Chapter 38 -CONTACT-

“Mom, Dad. I’m home…”

No response? That’s odd, are they not home? If my parents are not home then they are doing something that the government can’t handle on their own.

I closed the door and walked into the living room. Looking for any notes or clues that they left behind for me, unfortunately there wasn’t any.

I search for five minutes only to end up hungry. I opened the refrigerator. I was a little good when it came to cooking, but there was already some food left in the refrigerator.

Inside the box was a note, it wasn’t my dad’s handwriting but my moms. ‘Microwave this food for one minute before eating it. P.S. Mother.’ Even when they leave they always leave food for me. I said in my mind as I turned the paper note to find more writing. ‘We don’t know how long we are going to be gone, but just in case, call this number if anything out of the ordinary happens.’

At the end of the writing was the number that I was meant to call in the future, next to it was a name that I had heard before but didn’t remember. Charlie.

“Well if it couldn’t be much of a greater timing, I should pack up the most important things for the trip.” Going into my room and grabbing my backpack as I picked clothes for a short trip. Though for other people, it might look ridiculous but for me it was important to go there.

If a war were to break out, it would be a mighty guilt that wouldn’t let me live knowing that I could’ve helped her in any way possible. After packing my bag, I thought, "What if my parents came and I’m not here? Would they do the same thing they did when I stayed at Pleoca?”

From what my father told me, when my mother found out that I’d stayed behind in a foreign country alone. She had called everyone she knew in the military, asking if they were okay going to Pleoca and finding me to bring me back. More importantly she had threatened the school principal with suing them for leaving me behind.

I mean don’t get me wrong I appreciate what she was willing to do to get me back but don’t you think it’s a little bit too much for that?

My father thought the same but it was a necessary measure to do just in case it really did happen again. So this time I decided to take measures before going, and for that I wrote them a note. “Mother, Father. If you are reading this then it means that I’m not home currently but don’t worry I will come back before school starts. From you lovely son: Colter.”

Finishing the note, I stick it on the fridge door before leaving the living room. Having done that, why does it feel like I won’t be able to see them again? It feels like I’m going to be gone for a long time before coming back? I might just be overthinking things.

As I closed that door I felt as if I was forgetting something. I checked my pockets before thinking, “nah, I have everything that I need.” And then left towards where the rest were.

*

The doors of the bus opened and I saw the two people who were ready as I was. Both turned to me as I came up to them, sitting down in the middle of the station for the buses. “So this is what you meant by fourth option?” crossing her arms while giving me an expected but not expected look. Next to her was her backpack, it wasn't as packed as mine or Alexis. Did she only bring minimum clothes because we are just going to be there in and out or she only brought the important clothes?

Whatever the case was, hopefully it was only the major things she needed.

“Then, Colter. What is the plan?” Alexis asked.

Larisa jumped in before I could say anything. “If you didn’t hear the news or even looked at the internet, the border entrances have all been blocked by the government and are currently being swarmed with soldiers.”

“Is there another way aside from the borders?.” His question was the only thing I had in mind to bring the solution to. I had to form a plan that would be without any failures towards me and them. I processed deep thoughts. How will we cross the border without causing such disturbance?

An idea surgered from the dark side of my mind, if I had thought about it earlier a second time I would’ve called myself a demon for it.

Larisa and Alexis were talking to each other trying to form a plan when I talked over them, catching their attention in a way I haven’t used since I was in camp. The air around us changed, the cooled breeze brushed through us and so did my voice. I thought that I’d never had to use this voice or at least the tone of it, “I have a plan, but it requires the highest of risks. It’s either go big or go home, and I know I’m not going home.”

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

It took them a couple of seconds before answering back, though, when they did fear came out with their words. “W-What are you thinking?” When I heard those words, I felt different. Almost like a whole entirely different person, one that doesn’t submit to anything. One that could make the whole world his enemy and still fight without a single ally.

A small, wide grin slowly grew on my face. “We are going to fool the government…”

LUNA LYRIC

The scene that was in front of me reminded me of the past, a distant one. Yet many years have passed since then, Ezar the place was happily enjoyable by the dragon people. But all that has gone away, taken by the battle that occurred here leaving hundreds of soulless bodies in their homeland.

As I kept walking down the path along with destroyed and obliterated buildings, I always had this thought.

When the marshal from the Elementals had received a report from one of her soldiers, the report that Alter, Eugene, Pearl, and even Chuzeoth had been killed. That didn’t sit right with me.

They couldn’t just die after going to resolve the problem. I was in denial of the situation, thinking that there had to be another explanation for this. However, the only things that were correct was that they were ambushed by someone stronger than them.

No, that’s wrong. Even if they were, Alter is stronger, his ability to manipulate time and mana were superb among any race. Alter was the prodigy of the human and dragon race.

“...Lieutenant Lyric”

I faced the source of the voice, it was general Aidryss. During the battle between the marshal Elemental and Julie and I, was intervened by general Aidryss. The reason that was given to us was simple but complicated, in his words it was complicated but in the queen’s words it wasn’t. ‘If both of you kept fighting, your mana cores would’ve been overdrived,’ was what both said.

The three generals’ had asked me for this action that Julie and I had taken, to which we responded with puzzled faces. Truth to be told, both of us couldn’t remember what had happened. The moment we both heard what the marshal had said about Alter and the rest is the most we remembered.

“General Aidryss, what brings you here?” I question with a tired voice.

His eyes didn’t reach mine when he spoke, instead his eyes turned to the people that were in line for food. “I’m on patrol duty until evening,” then his gaze landed on me. “Have you seen Juliette?”

“N-No, she hasn’t been out of her room since the battle with the marshal…” I trailed off, bringing back the words of the marshal. Having my arms like a hug but to myself as I bit my lips, tasting the metal that was my blood. Aidryss out his hand on my shoulder before showing me an expression that I would have never thought to see in him. “You should go talk to her. Isn’t she your sister?”

“Not by blood…”

“That doesn’t matter, what matters is that you both accepted each other as siblings and to be there for each other. Now go, after, go see the Queen and King. They need to talk to you about the future you all hold in this.”

***

The castle hallways were empty. The light from the torches didn’t reach the middle like it always did, instead the dark corners of the hallways would give the corridor ominous feeling to anyone, with or without mana.

Not even the sunlight would dare to enter the corridors, everything has changed in such little time.

Being just a couple of feet from my destination, I noticed a maid in front of the door. Next to her was a cart that had food, freshly cooked. The maid continuously knocked on the door awaiting a response from the person she was serving.

My footsteps seemed to have alarmed her that she released her aura as I approached her, for a maid her killing intent was intense. But she quickly let her aura go when she recognized me, the maid bowed in apology because of her ignorance. “It’s okay Tei,” I explained to her.

I turned to face the door before continuing to speak, “Has she eaten anything yet?” Tei’s eyes lowered, then her head shaked in disagreement. That’s expected, who would eat after hearing that their loved one died. In that moment, an old and vivid memory played.

The war was about to end, spells and metal clashing were heard in every direction that we went. With it, the sound of the rain covered mostly some of the sounds but not all.

We were all ready to destroy the portals that connect the basilisks to us, yet Alter prevented this from happening at that moment. The aura surrounding him when he entered the battlefield disappeared and a different aura appeared. The deadly and fearsome aura turned to a lovely and peaceful aura. Alter’s words didn’t have the weight of a general but of a teenage kid that didn’t know the meaning of killing. His pure and innocent face said it all, the tears that sweeped down his cheeks as he had witnessed death and wakes that were on the battlefield. Looking back on it, it truly was like hell had fallen upon the continent.

Alter’s eyes weren’t crimson but brown, almost like he was a different person. That’s when he spoke like he had seen this scene before, “This is not what I truly wanted it to happen, I wanted to live a peaceful life. War is truly terrifying isn’t it? One day the one you care about could die in this needless bloodshed. But Luna, if that same fate were to land on me, don’t be sad. Tell Julie that I’m going to be next to both of you if I weren’t in this world anymore.”

I ignited the mana around me with my right hand, placing it on the doorknob that was between me and my sister. Melting the doorknob causing the door to slightly catch on fire, Tei reacted fast enough to use her water spell and extinguish it. I then took a hold of the plate with food that the maid had brought, and without a word I opened the door then closed it.

A depressing feeling of despair filled the room she inhabited. I knew this feeling well, after all it's the same one I had gone through when my own family of the same blood had abandoned me in the village that I was born in. Leaving their own child and sister to rot as the war progressed, only leaving me with the options to die.

However I was rescued by Alter and Juliette. They are my sole reason for living, if the time came where I had to be the enemy of the world. Then I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

Just like how Juliette saved me, it is my turn to save her from this dark time.