February 28, 1976 (Present Day)
The City of Cheshire
(Yamir's POV)
Loki Francis Kurogani.
If anyone was to ask me who my "mother" was, she was probably the closest thing I ever had to one. Though she doesn't exactly look all that much older than me, to be honest…
In any case, she was the one who taught me everything I know. Like how to be cunning or how to deceive. She even taught me how to properly hunt, kill, and even make my enemies regret the day that they were born. But most importantly….
She taught me how to survive.
"L-....Loki!?" Via replied in utter shock. Suddenly seeing a person like Loki again after several years was enough to make Via go from angry to ecstatic.
The two of them quickly exchanged a long hug.
"It really has been a while, hasn't it?" Loki replied.
Well, when it comes to a person like you, never seeing you again would be much more preferable.
However, upon her turning her attention towards me, I almost regretted having a thought like that.
"And how's my daughter been doing?" She asked me.
I flinched, struggling a little to think of a proper answer. There was no telling what she was thinking or how I should properly react to her.
But before I could come up with one, she suddenly leapt towards me for a hug of her own.
In addition to the shock of seeing her again, this sudden action left me shell shocked.
I should've hugged her back to keep up appearances, but my body refused to move.
The chains of the past left me all but immobile.
"Even after all this time, you still haven't gotten used to being around me, huh. How unfortunate~...."
A dreadful chill ran down my spine.
After patting my back with her palm a little too hard, she let me go and turned towards the others.
"Where have you been!? Why are you here now!?" Via asked, no longer able to hold back her questions.
"Woah, woah, woah. Let's slow down a bit, okay? I promise I'll explain everything when I get the chance. But don't you think it'll be better to enjoy the party first?" She replied.
"Party? What party?"
Those were exactly my thoughts. But once I looked at Naoto and, (reluctantly), at Loki, I noticed they were wearing some rather formal attire.
While Loki wore an expensive black and blue dress, Naoto had a simple men's blazer outfit. Regardless, they seemed well dressed for some sort of occasion.
"I think it'll be better to show you. Vert, if you would?" Loki asked, snapping her fingers.
"Of course, right this way please." He immediately replied, before starting to escort us a little deeper into the mansion.
I swear, we better not be heading to anywhere smutty….
Surprisingly though, after Vert led us down a series of winding hallways, I noticed that this place was a lot bigger inside. So much so that if you weren't accustomed to this place, that getting lost at some wrong turn was indeed possible without help.
Thankfully though, just when I was about to consider the idea of this being some possible trap, we finally approached two large red doors. Both to which were guarded by two imposing looking soldiers and an extensive security system.
Suddenly, as we were getting closer, the muffled sounds of music were heard not too far away.
After Vert verified his identity, the doors slowly opened and we were allowed to walk inside.
The moment we entered inside, the entire atmosphere of this place changed yet again.
This place really was a party.
The classical sounds of soft melodic music and like minded entertainment echoed throughout what I assumed to be a soundproof ballroom.
The smell of fresh and savory delicacies wafted throughout the area, tickling even my nose's fancy.
There were also a lot of distinguishing looking people, but there were barely enough to call a crowd. Once I thought about it some more, I assumed that this place was reserved to only the most wealthy and influential of the noble families.
But the moment I noticed that fact, I started to feel like I was being put on some stage. The reason why was because more and more people started to throw some glances in our direction.
While some atleast had the decency to be subtle about it, others, not so much….
The problem was not even I could tell what exactly was the meaning behind their looks. Whether or not it was bloodlust or simple curiosity, I couldn't tell the difference between each in a crowd like this.
*Sigh*.
I seriously hate being so out of my element.
...!?
…What the fuck was that feeling just now?
Just as I was starting to feel like a fish on land, I suddenly felt the gazes of two different people coming from somewhere in this room.
One of them had a more "overwhelming" aspect to it, while the other felt a lot more sharper and cunning. And after looking around, I eventually traced it back towards where it first came from.
Upstairs, on the second floor. Two powerful looking people were glancing in our direction.
One man was looking at us with a smile while leaning his back on the railing, while the other was walking straight downstairs with his eyes trained on us.
At first I assumed them to be enemies, but judging from where Vert was leading us, I realized we were supposed to rendezvous with these guys at a nearby lounge area off towards some corner of the room.
Needless to say, the people that I encountered both during and after the conversation that followed after meeting these guys were not to my liking…
The reason why was because I would soon realize that there was going to be one person in this room that would prove to be...
....my biggest challenge yet.