"It's the first day of you being back since the incident, maybe you should get home soon and rest," Orochi reassures my worry with a gentle hand pressed to my back.
I step around in front of him annoyed, "I'm not seeing things. There was someone there watching me."
He chuckles at my childish anger and grabs my wrist, "Ren, let's go. It has taken a toll on you today. Tomoko will take of you when we get home."
"No," I yank my wrist out of his grasp. "What is wrong with you? I'm fine."
He grabs me by my sleeve whispers to my ear, "I do believe you. If someone is watching you, we need to keep a low profile and act like we didn't notice. Now, act like you given up by something I said to you and be a good girl."
My eyes go wide at his demand and I feel my face goes red at his words, "Uh, o-okay. I-I'll go home."
He smirks as he turns around, "Tomoko! We're leaving to go home!"
She hurries up to us as we walk closer to the exit of the town. "Why are we leaving? I thought we need more things."
Orochi shakes his head and continues walking signaling that the explanation was intended for later. After an hour, we arrive back at the house and Orochi explains to Tomoko the sudden departure we had to take from the port. A worried expression flashes onto Tomoko's face. "What if it's Beliath's men or something trying to target her?"
He sits on the floor and places his chin on his hand, "It could be possible but she wouldn't be that stupid to do anything after three days. She would know what would lead to a suicidal mission for her men."
A scoff comes from Tomoko, "As if she cares about how she kills in the process."
He tilts his head to the side in agreement but says nothing about the matter. 'Is Beliath that reckless she would send men after me, even after the catastrophe she caused? Would she be that insane to try to get to me only three days later? No... No one would be that crazy.'
"The person just could have been some beggar trying to steal something from me." I look over to Tomoko and then Orochi but they don't seem convinced of it.
"From today forward, you have to be with someone at all times. Even if it's to go to the port again. If it is Beliath, you need someone who can protect you when you leave the protection of this mountain." Orochi's eyes met mine as I nod at his request.
"Well since we are home. It would be wise for all of us to take an easy since we are all physically drained from the incident with Beliath." Tomoko looks at me with a worried face and gently pats my shoulder.
I smile softly at her subtle kindness, "I'll be okay."
A sigh comes from me as I grab the Lotus book from the table a few steps beside me. I barely had got to learn of my true history and as soon as I did, the most important thing to me is stripped away. Some would have called it a debt for this knowledge or more than likely it would be seen as a curse; but, no matter how I looked at it, it all seemed like a dream.
A horrible and terrifying realistic dream.
As the book slid into my hands, it felt heavier than it did before. Almost as if the pages were made of thick wood and all the words had gained even more worth to them. I walked to my room that I was sharing with Tomoko at the moment.
The bed was made and had my sword laying on the end of it. Of course, it wasn't as beautiful as the one Orochi had arranged for me; but, a bed was a bed and luxury was something that wasn't necessary right now.
I opened the book on the bed as it opened up to the picture of Aiya again. Her serious face stared back at me with a blank stare. Since the night Beliath had mascaraed my family, I haven't talked to Aiya at all. It's like she had disappeared from my mind.
It was all such a blur of events, she trained and beat me with a sword because it would benefit me. But, it didn't benefit me the night Beliath aimed to kill me. 'What was even the purple of training me?'
I groan and slam the cover shut, "The only person who belongs to my family isn't even alive. Let alone I don't know how to communicate with her." As I mutter to myself, I let my hair down and lay back against the bed.
Thoughts of my mother and father flood my head. Their smiling faces filled with joy flash behind my closed eyelids. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."
I feel a single tear slide down my left cheek, tickling its way down to my earlobe. The rooms' silence makes the pain of their missing presence even more real. I didn't even get to say anything to my father. My mother was the last person he got to see before he was so mercilessly killed.
A dull ache spreads its way across my chest reminding me that they are truly gone from the world. I haven't grieved them properly and I didn't get to see them off in the human world as most families would. There wasn't a family to that. I was still missing in the human world.
I stare at the ceiling thinking about how I could have saved them if I only knew beforehand what Beliath was planning. Could they have been saved? I would never know.
"Miss! Would you like something to eat? I sliced some fruit and made tea." Tomoko's head sticks through the door with semi-worried eyes.
I sigh as I get up, "Yes, that would be nice."
As Tomoko and I eat, we talk about the port town's lovely shops and how well some of the clothes I got today matches me very well. It was a temporary paradise from the distance pain of the passing of my entire family.
I didn't want to lie to Tomoko and Orochi but I didn't feel okay completely. It's so hard to come to terms with everyone gone and I'm the only one left with the name as Lotus.
What is my purpose in this world now? What am I going to do? Beliath was in the distance plotting something possibly and it was only a matter of time before she did. I wouldn't be able to stand her powers if she came after me.
Aiya was the only one who knew anything about her besides Orochi. I needed to see Aiya but I had no way how to communicate with the spirit, let alone go to the realm.
"Tomoko, how do I go to the spirit realm?" Tomoko nearly chokes on the tea she was sipping out of her cup.
"Akh!- Why in the world do you need to go to the spirit realm?" She rubs her throat as she tries to speak past the subtle pain.
"I need to speak with Aiya."
Her right eyebrow raises at me, "Aiya? Why do you need to talk with her?"
I set my cup down and sigh, "Can you just tell me how or do I have to find out from somewhere else, Momo?"
Her ears immediately fold down, "No... The only way I know how to get to the spirit world is if the spirit wants to speak with you..."
I realize how harsh my words were towards Tomoko and begin to regret speaking to her in the persistent tone, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bark at you like that. I just... I don't know what to do. I feel so-"
"Lost?" She finishes my sentence and I shyly nod to her.
"It's quite alright, Miss. You just need to focus on what's at hand at the moment. Why don't you just relax for the rest of the day? Orochi should be back again here soon." She pats my hand and starts to clean up the table from our small meal.
"Where is Orochi anyway?"
As she walks to the kitchen, I hear her say, "Oh! He went back to the port to go and get something. He said 'I forgot to get something important' before he walked out. I'm sure he will be back soon, Miss. Don't be so impatient."
I blush and whip around to look at her, "Impatient? I'm just curious."
She smiles at me, "Ah, yes but, the curiosity of a certain someone may lead to other things." Her eyebrows wiggle at me from behind the table.
I scoff at her comment, "As if. Orochi doesn't see me as anything but a human wife he needs to take of. I don't see how I would get any closer to him with how... Shameless, he is."
Tomoko laughs at me, "Last night says otherwise, Miss."
"Tomoko! Hold your presumptions!" I lean my forehead on my hand and try to hide my embarrassed face.