ONE: To the memories not forgotten.

Rohan

In my dreams, I am always running and I have never found the courage to turn back.

Maybe I just have become indifferent or maybe I'm just too scared.

To the memories not forgotten, I habour them within; shaping my years and the growing pains from which the very chapters of my life started.

Dreams and utopias put in place, I feel my soul free falling into calm waters and then once again, the scent of home welcomes me. That familiar scent like the earth after rain greets me before the meadow of autumn grasses blows with the wind.

"Rohan!" Her voice in the wind beats against my ears, caressing my troubled heart as I laugh out loud, running through the meadow.

"Here, mother." I shout, hiding behind a tall patch of grasses.

In the distance, a quiet brook of crystal clear water within which jade stones sparkled, flows. Then, catching the sunset yellow in the horizon, I pause to marvel at its beauty embellishing the dull appearance of our nine moons.

"I'm going to get you. Grrrrrh!" She shouts with an excited giggle to which I gasp at and squeeze deeper into the grass patch.

Listening with hushed breaths, I hear mother's footsteps draw nearer and nearer but just as I expect her to grab me as usual, the sounds stop.

"Mother?" I call out into the silence that follows and hearing nothing, I crawl out. "Mother, I'm right he..." The rest of the words die a thousand deaths on my lips as I watch her whimpering. Her lips quiver, her body shakes.

"Mother what's wrong?"An eerie feeling of coldness I have never felt before washes over me as I take a step towards her.

"S...Stop Rohan. You listen to mother now, I want you to run and don't look back. RUN! Rohan!" She shouts. Colour drains from her face, her eyes shakes in its locks. That moment, suddenly a figure cloaked in a dark shadow appears and digs into her from behind, a part of it passing through her chest just as she draws a long heavy breath.

"M...Mother!" My voice shakes and my heart grows heavy. My feet remain hopelessly rooted to the ground as I watch its crimson glowing eyes staring intently at me.

"RUN..." her voice comes out in whispers jolting me back to my senses and I stagger backwards. At that moment, I feel my knees tremble. Hating at my weakness, my inability to do something; anything at all, my limbs grow weak. I also could hear my heart hammering against my chest, synchronizing with my loud uncontrollable breathing.

I struggle within taking short breaths and forcing my legs in motion but I just could not move.

Watching mother die was the last thing I expected to happen that day. It was a good day, a good weather. How was I to know that that will be the last I see of her?

Tears pools my eyes and pours profusely down my cheeks, blurring my vision but this do not change the sight I see every moment I wipe. I watch her legs give way for her body and with a dull thud, she falls to the ground.

Her eyes now half closed remains locked on mine as she mutters slowly silent words I can very well understand.

And with a loud resonating cry, the figure in fluid manner rushes towards me, just in time as clear droplets of water appears, suspended in the air before making a shield between myself and the shadow.

"Rohan, run..." Mother's scream echoes loudly in my ears as I stare.

That voice, it wakes me up with a start every morning and like every single day after my arrival in the realm of mortals, it has become a routine.

One I can never get accustomed to.

In this realm, what I feel is called pain. It has followed me everywhere and like a trauma, my body remembers.

I hear her voice echoing as I run with her through the meadow and away from her, from the demon.

That day, a hole was created in my heart and that hole has increased ever since I watched the tears fall from her face. Right then, when I knew I would never see her again.

It was on a good day but that day became my worst, watching her try to save me in the last moments of her life. It felt as though time stopped and my world moves in slow motion. I could see her shouting words at me but I just could not hear until a force pulls me back to reality.

I grip my chest, squeezing tightly, feeling the intense pain from my heart increases and desperate gasps force their way out of my mouth continually.

Each day, I regret being weak. I never went back for mother. Each day, I hated ever going through that portal with Arlan. I should have stayed and died than live with this pain.

I live in this realm with guilt embedded deep within, I live on borrowed lives.

An image flashes through my mind at that moment and with it a throbbing pain explodes in my head.

The image of a girl, her eyes is what gets me every time. Who is she? Like mother's voice, I always see her. Her eyes are sad as she looks up at me. Her cheeks stained with tears but that’s all I remember. How can someone so little carry so much emotion in her eyes?

I think holding my head as the pain subsides, then taking in the environment of my dimly lit bedroom, I slowly calm.

Shaking off my thoughts, I slide out of the bed and walk to the bathroom. The light brightens up at my movement.

Yet another day, I sigh feeling the warm water run down my body.

I wish my pains could wash away, looking down at the drain, I wish I can send my guilt away.

If only wishes were horses.

I was four years old, when our realm was invaded by the demons from the ninth realm.

There are nine realms in Pandora, my home planet. Ours is the eighth, the realm of blue bloods and also the closest gateway to the realm of mortals; our realm is also called Jade Earth.

In the history of the nine realms, legend says the realm of mortals is the one and only realm inhabited by red bloods. They were also specially created by the supreme divinity. Even though they are the weakest link, they are blessed in a way none of the other realms are and this will make them highly sought after.

It is said that there will come a time when demons from the ninth realm will arise; a realm which has been known as the dark realm for ages. Burning with an intense feeling of greed and lust for power, they will be drowned in their own darkness and will seek to rule the nine realms. There will also be one who will unite the realms in one Great War to exterminate the dark realm forever.

Shaking away my thoughts, I throw on comfortable clothing and walk out of my bedroom.

As I near the kitchen, the scent of bacon welcomes me.

"How did you get in Arlan?" Raising an eyebrow, I ask my trainer, before reaching out to pick an apple from a bowl on the kitchen island.

On Jade Earth, a child is allocated a trainer that serves that child until death and that trainer is meant to educate the child to reaching the ultimate level of potency; that is becoming a full potential Lycan and Arlan has been a trainer and more since our arrival in the realm of mortals.

"You are not the only mind expert Rohan." He chuckles as he flips a neatly fried egg.

As he is also a pain. I think sighing hard.

"I heard that." Arlan throws me a look.

"What? Don't I get privacy even in my own house? If I cannot have privacy in my house, stop invading my thoughts." Biting on the red apple, I focus my gaze on Arlan.

"I opened the door for you, you never knew the password." I blurt out afterwards.

"We both know that does not work on me Rohan." He flips another neatly fried egg with an indifferent expression.

"Oh common!" I throw my hands in frustration, catching the mischievous smile on his lips. "If only you had found a mate you won't be bothering my life."

Sighing I walk to the fridge and pull out a bottle of mineral water.

"Maybe I have." He grins, just as realization dawns on me.

"You want to die?" I raise my hands in defensive position. My eyes widen in horror.

Arlan watches me for a moment and chuckles before returning his attention to finishing up breakfast.

How the hell did he just say that? I'll kill him myself. My body shudders from reliving Arlan's statement.

Hurriedly, I leave the kitchen and settled on the couch with my mineral water, turning on the TV immediately.

"This is Sky news coming live to you from Westminster Bridge, London, following the consistent case of missing persons. The body of a 42 year old recent missing case has been found, hidden in the walls beneath Westminster's bridge; along with other bodies also confirmed to be from missing cold cases. Like the case from 25 years ago, will this be yet another cold case? I am Amanda Pearson and this is Sky news.

I did not realize the squashing mineral water container in my hands until I feel Arlan's firm pat on my shoulder.

"It's that place, that same place." I say slowly watching the images of the bodies with horrified expressions in the wall. The already pulled out bodies lay covered with a white piece clothing each on the ground.

The area is also barricaded with the "Do not cross" police tapes as passers-by stand from a distance straining their necks to see.

"I know." I hear Arlan's voice beside me. The sofa sinks in signifying his actual presence sitting beside me.

However, my attention remains fixated on the TV as my mind relives the day we arrive the realm of mortals.

"Mother, it got mother, you have to come and save her." I vividly remember the tears that pour continually filling my mouth with the taste of salt, but this however did not stop my repeated statements to dad.

Grabbing tightly, I pull on his hand towards the way I came from but my efforts are futile as father did not make a move, rather he draws me towards him quickly.

"No! Rohan we cannot save her, you have to leave, now." He shouts as Arlan runs into the room we are.

"Arlan," I cry out.

"Lord Salvador, our gate has fallen; the demons from the ninth realm have taken over the gates to the other realms but the fifth realm." He bows at father.

"The realm of mortals?" Father asks quickly.

"Yes." Arlan replies.

Father shuts his eyes for a moment and opens.

"Okay, quick take Rohan and go before they breach the manor. You must never come back here, no matter what. Keep him safe and teach him everything he needs to know. This is your last service." Father concludes with a sad smile to Arlan, before turning to me.

"He goes down on his knees and holds my face."You have go son, I will find your mother." He brushes my hair softly; a gesture he always does before a goodbye.

"No! No! I'm not leaving." I shout grabbing hold of his robe.

Arlan holds me and pulls me just as the door is broken through with a great force, removing it from its hinges.

Father protects us immediately with a shield he cultivates just like mom's. "GO!" He shouts and Arlan picks me up and makes a beeline towards a portal he cultivates.

"No! Father." My vision becomes blurry from the tears that pools my eyes and pours profusely, enabling a faint back view of my father battling a demon until we are sucked into a warm hole.

That was the last I saw of father.