He handed me a paper with a name and a picture under the headline ‘Z9’.

And the picture showed the only person that could make this a ten times worse.

***

Genie gasped.

I read aloud to make myself realize what was really written:

“Z9. Male. 19 years old... Aaron Yan.”

“We know,” Jack smiled.

“Sorry, I... I can’t. He can’t be my trainer,” I tried to sound as calm as possible, but Jack started laughing out loud.

“And why not, may I ask? Is he too handsome?”

“N-no, it’s just... As Rainie told you, I know him, and...”

“From now on you should call her Miss Z10. Show some respect, please. She’s one of our best.”

“Sorry, but as Miss Z10 told you... wait, are you sure this isn’t all a joke?” I suddenly got the idea that this could be some new kind of surprise blind date set up by my parents. But why would they set me up with Aaron?

Jack lifted his eyebrows.

“Certainly not. We only make jokes on people on their birthdays.”

“Then prove it!” Genie demanded.

Jack smirked.

“It is actually sad that you’re not Skilled, Miss Cho. I think you would be an excellent Coder.”

Without further ado, he reached out against a plant in the other end of the room, said some words I couldn’t hear, after which the plant exploded.

Genie and I whined in shock.

“I believe that is prove enough, together with all the unusual things that have happened to you lately,” he said. I nodded silently.

“You will start your training tomorrow. We will let Mr. Z9 know, and he will meet you here tomorrow afternoon at three o’clock. Miss Cho is welcome to company you,” he nodded at Genie. I still wanted to protest, but didn’t have any arguments left.

When we had been instructed how to easily enter the head quarter, we left and went back to Genie’s house.

We didn’t talk until we were in her room, but then we also talked a lot.

We also examined the ring several times, but one thing kept bothering me.

“Aaron can’t be my trainer,” I said.

“He has to. You heard what Jack... Master Na said.”

“But WHY does it have to be him?!” I was in despair. Of all people…

“Who else can help you than Aaron?” Genie’s way of not giving me any choice nearly made me dissolve in tears.

How did this even begin? Why me..?

I stayed at Genie’s house until the next day. After discussing all night, we still weren’t sure what exactly to think about it.

“But... after all it’s pretty awesome, right?” Genie said. “I mean, to have super powers and all that stuff.”

“But Genie, me as some kind of soldier? You must be crazy. I can’t even kill a fly,” I complained.

“Well, that’s what Aaron has to teach you, right?”

“I don’t even want to learn it.”

“Oh, come on, Gui Gui. Our lives are so boring. Dinner parties, meeting grand people, talking behaved all the time. Even you complained about this more than once, which is rare in itself. Why not try an opportunity to make it just a bit more exciting?”

“Genie, I can’t ‘try an opportunity’, I’m kind of forced to do this.”

“Then try to get the best from it.”

“How can I? I can’t do this. No matter how many super powers, or Skills or whatever this ring has given me, I’m not made for something like this,” I sighed. “I’m made to live in this society, no matter how boring it is, and I honestly don’t want to change that fact.”

Genie sighed too.

“Alright, I know. But we can’t do anything about it. Master Na said it would be dangerous if you don’t get any training, so we can wait until you can control the powers and then end it.”

I liked that idea, even though it didn’t keep me from being forced to meet Aaron in less than two hours.

When Genie and I finally stepped into the reception of the head quarter, it was exactly three o’clock pm.

The reception was a big, bright room, even though it was placed under the ground. There were many small tables with chairs, so we found one to wait at.

It only took two minutes before Aaron also stepped in. And with him was... Jiro.

I sent Genie a painful gaze, and she returned it.

Aaron didn’t look around before asking the receptionist something. I could hear him mention “X32”.

But meanwhile, Jiro had seen us. He poked Aaron and pointed at us at the same time as the receptionist.

Aaron froze and stood still for several seconds before he pulled himself together and followed Jiro, who had already started walking towards us.

Jiro reached us first.

“What are two upper-class girls as you doing in this place?” He placed his hands at the table and leaned forwards.

“I was just about to ask you the same, just using ‘annoying bully’ instead of ‘upper-class girls’,” Genie coldly replied.

Aaron stopped behind Jiro and stared at me.

“I actually work here. And if you intend to do the same, which I can’t believe, you should rather call me Mr. Z11,” Jiro just as coldly talked back. I dropped my jaw.

“Z11?” I asked.

“Yes, Missy,” he smiled tauntingly.

“May I ask,” Aaron said without emotion, “if you really – seriously – are X32?”

I nodded and tried to keep calm. Jiro started laughing loudly.

“Oh god! What a joke! Master Na can’t be serious...”

“I should have known it,” Aaron silently said, and Jiro kept quiet. “The Silver Ring... Master Na said that X32 had it... And I even saw it the other day. That also explains Rainie’s interest in you.” He seemed disappointed.

“So... it is for real? What about you, then?” he asked Genie.

“I don’t have any Skills,” Genie shook her head.

“At least my X Coder isn’t such a snob. I feel sorry for you,” he said to Aaron, and didn’t look the least sorry.

“You only chose your X Coder because you think she’s hot,” Aaron said.

“She is,” Jiro stated.

“Miss Wu... X32. You better come with me to the training centre.”

Jiro’s X Coder waited for us in the so-called training centre. I admitted that she was pretty. And looked far tougher than me.

Jiro presented her as Miss X9, and I greeted her just as kindly as I would greet any stranger, which meant very kindly.

Jiro afterwards took her to a room with the sign ‘Stamina’. Aaron took Genie and I to another room called ‘Theory’, which sounded very boring to me, until I saw the huge library inside.

I asked Aaron what X9’s real name was.

“Her real name is Jolin Tsai, as far as I know,” he answered shortly.

We found a table, and Aaron asked me to tell everything strange that had happened to me after I got the ring.

I told him everything I could remember, maybe except for the things concerning Alien. Aaron seemed to notice it, as he had seen what happened at the dinner party.

“The Silver Ring is the one that gives overall Skills. The other four rings only give Skills in certain areas, which would make it troublesome for an Unskilled to use them. I think you should start reading about the Rings, as it is pretty relevant to know exactly where and what your power comes from,” Aaron said in the same, indifferent tone.

Without further explanation, he lived his hands towards the huge bookcases and mumbled a lot of words while he moved his hands around the room. One after one, books flew down from the walls and landed neatly on the table.

When he put his hand down again, about ten books of different sizes stood in front of me.

I realized that the Five Rings had their own kind of science – at least there was written quite a lot books about them.

Some books told their story – who had owned them through time, how and where they were made and so on. To my surprise, it was very rarely that the owners of the Rings had been known.

Other books explained about each Ring, which Skills they gave, what they looked like and how they should be used.

I read for five hours, and had actually read half of the books Aaron had placed in front of me, when he said that I was done for today, but had to come back tomorrow morning and read the rest.

“Mr. Z9?”I carefully asked. He turned towards me, and I could catch a glimpse of surprise in his expression.

“How many Rings do the Blazing Soldiers know the owners of right now?”

Aaron looked at me for a few seconds before he answered.

“Your ring, the Silver Ring. We don’t know for sure about the others. But we know slightly about where the Sun Ring is right now.”

“Where is it then?”

“I got the idea that you didn’t want to collect the rings,” he looked suspiciously at me, “but the person who has it certainly isn’t a Blazing Soldier. We’re not the only organization that is after the rings. But the one who can collect all the rings has the chance of becoming the most powerful Coder in the world. And – unfortunately, as things are now – it is the owner of the Silver Ring that has the biggest possibility of collecting them, as the Silver Ring won’t leave its owner until he – or she – dies.”

And with these words, he walked away.

I had concluding four things of what Aaron had told me;

The first was that I was in possible life danger.

The second was that everyone obviously expected me to collect all the rings, and therefore be in greater life danger.

The third was that Aaron didn’t care at all.

And the last was that I had to respond to Alien’s proposal as soon as possible.

***

I have been working in the garden, reading (a lot), been with my family, and been to Knuthenborg Safari park. I have some hilarious pictures, but I unfortunately can’t upload them yet :/

Anyways...

Z9 WAS Aaron. As some of you had guessed :b

But how will Gui Gui answer Alien’s proposal?

And what about the other problems that have suddenly showed up?

Consider the second preview from last chapter as a preview for next chapter :)

And check out my friend’s (GuiLun) fanfic, Black Coffee (winglin.net/fanfic/BlackCoffee2).

And as the last thing I’ll write before I go to bed: You have no idea how much every comment means to me :D even though I don’t have time to answer all of them, I read them all, and they make me extremely happy :]

So please, please, please comment!

- Blitz