Jiji no. 8

Whispers of the Kohns

Training with Benny Flick is one thing. Holder felt immediate rush of tiredness in his body as soon as he went outside of the Blacksmith’s house. Plus the fact that Lalaine had threatened her, it added to the pressure of him being tired. He was panting when he closed the door of Benny’s house. For a while, he let his back be laid flatly on the outer face of the door. He breathed. In and out, in and out, rapid that he was not sure whether when to stop or not.

“You okay, JIji?” he asked.

Jiji, just like him, was showing the feeling of tiredness. Perhaps he was not just mimicking his feelings and emotions—perhaps Jiji was really attached to him, that his emotions was unexplainably linked to him.

Whatever that could be, he had to be true to himself: he felt happy. He felt that at least, in this place, in this sea of strangers, there is someone whom he can fully trust.

“Jiji, let’s go,” Holder said.

“Krrr?” he asked.

“We need to go to the next training. And have you forgotten? We are being chased by the demon Lalaine!” he jokingly told, which Jiji seriously perceived. His eyes bulged in shock and terror.

“Krr!!!” and started running, afraid that demon Lalaine would come and eat them alive. Seriously, a once demon creature being afraid of someone he was just calling demon for the sake of fun and joking. That sounded weird and funny.

He quickly followed Jiji which was then fast running. Perhaps, adrenaline had caused him to be like that, quickly running. Until he was out of sight.

Holder was not afraid of what would happen to Jiji since he knew where the slime would go. He too knew where he would go for the next training course. It was the most remarkable and well-known place in the Central Kingdom. It was more like a tourism spot of this majestic place: The statue of Sheh, the goddess of fortress, the one the royalties of the palace had been considering as their most sought and loved among the gods and goddesses of the Middle Continent.

This would be the first time he would see the statue. When he was a child, his father has been telling him the beauty and miracles of the statue of Sheh. He said that for a very long time, since the statue has been erected, the kingdom’s walls has never been crumbled into pieces, and that every kingdom who dared attacking the Agnosbadtt wouldn’t be able to do anything but to retreat, since the Central Kingdom’s defense is extremely tough. They believe it was all the blessing of Sheh. With that, the people had been always offering flowers to the statue, since Sheh has always have fascination to the flowers—for in her world, no flowers dared to live, even one.

Now, as he ran, he was certain of where or what direction he would take. The signs were all over the busy street. And even the butterflies who had been sprinkling majicules, some of it, are travelling towards the statue.

Because the statue itself is made of a huge crystallized majicules—Sen crystals, or more accurate to say, Sen statue.

It was up on the top of a hill. As he ran, slowly, he was starting to see the wonderful statue. It was indeed a beautiful architecture made of crystals formed and shaped as the goddess whom the Central Kingdom has been admiring. It was also a huge statue which he thinks ten times bigger than him, or any normal-sized human. Down on the statue’s feet, there he saw Jiji. He was jumping joyfully and repetitively in front of an old woman. The woman was looking at the slime as well. With hands on the back, it seemed like she was examining the capability of the slime in her front.

At first, he thought it was Baba Karma. But seeing her nearer, he realized that she wasn’t actually the Baba Sankt Vessel User. It was an old, strange woman eyeing intently to the seemingly innocent Jiji.

“I’m sorry about this, Baba,” Holder said as soon as he finally reached where Jiji was. “He was just like this, all the time. All excited,” he added.

“Are you the Sankt Vessel User of this slime?” asked the old woman. Her voice is a bit of high tuned, accompanied with hoarseness from the aging of her time.

“I am,” he answered. “Are you perhaps my instructor?”

The old woman nodded. “Follow me.”

Holder immediately followed the Baba. Yet, when Holder realized that they were going on a secluded place, in a forest, inside the nest where huge trees and sharp grasses were striving, Holder deliberately stopped. Jiji so too.

“Why are we going to the forest, Baba?” he asked.

The Baba looked at him. “Because that is where we are about to do your training.”

“Why? Can’t we just train here in this open field? I don’t mind if people would see us. Long as it was safe.”

The Baba scoffed with a grin twitching on her face. “You seriously think we could learn here if what we’re going to train is about connection with the nature?” she says, “look carefully at your course, and don’t be the most stupid Sankt Vessel User. You’re even more afraid than the women in your group.”

Holder blushed from what the Baba told. Why was it? Was it wrong to make sure that he was just reassuring he can be safe? It’s not that he cannot defend his self when there is an assault crisis, but he just wanted to stay away from possible troubles. Yet, hearing what the Baba said, he was a bit of embarrassed by the fact that he was more securing his life than those women in the group of Sankt Vessel users—more than Professor Zen, or Lalaine, or Channie, or even Baba Karma. But what is wrong with it? He thinks . . . nothing. There is no wrong to assure his own safety first before anything else, regardless of what gender you may be.

Holder checked his course schedule.

“What does the paper says?” the old woman asked.

“It says here that I am about to connect to the whispers of the Kohns.”

“And the only way you could concentrate connecting to the whispers of the Kohns is by concentrating in an abundant-rich life form place. The nature.”

“Uh, if it is alright to ask, what is a Kohn?” He then scratched his head. What an ignorant kid he should be.

“Zen told me you’re a bit dry-headed,” the Baba said.

“This was the first time of me hearing the name, Baba. Sorry for that.”

The Baba sighed. “Have you seen the butterflies flying there, on the crowded city of the Central Kingdom?” the woman asked. “That is one of the form of Kohns.”

“The butterflies who showers sprinkles of Majicules?” Holder asked, clarifying what he understood.

“Have you seen any other butterfly here? If you do, you must have a wild imagination. Fool,” the Baba savagely told.

Holder then again scratched his head. He asked another question: “Last one, Baba. Can you tell me what is your name? I just have to check it here on my list.”

“Seriously. You are making me ashamed. You know, kid, Zen and the Kingdom has just asked me a favor. They wanted me to instruct and help every Sankt Vessel users with my knowledge of Kohns. I don’t want it. I am not always okay to help you, but I did, because I owed Zen a lot. Now if you are going to be this rude to me, go back to the palace and waste your time wondering. I don’t want to train someone who shames me.”

The Baba then quickly turned her back to him. She walked down to the middle of the forest. Holder, on the other hand, were stuck whether if he would chase after Baba, or would go back to the palace. He wasn’t sure.

He started to think whether if he was having a right decision; he also thought that perhaps the question he asked was indeed a stepping on to one’s emotion.

But it was just a questioning of her name! he thought. And then, he realized that if he was in the same position, he would probably feel what the Baba felt, and even do what she did.

Ah, such a hard-headed kid he is. He slapped his forehead as he repeatedly say to himself, “stupid, stupid, stupid!”

He then calls the Baba, despite the fact that he was starting to feel ashamed of himself too. But he had to swallow it. He needs a training. “B—Baba! Please wait!” he called.

The woman was already in the middle of the forest. She was surprisingly more agile than a Baba similar of her age. Well, Baba Karma was still strong even on her age. Even Baba Cicero. So perhaps, there were aged people who can still acquire strength despite of the growing age.

He decided he would follow the Baba. Because, as he reasoned, he needs to train.

With a full decision bearing on his mind, he willingly entered the forest: onto the sharp green groups of grasses; onto the tall looming trees that made the forest dark; onto the fog; onto the chirps of the birds, the squawk of the crows, the screech of the eagle harpy, the hoot of the owl, the croak of the frog, the buzz of the insects.

Jiji, who was nestling on the top of his head, growled.

For a second, he felt the immediate wanting to go back—to escape the things that he was hearing in the forest. he immediately felt the regret of following the Baba in the forest. Perhaps, she was really a fraud, and she was just tricking him.

Then he realized, why? The Central Kingdom is Sheh’s fortress. It is a safe place. A safehold for the people in the Agnosbadtt. Why would there be an enemy, or any dark entity that would loom around the fortress? Inside the walls of the Central Kingdom? That was just impossible.

So he continued his walk. He continued walking in the middle of the forest, and he would not stop until he could find the Baba. He needs to convince her. Yet, how would he be able to find the Baba if the fog was a thick sheet?

Until his eyes were blinded by a bright, invigorating light. He was for a minute, used to the almost dark contrast of the forest and fog, that is why when this light suddenly erupted, he cannot do nothing but to squint, and wait his eyes to adjust.

When he finally adjusted, he opened his eyes.

A gasp escape from Holder’s mouth. Even Jiji was shocked with what he saw.

A garden of flowers. A garden filled with different random flowers blooming in majestic combination of hue. There are big and small flowers, blooming in different shapes, painted in different colors: from purple, to white, to red, to orange, to yellow and a whole lot undefined colors.

“Wow,” Holder exclaimed. Is this the abode of the old woman? It is beautiful.

Not far from them, there stood a small hut which on the ground, was being guarded with different kinds of existing flowers. Someone was living here in this beautiful place. The forest perhaps did a pretty good job of hiding this beautiful Eden.

“So you’ve made it.”

Holder jumped when he heard someone who talked. He looked at his left, at the group of the purplish flower. He saw a beautiful maiden. A maiden which a yellowbell flower was tucked on her right ear. A maiden wearing godly made satin dress which made her looking like a nymph, a protector of this surprising flower garden.

“Who are you?” asked Holder.

The woman sighed, and then placed her hands on her perfectly curved hips.

“You know what, why are you so fond of asking who the person is?” the woman, annoyed, asked.

“Uhh … because I don’t know who you are?” Holder unsurely answered.

The beautiful woman in white, again, sighed. “If you just failed crossing the dark forest, I wouldn’t have a hard time explaining myself to you. But then, fine, since you managed to cross, I will answer you. I am the Baba whom you saw at the statue of Sheh. I am the one whom you had followed. I am the one whom Zen and the Kingdom asked a favor for. I am the one who knows the knowledge of the whispers of Kohns. I am Nameless,” the woman answered, her tone is a bit of irritated, yet voice is godly.

“What?” A shiver ran on Holder’s spine. Even at Jiji (though technically he had no spine). He looked at the name of the instructor in the paper he was holding. Written under the name of the course (KOHN CONNECTING) was the name of the instructor: “Nameless,” he read.

Why was she called The Nameless?