The Rising Sun: Episode 2 by J Hawk

temple, and they didn’t know what it was keeping him from this
meeting right now.
     
    Well, Mantra does have his …
eccentricities. admitted Galinor.
     
    Faced with a rather distressing scenario, the
elder council made a bold decision. One that they knew they would
have to make at the very end. They were heading to the planet
Radioc to acquire the object by themselves. The Naxim, which had a
tough hold on the planet, would undoubtedly by alerted when its top
mystic targets entered its primary zone. And it truly was unlikely
that they succeeded in getting the object they had to find in the
village and return, but this was all that was left…
     
    “This may be our last day together,” said
Dantox, stepping forward from the circle. His golden hair rustled
slightly in a gentle breeze wafting from the open window. Looking
slowly over the ten others, he said, “I take this opportunity, to
say that it’s been an honour serving with you, my brothers…”
     
    “Save the last minute sentiments for a time
where they’re needed.” cut in a familiar voice from the doorway
behind.
     
    Galinor turned over to find Mantra standing
at the door, his calm expression lumined in a smile.
     
    “We’re heading into the most dangerous planet
in the Naxim’s radar, with all of us on its priority list.” said
Galinor, turning to fully face him. “What’re the odds all of us
will come back?”
     
    Mantra shook his head, giving a soft laugh.
“We won’t be going at all. Because right now, Ion has decided to
change his mind. He’s making his way to the planet as we now
speak.”
     
    The ten masters made sounds of shock and
delight.
     
    Galinor continued to stare at Mantra for a
moment after he heard this, before relief rushed through him. “If
that’s really true…”
     
    “Yes,” said Mantra, nodding. “there is a
pretty good chance after all, fellow masters, that we may have the
object securely acquired after all. The boy will enter the planet
without setting off the Naxim’s alarms, as he isn’t marked by them.
And they don’t have his mystical aura traced in their energy
detectors. I’d like to hold my faith up in him, that he will fetch
us the object victoriously … and my faith usually manages to align
itself with reality.”
     
    __________
     
     
    Ion walked down the semi urban lane flanked
by old, cracked structures. He found civilians strolling down the
street, most of them cloaked.
     
    The hover bike had carried him to the very
outskirts of this city, the one where the ship hangar of this
planet was, before its fuel ran out as Ion had rightly predicted.
But Ion had wasted no time at all and had hurriedly scrambled down
the maze of structures, making his way to the hangar by foot.
     
    The sense of urgency was slowly mounting
within him: he had left almost an hour ago. He had reached here
just over half an hour ago. And for half an hour, he had been
looking for a way to get to the hangar. For half an hour, he had
wandered helplessly and stupidly. And finally, he had found a kind
old man who had agreed to lead him to the hangar, which it seemed,
was closer than he had thought. Ion felt a growing anxiety in his
stride. He needed to get to the village quickly. Time seemed flow
by faster by the second … and time was what he didn’t have.
     
    “Thanks again by the way,” he said, looking
at the elderly man who was leading him to the hangar. The man gave
a nod, his waist length white hair flapping.
     
    As Ion looked down the lane sweeping the city
ahead, his thoughts slowly drifted back to the event that had
changed his life, an hour ago. And an upsurge of emotion, mixed
with gratitude, arose within him.
     
    His final meeting with his master would stay
branded in his memory.
     
    “ You are searching for revenge … But you
will never find it. You can’t. And you yourself know that … you are
not searching for the one in the poster, you’re hiding from him. Hiding from reality … trying to outrun