I wrinkled my nose at that slander. Deep down, I knew this wasn't so slanderous. It was as if someone had slapped the other in the face, we were thoughtful without talking for a few minutes.
When we passed the walls of the village, we saw the enraged dragon. He was sleeping a deep sleep, that damn one! Our heart was flooded with a wave of sadness, remembering our smiling fellow and Koda. If we can get back to Lumen, we wouldn't be whole. There was only Dakota and me left. We lost the boys in battle. Kenzo and Zyba had died trying to help me on this mission, now they were not here to celebrate with us. I don't know how I would give this news to Nefarious, much less Professor Olga and Kenzo's mother.
Past the dragon the bubble dropped altitude, we were a few feet from the ground covered with twigs, thorns, and dust. We climbed the valley, floating above the giant ex maze of thorns. Here another wave of sadness invaded our hearts, I remembered Kenzo, the first to leave us in this horrible place, and we didn't even have the chance to help him. I broke the silence as guilt began to drown me.
“Dakota, forgive me for Zyba and Kenzo. I feel so guilty bringing my dad but leaving them behind. I will never forgive myself for them and Koda.”
“It was not your fault. At least we both did it,” she said as she wiped a tear from her face.
I was doomed to forever carry the burden of two innocent people’s death. How to live with it? I saved my father and sacrificed three innocents. Only a miracle would take that burden off me, and it happened.
As we approached the border, already in the desert beyond the maze, we saw three people where the portal first opened. If it wasn't for my own eyes seeing it, I wouldn't have believed it. Zyba, Koda on his shoulder, Kenzo, and another man waved at our bubble, which was getting closer and closer to the ground until it burst. We landed gently a few yards away, where we settled my father with his head in my torn cape on the ground.
Zyba rushed to meet us, where I supported Dakota, still injured.
“You did it!” shouted Zyba.
“I don’t believe it!” I exploded with joy and relief.
“By Gunnar!!! You are all alive!!!” Dakota even forgot her injured leg.
Zyba opened a wide smile and ran to hug Dakota, they almost fell, she needed some support because of her leg. Koda flew to my face, I was so happy to see him I didn’t care if he licked my whole face, I was grateful to have him do that! Next, Zyba jumped on me.
“I knew you two could make it! We were waiting for you for a while! You look like a rag!” Zyba said almost drowning me in his cape, in a tight hug. I looked like a soldier coming back from the war, dirty and bloodstained.
“Hello girls, the father is safe!!” Kenzo said, coming right after and giving us a hug and introducing us to his escort. “This is my dad, Yoshi Aoki. He saved me in the maze and took Zyba from the dragon's mouth.”
“I've thanked you a thousand times, haven't I? It was a close call. If Mr. Aoki had not found our Raptum potion on the banks of the maze, this time I would be dragon dung,” reinforced Zyba.
Kenzo's dad! He was kidnapped by the jackals many eclipses ago. As he wiped the sweat from his face, I could see his eyes with fiery flames, just like all Leikians. His skin was punished by the sun and his eyes looked older than he was. There was dirt under his nails. His clothes were dirty and a little torn, Yoshi no longer looked like the same doctor who had lived in Lumen.
“Hello, Lola. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Dakota and I still didn’t believe it, Kenzo and Zyba were alive. It was the best news after learning that my father was there, safe and sound with me.
“How did you save the boys, Mr. Aoki?” I asked.
“When living in a strange land, we need to know every square inch. I've been here a long time. I live alone, me and my old bow and arrow. I have a house at the surroundings of the valley, now I'm a hunter. I live outside the perimeter of the castle hunting outsiders and animals that might give me a good return for merchandise. The king said my doctoring skills here would not be as useful as my keen instinct for hunting. We have many exotic animals here in the land of Leike. Those who do not accept the truth fall under the spell and become some wandering animal, forced out of civilization. I almost became one myself, but woke up in time.”
“Woke up? I didn’t understand,” replied Dakota.
“When you come here, every prism is awakened from a kind of trance. They take our blindfolds off and we see the truth, as life really is. No flourishes, as Lumen teaches us. Life is not just love, kindness, harmony. War is necessary, killing is necessary. For the greater good, we must sacrifice other things. I know my family is well in Lumen. My heart burst in celebration when I saw Kenzo in the maze, I was tracking you for a while. I found the potion that was dropped on the entrance wall. Over time, I learned to walk quite easily on the maze walls, wearing a type of wood board on each foot. I’ve been following you from above, but I had to hide at nighttime, Cinamomo was patrolling the region. If he saw me there, it would have ruined everything. When I had the chance, I pulled Kenzo behind the walls. None of you saw me.”
“Before I could scream, my dad shut me up. It felt like a dream when I saw him, after all this time. My dad!” Kenzo said, using the dust in the air as an excuse for his water-filled eyes, resting his hand on Yoshi's shoulder.
“I pushed him over the wall with my hooks, fast enough so you would come back and not see him anymore.”
“But why did you hide?”
“I wasn't sure if Cinamomo was tracking you. They might think I was helping with something. Could not risk it. But also, could not leave you behind and no longer see my son, it was a valuable choice. Kenzo convinced me to help you, but we almost died when the maze hit the ground. We surfed to the village’s walls. I managed to rescue the boy Zyba, but I could do nothing from there. Any guard could kill me if I was seen.”
“Thanks to them, I got rid of that hideous dragon,” smiling boy said, even though his clothes and skin had been flayed by the fall to the floor.
“Please don't blame the poor dragon. Ludvig was transformed a long time ago because he confronted the King. He didn’t want to stay here at all and was turned into a giant monster, full of bitterness. When Zyba fell off the wall, the fall was softened by his body. This irritated Ludvig even more, he was about to take a bite of his own tail, annihilating once and for all your friend and parakeet.” (Koda didn't like being called that). “It was when Kenzo used the potion that Miss Dakota dropped at the entrance to the maze. He drew the potion from his belt, threw it toward Zyba, who in the same second vanished like dust in the wind, appearing beside us. The next second we were able to run and take shelter in my house in the surroundings of the valley. Zyba and the parakeet insisted on helping you in the castle, but I told them that no one enters the castle without permission, not at all. I managed to convince him to wait for you here, on the border with Lumen.”
“I knew you would come! How would you go back without me, right?” Zyba said, waving the Ferry potion in hand.
We looked at each other and everyone laughed, but Koda, who was still reluctant to accept his feathers. How good it was that joyful mood was there once again. Everyone was fine!
“We’ve already wasted enough time in this place, let's go back to Lumen!” I was so relieved!