Chapter 1 – Illusions of the real world

It had been 5 years. Olen always thought that he deserved some peace after all that has happened, but he knew this peace he earned was only temporarily.
New York in the year 2010 had not changed much since he last came. Crowds of people are still buzzing around, cars are still caught in traffic making loud honking noises, and the stench of pollution had only got worse. Everybody had been living their lives the same way, nothing has changed. People are still living for money, luxuries, and mostly selfish empty lives.

The typical American Italian in his mid twenties stood there at the side of the street, in the midst of busy crowds making their way through. Olen was struck with a nostalgic feeling, but he quickly brushed it off.
He walked slowly against the fast moving oncoming crowds, holding a opened can of coke on his left hand, sipping some coke along the way.
“Princeton Tower”. He passed by those huge letters as me made his way across the junction. He turned to see the direction that he would head next. Then, he caught an image at the corner of his eye that he had never expected nor imagined to see.

He turned to see a dark skinned man, staring intently at him across the street. Olen felt a shiver as his eyes met the other man’s eyes. It wasn’t anyone he could recognize but there was something unusual about this man that demanded attention.

He decided to try his luck. Holding the coke can, he focused a stream of spiritual energy to his left hand. He felt the coke inside being pressured, and the can started to shake. The coke can was about to erupt. Within an instant, he threw the pressurized coke can towards the dark skinned man across the street. The can was flying in a jet-like motion until it exploded before touching the man.

I knew it… Olen thought. Invisible barrier…

The people around the dark skinned man were shocked but confused at what happened. They only heard a sound, but they fail to notice the coke can in minor bits all over the floor. The man continued to stare at Olen until his sight was blocked by a passing truck. As the trucked passed, Olen was no longer across the road. He had disappeared out of the man’s sight.

Running away? Such a coward… the man thought and grinned as he started to move quickly.

Olen was racing in an inhumanely speed. He was heading towards the park which was located away from the city. As he made his way there, a drop of rain fell on his cheek. He didn’t notice the dark clouds in the sky before, and it looked like a heavy rain storm is about to hit New York.


The park was empty when Olen reached. It seemed that everybody had noticed that it was going to rain and evacuated. It then rained heavily, and Olen stopped on his pace. He turned behind, his left hand reaching for his small pendant like cross on the side of his belt.

“Truth,” he muttered.

The cross on his belt glowed and materialized into a sword with a long edge. Gripping tightly on his sword with his right hand, he swinged it in front of him and it clashed with the weapon of the dark skinned man who appeared instantly in front of him.

Both men were drenched in the rain, as they gaze fiercely into each other’s eyes. The chill that Olen was feeling isn’t as strong enough as his determination.

“Fancy that,” the dark skinned man said. “We have a cross bearer”

Olen made an unpleasant remark and stepped back.

“Well… isn’t it my lucky day,” he smirked. “We have a fallen angel,”

Even though Olen said that, he knew he meant the total opposite. He had never encountered demons in the past five years, and never imagined he would first meet a fallen angel of all chances.
The dark skinned man took little notice of Olen’s provocation. He was rather excited to meet a cross bearer, for the first time.

“I don’t think you would enjoy a little introduction? It is my first time meeting a cross bearer, after all I’ve heard stories about people like you,” the dark skinned man said.

Olen was taken by surprise by his opponent’s remark. The laid-back attitude had only fuelled his anger.

“Well, I don’t mind an introduction or two,” he shrugged as he took a relaxed stance.
“But I just don’t have time for that!” he said as he pointed his finger towards the dark-skinned man.

Red beaming energies started to focus on the tip of his finger, and he shot a ball of flame at the man.
The man effortlessly avoided it and the flame hit a tree behind, leaving it on fire.
The man was quite taken aback by Olen’s action.
“You really don’t…” before the man could finish his sentence, Olen shot another ball of flame at him. The man barely avoided the flame and he began to realize that his opponent was dead serious on getting him down.
Olen continued to shoot balls of flames at the man but he avoided them easily. He knew this strategy wasn’t going to work, but he was determined to buy some time off for his next course of action.

The man was tired of playing along, and he defended the next ball of fire with his invisible barrier.

“Look, mate” he sighed. “This is getting old. Your little fire isn’t going to work against me”
Clutching his large weapon, he moved in an inhumane speed towards Olen.
Olen barely noticed the huge sword coming in his way, and just managed to defend himself on time. The swords clash and both men continued to exchange swings. Neither one was able to land a strike on the other as they were both quick in their movements, but the dark skinned man’s huge mace had the advantage on Olen’s sword.

Olen realised that he was fighting a battle of might and speed. He knew that the fallen angel could out beat him in strength any time, and his speed was the only thing to match that.

As they exchanged a couple of more blows, Olen felt he was losing. He quickly summoned a jolt of spiritual energy on his entire body and avoided the attack of the dark skinned man, moving in the speed of lightning. He instantly appeared behind the man and struck his sword. However, the invisible barrier was protecting the man, and the impact pushed Olen away.

The man laughed as Olen gathered his composure. “Take this,” the man said as he threw his gigantic mace towards Olen. Taken by surprise, Olen could barely defend against the massive weight imposed on him. He lost his grip on his sword and the impact violently pushed him against a tree, causing him tremendous pain on his back.

As he softly whined, the man picked up his mace and slowly walked towards him. He grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the tree, exerting more pain. Olen cried in pain.

“You think your little trick would work against a fallen angel?” he laughed.
“Aren’t you cross bearers, the one appointed by the divine supposed to be stronger than this?”
The man slammed Olen against the tree again, leaving him writhing in agony.
“I am very disappointed, and here I thought that I would face a challenge from the divine for the first time,” the dark skinned man exclaimed.
He then heard Olen muttered something. “What is it did you say?!” Growing impatience, he pushed Olen hard against the wall, but Olen tried to keep his focus.
“Tell me otherwise I would end your pitiful life now!” the man said as he raised his other hand, ready to punch Olen.
“…the Divine appoints… release truth,” Olen muttered. The man looked at him, wondered whether Olen had gave up, until then Olen’s sword beam brightly behind them.
He turned behind to see engravings on the sword. There were letters from the hilt to the top, “Truth”

He then felt Olen’s both hands clutching on his hands that were grabbing on Olen’s collar.

“I wanted to say… I have no time for you,” Olen said as he used his remaining strength to free himself from the grasp of the man. The man did not expect that he would be pushed back. Olen now on his feet, quickly summoned his sword. He instantly moved away from the man who was regaining his composure.

“I have been fighting you with half of powers sealed.” Olen said as he raised his sword up high. The man looked at him bewildered.
“This rain is now my advantage,” Olen exclaimed but the man was quick to reach and was charging towards him in unbelievable speed.
“Apart from fire, I also control water,” the confident Italian man said as he thrust his sword ahead. The rain around him formed a formidable wave and stopped the charging dark skinned man on his tracks as he slipped.
“There is also one other thing,” Olen muttered as he raised his finger towards the man who was recovering from his fall. “I can also control the lightning element,”
Sparks of lightning materialized from his finger and Olen shot a bolt of lightning at the drenched man and electrocuted him severely. The man was lying down motionless.

My chance to escape… he thought to himself as he had managed to temporarily slow down the fallen angel. He looked at the man once more, and then he vanished away.

The rain stopped suddenly, and the sky became clear once more.

Olen was walking on the city streets again, this time soaked from head to toe. People were starting to crowd the streets again, keeping hold on their umbrellas as they realised the rain has stopped.

While observing the people around him, Olen thought to himself.
The world in trapped in a cage of illusions. Neither of these people will ever realise the true reality around them, the secret battle between cross bearers and the fallen angels. They only see what they are allowed to see. And what they want to see. I guess this is the ….. ……………………illusions of the real world…

As Olen makes his way to somewhere, he took a look at his watch. Hmm… he thought. The coffee shop should be still opened.
He had come all the way from China back to New York, US just to taste his favourite coffee once more.