關於 you broke me first our last night ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

Farewell. Ida – Ida Haendel 192?-2020

So Ida has left us – a legend has departed. What a violinist! What a woman! Magnificent, unique, incorrigible – she was a law unto herself.

First, the playing: a film about her was aptly entitled: ‘I AM the Violin.’ And she was! The violin was her life; she mastered it, devoted so much of her existence to it, cared so much about it. Every performance was an event, which she took absolutely seriously, giving each concert her all. She spoke through her violin, proved herself through it, lived within the music she made. She was a marvel, an icon; each note she played was the result of total conviction – and as a consequence was totally convincing. She had been groomed from the beginning to be a star – and a star she was.

But she was also an adorable person. I had heard of her, of course, from my childhood onwards – hadn’t everybody? But I didn’t meet her until - I think - 2000, when I attended a memorable recital she gave at the Wigmore Hall (apparently her debut there!), concluding with a magisterial performance of Enescu’s 3rd sonata. I’d heard, to my delight, that she’d heard me somewhere, and had liked it, so I dared to go backstage afterwards. Having enthused about her playing, I rather uncertainly told her that I was Steven. She looked at me disbelievingly. ‘You’re NOT’ she announced, in her wonderful deep voice. I assured her that I certainly had been last time I looked in the mirror. She accepted this, and proposed that we play the Brahms Double together. It was such an honour; but alas, I just couldn’t do the dates she suggested.

I came across her shortly thereafter, however, at the Verbier Festival. I’d seen that she was giving masterclasses there, so when I saw her, I asked how they were going. She looked at me severely. ‘Steven,’ she boomed, wagging her finger. ‘I don’t teach.’ I was puzzled; she was, after all, advertised as the teacher of the violin class. ‘So you like teaching?’ I said, provoking her. The finger wagged again. ‘Steven,’ she repeated with equal seriousness, ‘I don’t teach.’ ‘So how’s the teaching going?’ I asked. Her finger was on its way in my direction, and she’d started to say my name in the same tone of voice – when suddenly her face broke into a big smile. ‘Oh – so you’re a tease,’ she said. After that, we got on famously. My other main memory of that Verbier encounter was of her examining something – I couldn’t see what - in the hotel lobby, and then calling me over. It turned out that the object in her hands was an album of recent photos of her. ‘Look, Steven,’ she commanded urgently. ‘Don’t I look gorgeous?’

Later, we took her to dinner near her flat in London. Tottering through the streets in her high heels, she suddenly came to a stop in front of a (closed) clothes shop, where either a pair of gold shoes or a gold dress (I can’t remember which) had caught her eye. It was impossible to budge her, late though we were for the restaurant. ‘Wouldn’t I look wonderful in that?’ she asked us challengingly. We agreed that she would. ‘I’m coming back here tomorrow morning,’ she assured us. She spoke that night about her appearance. ‘You think I dress like this just to go out?’ she asked. ‘No! Catch me at breakfast – I’ll look just the same.’ Her pride in her appearance was never-changing. Perhaps in someone else it could have been too much – but with Ida, it was wonderful, admirable; life-affirming, in fact, like her pride in her playing.

It is funny that already I’ve seen two obituaries giving her age five years apart. She’d certainly have preferred the younger estimate… It was impossible to get the truth out of her. I remember asking another glorious violinist-character, Lorand Fenyves, whether he knew Ida. ‘Oh yes, of course!’ he replied. ‘I knew her when I was 16 and she was 15.’ He paused. ‘And now I’m 80 and’ his eyes twinkled, ‘she’s 55!’

Although we never got to play the Brahms Double together, we did perform the Beethoven Triple concerto with Martha Argerich and the Rotterdam Philharmonic under the then little-known Yannick Nezet-Seguin in (I think) 2006. Now THAT was an experience – to put it rather mildly… Playing with those two way-larger-than-life ladies was something not to be forgotten; the two adored each other, and it was great fun to witness their interaction. Ida had only played the piece once before, as I remember; but she played it with utter conviction. And Martha was – well, Martha. And Yannick kept the whole thing together, somehow. So – it was special…

It was supposed to happen again, in Miami (where Ida lived); but alas, it didn’t. Still, I kept in touch with Ida and on one memorable occasion got to interview her at the Wigmore Hall (there’s a recording of that occasion on Youtube). She also came down to Prussia Cove once for three days, her visit culminating in a breathtaking account of the Bach Chaconne (she sported an almost equally breathtaking dress to match!) at the Hall for Cornwall. We also played and taught/didn’t teach together in 2010 at the Summit Music Festival, just outside New York. That was another unforgettable experience. At the concert that concluded the festival, Ida played virtuoso pieces with the orchestra that would have been impressive in someone thirty years younger – even younger – than she was. But equally Ida-ish was the post-concert experience. For some reason, it got very late, and it was well after midnight when we were taken in search of food. Not surprisingly, there were few options in the countryside at that time of night; but eventually we found a 24-hour diner. We went in and occupied a table. Looking around at the bikers and other rather unpredictable-looking types, I was a tad nervous; not Ida. I fortified myself with a margarita; she had tea. At one point, the conversation turned to Schumann, and his 2nd violin sonata (which at that time I didn’t know very well). I asked a question about it. ‘You want to hear how it goes?’ Ida demanded to know. She strode over to her violin-case, pulled out the violin, and to the astonishment (and then, luckily the delight) of the assembled company, began to play it. A photo taken at the time (below) shows me a little less than comfortable – and her absolutely in her element.

Oh, Ida. By the last time I spoke to her – too long ago, but not that long ago – I’d heard that she’d become very forgetful, so wasn’t quite sure whether to call her or not. But I dialled anyway, and the phone was answered. ‘Hello, Ida?” ‘Who is it?’ ‘It’s Steven – Steven Isserlis.” Silence – then the phone went dead. Oh dear. I tried again. This time I was able to hold her attention long enough to remind her who I was. We started to talk, and as the conversation progressed, she evidently remembered more and more about our friendship. It was true that she repeated herself a lot; but still – she was very much Ida, the same wonderful voice, the same love of life.

And now she’s gone. Farewell, Ida the legend; we humanoids will miss you – but thank you, thank you for giving us so much. Everything, in fact.

ASAKU® X Dragon Life
Part.1
All 13 chapters in this book.

Original author：Mingkun Liu
Translator: Claudia Liu @ fanyi4life
Preface: Outline of ASAKU X Dragon Life

In year 36722 on Epic Calendar...

On the surface in the Epic World, green Mirror Cores started to appear on Humans Continent, Fairies Continent, and Phantom Continent. The location differed every time it happened. Meanwhile, the center was pouring out little guarding monsters. In 24 hours, the green core would turn red and release energy of Reversal Impact in radius of one kilometer, to turn back the time. The energy released would bring even more powerful monsters, together with the supreme core monster. One Mirror Core would cause one Reversal Impact which would turn animals or monsters around berserk as well.

The Mirror Cores emerged one after another, with the intervals of three to seven days. Currently, there was no way to destroy it. Once a Reversal Impact took places, the time within the range would be turned back, as well as the lives and scenery would be restored to the previous condition. In other words, people might become younger, but those who haven’t outlived the time reversed would disappear. Things would be restored to normal once they leave the range.

When Reversal Impact happened, not only time was turned back, but plenty of monsters would pour in to protect the core. People that once lived in the time that was reversed would be brought back as well, but appeared like a reanimated corpse without a soul. Yet for others who still remembered them, it would be a moment to look forward to.

Since the time reversed could not be estimated, no one dared to risk inside the range and fight against the monsters. When the Reversal Impact took place, whoever was inside the range could do nothing but evacuate as soon as possible.

On the surface of the Epic World, the Fairies were the only ones that were invulnerable to Reversal Impact, which also explained why the Mirror Core would not be found on the Fairies Continent. The Fairies were shielded from the danger of the Reversal Impact. We were not entirely sure of the reason why the Fairies were protected, but they did not hold the power to destroy the core. The only solution the Fairies could propose was to seal the core, to stop the monsters from flooding in our world.

Delegated by Oudelos, the Fairies King, Asaku, as the Seal Priest from the Light race, led his partners to explore the world. With the Compass of No Return, which could locate the Mirror Core and calculate the time turned back, Asaku would seal the core to stop Reversal Impact and the inundation of monsters.
Chapter One: Asaku the Seal Priest

At three o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, August 12th, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar...

In the Village of Eden, part of the Kingdom of Phil and located on the south-west of Humans Continent, a Mirror Core appeared and villagers started to evacuate. Troops dispatched by the Kingdom of Phil were engaged in a hard fight against monsters to ensure a safe evacuation of villagers. In the last thirty minutes when the core started to turn red, the military retreated and set up a line of defense in a safe zone outside village. Once the Reversal Impact started, the monsters would no longer be limited. All of a sudden, in front of the troops popped up a Folding Corridor from which a young magic knight walked out. The magic knight was dressed in blue with a white cloak, equipped with the Seal Knife and followed by a clown puppet and a winged lion. There was also an adorable little girl, walking with the trio toward the village. Some soldiers saw them and tried to stop them. The magic knight turned around and said, “Per order of Oudelos, the Fairies King, I am the delegate to seal the Mirror Core. My name is Asaku, the Seal Priest from the Light race. You are all useless here, so just run.”

Soldiers said, “How insolent!”

Hearing this, the little girl standing by Asaku punched him on the shoulder and said, “Asaku, that is just rude!”

Then she turned around and saluted the soldiers, saying, “My name is Ellia, and I am the animal trainer from the Soil race. Asaku is my brother, and I apologize for his attitude. May I ask: who is the general leading the troops?”

The human general stepped ahead, replying respectfully, “We appreciate assistance from the Fairies. This is General Stalul. Please kindly seal the core to prevent even more damage.

Ellia asked, “Have all villagers evacuated?”

General Stalul replied, “Yes, we have sent everyone to a safe place.”

Upon hearing this, Asaku said, “Great! So now I can do anything I want freely!” Then he rushed into the village with the clown puppet and the illusion lion, in the direction where the core was with all the monsters.

Ellia saluted General Stalul again and explained, “I am here to investigate the reason why monsters have gone berserk. Even the generally gentle monsters are turned violent by the core. Please proceed with caution.” Then Ellia ran into the village and caught up with Asaku.

Facing assault of countless monsters, Asaku fought back with the Seal Knife. Those monster who were injured by the Seal Knife were sealed and frozen. Meanwhile, this knife absorbed and stored power of monsters. What’s more, it could also soak up power of attributes from the Nature. For example, if the knife came in touch with stone, it took in the power of soil.

When Asaku cast magic, he had the three-star matrix magic on his left hand, the reversed matrix magic on his right hand, so all he had to do was to take in the power, based on its nature, and use it on the matrix magic to initiate an attack. When swamped by monsters, Asaku could use the reversed three-star matrix magic to amplify the magic power; to focus fire, Asaku could zero in on the three-star matrix magic for a fatal blow. The more power the rituals absorb, the more potent the magic will be.

Ellia used the Love Racket to purge the monsters. Ordinary monsters would be pacified and become passive. Some of them would even help Ellia in combat.

The closer they were to the core, the more powerful the monsters were. Determined to dash into the core, Asaku put away the Seal Knife and yelled at the clown puppet, “Come, Ghost Card Uda, transform into the Sun Sword!" Uda then transformed from a clown puppet into a sword as shining as the sun. Asaku chopped his way toward the core with the Sun Sword. However, where the sun didn’t shine, the sword lost its glow and power as well. Uda said, “Asaku, seriously, I don’t have power without the sun. And the sun is setting soon. So chop chop, wrap it up now!”

Asaku replied, “Yea, roger that. I’ll finish the fight as soon as possible!” Then he hopped on the illusion lion, and dashed toward the core.

Soon Asaku and his partners arrived at the core that was about to turn red, but a baby’s crying caught everyone’s attention. Looking for where the crying was from, Asaku found a young mother holding a baby, hiding in a corner nearby. Asaku shouted but there wasn’t time. Without second thought, Asaku flew to the woman and grabbed her. Ellia held the baby tightly and hoped to take the mother and her baby to safety. At that moment, Reversal Impact happened!!

A strong wave of ripple dispersed and things around started to change. The young mother turned into ashes and disappeared, yet the baby in Ellia’s arms survived unharmed like a miracle. Shocked, Ellia held the baby and screamed, “You said everyone was evacuated, everyone!”

Checking on the Compass of No Return, Asaku learned that the time was turned back eighty years. Ghost Card Uda reminded Asaku to seal the core and prevent more loss.

Asaku asked Ellia to take the baby to safety, but once the baby left Asaku’s arms, he started to cry. No one but Asaku could calm the baby down. The baby clutched Asaku. In the end, Asaku carried the baby on his back and returned to combat to seal the core. Ellia even teased Asaku about the baby.

Irritated, Asaku yelled, “Shut up!!”

The yelling woke up the baby and he started to cry. At the same time, both Asaku and Ellia put a finger in front of the mouth and said, “hssssss” to hush the baby.

Asaku said, “The supreme demon has showed up. Let’s go knock it down, get it done and go home!”

The supreme demon for this core was a giant cannibal flower, spitting poison at Asaku and lashing him with its vines. Dodging with Flying-n-Leaping, Asaku chopped all vines he could but failed to get close to the demon for a direct strike.

Strange to say, but the baby Asaku carried stayed composed through the fight. He was so quiet, unusually quiet.

Ellia rode on a mountain pig she just calmed, trying to assist Asaku in combat. Yet the demon was too powerful, so all she could do was flee.

By then, the sun set completely. Ghost Card Uda shouted, “Oh no! The sun…” then it turned back into the clown puppet.

Without the Sun Sword, Asaku could only fight with the Seal Knife.

Asaku thought, “Seriously, the Seal Knife can’t do the monster much harm because the power it absorbs is not enough. I need a blaze to burn it!”

Then Asaku turned around and shouted at Samoyed, the illusion lion, “Cast three fire bolts at me!”

With one turn over, Samoyed jumped into distance and spat three enormous fire bolts to Asaku.

Asaku lifted his left hand, fingers spread out, and a three-star matrix magic appeared on his palm and took in the fire bolts. Jumping high, Asaku dashed back into the cannibal flower’s mouth with his left fist clutching and the fire bolts amplifying.

Asaku stepped forward, letting go of his left fist, “Three-star matrix magic, Fire Tornado!"

The wave of fire burned the cannibal flower into ashes. Asaku hurried to the Mirror Core with a transparent cube of crystal in his hand, the Holy Crystal Cell with inscription on it. Before Asaku successfully cast the ward and sealed the core, numerous monsters still fought on. Thanks to Samoyed, the illusion lion protected everyone.

With one flash, the ward was complete and the core was sealed. All monsters were gone right away, but the surroundings remained the same. Everything was the way they had been eighty years ago.

When it was safe, Asaku approached the villagers and wanted to hand over the baby to them. Unexpectedly, all villagers panicked. They were convinced that the baby was the son of Demon. Asaku learned that the mother gave birth to the baby without a known father, so no villager was willing to adopt the baby. Besides, the baby wouldn’t let go of Asaku. Without an option, Asaku carried the baby on his back and returned to the Fairies Continent with Ellia, who said goodbye to her new mountain pig friend, through Folding Corridor.

Chapter Two: A Trojan Horse

At eleven o’clock in the morning on Tuesday, August 13th, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar, a meeting was held in the Fairies Empire Meeting room with the presence of Fairies King Oudelos, General Alga, Priest Harp, Fairies Princess Jiefulo, Asaku, Ellia, and the human baby.

Asaku got down on one knee and updated the Fairies King Oudelos the current situation in the Village of Eden, while the human baby slept peacefully in the cradle tended by Ellia.

Asaku ended the report, “My King, this is the update of the event in the Village of Eden.”

The Fairies King Oudelos dismissed Asaku and turned to General Alga, saying, “My General, may I have your thoughts on this?” General Alga was red in the face, and the King yelled at him, “Seriously, you two got drunk this early in the day?”

General Alga explained, “Well, we are not to blame. Priest Harp brews the best wine ever, which is perfect to wake me up in the morning.”

Priest Harp argued, “Alga, I thought we were friends! And I even saved the goodies for you.”

“Ahem…” the King coughed to stop the fight, and then everyone fell silent. The King reached out his hand, and Priest Harp presented the King the wine. Bottom up and the King yelled, “Woot! Great wine indeed!” Then he turned around to Asaku and said, “All right, now we can continue.”

Seeing this, Princess Jiefulo said to the King angrily, “Father, really? You have business to attend to. How could you drink with them so early?”

King Oudelos said, “Awww it’s nothing, my honey. It’s quite peaceful on the Fairies Continent.”

Hands on her hips, Princess Jiefulo said, “Oh my… Some sense of danger, please?”

Scratching his head, Asaku said in a hopeless tone, “Do you old things really care about this Mirror Core?”

General Alga said, “We fairies do not interfere whatever happens outside the Fairies Continent. It was the Holy Dragon King who brought us an order from the Gods, stating that only the fairies can fight against the Reversal Impact, so the King is commanding you to handle the core in the Village of Eden.”

Asaku said, “The Holy Dragon King, you mean the conspirator? Why do we have to listen to him?”

Fairies King Oudelos replied, “Because this is an order from Gods, we have to comply.”

Asaku snorted.

Priest Harp walked toward the human baby and said, “This is a remarkable baby. He completely waves off the influence of Reversal Impact.”

Ellia pulled the baby’s blanket, and found on the blanket it said “Adam.” Surprised, Ellia even saw a birth mark of emblem of rainbow on the baby’s back.

The birth mark seemed to be quite weighty. Both the King and General Alga went to the baby to take a closer look at the baby.

Slowly, the Fairies King spat out, one word after the other, “Rainbow… Savior..."

General Alga said, “So the kid is the new successor of Rainbow Savior. His name is Adam."

Priest Harp said, “I suppose it was part of their plan to send Asaku off to the Village of Eden. We are set up!”

Asaku said, “So what now? This baby is so needy and wouldn’t let go of me. If he wakes up and I’m not around, he’s going to cry like there’s no tomorrow. Nuh-uh, I’m not babysitting anyone.”

General Alga asked, “Wait a second, Asaku, you know where the two cores were previously?”

Asaku replied, “Yes, they were in the Time Library on the Elves Continent and Hugilus Desert, south-east of Kingdom of Phil on the Humans Continent. But when I got there, Reversal Impact had been completed on the cores. When I went to the Eden Village, per the King’s order, I should’ve been able to seal the core and stop everything, but the kid was in the way.”

Priest Harp asked, “Both cores happened near Kingdom of Phil on the Humans Continent? Something doesn’t add up here.”

Abruptly, the Fairies King Oudelos stood up and yelled, “General Alga, rally the guards and prepare for war!” Immediately, General Alga dashed out of the meeting room and alarmed the guards!

Asaku asked, “What’s going on?”

Princess Jiefulo said, “Protect the baby with all you can.”

Hearing this, Ellia grabbed Adam who was sound asleep in her arms tightly.

Priest Harp yelled, “This is a scheme plotted against us! The core in the Time Library was to fabricate the history, while that in the Hugilus Desert was to restore the mirror in the lake. The baby was left there on purpose because they knew he wouldn’t be influenced by the Reversal Impact. In the end, you returned to the Fairies Continent through the Folding Corridor with the baby. Your tracks left behind granted access to those who cannot enter the Fairies Continent through the reflection of mirror.

At that moment, a tremendous crash was heard, which shook the whole Fairies Empire. Priest Harp said, “I will put the baby into deep sleep, so his crying wouldn’t attract the mobs. Ellia, please take care of Adam. Asaku, go defend us!”

Ellia replied, “Yes, Priest Harp, I will protect the baby with all my might.”

Asaku yelled, “The situation is dire. I’m right on it! Ghost Card Uda! Samoyed!”

Asaku summoned two escorts and the three rushed to where the loud noise was from.

Right above the Fairies Empire Hall appeared a crack of time and space, from which poured in lots of monsters! General Alga led the Royal Guards to fight!

Seeing this, Asaku yelled with surprise, “What is this all about!”

The next second, Asaku transformed the Ghost Card Uda into the Sun Sword and joined the fight.

Soon, the King and Princess Jiefulo came to the Fairies Empire Hall, heavily protected by the Royal Guards.

Out of the crack, a phantom fox with nine tails appeared in the middle of the hall.

The phantom fox said in an exciting tone, “Woot! You guys are here to welcome me, the gorgeous and graceful me, right? Show me your love~”

Asaku yelled, “You high or what? What did you just smoke!?”

Then a fairy soldier who was responsible for space defense reported to the King, “My King, a Mirror Core just popped up on the Fairies Holy Land!”

Hearing this, the king instantly ordered that General Alga guard the holy land, Asaku take care of the monsters to stop them from approaching, and commanded some royal guards to stay and assist Asaku.

Witnessing the depressing situation, Princess Jiefulo said, “I’ll stay and defend the empire with Asaku.”

The King replied in a serious tone, “No! You have to go to the Holy Land with General Alga.”

Through the corridor behind the hall, the King led General Alga, Princess Jiefulo, Ellia and others to the Fairies Holy Land.

All the monsters in the hall were decimated by Asaku and the royal guards while the phantom nine-tailed fox remained still, as if it had been watching a show, until everyone was killed but the fox.

Bursting in laughter, the fox yelled hysterically, “Now the spotlight is on me and only me~ I’m the center of everything like a superstar!”

When the fox was done talking, it waved its paw, creating an enormous shocking wave. In order to protect the royal guards, Asaku dashed to the front, dressed in Shadow Lion Armor and glowing, and blocked the attack of the phantom nine-tailed fox.

Equipped with the Sun Sword, transformed by Ghost Card Uda, and Shadow Lion Armor, transformed by the illusion lion Samoyed, Asaku was ready for combat.

Once ready, Asaku said to the remaining guards, “Go protect the holy land, and leave the monsters here to me.”

“Thank you, sir!” the royal guards replied and then retreated to the holy land.

The phantom nine-tailed fox said, "I am the Darkmirror General VI from the Mirror Continent. My name is Phantom Nine-Tailed Fox. Awww you can also call me Fox Nine-Nine, you know, cuter~”

The fox continued, “So you are Asaku, the one that has gained the power of Gods, the combination of Gods and Fairies, and that makes you a real… goof, you know, god plus fairy, so goof.”

Asaku shouted back, “You goof! What is this with your stupid nickname, Fox Nine-Nine? I don’t have time for this. I’m going to knock you out now!”

Fox Nine-Nine said, “Awww you think you can beat me? Muahaha~” He blinked to Asaku at once and initiated an attack!

The Fox was rather fierce, so Asaku was having a hard time fighting even with the Sun Sword and the Shadow Lion Armor. Meanwhile, Asaku cast matrix magic to absorb the Fox’s magic. Thanks to the Shadow Lion armor, most of the damage was mitigated.

Moving and attacking, the Fox laughed hysterically, “Hahahaha oh my my~ becoming one with god at the price of fairy power? So you can never cast any elemental magic and… now you can only attack by taking in power first? Awww that is hilarious… hahahaha!”

Asaku said, “Why do you look into my history?”

The Fox replied, “Awwww that’s because I love you, silly~ Muah!”

Asaku yelled, “OH MY GOD that is soooo disgusting!!”

Next, the Fox’s nine tails all spread out, looking all appealing and alluring. The Fox said, “Asaku~ this is going to be my mightiest blow, as powerful as my love for you~”

Even with bare eyes, Asaku could see tremendous power compile on the Fox. He knew, this assault would decide the ending of the fight.

On his mind, Asaku was talking to Uda and Samoyed, “We have to use that skill.”

Ghost Card Uda said, “Are you sure, Asaku? You haven’t mastered the power of God, and this strike will exhaust you. We don’t know when you’d recover.”

Samoyed argued, “But this is the only way out now. I cannot take any more attack from the Fox. We have to knock him out first. We will guard you, Asaku.”

By then, the Fox took in enough energy. He shouted, “Multiple Foxes Explosion!”

Turning over, a pair of angel’s wings and a pair of fairy’s wings grew out on Asaku’s back. The Keys of Seven Attributes flew around Asaku. Glowing, the light around Asaku turned into seven huge swords. Asaku shouted, “Take that, God’s power is with me. Seven Keys Comet Impact!”

The fatal strikes from both parties collided. The Fox was too late to dodge the attack and was gravely injured, so he fled into the crack back to the Mirror Continent. What’s more, Asaku’s potent attack almost wiped the Fairies Empire clean.

Ghost card Uda and the Illusion Lion Samoyed broke away from Asaku, while the latter collapsed on the ground. He was still conscious, but couldn’t move even one finger.

Samoyed carried Asaku on his back and took Uda to the Fairies’ Holy Land. By then, the Fairies Continent that had remained intact for thousands of years was officially intruded.

Arriving at the Holy Land, Asaku saw the Mirror Core on the altar in the center of the holy land. The King was leading fairies to fight against the monsters. Feeling hopeless, Asaku tried to put himself together and asked, “How come Priest Harp hasn’t sealed the Mirror Core?”

Chapter Three: Freeze Froze Frozen

At two o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, August 13th, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar.

A Mirror Core was placed in the most important holy land on the Fairies Continent, while Priest Harp didn’t even bother sealing the core; instead, he was only fighting against monsters.

Brought to Priest Harp by Samoyed, Asaku asked Priest Harp why he hadn’t sealed the core in the Fairies Holy Land. After all, it was Priest Harp that gave him the Holy Crystal Cell.

“Holy Crystal Cell was brought back from the God’s Continent by Holy Dragon King. Only you could use the crystal, which is why you were assigned this job.” Priest Harp explained to Asaku.

Upon hearing this, Asaku turned depressed and said, “But I’m too weak to activate the Holy Crystal Cell. So there is nothing we can do but to witness our holy land being destroyed by the Reversal Impact?”

Priest Harp said, “Rest, Asaku, and restore as much health as possible.”

At that moment, Ellia ran toward Asaku, crying, “A guy in a black cloak took Adam away… I was no rival to him… it was my fault…”

Asaku comforted her, “No, it wasn’t your fault. Don’t cry, Ellia…”

Priest Harp said, “I suppose kidnapping Adam was part of the plan.”

General Alga led the Royal Guards to set up a formation of attack, fighting against the monsters around the core. The Fairies King stood right above the core, trying to smash the core with magic of thunder but in vain.

A strong dark light emitted from the high tower of the holy land, creating a gap of time and space. From the gap, a knight riding on a dark dragon flew out. In a voice as loud as thunder, the knight said, “I am General Philips, the Darkmirror General II. Now, authorized by the Mirror Continent, I officially declared war against the Fairies Continent.”

The knight on the dark dragon emitted a unique magic power, which froze all monsters.

Sensing the power, both Asaku and General Alga blurted out, “It’s the power of Salu, the missing fairy of the wind race! Why would fairies’ power pour out from him?”

General Alga added, “Not exactly. This is something more potent, combining fairies’ power of wind attribute and dark power.”

“I can’t think of anyone on the Fairies Continent that can compete with him.”

The Fairies King fell silent.

General Philips waved, and the dark dragon spat out a super tornado that blew away the fairies troops. Some fairies cast defense for protection. Then everyone noticed that the wind did no harm to Princess Jiefulo.

The King commanded, “Take shelter behind Princess Jiefulo.”

The entire troops all hid behind Princess Jiefulo and they followed her wherever she went.

Princess Jiefulo asked, “Why are you guys staying behind me? I’m gonna teach that General Philips a lesson.”

Once she said these words, she moved to General Philip’s direction. The troops were begging her not to move, so they could stay where they were.

General Philips noticed this as well and he showed strong emotion. The next second, he darted to Jiefulo.

While everyone was trying to protect Jiefulo, General Philips grabbed Jiefulo and kissed her. Everyone stopped and so did the furious tornado.

Turning red, Princess Jiefulo pushed Philips away angrily and slapped him hard. “You crazy psycho! How dare you kiss me like this? Who do you think you are?” she shouted at him.

Soothing his cheeks, General Philips seemed disappointed and said, “You’ve forgotten all about…”

Then the dark dragon came take Philips away.

Seeing Philips leave, Jiefulo felt her heart beating fast. She touched her lips that Philips just kissed and burst into tears. She wondered, “What is wrong with me that I feel so sad and sorrowful?”

General Philips rode the dark dragon to the front of the fairies troops and taunted, “Send your best to challenge me.”

General Alga jumped into air, summoned his mount, the griffon, and accepted Philips’ challenge. “This is General Alga,” Alga said, “I am the strongest guardian on the Fairies Continent.”

General Philips said, “I have been waiting for this moment, to finally challenge you to a duel.”

General Alga asked, “Can you answer me one question?”

General Philips interrupted him and said, “I can tell you directly what you want to know. First of all, I am Salu, the missing fairy of the wind race. Secondly… the Salu you know are actually two people. One is on the Fairies Continent and the other is on the Mirror Continent. My real name is Philips.”

General Philips looked at Asaku who was still trying to restore his strength, saying, “Just like Asaku, we both have double masks.”

General Alga gasped, “Double what?!”

Still powerless, Asaku thought, “What does it mean exactly, double masks?”

Then Uda saw Philips’ weapon and said to Asaku, “He has the Moon Sword!”

Asaku replied, “No way. That's not possible.”

Uda explained, “I know I’m right. Moon Sword and I are two ghost cards, and we are connected. How did he get it?”

General Philips said, “Well, time for diplomatic courtesy is over, so I’m going launch an attack~ To begin with….”

Once General Philips snapped his finger, the core was turning red and Reversal Impact was imminent, which shocked Asaku and all the other fairies.

Asaku said, “I can’t believe that he could’ve sped up the time for Reversal Impact. I’m going to seal the core!”

Pity that Asaku was still too weak to even get up. All he could do was lie on Samoyed.

Asaku said to Samoyed, “Get closer, so I can touch the core.”

Samoyed moved closer to the core, and Uda helped Asaku put his right hand on the core. Suddenly, the turning slowed down, leaving Asaku in excruciating pain.

Priest Harp said, “Asaku, you can’t seal the core like this. You are only delaying the inevitable. If you continue like this, you will die from exhaustion.”

Asaku said, “Even this is to buy a bit more time… this is the only thing I can do now.”

Hearing this, Ellia put her hands on Asaku’s, and said,

“I want to guard the Fairies Continent as well.”

Asaku lowered down his head and nodded.

Riding on the griffon, General Alga initiated an attack at Philips. The crash of the two most potent powers in the whole world created a ripple that froze the fairies troops and monsters completely.

As time went by, the combat was heating up, and Asaku couldn’t hold it any more.

All of a sudden, Philips turned to the Fairies King and said, “My King, allow me to tell you: the time set on the core is 1000 fairies’ years, roughly 41 human years. That would be the time of the Eight Races for the fairies!”

Upon hearing this, all fairies appeared shocked and scared.

General Alga said, “I will never ever allow you to turn back the time to 1000 fairies’ years ago. That was a chaotic time, which will cause devastation in the Epic World at this moment!”

Just when General Alga was preparing to launch his most powerful attack, Compressed Air Cannon, General Philips unexpectedly attacked with the same strike!

General Alga said, “You are my student that I’m proud of, and you are Salu from the Fairies Continent!”

Smiling, General Philips remained quiet...

While the two were about to crash, the core glowed in red, the Reversal Impact was triggered and Asaku couldn’t hold it anymore!

At that moment, the Fairies King Oudelos shouted, “As your King, I will not allow the fairies to perish here. Race of Air, assembly to initiate the teleportation ritual!”

Just as the Race of Air was casting the spell, the King said to General Alga and Priest Harp, “Guard the Fairies.”

Quickly, General Alga retreated to the King, together with Priest Harp who yelled at Asaku, “Go! Run as fast as you can!”

The Fairies King then drew a special magic sigil on his hand, which turned into an eagle that dived into the ground.

The King nodded at General Alga and Priest Harp, and the trio shouted, “The supreme sealing magic of the Fairies, Frozen Seal!”

That was the time the Reversal Impact starting to affect the surroundings and the Race of Air launching the teleportation ritual.

General Philips said, “Dang! You even thought of freeze the whole Fairies Continent. Nuh-uh, I’m not going to be trapped here.” Then he opened the gap of time and space but didn’t leave without taking a second look at Jiefulo.

The Reversal Impact was stopped by Frozen Seal, so was the teleportation ritual which wasn’t fast enough to save all fairies. Asaku was lucky, as he was sent away. Right before he was teleported, he heard Priest Harp, saying, “Find the Fairies Queen Aranda… only she can save the Fairies. You are our only hope, Asaku.”

Tears in his eyes, Asaku was sent into the teleportation tunnel and he lost consciousness.

The time on the Fairies Continent stopped. No one could enter, nor anyone could exit.

Chapter Four: Tear of the Mermaid

At ten o’clock in the morning on Monday, August 19th, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar...

Waking up but still dizzy, Asaku heard familiar voices and they were Uda, Samoyed and Ellia. The three were excited to see Asaku. “Woot! Finally, you’ve come to yourself!” said Uda.

Ellia leaned over to Asaku and said, “I was so so worried about you, Asaku… Thought I’d lost you.”

Asaku said, “I’m good. So where are we now?”

Uda replied, “We were sent to the Mermaid Kingdom on the Phantom Continent. The Mermaid Queen arranged accommodation for us here. You slept for almost a week!”

Asaku looked around, and found himself in a small, warm room showered in sunshine reflected by water. “It seems to be a girl’s room,” said Asaku.

Uda said, "Because there are only girls in the Mermaid Kingdom.”

Asaku was surprised, and he saw the room was filled with flowers, so he asked,

"What are these flowers about?”

Shrugging, Uda grinned, “The flowers are from your fans. The whole kingdom knows about you, and all girls are crazy for you. They’ve been sending flowers here, together with their greetings. The Mermaid Queen even promulgated to address you as the Sleeping Prince Charming of the Fairies…”

Samoyed turned around and giggled...

Footsteps were heard outside the door, so Uda told Asaku to fake sleep. If people knew he was awake, the fans would inundate the house immediately.

So Asaku lay down to fake sleep, and then about ten mermaids entered the room with flowers and gifts. Samoyed turned invisible, and Uda transformed into a clown puppet. Nothing could stop these girls --- they all kissed Asaku on the cheeks and wished him the best. It took them quite a while to have all the fun and leave.
Asaku got out of bed, with his hands on the cheeks that were just kissed. All smiling, Asaku blushed.

Ellia looked away, pouting unhappily.

Uda knocked on Asaku’s head and said, “Wake up!”

Asaku said, “I don’t want to stay here like a caged animal. I’m going to sneak out and look for some intel.”

“But Asaku,” Ellia said, “you can’t just go out like this. As the Sleeping Prince Charming of the Fairies, you will create a chaos. Let me dress you up.”

The Mermaid Kingdom is located under water, protected by a ward deep in the ocean. In the kingdom, one can breathe as freely as they can on the land.

On the street, there was a mermaid dressed in a maid’s outfit with a weird hairstyle and makeup, and a clown puppet on “her” shoulder. That was Asaku. Ellia dressed up as a mermaid as well, following Asaku. Samoyed turned invisible and stayed at their side.

Asaku asked, “Why do I have to go out in a maid’s costume? This is so silly! The skirt… it’s so cool down there and that feels so… weird!”

Laughing, Ellia replied, “Told you to wear some panties.”

“Nuh-uh,” Asaku said, “no girls’ panties for me!!”

Uda said, “But people would recognize you without the costume! That’d be trouble if they knew who you are. Thousands of mermaid girls would surround you to show you their love.”

Samoyed turned invisible so only his voice was heard, “Don’t count on me. I can’t stop all of them~”

Asaku said, “What is wrong with this place? The air is so stuffy. It just feels wrong, and the wind is not blowing at all.”

Uda replied, “The Mermaid Kingdom is quite exclusive. They are particularly hostile against the Beast Kingdom on the Phantom Continent. Both Samoyed and I are citizens of the Beast Kingdom, so we can never ever be found here. People say the Mermaid Kingdom enjoys a pleasant relationship with the Fairies Continent, so maybe this is why you are sent here.”

Ellia loved pets and she was talking to the angel fish roaming on the road. Asaku asked her, “Why are you talking to a fish?”

“I can talk to all living creatures~” Ellia replied, “and I want to befriend with all the cute ones.”

Asaku shrugged and said, “I can only understand Uda and Samoyed.”
At the time, a dowager walked by with a group of maids. The dowager gazed at Asaku, which made both Asaku and Ellia nervous.

Completely ignoring Ellia, the dowager said to Asaku, “Huh~ aren’t you a pretty one~ a little bit too flat-chested but no matter. What is your name? Who do you work for?”

Asaku tried to reply with a higher pitch, “Bonjour, Madam! My name… is Eklia, and I am the maid for Mrs. Mel.”

Upon hearing this, the dowager flipped and yelled, “What a waste!! You are adorable and you work for that crazy hag, Mel!?”

Then she took ten pearls from the bag and handed them over to Asaku, telling him, “This is the down payment. You go back and dissolve the contract with that hag, and report to Duke Vitalis Castle tomorrow.”

Once she was done talking, she led the maids and took leave. Asaku and the rest were left behind, startled.

Asaku complained, “Who is she and how can she call me flat-chested…”

Ellia laughed and said, “Eklia… my dear brother… that is awesome! You were hit on dressed up as a girl!! And that Lady Mel is real, too!”

Samoyed laughed so much it almost rolled on the floor.

“That is not funny!” Asaku said, “We still have business here. We’ve lost track of the core for one week, and Priest Harp said I have to find the Fairies Queen to save the Fairies Continent. How can I waste even one more minute here to be someone’s maid?”

Just then Asaku’s stomach rumbled, so he looked at the restaurant on the road and decided to dine in there.

By the entrance, Ellia said goodbye to the angel fish and entered the restaurant with Asaku. They chose a table in the corner to avoid attention.

“What!” Asaku screamed when he read the menu, “One set costs one pearl!”

Uda stopped Asaku immediately, “Quiet, Asaku, if you don’t want to pay, we can go back to the accommodations the Queen arranges for us.”

“Nuh-uh,” Asaku refused, “No way!”

Blushing, Asaku said, “I do enjoy being so popular though…”

Ellia punched Asaku on his shoulder, “Asaku, you are terrible!”

Then the waitress dropped by, asking, “What can I get for you today?”

Asaku gave a gesture of four fingers and said, “Four set meals, please.”

“Are you sure,” the waitress asked, “that you can eat so much?”

Asaku replied, “Sure, no problem at all.”

The waitress replied, “All right, four pearls then. The food will be served right away.”

When the food came, Asaku devoured everything in front of him, while Uda and Samoyed hid in the corner and ate quietly.

Asaku said, “I think we should leave the Mermaid Kingdom as soon as possible for the Beast Kingdom where I can ask help from an old friend, King Brad.

Samoyed said, “But it is forbidden to use the Folding Corridor in the Mermaid Kingdom, so we have to go through the connected tunnel to the Beast Kingdom above water.”

“But the tunnel is guarded," Samoyed continued, “no one is allowed to pass without the permission from the Mermaid Queen.”

“Besides,” Ellia said, “it is rude to leave without saying goodbye. We should at least thank the Queen for her kindness to take us in.”

Uda said, “It is true that the Mermaid Kingdom does maintain a good relationship with the Fairies Continent, but the Mermaid Queen made it official that Asaku is the Sleeping Prince Charming of the Fairies… that just doesn’t sound right.”

Asaku, “But if we don’t go back, we need to make money.”

“Asaku," Ellia said while she laughed, “ you have to support us all by working as a maid then!”

Both Uda and Samoyed nodded.

Holding his head, Asaku grumbled, “Why am I always the one that does all the work?”

While Asaku and his friends were talking, they had no idea that they had been surrounded by mermaid soldiers.

Politely, a girl mermaid soldier said to Asaku, “Friend from the Fairies Continent, our Queen would like to speak to you in Her Majesty’s Castle.”

Asaku said, “Ah… you’ve caught me…”

The mermaid soldiers took Asaku and his friends to the Castle where the Mermaid Queen resided. On the way, the road was full of fans who were crazy for Asaku. They screamed his name and more, “Asaku, my Sleeping Prince Charming of the Fairies… I love you~~”

At night in the castle , Asaku was taken to the Throne Hall where the Mermaid Queen sat on her throne. Both Asaku and Ellia took a bow, and Asaku addressed to the Queen, “Your Majesty, my name is Asaku, and I am from the Fairies Continent. We do not mean to intrude, as our presence here is nothing but an accident. We sincerely beg for your kindness and forgiveness.”

The Mermaid Queen replied, “I am the Mermaid Queen Kamina. You can tell your two escorts to show themselves.”

Hearing this, Uda and Samoyed turned visible and got down on one knee, asking for forgiveness.

Queen Kamina said, “I am fully aware of the situation. The rest of you can leave now.”

The Queen’s entourage took leave and only the Queen and Asaku and his friends remained.

“Follow me.” The Queen said once they were left alone.

The Queen led Asaku and his friends to the Royal Garden, hid them in a concealed corner. She then told them to stay quiet and asked Asaku to play along no matter what happened. Though confused, Asaku concurred.

Shortly, a young woman walked into the garden, with a fairy man, whose hair is white and elegant, flying in the air. The couple looked at each other deeply in the eyes, and the man took out a flower made of seashells and crystal.

The white-haired man said, “Mermaid Princess Yulia, I want to hold your hands in mine forever. Will you marry me?” The young woman shook her head and replied, “No, Fluffy… It has to be my Mother who can make the decision.”

Fluffy held the woman by her hands and said, “Then let’s elope!”

Yulia refused and said, “As much as I love you, such behavior is not allowed.” Then the man tried to leave with the woman, while the Mermaid Queen walked out between them and Asaku and his friends still hid in the dark.

The Queen reprimanded, “How insolent! Release my daughter and leave now!”

The white-haired man talked back, “I have no fear to whatever queen, including you, Your Majesty. If I snap, no one in your kingdom is capable of taking me down.”

The Queen said, “You are indeed contemptuous, but we do need a powerful man to be our King and to protect our people.”

The white-haired man laughed, saying, “So~ Your Majesty has agreed to our marriage then?”

The Queen continued, “But only the most powerful and the most beautiful man can be our King.”

Fluffy replied, “Awww thank you, Your Majesty, for all the kind words.”

The Queen interrupted Fluffy, “No, you are not the only one that is qualified here. Recently, the Sleeping Prince of the Fairies has visited us. He is even more beautiful than you and well-loved by the whole kingdom.”

The Queen then pointed at Asaku who had no choice but to show up, and the latter played along, “I am the Fairy Prince that is truly qualified to be the King. Leave now, before it turns even more humiliating.”

Fluffy yelled, “I will challenge you to a duel! Don’t be so sure you’ll win, Asaku from the Fairies Continent.”

Asaku was surprised, asking, “How do you know who I am? Have we met?”

Fluffy just looked at Asaku without saying one more word.

The Queen clapped and said, “Quiet down, both of you. As the Queen, I shall be fair and just. I will hold a Joust for a Spouse and the winner can marry Princess Yulia and become the future King of the Mermaid Kingdom!”

Asaku yelled in surprise, “What?!”

Fluffy said, “Deal! When will that be?”

“Three days from now," the Queen replied, "and it will be held in the arena.”

“Mother, how could you make such a decision…” Yulia cried while she ran away.

Fluffy was full of confidence and he said, “I’ll show you what I’ve got!” before disappearing in the night.

At the same time, Asaku, Uda, and Samoyed said, “It’s a set up…”

The Queen looked back at Asaku, nodding and smiling…

Back to the Throne Hall, Asaku sat on the corridor, pouting.

The Queen explained, “I understand it was really rude to set you up like this, but the situation called for it as we do not have enough arms to deal with this phantom.”

“Phantom?” Asaku asked, “Fluffy is a phantom?”

The Queen nodded and replied, “Yes, he is a fox from the Illusion Tribe of the Beast Kingdom on the Phantom Continent. We mermaids will never ever marry a beast.”

Samoyed concurred, “The three kingdoms on the Phantom Continent are quite hostile against each other. It is a great mercy that Uda and I can remain free here.”

“But are the arms here so weak?” Asaku asked, "Besides, if they truly love each other, why would Your Majesty have to stand by the rule and separate them?”

The Queen stood up, pointing her scepter at the ceiling right above the throne. The ceiling broke and there was a…

“Mirror Core!” Asaku yelled, “And it is red, so the Reversal Impact occurred already!”

Then Asaku took out the Compass of No Return to confirm the time reversed, but only figured out there was no difference in time. The Mermaid Kingdom wasn’t sent back in the past during the Reversal Impact. What was this all about?

Before Asaku could have a better understanding of what was going on, lots of monsters flooded from the core. Asaku and his friends prepared for combat. One monster dashed toward the Queen, and Ellia screamed, “Watch out, Your Majesty!”

To everyone’s surprise, the monster went right through the Queen.

The Queen said, “Don’t worry about me. Asaku, could you please seal this Mirror Core, first?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Asaku replied.

Covered by his friends, Asaku reached the core and sealed it by performing Holy Cell. With the core sealed, the Mermaid Kingdom was freed, and the air refreshed and flew again.

The Queen sat on her throne, and started to explain from the beginning, “About six months ago, the core occurred here. Even with all the arms we could afford, we could not resist it, and then the Reversal Impact took place.”

Surprised, Asaku asked, “But the time remains the same?”

The Queen replied, “The Reversal Impact turned back the time to 130 years ago, when the Mermaid Kingdom was an island above water, instead of deep in the ocean. Our Kingdom didn’t sink into the water until thirty years ago.”

“So the Reversal Impact brought back the Mermaid Kingdom 130 years ago!” Uda said.

The Queen said, “That is correct.”

Asaku asked further, “But what about the Mermaid Kingdom that was influenced by the impact…?”

The Queen replied softly, “Disappeared. We have all disappeared. Everything you see now is a reflection of our thought. We keep on living like this.”

Then the Queen took off an earring in the shape of a drop of water from her left ear, and she gently continued, “This is our beloved treasure, the Mermaid Tears. When the Reversal Impact struck us, the grave fear and sorrow from all our people triggered the Mermaid Tears.”

Trying to hold back tears, Asaku said, “So Your Majesty, and all the people I have seen in the kingdom are reflection of thoughts, protected by the Mermaid Tears.”

Ellia couldn’t hold it anymore, and she just cried out loud.

The Queen continued, “Asaku, you understand this, don’t you… Yulia cannot marry Fluffy, even with my blessing. Once Yulia is married to Fluffy, she, together with the whole kingdom, will realize that we are gone, no more. Could you keep this secret between you and me, please?”

The tears wouldn’t stop from falling, and both Asaku and Ellia nodded.

“Even it’s just an act,” the Queen said, “please do beat Fluffy, marry the princess, become our new King. Please, Asaku… give my people new hope. By then, we will no longer need the Mermaid Tears, and we can disappear with happiness. Could you please do us one last favor?”

Without saying a word, Asaku nodded. Ellia cried so much even the angel fish could swim in her tears.

Three days later, people started to swarm into the arena. The whole kingdom was there to witness the Joust for a Spouse held by the Queen.

Ready and set, Asaku slowly walked into the arena, to keep his promise.

Chapter Five: A Happy Smile

At ten o’clock in the morning on Thursday, August 22nd, year 36722 on the Epic Calendar...

Almost all the citizens of the Mermaid Kingdom gathered at the arena, the cheers were deafening as today would be the day, a new king would be elected. The champion could also win the hand of Princess Yulia, and the game started!

Both Asaku and Fluffy entered the arena, gazing at the other. The atmosphere totally changed.

Fluffy would like to charge in and attack Asaku immediately, while the latter looked at the Queen with so much sadness in his eyes. The Queen nodded at Asaku, with the crying Princess Yulia on her left side, and Ellia on her right side.

The horn was blown, which could be heard miles away. The game officially started!

On his hand, Fluffy attacked with a spear bursting of energy, and Asaku fought back with Uda and Samoyed, both transformed into his most trustworthy gear. Asaku’s Sun Sword clashed with Fluffy’s Shine Spear. Sparkle could be seen everywhere. As the fight intensified, Fluffy cast Magic Light Sword to attack Asaku, which shocked Asaku who tried to block it with the shield on his left hand.

Surprised, Asaku yelled, “Did I see it right? That was my Magic Light Sword?”

Samoyed replied, “You are right. That is your magic.”

Fluffy asked, “Hey Asaku, aren’t you a master of magic attack? Since when you have switched to a sword? Where is your magic?”

Asaku kept quiet, “Tsk…”

Uda said, “Asaku, this seems like a deja vu. I’m sure we know this Fluffy from somewhere.”

Fluffy yelled, “Woot! This is fun! I’m holding nothing back!”

Casting Light Sword Magic, Fluffy charged in to Asaku and attack!

Reaching out with his left hand, Asaku absorbed in the power with the three-star matrix magic. The matrix magic could take in power of three attacks only, so Asaku was still harmed. On his right hand, Asaku blocked the attack of Shine Spear with his Sun Sword.

Rolling over, Asaku released Aurora Impact! The three-star matrix magic seemed to take Fluffy by surprise. While Fluffy tried to dodge the attack, Asaku pushed further with the Sunshine Impact. Both impacts hit Fluffy hard and Asaku was winning.

“I never knew you could attack like this,” Fluffy shouted, “but your light magic doesn’t hurt me much as I also master light magic. You can’t beat me by absorbing my magic power!”

All of a sudden, the white-haired fairy turned into an enormous white fox, together with a bunch of small white foxes.

Asaku yelled, "... I... I hate foxes…”

The crowd started to scream and tried to run away. Princess Yulia was so scared that she wept, and the Queen explained to her this is who Fluffy really was. Princess Yulia cried even louder for being lied to.

Then Fluffy attacked with its enormous body and tail, while casting Meteor Shower at Asaku. The bunch of small white foxes were attacking with their super adorable paws, which made it even harder for Asaku to defend.

to be continued～
Google play book search 『ASAKU X Dragon life』

//
1. THREAD: Dear world, I want to say a few words about what happened in #HongKong yesterday.

2. An estimated 550,000 Hong Kongers made yesterday's annual July 1 protest the highest ever in turnout. It marked 22nd anniversary of the 1997 Hong Kong handover to China, now only 28 years before 'One Country, Two Systems' is set to expire due to the '50-year no change' policy.
...Continue Reading
//反送中運動發展至今，國際輿論確是面臨挑戰，感謝眾志戰友敖卓軒 （Jeffrey Ngo）幫忙協作，我的Twitter剛發了 29 個 Tweet，嘗試爭取國際社會理解昨日立法會行動的來龍去脈。

不求國際社會的朋友完全同意昨日的所有舉措，但求理解前線戰友的意志，對他們有著多一分體諒，少一分責難。

行動過後，保持輿論支持仍是關鍵所在，需要具名拋頭露面的輿論工作，我們會好好努力，對比起你們所作的決志，我怎敢怠慢。

***

1. THREAD: Dear world, I want to say a few words about what happened in #HongKong yesterday.

2. An estimated 550,000 Hong Kongers made yesterday's annual July 1 protest the highest ever in turnout. It marked 22nd anniversary of the 1997 Hong Kong handover to China, now only 28 years before 'One Country, Two Systems' is set to expire due to the '50-year no change' policy.

3. Simultaneously as the peaceful demonstrations were taking place, other young protesters attempted to enter the Legislative Council complex. To understand WHY it happened, we must examine what happened over the past month.

4. Hong Kongers' strong resistance against proposed extradition arrangements with China was heard loud and clear around the world. Solidarity rallies took place in over 30 cities, and the international community spoke up.

5. We tried EVERYTHING available to us. On June 9, one million Hong Kongers took to the streets peacefully. But before the night had even ended, Chief Executive Carrie Lam released a statement saying she would press ahead with the bill in three days.

6. That’s why, in the morning of June 12, when the Legislative Council debate was set to take place, Hong Kongers were bracing for our last fight. We knew there would be no turning back. Beijing had enough votes because only 40 out of 70 seats are directly elected by the people.

7. And then there was miracle. Protesters managed to blockade the complex completely. Well-documented evidence published by the international media show excessive force used by the police. Many injuries ensued, but in any case lawmakers could not convene.

8. It was only after this escalation that Lam made a small compromise to pause the bill’s reading. Even she acknowledged events on June 12, NOT June 9, that changed her mind. Months of Hong Kongers and the world expressing concern did not matter to her at all until she saw blood.

9. But Lam called protesters ‘rioters’. She would not agree to an independent investigation on police brutality. She stopped short of withdrawing the bill, let alone stepping down. Combined with the first death of a protester, TWO MILLION people marched on June 16.

10. Hong Kong has 7.5 million people, so an equivalent of ONE IN FOUR out of the entire population protested in a single occasion. I am not aware of anything comparable to this level of discontent against a government in modern history.

11. Lam finally apologized two days later, but for what? For failing to ‘properly communicate’ to Hong Kongers what the extradition bill was all about. Even up until that point, then, the subtext was that she was still right and we were too stupid.

12. Commentators around the world thought the movement was over by then, because the bill had supposedly been ‘suspended’ and Lam had said sorry. But actually none of our demands were met. Lam refused dialogue with opposition lawmakers and continued to praise the police.

13. Since my release on June 17 from prison, I took part in a number of smaller-scale rallies, sit-ins and occasional skirmishes. We wanted to let Beijing and the world know the fight was far from over. The G-20 summit in Osaka was then fast approaching.

14. Hong Kongers’ determination was on full display again when, within 11 hours, we crowdfunded over HK$6.7 million for newspaper ads ahead of the G-20 summit calling for the world not to neglect us.

15. We were grateful for world leaders, including Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and President Donald Trump, for raising the issue of Hong Kong human rights in their respective meetings with Xi Jinping. Yet by June 29, our demands were still ignored. It appeared we were really losing.

16. Devastating news followed. Two additional young fellow protesters jumped to their deaths over this past weekend. The Hong Kong government was pushing us to the point of despair and desperation. We tried every possible way imaginable to make our voices heard.

17. In a democracy, this extradition bill would long ago have been terminated. Polls consistently show some 70% of Hong Kongers in favor of a full withdrawal. The political career of any other leader would also have been over with this level of resistance over such a long period.

18. Alas, Hong Kong is not a democracy. Lam, a puppet of Beijing is also unlike any leader. The source of her power comes not from Hong Kongers but from the Chinese Communist Party. This brings me back to events yesterday.

--------------

19. The protesters who broke into the Legislative Council complex were NOT rioters. They were NOT violent. Their objective was never to harm any individual. They wanted to make the regime hear Hong Kongers’ voice, and they had no other option. WE ALREADY TRIED EVERYTHING ELSE.

20. Perhaps not all of you will agree with every single action they took yesterday. But what are a few pieces of glass worth in comparison to the deaths of three young men and women? What are a few portraits worth in comparison to the very survival of Hong Kong as a place?

21. The moment they stepped into the building, they knew what awaited them. They would face almost certain prosecution and probable imprisonment over rioting charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years. They have a whole life ahead of them.

22. Some well-intentioned opposition lawmakers tried to persuade protesters out of it. But they replied that since others had already perished, whatever physical and legal consequences they would face immediately paled in comparison. Watching this exchange put tears in my eyes.

23. Even after the break-in, protesters behaved with unimaginable discipline. They left cash at the counter before taking drinks from the cafeteria. They sealed the library off to preserve historical documents stored inside. Not a second did they lose their cool.

24. What kind of young people does Hong Kong produce? Smart, efficient, attentive and freedom-loving. I am proud of them, although I confess I do not have the courage to do what they did yesterday. I have been jailed three times, so I know full well what now lies ahead of them.

--------------

25. Sometimes in life we are forced to make split-second decisions that will forever alter us as individuals, and perhaps even alter the course of history. It is of course too soon to tell, but I can only hope that years later when we look back to 2019, we will have no regrets.

26. Hong Kongers remain as united as we ever are. I am proud of what our friends did last night. For the first time I was also tear gassed, right outside the complex when cops tried to clear our defense line. Moving forward, we will continue find our own place and fight on.

27. The ongoing protests have already defied the expectations of not just every commentator and scholar but also myself as an activist. I would be foolish to try to predict what is next.

28. If there is just one takeaway for the world: Events in Hong Kong are about so much more than the bill, more than Lam, more even than democracy. They all matter of course. But in the end it is about the future of Hong Kong beyond 2047, a future that belongs to our generation.

29. Please continue to keep an eye on us, and keep supporting us. On behalf of Hong Kongers I thank everyone for taking the time to learn about this unique place we call home. THREAD ENDS//

The Denver Nuggets have survived long enough without Carmelo Anthony. Now, they can't wait to see how their risky "experiment" works.

Allen Iverson banked in a running 3-pointer in overtime and scored 36 points to rally Denver to a 121-113 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night in the Nuggets' final game without Anthony.

Iverson also had 10 assists, finding Steve Blake in the corner for a 3-pointer with 1:36 left in overtime.

Marcus Camby also had a basket in overtime, scored 12 points and grabbed 22 rebounds for the Nuggets, who went 7-8 in the 15 games Anthony was suspended after fighting in a Dec. 16 game against New York.

"We've survived the 15-game suspension," coach George Karl said. "Now, we've got a 15-game experiment before the All-Star break. And I think everyone's excited about it."

Anthony, who was leading the NBA with 31.6 points per game before his suspension, would've returned for Saturday's game until a snowstorm postponed the Nuggets' Dec. 20 game against Phoenix. He'll be available for Monday's game against Memphis.

"Monday, I get to wake up and it's Christmas," Iverson said with a smile. "Obviously, it's going to be a fun day."

The four-time scoring champion and seven-time All-Star wanted to leave Philadelphia and play for a contender. With Anthony and J.R. Smith back from suspensions, the newly acquired Blake contributing already and Camby playing well, Iverson thinks the Nuggets can make a deep playoff run.

"For me, at this stage of my career, it's just championships. That's all I think about," Iverson said. "Regardless of where we're seeded, we get in a seven-game series with somebody, it's going to be hard for somebody to beat us four times."

Smith, who was suspended 10 games for his role in the New York brawl, scored 24 for Denver. He hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after the Rockets had taken a 90-77 lead.

Blake, acquired a week ago in a trade with Milwaukee, had 12 points, four assists and five rebounds.

"'Melo will add a different dimension to our team and take us to another level," Blake said. "It's about time. We are glad he's coming back."

With Anthony returning, it's up to Karl to figure out how all the pieces fit together.

"We have 15 games before the All-Star break," Karl said. "I have a very good feeling that toward the end of those 15 games, you're going to see us playing pretty special basketball."

The Rockets had won their previous eight home games this season when they reach 100 points.

But Iverson was fouled on a 3-pointer with 2:37 left and hit all three free throws to pull the Nuggets to within 108-103. Camby scored before Iverson swished a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:02 to go to tie the game.

Iverson and Tracy McGrady both missed potential game winners in the final minute. The Nuggets had a chance to win it in the closing seconds of regulation, but Camby missed an unlikely 3-pointer at the buzzer. Camby is 0-for-2 from 3-point range this season.

Both teams struggled at the start of overtime, but Iverson scooped up a loose ball near midcourt, ran to the 3-point line and banked in a 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired to give Denver the lead for good.

"That was a momentum shot," Iverson said. "A lot of times, you want to hit that first basket to see how the other teams respond."

McGrady scored 24 and Juwan Howard added 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who've lost three in a row since winning nine of their previous 10.

"We need to get back to doing what got us playing well the last couple of weeks, when we went on that great winning streak," McGrady said. "It was just a game where, if we wanted to play like this, we should have stayed at home."

The Rockets lead the league in scoring defense, but they've allowed at least 100 points in their last four games.

"The last four games defensively, we're not willing to do what it takes to win," said Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy. "We got exactly what we deserved. They got what they deserved because they worked. And we got what we deserved because we didn't."

Dikembe Mutombo grabbed 13 rebounds for the Rockets, who dropped to 9-5 since Yao Ming broke a bone under his right knee.

The Nuggets are 6-8 since acquiring Iverson on Dec. 22. Despite the absence of Anthony -- and thanks mostly to Iverson -- Denver is still in second place in the Northwest Division.

Iverson had eight points in the first quarter, but the Nuggets trailed 31-25. He came out for a short rest early in the second quarter and Rafer Alston, the man he was guarding, promptly sank back-to-back 3-pointers to push Houston's lead past 10.

Denver trailed 46-33 when Iverson returned with 7:53 left in the half. He was 5-of-6 in the second quarter and had 20 points at the break, but the Rockets led 58-53.

The Rockets led by 13 early in the fourth quarter, but went 11-for-30 in the period to lose for only the fourth time in 43 home games under Van Gundy when they hit 100 points.

For a veteran like Allen Iverson, a win in November against a lottery team rarely registers as important. After losing his first two games with his new team, that wasn't the case with this victory.


Iverson had 30 points, nine assists and provided a spark for Detroit after a slow start, winning his first game since joining the Pistons, 100-92 over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

"It was a huge lift off of me," Iverson said. "I knew it would happen. You think every game you go out and play it's going to happen. It feels good. I wanted to get the monkey off my back. I'm just excited that I got my first win and I can now try to get a lot more."

Tayshaun Prince added 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons, who had lost their first two games since acquiring Iverson from Denver last week for All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups, key reserve Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb.

After falling behind by 15 points early in the opener of a four-game West Coast road trip, the Pistons fought back and beat the short-handed Kings for their first win with the former league MVP.

After the slow start for the Pistons, Iverson scored eight points and assisted on a three-point play by Kwame Brown in the first 3 minutes of the second quarter, carrying his new team like he had his old ones in Denver and Philadelphia for so long.

"I feel like in the first couple of games I wasn't as aggressive as they wanted me to be," he said. "It's hard coming into a situation where guys have been established, making the Eastern Conference finals six years in a row and then you come in as a major part. You just want to do the right thing. It's going to take a while, but I'm willing to take the challenge."

Sacramento played without its leading scorer, Kevin Martin, who is out at least a week after spraining his left ankle in a victory over Golden State on Sunday. With Martin out, John Salmons moved from small forward to shooting guard and rookie Jason Thompson got his first start, giving the Kings three players 6-foot-11 or taller in the starting lineup.

But Sacramento was unable to capitalize on the size advantage, with coach Reggie Theus pleading in vain at times with his big guys to "take the little guy down" low.

The Kings still led 77-75 heading into the fourth quarter but that's where they really missed Martin, who was averaging 22.4 points before the injury. Without their top scoring threat, the Kings went nearly 5 minutes without a point midway through the fourth and struggled to get good looks at the basket.

"It's a learning experience," Theus said. "You've got to learn how to win games. You've got to learn how to win down the stretch. We had six turnovers in the last five minutes of the game and none of them were caused by the other team. It was just carelessness on our part."

Theus was also upset about the foul shooting disparity, calling it "ridiculous" that a road team got 36 fouls shots to just 17 for the Kings.

Iverson hit a big 3-pointer early in the quarter but the Pistons could not pull away. With the lead at two with under 2 minutes left, Thompson fouled Prince on a jump shot and he made both free throws to make it 94-90.

After a turnover by Beno Udrih at the other end, Richard Hamilton scored on a pretty give-and-go to make it a six-point game.

Spencer Hawes scored 19 points and Udrih added 18 for the Kings, who had won the first three games on their four-game homestand after starting the season 0-4 on the road.

"I really feel like we outplayed them for 42 minutes," Theus said. "They are a veteran team and know how to win games down the stretch."

The Kings scored 14 straight points early in the first quarter, holding Detroit scoreless for more than 5 minutes. The Pistons tightened up defensively and whittled away at the lead in the second quarter, going into the half tied at 50.

"I just want the guys to concentrate on the defensive end," coach Michael Curry said. "Because if we defend, we're going to find ways to score the basketball. We're just too talented not to score the basketball."

Hamilton, who failed to make a basket for just the second time in 580 career starts Sunday against Boston, missed his first seven shots. He finally broke an 0-for-16 drought with a 3-pointer late in the first quarter but Detroit still trailed 31-18 after one. Hamilton finished with 17 points on 4-for-16 shooting.

Game notes
Iverson got called for a technical foul by John Goble in the third quarter for arguing a no-call. ... Detroit G Rodney Stuckey will rejoin the team Wednesday after missing the first game of a West Coast road trip to undergo tests for being lightheaded and dizzy.

Iverson reminds 76ers what they once had in Nuggets' win

When Allen Iverson first played against the Philadelphia 76ers, he took shots at them before, during and after the game.


This time, he saved them just for the court, then showered his old team with praise that indicated he's gotten over the bitter split.

"They've got a lot of talent on that team. They've got a lot of guys that can do things, and they've got a lot of guys that care, guys with pride," Iverson said after scoring 38 points in Denver's 109-96 win Sunday night. "It could be easy for those guys to lay down. After I left, they could have just laid down. But that ain't the type of personality most of those guys on that team have. They want to win.

"I'm pretty sure they want to prove they can win without me. That's what they should do. I just hope they continue to play hard and play every game like it's their last. I just wish them well. ... I just want to see things get better for them."

For the first time in his career, Iverson may have enjoyed watching the 76ers lose, but he swore he took no extra gratification in it.

"People ask that question all day, but my whole thing is to just win the basketball game," Iverson insisted. "If I had a big game and we didn't win I would be feeling terrible right now. I'm just happy we got the win. Like I said, it's just another basketball game, we went through that whole song and dance last year when they came in here. It wasn't any big deal to me. I just wanted to contribute."

No big deal? Nuggets coach George Karl knows better.

"I don't know if there was an extra bounce, I just think it was a seriousness in his approach," Karl said. "He's been playing pretty good against other teams, too. I was happy for him to have a big night against his old team. In a lot ways we needed him to.

"We weren't very pretty offensively, and I thought his penetration at any moment broke their defense down quite frequently. He got a lot of easy layups because of it. It was a good part of our offense."

Andre Miller, one of the players the Nuggets sent to the Sixers in exchange for Iverson, led Philadelphia with 22 points, including a jumper that erased the remnants of a 15-point deficit and tied it at 62.

Iverson answered with back-to-back 3-pointers and the Nuggets never trailed in staying a half-game ahead of Portland, which has lost just one of its last 17 games, in the Northwest Division.

Iverson's first game against his old team came just three weeks after his nasty 2006 divorce from the 76ers and he was still bitter at the time with the way coach Maurice Cheeks and team owner Billy King handled his complaints that led to his departure after a decade in Philly.

He scored 30 in that game last January but didn't stick around for the end, drawing an ejection in the final minutes of a 108-97 loss.

The Nuggets had already visited Philadelphia by the time they acquired Iverson, so his first trip back comes March 19, and Iverson isn't sure what to expect or whether it will be a more emotional experience for him than Sunday night was.

"Maybe. You don't know what the environment's going to be like," Iverson said. "I know it's going to be strange because I played there so many years and I fell in love with the fans there. I was a part of them, they were a part of me. It's obviously going to be different.

"The whole thing is just winning the basketball game. Doing whatever it takes. If you ask me how many points I was going to score tonight, I never know what I'm going to do. I never know how many points I'm going to score. If I didn't score anything I was going to do other things on the basketball court to help my team win. Fortunately, the ball was going in the basket tonight."

Iverson had 15 points in the first quarter and 20 by halftime.

"Same Allen," Sixers forward Andre Iguodala said. "Great job when he is attacking the basket. Great job of creating some type of contact and getting to the foul line a lot. That's what he does. He seems happy. He is enjoying himself."

Maybe so, but Cheeks said he didn't notice anything extra in Iverson's game -- he's always going full-tilt anyhow.

"He can score when I had him. He can score now," Cheeks said. "That is his strong point. What he did tonight is no different than he did when he was here with us."

Game notes
Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, including 19 to help the Denver build a 53-43 halftime lead. ... Anthony Carter tied his career high with 15 assists for Denver, and the Nuggets blocked a season-best 15 shots. ... Sixers rookie Jason Smith, who grew up an hour from Denver in Kersey, Colo., and attended Colorado State, stuffed Nene on an attempted slam moments after entering the game.