“Haven’t you figured it yet? I am the Scavenger.”
The children looked shocked. “What?” asked Daniel. “You are the Scavenger? No offence... but you’re old.”
The aged man snapped his fingers. At once, his fatigued and bearded appearance turned into that of a young, masculine and agile warrior.
“Oh,” they all chorused, gawking open-mouthed.
“Listen to me carefully. I am the Scavenger, and my task is to take you, the prophesied children, to the Dark World. Now, where is the box I gave you?”
They handed him the box.
“This box contains the riddle that will take you to the first piece of the Crown. When you get your hands on the first piece, you will also get the riddle to get the second piece, and so on. We have to find all the seven pieces, put them together to reassemble the Crown of Magic, and defeat the Death Lord with its power.”
“I don’t understand one thing,” Daniel said. “If the Death Lord already rules the Dark World, then why does he want to rule Earth?”
“Every villain is ambitious. Earth will be an amazing option for expansion.”
“Why can’t he go after some other planet?” Matt asked. “Like, I don’t know… Mars or something?”
“Those planets are not inhabited,” the Scavenger pointed out. “The Death Lord wants to rule the Earth. He would turn all humans into an army of loyal zombies!”
“Wait a second!” said Archer incredulously. “He can’t possibly turn the entire population of Earth into zombies. The population is just too much!”
“Well,” the Scavenger said. “Look, this can be done but it requires enormous power. The Crown of Magic, which I call the Arcane Crown, is a powerful tool to achieve this. If the Crown falls into the Death Lord’s hands, he will use it for such a malefic purpose.”
The Scavenger could see the children still apprehensive about the whole thing.
“Think about your families! Think about your friends! The future generations to come! Their future rests on the decision you make! Will you refuse to save them?” The Scavenger paused.
There was a tense silence for a minute.
“I-I don’t know if this is true or…” James stammered.
“I will show you something.” The Scavenger pressed on a spot, and the lid of the box sprang open. He pulled out four pictures.
“What are these?” James asked.
“These are the pictures Lord Arcane gave to help me identify you four. Look at these – now, what do you think?”
The children were left stunned. Lord Arcane had made these sketches centuries ago, and yet they were so accurate.
“Now, who will help me save both yours and my homes?” There was silence.
James was the first to step forward. “I will.” Daniel was next. “Count me in.”
Matt was next. “Me too.” Archer nodded bravely and stepped forward in agreement.
A look of relief spread on the Scavenger’s face.
“So how do we get there?” Matt asked.
“Through a portal. But first things first. You will require a lot of training. Danger lurks in every nook and corner of the Dark World. You need skills to survive. Tomorrow, at two o’clock sharp, reach the old playground beside the Milk Depot of your school. Good luck!”
The Scavenger snapped his fingers again and disappeared into a cloud of dust.
“You know, I didn’t believe the Scavenger at first, but after seeing our pictures from the box, I realized that he wasn’t lying after all,” Archer said.
“But it’s still bizarre,” Daniel said. “Should we really do this? It seems risky.”
“I still have goose bumps,” Matt said. “But yes, we need to do this. I will not let some maniac turn us into zombies!” Everyone joined hands and gave each other assurance.
“I think we should disperse now,” James said. “I am exhausted and I need time to think about this newfound knowledge.”
The children returned to their homes filled with curiosity and excitement, and a trifle scared to meet the Scavenger again at the old playground.
4
THE CHILDREN WERE AT THE PLAYGROUND sharp at 2 PM. The school had abandoned the playground long ago and except for a few broken swings and slides, hardly any soul ever visited there.
“Okay, children,” the Scavenger said. “You have to practice to gain strength and acquire skills. You already have the potential in you.”
The Scavenger took a breath and continued, “You see, you have a tough training ahead. Learning the art of sword would take at least three months, and -”
“Three months!” James exclaimed. “But we have our school exams!”
“And James has to be at the top every time,” Archer pitched in.
The Scavenger frowned at James. “Saving the Universe is more important than topping your school exam!”
He continued, “Anyway, listen to me very carefully. Time works differently in the Dark World. One hour on Earth equals one month in the Dark World.”
“What? Are you crazy? With this calculation, three months of training means, 2160 hours here on Earth, which is equivalent to 2160 months in the Dark World. I mean hundred and eighty years? What the heck?” James exclaimed.
The Scavenger smiled. “Yes, my dear. By the time you learn the art of war, hundred and eighty years would have passed in the Dark World. This is enough time for the Death Lord to find all the pieces of the Crown. By using the Arcane Crown, he can control the entire Universe.”
The Scavenger took a breath. “So I propose something. We go to the Dark World tomorrow. I will train you there in the Dark World. The Death Lord would then have only three months’ time instead of hundred and eighty years.”
“That’s strange. But what about our parents?” Daniel asked. “We would not be around for three months, and -”
James interrupted. “You don’t get it, Daniel. Three months in the Dark World means only three hours here on Earth. I think a few hours of disappearance would not bother our parents.”
“Ah…” Daniel nodded, understanding.
James said, “It’s a win-win situation. Nobody would miss us in three hours, the Death Lord wouldn’t be able to form the Arcane Crown in such little
