Chapter 13 - Look Back To Where It All Started

“So…. Who’s first?” I awkwardly asked the two. Lily looks kind of busy eating her waffle while Hazuka checked the inside of his sandwich before staring at me for 2 minutes now.

“I think you should go first.” Lily answered, chewing a waffle in her mouth.

*swfwfwfwfwfooooopp* I heard Hazuka sipping his black coffee.

“All right then, I’ll start off with the ‘Fire of Rage.” I answered, then took the book out of my bag and put it on top of the table where they could see it clearly.

“First, I’ll describe it as uncontrollable and deadly, that it can kill a whole continent if not controlled properly.”

“And then…..” then I proceeded to tell them the summarization.

[Riley was a teen girl who grew up in an orphanage.

There’s really nothing wrong with her. She has a bubbly personality, loving, but gullible. By gullible, it means that she is fooled easily to the point that you don’t have to make an effort to think of a way.

But due to her bubbly and happy personality, she became friends with everyone there. Fights occur but they always resolve them at the end of the day.

The orphans always live a happy life every day.

But that’s not the end of the story.

As clichéd as her life is, a group of alchemists broke into the orphanage at exact midnight and killed every person and child, or should I say, her friends.

Who would have thought the orphanage would become this quiet and empty?

She was captured and became a guinea pig for the palace’s project as a cover up for their crimes.

She was tortured and used in different experiments. She’s also caged every time they don’t use her and just by recalling her happy life at the orphanage, her rage instantly changed to happiness. She was happy because she was the one who got to be tortured like this and those people whom she loved.

As I said, she just recalls her happy life, but that also has a limit. Because one day, when she recalled her memories, she did not feel happy but rather, pain. An inevitable pain like someone was controlling her emotions. It’s like the side effects of the experiments she’s gone through.

She moved from one place to another in that room, her body swinging, and holding her head firmly with both hands because of the pain she was feeling. She’s feeling rage. An overflowing rage like she wants to kill everyone.

She tried to get fresh air from the window but failed since it was locked from the outside and with that, the string that ties her rage instantly broke and a huge fire came out of her mouth 10 minutes straight that made the place look like it was burning—because it is, and her body is not an exemption to that. In short, she also burned to death.

With her pitiable life, she was sad yet happy that she had died, but no one will ever know where her body was. Just a simple clue, she died at the place where she could see everyone, but no one will ever see her there. She left a broken memento where she felt all kinds of emotions.]

“And then it says, ‘So to you who want revenge, find that oh so little child and gain her trust. As a concerned wonder, I am advising you to be full of resentment the moment you get your revenge. Trust HIM.”

“Huh? Who’s ‘him’ though?” Lily asked and tilted her head.

“I don’t really have any idea. It’s also like this when I read The Shell Of A Puppet and Mother Earth’s Nature. It sounds like they know who will use it.” I said and looked at Hazuka before asking, “what do you think?”

“Continue with the other one.” He just said in monotone.

“Wait Catte, what was said at the end of Mother Earth’s Nature?” Lily suddenly asked when I was about to speak.

“It says, ‘fuck taking care of her and killing one side. I am a nature wonder and she’s not who you think she is.’” I read the last part of the page.

“Hmm? What’s the story, by the way?” she asked, so I started telling the summarization.

“It’s said that the vampires once tried to infiltrate the human world but failed to because of mother earth’s nature, which killed them.”

“And then?”

“But it’s also said that that is not always the case because her nature is twisted, so humans are not safe once the vampires try to infiltrate their world again. It all depends on the luck of both parties.” I said, then looked at Lily, who had a face that she couldn’t believe it.

“How is that? I thought Mother Nature was protecting humans?” she asked, then looked at Hazuka.

“Well, judging by how cruel humans are, I won’t think twice about not being ruled by them.” Hazuka said and ate the last bite of his sandwich.

“Okay then, I’ll continue with The Dragon’s Roar.” He added and crossed his arms while leaning on the backrest with his eyes closed.

[There was a 3-year-old dragon who was tortured together with a girl who was always smiling.

Being a species that is the most powerful and mightiest of all species, it is a wonder to him about why she still gets to smile even though she was already tortured.

They always accompanied each other whenever they were locked up inside the experiment room. She just always smiles at him and, as ego hurting as it is as a dragon, he feels comforted and safe whenever the girl hugs him as she consoled him with such words and take him to sleep.

Now that the alchemists let them take a break for 3 days, he is missing that girl. He does not even know what her name is. All he knows about her is that she is always cheerful and has warm arms that he wants to be there forever.

An alchemist walked through his door to deliver his food while whispering something.

“Fuck it, why did that girl die? Our experiment will have been finished after this break! We should not have given them this.” It’s like the alchemist intentionally let him hear that.

“What now? We burned the orphanage so there’s no other substitute for that dumb girl. What do we do… what do we do….” Those words were like knives stabbing his heart. He could feel his rage building up inside him as he looked deadly at the alchemist who didn’t have any idea he looked like that.

“We could have made that girl our ma---“ the alchemist didn’t finish his sentence when a loud roar shook up the whole palace and a ball of fire burned a part of a place at the same time.

*RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA* it’s the dragon. He’s roaring because of sadness, not from rage. If it’s heard from afar, it sounds like a crying scream.

He is sad because his only dear friend died and he did not even get to see her one last time. He roared once again and a fragment of memory with the girl hugging him appeared before his eyes before he died, with sadness filling his heart.]

“Then at the end, it says ‘they’re similar but not twins. They won’t work without each other. As a stone wonder, I won’t say they should have an unbreakable bond, but they should share the same goal.’ Once he finished telling the story, he opened his eyes and looked straight into my eyes.

“Ehhh, it sounds like it’s connected to ‘The Fire Of Rage’. Is it?” I asked him.

“Obviously.” He answered, then rolled his eyes. The way he answered sounded like he wanted to say more, like ‘idiot’ or ‘dumbass’.

“That’s a sad story. I never knew ancient inventions like these had such pasts.” Lily said with sadness in her voice. The table was then filled with silence.

“Now I don’t want to tell ‘The Glass of Time’ anymore. It will make this first get together sad. I don’t want that. It should be happy.” Lily said after a while. She really looks like she does not want to talk about the last antique anymore.

“Then let’s just read it.” Hazuka was about to grab the book but Lily was faster.

“No. I really don’t want to make this hang out sad. I don’t.” she said as she held onto the book tightly and turned her back against Hazuka.

“This is a business meeting, Lily. We are discussing the mission Sir Varean gave us. We will have our get-together next time.

So spill it, Lily.” Hazuka boringly talked to Lily, who was tightly hugging the book with her arms.

Lily slowly turned towards him then placed the book on top of the table.

“O…okay then….” She said while looking down.

[Almost 3 decades ago, there was a 7-year-old boy who lived in a middle-class family. His mother is CEO of a successful company.

There’s really nothing wrong with his life. It’s just the way people only see their perspective but not the whole story.

It started when he got a cat friend. He loved that friend very much—he played with it and slept with it. But once it died, he was really heartbroken. He told his mother about his grievance, but the mother just threw the cat away and told him that he must not cry for trash like those. It also said that once it has no use for him, it’s considered trash.

The boy just walked off and started crying nonstop on his own. He felt like his feelings were neglected.

He grew up without friends but accidentally became friends with a classmate anyway. They hung out and spent time with each other like what friends usually do. He started thinking that he liked this boy as family, but one day the boy said that he had no family--then what is he to him?.

After that, he schemed things in the worst way possible to show how precious his friend is to him.

And the worst way it is, his friend got mad and left him. He started to grow hate within him, he felt like his feelings were always neglected. He just wanted to show his feelings.

One day, he started getting in the way of that person after a few years. He made things complicated for him. But in the middle of that, a kind friend of his friend showed him a mirror and he saw a cat that looked similar to the cat he had when he was a child.

It caught him off guard and then he started crying, as it was showing the memories that would have been most precious to him if not for being a normal person who only sees his own perspective.

It showed him how his mother picked up the cat and buried it in their backyard, then saying ‘thank you for being a good friend to my son’. She also said that there are so many more obstacles he will encounter in the future, so he needs to be tough and even said ‘I love you, my son’ while holding her son’s photo with his cat.

The second one showed him how his friend came back to the spot where he left him but he was not there. It also showed him how his friend thought about his feelings carefully and finally understood him.

Those are the fragments of the past that would have been his most precious memories if not for being a normal person who only sees their own perspectives.

He cried nonstop like a baby because he felt like he was betrayed by his own self.

And after that, he started being himself and they became friends again. He understood it all, that his feelings were not neglected and it was all a misunderstanding. He felt sorry for those people he had hurt.]

“Lily.” Hazuka mumbled to himself, so we looked at him. We saw him smiling a bit while looking at neither of us.

“Huh?” it was Lily.

“Nothing. What does it say at the end?” he said and changed the subject.

“Uhh… it says ‘not everyone can accept and move on that easily from a painful memory of their past. That’s why this mirror has not been used since then. So, to you, find and use it of your own accord. Just remember that you should go through the same situation first.”

Just after Lily spoke, we heard Hazuka’s voice again.

“Lily.”

“What now?” Lily asked, as she was really confused that Hazuka kept on mumbling her name. He just kindly smiled at her.

“Now I think I know who might be the future handler of ‘The Glass of Time.” He proclaimed and looked at Lily.

“Who?” she asked.

“Lily.” he answered, looking straight at her.

“Who?” she asked again.

“Lily.”

“Who?”

“Lily.”

“Why do you keep saying my name since earlier? Stop joking around, Hazuka.” She raised her voice a bit.

“What the hell, dude? Don’t raise your voice, I’m totally serious.” He said and raised his hand at chest level in front of him.

“What!?” she said incredulously and stood up from her chair in shock.

“I said don’t raise your voice. Calm down, woman.” He repeated, then pulled her arms so she could sit on her chair.

“But that’s impossible. We are just here to find it all, right? We will not use it, right? Just find?” she asked for clarification while looking at Hazuka also with the two of his eyebrows raised.

Suddenly, Hazuka had a flashback.

[“Yes, Sir Varean?” he said the moment he entered Varean’s office.

“Hazuka, I have assigned you and Lily to help Catte find the antique inventions, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I have an additional mission for you. Keep it a secret and don’t let those two find out.” Varean said and leaned on his backrest and clasped his fingers while his elbows were resting on the arm rest.

“Yes?”

“Once you find those antiques, you three will have to use it.” Varean simply said.

“I’m sorry, but what!?” Hazuka asked, shocked.

“Yes, but don’t worry, you’ll realize soon enough who will handle what.” His boss answered and smiled.

“Okay, but may I ask, why us?” Hazuka doesn’t really have any idea why his boss chose them for handling such important things.

“Because we will need to use those for the moment of our revenge and because you’re the best. I trust you three the most in terms of that. And you’re a dependable detective, so I know you’ll handle it fine.” Hazuka received an unexpected compliment from the person he respects the most.

“Yes, sir! I’ll do my job properly. Thank you for trusting me!” he bowed 90 degrees to show him his gratitude.

“No need to bow. You worked hard and gained my trust. That’s how it is.”

“Yes. Thank you very much. I should get going now.” He said and walked towards the door.

“Have fun.” His boss said and he looked back, seeing his boss smiling, he smiled back.]

“Yes, just find.” He answered Lily and avoided eye contact.

“Can’t really tell if you are lying but I am glad! We should not go in our way such as using those since it’s out of our league. Boss will be angry if he finds out we did something outside of the mission.” Lily settled on her seat and sipped the last sip of her iced coffee.

Third Person's POV: ‘if only I can tell you about what Sir Varean has said about us’, Hazuka thought to himself as he looked at Lily and Catte, slightly smiling.

“What kind of smile is that, Hazuka? Are you hiding something?” Lily asked as she noticed his smile.

“Nothing, it’s just funny.” Hazuka brushed it off.

“What’s funny?”

“Nothing.”

Lily kept on bugging and asking Hazuka about that secret for a while until the table got quiet once she got tired of it.

“Now, what should we do now that we know it all?” I asked them, breaking the silence.

“We should first search where those antique objects are.” Hazuka answered.

“But how?” Lily asked.

“Of course, the library.” Hazuka answered with a tone saying that it’s obvious.

We’re currently walking to go to the nearby library. I am beside Lily who is tugging at Hazuka’s shirt on his back. She just continued on asking him about the secret.

“Hey, Hazuka. It’s already 1 in the afternoon and we haven’t had our lunch yet. Come on.” She suddenly stopped walking and then held our hands and dragged us into the restaurant in front. I also saw Hazuka looking at Lily’s hand holding his.

I have a great feeling that he likes her.

We are currently taking our order while Lily orders things like it’s for the whole family.

“Lily, who do you think will pay for this?” Hazuka asked.

“It’s on me for lunch! It’s on you for dinner later, so get ready.” She answered and looked at him slyly.

Hazuka paid for our lunch in the end.

“Now, find a book about ancient places and until modern times.” Hazuka immediately commanded the moment we checked in at the library.

“Hehh?? Aren’t we going to rest first? We just ate.” Lily asked with a whiny tone.

“Get to work.” Hazuka firmly said.

“Sir, yes sir!” she answered and saluted him and proceeded to find the book.

I’ve been looking around different sections of the library and grabbing books I think are related to the topic.

Once we settled on a table, we started discussing it.

Several books have been looked into and we still couldn’t find anything that fits the description in the story.

“What is this, Catte? ‘Possibilities of the ancient treasure—where’? This looks interesting.” She turned to my side and grabbed the book beside me. It is one of those I picked that seems to be connected to what Hazuka has said.

Honestly, I just picked any book with the word ‘ancient’ on its cover.

“What the hell, doesn’t this look like the orphanage at the ‘fire of rage’? she asked, shocked, and showed the book to us.

What… the…. Hell…….

continue next chapter~