Prologue: Legend of The Lucky Clover

Every day after school, he would appear, the mysterious child with a scarred face. No one ever knew who he really was, or why he wandered in the park so much. However, day by day he would stay in the park on his bench reading his book. One day, though, things changed for Nimbus. It all started when he began encountering one of the friendliest kids in town, Benjamin.

​

With a healthy complexion and bright copper hair, Benjamin was everything Nimbus was not. Nimbus, by contrast, had silver hair and skin as pale as snow. His scars were horrendous, ink-dark, spreading across the left side of his face and curling around his eye.

​

No one ever knew how he acquired the scars, but they were the signature look of this forsaken child. Some considered him an emo, some considered him peculiar, and some considered him a sign of bad luck, an omen. Because of this, Nimbus had never had a single friend.

​

It was particularly sunny that day, and Benjamin was walking home with some of his classmates.

There, the mysterious scarred boy was at the park again, reading his book all by himself.

“It’s that weird loser kid again,” one of Benjamin’s friends whispered. 

“I’ve heard he is a sign of bad luck, an omen,” whispered another.

Everyone murmured in agreement except for Benjamin, the kindest boy in class.

 “Come on, guys, you never really know somebody until… well, until you really know them...”

“Who knows,” another said, laughing. 

“He might even get us cursed. I sure don’t want none of that!”

​

When the group of young boys had finally dispersed, Benjamin felt a sense of melancholy. 

God, I would hate myself in his shoes!  Those words cruelly resonated in his head.

That might actually be how that boy feels, though… Benjamin thought.

Without hesitation, Benjamin felt the pull to turn back, to check on this mysterious boy. He didn’t know why… but he wanted to go.

He turned back.

The sheltered boy was still there. On the bench, the mysterious boy read with a blank expression on his face.

Although it seemed a bit awkward, Benjamin took the courage that nobody had. He approached the boy.

“Hello,” a friendly voice said.

​

Noticing his presence, the boy put a halt to his reading. He put his book down and looked up.

“Hi there! My name is Benjamin. I see you here all the time. That is a very interesting book you got.”

The book was indeed a strange one. With ambiguous symbols and an all-black hard cover.

“Y-you’re… not afraid of me? I mean… you might get cursed, as they said.”

“Oh, come on! You don’t think I’d believe in such rumors, would I?”

For a brief second, the frown disappeared. A subtle smile spread on the scarred boy’s face.

“Anyways, what is your name?” Benjamin asked.

The boy replied in a whisper; he introduced himself by the name of Nimbus.

 “Nimbus? What an interesting name! That is based on the cloud from Chinese folklore, isn’t it? Journey to the West?”

The boy nodded.

​

The conversation opened up quickly after that. Benjamin told Nimbus about school, about the town’s ancient trees that brought tourists from across the region, chattering fast, the way he always did when something excited him.

​

Nimbus cherished every piece of new information Benjamin had to offer. He had never had anyone share or open up to him so enthusiastically. It felt like he mattered. Like he was valued for once.

“Thanks for sharing so much about this town with me...” Nimbus said.

“Well, you are new to town, after all.” He laughed. “I’ll show you around one day! You’ll settle down just fine.”

Nimbus flashed another faint smile, one that had been hidden and buried for years.

His first friend coaxed it back to the surface. It felt good.

From that day onward, the two contrastingly different boys had become best of friends. Every day after school, Benjamin would take time to meet Nimbus. They would talk and play in the park before heading home to finish their schoolwork.

​

One particular day, however, Nimbus wanted to open up to Benjamin about something very important. The tone had shifted, obviously.

“Benjamin… I want to share with you something personal. But promise me one thing… that you’d listen without judgement.”

Benjamin nodded; he could tell his friend’s words were serious.

 “You know these scars on my face? Well, they are none the ordinary. They are scars that have been cursed onto me since I was born.”

Nimbus whipped out the book he always reads, the one with the all-black cover.

“This book is actually a gift from my late grandfather. It is an anthology he has written himself…”

Kaleb Skyler. The author’s surname indeed matched Nimbus’.

“Yet I could not find the one thing. The one thing I need the book has mentioned that could cure me of the curse…”

Nimbus’ voice was dry, hoarse. Benjamin could tell the subject was serious.

Personal and vulnerable.  

​

“What does the book say?” Benjamin asked.

Nimbus opened his anthology and turned to the page that he had marked.

On the page, there was an illustration of a plant, an herb. A clover.

 “This emerald clover... The anthology says that whoever finds this herb will be granted any wish. A true divine power to be reckoned with.”

As soon as Benjamin saw the image of the herb, an image flashed before his eyes.

He had seen this herb before.

“The Waverly Mountains! I have seen this before, where we went for our school trip two weeks ago.”

Just then, Benjamin felt a grip as tight as iron, grappling onto him. It felt intense, desperate.

He looked into Nimbus’ eyes, the pupils glassy with tears.

“C-could you take me there? I really need this, Benjamin…”

Seeing the hurt in his friend’s eyes, Benjamin puffed up his chest.

“I promise you, Nimbus. We will get you that clover, together.” 

After all, he understood very clearly how the curse had been anchoring on Nimbus, even though he wished the others would accept him as he was. 

He should not have to feel ashamed... he was born with those scars.

*

​

It was a particularly cloudy day; however, there was no time to wait for better weather.

Nimbus had to get up to the Waverly Mountains as soon as possible to ensure that the clover was still there.

It took just over an hour to reach the place on foot.

Benjamin guided his friend up the hills, recalling the clover being further up.

Nimbus searched the bushes thoroughly. Step after step. Almost two hours had passed since the search; however, no clover could be found. The two boys began to grow tired.

“Benjamin, you can go back down if you want to. I must continue to search for the emerald clover,” Nimbus exclaimed, as he clawed through the bushes.

“Nimbus, wait!” Benjamin called after his friend, pulling out a fresh bottle of water. “We have been searching for two hours already. I’m sure you can take some rest as well; have a seat.”

“I don’t have time for this!” Nimbus replied, pushing the bottle away. “This is the one last chance I have to make a difference. If I don’t do something…”

Benjamin could see his friend struggling to finish off his sentence, frustration fuming from his tired eyes.  

He rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder. This seemed to have calmed him down a bit.

​

The eyes of the scarred boy were still tired from the search, reflecting a sense of desperation. Like that of a lost puppy.

“You know what, Nimbus? I think that you are great just the way you are. You just have yet to realize it.

If others are going to judge you for how you look, they are not your real friends. Real friends will accept you just the way you are.”

Nimbus paused, trying to recover his breath. It took quite a while before he found his voice again.

“So Benjamin, y-you will be my friend…? My real friend?”

“Well, of course,” Benjamin replied, pulling him into a hug. Nimbus’ arms, stiff at first, slowly came up to hold him back.

“I’ve been with you since the start, and always will be. I don’t care about any of that other curse stuff or what others think of you.” 

Nimbus blushed. When he had finally calmed down, the two decided that it was indeed getting late. The sky was growing darker by the second.

Benjamin promised to come back and have another look with Nimbus tomorrow. Feeling encouraged by Benjamin’s promise, Nimbus agreed to head back with him.

Just then, as they were packing up, Nimbus noticed something.

A vibrant emerald glow. At the corner of their eyes.

​

No, it can’t be… Nimbus thought. There it was, an emerald clover, right at the corner of the dark, shallow bushes.

He could not believe that his lifelong dream was about to come true. He can become normal, finally.

Before the two could rejoice, a storm began to rage. The dark clouds broke without warning.

Rain scattered down, and fierce winds tore across the mountainside.

Nimbus snatched the clover as the two began to head back.

​

The rain was heavy, and the wind maneuvered sideways. Benjamin tried to walk through it but eventually tripped over a tree branch. He fell down the slope, letting out a yelp of fear.

“Benjamin!” Nimbus exclaimed as he rushed toward his friend.

He lifted him up. Blood was leaking from Benjamin’s head. Nimbus’s pale hands were now soaked in fresh red blood. He could see that his friend was in agony. Slowly, he fell unconscious. 

Seeing the state of his friend, Nimbus became terrified. He shouted for help, but no one could hear him through the storm. He looked around wildly, but the downpour had turned the mountain grey in every direction. He could not tell which way was down.

What should I do? He thought in desperation. Just then, he noticed the clover in his hand.

“The emerald clover that could grant any wish…” Nimbus said to himself.

Although he knew that using the clover would mean sacrificing his lifelong dream, Nimbus could not bear to leave his friend, injured and about to die in the rain. 

Grasping the sacred clover, Nimbus shut his eyes and made a wish.

​

Within moments, some hikers appeared on the path. Spotting Benjamin’s wounded head, they called an ambulance and escorted him off the mountain. 

The clover had done its job. But it had also faded from Nimbus’ hands. Once the wish was granted, it had disappeared.

Nimbus waited in the hospital waiting area. Eventually his family concluded their visit and left.

Discreetly, he opened the door to Benjamin’s room.

There, he could see his friend wrapped in head bandages, somewhat conscious yet tired.

“Benjamin!” Nimbus cried, his eyes wet with tears. “I’m so sorry about all this. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have… Is your head still okay?”

​

“I’m okay,” Benjamin replied, with a smile. Gently, he stroked Nimbus’ hair. “The doctors say that I should be able to go home by tomorrow. It’s just a bit late, so they decided to keep me here.”

Noticing the absence of the clover, Benjamin asked about it. Hesitantly, Nimbus revealed the truth to his friend. The fact that the clover had already been used to save him.

“But then, what about your curse? Your scars! It’s all…”

Nimbus shook his head with a smile that was bitter yet sweet.

“Actually, what I’ve ever wanted was just a friend, someone to accept me for who I am, Benjamin. You have always been there for me… You are my true friend. I love you.”

It took a while before Benjamin could process the weight of Nimbus’ decision. Ultimately, he respected this decision, grateful even. His true friend.  

​

I could have perished easily… Benjamin thought to himself. But he chose to sacrifice his wish to save me….  

Benjamin gently caressed his friend once more, endearingly.

From that moment on, the two promised each other to become friends forever, never leaving either one behind no matter what.