Chapter 9

DYLAN ended his prayer, and removed his cap. He walked over and sat beside Eric, who was already wearing his shoes.

Eric had been observing his friend’s demeanor for a while. There were a few questions swirling in his mind, but he didn’t know how to ask them outright. He tried to find the right approach.

Dylan stood up, ready to leave, but stopped when he noticed Eric still sitting there, unmoving. He snapped his fingers in front of Eric’s face, startling him slightly. "Let’s go."

Eric looked at Dylan, seeming lost in thought.

Seeing Eric’s confused expression, Dylan sat back down and raised an eyebrow at him.

Eric took a deep breath. "What’s your take on good and evil?"

Dylan’s brow furrowed at the unexpected question. He stayed silent for a moment. It was a tough question, considering he always felt like he wasn’t exactly a good person.

"God promises good rewards for those who do good," he finally said, offering the simplest answer he could think of.

"Do you think I’m a good person?"

Once again, Eric's question caught Dylan off guard. He smiled. "Goodness is in the heart. Even saving a kitten that falls into a pond counts as good."

"Even if you're actually a bad person?"

"I don't know, Eric. Claiming to be good feels dishonest, but saying I’m bad feels like giving up on the God. To put it simply..."

Dylan adjusted his sitting position. "Angels are purely good, devils are purely evil—no debate there. But humans like us? We're in the grey area, right in the middle, balancing between what's right and wrong. If you want to do good, just do it. If you're thinking of doing something bad, maybe give it a second thought. You know the consequences—either paradise or hell."

This time, Eric fell silent, deep in thought.

Dylan patted Eric's shoulder. "The cliché answer is that we were all born good. What makes us bad is our desires and temptations."

"Not the devil?"

"The devil just whispers. It’s up to us."

The simple answer left Eric speechless. Whatever was troubling Eric seemed heavy; his face was tense, as if he'd just been accused of a crime.

"Dylan, can I ask you something?"

Dylan nodded.

Eric paused, carefully choosing his words. He'd been wanting to ask this for a long time but never had the chance. Today, he decided it was time.

"If your prayers haven't been answered, why do you still pray?"

Dylan looked at Eric.

"Sorry if that sounds dumb." Eric said with a sheepish grin.

Dylan stayed silent for a moment. He’d known Eric since they were kids. Eric’s knowledge of religion was shallow, but his character showed traits of someone with faith. Despite never seeing Eric pray, his actions often spoke volumes compared to those who prayed regularly.

Dylan cleared his throat. "The concept of prayer is about trust and surrendering to our God, not a mindset of 'ask and you shall receive.'"

He wasn’t sure if that was the explanation Eric was looking for, but it was a general answer.

Eric nodded thoughtfully. "That's a different perspective."

"It’s the same with prayer," Dylan continued. "If you're certain you'll enter paradise, why pray? Because it's about trust and surrender. We’re His servants."

"Isn't prayer mandatory? People say it's the pillar of faith. No pillar, no house, right?"

Dylan smiled faintly. "Exactly. You might have other good deeds—walls, doors, windows, a dining table, sofa, kitchen, bathroom—but without pillars, how do you build a house?"

Eric smiled slightly. "The house wouldn’t stand, I guess."

Dylan touched Eric's shoulder. "Why are you suddenly asking all this?"

Eric exhaled deeply. "Because of your dad. He's been gone for so long, but you still haven’t given up looking for him. You're a really good son. But are you sure he's still alive?"

Dylan smiled faintly. "Alive or not, I want answers. Why did he leave my mom without a reason? But if he's really gone, I want to know where he's buried, so I can visit his grave."

"Is visiting someone's grave that important?"

Dylan looked at Eric.

"I hope you're not about to explain some concept about visiting graves too," Eric said.

Dylan laughed. "Maybe one day I'll give up, but not today."

Eric patted Dylan’s shoulder before standing up.

THAT night, the rain poured heavily. Dylan saw his mom sitting quietly by the bedroom window. He still remembered how she reacted when he asked about his dad back then.

“Mom, are we really going to leave Grandpa all alone?”

Zehra was startled and quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks. Dylan stepped inside, noticing the sadness etched on her face.

“Your Uncle can take care of Grandpa,” Zehra said as she closed the novel she had been reading.

Dylan fell silent. His heart felt heavy at the thought of leaving the home he had lived in for so long. It was just as hard to leave his friends, teachers, and school behind. Tomorrow morning, they would be leaving.

Zehra gently touched Dylan’s head. “Don’t be sad, Dylan. We can come back here anytime you want. But we have to move. I’m still Grandpa’s daughter-in-law, but we can’t stay here anymore.”

“But why is it must be so far? We can stay here, close to Grandpa.”

Zehra turned her gaze away. “Your dad hasn’t come back for a year. I’m not hoping for anything anymore. I just want to move on with life.”

Dylan placed a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “Don’t you miss Dad?”

Zehra went quiet for a moment. “Do you miss him?”

Dylan nodded quickly.

“Never stop missing him. Don’t hate him, even if he left us.”

Dylan frowned. “Are you and Dad... divorced?”

Zehra looked straight at him, smiling faintly. “No. Your dad and I are still married.”

Dylan grew even more confused. “Then why did he leave us?”

Zehra let out a soft sigh. “I want to know that too.”

To this day, Dylan was still searching for the answer. Nearly 12 years had passed. The only clues he had were the Magic Charms, a snake scale entrusted to him by Grandpa, and Bamboo Village. He was convinced his father’s disappearance was somehow connected to that scale, which was said to be a powerful charm.

Dylan was jolted from his thoughts when someone touched his shoulder. Kyle handed him a steaming cup of black coffee.

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