Collapse: The Hidden Parallel.

The Visit.

I've always been a strong person. Never the one to get scared easily. But right now? Right now I'm scared shitless.

Visiting the Master wasn't something I'd planned on doing. Not now, not ever. But here we are, doing just that. All my life I've only known that he stays in some kind of a hidden villa. Now that I'm about to see it, I'm both excited and freaked out.

I've been following the Elders for almost 10 minutes now and none of them has said a word. Sighing loudly I ask them how much longer it will take. Shouldn't it be somewhere close?

"We're almost there. It's right there, behind the large oak tree." David informs me. That's when I actually notice my surroundings. The trees around here are huge! There are thick bushes everywhere and I can hear different birds singing their song. Everything is so green and lush. Wow! This is beautiful.

"Hurry! We haven't got all day. You can stare at the scenery later." John scolds me. I turn towards him and realise that the others have already disappeared behind the bushes. I follow him and we walk faster to catch up with the others.

As we reach the large oak tree, my anticipation increases ten folds. I force myself to take the remaining steps and try to calm my nerves. And just like that, I'm standing face to face with a 10 feet golden gate, bordered with a beautiful design. The Elders recite a mantra and the gate slowly starts to open. Cool, a lock code. I smile to myself despite my anxiety.

When we finally reach inside, I'm simply awestruck with the gorgeousness of the place. Every wall, every furniture, every painting is perfect. Will the Master be mad if I asked him the cost of all this?
Anyway, fast forward to Master's room. David knocks on the door and we hear a faint "come in" from inside. We walk inside and I see him. For the first time in my life, I see him. He's tall, really tall. His face looks like he's only thirty five but his eyes look a lot older. He looks like someone who's so wise, he'd know the right answer to every question. He's intimidating but not scary.

"Take a seat you all. Don't be shy." and we all do just as he says. I look around his room and realise that it's just as perfect as rest of the house. "So, I hope you know why you're here?" he asks me. I nod my head and say yes. "Very well, then. Here is your result." He hands me an envelope just like the ones the rest of the students got. I look at it with a confused look. I thought I'd get something special. If he'd to give me the same envelope, why did he call me all the way to his place? I must've been staring at it for too long because I hear him say "Don't look at the envelope, kid. Look at what's inside. That is what matters."
I give him an apologetic smile and open the envelope. I remove the folded paper and unfold it to read what's inside. My eyes widen and I'm confused out of my mind. Master seems to have seen the confusion on my face because he asks me what's wrong. "It- it says The Hidden Parallel? I don't understand. There isn't any Parallel with that name. Is there?" I manage to ask him. He smiles at me "Indeed there is, my child. Nobody knows about it though. That's the reason it's called hidden."

~*~
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