~The Shattering (Part 1)~

Early morning, Drake was already on his way to the orphanage. It will take him almost one hour to travel from their town to the mansion and an estimate of more or less thirty minutes to reach the maple tree and to the orphanage. That is why he made an early trip to have more time to investigate and return to town before dark and have a great night with her girlfriend.

His mother used to visit and support the orphanage when she was still alive. Now and then, their mother pays a visit to that place, securing the needs and most of the orphanage's expenses. And every Christmas, she used to bring gifts for the children together with Drake, John, and Alex when they were still kids. The orphanage continued to receive support from the Scott family as John, the eldest sibling of Scott’s, mandated monetary support and visits once a year. That is also the reason why after the incident was known, the name Little Angels Orphanage was changed into Elizabeth’s Little Angels Orphanage in memory of their late mother, Elizabeth. That is also the main reason why Drake was eager to receive full support from the orphanage for his investigation.

Later that morning, Drake arrived at the orphanage and asked for direction on directing his questions for the investigation. Unfortunately, Sister Irene Stevenson, Directress of the said orphanage, was out for the moment and will be back later in the afternoon. Drake gave a card to the in-charge to give him a call when the directress arrived. Once the in-charge saw the name Drake Horus Scott, she immediately made a call and made Drake wait for a moment. The in-charge instantly informed Drake that the directress was on his way from a congregation and would arrive earlier at 1 pm. Drake waited and roamed for the moment. He went on the places from his memory where he and his mother and his siblings gathered with the children on Christmas day, gave gifts, played games, and celebrated while eating. It made Drake smile as the man remembered the scene as clear as viewing from a monitor. He played with the children for a moment before informing the in-charge that he would be back at 1 pm and bring something for the kids and made his way back to the mansion.

The head of security, Allen, made contact with Clem to inform them “Sun is coming” which means Drake has arrived. It made the staff, especially Clem, who is with Nana Doris and Alex at the moment, wonder about Drake’s uninformed arrival back at the mansion. He was greeted by the three at the main entrance.

“Good day Master Drake!” Clem greeted.

“Good day Clem, and to you too, Nana,” Drake said as he made a hug at both of them.

“Good day too, my dear boy. Have you eaten yet?” Nana asked.

“Nope! I got early for important matters.” Drake replied.

“Well, prepare for you, Master Drake,” Clem replied as Clem and Doris prepared something for his breakfast.

“Oh! And Clem, by the way, could you prepare something that I could give to the kids in the orphanage. Anything for kids and some monetary support will do so too.” Drake requested.

“Right away, sir!” Clem obliged.

“Back so soon?” Alex greeted his younger brother.

“Yeah, sorry for not informing you of my arrival,” Drake replied.

“So? What are you up to?” Al investigated the immediate return of his brother, for she assumed something was bothering her younger brother.

“I was from the orphanage earlier, but the directress was still out for some time. I will be returning there by 1 pm.” Drake explained.

“What orphanage?” Alex follows a question.

“The orphanage, the one mom was supporting before until now, which is handled by John lately,” Drake replied.

“Oh! That orphanage. What are you doing in there? Alex continued to ask questions while Drake avoided answering, not to let her know the possibility that Lez is the Key.

“I was just visiting them, as mom always been doing before,” Drake replied.

“Drake? I know when you are lying. I know you are hiding something from me. I can see it in your face. Now tell me the truth. I don’t want to use my power to force it from you.” Alex implied with a straight face now.

Drake was having second thoughts, but knowing from their past, Alex always found out the truth if she wanted to by using her ability.

“Okay, I’ll tell you the truth, but please, don’t overreact.” Drake pleaded as his sister listened.

“We had a conversation last night with Lez’s parents, and we unravel the truth. Her parents told us that Lez is not their real child; I mean, they adopted her from the orphanage that our mother was supporting, The Little Angels Orphanage.” Drake explained a little but did not reveal all.

“So that explains your visit to the orphanage. So you want to gather information for Lez, but what is it for?

Alex further investigated.

“I suppose that Lez, could be one of us, Royal Blood,” Drake replied.

“But I told you before, it’s impossible. The last Royal Blood that existed, not including our family, would be the Seymour’s, and they all died the same day that our mother died.” Alex refreshes Drake’s memory that he told that before.

“I know, but we could not decide that on our own, and we got to have some basis before we conclude. That is why I am investigating Lez’s history so we will know. Besides, how could we explain her abilities if she’s not a Royal Blood? Only Royal Blood have powers like us that exist in this world.” Drake explained to his sister.

“That is not completely true,” Alex said that making his brother wonder.

“What do you mean?” Drake asked.

“I read something from a book in the hidden library last night. And it says the existence of the ‘Possessed’.” Alex said.

“And what is that Possessed supposed to be?” Drake replied.

“It says that the ‘Possessed’ are human beings possessed by the demon army, and it obtains specific abilities depending on what demon is possessing them. They are the ones ordered by the Demon King to search for the Key and obtain it. The book also said that the ‘Possessed’ need to refuel themselves before attaining their true power. Once the ‘Possessed’ gathered enough fuel, they leave their human body degenerated and became a full demon army.” Alex clearly explained to Drake.

“Are you assuming that Lez is a Possessed?” Drake strongly disagreed with his sister's thoughts.

“Yes! And if she is Possessed, then she is a threat and Dad, and John must know about it. We must stop it before she obtains her true potential as a demon. That is our job. That’s the reason why we’re here. That is the obligation of the guardians.” Alex strongly reminded Drake of the reason for their existence, and that is to protect humanity from the demons. And thus, the worst scenario that Drake has been frightened for is now coming to materialize.

“Please, hear me before you conclude to anything, Al. I’m begging you.” Drake heartily pleaded to his sister.

Clem arrived at the scene and noticed that the two were arguing, so he tried to break it by giving a piece of news.

“Master Drake! Lady Medea! I have come to inform you that what you have requested for the orphanage is now secured and ready anytime as you may wish.” Clem said just to break the heated conversation.

“Thank you, Clem; I appreciate it,” Drake replied to Clem while looking at her sister, who is still unconvinced to Drake’s supposition about Lez.

“One more thing, sir! The laboratory already had the results for the DNA test with the samples that you provided them.” Clem added to break the news as the two listened carefully to what Clem was about to say because that would be the pivoting moment for future decisions.

“Please let it be good news, Clem.” Drake was hoping for a good result.

“It’s positive, sir! Lady Lezlie and the Seymour’s are a match.” Clem broke to them a piece of excellent news.

“Yes!” Drake shouted with joy and gladness for what he had heard.

“Do you hear that, Al? Lez is one of us. Lez is a Royal Blood, and she is one of the Seymour. She is a guardian.” Drake said to his sister, making her believe that he was right in his supposition since the beginning.

“But how could that be? When all of the Seymour’s died eight years ago?” Alex is still confused about the results.

“Maybe one of the Seymour had an affair with another man or a woman that brought Lez as a product of their deceit, who knows? I am just glad to know that she’s one of us.” Drake happily explained.

“I could guess you might be right, and I guess I owe you an apology. I’m sorry, Drakey.” Al admitted defeat on their argument while Drake replied to her with a smile accepting her apology, and gave themselves a big sister-brother hug.

“But I want to accompany you on investigating at the orphanage. I am just intrigued by the happening, and I wanted to know who might be from the two who had an affair with another person.” Alex suddenly became interested to know the truth.

“Be my guest, and I am more glad to have a helping hand for my investigation. Come on; this means a celebration. I can’t wait to break this news to my girlfriend. I would like to see her happy face for the news on our date tonight. But for now, I am starving, so let’s have our breakfast.” Drake was excited for their date on the evening.

“I’m done with my breakfast, and… so you’re his boyfriend now?” Alex asked while Drake replied by raising his eyebrow twice as they proceeded to the dining room, embracing while walking. “Well, I’m just happy for the both of you,” Alex commented.

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Later that day, before 1 pm strikes, Alex arrives at the orphanage with Clem and some assistants in a car with Drake on his bike. Sister Irene was patiently waiting for their arrival as she arrived earlier than she expected.

Clem, together with assistance, got out of the car bearing gifts for the children that brought them happiness and joy in their faces as they gave their greetings to each other. Drake and Al played with them for a while before entering the Directress Office for a conversation.

“Welcome to our little orphanage Mr. and Ms. Scott. Your mother would be proud of your good intentions in honor of her memory. My secretary already informed me earlier about something you may want to know, so how may I serve you, sir?” Sister Irene asked directly without hesitations.

“Thank you, Sister Irene. We are here to request your humble office if you may kindly help us obtain some information of the adoption of a specific child that we currently have an investigation.” Drake implied to the directress.

“I think I can help you with that, Mr. Scott. Can we have some details?” Sister Irene asked.

“The person we want to acquire information with is named Lezlie Anderson, and the adopters' name would be Mr. And Mrs. Mark Andrew Anderson, and it’s in the year 2004,” Drake replied.

“Anderson? That is quite familiar to me, and you said it was in 2004?” Sister Irene clarified.

“Yes! Definitely in 2004 as what Mr. Anderson told us.” Drake confirmed his statement.

“Let me have a look at the files we have.” Sister Irene took a call on her assistant and instructed her to bring all the files with Mr. Mark Andrew Anderson in it in the year 2004. They talked about a few things while waiting, such as their mother’s wondrous work in the orphanage and everything else. It didn’t entirely take a while when the directress’s assistant handed over the files to her. She opened the file and started to read.

“Mr. Mark Andrew Anderson and Mrs. Sophia Anderson. Oh! I remember now; this is the case of one particular child that we had adopted to the Anderson family.” Sister Irene commented.

“Peculiar?” Al replied as she also got quite interested.

“Yes! As far as I can remember, the Anderson came here in 2004; I introduced them to a child we newly registered as a foundling. They were desperate to have a baby girl at that time, and it’s just a bit of luck that we had one for them.” Sister Irene explained.

“Foundling?” Drake asked for clarifications.

“Yes! You see, we were on our way back from the mansion to the orphanage as we were invited by your mother to a meeting that night. It was me, together with our driver noticed something burning from a distance, so we stopped by to know what it was. But suddenly we heard something that caught our attention. We heard a baby’s cry nearby so we quickly checked the area and there we found a baby girl, naked, lying in the ground, surrounded by the fire. We thought that someone wanted to burn the baby, but no one was there. So we hurried to save the baby by extinguishing the fire, but the more we wanted to put it out, the bigger it grew.“ Drake and Al’s eyes grew wider, fascinated, made them more intrigued as the directress continued telling them the story. “I thought it was the baby’s end that night as I’ve cried in terror. We thought the baby was kind of an offering to a ritual of an occult. That moment really frightens me up until now just by remembering it. I prayed to God to help us save the baby, prayed deep within my heart, and suddenly the fire slowly went out and died. I thought God heard our prayers. God made a miracle for us to save her. That made my faith in Him stronger, and we thanked Him as we went back in this orphanage with the baby.” Sister Irene ended her story.

“Did somehow or someone come here to ask for the baby?” Al further asked.

“We did inform the locals and the registrar's office to inform every by the radio or television about the child, but no one came to claim the baby. And thus, we registered her as a foundling.” Sister Irene answered.

“That is a fascinating story indeed, Sister Irene. Thank you, but May we know what date exactly and where did you find the baby?” Drake curiously asked.

“Oh! That’s simple. It was March 25, 2004, the exact date we found her and told the Anderson, which they decided to have as her birthdate. And as for the place, you may have passed by it when you came here.” Sister Irene replied.

“And that would be?” Al asked.

“The maple tree on the highway, the only maple tree you can pass on your way from the mansion to here. The wonderful maple tree.” Sister Irene answered as both Al and Drake looked at each other, wondering and becoming more intrigued.

“Thank you for your time and for that information Sister Irene. That helps much in our investigation about our friend. Please accept this as a token of our gratitude and also a donation for the orphanage’s welfare in memory of our late mother.” Drake handed a check inside an envelope to the directress.

“Oh! Thank you very much for this, Mr. and Ms. Scott. I’ve been praying for some help for some time by now. That is why I went to the congregation in the first place for you see, we’ve been planning to tour the children out of town and introduce them to some family in the nearby towns, but that would need as much financial assistance to make it happen. That’s why we greatly appreciate this help from the bottom of our hearts.” Sister Irene explained.

“Well, that’s quite convenient then. Glad to be of help, Sister. If you need more assistance, please don’t hesitate to call and inform us.” Drake replied to the directress.

“Oh no, this is more than enough, Mr. and Ms. Scott. Thank you very much.” Sister Irene thanked them with gratitude.

“You’re Welcome,” Both Al and Drake replied.

“We'll take our leave now, Sister, and have a nice day.” As the two bid farewell to the directress.

“Oh! By the way, sir, I might have something that might give you much help on your ongoing investigation. Please have a moment.” The directress called while searching for something in her drawer.

Drake and Al wondered what it could be.

“Ah! Here it is. Well, you see, I took a picture of that child as a remembrance for that unforgettable moment of my life.” The directress handed over a picture and something else inside a small box.

“Is that a burnt necklace of a bird?” Al uttered, asking as they both looked at the directress with curious faces.

“Well, actually, I forgot to hand that down to the Andersons. We found that necklace together with the baby, and she was holding that thing so firmly that it made us curious at that moment. May it help you much on your investigation.” Sister Irene explained before they left.

“Thank you for this, sister; this will indeed provide great help in our investigation.” Drake thanked the directress.

The two left the office with great determination on their faces. The case of the baby is still a mystery for them, but now they have collected more information and some things that they need to know further before the end of a conclusion to the case.

“So where we onto now?” Al asked her brother.

“First, we head back to the mansion, and know the information we have about the Seymour’s and find the missing connection between Lez. Second, we gather information about this necklace.” Drake said.

“So, why are you standing there? Let’s go!” Al said to his brother as they hurried and left the orphanage back to the mansion.

Upon their arrival, Drake instructed Clem to prepare the gathered information about the Seymour’s in the hidden library as to where they conducted their brainstorming.

The hidden library now has computers and technologies that may help them on their investigation, and more people too, which were the team gathered to cumulate information that Drake ordered.

“Clem, could you hand this to someone who is best at searching for any information that they can get about this necklace. Especially in connection with the Seymour Family.” Drake handed the picture and necklace to Clem as he ordered.

“Right away, sir! Oh, by the way, the information you requested about the Seymour is ready at the table, sir.” Clem said.

“Thank you, Clem,” Drake said as he proceeded to the table.

Drake saw her sister sitting on her chair at the guardian table, thinking very deeply.

“Hm, let me see.” Drake started to scan the pages reading Seymour’s data as he recognized something. “Look, Al, Look at these dates,” Drake called the attention of his sister.

“What is it?” Al replied, and as she reads what his brother is pointing. “Ember Dawn Seymour; birth March 25, 2004.”

“That’s the exact birthdate of Lez.” Drake was putting the puzzle more and more on its shape.

“Plus, according to the results I requested from the lab, both Siegfried and Alicia Seymour had a match on Lez’s DNA. Which means…” Drake said as Alex continued to speak.

“Which means erasing our assumption that either Siegfried or Alicia had an affair with another person that made product of Lez, and that will lead us to our conclusion…” Alex said but finished by Drake.

“That Ember Dawn Seymour had a twin sister named Lezlie Anderson, which we may also call Lezlie Seymour,” Drake said as both of them cheered with gladness and joy in their hearts; for now, they know the truth. The truth is that Lezlie is a Royal Blood and a guardian.

“But I wonder what kind of guardian holds an ability that can create a shield for herself?” Al wondered.

“Let’s check at the book of guardians to find out,” Drake said.

“Well, according to the book, the only closest ability same as Lez’s is the Force Guardian.” Al read.

“What’s the Force Guardian could do?” Drake asked.

“Well, here it says, the Force Guardian has the ability to manipulate or control any kind of force, may it contact, frictional, tension, normal, air-resist, action-distance, electrical, magnetic, and gravitational force. And she’s one of the lower trinity guardians, and that makes her OP too.” Alex said as she smiled.

“So she can create a force field to defend herself? Now that news, I can’t wait to see Lez’s reaction when she hears about that.” Drake said so excitedly.

“Excuse me, Master Drake! Lady Medea! We had all the results about this necklace that you gave me, and the research found zero connection to the Seymour’s.” Clem Informed.

“What? That doesn’t add up, but it’s not important for now, Clem. We just had a conclusion that Lez, is Royal Blood, and she is the twin sister of Princess Ember Dawn Seymour.” Drake proudly said.

“Well, that’s bloody good news, sir,” Clem commented.

“I know, right, and I can’t wait to tell her about it,” Drake replied.

“But, why did the Seymour’s abandon their child? And for the worse tried to burn her? And to make it worst, burned her at that place?” Alex said, thinking much deeper.

“What? What’s bothering you, Al?” Drake asked her sister.

“I was just thinking about the place where they found baby Lez. I am just wondering why in many places, it would be that specific place.” Alex replied, which continued to think more.

“Why? Is there something wrong with the place? I mean, it’s weird bringing a baby there and trying to burn her like a sacrifice, but anything except that, it’s a wonderful place with a nice view.” Drake explained.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Al asked, thinking Drake was just fooling around.

“Ah, no!” Drake replied.

“What? I thought you already recovered your lost memory about mom’s death?” Alex said.

“Yes, I recovered my memory of that day but no, not entirely. It’s just a fragment.” Drake implied.

“Okay, but have you no idea about the place?” Alex was emphasizing something terrible about that place.

“I don’t get it? What are you talking about?” Drake confusedly asked.

“That place is cursed. That place is where our mother and the Seymour’s died. The actual maple tree is the gateway to the netherworld. That’s why I never went back to that place after our mother’s death.” Alex revealed the truth about the scene of their mother’s death.

Drake was shocked by what he had heard from his sister—panting, visualizing the scene from his head as it slowly cleared up in his mind a picture of her mother dragged by a demon on a portal within the maple tree.

“All this time, that is why I was so attracted to that tree. Now I know the reason why and it’s because it’s the last place I’ve seen mom, and I’ve missed her so much that deep within my heart, I want to take her back from that tree.” Drake’s tears began to fall as he sulked down on the table, feeling worthless and blaming himself the most for what had happened.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Later that day, Drake’s getting ready to go back to town and have a dinner date with her girlfriend, and what makes him excited the most is telling her the big news.

“Give my regards to Lez and tell her, welcome to our family.” Alex gave a message to Drake for Lez.

“I will, I promise,” Drake said to his sister and then immediately made a call.

Phone rings. And the hopeful lady quickly picked up to answer her phone as she saw the name of the caller Drake♥♥♥.

“Hello, your highness!” Drake said on the phone to greet her lovely girlfriend.

“Hello, your majesty.” She replied.

“Ready for our date tonight?” Drake asked with a lively voice.

“Wow! Yes, I am, and it feels like you got some great news by the tone of your voice.” Lez answered as she recognized Drake’s voice with delight.

“I sure do. I’ll be there in an hour to pick you up. We’ll be going to a restaurant near a beach.” Drake said.

“Okay. I’ll wait, see you! Bye.” Lez replied as she smiled and got herself ready for the date.

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