A Leap Of Faith
2261 Words
Ash found himself in the very room where he left his friends. It was empty, but Ash could see that Izumi and Tron did a lot of additional research. It made him feel happier as he got friends who would never give up on him. Ash looked at the potion which was in his hand and put it inside his pocket. He wanted to talk to his friends, but meeting his parents seemed more important to him at that moment. So he headed straight home. Designing characters for the new game didn't even matter to Ash anymore. When Ash went to his home, his mother jumped in joy when she spotted him and came running to hug him. His father, who was tensed, was finally relieved. They expressed how much they missed him, but none of them asked where he had been for a couple of days. His parents were really trying so hard, thought Ash.
' I have missed you so much, ' said Ash.
' We miss you more, ' said his mother.
' I know that not coming home for few days might be very stressful for you guys, but I love you guys now more than ever. The trust you put in me and allowing me to enjoy my life without any restrictions, I promise that I will never let you down and I will take care of myself. '
Ash's father could clearly see that something was bothering him. But he chose to remain silent at the moment. He wanted to see if his son would come to talk with him for any suggestion or insight.
That night, Ash went to his father, who was sitting outside, enjoying the breeze.
' Hey, dad. Can I ask you something? '
' I know you got something on your mind. I was just waiting to see if you would approach your father or not. Come on, son, ask me right away. '
' What are your views on sacrifice? '
' Well, you definitely know its meaning. It depends on the context, son. I know you wouldn't tell me your exact situation, so it is alright even if you would give me a generalized scenario. '
' What if you have a responsibility to do something, you are not sure whether you can do it or not, but the people around you believe that you are the only one who could do it, but it comes with certain repercussions. If you decide to go forward with it, then you will have to sacrifice all the people you ever loved. Would you do it? '
' I never experienced a situation like this, but let me tell you about your mother. Do you know how we got married? Your mother was a good friend to me in college. She was a beautiful yet simple girl who used to always focus on her studies and had very few friends. I tried to talk to her many a time, but she never really responded to me well. But after some unsuccessful tries, she finally became my friend. We used to have lunch together and the more I talked to her, I realized that she bottled up her emotions which were eating her from inside. I wanted her to share with me her problems only when she was ready, so I never asked her what bothered her. As days passed she started to tell me all about her family and how stressful it was for her to live with them. It is hard to live with abusive parents because it takes an emotional toll on the individual. I proposed to her soon after and surprisingly she accepted. After college, when she told her parents about me, they rejected me straight away. We waited for years convincing them but in vain. Finally, I asked her to either come with me or it was time for us to move on because it was too difficult for either of us. It was stopping us from achieving things in our life. We were stuck.
Now the only reason I asked her to come with me was because of her toxic relationship with her parents. Leaving them was the only thing that would free her from becoming a better person. She loved her parents too much despite how they treated her. One of the main reasons that they hated her was they wanted a boy. Such stereotypical people they were. At that moment, she made a decision to come with me by sacrificing the love she had for her parents. It was very difficult for her to take that step and it took her a while to adjust to the new conditions, but she was happy with me and when she realized that, she was glad she took the leap. In a nutshell, what I wanted to tell you is if the cause is important, or if your heart wants to do it or if it helps people, then you should do it, son. '
' But is it easy, to let go of all the things that you love? '
' Nothing that is extraordinary is easy, son. All you need is a leap of faith. '
' A leap of faith, ' repeated Ash and continued saying, ' What if you take the leap to live up to the expectations of the people, but you fail in succeeding? '
' See, son. The outcome is important, but more than that, trying is critical. If you attempt to do something noble and fail, people will still recognize the step you took for them, hence it is the willingness to do something that matters the most regardless of the result. '
' That is a great piece of advice, dad. I can't make up my mind around how can a person give up on a world he loves over a world he barely knows. '
' Extraordinary is always difficult, son. That is why ninety-five percent of the people remain ordinary and unpopular. The rest five percent are willing to take risks despite the odds and they will be remembered and they will do remarkable things. The first thing that you should do if you want to do something exceptional is make up your mind. Your heart and mind should be in sync or else it would be like travelling on two different boats at the same time and if they move apart, you are doomed and all your efforts would be futile. On the contrary, if you are strongly determined and if you never back down no matter what then you will make it no matter how many obstacles you might stumble upon, no matter how many challenges are thrown at you, and despite all odds, you will emerge triumphantly. I know this might sound exaggerating, but it is true. '
' Thank you, dad. I think this conversation cleared a lot of uncertainties in me and gave me a clear conscience. Problems are mostly simple, we make them complex by overthinking. '
' No problem is bigger. It is our inability to deal with
it that makes it complicated. '
' Exactly. '
No matter how motivated his father's words were, it was still difficult for Ash to wrap his mind around leaving his family for a battle that he isn't sure that he would win. He only has enough potion left to go to Solaris, but he can never come back. He always believed that he wasn't just born to just eat, work, sleep and die. He was born with a purpose to do something, where the stakes are higher and finally when he had that opportunity, he was having second thoughts about it. Anyway, before he took a decision, he also wanted to meet his friends and listen to what they have to say. As he was thinking about his friends, his mobile starts to ring and the incoming call was from Izumi.
' Ash? Are you here? Are you back? How are you? '
' Hey, Izumi. I am back. How did you know I was here? '
' Well, I uh, put a tracker in you to see where you were going after teleportation. It wasn't functional though, but I checked it just now and it came back online. So I figured you are back. Tell me everything. '
' I would love to, man but not today. Sleep peacefully and I will tell you tomorrow. '
' What if you get teleported again before the sun rises? '
' Nothing of such sort would happen. Don't you worry about it. Call Tron in the morning, don't tell him now. He would also start calling right away and I don't want to talk about it now. '
' Alright, Ash. Whatever you need. We'll talk first thing in the morning. '
----*----
Klaus: What to do now? I don't know how we were going to win the battle, but I know that Chosen One had a very important role. Now that he is gone, what is the alternative?
Old one: There is none, Klaus. But we shouldn't accept defeat. If we are dying anyway, then let's fall in battle and take down as many beasts with us as possible. You must do what you can to save Solaris.
Klaus: I'll send a note to my kingdom to alert them of war. The warriors of Thunder are more than capable of handling any enemy. All the armies of other kingdoms except for Prime would certainly comply with Knightstar's command. We should intercept the demons far away from people to prevent panic and destruction. We should be the first line of defense and fight them in a territory that is advantageous for us.
As Klaus was explaining his plan of action, a homing pigeon arrived with a note. It landed on Klaus's palm and Klaus took the note from its beak. It was sent by his brother Reagan. The content of it is as follows.
' Dear brother, I hope you are doing well on your journey. I can only imagine how exciting it must be. I am writing you this to let you know that Emperor Aldrich Mackentyre is dead and soon after his death, our father had been summoned to Prime and it has been a week and he hadn't returned. I don't know why, but I don't feel good about it. I wish to go visit Prime and see for myself, but our hands are tied. If you receive this message, I want you to check on him.
Yours lovingly,
Reagan. '
Klaus: I need to get back. Things might be going out of control and they need to be adjusted before they get out of hand. Also, the emperor is dead.
Old one: This is not a good sign, Klaus. Handle the situations with care. One misstep or one failure will cost everyone their lives.
Klaus nodded and left immediately. He travelled for a few weeks and finally, he reached Solaris Prime. When he was about to enter the Prime, he was obstructed by 378 and 413.
Klaus: Hello, soldiers. Do you have any idea about my father, Edgar Knightstar?
They remained silent and Klaus didn't have enough patience to ask for a second time, so he tried to get past them.
378: My lord, I am terribly sorry, but I won't let you in.
Klaus: What's wrong?
378: Trust me, my lord. It is better not to go inside.
Klaus: You either let me go or I'll make you.
The soldiers knew that they couldn't stop Klaus even if they wanted to.
413: My lord, this is a note from your father, and before going inside, I want you to have a look at it.
' Dear sons,
I am writing this, just in case something happens to me. The death of the Emperor sounded suspicious to me and when I was summoned, I got a feeling that something bad was about to go down. If you hear any bad news, do not lose your composure and do not seek vengeance. My final wish is that you all should save Solaris from the imminent threat and then and only then from the wicked ruler. If anyone can put a stop to the cycle of this violence and annihilation, it would be my brave kids. Just know that I loved you all, with all my heart even if I failed to show it. Be well, kids. '
' Why do I feel this like a goodbye? What happened to my father and why are the soldiers preventing me from going inside? '
Klaus got off from his mount and walked inside. In any situation, he always assumed for the worst so that he would be ready for anything, but he couldn't this time. He walked very slowly, he didn't want to progress, but he had to. Klaus was afraid for the first time in his life. He never knew what fear was until now. The mere moments just before you discover something horrific is terrifying and Klaus was experiencing the same. He was walking with his face downward. He was viewing the land on which he was walking. As he went, he spotted the bases of two newly constructed poles at the entrance. He raised his head slowly to look at the peak of the pole and when he looked at the top, it felt like his heart stopped beating for a second and he fell on his knees.
- Writer
