Hearing her words, a flood of mories surged within Ery's mind, transporting him back to a vivid scene from the past.
It was a tranquil afternoon, the air filled with the soft rustle of leaves and the gentle caress of a refreshing breeze, accompanied by the warmth of the sun. Ery was unable to utter a single word, lying motionless on a tilted chair. Suddenly, he was jolted from his reverie as a small hand pinched his body.
"Uncle, doesn't this hurt? Are you... dead?" ca the innocent voice of a young girl.
Receiving no response, the silver-haired girl climbed onto Ery's lap and began to play with his hair, oblivious to his condition. Suddenly, a thunderous voice interrupted their interaction.
"What are you doing!? Get down, now! Right away!!" The authoritative tone belonged to another figure, one dear to his heart.
The girl unhappily frowned before retorting, "I didn't do anything, Auntie," her defiance evident in her expression.
This flash of mory brought forth a face, almost identical to the young girl currently sitting in front of him. Her na surfaced in his mind like a whisper carried by the wind.
"Shinta... you are Shinta, aren't you?" Ery realized, his voice was tinged with a mix of astonishnt and recognition.
Hearing his recognition, Shinta's heart raced with hope that he rembered her, but his next words shattered her expectations.
"Yes, You are Shinta, ...Visla Ouroboros' daughter,"
Ery's words carried warmth, but they weren't the ones she had been hoping for.
Stunned, Shinta felt a whirlwind of thoughts swirling in her mind. "He doesn't know? Is he in the dark all this ti like I was...? Why doesn't he know? Is he pretending?" Questions bombarded her consciousness, each one more bewildering than the last.
She longed to release the pent-up emotion that had been building within her, but she couldn't summon the courage to do so.
Was it disappointnt? Anger? Or perhaps just fear of how he would perceive her? Would he accept her for who she truly was?
Fear won over, gripping her tightly, causing her to tremble as she finally replied,
"Yes... I am Shinta... uncle,"
The weight of the last word was heavy on her tongue.
Ery's mind clicked into place, and he finally saw the reason why Shinta felt so familiar. She was 'her' niece. Despite this recognition, a faint sense of sothing missing lingered in his heart, but his logical mind quickly filled in the gap. "I guess I just... missed her so much," he mused, attempting to rationalize the emotional turmoil within him.
The cloud of mystery seed to lift, and the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. However, before he could fully comprehend the situation, Ery ca to a realization.
"You ca with a different identity... Are you in trouble?" He questioned, his tone laced with concern.
Shinta hesitated for a mont, her expression betraying a hint of apprehension before she finally responded, "It's a family... a clan matter," her voice barely above a whisper as she spoke. The weight of her words seed to drag her spirit lower, casting a shadow over the conversation.
"Ah... I see,"
Ery sensed the heavy burden weighing on Shinta's mind, and he could tell that it was a problem she was unable to share openly. Still, he felt compelled to offer his assistance, wanting to do sothing, anything, to ease her troubles.
"Whatever trouble you are in... I can help you," Ery offered earnestly, his voice filled with sincerity.
These words seed to elicit a sudden shift in Shinta's emotions, they added to the whirlwind of emotions within her thoughts.
"Helping ? What can you help with... You can't even recognize ..."
Ery's offer sensed hollow to her, it felt like an empty promise, evoking a sense of bitterness and doubt. "Did he do the sa to my mother? making such promises,?" she wondered silently, her mind swirling with unanswered questions and painful mories.
With a sudden shift in her emotions, she responded, "No, you cannot help , mister."
Once again, she referred to him as "mister," adding to the layers of confusion and conflict swirling within Ery. However, a realization dawned upon him in that mont. Shinta's father, Visla, harbored a deep-seated hatred towards him, and her grandmother had similarly distanced herself. It was evident that Shinta was facing so kind of internal struggle, perhaps stemming from the complex dynamics within her own family.
A heavy silence settled between them, the air thick with unspoken tension. Even the tea had gone cold, but neither of them seed willing to break the uneasy stillness that hung in the air.
The tension between the two did not go unnoticed by the other acolytes, even though they couldn't hear their conversation. Murmurs rippled through the group as they exchanged curious glances.
"What are they saying?"
"She was even crying, wasn't she...? Master is really capable of moving her heart. He's a real expert!"
However, their speculation was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a group of individuals outside the hall. At first, Damo mistook them for new recruits, but his assumption was quickly corrected. The newcors exuded an aura of power, guided by a full moon magus accompanied by five of his acolytes.
The magus cast a disdainful glance at the assembled acolytes, his expression dripping with contempt. "Huh... sitting around at a ti like this... what an embarrassnt," he sneered, his voice laced with superiority.
One of the acolytes stepped forward and said, "Tell your master to co out. Master Aspen is here to et," he declared, his words infused with a commanding tone that brooked no argunt.
As Ashaka stepped forward to politely receive the guests, they adamantly refused to speak with him, insisting on seeing the head instructor. Their presence quickly shattered the fragile silence that had settled between Ery and Shinta.
Deeply annoyed by the interruption, Ery's thoughts darkened with the temptation to instantly throw them all into his blackhole. However, before he could act on his impulse, Shinta rose from her seat.
"It seems you have a problem yourself, mister. I will not trouble your ti anymore," she declared, her voice carrying a note of dignified resignation. With a graceful bow of respect, she added, "Thank you for the tea; it was very enjoyable," before gracefully exiting the room.
Ery was relieved to see that Shinta hadn't departed imdiately but was instead observing the unfolding situation.
As he approached the group, his gaze t the full moon magus's, and he mirrored the sa courtesy they had shown.
"I am Instructor Ery. What do you want?!"
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