"Hey, Tuk!"

"What?"

I stand up on the ground, the usual spot behind my house where I usually hang out with my friends after school.

"How's your sister?" Emil asked. A girl wearing a navy blue whole-body tunic, is where her personality stands. She sat on the ground where I didn't think she'd sit. She made me stand up for nothing, well, that's my fault for being an idiot and overreacting to it. I get back to sitting again.

"She's fine..." I said while smiling softly.

"Then, it's cool." she tilted her head to adjust her eye contact with me.

"So, uh..." I averted my eyes and head to look up. "I guess..you know now?"

"Yeah," Emil said, covering her face using her legs while her arms hugged it. "You're running away."

Hearing that made the conversation so awkward. A few minutes had passed. Felt the awkwardness but we gave ourselves some time to think about it.

"How come you..." I couldn't complete my sentence. I, myself stopped it. It felt a part of us aren't related to the situation.

Emil just went silent. I looked at her deepening her face onto her legs, tightening her arms, and hugging it. It made it more awkward between us.

"H-How come you..." Emil couldn't finish. She blinks and averts her eyes. Scratching her head.

"Actually, nevermind."

"Okay." I just let it forget just like she said. I turned down my head and stared countless times at the ground for many years now.

How long has it been since I've been like this? It's too complicated to explain, life is complicated after all.

I guess I have to introduce myself. My name is Tuk living in a normal prestigious town where people who are part of the capital are worshippers or disciples of our believed God. It's a simple town where farmers, bakers, fishing, and cutting wood are popular jobs here.

Thanks to the capital they supported us, and even picked resources from ours to deliver to the capital. This town has a fair-shared, which is alright to live in.

We're not rich or anything special, I'm just a normal boy living a complicated life.

"She might be waiting for too long now?" Emil asked rhetorically.

"Just give me a minute."

I wanna give some things off my mind. Give me a little moment of peace, for a few minutes. My mind is highly blank. I can't think straight. I don't know what I'm possibly doing now but I somehow felt it. I did feel it. Something very exotic feeling but also blissful. To be honest, I don't know how to describe it, but I, however, did understand a little that it's better for us.

I slap both of my cheeks, waking up from daydreaming or a little nightmare, dreaming, hoping, thinking, and imagining like this, I would stay here forever. If only the world works like that.

"Okay, I'm on my way," I said, then I stand up from the ground while Emil watches me. "You're now going?" Emil questioned nervously. "Yeah, no point of her waiting for me after all."

I walked away but I stop myself. Turned around and saw Emil hiding on the wall while watching me walk out. "E-Emil..." I tensely called her.

She looked at me straight in my eyes. when I called her. "How come you don't want to run away?" I unsurely questioned her.

"I don't know." She answered.

Yeah, I don't know either too. I gazed off her then look down, again.

"Bye," I said my farewell to her.

"Bye, see ya whenever I see you." She farewells as well.

I walk to the side of the neighborhood and circled on the way to the entrance of my home. The looks like a nice and elegant house, where visitors or new homeowners would like to own this. A two-story house, looked very elegant even on the inside, we maintain the environment, so, it's lively to look at, even now. Since the space in this environment is not big because we are in the neighborhood.

I feel uneasy. I don't want to enter but my sister is waiting for me.

CHAPTER 1

"I'm home." I called when entering the door and greeted someone in this house."Where have you been?" Mom echoed from the kitchen, busy cooking the family's afternoon dinner. "The usual," I said the same answer, over and over again.

"What usual?" She questioned the same question again and again. It won't stop. "Sigh." I let go a sigh of disappointment, I don't want to answer that.

Isn't it obvious to you?

"What? Tuk! I'm talking to you!" She questioned again. I ignored her intentionally. I sprinted upstairs and got to the left corner of the door where my sister's room.

"Lia!" I called her when I entered the room. "What took you so long?" Lia gave me an angry tone while playing with her dolls, again. She wants me to play dolls with her since I did this a lot of times. I'm quite improving my acting skills.

I scooted onto the ground towards her. "So, who am I gonna be?" I ask her with a smirk on my face and give her a handsome sign. "Yuck." She procrastinates.

"You'll be the ugly Adam." She pointed and gave me a boy doll. "Why Adam's ugly?" I asked, observing the man doll's figure which had a white sleeve shirt, a brown trouser, and a normal-looking face. "Because he is ugly." She answered.

"Okay." I gradually said.

I'm guessing her that I'm supposed to be the villain, it happens whenever she wants to play with me, but for some time he wants me to be the good guy. A good-looking handsome prince charming rescuing the princess; every scenario Lia created always has a kiss ending. She's 7 so that would be expected.

"Leomord. Oh, Leomord. Where are you?"

Lia played the part of the women doll. The usual pink dress suits the doll's elegance.

"Servant! Servant!"

She directs me with an order, and I played the part of it. "Yes, princess?"

"Where's my Leomord?~" With a sarcastic tone. She dances her doll while playing the act. "Leomord is busy, your highness."

Lia releases a more dramatic tone, crying for Leomord's absence. I picked the usual prince-looking doll and played, "Here I am, my princess!"

"Oh~ Leomord!~"

She aggressively gets her doll closer to the prince doll. Then, again, the usual ending. Kiss ending.

"Mwuah! Mwuah! Mwuah!"

She suddenly grabs the other doll that I'm holding, and she played Leomord and the princess are kissing. I just let her do the part since this is her play, after all.

"Hey, Lia," I called while she smooch the dolls together. "What?" She let out a sarcastic tone.

"Do you love Mom and Dad, right?"

She aggressively nod at me and said the word "Yes!"

"That's good for you."

"Well, dinner's about to be ready. We should be downstairs now." I told her about Mom preparing dinner downstairs. "Just a minute!" She answered while doing the smooching dolls again.

"Okay."

I exited Lia's room and proceed to the far right corner. My room. Once I entered and stumbled upon my usual not-so-organized stuff on the ground and table. Most of all are my books. Random categories. Sometimes romance. Sometimes about fantasy. Sometimes about horror. Sometimes, I don't actually finish those.

Because is because.

I get most books because the books at the bookstore are cheap. That's all I got, when it comes to birthdays my father brought me some books as presents, and are kept on the shelves organized but remain still untouched because they're dictionaries, sometimes I used them at school, and sometimes it's unnecessary but it still helps, however, this time I don't touch those anymore.

===°===

"Here. Instead of reading those fictitious stories that doesn't have knowledge! You should read this."

"Or go, read the Lib! God's word! Instead of learning from ridiculous fictitious books you bought from the store!"

===°===

The Lib, huh?

I checked the Lib remain untouched, in one of the organized books on the shelves. I've been a follower for years now, and yet, I feel it doesn't work for me.

Maybe I didn't praise God enough?

Maybe I didn't clear my desire?

Maybe I sinned too much?

I just don't know, if it helps.

I prayed and prayed that things would sometimes fix, but it's the other way around.

The Lib is our based knowledge of God's word, they claimed. We as Saintrus are followers of our one and only God. Baba the Great our creator.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Baba the Great created the Earth for 3 days, I've read about it. On the 1st day, Baba created a molded ground that represented our land on Baba's hand it was only a lump of clay to the holy being, then the holy worth released tears from the eyes of the worthy, and it got the whole molded clay sunk by the water presenting the ocean sea, but then it grew some green little algae that are sprouting from the water and called these plants. Now the completion of our world where lands are lands, and oceans are the ocean.

On the 2nd day, Baba created living creatures by the flesh of the holy one. Molded into land creatures that can live on land, sea creatures that can live on seas, animals that can live on both, and also creatures that can fly on the world.

Lastly, on the 3rd day was for our minds, instincts, and emotions are planted. Baba holds the completed world and then touches it with its forehead, sharing the power of knowledge of where good and evil are existed, but created by love.

That's what I suppose to believe and obey, however, I have lots of questions in my mind. Lots and lots of questions. I couldn't acquire the courage to express these. I just can't.

I really can't express this.

===°===

A MONTH AGO...

"If Baba did this for love, then he wouldn't create evil from the start."

"Tuk! How disrespectful of you? You! You are disobeying our savior?!"

"No, Mom, I'm not. I'm just saying that if Baba created the world for good for love, then, why did Baba create evil?"

"Just shut your mouth. I don't wanna hear that nonsense of yours, again."

I'm just being practical.

I'm concerned if the world runs for good, then why created evil from the start? I mean it's practically nonsense.

"If you keep saying that, you'll know one day that you are wrong when the judgment day comes."

"But-" Mom didn't let me finish with a hard slap on my face. "You are still just a child! Don't disrespect your God and Savior! And don't you dare strike your mother it said on the Lib!" Mom shouted at me. "Do you really believe in Baba?" Mom raised a sarcastic question at me, leaving me to look like a dumbfounded child to her. "This is why you shouldn't be friends with unbelievers!" She assumed with an angry tone.

"My friends have nothing to do with this! I'm just curious, Mom." I answered her back. "You're still just a child. May God give you the understanding, I pray you to understand."

"You're too young to understand." Mom assumed while I let a sigh of disappointment come out of my breath, and ignored by sprinting upstairs, entering and locking my room away from her.

I'm hoping that she would leave me alone, but I heard the knocking on the door. Ignoring.

"You're going to hell if you keep thinking like that!"

"Did Emil tell you this?! I'm calling her parents to stay away."

"No! No one told me! Just stay away from Emil! She had nothing to do with this!" I yelled at her, frustrated. After a few minutes, there was silence, and noticed that Mom left.

I'm wondering what Mom is doing now. Until I cautiously got off my room, proceeding to be suspicious of her action. A few steps outside my home, seeing Mom arguing with Emil's parents.

I got pissed and forced myself to ease my anger controlled because of these kinds of adults. I failed to do so, I slammed the door inside and didn't care about the people outside hearing the slam and sprinted to my room, covering myself on the bed.

"Fuck!" I swear and grabbed my pillow on my face, brushing the anger inside me. "Fuck! I hate you!!" I swore, again. Covering my face and rolling to the other side of the bed, wishing things didn't happen. I want to be alone now.

Later, Dad came back from work and heard something about me. He scolds me outside the door that I'm being impolite and not listening properly because I'm still a child.

I'm 17 and I'm at the age of understanding some things that can't be put in the same box.

My mom and dad dedicated a conclusion that I shouldn't speak about my concerns about our beliefs anymore because there are things that will happen if I keep disobeying or disrespecting our religion. So, I closeted myself before anything happens to me.

My mom and dad decided to have a fellowship every once a week for me to be saved, they said. I need to be saved, they said. I felt sick, being utterly disgusted by them. I kept quiet because I'm afraid of being judged by people at or from the church for what a son they think I am about my curiosity.

===°===

I'm glad that's over. I have to deal with every prayer and sort of our evaluating myself that I'm saved, again and again, and they ask me if I am mature enough now. I never felt so misunderstood, disappointed, angry, and pissed at the same time. I have to control my emotions.

"Okay-okay Tuk, that's enough." I let another sigh, inhaling slowly and exhaling slowly to release the tensions inside me. No point in thinking about the past.

For a while, I cleaned and fixed my room. Cleaning some little mess of papers that are just my fanfictions of the ones that I read, the scattered books on the floor and table. Just those.

I've prepared my backpack just putting some notebooks, a pen, and my lunch money on school that I saved before leaving unnoticed.

"Tuk! Dinners ready!" Mom called. I leave out of my room immediately, coming downstairs and to the kitchen to join them. "How's school?" Dad asked me.

I didn't forget what did you to me. I brushed aside my anger and replied to him. "It was fine." Then I proceed to eat fast my fresh omelet at the table.

"Lia say ahh~." Mom feeds Lia while enjoying the humming sound of our mother. "Is it good?" Mom asked cheerfully and Lia nodded aggressively.

"Look how respectful Lia is. Better than Tuk." Mom smiled and said those words.

I tried to not get affected but rather got disappointed. It gives me that ick feeling of Mom is comparing me to her. I'm older than her.

"How can you just be like Lia? Tuk?" Mom questioned herself and then proceeded to feed Lia. I finished my dinner and then sprint back to my room for some alone time before I got back I heard Dad say "Tuk is such a pain!"

"His grades are not getting good either." Mom spouted. "Oh dear Baba, help save my son from unbelievers."

"May God give him the understanding."

My anger is continuing to pour into me, I can't control it and I can't take it anymore. After I sprinted upstairs and got to my room. I lay on the door after I closed it and sat on the ground covering my face with my legs. "God."

That hurts.

I know I'm not supposed to feel guilty but hearing that to my closest person ever since I was born does hurt me, but I know I shouldn't feel this way because it's incompetent. Comparing me and my sister it's very incompetent. I shouldn't let those words drive me nuts.

===°===

It's midnight. Most of all the lights are out throughout the neighborhood while checking the streets from my window. I wore a black cloak that I trade from a farmer for my lunch money.

I'm hoping everyone is asleep now. I cautiously got out of my room. I'm being steady and careful, hopefully, it wasn't loud to wake them. I crept downstairs, checking if Mom and Dad are asleep but I saw Dad reading a book with coffee at his study table. Reading and studying the Lib again. That's a Saintrus follower to you, but I don't care now.

In silence, I carefully opened the door while spying on Dad busy reading. I locked the inside and then steadily closed the door very slowly. When the clicking sound rang from the door after I shut, I started running away.

Away from them.

I'm smiling. A feeling of happiness and hope inside me.

Out of sight, out of mind.

I continued to run and run along the neighborhood until the dead end, a forest. I ran straight to the forest until I reached the hills. It's very dark and you can't see a thing only a little moonlight, but can barely see a thing. I still memorized the pattern of this forest since this is where the statue of Baba was placed.

After a half hour, I carefully walked in the dark forest while figuring out the patterns and stepping on some branches that creep me out, but I still recognized those branches were used to burn for the offering. Until, I reached the hills, seeing the statue of Baba about 50 meters away from me.

I walk closer to the statue while panting from the heavy walk on the hills and out of the forest.

"Haha. You surely are slow, Tuk!" I engulf in fear, hearing a voice from behind it. "And you are easily scared, how can you even take care yourself? Hmp!"

"E-Emil?" I called, recognizing her voice and that sore-attitude tone of hers. Emil presented herself from behind the statue wearing a white cloak, opposite to mine.

"I-I thought you didn't-..." I got interrupted by her. "We look cool! Don't we?" Emil fantasizes about the cloak and our color combination, but I highly agree that it does look cool.

"So, uh..."

"Yeah, I ran away too." She gladly said it. "I don't know what you experience Tuk, we have one thing in common that we hate our parents." She proclaimed. "Yeah," I said with a calm smile.

"Why don't we plan things out of what should we do now?" Emil invited me. She sits on the edge of the hill, where we can see our village, our home but not anymore. This girl got the guts to have no fear of heights. Sitting on the edge of the cliff that's about 40 feet high.

"You know Tuk, the first thing is gonna happen tomorrow-" I paused her.

"Then, we should talk about things now." I countered. "Hey! You didn't let me finish!" She punched me on the shoulder. "Sorry-sorry."

"I mean our parents are gonna check our rooms, then freak out called the guards to find us. Since our parents have the money, they'll reach our loss to the capital where professionals will find us." Emil gave out her premonition, but it will likely happen.

"I'm scared, Tuk." Emil hugged herself. "I'm really scared going back to them."

"You're not alone, Emil. Don't worry I'm here." I smiled at her. "We'll figure things out before tomorrow happens." I console her.

She gave me a cheerful smile. "Yeah, you're right."

"Huh?" I noticed something strange from above. "What's that?" I stared at that star object from above. "W-What Tuk? You're scaring me! The forest is still there you know!" Emil got frightened and punched me again on the shoulder.

"No-no! Emil look up!" I pointed to her that star object blinking larger and larger. "What's that?" Emil examines the object from above that's seemingly getting bigger and bigger. "I don't know, I find it strange," I replied.

The star soon turned into a black-shadowed spherical shape. Getting bigger and bigger. My first speculation was a comet or meteor, but that thing got bigger more 20x larger than our area, the sky was covered by that object there. Bigger than the sky, might be bigger than our world.

"Tuk! What's happening?!"

"I don't know!"

I got frightened, I thought that star was growing but it was falling on us.

Soon, we heard a scream from the town below us. Some ran outside to check what was happening, some began to pray.

A few minutes that I thought our lives are gonna end, but that object stopped at the midpoint. Not moving anymore. It just stopped.

"Our Lord God is here!"

The screaming continued.

We got shocked and too frightened to move by that object. It felt like a redemption day to us.

Am I wrong about what I did?

I took away the chance to go to heaven and I have to face these consequences. I'm scared. Is this the redemption day? Is the Lib true? Then, I'm going to hell with Emil. I involved her in this mess.

"I'm sorry Emi-"

"Tuk!" Emil called, and I look at her body glowing like an ambient gold. "W-What's happening?" Emil got too frightened and trembled her hands while her body glows. I looked at my own hands seeing I'm part of it, as well. My body is glowing too. I'm frightened. I'm so scared.

I did this on my own, so, I accepted my faith if this is how I die. Then, I better die than live to your own rules.

"Don't worry, Emil!" I hold her hand. Comforting her. "I'm here." She listened to those words I said to her then she began to cry. "I was hoping that I could make a better life, without them, and be independent, you know that Tuk."

"I know."

"I was so scared what they did to our friends."

"I know."

"I'm right here."

"I'm right here, Emil."

"Thank you, Tuk! That really means a lot to me." Emil smiled cheerfully, before saying our farewell. I held her hand tight. She held back too.

"If this is what we are suppose to be punish, then, I'll gladly accept it." Emil said proudly. "Yeah, me too," I said proudly too. We both accepted our faith. Together we closed our eyes.

===°===

After closing our eyes we didn't feel anything hellish but only silence. Nothing happens in particular. "Are we in hell? Tuk?" Emil asked. "I don't know yet."

I step while my eyes are closed and fell like a puddle. I scream a little in fright. I thought it was lava that I imagine in my mind but when I open my eyes. "What?" An unexplainable question came from my mouth. "Emil, open your eyes."

"What's wrong?" Emil blinked and opened her eyes. Seeing our surrounding that we are surrounded by swamp water. "This isn't what I imagine." Emil got confused.

"Yeah, me too. Aren't we suppose like to be burn alive or something not very likely." I said and circled the place we are transported to.

Transported? I looked up confirming my speculation. "E-Emil. Isn't our home up there?" I pointed above, seeing our world. Recognizing the continents, and seeing my home that is so little and Emil looked at it. "You're right."

The continents, our home is right up there. "Why's our home up there?" Emil got confused while looking up.

"You didn't notice, Emil?" I ask her seriously. "Notice what?" Emil is still confused.

"If our home is up there. Then, doesn't make you think that thing we saw earlier." I continued my speculation and both of us answered the same.

"Is another planet?"

===°===

===°===

"Your Highness!" An unknown metal gray-armored suit ran straight to an unfamiliar room or place, a place where the king is seated. The throne room or throne hall they called it.

"The king disappeared."

"What?! What happened to him?"

"My deepest apologies. I failed to understand what we've witnessed."

"Is it that thing we saw? Right there! Up there?!"

===°===

===°===

"Huh?"

Where am I? Did that woman sold me here?

"Pu~ I'm just having fun with her."

Well, you look at that. I have her eye on my hand. "Hihihi."

===°===

===°===

"Hey-hey-hey, what's that?"

"I don't know and I'm sure we're not gonna like it."

===°===

===°===

"Oh, my-my what's this place? I don't know about this but I'll play this one out."

===°===

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===°===

CHAPTER 1

WELCOME FANTASY WORLD TO OUR WORLD