Lounging inside an ice cream parlor, Vex dons a serious face unbefitting of such a sweet environment. His eyes are analyzing a cyan crystal and an emerald green crystal, whereas Lily breathes in the air around them– "analyzing" the various combinations of sweet scents coming from the ice cream.
"So, what do you think, Vex? It's pretty cool, right?"
In my hand rests two crystal orbs: an emerald green one from Endori's body, and one Lily managed to find while I was out of commission. Its shade of blue is really soothing to the eyes.
Assuming what Lily told me to be completely accurate, she along with her makeshift party found these deep within a place called Meandering Cave. The lengths that they had to go in order to obtain these crystals is astounding. It doesn't beat the weirdness of the location of the first crystal, but impressive nonetheless. To think that this kid managed to accomplish this without me…
"I'm truly impressed with your efforts, Lily. Thanks to you, we can now continue our journey–we are one step closer to summoning the goddess."
"Yay, Lily's happy."
"Didn't you say that you met a dream god? What kind of dreams did he make you all have?"
"Hmm…"
Lily furrows her brows, tapping her head.
"Lily can't remember the details very well anymore…but I felt…"
"...?"
Lily inexplicably trails off into silence, becoming absentminded…or rather, her mind has drifted off somewhere beyond Vex's reach. Wanting to put an end to the awkward silence, Vex interjects.
"It's okay Lily, you don't need to tell me the details–don't stress about it."
"I'm fine, Lily is happy."
Returning back to the present world, Lily sticks her hand out towards Vex, exposing her palm.
"Man, you really like holding these things, don't you?"
"Lily found them, so Lily keeps them!"
"Finders keepers, eh? I don't blame ya, kid. Here, I'm finished anyway."
Lily receives the two crystal orbs into her hand, then jiggles them a bit before returning them to her dress storage.
"We have to get you some sort of carrier or container for those crystals–eventually, your dress pockets won't suffice."
"Hmm, what about a pretty necklace?"
"A necklace that doubles as a crystal holder? Wearing the crystals as jewelry might not be a bad idea. I'll look into it, but for now–"
"A large cherry fudge sundae with extra sprinkles for Lily?"
A waitress arrives at their booth with a large golden platter of ice cream. Lily drools while wagging her tail, her excitement on full display.
"Yes, that's me! That's me!"
"Here you are ma'am. And as for you sir, one small strawberry lemon sherbet for Vex?"
"Thank you."
"Please enjoy your treats, and thank you for entrusting our business to serve you."
The waitress bows her head, then takes her leave. Just before Vex takes his first scoop, he notices that Lily is staring at him rather than the mountain of ice cream that is calling her name.
"Hmm? You're not immediately eating your sundae? Is there something wrong or…"
Lily shakes her head.
"There's something I wanted to ask you…"
"?"
Lily is avoiding making eye contact with me. Is it something embarrassing? Please don't tell me that it's about "girl stuff". I know that she is still growing up and that demi-humans develop differently, but I can't help her with those issues even though I grew up with my sister. She sounds serious, so I should at least hear her out first…
"Go on, you are free to ask anything. Whether I can answer is another matter entirely."
"It…it's…ahhh!"
Opening her mouth widely, Lily takes a big scoop of ice cream and shoves it inside.
"It's so delicious!"
"Huh? What about your question?"
"Lily can wait until later. Besides, I don't want my ice cream to melt and be ruined!"
"Well, that would be a waste of money…let's eat up. As soon as I work out the details, we are going to the next country. We must keep up a steady pace towards finding the remaining seven crystals."
"Okay then, Lily will hurry!"
"Wait wait wait, don't rush or you will get a brain freeze. You can enjoy your treat, we have a bit of time."
Taking heed to Vex's warning, Lily slows down her pace, savoring each scoop–though not without getting mini chunks of ice cream all over her cheeks. In contrast, Vex steadily eats his sherbet, taking small bites.
I can't believe it–I was so close to meeting the goddess. She was right there in front of me! Sure I couldn't make out her appearance, but that was her. Why does she refuse to directly speak with me? She only appeared because of my quarrel with Nazz, but all those other times when I needed her? Nowhere to be found…except through Lily. Even then, she doesn't talk to her frequently. If she wants these crystals so badly, then why won't she just make things simple for all of us and lead us directly to the crystals? Deities–I'll never understand the way they think…
Discovering a country inside a teenage girl's body, being shrunken and swallowed by a deranged chick which led me to meeting another goddess inside her mind…my life has only gotten more bizarre since I began searching for these crystals. Or rather, since I met Lily…
According to the goddess, I'm likely to encounter more of these apostles on our journey. If the youngest one has the power to do what she did to me, I shudder to think what the more experienced members can do. I want to get through them as smoothly as possible.
"Heh, as if my misfortune would even let me dream of that."
_____________________________________________________________
"Bleh, my mouth tastes horrible! Do you have a mint?"
"No I don't, Thena. Not anymore since you ate most of them already. Your breath is fine, relax."
"Every time I am reminded about what happened the other day…how I…I…"
Thena's tongue pokes out from between her lips, basking in the sunny weather in hopes of "refreshing" itself. To the people she passes by on a neighborhood sidewalk, she looks rather childish. Though the only person who is conscious about this is her friend Gene, who is strolling alongside her.
"How you apologized to Vex and tried to be sentimental?"
"Bleh, don't say his name! I can't believe that I had to utter those words to him. It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
"Oh stop being such a drama queen, I know deep down you truly felt some remorse after everything that happened. Only your pride is hurting."
"...yeah I guess, but I didn't want to say it! I'd much rather communicate the sentiment implicitly…"
"Well, he's not a mind reader, you know. Even Lily smiled a bit when you showed remorse. Wasn't she cute?"
"Ack! Enough about them already! I'll let it slide since it was all worth it to see Miss Honey's face when she had no choice but to give my project an A+. Guess who no longer has to see her ugly mug next year?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself; the semester isn't over yet, you know. You must stay diligent on the rest of your assignments. I'll do my best to assist you, of course."
"Yeah yeah, I know. But you must let me help you too–after all, we are connected by your curse, right?"
"That's one way of putting it..."
"Come on, let me help you now!"
Thena jumps out in front of Gene, blocking his path forward to his destination behind her. Her stance is firm, indicating her seriousness, but not due to hostility. Understanding his friend's sentiment, Gene in return responds earnestly.
"Thena, you coming along with me is more than enough. As for the rest, I must handle it myself. Please wait for me out here, okay?"
"...if you say so. Good luck."
"Thanks, friend."
Thena lowers her arms, giving Gene the space to walk around her and to the door. The forbidden door that was unwelcoming to Gene, the forbidden door that banished him–the door of Tensen's house. Suppressing these emotions, Gene steels himself, takes a deep breath, then rings the bell. For a moment, he could hear muffled voices just beyond the door that quickly died down. It took a few minutes, but the door was finally opened–albeit, just by a small crack. A face rooted in bitterness peeks out.
"Hello, Tensen. It's been a while since I've been at your place, hasn't it?"
"Gene, what did I tell you about showing up at my house without my approval? You are trespassing."
Refusing to elaborate any further, Tensen begins to shut the door.
"Wait, please hear me out first!"
Tensen pauses, leaving an even smaller crack than before.
"Send it via transmitter or over the internet. Heck, write a letter for all I care."
"I can't do that. This needs to be addressed in-person."
"Sigh, what is it? Get straight to the point."
"I wanted to swing by to give Kira a birthday present. I thought that the gift would be worth more if I gave it directly to her."
"Her birthday isn't until the weekend, you are too early. Try again then, following the proper procedures."
"Come on, is it wrong for an uncle to spoil his niece with an early gift?"
Attempting to lighten the cold air between them, Gene smiles after uttering his light-hearted quip.
The air temperature became subzero.
"Goodbye."
Tensen shuts the door until–
"Daddy, who is that?"
Behind him, a cheerful, but slightly feeble voice seeps out the door. Addressing this voice, Tensen warms up his cold tone.
"Just a visitor, sweetie. He's heading back home, but you might see him this weekend."
"That voice…it sounds like uncle! Uncle Gene, uncle Gene!"
"Yep, it's me, Rika. You sound bright and fit today!"
Gene's casual remark made Tensen give him a side eye that, on its own, communicates a very clear message to its recipient.
"Go away already. I already told you to come by this weekend!"
"Aww, daddy, please don't make him go. I really want to see uncle Gene!"
"Sweetie, I–"
"Please please please!"
Sagging his shoulders in defeat, Tensen succumbs to the power of his daughter's charm.
"You have 3 minutes tops, and not a second over. Got it?"
"You have my word. I won't be long at all."
Tensen fully opens his door, letting Gene into the house beyond the other side of the front door. Inside, right in the hallway, Rika sits in an electric wheelchair. Her small body appears frail and her skin is a bit pale. Despite this condition, her eyes light up with life upon seeing Gene entering inside.
"What's up, Rika? Been behaving in school like the good girl you are?"
"Of course, uncle Gene! But who cares about school right now? Come here, give me a hug!"
"Hold on, I'm not sure if–"
Paying no mind to Gene's hesitation, Rika stretches out her arms and pulls Gene down towards her for an embrace. Accepting the situation for what it is, he reluctantly reciprocates.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Rika."
"Sorry? Why are you sorry, uncle?"
Gene politely releases Rika and leaves her embrace.
"I haven't been the best uncle to you. Quite frankly, I'm most likely the worst one in history."
"Hey, don't say that! I think you are the best uncle in the whole universe!"
"Is that so? Then how about I give you something that you really want?"
"Hmm, I know, I want you to play with me again! It's been so long since we played together–I remember when we used to do it all the time."
"Wow, you still remember that even though you were a toddler? Okay then, I will try to play with you more often."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise."
Gene intertwined his pinky with Rika's, which is half the size. The uncle and niece share a heartfelt smile.
"You have less than a minute left."
"Oh right, I have to get going, Rika. I have to keep my promise with your dad."
"Awww…."
"But don't feel too sad–I'll be back on your birthday. Speaking of, I have this special gift just for you. Here, take it."
Gene reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small gift box. As expected of a child, she is mesmerized by the sight of it, holding her hands out eagerly to receive it.
"Hmm? What is it, uncle Gene?"
"Well, it's–"
"11 seconds."
"I'll leave that up to you to figure out. It's a special surprise!"
As Tensen widely opens the door while looking at his wrist, Gene waves goodbye to Rika and she happily waves back. The second Gene's right foot was outside, the door slams shut behind him, followed by a locking sound. Thena, who was waiting with her legs crossed on a bench, greets Gene.
"Sooo, how did it go?"
"About as well as expected. Fortunately, my brother couldn't resist Rika's cuteness, so he caved in and let me speak with her. In a sense, she bailed me out, haha."
"Gene…are you really really sure about all of this? You already were taking on your cousin's pain before you shared mine. Now, you will have to share with your niece, which is like 3 times the pain. Be honest."
"Honestly…I'm not completely sure about anything, really. Thinking about all of the pain that I will have to endure frightens me deeply…but the thought of losing anyone else that I care about frightens me even more. These set of circumstances truly do suck, but I refuse to give up without a fight!"
"Ah, so you really are serious about finding a curse, huh."
"You bet I am. Somehow, someway…there has to be a method to ease the pain of my curse while still helping people heal."
With one arm on her hip, Thena wraps her other arm around Gene's neck.
"You sound like a naive fool–but if you are truly committed to this, then so am I. I owe you a big one."
"Oh, so you feel indebted to me? Well, the latest gaming console just released not too long ago…"
"What? You have your itch for gaming again?"
"It never left. I just suppressed it to focus on other things, like graduating."
"As expected of a dork. If you think that I can afford that for you, then you are out of your mind! But my dad said that he's going to buy me one as a celebration for my expedition success. How about I let you play on mine until you can afford your own?"
"Can I kick your butt in the latest Super Sister SquallScuffle : Clash of the Goddesses?"
"I'd like to see you try."
"Deal."
The two shake hands while immersing in laughter. Side-by-side, they walk towards their home without a care in the world.
_____________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, inside Tensen's kitchen:
"Daddy look, look!"
"I'm sorry sweetie, but I don't have time to play with you right now. Your mom will be home from work soon, and I need to cook dinner."
"Look, the box–it has something weird inside!"
"Rika, you opened your birthday gift already? You should not have done that!"
"Sorry, but it was from uncle Gene–I couldn't help myself!"
"Sigh, it's fine, it's fine. Let me see…"
What on earth did that dude give to my daughter? I swear if it's something inappropriate, I'm gonna–
The instant Tensen identified the unwrapped gift resting in Rika's lap, he completely halted his entire body–he even stopped tying his apron, leaving it to dangle. This sudden shift in behavior would make any person, let alone a child, concerned.
"...dad? Are you okay?"
Without saying a single word or making a sound, tears roll down Tensen's face to the surprise of Rika.
"Dad? Hey, daddy–?!"
Feeling the abrupt hug from her father, Rika is caught completely off guard and is unable to adequately process what's happening in front of her.
"I love you so much Rika! Everything's going to be okay, I promise you…"
"Daddy, I love you too…but you are getting my shirt wet."
Tensen continues to sob, but it doesn't carry the weight of despair and grief–rather, it converts into its true form of joyful laughter.
In his hands, he holds a small capsule filled with blood with a little note.
"Love, Gene."
ARC 2 END