Chapter 17 — “Good Answer”

Chapter 17 — “Good Answer”

“So, what exactly the plan after this?”

Lemon and Lime stares at the storm spiralling in the middle of the battlefields. The sounds of thunder rumbling and wind spiralling controls the whole atmosphere. The typhoon ravaged the sacred shrines, and the smell of gunpowder rises to the air.

“Lemon, Lime…” A familiar voice called their name.

“Todachi.” Lime noticed the suited man, “I thought you will be somewhere in the frontline,”

“I’m taking the support role these days,” Todachi touched his earpiece, “Bitter should be inside that storm with a few squads — if they are still…there”

“He’s handling Noah alone?” Lime barked her anxiousness.

“Seems so,” Todachi stared at the black clouds rising in the air, “Stalling would be a more appropriate answer,”

“…As always, the boys can’t do anything by themselves,” Lime waived her hands. She can feel a piercing gaze from her behind, “Anyway, I’m off for the rescue. Just prepare our money, Todachi.“

With another snap of her fingers, the speed of the spiralling typhoon slowed down. Within a few seconds, the towering tornado almost standing still, and a pathway opening up to greet the siblings. Todachi’s face says it all — mouth agapes, eyes wide open, seeing the new power. He leaned toward Lime, eyeing on the soldiers busy with their assault.

“You can do that now?” He whispered.

“You’ll be surprised.” Lime waves her hands, as she and Lemon disappeared along with the formed pathway.

The violent winds and gust blocking their view while still attempting to throw them off from the grid. The both of them could’ve sworn they saw several goons flying with the harmony of the storm.

“How cool is this?” Lime puffed her chest up, awaiting for a praise.

“What is?” Lemon couldn’t comprehend her prideful stance.

“You should’ve been flown away with these goons,” Lime pointed to the soldier just passed them in a blink of an eye, shouting help, “But thanks to the new, awesome me — even the power of a Sera is just a breeze wind. It was tougher as well with you. Because of your annoying nullification, I can’t just make a field around us, but rather slowing down the storm around us.”

“Huh, okay.” The extraordinary explanation is responded by the simplest response, to the annoyance of the prideful one.

“You should’ve given a little bit more than a ‘huh, okay’, you ass,” Lime pouted, seeing her brother unbothered — deep in his thought.

“…You should’ve restrained your power.” Lemon jumped in to different topic with the sternest face.

“Huh? What are you babbling about?”

“Lime…” Lemon stopped his walk. Lime catches the erratic behaviour of her brother. Never has she ever seen his face so serious.

“— You worried about me?”

“We have no allies. Not even the SCF. No one but us to watch our back. If you show a little bit more sign that you are not a Princi anymore —”

“If they try to do anything, I’ll smash them.”

As Lime finishes delivering her side of thought, Lemon’s frowned. His face is now as sour as his name, “Even if it means that what happened to us, happened again in this world?”

“C’mon, Lemon.” Lime snickered, “When have you become so sentimental?”

“I —“

“— All I care is the two of you.” Now even Lime has her serious tone, “You said it as well, didn’t you? ‘The world should’ve just burn’? And I agree, wholeheartedly. The world has never been a nice place anyway. I think we even do a lot of people a favour — that is being repaid by mockery. Why the change of heart? Why the sudden moral improvement?”

The tension between them keeps on rising. Lemon’s eyes locked with her sister’s crazed gaze. For the first time in his life, he can feel a cold sweat dripping down from the side of his cheeks.

“…Let’s discuss it later. ” Lemon swallowed his spit

“— I agree,”

But the one agreeing isn’t the pitchy voice of Lime, rather a warmer, more mature voice from Lemon’s back. In a single swoop, Lemon disappeared from Lime’s eye as a hand drags him over.

“Lemon—!”

“I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

Another presence’s coming from Lime’s back with hails of solid ice, freezing every souls in it. As Lime turns her back around, she finds the grey-haired man, floating midair with a smirk on his face. “Word for advice — you shouldn’t have a family quarrel in the middle of a fight,”

“That’s actually a good advice, thanks.” Lime half-smirked. Her heartbeats get faster and faster, seeing the ‘divine’ man.

The scene of Noah — floating in the middle of storm where lighting breaks, and hails blended with scythe of winds gives even Lime a shudder. She raised her palms up, ready to give her all for the next fight. Lime slides her hands to her side — and just like that, the wailing storms, spinning out of control seems to have its composure. The wild wind slowing down, and down, until it comes to a complete halt.

“At this rate, your ascension would be in no time.” Noah’s smile shakes seeing the miraculous phenomena. He raises his hands, forming a hand sign, “Never thought the day would come for the storm to stop to a rest.”

A yellow oval peeled behind Noah’s back — thunders clap all over the battlefield, building up its rampage as the still black clouds start to vibrate, fighting for control. With all of his focus on, a simple chant comes from Noah’s mouth.

“Ichimokuren,”

. . .

“She’s better not overexerting herself again…” Shem watches the distant — the air surrounding her trembles with her presence.

“You’re worried about your little, puny sister?”

“Cham?” Her attention is back to Lemon, “She’ll be fine…you should’ve concern yourself with him,“

Lemon clicked his tongue, positioning himself better in front of a lying, beaten up middle-aged man. Bitter groaned in pain, watching Lemon brandishing his knife as he put his guard up.

“For an Arkus to stall a Sera alone, I applaud him.”

“…I think you missed one more guy for that achievement—!”

Lemon dashed toward Shem — his eyes searches the nook and cranny — observing for any ambushes or creatures summoned beforehand. Without hesitation, he keeps on prancing forward. Lighting flashes here and there, but none hit the mark. Seconds after his advances, Lemon gives his best shot — to which he did. Lemon hit Shem’s blocking hand, to his surprise as well.

“What’s the matter? You deduced my ‘condition’, didn’t you? You’re getting exhausted as well?”

“Relax,” Shem’s tone stays cool, “I’m here to chat for a moment,”

“Chat? We’ll chat once I put you down!”

Lemon jumps back, continuing his aggression —

He felt a quick strike on his face, a devastating punch to his abdomen, and another on his chest. Without giving up a moment of rest, Shem jumped to him — locking his arm to his back.

“You thought I can’t use hand-to-hand combat?” Shem pulls Lemon’s hand to his upper back, “Are you going to relax now?”

After some resistance — pushing his arms down and struggling with all his body, Lemon gives in. He gives no more strength to his arms, for he has none already anyway.

“So, you’re going to let me go before or what?” Lemon grumbled.

“Are you going open to conversation then?” Shem asked.

“Yes, yes…”

“Then just stay put there,”

“Damn!” Lemon barked

With another pathetic wriggles, Lemon finally gives in for real.

“So, what are we going to have a pleasant conversation about?” Lemon rolled his eyes.

“…Have you decided what to do to your sister?”

“You eavesdropped? Not only you were an invader of land, but you invade people’s privacy?”

His yaps get no answer. Shem’s had this stern look on her face, waiting patiently for Lemon’s answer.

“…I guess, I make her stay put with her power.”

“She’s ascending soon. And the world will know,”

“Yeah, I will protect her no matter what! Why do you care? What is your business with her, anyway?”

Shem’s grows quieter as times goes. Her eyes reflects the yellow-haired boy on her hands.

“We were an ordinary family, with extra abilities, once —”

“Oh great, are we monologuing now? In this economy?” Lemon complained, completely ignored by Shem.

“There are Noah, Shem, Cham…and little Japheth. It was laughable how fate chooses everyone to be powered — not by choice, but by chances…Japheth was a Princi. He can read people’s mind, but one person can make him stay in bed for a day. He was a little clumsy. Once, out of spite, he read my mind just so he can blackmail me because he lost at a game with me. Days were lacking before. Mundane, but peaceful.”

Shem looked at the dark sky briefly, as she continues, “Out of nowhere, 10 years ago, the SCF raided our home. Seems like our neighbour snitched on us, for reasons we can guess. They burn, and took everything. I tried to save everyone… But Japheth — they shot at his back hundreds time. He was fourteen. Shem couldn’t held back. She killed everyone — splattered hundreds with her army of yokai. Cham as well. It was their first bloods, yet there’s no remorse. From then on, life never’s the same. The Ark is built with Japheth’s blood as a foundation. It was never a sanctuary in the first place. It was a place for vengeance.”

Shem takes her moment, as she felt a gentle breeze across her cheek.

“I didn’t give all of my heart back then. If I would, Japheth might still be with us, and The Ark would truly become a sanctuary — untainted by selfish desire.”

She sighs, as she finds herself reflected back on Lemon’s eyes. It is hard to tell, hard to believe as well, but Shem can feel it. A sense of humanity, reflected on the boy’s eyes. With that, she asked him her question,

“Will you give your all to protect your family, no matter what you have to face? No matter how harsh the decision will be?”

Without delay, Lemon growled, “Damn right I will.”

A smile rises back on Shem’s face. A serene one. With that, she praised the pinned boy —