Samsara: A Spring Love

Chapter 2

18 years later.

“Rise and shine, my child!” Nico heard his mother chirpily said and opened the curtain on his room. The sun’s light entered his tiny bedroom making him squint his eyes. He blocked the light using his hand and groaned.

“Mom!” He protested. Berry went to his side and started tickling him making him laughed. He tossed and turned on the bed while holding his pillow. “Now, are you awake?” His mother asked and stopped tickling him. He nodded his head and brushed the tear in his eyes.

“You have grown so fast.” Berry said emotionally and touched her son’s face. After Nebula had a talked with the Gurangs, they found nothing. No answers for their questions. Gurangs were also surprised when they saw Nico. They couldn’t believe it was possible but Berry and Bumble didn’t give up on finding answers. They went to the room of knowledge wherein there are lots of books from oldest to newest piled on the shelves. They spent days of reading but they still couldn’t find the answer.

“Mom, are you alright?” Nico worriedly asked. Berry snapped out of her reminiscing and smiled gently at him. “I am. I just remembered something. Now get up if you don’t want to be late.” Her mother said and got up from the bed. She left her son’s room and went to the kitchen. Her husband, Bumble, brought foods and she needs to prepare it. Nico got up in his bed and went to the bathroom to wash. When he went out he saw his whole family already sitting in the chair waiting for him.

“So slow.” His sister, Amaryllis said and rolled her eyes. Nico hurriedly went to his chair and sat. “Mom, can you give me money? I have to buy something for the party in Nectarine’s house.” His sister said. Her mother eyed her and sighed.

“This money is for your brother, Amaryllis. He needs to buy a book.” Berry said. Nico cleared his throat and all of them looked at him, “It’s okay Mom, just give it to her. I’ll manage.” He smiled at her sister but Amaryllis just rolled her eyes at him.

“Attention seeker.” She quietly whispered enough for Nico to hear. Nico resumed eating his food not minding what his sister said. Amaryllis has been like that since they were young. Amaryllis loathed him and it’s only Libby that he’s close with. After eating, Nico left the house and went to the school. Every pixie he encountered on the way would look at him with distaste. He sighed once again. He’s been experiencing this since he was young and the best that he can do is to avoid them.

“Hey, Lily boy!” A troupe of pixies called him and laughed. ‘Lily boy’- that is the insult they’ve been throwing at him for the last years. It’s because he’s a boy but he was born on a lily seed instead of the bluebell. Nico knows these pixies, their leader is called Foxglove and he’s the same age as him.

“Can you please stop already? What? Is that the best thing that you can do in your life, Foxglove? Insulting me?” He said seriously. It’s the first time that he fought back against him. Foxglove’s eyes darkened and pulled Nico in his shirt. “Are you fighting back now, Lily boy?” He mockingly asked.

“Let go of me!” Nico shouted and swatted his hands away. He instantly regretted his action when Foxglove glared at him. He tried to escape by flying but Foxglove’s followers pinned him down on the dirty road. Foxglove grabbed Nico’s hair and softly slapped him in the face, three times. “This will teach you not to mess with me, Lily boy.” He said and kicked Nico on the shin before walking away. Nico gasped in pain and touched the place where Foxglove kicked him. Wings aching because of being harshly pinned down on the ground, he got up and flew to his favorite place, far away from the pixies and far away from this cruel world. He landed in the spruce tree and there, he cried his eyes out.

He wiped his tears away and just sat there watching the clear horizon. After what happened, he decided not to go to school because beside Foxglove and his gang, Amaryllis and her friends will surely bully him there. His parents cannot know any of this, that his own sister is tormenting him. Even if his sister hates him, he will not tell because he loves Amaryllis.

“Hey, what are you doing up there?” Nico heard a voice asked from below. He quickly looked to where the voice is coming from and frowned. It’s a male pixie but Nico is not interested in making any friends. He ignored him but the pixie was determined. He picked up a tiny rock on the ground and threw it which hit Nico’s shoulder and cheekily smiled. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Nico angrily asked when he got down from the tree. This pixie is not familiar to him. The pixie took something out in his pocket and waved this in front of Nico’s face.

“A carved necklace?” He strangely asked. The pixie nodded his head while smiling mischievously. “I stole it from the kobolds.” He proudly said. Nico’s eyes widened in horror.

“Why did you do that?!” He angrily asked and snatched the necklace from the pixie’s hand. Kobolds lived in the cages. They are small creatures that loves worshipping stone figures. They are skilled at building traps and aggressive creatures and most importantly they hate thieves. “I’ll return it!” He shouted but it was already too late. Nico heard a twig snapped and a pack of kobolds went out of the bush. The pixie grabbed his hands.

“Run!” He said and they started running. The kobolds ran after them holding a spear and other weapons in their hands. Nico started shaking. He’s afraid that something bad may happen to them. “Just run, I’ll protect you.” The stranger pixie seriously said.

“You are really an i***t! Why did you stole from them?!” Nico angrily asked. The stranger pixie laughed but didn’t answer. A kobold appeared in front of them stopping them from running away. “Thief!” The kobold roared. Nico tightened his hold on the stranger’s hand. The stranger took his silver dagger out and launched himself at the kobold dragging Nico behind him. He stabbed the kobold on the arm and the kobold wailed, hurt from being stabbed by a silver dagger. The stranger pixie pulled Nico away.

“Why are we running when we can just fly our way out?!” Nico yelled exasperatedly. His frown intensifies. The stranger laughed at him, enjoying the annoyed looked on his face. “It’s no fun.” The only response he got. Nico can’t help but to punched the stranger’s shoulder.

“I’m kidding!” The stranger said. “On the count of three, we’ll fly together, understood?” He instructed and Nico nodded his head. He counted from one to three and they both fly, successfully escaping from the kobolds that’s hunting them. They landed on the pine tree and Nico smacked the stranger’s head.

“Are you crazy?!” He shouted. “That was fun! And no, I’m not crazy.” The stranger said while laughing. Nico was about to fly away from him but the stranger stopped him.

“Don’t go. I promise I’ll behave.” The stranger said, Nico rolled his eyes and sat beside him. “I’m Llenard, what’s your name?” Llenard said and hide the dagger in his pocket. “I’m Nico.” Nico replied. Suddenly, series of images flashed through his mind making him dizzy. Llenard grabbed his arms and stared at him worriedly. “Are you alright?” He asked but before Nico could answer, everything went black.