"hey… HEY!" bellowed jake, waving his hand at Kiel's daze face.

"Huh?.. ahhh!, sorry what?" woken up from his daze, he realized that the truck have completely stopped, the soldiers were already busy transfering loots of the battle.

"you okay?" jake asked concerned.

"yeah I'm fine, just need a little bit rest, were here already?"

"yeah! Come with me, I'll lead you to teacher, he would be pleased to see you" Kiel followed jake down the truck, what he was a rural village, he asked. "This your base?"

"not really, the village is just a front, our real base is up the mountains, inaccessible to vehicles, we can only travel by foot" Jake said while pointing to the mountains up ahead.

Kiel was dismayed. "travel by foot? How far?"

"Don't worry it's just a 30 mins trek, come on let's get going" he gestured Kiel to follow him through the village, in the middle, was a woman, with long black hair, wearing casual clothes, she was tending to a child, crying from a wound.

"Isabelle!" Jake approached her, and called out.

Hearing her name, she turned and saw Jake, her face grew a smile, she stood up and hugged Jake, Kiel turned his body away and stayed silent to let the couple enjoy their moment. He wasn't much surprised, he already guessed that she was the same as Jake.

"miss me?" jake teased in gentle manner.

"mm, I really missed you a lot!" she chuckled, with her hands on his neck.

Jake gestured his head to the direction of Kiel, Isabelle curious she shifted her gaze to where jake was gesturing, she saw Kiel, astounded, she waved her hand, shouting "KIELLL!"

"hey!" Kiel approached, he laughingly said. "I already have guessed that you might be here and I was actually right!"

"You're finally here! Teacher would be joyous when sees you." she lightly smiled

"say, who is this teacher you guys speak of? And why would he be happy seeing me?" he's been eager to know who he the teacher they were speaking of.

"We all call him Teacher, the one created this group, to us he is very much like a fatherly figure" she explained.

"I see…" noticing the child beside isabelle, he asked. "who's this kid?"

"oh! Him? He's one of the children who's living here." she stooped down child height, she said to the youngster. "now, now, its just a small wound, don't cry, go back playing"

After pacifying the child, she stood up and said to duo. "let's go, I'll come with you"

The three trekked along the mountain as they neared the base. It was deeply hidden inside the mountains, using the high trees and plants as cover, it was hard to for someone to notice it using their naked eyes.

It was also heavily guarded, there were a lot of bunkers built around the base, drones could also be spotten pratolling troughout the area.

"impressed?" Jake asked, seeing Kiel astonished.

"yeah, this is quite hidden, if you didn't showed me, I wouldn't have believed that there was a something built here. And not just the base, the view here is quite stunning, along with the environment." Looking around, amazed by the sight. He could see the whole village up here.

"yeah, even I still get amazed after all the years seeing it, you never get really tired of it." Jake said, looking through the view as he feel into a deep thought, he became nostalgic. His wife beside asked. "what are you thinking of?"

"I was just reminiscing about the time when were still young and under the tutelage of teacher, now decades have past, it felt like wasn't long, like it was just yesterday." He said, lost in the view.

Isabelle sighed, also remembering things about the past.

"this place must be special to you guys? You both grew up here? I didn't you that you guys were a Filipino." Kiel asked, he never knew that Jake actually grew up here. Everytime he asked he would only it was somewhere far, not elaborating any further. Kiel realize that something must have happened so he was sensitive enough not to ask anymore, he waited Jake to say it personally.

"Yeah, this where we met, grew up, and fell in love. This place much more than something special to me, not only for me or the both of us, but to almost of people living here." Jake said as he looked sincerely at Kiel.

"well, truth to be told, we aren't a pure blood Filipino, my dad was spanish while my mom was a Filipino so I'm half-half" Isabelle answered.

"Really? So you Jake, the couple you talked about was a lie?" Kiel said as he looked at Jake, waiting for his answer.

"No, they were my real parents." Jake answered, his voice soft and a little shaky.

"huh? Then how did you end up here?" puzzled, Kiel asked. He was bewildered,

Jake took a breath before answering, his eyes becoming a little moist, he answered. "I was abandoned as a child, as they couldn't raise me. Drifting my days living on the streets until I met Teacher, here I learned what it was like to have a family, where I met children like me, where I met my wife."

He paused, he diverted his gaze to Kiel, continuing " if your curious why I told you about them back then, was because that was the day I found them, they were divorced, with different families. I tried reaching out to them, but they treated me like I never existed. I told you about them out frustration and nothing more."

"I see. I'm sorry I asked, but you know... I'm quite relieved, seeing you opening things about you, we've been greats friends for a long time, but I never really knew a lot about you, while it seems you know a lot about of my past." Kiel said grinning.

Jake laughed it off and said "alright, let's get going. Teacher must be getting impatient by now."

The two finally arrived at the entrance of the base. The entrance was a cave, with two people guarding, one was short and the other one was tall. The tall guard seeing Jake nearing voiced out. "Jake you're finally here! So how was it!?"

"Oh you know the same old things." Jake conveyed, hooking his arm around the two guard's shoulders.

The guards laughed for a while, before noticing Kiel, the short one checked Kiel from bottom to up while asking. "this must be the guy? Huh? He look very much like him"

"hahaha. Don't mind him his words much, this is victor, a close friend of mine," Jake introduced.

"Victor Vascov! And this asian shorty is Feng" Victor said as he stretched his arms for a shake.

"who're you calling shorty? Kiel is it? I'm Feng Chen" Feng said, also stretching his arm.

Kiel laughed as he shook both their hands and said. "nice to meet you both"

"Now now, you've guys seen teacher?" Jake asked.

"yeah, he is inside, in his favorite seat, drinking tea. He's with Izakel" Victor answered, he switch his gaze to Kiel when he said Izakel's name, implying something.

"I see, come on let's go!" Jake said while his hands gesturing Kiel to follow.

Turns after turns, passing through people busy with their own works they arrived at a corridor leading to their destination. Halfway trough the corridor of the cave, Jake abruptly asked Kiel "Don't worry, we're about to see him, I know you already have some guesses, he will verify all your questions"

"mm" Kiel only nodded, grewing nervous every step he take near through the end of the corridor.

What he saw a moment he got out of the long corridor was a cliff inside a bigger cave. He looked up and saw an wide opening with water falling forming a circular giant waterfalls.

"Amazing isn't, the water coming from that opening came from river in the upper parts of the mountains." Jake said as he too was amazed, to him this kinds of view never gets old. He signaled at Kiel and said. "Come, Teacher is right there"

He peered his eyes from the sight and saw a giant and luscious tree hanging from the cliff, its body was curved, shielding the wooden table underneath, from droplets of water coming from the waterfalls , seated around the table where two people, one was Izakel, and the other was an old, frail man. He looked like someone who has his other foot inside his grave, busy enjoying his tea, not minding his surroundings.

Izakel called out to the old man "Teacher, they have come" pulling the old man from his reverie.

Noticing Kiel's group he spoke in a dry voice, "Oh. Jake you've arrived, How have you been"

Jake and bowed along with Isabelle before replying "yes teacher, I've been doing great. I accomplished what you've asked of and have brought him"

"hm?" shifting his attention to Kiel, with a warm smile he said. "You're finally here Kiel!"