‘What did Father do for them?’ Apollo thought his mind breaking free from its trance of denial.

Apollo stayed in his position hoping that the magical creatures would discuss what his father had done for them.

“He’s still – “Fisar began before Elastis cut him off.

“He’s only a few months away from becoming of age.” The centaurides said folding his arms.

Fisar smiled sadly as he shook his small head as he folded his arms before walking up to Apollo and patting his arm.

“My apologies for keeping all this from you young Zhen.” Fisar said before sighing.

“You’re going to have to tell him one of these days Brownie.” Farmus said glaring at the small creature.

“I know Dwarf.” Fisar said before jumping off of the table and went back to talk to Arcus.

Elastis looked at the brownie’s retreating figure before sighing and snapping her fingers in front of Apollo making him pretend to snap out of his trance and snap back to reality.

“Is there something wrong?” Apollo asked looking at them in pretend confusion.

Seeing them smile at him, he mentally thanked his preforming arts teacher Mrs. Noémie Martel for suggesting to him that he should take acting classes so that his mother wouldn’t grow suspicious or find out about his passion for music.

“There’s nothing wrong young Zhen.” Elastis said before Apollo chuckled.

Apollo and the dwarves talked for a few hours about the countless of times and adventures they and Fisar had to help his father out of the many troubles his love interests had caused him and recounted several times in which they would sometimes ask his father and them to go on quests to either retrieve something valuable or just to distract his father long enough for the love interests to find a suitable suitor before Jodan came back.

“Did you really had to fight a dragon?” Apollo asked in amazement as the eldest of the dwarf brothers recounted the time that they were sent to retrieve a magic gem that had taken them a month to acquire.

Farmus nodded before he caught sight of Arcus closing up the tavern.

“Best be off.” He said as he and his brothers stood up and gathered all their belongings, “We’ll see you again tomorrow young Zhen.”

Apollo smiled the four as he too got up and walked to his father’s friends as they closed the tavern.

“Can you tell me about Father now?” Apollo asked looking at them almost pleading.

“Alright young Zhen.” Fisar said after he and Arcus looked at each other before sighing, “As far as how much you’ve suffered it would be even more painful if we kept secrets about your father away from you.”

After Apollo helped the two clean up the three of them sat down Apollo having a tankard full of Light Beer Heaven in front of him as the other two only had tea.

“I want answers.” Apollo said simply, looking at the two mystical creatures, “Why was there a picture of my Father and I in his room when it was taken a day before he left? Why did he leave Mother and me? Why does everyone here seem to know about my father and grandfather?”

“Apollo one question at a time.” Arcus said before sighing and taking a sip of his tea as Fisar turned to look at Apollo, “Your father did come to Lumene the day he left but he seemed so shaken and frightened that we couldn’t bear to ask him, the next day however he told us that he left you and your mother to assist us with something very important.”

“What was so important that he had to leave me for fifteen years!?” Apollo exclaimed in fury.

“The answers to your last two questions are a bit difficult to answer since you know nothing about Lumene’s history.” Arcus said before looking at the floor and adding, “Well the history of the magical creatures that live here that is.”

“Not to mention the Orb of Peace.” Fisar said taking a sip of tea from his very small teacup.

Apollo’s eyes widened before snapping his head to the brownie, “The Orb of Peace, it wouldn’t happen to grow stronger with every new song written or sung.”

The two creatures’ eyes widened as Arcus nearly chocked on his tea while Fisar actually did.

“Where did you learn that?” Fisar asked recovering from the shock.

“My grandfather wrote it in his journal.” Apollo said taking a gulp of his drink, “What’s so important about it anyway?”

The two older creatures looked at each other before Arcus gave Apollo a sign to be quiet with the human teenager giving him a confused as the two stood up and Arcus beckoned Apollo to follow them. Walking up the steps of the stage Fisar jumped to one of the support beams before disappearing.

“Arcus what’s going – “Apollo began before Arcus gave him a sign to be quiet again before some of the stage’s platform opened up revealing a secret passageway.

Apollo saw Fisar reappear again before he jumped onto Apollo’s shoulder before the three of them went down, turning around Apollo saw the passageway close.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“It’ll be alright Kid.” Fisar reassured, “There’s a second way out of here.”

Apollo nodded hesitantly before turning to Arcus and asking, “Where are we going?”

“Your father’s secret office.” Arcus said before they stopped at an old door.

Apollo gave Arcus a worried look before the centaur smiled at him reassuringly before nodding to the door. Taking a deep breath Apollo pushed the door open and was greeted by the smell of dust and aged paper. Giving Apollo smiles of encouragement the centaur led him to an empty table in the middle of the room.

“Welcome to your father’s private office Apollo.” Fisar said jumping off his shoulder and onto the table, “Most of the answers you’re looking for might be found here, the one place where Jodan would always come to if he needed to clear that big head of his.

Apollo looked around before he saw a small writing desk with an incomplete letter on it.

‘Is this Father’s writing?’ Apollo thought curiously as he picked the yellowed paper and took in the sweet musky smell before he started reading, ‘If you’re reading this Apollo then it seems that you like your grandfather and I have discovered the wonderful land of Lumene.’

Looking around to see Arcus and Fisar looking at him in curiosity he showed them his father’s letter.

“Read it to yourself young Zhen.” Arcus said shaking his head slowly, “You should read it back in your own room though.”

“Why?” Apollo asked.

“As much as we want you to find the answers to your questions we mustn’t disappear for too long.” Arcus said before Fisar jumped onto his shoulder, “Come now young Zhen. You may read your father’s letter when you are back in your own room.”

Sighing in disappointment Apollo tucked the letter into his jean’s pocket before following the centaur back to the tavern where he finished the last of his Light Beer Heaven before going back to his father’s old room to read the letter. Sitting on his bed Apollo turned his phone flashlight on and directed it to the yellowed piece of paper before he continued to read it.

‘If Arcus and Fisar have already shown you my private studies then there is no point denying it.’ Apollo read his interest growing with each word he read, ‘The fact that you know about the Orb of Peace is a great risk to your protection. Your grandfather and I have known the day would come that you like the two of us would have to become a guardian of the orb.’

Apollo furrowed his brows before he covered himself with the blanket Arcus had provided him before he continued to read his desire for answers growing ever more powerful.

‘I can’t explain all this to you in my letter in case The Sisterhood of Phantoms intercept this and would possibly try and kidnap you.’ Apollo read before he saw that it was the last sentence in the letter, ‘Oh come on!’

Sighing in frustration as he uncovered himself before his eyes landed on his grandfather journal.

‘Wonder if Opa ever wrote what the Sisterhood of Phantoms are.’ Apollo thought flipping carefully through the pages before he saw a page that his grandfather seemed a bit worried to write.

Mind once again filled with curiosity as to why his grandfather seemed so scared to write about them, he once again covered himself with the blanket and directed his flashlight to the page before he started to read.

‘They call themselves The Sisterhood of Phantoms an organization comprised of women who were all casted to live in the shadows for trying to destroy the orb.’ Apollo read feeling a little bit of regret for wanting to find out more about why his father seemed so scared of them, ‘The Sisterhood were once women who lived peacefully while swearing an ought to always protect the orb that was until they discovered the forbidden kind Magical Music.’

“Forbidden kind of Magical Music?” Apollo whispered with great interest, ‘Wonder what that is.”

Curiosity taking over his instincts he quickly flipped to the page where his grandfather wrote about Magical Music.

‘The mages of Hraburh Castle told me stories of old musicians using Magical Music to enhance their performances for the royals and nobility.’ Apollo read, ‘Though they also spoke of The Sisterhood using Magical Music to protect the orb from those who tried to take it from its resting place.’

Apollo looked down to read the next paragraph only to see guitar chords upon further inspection he noticed that his grandfather had written down something very interesting at the bottom of every chord.

‘Fire spell!?’ Apollo screamed in his head as he nearly fell off the bed, ‘Are these spells or something!?’

Upon seeing ten or twenty more of these though Apollo was more than certain that these were indeed spells more specifically Elemental Spells.

‘Oh, I am so knowing what I’m doing tomorrow.’ Apollo thought smiling in excitement, ‘Though I wonder where I could practice these without the Sisterhood finding out that I’m a Zhen.’

Even if he read only two sentences about the Sisterhood after seeing how nervous both his father and grandfather were when they were only writing about them, he was more than certain that he didn’t want anything to do with them.

The next day Apollo found himself getting ready faster than usual than when he was still living with his mother and Orion.

“Morning Arcus, Fisar!” Apollo exclaimed smiling as he saw the two.

“Good morning to you as well young Zhen.” Arcus said before throwing Apollo an apple in which he easily caught, “You seem happier than last night.”

“I found grandfather’s chapter on Magical Music.” Apollo said in a low whisper, “I wanted to see if I could do any of them.”

Fisar’s eyes widened before Apollo turned to him before he asked still whispering, “Could you show me where I could practice in secret?”

Fisar’s face went from shocked to relived before replying in a whisper, “You catch on very well young Zhen.”

Apollo smiled at the compliment before Fisar once again led him to his father’s private studies before the table in the middle of the room descended until it was the same level as the floor.

“This should be good.” Fisar said as he sat down on the writing desk, “So tell me young musician why did you seem so keen on practicing spells in secret?”

“Father wrote something about me knowing about the orb that could put me in danger.” Apollo said as he tuned his guitar before adding in a worried whisper, “Said that the Sisterhood would try and kidnap me.”

Fisar’s eyes widened before he stood up, “You weren’t supposed to find out about them, ever.”

“From what I read in grandfather’s journal I think it would’ve been best if I knew sooner rather than later.” Apollo said before opening said journal and copying the finger positions.

“You seem rather calm after reading about an evil organization that could potentially kidnap you and possibly kill you.” Fisar said before folding his arms, “I could never really understand how you Zhens could stay calm every single hour of the day.”

‘You should’ve seen me when I saw grandfather bleeding – ‘Apollo thought before stopping, “Grandfather.”