"Is Marshal, Mr. M's real name?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
Miss Kagame laughed softly. "Yes, it is, but I guess he hasn't told you since you had to ask." She leaned against the doorframe, a thoughtful look on her face.
"And if you're wondering what his full name is, it's Marshal Yamiyo Heimdall—"
Just after he's done telling us his name, Miss Kagame's elbow shot out like a heat-seeking missile to Mr. Alfredo's side with a soft, yet clearly painful, thump. "AAAH!" he groaned, clutching his ribs and wincing, his face a perfect picture of betrayal.
Meanwhile, miss Kagame just smiled sweetly, her eyes twinkling with a silent, menacing promise of "you're lucky I stopped you before I had to turn you into a decorative rug in our living room." The message was received loud and clear.
"Hahaha that's a cool name," I said, a little in awe. "By the way, how are you and Mr. Alfredo related?"
"Mr. Alfredo has been my mentor since I was a little girl, about seven years old, at the Wizarding Academy," she chuckled.
My jaw dropped. "Wizarding Academy?! As in, like, magic schools? With wands and spells and grimoires and chanting 'Aloha Mora'?"
My questions came out in a breathless rush, a tidal wave of excitement after a lifetime of fantasy novels and movies.
Miss Kagame just laughed, patting my head as if I were a particularly enthusiastic puppy. "Well, first of all, it's 'Alohomora'," she corrected gently. "And second, I'm not a wizard. I'm a sorceress. We don't need wands or grimoires to cast spells. I'm in Class S, which is for the Aces." She sat on the edge of the bed and continued with the information, "The academy has seven classes in total: E to A are for rookies, and then you have S for Aces and K for the Elite leaders of the Lustrous Stars."
"That's incredible!" I exclaimed, my mind buzzing with the possibilities. "Can I go to the Wizarding Academy, too?"
"Well, you can go on as many adventures as you want here," she said, "but you can't leave our kingdom without a special golden pass. The other kingdoms are very strict about outsiders."
"Kingdoms?!" My eyes widened again."Which kingdom do we live in?"
She smiled, a shimmering map of the world appearing in the air between us. "We are in the Eclipse Kingdom, the prime of all kingdoms. It's where the elders and Noble Heroes of other kingdoms hold their meetings. To the west is the Viking Empire, a vast land filled with dangerous beasts. While they're second to us in diplomacy, they're the strongest in brute strength. To the north is the Wizard Zone, near our palace, and to the south are the Fairyland and the Elven Fortress."
"Okay, I'm sold. I've changed my mind. I'm staying here even if we don't win the tournament," I declared proudly.
"That's fine with us; we'd love to have you all here," she laughed.
Ate Clydelle, who had been listening to our conversation from her bed, announced, "I'm done resting; I'll just take a bath."
"Sure!" Miss Kagame replied. "There's already a towel in the bathroom with your name engraved."
"Thank you," my cousin said, exiting the room.
I next to Miss Kagame, "If you met our Lola Naomi, does that mean you're the same age as her?"
Her face softened as she turned to me, a wistful look in her eyes. "Not exactly. She's ten years older than me. You see, the lifespan here is much longer than in your world. Mister Alfredo is over two hundred years old, and I'm a hundred and twenty-one. Marshal is a young twenty-three."
"O-ohh... Wow! That must be incredible, living that long," I said, trying to wrap my head around the idea of a two-hundred-year-old man.
"No, honey," she said softly, walking over and sitting beside me. "We call it a curse."
"A curse?" The word hung in the air, it's a contrast to the magical, awe-inspiring world around us.
She took my hand in hers, "The gods punished us all."
A knot of guilt tightened in my stomach. Hearing her talk about it as a punishment from the gods, made the magical glamour of this world fade just a little.
It was a reminder that even in a land of magic and wonder, there was a deep-seated gloom, a kind of suffering I couldn't possibly understand. I suddenly felt a profound sense of ignorance, an outsider's naivety for ever thinking a long life was something to be envied.
"But why?" I frowned, the weight of her words heavy in the air.
"It's a long story, but it goes back to our ancestors and the tale of the three gods. Our ancestors befriended Chaos, the god of destruction, and even helped him set foot in the heavens. But the real reason for the curse lies in a sin of what our forefathers committed before that. The gods had spared them once, but they couldn't ignore it the second time around."
"What was the sin?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"In this world," she whispered, leaning closer, "gods are born from the desires of the people."
My eyes widened in a sudden, sickening realization. "Wait... are you saying one of your ancestors wished for destruction, and that's why Chaos exists?"
She nodded. "Exactly. Lord Vincent II, the second-generation king of the Eclipse family, wasn't satisfied with peace. He was a greedy man who wanted to rule all kingdoms. So he wished for power, for destruction, and for Chaos to be born on Zeraschia."
"He sounds like a horrible king," I said, my voice filled with a stern tone. "I guess the song was right; all human beings truly are made of greed, and it's woven in our souls."
Miss Kagame let out a hearty laugh, breaking the tension. "My, what a vocabulary you have! I didn't expect that from you."
I blushed and laughed awkwardly. "Ah, that was a song from one of my favourite bands, so I guess that's where it comes from. By the way, why is Mr. M only twenty-three years old but he knew our grandmother? When did he meet her?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that," she said, her expression turning serious. "Perhaps you should ask Marshal the next time you see him."
Just then, Clydelle sat up from the bed, her nap already over. "Oi, it's your turn to take a bath."
As I stood up to leave, I noticed the dress my cousin was wearing. It was a beautiful rosy pink turtleneck above-the-knee dress, with mulberry purple linings on the sleeves and intricate embroideries on the neck, shoulder, and torso. A raisin-purple obi sash was wrapped elegantly around her waist, completing the look.
"Wow, that's a nice dress," I complimented.
"It's all thanks to them; they have excellent taste," Clydelle replied, her face still half-buried in her pillow.
Miss Kagame escorted me to the bathroom, telling me to wake ate Clydelle up when I was done because dinner would be ready soon. I nodded and entered the bathroom, my jaw dropping once again. The bathroom was huge and stunning, a perfect blend of lush greenery and sleek, contemporary fixtures.
"This place never fails to feel aesthetically pleasing," I mumbled to myself, taking in the beautiful design.
I still can't believe a place like this exists. They live in a medieval and magical era, but their technology seems far more advanced than ours. It amuses me that they've managed to preserve nature while advancing their technology. Even their clothing is vintage-inspired, but with a modern twist.
As I bathed, my thoughts drifted to my friends.
I should have been at a birthday party, having fun with them, but I didn't even get to say goodbye. I hope they understand.
I also miss my family—my parents, aunts, and uncles. Every weekend, we'd have a feast together. It's only the first day, but it already feels like too much. I'm not sure if I should be relaxed or concerned about this situation.
A terrifying thought crossed my mind. What if this is all a dream? Or worse, what if I'm in a coma? What if the vehicle we were riding in crashed, and everything I'm experiencing is just a hallucination? I'm completely perplexed... It makes me want to cry.
After a refreshing bath, I changed into the clothes they had prepared for me. It was a beautiful off-shoulder, above-the-knee flaxen dress with tuscany yellow linings on the shoulder line and an umber brown obi at the waist.
"This is so cute," I said, admiring my reflection in the mirror. I wished I had brought my DSLR camera with me because I really wanted to capture the wonders of this place.
When I was done, I saw Frank and Tyler walking toward me, so I went to meet them.
"Wow, what a drastic change in appearance," I teased my brother.
"Hmp, at least I resemble Roronoa Zoro," he boasted, striking a swordsman pose.
"You're wearing a haramaki sash, but you're not even a samurai," I remarked, rolling my eyes.
"Tch," he replied, sticking his tongue out and making a face.
"Ah right! Miss Kagame told us that she had already prepared for our dinner, so please go get ate Clydelle," Tyler said, still laughing at our bickering.
"OK, I'll go get her now."
I was surprised to find Clydelle sitting on the opposite side of the bed when I entered our room.
"What's that?" I asked, taking a seat beside her. She had a book in her hand that she was reading intently.
"Lola Naomi's journal," she replied, handing it to me. "All the information we need about Zeraschia is written here, and look—she even drew a map," she said, revealing an entire map of Zeraschia.
"I think she didn't want us to get lost," I joked.
"Especially Tyler; he's the one who gets lost all the time," she agreed, and we both laughed.
"She was definitely into this world," I marveled.
"She must have had a good time here."
"I hope we can enjoy it as well; I hope we love Zeraschia as much as she did," I said with a hearty smile.
"I'm sure we will."
"Hey! Get out of there already, let's not make Miss Kagame wait for us," Frank scolded us from the doorway. We decided to go eat, and Clydelle placed the journal under her pillow before we left the room and headed to the kitchen.
"The elf clothes I bought yesterday fit you guys perfectly," Mister Alfredo marveled. "I'll get some more of that next time."
"Thank you, Mr. Alfredo," we all politely replied.
"But what took you girls so long? Was Clydelle a heavy sleeper?" Miss Kagame joked.
"Ahh, we found a treasure— it was Lola Naomi's journal," Clydelle replied.
"Really? How did you find it?" Mr. Alfredo asked, surprised.
"I used my vision, which allows me to see through things."
"Wow! I never thought you'd learn that at your age," he exclaimed.
"Lola Naomi encouraged me to learn this skill because I could use it at the right time," she replied with a smile.
"That's right, Naomi told us she'd hide something important and you'd have to find it at the right time. I believe that would be your test."
"Test?" Clydelle inquired, a perplexed look on her face.
"Yes, Naomi wants to put everything she taught you to the test, and she even asked us to teach you more about your power, but I guess that wouldn't be possible because the tournament starts tomorrow," she added. "Naomi is still looking after you even now," Miss Kagame chuckled.
"I believe she's doing this to protect my cousins in case we're trapped in a worst-case scenario," she explained modestly.
Mister Alfredo grinned and chuckled. "All right, let's get some food."