Chapter 2 - The Girl From The Past (Part 1)

“In this world, the weak don’t have the right to protect anything.”

Her whole body ached all over. There was a strong iron taste in her mouth. She coughed, and it was red. Wet. Blood. As she breathed, she felt a jolt of pain from her chest. What’s going on?  She didn’t know.  She blinked and found herself slumped on the floor, her body barely moving. One of her hands stretched forward as if to reach for something. But what for? What was she trying to reach? What was in front of her was a pair of legs that looked more like robotic feet than human feet, clad in golden steel boots. The owner of those legs spoke to him in a rigid, structured, machine-like voice.

The pair of feet turned and walked away from her. She tried to reach out even further. While she didn’t understand what was happening, her lips were out of her control, as if inside someone else’s body. “Wait. Don’t go… give it back… give it back…”

However, the owner of those feet didn’t even stop to heed her words. She felt hot tears fall down her cheeks. Inside, she was brimming with anger, hatred, despair, and guilt.

“Give it back… I want to give it to him… It’s for him…”

Yuna jolted awake from her sleep.

Cold sweat dripped down her body. Her breath was fast as the image still vividly lived in her eyes. Slowly, she realized that it was only a mere dream.

After calming down, she scanned the surroundings where she was now. She was in her room right when she tucked herself into sleep the night before. There was

nothing out of the ordinary. The room itself was a relatively spacious room with a bare look. Only a big canopy bed she was sleeping on, a wardrobe on the other side, a door to an indoor bathroom, and huge bookshelves occupied one of her room’s walls.

She looked outside the window. It’s dark, but it’s not because it’s nighttime, she realized. The storm is still raging wildly outside. The wind was banging on the window without a rest. It has been like this for almost a month. The river indeed couldn’t hold the water tide any longer, and the disaster continued.

Every day she wakes up, she is repeatedly reminded that the Earth is on its death’s door. That’s the world  Yuna  Kawakami currently lives in. There is no place safe from the continuous disasters that happen all over the globe.

But, just as she was about to wipe the sweat off her forehead, she noticed something on her palm. She looked at it and saw that there was a strange stone there.

She brought the stone closer to get a better look at it.

“What’s this?” she asked herself, confused. She tried to remember if she ever had possession of such a thing. However, she did not recall that this stone belonged to her.

The stone itself is gorgeous. It’s oval-shaped and with a dark blue color. The shade of blue changes depending on how the light falls on it. The stone itself had a gold case wrapped around it. The gold had intricate letters carved around the stone in the center, though she couldn’t read what was written there. It’s not a language she knows.

Perhaps this stone belonged to her father or mother, who left it for her when she had the nightmare earlier. Though it’s not likely, since both of her parents are currently away, it’s the most reasonable possibility.

A waft of pleasant cooking smell through the slightly open door sneaked in. She turned her head. There was someone home. She pocketed the strange stone, slid down her bed, and walked to the bathroom.

She washed her face in the sink. The cold water gave her a fresh feeling and helped calm her nerves. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. A teenage girl with long, flowing black hair stared back with fiery red eyes. She inherited these eyes from her father. Aside from that, she inherited her mother’s appearance from the shape of

her face to her smooth, fair skin. She splashed her face with water once more before leaving her room.

She finds her father in the dining room. Maybe he came home last night, or he just arrived this morning. She didn’t know, and she didn’t plan to ask. Her father, Ken, had cooked breakfast for both of them, which was already arranged on the dining table. Now, he’s brewing a cup of coffee for himself.

Without Ken’s notice, Yuna observed him. She noticed that her father was much thinner than the last time she saw him. His cheeks were shallow and prominent, and protruding eye bags were under his eyes. There were more white hairs between the strands of his milk-brown hair. The last time she met her father was only two weeks ago. But it looks like they’ve been apart for years, and he’s aging without her knowing.

Ken noticed her arrival and greeted her with a warm smile. There was a trace of tiredness from the lines in his eyes. He must push himself too hard on his work again.

“Good morning, Yuna. I made breakfast for us to eat together. Come, sit with me.”

Yuna didn’t reply. She pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down. Before joining her, Ken placed a Conchrio beside his plate. It’s a magical device in the form of a  shell imbued with Rune magic, so it can broadcast news or communicate with others from a long distance. One of Ken’s habits was listening to the news to stay updated about what was happening.

Yuna took a small bite of her bacon.

“Last night, the Cassiodei coast was hit by a thirty-meter-high tsunami. Nothing was left there, and the estimated loss was…”

Yuna gulped down her food. Ken is a good cook. It was as delicious as she remembered, but her mouth had a sudden sour taste. She knew where it came from.

“The sea has completely swallowed up the Applemist Islands. The residents fled to the western part of Nacirea, where the food crisis is still raging due to last year’s crop failure…”

Yuna put down her tableware.

“Heraklus had resumed its war towards the Mer Allys. They’re fighting for the…” Slam!

She couldn’t take it anymore. She hit the surface of the dining table with her fist. Ken stopped eating and looked at her.

“Could you make that thing stop talking? I want to eat in peace.”

Yuna had enough of bad news. She knows the world is dying. She won’t be shocked if today is doomsday. She knows everyone is starving, fighting, and desperately trying to survive. She only lived a little more fortunate than most, in the capital of the powerful Mauverich Kingdom and with both of her parents as some people with significant roles in the kingdom. She didn’t need to be reminded about it every day. She was tired.

Ken realized his mistakes and nodded. “Of course. My bad. I’m sorry, Yuna. I’ll turn it off.” Without waiting any longer, he turned off the Conchrio.

Both of them didn’t continue to eat as if they were suddenly feeling full with how intense the atmosphere in the dining room was right now.

“We’ll make it better.”

Yuna stared at nothing in particular. Ken continued, “We’ll improve the world, Yuna. You have to believe it. Every day, me and your mother and other people work hard for it.” Ken smiled. “And your mother, God, she’s an angel sent from heaven. Do you know how much her team progressed with their research? You inherited all your mother’s outstanding qualities, Yuna. One day, you can contribute directly to tackling climate change. Like your mother does.”

Yuna lowered her head when the topic of her mother came up. Subconsciously, she took out the strange stone from her pocket, slowly stroking the inscriptions surrounding the stone with her thumb. So, it’s not from her parents. If not from them, then from who?

Ken was relieved that Yuna didn’t look as angry as before. “Your mother promised to come home tomorrow to celebrate your eighteenth birthday. We will celebrate it together. Of course, you’ve been looking forward to it, right?”

It’s been over three months, and her mother hasn’t returned. Will she be able to attend her birthday tomorrow? She didn’t know. She didn’t care about her birthday at all. She just wanted to spend more time with her parents. Moreover, since her little sister, Aina, died three years ago, her parents were so devastated that they opted to drown themselves in their work to forget their sadness and loss. They forgot that Yuna also felt the same way.

The world out there, for Yuna, was beyond saving. However, her mother firmly believes there is still a way to fix it, and her father is so outspoken that there could not be a more perfect time to fix all past human mistakes. To save the world from its pre-destined doom.

Didn’t they realize that their own family needed to be saved too?

Ken walked over to the table and gently stroked Yuna’s long, jet-black hair. “She promised. Trust her. Tomorrow, we will celebrate it together. Your mother will bake the most delicious birthday cake you have ever eaten.”

Yuna raised her head and looked at Ken. She tried to believe it once again. Perhaps, there is still a way to bring back some color in their family, though not as bright as it used to be when Aina was still around. She nodded.

“Good girl. Now, be sure to do the tasks from your Master. I’m leaving first. I have to go to the Hall of Medeia. I’ll be back before night.”

Ken put on a heavy raincoat in the foyer. He wore his mask and boots when he saw Yuna send him away.

“Be careful on the way, Dad.”

Ken didn’t expect that her daughter would say that. After the death of their youngest daughter, Aina, there was a crack in their relationship. Yuna withdrew herself so much after the incident. He smiled broadly as he walked out of their house into a world on the verge of collapse. To save the dying Earth. To be one of the people who desperately fight for a better tomorrow.

After her father went to work, Yuna would do her daily routines as the student of a Rune Master in the Mauverich kingdom. Currently, they’re conducting the learning activities from their own homes. There was this magical

device called Seevi. It was clam-shaped, and when you opened it and infused Rune Magic in them, they would begin to project any pictures from the other party and their voices.

Yuna attended the class and listened tentatively. Sometimes she took notes and finished the tasks with a perfect score.

By noon, the class had ended. Yuna got ready for lunch. Some of her friends were still talking to each other at Seevi. She was about to grab some snacks when she saw something on her nightstand. Her Conchrio blinked once, signaling an incoming message. She walked over and picked it up. There was a voicemail left in there, and she listened to it.

“Hello, Yuna. This is me.” Yuna’s eyes brightened as she recognized the voice. It was her mother. Aya. “Sorry, I’ve been in the lab too long and haven’t come home yet. I hope you’re doing well. Don’t skip meals, alright? I miss you and your father very much.”

Yuna sat at the bedside. A small smile painted her lips as she listened to her mother’s continuous message. “A little update from me. I’m so happy to be able to inform you of this, Yuna. Currently, our team is at the peak of research to create a rune that can neutralize storm clouds above the ocean. We’re almost done with the research, and when it’s done… ah, no. Whether it’s finished or not, I will still go home. At least I’ll go home tonight, and we will celebrate your birthday together tomorrow at home. And when the sea finally becomes a safe place to approach, we’ll be the first to see how beautiful the sea actually is.

I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to come home and see you guys. Love you.”

The voicemail ended. Maybe this message came in while she was studying. Yuna was just about to leave a voicemail reply to her mother when the commotion of her friends in the Seevi made her turn her head.

“What is it?” Yuna put down her Conchrio and walked over to Seevi. “Yu-Yuna!”

“Oh, my… didn’t you hear the Conchrio’s broadcast just now?” “Hey, do we have to make Yuna listen to it?”

“Then, what are we supposed to do?!”

Yuna didn’t understand why her friends were busy arguing with each other instead of answering her. Until they reached one agreement: to leave Yuna alone for now.

“Yuna, I’m so sorry you must go through this…”

That was her friends' last message before the Clamster was off. It made her anxious. Yuna decided to find out the cause and turned on the news broadcast on her Conchrio.

“Just now, there was a huge explosion in the research area in the northern part of the capital of the Mauverich kingdom. The explosion originated at the Royal Laboratory led by Aya Kawakami, a…”

Aya Kawakami? That’s her mother’s name.

“Emergency evacuation has been carried out for the surrounding area, and now officers are still looking for victims who are at the location. So far, the names of fourteen researchers at the explosion's site have been confirmed…”

The Royal Laboratorium is the laboratory where her mother works. It was a place highly protected by the kingdom. Why is there an explosion there? Why should it be there? That’s not possible.

“Including the lead researcher, Aya Kawakami, all of them died on the spot…”

The Conchrio fell to the ground, as did Yuna, who fell to her knees. Her head was spinning with this sudden news. What? What did it say? Of course, she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Because a few minutes ago, she just listened to her mother’s voicemail and how she excitedly wanted to go home tonight. How could it be like this in a split second? How…

Her hands were shaking. She turned off the news and called her mother. “... Mom? Mom?”

“Mom, pick up my call!”

“Mom, are you there? Answer me, Mom!”

Yuna tried to contact Aya, but she never answered. She didn’t know how many voice messages she had sent to her mother. She felt tears brimming in the corner of her eyes.

It was then that her Conchrio signaled an incoming call. Yuna quickly answered it.

It turns out it wasn’t from Aya. It was from Ken.

“Dad!” Yuna tried to tell him about the news. Did he know? How will she tell him? Her words stuck in her throat. “Dad… Mom… the news, Mom was…”

“Yuna?! Thank God you answered! Yuna, listen to me! Get out of the house right now!”

Yuna couldn’t process her father’s words. "What? Why?"

Ken’s voice was muzzled. He sounds like he’s running as he speaks. “You are in grave danger, Yuna! Please listen to me and get out of the house immediately! I’m coming to you right now! But you have to go out and meet me on the way! I’ll explain later!”

Even though the situation was so confusing, Yuna knew one thing for sure. She had to follow her father’s orders.

Yuna grabbed the jacket from the back of the chair and put on her mask. She left her house through the back door. The emergency exit was in the garden behind the house, and she ran out.

The pouring rain drenched her through her bones as soon as she stepped outside. But she didn’t care. She didn’t have time to get her raincoat and everything. She ran and ran towards the way where her father was supposed to work.

A few blocks after she ran, she heard a loud explosion behind her. Yuna turned to see that her house had exploded to the smithereens.

Her whole body trembled. She would be there if she hesitated a beat longer when the explosion happened. And she will…

“Yuna!”

Yuna turned her head. Her father ran towards her from the other way. She ran to him, “Dad!” She hugged him tightly. She felt so lost and afraid. “Dad, what happened?! Mom… Mom, what about Mom? That news... that’s not true, right? Where’s Mom? She’s with you?”

Ken hugged Yuna back just as tight. Aside from his fast breathing, he sounded deep in pain, as if breaking the news for her pierced his heart.

“I’m so sorry, Yuna. But, your Mom... your Mom is no longer with us.”

Why? Her mother had promised that she would be home from the laboratory soon.

They would celebrate her birthday at home, and her Mom would bake her a cake.

Her mother should be here with them.

Yuna cried her heart out on her father’s chest.

TO BE CONTINUED...

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***