“Princess Lola, where is my son?” she said looking everywhere, holding her hands that were sweating cold.
I was alone to break the news to poor Kenzo's mother. Zyba and Dakota were already away, celebrating our return with their relieved parents.
“Well, Mrs. Aoki, Kenzo didn’t come back with us.”
“What ... are you saying my boy.” She paled and was about to lose strength in her legs, bracing herself on nearby prisms.
“No! Kenzo is alive. He is fine. He just didn't come back with us.”
“Alive! For Gunnar!... What do you mean, he didn't come back with you? Is he in the woods?” Mrs. Aoki regained her strength and her despair turned to confusion.
“He's in Leike’s Land. Your husband is alive, living there. Kenzo wanted to be with him.”
“WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO ME?”
Her confusion turned to fury. Her screams silenced the rest of the prisms around us. Everyone was looking at me, waiting for an answer. Nefarious approached in the same second to support me.
“Calm down, Emi. Let Lola breathe and have a glass of water. I know she will explain everything you need to know soon.”
“NO! I DEMAND TO KNOW NOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY KENZO!”
Even shaking from my nerves, I looked at Nefarious as if to say, ‘Okay, I can do it now.’ The responsibility for explaining our journey was mine, no one else's.
“He wanted to be with his father. We couldn’t force a young man like Kenzo to do something he doesn't want to,” I answered firmly, almost harsh by my old standards. Even I didn’t recognize myself in this confident stance, congratulations Lola.
Mrs. Aoki lowered her tone.
“My husband ... Is Yoshi alive? Why didn't they both come back with you?”
“If he's alive, are the others alive, too? We want to know!” shouted a man in the crowd. Nefarious waved his hand to calm the crowd.
“Mrs. Aoki, your husband was determined to stay. He said that he is no longer a prism. He was transformed into a Leikian, his eyes now have flames of fire reflecting as cat eye, like all beings living there. It means he thinks like one of them, he said he wouldn't fit in here anymore. Kenzo wanted to be with him. I don't think he wanted to leave his father alone, he said that here you have your other children and the support of the community. He didn't want to lose the father again.”
“NOOOOOOOO!!”
Nefarious was confused, he just didn't scream like Mrs. Aoki. They both looked at me in shock. Lost in thought, she walked away and went home looking for an explanation that didn't make her madder. Nefarious kept his discretion, dispersed them all, and led me into the castle.
“Well guys, everyone goes back to your issues! Later, I will make a statement about everything that happened to them. Now return to our activities. Did Dakota and Lars go to the doctors? Okay. Zyba, go to your home, we'll talk later.”
Everyone did what Nefarious said. The prisms that once screamed my name happy and vibrant, returned to their business with whispers and suspicious glances. Little did they know that Kenzo's absence was not yet the worst news for the Kingdom.
***
My head was spinning like a carousel. I was in shreds, my physical body and my mind. All I needed at this time was rest. The keepers took Koda to a much-needed bath while he tried to peck at them with his canine muzzle, I swear I still heard bird peep in his bark (identity crisis, poor Koda).
Nefarious, seeing the tiredness on my face, said sweetly, “My dearest, rest a little. When you wake up, we talk about everything. Your father is safe, rest well.”
I nodded and went up to the bedroom. Wanting to take my dad and run away, my heart pounded in fear of Nefarious's reaction when I tell him all about Leike. But I couldn't run, I owed the people and him the truth. I took a shower and blacked out on that bed that had belonged to my mom. I apologized to her and to my grandfather for my feelings for Elof. I couldn’t feed a feeling for a man who did what he did, even though he was possessed. I felt like I was betraying them. As I said, I was collapsing, I needed some time to assimilate everything that happened. Tiredness beat me before my thoughts ended.
I woke up in a jolt with the good old post pigeon, the one who always brings me a message from someone in the morning, bending his little head to look at me while waited to open my eyes.
I got myself half-way up and read the message in real time.
Dear Lola,
As soon as you feel better, come down to the kitchen for coffee. A nice cup can improve your mood. Your father is fine, resting in the nurse’s room.
Take your time, there are still a few hours left, before your aunt will miss you in the first dimension.
I will be waiting.
Sincerely,
Hans Nefarious
It felt like I had slept for days. I had no idea of time, whether it had been hours or a whole day, whether it was early or late in the afternoon.
I put on my hybridus outfit (red wool turtleneck, pants and shoes) and went down to meet Nefarious, who was waiting for me in the kitchen. The smell of fresh coffee came from the hallway, I arrived as he was pouring a cup for himself.
“You’re just in time, dearest! The coffee is hot.”
I smiled with swollen sleep eyes and approached the table.
“How long did I sleep?”
“Just a few hours.”
“How is my father?”
“All right, we'll see him soon. Close the door, please, I don't want anyone to hear us. Judging by the interesting costume, I see that you have already made your decision to go back to the first dimension,” said Nefarious, with a sad smile while he stirred a spoon in the cup.
“I ... I don't know how to be a good princess, Professor. I don't feel ready to take on so much responsibility, you know,” I answered, not courageous enough to face him.
“I understand. Sit down, we'll talk about this later. Have your coffee.”
“I have so much to tell you, I don't even know where to start.”
“I'd like to say first that I made a mistake and I'm guilty for Kenzo not coming back,” Nefarious replied with his head down, staring at his cup.
“What do you mean?”
“When I went to Aratama to consult the peacocks about whether or not to send him to Leike, the answer was no. Even so, I and Professor Cyperus decided to let him go. I thought he would be more objective than Viggo on the mission. It was my fault what happened.”
“Oh, really?” (Wow! I didn't expect that.) “I mean, don't blame yourself. Kenzo knew what he was doing. Let me tell you how it happened.”
“Sure, please,” answered Nefarious.
“Well,” I took a breath after a sip of coffee and explained it to him. “Mr. Aoki would not return here. Neither for his family, nor for Lumen. He looked pleased living in Leike’s Land. He was still a good person, he helped us get out of there. But now he's a prey hunter, hunting outside Leike’s Village. He had a wanderer’s appearance, quite different from how he was here, according to the others.”
“So, they have a village?”
“You wouldn’t believe the similarity to Lumen! The image we see from here before crossing the portal is not the true one. After a not so attractive desert, we passed by a giant maze of branches and thorns. It was there that Mr. Aoki kidnaped Kenzo. We thought he had disappeared or worse. Afterwards, we kept searching for a way out of that place because the compass kept showing us a direction. We were surprised by the walls, which started to fall apart, forcing us to leave that place by any means. We ended up deep in a valley, where a huge wall surrounded a village with a castle in the middle.”