Word Bank:
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The
Twins of Fate (Part II)
by Teacher Christine
**Kingdom of Enchantments**
Struggling to make his
way to the apex of the snowy mountain, a youthful man, appearing to be around
twenty-years-old, steadily climbs to a high _________________ in order to
fulfill the mission left to him by the late King and Queen of the Kingdom of
Enchantments. After days of
trekking through the freezing cold, blurry winter wonderland, he finally
arrives at his intended destination and reaches into the folds of his heavy
clothing to clutch onto the fiery copper ring dangling on the chain around his
neck. The young man then proceeds
to summon a strong column of searing hot flames to melt the icy land around him
to reveal the late King’s golden medallion, which was encased beneath the snow,
ice, and dirt just seconds ago.
Brushing the debris off the legendary golden medallion, the young man
whispers into the howling wind, “It is time to call forth the Twins of Fate to
right the wrong and to heal this dying world.”
**Human World**
On
the weekend following the victory of the Kendo team at the final tournament,
Mr. Beech carries out his promise and brings the entire Kendo team on a trip to
the beach. Aoi easily carries his
beach gear, along with Murasaki’s items, onto the train and finds a seat next
to his teammates. Murasaki
delicately seats herself adjacent to her twin and pulls her violin case off her
shoulder and sets it down in front of her. Aoi’s buddy, Rudy, leans close to Aoi and quietly inquires
over the noise of the crowd, “How did your pretty twin end up coming with us to
the beach?”
Aoi
replies, “Mr. Beech invited her to come along, as he informed her there was an
open performance for her to test her musical talents at the beach tonight. My sister is often quiet and stoic, but
she is passionate about her music and is always looking for ways to challenge
herself.”
“Well,”
comments Matthew, from Rudy’s other side, “then that means we’re all so
fortunate to watch the goddess perform tonight.”
“So
true!” retorts Rudy, in a quiet yet excited voice, as the train sets off for
its destination.
**Day turns to Night**
After
the sun sets on the beach, the crescent moon rises in the night sky, and the
exhausted Kendo team had enough of fun in the sun, they finally make their way
over to the platform to find seats at the open performance. All the contestants showcase their
musical talents and prove to be strong musicians. However, when Murasaki appears on the stage—appearing regal
and goddess-like in her flowy ivory-colored summer dress, with her waist-length
wavy ice blue hair and entrancing violet eyes—the crowd stills and time seems
to freeze as all attention is on her.
Murasaki’s melodious voice sweetly travels over the quiet of the crowd,
as she proclaims: “This piece is
devoted to my brother and his teammates for claiming first place in a
tournament.” Murasaki slowly inhales, tasting the salt in the air, as she
smoothly lifts the violin to rest snuggly on her left shoulder and sets her
chin atop the instrument. With her
right hand, she raises the bow above the violin’s strings and exhales as her
eyes land upon her brother. Aoi
winks at her, causing her expressionless face to slip a little, as her lips
form a miniscule smile, and she lets her music soar into the air. During the entire duration of
Murasaki’s performance, from the light and energetic high notes at the start,
to the low and sullen notes at the finish, she was able to _________________
the audience with her beauty, grace, and extreme talent. Her appearance and music beckoned to
the crowd, like a siren to the entranced sailors. As the last note sings throughout the night, a long silence
proceeds as the audience is in a dazed state. Finally, the crowd’s applause roars throughout the entire
beach when Murasaki curtsies and makes her way off the stage.
Eventually,
after the open performance concludes and Murasaki is awarded the gold trophy,
Aoi and Murasaki stroll down the beach in search of a _________________ place,
away from the noisy crowd seeking Murasaki’s attention. They wander away from the others in
hopes to discover a location that has a good view of the fireworks commencing
at midnight. Sooner or later, they
arrive at a steep cliff of a high elevation overlooking the ocean and perch at
the edge to watch the rise and fall of the waves. As Murasaki drowsily leans against her twin, lulled by the
sound of the waves, the sudden sound of fireworks and the flash of colorful
lights force her into wakefulness, as she stares in awe of the short-lived,
fleeting fire flowers painting the night sky. “You always loved gazing at fireworks,” remarks Aoi, with a
nostalgic look in his eyes as he reminisces on his childhood memories with
Murasaki, enjoying firework shows in the company of their parents and friends.
All
of a sudden, an intense, dazzling light shoots out from the night sky like a
shooting star, encasing the twins.
The alarmed twins immediately react by reaching for one another’s hands
and shut their eyes tightly.
Unbeknownst to the twins, the pendants hanging around their necks since
birth emit a fierce glow, lost within the intense light surrounding them. Feeling the ground loosen up and
disappear from beneath their feet, their world fades away into the white light,
expanding and swallowing the twins as they free fall into the unknown.
**Kingdom of Enchantments**
When the white light
recedes and reveals a lush world, beyond the fluffy white clouds, the twins
float to a landing in an isolated clearing. Their eyes grow wide in awe and bewilderment at the
picture-perfect and unfamiliar, dreamlike place. They also look at one another with puzzlement as the same
thought enters both their minds simultaneously: How come our bodies
feel so light here, as if the force of gravity is hardly working upon us? All of a sudden, Aoi tugs his sister
closer to him and wraps a protective arm around her as he takes in his
surroundings and notices a stranger approaching from the edges of the forest.
Aoi hurriedly shoves his
twin behind him and takes on a defensive stance. The young man finally reaches the twins and stops a few
paces away, assessing Aoi from head to toe. Aoi’s sharp baby blue eyes hone in on the stranger, and demands
the stranger for answers to the following questions: “Who are you? Where are
we?”
The young man closes his
hand around the legendary medallion, hidden in the shadows of his pocket as he
replies, “Welcome back, Twins of Fate.
This is the Kingdom of Enchantments, your birthplace and the center of
all worlds. My name is Naito, and
I am here to guide you two, upon the late King and Queen’s orders. I am in your service, and will aid you
both in reclaiming your birthrights and in returning this world to its former
glory.”
“…say what?” retorts
Aoi, as he stares at the strange man as if he spoke in an alien language.
“I said—” the stranger
starts up again, yet is abruptly cut off by Murasaki.
“I apologize for
interrupting, but we know what you said.
However, would you care to explain how we neither have recollections of
this world, nor have any ideas of this birthright you speak of?” interjects Murasaki, as she peers
around her brother’s back and calls attention to herself.
Naito freezes, stupefied
by Murasaki’s beauty and melodious voice, just like any other person who
previously laid eyes upon her. Aoi
pointedly clears his throat in annoyance, as he gently shoves his stunning twin
behind him, out of the direct sight of Naito to get the man talking again. Naito blinks a few times and finally
resumes his explanation. He takes
out a scroll of parchment and unfurls its contents for Aoi to see, stating,
“The King and Queen, your birth parents, _________________d this scroll to you
two with the belief that you both would one day return to this world and assume
your places as the rightful heirs.”
As
Aoi reluctantly closes the distance between Naito and himself, with his twin in
tow safely behind him, his head accidently bumps into Naito’s head lightly as
he tries to take a glance at the scroll.
Crack!
Naito
flies back a few feet and lands in a low crouch after somersaulting through the
air. Then, he clutches his skull
with eyes shut tight and falls over onto his side.
“.
. .” Aoi stares in disbelief as his widened eyes remain on the unmoving figure
lying in a heap on the grassy hill a few feet in front of him.
“Oh
dear,” Murasaki whispers softly as she swiftly maneuvers around her twin and
makes her way over to the fallen Naito. She bends down to check on Naito’s
pulse and examines his temple, witnessing the bruise starting to darken his
forehead. She muses, “It appears
that our bodies are much stronger in this world, Twin, with gravity working
differently here,” as she glances at her brother, still looking like a doe
caught in headlights. “Don’t
worry, he’ll come to soon enough.
However, Naito will wake with a major headache, with this humongous
bruise blooming upon his temple,” she reassures him with a remorseful smile, before
turning her attention back to the knocked-out stranger.
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