“I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?”
― John Lennon

“She got you out in time.”

I opened my eyes and there she was, the young woman from before; the one from my dream. Only this time she was sitting on a table with her legs crossed. Her eyes were crystal clear blue, as if the sky were merged into two eyeballs of hers.

I looked around, this time I wasn’t outside like before. Instead, I was sitting on a chair and a desk in front of me with the windows on my left side. I was clearly in an empty classroom, judging from rows of the same desks and the clear blackboard in front of the class.
 

I looked back at her, “Why am I here? Who are you?”

The woman smiled, “You’ll figure me soon enough, Keeper. In the meantime, don’t you have a better question to ask?”

I clenched my fist, I was tempt to yell. Every curses and swear words I could think off to say to her. How dare she showed up after that dream? After my parents..

“Easy there, Keith..” she smiled lightly, almost in an arrogant feel. “Your mother and father are still alive, I’ll tell you that.”

My eyes widened, “They’re alive..?”

The woman nodded, “For now, they are. But I can’t guarantee for long.”

I stood up, “Where are they? What are those creatures showing up my house? Who was that woman that came to my house? Why are you calling me Keeper?!”

The woman sighed, “That’s four questions you’ve got and I will answer one of them.”

“Answer all or I swear I’ll-”

“You will?” she challenged with a raised eyebrow. “You definitely resembles like your grandfather.” she chuckled.

“My grandfather?” I asked. It’s my first time hearing someone mentioned my grandfather, even my mother doesn't.

The woman nodded, “Your mother never told you about her family tree, I suppose.. But I’ll tell you a bit of it. The rest of it, you can ask your aunt.”

“You mean the woman that came to my house this morning? Aunt Ijiri?”

“That’s Great Aunt Ijiri for you, Keeper.” said the woman. “Since your mum calls her by ‘Aunt’ ”

“But she looked younger than my mum!” I protested. “How-”

“Looks can be deceiving, Keeper. You must learn that.” said the woman. “Where was I? Ah yes.. Family tree..”

“Your mother, Nagisa Shibuya was the daughter from your grandfather’s second wife.” said the woman. “No need to be surprised, polygamy was normal back then in the old days. But anyways, your grandfather was a human; a Keeper.”

“The Terra you live in right now, isn’t the only place with living creatures.” said the woman. “There are other worlds lined up together, Terra is just one of many.”

“What do you mean?”

“A parallel world.” said the woman. “There are other places than Terra that has living creatures. Terra is just one world with humans and animals while there are many more places with other different living creature.”

“You’re lying.” I shook my head. “I’ve never seen anything other than human-”

“Then tell me, Keeper.” said the woman. “What did you see back then in your house?”

My face went slack, remembering those horrible creatures… “th-”

“Those creatures weren’t from Terra.” said the woman. “It came from somewhere else other than Terra. Just like Terra, but the whole world was stuffed with those dark creatures, monsters.”

“How did they came here?”

“Each world that lined up has special gates. These special gates are created by the force of the universe that holds Terra and other world, and they are unpredictable. They are called Pýli tou állou or known as Gate of Another.”

“They can popped out anywhere and almost unpredictable as the gates functioned as portals to other world. Anyone crossing the gate can transfer themselves to another world or another place in Terra by instant.” said the woman. “But not all that uses the gate are good. Many are evil and dark with intentions to consume the energy gained from people of Terra, humans and animals.”

“Like the dark creatures..” I continued. The woman nodded. “Where did they came from?”

“There are many places stuffed with those creatures, all accessible by the gates.” said the woman. “But my guess is that they were sent by someone. Someone that clearly wants you.”

“Because I’m a keeper?” I asked. “You haven’t even told me what are Keepers?!”

“Oh yes.. I forgot about that.” frowned the woman. “The GoA might be unpredictable, but they are possible to control.”

“GoA?”

“Gate of Another. I figured that it should be shortened for the sake of slippery tongue.” said the woman. “But anyway, GoA is possible to be controlled by Keepers. Keepers are the only ones that possess the power to shut down or seal a GoA, stopping dark creatures like that to use the GoA.”

“Your grandfather, Yuudai Takata is the 117th Keeper of the Takata Family.” said the woman. “The Takata Clan has been one of the strongest Keepers in Asahi. Each generation was inherited to be a Keeper that protects the land of Asahi from dark creatures appearing out of GoA.”

“Which means, you are the next in line right now Keith Takata Brown.” said the woman. “You are the next Keeper of the Takata.”

I fell silence for a moment before shaking my head, “There must be a mistake. There is no way all these things make sense!!” I laughed. “I mean, I never seen-”

“You saw the dark creatures back then didn’t you?” asked the woman. “You can see them right? If you can then you are a Theatis.”

“A what now?!”

“Theatis.” said the woman. “It’s a term used for someone with the ability to see through the force, a strong illusion that covers mere humans to see the creatures from the other world. Every Keeper is definitely a Theatis at the very least.”

“The Force?”

“It’s a power created to fool mere humans to see the dangerous creature from another world.” said the woman. “Imagine what would happen if nowadays people see the many dark creatures just watching them and roamed around Terra. Chaotic surely.”

“What I am saying are all real, Keith. You are destined to be a Keeper and I must say, it is unfortunate that your mother hides the fact from you and marry Richard Brown.” said the woman sadly.

I looked up,“You’re saying my mum’s marriage with my dad is a mistake?!”

The woman shook her head, “Whether you are born with an Asahi father or and Astralis father, the destiny still lied the same. Your mother left for Astralis before the Last Keeper died, her half brother, your uncle, Daisuke Takata. He was killed along with his wife and their unborn son, thus erased the whole possible candidate of the Takata Clan’s Keeper.”

“But then.. Your mother married Richard in Astralis.” continued the woman. “She has you, the last of the Takata Clan. The only one possible to be a Keeper is you, Keith.”

“Who killed my uncle and his family?” I asked.

“He was overwhelmed by the dark creatures one night, seventeen years ago.” said the woman. “His wife would not leave his side, and together they fought until they finally able to seal down the GoA. By the time they finished, they were fatally wounded and died from exhaustion and massive bleeding.”

I fell silence, trying to absorbed all the stories. “Then, what happened next? The GoA.. nobody guards them for seventeen years?”

“Oh there is someone guarding the GoA.” said the woman. “They killed off the dark creatures and other evil things coming out from the GoA, but not able to close it until the GoA would close on its own.”

“Who?”

“Your Great Aunt, Anna Ijiri.” said the woman. “And now I think she must’ve worried that you have not woken up.”

“Wait,” I stopped the woman before she left the room. “You haven’t told me what’s your name yet and what you are… You know everything.”

The woman smiled, “You will understand what I am sooner or later, Keith. For now and later on, you may call me Milky.”

“Jaa~” she smiled and all the sudden the world turned upside down to a dark hole.


======================================================================================================================


I woke up and found myself facing the white wooden ceiling with light bulb lit up my eyes. I sat up and instantly felt a wave of nausea hit my head. Groaning, I closed my eyes as I put my hands on my forehead where it hit me the most.

“Shadow Travelling isn’t that pleasant especially when it’s your first time.” said a voice. I turned slowly and I saw Aunt Ijiri reading a book as she sat on a chair beside my bed. “You’ll get use to it though.”

“What happened?”

Aunt Ijiri closed her book and put the book on her lap. She was no longer dressed in her coat, instead she was wearing a casual shirt and shorts, her hair was tied back into a ponytail and she was wearing glasses this time, a reading one most likely. Judging from the dark rounds of her eyes, she must've at least stayed up for a lot of time. Her figure was slender and almost pale if it weren't for healed scratches on her arms and legs which left slightly darker part of her skin.

“Well..” she sighed leaning back on her chair as she took her glasses off. “Where would you like me to start? Do you know my name?”

I nodded, “Aunt Ijiri.. Ijiri Anna.” I swallowed. “You’re my Great Aunt..”

Aunt Ijiri tilted her head, “You don’t look convinced by the fact I am your Great Aunt.”

“I think it’s obvious enough.” I answered bluntly. “You looked younger than my mother and yet the way you speak was bolder. You’re not human, right?”

Aunt Ijiri smiled slightly, “Well observed, Kiddo. I am indeed not a human. But I am not going to hurt you.” she said.

“You were looking for me.” I said. “You’re looking for the next Keeper.”

Aunt Ijiri frowned, “How far do you know about Keepers?” I told her everything that I saw and heard in my dream from before and back at home. Aunt Ijiri listened to me carefully until I finished my whole story before she leaned back and sighed.

“You met her.” said Aunt Ijiri. “Fate.”

“Fate.”

Aunt Ijiri nodded, “The one that introduced herself as Milky was Fate. It tells destiny and future written in her book, every single stories that every single living creature has in Terra. She reveals and created every single one of them and yet almost never tell anybody directly unless...”

“Unless..?”

“Unless something big is coming..” aid Aunt Ijiri. “Not everyone has Fate visiting their dream unless it is important.”

“She did say something is coming back in my house.” I added. “Something to do with eclipse..”

“Eclipse..” said Aunt Ijiri slowly. “The change of season.”

“Change of Season?”

“The transition from Summer to Autumn.” said Aunt Ijiri. “Here in Asahi, every transition of the season an eclipse will appear. Unlike Astralis.”

“Hang on,” I looked at Aunt Ijiri. “Are we in Asahi right now?”

“Of course.” said Aunt Ijiri. “You are now inside the Takata Household, Naniwa-Kyo, Asahi.”


To Be Continued