The general's body was dropped, plummeting towards the ground below. Alkarene watched, his eyes unblinking, as the general's life slipped away.
As the general's body hit the ground, Alkarene turned to Jason, a faint smile on his face. "Now that he's dead, what now? Do I get to go back now?" Jason asked, hoping against hope that he would be returned to his own body.
Alkarene's response was laced with a sense of finality. "When the sun rises, my soul will depart from this body. You will be the next to take over, or maybe the Elzkin, who knows."
Jason's mind reeled as he realized the implications. "I mean, the bad guys ran off right? You win, no bad guys right? I get to go back to my body right?" Jason pleaded, but Alkarene just smiled, a farewell smirk on his face.
"You'll do just fine, Jason," Alkarene said, his voice barely above a whisper. As the sun rose, Jason felt a strange sensation, as if something was leaving him.
"He's gone, right?" a voice asked from behind Jason. He turned to see the elf and the other two figures standing behind him. They looked somber, their faces grave.
"Yeah, he's gone," Jason replied, feeling a weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders. He had been dragged into this world, forced to participate in events he didn't understand. But now, he was left to pick up the pieces.
The elf and the others looked at him with a mixture of sadness and expectation. Jason knew that he had a long road ahead of him, one that would be fraught with danger and uncertainty. But he was determined to face it head-on, no matter what lay ahead.
As Jason slowly regained consciousness, he could hear his brother Elio's voice in the background. "Wake up, Jason, it's time to go to school." Jason's eyes snapped open, and he sat up with a start, as if he had just broken free from a nightmare.
The first thing he saw was his older brother Elio rummaging through his drawer, helping himself to Jason's clean underwear. Jason's face twisted in a mixture of relief and annoyance. "It's all just dreams," he thought to himself, trying to shake off the lingering sense of unease.
But as he looked at Elio, he couldn't help but feel a surge of playfulness. "Your grouse, Elio," Jason said, trying to sound stern.
Elio looked back at Jason with a cringe smile, knowing he had been caught red-handed. "You're awake, I see," Elio replied, his eyes darting towards the door as he calculated his escape route.
Jason stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on Elio. Elio knew that Jason was going to try and catch him, and he needed to act fast. As Jason stepped on the bedsheet, Elio saw his chance. He quickly grabbed the other edge of the sheet and pulled it with force, causing Jason to tumble back onto the bed.
Seeing the opportunity, Elio sprinted off like a mouse on the chase, laughing as he ran out of the room. Jason's face twisted in a mixture of frustration and amusement as he realized he had been outsmarted by his brother once again.
A man stood at the roadside shop, ordering his lunch. "Two fries and an octopus soup, put some luftang on the fries," he said, his voice clear and confident. Lee Fang, the shop owner, nodded and took the order, his assistant busy preparing the food.
Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt outside, and three masked men jumped out, guns drawn. They rushed into the shop, breaking the window and sending shards of glass flying everywhere. Two of the men entered the shop, while the third stood outside, gun raised, and shouted, "Lay down!" as he fired a warning shot into the air.
The customers cowered in fear, while the cashier trembled as the gang leader pointed his gun at her head. "The drawer, put it all in," he demanded, his voice cold and menacing.
Meanwhile, the order thief pointed his gun at Lee Fang and his son, Sol. Sol noticed that the thief's hand was shaking, and he saw an opportunity to act. He slowly reached for a knife in his pocket, his eyes fixed on the thief.
But before Sol could make his move, the gang leader warned the cashier, "Don't be stupid, am I seeing you? You're putting your brains at risk." The cashier froze, her hand hovering over the hot fryer.
Lee Fang, however, seemed unfazed. "Hey, Genie, give them what they want," he said calmly, his voice a stark contrast to the chaos around him.
The gang leader sneered, "He's wise, you're not." But Sol didn't hesitate. He lunged at the thief, knife in hand, just as the thief pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the shop, but fortunately, it hit the rooftop instead of Sol.
The thief stumbled, but managed to regain his balance. Sol took advantage of the momentary distraction to disarm the thief, snatching the gun from his hand.
Meanwhile, Lee Fang had taken down the gang leader, disarming him and delivering a precise punch that paralyzed his right hand for 15 minutes. The two thieves were soon lying on the ground, defeated.
The thief outside, realizing his gang was in trouble, quickly retreated, fleeing the scene without looking back. Lee Fang, still standing tall, offered the thieves a mocking smile. "Now that I'm in my most generous mood, I'm giving you an opportunity to run for your sake."
The two thieves didn't need to be told twice, sprinting out of the shop as fast as they could. The customers erupted into applause, cheering Lee Fang and Sol for their bravery.
As the commotion died down, Lee Fang suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. He looked up to see Jason passing by on the other side of the road. As their eyes met, Lee Fang's vision blurred, and he was hit with a wave of memories from his past.
"Do you happen to know that kid?" Lee Fang asked Sol, his voice low and curious. Sol hesitated before answering, "Hmm, yeah, I think so. He's my mate in school."
Lee Fang's eyes remained fixed on Jason, his gaze intense. "What for?" Sol asked, but Lee Fang just shook his head. "Don't know yet."
As Jason disappeared from view, Lee Fang turned to Sol, his expression serious. "You could have gotten us killed," he said, his voice stern.
Sol shrugged, his face set in a determined expression. "But we're alive, and your money is still intact." He walked out of the shop, leaving the door open behind him.
Lee Fang watched him go, a mixture of pride and concern etched on his face. "At what cost?" he murmured to himself, his eyes following Sol as he boarded the school bus.
As the bus drove off, Sol gazed out the window, his eyes meeting his father's. For a moment, they just looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them.
Jason's history teacher droned on, lecturing about the African struggle for rights. "And that was when the African decided to make a move by fighting back for their rights," the teacher said, his voice monotone.
Jason muttered under his breath, "Already, so fast," as he tried to sneak a peek from the doorway to see if there was an open seat for him to slip into without drawing attention. The teacher's voice continued, "And at 1982, the British government decided to sign in an alignment with..."
Sol-fang caught Jason's eye and signaled for him to come in, taking advantage of the teacher's momentary distraction. Jason didn't waste any time, quickly moving towards his seat.
But just as he was about to reach his chair, the teacher spotted him. "And look what the cat dragged in," Mr. McConnell said, his tone dripping with disapproval. "You can go see the principal now."
Jason tried to apologize, "I'm sorry, Mr. McConnell," but the teacher was unmoved. "Sorry wouldn't do," he insisted. "And on your way out, take your accomplice."
Jason glanced at Sol, hoping the teacher hadn't noticed their exchange. But the tension between them was palpable as they locked eyes.
"Sol, follow your partner in crime," the teacher added, his voice loud enough for the entire class to hear. The students erupted into laughter, and Sol muttered under his breath, "I hated his class anyway," as he walked out with Jason.
As they left the classroom, Mr. McConnell called out, "Let class begin." Jason and Sol made their way to the principal's office, where they were met with a surprise.
"I'm surprised to see you, Sol," the principal said, "You're a very diligent student. Let me guess, you're under Jason's influence?" Jason couldn't help but speak up in his defense, "I'm right here."
The principal smiled wryly. "I know." He paused, then added, "Because of you, Sol, the both of you detention only lasts for today."
Jason and Sol exchanged a look, both of them relieved. They thanked the principal and headed off to serve their punishment, grateful that it wouldn't be a long-term affair.
Meanwhile, Lee was alone in his house when a ghostly voice echoed in his mind. "Remember," it whispered, disturbing Lee's peace. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head, and he fell to the ground. Images of a past life flooded his mind, and the voice continued to haunt him, "Remember."
As Lee lay on the floor, he felt himself being transported to a different realm. A voice called out to him, "Alkarene, watch out!" Lee saw a demon-like creature charging towards him with an axe. He raised his hands, and just as the axe was about to land, it transformed into millions of butterflies.
Lee was confused and disoriented. He felt like he had lived this life before, but he couldn't quite place it. "What's going on here?" he asked, but no one seemed to understand him.
Suddenly, he felt something coming from behind him. Lee caught two arrows in mid-air and ran forward, stabbing the beast's eyes. He felt a sense of déjà vu, like he had done this before.
After defeating the beast, he heard a voice behind him. "Nice catch, Alkarene." Lee turned to see a male elf speaking to him, with a half-man, half-bull creature standing behind him.
The bull creature called out to Lee, "Dad!" Lee's response was immediate and visceral. "Fuck no, I didn't make love with a cow!" he exclaimed, shocked and disgusted.
But the bull creature's voice sounded familiar, and Lee's expression changed as he realized it was his son's voice. "Dad!" Sol called out again, and Lee's eyes snapped open.
He found himself on the floor, with Sol and Jason standing over him. "Why are you on the floor, Dad?" Sol asked, concern etched on his face.
Lee struggled to stand up, and Sol helped him to a chair. "It's just a little headache," Lee said, trying to downplay the situation.
As Sol went to get water, Lee turned to Jason and asked, "Hey, young man, who's he?" Sol replied, "You told me you wanted to see him, remember?"
Lee's eyes locked onto Jason, and he asked, "Do you happen to have any marks on your body that have no explanation?" Jason's eyes widened as he remembered the dream he had, and the marks that had appeared on his body.
"Yeah, I had a weird dream," Jason said, "Some entity trapped me in my bed with belts, and I got marks all over my body. I still don't know how it's possible."
Sol looked skeptical, "How's that possible?" he asked, his tone dismissive. "It's impossible, man," he added, walking back with the water.
Jason bristled at Sol's response, "You called me over, I didn't want to spill my guts to you guys." Sol shot back, "Cool down, Jason." The tension between them was palpable, and Lee intervened, "Let's just focus on the matter at hand."
Jason's curiosity was piqued as he asked, "And what might that be, cuz I don't see where you're going with..." But before he could finish, Lee interrupted him, his eyes locked intensely on Jason's.
"Do you have this sign on your back, like you were branded?" Lee asked, lifting his shirt to reveal a mysterious mark. Jason's eyes widened slightly as he took in the symbol.
"What makes you think I might have any idea?" Jason replied, his tone cautious. "You're branded with an AL mark, and I'm filled with belt stripes all over my body. Those are two different things."
Lee's expression was tinged with doubt, given Jason's unexpected response. "It appeared yesterday night, at the same time I had a weird dream like I was a lord of some kind," Lee explained, his voice laced with a sense of uncertainty.
But Jason's reaction was immediate and intense. "Alkarene, you might say," he muttered, his face frozen in surprise. The mention of the name sparked something within him, and he felt a shiver run down his spine.
The connection between them was palpable, and Lee's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Jason's reaction. It was clear that Jason knew something, but what, Lee wasn't quite sure.