51 Meeting the Surface

"Dad...saved master, and master saved Aunt and me. It was only after I regained consciousness that she told everything."

Kaff gathered Origin within his hand, then it formed into a small sphere of light. His hands lightly pushed the light towards Pisa.

The light entered her body, and the mark of the Vates which was embedded within her body shimmered for a while before it finally disappeared.

"You don't mind if I remove the Vates seal, right? Hamion actually uses this mark to acquire a portion of life energy from ordinary humans, and source power from those who have source spirit. Master removed our marks and explained how to dispel it, and it made me discover how it was done."

Pisa knelt down and both of their eyes locked onto each other.

"I already expected that El would die, so it doesn't affect me so much anymore. But Kaff, there's something you have to know. Something that you all probably should know."

Everyone besides Pisa wore confusion within their faces.

"You have a sister."

"Don't worry, we'll.....huh?"

Kaff's whole body froze and Arc's eyes twinkled from Pisa's words.

"Pisa-sis and Brother... But, when? Before he left?"

"Actually...yes."

There was a slight blush on Pisa's face as she answered Arc, and Kaff somehow made it back to reality by a snap of a finger.

"Congratulations, you're a big brother."

Three commented as she slowly lowered her hand that was near Kaff's face.

"But where is she?"

With that question, Pisa's expression darkened and turned grim.

"That's the reason I'm currently imprisoned. I currently have a debt to someone, and if I wasn't able to pay then I'd be sent to the Merchants Union at Kandria. That person helped me while I was still pregnant with your sister, so I really had no choice as I also wanted to save your father.

I didn't even know that he already died at that point as there were no really news about what happened during the war until only a few months I gave birth.

They said Meltor's dead but I didn't believe them.

But I was also unable to pay so for my daughter's freedom... I'll be confined for the time being.

And Ellie is... with a certain caretaker right now. I trust them, so don't worry."

"Ellie, huh..."

Kaff murmured to himself as he spoke out the name of his little sister, before his brows suddenly furrowed and continued.

"But what if they knew that you got out? Won't they take her away?"

"They wouldn't find her so easily. But you're right so we have to head further south right away."

"She's at Kandria?" Arc asked with a tone of worry which pitched a little bit higher than usual.

"The least place that they would expect, I guess? Like... A shrub within a forest?"

"That's actually a good idea, as long as there are a few people that know about it." Three commented to the side before beckoning to Kaff as she pointed her hand towards the golden earth drill construct.

"Don't dilly dally and let's continue digging, Kaff. Continue the story time later if you want to still meet your sister."

The current location they were in was almost near the surface of the earth.

Roots, small rocks, and all sorts of different solid particles started to appear as they dug. The earth started to change color from brown-red to brown, grey, and then a mixture of everything before everything was almost yellow that was the same color as sand.

About the time of boiling a pot of water took for them to finally rise up towards the surface, and they only saw yellow earth full of all sorts of differently sized rocks.

"FINALLY! Some fresh air." Arc flew around and spun in the air, scattering the leftover debris from her body.

"UGH! Next time I won't agree to digging again!" Three plopped on the ground on her buttocks just near the hole that they came from.

"Heh. Goodbye Serenade." Pisa looked back towards the distance where the place they came from with her hands on her hips.

"So that's Serenade! No wonder it was only described and not much information was on the books." Three exclaimed and then she glanced at Kaff.

He just finished filling up the hole on the ground with a few rocks that were around that he carried using a barrier of Origin.

...

***

We finally got past through that strange place.

I glanced at Mom and with the afternoon sunlight basking us all, the orange tint of the sun somehow reminded me of our whole family back at Illa.

"Mom..." She turned her eyes towards me, and I ran towards her once more and entered her embrace.

The nostalgic feeling almost made me tear up again, but I resisted the urge and tightly hugged her back instead as I bury my face within her chest.

"Sorry I couldn't do anything for Dad."

"Like I told you, I already..."

Mom's words stopped for a moment before I could feel her body briefly convulse in short delays, before I felt her start to tighten her hold on me.

"Pisa-sis..."

I could hear Aunt to the side and felt that she also held us in her arms before quietly sobbing.

The three of us held each other for an unknown time. Tears were spent but not in vain.

"You've grown, Kaff." Mom finally released me from her grasp, the sides of her eyes a bit pinkish but not entirely red.

"*sniff* We got stronger, you know? Yona-sis was an enemy at first but she really did help us, still."

Mom put a hand on her hip and her usual bright expression came back, except for the signs of paleness and slight thinness that she had.

"Wanna show me how you've been?"

I nodded at her and a white orb of light floated above my body as it orbited, and I slowly floated and flew in a circle above us.

"You can fly!?"

Aunt grabbed Mom on her armpits and held her on the chest, before she also started to fly.

"Arc too!? Everyone? Now I feel left out of the loop."

Her head drooped down as she stared at the ground which started to get smaller, and then she looked at me with an earnest expression.

"Kaff. Won't you give me some of that Origin of yours?"

It was a crazy question, but not invalid. The thought suddenly stunned me and I never considered it because people usually just absorb this power which usually has a strengthening or healing effect, but I'm not sure if I could share it with others to make them like me.

"I'm not sure, Mom. I also haven't tried it, but when pouring it on others, it usually just heals or buffs people."

Mom pondered for a bit while we floated in the skies before asking another question.

"What if you fed me that box too?"

Three's eyes almost bulged out from the wideness of her eyes opening, while Aunt only let out a small frown which gradually turned into a smile, and into a laugh.

"What, what's wrong?"

"Mom, unless you want to go through the same pain of not being able to let out what I ate for a few days....."

Realizing the predicament she might probably set in, her face slightly turned red as she blushed and snorted to the side.

"W-Well, I also don't have a source spirit. Yet El SECRETLY had one. Now my son turned out to be a genius... so that probably means that I should have 'something.'"

"You make a good point Pisa-sis, but for now we should probably start walking instead as the sun is almost about to set."

The two suns were already starting to set on the horizon, and night the night was about to come.

We headed further south as we flew.

I injected Origin into my eyes and once we spotted some wild animals that could be butchered, I swooped down before slaughtering them like an owl that hunted on the night.

Mom saw this and was now more eager to acquire Origin than ever, then I could see from time to time that she also enjoyed the feeling of flight.

We travelled until we saw another settlement that had light from the distance, and landed near it.

I took out the wild animals that I stored inside my dimensional storage before I helped Three set up tents. The two adults cooked, and seeing Mom skin and flay the few fowls that I hunted, I somehow missed her cooking.

It didn't take a lot of time for us all to rest and have dinner, before Aunt started to tell her a few more stories that she probably missed earlier.

Having tasted Mom's cooking once more, I was reminded of how life was when I was very little at Phione. Mom rarely cooked and Dad always did the chores.

I'll be more sad later if I keep thinking about these things, but I can't help it since my mother is actually in front of me. These feelings could only be kept for now, and the best time should probably be when I finally reach the God-level and am able to protect everyone enough for me to not worry about anyone dying once more.

"Mom, about how much time do we need before reaching Kandria?"

"Since you're all flying, probably at most, only a week left or just a few days. I'm not sure, but it could be sooner. You'll know when we reach the place."

I wasn't sure but the time was almost midnight as the two in-laws chatted with each other with small talk, whence Three and I only listened and laughed along them.

They were even starting to gesture towards each other that I couldn't even understand they were talking about.

"Happy Birthday!" The two women suddenly exclaimed, and Aunt even fired up a few sword lights in the air, almost filling the whole area with white translucent swords.

That was so sudden that I don't even know how to react, and I could only smile widely.

"Thanks, Mom. Thanks Aunt..."

I've had enough birthdays in my life and I was supposed to be just indifferent about it but having my own family in this world, I couldn't be any happier.

I probably couldn't get over the fact that Dad is no longer here, even if I have now a new goal in mind.

"I hope Dad could see me now that I've grown a bit taller."

The two glanced at each other and Aunt was about to speak, but Three cut in instead.

"I didn't know it was your birthday, but here."

She took out a piece of fabric that was a bit laced on the middle with a certain pattern.

"It's part of my wedding gown, but I remade it into something else. Not sure what it is, though..."

I took the fabric from her hands and I was slightly shivering while looking at it.

"Thanks, Three. I'll treasure this."

Carefully looking at it, the patterns on this fabric looked like a black flower that had its petals blossom, and the middle part had yellow and white dots on it as if it was its pistils that made it stood out.

There was also a faint trace of something fragrant that I somehow smelled after holding it for a while on my two hands.

Memorizing its pattern and how it exactly looked like, I stored it inside my pouch so that I'll have it nearby.

"It was just a casual gift though! I'll give you something better when I'm able to buy something..."

"It's good. I like it. I don't need anything else."

Crap, it felt like a partial confession there just now.

I could also see her snort to the side and hid her face, but I could somehow see the end of her ears which was slightly red.

"Kaff, I'm getting bored. Since Kirllia and Yona-sis disappeared, I haven't been able to spar with anyone lately."

From Aunt's words, the winds started to stop and I felt a sudden chill on my back.