Jiji no. 8

The Rescue

The whole palace was in turmoil. When a woman riding in a huge, brightly glowing creature landed at the Grand Garden, onto the Grand Hall, searching for Professor Maxxes, everyone started to remember the long forgotten panic in their heart.

Everyone who can see her.

Her, the Nameless.

It was mid-afternoon of a supposed-to-be ordinary day of the Central Kingdom of Agnosbaddt. The guards at the gates of the palace were standing firmly, proud at the seemingly boring job that they were having in the moment. In fact, they are indeed, bored. Right now, they just wanted to sit or lay in the bed and sleep for the next twenty-four hours. But to be fair, they also love their job, despite it is boring. Protecting the Kingdom is the most valuable job that they can have in the Agnosbaddt. For them, nothing beats the fact that they bring pride of protecting their motherland—that they are protecting the Kingdom who at the same time does not even had any sympathy towards them, who, again, only considers them as a marionette display, for addition of abstract intimidating force that is being valued by the Kingdom. At least that was what the Nameless thought.

The Nameless has the familiar face of panic painted on her face. She was riding a moth. A gray moth who by looking at it, is a terrifying creature that would not hesitate to kill anyone wo would stop of hinder the Nameless woman. Despite at the mid o’clock of the sunny day, Nameless was soaring in the sky. She was not minding the scorching heat of the sun that seems wanting to melt her and her majicules away. Even the Kohns who sprinkeled majicules on the whole kingdom had taken their break because of the intimidating weather system of Agnosbadtt. Many had seen her. Many screamed in shocked. Many pointed her and her flying Kohn. Many gasped and felt terror rising from their chest as they witness the Nameless’ rocketing towards the palace. She does not care. She would not. After all, they were just nothing—they were just people who was living inside the safety of the Central Kingdom who at the same time, had no idea why the hell they were safe, and why the hell are they really afraid with her, the Nameless—she was just an ordinary woman. She even gathered Majicules from the Kohns in order to maintain the youthful glow she was having when she was inside her Eden of flowers. She was looking beautifl.

The only problem was this: her dress. The satin godly dress in the shades of white, the dress who made her suspected by Holder as a nymph—which she is definitely not—was blotted with red. Not paint. But, of blood. Fresh blood escaping from the mouth of a man who seems suffering internally.

Holder.

He was screaming. The agony of his scream was heard in the whole kingdom. That mad them shook. That made them panic. That mad them feel the terror. As if the world is about to end.

The horror is, Holder’ scream were both in pain, as if his muscles and joints and ligaments and blood and brain was simultaneously writhing, injecting him with an unexplainable fearful pain that he wants to be eradicated immediately. The only problem is that he can’t. For a score, he could. Only if he would kill himself. Or if someone would kill him—away of the demonic, horrible pain.

There is another way, of course. But in the mean time, it was her problem too. She cannot seem to think any idea how would she be able to resolve it; how would she tame the monster.

Jiji can resolve the problem that Holder faces. But, he was also at the verge of crisis. Being held by a Sen net, a special item made from the Majicule, Jiji was being held captured, and, with the help of the giant moth—larger than the palace itself—it drags Jiji in the mid-air, towards the palace, raging, diabolical. A dark creature way unrecognized from the cute slime form he had when she first saw it.

Together with the agonizing pain of Holder (who has been coughing with a lot of blood too), Jiji was screaming in the orchestraic tune of hideous, something evil sonata in dead major. And together, they made the whole kingdom fell in an utter silence. To be filled with raging fear. It pierced through their chest. A terror that they wished to the goddess Sheh as nothing more metaphorical. That it was nothing but just someone who needs help. Not of someone who would bring the signus, the start, the ignition, the grave—of an inevitable war.

The guards prepared to meet the giant moth and the nameless, along with Holder and the raging Sankt Vessel.

“AHHHHHH!”

“Shh . . . Holder, hold your self. Collect your strength. We’re at the palace,” Nameless said. And, “ZEN MAXXES! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!” she uncontrollably told. She cannot do anything from that. For she too was panicking. She too had no idea how to resolve Holder’s suffering. And she doesn’t want the kid to die in her hands. No, not. Please, not the most potential bearer of the prophecy.

At the time, the Royals, the constabularies, and the higher-ranked officials were having a meeting at the Grand Hall. It was just at the front, where Nameless was sitting, trying to get hold of Holder who was then now weak and not moving. All he can do is to just grunt and grumble a hoarse sound. A sign that he was starting to lose the majicule reserve in his body. His strength was drifting away. If that happens continuously, and that it won’t be stopped, then it would laid to Holder’s death.

“ZEN!” Nameless cried the professor’s name.

At that point, the members of the Royal family, and the people included in their meeting was starting to erupt from the palace. Their faces were filled with terror and surprise and worry about the kid at Nameless’ arms.

“Help me,” Nameless helplessly muttered.

At that time too, Zen arrived, rushing from the Grandhall, towards where Holder and Nameless is. At her back, the elite group of Sankt Vessel users was following her. All of them, they have the simultaneous expression of worry and fear. Expression that says, “Holder, Hang on.”

“What happened here, Nameless?” Professor Zen asked.

“A very long story. We need to save Holder. He was running out of Majicule!”

Zen looked at the people watching. “Anyone of you brings Sen pill!?” She was also panicking as she look at the people behind her. Time is running out. Holder might die.

“I have here, Professor,” Channie, the young child, offered. She quickly thrust the pocket of her teddy bear, and from that, pulled five Sen pills. Zen quickly grabbed it to Channie with a, “thank you.” Without hesitation, he placed all the Sen pills at Holder, and guided him in order to swallow it.

“There, Holder. You should be safe for another two hours,” the professor said.

But then, soon as Holder’s majicule increases, he started writhing again with an unexplainable pain.

“AHHHH!”

It was ringing through their ears. That scream, they don’t want that to be heard. They don’t want to hear someone, a comrade, to be suffering like that.

“Holder, please,” Nameless said.

“Wh—What shall we do?” Zen was panicking.

“Jiji,” Nameless looked at the Sankt Vessel who was trapped at the Sen net she threw to him. “We need to calm the enraged Jiji.”

“What is happening? Why is he being like that? Is it, perhaps . . .”

Nameless saw the glint of frustrated look painted in her face. She immediately cut it. “It’s not your experiment. It doesn’t fail. I am the one who failed. As an instructor.”

Zen felt relieved for a moment. Then, “Huh? Why is it your fault?” she asked.

“I chose to hide him about the dark Kohn that lingers inside the chest of the chosen partner of a Sankt Vessel. I chose to hide the Kohn of Origin?”

“WHAT?!” Zen asked, unable to believe what Nameless said. “Why did you not told it?”

“I—I thought he wouldn’t be able to find that origin! I thought he was just like you who cannot still control and wield Kohns irregardless of emotion! But he do! He can immediately control the way how he should wield the Kohns!”

The people watching, and those who heard what the Nameless said, started to feel a tingle splitting inside their ears. Then a shiver running down their spine.

Nameless realized what kind of terror had she thrown to the people. Because of that, she tried heaving a breath, then calmed.

“I am sorry about that,” she said. “Please help me make Holder back into life again.”

“AND WHY DO YOU THINK WOULD WE HELP YOU, MONSTER?” A man from the group of higher-ranked official suddenly interrupted the conversation.

Nameless looked at the man, and saw him wearing fancy, and shiny cloth, with hat that does not fit his head and features, a man with beard and mustache, and with huge bulging eyes that was looking at her with disgust.

“It was your fault. Don’t you know that, huh, monster? Would you think someone would help you? If that kid dies, do you know what would happen to you? Imprisonment! Hah, Imprisonment! Finally, we will have the license to put you to jail! And you know what happens next to jail?” he stopped, then grinned, “Public Execution.”

Zen stood up. The soon she stood, the soon the man realized what kind of stupidity was he blabbering about.

“Duke of Hem,” the Professor said, “Do you know to what province does this kid belongs to?” she asked.

The Duke—of Hem—answered, “N—No,” then started to step back. But the professor followed him.

“From Hem.”

People gasped.

“And what do you think would happen if the duke loathed and wished one of its people under rule to die?”

“I—I do,” the duke answered.

“Really? What was it?”

“Would be asserted as—as an Absolute Murderer. And …”

“And?”

“A lifetime torture,” the duke said.

“Good. You know it. But that doesn’t stop there. Do you know whom you wished to die? Who this man is?”

“N—No. please, professor Zen, forgive me.”

“Xin Holder Viscus,” she stopped, then repeated, “Viscus.”

The people watching, again, gasped. The duke started to fell on his knees. “That is right. Viscus. Son of the late General Vlad Serim Viscus. He too, is in a way higher ranked than you. He’s just like us. Sankt Vessel Holder—a title next to king and queen, have the power next to princes and princesses.”

The man laid his knees on the ground, at the front of Zen. “I didn’t know! I didn’t know, Master Zen! Please forgive me! Please do your best to make sure Master Viscus is safe!”

“You are at the wrong side, well respected duke. The next time you blabber insanity, I will be the one to personally kill you. even if it means I’ll be imprisoned.”

“Forgive me! Forgive me, Professor!”

“Master. Call me master.”

“Master! Forgive me, Master Maxxes!”

Professor Zen usually refrain to utter her position. She doesn’t want to be called ‘Master’. Even the other Sankt Vessel user, they wish not to be called that way. But for this moment, just for this moment, she felt the wanting to use her position and authority just to mock someone. Someone who is worthy of her degrades.

“AHHHHH!” Holder shouted again, then writhed in pain. Again. On the net, Jiji was also screaming, enraged, trying to escape the Sen Net restricting him.

Nameless started to feel the panic again. She held the hands of Holder. Tight. and wished some of its pain would be transferred to her. It was entirely her fault. Everything.

“Zen! What shall we do!” She doesn’t want to be imprisoned. But more so, she too does not want to be the sole reason of Holder’s death.

“I don’t know how to control Jiji. He’s now programmed to listen only to Holder and no one else, anymore.”

Nameless almost felt the immediate wanting to cry. She was frustrated. She too cannot think of possible idea of how to heal Holder from her pain.

Then she remembered.

“There is another way,” she said.

“If you’re thinking about the white-colored Kohns of happiness, Nameless, then I am willing to help him.” a woman’s voice started to erupt from the huge doorway of the Grand Hall.

The people in watch, bowed. Even Nameless. Even Professor Zen. Even the sank Vessel Users.

“Your majesty,” the people in the scene, had said.

“Princess Ellaine,” Professor Zen uttered. “It is an honor for us to witness your grace,” she added.

When Nameless finally realized what the Princess told, she went to her knees, and bowed to the ground with a beg. “Princess! Please help us.”

Ellaine quickly went to Nameless, and then lift her up back to her feet. “I am in pain to see my mentor bowing in despair. Please do not do it again.”

Holder screamed again. Jiji roared.

“I will do anything to help the man, Holder. He has so much potential and he had to remain alive. Please help me, princess. You are the only hope.”

“I will, I will,” the princess said with a smile. “Just give me a favor that after everything is okay, refrain yourself to be guilty from this.”

“I will,” said Nameless.

“Then allow me to heal him.” She then bent towards Holder who was still suffering, still having the hardest time of his life.”

She placed her delicate hands at the top of Holder’s shoulder. Sooner, she started summoning Kohns inside her chest.

Her palms glowed. But not purplish, just like what the usual light being emitted by others when summoning Kohns.

It was white, silvery elegant swirls of light that seems dancing and having a curved form from the view of the people who was watching the scene. White butterflies started to appear.

White Kohns. For healing. A powerful Kohn summoning that can heal any illnesses. Sometimes, even death.

Holder stopped screaming. Jiji went silent. Together, they calmed. And safe.