COI C261
“They are my friends, why can’t you understand that?!”
“I said be careful with them. You don’t know what’s going to happen”
“Old man, I am not in elementary school. We’re friends back in kinder garden”
“That’s what am I worried about?”
“Eergh”
. . .
“You think the old man would try to come Mihayara District?”
“No way, name*. He is at the other side of the city. Besides, he is too old”
“But man, he is pestering me since I got to junior high”
“It’s probably because is us”
“No way!”
. . .
“Why are you doing here?”
“I said the same thing. And you! Leave this place or I’ll call the police”
“Name* was right, you’re nothing but a spoil sport”
“It doesn’t matter, you! Your parents will be disappointed when they hear about this”
“You’re hurting me!”
“Be quiet!”
“But old man, we’re not even passed through Fuku City yet”
“Oh, I heard, your parents ask me to watch over all of you”
“!!! Ugh! They didn’t even trust us anymore”
“Guys!”
“Get that old man away from us. He is nothing but trouble”
“Sorry, name*. See you back at school”
Toba runs away from the old man. The humiliation she bears as her life getting worse when the old man keeps intervene her teen life. The old man follows her as everyone in public sees the commotion. It was too much for her to be seen like this. She ran as fast as she could, reaching to Mihayara district on foot. As she grows tired, something comes out from the sky. It rays down on this very part of the city. Blinding her and the rest who are in it into a complete white blur.
The first to take the trial, overcome her pass with only the memory she must face. The illusion is right in front of her. Without control, she immediately fights it with her new powers. She summons her weapons, a baseball bat, and immediately swings entailing with fiery fury leaving her after swing. The old man ducks down and moves away. The frustration on her eyes is engulfed in rage. Everyone is shocked, including Aoi as she heard about her bad relationship with someone who keeps interfering her life. Leaving her in misery only a few weeks.
Silfa tries to interfere. Both Juela and Tabitha stop her
“We can’t”
“Can’t what? Look at that girl going haywire at old man Ban”
“We don’t why they are like that. Just watch the trial. There’re more ways to solve this. Toba just needs to pass the trial and remove the curse once and for all”
“Tsk”
However, Juela doubts a bit from the girl’s attitude.
“Either way, violence is not part of the matriarchy though”
Silfa asks “Do you know anything about it?”
“Yes, and Toba’s self-control is already a given she will fail”
Toba gets hit by a cane as she tries to hit the old man. The trial old man Ban is very crafty and deceptively dodges and counters with every attack she makes. It is hard to see at this kind of speed she tries to unleash her fury. But she is no match for the old man’s prowess. After a few critical beatings, right on her head, knees, and shoulders. She finally down on her knees as she grows thirsty after the outrage. Dizzy from the frustration, her memories suddenly push like a flood unleashes everything all at once. Bitter to remember again, and at the same time relief. Now that she remembers, she wasn’t improving at all.
“Shit, finally this stupid curse is gone”
“It’s not over, Toba”
Toba turns and see Aoi is looking at her doubting her decision to letting her restore her memories. Both of them see eye to eye able to remember their time together as they fooled themselves after those memory resets, they were together after getting their memory nick picked to nothing. Toba can’t help herself
“Are you really her, Ai?”
“Stop fooling around, we are here and get your yourself back. You are the only one here is not far worse than everyone else”
“You!”
Toba points out to her as the trial old man Ban knocks a sense to her.
“Are you going to make fun or are you trying to find some sense in you?”
“Grr, Old MAN!”
Shouting as her voice sores, she fell light headed and the pain on her knees and shoulders get on to her. Already in the brink of her defeat, the trial old man walks closer to her and shows her his cane raises it up to his overhead. Ready to give the final blow, she starts to feel frighten by that pose. The moment of strike, the trial old man swiftly hits her shoulder again. As Toba didn’t move, she already accepting the punishment she had felt mix about. She closes her eyes to admit her defeat. Tap* A light hit on her shoulder. Toba opens her eyes as everyone around her seems shock. As she looks up and sees someone who is next to the old man.
Tears drop, body shaken, and muscles weakly moves closer to where she sees the other person.
“Thanks, old man. I’ll take it from here”
“Ooh, I told you. You need to discipline her or else she really gets into trouble”
“Whenever I’m around, the girl will never get into trouble”
An old woman confidently smiling at the old man. Old man Ban shows no restraint as his eyes glared at the old woman. While the old woman herself shows no sting on the man’s eyes. She turns to Toba as she ignores him.
“Don’t you worry, there are many ways to get you out of there”
The trial freezes as her mind clouded so many memories she had never thought flourishing out. The old woman is in front of her. It’s been almost a year in this world, she tries to remember her face and now behold as the details on her face is bringing into a deep sense of lost. Everyone didn’t recognize who this old woman is, but they know that Toba feels emotional by looking at her.
Tabitha asks Aoi “Is that Toba’s closest relative?”
“It must be her grandmother. But from how she looks, the old woman wears to be a public servant getup”
She wears like an office worker. From what Aoi guesses to be working at the government, it is hard to confirm if it is true. Toba let it freeze for a bit as her body trying to get closer to her grandmother, only her head stiff straight at the old woman’s face. Trembling her lips as she sobs as she speaks
“Grandma . . .”
“You’re right, it is her grandmother”
“But why is she in uniform though”
Trial returns back to motion as a frame starts to form. Toba begs her memory
“Please, no! Go back! I want to say to my Grandma PLEASE!”
It didn’t stop and reveals to her eyes to a funeral. Toba breaks down crying to see everything around her. Her grandma passed away, alone with only her parents and the old man visited her. Old man Ban visited her funeral, Toba is forced to repeat what she had said to him
“I told you not say anything to her”
“She needs to know, or you’ll regret it”
Toba tries to cover it up, but she barely had the strength nor magic to stop it. Aoi sees it, but couldn’t understand why. She said to Toba
“Did something you didn’t say to your grandma, Toba?”
Toba keeps quiet.
“Toba?”
Aoi is sincerely reaching her out. After what Aoi had been through. Toba remembers how she is able to face her older brother. To the point of fighting back and try her best to fight her demons. This makes Toba envious, to fight and beat down someone who is ruining her life. Toba wants that same feeling of freedom too from the curse she wanted to get rid of. But at this very trial, it is just an illusion. Her eyes couldn’t stand to face only an illusion to the person she hates. Old man Ban had done something to her making her rebellious to this day.
What if, they don’t understand. This internal fighting is always the grown-ups are right. There is no one to turn to, there is no way from the entire crowd of people would care about her, and there is nothing to trust from a bunch of people leaving the city. She wasn’t being fooled like Aoi. It is more like she wants to get-away from him. The old man, he is the only person she knows who is trapped with her into this world. After what’s going on, what else she could do to escape from this influence. She then remembers the hunter. The feeling of meeting him is more than enough to say to them.
“. . . I’m sorry, Aoi”
“What?”
“To tell you the truth, I didn’t tell you everything”
The trial shows the secret she hid. Her friends appeared, friends from their home world. They have backgrounds being troublemakers in their communities. Toba is with that circle of friends as they were coincidentally close because of her grandmother’s meetings to show awareness of unruly kids. The irony of her grandmother trying to stop it had made her granddaughter a part of it. Toba become one as the excitement of being mischievous group of friends.
The trial shows her mistake. That forced old man Ban to get involved. The prank was lead him into an accident, injuring him. Toba and her friends got into trouble. It was meant for the adults, but it was an elderly who got hurt. One of her friends said to Toba
“The marbles prank failed. Who knew, that old man can still jog uphill”
“And he can’t even drop flat and just keep tumbling down the river. That’s really going to hurt”
“Also, he was representative in our community. He sure is going to call us out”
Skipping through, the time Toba hides a secret from his grandma. Until one night, when she goes out. A time she gone with her friends late at night, too much having fun to the point of they lost track. Where a group of men invited them to have fun. Her friends entrusted them as they go somewhere inside the city. Then someone passed by and calls out to them
“Hey! It’s late, you should better go home”
It was Old man Ban calling out to the men. The girls were scared and they left before they could meet him. Toba joins them as they flee.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
On the next day, Toba receives a call from her grandma. That day, she never heard her angry before. This is the first time in her life to get into trouble as she listens her own grandmother not go with her friends ever again. That broke her, her friends who with her since they were little kids. It was that small meeting with the guys as they go around the city. It gets worse as her friends are in a fight with their parents. It breaks down to one person to blame. Old man Ban.
The trial fades away as it shows her failure. Uncontrolled rage as everyone around her was shocked. Silfa sees that causes Toba’s hatred on the old man.
“You see that, Tabitha”
“Yeah, and I thought Toba is that kind of girl but”
“It was a misunderstanding. Those are not group of men, they are just boys the same age as her”
“Yet, in a place they are walking through gives everyone a bad interpretation”
Juela is confused “Ok? I don’t know what is going on. What caused her to suffer?”
Aoi sees Toba’s secret. Thanks to the trial it helps her understand what really happened by memory. If Toba tries to explain her side of the story by words, it would be suspicious because of the giving time. It’s also going to be a long story after whenever they can chat again. Aoi sees her still down and thirsty, she gives her some water
“So that’s how it got worse”
“Worse than that, we actually runaway. That misunderstanding had brought all of us to the worse. My grandma died only to hear the rumor. My friends’ guy friends were playing with us. Acting like escorts trying look like they were otakus. Laughs*”
Toba sheds a tear “If only that old man didn’t have to be the community representative. Everyone should’ve given us the chance to listen, but the timing is so way off. The time, location, and the scene fit perfectly. Why is that specific district has a bar, adult shop, or anything that looks us bad? It was hell for all of us”
“Wait, you said before getting here. You said that you guys should see each other later. You told me you will not see each other again”
“Because the old man knew he made a mistake, his ego took a better of us in the end. Yet, I was in the breaking point. He can’t stop himself to save me what I’ll regret someday. How am I? He is the one who said it to my grandma. She was in the hospital because of a cold . . .”
Juela listens to Toba’s conversation from afar. Toba’s conflict was deception. A trail shows the beginning and old man Ban initiates it. The trial keeps moving back and forth as the deception lingers non-stop.
Tabitha approaches to her “Is there any way to get her to succeed?”
“Truth”
“Hmm?”
“It was a misunderstanding, right? Then it leads to deception. If anything goes, I think the easiest part . . .”
“. . . Is to forgive the old man?”
“What?! No, there is another way”
“Another way? How will you find a way in such short notice?”
“Believe me, if you’d like to hear good stories like Voldemyr. It is better to resolve yourself in finding something will make you regret it that should’ve been done earlier”
Aoi and Toba see Juela coming this way. “Ah, would you mind to give us some space? Toba is not really in a good mood”
“After what I see your trial, I think I’ll give you a hint to face the trial again. A story maybe”
“Story? You mean you have the same misunderstanding like her”
“Are you now? You see how my life is ruined by one misunderstanding. Everyone thinks we are . . . and my grandma heard only what happened before she died. How could a person like you will understand how I feel . . .?”
Toba lowers her voice as Juela remained unchanged. She sits next to her and tell her something they never heard before.
“I understand, I don’t know anything about your world. However, we all share the same tragedy”
Inside her wax sigil shows inside a locket. Three lenses, as the third is halved and only the two lens apart connected to form another image. It was Juela as a young girl, on the left side is her father and on the right is cracked but still show the picture of her mother.
“Yours were unintentional. But, for me. It was intentional. My mother was clever and tricked me to think my father was no good . . .”
“Even though, I spent my entire childhood with him. Grasp the hands of many craftsmanship that he didn’t want me to held any mana. As he shows me the fundamentals of great sorcery without dependency. It was his way of using magic. Because of that, how different he was and I thought he was . . . l-lowl-ly. Just what my mother described. After so many years of the thought, I didn’t consider my father’s way. It was not common and at the same time weak from what my mother said”
“Until one fateful day, at the northern coast being pushed through the west coast in Kinteinnou region. The Circoston invaders were able to get a decisive victory against the elves. Me and my mother were caught from the attack. We were struggled to hide as they were able to track us down because of our mana. They searched us by the way they control their mana. They revealed their ability to control mana users with the use of mana bending. The cause that drove a decisive victory against the elves. We’re close to our end, but on the last moment. Large numbers of paper birds flowing amongst the wind”
Juela shows them her hand made sash, demonstrating as it was made like this under the size of a small paper bird.
“It flew around and unleash countless spells within those small scrolls. They did push it back, but it was enough time for me and my mother to escape. As we flee, we see my father and the rest of the spell casters fighting against them. It is hard to believe my eyes and see my father’s works put into use. All he had made and none of their spells cast as they fight. They were driven back”
“Until a group of warriors channel their spells together. You remember at the camp when they put together a spell into a massive fireball. It was like that. It swoops down at us as we thought it was the end. My father didn’t give up and brought out this very locket I am holding. It was able to shield us”
Aoi and Toba heard such an unbelievable story. To hear Juela’s father to be this powerful, yet, she looks sad as she continues.
“Sadly, just like he said. He is not strong. The mana they bend sips through him as his body burns away into ashes. The way he looks at me, sad, while he gives me a smile after and said
““I’m glad I show it to you. . .” He fades after as they forced me out from danger”
“Years of what my mother said convince me to treat my father’s methods as fun stories. It was no longer tales to put children a smile. It becomes the truth he tried to show me all those years ago. At the end, I lost my relationship with my mother. She never apologized what happened but I soon realized she didn’t even mourn for him. That very day how he saves us made her feel in disbelief. My mother wasn’t too happy with me not using magic anymore, because of the trauma I’ve been facing it. The disappointment she looks at me as we were completely separated after that. Being apart made me realize how my father means to me. All that time together with him made me regret it”
“Toba, this is a warning to you. I was deceived, and my mother won’t let go such a deception. Because of her status being a noble could not humble herself after what her mind is made up. If they stop thinking how worthless my father is making magic items, then mother should’ve mourned his death. At least, we shouldn’t break apart like that”
Toba hears Juela’s story. A lie that treated it as a truth. She tries to compare her situation to hers. It fits but not perfectly.
Toba asks “Then when did this misunderstanding began?”
“It’s not, I was saying that so that Aoi won’t hear my actual thoughts”
Aoi is stuck in motion and Juela shows her the dark side of it. She waves her locket giving it a little shade of light. The texture is filled with the brim of slim lines and small but highly details from the exterior of the locket. Among the pictures, behind by glass shows where not only photo framed, it contains development layered by technique that Toba can’t comprehend. The developed picture is mix with high contrast ink and paint. A strange combo but it displays uniquely nonetheless.
Juela hands it over to her. Toba feels a tremendous power inflicting to the palm of her hand. The pressure frightens her and at the same time sooth with great warmth inside. She sees it clearly. There is nothing to fool after that touch. The outer layer, drawn, crafted, and insert with a picture holding still the mana it possessed. This very artwork,
Juela explains to her “The locket, my father sealed its power. Able to recontrol to his will. His sacrifice on that day should’ve save him without the crack on the right side”
“The other side, it should be your mother, right?”
“Indeed, and she who lead him to his death because it was her locket begin with. She controls it, and cracks the glass on her side of the picture”
Toba was shocked as Juela continues “It wasn’t the misunderstanding. We both have the same problem we are facing. Their pride. My mother cares only the mana instead of the alteration my father had. Just like your problem with the elderly man. What did he tried to stop himself to correct his mistake? Did he really mean it? Or the past kept us understand what really happened”
A sudden change in motion as the two hears Aoi asks them “Hey, Juela really has a good father. Condolence for your father’s sacrifice”
Juela quickly pretends their conversation didn’t happen “I’m glad”
Juela picks the locket back and put it back to the wax sigil. Toba left confused. Aoi should react about the locket. That presence is overwhelming to anyone who tries to feel its mana. She tried to asks her but quickly shuts up
“What’s wrong, Toba? Still can’t get over with the old man?”
“No, that’s not it. I was moved from her story. That’s all”
“Yeah, well but you ask where is the misunderstanding came from”
“I was thinking, yeah, thinking. To free from the influence, I think I know how to stop it”
Pride, that’s the hint Toba could ever got inside her head. She never thought about it because of the distraction she had to face because of the misunderstanding. Juela’s mother has her selfish reason to use mana, while her father uses only magic items. Juela had shown her usage of those magic items like her sash and more so than her unique ability to use others’ magic items too. If pride really ruins her life. Then suddenly, she starts to remember. Her grandma wasn’t just a lovable grandmother. She is also a well-respected public servant.
The old man too. Thinking about him made her blood boils, the moment she thinks of him of all the things he had done is to expose her wrongly. The trial returns as she tries to understand why it happened that way. The old man knew everything and still let the mistake continued like that.
“I told you not to come here”
Toba looks straight at the trial old man Ban. She tries to fight it again without thinking. The moment the two clashes, she hears Aoi calling out to her
“Don’t! You’ll get beaten up again”
Toba steps back and sees the old man’s expression. A stern and disciplined stare, this is the face she wants to punch.
Struggling to keep her hands and weapons to appear at his guts, she steps back and forced to pass this trial. She kneels down and apologized
“I’m sorry, OUCH!”
The old man Ban hits her with his cane
“So, now you are apologizing. If it weren’t that incident, you’ll finally have talk with your grandma. She was so worried about you”
While Toba feels pain from the cane, she realized those words weren’t from the old man. She looks up and sees her grandmother is hitting her. Distraught, from the first time being hit from her own grandmother. She can’t bear it as her eyes start flowing tears.
“This is a trial, Toba. Stand up and face it already!”
Toba hears Tabitha’s voice. Loud and clear. Immediately, she stands up and look at her grandmother. Tabitha instructs her
“Tell her the truth! About you, your side of the story, and what you really think”
Toba sees her grandmother, in the form of a ghost haunting her. Toba remembers Juela’s side of the story. The misunderstanding, her locket was her father’s magic. She didn’t fully understand how it works and her mother belittle it. Her mother’s pride misjudged his strength.
Like old man Ban, his pride tries to stop Toba and her friends from having their mischiefs. He had tried so hard to end their bad behavior even they have to give the wrong impression. Toba remembers it, and she flat out ignoring just like her friends. It was a harmless fun. Someone had done the most outrageous things because of their own troublemaking schemes, from what those people thought them. She flats out tell everything to her grandmother.
“Grandma, I’m not a bad girl and neither are my friends! It was the old . . . man”
Toba quietly realized what they have done. What they have done at their community, making fun of others and doing pranks really made them feel uncomfortable.
“That’s right, I don’t know anything your side of the story, right grandma?”
The grandmother nods
“Then would you help me remember what I done wrong?”
Her memory didn’t have the information about their discussion. The awkward silent have already showing the mistake she had never ever tried to remember.
Toba had figured it out “I was stuck on my own imagination. I think and think but I never have tried to listen, not even my own parents. I can’t recall what they said to me”
The truth reveals as her memories voice out inside her head
“Don’t worry about it, they’ll know we are just joking”
“Ooh, you are so in trouble . . .”
“. . . It was just potted plant”
“… and the clothes hanging to dry”
More and more words who flat out ignore the concerns of others. Only her friends persuade her to not care any of those stuff. She was in the beginning to become an arrogant, selfish, and carefree.
“I guess staying this world was a bad idea after all. The ‘I am just a kid’ is no longer an excuse. Geez, I am starting being a bad guy without even notice”
Her resolves begin to strengthen as she wants to go back to fix it. To return to her world and fix what she should’ve done. The influence leaks out inside her head as the voice calls out the fear she hides.
“The old man (countless times) is still there”
Toba tries to break the influence as her rage is not quelled.
Everyone watches her trying to break the influence. Silfa hears the influence trying to pull back inside Toba’s head. This moment of struggle is her last moment to fully free, to deal with old man Ban. Silfa goes to her and whispers to her ear
“The old man died, take a look at this”
Toba sees her device, inside the gallery is the funeral of the old man. From one of his pictures, when him and her grandma at their youths, at their young prime. A note written by her grandma
“I should’ve trust you with my daughters”
Toba breaks the influence as she never heard anything about her aunties.
“I have aunties? What happened to them?”
The trial ended as the sphere returns and took the influence out of her. Just like that, she free leaving many others question is that really the trial she had to face. Or maybe, like what they said before. It was altered to remove the influence. They all look confused as the trial lead them a mystery of her memories. Aoi rushes towards her and congratulate one of her friends cured from the curse.
Meanwhile Delilah clearly sees what Toba had done. At the beginning, the misunderstanding was too fresh. She didn’t have enough information what’s going on and it is impossible for a young preteen to be able to mature herself to officially complete the trials. The trial accepted her because of an unfinish business. To know actually what really made her responsible for her action and more. Also, she needs to know about her friends’ situations. The aftermath leads them in the most miserable state. The best solution for breaking the curse had made her determine to leave this world. The picture of old man Ban’s funeral had put Toba a mystery to solve for herself.
Strange, from the looks of her at Juela’s locket. Mix by two relics together, using it as a reference of their point of struggle. Misunderstanding or pride, it was likely knowledge that lacks how it got there. Juela have figured it out years later, and Toba had that situation for a few weeks. Toba, without thinking had luckily reacted accordingly to know why the old man Ban is doing. The rumors of her friends block the reasons for it and only talk about egos or pride. This is remarkably the hardest part to be relevant in such different worlds. Still, Toba knows about Juela’s past.
Juela held secretly about her locket within the wax sigil. It prevents any magic to flow on it as it silences all magic source including archscience. She looks at Toba after all that. It leads to a different conclusion. Mistakes being made, and Juela begins to forget to know her place.
“A world is too different to understand what’s going on in each side of the story. Mother had taught me too much about accuracy on her point of view. Or I’m just overjudging a child who is not prepared in this world. I still have a lot to learn about them”
Another influence broke free, the being below sees the glimpse of its power breaking the link between it and them. Concerning as time goes as the remaining of its followers have done so much to stall their escape. The Circoston invaders are taking advantage of this disadvantageous moon cycle. They still not have gone deep enough to get here. Thanks for its action to drag all trying to collect them into the East Coast. It is a matter of time will bring out again the living machines.
At the normal time pace, a certain man carries a polearm. Another with the bag and a quiver opens out in clear view. The sight of the cracks of the crystal wall have shown unsettling expectations.
“Have we already faced death, yet again”
“Praise their shit god, it must be their prayers answered”
“Better prayers than the Not Worthy’s”
“I say to you for having the bloodline of this very city, U’ecin . . .”
“I am disowned, I have no last name like Myrrkei”
“Yeah, orphans are really lucky to reach adulthood”
“As you say, dwarf guy”