SATURDAY MORNING – CHLOE'S GUEST HOUSE
Happy woke up to sunlight falling on his face. The bed was soft. The walls were white. Outside the window, a small garden bloomed with roses.
Chloe had arranged it. A guest house behind her mother's cafe.
He was brushing his teeth when he heard Chloe's voice from the kitchen. She was on the phone.
"No, Mum. He is not my boyfriend. He is my business partner. For the hundredth time."
A pause. Chloe laughed.
"Yes, Mum. I know you want grandchildren. But not from my business partner. Now stop."
She hung up and sighed as Happy walked in.
"Sorry. Mums are mums."
Happy smiled. Then his face became serious.
"Chloe, about the room. I will pay rent."
Chloe waved her hand. "Don't be silly. It's empty. You're doing us a favour by using it. You don't have to pay."
"No." Happy shook his head firmly. "I will pay."
"Happy, you are my friend. My partner. Instead of rent, you can make some extra cakes for me and my mum. For free. That will be more than enough."
Happy looked at her for a long moment. Then he spoke slowly.
"Chloe, remember when I asked you why you never took help from the princess? You told me that you have self-respect. You said that you did not take money from the princess because you wanted to build your bakery on your talent, not on charity. You said that respect is more important than money."
Chloe's smile faded. She nodded.
"Yes. I remember."
"Then please think about what you are asking me now. You have helped me gain my talent – you believed in my cakes, you introduced me to the princess, you are building HES Cakes with me. I am helping you make your bakery famous. We both help each other. That is fair. That is partnership."
He paused.
"But regarding the room rent – I am going to pay you. With the money we make together. From the business. Not from charity. Not from friendship discount. From the profit of HES Cakes. Because my self-respect is also important. Okay?"
Chloe was silent for a long moment. Then she smiled – a real smile, warm and proud.
"You are complicated. Fine."
"Fine."
They shook hands.
"Two hundred dollars a month. First payment after the princess's wedding."
"Deal."
SATURDAY MORNING – THE LONDON LARDER
The bakery was closed for a private meeting. Five people sat around the largest table: two lawyers in sharp suits, two business secretaries with tablets, and a woman in her fifties who introduced herself as Elena, Mr. Harrison's personal advisor.
"Happy, Chloe," Elena said. "Mr. Harrison has instructed us to set up your company. Legally. Financially. Operationally. We have eight months of free service."
Happy sat across from her. "What is the first step?"
"First, you need a commercial kitchen. A place to bake at scale. Your apartment kitchen cannot handle fifty cakes a day, let alone five hundred."
Chloe opened her laptop. "I have looked at three properties. One is perfect – an old bakery on the south side. Closed for two years. Needs cleaning and new equipment. Rent is reasonable."
Elena nodded. "Second, you need staff. You cannot bake everything yourself, Happy. You need assistant bakers. Chefs. Packers. Delivery drivers."
Happy felt a weight on his chest. He had always baked alone. But she was right. The princess's wedding cake alone would take three days of continuous work.
"Post an ad," Happy said. "We need two assistant bakers. One pastry chef. One packaging supervisor. I will interview them myself."
Elena smiled. "Third, you need a timeline. The princess's wedding is in four weeks. That is your first priority. Everything else – the outlets, the branding, the international expansion – comes after."
Happy nodded. "Then let's start. I need a kitchen by Monday."
The meeting lasted three hours. By the end, Happy had a bank account with five hundred thousand dollars, a team of advisors, and a lease agreement for the old bakery.
He signed the papers with a steady hand.
THE LOST HOUR – SUNDAY (WEEK 4, DAY 5 – 4:15 AM)
The world froze. Happy walked to the abandoned factory.
Finn was waiting. Beside him stood Sergei translucent, glowing, solid enough to speak.
"Rememberer. I have only sixty seconds. Listen carefully."
Happy stood at attention. The frozen fog swirled around them.
"The brain is your greatest weapon. Dragan has money. The Clockmaker has power. The Shade has hunger. But you have something they don't – the ability to learn, to adapt, to doubt."
"Doubt?"
"Yes. Doubt everything. Doubt your enemies. Doubt your friends. Doubt yourself. Doubt is not weakness. Doubt is the shield that prevents lies from entering your mind. Question every offer. Question every smile. Question every tear. The truth will survive your doubt. Lies will shatter."
"Do not confuse doubt with paranoia. Trust those who earn it. But verify. Always verify. The practical mind wins wars. When you face a problem, break it into pieces. Solve the smallest piece first. Then the next. Then the next. Do not look at the mountain. Look at the first stone."
His form flickered. The sixty seconds were ending.
"One more thing. Doubt Chloe if you must. But I have watched her. She has no shadow. She is exactly what she appears to be – a kind, ambitious woman who wants to build something good. Trust her, Happy. But keep doubting. That is how you stay alive."
He vanished.
Finn stepped forward. His silver eyes were serious.
"Sergei's lessons are finished. Now – tell us about last night. What happened in the living world?"
Happy's face darkened. He remembered the cold. The red eyes. The touch.
"After the party, I was walking home alone. The street was empty. Then the air turned cold – not winter cold. Death cold."
Finn's eyes narrowed.
"The Shade."
"Yes. It appeared from the shadows. Red eyes. No face. It spoke. It said I have freed three, awakened a king, triggered the Clockmaker. It said I am becoming dangerous."
The five warriors – Kenji, Mei, Sullivan, Olga, Batu – stepped closer. Their faces were grim.
"Then it touched me. Here." Happy pressed his hand to his chest. "It said it took a memory. But I don't feel any different. I don't know what it took."
Silence.
Then Kenji spoke, his voice like wind through bamboo.
"The Shade should not be able to enter the living world. That is impossible. The barrier between realms is absolute. Even the Clockmaker cannot cross."
Mei's warm smile disappeared.
"If the Shade is in your world, something has broken. Something we do not understand."*
Sullivan cracked his knuckles. Louder than usual.
"This is bad. Real bad. The Shade was a Rememberer once. It traded too many memories. Now it's nothing but hunger. But hunger cannot cross realms. Hunger has no body. No will. Only need."
Olga spoke. Her voice was barely a whisper, but every word cut.
"Unless something is feeding it. Something on your side. Something that wants the barrier to fall."
Batu grunted.
"We need to understand what it took from you. Not a memory – something else. Something we have never seen."
Finn placed a translucent hand on Happy's chest – where the Shade had touched. His eyes closed. His face concentrated. The frozen air grew colder.
Everyone watched in silence. The five warriors held their breath.
Then Finn's eyes snapped open. His face was pale – paler than usual.
"It did not take a memory. I cannot see what it took. Something else. Something that should not exist. I have never encountered this."
Kenji stepped forward.
"We promised you we would investigate. And we will. But while we search for answers, you must train. The Shade will come again. You must be ready."
Finn nodded.
"Agreed. The training continues. Mei – he is yours."
THE FIRST MONTH: KUNG FU (CONTINUED)
Mei stepped forward. Her translucent body moved like water. Behind her stood the other four warriors – watching in silence.
Other Nameless had gathered at the edges of the frozen courtyard. They whispered among themselves.
"The Rememberer is training with the five masters. He is becoming strong."
"He will free them all. The Frozen Realm will change."
Happy ignored the whispers. He focused on Mei.
"Rememberer," Mei said. "Yesterday you learned the stance. Today, you learn to move. Watch me."
She flowed through a series of movements – slow at first, then faster. Her hands cut the frozen air like knives. Her feet did not slip on the ice. When she finished, she was standing exactly where she had started.
"Your turn."
Happy copied her. His movements were clumsy. His feet slid. His hands were too stiff.
"No. You are fighting the movement. Kung Fu is not force. It is flow. Do not push. Guide. Again."
Again. Again. Again.
Happy practiced until his muscles screamed. Mei corrected his posture. Adjusted his arms. Slapped his shoulder when he was wrong.
The other four warriors watched. Kenji nodded occasionally. Sullivan cracked his knuckles. Olga's cold eyes never blinked. Batu sat cross-legged, silent as a mountain.
After an hour, Mei stepped back.
"Enough for today. Tomorrow, we continue. You will practice the form in your mind before you sleep. Every night. Every day. For one month. Then you will be ready."
Happy bowed. "Thank you, Master Mei."
She smiled. It was the first time he had seen her smile.
"You have heart, Rememberer. That is more important than talent."
The Lost Hour ended.
Happy collapsed onto the factory floor. His body ached. But his mind was clear.
He had taken the first step.
MONDAY MORNING – THE LONDON LARDER
Happy was interviewing assistant bakers when Chloe burst through the door. Her face was pale.
"Happy. We have a problem."
She handed him her phone. An email. From Dragan's personal account.
Dear Ms. Chloe,
I have heard of your new venture. Congratulations. I would like to invest. Two million dollars for one percent equity. No board seat. No control. No interference. Pure investment. I believe in Happy's talent.
Let's discuss.
Dragan Petrović
Happy read the email three times. Two million dollars. One percent.
Chloe's voice was shaky. "This is more money than we will make in five years. And he wants almost nothing in return."
"It's a trap."
"But Happy – two million dollars. We could open twenty outlets. We could hire the best chefs."
"It's a trap," Happy said again. His voice was hard. "Dragan killed Elara. He has connections to the Frozen Realm. He wants something. And he is buying his way in."
Chloe looked at the email. Then at Happy. Then back at the email.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I got greedy for a second."
Happy put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. That's why we have each other. One of us sees the cake. The other sees the poison."
Chloe smiled. "I'll reply to Dragan. 'Thank you for your interest. We are not seeking investment at this time.'"
"Add one more line. 'But we would love for you to taste our princess's wedding cake. We will send you a slice.'"
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because it will make him angry. Angry people make mistakes."
She typed. Sent.
That night, Happy sat in his new room. His body was sore from training. His mind was full of Mei's movements. He opened his notebook and wrote:
The Shade appeared in the living world. It touched me. It took something that is not a memory. No one knows what.
Finn and the five warriors are shocked. Even the Clockmaker cannot cross realms. Something is broken.
They promised to investigate. But I must train.
Day two of Kung Fu training with Mei. I learned to move. Not fight – move. There is a difference.
The other four warriors watch every session. Kenji. Sullivan. Olga. Batu. They say nothing. But their eyes are always on me.
The Nameless whisper that I am becoming strong. That I will free them all. I hope they are right.
Sergei's sixty-second lesson: doubt everything. But trust those who earn it. I trust Chloe. I trust Finn. I trust Mei.
Dragan offered two million dollars for one percent. I refused. It is a trap. He is afraid of me. Good.
The princess's wedding is in four weeks. I will bake her cake. I will train every night. I will not fail.
Elara, I am doing this for you. And for Sofia. I have not forgotten.
He closed the notebook. Outside his window, the city slept.
Somewhere in the darkness, the Shade's red eyes glowed.
But Happy was not afraid.
He was learning to flow like water...