CHAPTER 31: BACK HOME
2312 Words
"Hold on," Kev said. "Czarina is my sister? Is that true?"
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"You just repeated what I said." Master Kenjie's face became serious. "Goddess Pegaz is your mother, Czarina. You are half-immortal."
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She could not speak up to now. She did not know what she should feel. All she knew her whole life was that she's a villager and her parents are ordinary humans. "How can I be half-immortal? Am I like you?"
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"You are in danger, Czarina. Once the unknown enemies find out that you are destined to become the ruler of Fantazija, they will really go after your head," immortal god Orao continued.
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"Wait, I am the future ruler of the kingdom?" She wanted to laugh out loud upon hearing it. "There is no way I am going to be the queen. I will never."
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"It's already predestined, Czarina, and it will happen." Master Kenjie threw a pleading look at Kev, Maple and Yin. "I am begging you to keep this little information a secret."
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"I won't do anything that could harm my sister, Master," Kev said. His gaze went to Czarina. "That's probably the reason why I felt comfortable and at ease the first time I saw you."
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"T-thank you, Kev. Though I still can't believe it. I think I need to talk to my mother soon. I am confused." She shook her head. "I want to go home immediately and ask her. I want to clarify this with her."
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"Your mother is Rebecca, right?" Master Kenjie asked.
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"Y-yes." She nodded. "H-how did you know my mother?"
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"She's Pegaz' handmaiden," Tigar said. "Though for your peace of mind, perhaps you really need to go back home and ask her."
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"Can I go back home soon?" She asked. "I can't really have a peace of mind while everything is unclear to me. This is confusing me so much. I grew up with the family I know."
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"Yes, you can. I will tell Principal Smaj about it. You can go home anytime," Master told her.
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"We will come with you," Kev offered. "We planned to go there anyway, right?"
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"Yeah, I'm coming, too," Maple agreed. "We want to see where you live.. Perhaps we could train there as well."
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"I want to go back home, too. I miss my family." Yin raised his hand. "Though how are we going there? The prince can't walk for three days from here to there."
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"I can just simply send you there." Master Kenjie winked. "You're all with the gods, remember? Tigar and Orao will go with you. I will follow you later. I will talk to Smaj first.`` He snapped his fingers and they all disappeared.
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They popped into a rural village where people were dressed conservatively. Some women were walking with their pail and laundry, while some men were carrying chopped wood on their backs.
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In the middle of the village there is an old abandoned small castle with high trees around it. No one lived there anymore and it was securely fenced. They said it was the castle of a lonely royal family over a thousands of years ago. Even Czarina and Yin never tried to get in there. On the right of the village flows quietly a clear blue river. When they were young, they used to swim in that river.
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Their village, Lisak, was a tiny village with less than fifty houses, including the empty castle. The country people were mostly living ordinary lives. They relied on cultivating their lands or taking care of domestic animals like goats and ships to earn a bare living at the day’s end. Most of magicians in their village only reached intermediate level, and they never had any elemental controllers ever. Yin and Czarina were the first in their village's history.
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Czarina can still feel the wind blows gently and lightly. She missed it so much. The air was fresh and cool. Moreover, it was a village where she can feel situation which surrounded by many plantation and farm animals. It was also a place where she can feel the quiet of the day. "Home," she whispered.
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"We're home!" Yin exclaimed. "I missed our home!" He ran towards the residential area.
"Yin!" Czarina called but her friend even flew so fast just to get home quickly. "I'm sorry about that."
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"Let him be. He was just happy he's back home. Let's go to your house," Orao said.
"This way, Master." She gestured towards the direction where Yin went.
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"Your village is peaceful and solemn. I just feel so relaxed and energized here," Kev said. "You are so lucky to live in this environment."
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"You're right. If it's true that we're siblings, I still won't regret that I grew up here. I love the neighborhood and everyone here is amazing." She gave a genuine smile to the prince.
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""Still, you should be living in the palace. You have the right to be there and live like a princess with your real father," Orao said. "That was stolen from you because of someone's greed."
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Czarina remembered the king. He was kind and warm when they first met him. No wonder she felt comfortable with him.
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"Do not tell anyone in the palace yet about Czarina's identity for her own safety. We don't know who the enemy is," Tigar reminded them.
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Everyone nodded. They continued walking towards Czarina's house.
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"That's our house right there." She pointed to a two -story house made of wood. It has enough size and looks sturdy. "My father built it with the help of our neighbors. Let's go inside."
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She went in and looked for her mother and father. "Mom?"
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"Czarina?" Her mother was shocked upon seeing her. "What are you doing here? It's still in the middle of the school year."
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"I took a week's leave from school to train here." He glanced behind her and introduced the others to her mother. "They are my friends, Kev and Maple. Also..." She paused a bit and cleared her throat. "These are immortal gods Orao and Tigar."
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Rebecca was frozen upon hearing about the identity of the visitors. She grabbed the sides of her skirt and held it tightly to get some strength.
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"You don't have to worry, Rebecca. Czarina is safe, even her identity," Orao assured her.
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"T-thank you." Her gaze went back to Czarina. "D-did you already know about your true identity?"
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She nodded. "Is that true, Mom?"
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Rebecca took a deep breath. "Yes." Tears started falling from her eyes.
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She smiled at her mother. "Regardless of what I have found out, you are still my mother, Mom. No one can erase that."
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"Czarina..." Rebecca closed their distance and hugged her. "You will always be my precious daughter." She combed her hair, made her feel secure and loved.
"Mom." She cried.
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The others were just watching them, eyes almost misty. Kev felt envious because Czarina was loved by her adoptive mother, while the queen was just casual towards him. He was aware of the queen's true feelings for him. She never treated him as a son.
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"Let's not cry in front of our guests," Rebecca said. She wiped Czarina's tears. "I will prepare something for your lunch and clean your rooms. We have 2 vacant rooms upstairs. Czarina can share her room with Maple. I will tell you everything about the past and what happened back then."
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"Thank you, Mom."
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"Come in and sit down for a while." She gestured to the long bench made of oak wood.
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"Your sister is still in school and your father is out for two days now. They were hunting a magical beast in the woods. It already killed some outsiders. Don't go there yet, it's dangerous," she reminded them.
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"Yes, Mom." She nodded.
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- Writer
