8

Aki The Awesome

A house in the middle of the forest sang a soothing melody among the rather quiet atmosphere; a calm symmetry lay between its yard and the surrounding trees. Inside, static from a distant television played as a teakettle boiled on the stove, sizzling steam cheering within.

"Damn it, they should've arrived twenty minutes ago," Aki said, resting by the table as he glanced between the window and door. "Where could they possibly be?

He looked down upon his empty cup of tea, then at the tea kettle, sighing in exhaustion. The clock behind, ticking away.

"Do I wait or go search for them?" He asked himself, glancing at the door once more.

At the faint sound of high rustling, he jolted from his seat.

The door burst open, and in came Elena, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Aki! Sorry for being late."

She stretched her arms after shutting the door, noticing the shouting flames underneath the tea kettle.

Elena turned the stove off as she reached for a plate from the cabinet. "More tea?"

Aki rested his hand on his chest, taking a sigh of relief. "You guys gave me a heart attack for a second there."

Elena then crouched to reach the lower pantry, searching through the dozen wrappers and empty bags. After a second, she finally found the spicy Cheetos. 

"Yeah, I hate to give them credit, but humans are getting better themselves." She stood up in disappointment, pouring the rest of the chips on her plate.

Glancing around for a moment, she was confused by the absence of others as a nearby television muted its static.

“We usually have clients around this time. How strange.” Elena whispered, returning to preparing her snack. “Not to mention, I don't see Kaito or Souta anywhere.”

Getting her attention with a wave, Aki lifted his head towards the tea kettle. "Pretty please."

"On it, uncle." Elena nodded as she reached for the kettle, pouring him a cup.

"Yeah, I regret that title; it's embarrassing." He yawned afterward, stretching his hand upward.

"All the local paradigms call you uncle, uncle." She snorted lightly, bringing the cup and plate over to the table.

He pushed aside the empty cup and grabbed the new, warm one. As he grabbed the handle, Elena ate her chips standing.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Aki looked around Elena towards the door, growing worried once more. "But where's Kaito and Souta?"

The two stared off into the silence, unmoving for a second.

Elena slammed her hands on the table. "Huh?! They're not here yet!?"

Glancing towards the living room and then the second floor through the railings, she couldn't find any trace of them.

"That's just great, now I have to wait even longer to tell you all and find them too." He stood up from the table, pushing his cup further from the corner.

Elena placed her hand in front of him, heading towards the door instead. But before she could leave, a sudden shock coursed through her hair.

"Nope, I'm here, so there's no need to worry," Souta said, appearing in front of the stairs with blue sparks floating from his feet.

He took a seat next to Aki, dragging his hands over the table in exhaustion and resting his head in defeat.

Elena groaned as she checked her nails whilst Souta harshly rubbed his eyes.

Clap! The room went silent.

Aki clapped his hands together, getting their attention. "The thing is, they're already on their way."

Souta and Elena looked at him with confusion, leaning in closer out of curiosity.

"Wait, who?" Souta asked, sitting up straight.

Aki took another sip of his tea as Elena returned to eating her chips, slowly to make sure her ears were open.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Souta added; him and Elena being as impatient as little kids.

The static of the corner television returned for a second.

He sighed once more, pushing away his tea. "As I went over to recover the cases, there was this eye-catching broadcast on a nearby billboard."

A second of silence followed, giving a moment for the two to recall.

Souta gasped in shock. 

 "The one about Lunar Province?" 

"No way! The Lunar Province?!" Elena interrupted, tightening her grip on the tablecloth.

 "Just tell us what happened!" He leaned back in excitement.

"Turns out the loot was indeed their property. Something about secret capsules." Intrigued, Aki placed his hand under his chin.

"But how did you contact them? I don't think that paradigms would use the, um..." She paused, thinking for a moment. "...funky technology?"

"Correction, paradigm technology." Unaware of the open door, he continued to speak, looking down. "Our kind still holds origin and superiority in anything you can think of. Whereas the humans took a million years to reach a fair playing ground."

"Except the food, that's long gone, trust me." Kaito blurted, walking over to the conversation next to Elena.

"Kaito, stop changing the subject." She brushed him off, only interested in learning more, just like her father.

"Basically, the very attendants who requested aid came across the picture I uploaded." Aki stared at the floor intently as if he were solving a puzzle.

Elena and Aki paused and slowly turned their attention to Kaito, whilst Souta remained still.

"Wait, Kaito?!" She shouted, shoving him slightly.

"Hey, sis." He said as he took a bite of a chicken sandwich. "Oh, and sorry for being late."

She traced her finger over some blood on his forehead, a small stain reaching below his right eye.

"What happened to you?" With a worried expression, her eyes quivered.

Kaito nervously chuckled, scratching his head with the other hand. "I might or might not have fallen off a cliff."

As her worry became frustration, Kaito tried to distract himself by taking another bite.

"A cliff?!" Elena shouted, growing furious, slamming one of her hands on the table.

"Don't worry, it wasn't even that tall." He wiped the blood off his face as he laid his halved sandwich on the table.

Reaching for his pocket, he handed his sister a cheeseburger in an indented wrapper, smiling softly.

Her frown became a smile, bright and warm as Elena cautiously accepted the gift. 

"Thanks." She whispered.

Souta watched with jealousy, narrowing his eyes, as Elena rested her hand on Kaito's shoulder.

"You're so lucky you took after your father," Aki sighed in relief, wiping the rest of his blood stains with a cloth.

Kaito squinted his eyes, stepping back. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was just talking about your durability." Aki stuttered, sitting back down.

Elena swallowed her food, wiping her mouth hurriedly. "Aki, a cliff isn't going to injure a paradigm much, and you know that, so for you to say such a thing is suspicious."

She waved her hand at him, still holding the warm cheeseburger.

"Hey, stupid over there is not your typical paradigm; he's a rare mix between two of the strongest clans." Souta blurted, also suspicious of Aki. "Which makes him all the more annoying." He continued, crossing his arms.

"I must've hit a nerve there." Aki waved his hands in rejection. "See, you two are already jumping to conclusions." The tension around them tightened, glancing back and forth between one another.

Her eyes narrowed, looking directly at Aki with suspicion. "Maybe cause I don't appreciate anyone bringing up our past, let alone our parents."

"Can we get back to the news of Lunar Province, please?" Souta interrupted, stretching his back in exhaustion.

Kaito paused in shock, his jaw wide open as if he had just won the lottery.

"Lunar Province?!" He questioned, halting in place. "Did you really say Lunar Province?"

Souta rested his hands behind his neck. "Yeah, why?"

"Hello?! The strongest and most influential capital of the three remaining grand kingdoms?" Kaito exclaimed as he slammed his hands on the table, leaning closer in excitement.

"There he goes again." Elena rolled her eyes, scoffing.

Kaito rested his hand on his hip, squinting at his sister. "Hey now, you're just as much of a nerd."

The two lightly chuckled, agreeing with one another in their tone.

"I don't think it's all that amazing." Souta stretched his hands across the table, taking an annoyed sigh.

Turning their attention to him momentarily, the siblings glared at him with narrow, disappointed eyes.

"Say what you want, but it's more than just the coolest place on earth." Resting a hand on the other like an instructor, Kaito commented. "It's a chance to learn more about my parents, one I might not get again."

Elena turned to him at the mention of their parents, lowering her hands by her waist.

"What about our parents?" She asked, finishing her cheeseburger with delight as if she hadn’t had one in a while.

In response, he massaged his forehead with his finger, searching through his thoughts.

"If I remember correctly, Mom and Dad were allies with their rulers.” His eyes shut for more focus. “Also, I think one of them was their friend.”

"Auntie Naomi?" Elean tilted her head, half uncertain.

Kaito’s eyes widened in relief, waving his finger up and down. "Yes, her!"

Listening in to the conversation deeply, Aki couldn’t keep shut anymore and stood up.

"Wait, Kaito, how do you know so much?" He blurted out, sweating nervously.

Elena groaned as she glanced at the ceiling, annoyingly tired from being interrupted.

Kaito reached for his pocket and took out a photo. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you."

Handing it over to him, he took the last bite of his chicken sandwich in his other hand.

“Where did you find it?” Aki asked, glancing between the four people in the photo.

Next to Ava was a joyful woman with her hand over her shoulder, her blond hair dancing with the retro beat. However, on the other side, next to Kazai, was a gloomy man with barely a smile; each time he glanced between them sent another shiver down Aki’s spine.

“I came across it in the attic yesterday, and I’ve held onto it since,” Kaito added before slowly turning around to the door.

Aki took some deep breaths behind the photo of them in front of a castle, twitching every time the man’s eyes stared at him.

“Whoa, it’s Mom and Dad!” Elena scurried to Aki’s side, pointing at Ava and Kazai in the middle. “But I don’t see Auntie Naomi anywhere.”

He recovered just in time, avoiding Elena and Souta’s glances.

“Yeah, but it’s still Lunar Province. That’s why I’ve always wanted to go there.” Kaito redirected his attention back to his squad, scratching his head.

“It wouldn’t be your first time,” Aki whispered under his breath, noticing that Kaito turned to the door again, hearing a faint sound himself, too.

“Did you say something?” Kaito asked, cautiously walking over to the door as Souta and Elena paused in place, catching a glimpse of a headlight.

The engine’s whispers turn into grumbles, bringing Kaito and Elena a little closer.

Elena tried to take a peek but retreated when the engine went silent. "No way, could it be?!"

Aki quickly glanced between them, pressing his finger against the photo. The image vanished before his pressured mana, disappearing off the white sheet of paper.

"Wait, is that what I think it is?" Souta got up from his chair towards the others.

Aki covered where the picture used to be, slipping the photo back into Kaito’s pocket. He followed it with a pat on his shoulder, redirecting his attention away from the photo.

"Okay, listen up, everyone. Be on your best behavior, and I know this all too sudden, but opportunity has finally shone its light on us." He spoke without consideration for sense, glad they arrived.

Just as the motor’s sound came to an end with a faint shut of a door, a spiral of currents came from above.

“But aren’t we only returning the loot?” Kaito momentarily placed his hand over his pocket, smiling in relief when he felt the photo’s slim edge.

Aki turned to him and shrugged as Elena and Souta peeked from the window, looking above.