February 6, 2023
"This is the last day, after the final round of the Zhan Dou tournament, the lantern festival will be held. There will be hundreds of lanterns flying in the dark night sky tonight."
Mei Mei licked her ice cream.
"The lanterns will float into the sky to send messages to our loved ones that has gone."
Sizhu, Qing, and Yao Yao listened beside her. They were sitting on hundreds of steps, the border between the academy area and the small town below.
Today was not too hot, but a clear blue sky without clouds was visible over the East and West peninsulas. The sun was only a third of the way from the horizon where it was born. Many birds chirped, accompanying the morning's hustle and bustle after a night filled with enthusiastic shouts, supporting the fighters battling in five different arenas.
Sizhu and the two children had just finished breakfast at the noodle shop Luxia had shown them (Sizhu liked the gyoza there). As they were buying ice cream for dessert, they happened to meet Mei Mei on the street.
They got money from Jianying, and Qing was entrusted with holding the money because Sizhu was someone who didn't appreciate money, or rather, didn't know the value of money. Yesterday afternoon, Sizhu held a large amount of money and watched an interesting performance. Then Sizhu gave all the money he had to the performer as a sign that he was entertained.
"By the way! Last night, Brother Sizhu was so cool in the arena! Even though he was surrounded by hundreds of people, Brother Sizhu was still able to defeat them all!" Qing said excitedly, recalling Sizhu's fierce duel yesterday. Yaoyao nodded in agreement, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Sizhu did not answer and only gave a small nod upon hearing it.
"That green fire technique... how did you create it, Sizhu?" Mei Mei asked curiously.
Last night, Mei Mei also watched the duel in the academy arena until the end. She also met Elizabeth and Reza, who were curious about Sizhu's fight. They sat in the same row of seats last night.
Those who watched Sizhu's duel last night would surely ask the same thing. Because that technique was too unique, too strange, and suspicious for normal humans.
Magic techniques without incantations could only be performed by some of special Witches. Even Witches needed incantations when using dark magic techniques. No human in the history of world had ever performed magic without incantations.
Sizhu chewed the ice cream cone into his mouth. "I don't know? I don't know. I just smeared my blood on the staff and fire started to blaze from the blood I smeared on the staff." Swallowing the contents of his mouth. This was Sizhu's first time tasting sweet and cold ice cream. Seeing the ice cream still being licked by Qing and Yaoyao, Sizhu was tempted to try it again.
Seeing Sizhu's face with his mouth open and saliva almost dripping to the ground, Yaoyao offered her leftover ice cream.
"Brother Sizhu, do you want some?"
Sizhu nodded. Taking Yaoyao's leftover ice cream, whose mouth was smeared with ice cream. Just like Sizhu and Qing.
Mei Mei took out a handkerchief from her robe pocket and wiped Sizhu's, Qing's, and Yaoyao's smeared mouths.
"You guys. Like children." Mei Mei then chuckled softly while wiping their three smeared faces.
"Sistel Mei Mei, what is a lanteln?" Yaoyao asked cutely while Mei was wiping her mouth.
"A lantern is a glowing box that carries prayers and hopes to the stars in the sky, Yaoyao. When the lantern reaches the sky, our prayers and hopes will be received by our loved ones who have passed away." Mei Mei said it with sad eyes, even though her lips were smiling.
"Tonight, after the last Zhan Dou tournament is over, we will fly lanterns together."
Qing and Yaoyao nodded in agreement.
"Fathel do thad too!"
"I want to send prayers and news to father and mother in heaven. We are doing well here with brother Sizhu. Whatever happens, as long as brother Sizhu and Yaoyao are here, we will be fine." Qing expressed his feelings while looking at the sky. Yaoyao nodded, thinking the same thing.
Mei Mei and Sizhu also looked up at the blue sky. The wind blew, playing with their front strands of hair.
Sizhu didn't smile. He remembered his master.
I might give news to master that I make it to Qincheng. But because part of his will was burned, I still don't know what his last wish was, asking me to come to this place. I will get the answer when I meet that old man with dark pink hair later.
"Father and mother, huh?" Mei Mei also didn't smile. She looked sad, and there was a hint of anger in her eyes. Her hands slowly clenched into fists.
"Father and mother." Sizhu remembered his dream that night. A dream where he almost died fighting Muzhe and woke up in Qincheng.
A dream from when he was little and had a happy family.
"Who. Are they?"
Mei Mei, Qing, and Yaoyao turned to Sizhu, who was asking himself.
"What's wrong, Sizhu?" Mei Mei asked, looking at him confused. "Do you know someone?"
Sizhu shook his head. "Ah, no. I just remembered something."
"Brother Sizhu? Why is brother Sizhu crying?"
"Crying?"
Tears, without Sizhu realizing it, fell from his cheeks to the ground. Sizhu's face didn't look sad, but tears flowed from his eyes. He was crying, Sizhu was crying, but he didn't know why he was crying.
"Why am I crying?"
Hearing Sizhu ask himself, Qing and Yaoyao hugged Sizhu. Giving him the warm feeling and family affection that Sizhu felt in his dream.
"If brother Sizhu is sad about something, it's okay. Yaoyao also often cries over small things." Qing tried to comfort Sizhu. Qing cheek was pinched by Yaoyao, his annoyed younger sister.
Sizhu wiped his tears, "Thank you, Qing and Yaoyao. I feel better." He stroked both their heads.
Qing and Yaoyao smiled broadly, seeing Sizhu who had stopped being sad.
Mei Mei remained silent, smiling slightly.
"Sizhu... Um.. If you don't mind... I can give you a hug too..." Mei Mei offered, turning her face away, her cheeks flushed. "I-I don't want to hug you or anything hmph!"
Sizhu stroked Mei Mei's head just like he stroked Qing and Yaoyao's. Making Mei Mei's entire face flush hot like a tomato.
"W-wait! I'm not a child!"
"Thank you, Mei Mei. I'm glad to have a friend like you."
Sizhu smiled slightly.
Just seeing Sizhu's face made Mei Mei freeze. She was mesmerized by the small smile on Sizhu's handsome face.
"That's cheating..." Mei Mei whispered, covering her face with both hands.
***
"We found two bodies with inverted cross tattoos from yesterday night's duel participants. One from the third duel in the underground arena and another from the tenth duel in the academy arena."
Luxia led the morning meeting, on the third day of the Zhan Dou tournament.
All seats were filled. Including Lang Zen.
On the round table, a holographic panel floated, displaying scenes of Sizhu's duel and the duel of a bald man named Jason. Recorded footage from last night's duel. The scene was zoomed in to show evidence of an inverted cross tattoo on the back of the opponent's hand.
"It seems the inverted cross organization is indeed planning something in these mountains. We don't know what they want, but the evidence of their infiltration here means they are looking for something valuable in this place. Ara, they are quite troublesome. Can anyone guess their purpose here?"
Luxia looked at each face around the round table with her characteristic gentle smile.
"Are they intending to disrupt the Zhan Dou tournament? I mean, since two nights ago, they have been indirectly disrupting our tournament by infiltrating their subordinates to participate and operate from within." The Goat Shengxiao, Hongli Fu, raised a hand to express his opinion.
"That might not be their main goal." The Snake Shengxiao, An Haocun, the narrow-eyed, cunning-faced man, countered.
"Think about it again, friend, they are indeed indirectly disrupting or, in quotes, 'challenging' and showing their 'existence'. Proving to us that they exist and indirectly giving us a message of threat.
"But I think, for such a mysterious organization, intending to disrupt our tournament just by infiltrating one Arch Witch and a few subordinates who were killed by the duel participants, that would be a careless and foolish plan. Unfortunately, they are not that foolish."
"Do you have a guess, An?" Jianying, the Dragon Shengxiao, asked. An shrugged.
"Unfortunately, no. I don't know what their purpose is in giving us that meaningless terror." He shook his head.
"Then what about the kid from the forbidden forest?" The Rooster Shengxiao, Jie Lin, raised her hand, asking. "Judging from the results of last night's duel, it seems one of their subordinates accidentally or intentionally paired up against the green-eyed boy named Sizhu. They both fought very fiercely and bloodthirstily compared to all other duel participants. Is there a possibility they are connected?"
"Perhaps. We still haven't gotten any information about Sizhu. He's a unique child. However, we did get one crucial piece of information pointing to him." Luxia answered Jie Lin's question. "He is being targeted by all Witches. Including the Grand Witch."
All meeting participants looked tense. Some widened their eyes, some had their pupils dilate, some were shocked, some trembled, and some were serious.
"Where did that information come from?" Lang Zen asked curiously. He nervously intertwined his fingers on the table. Hearing the name Grand Witch reminded him of the tragedy that befell him a century and a half ago.
"Hypothesis. It's still an assumption. Nevertheless, the hypothesis is quite accurate given the data report of the appearance of beings with immense mana around the forbidden forest a few weeks ago. Coincidentally, few days before we found Sizhu. That young man is indeed very mysterious." Luxia explained with a strange smile.
Lang Zen nodded in understanding. "Were the strange events of two nights ago caused by his presence? Is the inverted cross organization and the Arch Witch looking for him?"
"I think that's both true and not true." Jianying countered. Raising a hand. "We don't know if the Arch Witch that appeared two nights ago was the work of the inverted cross organization or another party involved. We also don't know the true purpose of the inverted cross organization fighting Sizhu last night."
"What do you mean, Dragon Shengxiao? Are you saying there's a third party involved in the events of the last two nights?" The Tiger Shengxiao, Laohu Xin, asked with a furrowed brow.
Jianying adjusted his square glasses, "I haven't gotten proof yet, but I think the inverted cross organization is after something else here rather than targeting the child from the forbidden forest."
"But they are also targeting that child, aren't they? The proof is that one of their subordinates tried to kill him in the duel but failed." The Rat Shengxiao, Bing Ruyue, asked.
"Heh, seriously. If I were the leader of whatever cross organization that is, I wouldn't be so foolish as to send someone who can't do their job properly. They underestimate a kid who can't even use magic properly." The Dog Shengxiao, Zhang Fei, commented casually with a grin, considered the inverted cross organization's plan to deal with someone incompetent to kill a youth who had only just learned magic and failed to be ridiculous.
Bing Ruyue fell silent, frowning in surprise. She thought the same thing as Zhang Fei.
"U-um, what if that was just their secondary objective? The injuries sustained on the second night were vastly different from the first night. It was as if on the first night someone truly sent someone to kill him, while on the second night someone sent someone to test him rather than kill him. Uh... that's just my opinion." The rabbit Shengxiao, Qu Guanglao, offered her opinion, raising a trembling hand.
Everyone's heads began to consider Jianying's statement that a third party made sense.
"If that's the case, one party is truly targeting the life of the child from the forbidden forest, while the other, the inverted cross organization, their motives and goals are still unknown?" The Cow Shengxiao, Jun Taipei, asked.
"..."
The monkey Shengxiao, Liu Xingsheng, remained silent. He had no opinion on this discussion.
The same went for the horse Shengxiao, Guan Zen, and the pig Shengxiao, Yuze Tao. They just remained silent and thought without expressing their thoughts.
Several heads nodded. The rest thinking hard.
"Ara~ they're playing complicated puzzle game. Hm~ what if we think about the valuable things here that might be catches the eye of that mysterious inverted cross organization? For example, ancient relics."
Luxia placed both hands on the table and observed everyone's expressions.
An grinned. Jianying remained calm. Liu was slightly surprised. Guan's pupils widened. The rest had questioning looks on their faces.
"Ancient relics? That is indeed something worthy of a mysterious organization's pursuit. But there are many ancient relics in this headquarters. It's impossible for them to plan to steal all the ancient relics here, right?" Lang Zen said in surprise.
"Let's say they're after the most valuable and most dangerous ancient relic in this world with the most terrifying story among other relics. What do you think they would choose?" Luxia asked the round table participants.
All faces thought in silence. Recalling every ancient relic and the most dangerous stories within them.
The room was only filled with the ticking sound from someone's wristwatch. The breaths full of thought also made every face of the round table occupants furrow their brows and eyebrows.
Asking what? Who? How? And for what?
Until someone's alarm sounded.
"Ara. The time has already shown noon. We should end today's meeting here. We will find out the opponent's goal tonight. Whatever happens tonight, i hope you can see it clearly and act at that moment." Luxia stood up. Followed by the other meeting participants.
"Tonight, the final night of the Zhan Dou tournament. We will welcome ten talented young men and women who are worthy of our guidance. To become future leaders of the Hunters, and the world. Rest today and be ready tonight. Surprises always arrive unexpectedly."
***