Chapter 4: EPISODE 4: THE SECOND RULE: 'HE WILL MEET A GIRL FROM A LAND NOT HIS OWN WHOSE NAME IS TIED TO HIS FATE'
I remained submerged in the sea where Bloody Cape was. I felt foolish for not paying enough attention to Ciella's words. Then I recalled my Gramps' warning when I received the Tome Of Thirteen Rules.
"Junior...if you are determined to avoid the path that fulfils all these rules, you might succeed. However note this...even if after avoiding rules two to thirteen, you somehow fulfil the first rule...know that you will definitely without a doubt inherit everything you've wanted to avoid!" the Nightmare King said seriously.
There was a knot in my belly as I swam away from the scene. I grabbed my cape from the ocean and swam about a kilometre away from the area. I surfaced in an area devoid of people. Fortunately, the area was still cordoned off. I rushed to the alley where I had left my satchel. Fortunately, my P.E (Physical Education) clothes were in my satchel and they were dry. I changed into them and walked to the nearest bus station. I couldn't return to the field of Lunar Flowers just yet lest I roused Ciella's suspicions. I also knew that it would be very suspicious if I showed up in school in my P.E.
I sighed.
"I should at least have taken Ciella's number so that I could tell her to go ahead without me. It was a good thing I gave her an ultimatum" I said as I boarded the bus.
About an hour later, I found myself back at home in Upper West Side Dream City. I headed to my room and changed. I put my P.E in my backpack. I stared at the cape.
"I can't take this to school in its present state however, I can't afford to leave without it lest something crazy happens in public" I said and headed to the ironing table.
"Some heat should dry it out. The iron is definitely the quickest way" I thought as I ironed the cape till it was dry.
Around the time I was finally done, I heard the door to the Hall open and then I could hear my parents' and siblings' voices.
"Yikes! They are back!" I thought in fright.
I walked down the stairs and met them. They stared at me in surprise.
"Hey San! Dad told us what you did. Thanks to you there were no casualties in Central Dream City" Keiran said.
"But before anything else..." my Mom said as she walked to the TV and turned it on.
"Is this...you?!" my Mom roared.
I stared at the TV as the image of a crimson caped figure with sunshades on delivered a crushing kick to an armoured tank.
"I told you to flee the scene! Once the area was cordoned off and there were no civilians there...!" my Dad began to complain.
"There was no need for you to risk your life!" my Mom yelled.
"But Dad...there was no one in the tank!" I exclaimed.
My parents stared at me in shock.
"Are you serious?" my Mom asked.
I nodded.
"Though I admit I didn't know it at first. But you know problems like that can only be handled by Dream Knights. I'm a Dreamweaver even if I currently lack ability. To an extent, I understand these sort of things...and there were civilians on the scene. This video proves it!" I argued.
"You're right. Someone must have been there to record the video and they'd have been in danger if you hadn't downed the tank" Kieran defended me.
My Mom sighed.
"Fine, we'll let it go but what's with this move?" my Mom said as she pointed to the screen.
If I were fair in complexion, my face would have turned red from embarrassment.
"That's him trying to evade the family 'curse'!" Saito teased.
"And isn't that Bloody Cape?" Keiran said while trying to stifle a laugh.
At that point, my parents couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Dad! I need to see Gramps now!" I roared.
Moments later, we all stood before the Nightmare King and Queen Of Nightmares.
"Gramps, Granny, I have a situation" I said.
"You did it didn't you? You fulfilled the First Rule and defeated a rampaging rhino while wearing a bloodied cape" the Nightmare King said.
"First of all, it was an armoured tank and I wasn't exactly wearing a bloodied cape, I fell into one. Tell me that nullifies the fulfilment of the First Rule" I said.
"That's not for me to decide. That's for the Tome to decide. If you fulfilled that condition, the Tome should tell you" my Gramps said.
I opened the Tome. It was blank. I sighed.
"I guessed right. You can have the Tome back...huh?!" I exclaimed in shock for these words had appeared.
"Congratulations Sanziri Nightbane (Junior), the First Rule has on this day been fulfilled!"
"WHAT?! GRAMPS! AT LEAST TELL ME I CAN EVADE THE FAMILY CURSE IF I AVOID FULFILLING RULES TWO THROUGH THIRTEEN!" I screamed.
"No San, that's not how it works. If I were to put it in terms you could relate to, who defeats the last boss without first clicking the 'Start Game' button? The First Rule carries the weight of all the other Rules. By fulfilling it, you have inadvertently fulfilled all the Rules" my Gramps said.
"But the Second Rule hasn't even appeared yet! How could I fulfil a Rule I know nothing about?!" I exclaimed.
Then I recalled my Dad's words.
"...But in my case, I had already fulfilled all Thirteen Rules before I was handed the Tome so I simply received a notice of succession".
I opened my eyes in surprise.
"It appears you are beginning to understand. You are a true Nightbane. The Rules are written within the very fibre of your being. You can't avoid them even if you wanted to" my Gramps said.
"Anyway, let's set that aside for now. About the armoured tank, San says it was completely empty" my Dad said.
"Is this true San?" my Gramps asked.
I nodded.
"Hmm, this could be a serious problem" my Gramps said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You're a Dreamweaver as you said San, even if you lack ability now so you should understand what I am about to say" my Gramps said.
I gulped and paid close attention.
"In the World Of Dreams, Dream Beings and Nightmares adhere to a certain hierarchy. Not all of them have the same degree of power" my Gramps said.
"Could you explain further?" I asked.
"This hierarchy is mainly determined by the degree of influence they have over the Worlds Of Dreams And Reality. The lower the rank, the lesser the influence they have over reality, yet at the same time, the more visible they are to ordinary humans. The higher the rank, the greater influence they have over the World Of Reality but then, they are only visible to humans who possess a great degree of knowledge and Wisdom. Usually, when a powerful Dream Being or Nightmare wishes to manifest in the World Of Reality, it takes on a form that humans are familiar with and can relate to" the Nightmare King said. "For instance, your Dad originally perceived Zanfar's voice as a high pitched static sound until Zanfar lowered the waves of energy surrounding himself and Zan only began to have dreams of primal memories when he had become strong enough to overcome Sloth and Decay" my Gramps explained.
"So you're saying the armoured tank with no driver is probably the corporeal form of some Dream Entity?" I asked.
My Gramps smiled.
"You do understand. The armoured tank is how you and ordinary humans would perceive this entity. If a powerful Dream Knight were to look at it, they'd probably be seeing something completely different" Gramps explained.
"But following that logic...Gramps...you've been holding back in all our training sessions!" I roared.
"Huh?" my siblings stared at me in amazement.
"All these years I've never once seen your face! It's always masked by a mysterious shadow!" I roared.
My Dad laughed.
"Am I that weak or are you just that strong?!" I asked. "Dad defeated Zanfar and even he has never seen your face!" I exclaimed.
"Actually...I have" my Dad said.
I turned to look at my Dad with newfound admiration.
"Whoa Dad! I never knew you were that strong!" I exclaimed.
"Actually, it was just for an instant but the one time I saw his face...was when he was asleep" my Dad said.
"Anticlimactic!" I commented.
"And what about Granny?! Don't tell me she's never seen your face!" I questioned.
"Of course I have" my Granny said.
"Whoa Granny! You can't seriously be saying...?!" I was shocked.
"The first time I saw his face was shortly after we first met. I had to return to the Castle Of Dreams. It was kinda like a last request then" my Granny said.
"Beside that, Ariel is the only person I show my face to. If a human should see my face for more than an instant...they'd die of shock" my Gramps said.
I shivered at the thought.
"Fine, you don't have to show me your face then. I just want to know how strong you are" I said.
"San, don't even go there. How did your last duel with your Gramps go?" my Dad asked.
"It was a draw" I said.
"Well your Gramps keeps his abilities suppressed through a system of Seven self-imposed limiters. I have only ever heard about him releasing two of them, three tops. The last time he did this, he battled your mother and the Dream Knights for three days nonstop. You've heard about this. That is the event now known throughout the Dream World as 'The Battle Of Black Water Bridge'" my Dad explained.
"Just how strong are you Gramps?!" I screamed.
He smirked.
"I'll leave that to your imagination" he said.
Moments later, we were back home. I prepared to head to school.
"Late on the day classes resume. If the First Rule carries the weight of all the other Rules...this first day is turning out to be a tragedy that will determine my days as a Student" I sighed.
"Okay guys, I'm off" I waved.
Kieran, Saito and Ariel due to their duty as Dream Knights underwent private tutorship at home. This made it easier for them to adjust their schedules to suit their Academic and Dream Knight Duties. I on the other hand had to attend classes. My parents thought this would help me build a social life. Ariel, Saito and Kieran already had a social life amongst their fellow Dream Knights.
When I arrived in Central Dream City, I headed straight for the field of Lunar Flowers. When I arrived, Ciella was nowhere to be found. I panicked.
"Could something have happened to her?!" I thought.
Then I noticed a sheet of paper on the grass with a stone on top of it. I moved the stone aside and picked up the sheet. On the sheet was a note.
"Sorry San, I had to leave. I received a live transmission of the events occurring near the armoured tank. Apparently, a Crimson Caped guy downed the tank by toppling it off Bloody Cape. Weird guy. Anyways, thanks for saving me" the note said.
I had a funny expression on my face. I sighed.
"Weird guy? Apparently I made a bad impression. This is all for the best. To evade the family 'curse' it's best not to make a positive impression on Ciella!" I laughed happily.
"This is the last time we'll probably ever meet. Hey wait a minute, didn't I say the same thing on the night we first met?" I thought. "Anyways I should head to school now" I said and left the field of Lunar Flowers.
About thirty minutes later, I found myself in school. I looked around. It appeared the Students were just arriving. I headed to my class and sat down. At Great Dreamers' High, the Students sat in groups of three except for...well when there was a test or exam.
I stared at the two empty seats beside me.
"I wonder what kind of people will be the ones that occupy these seats" I thought.
"Anyways for now..." I thought as I opened my satchel and removed the Tome Of Thirteen Rules.
"...I have to find out what the Second Rule is" I said as I placed the Tome on my desk and turned the page.
It was blank at first and then slowly, words began to materialize.
"Wh-What's this?!" I exclaimed for these were the words that had been written.
"THE SECOND RULE: 'HE WILL MEET A GIRL FROM A LAND NOT HIS OWN WHOSE NAME IS TIED TO HIS FATE!'
Suddenly, the door to our class opened and the teacher walked in.
"Goodmorning Students" he greeted.
"Goodmorning Sir" the class greeted.
I was far too busy trying to comprehend the Second Rule.
"The school apologises for the delay in class activities. You might have heard of the event that occurred this morning. Fortunately, our diligent News Committee was there to capture the event. Anyway, Central Dream City was cordoned off and no classes could be held while this was still in effect" the teacher explained.
"I wish they had just cancelled classes altogether" I heard someone say.
"Fortunately, there is some good news for you as well" the teacher said. "Come in" he called.
At that moment, the words in the Tome disappeared and were replaced by the words.
"Congratulations Sanziri Nightbane (Junior), the Second Rule has on this day been fulfilled!"
"WHAAAT?! But I didn't even do anything!" I exclaimed to myself.
"A transfer student will be joining in our class activities from this moment on. Be nice to her" I heard the teacher say as the door to the classroom opened and a girl walked in.
"IT'S...IT'S...!" I exclaimed in horror.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ciella Solstice" the girl introduced herself.
"A girl from a land not his own..." I thought as I recalled my Gramps' history.
"I am the Nightmare King and I know that you are the Princess Of Dreams so now, I need to know why you did such a reckless thing as coming into my territory" I recalled the conditions under which my Gramps and Granny met.
"...As I sat doing that, Sir Showboybydafineshoe entered the class with a very beautiful girl beside him. Just by looking at her once, I could tell she was Japanese..." I recalled my Dad's tale.
"An African boy and a Japanese girl, what a cute couple" I remembered one of my Dad's mate's comment.
"...whose name is tied to his fate!" I exclaimed.
"Granny's maiden name is 'Daymare'! Mom's is...'Kirisawa!'" I thought in horror.
"The Kirisawa Clan was founded to be the blade that severs the chains binding Light..." I recalled my Mom's words.
"Dad's elemental affinity is Light..." I thought as my eyes widened.
"Don't tell me the words 'a land not his own' mean...ANOTHER SCHOOL?!" I exclaimed in horror.
"...I recently moved to this city..." I recalled Ciella's words from the night we first met.
"Let me guess, Ciella for 'Sky' and Solstice for the two times of the year when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point determining the length of the day?" I recalled my question.
I recalled her laugh.
"You sure know a lot. My parents often said, when one looks out towards the horizon, the Sky and Sea become one thus the Sea becomes an extension of the Sky. Concerning our family name, Solstice for my family simply means 'Choice'. In other words, you decide the person you want to be" I recalled Ciella's words.
I looked ahead and saw Ciella smiling at me.
"Hey San! I would never have suspected that you go to the same school that I was coming to!" Ciella waved.
Suddenly, I felt a massive crushing weight of dark aura materializing around me.
"Damn you San! To think aloof San would make a move on the new girl before she even made it here!" I heard the jealous grumbling of some male classmates.
"The weight of your dark intentions weigh heavy on my soul!" I thought with a tearful look.
Ciella walked towards me and took her seat beside me.
"This must be the dreaded event Dad spoke about. The Almighty Transfer Student who messes your life up!" I cowered.
Ciella smiled radiantly. She appeared clueless.
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