Part 65: Task X And X Mission

After minutes of enduring the pain of my stomach coming from the roller coaster, we finally made it to the cafe where Gon and Alluka were waiting for us.

But that doesn't mean I will easily forget about what happened earlier. I never thought that I would go through the effort of releasing my bloodlust at that time. If I wasn't too weak for the ride, then we wouldn't get into that trouble.

I mean, the guy kinda pissed me off because of him calling him a coward, but I don't think it's rational to be angry at him just for that one insulting word that I couldn't get used to. I should stop getting angry over it.

I started to think that I'm back on being childish. And I should stop being angry with people calling me a "coward" from now on.

"Are you feeling better now?" I was almost lost in my train of thought until I heard a familiar face that brought me back to reality. I looked up and saw Gon with a worried face.

"Y-Yeah... I think so..." I stuttered.

To make him less worried, I released a fake smile even though I knew it didn't work. It was obvious, obvious enough for Killua to notice it as I saw him not moving his eyes away from me since I answered my friend.

"Sorry, I forced you to ride it." Gon made himself guilty, though it wasn't his fault from the start. To be honest, the roller coaster was not that much scary and thrilling for me, so I enjoyed it more. It's just that I'm overreacting earlier.

"It's fine. I'm still happy I can ride with you guys." I said with a sincere smile. It wasn't a fake one at all, but it was real. It's true that I was happy that I could be able to have fun with them, and I wished that it could be like this forever.

I don't know but it's like I don't want to end this moment. I want to be with them forever and have fun all the time.

But there are things that I have to do. I have to find my father. It's been a year since I heard about him disappearing without a trace. I still have no information I could use as a stepping stone towards his location. No matter where he is, I hope he will be safe and wait for me.

Our orders finally arrived and we started eating the meal. I was too fast to eat everything, the same as the two boys, so we couldn't help but request for seconds right away. I didn't know that we were this hungry to devour every food at the table. Indeed, Mito made us a farewell dinner last night but it seems like it wasn't enough.

After the messy and chaotic afternoon lunch which ended at a time of the sunset, we ate the dessert which is a gigantic lemon cake. I couldn't help but drool at the sight of it. If they will let me had a chance, I would finish it in one go.

"So... where will we be going after this?" I asked as I looked at each of them one by one. I never had any plans other than to look for my father so I had to go to Yorknew City after this.

"Hmmm..." Killua mumbled, so we turned our heads to him, his fingers were supporting his chin, "...the sun is setting. Let's call it a day."

"Roller... coaster..." Alluka still pleaded for the ride, even though Killua said that it was time to head home. Her face was that of a puppy with a stolen bone. I couldn't help but feel sorry.

Killua raised his hand and reached for her head to pat her. Even with the soft touch, she was still in the grief of the fact that we had to end the good times.

"It's been fun." Gon said, giving his usual warm smile to us. I had seen it multiple times and his innocence can still be seen. He had gone through hardships and trials, but he was still staying strong to have fun with us.

I don't know if I was doing a good job of having fun with them. I was feeling happy ever since I saw that Killua and Alluka are back until now, but it felt like I haven't done anything yet.

It's like there's something wrong with myself that I couldn't be able to feel happy fully. Every time it's full, there's something that always sips it back.

As my thoughts started to take over my whole brain, my phone rung in my pocket along with its vibration. The others also noticed the unexpected ringing so they turned their heads towards me.

Without any choice, I grabbed it and took a look at the monitor. A familiar name flashed on the screen. It's been a year since I have last seen him.

I raised my head at them as they had the same faces which were asking who was on the phone. The ringtone continued to echo at a low volume inside the cafe as I was too frozen at his sudden call.

"It's Grenno," I said like a serial killer just called me. He promised to let me have a normal life last year since he found my sliced monster arm. But I guess sometimes, things won't go as planned.

He said that he would try to locate the origin of the monster cells that had been living inside my body before, and the Philene Village is one of the clues he got.

Come to think of it, now that I realize it, that name of the place sounds familiar. And I just didn't hear it years ago. I think it was way earlier.

I accepted the call and put it beside my ear. Every second passed as I was slowly raising my hand.

"Hello?" I said to the other line. I waited for it to answer and the seconds felt like minutes.

"Secco" Finally, Grenno replied after a short silence. It's been a year since I heard his voice, which I haven't been used to, "Sorry for calling you at a time like this."

"It's fine," I said, even though it wasn't that fully sincere.

I was having fun with my friends that I haven't seen in a while, only to be disturbed by a phone call from a very serious man. Well, it doesn't help. He helped me before. Not to mention, he told me how to remove my arm.

"Are you free to go to Yorknew? Tomorrow?" He asked, which made my eyes widened. I don't know if this is a pure coincidence or fate was playing on me, but I couldn't help but widen my smile.

I didn't expect that his errand was simple and really had timing. I thought it would be something hard that would waste my time and effort.

"Ah, yes," I said with a raised chin and sparkling cobalt eyes. I tried to push the phone closer to my ear. "I was planning to go there."

My smile was wider than before, as excitement rushed in my veins. It was obvious that my friends noticed it so they couldn't help but smile as well, with a mix of confusion on their faces.

"Okay, good." I heard on the other line, still not changing intonation and reaction to my approval. "Then, bring your buddies with you. I have a matter to discuss."

As soon as I heard his second response, my smile faded and my jaw dropped in an instant. I almost let go of my phone but I stopped myself. I could feel my eyes widened and spaced out in the middle of the conversation.

It was a long silence, but it kept me anxious and confused. What does he need from my friends? Why are they involved with this?

My friends also saw through my emotions, so they too were worried about my concerns. They must also head his request earlier.

"O-okay..." I stuttered as I couldn't be able to absorb what his intentions are. It's reasonable that he will call for me, but I didn't expect him to call for my friends.

After that, he hanged up so I removed my phone beside my ear, letting it hang in my hands. My mind was filled with confusion.

I raised my head to see my friends, only to be greeted by their raised eyebrows and anxious eyes.

"He wanted to meet up with us."

***

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The wind had been hitting her purple hair in twin loose ponytail for hours. The noisy rails started to annoy her sleep like an infant calling for his mother. But thankful for her, she had never had a kid, although she must have one.

It's been a year since her student left her for good and went away on his own. But Java never expected him to send information. She thought he already broke the connection between them, but he was still her student after all.

But right now was not the time to be worried about him. She was carrying a bunch of information in her pocket and if she won't execute her mission properly, her master wouldn't like it.

She was known to be lazy, and she will proudly admit it, but she knew that this time, the mission was serious and could change a large part of the world.

Before he received the call, she had gone through a challenging journey from her town, the Republic of Padokia, and towards a place that no one planned to go to.

A place that was abandoned that the winter surrounding it started to take over. A place where coldness and grief were written in the air.

It's been her thousandth step, and she was too thankful to see the place that she was looking for with a great distance between the two.

But the great challenge was through the roads. Walking on the dry path was never a good idea, and the strong wind of dust kept pushing her to the side.

And yet, it didn't bother her. Both of them, her and Grenno, are always belittling their cruel nature.

After minutes of walking towards the place, she finally made it. She expected that she wouldn't appreciate the atmosphere, and she wasn't wrong.

But she didn't expect the place to be the opposite of the outside of the borders.

The place inside covered by tall hard metal walls that none could ever destroy was a place of snow and ice. A place where cold wrapped every edge.

The Snowtor Village, where the Snowtor Clan resides.

They were known to be the ice knights, a tribe of people who lived with the winter and embraced true beauty. Because of this, they were blessed by the winter gods, thus giving them the ability to resist the cold death.

But the clan didn't last that long.

It was said that the village was massacred by a group of criminals when the time the gods were in absence. No one was left alive, as their cold resistance skin was being sold at the black market.

It's been years since she started the mission requested by her master, and she didn't expect him to give her this much privilege. Even before her master's request, she had been longing to know about the ice knights. And now is the time that she had been waiting for.

She finally stepped foot in the village, but it looks like she was too late. There's no one left to save, there's no one left to help.

But that's just what everyone thought. That's just what is written in the books, but never the real event.

They were rumors that one member of the clan didn't get involved in the massacre, and was still alive until this day. And she was sure that that piece of information wasn't a lie.

After paying respect to the village and the dead souls, she finally took her leave. She decided to know more about what happened to the village, thus, she planned to ask on a nearby town.

"I've never heard about them since the massacre." One woman said as she reached for her broom. "They became history, and no one seemed to care about them."

"Snowtor? They're too secretive." A man smoking cigarettes uttered lazily. "They got what they deserve for being too blessed by the gods."

She never liked their opinions about the clan, but she doesn't have a choice but to listen if she wanted to take the information.

It took hours for her to stay in the town and hours more until her whole curious presence started to spread around the town. People had been avoiding her and left her questions unanswered.

She knew that this wasn't the right place to ask about the clan's whereabouts. And it was never a good place to keep your frustration low.

She was about to leave the rude town that treated her as invisible and never intended to say goodbye.

"Wait!" An unfamiliar voice called for her, as she was one step away from the departing train.

She turned around to see a young man in his teens. His black hair and droopy green eyes that belonged to a pretty boy didn't match his tired weak body.

Sweats started pouring from his head. It seemed like he ran in her direction all this time.

"You're interested in the Snowtor Clan, right?" He asked between his pants.

Java stared at him, didn't have any slight interest in what he was about to say.

"Yeah. What about it?" She asked with brows furrowed. She got used to the townfolks saying bad things about the clan that she even expected the kind-looking man to think the same.

"A-Actually... I know a member of that clan..." He stuttered, started to look away from her. Her uninterested attitude changed as her eyes widened.

Silence passed through them for a while, until Java let out a wide smirk that she never released since she made it to the town.

"How about let's go for lunch?"

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