SHIRO
I was pulled from my dream when my sense of smell sniffed an aroma in the air. A stench that made my brain send a signal to my stomach, notifying me of its hunger. It was no doubt that someone was cooking something delicious.
Turned out, it was not just me who got awoken by the scrumptious smell of the cooking as well. The whole gang grunted and stretched their bodies to relieve themselves from the soreness brought by sleeping.
Thankfully, Mister Daku did not dare to sneak out of the bed last night. With the look he had yesterday, I was expecting him to do something about it just like what he did a week ago, back at the shop.
He was just staring at the view outside the window.
After greeting each other a pleasant morning, all of us went down to the kitchen to find out who was cooking. When we reached it, the smell intensified tenfold, and the scene bright and lively.
Two figures were here, both were dicing and slicing the ingredients. One of them was Mister Glancis, who then left his previous spot to check on the pots that were boiling and steaming hot.
The other figure was a lady. I would guess her age was slightly older than me but younger than Mister Daku. Her ginger-colored hair was neatly tied in a bun to keep her hair from blocking her view. Her clothes did not speak nobility, but that did not matter anymore right now. She was also wearing an apron to protect her clothes from getting soiled. She was no stranger, for we knew that she was Mister Glancis's daughter.
"AHHH!" the lady screamed when she saw us, probably thinking we were intruders.
"AHHH! Why did y—!" Mister Glancis wasn't able to finish his words when he glanced at our direction. A smile, which was on the brink of turning into a laugh, curved on his lips when he realized what happened. "Apologies, my friends, for my daughter's reaction. She's a bit elusive with visitors and guests. I hope you are not offended by her sudden yelling."
Mister Glancis's daughter immediately hid her face due to embarrassment. It wouldn't be a surprise to discover her face blushing.
"Don't worry, Mister Glancis, we fully understand. It's normal to have a reaction like that when finding a stranger inside your house," Mister Arano replied with a reassuring smile.
Mister Riku added a few words as well, "And as for someone who was bedridden for five years, I bet her mind is still trying to grasp everything. After all, she fell asleep with only her father but woke up with unfamiliar faces."
"Thank you for understanding, my friends. Ah, right! Let me introduce to you my daughter! Darling?" Mister Glancis glanced at his daughter, who looked at him as well upon hearing her father's call. "Don't be shy."
Mister Glancis's daughter timidly looked in our direction. We could see her bashfulness from how her eyes would meet ours and instantly avoid them. She was pretty nervous as well based on her restless fingers. This reminded me of the time when Mister Glancis sought Mister Daku's help.
"He—Hello! I... uh... I'm Glad—Gladia! Thank yo—you for help—helping m—me!" At the same time she uttered the last word, she bent her body forward for a bow: a sign of gratitude and respect.
"Nice to meet you, Gladia," Mister Riku greeted in a sweet and calmer voice. Perhaps not to scare Gladia. "I'm Riku! This one right here is Arano and Keiro. As for this little guy, this is Shiro. And the one who actually helped you is him, Mister Daku."
"Mister Daku is a healer," Mister Arano introduced.
"Thank you so much, Mister Daku!"
"He might look strange right now—that's because his mind is injured. He can't express emotions and couldn't talk well," Mister Keiro said.
"Why?" Gladia asked. Worry painted on her face with a hint of curiosity.
"Shiro?" Mister Riku prompted.
"The cause is not really clear. What we have are speculations, but most of us agreed that it has something to do with Rupture Magic."
"Rupture Magic? Isn't that a forbidden magic? The one Hirako used when they attacked Thorn?" Mister Riku inquired, which I responded to with a nod.
"Rumor has it that this is one of the consequences of using Rupture Magic. The caster was stripped of his ability to feel and express emotions."
"But how does Hirako still have his emotions when he was using the same forbidden magic?" Mister Arano asked.
"That is something we are also curious about," I replied. "But one thing is for sure—Mister Daku, he is still the Mister Daku we know. He just couldn't speak well and express his emotions."
"How sure are you?" Mister Keiro doubted.
"Kana once told me that Mister Daku was given a task by the Goddess of Health, and that is to deal with the Dark Order. This is due to the fact that the purifying ability of his healing magic is most effective against the Evil Remnants. This is why he wanted to be in this place—"
"Because he knew that there are members of the Dark Order here," Mister Arano concluded, which I agreed with.
"And I think the more he immerses himself in the task the goddess has given him, the more he regains his old self back. Though this is just my hunch. A wild guess. But knowing he was able to use healing magic again, it's only a matter of time before he can fully have control of his body again."
***
"We'll be back before you know it, darling!" Mister Glancis shouted as he waved goodbye to his daughter.
"Alright, father! I'll be waiting for you! Be careful out there!" Gladia replied with the same gesture.
I also gave the three best wishes, "Take care as well, Misters!"
"We will, Shiro! Take care as well! And remember what we told you!" Mister Arano reminded me of a contingency plan in case the Dark Order decided to raid the place.
When we could no longer see them, we closed the door just as they had instructed. With nothing to do, my initial plan was to continue our session with Mister Daku, but Gladia spoke.
"How old are you, Shiro?"
"Twelve. How about you?" I bounced back the question.
"I was also twelve five years ago. When I fell ill."
"So, that makes you sixteen now. Isn't that an age where girls allegedly become young adults?" I asked, and Gladia nodded.
"It is also the first birthday to be celebrated extravagantly. I remembered I attended one of those before that I couldn't wait to turn sixteen as well. But it seems like that thought will be nothing but a faraway dream."
"Once this is over, you'll have your grandest sixteenth birthday party."
"I hope so, Shiro. Come! I'm going to show you something!"
With Gladia's invitation, I followed her up the stairs and into her room. She approached her vanity mirror, which was filled with girly stuff from perfumes to make-up but mostly jewelry.
She pulled one of the drawers out, and inside was a miniature golden chest untouched by time. It remained shiny as if five years were just a moment ago.
Gladia took out the chest from the drawer and placed it on the vacant space along with the jewelry. She held onto the upper portion of it and yanked it to open.
Inside, resting on a soft silky cloth, was a necklace. Gladia took it out of the chest for me to have a closer look. The pendant was a jewel of pitch black color like an onyx gem. This jewel was inside a cage made of strands of metal that were bent and twisted to look elegant.
At first, I admired the jewel, but the longer I stared at it, I was starting to feel heavy and ominous.
"Will you help me put it on my neck?" Gladia favored, which diverted my thoughts away from the necklace. I wasn't able to speak and only managed to deliver a nod.
I helped Gladia wear her necklace, which she was happy about when it finally rested on her chest. She admired it by looking at herself in the mirror.
Then, she coughed a few times.
"Looks like there's still a bit of the illness left in me. No worries. With proper exercise and diet, I'll get better completely."
I was about to say something when Mister Daku entered the room. When Gladia noticed it, she immediately flaunted her necklace to Mister Daku, asking if it looked good on her.
Unexpectedly, Mister Daku spoke. I didn't like it: "Arti... fact..."
Gladia was clueless about what Mister Daku was talking about, but as for me, I knew it so well that I didn't have to make Mister Daku say the word twice.
After all this time, the artifact that the Dark Order was after had been here all the time.
"What was that?" Gladia worriedly asked after hearing a strange noise and voices downstairs. "Are they back already?"
"I doubt that's them. They just left a few moments ago," I replied.
"Then who are they?"
"There was only one group right now that is brave enough to intrude someone's house," I said, and Gladia instantly had the face of horror.