Yonuro, Samei and of course the driver, Geord, were in his cab, which had accumulated fast speed and was moving away from Yonuro's home.

Yonuro was freezing cold, as she had spent about an hour in her inner shirt during her fight with Yuri. Fortunately, she was now covered in Geord's jacket and even had Ramael on her head in order to warm her up. Samei was trying to comfort her friend and Geord was focused on driving the cab back to his house.

Everyone was completely silent. They couldn't even start a conversation. Geord, Samei and Ramael were concerned in more than one ways about Yonuro. Thus, they wanted to wait till they arrived home before talking things out.

The sound the engine was making could be constantly heard. Over and over again, it was the only thing that you could hear in an entire city. Everyone else had abandoned their houses for the time being and moved temporarily to a nearby city or village, strictly following the mayor's announcement.

At some point, this silence was going to break. An environmental distortion appeared near the cab out of nowhere. A couple of seconds later, it disperssed and brought about a massive explosion that was followed by a deafening sound of destruction.

This phenomenon known as a Rift made Geord shout "What is this?!!!" and widen his eyes before turning the steering wheel to the right in order to avoid it. The tires then drifted so much that the vehicle lost its balance.

Samei screamed "AHHHHHH!" and covered her head with both hands.

Yonuro, who was half asleep, suddenly woke up and said

"Geord?!— WHA— AHHHH!"

As Geord was trying to avoid the Rift, the back tire hit a street lamp. Not only that but the narrow road he turned to was unfortunately a dead end.

Geord- It's a dead end!!! FUCK!!!

Samei- AHHHHH!

Ramael- I don't wanna die in this form! HELP!!!

Yonuro- Please tell me this a dream! Ahhhh!

The cab then crushed into a rubbish bin at the end of the road. Lots of boxes, plastic bags and cans fell on the car hood and then on the ground one by one.

When the cab was finally immobilized, fumes could be seen coming out of the engine. Geord hit the honk with both hands and said "shit".

Yonuro- What happened, Geord?

Geord- There was something on the road... It was like a black hole that sucked the air inside completely before exploding...

Samei- That was probably a rift, right Yonuro?

Yonuro- Well, I didn't see a thing. I was half asleep!

Ramael- I saw it for just a moment but I think Samei is correct... It was a Rift, indeed.

Geord- I don't get what you're saying but let's discuss everything later. It's not safe in the cab. In its current state it could even blow up, who knows. Let's leave.

They all went back to where the rift initially appeared. What they saw was leftovers of that destructive phenomenon. Although literally speaking it is a natural phenomenon, to a regular human being it felt as unnatural as it could possibly be.

Geord saw this otherworldly dark gas slowly disappear and the surrounding buildings in a large radius severely damaged. It was no mere explosion indeed, but something more that he asked Ramael to clarify.

Ramael told Geord about the 3 worlds and about their imminent convergence. She told him about the Angels, the Barrier and their goal. She also explained what that explosion was.

"A violent connection made between worlds, also known as a Rift."

Geord- I'm speechless... It's hard to believe all this...

At that moment, Geord stopped talking as Yonuro was beginning to cough.

Yonuro- prrrr— *cough *cough. *sniff. (...) It's— cold...

Apparently, Yonuro had caught a cold and being outside for long made her shiver, cough and sniff her nose.

"It's really cold..." she said while trembling. Samei and Ramael asked Yonuro if she was okay.

Yonuro- I'm going to be okay... I think...

Geord- You've probably caught a cold, Yonuro. Don't worry though. We're going to head home soon enough. You'll feel better inside.

Yonuro slightly nodded after coughing one last time and then everyone swiftly walked to Geord's.

Located in a quiet road, his small house was almost invisible and you could easily miss it. It didn't have any luxuries or unnecessary space. Just a small house with a claustrophobic working room. It made it obvious that the person living inside was single and without any plans to change that status.

When they walked in, the feelings of the 4 characters were totally different. To Geord, well, it felt like home. To Ramael, a bit claustrophobic, as she was used to spacious buildings due to her mother's "noble" origin. To Samei... Nothing stuck out to her really. It was just an unfamiliar, certainly small house. And finally to Yonuro, it felt a bit nostalgic...

Geord- We're here. It's not much I know. But you'll all be safe in here. I'm going to bring some wood to start a fire. You can all relax in the living room if you can call it that. Although it's not that spacious, it's enough for three people I think.

Geord backtracked his way out for a moment to fetch the wood required to start a fire at the fireplace. Samei decided to sit on a chair on the right side of the fireplace. Similarly, Yonuro was about to sit on the sofa on the left side of the fireplace. Just before touching her ass on the soft sofa though, she suddenly decided to rush to Geord's bedroom and grab a thick blanket from a small wardrobe to cocoon herself with.

When Yonuro returned, confused as she was, Samei asked her "Did you just casually enter his bedroom and get this?!"

Yonuro sat on the sofa, tried to answer, but her constant coughing made her words to not make any sense. A few seconds later, she got a hold of herself and answered properly.

Yonuro- This isn't my first or second time in this house. I used to come here a lot in the past and I know the ins and outs. I decided to help myself so that Geord has to do less things for us.

Samei- Okay, I understand. To a certain extent, that is. Like, what is the relationship between you two? You didn't point it out when we first discussed the plan back in the restaurant.

Samei saw Geord approach and decided to hold the question for now. Geord had returned with the wood and heard what they were talking about but decided to wait and start the fire first. The girls saw him put the heavy pieces of wood and then the smaller sticks to the fireplace and start a fire.

Geord- There, there. Now you'll feel warm everyone.

Samei and Yonuro who were standing close to the fireplace stretched their hands towards the fire to warm them up.

Yonuro / Samei- Ah... / It's warm...

Ramael felt the heat indirectly. The Angelic Bond allowed her to do so.

Ramael- It feels nice...

Geord sat on a chair staring the fireplace and then initiated the conversation.

Geord- Alright everyone. I reckon it's time to talk about everything. Since this is the first time we properly see each other, except for Yonuro, I feel like telling you a few things about myself.

My life's been quiet these past 10-15 years living in Japan. In here, I've worked as a taxi driver for the most part, but due to legal issues I had my license plates removed and I've dropped that job ever since. These days I take on whatever job I can find. The past month for example, I've been trying to sell umbrellas as you may have noticed.

In this crampy place, I've spent most of my time while off work. I'm certainly not the outgoing type as I never go outside without a solid intent. For that reason, I do most of my work in this small workplace over there, without having the fear of the outside world.

Now you're probably thinking "Yeah we don't fucking care. Tell us how you met Yonuro already!" Okay, okay. Let's get to it then.

Everyone leaned their heads forward a bit and with fingers interlaced, (except for Ramael of course) they listened carefully to the story that was going to be told.

Geord- I met Yonuro randomly 7 years ago. One day, as she was walking back home from school, it happened that we met each other. These days Yonuro was looking pretty gloomy. I asked the little girl why that was the case and she started crying. Feeling awkward if somebody saw us, I decided to let her in my house. We sat on this exact same old sofa and she told me what was bugging her. Yonuro, you might want to explain your past feelings yourself.

Yonuro- Yes... An introvert as I was (and still am), it was really difficult to adapt to the school environment and make any friends. For the longest time, I remember myself being lonely. "The kids at school don't play with me!" was a really common complaint I used to make to my dad. He would always try to comfort me but it never worked. And so I was starting to feel really down.

But when I met Geord, my life changed for the better. Although he was a complete stranger, he decided to help me gain courage and confidence. Geord helped me find my laughter again and gave me tips on how to be more sociable and make new friends. A few days of "training" later Geord told me "You've got this, Yonuro! Remember the things you learned with mr Geord! You're gonna do just fine!" and I was so happy to try and make a new friend.

With Geord's advice in mind, I was able to approach you that rainy day when the two of us met, Samei. And after that, as you too know, we became besties.

Samei then exclaimed "wow!" and said "I am shocked to hear that that's how we actually met!"

Yonuro- Yeah, it was all thanks to him. I am really thankful for helping me out these hard times, Geord... You even taught me the basics of martial arts and self defence all by yourself. For a stranger to do so so much... You are a really good and kindhearted person Geord...

Geord- Nah, you're overexaggerating... I just couldn't leave a child like that!

The following moment, Geord changed the subject abruptly and said

Geord- Alright, since that's outta the way, let's now talk about what actually happened today. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw your house ablaze and you fighting your... sister?

Yonuro- Yes, I'll explain everything that's happened till now. Keep in mind that although I do say "sister" a lot, she's actually my step sister.

Geord nodded and said "Mhm" while thinking about something.

Afterwards, Yonuro was about to start talking again but her constant coughing was making her start over repeatedly. *cough *cough.

Geord went to the kitchen and brought back medicine for Yonuro to take for her throat and annoying coughing.

After she had taken the medicine, Samei asked her friend if she was okay. Yonuro swiftly nodded and said "Okay, let's make a quick recap first."

She then decided to tell Geord a few he had missed before explaining in detail what had happened that afternoon.

Yonuro- Today was the day that Ramael and I returned from our journey to the Underworld. We brought back this necklace called the Pendant of Immortality in order to travel to that other world Ramael spoke of earlier, the Lingering world.

After getting back to Yonaga City with Samei's help, we went to her garage and then headed to a restaurant to get something to eat. On the way, Ramael was feeling really unwell. Her body was undergoing increasingly heavy damage... Panicked as we were, we hid in a corner and tried to understand what was happening. Long story short, we helped Ramael get well and then continued. We were soon at the restaurant.

And then things got weird. When we asked the waitress for a table, she said they were full. Immediately after, she turned her head to the right, paused for a second and then miraculously found a table for us. Excited as we were, we didn't think much of it and we swiftly followed her upstairs to where our table was.

As we were going upstairs however, we saw a guy dressed in really formal clothes passing by. He was the customer who was apparently leaving

It was really hard to, but I noticed that the guy had a small microphone attached on the front of his suit. Not only that, but I also barely heard him talk to that microphone. Among the things he said I made out three words. "Proceed. Plan. A."

I was so confused as to what they meant. Nevertheless, I didn't want to make a scene so I followed the waitress.

Ramael and Samei didn't see or hear a thing, so it was kinda difficult to explain what only I noticed...

We ordered the ramen, so I tried to forget whatever had happened and enjoy myself. I had quite a lot of fun actually, although I had this slight concern in the back of my head. The most funny thing was when Samei flipped her bowl of ramen over. I couldn't get ahold of myself. I laughed from the bottom of my heart, didn't I Samei?

Samei- Hehehe... That's very true. I was so embarassed, but you were laughing at me. You meanie...

Yonuro- What could I do? It was too funny to just ignore! Ahem*

But the thing is that my laughter was over pretty quickly. When I opened my eyes again after laughing, I noticed something that made a chill run down my spine. There was a customer who was not looking at Samei or the messy table. They were looking at Ramael directly. They were staring at her to be precise.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

I looked around and saw more than a couple of them staring at Ramael and then averting their gaze the moment we made eye contact. All of them were smartly dressed, wearing both ties and black glasses.

What was more concerning was that these people weren't there from the beginning but only after we had gone there.

"They probably followed us here" was a thought that made me feel extremely frightened.

Despite all that, I was able to keep calm and think of a subtle way to make Ramael and Samei understand the situation. With simple body language, I was able to tell them that we were probably being watched by many strangers working for some company. Samei and Ramael caught on quickly. In fact, Samei made a connection that never even passed my mind.

She tried to act normal but still subtly pass the message over to us. Well, my throat is gonna die soon... How about you continue, Samei?

Samei- It's okay Yonuro. I'll take it from here.

What I told them was "Ah... It's a shame your parents aren't home Yonuro. I hope they're doing fine on their trip to England..." And that was enough to make Yonuro and Ramael notice that the sudden disappearance of Yonuro's parents to a hypothetical trip to England earlier this week might actually be connected to all this.

Geord- What do you mean by disappearance?! Are your parents okay?

Yonuro- We're still clueless, Geord. We don't know what happened to them...

Geord said "Fuck..." and sighed to relieve his stress.

After a small pause to review everything they had discussed, Samei continued.

Samei- Realizing the true colours of our situation, Yonuro decided that it was too dangerous to act on our own. We needed emergency help. And then-

Yonuro- And that's when I remembered you, Geord. The last thing that you told me before going separate ways.

Geord- "If you ever find yourself in danger, you can always ask mr. Geord for help, Yonuro!" The last thing I told you, I remember well.

Yonuro- Exactly...

Samei- Yeah, so that is why she texted you about us being in grave danger and asked you to drop by the restaurant and bring a "thing or two". ;)

Geord nodded a few times, covered his chin with his right hand and then asked

Geord- Were they useful, Yonuro?

Yonuro said "You bet they were!"

Ramael- Indeed. But for the knife, I wouldn't be here with y'all.

Geord grinned slightly and then allowed Samei to continue.

Samei- Okay, so then you came to us and waited right next to the door of the restaurant.

You stood there with the umbrellas, pretending to sell them to us. You know this part. We all played along with the plan, Yonuro got your dirty "gifts" from inside the umbrella, she shoved them in her pocket blah blah...

Let's get to the part that you are unfamiliar with. According to Yonuro's plan:

"If our assumptions are correct and we are attacked on our way home, then Samei will inform Geord immediately to come and help us survive."

"If I am attacked after Samei and I have separated, then I'll press the bracelet's operation button to notify her. Samei will follow the same order of actions as before."

"Lastly, if I arrive home and never press the button, then It's just a great deal of unlucky coincidences pilled up together and we're all safe at the end of the day..."

Samei- Therefore, we would act normally so that if we were actually being watched, the enemy didn't know we were aware of it. And so, we tried to pretend as though all that never happened.

Yonuro- Yeah, we had a chill walk as we were waiting to see whether something was going to happen or not. What actually happened, however, was not included in the 3 outcomes I thought of.

I made it back home safely without any casualties. But then, I saw the door of my house surprisingly unlocked so I was starting to feel a bit insecure. I thought "What if my parents returned?What if before leaving they forgot to lock it?"

"It's impossible that the enemy knows where I live, right? That they ambush me like that, RIGHT?" I grabbed a bat trying to defend myself, completely forgetting the weapons you gave me—sad I know.

After chuckling a bit, Yonuro continued.

Yonuro- When I came to realize that the "burglar" was no one else other than my step sister, Yuri, my heart rate returned to normal levels. Everything was apparently just a coincidence. Or so I thought...

Something felt off. Yuri had forgotten Ramael's name and she seemed to lack focus... She also said quite a few odd things. The most peculiar of all was when she asked me to give Ramael over to her for a while, which request I declined. I still had my doubts about everything that had happened and something felt awry. And then, an unthinkable revelation unfolded just before my eyes.

My step sister Yuri, the headmaster of the R.C.S.P. , has indeed sided with our enemy, the Demonic Lord Aniik. Not only that but when she threatened me to hand Ramael over she "unsheathed" a weapon that made me shiver in fear, a Demonic Item called "Diabolic Shield".

She had not only betrayed me as a sister, sided with the enemy, ordered members of that corporation to stalk us, but she had also become a Demonic Lord herself. And she had only one intent if I didn't give Ramael up. To kill me.

Then an intense fight broke out between us. At some point, when I found a breathing room, I managed to press the operation button of my bracelet which notified Samei. That's when she told you that we were in a dire situation, but also when she decided to come aid me in battle herself.

In the meantime, I was fighting Yuri and because of our bloody battle, she accidentally hurled the ignited shield toward a self full of alcoholic drinks. And that's what caused the fire which is responsible for my house's destruction...

Everything happened so quick... The R.C.S.P. joined the fight with their helicopter, the pilot of which succumbed to Samei's sniper. I fought Yuri again, this time tooth and nail and then without noticing, you came to our rescue. Everything's pretty hazy on my mind after that...

Geord- I don't know what to say... I'm speechless...

After saying that, Geord looked Yonuro in the eye and noticed that she was crying.

Geord- Yonuro... It must have been really hard for you. I'm really sorry...

All this time, Ramael was wrapped around Yonuro's neck. Reacting to Yonuro crying, she decided to move toward her eyes and wipe the tears off carefully.

Ramael- Everything's going to be okay. We're all here, Yonuro.

Yonuro- It's no big deal. I was just a bit overwhelmed by everything, that's all.

Yonuro sniffed her nose one last time, shed the last tear that Ramael wiped off and then she regained a stable psychological state.

Everyone remained silent for a few minutes. Afterwards, Yonuro had calmed down with Ramael's assistance and Geord had used the time to clear the information in his head.

After organizing his thoughts, however, he was starting to feel a bit troubled over something.

Geord- Yonuro, can I ask you a question about your step-sister and your parents?

Yonuro agreed with a simple nod.

Geord- Did Yuri know about your parents' disappearance?

Yonuro- Yes, she actually did. I mean I don't really get what she was hinting at by that...

Geord- By what? What did she tell you?

Yonuro- When I asked her about where our parents were, she said that she didn't lay a finger on them and that they were sorting out some things.

Geord- Did— She— (...) Tell your parents anything...?

Yonuro became even more confused than before. She thought about Geord's question over and over again. "Tell them anything...? Like what...?" she thought.

After a long pause, she said.

Yonuro- I think that she may have.

Samei / Ramael - What? / Hmm?

Yonuro- I don't really understand what, but yes I do believe that she talked to them about something.

Isn't it a bit strange that only Yuri knows about their disappearance and that she also knows that they're safe? Due to her tone of voice, I know she wasn't lying. Also, the house seemed tidy. It didn't seem like they were in a hurry to leave or something. So, Yuri must have said something that led to their intentional disappearance. But what could she have ever talked to them about, which would result in them leaving home for days, without any sign or trace left behind?

A chill ran down Geord's spine as he then covered his whole mouth with his right hand.

"It can't be..." he murmured.

"Can't be what?" asked everyone else.

Silence filled the room.

"Geord, why do you look so pale?" asked Yonuro.

"What happened, Geord?" asked Samei and Ramael

Geord- I'll— I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything... Everyone, you might wanna drink something while listening carefully. The situation is more serious than I could ever imagine... So, I'll go make some tea for you.

Yonuro instinctively screamed "NO TEA, THANK YOU!" as she remembered what happened with Yuri, who also served her tea.

Geord- Okay, I'll make us some coffee then. One, two, three, four cups, ahem* three cups of coffee. I'll be back in a bit.

Geord stood up and went to the kitchen to make coffee. Luckily, he had just enough for three cups. After they were done, he returned to the living room and served them carefully.

The girls thanked him before taking a quick sip. "Delicious!" was what Yonuro and Samei said out loud immediately after. Geord's smile lasted only for a bit. His expression changed because the things that he was going to say the next moment wouldn't be funny at all.

He was about to unfold a truth more serious and shocking than ever.

Geord- Now, listen everyone. After everything that we talked about, I am pretty certain about what actually happened to Yonuro's parents. Yuri told them something, that's for sure. But it's not what you might think. It's neither an advice nor a threat. What she actually told them was the truth. The truth behind the Tokiyama family... A truth so tragic that could possibly break the family apart...

Yonuro- What?!

Geord- It's as you heard. Since parting ways, I have investigated a lot about your family, Yonuro, and I think I know what's this is all about. Yuri must have showed them the truth about the events that happened 17 years ago in your family. And this tragic truth I am going to break down now.

Geord closed his eyes for a bit and then started speaking in a very serious tone.

Geord- Yonuro's father, Eiko Tokiyama, is not of Japanese, but of English origin. He comes from a very poor family, farmers all of them, and grew up in a village near Oxford. Although he had poor education, he lived by his wits as he used his self-taught abilities to find a job in the city, Oxford.

Born in England and raised there, it's really confusing how he got a japanese name if you think about it. In reality, his birth-given name isn't japanese at all, but English. His name is James Finnegan and that's how I'll be calling him from now on.

Everyone had their mouths open, when they learned that. Geord then continued his monologue.

Geord- James moved to the city and met a beautiful lady, named Casey Keller, that he fell in love with. Casey came from a very rich family, who owned a secretive experimental corporation. Casey felt the same towards James. Her feelings were in fact even stronger than his, as James was not only smart, but also really handsome. The economical state of his family was not nearly an obstacle for them to get married.

Soon enough, Casey got pregnant. She gave birth to no one else other than Yuri Keller, Yonuro's step-sister. Since James' family was so poor, it would hurt her pride to be named after his family's petty surname. Therefore, the parents decided to name her after the rich one, the Keller's.

Yuri loved her mother so much that she often went to her office to play with her. She admired her mother's work and wanted to take to her. James helped Yuri out with school, but he spent way less time with her than her mother.

One day, Yuri went to her mother's office as usual. She was about 9-10 years old by that point. A tragic incident occurred in which the corporation was attacked by a Japanese secretive organization, called the "Faith Organization". In that event, Casey Keller was shot in cold blood, and everyone working for her was immobilized and then taken to a special prison owned by that same Organization and questioned brutally.

Yuri was somehow able to escape. With the help of a mercenary working for Casey's corporation, she was able to make it back to James safely.

An event known as The Pursuit then followed, in which everyone who knew anything about Casey's corporation and its research was hunted down by the Faith Organization and taken to that same prison if caught.

Shocked by all this James had no other choice but to leave England for good. He and Yuri arrived at Japan's biggest port and made it to Yonaga City. I don't know how hard it was for them to adapt, but I do know that James altered his name to "Eiko Tokiyama" and Yuri was named "Yuri Tokiyama". He did all that so that the Pursuit did no longer pose a threat to them.

Two years later, James got married to a beautiful, white-haired woman, named Kanae. And as you can probably tell, from that marriage, Yonuro was born. So, what could Yuri ever know that could separate the entire family? you might ask.

When you were about 1-2 years old, I don't know how but Yuri learned who the killer of her mother was. And Casey's cold blooded murderer was in reality Yonuro's mother, Kanae Tokiyama, from the very beginning.

Yonuro / Samei / Ramael- WHAT?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

Yonuro- My mother...? She would never kill anyone...

Geord- I'm so sorry Yonuro, but the truth is more harsh than anything else. Kanae worked and still works for the Faith Organization. And the task of immobilizing the true Founder of that experimental corporation was given to your mother.

Yonuro couldn't speak a word and just held her head with both hands, trying to not lose her mind.

Geord- (...) And your father, as well as you, never learned about that. The only ones who knew were Yuri and Kanae. Kanae soon realized that Yuri learned about her crimes and threatened her that she would give them in to the Faith Organization if she didn't do as she said. What Kanae asked the little Yuri to do was keep her mouth shut forever and pretend like it never happened.

Still a child, Yuri couldn't accept that so time and time again she'd almost spill everything. Kanae beat her up badly each and every time she almost did that, "teaching" her in this way what she was capable of doing if their "deal" was not maintained.

The hatred Yuri had towards Kanae is indescribable. Her past desire to continue her mother's work for Humanity's sake was overwritten by that of revenge. She continued her mother's work about the research of an unknown substance with the underlying goal to gain enough power and money to destroy Kanae in the long run and save herself from the Pursuit.

On the other hand, Kanae tried to make Yuri appear like a mentally ill teenanger, traumatized by her mother's death. All of that in order to disproof accusations against her.

Due to Kanae's interference, James started to feel a bit disappointed in Yuri's behaviour and he would keep a small distance from her. He actually started to love his "normal" child more, in other words Yonuro, which only made things worse.

Therefore, what Yuri must have told them was that event and how bad she was treated.

In this way, Kanae would—

Yonuro- I CAN'T HEAR ANY MORE OF THIS!

Yonuro stood up and tightly clenched her hand into a fist. As she was gripped by anger, sorrow and disbelief, she left Ramael behind and went to the bathroom. She slammed the door with enough force for the sound to echo throughout the house.

Samei- Poor Yonuro... I don't know what to say, Geord... Is all that true?

Geord confirmed that everything he talked about was true. Ramael and Samei gulped and made a pensive expression.

"That's so rough for her... I could never understand how she's feeling right now..." both of them thought.

Samei- I'm going to try to talk to her. She needs my help...

Ramael- I'm coming with you.

Worried as they were, Samei took Ramael with her and went to the bathroom door. There, she knocked two times before saying "Yonuro...? It's me Samei... Are you there?"

Yonuro didn't answer back, but her crying gave her presence out.

Samei- I want you to remember that we'll always be here for you. We're going to get through this together, as a team.

Ramael- You can always rely on us, when you're feeling down, Yonuro. Friends always help each other in times of need.

Samei- If you're feeling up to it, then you can talk to us and we'll be sure to support you.

Samei / Ramael- That's because... We care about you...

Samei- We'll be in the living room if you need anything.

Samei returned to the living room with Ramael on her shoulders. Geord was there sitting on his chair with eyes that felt lifeless. After Samei had sat on the sofa, she asked Geord. "What's the matter, Geord?"

"I was so careless. I hurt her feelings..." Geord thought.

Geord- I messed up... I should have gone a bit easier on her. Telling her almost everything at once was a complete fucking mistake. Even though she's sure gotten stronger mentally, still, no one could ever be okay with hearing all of that. Let's leave her alone for now and wait till she comes back of her own volition.

Sigh* (...)

Geord- I'm going to make something for dinner. It might even trigger her return, we'll see.

—————————————————————

Half an hour later...

Geord was in the kitchen making curry for dinner.

Geord- Samei! Dinner's almost ready!

Samei- Okay, Geord! I'll make the table in a minute!

"But before that, I'll attempt to convince Yonuro once more." she said silently to herself.

Samei went to the bathroom door and said in a calm and friendly way.

Samei- Dinner's almost ready, Yonuro. If you're feeling like it, then join us! Geord has made curry!

Samei didn't hear anything as a response, but she still grinned on her way back to the kitchen. That's because Yonuro had stopped crying and was probably thinking about coming back.

As soon as she got back to the kitchen, Samei were asked the following question "Did you tell her about the curry?"

Samei- Yes, although she didn't answer back

Geord nodded a few times and said

Geord- She's undeniably coming, don't worry"

Ramael- How come?

Geord- It's my curry, after all. She'd never resist this nostalgic taste, trust me!

As if he was a fortune teller, the next moment the bathroom door opened, Yonuro cleaned her previously wet eyes and joined them for dinner.

Ramael / Geord / Samei- Yonuro!!!

Samei with Ramael on her shoulders went to hug Yonuro, who smiled and returned the hug. Ramael moved from Samei's to Yonuro's shoulders and hugged her in her own way.

While crying a bit herself Samei said "I'm so glad you're back Yonuro!"

Yonuro- Don't worry, you guys... I'd never leave my friends alone. Never! You are the most important part of my life.

Ramael and Samei smiled. Geord who saw them united like that smiled as well.

Then, Yonuro, Samei and Geord sat on the kitchen table and were about to eat the delicious curry Geord had cooked that was served beautifully by Samei.

However, Yonuro was still lost in thought couldn't eat. Something seemed to bug her and she couldn't hide it for much longer.

Yonuro- I still don't get it, though... Samei and Ramael are my best friends, who want to support me get over this tragic past of my family.

But you Geord... You're not on the same page as us. How do you know so much about my family and how are you so calm about it?

How can I trust anything that you said anymore? Now that I think about it, I know almost nothing about you... Who even are you, Geord?

Geord put down his chopsticks and took in a deep breath.

Geord- Now that all this has happened, I can finally tell you. I am not bound by anything or anyone anymore. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. But I was just not allowed to. Everyone, let me reintroduce myself then.

"My name is Geord Finnegan, James' older brother and Yonuro's Uncle."

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