Alex could not believe his eyes.

This could not be happening.

He felt his fingernails dig into his palm and he felt the pain.

That proved he was not asleep and that this was not a dream.

He hissed, "Why?"

Although he had told his father that he did not have words to say to her, when push comes to shove, he did.

More so because right now, the person in front of him … was not a person.

What could he do to her now?

Even if she was actually there in front of him, as a kid, he was too small to cause any sort of harm on her.

So, as much as he wanted to hit her and punch her, he was too powerless to do so. The things he learned from his father so far were not useful when it comes to fighting people bigger than him.

It was frustrating.

"Why?"

The apparition gave a gentle smile and replied, "Why not?"

"That's not an answer," Alex said.

"Would my answer appease you? Stop the hate in your heart? Quell the anger?"

Alex shook his head.

"Then why bother asking?"

Alex was stunned.

She was right.

His mind was going into overdrive at the moment.

The only reason he asked the question was because he couldn't release his anger in a physical form. In the end, he wanted to know the reason but what was the purpose?

Curiosity?

What would knowing the answer result in?

Peace of mind?

No … that hadn't been in his mind at all.

So … why?

Why did he feel the need to know?

Alex was stumped.

He didn't know what to say, nor what to think.

As he stood there, thinking hard, the apparition didn't ask further nor prod but just waited.

Finally, Alex raised his head and said, "I want to understand."

Alex was thinking of what Uncle Ali had said.

Why did the butterfly land on Rory?

To know why, one must learn about the butterfly. Know its thoughts. Only then can one make judgment.

What Sarah had done was horrible and unforgivable … at first glance. But was it as simple as that?

Perhaps he should know more, understand more, before he could make a conclusion.

So, he wanted to know.

It was then that the apparition began to speak and told Alex of her obsession with Kyle. How she began to believe that she was the only one for Kyle and no one should take the spot.

She went on to talk all about her 'logic' which resulted in her actions.

Alex, listening to it all, found it … surprisingly easy to understand her train of thoughts. Even though it was illogical, even though it was stupid … he understood.

Because he, himself, had been acting illogically as well when it came to his father.

Despite knowing it, however, it didn't mean that he had forgiven her.

He merely understood her thoughts, and her actions.

It did not absolve her from guilt.

It did not make what she did, right.

"So now, you know," she said, "What now?"

Alex laughed softly, shaking his head.

"Nothing," Alex said in disappointment, clenching his fists, "You're already dead. You got what you deserved. What else can I do?"

Alex seemed to look in the distance, not seeing Sarah anymore, and saying softly, as if to himself, "I …"

He blinked.

The more he thought about it, the surer he was.

Soon, he smiled.

He looked at the apparition and said, "I can let go."

The apparition smiled back and everything went black.

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Alex slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he realised was that he was feeling safe and warm.

His mind was still reeling over what he had seen and experienced before, so it took him a while to gather that he was being held tightly by strong arms. His rapidly beating heart was calming down and he felt at peace.

"Welcome back," came the all too familiar voice above his head.

Alex quickly got up from within his father's embrace, his face flushing red.

He had felt so comfortable that he had actually not wanted to get down from that hug.

He had actually forgotten where he was!

Alex stood there awkwardly, while Kyle looked at his son with a smile on his face.

That had been the first time he had ever held his son in his arms and he had cherished it greatly. He didn't know when he would ever be able to do it again and from the looks of it, it may be never.

Alex was too 'manly' for that.

Kyle laughed ruefully to himself at that, for that had been what he was like with his own father before. Everything was coming back at him tenfold.

He got up, brushing the leaves off his pants and said, "Congratulations, you passed."

"Huh?" Alex said, surprised.

That had been a test?

A test of what?

And what had happened, exactly?

Kyle patted him on the shoulder and explained, "I had hypnotised you, using an ancient secret art called the Kato Art. You saw your greatest desire: to talk to the one who had caused you so much pain long ago."

Alex blinked.

"So all of that wasn't real?" Alex asked.

"It felt so real," he mumbled.

"Oh … let's just say that … it was real. In a way," Kyle said, "What's important is that you passed the test."

"What test?"

"To deem whether you're worthy of learning the Kato Art," Kyle said.

"Your mother and I are part of a secret society of ninjas," Kyle explained, "Where our skills are taught and passed down from generation to generation - but only to those who are worthy."

Kyle looked at his son.

"When I started teaching you and Rory martial arts, it was also to gauge whether the both of you had the discipline and aptitude for it," Kyle went on to tell him, "Only if you had the potential would you be further tested."

"You, Alex, is more suitable for my clan's arts but your heart was too rigid," Kyle said, "The skills are deadly in the hands of those who would abuse it. You were too emotional. Too stubborn. Those were not good traits."

"After your talk with Uncle Ali, however, your mother and I noticed the change in you," Kyle said, "If your foundation is weak, you can be easily tempted to do what is wrong."

"Your test was to see if you were still going to follow your emotions blindly, or whether you would think it through," Kyle explained.

"You are still young, so one would think what you're doing and thinking, is normal. But in order to learn the Clan's Art, you have to be extraordinary. If you had failed, I would have not said anything and continue to teach you normal martial arts."

"That would have been enough," Kyle told him.

"But by passing the test, it shows your heart, and foundation, is good. You can continue to learn. To grow," Kyle said, "So, Alexander Belvior Smith. Do you want to learn? If you don't, it is fine and we can forget about this."

What Kyle didn't tell him was that Kyle would erase his memory of this conversation and what happened today. It was a Secret Society, after all.

Alex thought about it hard.

"Does the art include doing what you did earlier? Flying through the air?" Alex asked his father.

Kyle smiled, "Yes."

Alex thought about it hard again.

After a long time, Alex finally raised his head and told his father, "I do."

"Excellent," Kyle replied and crouched, "Let's go."

"Go where?" Alex asked.

"The world needs to be introduced to Ice's kid," Kyle replied.

"Why?" Alex asked curiously.

"For training purposes," Kyle answered, "Learning the moves is useless if you don't get practical training. Not the stupid sparring things where there are rules and such. But real, street-fights."

Alex trembled a bit.

"Oh, we're not doing the training now. I just want to show you off first. Introduce you and get your feet a bit wet," Kyle said, "Then we are to meet my Master to welcome you to the Clan before going home."

And so, a brand new life began for Alex henceforth.

One that Alex found completely fulfilling and fun.