A Place Without Heaven (Remake)

Chapter 40: A Fateful Encounter

       "Hmm, this fresh air of hometown! I missed it!" Kirt exclaimed. "So this is Benigrul, I sense a fateful encounter" Gino said. "Hmm? Ed, why are you hiding behind Reina?" Russell asked. "Well, maybe my stalker is strolling around somewhere" I said, as I look around. "What's a stalker?" Ana asked. "Ah, right. Well, in other words it is a nuisance" I said. "And who is that?" Gino asked. "My nuisance cousin!" I said. "Who are you calling nuisance, Ed!?" A pink-haired girl arrived behind me. "Geh! Aria..." I mumbled. "Why are you out of the palace today again, your majesty" Kirt said. "Well, it was boring there, plus, I heard that my beloved cousin is coming" She said, as she tucked into my hands. As I looked at Gino, he was somehow in a bad mood.

Scene skips, right now we are in the palace of Benigrul. "Ahem, let me start the introduction. This is my cousin and princess of Benigrul Kingdom, Arianna fei Regan" I said. "You can just call me Aria like Ed does" She said. "But, wait King Geralt has no siblings, right?" Kirt mumbled. "I'm Geralt's cousin" A big giant-like man appeared. "Huge..!" They exclaimed. "That's rude of you guys" I said. "Eh?" Gino mumbled. "That guy you're calling huge is Benigrul's King, Arkleid Togh fei Regan" Reina said. "No way, he's too huge!" Gino said. "Hahah, right!" I laughed. "Well, enough of the chatter out here, why don't you come inside?" Uncle said.

"Uhm, I am Gino Borther, nice to meet you Aria chan" Gino said, with wavering tone. "Yup, nice to meet you too Gino-kun" She smiled. Something pierced through Gino's corrupted heart. "I am Ana Kirthyln, Aria?" Ana said. "Nice to meet you Ana-chan...!" Aria said. "I'm kir- Well you already know" Kirt said. "Of course I do! Kirt-kun" She said. "Forth Torthen" Forth said, tilting his glasses. "Oh, it's the real one. Hey! Teach me the laws of magic sometime!" She said. "Well, I don't mind" Forth seems to have trouble on her. I sighed. "Hey, Reina-chan when will you introduce yourself to me?" Aria asked. "Hmph!" She said. Oi oi what's happening here? "Sheesh, why are you like that to me since were kids? Even though I wanna be your friend" Aria cried. "Isn't it strange for a friend to go looking and making your friend embarrass all the time?" Reina blushed. "But that was my showing of affection" Aria said. "I-I didn't get any of it!" Reina exclaimed.

According to them, they were friends since kid or so Aria thought. It seems that Reina didn't liked her, or maybe she was scared back then to be hated by her beloved friend. Whenever I was back in home, Aria would always visit Reina or send her a message which has stopped one day. And that was when the accident occurred. It wasn't like Aria hated her, she said, that her letter and permission of leave was always refused by Reina's father. "What story, I heard..." I sighed, as I walked the hallway. "You look like you're tired" An old man sneak behind me. "Eh?!" I shrieked. "Ah, Uncle!" I said. "Yo!" He answered. "It's been a while" I said. "You're right, you have grown bigger than I last saw you" He said. "Well, I'm already 12" I said. "I see, wanna have match?" He said as he holds a chessboard. "Alright, don't underestimate me, Uncle" I said.

And so, we started playing chess. I picked white, while uncle picked black. I used my knight to the right. He moved his 3rd pawn from the left forward. I moved my 2nd pawn from the left forward, to defeat his 3rd pawn. He used his queen to be ready on killing my pawn. I killed his pawn, knowing his plan. But he didn't eat my pawn. "I lost!" He said. "Huh?" I wondered in confuse. "I predicted everything, seems like you'll be winning, my boy" He said. "But we havent done it yet, isn't it kinda boring to end it like that?" I asked. "No it's fine, according to my clairvoyance you will be winning against me using your king, and reviving your queen upon your pawn's success" He said, as he left the room. "His clairvoyance is always on right...huh?" I mumbled.

"I see..." Kirt said. "What's wrong Kirt?" I asked, as I saw him while I was walking of the castle's hallway. "Ed!" He said. "Well, they said, Dad was out into some work, that he won't be back for a month or two" he sighed. "I see, so I guess we're going tomorrow?" I asked. "Probably!" Kirt said.

The next day, it was time for departure to go to our main destination. Kirt's dad seemed to be out on a trip. It became a less thrilling event, or so I wished. But well, because of Aria it became a thrilling one. She even grew fond of Ana, as Reina continue to shove her away. Meanwhile, Gino kinda projected some romantic feelings towards her. Like that, we departed Benigrul.

Greeting us with a gust of wind, the scene skips to the next arc. If everything will change from now on, will I still be able to move forward? I suddenly remembered a thing...A thing that I continued to ask myself as I grew older, "Do you believe in God?" While, answering the odds, I managed to grow older properly enough, or so I think. But is it alright for me to stay like this, without believing God's existence. I feel like it is haunting me from behind.