"Who are you talking to Mel?" Raphael crossed his arms and sized up Jon. "I did not give you permission to call me that," she sharply replied.In a bid to alleviate the tension, Jon cleared his voice and said, "She is my best friend." Little did Jon know that he added fuel to the flames. "I am not talking to you," Raphael snapped at Jon. "Keep your mouth shut."Raphael then turned to Melissa and frowned, "Why are you friends with a nobody like him?"Melissa glared at him and defended Jon, "He is not a nobody. He is my best friend. Class is starting soon. Come on Jon, we need to go."Jon and Melissa walked to their next class. Raphael glared at Jon from behind. He was determined to gain Melissa on his side and was not going to give up on her that easily. ---Their next class is combat training. In this lesson, Master Li, their combat trainer, demonstrated basic Tai Chi attack techniques. "Tai Chi focuses on speed and balance," Master Li instructed. "Remember that when sparring."T
Jon met Melissa outside her classroom as planned. They then made their way to the cafeteria.After settling down, Jon walked to the counter to order their meals. Moments later, Raphael entered the canteen."Here you are Mel," spoke in a sweet and gentle tone as he walked towards her.Melissa groaned internally, "Not again! This guy is more annoying than a fly." "Who are you having lunch with?" Raphael looked around the place. Melissa wished she could slap Raphael in the face. She refused to answer his question. "Why are you so annoying?" she shouted. Raphael looked hurt, "I just want to be friends with you.""Why are you trying to get close to me?" Melissa confronted Raphael. "What do you want from me?" "Why do you not believe me?" Raphael quizzed. "I come from a respectable family."Melissa tried to wrap her head around what Raphael said, "He really thinks the world revolves around him because he is born in a powerful family."After a few moments, he spoke, "I know I am really h
After a short interval of silence, Jon cleared his throat and mumbled, "We were playing with each other."Jon good-naturedly covered Raphael.Raphael, however, chose not to speak. "Very well, I will accept your explanation. You may leave." Master Shi nodded at Jon then turned to Raphael. "Young man, I do not wish to see anyone holding their weapons on school grounds outside of the training room," Master Shi frowned then confiscated Raphael's boomerang."This will stay in my office until you submit a 10 000-word reflection explaining why you were holding your boomerang here," Master Shi sternly told Raphael. Unable to control his indignation, Raphael spewed a string of vulgarities at the principal. Master Shi was appalled at his imprudent behavior, "For your lack of repentance and rudeness, you will also serve a month of detention."Upon hearing that, Raphael realized what he had done and could only helplessly nod, "I apologize Master Shi." "You are dismissed," Master Shi coolly sa
"What is wrong father and mother?" Jon concernedly asked as he furrowed his brows and tried to make sense of what was happening. "Please speak to me."He did not receive a reply.He instinctively touched their faces and hands. They were icy cold.Jon was at a loss. He frantically diagnosed his parents using his basic set of medical tools. To his dismay, he could not detect any symptoms that indicated the cause of their sickness. It was as if their parents were in a deep sleep—hibernating. The memory of what had happened when his father had fallen ill suddenly flashed in Jon's mind. "These symptoms are exactly the same," Jon reflected. He then remembered the doctor's method of treating his father. After checking the family's inventory, Jon realized he needed to purchase more medicine but could not afford it. The little money they had left was reserved for buying daily necessities, which were quickly running out. "I need to make the power-focusing pill and sell it," Jon desperatel
The alchemist eyed Jon several times."Judging by the looks of his clothes, he is a poor man's child," the alchemist thought to himself as he pondered about the amount he should quote to Jon. "A bag of coins should be more than sufficient for him." "1 000 coins," the alchemist finally said tranquilly. "1 000 coins?" Jon forlornly thought to himself. "That is less than half the price I was expecting."Jon's society held alchemists in high regard. He knew he was in a disadvantageous position but he needed to try to strike a better bargain. He kept a calm mien, "This pill is freshly made using precious ingredients. Please reconsider your offer.""1 000 coins—take it or leave it," the alchemist firmly replied. Jon knew that his family was in a dire situation and depended on selling the pill for survival. He refused to easily accept the initial price, especially when it was so low. He changed his tactic, "Could you offer me a bundle of ingredients and 1 000 coins in exchange for this
Ah…The people on the streets outside of the alchemist's store heard loud screams and stopped to see what was happening. They saw a young boy being thrown onto the ground by guards."Must be another thief," one passerby thought. "Young people these days are so brazen.""The boy is making such a ruckus," opined another person. "It is very late now. He should keep quiet so that others can rest for the night."Ironically, the passersby thought Jon was the cause of the trouble. Nobody cared about what Jon was actually saying."Help me!" Jon screamed at the top of his lungs. "Is there still such a thing as justice?"Everyone on the streets near Jon continued minding their own business. He realized no one would come to his aid, much less stand by his side. Left on the streets outside of the alchemist's store, Jon slowly picked himself up. While feeling resentful and sorry, he dusted himself and checked for wounds.Just then, a bent old man wearing a large hat and tattered coat steadily lim
When Jon returned home, he immediately went to his parents' bedroom to check if their condition had changed. As expected, his parents were lying on their bed, unmoving like statues. Heartbroken after seeing them in such poor condition, he hurriedly went to the kitchen to prepare their medicine. "I am such an embarrassment," he reprimanded himself. "How can I account to my parents about what had happened after they wake up?"He sighed and shook his head, "There is no point crying over spilled milk. I have to make the best of my situation."After he took out the medicine he bought from the pharmacy, he looked for other ingredients that may boost the strength of the brew he was about to make."Black lotus extract is highly nutritious," Jon carefully poured a few drops on a teaspoon and added it to the cauldron. When he eventually opened the parcel of medicine, he was shocked to see a large improvement in its quality. He held it close to his eyes to scrutinize it. "What happened?" Jon
"Ah! Leave me alone!" Melissa shouted as she activated an energy force field around her. She then confronted the people surrounding the force field, "What do all of you want with me?" Drenched in sweat, her long and curly golden hair stuck to her face. She panted as the people fervently attacked the force field. She could not hold up for long. "You offended our friend, which means you offended all of us," one of the members replied. Melissa furrowed her brows, "What do you mean? I do not know any of you!"Just then, from a distance, a figure strolled into Melissa's sight. "Raphael! He is the cause of this nonsense!" Melissa's eyes opened wide as she instantly recognized him. She felt rising indignation as she suddenly expanded her force field and shoved away the people attacking it. She shouted at Raphael, "What dirty trick are you playing on me? Why did you send these people to attack me?"Raphael shook his headTsk, tsk, tsk…"Why can you not speak nicely to me?" he put on a lo