Shinoda Okamura the Sensei

Noah was exhausted from the heat and the long journey. His shirt was sticking to his back and his legs were tired from the endless walking through the hot Lisbon streets. Every minute under the blazing sun felt like an hour. His lips were parched and his throat was as dry as a desert. He was thirsty. Very thirsty.

Looking at the old man who was standing on the street corner selling bottles of water, Noah was about to go up and ask someone with local currency to buy a drink from the old man for him, when his gaze accidentally fell on the figure near the fountain. He narrowed his eyes and stopped in his tracks, amazed.

It was the same man who had called him in New York the day before, where Noah was still sitting in his apartment trying to understand why his life had suddenly taken a completely different turn. The same man whose name remained a mystery, but whose words about the death of the American ambassador in Lisbon had led Noah on this crazy path that had led him and Delia Asia Vieira to Portugal.

Noah felt his heart quicken. It was hardly a coincidence. The man was here again, and now everything was becoming clearer. He had to explain something.

"Listen," Noah said quietly, taking her by the elbow, "come on, we need to talk to this man."

Delia Asia Vieira, still calm and collected, asked no questions. She walked silently next to him, her steps light and quick, like those of a person who does not feel tired. At some point, Noah even envied her iron self-control.

As they approached the fountain, the stranger standing nearby noticed them and looked at Noah with the same quiet interest that Noah remembered from that call. There was a slight, almost imperceptible smile on his face, and a deep, meaningful look in his eyes.

"I thought we met earlier," he said, his voice even and confident, as if nothing had happened, as if everything was going according to a pre-planned plan.

Noah looked at him, trying to hide his excitement.

"You... you're the man who called me in New York, right? You told me about the ambassador's death. You knew that's what brought me here."

The man nodded, showing no sign of embarrassment. It was as if he had been prepared for this moment.

"Yes," he replied. "I knew you couldn't ignore it. But as you understand, everything is much more complicated than it seems at first glance. I'm glad you came."

And with these words, the man turned and confidently led them through the tangled streets of old Lisbon, which seemed like a labyrinth, densely built up with rows of colorful houses and balconies covered with greenery. Here, far from the tourist streets, reigned the special atmosphere of a city that kept centuries-old secrets in its alleys. Narrow passages were dotted with tiny shops overflowing with all sorts of trinkets - from faded postcards to amulets carved from wood and covered with strange symbols.

Noah looked around, becoming more and more fascinated by this world. On one of the counters, his gaze was drawn to glass balls, shimmering under the dim light of old lanterns.

"Wait, I'll just be a minute," he said to Delia Asia Vieira and their mysterious guide, quickly approaching the bench.

The gray-haired man behind the counter nodded as Noah pointed to a set of three marbles that caught his eye, each glowing a different shade from deep blue to emerald green. Noah couldn't explain what it was that drew him to them, but he felt like they seemed to radiate a faint, almost elusive energy. Perhaps it was due to his psychic abilities, or perhaps the marbles simply felt familiar.

"What is this?" Delia Asia Vieira asked, watching him carefully transfer the marbles into his pocket.

"I don't know, but I liked them," Noah replied with a smile. "Sometimes things just pull you in, don't they?"

The man leading them waited patiently a few paces away, as if he knew that time was not their enemy. When Noah joined them, they moved forward again. Now they were walking along the side of a huge building of gray stone, covered in ivy. Lights flashed and shadows flickered in its high windows, as if something important and mysterious were happening there. Noah felt a strange uneasiness, as if the building itself were a living being, watching them.

"What is this place?" Delia Asia Vieira asked quietly.

The man looked over his shoulder and smiled slightly, but did not answer, only quickened his pace.

Finally, they came to a high cast-iron gate decorated with intricate ligature. Behind them, a park was visible, seeming like an oasis of silence and greenery in the midst of a noisy city. Tall trees spread out in its depths: lindens and maples intertwined with silver birches, and above them towered centuries-old oaks, whose massive crowns were tightly intertwined, forming an almost continuous green ceiling.

But the gate was locked with a heavy padlock.

"We have to wait," the man said, stopping at the locked gate. "I've already made arrangements with the guards. As soon as they see the sign, they'll open."

Delia Asia Vieira and Noah exchanged glances, but did not ask questions. Silence spread around, and only a breeze rustled the leaves beyond the gate. Suddenly, muffled cries were heard from behind the iron fence, and a moment later, lanterns began to flicker in the depths of the park.

"Here's the signal," the man said, and his voice sounded with some mysterious satisfaction.

Just a few minutes later, the massive gates clanged open, as if an invisible force had pushed them from within. Two uniformed guards stood before them. One of them bowed to their guide and motioned for them to enter. And as the gates clanged shut behind them, a slight coolness enveloped the park and the sun hid behind low-hanging clouds. It was a pleasant relief from the sweltering heat, and all three of them - Delia Asia Vieira, Noah, and their mysterious companion - relaxed a little, allowing themselves to catch their breath.