Chapter 238: Reconnecting

Chapter 238: Reconnecting

Chapter 238 - Reconnecting

“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.”

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?”