CHAPTER 24
'… On the day she was born.'
Megumi scowled…
His expression was a mix of confusion and disdain.
What she just said to him made very little, perhaps no sense at all to him. It was a tangled web of words. He tried to unravel the threads, to piece together the fragments of her story, but it only led to more contradictions.
History was a labyrinth complicated enough on its own, but with crucial information being deliberately erased, it had become a maze with missing walls, impossible to navigate.
He had many reasons why he found it difficult to believe what Yuki had just told him.
The first was simple and rather convincing…
It was the fact that, just like his mother, the woman who birthed Yuki was a figure shrouded in myth and worshiped like a deity by the people. Her true story was lost in a haze of exaggeration and convoluted lies.
This meant that the only documents containing actual information on her were most likely sealed away in the most secret chambers hidden away by the upper echelons of the Boma clan.
No matter how he chose to look, it was simply impossible for Yuki to get her hands on such hidden information.
The second reason, though, was that he knew about Emberhaven, and it was still serving as a resort and tourist attraction to multiple people. However, there wasn't a single record of what Yuki had said happened ten years ago.
Not once since the existence of the Ember Peak had there ever been a recording of it erupting. An event of such magnitude—a volcano bursting to life for the first time in recorded history. It wasn't something that could have been easily forgotten, not when it had supposedly claimed hundreds of lives.
But still, he had doubts about his second theory, mainly because it would only be true if there actually weren't a powerful entity out there in existence capable of wiping the memories of multiple people at once.
His third reason, though… it was one he didn't even want to think about.
But it would always come to his mind each time the mention of people strangely vanishing came up…
It was the fact that his father, the residing head of the Fujiboma clan, was also one of the few who had mysteriously disappeared without a trace ten years ago, around the same time that both he and Yuki were born.
He had no doubt that, just like with his father, something had definitely happened to the young girl's mother.
His doubts were only focused on the integrity of the source of the information that the mountain had indeed erupted ten years ago. It was one thing if it had simply erupted and merely killed a few hundred people, but tying the incident to the disappearance of the legendary sorceress…
He just knew what it was…
Crap!
Bullshit!
'What a load of nonsense!'
He was so infuriated by the thought that he had decided to simply dismiss it from his mind. He was going to have a word with Yuki later, possibly when they returned home.
He shook his head and looked around him to see Yuki still standing by the van. Gekka had already loaded all their luggage inside the vehicle, but there were still no signs of their older siblings anywhere.
"Where's everyone else?"
He scratched his head nervously, his hand slowly moving toward the back of his neck. On his face was a hint of confusion.
Yuki, who was standing next to him, simply shrugged her shoulders.
"They still aren't here yet. Apparently, we should have a few new guests joining us before we leave, and Rikiyo and my sister should meet with them."
Megumi heaved a sigh, rubbed his eyes, and then headed inside the van. Inside, he sat on one of the seats and stared at the ceiling of the van.
He suddenly felt exhausted and couldn't wait for Rikiyo and Tsukina to return so they could go back home. And with them at least fifty meters away from the mountain, it was starting to get a bit hot as well.
"Dammit."
He groaned, quickly reaching for the door of the van and winding down one of the windows. Then, he shifted slightly to the edge and stuck his head out.
And then he waited for many more minutes in silence with Yuki, and after a few more minutes, he decided to break the ice.
Sticking his head out of the window, he strained, turned his gaze to Yuki, and asked,
"Do you know how long it should be before these new guests arrive?"
Yuki quickly adjusted her stance, leaning against the wall of the van. She placed her hand on her chin, trying to think of an answer.
Just as she was about to speak, a voice interrupted her…
"Was it really necessary for her to make us come here?"
Simultaneously, they both turned toward the source of the voice to see a halo of white light in the distance. It quickly dimmed, leaving three young adults standing in the distance.
There were two women and a man, and they all seemed to be around the same age. Each of them was dressed in a blue jacket and epaulettes; the fabric of their clothes was crisp and unwrinkled, with striking stripes of different colors each going down either side of their pants.
One of the trio stepped forward, a graceful lady with blonde hair, looking at the van where the two kids were, and after a while, she slowly approached them.
She had a gracile figure, with her muscles slightly toned and defined, and the fabric of her uniform pulling taut over the curves of her biceps. She stood out from the other two.
Her pants had striking red stripes with golden epaulettes adorned on either side of her uniform; they shone like miniature suns and were adorned with a trio of red stars that marked her rank as an Adept Sorcerer. Her jacket fit like a glove, with rows of gleaming buttons.
Her jacket was carelessly unbuttoned at the top, revealing a glimpse of a black tactical bra and… perhaps the only blemish she possessed.
There was a golden badge pinned on her chest, and a name, KLEA, was proudly stitched in stark letters above her heart.
Megumi was stunned as he stared at the gleaming blue eyes of the Adept Sorceress. Her skin had a golden undertone, and her pink lips were full. Her long blonde hair flowed in the wind, washing over her shoulders as she slowly walked forward.
She stopped just a few meters in front of Yuki, and that was when the man in the trio spoke.
"Gekka's on her way here."
His pronunciation of the name sounded like a hesitant discord, with the syllables awkwardly stretched, causing Megumi to flinch a little at the sound of it.
'I guess these are the others Rikiyo was talking about.'
Quickly, he slid out of the van and stood next to Yuki. Then, he raised his hand and placed it on his chest, performing an awkward salute.
She raised her brow for a moment, but then her eyes widened, intently fixed on Megumi. She did well to maintain her composure, though…
She placed her hand on her chest as well and bowed slightly.
"It is an honor to finally meet the heir of Clan Fujiboma."
A smile appeared on her face as she turned around and left. She stood by her companions, and soon, Gekka arrived along with their older sisters.
They both stayed idly by the van as Gekka had a word with the three officials, and after a while, she, along with the two girls, finally walked over to the vehicle with a bit of a complicated look on their faces.
She stopped in front of them, planting a brief smile on her face as she gently ruffled their hair with her hands; then she bent down slightly and turned toward the two behind her.
"Well then, Rikiyo, Tsukina, it's time to say your goodbyes."