Looking at them, Arella breathed a sigh of relief. Because now she knew that they must have heard of Liliana.
"Uh! Why don't we go home and talk slowly? Come this is the first time we have had visitors! Have you eaten? We can eat at home?" Aaron recovered quickly and generously invited them.
Omar refused to come out of Arella's arms, so she carried him all the way. Adrian stuck close to her, observing everything around them. A few curious eyes kept watching them, and some cats would cross their path every now and then.
When another cat crossed her path, Arella stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong?" Adrian looked closely at her and asked softly.
"That cat…had red eyes!" Arella mumbled slowly as if still in shock.
"Oh! Yes, we have cat animals. They help us with keeping the fields free of insects and rats. Thanks to them, otherwise, we wouldn't know how to deal with the proliferation of rats!" Aaron explained as they continued to walk.
"Then, don't they attack or cause mischief? They are animals." Adrian asked while keeping a close eye on all the cats around. A lot had red eyes.
"Huh? Do they dare?" Aaron uttered with pride and stared at the nearby cat animal. The animal being stared at got so scared that its fur became spiked! It ran away without any second thoughts.
Both Aaron and Lucinda stopped in front of a stand alone house. When Arella entered, she was greeted with warm lights, a delicious aroma, and a beautifully decorated place. She admired it a lot.
Soon, the snacks were ready, and they sat down for a cup of relaxing drink.
"Liliana was your mother?" Aaron asked to double check.
"Yes, have you heard of her?" She asked with hope flickering in her eyes.
"Everybody knows about Liliana." This time, it was Omar who answered her. He spoke and then lowered his head to eat again.
Arella looked at the parents. She had a lot she wanted to ask.
"This barrier was created by Liliana. Everybody in the Cat clan knows of her." Lucinda continued.
This time, it was Arella and Adrian who became stilled. Both had the same thoughts swirling in their minds. Such a powerful barrier was built alone by Liliana? The barrier at their home was built by the cat clan members and Liliana built a barrier for them.
And this barrier was not ordinary, they had seen it with their own eyes. How powerful must she be to build that?
"But unfortunately, that's that. We do not know anything else. I was too young back then, so I don't remember much." Lucinda doused Arella's bubbling hope with cold water.
Seeing the light in her eyes dimming, she added quickly, "But the soothsayers must know something.. They were the people who interacted with her."
"Soothsayers?" Adrian's eyes became complicated. From Arella, he knew that soothsayers could see the future and had mysterious gifts. But he also knew they were eccentric, moody, and hard to control.
"But Omar?" Arella too, had a complex emotion, but entirely for a different reason. She knew that Omar and the Soothsayers had problems. They wanted Omar because of his unique gift, but according to Lucinda, he did not have a strong spiritual foundation to fight.
"Oh! All that's in the past, thanks to the gift from the Scott family ancestors!" Aaron happily pointed toward Omar's wrist. A red band sat quietly on it.
"The Scott ancestors?" Adrian questioned with hints of doubts. He knew that Arella had met the ancestors through Omar, but he didn't know of any wristbands being involved. He looked at Arella, she had the same blank expression as himself.
"Yes, at first, we didn't notice. But later, the ghosts couldn't enter his body for some reason. And it turned out to be the ancestor's blessings." Lucinda looked genuinely grateful.
"As long as I wear this band, no ghost can overtake my body. Isn't it cool?" Omar looked up from his bowl and happily added.
Arella smiled and patted his head. Omar's eyes squinted and then he focused on eating the snacks again.
"When can we meet the soothsayers?" Adrian queried lightly.
"As soon as you want." Lucinda immediately answered.
Arella and Adrian gave each other a blank stare. They weren't expecting it to be that easy. Should they make some appointments first?
"Oh! Rules exist, but not for you. The only thing Liliana asked for in return for creating this barrier was for her daughter's protection. So whatever you want, as long as it's not too demanding, the soothsayers would comply." Aaron understood their inhibitions and explained calmly.
"Then, can we go now? I want to meet them." Arella asked with hope.
"Sure. You have come at an opportune time because today is their meeting day. If we are in luck, we can find them all in one place." Aaron nodded while speaking.
They finished the drinks and went straight to the soothsayer's place, to the giant building in the center.
"This is the home of Beast God," Omar spoke piously, as if he himself believed that this really was the home of Beast God.
The soothsayers' meeting hall was to the left while the Beast God's room was to the right. It was forbidden to enter the room of the Beast God. It is said that the amount of spiritual energy in that room can make any member explode. So, nobody goes that way.
When they reached the meeting hall, they were stopped by the guards.
"Please announce Liliana's daughter is here." As soon as Lucinda opened her mouth, a commotion broke out among the guards. A pair hurriedly went in to announce, while others kept scrutinizing Arella.
"Please enter." The pair returned and politely gestured for their party to enter the meeting hall.
Inside, there were twelve people, all elderly, seated in a semi circular manner.
The man in the center stood up. Every other member followed suit.
"Welcome. We have been waiting for you." The man in the center spoke loudly.
Arella did not know how to respond. What was she supposed to say? Thank you for waiting for me? Fortunately, another member spoke up right after the one, saving herself from embarrassment.
"We will honor the promise made to Liliana. Speak, what brought you here?" Another member spoke in a booming voice.
"I am here to seek answers," Arella answered loudly, trying to make her voice audible enough for everyone.