Drewells976
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Chapter 238 - Reconnecting
🕑 Added 2024-05-25 01:29:51 +0000 UTCA/N: 2.8k chappy :)
https://www.patreon.com/file?h=104886026&i=19048442
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“I’m good. You don’t have to worry.” Kai flexed his biceps in the hope they would stop probing him. He had been stuffed with food till his stomach was ready to burst. Used to burnt beasts and bitter roots, his mom’s cooking tasted heavenly down to the last bite.
Despite repeated reassurances that he was perfectly healthy, his family wasn’t willing to relent. Once Alana was certain he wouldn’t starve, she sat beside him and took his hand hostage. She intently watched his every move, determined to make up for the years of lost contact in a single day.
Ele wasn’t any better. After squeezing his ribs, she hovered over him, poking his body as if he were a fish on auction. “You have another scar here.” His sister ran a cold finger from his neck to his upper back.
“Please stop. It’s just a scratch.” Kai jerked away and buttoned his shirt up. If he let this continue, they might ask him to strip next. “I don’t even remember how I got that one.”
He had received two claw marks, one talon and an ice blade between his shoulder blades. The advancement to Yellow had healed most of his scars, while the deepest wounds turned into thin pale lines criss-crossing his tanned skin. Without a proper mirror, he wasn’t even sure how many he had.
Thank Yatei, they don’t know how I looked before.
Jagged wounds and torn flesh weren’t a pretty sight. In the Sanctuary, he couldn’t afford to splurge on his healing concoctions for vanity. And he received far fewer scars once he had advanced his grade.
“He looks alright to me, hon’. Let him breathe a little, he’s not going to disappear.” Moui marked the sentence with a look that said you better not. The hunter stood like a sentinel by the window, stealing glances outside. He didn’t trust the Republic would let him go easily.
I’m not sure whether the truth is better or not…
Countless brushes with death dressed in an abundant dose of desperation and fear. The petty squabbles of the military and politicians now seemed so insignificant. Kai couldn’t bring himself to care. He wouldn’t go around shouting his name from the rooftops, but he wasn’t going to hide under a rock either. If any fucker thought they could take advantage of him, they were welcome to try.
“He’s clearly been neglecting himself.” Alana shook her head. “When was the last time you ate a decent meal?”
“Hmm, Flynn cooked me dinner in Higharbor.”
“Those were some leftovers I threw together.” His friend watched him from the farthest chair in the kitchen, amused at his plight. “Hardly a proper meal.”
Kien sat in his lap with a sulk and puffed cheeks. The toddler was less than enthusiastic about a new big brother who soaked up all the attention.
Great. I managed to ruin my first impression.
How hard could it be to win over a two-year-old? The bag of sweets they bought in Higharbor should do the job, or he could enchant some toy.
He can’t be harder than Kea… He’ll probably forget by tonight. That’s how children work, right?
Looking at the crowded kitchen, someone was still missing. “Mom, where is Kea? Is she not coming?” Despite their rocky relationship, Kai had expected her to hurry over—even just to punch his face.
Mom said the situation with her was complicated… Does Kea hate me?
His family exchanged a conversation through glances, everybody was in on it, but nobody talked.
“What is it?”
“You don’t know?” Kien squeaked, eyes sparkling at the knowledge he held. “My sister is on the mainland. She went to fight monsters. And she’s gonna tell me everything when she comes back!”
“She did what?” Kai searched their faces, hoping his brother had misunderstood something. No one spoke up, even Flynn stared at his feet with a guilty look.
Kien looked at their silent reactions with a frown. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, sweetheart. You’re right.” Alana smiled with a hint of sadness. “Keandra left a few months ago to travel the mainland. The archipelago was too small for her…”
Dammit.
“How could—” Kai bit his tongue. Once his sister made up her mind, no one could stop her. Going to the continent had always been his grand plan. Perhaps if he had shut up about it, his sister might not have gotten the idea.
The mainland was a dangerous and messy place. While his own track record was rather questionable, Kea was more impulsive than him. His mind shuddered at everything that might go wrong.
In truth, her choice wasn’t that surprising. She was never going to settle for a quiet life, though he wished he could have been there for her.
May Kahali watch over her.
“Kea matured a lot after you left.” Ele tried to lighten the mood. “She knows how to look after herself, and she’s traveling with a group of islanders.”
Kai couldn’t tell if she was saying that just to make him feel better. He had grown quite a bit himself, though the circumstances were quite different. “Do you have a way to contact her?”
“We do,” Alana said with a sigh. “But letters take a long time to arrive, and it’s hard to respond if she isn’t staying in the same place. We mostly receive her letters now and then, usually once a month.”
“Why don’t you tell us more about you? Where were you?” Moui left his guard post by the window since no enforcers tried to leap through. He stood beside Alana, and she leaned against him.
“Dear.” His mom held his uncle’s hand over her shoulder. “Kai only just came back.”
Oh, boy. Here we go.
“It’s fine. You deserve to know what happened.” He had only been delaying the inevitable. The reunion had gone as well as he could hope—except for Kea’s absence. Now it was time for the stressful portion. “It’s a bit of a long story.”
Flynn took his cue to ruffle Kien‘s hair. “Why don’t we go play outside? You can finish your sculpture.”
“But I wanna listen to the story.”
“It’s just boring adult stuff, trust me. I can tell you a better one.”
The toddler bit his lip, looking between them. “You promise?”
Flynn offered to shake his pinky. “On my honor. I’m a much better storyteller than your brother.” He winked before leaving the kitchen.
With the innocent ears protected, Kai quickly inspected the room. There was a difference between not cowering before the Republic and being foolish. Those greedy assholes wouldn’t let the bone go if they got a whiff of it.
The walls on the outer streets were enchanted to muffle sounds; the appliances in the house also had a smattering of runes. A couple cooling and heating enchantments, pumps for water piping, an array to condense mana, and one to remove smells in the bathroom. Nothing suspicious. Kai decided to close the door to be meticulous.
“Is something wrong?” Moui asked with a note of alarm.
“Just checking the house.” While Kai wanted to be truthful, he didn’t want to share information that would endanger them. “The Republic wants to keep what happens at the Veeryd sites a secret. I can tell you, but you must not discuss it outside this house.”
“Of course, little brother. We’re not fools.” Ele smiled while Alana slammed her hand on the table. “I knew it was them. What did they do to you?”
Where do I start?
“Do you know of the beast attacks that spiked a few years ago?” Kai painted the situation he had found himself in two years prior with broad strokes. The need for a translator of the Vastaire glyphs, the spatial anomalies, and the infighting between the military and political wings. “We found a hidden realm connected to the ruins spread throughout the archipelago.”
Soft gasps circled the table.
“You’re not kidding?” Ele leaned on the table toward him. “You mean there is a whole realm separated from reality here, in our archipelago? Just like in the tales?”
“More or less.” Kai scratched his head. The reality of the Sanctuary was far grimmer than those legends depicted, there were no flying castles or waterfalls of gold.
Hmm, I might as well…
With a theatrical swirl of his hand, Kai summoned a long cerulean horn that shimmered like a sapphire. Since he was already this deep, he might as well provide proof. And why not play into their fantasies?
“How did you do that?” Moui blinked, slowly reaching to touch the horn. “Did this belong to a yellow beast?”
“I’ve got a spatial item, and yes. Though the drake was already half dead when I found it.” He had more impressive items stashed in his spatial closet, but those didn’t sparkle quite as much.
“You mean you landed the finishing blow? By yourself?” Ele stared at him with wide eyes. She didn’t have as many qualms, grabbing the trophy with a look of reverence. “Is this Water attuned…?”
“Yeah—”
“You mean you were trapped in this realm for two years?” Alana pulled him into a hug. “Oh, sweetheart. That must have been so scary.”
“It wa—” Kai gulped and chose silence before his voice could break. It was quite terrifying, especially during the first year when he lacked the experience, skills and had a lower grade than most of the beasts there.
“How could the Republic send a child to such a dangerous place? It’s deplorable.”
“Ehm…”
*
Kai leaned against the cupboard, making the glasses inside clink. A heavy breath escaped his lips. His family had left to organize the feast to celebrate his return—and to gather their thoughts.
Admitting to his family he had chosen to be trapped was one of the hardest things he had ever done. It had also stopped a flood of ravenous yellow beasts from crossing and got him away from the Republic, but that only made it marginally better.
Well, I knew it wouldn’t be easy.
Ele fell silent before excusing herself, saying she left her house in a hurry and didn’t want to worry her husband. His mom said it was fine, that she understood. Though Kai could tell it wasn’t as easy as she made it out to be. Beyond apologizing for what he put them through, forgiveness was out of his hands.
For better or worse, it was done.
He hadn’t gone into details about the Sanctuary or Zervathi. That was what the Republic would be most interested in. If his family knew nothing, they wouldn’t need to worry about a truthteller knocking on their door. The existence of the hidden realm was a secret, but if it came down to it, he could spread flyers around town to make it public and solve the issue.
The governor can deal with the aftermath for all I care.
The floor creaked lightly when Moui poked his head into the room. “How’re you holding up? I know that conversation wasn’t easy for you either.” The hunter looked more relaxed since he learned about the whole situation.
“It was my fault for landing us in this situation.” Kai looked up at him, heart pounding. “Do you forgive me, Uncle?” He blurted out before his brain could think better.
Moui stilled with a pensive frown, then slowly nodded. “Yes. I think you’ve already paid plenty for your foolish decisions. And it wasn’t fair that you were put in those circumstances in the first place.”
“Uh, thank you.” Kai poured himself a glass of water to keep his hands busy. “What about Mom and Ele?”
“It’s not the same for them. I had my doubts about what happened, but they buried you, Kai. They grieved and buried you. Alana had only just stopped visiting your tombstone each week.” Moui leveled a heavy gaze at him. “I’m not saying this to make you feel worse. They need time to accept what’s happened. I’m sure they understand, but they can’t help how they feel.”
“I see.” He appreciated the honesty.
“Dad!” Kien scampered into the house with Flynn at his heels. The toddler proudly lifted a grumpy silver cat in his arms. “Look what I found. Can we keep it? Can we?”
“Mroow,” Hobbes complained about the indignity with a sullen look, strangely resigned to his fate. A mix of duty and protection flowed through their bond. From the smile Flynn was desperately trying to suppress, this wasn’t a coincidence.
Moui patiently crouched. “Kiki, I told you not to bring strays in the house without asking. That’s—” The hunter froze, staring at the violet cat’s eyes. His voice held on with a thin veneer of calm. “Put that down. Now.”
“Why?” Kien thumped his feet and hugged the furball tighter. “I wanna keep it.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle.” Kai chose to intervene before Moui made an enemy for life. “Hobbes is completely harmless. He’s my cat.”
“Meew.”
How did you even understand that? Are you peeking through the bond?
“Sorry, I meant I’m his human.” Kai corrected himself, bending to the whims of his overlord. If Hobbes was willing to play with his brother, he could satisfy his narcissistic quirks.
“But that’s, that’s—”
“I know,” Kai patted the bigger man’s shoulder.
Moui hobbled away with a pale look. It was impressive that he had seen through Hobbes so quickly. The diabolical cat’s camouflage worked differently from the basilisk’s invisibility. Space bent to make Mana Observer slip over him, even a casual inspection would reveal nothing more than an ordinary grumpy feline.
“Is this your kitty?” Kien slumped disappointed.
“Yes, but you can play with him as long as you like.”
“Can I?” His aquamarine eyes lit up.
“Of course. I’m sure Hobbes will be happy too.” Kai rubbed the furry belly, gritting his teeth when the pest scratched his hand. “He loves it when you squeeze him tight. Isn’t that right?”
It’s your duty as the older kitty.
Kien sauntered away with a gleeful giggle.
Ahaa, the sound of success. Another week and he’ll hug me too.
What were gods when he could earn the favor of children?
“You put him up to it, didn’t you.” Kai stared at the shady mastermind.
Without any witnesses, Flynn burst out laughing. “Did you see Moui’s face? That was priceless.” He threw an arm around his shoulders a little more seriously. “Anyway, how did your conversation go?”
“As well as it could, I suppose…”
“That good, huh? C’mon, let me show you around the house. Alana said you can have the second-best guest room.”
“Did she?”
“Her exact words.”
Flynn helped him settle in the room on the ground floor. More space, wardrobes and drawers than Kai knew what to do with. He was wondering whether to sort what to sell and what to keep in his ring, when a knock woke him from his daze.
“Can I come in?” Ele stood by the doorway with a slight heave, as if she had run back again.
“Of course.”
“I think I’ll go check Kien and Hobbes don’t have too much fun.” Flynn hummed.
“You can stay.” Ele nervously played with her braids. “I didn’t mean to leave like that. I—” Her eyes glistened as she searched for the right words.
Flynn gravely nodded, his hand lightly settling on her shoulder. "It's okay, you can tell him. He should know I'm your husband."
What—
Her hand smacked him faster than he could blink. “Don’t be an idiot.” His sister said with a half-smile.
“But that’s why you like me.” Flynn massaged his arm with a silly smirk and slouched in a chair. “Ouch. Why did you have to hit me so hard?”
“‘Cause you’re a slow learner.” Ele looked at Kai with a sigh. “And I married Sabe if nobody’s told you.”
Why did she have to pick that unbearable guy? If someone’s too perfect, they must be hiding something.
“I had guessed as much. Anyway, you don’t need to apologize to me earlier. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
His sister sat on the bed, bobbing her head. “It’s just a lot having you leap out of the sea and back into our lives. I… I cried when they told us you were dead. We buried the casket, and I grieved you for weeks. Flynn insisted you were alive whenever we had drinks, but I couldn’t believe it. Now I— I don’t know. It’s just a lot…”
She’s a better sister than I deserve.
“I understand if you need space. If there is anything I can do to help, just ask.”
“Mhmm…” Ele patted the bed beside her. “I think it might be easier if I knew what you were up to in that realm. How did you survive? What did you eat? How did you escape?”
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A/N: See you on Monday!
Comments
Memoryofgold
Thank you for the chapter! Lots of great moments! It looks like Kea's finally gotten one up over her brother, being able to travel to the mainland before he has lol thats some character development. I hope to see them come to terms and understand each other someday
mehmed zepcan
Tftc just caught up after a couple of weeks. That's one way to make sure Kias out of prison huge time skip. Give him PTSD, bulk him up off screen, ruin all his relationships, give him a murder kitten for shitsngigs. Definitely hilarious! DOF EYHO
Silver Beard
I can of see Kai throwing pebbles at Lou and all hours of the day and night... just to piss him off. Payback with 2 years of interst.
Silver Beard
If I hadn't paid for annual I would likely have dropped author about now. I totally agree that he's been holding the yellow stuff as hostage to keep folks paying. Definitely pushing the limit. Just hope he's got some recognizable plan that will materialize soon. Staying in the pennisula is not an option- his ID is found... no room to hide really and as n ow an Adult the Republic will not be kind this time around. Sucks skipping out on Lou and the kids, but their loyalties are irrevocably compromised.
Silver Beard
Two minds about that- likely take an entire chapter to just go through them; as this is essentially a 'new' book. There's no wishper of new class on discord, so say... worth a chapter or 2 to get it resolved.
George R
Thanks for the amazing chapter
Fortunis
Well done. I like the mix of little hints here and there. Really looking forward to seeing what his new skills are. He should have 21 slots now right?
Silver Beard
"It’s your duty as the older kitty." Feels like something he should have projected through his bond... not just internal monologue
Silver Beard
Has he retrieved his fate device. I recall he left it behind with Flynn when he got abducted?
Silver Beard
Kai find some way to complain and snark; the cat is just a stand in but one that will never go away. I have yet to see him do battle; perhaps that the boiler point. Prove his worth
marcus
I mean it was a given that he was gonna be yellow, the more interesting thing I think is new skills, levels and upgrades
walid bennour
you didn't just say that did you !!!!! i didn't edit my comment, you did , i have your first comment as an email, a comment you deleted , to accuse me of something yourself did lol and i didn't even bring it about , because i thought we were having a civil discussion not attacking each other but from this i assume you read something and understood something else and now instead of admitting that to your self you accuse me of editing my comment , and if you go look through what i wrote about breaking through to yellow you would find the word immediacy in both responses, a point obviously went over your head , it is okay to have an opposite opinion to something, you are acting like a child though, be civil with your words, what over caused this vitriol you are spewing, it speaks about you more than it does about me and for the second time why are you on about the start of the second book, i am talking about the novel in its entirety, i said so in both parts in either case , you are not someone to have a discussion with, your words does not paint you in any positive light, go bother someone else, i have no more time to waist on you
Doug Wills
I think you're reading into it. She's just saying she's overwhelmed seeing him show up out of nowhere after many of them have only recently probably gotten to the point of fully accepting his death. She was definitely not implying it's bad that he's back. She is telling him, "Hey, your actions really caused a lot of us a lot of pain. And now, 2 years later, we find out all that pain and grief we felt was unnecessary."
Doug Wills
No, but most people both do not know how, and do not even attempt to give useful criticism. They just whine cause the part of the story isn't the part of the story they like. Criticism, when coherent and thought out beyond, "I don't like this part," is great! Every author I have talked to likes getting it. Criticism with no thought that just amounts to whining is not. For example, "I don't like slice of life." Is not useful criticism. It's fine for people to not like SoL sections, but as criticism it is useless. If there is something in a SoL section that someone finds poorly done, and they can articulate it well, then that can be extremely helpful.
Doug Wills
Lol you edited your comment. Hahahaha, are you shitting me bro? You EXPLICITLY said that him hitting yellow could have been shown within 5 or 6 chapters and now it was too late. GTFOH, you post a complaint, I point out why it's dumb, and you go, "No, it's not about the thing I explicitly said, it's about something DIFFERENT, man." Your complaints are not particularly coherent or useful. Feedback and criticism for authors is good, but yours isn't even clear, and you even went so far as to go back and edit your comment to make it look like you didn't say what you said. The start of the book is OF COURSE about the drama between him and the people he chose to leave for two years. And how is it inorganic that Kai would choose to take advantage of hiding from the Republic for 2 years and saving his family when given the out? It's not even martyrdom, he just made a decision. Almost nothing at the end of book 3 was Slice of Life. So I'm still baffled how 6 whole chapters of something other than action and progression has you so upset. My main point here is this: If you want an author to be able to actually use your feedback, you need to make it useful in a coherent way. You not enjoying Slice of Life parts isn't useful. The only useful thing in any of what you've said is, "The reveal that he hit yellow ruins some of the impact of finding out he hit yellow." That is, among everything you've said, the only actual piece of information that an author could possibly get real use out of. So you should try to think about your points and make them more useful. Otherwise, the only thing you're even doing is useless whining. And I still cannot believe you edited your comment to make it seem like you didn't say what you said. That's so unbelievably ridiculous. You're being extremely impatient. This isn't about whether or not I do or don't agree with something the author is choosing to do. But if you didn't want anyone to comment on your opinion, you should have just DMed your friend.
Jordan Silvestri
I feel like Ele would never say something like that, that having him come back into their lives is a lot for her to handle? It is actually an incredibly messed up thing to say, it is implying all kinds of things she couldn't possibly mean or would never say even if she did mean them. Her leaving without trying to understand everything in the first place is also pretty out of character IMO. Makes it really hard to understand the context considering we skipped over basically all the important dialogue, but she seems like that one person in existence who wouldnt run away like that without really understanding everything and then what? Imply he shouldn't have come back? Hurt them too much already? Wish we could have seen the convo that could have possibly led to her leaving cuz she apparently left Sabe too quickly lol. She has always been the one who would feel horrible for his situation not react selfishly.
IgnisPrimus
Yeah! All criticism is bad and you should ignore all of it! The author can't make mistakes and be better. He is perfect! You are a genius, Muhammad!
ManguKing
I hate cats and how humans neglect the power of toxoplasma, but I find the slice of life as a good counter balance in the story
M_Lo
Same here
walid bennour
i am not talking about the six chapters mate , i am talking about the calumniation of the story so far, i find the author choices questionable, if you don't, good on you, but i do breakthrough is just that, it should be sudden and impactful , by telling us it already happen , it undermined the effect it could garner the author seems to like writing the slice of life part , i don't enjoy much that, i rather enjoy the progression aspect, the magic theory, and so hence my comment about the drama, a big part of the story lately became , about the drama of kai and flynn , kai and his big sister, kai and his young sister, kai his friends, kai and varla and finally the martyrdom of the mc and sending himself to the pocket world , felt forceful, inorganic, if he was tricked and found himself with no choice, that would have been more interesting
Doug Wills
It's only been 6 chapters... This complaint makes no sense. It looks like we're going to get some big reveals and such next chapter. Is a one chapter difference that unacceptable for you? Of course the start of a book that is him returning from the dead is going to be mostly focused on the drama of that return at first. It would be pretty bizarre for it to be anything else...
Muhammad A
Thanks for the chapter! You’re doing great and please don’t get slogged down by the criticism of the vocal minority!
Silver Beard
Definitely some Monroe vibes; but it's not quite so bad; but it's eating word count with is a negative. Seriously- if you take the cat and all the commentary out of the story you have a lot less and that means an even slower progression than before. Feels like a deal breaker. I paid annual, but renewal is highly questionable. The expectation was that when he made it to yellow before 14 and evolved or upgraded his class he would head to the Mainland and adventure or seek out his former Master. The pace would pick up somewhat. Now it's almost certain to stagnate with all the cat commentary.
Silver Beard
Now that he's got his family sorted out- let's get a status update. Please!
walid bennour
by this point 60 % of the novel is drama, and the rest is between progression and fantasy your choices of development are very dubious you kill his father and then you go and bring him a step daddy you put him through reincarnation and then right after the immediate benefits you make him act like a child, you introduce the idea of a pocket world , a place that could serve for exploration, to induce wonder and progression , and instead you used it as a brute hammer to break the mc , not even to harden him, and the most annoying i been waiting for him to hit yellow for over a hundred chapter and yet you gloss over that and you just mention that he broke through, i am sure you have something planned ahead, some flash back or something similar, but the element of immediacy has gone !! you could have done that in five or six chapters, the anticipation , the excitement it could have generated !!
cRoMaToR
Thanks, amazing chapter, i’m still waiting to see what he did with his profession.
Rylie Harris
ty for an amazing chapter
Gromaul
He would either have to be a complete idiot, and thus unintentionally inform someone, or do it intentionally out of some weird sense of concern. Either way that would destroy his family, so unlikely. The islander group thing sounds real tho. Looking forward to Valela and Lou finding out he's alive, they know more about what was going on so their reactions will be lit.
Viria
Was probably sarcastic
SkyGold
Great chapter!
Adunn
People really want Sabe to be a bad guy. That’s definitely not gonna happen.
Some Guy
TFTC
Abe 7
Damn, was so looking forward to Kea kicking Kai in the nuts in this chapter. Oh, well. Ele is the best big sis one could ask for. Should we feel sorry for Hobbes?
wanderer117
We mostly receive her letters every once a month or so. suggested edit We mostly receive her letters once every month or so.
Andrew
Thank you!
David Otis
Thank you for the chapter! You are such a good author!
FrozenSharkie
So Sabe and Ele got married Its obvious now that Sabe colluded with Zervathi to keep Kai trapped in the Sanctuary for two years, preventing him from interfering in his marriage plans. I see now it was Sabe the entire time. Thats what he's hiding behind his perfect existence.
A B
Edit suggestion: Well, I knew it would be easy. -> Well, I knew it wouldn't be easy.
Derze
Do you want the gruesome story with a likeable god or the “I still can’t sleep properly because of the nightmares” or “only sometimes I wake up screaming” but you know, quietly, cuz I wouldn’t want to scream loudly. But trust me when I say, I’M FINE. - Kai probably
PlasmaticPi
Calling it now. Sabe is gonna be the one to tell the Republic Kai is alive. Or at least everything he did in the hidden realm. I'm also guessing that either way he will be visited by a government representative within a day or two. And the group of islanders is probably Kai's childhood friends.
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter! :-)
Emily Gurnavage
Same, lol. Such a fitting joke for Flynn and the situation. Once I think about how he is living in a house he owns in Higharbor though with a job and contacts n such there then them being married makes much less sense. But in the moment, it got me.
James Faulkner
Tftc!!
Aceluke
Yes, Kai. Tell is of your tale! I want to know too!
Emily Gurnavage
Pretty enjoyable, thanks
gigabik
Thanks!
Doctor Black
Thanks! You almost got me with Flynn being her husband lmao
