John stared at the gate, which remained silent.
"My father explained everything to me, but I'm sure you're already aware of that. Who the hell are you?" John asked once again. "I was found by my father, holding the sphere in my hand. At the same time, that spirit said it belonged to me? And you seem to be linked to this place as well. Who are you? Who am I?"
John's voice trailed off towards the end, as he questioned his own existence. The mysterious man within the gate was the same person who was depicted by the many statues within this palace. Clearly the man knew about what this palace was, and potentially what the sphere was. Even more, he potentially knew about John and who he was, which was what John wanted to know the most.
However, he was only met with silence, as the man within the holy gate refused to answer. John's frowning face turned angry at this silence, and he walked up and kicked the gate with all his might out of frustration.
Even still, the man within remained silent. John scowled at the gate, and turned around angrily. His soul was just about to leave the spatial realm, when a voice entered his ears.
"You are far too weak to know the truth yet," the mysterious man's voice sounded out. John turned around in surprise as he stared at the holy gate.
"Too weak? Then when will I be strong enough to know the truth?" John asked.
However, the gate remained silent once more, as if the previous line was all it would reveal to him. John's anger rose once more, but he knew arguing with the mysterious man was a waste of time.
His soul form suddenly left his spatial realm as he returned his consciousness to the real world. The morning sun hung a bit higher in the sky, illuminating the beautiful landscape before him. John took in the view in silence, as he continued to process everything.
…
In the Fenix Clan, Barden eventually left his house and arrived at the Chamber of Elder's, where he found Cade Fenix and the Patriarch. They both stared at Barden, and could tell what had happened.
"How did he take it?" Cade asked his son.
Out of the entire Fenix Clan, the only other people who knew John was not Barden's flesh and blood son were Cade and Grayson. They knew Barden would reveal the truth this past night, and were waiting here as a result.
"He took it as well as he possibly could have, given the circumstances," Barden replied with a heavy voice.
Cade walked up and put his hand on his son's shoulder, as a warm smile appeared on his face.
"You cannot blame yourself for this situation, as it was bound to happen eventually. Instead, you should be proud of your accomplishments. You did what many would not be able to, and as a result, John has become a fine young man that has elevated this clan far beyond what it would have been capable of on its own."
Barden remained silent, and only nodded his head.
He walked past his father and towards the large table in the middle of the room, which contained maps, scrolls, and other documents.
"I need something to take my mind off this situation," Barden said as he stood before the table. "Let us begin the planning of the Holy Land Branch."
The three of them gathered around the table and began to plan the logistics of establishing the Holy Land Branch, including who should go, what the leadership structure should be, what resources should be taken, and how communication between the two headquarters would be handled.
The discussions continued throughout the night and into the morning, when suddenly the sound of a parting door sounded out behind them.
Barden, Cade, and Grayson all turned to see John stride into the room. Barden smiled and nodded his head at John, as he could tell his face of confusion and doubt had turned into one of resolve.
He walked up to his father and embraced him for a moment, before he separated.
"Are you planning the Holy Land branch establishment?" John asked, acting as if nothing from the previous night was a concern anymore.
Barden, as well as Cade and Grayson all smiled, as they could tell that John had already resolved his mind on the subject, and was acting normal once again.
"Yes," Barden replied as he turned to look at the documents on the table before them.
"Good, then let me help as well," John replied.
The four of them discussed the details of the Holy Land branch establishment through the next few days, before everything was sorted out.
…
John stood before his master, who summoned her flying ship. It hovered before the gathered members of the Fenix Clan, who stared at the ship with awe and wonder. None of them had ever seen a flying ship, and were stunned by its grandeur.
Barden stepped forward out of the crowd and stood next to John, before he turned and addressed the gathered Fenix Clan members.
He gave a rousing speech towards the clan, before roughly one hundred members stepped forward. These were the members chosen to establish the branch of the clan, as the flying ship could only accommodate one hundred people.
The members all said their final farewells, before they hopped onto the ship.
"Goodbye, father, grandfather," Barden said to Cade and Grayson Fenix, who had decided to stay behind and lead the main clan.
"What's with the parting words?" Grayson replied with a smile. "You're only going to the Holy Lands. We will see each other again before long."
Barden smiled as he heard this, and nodded his head at the patriarch.
John watched this all happen with a smile on his face, as his mother stood next to them. Barden regrouped with John and Rachel quickly, and the three entered the flying ship as well.
Johns gaze turned hard as the flying ship then took off at great speeds, leaving the Fenix clan behind as it sped towards the Great Desert, and the truth contained within.
