“Help.” Ado said. He looked around but all he saw was darkness, there was nothing at all. He reached out his hand, trying to grasp something that wasn’t there, then he realized he was falling. “Help!” Ado yelled. His reflexes made him want to move his body, but he was paralyzed, trapped within the position that he was in. Not being able to move made him feel helpless. Then he woke up.

Ado’s torso jolted up, with his eyes sparking wide open, with him gasping in horror at his nightmare. He was sweating and he saw that his blanket was on the wooden floor of his room. He took a few deep breaths, and was interrupted by an ominous breeze that came from his open window. He was unbothered by it and got up to catch a glimpse of what time his clock read.  It was 5:31 AM, and Ado looked out his window and observed that the sun had already risen.

“What the hell? Zoe was supposed to come here 30 minutes ago. Oh well.” Ado said out loud to himself.

However, subconsciously Ado had different thoughts. At 5:00 AM sharp, Zoe would always come to his house and yell in order to wake him up. They would always watch the sunrise together and then would eat breakfast at one of the restaurants in town. Ado was directly thinking about how he woke up so early, without Zoe yelling. “Looks like my body got use to waking up this early.” Ado said as he laughed. Ado was in his boxers as he would always sleep in them. He glanced at the black pants and a white t-shirt neatly folded on his table, then he changed and went downstairs. He put on a pair of black socks, and then his silver boots. After exiting his house, he decided to stop by a house that was across of his own.

“Zoe!” Ado yelled on the top of his lungs. “What happened? Did Ms. Always On Time sleep in?” Even if Zoe was sleeping in, she is very sensitive to sound and would wake up right away to something of that level of volume. After knowing Zoe for so long, Ado assumed that she was not asleep and that she went to the town. He walked in the direction of the town, but was clumsy and tripped over a rock. Ado fell but was able to avoid slamming his face into the ground by using his hand to break his fall. He was in a one-armed push-up position and looked straight down at the dirt and smiled, thinking about how fast his reflexes had become.

“Ado!” Zoe called. Ado got up and looked straight at Zoe. She was wearing jeans along with a white top, and her bright green eyes had a radiant glow to them. “Aldus… he’s returned from his journey.” Zoe said with hesitation.

“It’s about time, where is he? In the town?” Ado questioned.

“Yeah, but--” Zoe was cut off by the enthusiastic Ado.

“Here I come Aldus! See you later Zoe!” Ado yelled as he sprinted towards the town.

“Damn it, that idiot doesn’t let anyone finish their sentences. Ado, please hurry, Aldus is…” Zoe said but was interrupted as a tear slid down her face. She turned around and began to walk towards the town, with her path illuminated by cherry blossom trees.

(New Setting)

It took five long minutes for Ado to reach the town. He was waiting for Aldus’ return for what seemed like an eternity, so for him, those five minutes went by really unhurried. He begun to see people in the town, people he saw every morning, however, they were all gathered in one place. He’s never seen anyone gather at the same place in a long time. “Maybe,” Ado thought “they’re all trying to get Aldus’ autograph.” Ado arrived to the crowd and went through to see Aldus. He was full of alacrity but when he saw Aldus, his entire world turned upside down. Aldus’ heavily muscular body was lying on the floor with psothetic limbs replacing where his left arm and left leg would be. His chest sported one huge scar that ran across his front torso diagonally, and was stiched. The rest of his torso was bandaged, along with his right arm and left shoulder. He was wearing black pants and a worn out black cloak that covered his back, but the injuries on his front torso were clearly distinguishable. He also wore a necklace, one that Ado has never seen before. Zoe arrived and watched everything unfold from the crowd. 

“Aldus, what the hell happened!” Ado yelled with anger as he clenched his fist.

Right next to Aldus was Alexandar, who owned a restaurant that Zoe and Ado always ate breakfast in and and also someone who was Aldus’ best friend. Alex closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

“Aldus engaged in combat with The Enemy of Humanity.” Alex told Ado.

“What! You mean him?” Ado said with shock.

“Yeah, Erebus the self-proclaimed Emperor of the World.” Alex said. “In the blink of an eye, Aldus was robbed of his left arm and left leg, and had several organs obliterated by him. Aldus somehow managed to flee on the brink of death, and go to a nearby village to get immediate medical attention. They gave him?” Alex was interrupted by Ado.

“Why! Why did no one wake me up when Aldus came! Why was I sleeping away with no thoughts of how much trouble Aldus was having!” Ado yelled as tears began to flow from his eyes. He kneeled over where Aldus was lying and punched the floor repeatedly. “Why am I so useless!” Ado yelled. Ado was sulking and then he felt a warm hand placed on his head. He looked up and saw that Aldus was moving with the very last energy he had left.

“Aldus, move anymore and you’ll make your injuries wo?” Alex said but was interrupted by Aldus.

“It’s fine... This old vessel is already finished. Hmph, Ado why are you crying. I truly belie?” Aldus coughed up blood. “I truly believe that you can bring peace into this world. Please take this.” Aldus said in a soft tone. Aldus took off the necklace he was wearing and put it  around Ado’s neck. The necklace had a black string and a blue rectangular pendant connected to it. Aldus coughed some more. “I leave the rest… to you.” Aldus said as he closed his eyes.

Every person that crowded around Aldus knew who he was. After all, Aldus was the hero that protected the people whenever there would be a serious threat. He fought off countless of pirates that came to attack the island and he was the most caring person around. He only wanted to promote peace and would only resort to violence when the lives of the people that he loved and wanted to protect were in danger. Everyone watched with discomfort as Aldus’ eyes closed which signified that a warrior so gallant has passed away. Although, Aldus might have not been linked by blood to the people, he was their family and an essential man in all of their lives.
“Aldus! Please just tell me that you’re taking nap?” Ado questioned.

“Ado, Aldus told me to tell you about?” Alex said softly as Ado got up and ran away from the town.

Ado has been alone from the start. His mother died at a young age, and his father also went on a journey similar to the journey that Aldus has gone on, but has never returned. The people do not even know whether or not Ado’s father was still alive, but it did not matter to Ado. Aldus who was not too old of a man at the time, took upon it himself to raise Ado into a strong and also a humble person. Although, they didn’t have a bloodlink, Aldus treated Ado as if he were his own child and the memories that Ado has made with Aldus are far too memorable. Ado remembered to the time where he trained with Aldus for the first time in the hotsprings of the island. He then remembered how he hit a rock while swimming, and Aldus stayed awake the entire night in order to watch over Ado and satisfy any of his childish needs. Memories began to flow through Ado’s head as if they were only the memories of the previous day. Tears that pounded on the dirt path made a trail while Ado was running.

“Ado! Come back here!” Zoe yelled.

“Zoe it’s alright, Aldus was a father figure to him. Give him some time.” Alex told Zoe.

(New Setting)   ******

The whole day went by quickly as Ado layed in his bed the whole time, sulking in response to Aldus’ death. He remembered when Aldus once told him that instead of crying, he should deal with difficult situations with a smile on his face. Ado tried to do this but just thinking about Aldus’ death made him release a river from his eyes.  The sun was beginning to set and it was getting darker. Then he heard a knock at his window.

“Knock, knock.” Zoe came into Ado’s room. “Can I come in?”

“Whatever.”Ado said.

“We didn’t see the sunrise today, or eat breakfast together.” Zoe told Ado.

“I didn’t eat any meal today.” Ado said softly.

“Neither have I, so lets go. Aldus wouldn’t want to be seeing you cry all day. He didn’t have pride in the depressed Ado, he had pride for the energy filled Ado.” Zoe told Ado. “I’ll wait outside.”

Ado reiterated Zoe’s words in his head and then remembered what Aldus told him. Aldus would always poke him in the forehead whenever Ado would start crying as Aldus’ way of dealing with misery was to put forth the best smile possible.  Ado smiled, wiped his eyes and then got up and put his shoes back on, leaving the house through his window. He remembered when Aldus taught him how he could climb buildings to get straight into rooms. Aldus had to do it once to save people from a fire in the island, and he decided that it was an essential skill to protect the people of the town. Wanting Ado to grow up to be a nice and selfless person, Aldus’ taught him everything about saving people and being a hero. It was a quiet night but the island was illuminated by torches that were like lamp posts. Ado and Zoe went to an elevated spot in Glory Beach, the only beach safe enough to go to in the island. When there were no clouds in the sky, you could directly see the sun from this spot. They came here every morning to view the sunrise. They watched as the red sun slowly faded away. When the sun would rise completely, both of them would make a wish, however they never watched the sunset together, so none of them mentioned a wish. After the sun disappeared both of them walked towards the town into Alex’s restaurant and bar. Its name was Adore the Glory, named after the island, and both Zoe and Ado would come here every morning to eat breakfast.

“Well if isn’t my two favorite kids.” Alex said. “What do you guys want?”

“Hey Uncle Alex, give us two steaks, along with a cup of rice.” Zoe told Alex.

“Doneness?”

“Medium rare.”

“Can do. Give me five minutes.” Alex would always treat them to a free meal everyday. He saw Ado and Zoe as his own children. Five minutes passed and Alex gave the two teens their meals. The steak had a beautiful aroma and smelt very fresh, to both Ado and Zoe. He gave the teens some fresh lemonaid along with the steak.
“Eat up!” Alex exclaimed.

“Hey, Uncle Alex?” Ado questioned.

“Yeah?” Alex answered.

“What were you going to tell me about?” Ado asked him.

“Everything that you missed. Are you ready?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, tell me.” Ado reassured him.

“That necklace you’re wearing, Aldus said that there are more parts to it. He discovered on his journey, in some ancient ruins, that there are objects hidden in ruins around the world that would grant you immeasureable power. He deduced that the necklace was only a part of a whole. Even someone of Aldus’s caliber could only find one of the items, if more even exist.” Alex went to the bar and pulled out a map from a drawer. He brought it over to the table that Ado and Zoe were sitting in.

“A world map?” Zoe questioned.

“Yeah.” Alex said. Alex pointed to the top of the map on a continent known as Hyperborea. The world had six continents, Symphonia, Nero, Lemuria, Meropis, Mu and Hyperborea. Hyperborea was a land that experienced eternal permafrost. The southern part of it had lands warm enough to support life and human settlements, however, it would still be cold to any non-native. Northern Hyperborea was completely different. It was made of very tall mountains and was too cold for any normal person to even consider entering the area, let alone live in it. It contained Mt. Chronos, which was dubbed The Mountain Where Time Intersects. No one knew what was in this mountain, as everyone who who have been known to enter it were simply never heard from ever again.
“Our own island is a small place and far away from the continent we belong to, Lemuria. Lemuria is in a completely opposite location compared to Hyperborea, but Aldus managed to travel that far. He then entered Mt. Chronos.” Alex said.

“What the hell! Aldus was experienced enough to enter the Mt. Chronos?” Both Zoe and Ado said in sync.
“It was a grueling experience, even for him, but he came across some ruins in a cave, where he found the necklace. After he obtained the necklace, he didn’t feel cold anymore and grueling conditions of Northern Hyperborea didn’t affect his body.”

“So this necklace has some sort of magical power in it?” Ado asked.

“Probably. After he obtained it he searched more but heard a large roar from outside. He went outside to check, thinking it was a beast that lived in the mountains, only to see a large mastodonic black dragon flying in the air.
“No way, Erebus was at Mt. Chronos?” Ado asked.

“Apparently, and his glowing red eye ingrained fear into Aldus. Before Aldus knew it, he was lying on the floor, and he told me he saw the reaper. The dragon was nowhere to be seen and Aldus was able to flee, going back to a nearby village in Southern Hyperborea. Aldus gave the credits for his survival to the necklace, that kept him safe.”

“What do you mean the necklace kept him safe?” Zoe asked.

“I don’t know, he didn’t elaborate on that.” Alex said. “All I know is that Aldus wanted you to go on a journey and find the other items, that he was sure existed. I told him that it was too dangerous for some 16 year old teens to go on the same journey, as even Aldus, a great warrior, took serious damage. He said he believed in you and Zoe and was sure you guys would be able to figure out the mystery. I think that was all.” Alex told Ado.
“Aldus believed in me? I have no idea where to start.” Ado said.

“Neither do I.” Zoe seconded.

“How about you go to the first destination of Aldus when he started his journey?” Alex suggested.
“Which is?” Both Ado and Zoe questioned.

Alex went back to the bar and pulled out another map from the drawer. He brought it over to the table.
“A map of Glory Island?” The two teens questioned.

“Yeah, Aldus must have taught you about the basic geography of our island but let me give you a quick refresher lesson. It’s good to know a lot about your surroundings.”

Alex pulled out a pencil and gave them a quick lessson. Glory Island was an island that was in a cresent moon shape. The other parts of the “moon” were made up of shallow waters, that gradually deepened the farther away you travel away from the island. In one point of the crescent moon, there was a harbor for ships to dock, known as the Glory Dock. South of this were the shops and the main town of the area , Glory Town. South of Glory Town were the houses, which also had a path in the southwest to the only public beach, Glory Beach. This would make up about half of the island, and the other half would be inhabited by native lifeforms. The two halfs were sepearated by mountains and forests. The inhabited part of the island was small enough for everyone to know each other. The other half had plenty of strong lifeforms that could kill people that would enter the forests, which is why they were deemed to be no tresspassing zones. Alex pointed further south and showed them the ancient ruins of the island.

“The strong lifeforms have a propensity to protect the ruins and prevent anyone from entering, so this is where it gets a little dangerous. We call this area The Other Half. This is where you’re going, so be prepared.” Alex told them. “Oh and I’m sure I don’t have to remind you just how amazing the weather is and how peaceful it is in Glory Island.” Alex took the maps, plates and cups from the table and put them away.

“Don’t we need permission to go to the no tresspassing zones?” Zoe questioned.

“Oh yeah, I control who enters The Other Half. Technically, you aren’t supposed to go but it isn’t guarded.

People can go on their own free will. You guys can go anytime, just come back alive.” Alex told them.

“Hmph, we both learned combat from Aldus himself, of course we’ll come back alive.” Zoe said.

“Well, I look forward to hear about your findings. Good luck!” Alex told them.

“Bye Uncle Alex! We’ll be back tomorrow.” The two teens exclaimed.

Ado and Zoe both left Adore the Glory, and they both went home to prepare themselves to enter The Other Half. Both of them were puzzled but excited in finding out what was to come.

(New Setting)

Alex was alone in the restaurant, dusting the place up before he closed it. “Aldus. So you really are entrusting them with such a big task. They’re great kids alright, but the journey is going to be full of danger.” Alex’s restaurant was the last thing to close at the end of the day so he was the last one that left the town. “I believe in these kids too, and respect your descision to have them succeed you.” Alex turned off the lights, left the building, and then locked the door.

“May the skies remain blue forever. Was that your favorite phrase?” Alex said as he walked home, leaving the town in utter silence.