ONCE UPON A TIME

MALAYSIA

PAHANG

TEMERLOH

The sounds of the car were blaring and the truck came approaching her. But she doesn’t seem like she realizes it.

Azief was just finishing the night study session.

The principal made them a week stay on the school dorm to do an intensive study session for the Final exam.

Even for people who lives outside the school has to live for a week in the dorm to participate in the study session.

It was mandatory.

Tonight was the last night. Azief was about to go home tomorrow.

But then he came across this scene. He was about to go out the school gate to buy some snack on the stall across the school.

But then he found her. Found her crossing the road like a girl losing her mind. It almost seems like there is no life inside her eyes.

But for some reason, Azief felt melancholic seeing her, walking like that and his heart skipped a beat.

Usually...he would not interfere in this kind of troublesome matters. But now....this is different.

She is about to die.

So he couldn’t even make any calculation.

When he sees that scene, without thinking of anything, without any calculations, a behavior so unlike him, he runs as fast as he can, tackles her from behind and they landed on the other side of the road.

Azief shielded her from the tar road and get himself scraped on his hand.

The moment he regains his mind, he stares at Sofia and unlike him he yelled.

‘What the hell do you think you are doing?’ And hearing this Sofia seems to be jolted awake and then she realizes the cut on Azief hand.

historical

‘Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry’ she said flustered as she tries to check Azief injuries and grab his hand. Azief pull back his hand.

‘Watch around you when crossing the street’ he said as HE was about to go away and go to the snack stall.

‘This is troublesome’ he mused inside his heart. And if he keeps hanging around her, this surely becomes even more troublesome.

Azief was walking away when Sofia hold his hand and said.

‘I’m sorry but I can’t leave that alone.’ Blood was dripping from Azief hand

Azief sighed.

This night is going to be troublesome he mused as she pulls him along.

This is the first time that Sofia and Azief ever met and talk to each other. And the last time they spoke in their high school life.

At least, that is how its seems to them back then..

***

IN THE STALL

It was night. For about half an hour after bandaging his hand, she dint say anything. She did not cry either.

She did not bawl out. But tears keep streaming from her eyes which she immediately wipes.

Like..an unspeakable sorrow. Azief did not say anything. Because he did not know what to say.

He doesn’t know Sofia that well.

They sometimes see each other on the way to class, passed by each other on the hall, greet each other politely and that it.

He did not know what problems she faced or what words could be said to console her.

And even if he knew what her problem was, he is sure that she didn’t want to hear such words from him.

Not from someone who doesn’t know her. But for some reason, Azief felt that it is a moral obligation to at least, guard her....by hiding her tears from others.

The sound of the car passing by and the night wind blowing by, that night was very peaceful.

The moon was not masked by the clouds and the road can be seen as clear as day.

Then with that puffy eyes, she suddenly cries and Azief was reminded of a certain scene on a beach and he looks at her again and feeling something different.

He doesn’t know what moves him that night. But he got up from his seat, put his arms at her shoulders and said.

‘It’s ok.’ And he embraces her.

And as she cries, she could feel the man warmth. And for a moment she could feel that the man embracing her was sincerely cheering her up.

And maybe, that was the first time Sofia really see the real Azief. The class clown people make fun of.

Feeling his warm heart and his true heart in that embrace.

Then as she finally calmed herself down, Azief releases his embrace, his face was stoic and then he went to the counter and pay for the meals.

After that he came back to the table, looks at her and then put a note on her hand.

Then he walked away. Without a word. And in that peaceful night, she could only see his back, fading away.

Slowly she opens the note and there were only two simple words.

And she chuckles.

Her eyes were puffy and red, but she chuckles and it was like all the unhappiness that she felt disappeared for that one moment.

On the note Azief wrote.

‘Cheer up.’

That’s it.

Sofia reading it felt that Azief really doesn’t know how to express his feeling well. But the word is also very sincere.

Two words and that is enough to motivate her.

She left the note on the table and then smiling while looking at the moon and breathing the fresh night air she went back to school.

This was the last interaction between her and Azief in high school.

***

PRESENT TIME

‘Wake up’ and Sofia could feel her body being rocked. She slowly opens her eyes and rubbing her eyes, she could see Loki was in front of her.

Sofia quickly throws a punch and arrow essence shot out and Loki quickly dodges it.

The essence scatters away when it hits the ceiling of her room.

‘Whoa. Didn’t anybody teach you not to punch people with arrow essence?’ He said while smiling mischievously.

‘You know, I still am mad at you.’ She said as she got up from bed clearly feeling annoyed. That dream.

To be honest, the only time she ever met with Azief and the rare moments where she sees Azief nature was that one night in August.

Then as she walked to her bathroom Loki was still behind her. She glares at him

‘What?’ He said feigning ignorance.

‘You know acting like that does not going to make me forgive you that easily.’

‘Oh, come one. We got what we wanted. Sina is free. We even stole a few weapons from the World Government vault. Blowing up their barracks and escape the World Government Golden Cloak Division. I mean, tell me, if not for my information could we achieve all that.’

‘You release Arno without my permission. And I found out that you deceive me.’

‘Deceive you?’

‘You didn’t torture him Sofia said as she brushes her teeth looking at her own face on the mirror while Loki was standing outside the bathroom.

‘Did you ask me to torture him? You said to get information from him.’

‘You and he plotted. I thought he was getting tortured. Who knew that you plotted for him to yell to deceive me?’

‘I prefer the carrot approach instead of the stick. And didn’t he give us the location of Sina prison and even the password for the World Government vault? All and all, I think I made a great decision that help empower our group.’

‘That is one thing’ Sofia said as she gargles inside her mouth and clean her teeth.

‘The other thing why did you declare Lord Shadow Group is the one responsible?’

‘Well, since Azief is not yet back, I was using Lord Shadow group for the name of our group. Well, I guess the name is a bit tacky.’ Loki said as he ponders seriously

Sofia was about to blow of her top

‘This is not about the naming sense, Loki! Why did you implicate Azief in our mess?’

‘He is already implicated.’ Loki said calmly

‘How?’ she said as she walks out from the bathroom.

‘Well, I doubt Azief will let you be hunted by the World Government. And he will not let Sina be hunted too. And he will certainly not let me be hunted’ he said arrogantly and Sofia scoffed.

‘In the end, he will implicate himself in the end. What I did was simply to raise his notoriety before he got back.’

‘And for what reason?’

Smiling Loki answer.

‘Well, if Azief going to contend with all of this power he needs to have a faction.’ And then as he was about to continues, he sniff something with his smell.

‘Sina has finished cooking. I’ll meet you at breakfast. Oh, and today we’re going to China.’ he said as he runs to the dinner hall.

Sofia shakes her head.

‘Haih. Azief when will you return?’ she mused.

The Trickster is making a wreck of thing but she was smiling. Living this kind of life is thrilling.

Then she went out as she joined Loki and Sina in breakfast, trading jokes and banter and asking each other how their day was going.

It was like a family of misfit gathering together. Another day passed on Earth Prime.

***