The Return of the Legendary Student

The hungry and thirsty customers at the Blackwood Diner sat at different corners, making orders, and consuming the food and drink served to them.

Liam Robinson was one of the waiters, a twenty-three-year-old College Student in Boston, who had dreams of becoming a medical Doctor someday and struggled to achieve his dreams.

Liam was an orphan who grew up in a foster home all through his life, and knew nothing about his identity. He managed to secure a scholarship in one of the prestigious Colleges in Boston and had to deal with the ridicule and callous demeanor he received from fellow students who bullied him and even some of his lecturers who felt he didn't deserve to be in Hilton College.

Clad in his waiter uniform, and with tiny sweatballs running down his face, he carried the cup of black coffee on the tray and walked toward table 22.

"This is the last order." He whispered to himself amidst the anticipation that made him forget about his exhaustion.

"Here is your cup of coffee, Ma'am." Liam placed the cup of coffee on the table in front of the old lady dressed in a blue cloche hat and white flowery gown.

"Oh, thank you so much, Liam." The old lady chuckled with a graceful smile on her face, and then she grabbed the cup from the saucer and stirred the black coffee.

Liam felt a bit surprised that the old lady knew his name as he had never seen her before, but on second thought, he remembered that his name was tagged on his white shirt.

"Enjoy your coffee."

"Oh, wait." She gestured to Liam as soon as he turned around to leave, and then she dropped the coffee back on the saucer without tasting it.

"Is there a problem, Ma'am? Do you need any other thing?"

"Oh, no. There is no problem, but there will be if you don't do something about it." The old lady said calmly and with a neutral expression on her face.

Holding onto the tray in his right hand, Liam wondered what she meant by those words, but it was clear from her countenance that she wasn't done talking.

"There is a storm coming, Liam. And the balance of the two worlds rests on a threshold. Your fate has been sealed, and the encounters of tonight will open the pathway to your true destiny."

Liam stared at the strange lady with a lot of thoughts running through his mind. Her words sank deep into his mind, but they made absolutely no sense.

"Okay. I will keep that in mind." Liam feigned a smile, and then he turned around and started walking away.

"What the hell?" He whispered to himself while he sauntered through the aisle of the restaurant, and when he was greatly disturbed by the words of the old lady, he turned around to look at her.

"Where did she go?" He scoured through the corners of the dining hall, looking for the lady who suddenly disappeared.

"This is strange." He returned his gaze to the table, and he could see that her cup of coffee was still there, with a heavy sigh, he decided to forget about her and move on with his life.

He walked straight to the Manager's office after returning the tray with a bright smile plastered across his face.

"Aha. Just the man I wanted to see. Come, Liam." Mr. Valden gestured to Liam who quickly walked up to him without getting rid of his smile.

He stood in front of his desk and clasped his hands behind him.

"I know what you are here for." Mr. Valdez reached into his drawer and pulled out an envelope which he handed over to Liam.

"Thank you, Sir." Liam pulled out the cash in the brown envelope and counted it at once. Suddenly, his smile started to disappear, and a gloom appeared.

"Mr. Valdez?"

"Mm-hmm?" The middle-aged man mumbled without lifting his face.

Liam looked at the dollar notes one more time before saying the words that bore his feelings.

"My wage. It's not complete. It's supposed to be four hundred dollars, but I am seeing..." He counted the hundred-dollar notes again just to be sure.

"Three hundred dollars."

"That's correct." Mr. Valdez lifted his face and affirmed his words with a nod.

"But..."

"No buts, Liam. You know the rules. You broke a plate, and we had to take it from your salary. You should be happy you are getting that."

"A hundred dollars for just a plate?" Liam huffed some air in so much surprise, staring at the man who had a smirk on his face.

"You should be grateful for what you got, Liam. Now, if you don't mind, I was doing something before you came in, and I would like to get back to it." Mr. Valdez returned his gaze to the screen of his laptop, ignoring Liam who almost felt like crying.

The greedy Manager had chosen the very wrong time to slash his pay again, and he was devastated about it, especially with the fact that there was nothing he could do.

Taking in a deep breath, and giving in to his fate, Liam exhaled sharply, and then he walked out of the office and changed into his second-hand black suit with a pair of black sneakers.

He left the restaurant and walked down the street with a smile he managed to put up at the last minute. He walked into the jewelry store and hurried to the counter.

"Liam! You are here."

"Yes, Mr. Coleman. I hope the necklace is still here. I have the remaining money." Liam pulled out the envelope from his pocket and dropped it on the counter.

"Just a second." The Salesman went into a room behind him and returned a few seconds later with a red jewelry box.

"She must be special." Mr. Coleman placed the box on the table.

"Can I?" Liam extended his hands slowly toward the box.

"Go ahead. It's all yours." Mr. Coleman picked up the envelope and counted all the money inside.

"Three hundred dollars. That would be a total of five hundred and fifty dollars. It's complete." He nodded in satisfaction.

Liam picked up the box and opened it at once. The sight of the silver necklace with a lovely pendant made him forget that he had just spent his entire wage on it.

"Thank you, Mr. Coleman." He walked out of the store and boarded a taxi which took him to Hilton's College where the end of the year party was held.

He climbed up the stairs to the hall with the box in his hands, and with each step he took, the sound of disco music increased from the hall.

Liam managed to get across some of the College students dancing in the hall, looking around with so much eagerness.

Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a scenario right in front of him, and he gasped in shock.

"Pamela?" He blinked his eyes to be sure his eyes weren't deceiving him as he looked at his girlfriend kissing another man.

Standing right there with his mouth agape and his heart throbbing frantically against his chest, Liam couldn't believe the sight before him.

He had been dating Pamela Winston since they got into college, and even though she was clearly out of his league because of how hot she was, he did everything he could to please her which included financing her extravagant lifestyle through his sweat and pockets.

It was their fourth anniversary, and he bought her that expensive necklace to surprise her but ended up being dumbfounded.

"Who is that fellow?" Liam whispered to himself, and with an ascending rage, he quickly walked up to Pamela and dragged her away from the man whose arms were wrapped around her waist with his lips locked in with hers.

"What the hell, Liam? What did you do that for?" Pamela flared with so much annoyance as soon as she saw that it was Liam who dragged her away from her new lover.

Liam huffed in disbelief as he looked at his girlfriend who seemed very upset by what he did.

He turned to look at the man whom she had been kissing, and that was when he felt more heartbroken than he already was.

That was no other person than Larry Prescott, the spoilt rich kid who bullied everyone in school because his father was the richest billionaire in Boston City.

"Pamela? Liam turned to look at his girlfriend with a pitiable countenance, but she was devoid of any form of remorse as she rolled her eyes at him in disdain.

"Well, I guess it's high time you found out. I am sick and tired of playing silly games with you." Pamela blurted with an icy tone, and then she flung the strands of hair on her face to the back of her head and walked over to Larry who stood flashy and tall with his long curly black hair.

"There would be no need to make any introductions." Pamela grabbed Larry's hands, chuckling in excitement.

"Larry and I have been dating for a year now."

"What?"

"Oh, yes, Liam. What? Did you expect me to remain with a broke boy like you?" Pamela scoffed without getting rid of the smirk on her face.

"Bu...But you said you loved me." Liam stuttered eventually, and Pamela sniggered at him, together with Larry who seemed to be enjoying the show.

"Well, maybe I did. But right now, I am happy with Larry. He makes me so happy and provides all the things I want." Pamela placed her right hand on Larry's chest and kissed him on his right cheek just to taunt Liam whose jaw dropped at once.

"Liam, Liam, Liam. You should be happy that I am taking this burden away from you. Pamela here is too sophisticated to be with you. Look at her, do you think she deserves to be with a pauper like you? Someone who is on a scholarship." Larry said with a smirk on his face.

Liam was speechless, he couldn't believe what was happening as it was happening fast. Standing there at a corner of the hall amidst the loud music and the crowd that was dancing and drinking to mark the end of the year, Liam felt tears trickling down his cheeks.

"Oh, no. Poor thing. Don't cry." Larry placed his right hand on Liam's shoulder, pretending to care about him.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" Liam hit Larry's hand off his shoulder, fuming with so much annoyance.

"You think you can do whatever you like because you are rich! How dare you try to steal my girlfriend from me?" Liam voiced out angrily, and then he turned to look at Pamela whose eyes fired shots of displeasure at him.

"Pam love? Please, tell me this is a joke. Look, I got you this." Liam quickly opened the box and pulled out the necklace

"I have been saving up for this, and I just finished completing the payment. It's perfect." Liam tried to wear it on Pamela.

"Get that cheap thing away from me!" Pamela grabbed the necklace angrily from Liam, and flung it on the ground, causing him to gasp in more shock.

"I have told you, Liam! I am done with this rubbish you call a relationship! It's over between us! O-V-E-R! Over!"

"You can't say that, Pam, we can't be over." Liam tried to move closer to Pamela, but Larry got in his way and pushed him backward.

"You heard the lady, errand boy. It's over, beat it!"

Liam tried to push harder, but Larry was stronger than he was, and he was just a lean young man with no balanced diet.

"Don't push it, Liam. It's over, you lost Pamela. She is all mine now."

"Lies! I won't let you have her! You can't do as you please just because you have some cash to throw around!" Liam persisted with an angry face, and Larry sniggered at him.

"Very well, then. Do whatever you want, ask her if she wants you." Larry slowly moved out of the way and gestured to Pamela who was still holding onto his hand.

"Go on, ask her. She is right here." Larry said with a confident smile on his face.

Liam looked at Pamela, and even though he had so much uncertainty, he still held onto the tiny flicker of hope that lingered in his heart.

"Pamela? Are you breaking up with me? Are you going to choose this womanizer over me?" He asked with a shaky tone, looking at Pamela whom he could barely recognize.

Pamela sighed heavily, and then she looked at Larry who gave her a sign to go ahead with what she was about to say before she returned her gaze to Liam.

"Thank you, Liam, for all the things you did even though I didn't beg you to. But it was fun while it lasted. I am with Larry now, and I think you should move on." Palmela was cold.

"You heard her, Errand boy. It's over. Don't worry, the next time you come to my apartment to wash and clear my thrash, I will add some extra cash for you. I am sure that will be enough to wipe your tears away." Larry ridiculed Liam who grunted in annoyance.

"You!" Liam moved to grab Larry, but a heavy hand held him on his jacket from the back.

"Not so fast. What do you think you were about to do?"

Liam turned around to see the person holding onto his jacket, and he recognized Dan Ferguson, Larry's right-hand man who was more like his bodyguard.

He struggled to free himself from his grip, but Dan held onto him tightly, sniggering as he watched him struggle with futility.

"Get this scumbag away from here.," Larry said to Dan who nodded in response.

"Gladly." Dan dragged Liam away from the spot while he struggled to free himself from his tight grip.

"Let me go!"

Dan ignored Liam and continued dragging him through the crowd until he got to the stage where the DJ was stationed.

"Stay here!" Dan pushed Liam to the ground, and then he grabbed the microphone from the DJ.

"Everyone! Over here! Errand boy here just got ditched!" Dan announced, and the attention of everyone in the hall was drawn to Liam who sat on the floor with his head bowed.

"No," Liam whispered as he covered his face to avoid being captured by the cameras as flashes from the phones of some of the students shined at him.

"Look at him! Such a loser!"

"I wonder what Pamela saw in someone like him. He doesn't even dress properly with his cheap clothes and old shoes."

"Errand boy! Look at me! Say hi to the camera!"

Liam couldn't lift his face to look at the crowd who seemed like they had been waiting for the right opportunity to torment him.

"Let me have that." Larry grabbed the microphone from Dan as soon as he walked over to Liam who was surrounded by the taunting crowd while he held onto Pamela's waist with his left hand.

"Listen everyone!" Larry spoke into the microphone, and the hall suddenly went silent as the DJ was forced to turn down the volume of the music.

"Pamela and I are officially dating, and we will be going to my lake house for the Christmas break to spend quality time together," Larry announced, and then he gently dragged Pamela closer to him and kissed her passionately.

"Aww! They look cute together!"

"She is so lucky!"

The remarks from some of the female students in the hall forced Liam to lift his face slowly, and when he saw the heartrending sight he couldn't stand it.

"I can't bear this humiliation. He has to pay for this!" Liam gave in to his rage and stood up to grab Larry on his jacket.

"You moron!" Liam pushed Larry to the ground, and sat on him, throwing punches at him.

"Get away from him!" Pamela tried to drag Liam away from Larry, but her efforts were fruitless.

Larry would have had his face smashed if not for the timely intervention of Dan who quickly dragged Liam away from him, and carried him to the balcony.

"Come, baby. Get up.." Pamela helped Larry who managed to stand up, and then he grunted in intense rage before he hurried to the balcony.

Seeing that the drama in the hall had ended, the DJ increased the volume of the music, and everyone continued dancing.

Dan hurled Liam to the floor, and before he could get a hold of himself, he threw two heavy punches at him, causing him to bleed from his nose.

"I have always wanted to do that! That's for embarrassing me in front of everyone in the classroom!" Dan sniggered, standing over Liam who was grunting in pain.

"You! You will pay for this!" Larry said with a hoarse tone as soon as he got to the balcony. He walked toward Liam and spat on him, releasing the bloody saliva from his mouth on his face.

"Get him up!" Larry said to Dan who gladly pulled Liam up with both hands, holding him on the collar of his bloody white shirt

Liam's vision became very blurry, and he struggled to catch his breath as a result of the heavy punches he received from Dan's muscular fists.

"You made the worst mistake of your life laying your wretched hands on me! You are dead!" Larry pulled off his jacket and handed it over to Pamela who walked in a few seconds after him.

"You embarrassed me in front of everyone, and now you will pay for it!" Larry loosened his tie before he unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up.

"This is for your foolishness!" Larry threw a punch at Liam who staggered, but Dan held onto him from the back, stopping him from falling.

Liam looked at Pamela who stood there at a spot, enjoying the show, he couldn't believe she could do such a thing to him.

Larry continued throwing punches at Liam while Dave held onto him, preventing him from falling.

His face was swollen with bruises all over, and his eyes began to shut as blood flowed from his nostrils and mouth.

"You should have left when I asked you to, but you chose to be stubborn," Larry continued punching Liam until he was completely sapped.

Larry grabbed Liam by his shirt and then dragged him to the rail, and pressed him against the metal.

"By the time I am done with you, you will wish you never existed!" Larry continued punching him hard on the face with his left hand holding him tightly on the shirt.

Liam felt his weight pressing down the shaky rail, and he grabbed onto Larry's jacket firmly with both hands, pulling him to get balanced.

"Let go of me, you fool!" Larry pushed Liam forcefully on his chest, and his weight pulled off the rail from its hinges.

Liam lost his balance and fell off the balcony, holding onto Larry's hand while he dangled in the air.

"Please. Help, me." He pleaded with a weak voice, but Larry only saw an opportunity to get rid of him.

"Your existence has no relevance to the world. You are worthless." Larry said with a cold tone, and he kicked Liam hard on his chest with a strong force.

Liam felt vitality leaving him as he fell from the twenty-foot height, and before he could land on the hard floor, he gave up the ghost. His body made a heavy thud on the floor, and his blood splattered all over the place with his eyes wide open.

"Let's get out of here," Larry said to his partners, and they quickly returned to the party, and acted like nothing had happeneed.

"Emrys! Wake up!"

"Emrys! Wake up!"

Liam heard the loud whispers, but he wasn't sure if he was supposed to open his eyes or not.

"Emrys! It's time! Wake up!" The whisper returned, and this time, it was louder, causing Liam to attempt to open his eyes almost immediately, but it felt as though he couldn't control his body.

Suddenly, the memories of the encounter of the previous night surged into his mind, and he grunted in pain, shaking his head as he saw flashing images of his body plummeting from the tall building until he crashed to the ground and blacked out silently.

He gasped! His eyes opened widely, and he blinked severally, panting at the tension that he felt all over him.

"Where am I?" His mind questioned as he saw the bright stars that looked like they could be reached with a single jump, and the color of the atmosphere was glittery like nothing he had ever seen before.

"Is this...heaven?" He struggled with the uncertainty that nestled in his mind as he looked around, but all he could see was a cascading river and the green land where he lay.

Fastening his hands on the grass, he pushed himself upward but was forced to cover his eyes as the brightness of the stars attacked his face, causing him to grunt and cover his eyes almost immediately.

"Emrys?" The serene female voice returned, and he gasped at once.

"Who is that? Show your face!" He looked around, but it was obvious that he was the only one in the green land, and the only sound he could account for was that of the flowing river and the sound of strange birds chirping from a distance away from him.

Liam felt a certain way that he wasn't used to, and he looked down at his body. He saw that he was in a black cloak, and his body was bigger and heavier than he could remember.

"What?" He gasped when he lifted his arms to see that the color of his skin was different, brownish and shiny with hairs surrounding his brawny arms.

"This is not my body." He gasped again, and looking at the river close to him, he crawled toward it and looked at his reflection on its surface.

"What?" His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw that the color of his hair was no longer brown but raven-black with curls that ran down his shoulders with a hood covering part of his head. The color of his eyes had also changed from brown to bright green just like the grass he was kneeling on.

"This isn't real, Liam! This is just a dream." He touched the mustache above his lips and felt that it was real. He had smooth skin with no hairs on his face the last time he remembered, but the man he was looking at had facial hairs and was a bit older than him.

"What is this?" He looked at the object hanging on his neck and touched it slowly. It was an ancient amulet, crafted with silver, and shaped like a flower. It had a round hole in its middle, indicating that something was missing from it.

"I must be dreaming! I just have to close my eyes and open it." He shut his eyes almost immediately while he struggled to maintain stable breathing.

"Thie is real, Emrys. You are not dreaming."

Liam fell to the ground as soon as he heard the voice again, and when he looked around, he still couldn't see anyone.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"Which of them should I answer first? My identity? Or what I want from you?"

"Why can't I see you? Are you in my head?" Liam panicked as he was sure that he could hear the female voice, but there was still no one around him.

"Another question. You still haven't made up your mind, Emrys."

"Why do you keep calling me that? My name is Liam. Liam Robinson."

"Not anymore, Emrys. You are Emrys, son of the Divine." The voice responded almost immediately, and a green turtle appeared on the surface of the water.

Liam gasped at once and crawled backward, looking at the strange creature with a little apprehension.

"I can see that you are not comfortable with this. Let me try something else." The turtle disappeared, and a white rabbit appeared in front of him.

"Better?"

"Whoa! A talking rabbit?" Liam gasped and stood up at once before he took four steps backward without taking his eyes off the rabbit.

"I see that didn't work. Let's try something more... familiar." The serene voice said, and a beautiful lady appeared before him as soon as the rabbit vanished. She was dressed in a white royal gown with golden embroideries and a veil covering her white hair.

She dazzled with a brightness that made Liam blink severally as he watched her descend from above until her bare feet touched the ground with her arms widely spread.

"Who are you?" Liam asked with his eyes full of admiration for the ravishing lady.

"I see that you are comfortable with this. I am called by many names. Brina, the mediator of the forest. But you can call me Brina, and I am your guardian." The lady started to walk toward Liam who became worried at once.

"Stop right there! Where is this place?"

"The infinite forest. The magical land, hidden beneath the thickets of the ancient forest, far from the reach of Humans."

"Infinite forest."

"Yes, Emrys. This is the land that holds the balance between the spirit world and the Human world."

"Why do you keep calling me that? My name is Liam!" Liam corrected at once, but Brina chuckled almost immediately, while her bright eyes sparked with rays just like the stars.

"You are Emrys. The warlord of the Infinite Forest, and the son of the Divine."

"No, that's not true. I don't even know who my parents are, and the last thing I remember was..." Liam became speechless as soon as he remembered the incident that led to his death.

"Pamela?" He whispered.

"You must forget about your past and embrace your future, Emrys," Brina said with a smile on her face, but Liam looked at her with so much bemusement.

"What future are you talking about? I only wanted to be a Doctor."

"You must forget about that now. The warlord chose you as his successor, seeing how innocent and ambitious you are, and observing your plight, he knew you were the perfect choice to carry out this great task. You have been found worthy, Emrys. The immortal, and the Lord of the Universe." Brina bowed profoundly with her smile intact.

Liam remained speechless while he watched the strange lady bow to him, and when she lifted her face slowly, she continued.

"I have been watching you for a while, Emrys, and I am sure that you are the chosen one. Your destiny has been sealed, and the fate of the two worlds rests on your shoulders."

Dave gasped as soon as he heard the words from Brina.

"It was you! You were that strange old lady at the restaurant." Liam said, and Brina nodded with a smile.

"The infinite forest is in grave danger, Emrys, and you are the only one who can save it from the impending doom that lurks around. The dark Lord has risen, and he is raising an army of the forsaken to destroy the infinite Forest. You must stop him, or he will destroy the entire universe. The Human world is incapable of defeating him."

Brina paused for a few seconds before she continued.

"He has grown stronger and has awakened the dark powers of the evil forest. You must embrace your future and help defeat the Dark Lord, Emrys."

"Dark Lord?"

"Yes, Emrys. Lord Darius. He is the wicked sorcerer who escaped from his dungron and killed the Warlord Phaunos of the forest who chose you to succeed him before he died. You must defeat Darius before he gets hold of the elementals." Brina said with a gloom on her face.

"This doesn't make sense to me. Why would anyone choose me to rescue the universe from a Dark Lord? I am just a college student, I don't even have any magical powers or abilities."

"Worry not, Emrys. The son of the Divine is with you. That ancient relic on your neck is the key to your new identity."

"This?" Liam looked at the Amulet around his neck with so much doubt.

"Yes, Emrys. That is the strongest weapon in the entire universe, capable of summoning the strongest and the greatest powers. With it, you shall stand unrivaled, and no one can stand in your way."

"This is a lot," Liam whispered to himself, and then he looked at the amulet for a few seconds before lifting his face to look at Brina.

"How do I make use of it?"

"You must find the infinite pearl, that is the only way to activate its potency."

"Where do I find this pearl?"

"You must hurry to the cave of the enchantress. She was the lover of Lord Phaunos and took the pearl as a souvenir to remember him for eternity. I must warn you, Emrys. She may seem alluring, but she is very dangerous and can cage your soul with her for eternity."

"What?"

"Yes, Emrys. Circe is her name. She is the daughter of Helios and lives in a cave on an Island where she remains with her servants, waiting for souls she can entrap. She cannot be trusted. You must make her believe that you are her lover, that is the only way she can trust you enough to give you the pearl."

Liam looked at Brina with so many questions running through his mind amidst the uncertainty he harbored, and to get a grip on himself, he took in a deep breath which he let out slowly.

"How do I get to this Island?"