Revelation

"I have an important matter to declare!"

Jogr was already on his way out when his brother-in-law suddenly spoke out loud. Since it sounded to be something serious, Jogr awkwardly returned to his seat.

Seated on her uncle's lap, Hegla turned her head to face Blink. She squinted her eyes, pouted and said, "Nangku, you're neglecting me again!

"I've already finished chewing the food you were feeding me a looong time ago!"

The five-year old girl overemphasized the word "long" as if to express a serious wrong done against her.

"Here you go," Blink responded, shoving rice into the little girl's mouth before stuffing her with bacon and egg.

"Your Nangku wants to announce something important, come here and let me feed you," Jogr persuaded his daughter in what he supposed was his tender voice.

"No!" the girl snapped back without hesitation.

Jogr looked stung by his little girl's instant rejection. However, getting rejected initially never fazed him. After all, Magra rejected him several times before he could finally win her over.

"C'mon, sweetie, your Nangku would feel more at ease talking to us if he doesn't have to feed you at the same time."

"He can tsalk tso you bwhile feedjing me!" The girl replied with a stuffed mouth, so some of the rice fell out of her mouth.

"Don't worry about it, Namgun. Hegla, it is bad manners to speak when your mouth is full."

It was fine for Blink to not be bothered, but Jogr felt a pang of jealousy seeing his daughter clinging to his brother-in-law and ignoring him, her own father.

Jogr and his daughter had always been very close but, since Blink arrived, he had instantly replaced Jogr as the number one guy in Hegla's eyes.

"So what were you going to tell us, Nimgun?" Jogr wanted the matter over and done with quickly. All he wanted under the present circumstances was to attend to his duties as the village chief. He sounded a little irked, too.

Blink looked at everybody.

"Damma, Namgan, Namgun…I am sure you're all wondering why I am staying around for a month instead of hurrying back to the academy," Blink started with the matter he was sure they wanted to know.

"We were indeed waiting for you to tell us," Jogr acknowledged, still somewhat annoyed.

"If it's something bad, you know you can always tell us," his adoptive mother, Damre, reassured him.

"It's nothing of the sort, Damma. I can at least assure you of that."

"You weren't expelled, were you?" This time it was his elder sister Magra who asked him a very direct question.

"No, that's not it, Namgan."

"If that were the case, that you had been kicked out, you know we're never going to think any less of you. It's nothing to be ashamed of, really. Besides, whatever happens, you shall always be our champion."

"That's very touching, Namgun. Thank you. But it…"

"Nangku, you're neglecting me again! Sigh!"

"Hegla!" Everybody chorused in exasperation.

"What did I do?" the little girl gave everyone an aggrieved look.

"You have a wicked sense of timing," Blink said. He fed her a few spoonful while favoring her with a smile.

"You're spoiling that girl," Magra accused her younger brother.

"Nyangku ish not shpoiling me. Chomp, chomp, chomp. He ish pampering me. Chomp, chomp, chomp."

"Nice choice of words, Hegla. But you're again talking while your mouth is full. It's a sign of ill breeding. Do you want people to call you an ill-bred?"

The little girl turned her head around to look at Blink. She could not have understood what ill-bred meant, but she looked quite certain that she didn't want to be one.

She swallowed the food she was munching. Then she glared at Blink.

"I'm a very cute five-year old girl with blonde hair. Cute little girls with blonde hair could never be called ill-bred!"

She stated her words with a flourish then acted as if the argument was already decided in her favor.

Feeling helpless, Blink scooped up spoonfuls of rice and bacon and stuffed the girl's mouth.

Blink turned his gaze to the adults around the table.

"I knew you were all thinking I might have been expelled from the academy and was just ashamed to admit it," he said nonchalantly. "But I assure you that's really not the case."

"But if you weren't expelled, yet you seem to be dragging your return to the academy, what could it be then?"

It was Magra who spoke at that time.

Blink took a deep breath.

"I'm going on a secret mission."

The three adults around the table exchanged incredulous looks. Jogr then chuckled like something was really funny.

"So that's it? Jogr's remark held a taunting tone to it. The Master gave you time off in order for you to chase after and beat up bandits?"

Blink furrowed his brows.

"It's a secret mission, Namgun, not a regular mission."

"Whatever, it's just cleaning up more bandits than usual. I'm sure the Butt-Sticking Brownie can easily handle that anytime he wants to."

"Namgun, where I'm going is a lot more dangerous than taking care of bandits."

"Nangku!"

"Oh, yes, sorry." Blink stuffed Hegla's mouth with food once more.

"What is this secret mission then?" Damre asked.

"That's why it's called a secret mission. I cannot tell you."

"That's ridiculous!" Jogr sounded rather upset. "We're your family and you cannot tell us?"

"Namgun, a lot of lives are at stake on this mission. If I reveal to you even the slightest detail about it, I will be foolishly adding you among my burdens."

"That sounds terrifying." This time it was Magra's turn to comment.

"Let's put it this way. There are hidden enemies out there. I don't know who they are or what their numbers could be. And if they catch even the slightest wind of what I have been sent to do, you can be sure it's not going to end well for the people who knew something about it."

"Wait, wait, wait! What you're saying sounds incredibly exciting. I'm inclined to believe you woke up with a fever this morning."

"Namgun, I am not making this up. There are a lot of things I wish I could tell you, but I just can't. You just have to trust me when I say it's in your best interest and mine as well that you know as little of it as prudence can allow."

Blink locked eyes for a few seconds with his brother-in-law. Then he shifted his gaze to his elder sister and to his mother.

"Anyway, I've said all that needs to be said," he said softly. "If you're still not convinced, you can check out the sword Master Tszarek gave me."

"What has the sword got to do with it?" Jogr wondered out loud.

"It's the mission token."

The three adults grew very quiet, seemingly at a loss as to what to say. Meanwhile Blink went back to feeding his cute five-year old blonde niece.

"When do you plan to set out on your mission?" Magra was the first to break her silence.

"The day after the next Rahang Nimgan should be a good time," Blink answered right away.

"But when will you be back?" Jogr asked the question next.

"After five years, Namgun. At the very least."

"Five years! But that's too long. What about your graduation from the academy?"

"The mission will take me on a journey of over one hundred thousand kilometers. At the end of that long journey, I shall meet some very important persons. Then, I have to go to a special place where I'd stay for a few years before I can finally come back."

"It doesn't sound so dangerous," Jogr commented while trying to assume a knowing posture.

Magra and Blink both rolled their eyes at him.

"What did I do?" Jogr asked innocently.

"Kraszad is going on a very long journey through unknown lands, and you think that doesn't sound dangerous? You couldn't even walk two kilometers in the Kasgar forest and you got yourself bitten by a snake."

This happened before Magra became Jogr's girlfriend. Fortunately, the snake wasn't poisonous. However, Jogr made such a spectacle of himself thinking he had been poisoned and was about to die.

"I also don't know what's waiting for me at that so-called special place, Namgun."

Jogr looked upset after Blink's last statement.

Meanwhile, Magra was seething in anger.

"Why did they have to send you of all people?" Magra hissed. "Why could they not send one of the young masters? It would have been more appropriate."

"It had to be me, Namgan. That's just how it is."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Yes, Namgan. In fact, I'd rather be the one to go."

Right then, Damre held Blink's hand. A tear fell down her right cheek.

"Whatever happens, you must come back, understand?"

"I will, Damma. Of course I'll come back."

"You're going away?" Hegla asked. She wasn't listening at all to their conversation for the past few minutes and was only starting to understand what they had been talking about.

"Yes, my dear," Blink caressed the little girl's cheeks.

"How long will you be away?"

"Five years."

"But that's an awfully long time." Tears started to fall down the little girl's cheeks.

"I know, princess. You will have grown prettier by then."

"But you'll come back, right?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Pinky promise?" Hegla raised her right hand, her pinky extended towards Blink.

Blink smiled. He looped his pinky around the little girl's tiny finger. "Pinky promise," he said.

The little girl cuddled up to Blink, who wrapped an arm around her for support.

"What about your graduation?" Jogr went back to his unanswered question.

"Let's just say that a more important matter came up."