EIEN HAS REQUESTED PERMISSION to go off for a gander in the garden. Seeing as there was nothing to do aside from eating and drinking, Alasdair gave us a single nod.

Declan is sleeping, mostly because he's eaten too much. He now occupies the settee. If he were awake, I'm sure he'd have shoved me and yelled at Eien to choose him instead.

The garden is much simpler than I initially thought. There's a huge stone shaped like a cone. Wait, no. It's a mountain; its top is painted white, y'know, like snow. Surrounding it are unusually shaped rocks. I don't know if I'm reading too much into it, but somehow, they look like deformed humans, as if they got cursed and are now trapped inside these rocks forever. Their screams are unheard. Well, that's too creepy, so I shake my head, willing those negative images to go away.

Not so far from the rocks is a large pond. It's the home of those colourful and beautiful fish. I've heard of these fish before but can't recall what they're called. All I know is that people think they bring luck. People who don't worship the right God, I bet.

It strikes me as wrong. Alasdair is the last person I would have thought who had faith in fortune.

There's a temple that seems to have been abandoned for a long time now. To get there, we have to cross an arched bridge; its gap from the pond is big enough for a boat to pass through. I know this because there is a boat underneath it.

I whistle, scanning the environment with wide eyes. 'Now, this is what I call a garden! I can have this too, but you know, I'll need a mansion first, and I don't have that.'

'By your tone, I assume you are amazed?'

'Yeah? Duh.'

'But knowing Yamato-kun so far, this could have been...bigger. Better.'

I stare at him sceptically. 'Chap, this is already an extravagant garden. But yeah, this should be bigger, knowing Alasdair. And I say that ironically, since the purpose of a garden is to embody a simple lifestyle. Unless I got that information wrong? The Yamato had built this garden next to a mansion that screams, "Hey, we are too freaking rich, see?" Get it?'

'I get it,' he says, avoiding me again, creating a distance between us.

I then notice a small bamboo fountain. It pours out water endlessly onto the jagged stone beneath it. 'What a beautiful place. I wouldn't mind if I got locked in here,' I say.

'Could you please be normal at one point?' Eien says, with a flat voice. He isn't looking at me. I doubt he's interested in me at all. He's occupied with everything but me. The boat rocks as he draws a circle in the air. Envy pinches me. How does Eien effortlessly manage his power despite being a small child?

He taught me how to breathe last night, and let me tell you: it was so damn right impossible! When I first heard that we had to do some breathing exercises, I laughed at him. I told him, 'You think this is a challenge? Come on...' Yes, I made myself a fool. Not only couldn't I empty my mind, but I also couldn't sit down still, even for a minute.

Words and images crowded my mind every time I tried to shut them down. It was as though they refused to go. The penny had dropped. I listen to loud music, watch rubbish videos, and imagine nonsense things to distract myself.

When Eien said I could try again tomorrow, I cursed and chastised him, telling him how stupid and cruel he was for putting me in such turmoil. Then guilt scattered all over me, but I couldn't bring myself to apologise, as always. Eien didn't take it personally and said he'd expected it to be a failure on the first try. 'But just because you've failed now doesn't mean you can't try again.'

And this morning, when I woke up with the smell of steamed fish and the sound of frying eggs, Eien greeted me monotonously with a tiny smile on his face. I've stopped expecting him to be full of beans. Hey, if he's such a calm dude, who am I to judge? At least he can ignore those poisonous voices. I wonder if he has those...Of course, he has! Each one of us has our own shadows that won't stop following us, even until our death.

Eien reminded me that we should be ready by eight. I told him, 'Hey, relax. It's not like it's a formal gathering or anything. If you show up at the exact time, people will think you're naff.'

'In your Zone, perhaps, but this is Zone 1.' And he was right. Of course, he was. When we arrived at nine, Alasdair was delighted and even declared how proud he was of me.

'How can you do it?' I say, after reflecting on everything that happened last night and this morning. I know Eien is quite far from me. He's busy with the boat, but I've learnt that he can hear me even if I'm far from him. The wind carries people's voices, he says. In turn, his voice also travels back.

'How can I do exactly what?' he asks back, climbing inside the boat. 'This is huge.'

'Empty your mind. How did you learn how to do that? Who taught you?' I find a flat surface next to the jagged rocks and sit my bum down.

A soft melody comes from the distance. As I crane my neck, I see Fumihiro's shadow is by the window. He's opening and closing a music box. The tune sounds awfully familiar, but I can't remember when I first heard it.

'My mother,' Eien mumbles. I almost ask him why he's whispering, then I hear a splash of water.

'Are you...are you seriously fishing right now?'

'Yes. Yes, I am.'

'Bleeding fishcow! You put that down! It's not food!' I rise to my feet and rush towards the boat. As I get there, Eien is nowhere to be seen. I don't wanna climb inside the boat. What if there are valuable things stored inside? I'm not as agile and light as Eien is.

I sense that someone is following me with their eyes, so I glance up, and there he is: On the bridge, floating. 'Get down here! Drop that fish!' Who knows how much each of these fish costs? Rich people can be potty at spending their money.

'No,' he says, but he throws the fish into the water anyway. 'Bye, bye.'

I shake my head. 'You are a naughty kid." which he nods approvingly. He's proud, but then again, he's a teenager, and I remember myself as an edgy kid at his age. I pause. That's an unfair comparison. Sure, he's an oddball, but he's more cheeky than stupid.

When he's calmed his sugar rush, he tells me how his mother had taught him to empty his mind. He says the first trials can be and are always gruelling since our survival instinct kicks in, confused as to why we're trying to remove images and sounds from our brain.

'Focus on one image,' he says, holding up his finger, letting a yellow butterfly perch on it. 'I have always loved butterflies. I find them fascinating. I wonder if they're aware of how beautiful they are.'

'All right...where you goin' at?'

'Patience.'

'All right.'

The butterfly flutters away until it's gone from our sight. 'So I'd thought of a butterfly. At first, it wasn't moving. A still image. And as nights passed by, I let it come to life. I let it flap its wings slowly until it hovered in the air. It was gone. It left. I freed it, and then, I started breathing. '

I don't know what I'm doing. I watch Eien like how I stare at art that captures my attention. And this is peculiar since I rarely understand paintings. They're dull and stupid, but as I listen to the kid, his age gets erased in my eyes. His voice changes into a woman's, and his face morphs into a woman's.

Shaking my head, I remind myself that Mum isn't here. We haven't spoken since finding out about my pyrokinesis. I can't bear to hear her talk and act as if nothing has changed. But mostly, I can't bring myself to talk to her after I remembered everything.

The pond on fire. The neighbours. Dad leaving us. Uncle raising me and then leaving me too.

Focus on the present, Jaxon. Life is about moving on.

'Perhaps you can try that method too. Do not worry. I will assist you. I am your guide.'

I set my hand on top of his head. 'How are you so...sage-y at your age? What did your mum feed you?'

He tries to conceal it by turning his head away from me, but I know he's pouting. I treasure these rare moments where he shows more emotions. It seems he only does this when he's alone with one person. Noritaka, for example. I'm sure they've had shared some in-depth no one is aware of. I've been itching to ask him, but it's too private, and a part of me says I might lose both of their trust if I pry too much.

Then there's me. Eien becomes more relaxed and playful when there are no other people around us.

'Mister Evans, I do have a confession,' he says, out of nowhere. I remove my hand from his head.

'If it's a love confession, forget it. It's only pure admiration. You'll soon get over it. OK, I'm just kidding! No need to look at me like that! So what is it?'

Eien lets out a heavy breath. 'Mister Evans is such an unusual fellow. I wonder how anyone could love him...'

'Hey!'

'Anyway, as I was saying, I do have a confession. Do you remember what followed after I healed you?'

My forehead folds. Where is this going? It seems serious, so I better pay attention. 'Well, many things happened. I felt...freed. I felt like I was sinking, but instead of panicking, I felt calm.'

He hums, musing, his forefinger under his lips. 'What else?'

'Well...The last time you healed me from a fever, I emerged.'

He blinks. 'Excuse me?'

'I emerged from the pond. The same pond I told you about when I was a kid. Then I visualised that I was in control, that wisps of fire shot through the gaps of my fingers.'

'Interesting.'

'Why? What is it?'

'Well, for days, I felt connected to you, as though I had known you my whole life. That is why it had become natural for me to open up when we sat together in the park. That attachment, however, has faded after a few more days. How do I say this? Indifferent to you again? I cannot describe it, not even in my mother tongue. It's still all very strange to me.'

It's my turn to blink rapidly at him. 'None of that makes sense to me.'

'The feeling is mutual.'

'How about now? Do you not care about me? At all?' I've got no idea why the sound of it hurts me. Maybe it's just my selfish side, always hoping to be seen and heard.

He shrugs. 'I have been asking myself that. However, I am sure I would save you if you were in any danger.'

'That doesn't sound assuring.'

'It is what it is.'