The night before the final round began, more planes and helicopters arrived on the island. All the Golden Circle members who left the island decided to come back with other special visitors. These special visitors are relatives to the Royal Family of Almon, King Almon's family.
When Miya heard that her family members arrived on the island she knew she had to meet them sooner or later. "Jeez, why did that annoying bunch have to come?" Miya complained. She thought about each of her relatives and it made her even more annoyed than before. "The Royal Family consisted of ten people in total".
"King Almon, the king of Arcland and head of the royal family. Also he is the worst parent in history".
"The dazzling beauty that is me Miya Almon, the daughter, and the last child of King Almon. I am kept a secret from the public for reasons".
"Kars Almon, the loyal brother of my dad which means he's my uncle. A man who promotes everything that his country stands for. Agriculture, Sports, Education, Kars is involved with everything and has a say in everything. He is sometimes known as the True King of Arcland. During the time of need, everyone depends on Kars to find a solution".
"Hu Almon, the son of Kars Almon. My least favorite cousin. That man lacks the talent to do most things but he is very useful when it comes to dirty work. From the day he unlocked his gift he is used as a family assassin of sorts".
"The real reason my family is so annoying is because of these sisters. Kyoko Almon, the oldest daughter for Kars. She is a college student who is now studying astronomy. Her goal is to one day leave Earth and explore. Is that possible for her?"
"The next annoying one is Sonia Almon, the youngest daughter for Kars. She is also a college student sharing the same goals as Kyoko. She is known for copying everything that Sonia does and agrees with whatever she says".
"Ataria Almon, the second oldest daughter for Kars. She is a mute who everyone treats like an outcast even within the royal family. Funnily enough, she happens to be Kar's favorite out of his three daughters. She's probably my favorite too since she doesn't talk".
"Rin Almon, the current wife of Kars. The only child she gave him was Sonia. The others were from other women. Rin cares only for money. As long as she is not poor, anything goes".
"Licht Almon, the eldest son of King Almon. I can't bring myself to call this man my brother. I hardly know anything about him. He is said to be the future king of Arcland and he is waiting patiently for our father to retire from the throne".
"Momiji Almon, the adopted son of King Almon. The little times I've seen him I can tell he's a good person. He has high morals and is most likely the only good person in the family at heart. Most of them are not part of the Golden Circle because they were not interested in Dante. To these people, a Dragon existing is nothing to gather for" thought Miya.
While she was deep in thought someone tapped her shoulder from behind. She swiftly turned around to see who it was. It was Cj with two soda cans in his hands. "Do you drink soda?" he asked.
"No, those things kill people" Miya replied.
"Cool, I'll drink them both then" Cj giggled. The two started talking about the Royal Family's arrival on the island. Cj wanted to know the reason for this but sadly Miya herself did not. "I want to meet your family. Do something will ya. I want to be included in your family reunion" said Cj. Miya nodded no in reply immediately. One of her disciples appeared suddenly and reported "The Royal Family is at the Beach. You should make your way there immediately Princess".
"Do I have to? I much rather spend time with Cj here" sighed Miya. She stood up then dusted off her clothes. Cj held her hands and demanded, "We're going together. Your family, I want to know what all of them are like. Where do they stand next to each other? I won't miss this opportunity... Plus I want to know who is responsible for those chains". Miya did not hear the last part Cj said because he lowered his voice considerably. Miya's face turned bright red as her disciple pushed Cj away from Miya but he was still persistent to go. "A stranger can't simply barge in our family time. Guess you'll have to be part of the family just for tonight" Miya said blushing. She held Cj's left hand and said "Let's head to the beach as couples"
"Sweet, they will totally buy that. I can't wait to see your relatives" said Cj excited. Miya had a good guess as to why Cj wanted to see her family. He wanted to conclude if the entire Almon Family is corrupt or is it just King Almon. "At least act flustered," she said softly. The two, headed to the beach holding hands the whole way. Cj thought nothing about holding hands. He was too fixated on seeing Miya's family care much for it. Miya on the other hand was bright red the whole time. She could hear her own heartbeat more than her surroundings. "How come he isn't embarrassed by this?" she wondered while looking at Cj. "By the way, if I kill your family tonight, would you mind?" Cj asked curiously. "A little, but it is a small price today for our freedom" Miya replied.
"I hope tonight's the night I get to tell Cj. I only have one year left. These chains weakness has to be exploited"
When they arrived at the beach they smelled a strong odor. The scent of barbeque was in the air. Cj looked around on the beach and saw the Royal Family in the flesh. He recognized one similarity between all of them in no time. They all had snow-white hair with grey eyes except for one who was standing next to the barbeque grill. The man had short black hair with brown eyes. Miya told Cj before they took another step. "Please watch what you say to some of them. For example, my uncle might kill you if you talk to him unpleasantly. Careful" she warns.
Everyone stared at Miya when she arrived on the beach. Two ladies surrounded her and quickly began a conversation. The lady on the right had long twin tails with a serpent tattoo on her neck. She wore a blue shirt with a long purple skirt. She was about 5.5 feet tall with gorgeous eyes. The lady on the left had her hair straight down to her waist. She wore a pink shirt and pink pants to match. She was filled with jewelry all over and around 5.3 feet tall. "Miya, it's been too long. My look how much you've grown" a woman said while groping Miya's breast. The other lady patted Miya on her head and laughed "I'm taller than you now. This is a surprise hahaha". The two girls looked over at Cj and began whispering right in front of him.
"That boy is holding Miya's hand. Do you know what this means?" one woman whispered.
"They're dating. I'm so jealous" the other one replied.
The two ladies introduced themselves to Cj. The one with twin tails bowed her head and introduced "My name is Sonia Almon. It is a pleasure to meet you. Are you my cousin's boyfriend? If so she's way out of your league".
"Rude Sonia, don't say such things. My name is Kyoko Almon. The pleasure is Sonia's. My cousin is way out of your league. Please break up" the other woman said bluntly.
"The two of them are sisters. They are the annoying duo of the group" said Miya.
"Oh, I see. The name's Cj Coley. The pleasure is all Sonia's. Miya and I are a couple and there's nothing you can do to stop our feelings for each other" Cj said holding his laughter. Kyoko and Sonia could tell from his answer that he was joking. Cj along with Miya's cousins laughed at each other's faces for almost half a minute before another member of the family showed up. A tall man in a black tuxedo walked up to them waving his hand. Miya turned her face to the right to ignore the man who was walking her way.
"Uh, Hi Miya, how are you?" the man asked.
...…..
"What's the cold shoulder for? My brother is talking to you" said Kyoko pissed.
...….
"It's alright Kyoko. Her silence tells me that she's doing well. I would have been worried if she suddenly started talking to me after all these years hahahaha" the man said embarrassed. He pulled out his hand and offered Cj a handshake. "You're Cj Coley. The person Miya chose to partake in this year's Dragon Hunt. You must be great if you made it to the last round. You're even holding Miya's hands like you're dating" the man said impressed. "They are a couple. You should pay more attention Hu. He just said there is nothing we can do to stop his feeling for Miya" said Sonia. "To be fair, Hu just got here. So he wouldn't know that" Kyoko added.
"Oh, You probably never heard of me before. The name's Hu Almon. I am what they call the shadow of our family. My father is Kars Almon, I'm sure you heard of him" said the man confidently. Cj nodded in reply and asked, "Are we the only youngster around? Everyone else looks like they're in a different age group".
Kyoko pointed at a woman wearing a white dress, sleeping on the sand near the ocean. "That woman over there is our sister. She's Ataria Almon. She can't speak and is very anti-social. She doesn't really fit in any group in the family. Even Miya has more presence than her and she was raised a secret" said Sonia. "Ataria is our sister. Why are you making it sound like she's an outcast?" asked Kyoko upsettingly. "Sorry, my mistake" Sonia replied. Miya changed the topic and pointed at Sonia's tattoo.
"Sonia since when did you get that tattoo. Cj has the exact same on the side of his neck. What does it represent?" asked she asked. Sonia checked Cj's tattoos and confirmed that they were identical. "It's rare to see a fellow believer of Reincarnation," Sonia said delightedly. She jumped in Cj's arms and told him "You and I seem to have similar interest. Gimme your number".
Cj answered Miya's question by saying "There is a man out there called Yoh. He claims to have the gift of reincarnation. Yoh placed this tattoo on a few people all around the globe. Those with the tattoo will be reincarnated with the memories of their past lives.".
"You actually believe that. Sounds too good to be true and besides. Speculating what happens after death is pointless. There is no concrete proof that reincarnation is a real thing" Miya replied.
"Shut it, we accept this tattoo because we're curious to find out. Why deny the probability of his gift being the real deal? You should get a tattoo to cousin since you have so little time left" said Sonia. Hu and Kyoko placed their hands on Sonia's mouth. "You talk a lot," Kyoko said pissed. "I already know about Miya's situation. I am in the same boat as her" Cj told them. The siblings looked at him amazed. They did not expect to meet one of King Almon's victims in the flesh. Hu almost could not believe what was in front of him. "You can't be serious. You know our family is after your body but yet still you came here willingly. What are you up to? This isn't courage. It's stupidity" said Hu.
"Do what you want. I just came here to meet Miya's relatives. Don't ruin your family reunion because of me" said Cj.
The black-haired man who was next to the barbeque grill gave a huge shout for everyone to hear. "FOOD IS READY! TIME TO DIG IN!" he shouted. Everyone lined up with Cj and Miya at front of the line. Before the man served everyone Cj grabbed their attention with a clap. "Good evening everyone, I was invited to your little family outing by Miya. She and I are currently dating so I hope you don't mind my presence all that much. Let's get along" he said. His politeness felt forced but the family still accepted him with little effort. An adult woman laughed at the back of the line for all to hear. The first thing Cj saw when he stared at the laughing lady was "Her chest is gigantic. She makes everyone else look flat?"
"What's your cup size miss?". They all looked at Cj shocked by what he said. Everyone knows that the woman's chest was huge but to ask such a question is disrespectful. Cj scratched his head embarrassed at the intense glares. "Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Cj wondered. "Hmm, wonder how that woman will react if I ask her about her cup size?" Cj thought once again.
...…..
"Hahahaha, there is no way I can ask her that out loud. I'd get into some serious trouble" he laughed at the thought.
Miya covered her face embarrassed to be seen with Cj. Kyoko punched Sonia in her stomach and proceeded to drag her out of the line by pulling her hair. "You're an awful person Sonia," Kyoko said angrily. "Ouch, I'm sorry. I'll apologize" Sonia begged for forgiveness. "What's going on?' asked Cj pointing at the sisters. The woman with the huge chest stepped up to Cj and answered his question. "I am an H cup," she said.
"Be careful of what you think Cj. My daughter has the gift to force anyone to think out loud. You didn't realize it but you weren't thinking just now. You were talking out loud" said the woman. "WAH!" Cj said embarrassed.
"Ma'am I am so sorry. I didn't mean to ask you such a question"
"Relax, breasts are all men think about these days. It's understandable why you would think that. The name's Rin Almon. Right now I can sense the jealousy radiating from my husband so watch out" said the woman. "Jealousy? Why?" asked Cj. "Kars asked me this question all the time and I always beat him for it" Rin answered. Kyoko forced Sonia to apologize to Cj. "I am sorry for using my gift for the wrong purpose. I swear I won't do it again" she said sincerely.
"I am not jealous. Now I know the answer to my question after all these years. You are an H cup" Kars said with a satisfied look on his face. The black-haired family member Momiji served everyone their meals right after Sonia's prank. They all formed a circle and ate their meals. Barbeque steak, pork, fried rice, salad, and fruit punch for beverages. Looking at the meal prepared, Cj realizes that he had a better diet than the Almon Family. Before they started eating King Almon reminded everyone of their traditions. "Remember when we used to play around the dinner table. There might not be a table but we can still do it" said the king. Everyone agreed with a slight nod. Some looked nervous while others couldn't contain their excitement. While eating dinner, one person would move into the center of the circle and entertained the others for three minutes. Each member of the family has to take turns. It is a common practice for the Almon Family. The King himself started off the entertainment. He picked up a twig from off the floor and got started. "Watch me draw a map of Arcland in less than a minute on the sand," the king said confidently. "I dare you old man. You have displayed all the streets, cities, and counties we have in that map" Kars dared his brother.
"Old man, when's the last time you took a look at yourself? You're close to me in age little brother. Prepare to be amazed" the king said. His hands moved at a rapid speed. The way he moved his hand reminded him of Fei punching speed. The two are relatively close to each other. King Almon drew a large map on the sand. It showed all of the cities, their exact locations, and even the streets. "There, I'm a pro at this," he said relieved. Kars looked closely at the map and pointed at one error. "You drew Psychoses and Aumon should not be the same size as each other. Aumon is way bigger, what game are you playing? You call yourself the king of Arcland" Kars said harshly.
"Shut up, the map doesn't have to be 100% accurate. No need to be petty" said King Almon. The person next to the king was Hu Almon. The so-called shadow of the family. Hu had four items in his hands. A pencil, a dagger, a kunai and a razor blade. "I'll be juggling with these. I promise I won't stop juggling for even a second and I won't get cut either" said Hu worriedly. He had the face of doubt. "If he's not confident about juggling those sharp objects why is he doing it?" Cj asked himself. Each family member displayed their talents for all to see. Rin held her breath for a whole two minutes while humming beautifully. Sonia embarrassed her siblings by saying what they were thinking. King Almon's brother Kars, drew another map on the sand next to his brother's. His was far more accurate but he went over the time limit. The last person to perform was Miya.
Miya stood up and stared at her father. "Entertain you people, for two minutes. I don't know how to accomplish such a thing. I know most of you are putting up a façade around me. You guys don't care about me at all" said the princess.
Sonia spoke up and told Miya "Hey, this is not the time to be defiant. Follow the tradition or else our dads will get mad".
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You can't say anything about your fate directly to Cj so you're using us as a loophole to get a key message to him. Didn't know you were still this defiant. Thought you would have changed" Sonia said out loud. This is when Cj actually started to pay attention to what was happening. For most of the performances, he was stuffing his face. "This Key message, can I guess what it is?" asked Cj.
King Almon stood up and put a stop to the whole conversation. "ENOUGH! Don't ruin our family reunion. I let it slide when you brought Cj here so don't push it Miya" the king warned. The king's words were loud and filled with the intent to harm. Anyone would have been overwhelmed by this man's anger. "Cj, if he doesn't hear this today then when will he ever hear it from me?" Miya thought. She thought back to their conversation in the Ervil Hotel.
"The Professor and I are on a Death List. You too if I recall correctly. With BEA by my side, I can defend myself better. Should I go on or have you heard enough?"
Those words did not only shock her, it gave her hope. The odds of the two meetings was a thousand to one but there they were, in the same hotel room speaking to each other. Miya never imagined meeting another person on the death list so early in her life. She wanted to shout, scream and shed tears.
Miya sat next to Cj and covered her face ashamed of herself. In the end, she was too afraid to talk back to her father. The chains wrapped around her heart can't be broken by trying. Some external sources have to be involved for it to shatter. Cj patted her on the head and grinned. "By any chance, does the key message have anything to do with those chains inside you?'
…..
"Huh?"
"HE ALREADY KNEW!" said everyone at the beach.
"Seriously guys, you think I didn't know about those chains? I saw them the first time I met her. I have a handful of gifts, Extraction, Deconstructing, Absorption, and an all-seeing eye. I can see all your bullshits a mile away" said Cj wiping his face. Miya pinched herself for forgetting that Cj had abnormal eyes. "He never explained the full extent of his abilities. Just now I heard absorption. Since when was he capable of that?" Miya wondered.
King Almon walked up to Cj and asked "Just how much do you know mister? Are you aware of anything else?".
Cj pushed a steak in the king's mouth and replied "I didn't come here to be interrogated. I came here to spend time with Miya and her relatives. Relax old timer". The king immediately looked at Sonia for a response. "He's not thinking anything. Sorry" She replied with a shrug.
Around midnight Cj and Miya left the Almon Family at the beach to get some rest for the big day. When they were far out of Sonia's range, the two started talking. "What do you think of my family?" asked Miya. "They aren't bad. They look great together as a family. However, they are extremely spoiled. I've never met a group of people so full of themselves until now" said Cj.
"Spoiled? Meaning" asked Miya.
"They think everything belongs to them. King Almon especially, that bastards want to kill eight people just to attain their powers. His relatives saw nothing wrong with that in the slightest. They must think it is natural for their kind to take what they want. Who are we to stop them?. I am one of the King's targets but he never once tried to tie me down. No one tried to pin me down. Even after I hinted that I know more than I let on they simply shrugged it off a few minutes later. Do they think I'm going to make them have their way? Your family needs to change their mindset" Cj sighed.
"Anyways, at least you accomplished what you came out to do right?" asked Miya curiously.
"I guess. I wanted to know who was the man responsible for those chains around your heart. Didn't expect it to be Rin Almon. I'll take care of her before your one year is up" said Cj. Miya held his right arm tightly and cried "It's like you're reading my mind".
"Calm down, I intend to help everyone who is on the death list. I already failed once. I won't anymore"
As soon as Cj and Miya left the beach, Hu Almon gave the king a report he was holding on to. "About Professor Jupiter's whereabouts. There has been a sighting of him in HEP West Division a couple of weeks ago. We still don't know his current location" said Hu. "Seriously, how can that man hide from me for so long. Never expected my first target to be this hard to find" sighed the king.
"There's a chance that he's already dead Uncle. I'd say about 60%. Aoi Quin doesn't know where the Professor is either. I think it's best to give up on that man" said Hu.
SLAP!
The king slapped Hu so hard everyone at the beach heard it. "Foolishness! He can't be dead. Who could kill such a man?" The king said upsettingly. Hu took a deep breath and showed the king a picture of the Professor and a little boy. "Does this boy look familiar?" asked Hu. King Almon stared at the boy for almost a minute before realizing who it was.
"CJ?!"