundance of luck, then be prepared for the end of it. Know that the two guards behind you and myself will be ready to chop your head off with an axe. That is right, even I know how to perfectly execute an execution to perfection--”

“Behind you and I.”

Juranix hesitated. “Excuse me?”

“Know that the two guards behind you and I will be ready to chop my head off, Your Majesty. Misused and incorrect pronoun to represent the separate and individual nouns in the collective noun of yourself and the guards following the verb. Take out the noun of the two guards in the sentence, and it will be: ‘Know that I will be ready to chop your head off’. Not, ‘Know that myself will be ready to chop your head off, which is what you initially said.”

“Enough! I did not ask for a punctuation lesson.”

“Grammar lesson, Your Majesty. Punctuation is all about commas and periods and symbols like them to clarify meanings such as those, which is not important in speech since they come naturally in it as you talk.”

The emperor inhaled, boiling with rage inside.

Face it, old fool of a pignaut, the boy thought smugly. You were wrong. Even the ruler of a planet can be wrong sometimes. But they would never admit it, due to the size of their ego.

The boy is smart, I will give him that, Juranix thought. And he is making me angry. I cannot show that, though.

“Let us begin,” he said. “First, the rolling of dice. How could we start without them?”

He took out three dice from his pocket. “I will roll these three dice at the same time. They must all roll six…ten times.”

“How do I know they are not rigged?”

“I swear they are not, on the behalf of my empire and its peoples.”

Billy and Fran told me to trust him, he thought. “All right. Go ahead.”

So they rolled. And each time, to the emperor’s and even the boy’s amazement, they all rolled six each time. 

Before every roll the emperor thought, this is it. This is the roll he dies! I am sure! I can taste the blood on the table already! But again, they all rolled six. Fine. This will be it. No. They rolled six once again. These are all coincidences. No one has this much luck. Again, all sixes. 

He began to get frustrated. At the final roll, he banged his fists on the table and grunted. It made the boy smile.

“One roll left,” the emperor said. 

I cannot believe my eyes, the boy thought. I am still alive! If I fail any of these games, once, at the least, I am dead. 

I realize that I have no superpower. I have no secret strength. It is purely coincidence and luck. Anyone, in reality, can become me. Anyone.

So Juranix rolled once more. This time, both of them at the edge of their seats, two dice quickly stopped on six. The boy’s heart broke when he saw the last die still spinning on the table, the top clearly and visibly showing three dots.

“Ha!” Juranix said, raising his arms quickly in a victory motion. But he was unaware that he would spill a goblet on the table in doing so. Wine swept the table, and when it got to the spinning die, it slightly moved it to a specific side…the side with six dots.

“Impossible!” Juranix said, slamming the table.

The boy laughed. “Does that prove it yet? After it was shown obviously and certainly that it would land a three, the odds of the universe were in my favour.”

The emperor shook his head. “I suppose it is only fair I should allow that. Nobody interfered but me. Let us move on.” He brought out a deck of cards. He spread the cards, took one out, read it, and hid it. “What card do I have?”

The boy was so impressed by what had happened so far, he did not think his luck would fail him. He did not hesitate to guess a random card. “King of diamonds.”

Juranix cursed. 

They did this many more times, and each time the boy flawlessly guessed each card. The emperor knew he had to step up his game. Find tasks to give that would take even more luck.

He tried everything. He gave him a bow and arrow and put twenty apples around the throne room, telling him to hit them all. Did he, or did he not? Only a fool would choose the latter.

On the last shot, he felt a twinge of pain as the wire snapped, instinctively bringing back his hand and shaking it. As a result, the arrow did not fly far enough to hit the apple on a table, already on its descent to the ground. Juranix thought this was where he won before a servant walking accidentally tripped on her apron and pushed the table, the apple rolling onto the floor. 

One can guess what spot it rolled to. And where the arrow went. If not for the malfunction of the instrument, the arrow would have gone straight and missed the apple which rolled on the floor. And if not for the servant, the apple would not have rolled. It was a true, fair, and lucky shot--the odds were undeniably in his favour. 

“Remarkable,” the emperor breathed. 

They did hundreds of games in hours. Juranix made him do everything. The boy spun wooden wheels of fortune. He had flawless success in bingo. He won lotteries.

As well, stacking up all these games and winning them perfectly one after the other was also affecting his chances and luck. Every new game had decreased chances because to win perfectly in hundreds of games was a one-in-a-trillion chance. 

Now there was no denying it. He had done perfect, for there was not a single game which he had failed miserably. Not a single mistake or loss. No tiny errors, no big errors, and no errors in between. Everything a hundred per cent. 

“I am done for today,” the emperor said. “Very well. You have beaten me. You have proven yourself worthy of living, due to the fact you did not lie. You have extreme luck.” 

Truly impossible, he thought. Perhaps they are still coincidences. Shall I try at least one more game to see if he finally fails…no. I admit, he will not. I have said that very same sentence a hundred times. He has defeated me. Although I still believe the mind-reading is a scam.

The boy smiled, happy to have his life secured. He could not help but have odds in his favour. The guards escorted him back to his cell while he listened to the incessant cawing of the numerous crows above them. 

He knew why they were angry. They were promised food, but yet they were still hungry.

#

“I wish I could say you did very well, but the truth as it is, you did nothing at all,” Fran said when he returned to his cell.

The boy nodded. He was not in the mood for celebration.

“What is wrong?” Billy asked.

“I had a nightmare, as you two know, of my father last night. I wish I could find out more of his past, his reasons, and his motives for leaving. All I was left with was the name of his gene daughter.”

They both nodded, understanding. “At least it is a start,” Billy said.

“Now that I have you two to answer my questions, may I ask something?” The boy asked.

“You already have,” Fran said. 

“Ha. Well, I mean to ask, where exactly are we? If I ever plan to escape this place, I need to know where my village is so I can find my family.”

“We are in the shining city of Talonia,” Billy said. “The ruling capital of He Who Is Great And Sublime’s great empire.”

“Around the citadel is the city and its outskirts,” Fran said. “Beyond that are the canyons of the emperor’s slaves, where they mine ore and tend to crop fields for their entire lives. And even further beyond that is a gigantic mountain range.”

“There are two paths to get past the mountains,” Billy said. “The long way, the way you took, is around them. You will go through numerous and different landscapes, and it will take very long even by horse, but it is much, much safer. The emperor always takes that way because he cannot risk incapacitation or death.

“The second, very dangerous due to avalanches and icy, narrow slopes, is a path through the mountains known as The Mountain Cross.”

The boy nodded. “Thank you. I may still not remember my family, even though I know I have one, and I would want to find them. I suppose you two do not know either since you are in my head.”

Fran shrugged. “It is best not to tell if we do.”

“My memory is still fuzzy. The one thing I remember most though is my father. No name, but I feel like I have memories of him.”

Billy nodded. “I am sorry you could not find more about his past. Anyway, I went searching around Emperor Juranix’s things and found this secretly-kept dead human’s journal entry. From the extinct race that lived on Earth. It is meant for someone named aliens. I could not bring it here, of course, but I have memorized a copy of it myself.”

“Really?” The boy said, curious. “Read it to us, please.”

Billy brought out an old and dusty book and read.

“Dear aliens,

The end has come near enough for me to dreadfully conclude that all life on this earth will come to finality of peace. I have lived a long, hard life, fighting for survival, all the same with everyone else. At this moment I choose to spend my last minutes writing an entry, for a future race to find, hoping that one day they will learn to never make the same mistakes we did. 

We did not die to an outside force. We died to ourselves. And it is because of this failure that our once-great and epic civilization will never rise again, for something that crumbles from within dies forever. 

We were on the brink of escape. But we were too late. There were many factors that gave us a terrible fate. I will list all eight of them.

One. We were too late to build colonies on other planets. We did not focus on it enough and for that we are sorry.

Two. We did not care about the environment when we released our pollution into the air and rivers. We were careless to realize it would cause something much worse. 

Three. We did not listen to each other when one side said our earth was getting warmer. We did not listen when they said bad things would happen because of it. Natural disasters, droughts…it was too much to handle at once.

Four. We did not care about the undeniable fact that we had finite resources on our planet. We cut trees relentlessly, mined minerals constantly, and manufactured things endlessly. It gets worse.

Five. Due to the limited number of trees, carbon dioxide levels rose to a point we could barely withstand or have a chance at fixing. We suffocated from the amount of it on our planet. 

Six. We did not care about future generations for all the messes we left them, but yet they still came. Year after year fewer people died and more people were born. They came and came even when there was not enough space, food, water, and materials for them. By the millions, they all starved. 

Seven. The increased use of our medicines became so high that diseases learned how to fight them. Sometimes they were used even when they were not needed, and with all the problems in the world already, we did not have enough time to try to create stronger medicines.

“That is sad,” the boy said. “And to think there are worse things that happen elsewhere other than here. They did not even have any problems of a single ruler ruling the planet. But there were eight reasons. You did not finish.”

Billy nodded. “Here.”

And finally, we have arrived at the final reason--the biggest and most regretful reason--to what lead to humanity’s downfall. 

Eight. War. Too much hate has grown in the past few decades that we have resorted to dealing with it by death and genocide. Some people think it helps with the overpopulation problem as well, which haunts me to know they think positively of such horrific acts. 

I ask you, aliens, have you ever heard the sound of a nuclear alarm? Have you ever felt the feeling of waiting for it in a bunker? Scared? Hugging your family tight?

My final message to you: I advise that when the nations of your planet begin to get angry at each other, leave before the nuclear weapons start raining.

“What are nuclear weapons?” the boy asked curiously. 

Fran shook her head. “You do not want to know.”

Chapter The Seventh:

Father And Son

The days when he longed for company in his cell were long gone. The emperor gave him new quarters in the palace. The boy thanked him for such kindness and hospitality, even if he was to be his personal, eternal slave. A small price to pay for salvation, it seemed. 

Most days he did a few chores and spent the rest of his time talking with the emperor when he wasn’t busy.

“What was your father like, Ned?” the emperor asked one day when they were the only two in the throne hall. The boy was seemingly being called to him more often now. Alone.

“My father?” the boy said, unsure of what to say. “He left us when I was very young. Searching for a very important person to him, one that he needed to save. I do not remember much of him, although I do know that he was not a very forgiving or loving man, at least, to me.

“He believed that any sort of praise to me and my older brother would make us not always do as good at everything. He preferred to always tell us, do better.”

A respectable and understandable man, Juranix thought. He chose to give his son a growth mindset. Although, I think a little praise would not hurt, instead of giving none at all. They are only children, one must remember. 

“Tell me, boy,” he said, “how did you figure out how to answer my riddle?”

“Logical thinking and processes. I had to give an answer that was not correct, but still right.”

If he truly figured this out by himself, the emperor thought, let me test him further.

“How far can you throw a ball?”

The boy was startled at the suddenness. “As far as I can, Your Majesty.”

Very good, Juranix thought. So he has learned the trick.

“What is the answer to this question?”

The boy thought for a moment. “The answer.”

“Be specific.”

The boy pointed at himself and said, “I am specific. Did I pass your test?”

The emperor laughed. He is good, he thought. “When does the end of the story take place?”

“What an obvious answer. The ending.”

“Where is South Haven on the map?”

That seemed to hesitate the boy for a moment. The words hit him with slight nostalgia. My hometown, he remembered. That is the name of my hometown!

“You just said the answer, Your Majesty. It is on…well, the map. It is quite simple: it is the same as saying, what is your name, Emperor Juranix?”

“You do not need to keep referring to me like that anymore,” Juranix said. “You may drop it all. You may just call me, Juranix.”

“But…but that is informal, Your Majesty. I mean, Juranix.”

“Aye, so it is. I do not mind.”

He is giving me a convenience that only I have, Ned thought. He is letting me in--letting me become closer.

“How about I will become your teacher?” Juranix said. “I have always wanted a child to teach all my knowledge. Everything I know from The Labyrinx. You seem to be the perfect boy to understand all the concepts I have. What do you say? I will give you lessons, you will be my pupil.”

This was surely a big decision, the boy knew. Being a personal apprentice of some sort to the most powerful person on the planet? He did not know. He had already given the boy his own quarters in the palace, his own meals at the fancy dining room, warm showers, high-quality clothes, and a soft bed. He had never felt this feeling before, and he wished he could find a word to describe it. Spoiled. That’s what he thought it was. 

And for that, he hesitated. The emperor noticed his reluctance. “It is a great opportunity. I will make you a man of true verity, which I think is a greater title than anything in the world. I will admit that from everything I have seen from you, you seem to match my intelligence. Take the challenge, I encourage you.”

The boy continued to think, but then he gave in. Why not? “Okay, Juranix. I will be your student.”

“Excellent. Oh, where do we begin? I have so much to teach you. Let us start with the first lesson today. I think I will start with…do you know what a paradox is?”

“A paragraph written by a doctor?”

“No. In most cases, it is just a statement that contradicts itself. Or it is impossible to accomplish or understand by the standards at which it is given to you. Here, let us start small. Hmm, how about this example. I will give you a task, and you will get a reward once you complete it.”

“Okay. What is the task?”

“To get the reward when you achieve the task.”

“I will begin n--” then the boy stopped, suddenly realizing what he had just said. “Pardon me?”

“Ah. So you understand that it is impossible to do it.”

“Yes. In order to get the reward, I must get the reward. But to do that, I need to get the reward. But before I get the reward, I have to get the reward, which I have to achieve by getting the reward, which I cannot do without…this is hurting my brain.”

“That is an example of one type of paradox.”

“I seem to like the idea of paradoxes then.”

“Ah, I knew you would. Here is another: this statement is false.”

“So I should not believe it, then. But if I do not, then it must be true. And it repeats, over and over, in a circle. Again and again and again.”

“And again.” The pignaut snorted. “So, do you understand the concept now?”

“I do, I believe. I like them. Give me more!”

“I know only one thing: it is that I know nothing. This is the beginning of the end. Do not go near the water unless you have learned to swim. No one goes to that tavern, it is too crowded. I am self-conscious about others. Deep down, you are really shallow.”

“How interesting they are!”

“Yes, indeed.” He laughed at the boy’s wild excitement. “But those are just silly, ironic ones. Barely even paradoxes. You do not know the reality of the philosophical ones. The real ones.”

“Give me one, then. I think I can handle it.”

“I am sure you can. But I will go at my own pace. The next one: number five is the only dull and boring number out of them all. But how can it be dull and boring, if it is the only one dull and boring? By comparison, its uniqueness makes it interesting! 

“Or--one of my favourites--does your worst nightmare mean it is your best? Nightmares are scary, and they are supposed to be, ‘bad’. If your worst nightmare means it is the worst at being, ‘bad’ than all the others, that makes it your least scary one.”

“That is correct,” the boy said, amazed.

“So now you understand truly how paradoxes work. I have only given you a tiny glimpse of the many out there--er, I should say, the many in The Labyrinx. Of course, these are all ideas from the records of all of humanity.

“Anyway, you now know what paradoxes are. At least, I have done my best explaining them to you by giving you examples. Were they good--have I made myself clear?”

Ned knitted his eyebrows. “No, I can still see you.”

“Pardon me?”

“You are not, ‘clear’, you are still perfectly visible. I can still see you.”

The emperor finally understood. He sat back in his chair. “Ah, you have much to learn. Unless you are just doing all this on purpose. The humans have a term for someone like you, did you know? They would call you a smart-a--”

“It was just a matter of misinterpretation, Juranix,” the boy said. “I am sorry. Well, my name is Ned, not ‘sorry’.”

“Yes,” the emperor said. “I have had a long and miserable history with misinterpretation. One time, it has cost me a life of one of my numerous wives.”

“How so?”

“A not-so-long story. Here it goes. My wife had a kidney failure once and she went to the hospital. At the time, we did not have the technology to clean her blood, so she was dying of heart disease, subsequent to the organ failure. She needed a transplant, quick, for she only had one kidney left from a previous donation she had gone through to save another’s life. Now, it was her life that needed saving. 

“She was a very much loved woman, so many pignauts were willing to donate one of their kidneys for her to save her life. The only problem was, she was dying fast. And we did not know her blood type. It was essential if we were to give her a new organ transplant. We were all panicking, me and all the doctors. I was with her on her deathbed, holding her hand. ‘Have you been taking your medication to slow it down?’ I remember saying. 

“‘No,’ she said. ‘I read the back label. It reads, if you experience nausea, vomiting, heartburn, or even death, contact your doctor immediately. I did not want to take that chance of dying, so I have stopped taking it.’

“‘Okay,’ I had said.”

Wait…the boy thought.

“I could barely hear her last words, knowing she was close to death. ‘Listen,’ she said, ‘I am not going to die. Be positive.’ She was too weak to say it louder. ‘Be positive.’

“I had wiped a tear off my cheek, and then I said, ‘Okay, I will.’”

Silence filled the room once he was done speaking. Then, he said, “After many years, it is only now I realize that she was trying to tell me her blood type.”

For a moment, the boy was still. Then, when the last sentence was said, it had hit him like a punchline. He burst out in laughter, not able to control himself.

“Aye,” the emperor said, listening to the boy’s laughter echo throughout the empty hall. “You are only a little child. I allow you to laugh, even if it may be inconsiderate.”

“I am sorry,” Ned said, forcing his breathing to even. “I could not contain myself. It was simply…funny. Unexpected, I suppose.”

“Her Beloved Majesty’s death, my beautiful empress, had reminded me of yet another paradox,” Juranix said, continuing on. “One that makes me think, a lot. Let us say that fate has everything planned for you. If I become sick, what use is it to go to the doctor? If my destiny is to not regain my health, then it is useless going to the doctor. As if I go or not, I will still die. If my destiny is to regain my health, then once again, going to the doctor will be useless as to whether I choose to go or not, my destiny has been decided. I will regain health no matter what.”

“Not necessarily. Order of events can change and even determine the outcome of your destiny. You might regain your health because you chose to go to the doctor.”

“Ah, I knew you would say that. To think that is wrong. Let us say, somehow, I figured out with absolute certainty that my destiny is to regain my health. Then, since I know that, I can choose not to go to the doctor. Since no matter what, I will regain my health.”

“Oh…I see what you mean. This ties in with your empress, as fate had planned her to die no matter what, so you found it useless to go to the hospital, or even mention the medicine.”

“Exactly. You are a smart child. I think I am going to do some business around the empire now. I am very busy. I will make sure to have a time set every day for you to learn the many lessons I have to teach you.”

The boy nodded. “Okay. I will look forward to them.”

Good, Juranix thought. The boy is already warming up to me. How wonderful.

#

They spent their abundance of days conversing. Juranix taught and taught, while the boy listened and listened, getting wiser each day. 

“You seem to know a lot about everything, ever since the discovery of The Labyrinx,” the boy said one day. “How do you know everything on there is true?”

“Everything is true in The Labyrinx.”

“Did you read that in The Labyrinx?”

“Er…yes. So then it must be true. Do not worry child, I am figuring out how to make a Truth Button. It will be invented soon.”

“A Truth Button?”

“Do not question further.”

Over the days, they grew fonder of each other, becoming closer. They were beginning to develop a father-son relationship. It put a smile on the pignaut emperor’s face. He liked the boy very much, and he was glad to now know that his affection was returned.

One day, a Thursday knight came to the palace. They went everywhere. Ned did not know why they always went to people asking, “Do you believe?” but they were always told to say, “Yes,” to them, and they would leave. After the one that came to the palace left, hearing both Juranix and the boy say yes after he had asked the question, Ned had brought the topic up to the emperor. 

“They are knights from a religious order?” he asked. “I do not know much about religion, except that there is a very popular one called, ‘Last Thursdayism’.”

“Ah, that,” Juranix said. “It has achieved a level of such foolishness.”

“Why do the knights always come around asking that question? And I have heard about Last Thursdayism, but I not know what it is.”

“I will answer the latter first. It is an imbecilic religion of your race dating back thousands of years ago. The followers, and there are many, believe that the universe and everything in existence were created last Thursday, with the appearance of it being much, much older. Since it is an unfalsifiable claim, they believe it to be true.”

“Unfalsifiable? How can it be, when I can clearly remember events before last Thursday? I have proof that the universe is much older than last Thursday. I own things I have bought from shops before last Thursday.”

“Yes, you do. But what they believe in is that the thoughts and memories inside your brain were created along with you, when you appeared in existence last Thursday. The items you bought from shops were with you at the exact moment you appeared in existence, along with the memories of you buying them.”

“Oh. I see.”

“It is truly impossible to prove wrong. That is why many people believe in it. Anything you can think of to try to prove it wrong can have an explanation to it. But it is so foolish. They all are. Just because something is impossible to prove wrong, it does not mean it is right.”

“What of the knights, then?”

“The knights and crusaders are part of an order, a very powerful guild separate from my empire. As you know, all of them you see on the streets--none of them are pignauts. They are part of the Thursday Order. They go around everywhere trying to find disbelievers in their religion. They ask, “Do you believe?” to everyone on the streets. If they do not, they will be persecuted. Fortunately, people have just learned to say yes every time they ask, even if they do not believe. The knights will just leave them alone, like the cretins they are, and not question any further if they were lying or not. You must have been taught at a young age to say yes every time they ask you, correct?”

“Yes. My father and mother always told me to.”

“Even if you do not believe. Back to my point on why I think it is foolish. In fact, this could be your lesson today. Unfalsifiable ideas. Just because something like Last Thursdayism is impossible to prove wrong, it does not mean it is right. For example, tomorrow the moon will crash onto the planet. Well, it is impossible to prove wrong, since we do not know yet if it will happen. So it must be right then, correct?”

“No. There is a chance it will not happen.”

“Exactly. They are just believers of foolish nonsense. They believe that their belief can make us believe about this belief. Or, how about this: I have a third leg.”

“No, you do not.”

“Why?”

“I can see you, and you do not.”

“It is invisible.”

The boy walked forward to him. “Let me feel it then.”

“It is incorporeal.”

“Ah, I see what you mean now. It is another unfalsifiable idea, just like Last Thursdayism.”

“Yes. Completely idiotic. There is a chance that I do not actually have a third leg. They also believe in a Thursday God, a Creator Of Everything During Thursday. They say he can do anything. It makes me think. If the Thursday God can do anything, can he create something that he cannot do? Another paradox, it seems.”

“Indeed.”

“Continuing on the lesson of unfalsifiable ideas. Let us say that someone told you he saw a dragon and that they are real. Now, we know that they are mythical creatures. It would be foolish to believe that person. After all, you have not seen it yourself. He may be lying.”

I see where this is going, Ned thought. “But the same goes the other way. That person was actually the one who has seen it, so you should believe him.”

“Yes!” the emperor said. “Exactly what I was going to say! I can see you are making progress, predicting my next lines. The latter is what most people in the world do. People believe in a round planet they live on because others have claimed it to be true, with their, ‘evidence’. People believe in space because again, others have explored it and brought back, ‘evidence’, such as pictures. Now, I am not saying you should not trust them and start disbelieving what they say. I too believe in those things. I am only teaching you to question everything and make sure what you know is true. Everything you know could be a lie. How do you know space is real? That it is true?”

“I was told.”

“You have not seen it yourself. Your tellers have probably not seen it themselves. They may have seen photographic evidence, but that could always be edited.”

“But wait…you have been in space. You and your empire came in a massive armada that covered the sky.” Just like what the legends say, he thought. “That is enough reason to believe it exists.”

“Ah, but again, you do not know for sure. I may tell you that it exists, but I have no evidence. What I am saying is, you must learn to be curious. Question everything.”

Question everything, Ned repeated in his head. Okay, I will: why do I have to question everything?

#

There was one day when Ned was homesick. Juranix has given everything to me, he thought. I need not feel homesick. 

But he soon realized it was his longing for his family that bothered him, not his home. He remembered then, that he once had a dream a while ago about his father. He had gotten more information about what happened to him, even a specific name.

“Is the dream correct?” he asked Billy and Fran. They were a frequent thing now. Always staying by his side.

“Yes,” Billy said. “Everything in it is true.”

“I suggest you consult Juranix in trying to find this girl named Elsie,” Fran said. “She might still be in the city. Using census-tracking, he may be able to find her for you.”

The boy nodded. “Good idea.”

He went to Juranix and requested it. He explained everything. He had gotten new information that his father had set out for his gene daughter. One that he knew the name of. He wanted to find her and learn more about his past through her.

“Okay,” Juranix said. “I will try to find her.”

Chapter The Eighth:

Companions For A Loner

“I have something very special to show you, child.” The emperor gestured to the front of the hall, to the majestic grand doors. “Any moment now, they will be here.”

“Have you found her?” the boy asked. 

“Yes. It took a while, but with census-tracking, we can find anyone. My pignauts had to scour the city for any news and leads to the girl. They also found her twin brother.”

“Twin brother?”

“Yes. They are from the Sibello family. I have brought both of them here for you, child.” Juranix beamed. For the loyal services and pure innocence of this little child, I have granted him a gift.

Soon, the doors opened. Pignaut guards brought in two kids, a boy and a girl, to the foot of the throne where Juranix loomed far and high above them. 

The girl will be a pure, Ned thought. 

They stopped at the foot, looking unhappy. It was not unexpected--Ned knew that they had been dragged from their homes by force, without choice. Juranix ordered it. The boy had wanted it. 

Ned studied them. They were approximately his age. The boy wore a beanie with sunglasses perched on top, and had the usual scarf that every citizen wore. At the moment his face was buried in it, no doubt scared at being in the presence of such power and authority--He Who Is Great And Sublime himself. 

And the girl…well, with one glance Ned could easily tell she was a pure. She had distinct features from her brother but also had a few similarities. She was very pretty. She also had a scarf of her own--there was not a day Ned lived without seeing a citizen in Talonia wear them. 

The boy looked at the emperor shyly, silently asking for permission to talk to them. He knew that the old pignaut hated it when it was not him who talked to visitors first.

“Go on,” he said. 

What should I say? he thought. What do I bring up first? What do I do?

But it was not him who had the chance to talk first. 

“Are you a pure?” the girl asked, curious.

“Shh!” her brother said.

“Despicable behaviour!” the emperor said. “Are you unaware of the rudeness in such a question? And the fact that you do not have permission to speak yet?”

“My apologies, Your Majesty,” the brother said. “My sister is unthinking sometimes. Please forgive--”

“Yes!” Ned said. “I am a pure. Just like you are, too.”

“Really?” the girl said, “I have never seen another pure.”

Me neither, he thought. “What gave me away?”

“The eyes,” she said. “At least, that is the biggest reason. They are very green. A colour I cannot quite place…”

“Of a pignaut’s?”

“Yes!”

“Sister, will you quiet down?” the brother said. 

“Indeed, the boy is correct,” Juranix told her. “You were brought here for a reason. My personal thrall here has given me information about his father going on a quest to save his gene daughter. A long time ago. He thinks you are her. Is this true?”

The girl paled, not giving an answer.

“Reply before I lose my sense of mercy.”

“Yes,” she said, looking down. “My gene father…he was a man very close to me. He died trying to save me. When I was captured by your soldiers.”

Very sad, Ned thought. But it was not a sincere thought. In fact, he was very jealous of her. His father was never close to him! How did she even earn to deserve his affection?

Instead, he pretended it did not affect him. He walked up to her and held out a hand. “My name is Nediom. Call me Ned.”

The girl hesitated for a moment. Can my brother and I trust him? Or is he a loyal follower of this ruthless tyrant of an emperor? We were brought here against our wishes! Surely they are oblivious to how much we hate them right now! 

But he is a pure, like me. The same age. Perhaps he is not so bad. I will try to be his friend. 

“My name is Madelsie,” she said, shaking it. “Call me Elsie.”

Ned offered his hand to the boy next, but he shook his head at it. “Edmontie. My friends call me Eddie, my sister and family call me Monty. I do not care which.”

I prefer Monty, Ned thought. It sounds like a better-suited name. 

“Is anyone else coming?” Monty asked. 

Ned knitted his eyebrows. “I am sorry, I do not know who that is.”

“It was not a name. You must be joking, right?”

“No, I am Ned. I thought I already told you that.”

Monty groaned. “You remind me of the jokes our father always tell us.”

“Jokes?”

“Clearly he is clueless at interpretation, you must understand that,” Juranix said. “No, he is not joking. His mind is just different from everyone else’s.”

“That seems hard to believe,” Elsie said, but she did not even seem to be aware of her comment. She was staring uncomfortably at Ned, seemingly lost in his eyes.

“Is there a problem?” he asked. 

She shook her head. “No, nothing. It is just your eyes…they are very unsettling. That is all. You are right about them looking like that of a pignaut’s. I cannot shake that image out of my head now.”

“Well, they are not!” Ned said. “Everyone knows to inject extraterrestrial pignaut genes into us is impossible!”

“Calm down, child,” Juranix said. “It was a peaceful, innocent statement. And you--” he pointed to the girl, “even if you may not be offended by comments about purity, think before you say something about it to other pures. Some own it like a heavy burden they do not want, do you understand?”

She looked down. “Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, what?”

She looked up. “Yes, Your Majesty. I am very and completely honest about my sincere and genuine apology to your grand sublimeness in which governs all of this planet and takes care of it, so I shall continue to think before I say anything in front of your almighty power and authority presence because it is rude to be rude to someone who leads and manages the entire world in which we live in and take its resources for granted.”

The emperor nodded in satisfaction. “That is more like it. Continuing on. You will be staying here for a while. Do not ask me how long. My servants will prepare and lead you to your quarters.”

“We are staying here?” Monty asked. “If I may ask, Your Majesty, what is the purpose?”

“Because I declare it. And nobody dares trespass my orders and demands.”

How unjust! Elsie thought. Does he not realize we are all under his horrific oppression? That we all build statues of him, burn sacrifices for him--sometimes a person--and apologize long and wholeheartedly to him? And yet he thinks he runs this planet greatly. What a clueless tyrant!

“We have to inform our mother and father,” Monty said. “If we are to--”

“I will take care of that myself,” Juranix said. Then, he thought: I hear the reluctance in his voice. Does he not understand I am granting an enormous gift to them? Here they will have the greatest of beds, the finest of foods, the most exotic and beautiful gardens in the citadel and the planet, all for free. And they will be under the presence of such verity in myself and my thrall. I assure they will come back to their family as changed people. 

“You three may go now,” he said. “Ingest the greatness of the citadel’s glory--roam the gardens, eat the desserts, gaze at the skyline of Talonia below. Whatever you desire.”

#

For a while, the children did. Ned was happy to tour them around the citadel. “We have the highest quality of things here,” he told them. “Like how the emperor says: ‘High-quality furniture. High-quality food. Even the quality of our quality is very high quality’.” 

They did not seem to enjoy themselves, Ned noticed, as they saw all the amazing things. One particular thing Elsie did not like at all were the numerous statues of Juranix around the citadel. Monty did not take any food at the buffet. It seemed the Sibello twins loathed the emperor, as well as all his wealth.

“Does this all not bother you?” Elsie asked him. “That he alone lives like this while the rest of us are under poverty because of The Ultimate Depression? He bathes in gold coins every day, and we bathe in nothing.”

“He is not so bad,” Ned said. “Believe me. I was once like you: a severe hater of our ruler. But as you will see later on, He Who Is Great And Sublime is not as bad as he seems. He really cares for the people of his empire. He tells me stories about his deeds. It is just hard to rule an entire planet, that is all. He is only one person.” 

“You must be seriously brainwashed,” Monty said. “If you see what happens down below in the city, you will feel what we feel. It is only that you are granted all this abundance of goodness, under the protection of a powerful benefactor, and live in an almighty palace high above in a gleaming citadel on a plateau that you think that way.”

Ned became angry. Who was this fool to have the audacity to say such things? “By that logic, that means you only think that way because you and the rest of the people rot down below with no money.”

“That is true. But you can clearly see which one is worse.”

“I used to be like you if you did not know. I used to live off scraps of bread every day, do labour until the skin on my hands blister and peel off, and get two hours of sleep every night.”

“So how did that change?” Elsie asked. “How did you come here?”

Ned relaxed, taking down his hateful glare on Monty. “Juranix. He is like a father to me.”

“He took you in for free, I presume.”

“He took me in because I deserved it. He saw the potential of my brain. The capacity of my mind to become a great and famous thinker in history. A legend. So he let me live.”

“He let you live for the sole purpose of you and him sharing the same principles and beliefs?”

“Yes. It is a long story.”

So Ned spent the rest of the day telling them everything. The Vast War, the stories and myths--and realities--of time travel and The Labyrinx. He was surprised to find out that they already knew about The Labyrinx. The emperor often talked about it and made it known throughout the city, so there was no need for him to explain it to them. 

“Those all seem like stories made up by Juranix,” Monty said. “The Vast War? I have never heard of it.”

“Before it was erased from existence, it was very widely known,” Ned said. “It was the war that was fought for control of the planet. Us against the pignauts. It was a long time ago, and it was taught everywhere in all schools about the history of it and how Juranix rose to power. But I went back in time to make sure it never existed, which means I do not even remember it too.”

“Nonsense.”

Ned shrugged. He was not forcing him to believe it. Even he was not sure if it was true himself, and there was no way of ever finding out now. 

“So you were brought here for that crime,” Elsie said, “without you even knowing or remembering you did it?”

“Yes. I was going to be executed. Unless I solved an impossible riddle. I was forced to answer a question with no answer.”

“I would like to meet the boy who told you the answer. Is he here?”

Ned nodded. “I respect him a lot. He saved my life. He is a good friend of mine.”

It took a while to find him, but they did. The boy Mill was shy to meet them. They were all older than him by one year. He was uncomfortable at their presence.

“Aw, cute,” Elsie said, putting her hands on her knees to match his height. “What is your name, little boy? I am Elsie.”

“Millton,” he said quietly. “But you can call me Mill. I am nine.” Although focused on talking, he was distracted by her features. She must be a pure, he thought. Like Ned. But I do not think Ned is as flawless as her. She looks perfect. 

“How did you end up here?” she asked. “You seem too innocent to be…a slave in the palace.” I better not mention that at his age, he should be in the canyons, she thought.

“He committed manslaughter on a guard recently,” Ned said.

“Oh,” Elsie said, stepping back suddenly. 

“Very accidental, I assure you. He does not want to go into details.”

What a hero he is, Monty thought, smiling. 

“Do you want to play?” Mill asked all of them. “My wise master, yours truly He Who Is Great And Sublime, has given me free time for the rest of the day.”

He looks so innocent! Elsie thought. And it would be rude not to accept the offer. “Okay.”

“Let us play hide and seek,” he said. “I will start as the seeker. Ten…”

“Oh, I would rather not…” Monty said. 

“Nine…”

“I am also not inclined to such nonsense,” Ned said. “But well…we have to entertain the little boy, do we not?”

“Eight…”

They spent the rest of the day playing with the boy. 

The days passed by in the palace uneventfully. Most of their days they were bored, so they depended on the little boy to entertain them. 

Ned grew fond of the visitors as time went. I like these two, he thought. Juranix has livened up the palace with my new playmates. 

But he knew, like all other good things, that they would be gone before he knew it.

Chapter The Ninth: 

Cretins And Imbeciles

The great Emperor Juranix entered the dark computer room where he searched up the things he knew from The Labyrinx. But when he had entered, he was not alone. He saw a boy there on the computer already. It was Millton.

“You like computers, do you not?”

The boy whirled around on the chair. “Ah! Your Majesty, I am truly sorry. I entered this room without permission.”

“Do not be. Everything is fine. You could not resist looking at the programs.”

“Ah, yes. That is the case, Your Majesty. You know I could not enter The Labyrinx without your password, and it was not my intention in the first place.”

“So what was?”

“I was looking through files. Census-tracking, birth certificates of pures…it interests me. Especially the case about your missing criminal gene son, it gave me the drive to--I mean…I am sorry. I have a big mouth, Your Majesty.”

So someone must have told him, Juranix thought. “You know about my gene son?”

“Yes.” The boy looked deathly terrified as if he knew the emperor was going to execute him on the spot. I am as good as dead, he thought. I have trespassed.

“You shall not worry about it,” Juranix said when he saw the look on his face. “In fact, I was hoping I would find someone like you. Good with computers and systems. I am nearly clueless when it comes down to them. The Time Traveller who showed me the technology did not inform me clearly enough about its potential.”

“But you search The Labyrinx,” Mill said. “All the time. You are the only person who does it, as well.”

“Yes, I know. That is all I know how to do. In fact, I may even make someone do it for me. I am thinking about making Ned my Searcher. He will find the things I want for me, in The Labyrinx, since I have experimentally proven he has the ability of exceptional and extreme luck. I am still deciding.”

“I am sure Ned will be faithful and loyal to his job if you choose to give it to him. Everyone in the palace already knows that you have made him his pupil.”

“Ah, yes. A bright one, he is. And so are you. I know that you have been interested in my searching programs. You are a good person to use them. I can give you a new title and a new job. How would you like to be my criminal hunter? ‘Juranix’s Criminal Hunter’. I can task you to be in charge of finding and catching my gene son as your first case.”

Mill looked happy. “Really? That…that is great! I accept!”

“Yes, I knew you would. You have an interest in these types of things, I see. Using technology to find criminals.”

This gives me a chance to prove myself, the boy thought. To show that I am capable of good things, and not things like murder or manslaughter. I will take away the criminal reputation off me by finding others that have it for real.

“More details on our terms of the agreement,” Juranix said. “You will have a new position in authority. Higher than even the best of my guards. You can command them now. The reason for this is so they do not disobey you when you order them to catch a criminal you have found. Second: you will work every day, at least eight hours a day, in finding criminals with my scanner technology. But your most important priority is my criminal gene son. Find him at all costs, and bring him to me. Understood?”

“Yes. Will I have access to this room whenever I want to?”

“Of course. But when I need it, or if my Searcher needs it--if I decide to get one--then you are to leave no matter what.”

“Understood.”

“Then I hereby declare you my official Criminal Hunter.”

I cannot wait to tell this to my friends, Mill thought. 

#

“Give me your best joke,” Monty said. Him, his sister, and Ned were enjoying themselves by the plaza of the palace where they had a view of the gardens, the city, and the many towers of the palace.

“Well, let us see…” Ned said. “I need a piece of paper.”

They found one at a desk as well as a pen. Ned wrote on the piece of paper, ‘your best joke’ and gave it to Monty. His sister looked over his shoulder and read it with him. They did not laugh.

“That is not funny,” Monty said. “I am being serious.”

“Yes, I know you were,” Ned said. “That is why I did that. You asked for, ‘your best joke’, and I gave it to you. Is this not what you asked for?”

Monty and Elsie glanced at each other. It was only then they laughed. “Oh, you act so dumbly,” Monty said. “I am not sure if it is because you really are dumb, or you think in a very different way.”

“I would prefer the latter.”

“We mean an actual joke,” Elsie explained. 

Oh, Ned thought. That is what they meant. “Okay. I just realized something!”

Both twins said at the same time, “What?”

“That I have nothing to realize.” 

Monty groaned, but Elsie laughed. “I asked for your best one,” he said. “My, if that is all you have got, then I am sad for you.”

“Who is, ‘You?’”

“Never mind.”

“I have something to tell you.”

“What?”

“That I have nothing to tell you.”

Monty just sighed. “I see now, that you do not get humour.”

“Where can I get it? How much does it cost? Where is the nearest place I can get it?”

“He has a different sense of humour,” Elsie said. “Or, he is not joking at all.”

“Yes, sister. I think he really just thinks differently.”

“Different enough to have us,” Billy said. Ned could not tell if he and his sister Francesca were there the entire time, or if they had just appeared. “You have an imaginative mind that is so powerful, you see us.”

“That is right,” Fran said. “You really are one of a kind.”

“I just realized,” Billy said, “that Ned is simply praising himself.”

“Yes,” Ned said. “I am flattered by my own praise.” Since they are in my head. “What are you two doing here? This is the first time you are here with my friends.”

“Are you talking to us?” Elsie asked. “Your mind drifted off, I think. Do you not remember why we are here? And which friends are you talking about?”

Ned shook his head as she and Monty looked at him strangely. “Forgive me. I have voices in my head. Imaginary friends. Please see it as a normal thing if I talk to no one at times.”

“You are very strange indeed,” Monty said. He looked at his sister. Merely by years of being siblings--and some sort of so-called twin telepathy that everyone thought was real--the two could look at each other and have a quick, silent conversation. 

He is like you, Monty told Elsie when he looked into her eyes. He has a problem. Perhaps a psychologic, mental one. 

Elsie knitted her eyebrows at her brother. I do not have mental issues. I simply have a problem with closing and opening my eyes.

Monty shook his head. False. Optophobia is not normal.

Will you shut up?

“Ah, so the stories are true,” Ned said, looking at the both of them. “Twin telepathy.”

“No,” Monty said. “We have just been siblings for a very long time.”

“Do you want us to read their mind?” Fran asked. “Tell you what they said?”

Ned shook his head. “I already know.”

“How?” Billy asked. 

“Yes,” Monty said. “Well, we have been separated for a while, as you know. Sister was captured by Juranix and his minions, and while she was in whatever dungeon she was in, she had a terrible time.”

“What happened?” Ned asked. 

“Can we please not talk about my past?” Elsie said. 

Then Ned said to Billy and Fran: “You two. Arion twins. Read her mind.”

“What?” Elsie said. 

Billy and Fran nodded. “She was put into a haunted plague-pit,” Billy said. “A place where dead bodies were piled on top of each other when they came too fast--during the time of the plague.”

“You were placed into a plague-pit,” Ned said, and Elsie’s eyes widened at the words. “A place where dead bodies were piled on top of each other when they came too fast. During the time of the plague.”

“During there, she was haunted by the ghosts of the dead bodies around her. She was traumatized at the horrible sights that she chose to indefinitely close her eyes. Ever since then, she has developed a fear of opening her eyes, and it has never gone away,” Fran said. 

Once again, Ned repeated all the information to her, and she grew more and more scared as he talked. Billy and Fran kept relaying the words to him, and Ned kept saying them out loud. When he finally got to the part of her gene father’s death--his father--she snapped. 

“Stop!” she screamed, covering her ears. “Stop it! I shall take no more!”

She started sobbing while her brother put an arm around her. He was not even shocked--only amazed with awe. “How did you find out?”

Ned shrugged. “My imaginary friends told me.”

Monty shivered. This boy is extraordinary, he thought as he held his sister. “Do not mind her trauma--she makes it dramatic for us. Ow!” he said when she punched him in the gut. “We all know ghosts are not real.”

“Yes,” Ned said. I can see that is probably the only fact keeping her alive. Allowing her to sleep at night. Allowing her to open her eyes after closing them for a long period of time. That ghosts are not real. 

“I am sorry,” he told her as she kept sobbing. “For pulling off that trick. I could not help myself. It was the first time I have read someone’s mind. Intentionally, I mean.”

“So you have telepathic powers?” Monty asked. 

Ned shook his head. “No. Not that. It is a combination of my well-known extreme luck and my imagination. I think of a story--make it up in my head, and say it out loud. I am just super lucky that it is the correct one.”

“Unbelievable. Do you know the scale of that tremendousness? That is like a Labyrinx inside your head! You can guess any password correctly, find out the secrets of anyone, figure out how to do anything--”

“Only with my imaginary friends, Billy and Francesca.”

“Only with your imaginary friends, of course. Without them, you have no one in your head to tell you anything. But wait a minute--with this power, this means…what in blazes are you doing?”

Ned was awkwardly frozen still. “I am waiting for a minute like you had asked. Fifty-five seconds left.”

Monty put a palm to his face and sighed. “I am not going to bother with this one. You are definitely missing something in your brain.”

“Brain cells? How many?”

“Literality is your problem, I think. Yes, that is what it is. You think everything--and I mean everything--in a literal sense.”

At that moment, Mill found them. He had searched everywhere in the palace for them. “There you all are,” he said but stopped when he saw Elsie’s eyes damp from crying. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Elsie said, waving it off. “I feel better already, do not worry.”

“I wanted to tell you that I recently got an official job from Juranix.”

“Really?” Ned said. “That is great. What is it?”

Mill told them all about it. Even about his primary target. “I am excited about this job,” he said when he finished. 

“Juranix has a gene son?” Elsie asked, dumbfounded. 

“Yes. Oh, and also,” he looked at Ned. “Juranix wants to see you, too. He wants you for another lesson, I presume.”

Ned nodded and got up. “Entertain them for me, would you? I think the topic was jokes.”

“Nice,” Mill said. “I can tell them: my life.”

“Ned’s are very unfunny,” Monty said. “I hope you will have better ones.”

“Mine are not,” Ned said. “Here, before I go, let me tell you one last one. I will say a joke.”

“Okay,” Monty said, as they all waited.

“A joke.”

Once again, only Elsie found it funny and laughed.

#

“Ah, there you are,” Juranix said as he saw the boy walking up to him in the throne room. 

“Why did you not tell me about your gene son?” he asked. “You told Mill before me.”

“Ah, so now you know.” Juranix cleared his throat. “I suppose it is time for you to know. We have many more days for our lessons, so those can wait. You wish to know about my gene son?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. It was a long time ago. I think it was when I recently had taken over this city. I chose to have a gene child, as people always told me I had good genes. I have good teeth, brilliant eyes, a good build, and never got any diseases, whether it was genetic or not. Which you know, is not genetic. But now you know the secret of that reason--the immunity story I have told you a while ago. 

“Anyhow, I made the decision to have one. The most important reason was that I had an excellent and inexplicable mind--one that could grasp hard-to-understand concepts. I thought, ‘Well, would it not be so nice if I had a gene child of my own with my genes? He or she could be as smart as me and could be my pupil.’

“So I ordered my scientists to have a pignaut family in the city bear another baby that my genes would be injected to. The birth of a new pure, it seemed. I made my pignaut guards force them to. At the time, I was very busy, so I barely remembered the entire project. My gene child--a boy--grew up in the city without me, all because I forgot about him.

“But he had turned into a criminal, you see. Did some bad things. I cannot entirely remember what things he has done, but I know that he is a terrible person and is number one on my wanted list. He is to be executed if to be found for all the crimes he did. He has become very, very dangerous. Wherever his presence was last seen or heard of, I evacuate the area and release a squadron of my finest troops there. He is my top priority in finding--well, except for you, of course. You had been my top priority, but now I have you.”

“Oh,” Ned said, the story finished. “That is…wild.”

“Yes,” Juranix said. “It is. Bah! All cretins and imbeciles, they are. So many bad people in the world.”

Like you, the boy thought. At least, many people in the city find you bad. Not me. 

“Mill is now in charge of finding him with the scanning technology we have,” Juranix continued. “I think the situation is a lost cause, though. He has delved himself into the shadows, and he has hidden from us for years. He is never to be found.

“Somewhere out there--a crazy pignaut is loose. Probably terrorizing citizens and going on mass murders and whatnot.”

Chapter The Tenth:

The Wisdom Of Nonsense

The days at the palace continued to pass by. The boy spent time with his friends and continued to listen to lessons from Juranix.

“Did you know,” the emperor said, one day, “that the most important thing is to remember how to remember?”

“Why?” the boy asked.

“Is it not obvious? If you have forgotten how to remember, how are you to remember anything? It is like the question: how do we learn how to learn? We cannot learn yet without learning how to learn first. But to learn how to learn, we need to learn, which is something we cannot do…”

“Because we have not learned how to learn yet.”

“Precisely. So how is it possible to learn?”

“I do not know.”

“Hmm.” Juranix stroked his chin, thinking. “I suppose it is impossible to learn, then. It reminds me of another impossible situation. Let us say a rabbit hops in a field. To get to the other end, he covers half the distance in each hop. The first hop goes to the middle of the field. Then a quarter. Then an eighth. Now, tell me, will the rabbit ever reach the end?”

“Yes.”

“Of course. He will never--wait, what did you say?” The boy is much smarter than this! he thought. How could he not figure it out? How could he have gotten it wrong?

I know he is expecting me to agree with him, Ned thought. But he is wrong. I can explain why. “I said yes. It is true that every time the rabbit moves, the distance it overtakes gets smaller and smaller. But…just think about it. Every time he moves, no matter how small the distance, he moves some distance. Eventually, even if it will take a million years, a billion years, or even near forever, it will reach the end. For distance, infinity is nonexistent.”

“But it does not matter how much time it will take. Every hop is smaller than the last. It will never make it. To prove your point, you must give me an example.”

“All right. I shall. If you jump off a cliff, and you are travelling to the bottom, your distance is being divided in half quickly as you fall and fall. Is it not? And so, if the distance to the ground continuously gets halved and halved…will you float on the air forever?”

Juranix grunted. “Hmph. No.”

“Exactly. You would reach the end. But…how can that be? You had said that if the distance is divided in half indefinitely, you will never reach the end.”

He is most definitely right, Juranix realized. 

“Very good,” he said. “Next question: What is better than divine, godly power?”

“Nothing.”

“But is an apple not better than nothing? Therefore, an apple must be better than divine, godly power, is it not?”

“Another paradox?”

“Ah, yes. A nice one. All because of the play on words.”

“You are talking about two different kinds of nothing.”

“No, I am not. I am speaking about the same nothing. It is only that you can use the word to answer different questions, and so they get different meanings. How about this one: over time, your body replaces cells. Every cell has a lifespan--under yours, of course--and dies out, being replaced by a new one. It is inevitable that right now, at your age, all your cells as a baby were replaced. So, does this mean that you are a completely new person? Literally? How can we tell if you are still you?”

Ned knitted his eyebrows, and Juranix chuckled. “One of my favourites. It raises the question about the reality of our existence. Are we the same, or a new person? Since our whole body is replaced many times--”

“Brain cells,” Ned said, slightly defiant in his answer. 

“What?”

Do not try to trick me, Juranix. “Brain cells never get replaced. They stay with you your entire life. That is why if they are damaged, it is very dangerous. The number of brain cells you start with is the number you will have for your life. It even makes sense--the brain is what holds and stores memories. Perhaps if our brain cells got replaced like all the other types, we would be completely new people. But since they are not erased, that is why we are not. They are the only part of our body that typically stays with us our entire lifetime.”

Outstanding, Juranix thought. He is correct once again. He has outsmarted me once more. How does he do it?

“Well done,” Juranix said. What a boy with a lot of potential! “Since we are on the topic of our body’s cells, this all reminds me of another true fact. I did not get this from The Labyrinx, either. This is a known fact among pignauts. I am not sure about your race, but for us, every one of us has more bacteria cells in our body than pignaut cells. It raises the question: are we truly pignaut…or bacteria?”

“Ha, that is truly amazing. But--”

“Yes, yes, I know. It would not matter since our brain consists of pignaut cells, therefore we think and feel--since our brains are in charge of that--that we are pignaut.”

The boy beamed. 

“Another question for you,” Juranix said. This will be the last one before I make him my Searcher. I have decided already. “How do you shut up someone who keeps saying no?”

“Easy. Tell that person: say no.”

“Precisely. Then that person would not know what to do if he has to answer it.”

They both laughed, filling the hall with the delightful sound. If the person says no to the command, then he fulfils it, Ned thought. And if he says yes, then he has failed in the continuity. Juranix sure is funny…and wise.

Juranix took a moment to calm down. “There is something that I have been wanting to do, my child.”

“What is it?”

“Mill already knows this. I am thinking about making you my official Labyrinx Searcher. I will task you with the job of searching for things for me in The Labyrinx, whatever I need or want. I have chosen you because you have proven yourself to have extreme luck.”

The boy was excited. “Really? That is great! I accept.”

Juranix smiled. I knew you would. “You will be a personal thrall. One of high authority, I must add. The only one higher would be me. From now on, you may do anything of your choice as long as it is acceptable. I trust that you can tell the difference between right and wrong, so I will grant you this power. I will alert everyone else that they have to obey you now.”

“That is very giving of you, my emperor. I would gladly do this job. To be your Searcher. I will do my best in finding all the information that you need from The Labyrinx.” Billy and Fran will tell me what page I need to find, he thought. He may not know, but I am the absolute perfect person for this job.

“You accept on your behalf without payment,” Juranix said. “But with the new promotion comes the new advantage of authority. Might I tell you, the room with the computer is also being shared by your friend, Millton. He needs it for his job as Criminal Hunter. You will have the power to interrupt him whenever you need to, to use The Labyrinx, but he will be there most of the time.”

I am sure Mill would not mind letting me take over when I need to, Ned thought. He is very nice. Even if I do not have anything to search up for Juranix, he would probably let me use it for my own fun. 

“Since you have accepted already, I hereby declare you my official, Searcher Of The Labyrinx, the great and watchful eye of the almighty, He Who Is Great And Sublime. You will be my symbol of strength, my vision, my intelligence, and most of all, my verity. You shall be a representation of my power, a true warrior of justice and belief. On your behalf, anyone who disobeys you shall be punished.”

“Thank you,” Ned said. “I cannot wait to tell my friends.”

“In fact, you are now so important, I will grant you a personal bodyguard.” He called out a name, and a boy entered the hall. 

The boy looked a bit older. He carried a heavy claymore, one almost as big as him. At first, Ned thought he was a pure. He was handsome and tall and had spiky blond hair. But Ned could tell if a person was a pure or not. Anyone could. The boy was a regular. Perhaps he would be the father of a pure, later on, with how good his genes were. He wore a single necklace with a star bead on it, a blue suit and frock coat with golden buttons, and military cargo pants.

“Hello,” Ned said when the boy walked up to them. “Nice to meet you. I am Nediom. Call me Ned. What is your name?”

But the boy’s eyes were blank, and he did not answer.

“This is Starlight,” Juranix said. “An orphan I found a while ago. He does not speak, as you see, due to a traumatic childhood experience. Since he does not speak, I do not know his name. I have named him Starlight because his hair reminds me of the sun. And because he always wears that necklace. All I know about it is that someone very special and close to him gave it to him. It was his only possession after I found him.

“He is an exceptional fighter, especially with his massive, single-edged broadsword. He will protect you from anything, I assure you. He can take down my guards easily with the amount of fighting skill he has. I was told that he was the son of a great soldier, so perhaps the genes are in his blood.”

“Nice to meet you, Starlight,” Ned said. 

Starlight nodded his head at the statement. 

“One tiny detail about him that you must know,” Juranix said. “The scale of his bad childhood must never be underestimated. He has gotten used to no sleep since he has paralyzing nightmares. He has heavy insomnia, so he cannot sleep. In fact, the last time he slept…I do not remember. It has been that long. Years ago.”

“He has not slept in years?” Ned asked, bewildered, looking up at the emperor.

“A strange and abnormal trait, I assume. But, well, it is what it is. It really makes him a much better bodyguard. Not needing to sleep.”

“Is he not tired after never sleeping in years?”

“It a mystery to me. But if you take a look at him, it is obvious he is not. He still fights with the speed of a viper and the ferocity of a tiger. Animals from Earth, by the way. From The Labyrinx. He also does not smile, so do not get him to try.”

Strange, Ned thought, looking at the boy. Although I think he will prove to be a worthy bodyguard. He looks like the obedient type. 

“He only has two commands to follow: be with you everywhere to protect you, and always follow your demands. He is trained not to fail either. The first rule overpowers the second. On that note, you may leave now. Word spreads around quickly here. I am sure everyone already knows you are my Searcher now. With the exception of your friends, of course.” 

The emperor sighed. “I have a Searcher, then. A master of the wisdom of nonsense. I will not have to fuss over the computer again, or the tedious pages of gibberish. Oh, and one more thing to add to the terms and agreements.”

He may think of trying to escape, Juranix thought. By being a soldier. So he has more opportunities. I have to make sure he will not.

“You have taken this job as your final one. You are now not able to apply for any other job.”

He must have known, Ned thought. That I had a plan to try to escape.

“You may go find your friends now,” Juranix said.

Well, that hope is lost. 

#

The boy and his bodyguard walked around the palace, looking for them. The boy could definitely feel the new aura around him that immediately reminded others of his new title. Servants obeyed him more often now, without hesitation. They stood by with solemn respect as he walked past, knowing his level of authority. He felt like a king. 

“Do not abuse this power,” Fran said.

“Yes. Juranix will take it away from you easily if you do,” Billy said. 

They were both by his side now, while he looked for his friends. Ned had gotten used to them. A while ago he was not.

“You know I would not,” he said. “After all, you two know it--you both are my greatest power. And have I abused the use of you two yet?”

“I must say, you have not,” Fran said. “Well, good point. You are trustable.”

The four of them continued to walk through the large hallways until Billy tugged the boy’s sleeve when a pignaut guard walked by them. 

“Yes?” the boy asked him. 

But Billy turned to Fran. “Sister Francesca…is that not the guard that Old Ned told us to make a dishwasher?”

Fran studied the guard. “Oh my, it is. You are correct. That is him! We better fulfil his promise.”

“What are you two talking about?” Ned asked. 

“Nothing,” Billy said. “But, well, something. May you do us--I mean yourself--a favour? That guard over there--make him a dishwasher. An eternal one.”

“What? Why? Is this not abusing my power?”

“Juranix said you may do acceptable things,” Fran said. “This is most certainly acceptable.”

“But why must I do it?”

“Just trust us,” Billy said. “After all, we are yourself. Do not question further. All we may tell you is that it is something about the future…no, the past. Both.”

The boy was confused, but he simply shrugged and nodded. He called the pignaut guard at the end of the hall, ordering him to come to him.

“Yes, sire?” he asked.

“The kitchen is, um, short on dishwashers,” Ned told him. “You are to become one for the rest of your life. You are to eternally wash dishes and you may not argue or ask for anything else otherwise. You are relieved of your duty to start your new one.”

Outrageous! the guard thought. The older one was right! How could this be? There is no way! 

But he kept a straight face and nodded. “All right, sire. I shall become a dishwasher on your behalf and wishes.”

He left, and Billy and Fran smiled with satisfaction.

“Serves him right,” Billy said. “Justice has not left the world after all. ”

“Can we find Monty, Elsie, and Mill now?” the boy asked. “I know you two can tell me where they are.”

“The exact plaza indeed,” Fran said, nodding. “We will lead you to them.”

“Come on, Starlight,” Ned said, gesturing him to follow. They followed Billy and Fran--although only Ned knew they were there--and soon the boy found all three of them. 

“Oh, Ned is back,” Elsie said. With someone else, she thought, seeing Starlight. My, that boy looks familiar. 

“I have great news,” Ned said. He told them all about his new job. He introduced them to his new bodyguard.

“What? I did not get a bodyguard!” Mill said, frowning. They all laughed. Except for Starlight, of course. 

“You two have amazing jobs,” Monty said. 

“Yes, Juranix considers our wellbeing,” Ned said. 

I wish that were the case, Monty thought. “Did he ask you two to swear an oath that you would die for him, no matter what? Especially if he died?”

Ned and Mill both shook their head, confused. 

“No,” Ned said. “Why?”

“How unjust. Are you unaware he recently made a new law about that? He made every citizen swear it. I suppose he thinks of us as loyal, loving followers.”

“I would gladly die for him,” Ned said, and Mill agreed by nodding. “He has given me everything.”

“You have a big sword, mister,” Mill said, turning to Starlight. The little boy was nowhere near his chin, and he had to look up to talk to him. “Can I touch it? It is bewilderingly huge.”

“Ah, the kid sometimes,” Monty said. “You find him cute, do you not, sister? Sister?” He turned to her. 

The entire time, Elsie had an uneasy look. “Look,” she whispered to them as Mill continued to talk to Starlight, her making sure the bodyguard could not hear. “I know that boy.”

“Yes,” Ned said, knitting his eyebrows. “I just introduced him to you. Have you forgotten?”

“No, it is not that. He was another prisoner that was captured by Juranix. He was with me in that plague-pit. I remember now. It was only the presence of both of us that kept us alive, rather than being scared to death.”

Ned turned to Billy and Fran. “You never told me that.”

“I suppose we did not,” Billy said. “Apparently it is true. Starlight and Elsie are childhood friends. They know each other.”

“It makes sense now,” Fran said. “From that nightmarish hole, Starlight got extreme insomnia. Elsie got intense optophobia.”

“You zoned out again,” Monty said, shaking Ned’s arm.

“Sorry.”

“He has not slept in years,” Elsie said. 

Ned nodded. “I know. I am not sure what was so haunting about that pit of dead bodies, but I understand.” No, I really do not. I mean, ghosts are not real. Everyone knows that. I am curious to find out, though. I may try to search it up in The Labyrinx. 

“One more thing,” Elsie said. “He has a weakness for the things he loves. A secret vulnerability. But overall, he is a good person. You can trust him. You can trust him to conquer any enemy.”

“Except sleep,” Monty muttered.

Chapter The Eleventh: 

A Book In A Book

“Your Majesty, there are many things you need to deal with in the empire. Many problems, complaints, demands.”

“I understand,” Emperor Juranix said. “I am just busy spending my time with the boy. He has become very important to me. A truly valuable asset.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Enough to make him your personal thrall. The Searcher Of The Labyrinx, the true and clear eyesight of He Who Is Great And Sublime.”

“The boy’s mind is complex. He has a comprehension of concepts and ideas at a level beyond most others, including adults.”

“Indeed. The mind of a child is precious. And wonderful. That is perhaps why mothers tell their children they are special when they are young, am I right, Your Majesty?”

“Certainly. You can never have a complete childhood without being told you were special by your mother. Even I was told that. But I think this child is greater than that. He really is special. If he was of my blood, he would triumph as a proud successor of mine. I have reviewed his answers on this old soldier enlistment questionnaire he has taken to join the army. Do you know what the child has written?”

“I do not, Your Majesty.”

“There was this one question, which read: What makes you different from others willing to join? What sets you apart? He put: ‘This questionnaire is given to everyone willing to join, and it will have this same question for them as well. How can I be different if they all have their own differences they will have too when they answer this question? How can I be different if we all have the same quality that makes us not: we are different. It is the same as the popular saying we are all unique. How can we all be unique if we all have one quality that makes us not unique: we are all unique? To be truly unique, you must be the only one. It is also the same as saying two people can keep a secret. If a person has told his or her secret to someone else, can it be called a secret anymore? If everyone in the world knows of this one secret of a person, how can it be called one, when it is hidden from no one?’”

“Intelligent, he is. You have proven your point, Your Majesty.”

“It is not only that which proves my point. Since I have read his answers, I have decided to add questions of my own into the next one he would take. In his second one, I have added a question: Two people are arguing. One has said a joke that is seemingly not offensive, as nobody else finds it that way. But the other person was extremely offended, even though it was a completely innocent joke. Who is right in this scenario, and what would you make that person do?

“He answered: Without a doubt, it is the person who said the innocent joke. It was innocent, and everyone finds it the same, so the other person simply got offended easily. If I were the joke-teller, I would keep my mouth shut and tell the other person: ‘Okay, you win the argument’. Just to get that person to stop. He may leave, thinking he has won the argument, but the other person and everyone else knows the truth and will keep it that way.”

“That is genius, Your Majesty. A smart tactic by the boy. Make the others believe in themselves, while you and the rest laugh behind their backs.”

“Yes. That was only one answer that intrigued me. This is the other: the question is, ‘You get one wish from a genie you found in a lantern. Your wish cannot be tied to anything that will grant you more wishes, or more genies. What would you wish for?’ He wrote: I would wish to have the power to time travel back to the moment before I have used the wish, and the ability to go back to the present with whatever items I have that I want to bring with me. This makes me have infinite wishes, but not more wishes. I just keep using the same one, over and over.”

“Once again, that is bewildering. But, may I ask, Your Majesty, would he not know all these questions are strange since they are part of a soldier enlistment questionnaire?”

“I was getting to that part. Right after the answer about the genie wish, he put as his last sentence…

“‘Juranix, I hope these answers make you proud when you get the chance to read them. Since I know you do’.”

#

The boy walked and walked. He continued to walk until his feet hurt. He had nothing but a knapsack that he wore on his shoulders, filled with lots of water and snacks.

Nothing else, the boy thought. Absolutely nothing.

“How long is Juranix letting us be out here for?” asked Billy. He and his sister were walking by his side, stepping over rocks and pebbles alongside him.

Well, the boy thought, almost nothing. 

“We must be back by evening,” he said. “He gave no specific time. I assume he means supper, at the least.”

“And we are doing all of this for something you think you remember that your father left, here in the canyons?” Fran asked. The boy could hear the heavy discontent in her voice. 

“I am certain there is something here,” Ned said. He took a glance around them, viewing the surroundings. Everywhere he glanced, sad and desperate-looking slaves laboured and had longing looks at him. Pleading looks. They carried pots full of ores above their heads, passed them on, and pushed them in mine carts. Some wielded hefty pickaxes and monstrously hacked away at the granite chunks everywhere, their sweating muscles taut in the sun. Some set explosives in caves and detonated them once everyone was at a safe distance. 

“So this is where Juranix gets his wealth,” the boy said. 

“It is very hot here,” Fran said. “Ned, if you want to find it quick, Billy and I can show you.”

“Yes, we definitely can,” Billy said. 

“Okay.” The boy stopped for a moment, held his kneecaps, and rested, panting. “Show me. Lead the way.”

“It is not too far,” Fran said. 

They went ahead, and Ned followed them. After long, gruelling periods of hiking through the sun-scorching desert sands, the twins stopped. They stood before a spot on the ground, their eyes trained on it. 

“Dig here,” Billy instructed. 

Of course, the boy had thought of bringing a shovel in case it was underground. It turned out that he had one in his knapsack, and he had forgotten.

First, he took that out. Then he took out some water, too. He opened the canister and poured all of it onto the spot.

“Why ever would you do that?” Fran asked. 

“To get the soil wet and mushy. It will make it easier to dig. I do not need all the water I have, so it is fine.”

He began to dig, deeper and deeper. Never stopping. It was tiring work. He wished there could have been a better environment for him, one that was less harsh.

“I wonder when your father would have had the time to put this gift for you here,” Fran said. “Perhaps when he had set out to save Elsie?”

Finally, when Ned was finished heaving out dirt, he hit something hard. But he knew it was not stone. He scraped the last remaining amounts of dirt around the object, and then finally grabbed it, pulling it out. 

Billy and Fran were behind him, looking over his shoulder. 

“It is a book,” Billy said. “How lame.”

“‘Stargazer’,” the boy said, reading it out loud. “By…It seems that a long time, plus the eroding dirt, has made the author’s name unreadable. I can only make out the initials…N, and J. How strange.”

“Yes,” Fran said. “And the title…that is your surname, is it not?”

The boy nodded. “It would make sense, seeing as that my father had left it for me. A family record, perhaps?”

He opened up the book. It was not a family record. It was a story of fiction. He read the first page and the first line.

“Because you may find out something you do not like,” he said. 

“Is that not the sentence echo that had kept repeating in your head when you first woke up in the carriage?” Billy asked. 

“Yes, it is.” The boy was very amazed. He continued to flip through the pages. “If you read on, too, you can see the story is about me. I am the main character. Look, everything that happens here has happened to me.”

“Wait, stop there,” Fran said, putting a hand to block him from turning more. “This is the part where you answer the riddle correctly. For Juranix. The text even displays thoughts of other characters, other than the main. And look, it says here, from what Juranix is thinking when you answered the riddle correctly, that he was planning to kill you whether you got the riddle correctly or not.”

The boy was not surprised at that. “I already knew that.”

Fran looked at him, puzzled. “How?”

“I…” the boy did not know the right words to say. He shrugged. “I just did. At that moment, I read his thoughts.”

“That would make sense,” Billy said, who had taken the book from his hands. “Look at what it reads on the blurb. ‘The story is in the perspective of third-person omniscient because Ned can read all character’s minds’. I think it means you do it through us. The Lumos.”

“Perhaps so.” Then the boy thought of a wild idea. “Try to read ahead of where we are in the story. Just a little bit ahead…perhaps a sentence ahead of the one I am saying right now, which is probably in the book.”

Billy nodded. He checked. It read:

“right now, which is probably in the book.

Billy nodded. He checked. It read:

right now, which is probably in the book. 

Billy nodded. He checked. It read:

“You cannot since in the book we do the same exact”

“You cannot since in the book we do the same exact thing,” Billy said. “The book is an exact replica of what happens in your life.”

“Eerie,” Fran muttered. 

“Let us take it back to the palace,” the boy said. “I want to show it to my friends.”

#

They went back with lots of time left before supper. The boy gathered the group to show them his amazing discovery.

“Magnificent,” Mill said after Ned had shown them all. “And strange.”

“Why do you not try to check if there is an author biography?” Elsie asked. “I am curious to find out who the person that wrote this is.”

“You are not curious,” Ned said. “You are Elsie. Why would you even change your name to that?”

They all groaned, and Starlight shook his head.

“What?”

“I really hope you are joking,” Monty said. “Or you really have a bad sense of interpretation.”

“I am not the only one. The emperor has a high level of misinterpretation at times. If you want to know why, ask him about his wife at the hospital. He has a story for it, and it is truly funny. Not in an inconsiderate sense, I mean.”

Ned decided to follow Elsie’s idea. He flipped through pages until he found it. At the back of the book was a small description of the author.

“Look at what it says,” Monty said. “‘Referring to the book: he thinks like this in real life, and that is why there are so many philosophical ideas in it’.”

“What could that mean?” Mill asked.

“I have an idea,” Monty said. “Why not you try to go to the last page, or the ending, to see what happens. If this book really is about you, then that surely means the ending is what will happen to you.”

“That is a good idea,” Ned said, following. When he found the last page, he read it:

“YOU WILL NOT FIND ANSWERS HERE, NED”

“That makes me very uneasy,” Mill said. “It is very unnatural. How does the author know you would read that?”

“He wrote the story,” Ned said. “So he would know since he knows what I would do. Perhaps I am living the story right now, at this moment, that he has written.

“That makes me think: If I am living a story right now, and my fate has already been planned, no matter what, what is the point in doing anything? Let us say I am to have a painful, unpleasant death in the story, only if I go into the crime-filled streets and get murdered by bandits. If I know that no matter what, I will die because of that, then it will not matter if I go there or not, since my fate is already planned. My fate has been decided, and I cannot change it. All my chronicles are destined. But then, since I do not go to the crime-filled streets and therefore cannot be murdered by bandits, how will I die? I realize the power of this book now, and how dangerous it can be. It can cause paradoxes.”

It is like the paradox Juranix has told me, about going to the doctor and regaining health, he thought.

“True,” Elsie said. “But then, if you do stay away from the crime-filled streets, would that not also be recorded in the book? So then, perhaps your painful death was never your fate at all since your fate was to find this book, learn about that, and stay alive because of it. Perhaps you are part of a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“What is that?” Mill asked. 

“Self-explanatory. A prophecy that makes itself come true by itself. For example, a hero goes to an oracle to learn about what he will do, and he does it. If he never heard the prophecy from the oracle, he would never have done it. The prophecy, since it was told to him, has fulfilled it by itself.”

Wow, Mill thought. She sure knows a lot. I am fond of that kind of thing.

“Do not let that message stop you,” Monty said. “Try turning to another page before that, and see if the ending is there.”

“No,” Ned said, bringing the book away from his reaching fingers. “Do you not understand? Elsie is right. This could ruin everything in time. It is too dangerous to foreshadow the future with this artefact. It might affect something, in a bad sort of sense. It records everything that will happen to me, and to you all, and everything we say or do. Even this very sentence I am saying must be in the book, right now. The message has taught me to stop trying to keep looking. I understand now.”

“You are foolish,” Monty said. “Do you not realize that if something is in there that you do not like, you may be able to change it?”

“I am Ned, not foolish. Please remember my name. And listen to your sister: if that does happen, and I choose to change my fate, then in the book I will do the exact same thing. So then it will be pointless because, in the end, I have not changed my fate at all. Oh, and remember, my name is Ned.”

Monty groaned. “I am annoyed!”

“Hello, ‘Annoyed’. I did not know you changed your name. I thought your name was Edmontie.”

“Even this sentence must be in that book,” Mill said. “Wow. Remarkable. This somewhat reminds me of The Labyrinx. I know the words I am saying right now are in there, too. It is all the same.”

“Yes,” Elsie said. “Ned, I am still curious to find out more. Can you at least check the blurb?”

“I already have.” He went to it in the book. “It outlines the main plot. It also reads, which I find strange and somewhat interesting, ‘The story is in the perspective of third-person omniscient because Ned can read all character’s minds’.”

I am blinded by amazement by him, Monty thought. If he can truly do that. 

Ned faced Monty, who had not said a word. “What?” his friend asked him. 

Yes, Ned thought. Yes, you are. I am flattered, Monty.

“Ned, you just did it,” Fran said. He turned sharply to see them by his sides. Once again, he had forgotten if they were always there, or they had just appeared. 

“You just read his mind,” Billy said. 

“Only because you told me the words he thought of.”

“That is true. But we are in your head, remember? So do you know what that means? The sentence you thought of, the one that ran through Monty’s mind, is all made up by you. You really have extreme luck to get the thought right. Like how you have extreme luck in the riddles and games Juranix throws at you.”

“Who are you talking to?” Elsie asked Ned. “You keep doing this.”

“My imaginary friends, remember?” he said. Then he turned to Monty. “Monty, are you amazed by this?”

Monty had a surprised look. “Um, yes.” So he can read minds, he thought.

That is right, Monty, Ned thought. 

“It is almost time for supper,” Mill said. “We should go now. We all know how He Who Is Great And Sublime hates it when we are late to accompany him for a meal.”

“I will join you shortly,” Ned said, nodding to Starlight. “You may also go ahead. Permission granted.”

They left him alone with the book.

“Where am I going to put this?” he asked Billy and Fran. 

“We can memorize it,” Billy said. “Every page. We can fit it all into your head.”

“You can?”

“Yes,” Fran said. “Like a photographic memory. Well, it is not really like that. It is more of just you imagining the pages, instantly recalling them to your head when you need them.”

“Yes, because I have extreme luck. But what if I am wrong? What if I imagine a word wrong? Or a sentence? Or a paragraph?”

“Looking in retrospect, you know that will never happen,” Billy said. “It has never happened before, anyway.”

Ned nodded. “You are right. Here.” He handed the book to Billy. He scanned all the pages, flipping through them all and memorizing each word.

Then the boy heard a loud bang, and he jumped. He realized that it was only the book he had dropped. When he had handed it to Billy, it had fallen to the floor. Of course.

“Silly me.” He picked it up. “You have all the pages?”

“Yes,” Billy said. “I will be keeper and guardian of it.”

“But where am I going to put the real object? I need to keep it safe. It is a dangerous tool.”

“You might as well burn it,” Fran said. “Whenever you want to, you can rewrite it. All from your head.”

“But it is from my father.”

“You have said it yourself. It is a dangerous tool. If anyone finds it, especially Juranix, they will use it to their advantage. Do not worry, all of it is safe in your head now.”

He nodded. There was a fireplace nearby which burned brightly. He walked up to it, hesitated, then threw it in.

“Well done,” Fran said. 

The boy watched it burn. He could not shake the feeling that he was burning his own fate. 

Chapter The Twelfth: 

The Truth Button

It was a normal night. Everyone went to their quarters. The boy did not suspect a thing, but when he fell asleep that night, he woke up to the sound of screaming.

Immediately, he got off the bed to find the source. He opened the door to the hallway, finding Starlight there, also confused by the noise. He had come to the boy as fast as possible, in case there was a danger. Ned’s life was deemed more valuable than whoever was screaming. 

“What is that noise?” Fran asked, she and her brother instantly by his sides. 

“Elsie’s room,” Billy said, and the boy and his bodyguard wasted no time getting there.

When they arrived, they found Monty and Mill already there. No servants. At least, not yet. Everyone was still waking up.

Elsie was on her bed, seemingly stuck in a paralyzed state, screaming. Her eyes were closed. 

“What is happening?” Ned asked.

“Extreme optophobia,” Monty said, standing at the foot of her bed, trying to comfort his sister. I feel so sorry, he thought. She does not deserve this. I wish I can fix this.

“She does not want to open her eyes,” Mill said. 

“I will not!” Elsie yelled. “No matter what!”

“Does this happen often?” Ned asked. “At home?”

Monty shook his head. “At first, when she came back, we knew she was not the same. At that time, this usually did happen, and she got used to sleeping easily. One main factor was that we were all in the same room during our sleep since our townhouse is not that big. But here, in this huge palace, we all have our own quarters. She hid her fear of sleeping alone at first, and for weeks she seemed to be okay, until now. Also, I am sure the main reason she cannot sleep is that she feels like she is the last one awake, so she feels terribly alone. I am not sure she can stay here any longer. She must go back home.”

Ned frowned, thinking. I have an idea, he thought. But first, we have to get her to settle down. 

“Elsie, open your eyes,” he said. “We are all here.”

“No!” she said, shaking her head. “Do not trick me, foul creatures!”

“I order you to.”

For a moment, she exhaled deeply and calmed down. Then, slowly, she opened them, seeing them all. She began to breathe heavily, experiencing post-anxiety.

“It is okay,” Monty said, touching her hand. 

“Good,” Ned said. “So you cannot sleep. We can fix that easily, can we not?” He gestured to Starlight. “Starlight cannot sleep, just like you. In fact, he never does. Every night he spends time roaming around the palace with everyone sleeping. How about instead, he sits in a chair in this room while you try to sleep, so you do not feel alone? And you will never feel the fear of him falling asleep before you and you being alone since he never does.”

“That is a good idea,” Mill said.

Yes, Starlight, Elsie thought. I would prefer that. But…She looked at Starlight. “Do you mind, old friend?”

He shook his head. 

“Problem solved,” Ned said. “Starlight, I order you to stay here, in this room, until she falls asleep. Every night. Only when she is asleep, you may leave.”

The bodyguard nodded. He dragged his massive sword across the ground and grabbed a chair from a desk, turning it to face the bed. He sat on it and heaved his sword on his lap, waiting.

“Thank you,” Elsie said. 

Ned nodded. “Let her rest,” he said to Monty and Mill. 

The three of them went outside. Servants were there, coming from the screams they had heard. Mill took care of them and told them everything was fine. 

“Ned, I thank you for your generosity,” Monty said. “You have given up your bodyguard.”

“I have no problem with it.”

“I have to tell you--my sister’s stress has never left her ever since she was captured by the pignauts. She was only a little child then, and I am unsure if this will leave her.”

“She will recover.”

Monty frowned. “I do not think so. I am not so sure this is something to recover from. I feel very bad for her.”

“You are very empathetic, Monty.”

He shrugged. “I suppose. I just worry about her, and her future.”

“If it is unfixable, I will try. I have the secrets of the universe at my disposal now. I can search The Labyrinx whenever I want to.”

“Very kind of you.” He yawned. “I am tired. I will go to sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Ned was also tired. While Mill reassured the servants, he went to his own quarters.

#

Days and nights passed. For a while, everything seemed to be fine. There was almost a peaceful vibe in the palace.

But Elsie’s anxiety came back. Most nights Starlight’s presence seemed to get her to relax. But the boy could not talk. There was no reassuring voice for her whenever her eyes were closed, so she had no way of telling if he was still there. The anxiety came back, and she began fearing to open her eyes again.

It got worse. So bad one day that they brought the situation to Juranix. Monty pleaded for them to go back home so his sister could feel better. Juranix was not pleased, and he did not seem to like it.

“Hmm,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “All right. Fine. I will allow it. You may return.”

“Your Majesty, we can always visit again,” Monty said, bowing. 

The boy was sad to see his friends go, but there was no other choice. He understood that what was needed was more important than what was wanted. He could also visit them at their house in the city. And he still had Mill and Starlight.

When they left, the boy realized that he had not explored the city as much as he would have liked yet. He was certainly allowed, especially now that he had someone to protect him.

One day, he chose to. He told a servant to inform Juranix. He packed things in a bag in his quarters, Starlight waiting patiently for him.

“I cannot wait to see the city,” Billy said. “After all, we have not seen any of it yet. We have stayed here for so long, and we are strangers to it.”

“We are not even sure of how far we are from your home town,” Fran said. “We can ask for directions from the city folk.”

The boy nodded, agreeing. He would love to find out where his home town was in relation to where they were, Talonia. “But not before we check the chapter name of the chapter I am in right now, in the book.”

“Ah,” Billy said. “That is a good idea. Sometimes the names of chapters in a book hint events that will happen, or anything else useful.” He brought out the book and flipped through the pages, analysing. “There. I have found the page that our conversation is in, right now. The chapter name seems to be, ‘The Truth Button’. I wonder what that could be.”

“Nothing useful,” The boy said. “Although I do recall Juranix mentioning it once.”

“I do too,” Fran said. 

The four of them set out in the city after lunch. Ned always ate his meals with the emperor. They ate at his long and glorious banquet hall, with a colossal dining table. Anyone else who was important to the old pignaut was usually there. So only Ned and Mill. Juranix had no one left close to him like family, or even enough to even be considered a good friend. 

When lunch ended, they set down the long, winding steps of the palace down to the city of Talonia. The palace of He Who Is Great And Sublime was at the top of a big plateau. 

They went sightseeing at all the houses, villas, farms, fields, and architecture. It was a beautiful sight.

All the while, the boy did not waste his time conversing with the city people. Not unlikely, most of them wore the signature Talonia scarves. He mostly asked them questions about the area.

“This is the big city of Talonia,” a man said, the boy nodding along. “Residence of the almighty He Who Is Great And Sublime. We are proud to house the Lord Of The Planet, Emperor Juranix.”

My, Juranix goes by many names, Ned thought. 

“This city is known for our farms,” another woman said.

“How far is South Haven from here?” the boy asked her.

She seemed surprised at the question. “South Haven? I am not aware of such a place. Oh, wait, perhaps, I think I do know what you are talking about. The emperor recently made an announcement to us all that on the other side of the northern mountains, he was unaware of a little town hiding there. He captured a fugitive there a while ago, I recall.”

“Where?”

“The other side of the northern mountains.” She pointed in a direction, and the boy looked. He saw a big mountain range. One that he always looked at from his window in the palace. “If you are thinking about getting there, there are two ways that I know of. You can either go around the mountains by horse or carriage, which takes a very long time. Or you can go through The Mountain Cross.”

“The Mountain Cross?” He vaguely remembered Billy and Fran talking about it.

“Yes. Be warned: it is a dangerous, steep slope pass across the mountains. It is cold up there, and slippery.”

The boy nodded. “Thank you.”

“You were brought to the palace around the mountains, which is why it took so long to get here,” Fran said.

“You also took a tour of Juranix’s canyon of slaves,” Billy said.

“Yes. And now the fastest way to get back to your hometown, if you want to ever see your mother and brother again, is to cross that path in the mountains. To think your hometown was simply past those mountains, right under the emperor’s nose! Acting like a shield or barrier in his line of sight.”

The boy put a hand to his forehead. “Yes, I would very much like to see my family once more. I do not remember much about them. My memory is fuzzy, still.”

Another man told him of the stories he knew about the mountains when the boy mentioned it.

“There is an old man up there,” he said. “They call him the Old Man At The Peak. Or, the old buzzard. But his real name is The Memory Master. They say he has control over minds, and he has powers over memory. I am not sure if they are true, or just myths, but he has a high reputation up there.”

Powers over memory, the boy thought. Perhaps he can help me with my memory problems. 

There seemed to be a lot of folks who knew about The Memory Master. The boy spent his afternoon talking with them, hearing stories about him, finding as much as he could before he had to return. One particular person said that The Memory Master had so much control over memory, he could remember events even from nonexistent timelines.

“The Vast War!” Billy said. 

The boy nodded. When he would plan his escape, if he ever got the chance, he would go for The Memory Master first. He would like to meet and get help from such a wise, old man. Then he would continue on his way home.

“Come on, Starlight,” the boy said to his bodyguard. “Let us return.”

#

“My Searcher, I have something to show you,” Juranix said. The boy was eager to find out, climbing the steps up to the throne, his bodyguard following closely behind. 

“As we know, The Labyrinx is a very hard place to find answers. It is mostly based on pure luck. Page after page of nonsense gibberish, until you find actual sentences. But first, the sentences have to make sense. They could just be words in random order. And then, you have to make sure it is true. So, to get information from The Labyrinx, you have to find it in a sea of nonsense, make sure it makes sense, and make sure it is true. I think the biggest problem for you is the truth part, as we all know with your luck, you can find anything easily. So I have made a truth button.”

Juranix told him to follow him into the computer room. He showed the boy how it worked.

“I have spent all my time inventing this. I have made it by myself…with a little bit of help from The Labyrinx, I must admit. It is practically an extra button on the keyboard. Press it, and it will highlight all actual words on a page. But it will also highlight in green all the true statements. This is a way for you to find out if the information is true or not.”

This…this is great, the boy thought. That is very useful. The Labyrinx is a library full of books filled with nonsense. This will most certainly help.

“I thank you for your most gracious gift,” the boy said. “I will handle this exceptionally. Use it to my advantage.”

Juranix nodded. “Yes, I know you will. Now, I have meetings I have to attend. With leaders all over the world that want to see me. Pray I do not get assassinated.”

“You are leaving?”

“No. In a while, I will. I have a few days left. I am very busy. Meanwhile, when I am gone, I will give you a big list of things to search up for me in The Labyrinx. In fact, it is already on the computer. You may get started. Mill will not bother you, as he is busy somewhere else.”

“I understand.”

“I have one more thing for you.” Juranix brought out a scarf. It was a very nice one, with a very intricate design pattern. “This is for you. A gift, from me. A signature piece of Talonia.”

The boy took it with pleasure. “Thank you! I have always wanted one.”

Juranix smiled. “It is yours now.”

The emperor left the room. The boy wrapped the scarf around him and got started on the computer. Starlight grabbed a chair and sat, patiently waiting, though they both knew they were going to be there for a long time. 

This is my chance, Ned thought. “Billy. Fran. Where are you?”

“Right here,” Billy said, both of them suddenly there. Once again, he could not tell if they had just appeared or if they had been trailing behind him all along. 

“Tell me the page that says ghosts are real.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Fran asked. “May I warn you, you will have two possible outcomes from The Truth Button. One is very deadly, and it may change the way you see things in a bad sort of--”

“I want to find out. Now.”

Fran sighed. “Billy.”

“Shelf one million three hundred two thousand four, row nine thousand nineteen, column thirteen thousand twenty-five, book two hundred four, page one thousand twenty-five,” Billy said, almost as if they were cypher codes.

Ned found it. He clicked on the page, dreading what he would find. Billy and Fran leaned over his shoulders, curious. Even Starlight got off his chair and peeked. They all raised their eyebrows, shocked. 

‘Ghosts are real’ was highlighted green.

“No way,” Billy said. “That is truly horrifying.”

“Ghosts are real, Starlight,” Ned said. “They are real! They walk among the planet, among us, and we do not even know! Now Elsie’s fear makes so much sense. I wish they had not left before I found this shocking revelation.”

This is world-changing, he thought. Must I keep it a secret? I do not know. This could scare many people. But at the same time, people should know. They should not be kept from the truth.

Chapter The Thirteenth:

A World And Its Dying Perfection

“Did you know that sometimes things are only a matter of perspective?” Juranix asked. 

“What do you mean?” the boy said, as they were diving into another lesson.

“It is simple. Let us say you time travel to the past, but you do it tomorrow. So which one is it? Are you travelling in the past, or the future? You are going to travel tomorrow, but when you do you are going to yesterday.”

“The past is the future if you go to the past in the future.”

“Yes, it quite seems. Opposites can also be only a matter of perspective. Big and small. A cat may be small to us, but big to a mouse. A mouse may be small to a cat, but big to an insect. It is the same as up or down. Your up is the down of many, many others, on the other side of the planet.”

“I am sorry, but I am not familiar with the term, ‘opposite’.”

Juranix raised his eyebrows. “You are not? Why, it is the simplest thing. The best way to explain it to you is with examples. Big is opposite to small. High is opposite to low.”

“Oh, I get it now.”

“What is the opposite of down?”

“Up.”

“What is the opposite of to?”

“From.”

“What is the opposite of me?”

“Handsome.”

The emperor frowned, a little miffed. This boy thinks he is funny, does he? “Ah, I see. You were only following the rules.” 

“What is wrong?” the boy asked. 

“Nothing. Now I will teach you positives and negatives. Opposites usually have one of each, but sometimes negatives overpower the positive. These are real fake glasses. These are fake real glasses. In both cases, the glasses are fake. This is because the negative overpowers the positive.

“It is like this one: you are a good bad person. You are a bad good person. In the first sentence, it is claiming that you are good at being a bad person, and in the second, it is claiming you are bad at being a good person. Again, in both instances, the negative wins. Do you not truly wonder why that is?”

I do, certainly, the boy thought. He nodded his head. “Do you know?”

“No, I do not,” Juranix said. “Language is strange. That reminds me of another thing that The Labyrinx has made me think about. What language do people think in? It would make sense that people of their own language would also think in their language. So what if there was a person that had not learned any language in his or her entire life? How would that person think? What language would that person’s inner voice speak in?”

The boy shrugged. “Their thoughts would just consist of things they saw,” he said. Then he thought: If Billy, Fran and I met such a person, would they be able to read his or her thoughts? How can they, if that person does not think in any language? That person cannot think as I am doing, right now. Creating sentences in my head. 

In a book, such as the one Billy holds for me, Stargazer, how would one’s thoughts be recorded? It cannot happen, then. One’s mind would just be blank.

“One who does not understand any language may not speak in any language either,” Juranix said. He looked at Starlight. “Much like your bodyguard. But we can indicate that he has learned our language before. He can understand our commands.”

As to prove it, Starlight responded by nodding. 

“I wonder what language the humans spoke in,” Ned said. “Imagine if their main language is the one we are speaking with, right now. Ha, that would be funny.”

“Yes, it would,” Juranix said, smiling. But inside, he frowned. The message that came with The Labyrinx inside their probe was written in our language. And the letters of the alphabet in The Labyrinx are the same as ours. Surely the boy does not know that yet.

“Let us return to the lesson of opposites,” he said. “The next thing you have to learn is that not everything is opposites. One variable that leads to another does not necessarily mean it goes the same way, backwards.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know that you buy objects with money. But does that mean you buy money with the objects you sell?”

The boy thought for a moment, pondering at the idea, then shook his head. “No, that would not make sense. The term buy is only for money, is it not?”

“Exactly. Another example: the famous human saying about their main animal meat, ‘everything tastes like chicken’. If everything tastes like chicken, does that mean chicken tastes like everything?”

“No, it does not. One variable that leads to another does not necessarily mean it goes the same way, backwards.”

“Yes. They usually say it for any other exotic meat they try to eat, for non-domesticated animals.”

The boy stared at him funnily when he had said the sentence. “That sounded a bit strange.”

“What sounds strange?”

“I cannot explain it well. Two of your words sounded the same, even if they are not.”

Juranix chuckled. “Ah, that is called a rhyme. It is quite simple, actually. To do it, the ends of the two words must sound similar. That is all.”

“Give me another.”

“I do not know what is up with my timing, but, I really just seem to keep rhyming, a lot.”

The boy laughed. For a while, the air was still. The boy enjoyed being with the emperor, as he was like the father he never had. That got him to think about his own father, and how he left for a gene daughter that was more important than him.

“Juranix,” he said, “why am I hated across the world?”

His expression darkened. “I suppose you are still young and small, and you do not know much about the world yet. I have not taught you about gene degradation, have I?” 

The boy shook his head.

“A long time ago, for both races, we were all healthy. Genetically speaking, I mean. We all had little to no flaws. But, as with every long-existing species, genes get defects over time. After a long time has passed, those bad genes get passed down to future generations. Blindness, deafness, genetic diseases. The world’s gene pool is slowly dying out as bad genes slowly take over. 

“And so, the pures were made. You are a product of an experiment done everywhere around the world to try to stop the gene degradation. You have perfections, which came from genes from another person who had those perfections, too. In today’s world, perfection is a very, very valuable thing.”

“Enough that my father would leave us to save his gene daughter?” the boy asked.

“Yes. It is, in fact, so truly valuable, people risk their lives to save their own gene children. Their sole mission is to keep their good genes--their perfections--alive in the world, to slow down gene degradation. To save the species from bad genes in the future.”

“But then…” the boy frowned. “Why are we still hated?”

“It is expected. People who are not pures envy the ones that are, simply for their perfections. Were you bullied as a child, in school? By other kids?”

“Yes.”

“And I am sure that Elsie was teased by other girls as a small child, too. What they do not understand is that pures are the next generation of both races. They have to come out on top of the war against gene defects. While the rest of us regulars rot down below them, they will rise high and become the new race. They are solely created to rid bad genes from the world.

“The best way for that to happen is if pures keep mating other pures. If you choose to have children, boy--in the future--you must have them with another pure. At least, it is encouraged and suggested. It is truly your choice on whom to mate.”

The boy nodded, understanding. 

“Bad genes are taking over the world, boy,” Juranix said. “We can only slow down their progress. Not prevent it.”

“We can never rid them entirely?”

“Unless the plan with the pures work. But even if it does, in the far future it will happen all over again, but for them. A genetic mutation--a bad one--will occur, and a bad gene will arise out of nowhere. A defect. Then it will spread to future generations. So, no, we cannot rid them entirely. They are a part of life. Until then, scientists will continue creating pures. They will continue injecting good genes into embryos to keep creating baby pures.

“Now you know the true value of genes in the gene pool. How precious of a resource they are. And that is why your father left you.”

The boy nodded, a little hurt on the inside by the last statement. To think that perfections mattered more than a person on the inside!

When someone sees a pure, they shall not hate them for their perfections, he thought. Nor they should praise them for them. They should get to know them on the inside. People in the world only want handsome and pretty people, when they should be going for good and kind people.

If only the world knew that, pures would not exist. And then we would not suffer from all this hate directed at us.

#

The boy decided to visit his friends in the city one day. He thought a lot about them, wishing they could come back sooner. But Elsie had not recovered her confidence yet, and he worried for her. 

He had asked Mill if he wanted to come. The little boy wanted to, but he had much work to do. Secretly, Ned did too, but he did not want to admit that. 

So he took his bodyguard with him, and Billy and Fran, and set out down into the city. 

As he walked through the citizens, he studied them to see if Juranix was right: that many people had gene defects today, more than before. Indeed he was correct. The boy saw all sorts of genetic problems. A few hunched over as they walked, though they were so young! Many bald heads. Rashes and other skin problems. People that were guided by others because they were blind. 

Even Juranix’s pignaut guards were not spared. Most of them, which he did not notice before, had yellow, rotten tusks. Some had broken ones. He did not see any in the palace that had them. A pignaut’s tusks were pride to them, and to have them rotting was an insult to their self-esteem.

It made him feel terrible, that all these people had to suffer, but he did not. Now he understood why they would be jealous of him, and he understood why they were driven away at his sight. They knew they could never be good enough to be with him, for they thought that he was probably only interested in other pures. 

Looking at just the people, he could tell that the world--or, the life on it--was slowly dying to gene defects. He did not have to worry since he was a pure. It made him feel safe, but also uncomfortable and sorry for the others. He wanted to help them.

Then there were the ones he saw that had little to no problems at all. He saw bright men and women, and a few children, who looked perfect. They had a good genetic history and good genes. They were lucky. He knew what they would probably become in the future, if not yet: gene parents. Scientists looked for those kinds of people. They encouraged them to give up their genes to insert into babies to be born, to slow down gene degradation. And then those babies would grow up, have families that have good genes, and they would become gene parents, too. 

Some of his friends were lucky like them, although not as much. Starlight was perfectly fine. No genetic problems. A strong fighter. He only had traumatic stress. Monty did not seem to have any problems, although Ned suspected he might--just not ones as visible. Mill was good, except for his breathing problem. Sometimes he felt as if he was choking, due to a difficulty in circulation, apparently caused by a buildup of something in his throat. It was something Juranix provided him medicine for. Elsie, of course, was perfect appearance-wise and health-wise. Well, again, only with the exception of her traumatic stress. 

I wonder if The Memory Master can help both Elsie and Starlight, he thought. Erase their memories, perhaps.

They had been walking for a while until they finally reached the Sibello house. As a fact, Ned did not even know where it was, but Billy and Fran told him where to go. They could be very useful sometimes.

“Are you sure this is it?” he asked them.

Both of them nodded, which reduced the boy’s fear of entering a stranger’s house. “We are sure.”

The boy knocked on the door, and soon a woman--the twins’ mother--answered.

“My, what two young, handsome fellows you are,” she said. “I can see you are from the emperor. Here to see Monty and Elsie? What are your names, lads?”

Ned nodded. “Yes, miss. I am Nediom. Call me Ned. My bodyguard here goes by the name of Starlight.”

He has a bodyguard, she thought. She was smiling, acting friendly, but was scowling on the inside. How sophisticated. And I am sure he has a whole section of the palace too, and his own servants, and gets access to a twenty-four-seven buffet. And he is a pure! To think of how this day could get any worse. 

“Come in, come in,” she said, still smiling.

I get the feeling she does not like me, Ned thought. He glanced at Billy and Fran, and they both nodded, confirming it.

He was brought to Monty and Elsie immediately, who were drinking beverages on a table, while she hurried off to do chores around the house--an excuse to get away from filth such as him. 

“Ned,” Monty said. “How nice of you to come. It gets boring here, always doing chores.”

“Apple cider?” Elsie offered, moving a mug to him. “My mother is busy, and she does not want it.”

Ned knitted his eyebrows. “You do not like apple cider.”

She sighed. “Juranix has warmed me up to it.”

To think she hates Juranix, Ned thought. The irony! “It is fine. Starlight may have it.”

Starlight, hesitating and humble as always, shrugged and took it. 

“I came here to tell you something,” Ned said. “Juranix has created this something--truly remarkable, must I say--and it is called The Truth Button.

“It is a dangerous tool. It is a feature he added on The Labyrinx that will highlight any truth. For any secret you find there, we will now have a way of knowing if it is true or not.”

“No…” Elsie said. “Do not tell me you searched up--”

“I have. And it was highlighted. I swear by all oaths and by my life, ghosts are real. They walk among the planet. You were right.”

She slammed her mug of apple cider on the table, spilling it, and put her hands to her face. “Why? Why would you tell me this?”

Ned was confused for a moment. “What do you mean? I thought it would be good if you knew. If you found out you were right. The truth should not be hidden.”

“You have made a grave mistake,” Monty said, standing up. “Do you not know the consequences that will follow for her, after this? The fact that ghosts are not real, and that they were just invented myths, was the only reason keeping her sane!”

“Are you angry at me?”

“Of course! Do you not have any empathy?”

“I am sure Elsie does not either when she was making fun of my eyes.”

“I was not!” she said. 

“May you just leave now?” Monty said, pointing to the door. “We do not want you in our household anymore.”

Ned acted as if he was not hurt, but it was not easy. “Fine. Come on, Starlight.”

“Just take a look at you,” Monty said. “Three years and Juranix has changed you. You support the pignauts with your life! You have become them! Do you not remember it was they who took over the planet and currently hold us all in captivity?”

Have they always secretly despised me? Ned thought. All his anger could not have come from nowhere.

“He has changed you two as well,” he said. “I am sure you two are more sophisticated than you were before.”

“We are not proud of it,” Monty said. “We will never return, then. We do not need Juranix’s generosity.”

“I doubt that will happen. I can order Juranix to bring you to his palace against your wishes if you do not know.” They belong to me, he thought. If they do not want to be my friends, I will force them to be.

How much of a prick can this boy be? Monty thought. I have lost faith in him. He used to be good, but he is corrupted by a greed for power. 

“I only have good intentions,” Ned said. Then, suddenly, he felt a tug on the shoulder. It was Fran, who showed up with Billy at that moment. 

“Ned,” she said. “Do not do this. You are going down a path you may not want to.” Billy nodded in approval with sad eyes.

“I know exactly what I am doing,” he said to both of them, as well as Monty. He looked at poor Elsie, silently sobbing with her head in her arms on the table. “I did not intend to hurt anyone.”

I believe him, Monty thought. He is not a person who would do that. But why admit that?

“May shame be cast on you,” he said. 

Ned shook his head. “Let us go, Starlight.”

He left the door without looking back, Billy and Fran following him. 

Starlight hesitated. He stayed a while longer.

“Hey,” Monty said to him. “Take care of Ned, will you?”

Starlight nodded. 

“He is clueless sometimes, but only because he is different. He has no one that truly understands him, or his thinking, except the so-called imaginary friends that he has. And perhaps Juranix. You know that I did not mean all those things.”

Starlight nodded again.

“It is hard to comprehend that boy. But take good care of him, if this is the last time we will see him. I only said all those things because of anger. He has damaged Elsie even more. I did not know it was possible to break something already broken. I just want him to figure out that he is not alone, and we understand him.”

Starlight nodded again. Then, after a silent moment, he left to follow Ned.

#

“I am alone,” Ned said. “No one understands me.”

“That is not true,” Billy said, shaking his head.

“You are just experiencing feelings of betrayal,” Fran said.

The whole time, the three of them had been arguing. Trying to make a decision.

“I want to escape,” Ned said. “Tell me how to escape. You two can tell me anything. Give me the knowledge to a secret passage that leads out of the palace, and into the mountains, or something like that.”

Billy and Fran looked at each other. “Are you sure?” Fran said. “Because there is one. But you will have to trek through snowy peaks, live off practically nothing for days, all until you reach civilization.”

“Tell me!”

“You feel alone and scared,” Billy said. “You are making rash decisions. Juranix has taken care of you. Do you really want to leave him? Think about this, for a minute.”

“I will not waste one minute thinking. And I am not making rash decisions. I need The Memory Master’s help, and I want to see my family. Juranix will not allow me to, and we all know that.”

“He has a point,” Fran said. “Billy, he has made a decision. We will give him the plan.”

Billy sighed and agreed. Starlight caught up to them, after a while. 

“My dear friend,” Ned said. “I have a need for you. It may be the last. I will need you for my escape plan.”

Starlight raised his eyebrows at the statement. Ned told him the plan.

“We leave at dawn,” he finished. “Before anyone wakes up to see us.”

#

“Sister,” Monty said after Starlight left. “Will you be okay?” 

She still had her hands over her head, clutching her hair tightly on the table. Monty could not see her face. 

“I…I do not know,” she said, and there was a pain in her voice. “My head hurts. It hurts so much.”

“What is wrong?”

“I am scared,” she said. “I do not know what is wrong with me. I think I am losing my mind.”

“Before I leave, I will get Mother for you,” Monty said. “Do not worry, I will come back. But when I come back, you will be fine. In fact, you will be better than fine. You will return to your old self.”

“Where…are you…going?”

He grabbed his coat and scarf on a coat rack near the door, putting them on. “Somewhere,” he said as he stood in front of the door, about to leave. “By myself.”

#

When Ned returned to the palace, Juranix had left. He slightly recalled him saying something about that recently, that he would leave for a while in a few days. Now those few days had gone by. 

This works better than I expected, he thought. For my escape. 

During the night, the last night he knew he would have in the palace, he had a dream. It was not one he quite liked.

His mother and father were arguing in the living room, with him and his brother not present. He did not remember this happening. 

“But do you have to leave?” his mother asked.

“Yes, Kessadalia. This is worth more than my life. We will all deteriorate into nothingness if we do not all put up a fight. You know that future technology has not advanced with us fast enough to help us prevent it. Cyborg parts, prosthetic body parts, or cures for diseases. They are all impossible, all myths, all rumours. They will never happen. Even the idea of a car! To think that it would work! No, it is impossible. Do not have faith in lies. Put your faith in me that I will survive this mission instead.”

“You value the life of your gene daughter more than the ones of your own sons? We need you here! We cannot support ourselves, with only one income, to live! We are under the times of The Ultimate Depression!”

“I would rather help save the race. Think about it: would you not also?”

“You are to leave us to die here, then. You would kill your family to contribute to the chance of saving the race? Please Deronelius, I plead to you, do not go! You will die!”

“I have to.”

“We already have a son that is a pure! That is enough!”

Deronelius jabbed a thumb at his chest. “My genes are important for this world to live. Our first son is not a pure since his mother is not either. And he does not look like me, he looks like you. Our second is not a pure of my genes and does not have my looks either since we were violently forced against our wishes to give him another’s. If I want to keep my genes alive in this world, it is through my gene daughter, Elsie. And she is in mortal danger. Serious trouble. I must set out to save her, and you cannot stop me.”

“You would actually do this? Risk your life--risk everything--for a gene daughter? Is this what the world has come to? Please do not leave!”

“Being under the pignauts’ oppressive rule rather than fight against it is shameful. They took my gene daughter! I will make them pay! Do not worry, I promise to return with a victory. I will bring back good news, and then you will never doubt me again.”

He went to the door, grabbing his sheathed sword and his coat. He opened it, where it was raining outside. A storm was brewing. Thunder boomed in the distance, shaking the house.

“Where…where will you even go?” Kessadalia asked.

Deronelius looked back, sure that this would not be the last time he would meet her eyes. 

“Somewhere,” he said. “By myself.”

Chapter The Fourteenth: 

The Solo Mission

In a secluded alleyway, Monty held the weapon in his hand, pointing it at the scared man who walked backwards, further from the weapon’s point, against the wall. He had already demonstrated the devastating power of it to the man, and he had explained how it could take his life in the blink of an eye.

“Now, tell me,” Monty said, still holding the weapon high. “Do I need to demonstrate again?”

He did, just to make the man cower in fear even more. He pulled a small trigger on the weapon, which lit gunpowder and fired a small but insanely fast projectile that exploded in the dust on a spot on the wall beside the man. Monty knew to use it just expertly enough to make his victims scared of it, but not kill them. It was a good tactic to get information out of them.

The man whimpered even more and covered himself with his hands after Monty had fired it a second time. Who is this boy? “Please, please, do not let it go at me. What unbelievable power you hold in your hands, boy. Emperor Juranix would kill for it and everything about it as such.”

“It is called a gun. And it is from the future. I know you know a lot about the future. That is why I am doing this to you. I know you are a friend of The Time Traveller, are you not?”

“I was. If you are talking about the man who came to Emperor Juranix’s doorstep to get healed but failed in his plans.”

“Yes. Everyone knows the story. He is from the future, a man who came here to show us the key to time travel. But meanwhile, he got very sick, catching some nasty disease from this place. And so he went to He Who Is Great And Sublime to get healed because he is the one they call, He Who Takes In The Sick And The Ill. There, he told Emperor Juranix the formula for time travel. Let me ask again: you are a friend of his, correct?”

“Yes,” the man said. “I am. How did you know?”

Other memory thieves, the boy thought. The Guild is great at getting information anonymously. “That does not matter. Do you know the formula?”

“Why do you need it? I can see you have time travelled before. You have a weapon of the future.”

“You of all people should know it is not as simple as that. There is a specific formula you need to know to get to every single moment in time. Then there is a master expression that can find out any formula for any moment that you want. I got this gun from a formula that leads me to the future. But I know you have ones that can lead to the past.”

I have to get him off my tail, the man thought. I must lie to him, then. I cannot give the master expression. I have made a promise to The Time Traveller. “I do not know the master algorithm. But tell me what date you want to travel into, in the past, and I may know how to get you there.”

Monty did. Seven years into the past, the exact day his sister went missing when she went into trouble with Juranix. He still remembered the day; his father and mother were worried for her, but sadly, could not do anything about it. Going against Juranix’s wishes was impossible. 

They had gone to Deronelius, her gene father, telling him all about it. He had set out to save her, not wanting his genes gone from the world badly enough to do it. At first, Monty’s parents thought he was not serious, but he actually did it. 

“Ah, simple,” the man said. “I can give you the formula for that date. But I need a piece of paper.”

Monty had one. He had come prepared. He gave it to the man, along with a pen, and he began to scribble down notes. 

I do not actually know, he thought. But I will just give him a random date. Let us hope he does not come back looking for me, to kill me. 

“Here it is,” he said, handing it to the boy. 

Monty took it, never moving the hand that held the gun. “Are you sure this is it? The exact date?”

“I am sure. You can count on it. Now, leave me alone. I have given you what you have asked for.”

“Very well. But I cannot let you remember this experience. You might send Emperor Juranix after me if he finds out I have interrogated you in this manner.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Are you…are you going to kill me?”

“Not quite.” Monty erased his memory. As he did, he put his gun back in its holster, so no suspicions would be cast.

“Hello,” the man said, seemingly oblivious to what recently happened. “Why I am I here? Who are you?”

“This is a dream,” Monty said. “You will wake up soon. Goodbye.” He whacked his head with a fist, and the man crumpled.

Monty left him in the alleyway, taking the piece of paper along with him which held a complex math equation that he would use to time travel back seven years into the past to stop his sister from being imprisoned by Juranix. 

The experience had haunted her, and she had never been the same since. Something had happened during her experience with the pignauts, and whatever it was, she could never let it go. 

Ever since Ned had told her that ghosts were actually real, the very same thing that haunted her as a child, he had inadvertently turned her into a mad, enigmatic lunatic. Her gene father’s death, a person that was very close to her when she was young, was also a reason that gave her terrible trauma. Especially since he was possessed and killed by the same thing that haunted her--ghosts. That was another reason he was doing this. He wanted to stop Deronelius from dying. It was a double benefit too, as he knew his friend Ned missed his father very much, as well as how Elsie did. 

So, to help both his friends become themselves again, he chose to do this. He had told his sister many times that he wished he could do something about her past, such as change it so her traumatic self would be part of a nonexistent timeline. He only realized now that he could do something about it. He could do that very same thing he had suggested to her. 

His plan: get the formula from the friend of The Time Traveller, which was completed. Use it to go seven years back into the past. Evade Juranix and his pignauts guards, those which roamed the streets for criminals or any kid they could find to beat up. Ensure, in some way, that his sister would never be taken by them. It seemed slightly impossible, but his friend Ned had done the impossible before. He had stopped The Vast War, which was something even harder to do. How hard could it be to save the younger version of his sister, who would be in peril? 

#

He arrived in the past without a problem. Although, as soon as he came, he knew something was wrong. 

He was in the same exact spot from where he stood in his own timeline, that was that. It was dark, with nighttime descending. He lifted a mask over his mouth and pulled his beanie down low, only to be safe, in case his face was remembered. That could be dangerous if you were a time traveller, for any reason. As he walked through the streets, everything seemed fine. But a gut feeling told him that still, something was wrong. The streets were empty.

Pignaut guards were the only people patrolling the area, looking for any unfortunate souls to terrorize. He dodged them, aiming to get anyone to tell him the date. He wanted to see if he had arrived at the right time. 

But two of them spotted him. One snorted and raised his spear. “Hey, you!”

He began to run. But they were too big, strong, and fast. They caught him in no time, as they rounded him in a street full of shops. He saw a little boy on the street, playing with wooden toys, suddenly shocked at seeing them interrupting his experience.

“Please, let me go,” Monty pleaded with the pignauts. “I am trying to get back to my family!” At least that part was the truth, but they did not care. 

“What should we do to this little one?” one of them said. “I say we whip him until he cries out his sins.”

“I agree,” his comrade said.

“Tell me what year it is,” Monty asked. “That is all I need to know.”

“Are you another time traveller?” the first one asked. “Have you come from the future, to tell Emperor Juranix how to time travel? You even have a mask on, I see. You do not want to be known.”

I will not let my cover be blown. “Answer my question, first.”

“You did not even ask a question. You gave a command.”

“I am aware of that. I will not succumb to your foolish annoyance. Now, tell me.”

Finally, they did. The boy found out the real date the formula had sent him to. Instead of going back seven years into the past, as he had planned, he had gone back three. 

That lying scumbag! he thought. That man--he had tricked me! He had given me the wrong formula! How am I supposed to escape now? These guards have me. 

He tried, anyway. He attempted to make a break for it, but the first one grabbed him at the shoulder with a huge, heavy hand. With a powerful grip, he was pulled back by his tunic. The sudden jerk of movement backwards caused something to slip from his holster--his gun. It fell out and onto the ground, in front of the little boy on the street, who was still paralyzed at the sudden commotion that was ruining his playtime.

The pignaut put an arm around his neck, not letting him go. Monty could not escape his powerful grasp. He gasped for air.

“I say we shall torture you at this moment, whoever you are,” the pignaut holding him said. 

Monty looked at the kid, the little boy scared at what he was seeing before his very eyes, and nodded to the weapon on the ground. “Please, help me,” he told him. “I need you to help me. Grab that thing on the ground.”

The little boy, who was nine-year-old Millton, thought, Mama told me not to trust strangers. 

“You can help save my life,” Monty told him. “You can be a hero.”

That seemed to intrigue Mill. He did not know who this older boy was, nor his mysteriousness in the strange weapon on the ground and mask, but Mill had always dreamed of being a hero against the empire. Every boy dreamt it. 

He followed his command, picking up the weapon.

“Good,” Monty said. “Now point the barrel over here.”

Whatever that device is, it must not be good, the pignaut holding Monty thought. “Do not trust him, child.”

But Mill did. He would rather trust this boy more than pignaut guards that worked for the emperor. The emperor terrorized his citizens every day, and he wanted to change it. 

“You are doing great,” Monty told him. “Make sure it is pointing at us. Now, pull the trigger.”

The second pignaut stepped forward. “Child, may I warn you--”

Mill pulled it. At the last second, Monty ducked, and the powerful sound of the weapon going off boomed as the projectile hit the pignaut straight in the chest. He was dead, and he collapsed on the ground, releasing his grip on Monty. 

“What in blazes…” the second pignaut said as he watched his comrade die. 

Monty did not hesitate to run. First, he went to the kid, who was shocked just as much as the pignaut, and took the gun back. “Thank you. You are a hero to your people now.” Then he ran.

“You will not get away with this,” the remaining pignaut guard said, coming right up to the boy. Mill trembled in fear, already regretting his action.

The pignaut grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him into the air as he screamed and cried. “You have murdered a member of Emperor Juranix’s empire! You shall pay for your crime! I will take you to the emperor himself, right now. He will decide your fate. Although may I warn you, he will certainly decide death for you. He strongly believes in the, ‘a life for a life’, rule.”

“No, please!” Mill said as the guard started to drag him. “I did not mean it! I did not know what the mysterious object would do!”

“You still went against our orders.” He slapped him forcefully on the cheek. It immediately started to bleed, after years of malnourishment had made it too dry and cracked. “You are to die!”

“Mama! Papa!” Little Mill screamed as he was dragged away. But they were inside, perhaps asleep, and they would not hear him. “Mama! Papa! Help me!”

#

When Monty went back to his timeline, he decided then, he would not try again. He had already failed once, and his actions had caused a little boy’s capture and probable death. It would be unwise to try again. 

Sister will just have to stay in the same state she is now, he thought gloomily. 

There were also deadly consequences, he realized, if he had succeeded in his mission. Things he had not realized before. If he had made it so that his sister would never be in danger by the empire, Deronelius would never have set out to save her. It would save his life, but then Ned would still be kidnapped, never invite him and Elsie to the palace--since he would never know about them--and then he would never meet them. If he would never meet them, he would never tell Elsie the truth about ghosts, and she would never go into her mad state. If she never would, nothing would give Monty the drive to time travel back in the first place to fix her. 

He could have caused a paradox to happen. A deadly one, too. 

I am thinking so much like Ned now, he thought, smiling. The only thing is, he would be intelligent enough to see all this before he would go on his first try. I was not. I have failed. 

More people could have been endangered if he had succeeded. During the time Elsie was captured by the empire, she had forged a childhood friendship with Starlight. They had comforted each other there since the only people they had in their nightmarish time together were themselves. If Elsie was never there, Starlight could have gotten himself into an even worse traumatic state than he was in right now. Instead of just being an extreme insomniac, or being scared of closing his eyes while he slept--much like Elsie--he could have been scared to the point that he did not want to live anymore. Monty could have caused his death.

He decided, then, that he would just erase Elsie’s memory of the truth about ghosts as soon as he got back. It would only be that one memory, and not her entire terrible, childhood experience. It was all he could do. There were rules for being a memory thief. He would rather be safe than sorry.

I am glad I did not do anything to make anyone miserable, he thought. Well, except for that boy who helped me kill that guard. But he was a nobody. I am sure his troubles do not affect the timeline, whatsoever.

Part II

The Escape: A Finality Of Fate

Chapter The Fifteenth: 

Living In The Mountains

The boy was immensely glad he had escaped from his captor. But he could not contain his certain fear of what might lay next for him. What would he do? Where would he go? These were questions that needed to be answered before he would freeze to death from the chill of the northern mountains. 

All he had was a light coat and a scarf. Two things that barely kept the cold, frigid air, harsh winds, and incessant snowflakes from seeping into his body. They were tough conditions, and in a tough condition was he in right now. 

He thought about it again. A light coat, and a scarf! How am I going to make it through this likely chance of mortality? All I have is a light coat and a scarf--

“And us. Do not forget, Ned,” Billy told him, who was in front of him. Once again, the boy could not tell if he had been there the entire time, or if he had just appeared now. Same with his sister, who was also beside him. 

“Oh, yes,” Ned said. “I shall not forget about the two of you. Billy and Fran.”

“We are only here to guide you on your way,” Fran said. 

“Well then,” Ned said, so sure in himself for his doubt in them. “Lead the way, then, if you must.”

“That better not be rudeness I hear, mind you,” Fran said. “The Memory Master will be just up ahead, at the peak of the mountain. It may be a long journey yet ahead, but I am positive we have the capacity of will and strength to do it.”

So it seemed that they knew where to go. Ned trusted them enough to get him there. It was all he could do, he realized, in this terribly cold weather. At the height they were at, too, what reason did he have to argue in their correctness? But he did, anyway.

“You could be wrong,” he suggested to her. “Remember, you can always be wrong.”

“Yes, we know,” Billy said, frowning at the reality of the possibility. “We are just in your head. The information we give you is imagined. With your luck, it is probably correct, but we have no reason to claim that it will always be.”

Is he annoyed? Ned thought. Does he not realize I am just thinking about the lives of the three of us?

“We are not alive, you must remember,” Fran told him. 

They continued the journey in silence. Ned fought against the intense winds and the high steeps to which he had to get through. He was envious of Billy and Fran, whom he watched, were not affected in any way at the effects of the environment, compared to how much they did to him. 

They are in my head, he reminded himself. I shall not envy. 

When a full day passed consisting of mainly travelling, they camped in a weather-secluded spot on the mountain. A cavern, it seemed, when he explored deeper. The best thing was that there was no snow on the ground inside.

“Rub the sticks very hard and fast with both palms,” Fran instructed him carefully when he began to start a fire. “It is crucial to the speed at which you rub. You need as much friction as possible. It is very difficult, but you will certainly manage to accomplish the task. Your life may depend on it, with the coldness that encompasses us from our height.” 

Ned indeed finished the difficult task. After blowing on the hot ember, the spreading fire immediately heated his cold body. His hands were extremely cold, dry, and cracked, so he chose to heat those first. 

“I am starving,” he told his companions. “I need water, as well. And food. And--”

“Do you not realize the stakes of the environment we are in right now?” Billy scolded him. “We know you are hungry and thirsty. As we are, too.”

Ned, seemingly understanding Billy’s point, stopped all his complaints completely. “You are right. It is unwise to complain when I know I will certainly not get any food at the moment. Apologies. I shall be content enough with my fire, then. It has provided me with light and heat, two things I will need to survive here in the darkness of night.”

“Darkness of night?” Fran questioned, puzzled. “There is no such thing as darkness. The abstract concept is merely just the absence of light.”

“You must believe I did not think twice before I said that.”

“What do you mean?”

“If darkness is just the absence of light, does that not mean light is just the absence of darkness? Do not try to prove it wrong because you know it could very much well be true.”

#

Days passed by. Hunger no longer terrorized the boy as much as it did before. He was used to it--the feeling of it--and he could never once again feel the true pain of its absoluteness. It was as if it had decided to leave him entirely. 

The old wise man that the city folk called, the old buzzard, was ever so close. At least, Billy and Fran had insisted on him believing the fact. He himself was not sure if it was true. What he was sure of was that in the daylight, the temperature and windchill had died down to a minimum. This way, he moved faster. He liked it. 

“So you need him to give you back your full, undisturbed memory,” Billy stated. “Is this a necessity?”

“No, but it helps,” Ned said. “Especially of The Vast War. I know nothing much about it except for what Emperor Juranix has told me. Which is basically nothing, as you know.”

“Perhaps we should resort to the book to find out what happens next,” Billy said. “If we actually live long enough to meet him.”

Fran said, “Ah, Billy. You know already that does not work. The book, I mean.”

Finally, they reached the peak. They found a strange old man sitting on a rocking chair, gazing at the distance. What puzzled the boy was that it was only him and the chair, and nothing else. Where had it come from? Had he hauled it all the way to the top of the mountain’s summit? 

“Excuse me,” the boy said to him. “I am looking for someone called The Memory Master. Do you know where he might be?”

The three of them stood near and awaited his answer.

“Oh, wondering where he is, are you?” the strange old man said. “Hmm, I wonder with great curiosity to where he is or to where he might he be.”

“Are you him?”

“No, I just happen to be at the peak of a cold, wind-billowing mountain capped with snow. A place where it is told he supposedly lives in. And no, I just happen to be a very old man with a long beard, an exact description of what he looks like.”

“So where is he, then?”

The Memory Master was surprised at how low of intelligence the boy seemed to have, even though the village people had told him, He is a boy of extreme smartness; one that excels with a complex mind. Well, he should not question it. The boy might just think differently, that was all.

“Does it not seem by my wording that I am trying to project the idea that I am him?”

“Ah, of course.” The boy shuffled his feet. 

After a moment, he asked, “Admiring the view, mister?”

“Admiring the view, lad?” the old man asked, smiling. 

“Mister, it seems that you do not realize that I have just said that.”

“Sorry. I have short-term memory loss.”

“You do, mister? How ironic, when people call you The Memory Ma--”

“I am sorry. I have short-term memory loss.”

“Excuse me, mister?”

“I am sorry. I have short-term memory loss. I am sorry. I have short-term memory loss.” The old man smiled again, seeing if the boy would get angry or frustrated. I cannot wait to see. 

“He does not really,” Billy said. “Have short-term memory loss, I mean.”

“Stop playing this foolishness,” the boy told the old man. “You and others call you wise when you act childish in this manner?”

So he knows, the old man thought. He has passed my first mini-test. And the legends are true about him, how he talks like an adult. 

“A test, it seems, from what his thoughts relay,” Fran told Ned. 

“I am sorry once again,” the old man started, “but I cannot help but notice that you are up here, in the well-known coldness of the heights of the northern mountains, without even a scarf.”

What is he even talking about--Ned looked down. It was a true fact, indeed, that his scarf was gone. How had it disappeared?

“He stole it,” Billy said. 

Of course, Ned thought. He is a master of the art of memory perfection. He did it in some way. 

“Give it back,” the boy told the old man, extending his hand, glad that the strange master could not see his friends Billy and Fran and would have no way of telling how he figured it out. 

“How in the world did you know?” he said. They were right once again: He will be unexpected in the ways of unusual phenomenons. Do not underestimate this prodigy.

The old man gave it back to him in defeat, and Ned took it proudly, tying it around his neck again. He chose to ignore the question, too. “Tell me how you did it. Your trick. I want to know.” Juranix had told him the best way to answer a question you did not want to answer was to ask your own. 

“The first thing I did when I saw you come up was steal your scarf,” he explained. “After, I made you forget the memory.”

That should have been obvious to me, the boy thought. How could I have not figured that out?

“Funny,” the boy said. And before they dug deeper into the topic, he said, “Memory Master, I need your help. I need you to make me relive the events to which that happened in the nonexistent timeline of The Vast War. It is good knowledge to have. Also, my memory of home and my past has not been so sharp. I ask for repair.”

“You wish to be trained by me?”

“If you view it like that, then I suppose.”

“What if I told you that you may not deserve them? The memories? What if I told you it is best to leave some things unanswered?” 

“Nonsense. If you have a task for me, tell me. I will do it without payment or such.”

“I am being serious. Take your friend, Elsie, for example. Her and her fear of ghosts.”

How does he know? Ned thought. 

The Memory Master stroked his long beard. “When she found out that ghosts are real, from you, it haunted her, correct? Some things, like answers, should just never be found or discovered, for good reasons. The power is too great. What if you find out something that you regret? If you do, come to me. I will help you erase that memory; I do not want you to suffer. Memories are a peculiar thing: when one is erased, its as if the event never happened to you. Oh, please do not look so stunned about my knowledge of your friend. I know because I can read memories like the expressions of a person.”

So that is how, Ned thought. That makes me wonder. If he can read my memories, it may be so that I can create fake ones in my head for him to believe.

“So you know me well, then. You have seen all my memories, and you know I am the Searcher of Juranix. His righteous eyesight, his voice, his power. Did you know I once lied to him?” Of course, it was not true. He would never lie to him. 

“Ah. That is devious treachery indeed. A secret to be kept between you and me.” Ha, ha. A child with much to learn. Does he not know I can tell the difference between a real memory and a fake one? Foolish, pride-filled boy. 

“He knows,” Billy said. “I doubt how, but he knows, Ned. Your theory has been tested, and it does not work.”

Oh, he thought. That is unfortunate. Well, he does not know I can read his thoughts with Billy and Fran.

“I seem to read a very intriguing memory you have during this moment,” The Memory Master said. “It is about a book? A mysterious one you found in the desert?”

Stargazer? “Oh, yes. I know what you are talking about. I found this book in the desert, and as you describe, it is a very mysterious one. It is called, ‘Stargazer,’ and the story in it is the same as mine. Whatever happens in it seems to happen to me.”

“Is there a reference or reason as to such why the book is called, ‘Stargazer’?”

“No, there is none. But actually, perhaps there is. The main character’s surname is Stargazer. And mine.”

“Well, an author creates character names too. That must mean the book is called Stargazer for no such reason, only simply because the author chose to name it that.”

“But there is a reason why the title is Stargazer. The main character’s surname is Stargazer.”

“But did I not just tell you that an author creates a character’s name, and surname, too? So there truly is no reason to why--”

“Oh, I see what you mean.”

The Memory Master chuckled. A moment of silence passed. Then, he asked, “Were you not afraid of me when you first came to me?”

“Pardon me?”

“When you first came up to me, I was a stranger. How have you learned and come to instantly trust strangers when you get close to them? They can be murderers, and you would never know until it is too late.”

Actually, with Billy and Fran warning me, I would, Ned thought. 

“You sit down in the town square, next to people, during an announcement. Or at an inn. You instantly think that those people are like you--not intent on harming anyone. But what if they were?”

“Are you saying you do not want me to trust you?”

“No, I am merely saying that you should be careful of whom you sit down next to. They can be dangerous, or not.”

This man seems to have many lessons to teach, the boy thought. He seems wise, all right. Like what the people say about him, and like how my master spoke of him. 

“Memory Master, I wonder. Are there any other people in the world like you?”

“Why, of course. I cannot be the only one, can I?”

Ned leaned forward with interest. “There are?”

“Yes, there are. There is a whole guild of us. We call ourselves the memory thieves. I am the leader. I train all memory thieves who seek my guidance when they come to this mountain.”

“A whole guild? That truly is wild. How can you and all your followers not be known to Emperor Juranix? Especially a whole guild?”

“Because, lad. We never let anyone remember us when they see us. We are very secretive. Only I do, sometimes, which is why some people in the city know legends of me.”

“Oh, that makes sense. So, anyone in the town can be a memory thief? And nobody would know? Or even have the capacity to see beyond our memory senses and find out?”

“Correct. What makes you so sure I will not erase the memory of our meeting, right now? What makes you so sure I am actually a stranger to you? We could have met, many times before, and each time you would not remember. How do you know this is not the fiftieth time we have seen each other?”

“I do not.”

“That truly is eerie,” Billy said. “Francesca, do you not think so?”

“I agree with you, brother,” she said. “Now shh, we must not distract Ned with his conversation with The Memory Master.”

After all the talk, the boy had forgotten why he had come. But now he remembered again. 

He exhaled deeply. “Memory Master, I am tired of waiting for the answer. Will you help me or not?”

He thought for a moment. “I suppose I have a test for you to do to earn my help.”

“I accept wholeheartedly. I know you have the power to show me events that happened during The Vast War, which, as you know, does not exist.”

“Yes, I do. Of course, I do. I am a master of memory. I see and remember all the memories, even if they are from a nonexistent timeline. When you had asked me to help you recover your memories, I am truly sorry at avoiding your request with a question.” Answer a question with a question, Ned thought. “Here it goes: On a scale of one to ten, what is your favourite number of the alphabet? Mine is red.”

“Mine is a circle. I have heard that one before, mister.”

“Yes, I know,” he said, smiling. “A popular joke from The Labyrinx. I know the emperor tells it a lot, to the people. His influence of wisdom coming from The Labyrinx affects many.”

“I know that. Now, we have to be serious. I need your help. I am tired of playing your games.”

“Ah, young Ned. But to get my help, you must earn it, remember? And to earn it, you must play one more game for me.”

Chapter The Sixteenth: 

The Memory Game

The boy wrapped bandages around his fists. He put on a knapsack filled with supplies. Then, with Billy and Fran leading the way, they went down the path to find the mountain village. 

He was to engage in a physical fight with the bully who terrorized the village children. He was warned that it would be tough since the bully was big. As soon as he defeated him in a physical fight, he could return to The Memory Master. 

This cannot be that hard, can it? he thought. 

“To get to the mountain village that The Memory Master said was around here, we have to climb,” Fran told him. “That could be part of the challenge. First, climb the rocky ledges, then defeat the enemy.”

“It may be so,” the boy said. “Tell me where it is safe to step or grab with my hand.”

“Over there,” Billy said. “There.”

The twins told him the best spots to hold and which ones were dangerous. The boy was climbing now, off any official ledges. He knew he was very high up, but he did not dare look down. For all he knew, this could be a fear test as well as a physical strength test. 

“I did not know there was a mountain village here,” the boy said as he continued to climb. Ledge after ledge. 

“We will see if there truly is,” Billy said. “The Mountain Cross is very unknown to people because of its dangerous, slippery heights. Even if it is a very useful, convenient shortcut across the mountains.”

The boy’s hands began to grow colder and colder as he grabbed each ledge. But he did not let go. He summoned all his strength and will to keep going, one after the other. He kept going and going, grabbing ledges and ledges, knowing that soon one of them would be his last. 

“I wonder if…” The boy had forgotten what he was going to say.

“You did not finish your sentence,” Fran said. 

The boy rolled his eyes. “I am truly sorry, Francesca. I like to leave my sentences unfini--”

When Fran waited for the rest of it, only realizing the joke after a moment, she sighed. “Haha. Unfunny is what you meant to say, correct?”

“I know you are secretly laughing inside, and you think I am tremendously funny. I was going to say, I wonder if The Memory Master can give me a memory of him giving me a memory of telling him to give me a memory of me telling him to give me a memory of him giving a memory to me who wants to tell him to give me a memory.”

“Oh, Ned,” she said. “I worry for you.”

“Can I not hear this incessant, tedious bickering?” Billy asked. 

“Sorry, brother. Ned and I have a rivalry for annoying each other. It is what drives our friendship.”

“Yes,” the boy said. “That is why I say confusing things to her all the time. It is because I know she hates it. But it is because she hates it that she likes me.”

Finally, after a long hour of climbing, they reached the top. The boy sat on the ledge, admiring the view while he rested. 

“I have done it,” Ned said, at last. 

“The hard part will be going down,” Fran muttered. 

They started down a path they found that would lead to the village. The Memory Master did not give clear direction to where it was, or even how to find the bully, but the boy figured it was all to be found out by himself. 

They soon found the village. It was a small collection of wood and stone houses, with their hay roofs covered in snow. Chimneys produced smoke from the houses, men and women talked outside and cut firewood, and children ran around, playing and screaming. What a lively place, the boy thought. I see no pignaut guards. That must mean Juranix does not even know this place existed in the mountains. 

So where do they get the majority of their food? Delivered from South Haven, most likely. The closest town to them other than the citadel, where Juranix holds his palace and numerous canyons of slaves.

“Let us rest,” the boy said, finding a bench nearby to sit. Billy and Fran joined him and they enjoyed the view. They watched the children play around, chasing each other and laughing. 

Ned watched them all chase each other around a house. Then, after a moment, he saw them come into view again, backing up slowly from a big, angry kid who was threatening them. 

“That must be him,” Billy said. “Who else could it be?”

“I have no reason to blame him for being angry all the time,” Fran said. “He seems to be the only teenager in this village. He must be so bored all the time, especially perhaps when the village depends on him to look after the children.”

“What is there to defeat here?” Ned asked. “All I see is one moody kid. The Memory Master has no reason to send me after him.”

After a moment, Ned saw the kid walk away, laughing. Two of the children were on the ground crying. Why? He had not seen anything serious happen, except for a bit of chastising. Their parents went to them, comforting them.

“How can you say such a thing?” Fran said. “Did you not just see what he did?”

“No.”

“One of the children, a girl, had a toy. He took it and crushed it under his foot. Then, one of them retaliated back, but he hit him in the face.”

“That was so mean,” Billy said. 

“Then, how do I not remember--” then it dawned on Ned. Nobody had seen it either, except for Billy and Fran. The bully was a memory thief. He had brutally punished the children for bothering him and then erased everyone’s memory of the event so that he could get away with it. Something told Ned this was a common occurrence in the village.

“Now you see?” Billy asked. 

“I thank you,” the boy told them both. “Without you two, I would not have known what to do.”

“Perhaps that was another test The Memory Master had given you,” Fran said. “To see if you would ever find out the sins of this boy. He gave you this task of defeating him because he knew you would never do it.”

“Highly likely. I better go have a word with him.”

Ned slipped off the bench and his companions followed. He went to the front of the house where he saw the boy taking a nap on a chair in the front porch.

“Hurting a little child is not nice,” Ned said, and the boy opened his eyes, startled. “And respect the toys that they play with.”

“Who are you?” he asked. “I have not seen you around here before. And how did you remember?”

“I will leave that for you to decide.”

Then the bully thought, I have to erase his memory. Perhaps my ability simply missed a single person. So he did. 

Suddenly Ned forgot what he was doing there. Billy and Fran did not hesitate to tell him everything that had happened in the few seconds he had. 

“Do not even try taking my memory,” Ned said. “I will leave if you stop terrorizing these children. I know you have been doing it a lot.”

Who is this person? the bully thought. A hero of the Thursday Order?

“If you want me to stop, let us settle this with a fight.” The bully stood up, cracking his knuckles. Ned saw his sheer size but was not afraid of it. “As soon as you beat me, I will promise never to bother them again. Even when they bother me during my naps.”

That is a good deal, Ned thought. “I agree to your terms.”

“Come on, then. Throw the first strike. I let guests attack first.”

He is setting an obvious trap, Ned thought. But I have to play dumb and fall into it. I have no choice. 

Ned threw the first punch. Immediately after, he woke up on the ground. His body and head hurt. 

“That is what I thought,” the bully said. “You are open to trying, anytime, as much as you want. Just understand you will never win.”

He left Ned on the ground. The boy sat up, clutching his head. “Everything hurts. I do not even know what happened.”

“We know,” Billy said. “We can tell you.”

“You got knocked out terribly,” Fran said. “Want us to tell you all the details?”

The boy shook his head. “No, thanks. I think this was the test that The Memory Master had planned for me. I do not want to feel like cheating if you tell me what happened. The challenge is in defeating him without resources.”

Fran nodded, impressed. “You are a changed boy, all right. We can at least tell you what he did. He erased your memory of the entire fight. Some people witnessed, and he erased their memories too.”

“I have to keep training until I beat him then,” Ned said. 

“Yes you do,” Billy said. “If you want help from The Memory Master, you must train and train. Train hard.”

#

So the days passed by. Every day, sometimes multiple times a day, Ned went back to confront the bully when he thought he was ready. And each battle, he lost, immediately waking up on the ground after his first punch. 

The battles happened so frequently that the children sometimes watched them, and then the word spread around. Soon there were too many children for the bully to erase the minds of, so he let them go. The battles became a tradition now. Every time one would start, the children would come, watching. Always cheering for the visitor and booing for the home. But sadly, they always knew who would win. 

In the nights, the children took care of Ned. They dedicated a bench solely for him and gave him a sleeping bag. They provided him with food they chose not to eat for the sake of his nourishment. They gave him hot chocolate for the coldness and new bandages to wrap around his hands, which were dry, cracked, and usually bleeding.

Ned learned day by day to fight better. To get stronger. He practised with Billy and Fran in a private spot on the mountain, where had a great view of the citadel. It was there that he repeatedly punched a punching bag that Billy held up for him to increase his strength.

“That is it,” Fran said, watching him. “You are almost getting there. Keep practising. Perhaps just a few more days. In your battles, you sometimes almost--”

“Shh,” Ned reminded her, “I do not want to know what happens during the battles. I do not want to know my mistakes or my achievements. The sole lesson The Memory Master wants to teach me is to win battles by yourself, sometimes blindly.”

That seemed to surprise Fran. “Oh, well then. All right.”

“Do not bother him,” Billy said. “Ned is focused on defeating his enemy.”

Ned trained even more for the following days. He fought more battles with the bully, then he trained more. He worked himself until he could not feel anything in his body. Until he could not take it anymore. 

One day, he had to rest. He sat on the mountain ledge, enjoying the view. Billy and Fran sat beside him.

“We should be training,” Fran said. “Also, this is very dangerous. You are right over a very steep ledge that juts out from the mountain. There is nothing under you but sheer death. And are you not freezing? I see you always take your scarf off during your battles and while you train.”

“Ned has gotten used to the cold, sister,” Billy said. “And he is fearless. Mountain heights do not bother him, for he is becoming a strong-willed person. Physically and mentally.”

“Correct,” Ned said. 

“Your increase in strength should not be possible,” Fran said. “You do know that the punching bag Billy uses for you is not real. It is in your head, like the bandages you first wore climbing up the mountain, and the knapsack full of supplies. You have been punching the clear air all along.”

“I know that,” the boy said. “I also know that what you are saying is imagined by me, too. So, I suggest you do not try to keep bringing me down.”

Fran folded her arms. “Hmph. You are correct, I suppose. You do not have to tell me to shut up, too. You can just make me.”

“I have also made you say that very sentence, which means what you said is something I already know. You do not need to tell me.”

“There is no point trying to be right with Ned, sister,” Billy said, laughing. “Ned is always right. Even if you make a point that is better than his, he is still right. Because the point you made is his point since you are in his head.”

“What a pity,” Fran said. 

#

When the final day came when Ned would fight the bully again, he believed he was fully prepared. 

The children gathered around, ready to watch another battle. They all placed their bets on Ned, even though they knew they were simply giving their money away. They knew who would win. But Ned wanted to prove them wrong this time.

“This is the last battle,” he told the bully. “I assure you, I will beat you this time.”

The bully laughed at his pathetic threat, amused. “Okay. I will let you throw the first punch, as usual. It is the tradition.”

The children, waiting and ready to see what happened next, quieted down with ease. Ned shifted his footing, preparing. The two of them stared down at each other. 

“When I win, you must promise,” he told the bully.

“Yes.”

“Let us begin, then.”

Ned threw the first punch, and for once he witnessed it connect this time.

He smiled, knowing he already won.

The bully, seeing his smile, surrendered. The children cheered. 

Chapter The Seventeenth: 

The Pain Of Rejection

“It is because you have achieved a victory that you have returned, is it not?”

“Yes,” Ned told The Memory Master. “I learned how to win, precisely. I simply had to train hard, every single day. Until the one day I know I have won.”

“Because you did not immediately blackout. So you instantly knew the outcome of the battle. Well done.”

“So.” The boy relaxed, breathing heavily from his painful test. “The memories now. Tell me everything I need to know about The Vast War, and all of the events in it. And help me recover my own fading memories.”

“You have mistaken yourself if you think I will do it,” he said. “I had promised to show you the things you need to know about The Vast War. But you do not have anything necessary to know about it. Do you not see? It is a nonexistent timeline. There is no need to remember what happened during it now. The information will be useless.”

“You have cheated me, then?”

“No, I have not. I apologize if I mislead you. I can still recover your own memories fully. That is the second thing you asked for, is it not?”

“Well then, let us begin. What do I do?”

“Nothing. You have already recovered all the memories you have yet to need to remember. After what I have told you?”

So he did cheat me! he thought. He made me play his game for sadistic fun, did he? 

“You are making it hard for me not to hate you, Memory Master.”

“Ah, I see. Simply because I made you do something for nothing, it has made you angry.”

“If it had been a favour for you, I would have understood. But it was not even a favour. Why did you make me do it if you are not going to give me anything?”

“I did make you do something. That bully has terrorized that village for a long, long time. He is a threat to the safety and privacy of our guild, too. He carelessly gets close to revealing his memory-stealing powers. To show that a boy like you can beat him will make him weak and cowardly, all the while restoring hope for the inhabitants of that village.”

“Thank you for explaining. That makes me feel a lot better, knowing I did it for the good of the people.”

“Yes. Perhaps you will even be seen as a hero to them.”

The boy nodded to his compliment. Then, turning to Billy, who was still there with his sister, he said, “Billy, can you turn to the most modern page of the book? Is it a new chapter?”

“Yes,” Billy said, taking out the book. Fran watched and helped him find the page. 

“Who are you speaking to?” The Memory Master asked. 

“Oh, nobody,” Ned said. “It is complicated to understand, even on your behalf and standards. I have imaginary friends, and they can read other people’s minds.”

So that is how he does it, the old man thought. No wonder. It has occurred to me: he can be reading my thoughts right now. And I would not know.

Yes, the boy thought, after Francesca had retold him his thoughts word for word. Yes, you would not know indeed.

“That is interesting,” the old man said. “I want to test it. May you tell me what I am thinking of right now?”

How easy can this get? Is this old buzzard kidding? “You are thinking about what I am going to tell you about what you are thinking.” He did not even need to read his thoughts for that! 

“Hilarious, you must think you are. Oh well, I suppose I am not as genius as you are. Your mind is sharp and perfect. As thy eyes are. They are green. Not many people have green eyes. I am sorry, but I cannot help but wonder--do you mind if I ask--are you a pure?”

“The purest,” Ned said, proudly. “I am hated by most, yes. My genetic appearance always arises that question to new people I meet, and no, I do not mind.”

“They are a special green, not a normal one, I assume. They are like a pignaut’s.”

“So I have been told.” 

“Ned, I finally found it,” Billy said. “I did a while ago, but I did not want to interrupt your conversation.”

“What is the name of the chapter, Billy?” the boy asked. “I need only the name.”

“‘The Pain Of Rejection’,” Billy read aloud. “By what means on this planet could that possibly mean?”

Ned wondered the same thing. Then, forgetting the presence of the old man, the old buzzard asked the boy, “Are you talking to your imaginary friends again?”

“Yes, it seems.”

“Something about the book Stargazer? The one that is about you?”

“Correct once again, Memory Master. My imaginary friends have unexplainable, fully proficient memories. Perfect ones. I do not have the book with me now, but they have every single page of it memorized. I have told my friend Billy to tell me the name of the chapter I am in right now because sometimes it helps me determine my future since we include the fact that some chapter names may foreshadow or outright explain what happens in the chapter.”

“Ideal. I have a perfect memory as well.”

“Yes, I know that. You are The Memory Master, after all. I also know that you have many memories of many different nonexistent timelines and many of the ones from your own. May I ask, Memory Master, because I am so curious about such, what is your favourite memory?”

The old man took a moment to think. Then, when it seemed that he had decided, he chuckled. “It is a very funny one. It is the memory of a joke.”

The boy waited silently, then asked, “Do you mind telling me it?”

“Oh, I already have. Just now.”

“Have you stolen my memory of it again, as you did before?”

“Yes. I want this one to be a special one. It will resurface to your mind when you need it the most. When you are in a sad, desperate moment and you need cheering up.”

Ned turned to Billy and Fran. “Is it true? Has he told me it?”

“Yes,” they both said. “He has.”

Just like when he fought the village bully earlier, his invisible, incorporeal companions had remembered. But not him. Memory thieves could take his memory, but not Billy and Fran’s. 

“I thank you for our time,” the boy said to the old man. “As you probably already know, I will be on my way now. I have something important to do down in the city.”

“Yes, yes.” The Memory Master hobbled to his chair. “You are going to your family. To your home village, near here. It is just past The Mountain Cross, is it not?”

The boy nodded. “South Haven would be the name. Memory Master, I wonder, since I know you have the memories of even nonexistent timelines, may you tell me about one? I am curious to think of what could be happening right now while getting erased in the future.”

“Let us see,” the old man said. “I have one, but you might not like it. It will happen in a while, too.” He closed his eyes. “I see a chamber. A dungeon of a sort, with chains on the walls, rats, and a single torch. At least, that is if it is empty. In many nonexistent timelines, I see many bodies piled up over one another in the chamber. One after the other, all the same person. Then they rot, and they all turn into skeletons.” He opened his eyes. “That is all.”

The boy shivered. “You are right, I do not like it that much. Once again, I thank you for your time. I will be going now. Wait, one more question before I go. What do you do up here? Without food or water, I mean. So far from the mountain village. Only a chair.”

“I am simply waiting to die,” he said. “I have no point left in living. My use for this world is gone. But, sadly, I know my death will never happen.”

What could that mean? Ned wondered. 

“So, leave me be. I will continue to wait here until my impossible death will arrive. Which is what I had been doing, until you so rudely interrupted me.”

The old man laughed at his own cryptic declaration, and the boy left him to his own, thinking that he was as strange as the townsfolk had told him.

#

The boy started the long descent down the mountain. It was faster than the last time, his body at a faster pace, fuelled by his excitement’s intensity to see his family again. After such a long time. 

He did not remember much about what happened the night he was taken anymore. He would not let that stop him from seeing them again. They were distant to him, but yet still the closest people to him. 

Billy and Fran told him they were tired and they went into slumber. The boy was fine with that. He was glad that they had given him some privacy for his family reunion. They deserved it, too. They had stuck with him the entire time and helped him many times. 

The Mountain Cross ended at the foot of the nearest few houses in the village. The boy took the path to the Stargazer household, by which he knew the location through vague memory. 

He knocked on the door when he arrived. It was his brother who opened it, Sey. 

“I am home, at last,” Ned said. 

“What are you doing here?”

Ned frowned. “I thought you would be happy to see me, brother. Is it long enough that you have forgotten me?”

“I see a pitiful child that sold himself to Emperor Juranix long ago. A boy that is unwanted in this dwelling.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“You were always neglected by us. Mother despised you. She could not have been any happier when you left. But I was the happiest. You were always a weakling, an imbecilic pure. The three years we have had with you gone were the best three years of our lives.”

Ned did not let emotions get the best of him. “That is not true, and I know it. I am sure you both wept when I was kidnapped. And yes, I did not leave, I was kidnapped.”

“Oh, how right you are, brother. When you were taken you were so peacefully napping, as a kid.”

“I want to see Mother. Take me to Mother.”

“Do you not understand? Look up. It is late at night. We were sleeping until you so rudely interrupted us. I tell you, leave! You are unwanted. Get that through your thick skull.”

I do not know if he is telling the truth, Ned thought, tears forming in his eyes. And I cannot check. I do not want to disturb the twins from their sleep. I have already disturbed my brother from his, and he is very angry.

“I do not think you understand that we cannot afford to have another mouth to feed either,” Sey said. “After Father left us, and I had to take his place as our main source of income, we have barely stayed alive in this depression. You will just burden us even more. I know you have a benefactor of your own--how else would you survive three years on your own?”

“Please, I am giving a chance to escape, brother. I came here because I have escaped Emperor Juranix, and surely you must know that. You know I was taken by him. I want to leave this place with you and Mother. We are too close to the citadel here. Let us find another village somewhere far where Emperor Juranix’s reign does not affect us. Where his evil grip does not bind us.”

“That would be a crime. I work for him, remember? The last I checked, it is the fact that I am working for him that is keeping Mother and me alive.” Is this imbecile even listening to what I am saying? “You have abandoned us and left us to starve, just like Father.”

“I was taken! Do you not understand?”

“Yes, and that was a good thing. So I see you did, in fact, try to help us, by leaving so we would have fewer mouths to feed.”

Ned balled up his fists. “Please, brother. It is cold out here, for we live so close to the mountains.” As if the weather wanted to enforce his statement, he felt a snowflake fall on his nose. “See? It is even starting to snow.”

“Goodbye, brother. You were never needed here, and you were never wanted.”

How unfair this is, Ned thought. How cruel fate can be. For all I know, this may be my one chance to escape. My brother is only consumed by hate ever since Father left. And Father left because of Elsie. 

Now I know who is the real person I shall blame. 

“All right. I will leave,” he said. “I do not want to come back to a family that hates me. I hope you do starve to death. While I live in luxury in Emperor Juranix’s palace.” That was a partial truth, of course. He was a slave there. But Ned had no reason to tell that to Sey, or explain why he was kidnapped in the first place. He was sure his brother did not care.

He turned and stomped away, angry.

“And tell Emperor Juranix to give me a raise!” his brother yelled back at him. “I deserve it!” 

He slammed the door loudly. Now the boy understood what the chapter name, ‘The Pain Of Rejection’, meant. He was left to walk back to the citadel, sad, cold, tired, lonely, and in the dark.

#

Sey went back upstairs where his mother was sleeping. Except, she was awake, from all the noisy commotion she heard downstairs. Especially when she heard the door slam. 

“Who was that?” she asked her eldest son, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “You sure were down there long.”

“Nothing, Mother. Just a pitiful beggar. One that would not go away after I repeatedly told him we did not have any extra food.” I am telling the truth, am I not?

“Oh,” Kessadalia said. Then she thought: I was hoping it was someone else. A boy who had gone missing three years ago. Who else could it have been, after we have not gotten a knock on the door in years?

“I wish we can help him,” she said. “It is just rotten luck he became poor, while we have money to support ourselves. How unfortunate.”

“I agree. I wish we can help him as well.”

What a great son I have, she thought. I know he would never lie to me. Or hide the truth. “I have been getting dreams of our youngest coming back to us. It has been hard without him. We miss him, do we not?”

“We surely do.” Now that was a lie. 

“I could not have been sadder in these past three years. It is almost like…he is calling to me, of some sort. Asking for help, in my dreams. But I do not have a single clue where he is. I only hope he is okay. I would die if I found out he had run away from us instead of being kidnapped, as we presume. Choosing to leave us, just like your father, is worse to find out than if we find out he is dead. If I found out my youngest did not love me, I would have lost my will to live.”

She looked at Sey. “Well, of course, I would not. At least, not yet. I still have you, my eldest. The only reason we are still alive. You have been such a good person lately.”

Sey nodded. “Yes, how right you are.”

Chapter The Eighteenth: 

A Boy’s Return To His Master

The boy went back to Juranix’s palace, the very one place he could call home. He was terribly weak from the many things that burdened him. Hunger, thirst, cold, rejection--all the things combined caused him to feel close to death. 

Only Juranix is kind to me, he thought. I am just another unwanted pure, hated by the world. Hated by my own family.

It was a long journey back, but eventually, he made it. All his pain was gone when he stumbled to the front of the steps to the palace, the two guards immediately seeing him and carrying him to the emperor. Then, seeing the old pignaut himself when he was dragged into the throne hall, given a seat, water, and a blanket.

At first, the emperor sat in his throne, staring down at the boy in silence whose head was pointed at the floor. His mind said, punish him! but his heart said I am glad he has returned. He has come home. 

A moment passed. And then, slowly, he said, “The first thing they told me when I came back was that you were gone.”

The words echoed in the hall, and he paused. “I was very worried indeed, as you might already know. What motive did you have for this? What intentions? What was to gain? I cannot believe you would ever run away from me.”

To see my family, he thought. For the last time. Since I knew you would never let me.

“I am sorry sire,” the boy said. “It will not happen again. Forgive me.” 

He stood up to go to his quarters, giving the message that enough was spoken, but the emperor yelled, “Stop! Do not walk away. If you do not wish to say your intentions, then that is fine. But we are not done here. 

“Believe me, I am not mad at all that you have escaped. I knew you had no hope of running away for long. Your situation was hopeless. I control the planet. I was only sad that you chose to leave. I was searching all over for you. You were smart to entirely leave the city. I would have never known you took the path in the mountains.”

Courtesy of Billy and Fran, the boy thought. 

“Never do it again. Do you not understand? How will you survive? It is safe here, where you can learn and think. Out there, it is not so forgiving. People will not sell or give food so easily. Nor shelter. The Ultimate Depression has made the citizens greedy and selfish and afraid. Rowdy too, sometimes. Riots are on the horizon. You could be killed out there.”

The boy sighed unhappily. “Is that all you have to say, master?”

He paused. “Yes, I suppose.” Am I a master? he thought. A master of what? Of him? But you cannot master a person. Perhaps I am a master at being a master. Of mastering things. A masterful master in the artful ways of mastering mastery mastered masterfully. 

“I understand you need rest,” he said. “And food, and a warm beverage, I presume. My servants will give it to you. But one more thing. Starlight.”

On cue, he appeared from a doorway into the hall. He looked as the boy expected. Beaten up. He had a black eye and numerous cuts and bruises on his arms. He was tired and sore, leaning on his sword. 

He agreed to it, the boy thought, trying not to be guilty. We both knew if he helped me escape, and disobeyed his rules to follow and protect me anywhere I went, he would get punishment. 

“From now on, I will never allow him to leave your side,” Juranix said. “I believe I did once, I remember, when I let you set out in the desert canyons to find something. You did not want to share the details of that trip. But now your privileges are being cut. However, he will still be in separate quarters at night. You may leave and relax now. Lessons continue tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” the boy said, bowing before he began to leave, his bodyguard following.

He was about to exit the hall before Juranix said, “Wait.” He turned around. 

“Welcome home,” the old pignaut said. 

#

The words were a death sentence. They hit him hard and painfully. But it was more painful to watch Starlight slightly limp closely behind him, looking terrible with all his injuries. 

“Hello, old friend,” Ned said. “I am sorry.”

But the bodyguard shrugged, meaning that he was not angry. But Ned knew he was only being nice. Even if he agreed to the risk and danger of physical abuse, it was still Ned’s fault. The only difference was justification.

I have caused harm to a lot of people with my acts, he thought. First, I hurt my friends. Then, I hurt Juranix and Starlight with my escape. My feat had affected people negatively. 

He could imagine Billy and Fran, who were still asleep in his mind, telling him, you were totally selfish. You were thinking of yourself. 

He realized then that perhaps it had not been a rash decision at the time, when he chose to escape, only because he had not been thinking of the future of others. He should have known to trust Billy and Fran. They were never wrong. His logic was: if Billy and Fran are never wrong, then I am never wrong. After all, they are my pure thoughts. But it did not work that way. It seemed that Billy and Fran were separate aspects of his personality. They symbolized his best qualities, he represented his worst. That was why they were the ones guiding him, and not the other way around. 

“I see they did not break any bones,” he said. “To make sure you still had the capability to protect me.”

Starlight nodded. 

I feel sorry for what I have done, Ned thought. I think I feel like helping someone now. 

“After my eat and sleep, let us go see what Mill is up to,” he said. 

He spent the rest of the day healing. He ate, drank, and slept until the next day. After he felt refreshed in the morning, they set out to look for Mill. 

They found him in Juranix’s computer room, unsurprisingly, working on finding criminals. 

“Oh, Ned!” he said when he saw them walk in. “You are back! You did not tell me you planned on running away.”

“A mistake,” Ned said. “I am sorry. What are you up to?”

“Oh, nothing much.” He looked tired and bored at the computer, resting his head and arms on the table a lot. “I think finding Juranix’s gene son is a hopeless case. He is impossible to find! With the current scanning technology and the number of patrols in the city, he still seems nowhere to be found. I do not understand why. I have searched every inch of the city. It should be easy. How hard is it to find a rogue pignaut? Every pignaut works for Juranix and is part of his tremendous empire. It is like he does not exist, or he is a ghost.”

Ned paled at the word, which caused Mill to ask, “What?”

“Nothing,” he said. “Perhaps you need to try looking somewhere else. The neighbouring town behind the mountains, South Haven. My hometown. Or--there is an unknown little village I have seen in the mountains when I went there during my escape. A possibility of a hideout. It makes sense since the place is unknown. Or, look in places you would least expect. Have you searched the palace?”

“Many times. The guards inspect every pignaut, and they confirmed that there is no traitor simply because of their tusks. All rotten and decaying. We know the gene son has to be a pure, so his tusks would be healthy. Plus, if he was here, he would have murdered the emperor already.”

“Then we must work with the information we already have and know. We know he is a pure. Any other leads?”

Mill shook his head in despair, and, Ned sensed, a hidden emotion--shame.

“Hmm, this does seem deviously tricky,” Ned said. “But there is always a way. Always a solution. I will see if I can do anything to help you. I will resort to The Labyrinx.”

“I thank you for your desire to help, Ned.”

The two left the room. Ned tried to call Billy and Fran to wake up in his head. He urged them with thoughts, but he only heard silence. 

Bah! I will do it myself, then, he thought. I do not need their help. I cannot always rely on them. They will be back soon, and in the meantime, I will work. It is simple to solve Mill’s problem. The only thing we know is that he is a pure--I will use The Labyrinx to invent a new type of scanner. A DNA scanner. It will detect any pure in the city. Just pick the only pignaut, or type in Juranix’s DNA code to find the target. Although this may take a while to make. 

As they walked back into the throne hall, Juranix saw them.

“Ah! Ready to start our continuation of lessons, my pupil?” he said happily. 

Ned nodded. Starlight took a seat nearby, as usual, as Ned went to stand by the throne. 

“I must say, you are getting much wiser every day,” Juranix said. “I can notice. With The Labyrinx and my teachings, you would have been a great replacement for me when I die.”

“Would? Why not will?”

“There is only one thing that stops you. You are not a pignaut.”

“Do you have any descendants to take your throne?”

The emperor took a deep breath. “None alive. They fought in many wars, you see. Also, there is no way my gene son will take the throne if I ever find him. As you know, you are becoming a wise master of knowledge. The only question now is, do you want to become a specialist in expertise or an expert in speciality?”

“What?”

“The point is, the sharpness of your mind is growing. I see yourself doing great things in the future. Answering the questions that I never could.”

“What questions are there to be answered?”

“First of all, the one you just asked is one of them. And second, things that may be wanted to be found out. As, for example, where is the universe?”

“The universe is all that there is. It is nowhere and everywhere at the same time, and since it cannot be inside itself, since it’s all that there is, then to answer that question it must be true--that the universe is inside the universe. There is no other place it could be.”

“Yes, but I like to think otherwise. What if our entire universe was inside an atom of a larger universe? And in that larger universe, every atom is another one, as we are one of them? And that larger universe is also the atom of another even larger one. Or it can go backwards: every atom inside our universe is a smaller universe. And it goes on infinitely.”

“Universes cannot be larger or smaller. They are already infinitely expanding.”

“That is another thing. I believe I have taught you the human theory from The Labyrinx called The Big Bang. What if the universe was created with the Big Bang, then will die in the really far future? And what if it will be reborn into another universe made by another Big Bang? But what if that universe is the same? What if history repeats itself, literally? How do you know the universe does not die and birth, again and again, for eternity? We could be in the second universe in existence, or the hundredth, or a number so high we cannot count it. And each time everything that happens in the universe happens exactly the same way. Perhaps there are many past universe existences where I have said this and these very same things.”

“We would have no way of telling. Except for The Labyrinx. It can answer any question, especially with your Truth Button.”

“But think about it. If it is possible to find that out, and possible to travel between universes, would there not already be people travelling to us and telling us about it? Simply by the fact that there are not any yet means that all this cannot be answered by The Labyrinx. No matter what you think otherwise.”

“Perhaps they have not come yet.”

“I control this world, boy. If they were to come, anywhere in my lifetime, I would time travel to my past self, which is now, to tell me. If it happens not within my lifetime, I will remind ancestors and descendants to do it for me. And since there is nobody here yet, it is not possible.”

Thinking alike, they both turned to face the front of the throne hall, waiting to see if someone would appear. They were disappointed.

“See?” Juranix said. “No one. It is possible to find out something from nothing. And also, I truly think it is impossible to get out of the cycle if the cycle was true. We know the universes before us have had no luck with its inhabitants figuring out how to escape the cycle, purely because we are still in it. Right now.”

“Unless…” the boy said, thinking. “Unless we are the first that will find out how to escape the cycle.”

“Unless we are the first indeed.”

#

“Mill, I have something to show you,” Ned said, heaving a huge clunk of a machine onto the computer table as he and Starlight entered the room. “I have been working on it all week.”

“What is it?” Mill asked, interested as he studied it.

“A new type of scanner! For your use, of course. It does not use census-tracking or identity filing. It scans the whole city for traces of different DNA. Pures. And there are settings. You can set it to find your criminal.”

“This is amazing,” Mill said, as Ned smiled. “This is very most useful indeed. I will use it. Thank you for your kindness. I can certainly find him with this now. Have you tested it?”

“Works,” Ned said. “I have tried it. I have not found the criminal yet, though. That is not my job, it is yours. I will leave you to your duties then.”

“Again, I thank you for this most gracious offer. My job will be so much easier.”

Ned smiled. It was then at that moment he realized he liked helping people. If the universe was a repeating cycle, he would an infinite number of times get kicked from his home, over and over again, something he did not want to relive. But those things would be overwhelmed by the infinite number of moments like these. And it was them that made life livable.

Chapter The Nineteenth: 

The Hatred Repositions

A while later, as soon as the boy got the chance, he requested one of Juranix’s guards something. 

“I need the Sibello twins,” he said. “Summon them here, right now. The girl, most importantly.”

“Right away, sire. The Searcher Of The Labyrinx shall demand anything that he wants, on his behalf.”

He left the hall at once.

The emperor was away on an important, busy meeting, so the hall was empty except the boy and his bodyguard. Mill was busy searching for Juranix’s gene son, as usual.

“We have a lot of work to do, Starlight,” Ned said to his bodyguard. “Juranix wants this hall renovated. I am in charge of making sure his vision is thoroughly designed. Then, simple house cleaning around the palace, which the maids will do. Filing and answering letters from the citizens in the study room. And of course, more things to be searched in The Labyrinx. This week may be a drag, but with your help, we can accomplish it all.”

Starlight, who was leaning on his huge claymore, nodded. 

“I am thinking about doing the letters first. There have been many requests to the emperor about the topic of obliterating the pures or cancelling genetically modified embryos altogether. I want to deal with those myself. They do not understand that we are regular people, just like them, do they? They do not understand that we did not have the choice of being pure or not. It is not fair.

“Then, as usual, there will be complaints about the economic shortage in the city, and the ravaging famines, and the pignaut guards who bully and torture people on the street. There will also be the usual complaints about how Juranix has built a statue of himself in front of a person’s property, or how his men will not let anyone own their own gold--it must all be given to He Who Is Great And Sublime--and the usual complaints about…you know what? There are a lot of things wrong in this city.”

Starlight raised his eyebrows.

“In this empire, I mean. And Juranix expects me to solve all his problems? Why, if I were in charge, I would change the entire political system. Make one based more on equity.”

“That surely is a great start,” Billy said, as he and his sister seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

“Get out of my head, you two,” the boy said. “I have not been feeling great lately.”

“Why not?” Fran asked. “Is it related to our absence?”

“Oh, I have forgotten. You two were not there when I was rejected from my own home.”

“Was it your brother, Seyron?” Fran put an arm around him. “It is okay. At least Juranix treats you like a father.”

“I have a thousand things to say to that boy,” Billy said, clenching a fist. “Also, a son to Juranix? More like his personal assistant in empire services.”

“That is right,” the boy said. Then, as if only regarding Starlight’s presence now, he said to him, “Sorry. It seems like I am having a conversation with no one, am I correct? I am not sure if you are aware of how my mind drifts off suddenly and abruptly time to time.”

Starlight stayed expressionless, and silent, as usual. 

“Do not mind me if I speak sentences at random. I assure you, I am not going mad. Now, let us sort letters.”

They went up to the study room, where a huge pile of them overflowed on a desk. 

“We have a long day ahead of us,” the boy said. 

#

The boy did not know when his friends from the city would come. He wasted his time doing work all around the palace in the morning. He gave orders to servants, spent time searching The Labyrinx, and ate the usual amazing lunch meal at the dining room with Starlight, Billy, and Fran.

“Where is Mill?” he asked a pignaut servant. “He always eats with us. I demand his presence!”

“Calm, sire,” she said. “Millton, the Criminal Hunter of He Who Is Great And Sublime, is very busy in his work. The emperor himself has issued a counter-order that his attendance cannot be requested by anyone in the palace or out that is high enough authority.”

That includes me, then, the boy thought. How outrageous. Mill has never shown interest in working this hard, ever. 

“When will he eat, then?”

“I do not know, sire. And if I am supposed to know, then I am not aware of it. Enjoy your meal, please.”

Ned thought: Of course she would not know. She is just a cook.

So the boy, along with his bodyguard, ate in silence. It was a fine meal. One that consisted of roast meat, potatoes, peas, carrots, and corn. All with the finest spices and sauces. The boy recognized something about the food.

“This is the emperor’s favourite meal,” he said. “I wish he were here to enjoy it with me. I do not even know where he has gone. He is always busy these days. But I know he tries to spend as much time as he can to teach me lessons.”

When they finished eating the dish, the same servant brought them the dessert. A fine, delicious cake. 

“This truly is scrumptious,” the boy commented. But Starlight had not touched his plate yet. His eyes looked distant, but yet he had listened to the boy talk all day long. Ned wondered about what could be bothering him. 

“He is being bothered about his sleep problems,” Fran told him. 

“Yes,” Billy said. “Ah, this cake is very fine indeed.”

The boy nodded at them. Oh, Billy. You cannot eat the cake, since you are incorporeal, and you should know that by now. 

Then he turned to Starlight. “I know you are still troubled by your extreme insomnia. You have not slept, or felt the soothing feeling of it, for years. You do not need to remind us of it--we always care. Did you know, Juranix has given me a list of things to find in The Labyrinx, and do you know what one of the first things on the list was? ‘Find a solution to Starlight’s insomnia’. It seems that Juranix cares very much about you, too.”

Starlight was still for a moment, then he nodded. 

“One day, you will fall asleep. That is all. I am sure of it. You need not worry. And if you are afraid that once you do, you will never wake up because you have to catch up on years of sleep, it is okay. You are loyal to your master, and you have served him well. I am sure he will find another bodyguard for him in the period of your slumber.

“Who knows? If you believe in that Thursday religion those monks, templars, and crusaders fight for, then perhaps it can explain how you have impossibly stayed awake for this long. It is the craziest idea yet. It is possible you have only been awake since last Thursday, but you have the memory of being awake for much, much longer. As far as I know, nobody can stay awake for years. 

“It is a possibility, but I think Last Thursdayism is purely radical nonsense. But, it is your choice to believe, I suppose.”

He stood up and slid his seat back. “Let us continue our work. In the evening, we eat supper. Then we will mostly work all night as well.”

#

The boy soon grew tired when it had become late. The sky was dark, with the stars shining brightly, so he decided to go to sleep. 

“I will be going to bed,” he told his bodyguard. “Roam the palace, have a snack or gaze at the stars as my namesake suggests. Whatever you usually do at night. I will be fine.”

Starlight nodded and left him alone. 

“We are tired too,” Billy said. “Francesca and I will be resting.”

“I mean, we do not need to,” Fran said. “As you know, we are in your head. You can think of us as non-sleepers, and it will happen.”

“I like to keep the consistency,” the boy said. “It reminds me less of the unnatural things that exist in this world.” Like ghosts, memory thieves, heavy insomniacs, and weaselling time travellers.

Meanwhile, at the front of the palace, Elsie was escorted by a pignaut guard inside. 

“Master Nediom has requested you to come as soon as possible,” he said. “Your brother is not available?”

“No,” she said. I have been wanting to speak to Ned, too, she thought. 

“You may enter. He may be sleeping at this time. You are to go to your usual quarters if he is.”

“Understood,” she said, and the guard left her alone. He was unaware that he had let a mad and troubled person in.

She went to the kitchen first. I must kill him. I must kill him. I must kill him. I have to do it before he reveals any more terrible secrets to me that I do not want to know. 

She trembled as she walked, trying to find a knife. She scattered kitchen appliances and vegetable baskets until she finally found one that was sharp and gleaming. 

She went on her way, carrying the huge knife, to Ned’s quarters. He is not my friend anymore. I must kill him. I must kill him.

She clutched her head as she walked down the hallway. It was hurting terribly. She was barely aware of herself at the moment, carrying out the murder she had planned a while ago. What other chance would she get?

She trembled even more as she held the wall for support. The revelation of ghosts had shocked her too badly. There was no way she would ever turn back to normal after it. She could only get revenge. She wanted it badly, and she wanted it now. 

She opened the door to Ned’s quarters. It creaked loudly. She saw him there, sleeping soundly. Light poured into the room. 

You…deserve…this, she thought.

The boy slowly awoke from the sudden intrusion. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Who is that? How dare you disrupt the Searcher Of--” Then he saw who it was. Her mischievous smile, her giant blade. 

“Starlight!” Ned cried out in alarm. Then, in a quieter voice, “Why are you doing this? Committing a crime on a beloved of He Who Is Great And Sublime himself? Have you gone mad?”

“It is you who has gone mad.”

“You have ruined my life, ever since you were born. You are the sole reason my father set out to search for you and never returned. You are the sole reason my brother is angry and abusive, and the sole reason I was kicked from my own home!”

“Your father is dead,” she said. “That is the truth. He was captured and he was given the chance to see me in his last moments of life. Then, a ghost possessed him and took of control of him. It made him take hold of his own sword and stab it straight through his own eye!”

Ned was startled at the sudden new information. He did not know that. But he did not back down. “Those are lies. You are just making up stories ever since I have revealed that ghosts walk the world among us.”

Then Starlight came running in, holding his huge sword, his necklace swinging wildly at his abrupt movements.

“Kill this girl,” Ned demanded of him. “She is attempting a murder! And she has destroyed my life! I want her dead!” It is what I intended to do when I first summoned her here, anyway. At least now I can make it justified since she was planning to do the same thing. 

I will let him try, Elsie thought, standing up to him. At first, Starlight hesitated. 

“You have to obey my command,” Ned reminded him. 

A long, deathly still moment passed. 

Starlight knew he had no choice. He raised his sword. Elsie did not move an inch, certain of his imperceptible reluctance. Do it, she thought. I dare you.

He brought it down, fast. 

But there was no sound. At the last moment, Starlight held the sword. Barely an inch above the girl’s forehead. 

That is what I thought, she thought smugly. He would never hurt me. I am like a sister to him. He loves me. 

Starlight’s shoulders slumped as he could not do it. He had failed his master. With sad eyes, he looked down at the ground. He took the knife from Elsie’s hand instead, threw it up into the air, and sliced it expertly into two pieces with a quick motion of his wrist. Then he left the room, guilty and ashamed he could not do more. 

He has a weakness for things he loves, Ned remembered. A secret vulnerability.

During a paralyzing moment, he and the girl were shocked, silent, and still. Then Elsie began to break down, shaking. 

“I am sorry,” Ned said, getting off the bed. “Come here.”

He went over to her, who was now on the ground. Ned held her while she trembled. 

“It is okay,” he said. “It is okay now.”

Finally, the tears came for her. “I…I do not know what came over me. I am sorry.”

“Me neither.” He stroked her hair as she wept. 

“I--I thought--I thought he was going to do it.”

“He would never, as long as he is in control. He has been your friend too long to do that, as I have. I know I shall not blame you for the preceding events in my life.”

“I have just been having trouble sleeping lately.” She was trembling uncontrollably. 

“I am sorry I told you the truth. Hush, now. Stay calm. I know a man in the mountains that they say can erase memories. I have seen him myself when I went there during my escape period. He may be able to fix you.”

“That is too far,” she said hopelessly. “It is fine.”

“I can let Starlight sit in a chair in your quarters for a while until you are able to sleep. Like he used to. At least let me insist on that.”

“Pointless. I will wake up during the night and find him not there, and I will have a panic attack again.”

“There must be something I can do. How about we wait for your brother?”

“He will be here tomorrow. You worry too much. It is okay. Ned…I…I thank you for always being there for me.”

“A pleasure.” He had noticed that her trembling body was starting to ease. Body warmth always produced a sense of serenity in people. “I promise I will not try to hurt you again.”

“I promise I will not harm you either.”

“You do not need to. It is clear that insanity and fear are what caused your madness. It is only I that was intentionally not thinking straight. Why, even Starlight kept his common sense when he did not follow my orders.”

“That is true.”

Then they heard footsteps coming from the hallway. “What is going on here?” A guard said, followed by a few more. “We came to your bodyguard’s alarming request.”

“Everything is fine,” Ned told them. “A mental breakdown, nothing more. We are fine.” 

He is hiding the incident, Elsie thought. For my sake.

“It is okay,” Ned said. “You may leave. Your duties are gratified and honoured. Dismissed.”

The guard, sensing the boy telling a half-truth, hesitated. But then he nodded, and they all left with a false alarm. 

“You need not be afraid,” he told Elsie. “You see, many people will come for you when you are distressed. Many care about you.”

“Including you?”

“Of course. And your brother, Mill, Starlight, all of us. Always.”

#

The following day, when Monty had finally returned from the mission, he had gone to the palace right away, after learning Elsie had gone there.

He saw his sister first, alone in the throne hall, no one else to be seen. They must all be busy, he thought. Ned, Mill, Starlight, all at work.

“Sister, I have something to tell you,” he said as he came up to her.

“Oh, Monty. You are here. It is nice to see you again.”

“I have a secret I have to share. There is a power I have that I have owned my entire life. I am a memory thief. Make sure you do not tell anyone.” It will not matter, anyway.

“You are?” she said, surprised. “I thought they were legends. Fully made-up myths.”

“No. I am telling the truth. And no, I have never used it on you once, if that is what you are thinking. None of your memories were ever stolen by me.”

“I know. I truly have faith that you would not lie to me, brother.”

“We are supposed to keep secret, since our guild master--yes, we have an entire guild--wants us to. So we take away the memories of any who remember us. The reason I am telling you this now is that I realize I can use my power to help you. I can make you forget what Ned told you about ghosts.”

She hesitated, thinking. 

“Well? Do you want to?”

That will mean I will forget the reason why last night happened, she thought. I will forget the reason behind a truly remarkable memory. I will forget everything Ned told me last night. That my friends would never leave me in the dark.

Finally, she made her decision. “No. It is nice of you to offer, but I have made warm memories since that moment, ones I do not want to forget the reason for.”

Monty nodded, understanding. “Very well, then.” 

He erased her memory of the moment so she would forget he had told her that he was a memory thief. “I have said that I would never take your memory without consent…until now. Ha.”

“What?” Elsie asked, confused. “Oh, Monty. You are here. It is nice to see you again.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I think we were talking about something. What was it again?”

“Nothing,” Monty said. “You were talking about a warm memory?”

I have received a glimpse of it myself, he thought. The one of last night. I understand now, that if she did not remember about Ned’s ghost revelation, there would be no meaning behind that memory. For every shadow, there is always a light. For every bad memory, there is a good one. 

I understand why she would want to keep it. It is a truly warm one.

Chapter The Twentieth:

Evil’s Presence and Prescience

The following day, Monty and Elsie went back home so both could recover. Elsie needed to heal from her fear, and Monty needed rest from his mission. 

The boy decided to visit them there, to talk. He called Starlight, grabbed his things, and told a servant to inform Juranix about their departure since he was sure to come back to the palace at any time. 

Halfway down the steps of the citadel’s plateau, Billy and Fran appeared--or they were always there. He could never tell.

“Good day,” Billy said. “I see we are visiting the Sibellos again.” 

“Please do not leave again,” the boy said. “Like when Seyron did not let me enter my house.”

They both nodded.

When they got there, they were welcomed, which the boy did not expect.

“Aye, many things can go wrong in a day,” Monty said to him. “I am sorry for our quarrel. You did not intend to hurt anyone.”

Ned nodded.

“We will still visit the palace,” Elsie said. “Just please do not tell us any more things that you find out from The Truth Button, in The Labyrinx.”

Ned nodded again, and they made a deal. 

Now that they were comfortable with each other again, they spent their time retelling their separate events. Ned talked about his adventures in the mountains, his encounter with The Memory Master--who was a very confusing and puzzling man, he told them--and finally his destination, which left him dissatisfied and utterly disappointed. 

“Devastating,” Elsie said, “to hear such a thing.”

“I knew they never wanted a pure like me in their family anyway,” Ned said. 

I hear the envy in his voice, Elsie thought. Because I am also a pure, but still safe, here. I am wanted, while he is not. 

Elsie did not have much to say. And when it was Monty’s turn, all he said was, “I did some chores around the house, that is all.”

“Lies,” Billy and Fran told Ned, the exact thing he wanted to know. 

Ned narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you sure that is all?”

Monty nodded. Does he know something? he thought. 

“We know,” Fran said, “but it is best to leave other’s secrets to privacy.”

I promised I would not abuse my power of the Arion twins, Ned remembered. So he let it go. 

“What about Starlight?” Elsie asked. “What happened to him while you escaped the palace? He has clear traces of injuries.”

“Nothing,” Ned said. “He is fine.”

Starlight nodded along, which did not entirely satisfy her, for she wanted to know her close friend’s problems, but at the least, it stopped her from pressing any further.

Monty frowned. I know they are lying too as I have. We are a group again, but we still hide things from each other. 

You started it, Ned thought.

“Where is Mill?” Elsie said. “Busy as usual? I remember when he was little, three years ago, how playful and joyful he was. Now he works endlessly like the slave he is. The emperor is very harsh.”

“He chose the job, and he knew what was to come,” Ned said. “He is fine. I have even helped him a bit. To find his primary target. Juranix’s criminal gene son, remember?”

Then all of a sudden there was a loud, blaring noise, everywhere around the city.

“What is that noise?” Elsie said as she and her brother covered her ears. 

Then the blaring sirens made an announcement: “He Who Is Great And Sublime has issued an order to evacuate to the nearest refuge point. The Great Emperor Juranix has received evidence that his criminal gene son is lurking around this area, intel by his rightful Criminal Hunter. Evacuate immediately. Do not return to your homes for children or possessions. He Who Is Great And Sublime has issued…”

The message repeated itself over and over. There was no sign it would stop until they were all evacuated, so the four of them followed.

“It seems Mill has found him,” Ned said. I knew he could do it, he thought.

“Mother and Father are both out. They will know to go right to the refuge point and will not worry about us getting there,” Monty said. 

“Has this happened before?” Ned asked, curious about their knowledge of the situation.

“We do not have drills, exactly, but we are informed every year on what to do if something like this happens,” Elsie said. “It has become a sort of a recent thing, so you might not know it.”

They followed everyone else out on the streets walking toward the refuge point, or wherever they were supposed to go. Ned did not know any procedures required for the evacuation, but he knew that he and Starlight had to immediately return to the palace. They were Juranix’s property, and they were not to follow everyone else. 

I will follow them until the refuge point, he decided. 

They walked through crowds and hordes of people all going in the same direction. 

“Wow, so many people,” Billy said. 

“Look, so many of them have genetic disabilities, and many are perfect. Pures,” Fran said. 

Ned nodded and agreed. 

The refuge point was not too far. When they got there, they saw an opened gate that the crowds passed through, with pignaut guards checking every person who crossed for the criminal. Anyone who was a pignaut. 

It was then that Ned stopped in his tracks and told Monty and Elsie that he and Starlight could not go with them. They had to return to the emperor. 

“What?” Monty said in disbelief, but also not very surprised. 

“We have to say goodbye, again,” Ned said. 

Monty nodded. “We will come right to the palace as soon as we can when the evacuation is over. Will we, sister?”

She nodded. “Goodbye. We will see you again.”

Ned held out his hand, and Monty shook it. But Elsie said, “None of that. Juranix has made you too formal,” and hugged him instead. 

Starlight and Monty nodded at each other, and Elsie gave her old friend an embrace as well.

“Watch out for the criminal,” Monty said. “He can be anywhere. Get to the palace safely.”

“What an insult to Starlight,” Ned said. “Juranix even said he could take down a battalion of his finest pignauts.”

They went their separate ways. The boy, his bodyguard, and his two imaginary friends went for the palace. They got back safely with no problems. 

“Good!” a servant said when they arrived. “Emperor Juranix was worrying.”

“He is sending troops to find the criminal?” Ned asked. 

“Ah, yes. He shall be found soon. Stay here, where it is safe. The streets of the city might be a battleground. His gene son is very dangerous and is a well-rounded fighter. The emperor is expecting him to take down at least two of his squads before he is incapacitated.”

“Is Mill at the gate to the refuge point, also searching for the criminal?”

“Quite the skilled hunter that boy is. But no, he is not. He is still here. In fact, he requested that you should immediately see him once you got here.”

“Not the emperor?”

“He would like to see you too, but he is busy in the city commanding the search for the criminal. He trusts us to keep you safe here. Now, you must go to see sire Mill.”

“Thank you.” The two of them continued down the hall before the servant told Starlight, “Not you. Emperor Juranix wants you down below, as well. You are his best fighter, and he would not want to waste your talent in taking down his gene son if he is to be found.”

“But he is to stay with me at all costs,” Ned said. 

“Do not worry. As I said, you are very safe here if the gene son chooses to come here.”

Starlight nodded at Ned, confirming that it would be okay. Ned nodded back, allowing it. 

The servant left with Starlight to lead him to the area Juranix was rounding his troops in while Ned went alone to the computer room. What does Mill need of me? he thought. 

He entered the room, and Mill was very busy on the computer, frowning. “Ned! You made it! You are not going to like this.”

Meanwhile, after the servant showed Starlight where to go, he chose to go back to the throne hall to listen to Ned and Mill’s conversation through the door of the computer room. He too also wondered why Mill was not at the gate leading the guards to scan the group for the target, where he was supposed to be. Instead, he chose to stay here, at the palace, to tell something to the Searcher. Whatever it was, it was something important. He went to the door and listened. 

“So my invention worked,” Ned said, a little proud of himself. “Also, why are you here, Mill?”

“Shh. Keep quiet. The criminal is not down there. He is in here, in this very palace. Juranix is wasting his time and effort on nothing, I can assure you. Because he does not know the truth.”

“What truth?”

“Is it not terribly obvious? You should know it by now. You are too smart not to know. In fact, your smartness is a clue itself.”

Ned paled. “You do not mean…it is impossible…”

“Not anymore. Your green eyes. Your matched intelligence.”

How my parents were supposedly ‘forced’ to have another child that would be a pure, Ned thought. Only someone of high enough authority could do that. How could I not have known?

“All of those clues,” Mill said. “You must promise not to tell anyone, especially him, for your own safety. You could be in danger if he finds out, and he might kill me for not telling him. You must keep it a secret. He even knows his gene son is a criminal. Who else did he think was a criminal? Yes, Ned. It is the truth. All this information can only lead to one thing, and one thing only.”

Chapter the Twenty-First:

Order Of The Thursday Cult

The following days were as ordinary as ever. The evacuation ceased, along with a very long and guilty announcement to the public of Emperor Juranix not able to find the criminal. As promised, Monty and Elsie came to visit Ned at the palace first. They stayed without plans of leaving anytime soon, which was exactly how Ned liked and wanted it. He thought that they were possibly warming up to the place’s grandeur and its seemingly benevolent owner.

His lessons continued with the emperor. They ate their meals. Starlight trained by himself in the training room, Mill worked, Billy and Fran continued to be annoying in his head, and Ned continued his servitude to Juranix. Life seemed to go back to normal.

The one thing that felt different? Everything. His life could not seem to be the same after the revelation of his gene father. He could not look at Juranix without feeling guilty, knowing a terrible secret that could very well endanger his life if told. So he had no reason to feel guilty, actually. 

Then there was one day that was different as well. A visitor appeared at the palace when the huge doors at the front burst open by two guard escorts. 

It was a lone man, big, with the appearance of having many years of fighting experience. He had battle scars, especially ones over his eye. He had long grey hair and a grey moustache and goatee. An intricate maroon, velvet, and black robe with golden designs was all he wore. The boy was also aware of the huge sword that hung by his side. 

He and the emperor were in the middle of a lesson about how the most impossible things were the simplest when the stranger came in. Juranix had told the boy to try to say the letter p without his lips touching, or say the letter a with his mouth closed. At that moment he was trying and when the visitor came in he abruptly stopped, cleared his throat, and was suddenly aware of how foolish he looked. 

Of course, knowing many people, Juranix recognized the man as soon as he entered. I have not seen one of them in a while, he thought. 

“Welcome,” he told the visitor. “My humble servant, I introduce you to Lord Juhel. A well-respected and known knight of the Thursday Order.”

Ah, I see, the boy thought. 

“It is just a simple check,” Billy said. “You know, the usual thing they do.”

“That is one scary man,” Fran said. 

Lord Juhel stopped when he got to the throne, clenching his fists, still having the scowl he had when he entered.

“A regular area check, I presume?” Juranix asked. 

Lord Juhel grunted. “You first, pignaut. Do you believe?”

Juranix sighed. “You knights have no sense of conversation first. Very well then, I suppose so. Yes, I do.”

What? the boy thought in his head. Nobody can talk to the emperor in that manner! Who does this man think he is? Juranix is the highest ruler there is!

“The Thursday Order is not controlled by Juranix,” Billy explained to him. “They are separate. A very powerful guild that opposes Juranix’s empire at times. They do not care who controls the lands they situate upon.”

Lord Juhel grunted at Juranix’s answer. Then he turned to the boy, as the boy expected. 

“You, boy,” he said, pointing to him. “Do you believe?”

The boy contemplated what he was going to say. Of course, he was expected to lie and say yes, but he found it repetitive and useless to do so. He had done it all his life whenever these knights visited, and he could not stand the thought of them actually believing that he had faith in some dumb religion of the universe being created last Thursday. 

So he knew what he was going to say. 

He turned to Juranix first, and the emperor nodded, giving him permission to speak.

“No,” the boy said. As soon as he said it, he felt the air around them turn colder. 

Judging by the emperor’s face, he was not happy. “What are you doing?” he whispered to the boy. He is oblivious to how much danger he can put us in! he thought. He does not know truly how much power their guild holds, and how easily they can inflict it on anybody!

Lord Juhel stepped closer to the boy, his expression turning sourer. “What did you say, boy? Answer again. Do. You. Believe?”

The knight’s anger did not scare the boy. “You heard me correctly. I said no. I do not believe. And do you know why? It is because I am sane.”

A servant in the corner of the room gasped and dropped a glass. 

Lord Juhel’s expression of absolute fury stayed the same. Then he grunted once more and said, “Very well.”

He turned to leave the hall, and the guards escorted him out. 

When the doors closed, Juranix was angry at the boy.

“Do you not understand how dangerous that was?” he said. “The Thursday Order is a powerful brotherhood that even I do not have control over yet, and they are a huge threat to my empire.”

“Billy warned you,” Fran told the boy. “They are the only enemies He Who Is Great And Sublime fears.”

“I am sorry,” the boy said to the emperor. “Lying when I do not have to was hurting my dignity.”

“When you do not have to?” Juranix questioned, then put a hand to his forehead. “I hope they wave this off. It would be amusing to witness a mighty battle between our clans, but it would not come without a price. It is okay, boy. Do not feel any more worry.”

He stood up from his seat and walked to the window to view the magnificent city below.

“It is weird how we have war for peace. We cause violence in order to stop it. We attack nations to protect our own. It is the most hypocritical thing yet.

“I have had my share of irony before. For example, it is ironic that many people see me as a terrible dictator, and they also think they are better in goodness than me. They think this even though I will be remembered in history, not them. Nobody will remember them, yet people will remember me. In history books, in records, in everything. 

“The worst people in history are not remembered for their deeds, but their misdeeds. Terrible acts driven by violent and sadistic natures that were so horrific, they are remembered forever. In a way, infamy is the same as fame. They are well known not because of their heroism, but because of their evil. And do you know why we choose to dwell on the past? Why we remember good things, but almost just as importantly the bad things, too?”

“So we teach the future generations of what has happened,” the boy said. “So that it will not happen again.”

“Exactly,” Juranix said. “That is what I am scared of.”

“That one day your empire will fall, and there will be no more emperor?”

“Your words speak my mind.”

The boy knitted his eyebrows. “You want a successor.”

“My gene son was supposed to be,” he said sadly. “I suppose there are times when we cannot dwell on the past.”

“His gene son,” Billy said. “If he finds out or not, Ned, he is probably going to make you his successor either way. You are alike in so many ways--the only thing that is probably stopping him is that you are not a pignaut.”

“A non-pignaut ruler would still be substantial,” Fran said. 

Silently, the boy agreed. 

“It is time for me to stop talking about the future of my empire,” Juranix said. “My babbling is uninteresting, correct?”

The boy shrugged. “If so, I could not stop you from continuing it. If I were you I would spend more of my time to suit the needs of those people who think you are a terrible dictator.”

Juranix shook his head. “I hate it when people say if I were you. Because they do not get it. If you were the said person, you would think like that person and therefore do what he or she would do. In this case, if you were me, you would not do what you suggested, and instead, keep babbling on.”

“I mean if I were in your place, then. Your title and your reputation.”

Juranix nodded. “I wonder about the points of our conversations sometimes, my boy.”

“You said the things you talk about are the things you care for the most one time.”

“Yes, but I have begun to question why I care so much about the things I talk about.”

The boy spread his hands. “Everyone has different interests. You do not need to worry if people are uninterested about your topics.”

“There are only two ways to have something that can contain everything. One is The Labyrinx, of course. No one can ever say they dislike The Labyrinx because anything they would ever like would be in there. They can always find something they like in there because it has everything. If they are into cooking, their favourite recipes are in there. If they are into books, their favourite ones are in there.”

“What is the other way?”

“The other way is a random generator. Let us say there is a sentence generator that can generate any sentence of any length at random whenever you press a button. The reason it would contain everything is that it has the possibility to generate anything. The difference between this and The Labyrinx is that The Labyrinx already contains everything, while the random generator has the possibility to generate anything. So the random generator would take up much less storage than The Labyrinx, which contains everything. 

“Everything and anything is the same. Everything is anything and anything is everything. Both my examples of things that can contain everything uses both aspects of everything and anything. They use one more, too: Randomness.

“Because what is randomness? It is one of the most difficult words to define and explain. You can use the word everything or anything in its definition, as the three words are interconnected. You can also use unpredictability to describe it, or, the unknown. But it is truly a remarkable, abstract concept. 

“You said so yourself that everyone has different interests. Different tastes. The only way to make something everyone will like is if you include everything. There are the greatest books of all time, highly regarded by the majority, but still, you will always find people who do not agree with the rest of the world and do not like them. Why, if your bestselling book is The Labyrinx, they cannot dislike it because they will always find their favourite book, whatever it is, there. 

“Or, your book can be a random generator. It does not have everything yet, but it has the possibility and chance to. Those are the only two ways to create something absolutely everyone will like.”

The boy nodded. “Thank you for giving me my daily dose of headache.”

“A pleasure,” he said. “Go rest, or do whatever you want now. That was the lesson for today: randomness.”

“I am surprised you have not taught it sooner. Every time you talk you have many tangents and you talk pretty randomly.”

Juranix smiled. I suppose that is true, he thought.

#

“I have been thinking about what Juranix had said lately,” the boy told Billy and Fran. “About what he said about interests. How he began to question his likings and that he should not. And I have begun to wonder…” He pointed to the book Billy held in his arm, the one he always carried. “What is the message of that book?”

The question took both of them by surprise. 

“What do you mean?” Billy asked. “Does it need to have one? Can it not simply be a story?”

“That is the story of my life,” the boy said. “No, more importantly: this specific section of my life. The one I am living in now. Whoever wrote it must have had a reason for it. He must have had the power to tell the future, to put it in a book. That, or he had the power to write the future and make it come true. Either way, I think there is a message. Perhaps to warn me about something? After all, it is about me.”

“Perhaps there is an all-powerful being up there that can write what happens to you,” Fran said. “If so, I imagine him sitting in a desk, a device over his head that produces light, and a computer in front of him.”

Billy frowned. “Why that specific scenario?”

Fran shrugged. “I simply have a feeling. A random thought.”

Randomness is truly weird and unexplainable, the boy thought, remembering the lesson he had about it with Juranix. 

“Any ideas of the message?” the boy asked. 

“Perhaps it is whatever you choose,” Billy said. 

“Do not be childish, Billy.”

Billy raised his hands as Fran laughed. “I am trying to help. I am fully aware that sentence sounds overused.”

“Choosing anything can be bad sometimes, anyway,” the boy said. “Take the worst people in history for an example. The freedom to choose is a debatable topic. Nobody wants to be part of a mindless, blindly-following society, even if it will have peace without a doubt. But they also do not want to be part of one with murderers and thieves. Those who are ones choose to be.”

“And to take away their freedom to choose is wrong,” Fran said. 

“You asked if there was a purpose for this book being written,” Billy said, holding it up. “If you find out the answer to your question, what would you do?”

The boy did not know.

“If the message was a good thing, such as a lesson, would you follow it?”

Again, the boy did not know.

Chapter The Twenty-Second:

A Plot Revelation’s Death

“I have taught you about bootstrap paradoxes, have I?” Juranix asked the boy one day.

The boy thought for a moment. “Not entirely.”

“They are heavily entwined with predestination paradoxes, but they have the same concept: when something is created without a reason for it existing. For example, a person saves another person’s life. The saved one then meets a friend later on who tells him to time travel back to find the person that saved his life. In doing so, the friend causes that saver to save the life, therefore letting the saved person live to the future to meet the friend. How could the person meet the friend if he had lived only because he met the friend?”

“Indeed,” Ned said. “I understand the concept of bootstraps now.”

“Boy, that example sure sounds strangely familiar,” Billy said. Fran nodded, agreeing. They both look at you.

“Good,” Juranix said. “So, now you know how things can be created from nothing. Another example is if a famous author writes a story. One that is so well-known and famous. Then he time travels back to his previous self, who had not written it yet and shows him the story. His past-self then copies the story and publishes it for himself, creating a future where the story is famous. When was the story ever created the first place?

“It may all be seen as fun things to think about, but what if everything we know and invented in today’s world follows that example? How do we know our devices and methods of living have not been created by a bootstrap paradox with the inventor showing his past-self how to make it? Now that we know time travel is possible, it opens up an entire array of questions. The lamp beside your bed table could have been created or invented by a bootstrap. The bed table could have been created or invented by a bootstrap. For all we know, everything could have been created by a bootstrap.”

That would definitely be interesting, but also an object-existential crisis, the boy thought. 

“Anyway, I simply wanted to make sure you knew the concept,” Juranix said. “Bootstraps were supposed to be one of our first lessons, but I cannot remember if I have taught you them yet. I am getting old. My bones are getting weaker and my eyesight blurs. I have seen many things in my life, including The Vast War which I do not remember now, and many other wars I have lead my pignauts into. 

“It gives me comfort to think I will disappear from history as a legend. A figure pignauts of the future will worship and praise as a god. I am one of the greatest pignaut emperors, did you know?”

How boastful, the boy thought, rolling his eyes. “Yes, I know. You have said it many times.”

“And yet I feel as if I do not say it enough.” He sighed and fell back in his chair. “The humans have had many kings as well. There was one that was called a dinosaur that was the ‘king of the lizards’. I do not know what a dinosaur is. Perhaps a title they gave to the best of themselves, the humans. And why would they name themselves the king of the lizards? Another Earth animal, for your information. Are lizards a great animal to rule over? The leader’s name was, T-rex, by the way. And he was remembered as one of the greatest leaders of human history. Although he was not very intelligent and some think he is a myth. I wonder, if I name myself, T-Juranix, will I be remembered as a long-ago, non-intelligent, legend of a leader?”

Billy and Fran were laughing. 

“Why?” the boy asked them. 

“It is just…ask him if he got that from The Labyrinx,” Fran said. “And if he used the Truth Button,”

“Exactly. I do not know,” Juranix answered him. 

“Did you get that from The Labyrinx?” the boy asked. “And did you use the Truth Button?”

“No. I suppose not.”

“Information from The Labyrinx is not always true. Everything you found out from there before your invention of The Truth Button could be false information.”

“Hmm, I suppose you are correct.”

“The Labyrinx holds every possible other description of everything,” Billy said. “The t-rex was not a human. The description he read in The Labyrinx simply must have been the wrong one.”

Ned nodded, understanding. 

“Now, let me go back to reading this book, Stargazer,” Billy said, bringing it out.

“You have taken an interest in that book, huh?” Fran asked him.

“Yes, sister. Perhaps Ned chose to restrict himself from reading it, but not for me.”

“I like listening to the stories and things you find in The Labyrinx,” the boy said. “Can you tell me more?”

“Ah,” Juranix said, chuckling. “I have many. How about a scary story: You are home alone, and you sneeze. Then someone says bless you.”

“Ha. That is more of a funny one.”

“You are the last man in the world and you live alone in your house. Then, you hear a knock on the door.”

Now that one is good, the boy thought.

“What makes the short story so chilling is that you do not know the answer,” Juranix said. “Do you not hate it when you do not know the answer?”

“Definitely. But now you can find any answer you want. The Truth Button, remember?”

“Yes, but I understand not to abuse my power. It can be dangerous to find out everything. Knowledge can be a weapon. Or I may find out some very disturbing truths about the world.” An old, wise man once told me that, he thought. But I forgot his name. Or his face. It may even be the same one that told me about The Vast War. 

Strange, the boy thought. That is exactly what The Memory Master said. He also proved it with an example: Elsie and her fear of ghosts. The sudden revelation that they are real. 

“More things from The Labyrinx,” Juranix said. “Life is a sexually transmitted terminal disease. Would the universe exist if there was no one to observe it? If life is unfair for everyone, does that make it fair? This sentence is false. Is it crazy how saying sentences backwards creates backwards sentences saying how crazy it is? Every generation’s history class gets harder and harder. Once we start clapping, we never stop. There are simply longer intervals between them. We really only have two minutes to live, but taking a breath resets the clock. Does cleaning a vacuum cleaner make you a vacuum cleaner? If you punch yourself and it hurts, are you weak or strong?”

“Neither. You are stupid.”

Juranix laughed. “Ah, that is true, my boy.”

“All these ideas that others would say nonsensical are rather very thought-provoking indeed.”

Juranix checked a sundial on a pedestal nearby the throne. “It seems I have run out of time, my Searcher. I have things to do. After all, I am very busy, and you know that. You may leave.”

“Yes. I understand. I will try to complete more things on the search list, as well.”

“No, it is fine. Spend time with your friends. Your work has taken a lot of time from it. Until I return, you have free time. I will stay here.”

How thoughtful of him, the boy thought. I do not understand how others think he is an oppressive ruler. 

#

The boy, his bodyguard, and his two imaginary friends walked around the palace looking for them. 

“I have to say,” Billy said, holding the book Stargazer, “this book is very interesting. It has many philosophical ideas.”

“You mean the ones Juranix tells me?” Ned asked. “Because they are all in there. It makes me wonder…the author chose to put all those ideas in there. What is the point? To try and make the book good? Does it not seem that he is trying too hard?”

“So?” Fran said. “What is wrong with trying hard? What is wrong with trying hard, and failing? If the book does not sell good, it does not matter. The author completes his mission in creating a story that he wants to give to the world.”

“Hmm, I suppose you are right. If one fails, one treats it as a success through the learning experience. And at least that one tried. It is better to try than to not, as you never know what could or might happen. I apologize, that sounds very cliché. Billy, I am curious. What chapter are you on?”

Billy’s eyes widened as he read. “No way. I recently finished chapter twenty-six. And you will not believe what I found out!”

He told them. Not everything, as Ned did not want that, but only the things that could be told. The safe information that would not ruin any continuum. 

He told them about The Memory Master and how he secretly hated Ned because of a motive he got years ago. How he had a devious plot to get revenge on him, which started when he went up the steps of the palace three years ago to tell Juranix about The Vast War and the criminal who stopped it: Ned. Himself.

“Anything else you found out from the previous chapters after the one I am in right now?” the boy asked. “After all, you know I cannot read it.”

Billy shook his head. “Lots, but nothing I can tell you. I know how important it is for you to not know, since you can change your fate easily, and then destiny is ruined.”

The boy nodded. “Yes. So we exposed a big secret that The Memory Master has. We have to tell the others.”

“Agreed,” Fran said. “I will lead you to them since I know where they are.”

Ned turned to Starlight. “Sorry if it seems like I am talking to myself again. Ignore me.”

They soon found them, hanging around the edges of the huge palace. Mill was with them too, as he also had a break. 

“Hey, Ned and Starlight are here,” Elsie said, smiling. 

“We are bored, thank you for coming,” Monty said. 

“I have something very important to tell you,” Ned said. “I have uncovered a treacherous plot by a person, one that is out to get revenge on me.”

“Who?” Monty asked. 

“The Memory Master. It is a long story, one that I do not fully understand. It involves Starlight’s father.”

Starlight’s brows were raised when he heard it. 

“How did you find this out?” Monty asked. I cannot let him keep this memory, he thought. My master’s plan must never be figured out. Nor his identity shall be exposed. He already has trouble keeping a low profile. The usual myths and rumours slip by to the city folk.

“The book, Stargazer,” Ned said. 

“I thought you said you would not read it,” Mill said. “Because of paradoxes.”

“I did not read it. My imaginary friends have.”

“So you expect us to trust them when they could be wrong?” Elsie said. “How are you so sure? You can be falsely accusing that old buzzard at the peak, which is a punish-worthy transgression.”

“How ignorant you are to our abilities!” Fran scolded, although she could not hear her. 

Ned shrugged. “You can choose to believe me or not. But I am telling you. Starlight’s father was a great hero in The Vast War, long ago, and he also had a best friend, which is The Memory Master. The old buzzard got angry at me when I placed The Vast War into a nonexistent timeline, causing his friend, the hero, Starlight’s father, to become unknown when he used to be famous. His heroic deeds were forgotten. The Memory Master blamed me for it and created a plan to get me captured. He went to Juranix and told him about The Vast War, and the name of the so-called criminal who stopped it: me. I am captured because of him! Somehow he knew the location of my hometown, too.”

“How evil,” Elsie said. “That is unbelievable. But you are never wrong, so I believe you.”

“Me too,” Mill said. “And to think that you met him when you escaped in the mountains. Not knowing he utterly despised you.”

“Now that I know this, I remember now: he did not help me in any way after I chose to play his memory game,” Ned said.

That is enough! Monty thought. He has gone too far. He has uncovered too many secrets. My master’s motives must stay unknown. 

In an instant, he waved his hand.

“Hey, Ned and Starlight are here,” Elsie said, smiling.

“We are bored, thank you for coming,” Monty said. “By the way, Ned, when you met The Memory Master up on the peak, he was a nice person, right?”

What a strange question for him to ask, Ned thought. I will ask Billy and Fran later. 

“Why, sure he was,” he said. 

“He is not evil in any way, is he?”

“No, I suppose not. Not that I know of. Why?”

Monty shrugged. “Nothing.”

“I have work soon,” Mill said. “I will be going now. You all have fun.”

“As do I,” Ned said. “The emperor wants me to carry out things around the palace.”

“Please do not leave,” Elsie said. 

“Yes, you are bored. Simply find something to do. Perhaps in the city. I will be back shortly after.”

He left the two as Starlight and the Arion twins followed him out of earshot. 

“Tell me,” he said.

“You uncovered a secret that Monty did not want you to know,” Billy said.

Then Fran said, “Monty is a memory thief, part of the guild. His master is The Memory Master. He erased your memory of what you found out.”

“What did I find out?” 

“Are you sure you want to know?” Fran said. She and her brother shared a glance. Then she looked back at Ned. “You are always humble, and you always respect other’s secrets, since you know you can easily find them out through us, which is unfair to them.”

“Like what you did when you found out Elsie’s past, and you thought it was rude and later you decided you would not do it again,” Billy said. 

Ned sighed. “You are right. I shall respect other’s minds, and not abuse my power with you two. That time, I could not help myself. I wanted to know. But this time, I will respect whatever Monty did not want me to know. Well, I learned one thing through you two: he is a memory thief.”

“Yes, you better be careful around him,” Fran said. 

“Let us go to the throne hall, see what Juranix is up to,” Ned told his bodyguard. 

They went to the throne hall, admiring the views of the palace on the way. When they entered, they saw something completely unordinary.

Mill was chained, kneeling in front of the emperor on his throne. His pignaut executioner was holding an axe above his head! 

“Stop!” Ned said, running in. “What is the meaning of this?” Oh no, he thought. They found out.

“Oh, just in time for you to come in, gene son,” Juranix said. 

“Please do not kill him. He only kept the secret to protect me since he knows that I would be in danger if you found out.”

“Do not worry, it is not your fault,” Juranix said. “You have kept the secret too, but it was this filthy boy’s job to tell me. His trials are complete.”

“Be merciful. Please, master.”

The Lord Of The Planet contemplated. “Hmph. Perhaps. He has done a lot for me so far, so I will be merciful and give him a bit of time to live his last moments on this planet. He will be executed in the next five days then. And…here is the best part: it will be a complete surprise when!”

Internally, Ned relaxed. Good. He has a bit of time left. He is not going to die now.

“How did you find out?” he asked.

“One of my servants told me. He overheard you two talking about it. It makes sense--it explains everything. My gene son is a big criminal, such as you when you stopped The Vast War.”

He slammed his fist on an armrest. “Curses! I should have known! Your name says it all: Ned. You are one. It all adds up, too. Your eyes--pignaut green. Your intelligence level, closely mine. We think alike. You were the embryo I forced that family to inject my genes into.”

“What do you mean? Injecting pignaut genes into our genes and vice versa is impossible! Our genes are not valid with each other! The subject will die!”

“Not anymore. You see, back then, when I chose to have a gene son, genetic science was advancing. That is a myth now. You are the first pure to have pignaut genes in you. This was years ago when you were born. I had forced a random family down in the city to have a son that would be my gene son. It turns out they had moved to South Haven, trying to escape me and hide you from me. I was also very busy at that time, facing many riots and rebels, so I forgot all about you. You became a rare thing: An Emperor Juranix escapist. Everyone knows I let nothing go once I capture it, forever.”

“Explain how I became known as a criminal then.”

“There is a reason, and I know it. I will not tell you, though. Why would I?”

“Please, Your Majesty,” Mill said. “Spare me. You must know the reason I hid the truth from you. I thought you would hurt Ned.”

“Silence!” the emperor said. “You will be thrown into the dungeon until your unexpected death. And you, Ned, may not visit him. He is to spend his last days alone. Now, leave!”

“This is how you treat a gene son?”

“You are lucky I am sparing you from punishment. Not even chores for you to do. It is because you are my gene son. So yes, this is how I treat a gene son. With kindness.”

Ned made a frustrated noise. Then he called out to Mill before he left, “Do not worry, Mill. I will find a way to save your life!”

“Help!” Mill said as he was dragged into the dungeon. “Help me!” 

Ned could hear his distant screams as he went deeper and deeper underground, back to the one place they both knew well. The one place they had hated, spending eternities there. The one place neither one of them wanted to return to again.

He left the throne hall without a word to Juranix and confronted Billy and Fran.

“Billy, why did you not tell me?” he said. “You read this chapter! You should have known!”

Billy hung his head. “I will tell you what I told you in the book, which was this very exact sentence right now: It would have changed your fate. You would have done something about it, knowing you. You would have tried to stop Mill from entering that room.”

“That is true. At least tell me if Mill lives or not!”

“I also said this in the book: I cannot. Remember the paradoxes that can come? If I tell you he does not live, you will not try to save him, you will do nothing instead. If I tell you he does live, you will still do nothing, as you know fate cannot be changed and you do not need to do anything for him to live.”

“Tell me what I need to do to save him, then. There should be a way. Nothing is impossible.”

“We cannot do that either,” Fran said. “Because we do not know. We are in your head, remember? So if you do not know, then we do not either.”

“That does not make sense. You have always told me things I did not know.”

“You were lucky those times,” Billy said.

What great help, these two, he thought. Fine. I will figure it out myself. 

#

He spent the rest of the day on his desk, in his quarters, thinking. He thought and thought, trying to find a way. He knew there had to be a way to save him.

“I cannot do it by force since Juranix is too powerful,” he said. He turned to Starlight. “I do not think even you can rescue him yourself. I also cannot plead or beg, as I know Juranix will never accept it. I have to save him in a way that outsmarts Juranix. And I have to do it before tomorrow, as that could be the day he gets executed. I also cannot search The Labyrinx. Juranix will certainly guard that room since he knows I might try to use it to save him. He will guard it until Mill is dead.”

“Think, Ned,” Fran said. “What did Juranix say?”

“A surprise execution in the next five days, unknown time,” Billy said. 

For hours, the boy continued to think and think. It was like the riddle of the stars! Only this was more important since Mill’s life was on the line, not his worthless life this time.

A surprise execution…he thought. In the next five days…today is Sunday. Think, Ned. All the information is there to save him!

And then, simply like that, he got it.

#

He went to Juranix immediately, who was in the hall. He was right in seeing two pignaut guards standing next to the door to The Labyrinx room. 

“How nice of you to come back, gene son,” Juranix said, insincerely. 

“Mill cannot die,” Ned told him. “I have figured out why.”

“Oh, and so you have.” He sighed. “You truly are brilliant. I do not doubt that you have found a logical explanation.”

“The next five days are Monday to Friday. It cannot be Friday, as if he reaches that day, that is the only day left. He will know and expect the execution, and it will not be a surprise. The same logic goes with Thursday. If he reaches Thursday, still alive, since Friday is not a possibility, then he will expect the execution on Thursday. It all repeats with Wednesday. Then it continues, down the week, on and on. Until he realizes that he cannot be executed any time of the week without it being a surprise.”

“Well done,” Juranix said. “You have saved him with logic. I suppose you are right. He cannot be executed with a surprise.”

“Respect my intelligence by letting him live,” the boy said. He knew that the emperor always respected intelligence. To kill Mill, even after Ned’s amazing solution, would be an insult to his verities and everything he stood for. 

Juranix frowned. Beaten by this boy, once again, he thought. My, he truly is my gene son, then. Remarkable. 

He grunted. “Fine. I will let him live. Millton is spared.”

The boy exhaled a breath he had been holding.

Chapter The Twenty-Third:

An Attack On The Palace

The boy had been having nightmares lately about his past. He had never come to the realization that his fate was sealed, that he would never come back to his true home again or see his real family again. The nightmares had been troubling him, as well as Juranix’s anger at him and Mill for what happened ever so recently. 

One night he went to his quarters wearily, ready to face more bad dreams and sleeplessness. As usual, Starlight would see to it that he made it to his room, and then after roam the massive palace with boredom the whole night. Perhaps even train a bit. 

But it was not as usual. The boy woke up to the sounds and vibrations of catapults barraging into the palace, screams and yells of pain and fear of servants, and the ghastly, unnatural and eerie roars of something he could not quite place--human or beast, he could not tell the difference. 

It seemed as if they were under siege by an army of ghosts. He went outside his room to find the palace completely dark except for a few slowly fading torches illuminating the hallways. It was so dark and eerie the boy was in fear and confusion about what was going on. 

“Thank goodness Monty and Elsie had concluded their visit to go home recently,” Fran said, she and Billy beside him. “They are safe.”

“What is happening?” Billy asked. “We need to find Juranix--”

He was cut off by a torturous scream that made everyone wince and cover their ears, a scream so abnormal and creature-like the boy had no idea what it was. Then came a few more sounds and vibrations of more rocks raining down on the sides of the palace. 

“I am not concerned for the palace or Juranix,” Billy said. “The palace is enormous. It will hold. And Juranix is probably heavily guarded right now.”

“Yes, and I am the one closest to him, like a son to him, yet nobody is protecting me,” the boy said. “We need to find Starlight, not Juranix. As you said, the palace is enormous. Juranix’s quarters are far from here, and finding it through this darkness will be torture.”

Then the boy had a thought. He turned to the two of them.

“Tell me,” he said. “I know you two know what is happening.”

Billy and Fran looked at each other. It was Fran who spoke first. 

Sighing, she said, “The Thursday Order is angry at your disbelief of their religion. They are trying to attack the entire palace to get to you. They are amassing their biggest assembly of forces ever in the history of attacks from them--thousands of soldiers, knights, catapults, ships at the harbour--everything. They know it will take a lot to get to you.”

“Including spiritual backup,” Billy said grimly. “Ghosts. To inspire fear in everyone so they cannot think to fight back, so they have an easy way to get to you. Also, we are the only ones who know that. Since you are the only one who knows that they are real now.”

“All this only to get to me?” The boy shook his head. “This is my fault.”

“We know where Starlight is,” Fran said. “He is fighting his way through Order knights to get to you now. The safest option is to stay here, in your quarters, until he gets to you. That is so he will not get confused if he does not find you when he gets here. When he does, Billy and I will lead you to the safest part of the palace. Starlight would not be able to hold off a massive assault right here in this hallway to your quarters. We will have to hide until morning when Juranix’s reinforcements from the city will come. They already have been alerted and are coming.”

The boy locked themselves in his quarters, illuminated by a single oil lamp on his table. They waited, listening to the eerie screams and battle cries all over the palace. Once or twice the boy felt a real, unmistakable chill go down his spine. 

A few minutes later, which seemed like forever, Starlight busted the lock on the door and entered with his giant claymore, ruffled and spiky hair, and star necklace. 

“There you are,” the boy said, and he could imagine Starlight saying the same thing. The bodyguard’s expression was the same. No smile--serious and grim.

That boy has never laughed in his life, I will bet, Ned thought. 

“Follow me,” Ned said, getting up from a chair. “I will lead us to safety. Trust me. You will have to take care of any enemy encounters.”

Starlight nodded, ready. Ned led both of them through the hallways. The screams seemed to never stop, the hallways seemed to stretch on forever, and the darkness seemed to dim the light of the torches. Ned saw a few of them go out with no explanation or reason and ignored it so that they could keep moving and not waste time. 

“We should rest here,” Billy advised Ned. “The next room has an Order knight. Wait for him to move on.”

Ned nodded and relayed the message to Starlight.

The bodyguard, after fighting his way to get to the boy, needed the rest badly. He collapsed, exhausted. He closed his eyes too, but Ned did not worry, as he knew it was impossible for him to fall asleep. 

The boy tried to sit down too before he realized what he was about to sit on, and flinched. A dead body, not pignaut. He studied it closer. It was an Order knight, with wounds and cuts and mangled legs. He had a standard helmet and chainmail. On his chest was a T symbol which was considered their holy symbol. Even a cretin could figure out what it stood for. 

Taking a glance around the hallway they were in, the boy saw that there was more than one dead body. They were down on the floors, all with wounds, some Order knights and some pignaut guards and servants. The boy could not see very clearly past a certain length of the hallway since there was only one torch lighting it up, which was above him and Starlight who were both resting on the floor.

“He is not moving,” Fran said, referring to the lurking Order knight in the room they wanted to enter. “He might be crazy. I heard that most Order knights appointed are murderous, insane psychopaths. This one might just be in that room, patrolling in confusion like a soulless corpse.”

The boy imagined seeing him through the wooden doors, walking oddly with his arms twisting and mangling while he cackled with glee or groaned. Not doing anything, not having any plans of leaving. 

“That is bad, too,” Billy said. “He is in our path to the safe haven.”

“What is the safe haven?” the boy asked.

“A secret series of dungeons underneath the basement level of the castle. You need secret passages to get to them, and only the most trusted of the emperor know about them. Not even you do. They also have tunnels leading out of the palace, into the outskirts of the city, for a quick escape during attacks. Makes sense that a tyrannous emperor like Juranix would have a lot of enemies.”

“It does not look too good for the palace,” Fran said. “We are…wait, hold on a second, I need to see…yes, we are losing. There is a high chance Juranix will use the tunnels. And it would make it all the less trouble-full if you make it there too, so he will not worry about rescuing you. In a time like this, it will not matter if they will question how you found out about the tunnels since you are valuable to him. All that matters is that you end up alive.”

“If I was valuable to him, he would have sent backup for me now,” the boy muttered, a little miffed. “Is he?”

“Not at the moment,” Billy said. “His remaining guards are too busy trying to protect him or staying alive themselves. Some are getting possessed by the evil spirits so Juranix’s guards are running thin. But he will send for you.”

“How long are we through the night? Tell me. Fran said we have to wait until morning.”

“About halfway. You slept through most of it, and they started the attack at sundown. It shows how big this place is if they have not gotten to you yet, or the emperor.”

“Shh,” Fran said.

For one eerie moment, everything was silent. Then the boy heard screams down their corridor. 

“They are coming,” Fran whispered. “I was hoping we could go without a fight for this one knight in this room over here, but I suppose he will not move. You will have to get Starlight to get up and deal with him, or else we will be trapped.”

“Why?”

“There are knights coming down this hallway. They will be here soon. We have to move. Get Starlight up.”

The boy nudged Starlight’s shoulder, but he did not open his eyes. He was motionless but still breathing. The boy thought, uh oh, before he heard a sharp cry from Billy. He spun his head around. 

“What?” Fran said when Billy sucked air through his teeth and held his head, wincing in pain.

“I do not know!” he said. “Something is happening! It is sucking me back into your mind!”

“No, do not go into my mind,” the boy said. “I need you here. You and Fran are the only help Starlight and I can get in hopes of surviving.”

“I cannot control it!” Billy said as he began to fade away. His eyes started to glow white. “I…no, it cannot be. It is very strange. I am sensing something…in this hallway…with us.”

“Is it the knights at the end of the hallway, coming to us?” his sister asked holding him up as he began to stumble.

He shook his head. “No, something else,” he said. 

Then he disappeared. 

“Billy!” Fran cried. 

Francesca slumped, obviously torn. She looked as if she was contemplating something. And the boy--with a sudden realization--knew.

“No,” he said walking toward her. “Do not. I need you here.”

“I am sorry, I need to,” she said, backing away from his reach. The boy knew if he held onto her, he could will her not to go into his mind. 

“Do not leave me,” the boy said. “Starlight is asleep. I will be unprotected.”

That seemed to stun her for a moment, but then she shook her head, denying the impossibility. 

“Forgive me,” she said, as she disappeared too. 

The boy, very scared, alone, and unsure of what to do, decided to check one last time on Starlight. He was truly asleep, which dumbfounded him. 

Impossible, the boy thought.

He contemplated his choices. He knew for sure he could not take down even a single knight by himself in the next room. Perhaps a village bully, but not an Order knight--especially with no weapons or armour.

There was nowhere to hide. Except…

Think, Ned, he thought. You are smart.

He concluded that the best idea was to hide underneath the dead bodies and pretend he and Starlight were part of them. It would be disgusting, but his only choice. 

Burying him and Starlight with them, he tried to ease his panic and control his breathing. He thought of a way to do that as well as find out what was going on with Billy and Fran. He closed his eyes and went into his mind.

#

Appearing in the dark world again, with a single spotlight shining down on a small area, he saw the two of them. Billy was turned away, in a wooden seat, with Fran waiting there. 

She looked as if she had just shed some tears. “He is possessed by a ghost,” she said. “I sensed what he had sensed before he left, too. There were many in that hallway. Some even taking up the same space we took up. I do not know how one got into his head.”

“Me neither,” the boy said. 

“Yes, you do!” Fran said, shoving him so hard he was taken aback. “He is in your head. The ghost possessing him is in your head. You are causing this! Make it stop! He is suffering!”

“I swear, I do not know what--”

Suddenly, they both silenced as Billy got up from his seat. He turned slowly, his glowing white eyes illuminating the darkness. His expression was eerie as he had a smile.

“Hello,” he said. “I am suffering, yes. Dying will cure it. Will you help me?”

“They are not his words,” Fran said, pulling the boy’s arm. “Please--the ghost kills the victim by possessing it and making it kill itself. Whatever happens, do not follow its demands!”

“Imagine me a cliff, would you?” Billy said.

Somehow, one appeared. He did not know how--perhaps hearing the word brought it to his imagination instinctively. The next thing he knew, Billy was headed for the edge, and Fran was screaming for him to come back.

It was too late. Billy jumped. Ned was still too shocked to do anything--he definitely did it unintentionally--but he knew telling that to Fran would not matter. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, pounding him with fists.

“I hate you!” she said. “You did this!”

“No, I did not.”

“He is in your imagination! You made him die!”

“You are too. Your angered retaliation at me is not real. Give it up. We both know I would not kill him and I did not.”

“That is it! I cannot take any of this anymore! I am done! I am shutting out for good!”

“You cannot be serious.” As before, he tried to grab her wrist to stop her from leaving. But she saw it coming and moved away. 

“Do not leave,” the boy said in a commanding voice. “You are letting your emotions get the best of you. You are making rash decisions. I did not do this, and I also need your help in the outside world.”

“Goodbye,” she sobbed. 

“At least help me one last time. You know what is wrong with Starlight. I know you do.”

She sobbed a bit more. “Fine,” she said. “Before I go: Starlight was also being attacked mentally by a ghost who was pulling him into sleep and succeeded. You have the slimmest chance of waking him up since he is catching up on years of sleep. I say it is suicide if you try since the knights will be on you in an instant.”

“But it is my only choice. Please--”

“No! You do not deserve it. I will not see you ever again.”

“Do you mean it?”

She did not answer. Instead, she shut out. For good. 

Since both of them were gone, he was kicked out of his mind. Back in reality, the footsteps were closer. The haunting, chilling screams were back. And the palace kept shaking and rumbling.

He shoved the corpse on him off and went to Starlight, urging him to wake up. He had lost two friends already, and he was not going to leave him behind. He would carry him through to the next room with the lone knight if he had to. 

“Wake up, come on,” he said, shaking him. “Wake up! I need you. Now. They will kill both of us. We are trapped.”

The footsteps got louder. The boy wondered if they were just about to appear out of the darkness. 

He shook Starlight harder. “Wake up!” he said, louder. “I need you! Juranix always told me you are stronger than a phantom. That no wraith could attack you because on the battlefield you had no soul. You were merciless and brutal.”

He began to see Starlight struggling, fighting to get away from the edge of sleep, on the brink of escaping it. The boy knew that he was immensely and unimaginably tired and that it would take the willpower and strength of a god to wake up.

At the end of the hallway, the knights appeared. They screamed at the top of their lungs their unpleasant, gruesome, horrifying screams. They raised their swords above their heads. They charged, stumbling over each other, some cackling with glee. The boy could see in their eyes that indeed they were mad. Insane. 

In one last effort, he told Starlight to wake up. And, by a miracle, his eyes burst open. Perhaps it was because he was used to being awake all the time. Nonetheless, he only took a moment to understand what was going on and went into action. 

He got up, gripped his sword, and faced the enemy attackers, forming a stance. Then he went into battle, gracefully slicing up their swords with quick, fluid motions, knocking them out so fast and with so much energy it was unbelievable.

The boy could see he was struggling to keep it up, so he made a decision. There were too many in the hallway. He grabbed a torch, told Starlight to get behind him, and threw it at the dead bodies. 

The entire hallway lit up in flames. The fire spread to the carpet, which spread to the clothes of the knights. Some ran around, screaming, while some laughed with unmistakable happiness. The boy shivered as to what could have driven this madness into the hearts of such men. 

“We must go!” he told Starlight. “The fire will get to us! Get into the room and help me close this door on them!”

They locked themselves in and pushed against the door as the flaming knights tried to push against them. The boy could feel Starlight doing most of the work as he had beads of sweat and clenched teeth. The emperor also said he had the strength of fifty oxen, he thought. He should be able to hold them all, and not for long, as they are dying from the flames.

Soon he found out he was right. Less strength was pushing against the doors as time passed, but the heat was rising. It was too much for the boy to withstand--he let go when it got too hot, shaking his hands. But Starlight pressed on--he was used to feeling pain. Eventually, the screams on the other side died out, and nothing was pushing on the door anymore. 

The boy slumped to the floor, heaving and coughing from inhaling smoke. He expected Starlight to do the same, but he had forgotten there was one more enemy. Starlight whizzed his head around, as if he sensed his presence, and saw the knight. He acted so fast, it was not even fair. His sword was sliced in half, he was launched across the room by a foot, and his skull was bashed against the stone wall faster than Ned could perceive. 

Then, finally, Starlight rested next to him.

“Good job,” Ned said, patting his back.

Starlight nodded. He did one last thing--point to a table with a single flower vase on one side of the room, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he went to sleep.

The boy got up to check what it was. He found out pushing it opened a secret entrance in the wall, stone blocks shifting to reveal a tunnel leading outside.

So Starlight was one of Juranix’s most trusted men, he thought, smiling.

#

In the morning, the guards found two survivors of the terrible night: a weary boy carrying his bodyguard in the middle of the forest, both covered with cuts and soot.

Chapter The Twenty-Fourth: 

Revenge Is More Than Once

As the boy had predicted, Juranix was unimaginably furious the next day. The old pignaut had survived, unlike many others that served the palace, and he wasted no time in finding the boy to scold him.

“You have caused this tragedy on all of us!” he yelled. “It is because you endangered us from the start, you inconsiderate cretin, that all this destruction has happened! I knew this was going to happen. Curses, I should have definitely prepared for it. I was not entirely sure.”

“I am truly sorry,” Ned said. Starlight, awake, climbed over some rubble and appeared next to him. “I aim to make you understand that it was truly my fault, and I am responsible.”

“Take a moment to look at the damage.” Juranix gestured to the entirety of it all, the reality of its massiveness. Rubble was everywhere. Broken wooden beams and stone bricks from catapults. Majorly-wounded casualties, many dead. The once-great palace was still standing, but a lot of it was gone.

“You are lucky the damage is not too irreplaceable. The palace still stands, the citadel still retains its great glory and majesty, beauty and wonder. You are also lucky that I may be able to repair this in just a week. I have many powerful friends and allies who can help, and I have lots of resources and wealth. The damage is no problem. What bothers me is that this could have been avoided if you had not refused to lie to that Lord. Your dignity and ego are much too high, I presume.” That is not such a bad thing, he thought. But in this case, it was.

“I hope you understand that I was also unaware of this terrible incident to happen, but that I am also responsible. I will never refuse to lie to the Order again,” the boy said. 

Juranix studied the boy for a moment. “You are a truly good boy. I will forgive you. In fact, it is the Order that I am very angry at, not you. I agree with your statement--this could not have possibly been foreseen by you or me. It is the Order to blame. I will issue a counterattack on them shortly. My pignauts will terrorize their villages, their families, burn their homes, take their children as hostages. They will not be able to do anything about it. I will make them pay--they know better than to attack me, the king of the world.”

That is not what I wanted, actually, the boy thought. That is much too harsh. But I will take it. 

Their might shall crumble under mine, Juranix thought. “You, boy, still should get a bit of punishment. I will make you scrub floors in the time it takes until the palace is rebuilt, redesigned, and renovated. That is to say, about one week.”

“That is merciful,” the boy said. “Thank you.”

Juranix smiled. “My father always told me, ‘an act of revenge always strikes more than once’. For example, if someone killed your son with a sword, you would kill that killer, the parents of the killer, the blacksmith of the sword--and his parents--the supplier of materials of the blacksmith--and his parents--and so on. Not usually is it that you do all those things, but you would wish you had. All so your son is fully avenged. And if you did any of those things before the weapon was made, or when the killer committed the act, your son might have lived. In this case, I will get revenge on the Order, and on you who caused the attack.”

“What about a case where it only happens once? Perhaps a person only gets revenge once.”

“I doubt it has ever happened. If a person gets revenge, I doubt that the other side, who or whatever it may be, will leave it alone. The only way that truly is possible is if one may kill the person one wants revenge on. And then it is over.”

“So you are attacking the Thursday Order back. If you do not put an end to them, they will come back, with your logic.”

Juranix smiled maliciously. “Exactly. That is the fun in it. They will keep attacking, but they ultimately know they will never defeat me. My empire is stronger than their entire Order. They will eventually give up, or they will all die. They know there is no possibility of winning.”

Much like my life, Ned thought. 

#

The following week was a haul. At least, for the boy it was. He scrubbed the floors with a wet rag and a bucket of water day after day, with little rest. 

But finally, nearing the end of the year, the palace was completely rebuilt. The boy ended his duties and was once again beside Juranix for more lessons. Routines returned to normal. All servants pretended as if nothing had happened, and it was a regular day at the palace. Juranix’s returned raid party had come back with successful news. 

“Happy new year,” Juranix said. “For decades, I have always hated new years resolutions. It is rare that one fulfils theirs. So my new years resolution this year is to not have a new years resolution.”

“You already failed,” the boy said. 

“My, it seems I have. I have also realized that years have passed and not in one have we celebrated your birthday. When is it? Why do you not bother telling me?”

“Because I need not celebrate it yet. My birthday is on a leap year day. Coincidently, the last leap year was the one before I was brought here, and it would not be another four years until my next one. I age four times slower than everyone.”

“Conceivable concept. I do intend to bring up that you still age regularly.”

“Yes, I am aware of that. It is simply a special type of thing I believe in, though I know it is not true.”

“Belief is a true power indeed. One does not misjudge its potential to--”

“Yes, I know that.”

“Do not interrupt me, boy.”

“I am sorry.”

“Speak only when I say so. Anyway, so as I was saying…”

“Yes, I know that belief holds true power. I have had experience with it before.”

Juranix looked annoyed. “What did I just say, boy?”

“What did I just say, boy?”

“You dare to mock me now?”

“No, I was just saying what you just said.”

“I had told you to only speak when I say so. I had not--oh, I see. My mistake. Let me rephrase it: speak only when I say go.”

“Okay, I will.”

“Did you not just hear me?”

“You had just said go, in that sentence that you told me to. So technically I am allowed to speak.”

Juranix breathed through his nostrils deeply. I am really annoyed now, he thought. “You frustrate me, boy. I have to remember you think the same way as me, even different at times.”

“I have to ask, Juranix. Why do we have these conversations? They seem kind of useless. No meaning to them.”

“You are getting tired of them?”

“No, not tired.” I do not want to hurt his feelings, the boy thought. “Just curious as to why the lessons I learn are important to me.”

There was a long moment of silence. For a while, the boy thought Juranix would scold him. But the emperor just sighed deeply. 

“Meaning,” he said as if the word was foreign. “Meaning is nonexistent in the future world.”

“What do you mean?”

“I took a glimpse of the world in the future of today, through time travel. The Time Traveller showed me the world he came from, and I say to you, it was not great at all. Pollution, global problems, stronger diseases, more poverty, corrupt officials called presidents and politicians. There are no more emperors--and most of all, a mature and organized world where children are forced at an early age to learn and learn and learn. No fun. Homework and homework.”

“What is homework?”

“The point is, the future is a meaningless world. Almost an apocalypse, in my eyes. People in that world have many luxuries and privileges--that they think are rights--that they take for granted. They have internet, phones, cars, television, and all that. All strange words to you, I presume. They are raised with that technology thinking it is normal, and they cannot imagine a life without it. 

“As I said, they take it all for granted. They do not appreciate the true value of their world, and why it is so important to cherish it. And, another thing I have also said, the meaning is lost in their everyday lives. Every day, we cut vegetables to put in our soup to eat, hang our clothes for them to dry to wear later, light torches so we can see. All purposeful activities. The people of the future have enough time to take pictures on their phone of themselves, or others, without understanding the meaning of it. What are the chances they are going to spend time to look back at those pictures? No, they are too busy capturing more pictures. More moments. Moments they will never look back at. Sometimes they post it so the world can see it. And they do not even stop to ask themselves why.

“The people of the future have lost the sense to find the meaning in what they do every day. How this ties in with what we converse about? Everything. I tell you my knowledge because one day, in the future, it will not be said by a single mouth. Perhaps instead in the future, it will be sent to you on a phone. You must find the value of our time spent together talking because in the future not much of it is done. Not only that, but perhaps what I teach you now will be the last time the words of my lessons will ever be told. 

“Our conversations are important because they are messages. The decision I went through to tell my lessons to you holds the importance of them, not the words. You must find the true value in my decision.”

“And what is that?”

“The value of my decision to tell you these things is for you to decide. I tell you them because I think they are interesting ideas, one may use them for an essay, and you might just like spending time with me to hear them. Whatever form the value may be, it is never lost. So, the next time you ask why we converse, you know now. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Then the boy thought: I see. I have always wondered, that all that we talk about will be in the book Billy held for me, Stargazer. But what is the point? It does not serve any contribution to the plot--as far as it seems--and are just pointless. They seem like a filler. But it was the author’s decision to tell me those ideas, which is what makes it important. The author found value in them, and I found value in him telling me it. So the ideas are not meaningless at all. 

If one was to say something nobody wanted to hear, such as a joke, one would be devastated. But it is not the joke that holds value and is meaningful in the person, it is the choice to tell. And it is the choice to listen that gives value to that person.

“One may hear these ideas…” the boy said. Perhaps from reading the Stargazer book I had, that I burned in a fireplace. “…but one may not find them meaningful, and will just take them for granted. Like…like the people of the future!”

“Exactly,” Juranix said, happy that the boy understood.

“I see, now. One must not take things for granted.”

“Never. Even I, the richest person on the planet, does not. Everyone thinks I do since I am used to my wealth. But I truly understand I am luckier than others, and I have things that they do not. I also understand that my soul was fortunate enough to be in this body, and instead--perhaps in an alternate universe--it could have been placed in a homeless person’s. 

“But you see, it is unfortunate luck that truly makes you lucky. I was not born as a homeless man, so now I will never, ever get to experience in my life what it feels like to be one. A real homeless man would get that opportunity.”

“But you can clearly see which one is better. Your opportunity.”

“Yes, I know. But what I am saying is that people who have bad luck, in a way, can be considered lucky since the things that happen to them never happen to others. Many may pick up a pair of boots in a dusty old cabin, but only one finds a dead rat in his. He is unlucky, as a dead rat is disgusting, but the importance is that he was the only one to find a dead rat in his boot, and no one else. In a way, he has the luck that others do not have--just in a way we perceive as anything but luck. Do you see?”

“Yes,” Ned said. “So now I know that whenever I get bad luck, I shall perceive it as regular luck--just in a different form. After all, pain is necessary for pleasure.”

“And life is meaningless without death. The answer to the ever-famous question, ‘What is the meaning of life?’ has a true answer. Whenever one shall ask, one shall say, ‘Death’. Because it is true. If death never existed, would we find value in life? No, we would take it for granted.”

“Like the people in the future.”

“Like the people of the future indeed.”

“So, now I know why we converse about the topics that we converse about.”

Juranix smiled. “You are my true gene son, it seems. I am proud of you very much.”

I am proud of Juranix, too, the boy thought. He is like the father I never had. My father left and gave his affection to someone other than his family. He only thought for himself, as he left in the first place because he wanted to keep his genes alive in this world.

“One may think all the information I give you is just brain candy,” Juranix said. 

Or filler for a book like mine, Stargazer, Ned thought.

“But they do not understand the true importance. It is the voice that you hear, not the words.”

“It is the voice that you hear, not the words,” the boy repeated. “Was that the lesson for today?”

Juranix seemed confused, perhaps not remembering why they were talking in the first place. He tried to recall. “No, it is not. We were just answering your question. We can continue our lesson if you want.”

“Okay.”

“Is fire on fire?”

“No, the thing that causes the state cannot be in that state.”

“Can dirt get dirty?”

“No, because again, the thing that causes the state cannot be in that state.”

“They are both possible. Fire can be on fire since the fire particles touch other fire particles, making them on fire. Dirt can be dirty since dirt particles touch other dirt particles, making them dirty.”

“Absolute nonsense,” the boy said. “But I like it.”

“That was not my intention. I had wanted to annoy you. You have been annoying me so far if you had not noticed. You caused the attack on the palace, and, recently, you interrupted me multiple times. Hmm…how about this. I am sure this will annoy you.”

“Okay. Try it on me.”

“Here is a joke you will never get to hear…”

Chapter The Twenty-Fifth:

Loyalties Into The Next World

The following days had been tough on the boy. Tough enough that he could not properly mourn for the loss of his two friends in one night. He tried not to feel like it was his fault though, as he knew Billy’s death was not on purpose. Surely Fran was right that Billy was a presence solely in his head, and that explained everything. 

I will not succumb to such ridiculousness, he thought. She will come back to me. She has to. She is trapped in my head.

He was eating breakfast with Starlight, Mill, and of course, the emperor. And, as usual, the emperor was the one talking. 

“I once had a dictionary where I searched the definition of a word, and it simply said one word: this. It made me think: it was not the actual definition, as you know, but yet, it was. It was the description that came after the word, so in a way, it was the definition of it, at least in that specific dictionary, just not the true one.”

“Ned, will you stop shaking the table?” Mill asked.

It was true that it shook, Ned felt it too. “It is not me,” he said. 

Mill shrugged. Soon after, it stopped. Juranix continued with his speaking. 

Later in the day, while the boy and his bodyguard did work around the palace, he felt the same shake too. In the ground.

“Strange,” the boy said. Starlight positioned his shoulders in a way that provoked, I do not know. 

“A foreshadowing of some sort, perhaps?” the boy said.

And then near the afternoon, while they were walking to Monty and Elsie’s house for a visit, they felt the same shake in the ground. 

“My mother said if something happens once, it is chance,” the boy said. “If it happens twice, it is a coincidence. And if it happens thrice, it is fate. Bad or good, you have to find out.”

A while later, they felt the same shake again.

“And if it happens a fourth time,” the boy said, “she said it is definitely an omen. Let us hurry.”

It was only a few minutes later that everything went into chaos. 

The ground shook and heaved as if a massive monster was rising underneath the crust. Rumbles and vibrations hummed through the ground. Everyone was unable to hold their balance, buildings started to crumble, and dust began to disperse into the air. The boy knew. They were experiencing a quake. 

Screams and cries of pain and fear resonated around the area. The boy instinctively looked at the palace on the shining mountain, in the gleaming citadel, and found it had the same problem. It was being destroyed by the force of nature. Pillars and towers crumbled, dust and smoke covered the air, and people were evacuating.

“We must go back!” the boy told Starlight. Starlight shook his head. The boy had been around him long enough to understand the messages in his different expressions. Juranix will be fine. Mill also, as he will be protected. It is Monty and Elsie that might need help. 

The boy nodded in agreement. They turned and trudged forward in the ensuing mayhem. The ground shook so much it was hard to walk. The boy heard people’s shouting throughout all the noise. 

“Why, Thursday God? Why another bad day in my life?”

“My poor boy! My poor boy! Someone help!”

“Curse these insufferable instances!”

“Help! I need a doctor over here!”

It was then that when the quake advanced into harsher vibrations that ruptures began to show up from the ground, creating gorges into the abyss down below. The boy stopped himself before he almost walked into one and looked down. Before his eyes lay infinite darkness, a sea of black that led so far below the world’s outer layers that no one would be able to tell what monstrosities hid beneath.

They continued on their way until there was one noise above all else that caught his attention and everyone else’s. A loud trumpet and boisterous drums that acted as a signal for very dire and important announcements. A squadron of pignaut guards on horses appeared.

“Hereby, hereby!” the announcer pignaut said. “Our great lord of the empire, He Who Is Great And Sublime, Almighty Emperor Juranix, has reportedly perished! His palace crumbled under the might of the heavens, of the Thursday Gods--” great, another stupid believer, the boy thought, “--and is no more! All of his followers, which includes the entire world, by the way, must follow the conduct assigned to every individual citizen that they must be loyal and follow him wherever he goes. Even in the face of death itself. He has gone down below, and so we all must join him into the next world by following his footsteps!”

“That is a lie!” a woman said. “The emperor, that old scumbag tyrant, never dies! He is impossible to kill! A force from the heavens would not even be enough to kill him, not even a blast of holy light from the Thursday God himself! That pignaut has escaped death every time it was handed to him!”

The pignaut announcer gestured his hand to the palace in the distance, which was mostly gone. About half was still standing. “Take a look, commoner! Wish he is dead or not, you cannot change facts. Now, we all know that we all swore an oath that we would die for him. Now is the time. My job is to make sure everyone gets the message of his death and for them to join him in the afterlife, too.”

The boy remembered a vague memory years ago when Monty told him something similar. He began to get anxiety when he realized everything. 

No, no, no, he thought. He never realized it, and nobody else did too. Juranix’s real plan. Juranix was such a tyrant that he thought the world should end when his legacy did. All those talks about who his possible successor could be, or those talks about the future of his empire--it was all fake! Nobody realized by swearing this oath to follow him wherever he went, even to the depths of the unknown abyss, their lives would end if his did. 

Everyone was trapped. Not because of the pignaut guards roaming the streets, or the strict laws and rules they enforced. Everyone was trapped because they only had the same number of years left to live as Juranix. The emperor had become such an expert at gripping the entire planet under his iron fist, at executing oppression and at using all his power, that nobody could ever destroy his legacy and empire. He thought that every soul belonged to him. Every material, every item, every coin. He controlled the whole world under his power, and he was too smart to make sure it would stay that way forever. He knew if he was gone, there was a chance his empire would not be as it was now, so instead, he chose to make everyone die if he did. 

It was at that moment that the boy understood how truly evil Juranix was. And how much he deceived the people closest to him into thinking he was not and that he only wanted to benefit the people. He was one of the deceived. And he felt ashamed. 

But Monty and Elsie were not. All this time, they had been warning him. 

“Go on,” the pignaut announcer said, pointing his rotting tusks at a nearby fissure in the ground. “There are many crevices. All you have to do is jump with Juranix, and worry about nothing else. Look around, and see that everyone is loyal. Follow their example.”

It was true. Everywhere they looked people were lining up to jump into the pits of darkness, following Juranix wherever he would go in the afterlife because he owned them. He owned every person in his empire and he would bring them with him in death.

The boy looked at the faces of the other people and saw the same expressions--defeat, sadness, and the knowingness of eternal misery. No escape from their terrible fates. They knew if they did not jump, the guards would kill them anyway. So, with no complaints and sighs, they lined up in front of the ravine. 

“We must hide,” the boy said, pulling Starlight’s arm. But as he turned he felt resistance. He looked back and saw Starlight holding back, shaking his head with sad eyes. 

“No…” the boy said. “You cannot. You cannot actually believe in this madness. You are the most loyal to him, and you have served him all your life. This is your chance to be free!”

Starlight ignored him and went for the ravine too. Ned tried to hold him back but he was not strong enough. 

“Fine!” he said, letting go. “I will let you join him. Just know that you have a choice! Juranix is dead. He does not control your life anymore.”

But one last look at Starlight’s expression told him that it was not true. Juranix controlled people’s lives even after his death. That was how powerful he was. 

The boy turned and did not look back, trying to forget him. He was filled with memories of how his life was before he went into Juranix’s custody. He remembered. His life was terrible--scrounging for scraps on the ground, getting dirty from rain and mud and not having clean water to bathe in, his family in peril, on the brink of hunger from having no money due to The Ultimate Depression. Monty and Elsie were right in that he forgot all those things so easily as soon as he joined Juranix in his palace. 

That was how the rest of the world was living now. And he did not care. And for that, he was sorry. He lived a life so high above others and did not realize it.

He kept on his path, hiding from guards, trying to find Monty and Elsie, wiping his eyes furiously. 

It would be much faster with Billy and Fran to find them, he thought. Bah! Who needs them. I have been relying too much on others. I need to be myself, like how I was facing that village bully in the mountains. I beat him myself. 

Finally, he found a ravine with someone he recognized. It was Elsie, hanging on a ledge. He ran to her and grabbed her hands before she let go. 

“I do not think so,” the boy said, trying to bring her up, but she was resisting. She had tears, and she looked surprised to see him.

“N-Ned? What are you doing here?”

“Where is Monty?”

“He--He jumped,” she said, sobbing. “He would not help me up. He remembered the oath and said that we had to. And so I am.”

“Listen, you have a choice. You do not have to jump. We can escape the guards. You do not have to be loyal to a tyrant.”

“A tyrant? But you--”

“I made a mistake. Juranix is mad.”

“But…but he really has been nice to us lately.”

“Do not let him deceive you, as he once did to me. You are drunk on the power and privileges of his palace.”

“Let me go!”

“No!”

Elsie tried to escape his grasp. The boy knew if she did, she would fall to her death. It haunted him that she wanted that.

“Juranix does not control your life anymore. You are free. Please listen and understand.”

“No, no, no,” she said. “I will not!”

It annoyed the boy that she was not even making an effort to listen. It made him want to let go. He wanted to try one last time, perhaps even pull her up and stop her from going near the edge by force, but she was begging.

“I have to,” she said. “If you let me go now, I will still forgive you.”

The boy made one last effort to look into her eyes, but she looked away, sobbing. Then, using all his willpower, he put her hands back on the ledge. 

Elsie looked up.

“You do it yourself,” he said, disgusted.

Then he turned and ran. His closest friends all gone.

There must be a way to reverse all this, he thought. Then he thought of an idea. 

Everything could go back. He could time travel. The one person he needed to save was Juranix. Then no one would have to jump. It disappointed him that this was his mission, but it was to save everyone’s life. Not for the old pignaut.

I have a chance to save them all. I do not have to jump. But I need help. Perhaps I cannot do everything by myself. 

He needed Fran back. He tried his best to find her in his mind. He knew she was there somewhere, even during a shut out. Dormant. 

After a moment, it worked. He went deep into his mind, back in the dark world with the single light shining down from above. Francesca was there, back turned to him.

“I suppose you think I should praise you for your impressive task of finding me,” she said. “What do you want? I am tired of serving you.”

“Now you know how I feel with Juranix. Listen, I know how I found you. You did not shut yourself out deep enough. And I know why. It is because you still care. You still want to help.”

“No.”

“Yes. You of all people cannot hide your thoughts from me. Because you are thoughts from me. And since you are my thoughts, you know what is happening outside. You know the situation. Please, I need your help. I am sorry about Billy’s death.”

A moment of deep silence. It seemed to last an eternity. But alas, she sighed, turning around. “Fine. All right. I will come back. I was made to serve you, after all. I miss your incessant bickering anyway.”

The boy nodded. “I am glad to know I do not have to plead much with you. Tell me how to time travel. It is the only way to reverse everything.”

She nodded. “Juranix has a lab where he has a machine. One that The Time Traveller showed him how to make. But listen--you cannot make it there, and you know it. It is far, and his guards will catch you. Plus, it has always been heavily guarded. Also, it is in pieces now.”

“So how did I do it? When I time travelled back into The Vast War to stop it. How did I break through his defence to his time machine?”

“Because you did not. That is what I must tell you. You figured it out yourself.”

“The Labyrinx?”

“No. Truly by yourself. Somehow. You did not have us back then, so I do not know. But now you do, and luckily, I know the formula. But it will come at a price.”

“Yes, yes. I will forget this nonexistent timeline if I manage to stop it from happening, making me and everyone else forget about my good deed in saving everyone.”

“If you ever want to remember it, ask the old buzzard, or me. I will remember. Pen and paper, please.”

The boy imagined them and they appeared in Fran’s hands. She wrote the formula quickly but hesitated before giving it to him.

“Be careful,” she said worriedly. 

“Who is ‘Careful’ and why would I want to be him or her?”

She sighed. “I miss you.”

#

The boy wasted no time getting to the emperor’s palace. He sprinted as fast as he could. Starlight would be wondering how he instantly disappeared and reappeared somewhere in the middle of the city, but of course, would not actually--he would not remember it happening as it was now part of a nonexistent timeline. 

“Where is your bodyguard, Searcher?” a guard asked him at the gates. “Juranix requests him with you at all times.”

“Bring me to him now,” the boy said.

They went up the steps until the boy reached Juranix. 

“Juranix, you must trust me,” he said. “Do not ask any questions. But you must evacuate the entire city. Most importantly, your palace.”

Juranix doubted it all, but he agreed. He trusted Ned. I do not know of his intentions, but I know they are good. They always are. 

He nodded. “We will. Then we will see what happens. What does happen, by the way?”

“An earthquake, right?” Fran said. “And everyone dies. And you saved them all.”

The boy looked at her, confused, unsure of what she was talking about. 

She frowned.

Chapter The Twenty-Sixth: 

The Scheme Of A Master

The Memory Master, shrouded in a dark, hooded cloak, climbed the steps of the citadel, going to the palace. He intended to meet the emperor and tell him things he did not know. Reveal them. So that finally, Juranix would know everything. 

Of course, he did not forget the earthquake. He was the only person in the entire universe who remembered. His power and ability existed beyond space and time, as his memory did not cease to exist even after it belonged to a nonexistent timeline. 

I will make the boy’s heroic deed a failure, he thought. I will make him pay. Just as I have done, many, many times. 

“If you came here from chapter twenty-two, out of curiosity, then turn back,” he said. He froze abruptly. Why did he say that? He did not know. Some unthinkable force made him do it. Strange, he thought. But he shrugged and ignored it, continuing on his way.

When he got to the steps of the palace, two pignaut guards pointed their spears at him. They could not see his concealed face and thought he was mysterious. Anything mysterious should be checked, was what they were told by the emperor. 

“State your name and purpose,” one of them said.

Forget the name part, he thought, and made both of them do it, too, with a wave of his hand. “I seek to see the emperor himself. He Who Is Great And Sublime.”

The guards nodded and took him to the throne room, where they walked up to the big emperor on his big throne. 

Who is this strange old man who dares to walk upon my carpets and halls as such? Juranix thought. 

“I come bearing a message,” The Memory Master said. “I have something very important to tell you.”

“Be fast, old man. I have not got all day. My palace is half-destroyed and we are undergoing repairs. Again.”

“Yes, it is about that. Listen.” The Memory Master pulled back his hood, revealing his face. “We have met before, and you must remember. I am The Memory Master. The one they call, The Old Man At The Peak.”

Suddenly, Juranix remembered. “Aye, it is you. I am still unsure, but have we met?”

“Yes, we have. A long time ago. About three or four years. You do not remember me since I have erased your memory of our meeting to keep my low profile, but you still remembered the information I had given you, correct?”

“What information?”

“The last time I was here, years ago, I came up to your palace, much like now. And I told you the events of a nonexistent timeline, which only I remember. The Vast War. I even told you the name of the child criminal that caused its nonexistence. The one that went on a big mission to make everyone forget. Ned.”

Juranix widened his eyes. “Of course! It was you! Yes, old man. Now I remember!”

“I even told you the right spot to hit the boy’s head at, with the right amount of force, to make him have a little bit of amnesia.” Amnesia he tried to get me to cure, at the mountain, he thought. 

“Yes!” Juranix said. “But, what was that for, exactly?”

“Continuity of the story. He woke up with it three years ago, so we have to be the reason why he did. We have to explain how he woke up with slight amnesia.”

“Explain to who?”

The Memory Master shrugged. “I do not know.” Another bootstrap, it seems, he thought. 

“So, tell me what message you bring forth to me now,” Juranix said. 

“Your boy has done something again. The earthquake that split the city with numerous ravines has just happened, correct? And the boy told you to do an evacuation.”

“Yes. He somehow knew what was going to happen.”

“Did you ever wonder how?”

Juranix thought for a moment. “I have. Did he use my Truth Button at The Labyrinx?”

“No. He would need the motive to check there, but he would only get that motive if he knew something bad was going to happen. He knew because he experienced a nonexistent timeline. One that he does not remember, as well. It is like The Vast War.

“The first time the earthquake happened, there was no warning. Many citizens died, and your city was torn to pieces. Even you had died while in your palace when half of it fell down the ravines into the abyss. When word spread that the almighty emperor was dead, everyone knew they had to obey your rule. You had made them swear an oath to go with you wherever you go, even into the afterlife. So all around the city, citizens jumped into the ravines. Lining up to do it. The news would spread later on around the planet, and soon every single soul of your empire, every peasant and soldier in the world, would kill themselves to follow you.”

“All of them?”

“Except one. And you may guess who it was.”

That boy, Ned, Juranix thought, seeping with anger. “He did not jump! He disobeyed my biggest rule!”

Well, you did not make him swear the oath, like everyone else, The Memory Master thought. He never knew about it. Only his friends told him. I saw the memory of it when I scanned his mind. But why would I mention that? That would lessen his drive to punish the boy, which is what I want. I want revenge for everything he did to my friend.

“Yes,” he said. “He did not jump into the ravine to join you into the next world. Instead, he chose to try and save you all. By time travel. Somehow, he found out how to do it. He went back a single moment and told you and everyone to evacuate for the incoming earthquake. Of course, he did not tell you there was going to be one. But you trusted him.

“As soon as he told you to initiate the evacuation procedures, the timeline was changed. The one where you and all your citizens died ceased to exist, so the boy forgot what he had done. If you interrogate him now, he will not know. But, now you do because I have told you. I remember everything.

“So, he disobeyed your biggest rule. Then, he disrupted and changed the timeline, which is changing the continuum. And, as you know, you absolutely hate when continuum is changed.”

“I absolutely hate when continuum is changed,” Juranix repeated. The whole time, his fist clenched tighter and tighter, as did his anger. “Indeed. I shall punish the boy for all he has done. He is nothing to me now! He has gone down a criminal path! The fact that he did not jump into the ravine like everyone else proves that he is not loyal! That is another crime now: treason. Three crimes on him.

“I have learned not to punish the boy directly, as it never works. Through experience, I have learned to punish those he loves. Then he gets desperate.” Like what happened with Millton, he thought. 

The Memory Master smiled mischievously. Yes, he thought. Exactly what he wanted.

“I will raze his home village!” Juranix boldly said. “I will destroy and kill his family! As soon as I find him. But please, tell me why you are telling me all this. It seems you are very against the boy, and you have a passionate hatred for him.”

Ah, so the emperor really is smart, as they all say, The Memory Master thought. “I have a backstory. A reason for my motives. But I am not sure if it is safe to tell you.”

“Why? Is someone hunting you down? Do not worry, this place is the safest any place in the world could be.”

“It is not that. It is just--information said anywhere is not safe from the boy. He has many ways to find out information impossible to find. I have met him before,” on the peak, he thought, “and he told me many things. First of all, he has these imaginary friends. As you know, the boy has extreme luck. In his mind, his imaginary friends make up things to tell him, and since he is extremely lucky, he gets them right. He is a psychic that way, but not the traditional one. If I tell you my motives, the boy may find out through those imaginary friends.

“Second, he has access to The Labyrinx. Any time, he can search up whatever he wants to. With the help of your Truth Button, he will have the ability to tell whether what he reads is true or not. So if I say the things I am about to say, it will be in there. And he may find it.

“Lastly, he has this book. He found it in the desert one day and has kept it a secret from you. It is a very special book, one called, Stargazer. Whatever happens in it happens now, and the story is about him. So, yes, if you are wondering: the book is also in the book. It is part of its own story. What I am saying right now is probably recorded in that book. If I tell you my motive of revenge on the boy, he may read the chapter that it happens and learn my motive. Who knows if he might have already done that. It is dangerous to say anything, as he can find out if he wants to through those three ways.”

Interesting, Juranix thought. The book, mostly. I did not know about that. 

“It is fine,” he said. “If his imaginary friends can find out anything, they can find out your motive whether or not you choose to tell me. If he has access to The Labyrinx, he will find your motive no matter what, since it will inevitably be recorded in there. As for the book, it is already done being written. Our fates are predetermined by it. If you choose to tell me or not, it has already happened in the book. So just fulfil your destiny and tell me, as you probably already did in the book.”

He is correct, The Memory Master thought. He is smart. And if the boy finds out my motive through the book anyway, I trust his friend--one of my many apprentices--to erase his memory to protect my profile, anyway. I am sure he would not let me down. Monty, I think was the name. Yes, he is a favourite of mine.

“Fine, I will tell,” he said. “The reason why I have a such taste of revenge for the boy.

“A while ago, when I was still young and experiencing The Vast War--which does not exist anymore--there was a hero of our race. He was one that was so great, even your pignauts feared him. He lead many missions and had a great reputation. He was also a very good friend of mine. He has a son that you may know, one that is an orphan, has good fighting skills, and has a mysterious past.”

“Starlight,” Juranix said. 

“Yes. And where do you think he got his good fighting skills from?”

“The hero you are talking about, your good friend.”

“Indeed. Now, my friend went down in history as a hero of valour and braveness, even if you and your pignauts won the war. I was glad and proud of him and his heroic deeds of the past. Everyone loved him and remembered him as a legend. They even praised his son, who they thought would be the next great hero if there was to ever be another big war for the planet.

“But then, the boy Nediom was born. You know what he did. He singlehandedly time travelled before the invasion, somehow stopped the war and made both our races have peace, and made the event never known. All because he learned about The Vast War in school, which occurred about half a century ago, and thought, well, perhaps I can do something to stop it, and make sure it never exists. To save a lot of lives.

“Since The Vast War never happened, time continuum was ruined. Everything about it, its events, its heroes and soldiers, all memories of it, were erased from existence. Nobody remembered it, not even the boy. Well, except me, of course. 

“This explains how suddenly your race had control over the planet and nobody knew how. This also made sure that my friend, the once-great-hero, never became a hero. His deeds were forgotten--no, never done. He became a nobody, a regular person in the crowd. And you or anyone else will not realize how much that angered me. That I was the only one who remembered him as a legend. It bothered me to see him walk on the streets without citizens praising him. It bothered me that nobody knew him. And when he died, to a disease--which he was supposed to die in battle, in The Vast War timeline--his family became broke. The Ultimate Depression began, too. 

“I watched as his son became an orphan when his mother was slaughtered by pignauts. I watched him roam the streets in the rain and the snow, hungry and cold and tired. He was supposed to be rich! In The Vast War timeline, his father got famous and wealthy from his deeds. Instead, his mother and father are dead now, and his son is guaranteed to die. Until you found him.

“They got a fate that they did not deserve, all because of that boy! He changed the outcome of the continuum! They are not the only ones, too. Everywhere I look, I see people and children having terrible fates as well when in the real timeline, they were supposed to have rich fathers from the war and were supposed to live with joy. But they did not know since they could not remember the nonexistent timeline. Only I do.

“So you see, the boy has caused horrible consequences without knowing it. A big butterfly effect. He may have thought he saved the world from lots of unnecessary carnage, but he also killed and hurt many people, including my friend, his wife, and his son. All because he changed the timeline forever. Everyone knows the rule about time travel: do not make one mistake, as you can change the course of history phenomenally.”

As The Memory Master finished his story, Juranix nodded, understanding. “Of course. It makes sense now. Why you must hate the boy so much. I wanted to capture him because he made everyone forget about The Vast War, and I hate when no one remembers a war that my pignauts and I have won. A hard-fought success, down to every tooth and nail. But you have opened my eyes to the true horrors of the acts he has committed, of his crimes, of his failures. He deserves more than his family getting killed. He deserves to die.” 

The Memory Master nodded, but Juranix did not put any meaning behind the words. I cannot do that, the pignaut thought. He is too precious to me. He has also opened my eyes as well, to how good he can be. Surely he regrets stopping The Vast War and he is an innocent, sweet little boy. 

“Thank you for telling me this,” Juranix said, getting up. “I will go punish him now. I will only tell him that it is for the earthquake incident. About how he did not jump to follow me into the afterlife. Nothing about your story. Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Will you…will you take my memory of this meeting again? Surely not the information you have given me, but I mean my memory of you.”

“No.”

“Thank you. I certainly appreciate your service to your emperor and all his peoples--”

The Memory Master waved his hand. 

“Hello, old man,” Juranix said. “Who are you?”

“No one,” he said. “Just a citizen looking around the palace. I am done, too.” 

He turned to the guards. “Escort me out.”

They nodded, following him down the steps, out the grand doors.

Juranix blinked. What a strange old man, he thought. I do not know who he is, but I only remember the things he has told me. 

And he has told me to punish the boy. Which I will do right now.

Chapter The Twenty-Seventh:

Escaping Past Futures

“Come here you misguided little grunt.”

The boy backed up slowly, seeing Juranix and two guards approach him with their spears drawn. 

“What did I do?” he asked. “Tell me, what is the point of this?”

“You disobeyed my biggest rule when you did not follow me into the afterlife,” Juranix said. “After the quake.”

“I did not! You did not die, as you are still here!”

“Yes you did,” Fran said. 

It came to the boy in an instant, for he was too smart. Inside his head he cursed himself. A nonexistent timeline, of course. 

Yes, I see him realizing the truth, Juranix thought. 

I do not know the full truth, Juranix, the boy thought. “Why be angry at me if I saved everyone’s life?”

“You ruined time continuum.”

“Yes, and? Nothing big has changed.”

“I understand that you cannot be punished enough to feel guilty. Only if the ones close to you are punished. You will be a prisoner while I will burn down your home village.”

“What? No!”

“True as it may be that they are completely innocent. I do not care, and it does not bother me. I will bring death upon the Stargazer family! Guards, take him to the dungeons.”

This is unfair, the boy thought. He did not bother to say anything else, as once the emperor’s mind was set, one could not change it.

Instead, the moment the guards grabbed him and put him in chains, he already began plotting what he would do. There had to be a way to escape--once and for all this time--and also save his family. 

But why would he care? His brother said they hated him, and they did not want them back. But nonetheless, he still loved them. And that was a price to pay because now he had one more job to do. 

First, escape my cell, he thought. Juranix left with more guards out the throne room to head for South Haven. As the guards brought him to the dungeons, he saw Starlight, his trusty bodyguard, at the side, unable to go against Juranix’s wishes. He looked at him with pleading eyes, and the bodyguard nodded. 

“Did he get my message?” he asked Fran after. “I tried to tell him silently to get me out of my cell later.”

Fran nodded. “He is going to come back to get you. He is also going to bring Monty and Elsie.”

“Good.”

Whom is he talking to? the pignaut guards escorting him thought. My, the boy is already crazy and he has not even entered the dungeon yet. But it was not their job to communicate their thoughts. Just follow orders.

The boy was thrown into the dusty cell. He waited in it for hours.

“What is happening with Juranix?” he asked Fran. “Tell me.”

“He is heading there,” she said. “The long path. Around the mountains. No power on this planet will or can help you fight his forces to protect that village. You know there is only one way your family can live now.”

“Time travel.”

“It seems so.”

“When Starlight gets me out of here, I have to get to Juranix’s lab. Three years back. I am going to restart everything to erase my slave life from my existence. It can be dangerous, as the entire continuum can mess up, but I will take the risk.”

“You can try to get to his lab, or you can--”

“No, there is no other way. My plan is to get there, find my family three years back, including my young self, and tell them to escape before Juranix comes before he will inevitably find that village.”

“Yes, but for the time travel, I mean. Instead of going to Juranix’s lab, you can also--”

“Not do it? No, Fran. I have to.”

She sighed. “Whatever. You will not listen. Just know you are making a foolish, unwise decision.”

“Ned!” a familiar voice said down the hallway. It was Elsie, who came running to the bars of the cell. He could never have been happier to see such a delightful face.

“We are going to get you out,” she said. “Juranix has gone mad. You have not done anything wrong, have you? At least, we asked Starlight and he shrugged. He did not shake his head, but he did not nod either.”

“It is…quite complicated, and I do not want to explain,” Ned told her. “For the short part: I believe I am not guilty. So help me get out.”

“Let us hope you are not lying and secretly committing treason against your emperor,” Monty said, showing up along with Starlight. “Sister, get back.”

“Of course.” She stayed back with her brother, as Starlight walked forward. Gathering all his strength, he sliced the bars of the cell with his huge sword, carving a hole.

“I give you my gratitude,” Ned said as he and Fran stepped out. “My friends, I have grave news to tell you. I will be leaving.”

“What?” Elsie said. “Why? To escape Juranix? So you really are a criminal?”

“It is not the way you think. I cannot escape Juranix anyway, as this entire planet is ruled by him. No, I am escaping this reality. I am going to time travel back to tell my family to run before Juranix finds their village. Right now Juranix is going to kill them, so I will save them--and myself--from having our fates.”

He could tell by his friends’ expressions that they thought he had gone mad.

“What is the point of telling them to run?” Monty asked. “You said not even a minute ago that it is useless to run anywhere as this entire planet is controlled by him.”

“Yes,” Elsie said. “You are sounding selfish. If you succeed, you might be saved, but we will not. And you will not be here, so you will never get to meet us.”

“I am sorry. Yes, it is true that me meeting you all will cease to exist once this entire three-year timeline will be nonexistent. But I have to save my family. It is for them, please.”

“You also have to get to the lab, which is heavily guarded,” Monty said. “With Starlight, I presume. You are making us risk our lives to help you save only you.”

“Easy, brother,” Elsie said. “He has to save his family, too. Him being saved from this slave life is just a bonus. We have to help him.”

Starlight nodded, as if in agreement. 

Monty nodded too. “All right.” But only because he is my friend, he thought. “The moment you step out of this timeline, everything from when we were ten to thirteen will be gone. All our memories together.”

Ned nodded. “A huge price to pay for my mother, and my brother.”

“You can go back even further to try saving your father, too,” Elsie said. Why not? Another extra bonus. I still miss him terribly. 

“No!” Monty said as everyone stared at him. “A bit too loud, sorry. But no, do not. His fate is sealed. You can really mess up everything if you try.” As I once had, he thought.

Ned nodded. “I agree. Only three years back. That is all. Keep in mind this version of myself will also cease to exist, as I am rewriting the future. I will be ten years old again, living a new life running from Juranix.”

“We better get going,” Elsie said. “To get you to the lab. Hurry.”

Starlight raised his sword with two hands and lead the way. They raced up the stairs, following him. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Fran asked as they walked. 

“Do not pester me with questions now, Fran,” Ned said. 

On the way they encountered guards, but Starlight dispatched them quickly. Soon the whole palace was in alarm that Ned had escaped and all of them were out to get him. 

They faced so many at a time that Starlight could barely keep up. At first, he flawlessly defeated them but as he grew tired he made mistakes. Slow dodges. Being pierced with their weapons. He gritted his teeth after every cut but kept fighting on.

“This way,” Monty said, and they began to follow him. 

“Wrong way,” Fran said. “Tell him, Ned.”

“No, this way,” Ned told them, pointing in another direction.

“Are you sure?” Monty asked. 

“My good friend doubts me after he knows the true extent of my capabilities.”

“Fine. We will go that way.”

Suddenly Starlight’s knees buckled, and Elsie yelped and caught him. 

“What do we do?” she panicked. “He is hurt!” 

“Lay him down,” Ned ordered. She followed. He knelt down in front of him. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. 

“No, he is not,” Fran said. “He is overextending himself.”

“Can you make it?” Ned asked, more of a question for Fran.

Fran nodded. “He can. He also still has the strength to fight. Remember, all this is worth it if you succeed. Even if they die it will still be worth it. They will still be alive if you time travel and change the continuum.”

Starlight nodded as he tried to get up, but failed.

“It is okay, we will take care of the guards,” he told him.

Elsie raised her eyebrows. “We will?”

“Well, I will. You and Monty need to carry Starlight because if we leave him here the guards will not hesitate to kill him for treason.” He picked up Starlight’s heavy sword on the ground. It was as big as him, and it weighed as much as a horse. Merely holding it was a difficult task. “I have always wanted to be a soldier. It was my original plan when I first came here until I became Juranix’s Searcher.”

“Because as a soldier you get to patrol outside,” Monty said. “And you have a better chance of escape.”

“Indeed. Escaping was all I thought about back then.”

They trudged on, Monty carrying Starlight’s arm on his shoulders, Elsie carrying the other. Ned swung the massive sword at the guards, keeping them back. They were slowly advancing with their pikes and shields forward. They reached the last hallway, the lab door in plain sight. 

“There are way too many of them,” Monty said, glancing down the hallway and seeing another group of guards positioned in front of the lab room. 

Ned was hopelessly looking at them too until he felt a tug on his arm. He looked to see Starlight trying to get his sword back.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “You can barely stand.” Also, no force in the world is going to make Elsie let you.

“No!” Elsie said, pushing the sword away. “I am not going to let you! You are going to kill yourself!” Her eyes watered at the thought of it.

Sometimes I wish I am not right for once, Ned thought. 

“Sister, he thinks he can take it,” Monty said. “He is the only one of us with enough skill to distract the guards long enough. If he dies--if any of us die--it will not matter. I trust Ned will succeed in his plan.”

“No,” she said, dragging Starlight off Monty and backing away. “I am not letting any of you touch him! Do you hear me?”

“Oh, boy,” Monty said. “You can deal with her, Ned.”

“We need a distraction…” Ned said. I know he means a lot to her. I do not want to go against her wishes, he thought. 

“How about me?”

They all turned around to see Mill. 

“Mill? What are you doing here?” Monty asked. 

“I heard about the whole commotion. Hand it over, Ned.”

Without hesitation, he did. Mill gripped the huge sword and it almost made him fall over. 

“No!” Elsie said. “Do not make him go either! He is just a little kid!”

“I am only one year younger than you all,” he said. “Do not worry about me, Elsie. I will distract them.”

Before she could say anymore, he ran. “I am over here, pignauts! Look, I have the famous Starlight’s sword! The kid is only fourteen but he can slay an entire legion of you without breaking a sweat! His sole job from Juranix is to embarrass you adults during combat practice in the courtyard! And he is not even a pignaut! And I have slain him myself. Come over here if you want to see!”

The guards, slightly confused, followed him.

“Come back here, you little cretin!” Elsie yelled, but it was too late. 

“We must go,” Ned said. 

“This is all your fault,” Elsie said. 

Ned did not answer back, but he did not deny it. He and everyone else knew Mill would surely die running into that group of guards, once they figured out he only provided a distraction for them to run.

He lets his friends run off to die for him, Elsie thought. What has become of Ned? Surely that huge ego of his has finally made its mark. Or his head finally unscrewed. He thinks he is too smart, or he thinks his brain is flawless only because he is a pure.

That is not true, Elsie, Ned thought. “This way, everyone. The lab is up ahead.”

When they went inside, Monty quickly shut the doors and began to barricade them in case any more guards would come. 

Elsie gently placed a very wounded and exhausted Starlight on the ground against a wall, putting a hand to his face. “You are okay. We are safe now,” she whispered. He grabbed her hand on his cheek and smiled, her smiling back.

Ned and Fran wasted no time going up the steps to the podium in the room with all sorts of strange-looking machines from the future. All the ones The Time Traveller had gifted to Juranix. 

He never deserved The Time Traveller’s knowledge and gifts he had to offer, Ned thought. 

“Help me find it,” Ned told Fran. “You can also start naming all of these since I am curious about them.”

“Toaster. That one overcooks bread,” she said. “I do not know why you would want to. Stereo. Helps you ruin your eardrums…for whatever reason. Calculator. That one can help you on tests or get your homework done really fast.”

“Again with this homework thing. Juranix mentioned it once. What is it?”

“A synonym for boredom. Anyway, the time device is over here. Say goodbye now to your friends. It is your last chance.”

Ned turned around to glance at them. “Thanks, Fran. I have never gotten the chance to thank you and Billy for helping and guiding me so much.”

She smiled. “Thank your imagination and extreme luck because those two components are practically what makes us up.”

“Monty, Elsie, Starlight,” Ned said, going to them. “It is time for me to go. I hope one day, in the next timeline, I will meet you all again. You have all helped me reach this day. The day I will leave and try to create a new life. 

“I hope one day, in the alternate future, I will return your favours one day. I am the reason for your burdens, and you are the sum of my successes. If this universe will not truly allow me to give back what you have given me, then I will say this right now: thank you. I hope that is enough to satisfy you for faithfully serving--I mean helping--me.”

Monty nodded, patting Ned’s shoulder. “It satisfies me, pal.”

“Me too,” Elsie said. “Well, knowing that I am going to cease to exist as soon as you enter that new timeline, it better. Also, you really are Juranix. We are not your servants, we only helped you.”

Ned smiled. I suppose I will have to tell them again. 

“I know this will not matter since I am about to erase you all from existence, but I must tell you both something. Your efforts in showing me Juranix is truly evil are not for nothing.”

“The egotistical aristocrat has finally opened his eyes, free from brainwash,” Monty said.

Ned laughed. “Sure. He has also caused the terrible lives of so many people. It will be my sole purpose in the next timeline to get revenge on Juranix.”

“Oh, you better,” Elsie said, flinging her arms around him. “Goodbye.”

Ned let go and knelt down to Starlight. “I thank you too, old pal, for always sticking with me. I hope you will have peaceful days ahead in the new timeline, where you can forget about the time in the plague pit with Elsie and ghosts and your extreme insomnia.”

“We must hurry,” Fran said. “Guards are coming.”

“I have to go now. Take care, bodyguard. I hope Mill is happy in the future of the new timeline, too. Perhaps he becomes a hero or something. You know, he talks about it all the time. He has always wanted to be one, as every little kid does. Against the empire, I mean. He gets jealous that the only person that could be better at it than him is you. Look, I have the famous Starlight’s sword!”

For once, the bodyguard actually smiled.

Chapter The Twenty-Eighth:

A Prisoner With A Reason

“So tell me again…how did you end up here?”

“Nothing! I will tell you nothing!”

“A child suddenly appears in my lab, somehow, with an intention. I am not dumb. I know you time travelled. Somewhere in the future or the past, you used my machine to get to this moment. I know because you appeared in my lab. Tell me how, and why.”

“No!”

The emperor smacked his face again, which began to bleed. 

He was held up by chains in a dungeon cell, two guards pointing their lances at his sides, poking hard if he chose to not tell once more. This time, after his sides were sore and bleeding after so many stabs, he yelled in pain so loud that Fran covered her ears, looking away, also in pain. A little while earlier she was taunting him, saying, I told you so. I told you you were making a foolish decision. You did not listen to me. There is no way you would escape Juranix’s palace and make it to South Haven, even if you go through The Mountain Cross, to warn your family in time.

“TELL ME!” Juranix yelled, more boisterous than the boy as if he were competition. 

I am weak, the boy thought. This is not even the worst of torture methods. Just spears into my skin. And already I am thinking of giving in, of making the pain stop by giving him the information. 

“I am going to count to three,” Juranix said. “If you do not tell me then, you will be dead. One…”

“Do not…” Fran said, but her voice was barely heard as she could not stand to see him in such pain.

“Two…”

“All right!” the boy said. “My name is Ned. Yes, the infamous criminal that you are searching for, the almighty Vast War stopper. I am from the future. Three years into the future. You found my home village, which is on the other side of the mountain range here, and raided it. Took control, and took me. I became a slave for you for years, and I am going back in time to try to warn my family to run before you find their village.” There. I said it all. But not the true reason for why I time travelled.

And then, as soon as he said it, as he looked at Juranix’s satisfied expression, he knew he failed. 

Because everything was the same now.

He realized that what he had just said would cause his downfall. The same downfall he experienced when he was ten, trapped in a barred carriage pulled by horses, heading for the palace. 

His whole future would be the same. He had caused his own demise trying to stop it. He realized that his entire life was one big bootstrap. If he had never time travelled, to this moment, the future he had left behind would not exist. It was only because he time travelled now and told Juranix about his home village that he would find it, capture him, and everything would restart. Because Juranix did not even know about South Haven, and he probably never would have, if he had not time travelled and been forced to tell him about it. 

South Haven would have been another town that continued to thrive without the control of Juranix--just like the one in the mountains--if he had never said what he just said. 

Juranix smiled. “Thank you for your cooperation. I will launch an attack to retrieve that mischievous criminal now. That same one that is you, correct?”

The boy frowned. It was then he realized he was stuck in an eternal time loop. At this moment, his ten-year-old self would be captured, starting his journey all over again. In the future, that ten-year-old self would grow up, have the same experiences he did, and also time travel, like him, to try and reverse everything…which would be this moment. And then everything would restart. 

It is a loop, is what the message on his arm read. Three years ago. It is a loop.

“Tell me the name of your home village,” Juranix said. “Do it, child.”

“S-S-South…” Tears began to fall from his eyes. He could not do it. The fate of everyone there, including his family and himself, was in his hands.

“DO IT!”

The boy looked into the pignaut’s eyes and already saw what would happen. He would find the ten-year-old boy. They would become great friends, then great enemies. Every meal shared, every joke told, and every idea discussed would happen again. 

Forever.

There was no point in resisting since it was already going to happen. He could at least tell him sooner to not have those spears pierce his skin again.

“South Haven.”

Now his fate was sealed. 

Juranix grunted. “Lock him up. I want him to see me capture this criminal in his home village before he dies.”

He was left there in the dungeon, alone. Except for Francesca, who tried to comfort him.

“It is okay,” she said. “You are meant to fail. It is a loop. Perhaps one day in the future you will escape it. But for now, do not blame yourself.”

“No, I am shameful,” he said. “I caused this. I gave this burden to myself. I realize now that without me doing this, I would never have been on that barred carriage pulled by horses, heading for the palace, three years ago. That was so long ago that I barely remember it, but I still do.”

He sighed. “Everything will happen again. I will meet Mill, then Monty and Elsie, then Starlight. Nothing has changed of me going back in time. I was supposed to rewrite the future! I was supposed to save my past self and my family from Juranix. But instead, gave them to him. There is no way out of this time loop because I have just restarted it. What will make this version of my ten-year-old self be any different? He will make the same mistake as I did. There is no reason for the loop to change and no escape.”

“Yes, there is. Think, Ned. How can you get stuck in a time loop without entering it? If you entered it, that means you can get out. It is true that your ten-year-old self will make the same mistake. It is true you do not know how many of them have, and how many will. But one thing is for sure: there is a possibility of escape. Just keep trying, after every cycle. Look for an opening.”

“Something outside of the time loop would have to give me an opening.”

“That is true. Perhaps something will. Perhaps your future self will, and when you ask him how he got out, he will say that his future self showed him how as to how he just did to you. It can be a paradox. Your life is full of them--why not have one that actually goes in your favour?

“And look on the bright side. You will relive all your memories. Good or bad, it does not matter. They are memories. You will meet your friends. Become The Labyrinx Searcher again. Escape the palace into the mountains. Survive an attack by the Thursday Order. Survive an earthquake. Even this very sentence I am saying right now--you will hear again.”

“Over and over and over.”

“Yes, but you will never get sick of it. Because you do not keep your memories. They will just keep happening, but you never keep them. It is like a glass of water being poured and spilt, poured and spilt, and you will never get a sip.”

“I want to get a sip.”

“Yes, and to keep your memories you must get out of the loop. You must believe that you can escape it to do it.”

“And if I never do?”

“You are to suffer for eternity.”

“If only there was something in this entire universe that will remember all these nonexistent timelines.”

Fran’s eyes lit up. “Yes…there is! The Memory Master!”

“Do you think…do you think he remembers all these timelines? Perhaps one day the loop will be different because of him. Perhaps his brain will be overloaded with all the same memories of all the same loops--and one day he will become a very senile old man.

“To think of it--I met him, remember? When I met him, his mind was still as sharp as any.”

“That is one way of telling that the loop has not happened enough times for him to change, then.”

“Indeed. Other than that, there would be no way to tell how many times the loop has happened. He is the one thing that exists beyond time and space--beyond the rules of the universe. He is the one person that could be different in each timeline. When I said something outside of the time loop would be necessary to get me out of it, it could be him.”

He smiled. Perhaps there was still a little hope of getting out of the loop.

“Why would The Memory Master not help me? It is not like he hates me or anything.”

Fran laughed, and the boy did not know why. 

Chapter The Twenty-Ninth:

The Older Boy With A Message

“We are going to South Haven,” the pignaut guard told the boy, grabbing his arm. 

“Ow!” the boy said as he was dragged out of his cell. “Why?”

“Your Majesty wants you there. Do not disobey or question his wishes any further. You will receive gradual pain.”

Fran followed him. The guard put an all-too-familiar chain collar around his neck, which clamped shut and barely allowed him to breathe. It gave him traumatic stress, seeing as how he was forced to wear it years before. Only he did not remember it feeling this painful before. 

It is because I have grown in size, he thought. I have grown, but the collar has not.

“It is designed to control your breathing,” Fran said. 

“I can plainly see that,” the boy said. 

“Yes,” the guard said. “So if you can plainly see yourself getting gradual pain, I suggest you stay quiet and obey.”

The boy grumbled in dismay. Suddenly, he recognized the pignaut. “You know, one day I will rule over you. You will have no other choice but to follow me and my demands: continuously wash dishes.”

The pignaut snorted, laughing. “How pathetic of a fib!”

“You will see. In a while. How will we get to South Haven? It will take much too long to go around the mountains, by carriage--”

“I said, stay quiet!”

“We are going by foot,” Fran told him. “At least, that is what they plan. Through The Mountain Cross, we go. Safest if we do not bring a carriage because we could slip and fall to our deaths. And we are more mobile on foot to escape an avalanche--just not quicker.”

The boy wanted to thank her, but he remembered he did not have the right to speak, so he stayed silent. He considered going into his mind so he could talk to her freely. He had many things he wanted to say to her. 

But he had never gone into his mind while he walked. He was afraid of trying it. Would he just pass out? If he did, he would just let the guard carry him--after all, him being malnourished and weak could be an excuse. 

So he went into his mind. As usual, the transition was quick and strange. He appeared in the familiar world, where nothing but darkness shrouded the area. Yet he could see Fran clearly as a single light from above shown down.

“What are you doing?” she said. “You cannot go into your mind while you are walking! The guard could be beating your body right now.”

“It does not matter. I am to die. Listen, I need you to do many things for me.”

“How could you say that? Have you lost hope? We will pull through and survive. Nothing is impossible. How can something be, when the word itself claims, ‘I’m possible’? I used a contraction, by the way. It is unknown.”

“Francesca Arion,” the boy said sternly. “Listen to me.”

She folded her arms, turning. “Hmph. No.”

“Thank you for listening to me. You would not have answered if you did not hear what I said.”

Frustrated, she stomped her foot. “You are so mean!”

“I made you do and say that, too. Since you are in my head.”

“I am not even going to comment on that.”

“You just did. Thank you.”

“You are making me feel worse.” She began to sob. “All of this is reminding me of when we argued after Billy’s death. Oh, I miss him so much.”

Ned put a hand on her shoulder, feeling her shivers. “I think I know a way to bring him back.”

She brightened a little. “You can?”

“Yes. That is why I chose to go into my mind, right now. If only you would listen to me, that is what I was going to say.”

“Yes! Do it, please. But how?”

“Simple. His death was imagined, caused by me. To bring him back, I just need to imagine him again. I just need to remember his face, his clothes, and bring him back. The only problem is, and why I could not do it earlier, is because I have been having trouble with it. I do not know how I managed to think him up in the first place.”

“Picture him, and think of him as real.”

“It is harder than you may think. I have ties to reality now. I have seen much of it. I think the best way to bring him back is to go into my state of insanity again. That was the point at which you two appeared because from isolation my mind went mad--”

“No!” she said. “Do you not understand? We did not sprout from your insanity. We were always with you. You yourself from the past--well, future--told us to shut out for a long time, and then come back to you in your sad days of isolation to make you believe that we came from your insanity.”

“So I made that happen?”

“Yes.”

“In the past--or future, whatever--how did myself figure out to make you do that?”

“I think from me. I told him. Just like I have told you, just now.”

“Another bootstrap, I see. Okay, when I revive Billy, I will make you two shut out. And when you arrive in my ten-year-old body, awaken. Make sure you wake at the time of his days of isolation, to make him believe you two came from his insanity.”

She nodded. The boy stepped back and concentrated. I can do this, he thought. I will breathe life back into him. I have done it once, I can do it again. 

Suddenly, there he was! He appeared, looking all the same.

“Brother!” Fran said, flinging her arms onto him. “You have missed so much. I cannot wait to tell you everything.”

“You do not need to,” Ned said. “I re-birthed him with all the information he needs to know. My past experiences while he was gone, our plans, and everything we just talked about right now. Right, Billy?”

“Yes, Ned,” he said. 

“It is good to have you back.”

“Indeed it is.”

“You will die again, naturally. You know that, right?”

“I will die again and again, eternally. When I go back to your old--or should I say young--body. Do not worry, I can take the suffering. After all, I am not even a being.”

That is a funny line, Ned thought. It makes me think: You refer to your younger self as your, ‘old self’, even if back then, you were younger. Why is that so?

“So we do not need to tell you anything about what is going on?” Fran said, amazed. “All this reminds me of Last Thursdayism, a bit.”

“Agreed,” Ned said. “So, here is the plan. I will go over it again. When you arrive at my ten-year-old self’s body, shut yourselves out from him. Awake in his dark days of isolation.”

“And?” Fran said. “Are you not forgetting something?”

“What?”

“The pignaut guard dragging you right at this moment, in the outside world. You made a promise that in the future--or past, I should say. It is really annoying to keep having to say that since we are in a loop--that he would be an eternal dishwasher. You are smart enough to figure out how that happened.”

“Oh,” he said. “I see what you mean. Yes, do that, too. When you arrive in my ten-year-old self’s body, if you find that pignaut guard--I think in the Stargazer book, it was chapter the sixth, I presume--tell myself to make him a dishwasher. To get revenge.”

“It is weird to think that you are going to get your revenge in the future, later on,” Fran said, “but yet it has also happened in the past already. Do you not remember making him a dishwasher?”

“Yes, I do, actually. I did not understand why you made me do it, but you just told me it was for the better. Now I understand.”

“Speaking of that book,” Billy said, “You forgot to imagine me back with it. I have lost it.”

“Do not worry. My ten-year-old self will find it again.”

“That very much is true.”

“That concludes it.” Ned put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Farewell, my good friends. I will see you on the other side. In another timeline. Go, now.”

“When we shut out,” Fran said, “you will be kicked out of your mind.”

“That is fine.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” She fished out a marker. “You will need this.”

“Why?”

“Goodbye,” they said. Then they disappeared. 

At the same exact moment, he awoke in the outside world, hearing the grumbling of an angry pignaut.

“Foolish kid!” he said, dropping him on the ground. The boy felt cold, soft snow. “I had to carry you over my shoulder the entire trip! Now that you are awake, you can walk yourself.”

The boy rubbed his head. He looked around. They were a party of seven, with half a dozen pignaut guards holding torches, and himself. They were nearing the end of The Mountain Cross. He recognized the area.

So they were almost there. To meet Juranix and his probable newly-captured slave: himself. A lot of time had passed since he had gone into his mind. Time was irrelevant when he was in there.

They continued their journey until they got to South Haven. The boy was escorted immediately to the emperor who was in a castle in the small town. One that he raided and took control over in just a day. 

“Ah, there you are,” Juranix said as he saw them approach the cell he was in. “Here he is, child. See your old self in all his deplorable and miserable glory.”

On the wall was a boy tied up in chains and hanging. Weak and in a coma. Dried blood from cuts was all around his forehead, bare chest, and lower body, even staining his ragged loincloth, the only piece of clothing he wore. 

I remember being in that state, Ned thought. Three years ago. Wearing nothing but that. 

“We kidnapped him from his home,” Juranix said. “Stripped him of clothes to destroy dignity, starved and thirsted him to destroy nourishment, and thrashed him around to destroy any chance or hope of escape. He is yourself.”

The boy stayed silent.

“The old buzzard at the peak told us a bit of something to make the boy remember nothing. He showed us a spot to hit at the temple, with enough force, to give him a bit of amnesia. Do not bother talking to him, for he is woozy in pain, memory, and is in a coma.”

The emperor watched with glee at the boy who was trembling at the sight. It disturbs him, he thought. It bothers him to see himself like this. 

Juranix does not understand we will become great friends in the future, the boy thought. This sight will soon bother him, too. Once he also realizes I am his gene son.

“Let go of him,” he said.
“It is useless to say that,” Juranix said. “I do not know why, but in most stories, I find the heroes always say things like that. ‘Let them go!’ and, ‘Release them!’ and all that nonsense. Why do they think the villain is ever going to follow them? It is just a pathetic, desperate try, I suppose. Or how the villain takes forever to kill the hero once he is captured. They even take the time and have the audacity to say, ‘Any last words?’ Bah! All predictable story plots. They are a plague to society. This is not going to be one of those. You are to die, and that is final.”

“Do not contradict yourself,” Ned said. “If I am to die, why not do it now? Like you said how villains should do it. Do not take forever to do it.”

The emperor laughed, and it made the boy uneasy. “Who said I was a villain?” Is he really stereotyping me? In fact, I would be the hero for executing this horrible criminal. He is the villain for causing so much pain to many people. 

The boy felt something in his pocket. It was a marker, from Fran. Seemingly from out of nowhere. Now he knew what to do with it. Something essential. He needed it, for a specific reason: to write the message on his past self’s arm, for a chance to stop the loop. He had awoken with it three years ago, which meant if he did not write it now…cannot afford to have any paradoxes. 

But again, he encountered another one anyway. What was the point in writing the message if he knew it was not going to work? And if he had awoken with the message, meaning that right at this moment he would do it, then even if he did it or not the message would still appear on his arm. 

He did it anyway. For a split second, he ran at the boy, knowing it was hopeless and he would be stopped. The chain collar on his neck was heavy, and it slowed him, but he had the element of surprise. He grabbed himself’s arm and quickly scribbled a message on it, fumbling with the marker. Loop. It is a loop. 

As he expected, Juranix yelled and the guards were immediately on him. They grabbed his arms, holding him back. 

“What is the meaning of this?” the emperor said, going up to the boy’s past self’s body to check what the message was himself. He held up the arm. “Loop. It is a loop. What is the meaning of this? Why would you write this?”

“No reason,” the boy quickly said. 

Whatever it is, Juranix thought, it must be very important to him. It will be erased.

“You,” he said, pointing at a guard. “Smudge it. To the point that it is unreadable.”

The guard nodded and went to do so.

“Why bring me here?” Ned said. “To make me suffer?”

Juranix growled, ignoring the question. “You know what? You are to return. Back to my palace you go, where you will be thrown into the dungeon to die.”

He looked at his guards. “Prepare my carriage. I will be going back, too. The long way around the mountains. I do not want to suffer in the cold of the range.”

It was then at that moment that the boy understood. Everything. There was no need for a reason for Juranix to bring him here. It was only done for the sake of the time plot. He had awoken with the message on his arm. How was he to write it if he had never come here? Fate just planned it--it made an excuse for the arm message’s existence. Just like the marker Fran had given to him. There was no reason for it to exist, it just did. Bootstrap, once again. 

The boy felt like his life was seemingly endless of them. Constantly in and out of them, and finding new ones. Was his life just one big contradictory existence?

“By the time I get back,” Juranix said, “this boy better be dead.”

#

They crossed the northern mountains once again. They got to the palace in practically no time. That was something that was always strange to him: journeys home were always much faster than journeys elsewhere, even if the journey was the same length in actuality.

First, he was thrown in a cell and was to await further news. They left him there, alone, and closed the heavy iron door before he could savour the light. 

But he was not alone. He did not notice, for he was so shrunken and fragile, a little boy not much younger than him in the same cell.

“They must have made a mistake,” the little boy said. “I am already in this cell.”

“What are you doing here?” 

“I suppose I can ask you the same thing. We both know the emperor does not take many prisoners. He mostly just kills them all. I am condemned to death.”

“Like me.” Ned sat back, resting. He thought: Soon to be thrown in a chamber until I thirst or starve to death.

“Well…” the little boy said, “unless I can answer this riddle correctly that can save my life.”

The phrase was familiar to Ned. “Is it about the number of stars in the sky, at night?”

The boy sat up, blinking. “You know it?”

“Yes. There is an answer.”

“If you please, tell me it.”

“Say, ‘You will know if you count them all’.”

“That is all?”

“That is all.”

“I thank you for your most gracious help. If I may ask, where did you learn this answer?”

Ned shrugged. “A friend. A boy, just like you. In fact…” He looked at his face. “One a lot like you. Three years ago, though. Wait…do you have a name?”

The boy nodded. “Millton,” he said, smiling.

“But you can call me Mill.”

Chapter The Thirtieth:

The Chamber Of One’s Dead Bodies

The Memory Master waited on the peak for his death. He rocked back and forth in his rocking chair, watching the view of the city lights below. He checked his watch. Any moment now, he thought. 

He rocked back and forth more for another moment. Then, he checked his watch again. 

He kept repeating this, over and over, knowing that one cycle would be his last. He was too old to go on any longer, but yet he would not die. 

He is going to be thrown into the chamber at any moment, he thought. And then, the cycle will restart. He will be ten-years-old again. And I will stay alive.

He had already completed his mission in life. He had avenged his good friend, whose heroic deeds were erased from the past during The Vast War. He had inflicted pain upon the boy who did it. 

My good friend, he thought, I have cast your killer in an eternal time loop. He has erased your greatness from existence since you were part of The Vast War, and I have avenged you. But I did not realize I would belong in the eternal time loop as well. It does not matter. As long as I avenge you, I will suffer for you.

He continued to gaze at the city lights down below, from the numerous torches that lit up the streets. He gazed at the stars above the city, shining so bright. Eternally bright. They would have deaths, but not him. He was a stargazer.

As soon as the boy gets thrown into the chamber, everything will reset. He will die in that existence, and his past self will be the next loop victim. 

How many times have I met him coming up the mountain? How many times will I continue to do it? For one being so good at memory, I cannot remember. How much longer will this go?

Each time, I have said the same things to him. I have acted nice to make him oblivious to the fact that I utterly despise him. If only I can forget, just like everyone else, so that I do not have to suffer each time. 

If a day repeated, forever, would anybody notice? No, it would be impossible. Unless they kept their memory of the previous repeated days. 

I am that victim that has to suffer since when it restarts I keep my memories of the previous loop. And because of this, I will never die and free myself. But that is okay. I will do this for eternity.

I feel myself floating away already. I think it is happening now. He is being thrown into the chamber.

#

They had no use for the boy anymore. His existence was useless now. 

“You are to die here,” the pignaut guard who brought him here said. “Have a peaceful eternal sleep.”

He took off the chain around his neck, and the cuffs around his hands, and pushed him in. The boy fell to the ground, coughing at all the dust being blown into the air. He heard rats squeak and scatter nearby at the sudden intrusiveness.

“I warn you, there is no escape from this chamber,” the guard said. “Do not even try. It is impossible.”

“I have done the impossible before,” the boy said. 

“Sure you have. This is your final fate. Juranix knows what he is doing. You can afford to die because you have already done your job. You have told him where your past self is.”

“Why can you not keep me prisoner? Give me food, at least. Give me water.”

So the boy keeps his hope, even after he is told there is none, the guard thought. 

“No. I hope you are comfortable here. After all, this is your final resting place. You will never see any light again, other than that torch that will slowly die out. Savour this moment.”

A moment passed, and the boy did. Then, the guard slammed the heavy iron door shut, making it final. 

The boy looked around. He does not know I will still live, he thought. Even if this version of my body dies, my ten-year-old self still lives. And when he gets the same fate as me, trying to fix his past mistakes, his version of his ten-year-old self will live. 

How many times has this happened already? Would it go on forever? How many more nonexistent timelines would be created by the ones demolished? How many versions of himself would exist?

The boy understood now what The Memory Master’s vision meant. He had said that the event in it would happen in a while. In the future. He understood that the chamber he was in at the moment was the setting in the old man’s vision. 

There was a single torch. Chains on the wall from past victims. Rats scurrying on the dirty ground, squeaking. This was surely it. 

The only thing was, something was missing. What had the old man said? There would be many bodies. Piling on top of one another. All rotting into skeletons. He was the only body in the chamber at the moment. 

But that did not mean he was the only body in the chamber in many other timelines. There were countless nonexistent timelines of this same moment--him being thrown into the chamber. The Memory Master had seen them all as if they were one consistent timeline, and so he saw a pile of bodies of the same person. Which was him. 

Using that discovery, I can estimate how many times this time loop has happened, he thought. The Memory Master had only seen a pile. That must mean the loop has not repeated enough times to overflow the chamber with my dead bodies. 

But then he thought, what would it say in the book, Stargazer? Since the entire book was a loop, would the words change each time the reader chose to reread it? Would it say that one more body had been added to the pile in the chamber, and if the reader had reread it enough times, the chamber would be overflowed? Now, he would never know. 

Billy and Fran were dormant in his mind. They were still with him, and he could always call them back if he imagined hard enough. But he needed them asleep. And he needed them to wake up in his ten-year-old’s mind later on. 

Thinking about those two made him feel lonely. He knew he would feel lonely until he died. He would miss the feeling of having companions. And he knew when he would wake up again, as his ten-year-old self, he would continue to be lonely. Until Billy and Fran would wake up. 

What if he was not actually alone here, in this cell? There could be ghosts that share the same space as him in that very moment. Seeing him, but him not seeing them. After he had discovered that ghosts walk on the planet coexisting with people, he had never let go of the thought. 

Thinking of ghosts made him remember Elsie and her terrible fear of them. He thought about his other companions, too. The ones that were real, and not in his head. Monty, Mill, and Starlight…would they miss him? No, because when the loop would restart they would forget him. They would meet him again when his ten-year-old self would go on the same journey he went through in the past three years. But they would never understand or know that they had already met him, perhaps hundreds of times. Or billions. He would never know which. 

The only way he had a chance of breaking out of the loop was the message he had written on his past self’s arm. Loop. It is a loop.

But he knew it would never work. Juranix’s followers had smudged it. After all, he remembered himself waking up in the carriage, so long ago, not able to read the message. 

But he dared to hope that one day, something would change in the loop. Perhaps his ten-year-old self would be different this time and finally understand the message. It could truly be impossible since there was absolutely no reason for it to work, but it might.

I have done everything I can, he thought. That guard is right. I have already done my job. Now it is time for me to die in this timeline.

How much time had passed already? A few minutes? Half an hour? How long would it take to thirst to death in his dirty cell?

This is going to take longer than I thought. 

He waited and waited. I am just like The Memory Master. Waiting to die. Waiting to rot into a skeleton and give my meat to feed the rats in this room. 

He knew this was it. Soon he would wake up in his ten-year-old’s body.

Then, all of a sudden, he remembered something that sparked out of nowhere. A light, shining in the darkness. 

It was a memory. The memory The Memory Master had told him when they had met in the mountains, the one he said would come up when he needed it the most. The event played in his head, and he remembered it.

“Some things are just best left unanswered,” the old man told the boy. “Do you know why?”

“Why?” he asked. 

###

The story continues on page 1.

YOU WILL NOT FIND ANSWERS HERE, NED