Down System

Chapter 52

NAMIKA

"C'mon, Aleera! Don't let the sword be stronger than you!"

I was continuously motivating this young girl for her to bring out the more she could do. I believed there was still something in her that she wasn't revealing. I knew she could be more and she could do more.

It was a snowy day; however, it was not a hindrance for us, especially for Aleera, to train. Every day was a good opportunity to learn new and discover more things. No season could stop a person who had determination and eagerness to educate himself. No cold snowflakes could break down a strong warrior.

"Bring out the best in you, Aleera!" I shouted once more when I noticed she was somewhat giving up. I had still something to add when she became mightier of holding her weapon, surprisingly.

Aleera was the kind of girl who was willing to learn. She had as well the eagerness to sacrifice to save the future, although when I first told her about her purpose, she had a little doubt, which I fully understood because who was me for her to trust?

But just like any other girl, Aleera also had her weaknesses. She could easily give up on a thing if she knew it was very impossible to survive, but with words that could encourage her, she would rise again— which was still my problem about her. How would she be able to continue fighting if I was not there to whisper motivating words to her? She must also learn to stand on her own feet.

Another problem I noticed with this young girl was the difficulty of controlling her emotions. I guessed that was the main reason why she doubted accepting that Ferno wasn't her friend but her greatest rival; she was too attached to the person, to the point that she could not believe the dark truth about that close friend. However, I still could give warm applause to her for doing her best to control her emotions. Lately, I had seen that Aleera was working hard on it, and I felt proud.

I paid attention to Aleera who was strongly swissing her swords against mine. I could not help but smile, knowing that she was doing everything to prove me something; actually, she already had proven me a great thing. I was still like dreaming whenever I would remember the time that she defeated me. It was unbelievable— not because I knew she would never do it, but because it was too fast for her to do it. As far as I could remember, it was only a month since we started training, yet she was able yet to win over me. No one had beaten me in history, except for her.

After thousands of swishing, I already dismissed Aleera and let her take her rest for this day since it was also turning dark; but before she left, she left me these words,

"Goodnight, Namika. I appreciate your being." She smiled and ran away.

Perhaps she was trying to fix the issue between us. She knew she had done wrong, so she was humbling herself, but not in the way I liked. She could show off her sincerity by telling me closer that she was sorry about it. She could do a simple effort to obtain my pardon, but she might be too shy to do that.

But honestly, I got mad at her for saying unpleasant things about the robot I made for her. I exerted all my effort on that device just to get her satisfaction, but it was not good enough yet. I couldn't blame her for being annoyed, however, because the robot was indeed somehow irritating. Most of the time, I could not control the device I created because it was already like a human who had her own understanding and behavior towards things.

The thing that just could not get in my mind was— the robot had all the personalities of Aleera, yet she was being annoyed by it. If that was the case, it meant that this young girl hated herself but she just didn't know. Then, there must be really something going on here. I had to fix not the robot, but my student herself.

I had decided to enter the house after some time of staying outside. But instead of going to my room, I headed first to the potion-making quarter to do some business. I wasn't done yet with the spells for Aleera; I had to accomplish them as soon as possible.

Making potions was not my hobby, but it was my duty. I had to create tons of them that would be useful today and for the future. I also had to teach Aleera how to make spells for her to have more packs of power. I still had to instruct him many things, actually, but I was making it slow for her to not be surprised. Besides, if I taught him everything one at a time, she might not be able to learn all of them.

I was mixing potions but got interrupted by the voice that entered the room by a sudden. As I was expecting, it was Aleera.

"What brings you here, young girl?" I asked her, turning away my gaze from her. "I thought you're now resting?"

"Can't sleep," she said. "I just want to give this to you." She sat beside me and gave me a pink rose. "Accept it, please."

I handed the flower to not disappoint her, but I was a bit worried about where she picked this, so I asked her.

"I got that from our garden, don't you worry," Aleera mouthed. "I'm glad it didn't die. I took that yesterday and put it in a vase. I was supposed to be giving you that yesterday as well, but I didn't have the courage to do so."

"A peace offering, isn't it?" I raised my brow. "You should have known I don't like flowers."

"I know, 'cause you are a bitter hag."

"Are you really trying to fix the problem or you're just adding another one?" I crossed my arms.

"Sorry," Aleera chuckled. "But seriously, I'm very sorry about what I've said to you. I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear."

This time, I could see the sincerity in her eyes and felt the regret in her heart. So, to not make the gap between us longer, I pardoned her. Besides, I wasn't used to this type of setup. I missed talking to her in a normal way and without awkwardness, actually.

Aleera smiled and hugged me as soon as she heard the word forgiven. She expressed her gratitude to me and sworn she would not do it again, but who knew? Every day, a person would commit a mistake whether intentional or unintentional, and that was normal but sometimes, not okay; so, I would still try to understand if one day, she hurt me again.

"You should go back to your room now," I told her. "It's getting late. You still have to train tomorrow morning."

"How about you?" Aleera asked.

"I'm still gonna stay here until I finished all these potions," I answered.

"And, where are you going to use them?"

"I'll tell you when they are ready. But for now, no more questions, young girl. Go and take a rest."

Aleera left the room as I commanded. She seemed ecstatic while walking out, and it was definitely because of the pardon she obtained.

On the same hand, I could not also hide the smile on my lip, knowing that I was finally okay again with Aleera. Also, knowing that she gave me a flower, melted my heart. I actually didn't like such a thing but started liking it because of her.

What a wonderful girl she was.

I paid attention again to what I was doing when Aleera was finally gone from my sight. But as I was doing them, Gandor entered my mind. Until now, I could not believe that he would use an innocent young boy to spread his wickedness. I could not take the greediness living inside his heart.

Ferno could be more light of this world if not only because of the red dragon. He would have been a catalyst of change because of his dark experience, but because of the bad influence of Gandor, he also became as evil as him. And now, he had the same power as him— that no one could easily defeat.

However, I still believed that there was someone who could turn over that two demons who were ruling Hades. In the future, everyone would see.

After some time of mixing, I was finally done making all the potions on my desk. It was already midnight, but I did not feel sleepy yet, so I just made myself a coffee and stayed in my window as I witnessed the exquisite beauty of the night sky. I spent almost two hours of my time there before I went to my bed. Since there was no time to sleep, I got up again and headed outside to prepare all the materials that would be needed for the next morning.

As I was preparing, Aleera showed up again, wiping her eyes. I could sense she was still sleepy, but trying to be alive, especially now that she was seeing the weapons in front of her.

"Are we going to train now?" she asked as she sat on the ground, and yawned.

"It's still early," I answered. "You should sleep more for you to gain strength."

"I'm not going back, not sleeping again. I'll just wait until the sun rises. Besides, I scheduled myself for meeting the day."

"Well, if that's the case, then alright. Should I prepare your milk now?"

Aleera shook her head. "You seem busy. I'll do it myself. Promise, I can manage it."

"You've grown," I smiled.

Day by day, Aleera was becoming more understanding of things. She was also turning matured in how she viewed things, which was making me very proud.

"My birthday is coming," she said, showing off a big smile.

My eyes grew a bit after hearing that from her. I almost forgot her birthday; fortunately, she reminded me of this.

"So, what's your plan?" I asked her.

"I don't know yet," she answered. "It's still based on Mommy and Daddy. Besides, I could not think well of what I would like to do on my birthday."

"Do you want a big celebration?"

"No, I guess. Perhaps a simple party will do. I only want to meet my family and friends on that day. I think that's more than enough."

"Good. So, what do you want me to give you?"

Aleera chuckled. "I'm not going to ask. If I said to you the thing that I like, there will be no suspense anymore. Make it a surprise, please."

"And now, you requested for a surprise," I laughed. "I don't think it's still shocking now that you know I'm gonna surprise you."

"Okay, forget it. I don't want anything. I just want myself to be more as days would pass so that in the future, I'll be able to save the entire Hades."

I smiled. "Come here," I told her, and when she walked towards me, I hugged her tightly. "I promise to help you for I believe that you... can save the world."

Aleera thanked me, still imprisoned in my embrace. "Your words are an advance gift to me, Namika. I promise to keep them all. But above all, I will apply all your teachings. Your works are not in vain, I swear."

My heart was overwhelmed with joy with those inspiring words of hers. I knew Aleera had the accountability of everything she spoke. I believed she was true to her sayings, and that she would fulfill her promises.

I hugged this young girl even more tightly. "I give to you now the future."

When Aleera left, I continued preparing again, but when she came back, I decided to stop because I was going to invite her to wander outside. I told her to wear the best coat she had, which made her eyes grew big, and asked me,

"I thought we're going to train?"

"I've changed my mind," I answered. "I just thought you still have to know more about the land of Hades. You should observe every Hadessian— including their weaknesses and strengths, traditions, and cultures. Literally everything."

"So, where are we gonna go?"

"I'll keep it a secret first. Just change your clothes so we can proceed now."

Aleera immediately ran away and went to her room, and when she came back, she was already wearing a pink coat that definitely matched her cute face. After presenting herself and swirling around, she also told me to wear my most beautiful apparel; but because my outfit was totally fine with me, I didn't bother to change it.

I brought out my big bubble and just went straight away to our first destination. I took Aleera to a restaurant that was located in the middle part of Mount Marrior.

"Why here?" she asked.

"Aside from I want to treat you, I also want you to observe the foods they have here," I told her.

"And what do their foods have to do with the future?" Aleera folded her brows.

"It isn't just about the food, young girl, but also of the people who serve and cook them. Observe everything around you and ask yourself what do these foods have to do with the people living here? How important are these to them? And yes, your question is right, what do these foods have to do with the future?"

After serving the foods on our table, Aleera started tasting them. The moment the dishes touched her mouth, she said that they had no difference with the food we ate— they had the same look and taste, but little did she know that every food had its own specialty. She really had to see more— deeply. Unfortunately, after she said her first comment, it did not follow anymore with another feedback. She was swayed with the food's delicacy, I guessed.

"You should take it slow," I told her, but she did not mind answering me.

Since I knew I would not be able to talk properly to her, I just let her finished eating. I could not take my eyes away from her. I was just happy seeing her enjoy the food, so even though I didn't eat, I was already full.

"These are very delicious, Namika!" Aleera said; she was even shouting because of great satisfaction. "You didn't tell me there's a really good restaurant here in the middle part of the mountain."

"There are many good eating services here, actually," I told her. "You just have to discover. If I tell you everything, there's no thrill. As I am always telling you, wander your eyes all over your surroundings and find things out by yourself."

"I got to be more interested now. Thanks for the treat, Namika!"

"I didn't invite you here only for the-"

"I know... I know," Aleera cut me off. "Don't you worry, okay? I'm taking note of everything that you are saying."

"Well, that's good. You should finish eating now, so we can proceed to our next destination. I'm giving you five more minutes."

"But these are too much!" Aleera said. "I can't eat them all with the time you've given me. It isn't an eating competition, huh! So, can I take them home?" she asked, continuously blinking her eyes.

"No," I said in a very strong manner. "Just eat what you can eat, and after five minutes, we're going to leave this place."

All I thought, Aleera would not speak again when she started pouring her lip, but I was wrong; she looked at me with her eyes that seemed to be ready and said,

"I missed Mommy cooking for me."

"But you just went yesterday," I told her. "Missed her again?"

"Well, yeah. I'm missing her every day. Even when I'm on her side, I'm still missing her. Before, I could taste her cook every day. But now, it's different. How I wish she knows I'm staying in your house so she could send me foods always."

I wasn't able to say anything when she talked again.

"I admit it, you cook better than her, but I can't deny the fact that I still love the best the foods she serves me."

I filled the glass with water and offered it to her. "I understand," I said. "But you have nothing to do with it as for now."

"I know, and that's why I'm doing my best now, so in the future, I'll be with her again— every day."

The two of us continued talking; I had a pleasant time listening to her stories, that I didn't notice the time was running. I just noticed her laughing after some time. That was only the moment I realized she already finished up the food, and that she used the time telling me stories to get away in my mind the thought of leaving. Tricky!

"Let's go now, Namika," Aleera said as she stood, still laughing. "I'm so full now."

I went outside with her, trying to forget the way she deceived me, so I could get on to the next step. I piloted the big bubble going to the church because I knew Aleera had still not enough knowledge of the religious acts of Hadessians.

"I hate this place," Aleera said even when we didn't still enter. "Why did you take me here? To see that red dragon's image again?"

"You have no choice, after all," I told her. "Wherever you go, you'll encounter Gandor. Don't think you know him better now."

She had not fully known me yet, how much more about that red dragon?