Chapter 5: Kiwi

Theo sat on a swing with his head down looking glommy. He was low-key crying. A kid with dark hair came
and sat on the swing beside him.
“You look quite ugly crying like this”, The little kid beside him said.
“How dare you say that? I’ll kick your ass if you say that to me again.”, Theo said as he wiped the tears from
his face with his sleeves.
“You should have said to the bad kids who were bullying you”, The little guy said sassily. “By the way, I’m Jun.
I just got admission here”, He pulled out his hand for a handshake.
Theo looked at Jun for some moment and shook his hand with him. “I’m Theo.”
“I have an idea, Let's fill the bag of the kids who bullied you with bugs”, Jun said as he pulled out a jar filled
with ants.
They hid behind a tree and waited for the kids to go into the classroom. When all the kids went inside the
classroom and their bags were still on the bench. Theo and Jun filled the bags of the bullies with ants. When the
bullies came back and opened their bags. They were terrified. They yelled and cried for their mommies. Theo
and Jun couldn’t help but laugh. They gave each other a high-five.
“Hey, yellow-head wake up”, Ren said as he tried waking Theo up.
Theo woke up immediately. “Jun”, Theo said as sat down.
“Hey man, get a grip”, Liam said as he changed into the clothes that Ren gave him.
Liam looked in the mirror. “Oh mirror, Who’s the fairest of them all?”.
“Where am I?”, Theo asked as he looked around at the room.
“You are in the spiritual realm, remember?”, Ren reminded.
“Oh, I thought it was just a dream.”, Theo said as he rubbed his eyes.
“It fits me well. Do I look good?”, Liam asked happily as he showed Theo and Ren his dress.
Ren rolled his eyes. “You look fine.”, Ren said.
◙◙◙
Merry and Claire changed into the dress in the closet. The dress was made of leaves and vines. Both of them
couldn’t start a conversation.
“So…”, Both said in sync.
“You go first”, Merry insisted.
“No, you go first”, Claire insisted.
“You seem close to Liam”, said Merry.
“Yeah, we worked together on a product advertisement.”, “But then we moved to different states and lost
contact.”, Claire said as she struggled with the knot of the dress.
Chapter 5: Kiwi
“Ah, okay”, Merry said awkwardly. “So, what are you doing here? I mean… A rich person like you”, “How did
you know about this place.”, Merry asked.
Claire looked at her and smiled, thinking about what happened that night.
“um, I just came here to close a portal.”, Claire avoided eye contact and tried changing the conversation.
“Oh, okay.”
Mr. Mathew knocked at the door. Claire opened the door.
“Are you both ready?”, Mr. Mathew asked smiling.
Claire and Merry got out of the room. Liam, Theo, and Ren were already with Mr. Mathew. They all started
walking.
“Where are we going, Uncle?”, Liam asked Mr. Mathew.
“I’m not your uncle. Call me Mr. Mathew.”, Mr. Mathew said as cleared his throat.
Everyone chuckled. Liam approached Claire. “Hey”, Liam waved at Claire.
“Hi”, Claire said as she waved back. “You have changed quite a lot”, Claire said as she looked at Liam.
“In a good or bad way?”, Liam asked as he chuckled.
Claire thought for a second, “Um, in a bad way”, Claire said as she chuckled and patted Liam on his shoulder.
Ren whispered to Mr. Mathew, “Is it okay to trust these humans?”. He stared at Liam and Claire.
“um, are you talking about Merry, Liam, and yellow head, or just Liam”, Mr. Mathew teased Ren.
Ren turned red. “Why would I…”, Ren said as he pouted.
“Hey, how are you feeling?”, Merry asked Theo as she taped his shoulders.
“Hey, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”, Theo thanked her.
“By the way. I’m Theo”, Theo introduced himself and pulled out his hand.
“I’m Margret, friends call me Merry”, Merry shook her hands with him.
“Okay, we have arrived. Let me give you instructions.”, Mr. Mathew announced.
Noone noticed Mr. Mathew and they all went inside.
As they entered the room, they were struck by the sight of what appeared to be a museum filled with exquisite
stone sculptures of mythical creatures. The pillars, walls, and even the floor all looked as if they were crafted
precisely by skilled architects. The air was heavy with the scent of cement and soil, giving the space a distinct
earthy aroma. Upon closer inspection, Claire noticed intricate designs of ancient creatures etched onto the
pillars, adding to the enchanting atmosphere. In the center of the room stood three particularly unusual pillars,
each accompanied by a majestic mythical creature, with the exception of one pillar left unadorned.
“Is this a museum of mythical creatures”, Merry asked.
“Can I touch them?”, Liam asked as ran toward a griffin.
Chapter 5: Kiwi
“No”, Mr. Mathew as he kept them away from the creatures.
“Are these pillars symbolizing something?”, Claire asked as she touched a pillar.
“Please stay away from them”, Mr. Mathew said.
“Everyone, please don’t touch any creatures. They are alive”, Ren said loudly so that everyone could hear him.
They gasped and stayed away from the creatures. Ren gently touched the back of a stone-sculptured griffin and
he slowly started turning into a living griffin. At first, he stayed calm but soon when he saw people approaching
him. He suddenly turned angry and aggressive, jumping and roaring uncontrollably. Liam, Merry, and Theo
quickly took cover behind the pillars, while Ren attempted to calm him down by grabbing his leash, but it only
made things worse. Claire, however, bravely stepped forward while everyone else backed away. “Your
Highness, don’t get close to him. He might hurt you.”, Mr. Mathew whispered, hiding behind the pillar.
“Claire, don’t step closer.”, “He’ll hurt you”, Ren shrieked as he told her to stay away.
Claire didn’t listen to him and kept stepping closer to Griffin. She came closer to him. And gently took the
leash. “Trust me. I’m a friend. I’m not going to hurt you”. The words she repeatedly said to Griffin. She gently
touched his head with hard fur.
“I know it’s hard to trust new people but I’m a friend you can trust me”, Claire said as she moved her hand over
Griffin.
At first, he hesitated but then he realized that she was not going to hurt him, he became comfortable with him.
She took his reign and patted him. He licked Claire playfully and leaped in excitement.
“Uh, enough”, Claire exclaimed as she chuckled. She smiled and kept rubbing his back. She handed Ren the
reign. He was completely speechless. He couldn’t even blink. Everyone patted Claire for her bravery.
“How did you do that?”, Ren asked confusingly.
“He was just frightened because he saw new people. I just assured him that I’m his friend”, Claire said, smiling
and playing with the hair of Griffin. “What is his name, by the way”, She asked.
“Um, He is a griffin.”, Ren said as he rubbed his head in confusion.
“Every living creature is supposed to have a name.”, Claire said as she patted Griffin.
“What should we name him?”, Claire asked everyone.
“um, I think we should name him Kiwi”, Ren said with a sorrowful look.
“Kiwi, just like the fruit. I like it.”, Claire said as she smiled.
“Kiwi, be a good boy”, Claire said as she patted Kiwi.
“By the way, what is in that room?”, Liam asked as he pointed at the big door, covered with veins and rust. It
looked like it had been a lot of years since it has been opened.
“Oh, it has the most powerful and greatest phoenix dragon inside it. It’s reserved for The moon spirit knight.”,
Mr. Mathew said as he touched a two-headed dog with wings.
“What is this?”, Theo asked as he looked at it with confusion.
Chapter 5: Kiwi
“This is a cipher.”, Mr. Mathew introduced him.
“Merry and Theo, You said that you have powers, right? This is your first test. Only the spirit knights can
activate those creatures standing beside the pillar.”, Mr. Mathew said, pointing at the Pegasus and winged fox
sculptures.
“Activate them if you’re spirit knight.”, Mr. Mathew said as he pulled the leash of Cipher.
Merry and Theo looked at each other as they took a big gulp. They slowly started walking toward the pillars.
They nodded at each other. Merry's hands trembled as she reached out to touch the Pegasus. Her eyes met
Theo's, and they both took a deep breath. Slowly, they placed their hands on the statues. Nothing happened. Not
a single movement. Complete silence but after some time the Pegasus and the winged fox came to life.
Everyone cheered. Theo and Merry gave each other a high five and hugged each other.
“Claire, you can ride with me.”, Ren offered. As he pulled out his hand so that Claire could hop on. Claire
looked at him. His eyes sparkled and there was a delightful smile on his face as if he had no worries in this
world. She finally took his hand and hopped on Kiwi. Liam sat behind Merry on the Pegasus.
They all came out of the museum with their tamed creatures.
“Are you guys ready for a flight?”, Ren exclaimed. “Let’s go”.
Ren pulled on the reins, and Kiwi began to soar upward.
Liam felt his heart leaping in his chest as the Pegasus also rose higher and higher into the sky. The world below
them shrank, becoming a tiny patchwork of colors. The wind blew through their hair, whipping it around their
faces.
Mr. Mathew glanced over at Ren, who was grinning from ear to ear. He smiled back, and for a moment, all their
troubles seemed far away. It all seemed like a dream. They felt as if they were in a fairytale. Claire's hair fell
behind her shoulder. She closed her eyes and touched the air passing through her hand. Merry let go of the
leash. She opened her arms. Theo’s heart thudded in his chest. He felt like a person again. The sweet scent of
lavender filled the air, wafting around them like a fragrant cloud.
The tension in their bodies faded away, replaced by a feeling of calm and relaxation. Time seemed to slow
down, each moment stretching out like a rubber band. The world around them stilled as if frozen in time. Claire
looked down at the ground. The world seemed so small from this height. They had come so far, and it seemed as
if time had stopped.
She held Ren’s waist tightly as she closed her eyes again. Ren's smile was tinged with sadness as if he was
remembering something from his past Time seemed to slow down, each moment stretching out like a rubber
band. The world around them stilled as if frozen in time. They heard a melody of comfort in the clouds as their
hair danced with the moving breeze. The sparkle reflected from the gem mountain fell on Claire's eyes. She
chuckled. This world was a lot better than the real world.
They finally reached the Chang Mai cliff. It was so high and covered with gems which looked like rocks. Ren
slowly got off Kiwi and held out his hand for Claire.
“We can’t go further with our animals”, Ren said as he helped Claire get off.
“Why? It’s still a lot of way, up there”, Merry asked as she and Liam got off the Pegasus.
“It’s dangerous for them to go up there.”, Mr. Mathew answered as he got off and helped Theo get off.
Chapter 5: Kiwi
“So, we have to climb up the whole mountain”, Liam said fearfully panicking.
“Yeah,”, Ren said as he did some kind of magic and turned the creatures into stone again.
“Why did you have to turn them into stone again? They weren’t any harm to anyone.”, Merry asked
sophisticatedly.
“Yeah, They are not harmful to anyone but a lot of spirits are harmful to them.”, Ren said as he started hiking
over a path surrounded by dark trees.
“But why would any spirit want to hurt these beautiful creatures?”, Merry asked.
“Come on, start climbing. I’ll tell you on the way.”, Ren said as he looked back at everyone.
They walked through the forest, their steps like whispers on the dark earth.
The shadows of the trees stretched above them, filling the air with a hushed stillness. The cold bit at their skin,
raising goosebumps on their arms. There was no sound but the rustle of leaves beneath their feet and the
howling of distant wolves.
The silence was heavy, like a hand pressed against their mouths. Even if they talked, They just whispered.
“I have a question?”, Claire whispered.
“Go forward”, Mr. Mathew replied in a whisper.
“Why are we whispering? It’s not like we’re bad-mouthing someone”, Claire said in a whisper as her voice
shrieked.
“You got a point.”, whispered Mr. Mathew.
“Why are we whispering to each other? What are we afraid of?”, Mr. Mathew said as he normalized his voice.
He cleared his throat.
“What were you going to talk about those creatures?”, Merry asked as she tapped Ren’s shoulder.
“You’re talking to me?”, Asked Ren as he pointed at himself.
“Yeah, who else?”, Merry said in confusion. “Are you okay?”, Asked Merry.
“Yeah, I’m fine”, Ren sighed as he rubbed his forehead. “What did you ask me, again?”, Ren asked.
“I asked you~”, Merry was about to tell him again when Claire interrupted.
“Wait…”, Claire thought for a second and looked at Ren.
“You are not Ren. Aren’t you?”, Claire looked at Ren frustratingly.
“What, what are you saying, Claire?”, Said Ren as he looked at Claire with confusion.
“Ren never calls me by my name”, Claire said as she took a step back.
Ren's eyes color changed into dark red. His face turned into a green-loathing spirit as he grinned. His nails were
longer than his palm. He was made of dark energy.
“Claire de lune, you’re quite clever but not as clever as me”, The loathing spirit said grinning.
Chapter 5: Kiwi
“Where is Ren?”, Claire asked furiously but fearfully. Her hand trembled. Sweat dripped from the forehead.
There was a fire in her eyes.
“You are still worried about him. Worry about yourself first.”, He grinned as he was about to attack Claire.
When someone from behind cut down the head of the loathing spirit with katana. His head and body separated
from each other. He became dust and disappeared in thin air. Behind the dusty ashes of the loathing spirit, Claire
saw someone; Someone with black eyes and dark hair