Waking up could be really harsh, especially if your dreams were better than reality. The saddest part of it was when you were left with this lonely feeling of detachment, left to explore the empty void of emotions, the only proof that you ever had the dream, to begin with.
Slowly and reluctantly, Wenona uncovered her face. She awoke to soft sheets, and the morning light trickled through the blinds. She blinked, closed her eyes and blinked again, there were traces of wet tears on her cheeks. She had dreamed about her parents, closing her eyes again the girl tried to keep glimpses of the dream about her mother's touch and her father's warm hug.
“Fuah!” She scoffed, pushing the melancholy tug in her heart. She has no time to feel blue and she doubted her parents wanted her to drown herself in the deep of grieve anymore. She opened her eyes and hastily pushed herself up when a light headache stroke her, made her stop moving. For a few seconds, she’s glancing around and finally realizing she wasn’t in her own room.
She had never seen a room with so much furniture and so many hues, compared to her room which usually just simple and soft pastel colour. These walls were a combination of pink and navy colour as if there were two people living it. Two sides of the wall were coloured in pink while the other two were navy blue, the furniture was divided into two different types too. On one side the furniture was rustic and dark while the others were filled with all girly stuff with all the frills and flowery embroidery. Even the bed she was on, the sheet has 2 colours divided exactly into half, with different coloured pillows.
She tried to remember how she ended up in this strange bedroom. The memory slowly came back as she touched her bandaged neck. Her face quickly flared in red and she gritted her teeth in anger.
“Oh! Wen!! You are awake!!” a happy cry came from the room's door. Yurika was standing at the open door with a basin filled with water in her hand. She put everything that was on her hand at the floor and leaped to the bed to give Wenona a hug.
“I am glad you are okay now,” Yurika tighten her hug and sobbed. She then put a little distance between them and inspected her best friend, “you are okay now right? You have been in a high fever for almost three days and two nights.”
Yurika checked on Wenona's forehead and nod gratefully, “no more fever. Are you up for some food? how are you feeling Wen?”
“I feel better. Just a slight headache but nothing else,” she smiled reassuringly, “anyway… where are we? This bedroom is so strange.”
“Oh, you are in Lucia's bedroom,” Yurika sheepishly chuckled while glancing around the room, “it’s pretty eccentric.”
“Lucia?” Wenona tilted her head confused.
“Uhm it’s a long story, but I will tell you all about it later,” Yurika held Wenona’s hand eagerly, “for now let’s get you something to eat, shall we? How about that? are you up for some of Yurika’s specials?”
Wenona nodded and smiled, “sure! I am famished!”
---
“a Zanj!” Wenona exclaimed, almost spurted out her drink, her eyes widen in interest and shock.
“That’s what she err... he, argh I don’t know how I supposed to address Lucia, with the gender mishap,” Yurika scratched her head awkwardly, “but yeah Lucia said she is the last one.”
Wenona was having breakfast that was made by Yurika. It was just a simple warm soup and bread, her first real meal after three days passing out in a high fever. When Yurika brought back the food to the room -because she insisted that Wenona was still too weak to go to the dining room- Wenona had to restrain herself to not jump at Yurika. Could you blame her? The smell of the food was too good and her stomach roared.
“But, I thought all of the Zanj already gone? Perished along with the disappearance of the Goddesses,” Wen said. She could feel the bubbly feeling of hope rising up to her chest.
“Well, Lucia hasn’t explained anything yet. She asked us to wait and cool our head down while waiting for your recovery.”
“… cool our head down?” Wenona brow knitted in one, “what is that supposed to mean? Wait the minute, don’t tell me…”
Yurika pulled out a stiff forced smile, “yea everyone is here.”
“E-EVERYONE!!??” Wenona almost threw the small table of food in front of her. She thought that the Zanj had saved her and Yurika from those people.
Yurika nodded.
“Why?!! Aren’t they the bad guys?? Why on hell did the Zanj invite the bad guys in!” she shrieked.
“Calm down Wen. Well, how do I put this, they are not technically the bad guys, “ Yurika took the table away from Wenona before she threw it for real while trying to calm her down, “we were in some kind of argument. But they aren’t that bad. Well, maybe one or two of them. But not bad as in evil uhm--"
Biting her lower lips, Yurika tried to change the topic. She was afraid that Wen might ask more details about them or worse she might jump off the bed and run out to confront Lucia.
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"Anyway, Wen, to be honest, I’ve been meaning to ask you, how on Isrant are you there from the first place?”
“Ahh, uhmm I - I followed you,” she muttered, all her agitation went dissipated quickly at Yurika question. Her head was down and her voice tone went quieter,” I told you already that I don’t trust Z. When I found out you were not at the Lakehouse that morning and the place was left in the rush. the first thing that came on my mind was he has kidnapped you or something.”
“You followed me? Using what? I am pretty sure your subclass isn't a hunter. So I don't think you have tracking skill,” Yurika tilted her head; confused, “besides, we used teleport scroll, which hardly possible to be tracked using that skill.”
“No, urgh…, “Wenona's head went down deeper, she started to mumble quietly, “I used Aether Sight .”
More confusion rose in Yurika face, “Aether Sight? Is there a class’ skill with that name?”
Wenona shook her head softly, “not the class that you know of. I-I am sorry, Yuu. I actually have something that I have been keeping from you.”
Yurika went quiet. The one who has been keeping secret wasn't just Wenona. She also had her own secret that she hasn’t shared to her.
“No, that’s not something to be sorry of. Everyone has their right to keep some stuff for themselves, “ Yurika comforted her, "even if you decided to not share the secret, it won't change our relationship. I will still be your best friend Wen."
Wenona went quiet, she weighing down in her mind on telling the secret or not. She knew she could trust Yurika, but for as long as she remembers she had always been reminded by her parents on how dangerous it could be if anyone knew her family secret. They had done their best in keeping the secret but in the end, there were some people who finally found out and grabbed them. Held them captive and forced her and her family to do their selfish demands. Her mind leaped back to the past before they joined the orphan group. It was still fresh in her memory how her sister and she managed to escape their last imprisonment with the cost of their parent's life.
She bit her quivered lips, the bitterness, the pain of losing her parents still stung painfully even though it has been five years since that day.
“Wen?”
She looked up and stared at the platinum hair girl, she trusted her. Even with that cloud of mysteries aura that surrounded her, Wenona could feel in her guts that she was someone that could be trusted with her life secret; and her guts were never wrong.
“Yuu, I will tell you the secret. Promise me you will never speak about it to any other soul,” Wen gazed deep at the fuschia eyes.
“You don’t really have to tell me, you know that I-“
“Promise me!” she firmly demanded.
Yurika went silent. She observed Wen's expression, trying to find any hesitancy in her but all she could find was an indisputable face. Yurika finally gave in and nodded, “I promise you, it will be the secret that I will carry to my grave.”
Wenona smiled gratefully. She then took a deep breath before she began, “have you ever heard about the lost tribe?”
“Lost tribe?” Yurika brows rose up, she tried to dig her-- Eireen's memory. She had heard about a small secluded tribe that lived in secret. It’s said that the tribe has an amazing power that no one ever has. Jace at some point did talk about finding the tribe to recruit the people to the elite squad, but in the end, they failed in finding out their hideout. It was said that the tribe refused to be drag into the war of the Goddesses.
“Urgh, why am I so stupid to keep forgetting about your amnesia, of course, you wouldn’t have known that,” Wen softly slap her forehead.
“Ehh, don’t worry, I-, “ Yurika stopped herself in time before opening the fact that she actually already gained some of her memories, even though it was mostly about her past life instead of Yurika's life before she met Taft and everyone, “you can just explain it to me.”
“True. Anyway, the tribe was called Pononga a te Atua, or in short Pononga tribe, which mean Servant of the Goddess,” Wen paused. She glanced at Yurika trying to read her expression.
“Servant of the Goddess? So are they the same as Zanj?”
Wen shook her head, “No, a Zanj is basically Goddesses loyal warrior and soldier. They are ethereal being with spiritual power that was created by the Goddesses to serve them as their ministers and troops. In easy words, a Zanj is their angels. While Pononga tribe are human but they have a special talent that bestowed to them since they born.”
“Oh, wow!”
“Pononga tribe are the high priests and priestess of the goddesses. their sole propose is serving the Goddesses in Isrant. They took care of Goddesses’ temple and ceremonies. Basically, a small community that serves both Godessess equally. Because of their excellent services, the Goddess decided to bestow them with a talent that even the zanj envy,“ Wen inhaled deep and long, before continuing, “but, when the Great War broke, they refused to take sides. Because they can’t fight against their own family, friends and loved one. They choose to abandon their duty, run and live in secret.”
“A talent that even the Zanj envy? “ Asked Yurika.
“The hard part is that talent is like a double-edged sword. It is a blessing and a curse at the same time,” Wen's brows knitted as she nervously tapping and rubbing her fingers on her thighs that were covered by her blanket, “when people found out that the Pononga wasn’t in the Goddesses protection anymore, they started to hunt them.”
“Why a curse? Hunt?! Why they hunt the Pononga?”
Once more Wenona gazed at her dear friend, there are some thoughts swirling around her mind. She couldn’t help to feel hesitated, her tongue felt as if it was petrified.
Yurika realized how quiet Wenona has become, so she sat next to her, hugged her and softly patted her back.
“It’s okay, It’s okay, don’t worry,” she whispered the comforting words in her ears, “take your time. No need to force yourself. I'll understand if you don't want to continue.”
Wenona returned her hug. They both said nothing for a couple of seconds before finally after a long heavy sigh Wen whispered in Yurika’s ear, “I am a Pononga.”
Yurika said nothing, she already predicted that Wen was what she said she was, ever since Wenona started the talk about the lost tribe. Finding out her best friend's secret, Yurika couldn't help her desire to share her secret too. She was so close in telling Wen about who she was; what she was. The word of Fanaura was at the tip of her tongue, she bit her lower lips to hold it in.
“Yuu?”
“So, is that mean Riddelle too?” She quickly distracted herself while breaking the hug, "she is your sister right?”
Wenona nodded, “yeah we both are the last of the Pononga, as far as I know.”
“So what’s the talent that causes the Pononga to be chased down?” asked Yurika curiously, “ does the skill has anything to do with that strange language you chanted back then when we fell from the kite?”
“Yeah, it is,” she murmured, “we Pononga born with a talent to be a co—“
“A conjurer,” suddenly a voice completed her sentence before she did. Yurika and Wenona turned their head to the direction of the voice. There they saw a raven-haired little girl with her back reclined on the door. A mischievous grin plastered on her face and her eyes twinkled with genuine interest toward Wenona.