XVII

The Next Day of Helping

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The sun rose but it did not wake the Juniors up. After a few minutes, they're awakened by the light crossing through the gaps of their eyelids. A Kininva passed by the cave as everyone were serenely rising. Amy, who was completely wide-awake, picked an arrow. Lance held the arrow and Amy's hand.

Amy looked at Lance and saw him mouthing no. Amy nodded approvingly and all of them went to the darkest part of the cave. They remained stilly for them not to be spotted. When the Kininva was already gone, they went out of the cave and checked if there were other Kininvas with it. It was alone.

Amy and her teammates led all of the horses in the cave to make everyone safe.

"Airie, wait here," Amy commanded to Airie and the other horses. "Don't go with us. Make sure all of you are complete when we go back."

"Let's go," Elise whispered to Amy then held her laser axe with guard.

They tried to follow the Kininva shiftily. Without a difficulty, they made it through the Kininva's path to a hut. A little boy beside her mother sits by a bench outside the hut. The Kininva destroyed the door with the use of a heavy axe and it made the two civilians aghast. The Kininva was about to get them but the Juniors made a move.

"Before you touch them, you have to go through us," Amy coldly said.

The Kininva looked at them as if a real person. It spoke in a queer voice, "kids? Are you sure you can stop our plan?"

His voice doesn't sound like any of the Kininvas' we encountered, Elise thought. He even has a natural brain's verdict. If he is really a Kininva, he must have located us using a radar in the Kininvas' basic torso system. Everyone needs to know this.

"We're not just kids! We're the Juniors!" William protested and bent out of shape.

"Then let's go and fight!" the Kininva commanded like a living thing.

Amy mouthed hide to the mother and child. The two civilians hid by the leafless tree next to their hut. The shooters aimed at the Kininva.

Elise queasily watched as everyone prepared to fight. Amy aimed three metal arrows at the Kininva. Tom and William readied their fingers to pull the trigger. Lance held his freezing cold sword by his side. Sally raised her sword on fire.

Elise looked down and forcingly let the lasers of her axe come out of the shaft. I know Amy doesn't want to kill someone, she thought. I feel sad for doing this. Our friends know Amy and I are hesitant in hurting . . . living things. She needs to know that the Kininva we are talking to is false.

"Do you think you'll have more power?" the Kininva asked in a natural voice after seeing the powerful weapons. "We have got Wizard Sheloin! You'll not have any powers again!"

"You better refresh your news feed," Amy bravely said. "You didn't know that we got him back."

The Kininva shook his head, completely like a human. He took his sword with spikes and he's got a shield.

"Amy, you have to know something," Elise started in spite of the eerie movement of the eccentric Kininva. "That Kininva is a—"

"Let's start the game!" the Kininva shouted.

"Amy," Elise called out again but Amy haven't heard it.

"Don't be too cool, bro! This boy is cooler than you!" Tom said and pointed Lance.

"I said, start the game!" the Kininva shouted again. Elise tried to call for Amy but the Kininva's voice is way more irritating and louder.

"Are you sure you're gonna fight alone?" William asked then chuckled.

"Yes," it replied. "What do you think? Kids can't defeat me!"

"Because? What?" Sally rolled her eyes.

"I'm so strong and Kininvas idolize me," it said.

"Well, then if you still want to be remembered, off you go," Amy smiled.

"Listen, I'm gonna go away but it doesn't mean that the war is over," it said. "We'll come back and you'll see how invaders will win." Then it rudely walked away.

"We better finish him," Amy said as she shot an arrow to its head. Elise gasped involuntarily. The exterior shell of the Kininva's head moved and blood dripped from it. The Kininva dropped the spiky sword and buckler.

"Amy, it's not a real Kininva," Elise whispered.

The false Kininva removed the head, like it is a helmet. The man has a severe wound at the back of his left ear. He looked over his shoulder and smirked. His face is a product of insult, disgust, and mischief.

"A war for a wound," the man uttered. After he said those words, he went away while carrying his weapons. The Juniors turned to the boy and his mother. The civilians ran to approach them.

"Just be careful," Amy said. "There are many Kininvas here. If you want, you can stay in our Kingdom."

"Oh, dear," the woman smiled. "Thank you for saving us and welcoming us to your Kingdom but we don't want to leave this house. We'll still be fine if we'll live here."

"We'll just give you something for defense," Elise said then gave a knife with a blade made of laser, just like the way Elise' axe looks.

"Thank you. We'll use this," the woman smiled and kept the knife in her pocket. "I am Delle and my son's name is Peter."

The Juniors scanned the house to see Peter. When their eyes landed on the boy, it smiled at them and spoke.

"Are you soldiers?" Peter asked.

"Yes, Peter," Amy smiled back and kneeled. "I know we're too young. We're called Juniors Team because we are the youngest group of Portal Soldiers."

"I wanna be a soldier," Peter said. "That's my dream."

"You can be a one," Lance said softly.

"Really?" Peter asked, imagining himself in an armor similar to the Juniors' armors.

"Yes," Lance replied.

"Wait, what are your names?" Peter asked sweetly. Everyone of them introduced themselves.

"Okay, thanks for giving me your names," Peter said happily and he ran away.

Later on, the smell of breakfast called them alongside with the voice of Delle.

"Come on, you better eat breakfast. I've cooked eggs and more," Delle called.

"Thank you," the Juniors said to Delle before eating.

"Go eat. I know you're on an adventure and you need to eat," Delle said.

The Juniors stayed there until the early dinner comes and Delle invited them to eat again.

"Thank you," Amy said. "This is so much."

"You're welcome," Delle responded.

"May we fix your door?" William asked while his male friends were examining the door broken by the false Kininva hours ago.

"Oh, thank you. You're really kind," Delle beamed and nodded.

The boys fixed the door and the girls helped Delle in the household chores. It's already night when they're done.

"I think we should go now. It's already dark," Amy was about to wave.

"Yes, you can sleep here with us," Delle suggested. "There were two vacant bedrooms."

"Oh, we need to go," Sally looked down at her sollerets.

"No," Delle shook her head and exhaled. "You might encounter a Kininva. It'll be too dark any time soon."

They have no choice because Delle is really caring. They fetched their horses from the cave and Delle agreed. They have their weapons to protect themselves. After they have fetched the horses, they let Delle open the stables by her yard. The horses slept there and the Juniors also slept tightly inside Delle's hut.

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