Chapter 10: Family Matters (2)

The loud buzzing coming from the nearby streets was a quick reminder on why she had long opted staying away from big cities’ affairs.

The comfy mattress of the queen-sized bed and the warmth exuded by the wooden floor didn’t help in soothing her own uneasiness at being within a large urban region like the one here in the Newer Continent.

But perhaps, it was a long overdue visit, just like her husband had told her.

So much… conflict was unfolding inside her head.

Sitting with her legs crossing by the bed, Kate Aryoko pondered over the situation at hand… and she was having a hard time keeping herself from falling into a wave of nervousness that had wrapped around her since she left the airplane.

The blonde sighed, uncertainty painting her face while her orange eyes barely glinted at the turmoil festering from within her core.

Things were changing… quickly. The balance was starting to shift, and this time, the causes to this instability weren’t clear to the High Prime.

Kate had been one of the few Crests to perceive it. Her deep connection with the Light enabled her senses to notice that something was wrong with the status quo.

But she had rightfully kept herself from acting on her own just like she had in the past. Many of  her mistakes were done out of overconfidence… and misunderstanding.

Patience had been refined and sharpened by peaceful understanding of the current times. The time of War had long passed, but compared to her younger and ‘naiver’ self, she couldn’t just regain a proper zenith of her emotions.

Peace through meditation was no longer an option, and her only concerns as of now were to the present. And to her children’s future.

Another sigh, this time her posture lessening to a more ‘proper’ sitting position. A tired look replaced her impassive one, but this wasn’t due to a need for rest.

She was awake, and still capable of going through a couple more hours of other affairs before seeking quiet sleep. The issue stemmed from something she just couldn’t find any solution to.

And the main theme to it was her first child.

Shin was… gifted. Kate wasn’t an expert in the modern world’s understanding of the intelligence her son had been bestowed with, but it would be silly to say that the woman hadn’t expected him to yearn for more than just the tranquil life back at home.

Her child was a fast learner, and tremendously curious. And yet, he was also lonely.

It had been one of the issues of living so far from civilization. While this lifestyle had worked well back when it was just her and Bengala, this wasn’t the same when her son and daughter came around.

Curiosity wasn’t a trait unique to Shin. The Crest of Light herself had craved to see more of the world around her.

She had wanted to know if there were people like her. That she wasn’t alone in that large but uncharted land.

She knew that there were so many people around already, but her father had wisely kept her from trying and befriending the locals of the nearby village back home.

Kate thought of that restriction as a punishment when she was still immature, but as she first saw the cruelty of mankind with greedy ways of ambitious clans aiming at her Clan’s sword, a sense of clarity had steeled her understanding beyond the mere ‘feeling’.

Logic was an element required in understanding an entity, may it be a single being or a group of individuals. That’s how she had learned to properly care for mankind, her ‘adoptive’ race. And it was through proper thinking and feeling that she ultimately saw it fit to join the arduous task of defeating the greatest of evildoers.

It was a gruesome deed that took much from her, both in spirit and in the material world. A worthy sacrifice for the sake of everyone’s freedom.

The world had been saved… mostly. Earth was lost because of a futile last attack from the Emperor. One that had been meant to turn their success into a hollow and pyrrhic victory.

It was a horrifying discovery that had everyone’s minds filled with dread and dismay… and only when the Dragon Gods blessed them with Neo-Earth as a reward for their victory over the shadows, did they finally find happiness over the war’s conclusion.

But with peace came a sense of aimlessness for most of the brave warriors that had fought by her side and were now without purpose. Only a few managed to make a healthy recovery from the mental toll suffered in the galaxy-wide war. The rest had to take slower steps in a newer path.

For her… things became a notch more complicated than she had hoped. Maybe it had been delusional on her part to expect her planned burden to just disappear at a mere whim.

Ambar had been right with her serious words, but back then, Kate had barely listened to her. Now, she was stuck with a tragic situation, unsure of how to untangle the mess.

Shin was going to be the bearer of her Crest if something happened, while Hikari was meant to take the greater burden that her mother had so firmly refused.

There was no means for her to change this…

Which infuriated her as she never was much of a believer of prophecies. Even back when she first met Bengala… she had been reluctant to go through with her duties as Crest only because of some ‘destiny’.

One’s destiny should be made by actions, not by words from others.

You fell from the Heavens. Like a falling star. That alone told me that your destiny was to do more than get dirty working at the forge.

And it turned out to be something greater than that of mere metalworking, father.

But it was still all done by her own choice. That right was hers and hers only.

Shin was... just trying to break free from that cage she unconsciously put him and his sister to live within. She should’ve seen this happening much earlier than now, and maybe, she could’ve avoided the heated exchange she was forced to have with her son.

While her child was soft-spoken most of the time, there were times where his need for independence would spark in brief moments of disagreement. But what happened just before he left home? That had been a sudden blow she hadn’t planned of taking at her heart.

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“Okaasan, I wish to leave to study at Prism Uni.”

The house was mostly silent as of that time of the day. With Hikari having gone to the nearby river to fill some buckets with fresh water, only the woman and her oldest child remained in there.

“We’ve already talked about this, Shin,” Kate reminded him with a sigh. She had been in the middle of finishing a prayer directed to her deceased father, and the sudden intrusion had left her rather irritated but still capable of holding a serene conversation. “And I thought I had told you that I wasn’t open for compromises over the matter.”

The room grew quiet for a moment, and the Crest of Light expected for her eldest child to leave the topic be for the time being.

Bengala had shown some insistence in letting their son go study far away from home, even knowing that Hope was going to be sticking by his side during that long period.

It was too far from home, and he needed to stay home to train and-

“Okaasan, I don’t want to be disrespectful but-”

“You’re already doing so by keeping up with this nonsense,” The older Prime interrupted with insistence. “Lunch will be prepared soon, so I hope that you’re done with your exercises by the time food is ready-”

“Why?”

… “What?” She asked back, surprised by the swift query.

“Why can’t I go study there?” Shin elaborated with some insistence. “I don’t want to make comparisons, but Hope is allowed to go there.”

“She is capable-”

“And I’m not?” He rebuked with surprise. “Okaasan, you’ve trained me for years. Even father said that I would be able to keep up with a Knight if I put my best effort into doing so.”

Kate sighed. “Your father might train knights, but he wasn’t there to train you and see your progress.”

“He gave me this assessment after I had sparred with him last time he visited,” The young man argued. “And he said he wasn’t allowing me to go just because you don’t want me to leave.”

…

“It’s not up to debate,” The Crest ultimately stated. “I can’t just let you go- what about the dangers? What if-”

“I will be safe. The High Prime-”

“Will be busy during those few days,” Kate interjected with an unnerved tone. “And I wouldn’t trust her to keep a careful eye over your wellbeing, especially since she would consider you ready enough to not have a knight to keep watch over you.”

…

“I want to go.”

“And you have to stay,” The mother replied curtly. “Now please, let me be.”

…

There was a frustrated sigh leaving her son’s lips.

“Then I will… take my leave.”

She nodded, her attention returning to the little shrine that had been built to remember Shintaro Aryoko’s memory.

Back then, she thought little of her firstborn’s final words- but then she would soon realize how serious he had been about it.

Especially when her daughter couldn’t find him anywhere in the house, and a small note was found in his room, containing his brief apologies to explain his departure cemented her worries.

She had pushed too hard, and life had shoved back even harder.

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“We’re back!”

The loud proclamation came right as the door of the hotel room opened and closed prompted Kate to stare at the smiling face owned by her husband. Hikari was beside him, a wide smile encompassing her face as she giggled at her father’s antics.

A jester. A strong and handsome one at that.

Bengala looked giddy as he walked inside the room. He was holding two large bags filled with various clothes and the grin on his face directed at the Cat Prime wasn’t just suggesting that not everything he had brought was meant for himself or their daughter.

“Dear husband-”

“I brought you stuff,” He announced eagerly while he settled the bags at the edge of the bed.

She sighed. “I could tell...”

He snorted, quickly taking a seat close to her so that he could steal a big hug. The woman didn’t regret the affection, but she tensed up at the sudden contact.

“To think that we would be spending time together like this!” The Tiger Prime mirthfully commented. “Heck, I showed Hikari the Arcade and she fell completely in love with that place.”

A thought bubbled up at the curious detail. She had heard about these places where children would go and play some… videogames.

“Okaasan, it was so nice! There are so many nice children and- it was so fun playing with the pinball!”

What an odd name for a game… but she was glad that her daughter had enjoyed that rare trip around the city. She had thought that the young girl would’ve been having some trouble dealing with the new environment, but her concern seemed to vanish at the big smile on Hikari’s face.

At least someone other than Bengala was enjoying this visit…

“By the way, should we go and check on Shin after lunch or a bit earlier?” The Crest of Courage inquired suddenly, making Kate sigh at the dilemma.

The first choice would make any discussion she would get with her son quite limited. The other one would make her spend more time talking  with the boy… if only to be seen by either Hope or Carmesi’s daughter.

It was quite a surprise learning about this development. To think that someone as prideful as the Fire Crest would’ve allowed her only child to not continue her apprenticeship as a Knight.

“We will visit once we’re done with lunch. Did you have time to contact Ambar?”

Her husband nodded. “She knows we’re here, and has already dispatched some knights to redouble the patrol around the city. We will be safe while we’re in the capital.”

She returned the nod with one of her own. That was some good news, and enough to lessen her worries to running  into some unpleasant encounters with the forces of darkness that still lingered in Neo-Earth.

To think that the cult of Chaos was returning among the Narakhan’s tribes was concerning, but considering the state of dissonance that the majority of tribes had with their past, it was all up to chance itself if this was going to develop into either a serious issue or a short-lived rebellion.

In the end, the two Crests decided to spend the rest of their time in that room talking about what they were supposed to do once they ended up meeting with their son…

But it was more Kate getting some pep talks from her husband, much to the glee of the latter. The Tiger Prime was just immensely happy in getting his wish of spending quality time with his family away from home.

Still, as the two adults continued with their conversation, a certain young girl had carefully opened the door and sneaked out to the near hallway.

With a small backpack she had brought filled with various important objects and resources straddled on her back, and a bright smile and determination driving her to face the immensity of this uncharted territory, Hikari Aryoko was set for quite the interesting adventure to find her elusive Oniisan!

And as she departed from the hotel with the small map she was holding in front of her helping her find Prism Uni distracting her from what was unfolding in her proximity, a certain Narakhan assassin had taken notice of the odd girl wandering near the park.

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~Ifera’s POW~

This has to be a sign from their Lord. It has to be.

She couldn’t help but notice the absurdity of the situation, but she wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

Ifera had waited patiently for a chance to strike, and with the youngest child of the Crest of Light and the Crest of Courage happily wandering around without any knights escorting her. It was just a sight that made her almost salivate at how useful her kidnapping would be.

Plus it was a good way for her pride to recover from what had happened two days prior. This sight had appeared as alluring as it had been when she ended up seeing both ‘Shin Aryoko’ and ‘Hope Ravenhurst’ spending some time together, without anyone keeping a solid guard over them.

It smelled like bait, but she still had moved to make sure she ended up closer to the two. Slow and steady, one step at the time… and she ended up preparing an ambush by an alley they were passing nearby .

With daggers clenched tightly in her hands, the Narakhan was ready to intervene just as the two Primes were passing by and… she was frightened by quite the unexpected development.

While the young woman walking beside him was distracted chatting with him staring in front of them, the White Tiger Prime was looking right at where the Narakhan had set her flawless hideout.

The real fear-inducing element was the powerful green-eyed stare that hit her. It exuded power, it exuded might… it exuded light.

She was forced to look at the unflinching glare silently and completely still as the two wandered away from her planned ambush, leaving her alone with her thoughts of what had happened.

This  was a frustrating development to be subjected to, but one that confirmed a suspicion she had held  up until now. The child of the Crest of Light was not only capable of  perceiving Chaos-related energy, but he was also accustomed to fighting people like her.

It was a novelty that both raised the difficulty of her mission, but also intensified the worries of dealing with more knights in the near future. Hopefully, she would be done by the time the High Prime actually sent more guards over the city.

Still, the fact that the young man had been trained beforehand was bad news for her because that directly translated that immediate confrontations were now crossed out of her plans. But it also helped her noticing this crucial detail before a future ‘successful ambush’ ambush.

While all Clans’ powers were effective against Chaos-based powers, Light was the worst element to deal with, with Fire being the second issue.

This information was still precious enough to make her reluctant to try and press on with that very instance, and her patience was big enough to tank a couple of ‘missed’ opportunities. Ifera wasn’t petty, but she was certainly going to make plenty of plans to make up with her streak of bad luck.

But there was still a problem currently manifested as she continued to trail down the ‘little kitty’ going merrily for that erratic path. While resisting the temptation to groan at her failure was easier considering the elements that led her to be inactive for some time, the same couldn’t be said about the golden chance that had just fallen in her hands.

There was no way that someone as short and young as the child was capable of defending against external threats!

Especially when her objective looked as clueless and unaware as she could.

Jogging calmly and patiently, Ifera knew that she couldn’t just rush at her newest target and hope to avoid any attention from the other people walking within the park. The girl was distracted as she kept looking at that small map of the city, offering the Narakhan the possibility of keeping a close trail of her.

The young woman could almost feel success around the corner. She just needed to be patient but attentive for any hints of a trap.

Because, while the previous situation had lacked any other dangerous element to be wary of, she couldn’t exactly exclude that this one was a more convoluted plan to capture her.

The young Aryoko had to have alerted his parents of what had happened. Or else things would just be stupidly easy for her.

Which is why, instead of rushing for a quick victory, she settled for a slow and careful analysis of her surroundings. Everything seemed to be quite normal, except for some frowns she was getting from people noticing her mask and attire.

Perhaps a disguise would help her avoid that kind of attention. Maybe the creation of a ‘soft-spoken, shy’ Narakhan would allow her to avoid more suspiciousness than she needed to deal with during this important mission.

Just as Ifera continued to ponder over this very notion, her attention was suddenly returned to the young girl as she saw the Prime starting sprinting towards two individuals. Surprise swelled at this unexpected sight, but the assassin proceeded to keep a low profile despite the lack of people in the area.

Her eyes narrowed at the duo, both being students. A Prime and a human.

The filthy earthling was leading,  quickly stopping as he took notice of the young teen rushing at them and stopping right in front of them.

But while the Narakhan had no recollection of the dark-furred Cat Prime, she still froze up at the scene as she thought about an ugly possibility behind this interruption. What if those two were Knights? What if the girl had spotted her early on and led her straight to a patrol.

Panic replaced the shock as Ifera quickly realized that the situation had escalated way too quickly and, without wasting time gawking at the circumstances, she dived into the nearby bushes and waited there patiently. She even lowered her Chaotic energy to avoid alerting the trio of her presence as she stared at the scene.

“Excuse me, can you tell me where Prism Uni is?”

…

These weren’t knights. She had jumped like a frightened cat for nothing and… now she knew that there was a window of opportunity.

Ifera just needed to jump at the right moment now...

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~Frankie’s POV~

I blinked in surprise at that sudden question.

Everything had taken a strange turn ever since we were notified that Professor Aken wasn’t going to give a lecture at the planned hours. It was odd for the punctual man to make such a change of plans without warning.

From there on, the situation unfastened into quite the odd circumstances. Starting with Shin and Hope deciding to spare some time together by the library, and ended with Miles coaxing me to go for a walk by the nearby park.

There was no real reason to do so, but from my simple understanding of his mind, I knew it was more of a whim  to get away from Prism Uni for some time.

Still, the fact that someone this young and donning such a unique dress like a kimono was currently standing in front of me was already an unexpected sight to be greeted during said talk.

And that she was now inquiring about Prism Uni was more than enough to create plenty of suspicions about why she wanted to go in there specifically.

She was a White Tiger with a Japanese-based set of clothes. Plus, there was just something familiar in her cerulean eyes. But… why?

I blinked, and she blinked back. Oddly enough, she was studying me too while I went on my own studies of her appearance.

“Frankie,” Miles called with a confused frown plastered on his face. “Is everything alright?”

I blinked again, realizing that I had been staring for some time.

“Yeah, kind of,” I replied to the fellow student before I returned to look at the younger Prime. “And Prism Uni is just out of the park from ‘that’ entrance and right to the left corner. There will be a large road that will lead to the main gates.

The girl smiled and nodded. “Thank you-”

“But-” I stopped with a calm voice, prompting the young teen to not march away at the end of my answer. “I wished to know. Do you know Shin Aryoko by any means?”

There was a pause. The girl’s eyes widened and I saw her tensing up at the name.

“You know Oniisan?”

From what I could remember from my basic understanding of Japanese, that directly translated into ‘Big Brother’. I took a moment to stare in surprise at that as I connected dots about it.

“You’re Shin’s little sister?” I inquired back, getting a nod from her. “Well, we do know about Shin-”

“Only know? We’re the guy’s roommates,” Miles quipped with a huff. “But I would’ve thought he would’ve told us that his family was visiting.”

The little girl shook her head at that. “It’s a surprise.”

My eyes widened at that response.

“Is that so?” I asked, getting another nod in return and… I started wondering about this revelation.

If the young girl was there, then there was a high chance that either her mother, her father, or both were currently in the capital and… the girl was here alone, without adult supervision.

I frowned at this thought. “And can I ask you why you are alone right now?”

She tensed up again, sporting a nervous look but still replying to the query.

“I… I wanted to surprise Oniichan.”

...Oh. That makes some sense.

“Your parents weren’t planning on a surprise. You were.”

The girl nodded, but then froze as she realized that she had just confirmed that both her father and mother were there within the city too.

I took a moment to remember some of the words Hope’s mother had brought up in our conversation. All about the situation that drove Shin away from bringing up his family during a normal occurrence.

And they were there now… after just two days Grace had told me that someone would’ve visited sooner than later.

Soon, my mind returned to the discussion and I nodded.

“We’re not planning to tell Shin about the surprise,” I assured quickly.

“...Really?” Miles muttered with a skeptical frown.

“I mean, maybe we can tell him that his parents are there once… uh, I know that it’s awkward, but I don’t think we’ve introduced ourselves.”

“My name is Hikari,” The young Prime answered eagerly. “Nice to meet you two.”

“Likewise, Hikari. I’m Frankie Parker, and this is Miles Lionheart,” I replied with a nod.

“Hello,” The Cat Prime replied coolly.

“Still, we need to make sure that Shin isn’t busy for the surprise,” I pointed out, carefully bringing up my phone. “And I think I know whom to call.”

Hikari looked surprised by my words, while Miles nodded as he himself knew who I was going to contact now.

The waiting was brief, but soon Hope answered the call.

“Yes?”

“Hope, I know it’s quite sudden but… is Shin still with you?” I asked calmly, part of me praying that he hadn’t left for other reasons.

“He is… why?” The Gazelle Prime asked and I sighed.

“Let’s just say that he got some visitors,” I answered cryptically. “Don’t let him hear her? It’s kind of a surprise.”

“Hear who-”

“Hi, Hope-nee,” Hikari took that question as a cue to finally talk.

“...Oh- Oh my. You mean that-”

“Yep,” I answered curtly.

“And that they are also-”

“Yep.”

“...This is going to be quite the troublesome situation,” She judged without hesitation and I nodded in agreement to that.

“Which is why I would need you to have Shin back to the dormroom since we will have to talk about this,” I requested implicitly. “Tell him that it’s urgent.”

She sighed on the other side of the call. “I will see to notify him of that. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I think I do.”

… “That’s good enough for me. For now.”

“See you soon, then-”

“Bye.”

The call ended there and Hikari stared at me with a surprised look. “So we’re going to surprise Oniisan?”

“Yep-”

Just as I said this, I felt something bolting out of the bushes and right towards us. My eyes widened as I locked my stare at the approaching blur. A white mask, several markings spreading all over the attacker’s arm and… daggers.

Dread filled my thoughts as I saw the aggressor prepared to land a life-threatening blow on me… but I managed to fight back the sudden shock before rushing right at the masked figure.

From the way her posture straightened, I was quite sure that my approach was as unorthodox as unexpected.

The knives were still far from reaching me and I took the opportunity of her entire self being in my range to throw a strong punch right at her face.

The hit landed, and the attack was more than enough to cause the girl’s momentum to drop to nothing. A yelp echoed around and I saw the masked attacker fall backwards at that, her hands reaching for her mask while I took a serious guard against her.

Adrenaline offered me plenty of energies before this situation, but it was my boxing instincts kicking in that I felt my resolve steeling itself against the recoiling jerk.

I stared at the scene, with Miles taking a step closer.

“Who is she?”

I blinked. “I don’t know but… her marks. I’ve seen those before.”

The Cat Prime snapped his attention at me. “Marks? Aren’t those Tattoos?”

I couldn’t tell in that moment, but it was Hikari’s calm comment that offered me a better  understanding of what was going on.

“Narakhan.”

The word reminded me of everything I knew about the topic and- Yep, this situation has definitely gone down the drain as of now.

“That hurts...” The still-masked aggressor commented and I snorted.

“Trust me, it will be worse. Why are you attacking us?”

“As if I would care to answer your questions, foolish earthling.”

I frowned at that ‘insult’. “Aren’t we all earthlings?” I glanced at Miles. “Aren’t we?”

“Fairly sure all inhabitants in Neo-Earth, from humans, to Primes, and Narakhans, are earthlings.”

“Nonsense!” The woman responded vehemently. “The Tribes are the true owners of these lands. Only we were  meant for these gifts!”

Pretty sure the Narakhans were among the losers about the Galactic War because of their affiliation to the Empire and… I’ve never heard of a person of a Narakhan actively supporting the old ‘cult’. The very group that was considered to represent the Emperor’s surviving will on Neo-Earth.

“I think you missed some history lessons. That’s a lie,” I retorted almost too swiftly. “And my questions are still valid.”

“I refuse to stand up to this comedy. This slight will not go unpunished when-”

There was a pause, and I stared as I noticed the Narakhan started to tense up at me, some shivers going down her spine as she kept looking at me.

...What is going on?

I couldn’t help but see how the young woman needed to use the bathroom for how terrified  he appeared to be.

Frowning at this strange instance, my shock swelled even more as I felt a big hand strongly grasping at my shoulder. I heard a sigh and then a word.

“Go.”

The voice was familiar, but the target of such a comment was still trembling before this newer intruder. The message wasn’t directed at us, but only  to the assassin.

There was no sound, no malicious promise for a rematch… only silence.

The hand gave two pats at my shoulder.

“That was a good job, Mr. Parker,” Professor Aken mentioned as he continued to stand behind me. “But I reckon you should probably get young Ms. Aryoko to her brother. Wouldn’t want to make a bigger ruckus than the one that is currently brewing.”

“Professor-”

He offered one last pat before walking away. “You will need to be ready for the storm around the corner, Mr. Parker,” The Lion Prime pointed out. “And you will need to be attentive for any dangerous developments. Stay brave and determined.”

I was gawking at the retreating form of the teacher, still confused how he had managed to appear so suddenly and without making any noises. Or why he was here in the park and not offering any lessons.

Yep, this situation was getting crazier…

And now I had to help young Hikari to find her brother. Hopefully, the family reunion wasn’t going to end in a fiasco.

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AN

The Narakhan strikes… but she is repelled by Professor Aken? I wonder why?

Something about him is just familiar, don’t you think?

Perhaps.

Hopefully, little Hope can get Shin to calmly reach the dormrooms… just as Frankie hopes for.

Nooooo-

Hehehe- Oh? No, Naerie, I wasn’t bullying Bukharin with puns. Please don’t give me that look.

You’re a big bulli.

* Snort* That’s ridiculous! I’m the High Prime, the Crest of Wisdom and-

A big, cuddly bear?

That’s right!!

By the way, dear readers, the second chapter of ‘Summertime in Heaven’ is now out.

Indeed. A story that portrays closely to an unofficial sequel ‘Breast are the Best’ and it’s a NSFW story. Which means that underage readers shouldn’t go and check it. But if you’re an adult by your country’s laws, then go ahead and check. I accept suggestion about lemons in that regard.