New Beginnings
Chapter 1
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

The list of characters mentioned in this story belong to the various authors that created them. This is a fan-fiction story.

~~~000~~~

“Uh, Larry, we have a problem.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“My car is parked at the Peaceful Dragon in Charlotte.”

“What? All right, I’ll drive you there.”

“I’ll stay here. Bianca, Lavan, White Acacia and White Rose will keep me company.”

The four fairies smile widely.

“We need to decide where we are going to live together, Brianna.”

“Well, you can stay in Charleston while I’m at the Rescue Mission.”

“Sure, that is the easy part, Brianna. But, there is my apartment in Jacksonville. If we are going back and forth, I will need to get a three-bedroom apartment soon.”

“That won’t last long, Richard. Eventually, we’ll need to move into a house.”

“Sigh, but you’re right, Brianna. We’ll be back here in about three hours. Come my fairies.” I put on the multi-pocket coat. They all fly into the pockets. They quickly get comfortable. Soon their heart beats are in tune with my heartbeats.

I follow Larry out of the cabin. We get into his car. He drives us to the Peaceful Dragon in Charlotte. It takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. We see my car is parked there in the parking lot. We also see several more cars parked there as well. We get out of Larry’s car and walk into the dojo. We see Sensei Chou and Qiang teaching some basic moves to some students there. We wait patiently until they are done. After another ten minutes, they take a break. Sensei Chou and Qiang walk up to us. We give the traditional hand clasp and bow to each other.

“We are here to pick up my car. Also, Brianna and I need to plan how and where we are going to live together.”

“Then, let’s come into the office, Richard.”

“Yes, Sensei.”

We walk into the office. We see the other two masters there as well. We give each other the traditional hand clasp and bow. Then we sit in chairs already in the office.

“We will need to include, Mr. Bryson in the talks. I need an update from him.”

“Then make that call, Richard.”

“Yes, Master Teacher.”

I use my cell phone to call Mr. Bryson. “Ring . . . ring . . .”

“Click! Is that you, Richard?”

“Yes it is, Mr. Bryson. I am going to set the speaker for conference.” “Click.” “I’m here at the Peaceful Dragon. We need to figure out what, when and where to do next. I do know, I need to get out of my current apartment and get a bigger one. Also, plans must be made to purchase a house.”

“I understand that completely, Richard. You can stay in South Carolina for the next month. Then it is back here for the next month. You will alternate like you have been doing. When you are back here in Jacksonville, I’ll give you a week to find a three-bedroom apartment in your complex. Hopefully there is one available.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

“What about, Brianna’s job at the Rescue Mission in Charleston?”

“I have been thinking about that, Richard. I have contacted the Rescue Mission. They said there is a sister organization in Jacksonville. She just needs to contact them and get the details.”

Larry and I smile together. “I’ll be sure to tell her the good news.”

“All right, see you in one month in Jacksonville, Richard. There is a planned trip to China and Japan in two years. Then five years from now, it will be a trip to Central and South America. It is a business trip for the company. I’ll give you more details later, Richard.”

“Yes, sir. See in you one month, sir.”

“See you then, Richard.”

“Click!”

“Well, that went well, my friends.”

“Yes it did, Richard. Now we can plan your schedule for the next two black sashes. So, is there any news we need to be aware of, Richard?”

“I need to know how to do the earth bending element within two years. I will be seeing Toph on the Avatar world before I go to China and Japan. I will learn the advance forms of earth bending from her.”

“That is a tall order, Richard. There are more animal moves and weapons to learn, Richard.”

“Has anyone been able to do any earth bending at all here on Earth, Sensei?”

“The moves all called the Hung Gar, Richard. They are very strong moves. Doing the horse stomp is the first move to learn. Again, only the Masters have been able to do that. To move rocks and kick them into the air at will have always been difficult.”

“Well, I know for a fact that in five years there will be a meteorite shower here. The rocks contain the Ethereal Space ore.”

“Where are they from, Richard?”

“They are from the future, the planet Pern. I was able to help them escape their doom. Their world will appear here in the year 2950. They came through a worm hole tube all the way from the Rukbat star in another dimension. It is connected to ours. One end of the tube is near the Eridanni star system.”

“Isn’t that the star system that has life, Richard?”

“It is Master. There is a good friend of mine there. His name is Geve.”

“How strong you think this magic will be, Richard?”

“Hopefully, it will be weak enough so that no blood bending will occur.”

“Then let us hope, Richard.”

“So, what is next to learn, Master and Sensei?”

“The next dragon form to learn is the dragon armor. The first armor form is the mantis. The second is the blue scorpion. The third and final armor is the dragon armor. We’ll be toughening you up some more. Once it is finished, your bones should not break at all. With the flexing of your muscles, your skin will tighten up and repel any hand thrust knife or dart. But, when it is relaxed, your skin will be vulnerable.”

“The animals to learn for the fourth black sash will be the lizard, badger, dog, crane - the advance forms and the mantis, North and South versions. The animals to learn for the fifth black sash are the elephant, tiger - advance forms, and the crocodile.”

“The weapons to learn are hammers, fans with knives, the great sword dadao, the heavy war sword, meteor hammer, maces, axes and spears. The subdivisions are sand, gem, metal, mud, to name just a few. The opposing bending form is air.”

“So, that means the air bender is more fluid and constantly moving while the earth bender is firmly rooted to the ground.”

“That’s right, Richard.”

“How long will it take, Master?”

“You can answer that question, Qiang.”

“Thank you. I was the fastest to get to the fifth black sash at the age of 30. It is still my desire to earn the rest of the black sashes, my friends. The average age of reaching the tenth black sash is sixty years. But it is not unheard of to earn it from 25 to 35. Since you are 27 and have that desire, you could it get it done in five to seven years.”

“I will do my part in teaching you the air and water bending. For water bending, we will need a live source of water, whether it is a stream or the pond behind my cabin in Mt. Blanc, NC.”

“Thank you, Richard. That is greatly appreciated.”

“When we go to China and Japan in two years, my friends, I need to have Sensei and Qiang with me. Also, my wife will be with us as well. Hopefully, she won’t be pregnant at the time. There is one more person that will be with us. His name is Percy Jackson.”

“Who is Percy, Richard?”

“He is the son of Poseidon from the Greek Gods. I found out what is causing the disastrous weather events in Japan. It is the Demon Gaap. He is a water demon sent by Azazel. I think they are trying to topple the Japanese kingship there. So, it will be Percy, myself and Poseidon himself. We’ll take care of the minions while Poseidon takes care of Gaap.”

“Then that will be a true test of the water bending element. Where do you think the battle will take place, Richard?”

“I hope it is on a remote island. But, if it is on Japan itself, everyone will see it.”

“Then we must pray for a positive outcome.”

“Master, will you please check the internet. I need to know where Camp Half-Blood is located.”

“Sure, Richard. I’ll look it up.” He accesses the internet and types in ‘Camp Half-Blood’. As soon as he enters, it quickly shows up on a map. “It is located on Long Island, NY. That is very far away.”

“I need to go there and meet the Greek Gods’ children. I will be going there from time to time over the years. I was asked to help them train to the next level. This will prepare them to get ready for the Ultimate Last Battle. So, I need to go there, maybe not this year, but next year to make a visit and introduce myself.”

“Then we’ll need to add that to the schedule, Richard.”

We write up a schedule together for each dojo location in Charleston and Jacksonville. We also pencil in some possible dates for a trip to Long Island and to the Avatar World for next year. Right now I need to get ready in earning the fourth black sash.

“Will Brianna seek the sashes as well, Richard?”

“She is thinking hard about it, my friends. We’ll find out when we are in Charleston.”

“Yes we will, Richard.”

“I’ll get this typed up and copies made for all of us. I will have it sent to your email address, Richard.”

“Thanks, that’s greatly appreciated, Master.”

We all stand up together. We give each other the traditional hand clasp and bow. I’m given my car keys from the Master. Then Larry and I exit the Peaceful Dragon. I get into my car. I get out the food bags from the satchel. I put a piece of fruit and nut for each fairy in the coat pockets.

“Thank you, father, mother, Omega.”

“You’re welcome, my fairies. We’ll eat better back at the cabin.”

Then we both drive back to Mt. Blanc, NC. It takes about another hour and fifteen minutes to get back.

~~~000~~~

“So, we need to do some laundry, fairies. I’ll let you take care of your own, while I do ours. Don’t forget, we can do our own magic here.”

“Yes, mother!”

Brianna smiles when she hears that response. Then they use their clothes boxes to do the laundry by magic. Brianna does the same thing as well with the drawers. Once the laundry is done, she goes to the kitchen to see what is available for lunch. She opens the cabinets, the freezer and the fridge. She is glad to see it is still stocked with everything.

Then with the fairies help. They make a lunch together. “Richard won’t be back here until 2 PM. It is now 12:30 PM. So, we’ll need to save some for him.”

“Yes, mother.”

Brianna decides on a pan-fried dish with trout and vegetables. The fairies cut up the fresh herbs and drop them on top of the fish. Brianna takes a wooden ladle and proceeds to cook the fish and vegetables. She gets done with it in 20 minutes. The four fairies quickly get their lunch together and set it on the dining table. They make their own honey-water cups. Brianna brings over her meal as well. She pours herself a cup of fresh mountain water.

After the giving the thanks to the Creator, they all proceed to eat their lunch. They get done in about a half-hour. They clean up the dishes and set them in the rack to dry.

She looks around the cabin to see what else is here. She sees a piece of paper folded up on the counter. She opens it up and sees the initial layout for a green house to be built next to the cabin.

“Did Richard come up with his Bianca and Lavan?”

“We all gave our input into it, Brianna. This came from our own visits in seeing the other green houses in the area.”

“This is great. I love it. We need to make sure it is built.”

“Yes we will.”

Brianna folds the piece of paper back up and puts it back where she found it. She continues in cleaning the dust from the furniture and the shelves. The fairies help out as well with their beating of wings.

At 2 PM, they hear two cars entering the driveway. Larry and I walk into the cabin.

“Yes, we are back.”

“We also have some good news, Brianna. It concerns when you are in Jacksonville.”

“Yes, dad. What is it?”

“Mr. Bryson said there is a sister organization in Jacksonville. You can be there when you are in Jacksonville.”

“Thank you, dad. I’ll check into it once we are in Charleston.”

Then Larry and I are served up a late lunch from Brianna. The rest of my fairies quickly get their lunch put together as well. We gather together around the dining table. After the giving of thanks to the Creator, we get done in about forty-five minutes. We talk about the possible training schedule from the Peaceful Dragon.

“So, are you going for the sashes, Brianna?”

“I am, Richard. I will take it step by step and see how far I want to go. I see myself not going for all of the black sashes. Perhaps, the first one will do and that is it.”

“I take it you don’t want to toughen up your skin and bones too severely.”

“That’s right, Richard. I just can’t see myself going through that kind of pain.”

“Yes, my conditioning will be interesting as well. I am told, once I flex my muscles, the skin will tighten up as well. Then it will be able to deflect darts and hand thrust knives. Once, I do relax the muscles, then my skin can be injured. Also, I will get stronger as well.”

“Well, then my incognito stud muffin, I’ll wait for the results and dream about it.”

“Yeah, but you will see me every day during that time, Brianna.”

“Well, I must be going kids. It is time for me to get back to Knoxville.”

We come together and hug and kiss each other on the cheek. The fairies hover up close and touch his cheek. Then Larry gets back into his car and drives away.

I decide to call my apartment complex manager. “Ring . . . Ring . . .”

“Click . . . this is the place to be. To whom am I speaking?”

“It is me, Stephanie. My name is Richard Moore.”

“That’s wonderful. When are you back?”

“I’ll be doing the alternating month again between Jacksonville and Charleston again. I need to move out of the two-bedroom and into a three-bedroom apartment. But, during that time, I’ll need to get into a house after that.”

“Hmm . . . let me look. . . . yes, I have two available. I’ll reserve the upstairs apartment for you. The porch is not screened in.”

“Thank you, Stephanie. See you during the first week of July.”

“See you then, Richard.”

“Click!”

“Richard, when will be a good time to build that green house? I saw the drawing on the counter.”

“I think May will be good time. I’m usually up here for the Corn Festival.”

“Then let’s contact a builder that will get it done.”

I call the fireplace company that built the fireplace out back.

“We can do the foundation, Richard. There is another company that can build the enclosure. When do you want it built?”

“Plan it for next year in May.”

“Yes, that’s a good time to do it. Do you have any drawings that we can start on?”

“I have a sketch here. I’ll drop it off today.”

“That’s fine, Richard.”

Amber, Cobalt, Tiger and Tigress come with me this time. The rest stay behind. I drive to the Mountain Fireplace company. I drop off the sketch.

“This is well thought out, Richard. You have a fountain within the enclosure. You already have a natural water source. The excess water is then channeled back to the stream in the back yard. I see you provided dimensions and location of everything. This is great. I’ll have our architect draw up the professional drawings and documents. I’ll give you a price later.”

“Thank you very much, sir.”

We shake hands together. “Don’t worry about it, Richard. It is great we are hearing the Creator’s voice in our minds. He has helped me a lot.”

I get back into my car and drive back to the cabin. We get ourselves comfortable to enjoy the weekend. On Sunday, we’ll be driving to Charleston to begin our lives together.