Wanderer (Episode 9)

'Who are you?' the Wanderer asked the lady.

'I am the Priestess of the Guild. I am sent by your master's dream,' she said. 'Here is the message and listen clearly:

Miss someone by thinking will make you lost

Think someone by missing you make him lost'

Then the Priestess walked out and shut the door behind her. And at the same time a letter slipped out from her dress. The Wanderer wanted to call her back, but the letter magically slipped into his fingers and opened itself.

He read.

It was a letter that a Prince wanted to meet them. Wait. Them? He continued reading. He nearly smacked his forehead for that. He nearly forgot that he had a partner to join him in a journey to spread his pilgrimage. He was one of the Muses. His name was Queue. He didn't know why the name was like that, but it seemed like everyone in the Grey Palace got a hook with it.

There was a time for meeting with Queue and the Prince. And so he went.

Wanderer (Episode 8)

Strange but true, the Wanderer thought, someone had taken his script and placed it in the library. Fortunately nobody knew about it, if not havoc could be created.

Minor matter, nothing much, he thought. Until he remembered the message from the Prey. He picked it up from where he had placed it in the morning and read it. He folded the paper in two without thinking and kept it in the drawer.

He wasn't prepared for any kind of response. He wasn't even bothered to know. For him, the message was just like any ordinary story to read. Maybe it was a hoax, and it might as well not be. Anyway, he didn't care.

A letter flew by the window mysteriously. He went and picked it up. The letter magically unfolded itself and revealed the content of changing words. The Wanderer gasped again. It was the same letter he had accepted earlier in the morning, speaking of the Lux, Nox and the Ascension.

He compared the Prey's message and the new letter. He checked twice and read it again. There was a hint of similar words.

'Who wrote this?' he asked out loud.

The letter changed its words and revealed another news: New members of the Lux and Nox were getting closer to form the Ascension. The Wanderer could not stop wondering was it someone behind all these to persuade Muses to join the Ascension?

Was that because the Prey wrote that message?

How could the Wanderer find the truth when he was only a pilgrim in the Grey Palace? He couldn't get any permission to peer deeper into the depths. It was halted.

Or was it entirely two different incidents?

Whatever, the Wanderer thought. It was all out of his hands now. The Prey was loose. He let him go. It wasn't the best choice, but at least it was the best choice out of the watertight end. Or sticky end, some called it.

The door behind him creaked. He spun around.

A young girl of brown hair and fair skin entered his room with a warm smile.

'Hello, Wanderer, I believe we've met before,' she said, still smiling.

Wanderer (Episode 7)

It was almost two turns of hourglass since the sun rose and yet he was looking at his letters. The letters had arrived last night, towards the high-rise of the moon.

He saw a yellow piece of paper, slammed with a red wax of a musical note. He sighed. It was from his Prey. He put it aside. He didn't want to read it. It wasn't time to hear some voices now. He wanted his mind to be clear and quiet.

He replaced his candle to a fresh one. Last night he forgot to blow it off and now the wax was all over the table. Then he saw a piece of paper, saying "Affiliation". Curiously, he tore open the letter and read it.

At first he thought it was a love letter or something more inspiring than that. But when he read it all, it was a letter telling him to choose sides. He shivered. He wondered if it was the 'Dark Lord' his master once told him about during his pilgrimage.

The words twisted and changed. The letter told him that he belonged to the 'Lux' side while the other would always remain in the 'Nox' side. He continued reading the ever-changing script. He discovered his Prey was somewhere between the Lux and Nox, but a little more shifting to a third group.

The letter mentioned this third group as the Ascension, which stood neither for the Lux, nor Nox.

He read on.

Two more people, including one of his almost-Disciple and his friend were being trapped in between these two great forces. They too, intended to join the Ascension, although the group wasn't formed yet.

The Wanderer shivered once more. Someone was applying pressure on a butterfly wings to cast a storm here, he realised. Someone nudged their hearts a little till they retreated from the tug-of-war between the Lux and Nox. At first these people were scattered, now they wanted to unite, to form a future group subconsciously.

Ascension.

It was a threatening name for both Lux and Nox.

The letter glowed brightly and burnt soon afterwards.

The Wanderer fell and sat on his bed. Was this his intended pilgrimage? A somewhat 'religious' war between people of the Grey Palace? Would he leave the Guild just to leave Lux alone? But Nox and Ascension would take away every light he had lit upon.

He buried his head in his hands, praying that his Prey would understand how much it would cost to him if his Prey created the Ascension, as prophecised earlier that his Prey would be the Founding Father of Ascension...

'Prey, come back...' he sighed silently.

Wanderer (Episode 6)

The Wanderer woke up when the sun rose. He nearly forgot he had a training lesson at the Grey Palace. His carriage awaited and he quickly rode to the palace.

"Effective Leader", that was the topic. He went there and sat with his kin, none of which were the Muses or the Guildmaster. The old Guru was good, he told himself.

The Wanderer was shy at first, especially being given a group of 5 ladies and no lords, except he was the only lord there. Fortunately, he befriended them as soon as the training starts. They were fun and active. They never bored him.

Throughout the training, he realised one thing that made him think about his Prey for so long. He was unable to lift himself up from the past and move to the future. Maybe that would break the Cycle*. He knew that as great leaders, he needed to learn how to love and care his Disciples, although his Prey wasn't really his Disciple.

He nodded each session and continued to realise his own potential.

He knew one thing: respect. He realised he had invaded many people's privacy and now he had to stop. He would respect them, regardless they were his friend or foe. They are humans. They had esteem, they needed to be respect.

And so, he would let go of his Prey.

His master told him:

"No one likes to be gripped upon.
Even the tree dies if you hug it tight.
Love is not shown in action or words
Love is how you respect and care
without touching and saying."


The Cycle refers to a condition I am being, that is, every 2 or 3 years, one male friend is destined to leave me. The Cycle started since I was in Primary 6. The recent one ended in about last year

Memory of Trees

Wanderer (Interlude 1)

The sun had set at the Lake of Sunsets. The Wanderer gazed out from his window and saw people were hurrying to have their dinners. He sat and pulled out a piece of parchment. He reached for a quill, dipped it in the blackest ink he could find and he wrote:

Look at love, you may dream

If it should leave, then give it wings

But if such a love is meant to be,

Hope is home and the heart is free

Wanderer (Episode 5)

The Wanderer was given a task to study the logics between the prediction and vision. He had sit in his room for more than four turns of hourglass and yet his mind still lingered on the fact of his Prey.

Playful, he wrote in his diaries, but definitely smart. He paused. He thought about the time he had with his Muses yesterday. He put back his quill in his inkbox and tore the parchment. He shook his head, telling himself his Prey had his own life, no need to think more about it.

He remembered he had a similar disciple when he was nearing his twenties. The Disciple was almost the same kind like his Prey. His Disciple loved to talk about girls and sweet-talk them, but never ever had a good conversation with boys.

The result of his Disciple? He lost contact with him for a very long time because of some misunderstanding.

He shook his head again, clearing his mind.

He thought of his pilgrimage here in the Grey Palace near the Lake of the Sunsets. He remembered every maiden and lord's attitude. It seemed like almost everyone in the palace was talking about opposite gender the most.

Perhaps his inner God wanted him to correct this mistake. Perhaps his inner God wanted him to adapt. Perhaps his inner God wanted him to investigate. It could be loads of messages, but he was tired to find out.

His heart was sacred, that's what he believed.

If his Prey wanted to be like that, it's because his Prey believed his own heart, not the Wanderer's. So, he, the Wanderer couldn't change his Prey's heart easily.

Let him be, he told himself.

He remembered what his master told him again:

"Losing a friend is not like losing a lover,

some people can find another lover fast

but many cannot make it last.

Lose a friend and you have to find another

of trust and care

or secrets to share

Lose a lover and you have to find another

to love and bear

the pain and still be there.

Choose wisely of your road taken."

The Wanderer smiled again. There were two roads ahead of him, one which was the road of diamond, another was the road that leads to the Prey.

He knew his choice.

Disclaimer: The word 'God' the text does not mean God in any sense. It is a metaphor, meaning a self-conscious. Hope to clarify this. Peace! Thanks for stalking my personal life too!

Wanderer (Episode 4)

'Pardon me, is there anyone in there?' a familiar voice called from outside, followed by a creaking sound of a carriage.

It was nightfall, and the Wanderer was preparing to welcome the Muses, although the Muse of Strings had arrived. When he reached for the door, he saw another gentlemen and it was one of the Knights of the Grey Palace. He was holding two scrolls.

'Greetings, happy anniversary of your birth,' the Knight said. 'Here, I've taken your books for a very long time. It's time to return to its master.' He reached out the books.

The Wanderer saw the cover of the book. Indeed, it was his book. In fact, a very favourite one.

'Thank you!' the Wanderer said.

'Here's another,' the Knight smiled. He revealed the second book. It had a white cover and a black base, rimmed by old-fashioned spine. He flipped through the pages quickly...

The Wanderer was shocked and surprised. It was the Scroll of the Million Words by one of the famous Muses in the world by the name of Aenia. The Scroll was a prized possession by most Muses.

...

...

The Muses did not really play him a song, but instead, they became happier as compared with the previous days. It was like a gathering of the Muses to share the laughter and talk. It was a good night for the Wanderer to spend.

He looked at everyone's eyes: The Muse of Strings, The Muse of Plucked Strings and the Muse of Pad. He came to a realisation where his Master had told him before:

'On your pilgrimage,

your old friends are always gold,

your new friends are dews.

Old friends get the value

while new friends tend to be sold.

Try to understand

and change your new friends into old,

as dew into gold.'

He smiled.

It was a sign of a golden day shining from the Grey Palace.

Wanderer (Episode 3)

The Wanderer looked out from his window, look at the grey sorrow sky. He thought back how the Guildmaster told him to take good care of the Prey. In his hands, he clasped a piece of white paper with some peppermint scent. It was a letter to the Guildmaster that he would leave the Guild and continued to search for his true light in the Grey Palace.

He hesitated. He promised the Guildmaster to look after the Prey but the Prey was too quick, vulnerable and playful, like a naughty imp. He remembered he had a son, not of blood relation, and he took care of him for four years before his son turned against him.

He wondered, was he right to accept the promise?

The rain suddenly increased its intensity, blurring his vision.

In a few more moments, his Muses will entertain him for his Day of Birth. It would be his first time having a celebration in the Lake of Sunsets. He wasn't expecting anything, he was expecting his late master would guide him.

He sat in the corner, crying softly. He felt so heavy. He needed a lift. Maybe a word of care, a shoulder to lean on, an ear to cry for. But no, he didn't have any of those. He only had his own heart to take everything he didn't wish for.

He gripped the letter tightly.

He determined one thing: he will care for the Prey, but not like his son before. He will just be there if possible, if not, away.

The Wanderer sat and sat...

Wanderer (Episode 2)

It was far by unthinkable that the training from the Grey Palace ended early. The Wanderer knew by heart that the after it would be his Day of Birth. He knew that somewhere, someone was planning a celebration.

The Wanderer wasn't expecting anything. He never had surprises before. He made himself surprises every year till there weren't any surprises left. In fact, he saw a vision, a terrible one as his Day of Birth present.

It was a vision of fear and sadness. He saw himself ruining the Prey's life. The Guiders of the Five were collapsing. He thought about running away from the Guild of Guiders, seeking for another sanctuary. But he thought of his long-targeted Prey.

He wanted to do something on his Prey. His Prey kept running around and paid no attention, less to say heed any advice from him. For the Wanderer, the Prey was like his son, his brother. He saw something in the Prey's eyes that nobody had.

He wiped his tears away.

There, a celebration waiting in the Garden of the Lake of Sunsets. He saw the food, the people, all from the Guiders of Five and some from the Guild of Guiders. Under the bright full moonlight, tinted by hints of red and yellow flying lanterns, the Wanderer saw a vision in the stars.

He saw his Prey's excellence. At the same time, he saw his own downfall. He didn't get the vision. Was it supposed he run away while his Prey ascend?

He saw his Prey lying on the saddle of his horseback. He wanted to say something, something that might have shine some light over his Prey's thoughts. He wanted to say: "I like to have you as my...'

'Hey Wanderer, come here!' his Guildmaster called him.

Before he knew it, his Prey got up from his saddle and rode back to his mansion, saying he would like to read up some scrolls and had a shut of eyes for tomorrow.

The Gods told him in his vision dream:

'Your Prey is the one who shatters millions of hearts

and sweetens millions of flowers.

You can and must never say what you wish him to be.

He will never understand your sacrifice from your pilgrimage.

Unless you are a woman, then he will.

Remember,

he is just a shadow of your best pilgrim you had before

but nothing more.'

I was sad. Really, especially on my birthday eve. I had so many troubles and yet I cannot identify them. I know I need a shoulder, but ever since last Thursday, things are much clearer to me that I am best at my own when others are minding their own business.