The mansion formed in front of Jake’s eyes, compiled with Sora’s memories of his lifetime. The area around the mansion was like a place where space and time were suspended, with a strange purple light emitting from an unknown source. Finally, a big wooden door appeared, enabling Jake to step in to the mansion of memories.
The doors opened with ease and Jake was in the first level of the mansion. Jake looked up to see that the inside of the mansion was a quadrangular structure. He could see all the way to the glass dome ceiling right at the top of the mansion. The walls were covered with Jake’s favourite wallpaper and flaming torches placed on the wall lighted the inside of the mansion. The floors were well carpeted as well. There were a large number of doors with numbers on them. Each memory was hidden behind each of those doors. Jake, in order to test whether the technique programming was working, opened door number 101.
The surrounding dissolved and he found himself in a place where sunlight was streaming in. He was in a small garden, with a few flowers growing amongst the plants. And lying near the plants was a small boy, who was keenly staring at something. Jake had no doubts as to who the boy was. He had the same determined gaze as his present self. Jake had grown so used to it that he would never mistake Sora’s eyes.
This Sora seemed to be around six years old and staring at something intently on the floor. Jake approached him, knowing that he could not be heard, seen or touched in memories. He bent down and chuckled. Sora was observing a small worm slithering down a hole.
Jake exited the door. He expected something this trivial in the first level. But he was certain that the memory he was looking for was at the top most level. He looked around and spotted an elevator.
There were thirteen floors marked on the elevator. Jake held down the button to go to the very top.
The elevator opened, revealing only six handsome doors. Jake could feel the difference in this floor to the one down below. After all, these were Sora’s most important memories.
Jake was curious, maybe a bit too curious at times. That was one of his worst traits. He wanted to open each of those brown doors and take a look at everything Sora felt as precious. The doors were tempting him. And it wasn’t long before he gave in to those temptations. Besides, he was in a place where time and space stood still. For Sora and in reality, it would be as if he had been in his mind for only a second.
He approached the door to the immediate right of the elevator. He held the knob of the door and was about to open it. That was when he noticed what was on the door. The door not only had the number 1301, but also had something else written right below it. The words were, ‘KAI’.
Jake realized that all of Sora’s memories of Kai Fullbuster were stored behind that door. It was then that Jake truly understood how much Kai actually meant to Sora. He had no idea about what had happened between them, but this door was proof that all the insults and quarrelling Sora exchanged with Kai were just an act.
He looked around and realized that each of the doors had something written on it. Door 1302 was marked ‘RIKU AND THE ORPHANAGE’.
1303 had the words ‘LUCIFER’S FALL’ scribbled on it. And when he stepped in front of door number 1304, Jake stopped dead in his track.
The words written there were, ‘JAKE AND ZACK’.
For the first time since his father died, Jake’s eyes welled up with tears. He felt a gush of affection for Sora, something he had never felt for anyone other than his parents. Sora had created a special place for his memories with him and Zack.
He suddenly felt guilty. He cursed himself. How could he have even thought of trespassing into someone’s privacy? Sora had trusted him. This realization crushed his temptation to open those doors. Wiping the tears flowing from his eyes, he moved on to the next door.
Under normal circumstances, Jake would have broken the next-door down by seeing the writing on it. But now, the words ‘WIND FANGS AND BLACK FLAMES’ did not tempt him even a little.
Finally, he was in front of the door number 1306. He was surprised, not only because this was the only door that was black, but also because what was not written was not a name or a place but a date: ‘14 SEPTEMBER’, the year dating back to eight years ago.
Jake knew this was the door. He was sure also because of the unnatural aura from the door. With all his courage, he placed his arm on the knob and turned it.
But nothing happened. He could not turn the knob. He had expected it, seeing as there was a barrier around that memory. He injected some psychic waves into the door to break down the barrier.
Just then, the mansion shook. Jake jumped and saw that the black door was rattling. Then, without warning, a black mist came from the closed door. Jake reacted just in time to block the strike formed by the mist as it hurled itself at him.
The force blew Jake through the walls of the mansion of memories and before he knew it, he was forced out of Sora’s mind. Yet, the force still pushed him back and he landed at the far side of the terrace.
He staggered to his feet and noticed Sora’s eyes were white and he was walking towards him. Then, without warning, Sora was suddenly right in front of him. It took all of Jake’s strength to restrain Sora, his fist hovering right on front of Jake’s face.
Jake shouted, “Sora. Wake up! It’s me, Jake.”
He didn’t seem to respond. So Jake sent the same message telepathically. That seemed to do the trick. Sora withdrew his fist and started calming down. His eyes were regaining its focus.
Sora looked around and asked, “Jake, why are you sweating and panting? And what are we doing near the edge? Weren’t we near the centre of the terrace?”
Jake got back his breath. Though he was still weak from using such advanced psychic techniques, he said, “Sora, there’s something I have to tell you.”
He wanted to explain to Sora that there was a memory that seemed artificially placed there. But he felt that it wasn’t the right time to do so. So instead, he said, “A certain memory of yours seems to be blocked. It was the memories of the day, 14 September, eight years ago.”
Sora knew what that date was. The day he dreaded the most in his life. He asked Jake cautiously, “Were you able to break the barrier?”
Jake shook his head. He said, “I tried to break through but the psychic contractor who placed the barrier had placed a complex self-defense mechanism on it. Anyone who tries to break past the barrier would be attacked in the mind. After I was out, you seemed like you were controlled and attacked me. I was only able to reach you through a telepathic message.”
Sora’s eyes were wide. “I attacked you? Did something happen? Are you hurt?”
Jake was staring at Sora. He had just told him that someone had altered his mind somewhere, but he was more concerned about Jake. Jake remembered the door with his name and smiled to himself. He was really happy, deep down.
Jake convinced Sora that he was all right. They retired to their rooms, dead tired by now. As Jake climbed on to his bed, the clock struck one and as he lay, trying to get some sleep, he heard Sora saying something. He could partially understand the word, “… teddy bear…”
Next morning, both Sora and Jake were still exhausted. Zack watched them over breakfast and asked, “You guys seem tired. Didn’t you sleep well?”
Sora said with a yawn, “Yeah, we did. We were as snug as a ‘bear’.”
Jake choked on his juice and spluttered. Sora and Zack laughed as a maid rushed to help Jake, who was still grinning.
The day went as usual. Sora showed no signs of being affected in any way by the barrier being attacked. Life went on quietly for the next few days (quiet for a guild contractor, that is).
One night, Jake returned alone to the Titania mansion. Zack, who was already home with Mr. Titania, asked him, “You’re alone? Where’s Sora?” Jake felt he should tell them by now. Zack had to know sometime or the other. “He’s searching for a place to buy. We felt that it’s about time we found a place to stay and not free load on you guys. It’s nothing
personal or anything.”
But Zack did find it personal. “You guys can stay here as long as you like! You don’t need to rush it.” Jake said, “You don’t understand, Zack. We’re doing it for your sake.”
Zack was confused. “What do you mean, ‘for my sake’?’’
Jake sighed and said, “Your birthday is in a week, right? 11 July? You’re having a big party to celebrate reaching sixteen here. Lots of nobles attending as well.”
“What are you getting at?” Zack asked, his tone rising.
“Well, obviously, we staying here when the place is crawling with nobles would not be comfortable.” There was a moment of uneasy silence.
Zack looked discombobulated. “Are you telling me that you guys are not coming to my birthday because you won’t be comfortable?” An undercurrent of fury trailed through Zack’s voice.
“Zack, don’t make it harder for them than it actually is.” Both Jake and Zack faced Mr. Titania.
“What do you mean, father?” Zack asked.
Mr. Titania gazed at Jake and said, “Not many nobles would take kindly to the presence of commoners in eminent gatherings such as this. They would consider it insulting.”
Zack protested, “I don’t care what they might think. I value Jake and Sora’s company more than those rotten–”
Mr. Titania cleared his throat. His commanding aura made even Zack shut up and listen. “Zack, you are the heir to the Titania family, one of the ten elite noble families under direct rule of the princess of the royal family. Your actions could affect the relationships with the other noble families. It would lead to the downfall of our family name and everyone who works for us.”
Zack was about to protest when Jake said, “Zack, please. We would like nothing more than to be there. But not at the cost of your reputation and the Titania family’s name.”
Zack, though visibly disconcerted, muttered. “Do what you want then.”
He burst out of the room. Mr. Titania said, “Don’t worry. It’ll come to pass.”
Jake bowed deeply to him and said, “It’s alright sir. Actually, I’m honoured to receive such a reaction from him. It means a lot, really.”
Mr. Titania smiled and asked, “Do you need help looking for a new place? I can get you one.”
Jake shook his head and said, “You don’t need to trouble yourself over it, sir. You’ve done enough for us by housing us for these two months. We are truly indebted to you and your family, sir.”
Just then, Sora entered in apparent high spirits. He spotted Jake and Mr. Titania at the top of the staircase and approached them.
“Good evening, sir.”
“Good evening, Sora,” Mr. Titania said. He then turned to Jake and said, “Both of you better come to dinner. Seeing as Laura and Elena are in Forlack City, Zack would be eating alone. We best not let him wait.” They entered the dining hall, Zack, who was still in a bad mood, said, “How long were you planning to make me wait for you? I’m starving!”
Mr. Titania smiled as they took their usual seats next to Zack. The meals were served and the conversations sprung up. Zack seemed to be getting back to his usual disposition as well. He even said, “Hey guys, you can stay here for as long as you like, till you find a place to stay. You can always call this place your home.”
Sora was taken aback. Jake told him that he had explained it to them already. Sora seemed relieved. “Is that so? I was wondering how I could tell Zack that I found a place for us to stay permanently.”
They were dead silent for a few moments. Sora knew that he had said something he shouldn’t have at that time.
“Is that so?” Mr. Titania was the first to break the silence.
“Y…yes,” Sora said. “A friend of ours called Conner has this big house of his own that he bought on an online auction. He had just moved in a few weeks ago and was planning to put the extra rooms on rent. That’s when I met him and he said that Jake and I could move in with him, but should also pay part of the bills and do the household chores.”
Jake asked, “When did he say that we could move in?”
“He said that tomorrow was a good time.”
Zack was obviously not happy hearing this. If he was the same as he was two months ago, he might’ve lost his temper again. But he had finally overcome his pride and accepted that they were his most important friends. Forcing a smile, he said, “Well, if this is going to be our last night together under the same roof, I suggest that we enjoy ourselves to the maximum.”
Everyone, including Henry, the butler, was surprised. But Mr. Titania was deeply impressed and incredibly proud of his son at that moment.
More snacks and drinks were served. Then, from somewhere, a karaoke box was brought out and connected to a television set, which popped out of the wall.
Everyone had a turn on it. It started with Zack, who was amazingly bad, followed by Sora and Jake, who were a bit better. Mr. Titania stepped up and turned out a surprisingly good performance. But that was only until Zack, Jake and Sora forced Henry to sing as well. The whole staff came out to listen to the phenomenal performance of the gray-haired butler. When he finished his first song, the staff cheered for more. He was reluctant at first. But Mr. Titania, who seemed to be in a sense of spirit that no one in the mansion had ever seen him in before in years, was among the people cheering, making him sing to his heart’s content.
The concert ended with a banquet for all. Jake knew that Zack was getting along with the working staff in the mansion, but he had never expected Mr. Titania, the stern faced noble, to have such a partying side to him. He was playing a game of cards with the cook, the head maid and the chauffeur.
Slowly, the party toned down. People were leaving for their quarters and there were only a handful left. Jake was getting drowsy as well. But just when he was about to leave, someone tapped his shoulder.
Mr. Titania was right behind him. Jake was about to speak, when Mr. Titania touched his own head and stared into Jake. He waited for a few seconds and then left, leaving Jake perplexed on his seat, wondering why he was asked by Mr. Titania to read his mind and why the message he got was to meet him in his study.
Jake knew his way to the study, which was on the far side of the mansion where Mr. Titania held private conversations and meetings or just for a few priceless moments of solitude.
Jake’s imagination ran wild as he speculated the reasons for being called to the study. His first thoughts were that his feelings for Elena had been discovered. He fretted over it for a second, but then convinced himself that it was not possible. But as he trotted down the corridor, his conscience knew why.
Two months ago, he had felt reluctant about meeting the Titania family for that reason.
His feet carried him all the way to the oak doors of the study. He gulped and turned the knob.
The study was not as intimidating as he had expected. It seemed positively cozy. It was smaller than the other rooms, but had a small bookshelf beside an electric fireplace. There was a comfortable armchair in front of the fireplace and behind an impressive desk, where Mr. Titania was settled in.
He smiled when Jake came in and said, “I was afraid you would turn down my invitation. Come and sit down.”
He pointed to a sofa next to the armchair. Jake took his seat and waited for what was coming.
“Firstly, I want to thank you and Sora for everything you have done for Zack, and even Elena for that matter.”
“Sir?”
Mr. Titania leaned back on his chair. “Laura and I were worried about the way those two were growing. They were turning into what you could call ‘typical nobles’. But the Titania family members must learn to respect and co-exist with commoners as well. That has been one of the main factors for our family’s success for generations, though not every noble family supports this idealism.”
Jake said, “There was nothing to it, sir. I’m sure they would’ve come around with time. And if I may say so, Mrs. Titania and you set a fine example.”
&n
bsp; Mr. Titania shook his head. He picked up a picture frame from the top of the table and gazed at it with a sadness Jake had not seen before. He then said, “All those years ago, when I too was a contractor in Lucifer’s Fall… yes, I’m a contractor,” he said, smiling at Jake’s amazement.
“My contract is a fire spear, just a normal B grade weapon class contract. But I did manage to go all the way to A-rank before I retired to become the head of the Titania family. But as I was saying, when I was Zack’s age and had become a contractor, I was not too different from how he was a few months ago. I was stuck up; egoistic, self-centered and thought that everyone else around me was inferior.”
Mr. Titania looked at the picture frame again and said, “It is a long standing tradition of the Titania family to send its heir to the guild. This is to show them the kind of life common people live; the difficulties they face, their problems and their way of life. But the most important reason for this tradition is to show the heir that there will always be someone better than him and to prove to him that the most difficult things in life cannot be handled alone. Of course, the family head never reveals this reason to the heirs. They just sit and hope that there would be a commoner in the guild that the heir could treat as an equal. Zack seems to have met his equals in the time of two years, but it took me six years to finally find someone like that.”
Mr. Titania’s tone and expression changed. He appeared to reminiscence the past as a small smile appeared on his face. He went on, “That man was only a couple of years older than me. I don’t know why, but he was the only person who didn’t try to avoid me. He kept arguing with me about the smallest things. He had the kind of attitude that I detested initially, facing everything with a laugh and treating every obstacle as a challenge. I don’t know when it began, but I started competing with him in everything. Then, I finally began accepting him as a friend. Even after both of us got married and I retired, we would still get together. He had a wonderful wife and a smart young boy, who was the same age as Zack. They used to come over a lot and his son became the playmate of Zack and Elena, though I don’t expect them to remember him. That was the time when I thought that those times would go on forever. I really owed it to that man. Everything good about me was because of that man, Mike Tyler, your father.”
Contractor: The Legendary Contract of Vento Page 22
