"Why did we go here?"
"Isn't this park memorable to you?"
Nicholas turns around, and his eyes meet her brown eyes. Nelly is sitting on a bench, and she is wearing a kind of dress with a V-shaped neckline, and a white sash pulling the dress together.
The dress is red, and the hemline reaches above her knees.
She moves her dark sunglasses down to her nose. Her brown eyes mimic a smile as her lips curve upward.
"Right?"
Nicholas hums softly, and he says, "I wanted to visit a place. I couldn't visit it because I am studying. It's a place where I came from."
She stands up from the green bench, and steps closer. "Let's go."
Nelly glances beside her while driving her sports car. She glances beside her and sees Nicholas resting his head on the window beside him.
"Sleep well. If only I could go back in time, I'd take all of your pain away," Nelly spoke in her head while her lips curled upward a bit.
The memories of her moments with Juan, not the one that Nicholas fought but the one who is Nicholas' roommate appear in her head.
"Really?" Nelly blinked.
Juan tells her. "He's been neglected since he was a kid."
Nelly's eyes fall on her cup, containing a hot green tea; its aroma fills her nose.
"All my life, I thought he was just a quiet kid living a normal student life."
Juan shakes his head. "He isn't a normal kid. He doesn't even have good childhood memories."
Nelly looks up at Juan. "How did you know him so much?"
"Me?" Juan takes a sip of the tea from his cup while standing in front of the sink, "he grew up with me in an orphanage."
"Orphanage?!" Nelly gasped, standing from her seat.
Juan blinks. "Wait! He didn't tell you? You're his girlfriend, right?"
Nelly put a strand of her hair above her ear while chuckling as a red hue appeared on her cheeks.
"I-I wish so! But we haven't reached that kind of level yet!"
"Kind of level? Is he courting you?"
Nelly hums. "He isn't but we're fine like friends."
Juan nods. He remains quiet and smiles a little while nodding slowly. "I am happy that he gained a few friends."
"He has been so lonely his entire life. I couldn't even spend some of my free time with him."
Juan's eyes narrow a little. "When we were there in that orphanage, I accepted that no one would want to adopt me.
"But for him, he always holds onto the hope that one day, one couple will want to adopt him.
"Every day, he shows his smile to every couple that would come to the orphanage; he often talks to them, introducing himself."
Juan's eyes seem to be filled with little tears. He sniffs and turns his eyes down to his cup.
"But one day, he heard two women or caretakers. One is nice but the other one has a rubbish mouth; telling the nice caretaker that Nicholas talks too much."
He places his cup on the sink without making any noise.
"That rubbish woman didn't care about the feelings of Nicholas. Her words made the once joyful Nicholas vanish, being replaced by a silent Nicholas."
Juan inhales deeply and lets out a large breath. He turns his head to Nelly, and she is standing there while her eyes fixed on him.
Juan flashes one smile at her. "I only wanted that boy to be happy. To bring out the side of him that always laughs and smiles."
He continues to speak, "Let me ask you, what is he to you?"
Presently, after many miles of driving, Nicholas is pulled away from his slumber after the car jerks.
He looks out the window and sees a wide red gate. A hand touches his shoulder; rubbing it gently.
"We're here in the place where you grew up."
Nicholas slowly moves his eyes toward Nelly and sees her bright smile that contemplates her beauty.
"I know you'll want to come back here. So, I arranged this day, and told you a white lie that we're going to study in a park."
Nicholas can't utter a single word. He grabs the interior car handle, pulling it before pushing it.
The warm air touches his hand as he inhales it.
"This place holds so many memories… One where I felt joy, and one where I felt sad."
He stops walking and extends his hand towards the handle of the red gate.
His eyes widen when the door of the gate opens, a woman with brown eyes and a smaller height is staring up at him.
"Sister… Sister Madeline?" Nicholas spoke her name, his voice was soft and gentle.
The woman touches his cheek, and a smile forms on her lips.
"You came back here, my child."
Nicholas' eyes widen before they close. He smiles and nods. "I did… but I like to see what the orphanage is after many years."
He opens his eyes. "And I do want to talk with you."
Madeline moves her hand down to his arm, patting it. "You're not into some kind of trouble, right?"
Nicholas laughs. "No. I am a very good student, and I don't go into punching other students!"
Standing from afar, Madeline is resting her forearms on the roof of her car while gazing at them.
She smiles faintly. "He looks happy. I'm glad I was able to make him smile for a bit."
Madeline's eyes turn towards Nelly."Is she your girlfriend?"
"What?" Nicholas turns his eyes to where she's pointing, "N-No! She's just my partner in a school project."
He smiles a little. "She was the one who brought me here. A friend of mine."
Nelly's eyes widen, and she holds her chest after seeing his smile directed at her.
"Damn." she blushed.
Madeline's eyes return to his face. She continues smiling before wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Nicholas, bring her here. I'll tour both of you inside."
Walking through the hallway of the orphanage, Nelly turns her eyes around; seeing a group of kids inside every room while playing together.
Madeline is walking beside Nicholas while pointing around.
"Many things have changed since you and Juan went to Manila to study. How is he?"
"Him? He is doing well; a nice roommate indeed and he is now working in a bank."
Madeline looks down a bit before smiling a little. "The entire orphanage misses both of you. You two were the ones who entertained us, caretakers.
"After both of you grew up, we knew we needed to let the two of you go.
"The other caretakers fought Matilda. That bitter woman wanted both of you to be thrown on the streets."
Madeline's eyes narrow while she folds her arms on her chest. "She was so bitter, and all of us hated that she had no sympathy or mercy."
Nicholas chuckles. "Just let her be. She's an old woman, they're all like that."
Madeline covers her mouth while laughing. She pats his arm. "There, there, there. I won't be mad anymore towards her."
He inhales deeply before opening his eyes, and he turns his eyes toward Madeline with a smile. "I know how hard you sacrificed to fight for us."
Madeline is gazing at him as he speaks, therefore, he rubs his hair. "I'm not that good at opening up because Matilda has let out words that pushed me to change myself forcibly."
He extends his hand towards Madeline, holding her hand. "Many have rejected me and Juan to be their adopted children.
"Despite that, you and the caretakers showed us how a mother loves her kid, and how a mother strives to do everything for the sake of her kid.
"Even if we weren't your sons."
He puts his other hand on top of Madeline's palm.
"And with that, I am forever grateful to have you and those women who raised us."
He puts her hand down as he steps closer to her. Madeline's eyes widen, and she can feel the warmth of Nicholas' hug.
"After everything that happened to me, even if no couple has adopted us, I realized that I am the luckiest because I have you."
Nicholas closes his eyes in contentment, and he sniffs. "I-I love you, 'ma."
Madeline is silent as those words push her tears to fall from her eyes. She closes her eyes as her body jerks while she cries.
"And I love you more, my child."
While they're embracing each other, Nelly brings out her phone; taking a picture of them. Her eyes are sparkling, and she can't stop smiling at the scene.
Nicholas comes out of the gate, and Nelly follows him. He stops walking and faces Nelly.
"Thank you for bringing me here." he smiled.
"So, where do you want to go?" he asked.
Her eyes widen, and she points at herself. She blinks before shaking her head.
"We can go to my house, and make bread and cake."
"Again? Instead of your house, let's go to a place that is memorable to you."
Those words result in her eyes sparkling. Her smile widens, showing her teeth. She puts a strand of her hair on top of her ear.
She jumps like a kid. "You know… since you are so persistent, let's go to BGC!"
"O-Okay!" Nicholas chuckled.
Amidst the tall trees, and wide terrain of soil covered in grass, a young woman is walking on the soft and wet soil.
Her skin moves like a wave as it turns into wood. Her brown eyes change to green, and her entire body changes into the appearance of Acacia.
He stops walking in front of a tree. He raises his hand and rests it on the rough body of the tree.
A round flat green disc appears on his forehead; sketching patterns all over his body.
He unseals his eyes. Right now, he finds himself floating in a blank dark space.
"Where is his majesty?"
A flash of green light appears in front of him, and Acacia turns his eyes to the flash.
A taller man whose skin is made of wood, and clothes made of banana leaves, and roots tied around his waist is staring at him.
"Second ranking seed, why did you initiate communication with the majesty?"
"Are you his majesty, Kohlrabi?"
"No," Kohlrabi answered, his tone calm.
"If you already know that you are not the one that I want to talk to, why be an idiot and interfere?" Acacia's green eyes glowed, his brows furrowing.
Kohlrabi folds his arms on his chest and maintains a straight stare at him. "Because he is not present at the moment. Isn't it wrong that I, his first 'perfect' creation, make my present known to you?"
Acacia's lip pulls back, showing his white sharp teeth. His nose scrunches and roots emerge from his back, pointing at Kohlrabi.
"Do not put your self-entitled thing in our conversation. No one is a perfect creation, it's just you are the second seed that has been made before Gourd; an imperfect creation."
Veins appear on Kohlrabi's forehead as his eyes narrow. "Do not disrespect me."
"Are you offended, self-entitled 'perfect creation'? Don't know how to keep your patience standing still?" Acacia decided to irritate him further.
He laughs. "Just accept that you are not a perfect creation, more like a delusional seed seeking to be looked upon highly.
"Just keep on dreaming and I'll be here to crush those dreams of yours."
Kohlrabi bends his knees while lowering his body but Acacia remains standing with his eyes staring at him, his eyes are unwavering and fearless.
"Are you going to let your anger drive you?" Acacia continued to be calm, "As you know, we can't fight in this place.
"This place is made of only our connection, and this place is a result of our mental connection to the majesty himself. We can't touch or hit each other."
Acacia points to his head. "Use this before you strike, and this is the reason why you will only fall if you fight me."
Kohlrabi inhales deeply as he fixes his posture and his expression.
"I will stop being angry or anything. Now, tell me all about the last descendant. Have you found him?"
Acacia is looking straight into Kohlrabi's eyes.
"The truth is I have not found any clue about him."
Kohlrabi stares at him for a minute, and he nods. "Okay. I'll bring the unfortunate news to the majesty."
Beside a massive tree with a body containing many cracks. This tree seems ancient and has been standing for many years.
A group of large wooden vines comes out from the ground. The wooden vines clash, forming the appearance of Kohlrabi.
He cracks his neck and opens his orange-yellow eyes.
"I have some speculation that Acacia is up to no good."
He releases invisible waves to the trees around him. Whispers enter his mind, and his eyes narrow a bit.
"So, you've lied, Acacia. You know very well about the last descendant."
His appearance changes into the appearance of a tall man who looks like in his forties. Wearing a blue coat covering his white polo shirt, blue pants, and a pair of brown shoes.
"If he is hiding the fact that he knows about the last descendant already, perhaps, it's time that I find the last descendant on my own."
He chuckles, his laugh mixed with evil. "It's not only he who has a mind connected to Gourd's memory, all high-ranking seeds have that ability."
He crouches and releases a strong pressure from his jump. That pressure causes a crater on the ground.
The bushes rustle, and a tall man with scarlet eyes, and long red hair steps out. He's wearing a dark polo shirt, white pants, and a pair of black sneakers.
He breathes a cloud of smoke from his mouth. A fireball appears in front of his right eye.
"I want to make a move but I need to wait patiently for the crystal to choose the last descendant."
He inhales deeply. "But as of now, I think the 'one person' that I know will not be the descendant."