Aiden Sky & the Jewel of Destiny

By Clement Lee

AIDEN Sky is finally living his dream for REAL! In another world called “Erth”, he has been enrolled in the Ralfaye School of Imagination where imagination is taught and more HIGHLY prized than knowledge. All those years of dreamy days and random doodling has actually become useful.

Together with siblings Sophie and Tristan and the guidance of mentors like Professor Quentin, Aiden has to master Torlia color pencils that magically creates temporal reality and retrieve other mysterious ones before evil Greyson does to destroy the world.

But as time goes by, things seem harder and deeper than he thought. Is this what Aiden was really meant to do and CAN he do it? Adventure of a lifetime awaits...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Jun 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781543751727

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 by Clement Lee.

ISBN:              Softcover              978-1-5437-5171-0

                        eBook                    978-1-5437-5172-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Contents

Chapter 1     Beginnings

Chapter 2     Families of Sky and Bleu

Chapter 3     Ralfaye School Of Imagination (SOI)

Chapter 4     The BULLY and Accommodation at SOI

Chapter 5     Piano Lesson Puzzle

Chapter 6     New Acquaintances & the Masquerade Party

Chapter 7     Mystery of the Silver Turtle & Owl’s Feather

Chapter 8     An Inspirational Pottery Class

Chapter 9     THE Titan Zone

Chapter 10   Funfair at SOI

Chapter 11   Skygate Hill

Imagination is more important than knowledge ~ Albert Einstein

Chapter 1

Beginnings

T here once lived a thirteen-year-old boy by the name of Aiden. Aiden was fortunate to grow up in a technologically advanced era where almost everything was readily available. Advances in medicine prolonged life, whilst machines and robots automated most of the manual work. There were also good governments across the globe to ensure their citizens’ needs were well taken care of. All one really need is academic excellence, particularly in math and science, and the path to prosperity and good life is yours. This, unfortunately, was also the biggest singular problem that Aiden faced.

You see, Aiden is more of a right brainer. Yes, he was more of an artsy person who saw the world in a different light. For him, drawing came more naturally compared to solving equations and rote learning. The gift of creativity, to his parents’ horror, didn’t work out very well in the world Aiden was in. Believe me, it’s no fun being last in class most of the time and getting chided by teachers who constantly frowned upon the scribbles in his textbook. It is no wonder that Aiden often wished the ability to imagine is more valuable than academic qualifications.

It was another fine day in class and Aiden’s dreamy thoughts were abruptly interrupted. His results for continuous assessment just came in…with a grade D. AGAIN. Why do I always have to be the last few in class… Aiden muttered under his breath. Fortunately for him, perhaps it was a passing meteorite shower which activated his lucky stars or something, all these horrible experiences were about to CHANGE for the better. There is hope…just that Aiden did not know it yet.

Aiden noted that since yesterday a new girl in school appeared. There was a profound sense of familiarity but…she didn’t seem to be from the neighbourhood. OR IS SHE? Doesn’t matter anyways. Her radiant smile allowed her to make friends quite easily and by way of overhearing a nearby random conversation, Aiden found out that her name was Sophie. He was however…way too shy to speak to her. He did notice however that her eyes were always wandering around when talking with someone, as if on the lookout for something or someone…

AIDEN, it’s you! Sophie called out loudly to Aiden one day.

Aiden apprehensively and slowly turned towards the sound of the voice.

Can…it…be…Sophie? Aiden thought. She’s so smart and popular, what would a plain and average guy like me possibly have to offer her?

Aiden is very much a dreamer and although he was easy going, he did not have many friends. This led to the natural belief of not thinking very much of himself.

Oh hi Sophie. Aiden waved at her with a weak and nervous smile.

Hey AIDEN, I’ve been looking everywhere for you and you need to come quickly with me. Sophie said as she held onto Aiden’s wrist and pulled him towards the school hallway direction.

Wait a minute. What’s happening? Aiden was getting hyped but at the same time felt confused. A girl looking for me and what more it’s Sophie? She is even holding my hand!

Hold on, hold on. Aiden paused to gather his thoughts. What is this about?

No time to explain, just follow me. With Sophie’s’ tightened grip on his wrist, Aiden struggled to maintain his balance as she hurried them forward with an even greater sense of urgency. Well…ok then. He thought to himself. Since she seemed so persistent, no harm complying with her for now.

At the turn of a corner, they reached the school playground. Aiden’s mind wandered again and it was a special place for him. Usually while the boys ran around and the girls sat down to chit chat, he could be found in his favourite corner at the side. There, lost in the world of sketches and doodling, Aiden would find relief from the world and it’s never ending demands and expectations.

Aiden thought he saw a few heads turning in disbelieve as they saw him together with Sophie. Ahh…it’s not often that I’m seen together with one of the cool kids, he realised. HURRY! Aiden heard Sophie’s voice. Before he even had time to react to the newfound attention, Aiden found himself being nudged towards and into the slide.

While in it, with the exception of feeling that the ride was longer than usual, everything else felt normal. OR SO AIDEN THOUGHT. All he remembered was winding down along a long tunnel and seeing flashes of psychedelic bright coloured lights.

The truth was that clearly something was different. For starters, Aiden felt a little dizzy but that was manageable. It was as if he and Sophie had just entered a portal through the slide. They eventually emerged from the other end of the slide, only to find that they were nowhere near school. IN FACT, the environment looked completely DIFFERENT.

Where…are we? Aiden asked Sophie as he scratched his head and began looking around, deeply concerned about WHERE on earth is he.

"We are near Ralfaye, the School of Imagination or SOI for short." Sophie said without batting an eyelid. Her facial expressions and demeanour were unusually calm, disregarding the fact that her poor friend had yet to make sense of all that had happened. Aiden made a mental note to master this newly learnt poker face persona from Sophie which might come in handy next time.

Ra…Huh? Aiden was genuinely confounded, feeling as if a huge snowball had just smacked his face.

Oh yes haha, let me introduce the place to you Aiden. I imagine you must have a lot of questions in your head right now. One glance at Aiden’s clueless face and Sophie knew she might have had gone ahead with everything a tad too fast.

Anyways, this world is called Erth and it’s different from yours. Sophie said as they both strolled along. Come, I’ll tell you more as we walk.

Aiden’s eyes opened wide with amazement as he walked down along a gardened path full of pretty flowers, chirpy birds and ancient trees. From a hill, they could see some buildings down the valley filled with beautiful greenery. It reminded Aiden of Switzerland’s picturesque scenery from the travel guide books he spent so much time browsing through. The buildings in the valley though were slightly different compared to the pictures.

From afar, the School Of Imagination or SOI as it is called, was a building shaped like an infinity sign. When viewed from above, it looked like curved blocks were being stacked on top of one another in an interlaced fashion. The exterior walls of the buildings resembled bricks that had weathered many years. Foliage of green, splendid trees surrounded the compound. Patches of flora and fauna dotted the vast area, leaving abundant spaces for exploration, self-discovery and outdoor activities. Last but not least, there was a mysterious tranquil lake nearby. All in all, it resembled something like a…paradise.

Upon having a closer look, one could see different groups of people having outdoor lessons such as painting on the easel, exploring nature by the river streams, and doing various sports There was even a group doing meditative yoga. These activities looked very appealing to Aiden, something that he could see himself getting involved in. Aiden’s curiosity grew by the seconds and he was secretly excited by his future prospects.

Is this an art school? Aiden asked Sophie.

Yes and no Aiden. Let me share with you more. Sophie said. In a nutshell, we have special colour pencils which turn into real things temporarily when you draw.

See, like this. Sophie took out a blue coloured pencil and a piece of paper from her Celtic designer messenger sling bag to draw some simple lines. Within a split second, a gush of refreshing clear water streamed out.

Is…this…real? The intrigued Aiden asked as he put his hand forward to feel the stream of water, only to pull back in amazement when he felt how real it was.

To put it simply Aiden, here on Erth, you are limited only by your own imagination. Sophie said in a matter of fact tone again without batting an eyelid. It was as if she had already been asked many times and of course…the answer was always the same.

"As Professor Quentin says all the time, Ralfaye the School Of Imagination (SOI) is a place where one can learn, explore and grow one’s imagination in a safe environment. Sophie mimicked in her best verbatim mode. With so much power involved, there are logical rules to follow and…no question is ever too stupid to ask."

Eh, who is Professor Quentin? Aiden asked to clarify.

Oh yes, FYI Professor Quentin is THE principal of the school. Sophie replied. Always thinking two steps ahead, she kept forgetting that Aiden was new after all.

It didn’t take long before they arrived at the school entrance.

At first glance, the entrance had tall imposing ancient gates that were decorated with a mix of majestic animal motifs like lions and eagles. As one walked into the school, one could see that the buildings were adequately spaced apart without feeling crammed. The interior decor had an aesthetically pleasing design which combined both function and form.

From the assorted lacquered teak furniture, sandalwood antique cabinets and cupboards to the broad working desks, everything was beautiful and well furnished. A life-sized skeleton of a Brontosaurus dinosaur sat majestically at the centre of the foyer.

Is…that even real? Aiden asked Sophie.

Yup, it once was. Beautiful isn’t it? Sophie explained. Apparently its purpose there is to serve as a reminder to the faculty staff and students of the school not to rest on our laurels and to continually strive for greater heights. Else one day, we might end up like that.

JUST KIDDING! Sophie slapped Aiden on his shoulder, in an attempt to loosen him up. Aiden looked pretty stiff, perhaps a little too stiff. It could be due to the new environment, and he was appreciative of his friend’s efforts to warm him up. After all, humour has its merits in life.

Actually, it just looks nice and fits the space of the foyer as a decorative piece. Sophie said in a more serious tone this time to indicate the sincerity of her explanation.

Ah I see hahaha Aiden laughed it off to ease up the situation and avoid awkwardness. He was no longer sure if he could believe whatever Sophie said at face value. Nonetheless, Aiden agreed that it was indeed an impressive decorative piece. A different life from another era. That could possibly inspire some.

They continued walking through the marbled hallways and passed by some high shelves that were well stocked with elegantly bounded books. They contained a spectrum of topics such as pottery, drawing, calligraphy, art, origami, shape design, and the history of colours.

Doesn’t seem like the typical library huh. Aiden remarked.

Yes, you are right. Sophie said with a smile.

Aiden thought the school was quite special in the sense that knowledge was readily available everywhere in the form of books in open spaces. There seemed to be genuine sharing of knowledge with one another, rather than keeping information to oneself. That way, one can learn and grow more.

Wow, I’m already feeling smarter being surrounded by all these. Aiden passed a whimsical thought to himself. He observed that most chairs and tables had round edged designs. That created the impression that it was meticulously designed to the tune of harmonising with nature. What’s more, the natural lighting through tall glass windows cleverly enlivened the whole place. There was even light soothing music all around. In a nutshell, the ambience of the school gave positive vibes. Aiden felt that it was a conducive place for learning. Eventually, he came to discover that the architecture style of the school was inspired by Art Nouveau.

This is all so very nice. Aiden told Sophie.

Ya, I know right? Every day I wake up and come to school feeling so blessed by this. Sophie said as she gestured towards the surroundings of the school.

Ok, where are we going next? Aiden asked.

We are going to see Professor Quentin. Sophie replied. He was the one who tasked me to look for you, saying that you belonged here and that your help is needed.

Oh, ok. Aiden replied, no knowing what to make of this piece of information that was suddenly thrown at him.

Will have to meet this Quentin guy to find out more.

Later, at one of the oak wood doors along the corridor, Sophie led Aiden into Professor Quentin’s office.

HELLO Aiden. Professor Quentin said with a deep voice as he swung his chair away from the high office window and greeted him with a warm handshake.

At first impression, Professor Quentin came across as a grandfatherly figure. He had a long whitish beard and a small moustache that covered most of his face. Aiden’s mental estimate of Professor Quentin’s height was at least 1.85 metres. He had a semi-balding head and kind-looking eyes. It wasn’t difficult to understand why he was the principal of the school. Aiden could imagine Professor Quentin winning people’s hearts easily with his warm and sincere smile.

Hello. Aiden said shyly as he held out his hand, not knowing what to expect from this introduction.

We’ve been waiting for you for a while now. Professor Quentin continued.

Please take a seat, Susan will get you some tea if that is alright with you. Professor Quentin gestured Aiden and Sophie towards the comfy sofa as he nodded towards Susan’s direction.

Aiden deduced that Susan was probably Professor Quentin’s secretary or his assistant.

Ok sure, thanks. Aiden said.

Make that two chamomile teas with honey please, thank you. Professor Quentin added the extra order for Sophie. I assume that is alright for you both?

Yes sure, that’s fine. Aiden and Sophie assured Professor Quentin. Aiden was pleasantly surprised that this man knew his favourite type of tea without even asking. Who knows what kind of background checks he had been subjected to without his knowledge? But those questions were not so important for now, it can wait.

The spacious office had a high ceiling of about five metres. As Aiden continued gazing around Professor Quentin office, he noticed that there were lots of pictures of different sizes - some in colour and some in black and white. But the one thing in common was that they were all nicely framed on his walls. At the back of the office, the various trophies lining the top of the book cabinets were a reflection of his dedication and hard work over the years. The centre piece where Professor Quentin spends the most time at was the modern opaque glass table complete with a working laptop. Aiden had good vibes about this place.

Aiden, you probably have a bunch of questions waiting for me to answer. No problem for that. But first, please allow me to first introduce myself. Professor Quentin explained. I’m Professor Quentin, head of this school. In a nutshell, this world is different from yours in the sense that imagination is more important than knowledge.

Aiden’s eyes lit up. This sounded very promising.

"When you draw something using these pencil-like instruments, things come to life. Professor Quentin explained. And depending on the type of pencil, the things that come to life will last either for a while, or forever."

As you may know, sometimes people want to get rid of the things they created for various reasons. And so for this purpose, the surest and quickest way to destroy one’s creation is to shred the paper. Like this. Professor Quentin proceeded to demonstrate what he had just said by drawing a little kite on a piece of paper on his table. He shaded it with some yellow and blue.

Aiden watched carefully as a series of events unfolded before his eyes, absorbing everything he was about to hear and see. The edges of the kite edges glowed progressively brighter before emerging from the paper, leaving only a carbon trace on the paper where it came from. When the paper was crushed, the actual kite was crushed too. And when the paper was shredded, by some invisible force, the kite shredded itself in mid-air. This was followed by fading into a whitish cloud as if the kite never existed.

WOW! Aiden exclaimed in excitement.

That was created using a little more details so it lasted longer. Now watch this. Professor explained as he sketched a small and simple orange ball. Like the previous drawing of the kite, the edges of the orange ball glowed before coming out of the paper. A carbon trace of it was left on the paper. Professor Quentin then took the orange ball and gently rolled it on the table. Due to the lack of details, the orange ball progressively vanished into a wisp of white smoke before it rolled over the table edge.

There are many techniques to this but I shall leave it to the teachers to explain the finer details to you. Professor Quentin assured Aiden. So not to worry about that.

That is very cool, just like MAGIC! Aiden was impressed.

Ya, something like that. Professor Quentin responded to Aiden’s question.

Ok, enough of me talking for now. Sophie had attended some history lessons earlier and she’ll explain a little more on how this magical pencil instruments came to be. Professor Quentin said as he turned towards Sophie as a cue for her to continue with the conversation.

By now the delicious chamomile tea had come and Professor was getting a little thirsty. He was more than happy to take a break and let another take centre stage.

Thanks Professor. Sophie said as she took a deep breath before explaining the best she could.

Many many years ago, a meteorite crashed onto Erth. Our world has a similar spelling to yours except that it’s without the a in the word Earth". Seven passers-by, strangers to each other, chanced upon the discovery.

This mysterious stone meteorite was very powerful and it could turn one’s thoughts and imagination into permanent reality. Scientists managed to synthesize the meteorite into coloured pencils called Torla and commercialised it for everyone. It turned out to be a terrible terrible mistake. Sophie shook her head as her voice sank to a whisper. It wasn’t long before the greed, selfishness and evil desires of humankind led to global chaos and destruction."

It was also a pity because a lot of good could be accomplished with that kind of power. Professor Quentin interjected into the conversation. Imagine all the skyscrapers and monuments that could be built within minutes, how much everyone would stand to benefit!

But it’s true that the lack of discipline combined with greed, selfishness and evil desires of many led to a series of unfortunate events. Professor Quentin started off excitedly about the Torla’s immense potential, but his enthusiasm quickly dissipated into a soft tinge of sorrow and regret as he spoke about the abuse of its powers.

That is correct. Sophie pointed out. And soon a hundred years of civil war took place between two groups - those who believed the power to turn imagination into reality should not be permanent and those who thought otherwise. Many perished and suffered.

Aiden figured that perhaps this whole saga was something documented in a history textbook and not something that Sophie personally experienced. That would explain why she was emotionless about the statement.

"Eventually, those who believed that the power of the Torla shouldn’t be permanent won. Sophie said, bringing closure to her statement. Swift changes soon followed. A council was set up, the mysterious meteorite was split into seven parts and one part was given to each of the seven original discoverers. Each of the seven then trained many years, some together, some alone, and became masters in their own field. More of that later. But in essence, all the Torlas were hidden or destroyed. And in place, Torlias were created."

"Torlias can still turn imagination into reality through drawings but only for a limited time. The aim is to continue advancing mankind’s achievements but through temporary instruments only. Sophie continued. For example, a temporary crane can be created to speed up the construction process of a building, but not create a permanent building itself. Access to these Torlias are strictly controlled by the School of Imagination (SOI) and the Metropolitan City Council (MCC)."

On a separate note, admission to the school here is…how I shall say, very very hard. While the ability to imagine is held in high regard because technical skills can be trained more easily with methodological curriculum, the strength of one’s character is equally important. Sophie said affirmatively. But above all, the desire to improve and make the world a better place for all is the single most cherished value.

At this moment, Professor Quentin decided to add just a little more to the conversation. His aim was to bridge the gap in knowledge about Erth to Aiden and to give him a little more perspective about life.

"You’ll be surprised Aiden, that there are many talented people here with disabilities. Though not the majority, those with disabilities here go on to contribute equally if not more than other normal able-bodied people. The teaching faculty inspires them to hone their senses to a higher level, enabling them to outperform others.

For example, a blind person may be more sensually aware of the environment. The texture of objects leads them to discover more things that they can draw and express themselves with. Professor Quentin explained. At the end of the day, it’s not about waiting for the rain to stop but to dance in the rain. Meaning, one can either make the best of the situation or just whine forever about it."

He then looked at Aiden’s eye with an assuring glance, conveying that he was aware of Aiden’s adjustment issues, but not to worry too much now.

Speaking of rain, it does look like the weather outside is overcast. Better head back and get some rest for tomorrow. Professor Quentin advised Sophie and Aiden. "Not to worry Aiden, Sophie and