The Betrayal of the Guardians

~ (31) Secrets (Part II) ~

Her dark vision didn't take long to shift into yet another scene. This time Arisa's eyes saw a spacious playground, full of children playing around, with some sitting in a corner talking to each other.

Through the many children around the area, Arisa witnessed a trio of boys fighting mid-air. She recognized Kazuya with his white hair and bright clothes. He dominated the two other boys who were trying to bring him down, flapping their wings.

Their little battle went on for a minute. As the three used their element and their wooden swords to take each other down, in the end, Kazuya was the last kid flying, forcing his friends to fall on the sandy soil.

Arisa wondered if they didn't get hurt. The way those boys played back then was risky and used to make her worry about Kazuya. He would sometimes end up going home with a wound or injury.

"I win again," said Kazuya, slowly landing on the sandy ground.

"Humph, you were lucky," complained a brown-skinned boy.

Arisa recognized that boy; his name was Rio.

"Yeah, just like the many times I beat you before," Kazuya teased.

Arisa watched the scene with the itch to shake her head. So Kazuya had this bad attitude of showing off, ever since he was little.

"It must be great to have a badass mom," said a boy with light brown hair.

Arisa remembered that boy; his name was Garet.

"Not really," said Kazuya. "She's scary during training; I sometimes sneak away from home so that I won't train with her. Luckily my sisters are there to keep her busy."

Arisa could feel a smile forming on her face. She remembered that one of the reasons he would go home very late in the afternoon was to escape from his mother's training.

"Even so," continued Garet, "I wouldn't mind having a tough mom helping me perfect my skills. Don't you think so too, Rio?"

Rio didn't reply. Both boys stared at him and noticed that he was busy gazing at the side. They followed his gaze and saw a boy in dark clothes, sitting on the ground with his back leaned against the wall. It seemed as though he was busy drawing something.

"Who's that kid over there?" asked Garet. "I've never seen him around here before."

"I don't know," replied Rio quickly. "But I've seen him around here in the last few weeks. I sometimes see Arisa talking to him."

Arisa realized that when she became friends with Zen, the playground was the only place they would meet.

"Ah," realized Garet, "so he's the reason why Kazuya has been moody lately. His best friend found a new puppy to take care of."

Kazuya glared at him. "Who are you calling puppy?"

His friends laughed and Arisa wanted to join them. Kazuya had always been mocked for being a puppy since she was always by his side.

"It's nothing that you're thinking of," continued Kazuya, folding his arms. "I'm just worried about her. That kid is an Eterian."

Gasps of surprise filled the atmosphere.

"He is?" asked his friends, shock overtaking their tone.

Kazuya nodded.

"Wow," said Rio. "He doesn't look like one. He looks like a regular Celestian."

"He might be fooling everyone," explained Kazuya. "He must be hiding an Eterian detail on his face. I mean, why would he walk around with that ridiculous hair covering half of his face?"