"To correct a mistake..."

Christine laid down her scissors. "I see. To kill me. You came to kill me. When you came back and checked the forest you must have discovered I was missing." Christine started crying. "I trusted you, Zen... I trusted you...Everything went wrong that first day, but you showed confidence in me. I...looked up to you. Do you know that? Everyone at school... hated me. I hated them too actually. Not even giving me a chance. But," Christine giggled under her tears. "...that's human nature, isn't it? Distrust? And then, I find out you don't care...you don't care at all!"

"Christine...I came...to apologize... THAT was the mistake I came to correct." For the first time Zen saw himself through another's painful gaze. Killing was easy on his side, but to see it from the victim... "Christine, do you think I'm a bully? Something...evil?"
Christine stopped crying, but didn't turn around. "What do you care what I think?"

"I realize I can't atone for what I did, and I don't expect nor require your forgiveness." Suddenly, Zen's tough exterior was back. "To be truthful, my reason for coming is strictly business. I need your help."

"Let me guess...to kill a beast?!"

"I'll ignore that cynicism. Let me tell you a story Christine. Once long ago, the goddess servant Lucia revived our planet from lifelessness. Our planet was an ice wasteland of doom and hopelessness. Lucia brought human warmth back to the Blue Star. She did this by collecting life energy within a globe underneath the Blue Spire. As my collection of Ghaleon's personal journals say, but do not specify how, there was a disruption in the globe. Some life energy was used before its time. But Lucia revived our planet anyway, without that lost energy. She trusted that humanity would see things through. She disappeared suddenly, no one has recorded how or why, but she left a prophecy...and a Legacy. The Prophecy was that because of the lost energy within that globe, our planet was not formed on a stable foundation and over the past years were have been suffering a constant state of decay. This unstableness will eventually crumble and destroy our Blue Star. We will know our impending doom by the coming of the Prodigy. She is a sister of Althena, much like Zophar was a brother. Her name is LeMae, and she will prevent the destruction of our world. However, because the goddess has always believed in a human protector, one such person titled, The Legacy, will be born from human hands, and prevent us from immortal doom by accompanying LeMae on her quest to save the planet. The Dean believes...I am the Legacy."

Christine turned around. "Well, aren't you?"

"No...at least I don't think I am..."

"So, you want me to help you search for this Legacy person?"

"I think...I've already found her..." Zen looked straight at Christine with dead seriousness.
Christine laughed loudly. "M...ME?!! You think I'm this Legacy?"

"Sincerely."

"Look, Zen....I'm...a nothing. If you aren't this Legacy, I KNOW I'm not. I don't have anywhere NEAR your skills." Christine stood up and took Zen by the hands. "Thank you. Thank you for trying to make amends. The fact that you came all the way here proves that you are truly sorry for leaving in those woods. So, I forgive you...but I'm not this Legacy you're looking for. I'm...nobody."

"Christine..."

"Please...just leave." Christine turned away from Zen, facing her garden. "Just...leave."

Zen stood for a second. He had not expected this to be so difficult. Clearly he would have to approach this from a new angle. He started walking off, but paused for a second only to say, "I'm not giving up, Christine. I think you should know that. My penance and my mission are only just beginning."

Christine slumped down to her knees and crushed a few Chrysanthemums under her knees. She wished she had never gone to The Academy. She wished she had never seen the outside world.

Later that afternoon Christine was up in her room polishing her crystal collection. She lightly blew some crystal specks off her most recently finished model. It was a sculpture of Blue, who was sitting on the bed, quietly allowing himself to be modeled. She turned the figure over and over studying it carefully for errors. Finally satisfied, she smiled and showed it to Blue. Blue meeped, so she assumed Blue found it acceptable.

She placed the model in an empty space on one of the saucers. As she did this, she noticed one of her older crystal models, a model of her house she once made for her mother a long time ago. She delicately picked the small house off the shelf. Studying and fingering its delicateness, this model somehow seemed awkward and out of place among her collection. She never particularly liked it. She surmised that she kept it as a symbol of growth as an artist. She picked up a model of Bap and held it next to the house. Christine missed Bap alot. She put Bap back on the shelf and was reminded that she had not made one of Zen. She had forgiven him. Maybe that would be her next project.

"CHRISTINE!!!!" Started by the sound of her father's call, the glass house slipped out of her fingers and clicked hard against the floor.

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Please click on the images to see the full-size pictures

Due to the impact, a large crack threatened to detach part of the house from the rest of itself. The rest remained unbruised.

"Oh no!" Christine suddenly noticed the house on the floor.

"Christine!!! Get down here!"

Christine gathered up the pieces and put them in the trash. She quickly hurried downstairs and was in utter shock as to what stood before her.

"Christine, meet Zen. I ran into him in town, or rather I should say HE ran into ME!" he chuckled at his little joke and nudged Zen.

Zen laughed. "YES! I should say it was something like that!" Christine glared daggers into Zen as if to say, "What are you doing here?!!!!" Zen returned the gaze with a soft grin which answered, "I told you I'm not giving up."

"He's going to help me out at the shop. He has a great eye for things!"

"He's...this Zen person is going to work for you?"

"Yes, he is."

Zen stepped forward to where Christine stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Pleased to meet you."

As Christine took his hand she whispered, "Are you TRYING to make trouble?! I said leave!"

"Oh, so you've changed your mind?"

"...WITHOUT me!"

"That's too bad. I've seen the store. I could be very happy here. Everyone's so nice!" Zen smiled. "Well, almost everyone..." Christine fumed.

"Christine! Aren't you even going to say hello? Sometimes I just can't believe you!"

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*Click to view.*

"Oh dear." spoke Zen turning to Christine's father. "I don't think she likes me, Father."

"FATHER?!!" Christine blurted out.

"Well," spoke Father. "You had your chance to make an independent living, and failed. Now it's MY turn. I just so happen to think Zen would make a good match for you."

"Oh, Father." Zen faked a blush. "Let's not embarrass her. Maybe she just needs time."

"Zen, you don't know her like I do. The girl's as undisciplined as a mad chicken!"

"Still...", Zen eyed Christine over. "She could have made an excellent mage."

"Oh? You think so, Zen?" inquired Father.

"Most definitely. There's an aura about her. My family has talent for sensing these things." Zen gave Christine a devilish grin. "She probably didn't try hard enough."

"That's exactly what I thought Zen! She could have been an excellent mage if she'd tried harder. I tried so hard to support her too."

"Hmmph!," Christine thought. "That's not what you thought last night." A sadness crossed Christine's face with that memory.

Zen caught her face and quickly said, "Umm...can I be escorted to my room?"

"Christine! Make yourself useful and show Zen to his room!"

Christine choked up a "Yes, sir." and Zen hurried her upstairs. When they got to the guest room and shut the door Zen said, "Okay, you can cry now."

"What makes you think I want to cry?"

"I am familiar...with signs of depression."

"Well, it just so happens I'm perfectly fine! Why are you doing this, Zen? Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"Like everyone else?..." Zen paused. "Anyway, leave you with these people? I think not."

"What's wrong with my parents?! They treat me better than the Dean treats you!"

"I doubt that." Zen started to walk out the door. "You have a locked heart Christine. But every lock has a key that opens it. Thank you for showing me to my room. I'll see you at dinner."

After a very quiet dinner, Christine went back up to her room and sat on her bed in quiet contemplation. Maybe she should just go with Zen. she couldn't go on like this. How long would he keep this act up? Days? Weeks? Years? She sighed in dismay.

"Maybe if I just help him out with this, I can go back to the way things were." she smiled at a possible plan of escape. Yes, that's what she would do.

There was a subtle knock at the door. She assumed it was Zen. She opened the door and smiled, ready to tell him her answer. But it wasn't Zen, it was her father. Christine's smile faded.

"Not happy to see your father?" His breath was tainted with a faint smell of booze. She knew he had been drinking again. Drinking a lot.

He stumbled in. "Close the door."

"Christine obeyed. "Actually, can we make this quick, Father? I'm very tired. I was about to change for bed."

Father looked annoyed. "So?! Change! Don't let me stop you!"

"I think I'll wait..."

"I don't understand this attitude you've developed recently! You'll be lucky if Zen takes any interest in you at all with the way you acted at dinner!"

"I don't want..."

"WHAT DON'T YOU WANT?!!" Father stepped right up into her face. His voice was heavy and dangerous. It scared her. "What's wrong with me? After all, YOU'RE the one who flunked out of school! YOU know best!" Christine was about to start crying again, but she couldn't. It wasn't that she didn't feel like crying, but the tears would not come. She had cried so much in the last few days. Being home...being home had made her cry. It was clear now. She left Bap for this man. This uncaring, hateful man.

"You...You're a terrible father!!!" she blurted out. Father's backhand came around so fast she didn't even see it coming. With one powerful blow to the face, Christine lay shaken on the ground. A sting in her cheek.

"You little...� after all I've done for you. After all the years I provided for this family, and this is how you're going to pay me back? He proceeded to take off his belt.

Christine was stunned, frozen. She could not move as the hard leather strap came swiping down at her face like a mad black crow. Clearly, Father did not care where he hit her. From her blurred expression, tears of pain in her eyes, she cried out, "YOU BASTARD!!!"

"There's no one here, so scream your head off! I had your mother take Zen down to the lake!" He raised the belt again, much higher than before. Christine wanted to get up and defend herself, and yet, he WAS her father. The belt started to come down when an unknown hand clasped around Father's forearm, keeping it stationary. Father frozen in position could only turn his head around and see what the hell was going on. As he turned around, he felt the heat of anger, and immense force, and then he turned around and peered into the fiery red eyes of Zen.

With a twitch of his thumb and forefinger, Zen snapped the bone in Father's forearm. There was a large crunch like someone snapping a good-sized branch. In seconds, Father was down on his knees screaming in pain.

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*Click to view.*

"What the hell are you doing Zen?!!"

"I should have known better than to leave you alone with her. I thought she might take care of herself, but now I see why she couldn't hurt you. Because you're her father, and for some strange reason, she still loves you."

Zen grabbed Father by the shirt and got right in his face. "But I'm not your son. and I don't have that problem. And I promise you, before this night is done, I will pay you back for every insult, evil look, and embarressment you've put on this girl!"

Christine could barely make any of this out. She was losing consciousness. The last thing she heard was Zen's voice saying, "I am your judge and..." And then she passed out.

She had a strange dream. She saw her house, blazing in flames, trees on fire, and birds flying in desperate escape. She stood on a hill watching it burn to the ground, and she did nothing. A great rain started and the fire had soon subsided. There was nothing left, just ash and rubble. Everything gone.

She awoke from this dream to raindrops briskly patting her on the head. As she slowly opened her eyes, she was unaware of what was happening or where she was. Was everything a dream? She was being carried piggy-back by someone. Her vision cleared. It was Zen, slowly moving through the mucky forest with Christine on his back in the midst of a torrential thunderstorm.

*Click to view.*

"Awake, are you?" Zen noticed her twitch.

Suddenly, everything before the blackout came flooding back. "My father...mother! My parents!!"

"Don't worry. They won't be following us. You're safe."

Safe?! What did Zen mean by that? She wanted to ask about her parents, but was too afraid of the answer. She didn't want to know.

"What's the matter, Christine? You don't think I would hurt your parents, do you?" The problem was he said it so casually. But Christine wanted to believe him than face the alternative.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't."

"I couldn't save what was left of your crystal collection. I'm sorry. It looks like you'll be starting from scratch."

"Yes...I guess so."

"Maybe...that's not such a bad thing." Zen paused for a second. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Perhaps I didn't have a right to take you from there, from the place you called home."

Christine thought about all which transpired while she was home. The pain. If she never saw her parents again, would she really care? "It's okay, Zen. I discovered that once you leave home for the first time, coming back is never the same. As much as I wanted it to be my old home, it wasn't. Maybe because of my experiences at The Academy...with Bap...and you.

Christine rested her head on Zen's shoulder. It felt so heavy, and yet, she didn't like the idea of Zen always bailing her out of trouble. It made her feel even more useless. "How long will you carry me on your shoulders?"

Zen looked up at her trying to decipher the meaning of the question. Finally, he glanced at Bat, who was tagging along in the back. Bat grinned at Zen. Zen looked back at Christine. "I know you can walk, but you've been through alot. I thought you needed a rest."

"Thank you Zen."

Bat suddenly interjected, "Why don't you give her the present?"

"Quiet you! Ignore him Christine."

"Present? What present?"

"Zen sighed and glared at Bat, who only snickered and nodded. Zen reached into his vest pocket and pulled out an object wrapped in cloth. He held it up for Christine to unwrap as his own hands were full holding Christine. With both arms drooped around Zen's neck, she took the object and unfolded it in front of Zen. Exposed, it was the crystal statue she made of Bap.

Before she had 2 seconds to see it Zen commented, "Well, not ALL of your crystals were destroyed. We did recover this one."

"In perfect condition no less!" remarked Bat. Zen glared at him again.

Christine turned the statue over. She knew her own work, and this was not it. The texture was much finer than she could manage. For a second, she thought about calling his bluff, but instead she said, "Oh, thank you. I was afraid I'd lost it."

"It is your favorite, isn't it?"

"Yes. But I plan to do one that's even better."

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That's it for this chapter! Stay tuned for Chapter 4! As always I appreciate your support!

Back to the Story Index

On to Chapter Four

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