Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Chapter 7 The First Family Meeting (1/2)
Chapter 8: Chapter 7 The First Family Meeting
Under the first rays of morning sunlight, the whole world seemed enshrouded in a gentle haze.
Karl became distinctly aware of the arrival of two other members of the Fischer family, for he could sense their bloodline through the favored imprint with utmost clarity, even predicting their exact time of arrival at the cabin.
Three days had passed since the attack by the evil cultists and the night the girl received her imprint, yet Irene still hadn’t figured out how to obtain the Mysterious rare artifact.
For a girl not widely experienced, it was indeed too difficult.
She sat in the cabin caring for her younger brother, slowly lifting her hand that bore the red imprint, feeling she ought to do something with this power.
But the plans in her head remained vague and indistinct, unable to take shape.
Just as Irene was at her wits’ end, she suddenly felt the crimson imprint on the back of her hand grow warm as if a connection was forming from somewhere nearby.
Instinctively, she looked up towards the outside of the cabin; a wood cart drawn by a black horse made its way slowly, leaving deep ruts in the muddy ground.
Irene unconsciously swallowed, knowing all too clearly that the ashes of the evil cultists were buried under that stretch of mud.
Lucius and Byrne, standing beside the wooden cart, were also taken aback as they felt a subtle sensation in their bloodline connection, pinpointing this place as the source that called to them in the night.
Lucius, out of habit, squinted his eyes, cautiously gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist, ready to draw it at any moment.
Irene emerged from the cabin cradling her swaddled younger brother, looking perplexed at the unfamiliar faces from Nasir Town, and asked, “Who are you?”
Byrne instinctively shrank back behind his father, not daring to face the strangers.
Lucius replied with a smile, “I’m a retired old mercenary, my name is Lucius Fischer. And what’s your name, little girl?”
Irene was taken aback for a moment; the man before her also bore the Fischer name. What exactly was going on?
She vaguely remembered her father mentioning he had an uncle, but it seemed too coincidental that this man could be him.
Byrne, standing behind Lucius, suddenly looked up and said, “Father, she could very likely be my cousin.”
Many questions in Lucius’s mind suddenly cleared as he asked with a continued smile, “How did you figure that out?”
Byrne, still very nervous, went on to explain,
“Well, father, you once mentioned having a brother in Nasir, and she has that crimson imprint on her hand. I surmise, um, that could likely be an artifact arising from our bloodline connection.”
Hearing this, Irene took a deep breath, understanding that both men were her kin and had probably come here in response to the call of the Lord of the Lost.
So that was it; the girl suddenly realized the true significance of the crimson imprint.
Trying to keep calm, she said, “It is a gift from the great Lord of the Lost. From now on, members of the Fischer family will all be His followers, and I too am a child of the Fischer family.”
Lucius nodded silently, his eyes sparkling with intelligence as he brushed aside his languid demeanor and continued,
“It seems you are indeed my brother’s daughter. Why haven’t I seen him or your mother? And about everything concerning the Lord of the Lost… please tell us in detail.”
Mid-sentence, Lucius had already seen the undisguised sorrow in Irene’s expression and immediately surmised that his brother’s current situation could not be a good one; his expression also became somber.
“Brother, perhaps I should have come back sooner.”
The socially anxious Byrne hesitantly asked a question.
“This mysterious being you speak of, is He truly a god? Even if He is a deity, He could also be an Evil God, right? Does the Fischer family really have to worship Him?”
Hearing the questioning voice, Irene’s face turned cold, and the displeasure in her gaze made Byrne shiver.
“You have no right to question Him!”
She shook her head, turned, and went back inside the cabin, leaving the father and son outside exchanging confused looks.
Karl observed the two newcomers quietly.
The older man was a weathered, experienced mercenary, clearly the most useful “piece” in the Fischer family’s current situation.
Noon.
The “Blazing Sun” and “Radiant Sun” both hung high above, casting their nearly endless warmth.
“Please, look and see that everything I have said is true, and this is the Extraordinary power bestowed upon me by the Lord of the Lost.”
Irene had already put down her brother, her expression serene as she raised a hand and summoned a subtle, soothing emerald glow, exuding an air as if spring had arrived.
Lucius and Byrne stood inside the cabin, dumbstruck by the scene, their gaze upon the transparent bottle turning uneasy, not knowing what to make of it.
Karl could clearly sense the specific content of their emotions.
Byrne, the nervous and timid boy, felt an oppressive curiosity amid his unease. He was fascinated by “his own” existence, yet too fearful to attempt exploring it.