"It's strange, though," pondered Sam. Every Friday, I go to Sam's house for some free time. Of course, since we're best friends. "After everybody was cured, I asked myself: who on earth poisoned these people and why?" I also asked myself that, honestly. It's so mysterious that an unknown poisoning occurred all of a sudden. "Where was your sister, Rosie, before the poisoning?"

 

"Well, Henrich told me that Rosie went to the market near Western Quarté just to buy mother's favorite flowers," I responded.

 

"Market, you say?" Sam said. "No one has ever attacked the market near western quarté."

 

"Until today." Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. "Who could that be?" I looked at the pathway towards the door even though I couldn't see it.

 

"Let me check." Sam went to the door and later came back with a newspaper. He placed it on the table and we both sat on his red checkered bench. In the newspaper, there was the main article that says:

 

People from the public market were attacked by a poison cloud, Beware!

 

"It's here. The news about poisoning, it's really here." I was surprised that what happened to Rosie and the others was in the headline. Other images showed the gigantic, swirling, green cloud as if ready to devour these people.

 

"So, the poison was from above?" Sam said.

 

"Yes. But the question is how?" I shouldn't have asked that question. Even Sam wouldn't answer that. He just shrugged and said, "But whatever caused it, it's unreasonable. Also, it's very impossible that a poison cloud appeared from the sky."

 

For some other reason, I turned to the other page to see other news. Then, I saw a forest burned to the ground. The forest transformed into black, smoky ashes. No green trees, churning river, nor rocky mountain standing high on the horizon. "Sam, look at this." I showed him the news. Sam didn't seem so surprised, but he read the article that I was pointing at:

 

Burning forest. So devastated. Who could have done this? Or what could have done it? Dun, Dun, Dun.

 

"I guess everyone is freaking out right now about what could have done it. And . . . Is the dun, dun, dun really necessary?" he raised an eyebrow.

 

"I don't know, Sam. Maybe some editors are making the news more thrilling by using these words."

 

"Maybe." He expressed in a low scornful of doubt. I looked at the article one more time. The fire was so bright that it reminded me of seven years ago. About the attack. About the Flash warriors who fought. About me, risking my life just to save a mother with her poor baby from a dragon. It destroyed everything in its path. Everything.

 

"Xabiere." I was snapped back into reality by Sam's voice. I turned to him. "Come over here." I went toward the window where Sam stood. As I peered, two strangers were walking around the snowy streets, neighbors were curious as to why they're here. "Who are those people?" Sam looked closer to the window.

 

I asked myself the same question. The tall one had sharp green eyes- focusing on one direction. His blond hair was spiky upfront, even his bangs hang low like stalactites. He didn't even wear armor, just a black vest with a sword on his belt. Because of that, I could see his arms curved with muscles. Beneath him were grey pants and brown winter boots. The other guy was three inches shorter, the same as my height, probably. With golden, wavy hair that reached his neck, his blue floral jacket was actually very vivid. He wore casual caramel pants and brown shoes. He even wore indigo glasses. I mean, who on earth wears that in a place like this? I watched them as they went to my house.

 

"Wait, why are they going to your house, and why is that guy wearing indigo glasses with a floral jacket? He looks like a hippie with style," commented Sam. I shrugged and gestured the both of us behind the bush. The blond guy knocked three times on our door with his knuckles. Mondrea opened it and said in a sarcastic tone, "Um . . . can we help you?" Even though we're further away from my home, we could still hear her voice.

 

"Xabe, is she always like that?" whispered Sam.

 

"When it comes to meeting strangers like them, yes," I replied. The one with the indigo glasses said something to Mondrea and she let them in. Sam and I followed, trying to be sneaky, very, very sneaky. Since Mondrea locked the front door, both of us went inside through the back. We don't usually lock it, because we think every stranger in the village never goes to the back door.

 

We hid behind the cooking table in the kitchen. "Why are we doing this?" Sam hissed.

 

"I don't want to be seen yet," I replied. We peeked in the living room. Our house had a hallway between the kitchen and the living room by the way, where we can have more space for our things. For the first time, we saw Henrich poured teas to the visitors. I hadn't seen her pour tea for years.

 

"But why?" Sam asked.

 

"Shush," I muttered. Prepare to eavesdrop. This is how I am when it comes to seeing strange people such as them, especially when coming to my home.

 

"Is there something you need, sir?" Henrich asked politely, pretending to smile at her guests. Mondrea stood beside her in an elegant posture. That was so unlike of her. "Why does that short guy look like that? He looks like a hippie with style," she whispered, but Henrich nudged Mondrea to be reminded that they have visitors in front of them. You know, I've been thinking, why does he look like that, really?

 

"We're here for the girl, or should I say for your sister. Is she all right?" the blond guy asked so calmly, my tension of curiosity had worn out. I could tell that Mondrea almost blushed.

 

"Yes," Henrich answered, almost burst into stammering.

 

"Great. We would like to give a request to see her, please," said the hippie . . . I mean the wavy hair guy. "We really have to see the girl."

 

Henrich told them she will be right back and headed upstairs as we hid behind the kitchen door. A few minutes later, she went down with Rosie, still looking sick despite the cure. The three sisters sat down on our green couch. "Who's the hot guy?" Rosie whispered. The blond guy raised an eyebrow, indicating that he did hear those words. 

 

"Uh . . . hehe. Sorry, she's fine. Except she's feeling strange, but Nurse Joy told us that she'll be all right soon." Henrich couldn't stop smiling.

 

"Nurse Joy? You mean that hot nurse that told us where your house is?" The wavy hair guy's eyebrows raised. The blond guy punched him on the shoulder. "Oww, what did I do?" The wavy hair guy glared at his companion while rubbing his body part. The blond guy sighed and continued. "My apologies for my comrade here. We just want to check on this strange feeling of hers."

 

The wavy hair guy hissed from the pain. "So just sit properly and hold still." He stood up and pressed his thumb on Rosie's forehead. Unbelievably, it shone. Rosie stiffened, the two sisters were stunned, and so were we. The blond guy just sat there blankly as if nothing is happening. After a moment, the wavy hair guy sat back on his chair. "Figured. She still has a small amount of gas from the poison. It will take more than a potion that has a skull shape to cure her completely," he said.

 

"Really? But our nurse is a witch," remarked Henrich.

 

"That smoke was a skeleton after all," muttered Mondrea.

 

The blond guy's eyebrows narrowed. "She's a witch?"

 

The wavy hair guy interrupted by clearing his throat. "Anyway, she'll be fine though. Just wait for like a couple of days and your sister will be back to her usual state." He gave them a huge grin that almost freaked them out. "Oh yes, one more question, are you the only ones in here?"

 

"Oh no, we have a brother who went to his friend's house. Just doing his business," Henrich laughed shortly. Meanwhile, Sam and I were discussing these two visitors. "Did you see what he did?" Sam's eyes were wide open in awe. 

 

"Of course, Sam. I'm not blind. For real, who are these guys?" I peered once more as they kept on talking. This time, I couldn't hear them. 

 

"You know, maybe they're here to help us." Sam guessed.

 

"How could you be so sure?" I asked.

 

"Well, they checked Rosie's condition. So they probably have something to do with her health," Sam replied. He's got a good point on that. As I looked back to the living room, the wavy hair guy's face is suddenly right in front of me. His nose could almost have reached mine. "Who the hell are you?" he asked. I jumped, almost leaning towards Sam. I heard my best friend shrieked like a girl in surprise because of the visitor, or was it me? "First thing's first," I said. "Who are you?" He then stepped back and greet me with his smile.

 

"Ah, you must be their brother! It's good to see you!" He suddenly grabbed my hand and shook it with such enthusiasm. "And you are?" he stared at Sam, who was looking shocked as ever. 

 

"I . . . uh . . . Sam." He smiled awkwardly. 

 

"Oh, okay." The wavy hair guy nodded. Henrich went to the kitchen to see what's going on. 

 

"MaXabiere? I thought you were at Sam's." About that, she also calls me MaXabiere sometimes. "Sam? What are you doing here?" she asked as she spotted him.

 

"Hi," Sam squeaked.

 

"Now, the same question," I demanded. The wavy hair guy actually knew what I meant.

 

"Could we just talk about this in the living room," Henrich said.

 

"Yeah, I can see that."

 

"So your name is MaXabiere, huh?" The wavy hair guy kept memorizing my name over and over

"So your name is MaXabiere, huh?" The wavy hair guy kept memorizing my name over and over.

 

"Yes," I replied. All of us were in the living room now, sitting on our couch. Sam made a sipping sound as he drank his tea. "SeanLeo, SeanLeo Kenslin is my name." SeanLeo beamed, I guessed he really liked smiling at people. "But my friends call me Sean for short." I looked to the blond guy, who was completely serious about drinking his tea. 

 

"Who's your friend?" I asked. Sean looked at the guy and turned back to me. 

 

"Oh him? He's my best friend."

 

"No, we're not." The blond guy glared at him.

 

"Yes, we are. His name is Claes Vortecse. He's also my main man when it comes to helping me find a girlfriend." Sean slid his glasses down and winked. "I'm really this desperate."

 

"Shut up." Claes turned to Sean, who was nearly laughing.

 

"So . . . you guys are here because you got the news." I guessed.

 

"Correct and since we've checked that everybody is all right, we could proceed going back," Sean said.

 

"You did something to Rosie with your glowing thumb . . . what are you?" Sam asked, burping from his tea.

 

"Oh yes. About that. You see, like your nurse, I'm magical," Sean said. I was about to ask more but Claes stood up abruptly while looking at the window. 

 

"Sean, it's time to go." Claes patted his partner's back.

 

Sean groaned, "Fine. Well, it's nice meeting you guys. I hope you'll feel better after a couple of days, Rosa."

 

"It's Rosie," she corrected.

 

"Eh, close enough. Thank you for your hospitality, by the way, miss." Sean bowed to Mondrea, but my sister seems to be disturbed at the fact that he might like her. The two began leaving the house. I peered at the window and I saw the two of them walking towards the other two strangers. It was another male and a female, much older like Henrich's age. The guy wore a long white coat with a saber strapped to his waist. The female, well . . . she was something that I had never seen before. She was dressed as an engineer; dirty apron, short-sleeved, leather blue pants, and thick gloves and boots, her face was almost filthy. The four smiled (or should I say three because of how serious was the blond guy) and talked for a moment.

 

"Who are those people?" asked Henrich.

 

"I don't know. But they look friendly to me. Except for the hippie one, he still freaks me out a bit," Mondrea said. The four left the village. There's something about them . . . 

 

Another thing about me is that when I'm curious, a question will never, ever get out of my mind, unless I discover the truth

Another thing about me is that when I'm curious, a question will never, ever get out of my mind, unless I discover the truth. However, I do not question myself when it comes to figuring out dangerous obstacles. Such as an unknown thing inside a box. It is best not to open it, because there might be a killer clown inside (One more thing, I'm not afraid of clowns, I just felt uneasy about them. I swear, I'm not afraid of clowns).

 

I kept on sketching for some reason. As I sketched, my hands began rushing as I color the trees. That article earlier, the burning mountains, reminded me of something, something that happened seven years ago. The warriors fought it. The dragon, so vicious and furious, almost killed others, including me!

 

My hand was at incredible speed and kept switching color pencils. The images from the past flashed before my mind, I almost got distracted. Me, saving the mother and the baby from danger. As I kept thinking, I thought of a question that I must answer. Why did I save them if I'm so afraid? Because whenever people are terrified, they just ran and forget about everything except for their survival.

 

But in a hopeless situation like that, I still saved them, even at a young age. What happened to after the dragon blasted me? I should be dead. Suddenly, Henrich knocked before opening the door. "Hey, Xabe." I snapped back in reality and realized that the landscape I was coloring displayed a fully destroyed scenery. "Oh . . . uh . . . hey," I caught my breath after rushing. "What is it?"

 

"Tomorrow you'll go hunting, our meat stocks are running out again," Henrich said. 

 

I nodded. "Okay, I'll hunt the big ones, then." She came closer and saw my drawing. 

 

"Huh, I've never seen you draw like this before."

 

"Yup, it almost looked like seven years ago." then I remembered what I must know. "Hen, may I ask you something?" I asked her while she's still focused on the horrifying image. 

 

"Yeah, sure, what is it?" Henrich said.

 

"Seven years ago. After I've been . . . you know, blasted and probably flattened by a solid surface. What happened to me next . . . ?" I was hoping for an answer, but in her green eyes, she said, "That, Xabe, is the question that I wish to answer." I felt rage flowing continuously in my blood, but I know how Henrich felt. A question that cannot be answered but you wish it would be. "You know what? Get some rest, Xabe. I can see that you've drained out."

 

I tried to get some sleep, but my curiosity went on. I mean, really. Earlier, who are those guys? Who are those visitors that wanted to check on every single victim of the poison attack and why?