The Truth About Serika and Her Daughters

The cold wind swept through the trees of the Fendorial Forest as we walked aimlessly after fleeing Mimeria . The sun had already completely disappeared, and the moon was beginning to emerge from the clouds. I walked beside Serika , unaware that everything was about to change.

Suddenly, Serika stopped walking. Her daughters, who were right behind her, also stopped. The silence grew heavy.

"Are we going to sleep here in the forest tonight?" I asked , trying to break the awkward silence.

Serika let out a long sigh, as if she were carrying an enormous weight.

"I think it's time we revealed our identities... and removed this magic of transformation," he said . Serika .

My heart froze.

— What…? — I said

"What is she talking about?" I thought as I took a step back, confused.

Before I could ask anything else, Serika and the two girls began to glow intensely. Their bodies were enveloped in a divine, white light that illuminated the entire forest.

When the light faded, three completely different women stood before me.

The youngest had transformed into a woman approximately 1.63m tall, with long reddish-brown hair and golden eyes. She wore a red scout uniform with white details and boots.

The oldest one was now a tall woman, about 1.76m, with tanned skin and navy blue hair tied in a long braid, wearing a black eye patch and blue and white clothes.

And Serika …

She was now a woman of 1.75m, with golden-blonde hair tied in a ponytail with a black ribbon, grey eyes that gleamed like steel, and a white dress with blue details. She carried two crossed swords on her back and a magic book strapped to her hip.

I ran out of breath.

" W-who are you really?!" I yelled, unable to control my voice.

The woman I knew as Serika stepped forward.

" Serika never existed. It was just a disguise. My real name is Jeanne," she said firmly.

My whole body shivered.

"Jeanne?" I said, confused.

The air felt heavier. Something enormous was about to be revealed.

Jeanne stepped forward, assuming a commanding stance.

"We are sisters. Sisters, introduce yourselves," she declared firmly.

The tanned girl took a step forward, her posture straight and her gaze cold.

"My name is Kayla ," she said formally, touching her chest with her right hand.

Soon after, the girl with reddish-brown hair did a relaxed spin in the air before placing her hands on her hips.

"And I'm Ambered ! It's a pleasure to finally speak with you without disguises," she smiled brightly.

I swallowed hard.

"What an unexpected situation... what's happening?"

I took a deep breath and said what was stuck in my throat.

"I suspect they rescued me early this morning and took me to your house for some pre-planned reason. But what reason could that be?" I asked.

Ambered flashed a teasing smile, tilting her head slightly.

"That's spectacular. Karina's daughter is really intelligent," she said.

My heart raced; the blood ran cold in my veins.

" H-how do you know my mother?!" I asked, confused.

Jeanne gave Ambered a cold look .

"Don't talk about serious things with irony," Jeanne reprimanded Ambered .

Kayla sighed and ran her hand through her navy blue hair.

"Jeanne, I always tell you to be tougher on Ambered . She takes everything seriously and makes a mockery of it," she said . Kayla .

Ambered raised her hands as if surrendering.

"Sorry, sisters. I just wanted to try to talk to Karina's daughter," she said . Ambered

Jeanne turned her gaze to me, her eyes as sharp as a blade.

"Do you know your brother?" Jeanne asked .

"Brother?" I asked, confused.

Jeanne nodded.

"From the information we have, Karina had a daughter and a son," said Jeanne.

The penny dropped immediately.

“They don’t know that I, Fujimoto , inherited the SEISHI from my mother, and that Alisiya inherited the FUKKASEINA. Since I’m now trapped in this woman’s body, they must believe there’s another son, when in fact it’s me.”

I clenched my fists.

"Why should I tell you about my life?" I said firmly.

Kayla frowned, clearly annoyed. She stomped on the ground and a freezing crack echoed, the ground beneath her feet instantly turning to ice as she surged forward toward me.

I managed to dodge by instinct, sliding to the side. My right leg twisted when it touched the uneven ground, and a sharp pain shot through my body. I fell to my knees, gasping.

Jeanne walked slowly towards me. Her gray eyes stared at me from head to toe, deep and indecipherable.

In that same second, a violent jolt shot through my head — SEISHI was still draining my energy, mixed with the pain caused by the Hidden Observatory.

— Damn… not now… — I thought, as everything went dark before my eyes.

My body gave way. The world spun.

And then, I fainted.

The last sound I heard was Jeanne's muffled voice, distant as an echo:

— Get ready. He will finally wake up as he should.

I woke up with a weight on my arms and an uncomfortable pain in my head, as if I had slept for years. When I opened my eyes, I realized I was tied to a tree, with ropes tightly fastened to my wrists. The cold wind whipped against my face.

"Finally awake," a female voice echoed in front of me.

I looked up and saw Jeanne, with Kayla and Ambered beside her. They were all standing, as if assessing me. Jeanne approached slowly and crouched down in front of me, her gaze cold and calculating.

"You're a heavy sleeper. I almost thought I'd lost my precious bargaining chip," Jeanne said with a smile.

"Bargaining chip?" I asked , frowning.

"Yes. We need to get our other sister back, whom Elfhrinsei is manipulating," Jeanne replied .

I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain from the restraints.

"And what does your sister have to do with me?" I asked.

Ambered started laughing loudly, slapping her thigh with a hand.

"Did you suddenly become stupid, or was that intelligence you had yesterday just temporary?" he said. Ambered .

Kayla turned slowly, casting a look of pure disapproval.

"You did it again, Ambered !" she shouted. Kayla .

"It's his fault for being stupid," Ambered replied, crossing her arms.

Jeanne closed her eyes for a moment, and then burst out in a voice as sharp as a blade.

"Quiet, both of you!!!" Jeanne yelled at them.

Silence fell immediately. Jeanne looked at me again.

"The three of us are aliens from World Three," Jeanne revealed .

I felt my heart race.

"So they are aliens ...?"

"My three sisters and I wanted to steal the powers of the three Guardians of God from World Three, but they were too strong, and they also had the support of the Guardian of God from World Two," Jeanne explained .

"The Guardian of World Two was... my mother?" I asked , my voice trembling without me realizing it.

Jeanne nodded.

"Yes. We hated her so much that we chased her relentlessly, trying to kill her. But we always lost. Then, five months ago, one of our sisters went alone to confront her," Jeanne replied .

My chest tightened.

"Did my mother kill her?" I asked, afraid of the answer that was to come.

"No. Karina captured Lici and handed her over to Elfhrinsei , who altered her memories and her appearance," Jeanne replied .

My eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I had heard.

"My mother... did... this?"

"From what we've discovered, Elfhrinsei and Karina had a fight. So we're going to take you to Elfhrinsei to bargain with him. He'll certainly want to manipulate or even sacrifice Karina's daughter," Jeanne continued, her voice merciless.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. The ropes seemed to tighten even more.

"I need to escape. I need to get back to the Mercenaries of Good's base. Urgently."

The sunlight streamed through the leaves above me, but the feeling that darkness was about to engulf me was unavoidable.

Everything was about to fall apart.