Flame Ruby & Amos

      The Lathaniel’s students slowly step on the bus birds, preparing to go back in the next morning. Reese pestered Veejay to go to say goodbye to Oralia at the Musical Line.

      “Zes, Rai, Deinol, you guys wanna come?” said Reese while seizing Veejay tightly “The others don’t wanna go. They are already on the bird.”

      “Nah! Don’t wanna give Veejay anymore obstacles!” said Deinol and Reese dragged Veejay away.

      Everyone met Reese and Veejay again when the bus birds nearly took off.

      “Reese!” said Veejay angrily “Why are you doing this?”

      “Because you like Oralia!!!!! Oops… sorry……. Hey! Hey! At least you had a chance to talk to her, right?!!” teased Reese.

      Veejay blushed and fainted again.

      The bus birds took off from Saoirse for just five seconds another problem began.

      “Smoke! From our school! Our school’s on FIRE!!!!!” somebody yelled from the lead bird. Everyone turned to looked and the birds was ordered to speed up. They arrived at the castle ten times faster than when they had departed.

      The castle was surrounded by the soldiers, each of them held the torch. At the front door, stood an old evil looking man who made principal Gizmo panicked, he gazed with fierce eyes.

      “Wa… What happen?” kneeled down principal Gizmo “Empire Cade!”

      “I’m going to burn down this school because your stupid student stole my flame ruby!” roared Empire Cade. The principal, teachers, masters and some of the students shivered.

      “Wh… Who did that?!” principal Gizmo turned pale like dead people.

      “How am I going to know??!!!” bellowed Empire Cade “You lots all have responsible in this!!! I’m going to burn this castle down. It’s mine, anyway!”

      “Please, stop!!” the voice came from the crowd of the students. Every person set sights on the crazy student who dared to talk back to Empire Cade like that. I’m sorry to say that it was Zes.

      “Are you crazy, Zes?” whispered Rai and I do agree with him.

      “No, I’m not crazy.” he replied out loud and stared at Empire Cade. “Why you’re so unreasonable? The others aren’t wrong!”

      “SHUT UP!!! WHO ON EARTH ARE YOU??!! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME!!! YOU WANT TO DIE?!?” Empire Cade snarled very…loud.

      “No, I dare not, please… I just want my lord to think of it carefully and I offered to bring back the flame ruby. Please, don’t burn our home.”

      “You!” Empire Cade wanted to be angry but when he heard the promise of bringing back his lovely flame ruby, he calmed down. “Will bring it back….”

      “In five days.” said Zes without thinking.

      “If I don’t have it in my hand in five days, this castle will become ashes.” he said sternly “Oh! And I’m not allowed anybody to help this brat. It dared talking to me like that.”

      “No, I want to help him!” Rai suddenly said.  

      “Then you two brats, who dared to argue with me, go ahead and help each other! Listen Gizmo, I’m forbidding everyone not to stick their nose into this.” Empire Cade and his soldier, then, went back into the forest nearby.

      No one moved, no one spoke and they wouldn’t breathe if they could. Everyone was still scared of what had just happened. The first to getting back the conscious, Reese, blamed Zes instantly “Zes! Are you mad!!! How could you promise him like that?”

      “It’s the only way to stall for some times.” said Zes.

      Zes was right so everybody started to search for the missing student.

      “Charlie! It’s Charlie Elliot, principal Gizmo.” uttered one of the teachers of the Drug Line.

      “WHAT?!?” It was hard to believe what that teacher had said because Charlie was a good student and kind of a nerd.

      “Shylac’s not here too, principal Gizmo!” said another teacher.

      “I’m here.” said the boy by his side “Teacher, please put on your glasses.”

      “Oops…sorry.”

      “I’ll go and fetch Charlie back.” and Zes hurriedly ran away.

      “Wait!! Zes!” said Rai and ran after him.

      “Wait!! Both of you! Where’re you going to find him?” said principal Gizmo.

      Zes and Rai stopped “Don’t know, sir.” and smiled sheepishly.

*

      “Anyway, we’ve got five days.” said principal Gizmo in front of everybody in the school. “Zes Orson and Rai Mathais, you’ll have to prepare yourselves. Teacher Fulvio, could you please take Zes to choose the sword? And the others, tried to find the trace of Charlie, where would he go, why did he steal the flame ruby. Okay, off we go!”

      “Wait, principal Gizmo. Empire Cade told everyone not to help us. Each of us will be in trouble if you do this.” warned Zes.

      “It doesn’t matter. I don’t think that we can help you that much… and… how can we let just two of you protecting the school.”

      The Reese gang also offered to help Zes and Rai but they didn’t want the others to be in trouble so they just thanked them.

      “Besides, there are more than fifty percent that we won’t succeed. In that case, I hope you guys will protect the school because I have a feeling that Empire Cade won’t just burn down the castle.” Zes added the reason.

      Teacher Fulvio walked toward Zes with a sullen face “Excuse me, you guys, Zes, can you follow me?”

      “Yes.” and they headed to the weapon storing rooms that Zes had seen on the first day with Sir Aleander. Just like that day, Zes walked everywhere, looked at every corner, yet he still couldn’t find the one he liked.

      “Hey, this one does really suit you, Zes!” said teacher Fulvio. He picked up a middle size sword that was decorated with every size, every style of emeralds.

      “Err… err… I think it’ll be stolen during the journey.”

      “Then, what about this one? Suppose no one would steal it.” and teacher Fulvio held up another big, long, tough sword but it also looked old and seemed to be able to break at every moment.

      “Err…”

      “Or this one___ this one___no! That one’s better. Zes, which one do you like?”

      None of them, I can tell.

      “Okay, let’s go to the next room.” But whichever room they went in, Zes still couldn’t find the sword that suited him until they reached the last room.

      “Zes Orson! With your skills, any sword will do good.” Teacher Fulvio finally started to feel annoying. “Oh! This is it! What about this one? It used to belong to one of the Luxe.” Luxe was the ruler of the city in Derst. Each city had one Luxe and his advisors “Sir” ruled them.

      “Err… no… thank you.”

      “What! This is the best sword we’ve ever had. You’re so choosy, Zes”

      Zes thought that he might had to use his practicing sword but then he saw… he saw the sparkling light leaked through the crack of the darkest wall. He remembered that he used to see it once when Freza told him that it was his “the thing that’s not an iron scrap” that sparkling. This time it really proved that Freza was wrong. (No, he was not, Zes.)

      “Teacher, may I have that one?” Zes called teacher Fulvio who was just going to step out of the room. He pointed at the wall that he saw the glittering light.

      Teacher Fulvio went white when he saw where Zes had pointed. “H…How… do you know that… there’s… a… sword behind…that… wall?” he said, the voice shaking.

      “Because the light that reflects with the blade is that obvious. Couldn’t you see it?”

      No, he couldn’t.

      “Err… I don’t think you can have that sword.”

      “Why, teacher?”

      “Because it’s cursed.”

      “Oh!”

      “Anyway, I’ll have to ask principal Gizmo.” Then he rushed out of the room and came back with principal Gizmo who had gone paler than ever.

      “Zes Orson, you…”

      “Umm.. I thought I could have that sword but it’s cursed...so it’s okay teacher.” interrupted Zes.

      “Err…” principal Gizmo had an uncomfortable look “We already put a protection on it yet it is still too dangerous.”

      “I know.”

      Principal Gizmo sighed and took a deep breath “This sword used to belong to Empire Uriah Amon, the establisher of our school and the ancestor of Empire Cade. Empire Uriah was the one who saved us when there was a war between the mages side and the others who opposed the mages. This sword was used to kill the evil mage who betrayed us.” he sighed again “That evil mage sold us to the outside world. When the blade was stained with his blood, the sword became evil. We needed to gather all the mages around Derst and put the protection on its quillion. Now, it’s just a simple sword but if you break the quillion, the sword will become evil and evilness will eat away your good heart. At that time, you’ll become as evil as that mage.”

      Principal Gizmo gave Zes a stern look. “You said you saw the sparkling light?”

      “Yes, I can even see it now.”

      “Well, …” and principal Gizmo walked to that wall. He pressed his hand near the crack that the light leaked out and muttered “AMOS!”

      The brick on the wall turned into dust in a sudden, revealing an elegant sword which shone golden red ray.

      “It’s called Amos. Zes, I think you can try it.”

      Zes awkwardly walked to the sword and lifted it up.

      “How do you feel?” asked principal.

      “Nothing.”

      “Umm… maybe it’s a destiny.” The principal murmured.

      “Pardon?”

      “Okay, you can have it.”

      “Really? But….”

      “Yes, it’s yours but be careful.”

      “Thank you so much teacher!!!!”