Recovery (2)

Aaron and Gabriella left the hospital, but took the wrong exit and arrived in the courtyard. Numerous tents were set up, with improvised beds for the sick. Nurses called for doctors, and doctors called for medicine. Patients were sweating, swearing, and screaming.

"Let's get out of here. Kray told us to volunteer at the refugee camp," Gabriella said, heading toward a door leading to the street.

Aaron nodded. "Yes, but there's somewhere I want to go first."

She turned around. "Go where?"

"If I remember right, it should be this way."

The two walked down the street, passing the busy cafeteria, and eventually reached a small, one-story building near the village's old entrance, where the refugee camp now stood. A dozen people were lined up outside.

"What are they waiting for?" Gabriella asked as she joined the line with Aaron.

"This is the registration center. Everyone who has been saved should be on their list. I want to check if anyone I know from the army has made it out."

Gabriella nodded, remembering how while she and Isaac had organized the rebel group in the Obscure Guild, Aaron had fought in the war, alongside countless soldiers against the Topaz Guild.

Inside, Aaron approached the volunteer at the counter. "Hello miss, I'd like you to look up some names."

He handed her a piece of paper with several names written on it. The woman typed each one into her computer, her face growing more sombre with each failed result. Finally, she shook her head, and Aaron lowered his gaze.

"I'm sorry. None of them have been rescued yet."

…

Meanwhile, Luo Ren and Jenna Angel arrived at a hangar packed with planes, where they found Micky and Ralph standing at the entrance.

"So, you two are still here," Luo said. "We thought you'd have returned to the Central Continent by now."

Ralph glanced around. "I wish. This place is a disaster. But our executives want us to stay and help. Plus, we haven't even been paid yet."

Micky added, "The DA's so busy compensating the families of dead soldiers that they've forgotten about us. Oh, but I heard an ambassador from the West DA arrived today. We're going to make our case to him soon."

"An ambassador? Who?" Jenna asked.

"Not sure, but his last name was Ren."

Jenna turned sharply to Luo. Their eyes met, and his pupils widened. "Ray Ren?" he asked.

Micky shrugged, but Ralph nodded. "Yeah, I think that's him."

"Where is he?"

"If I had to guess, he's probably eating lunch right now."

…

Luo and Jenna rushed to the cafeteria. There was only one ambassador named Ray Ren.

Inside, they crept past the rows of soldiers and found an old couple by the window on the outer end. 

"Mom, Dad? What are you doing here?" Luo asked, sitting across from them.

Jenna quietly sat beside him. The couple was eating soup. His father continued chewing his bread, while his mother froze, her spoon slipping from her hand.

Ray Ren frowned. "We thought you were dead. We only learned you were alive from some contacts. Why didn't you reach out?"

Unable to meet his father's gaze, Luo stared at his hands. "I tried to at first, but I was declared dead and lost my identity. Your secretary didn't even believe I was your son. After that, things spiralled. I joined the Obscure Guild and... there was no way to communicate once inside their walls."

His mother, Stacy Ornelle, grabbed his hand. Her touch was cold and damp, but familiar. The weight of the war pressed heavily on Luo. He had no excuse for neglecting them.

"Mom… I should've called you."

"You were reckless. Don't ever do that again," she sobbed softly.

Ray turned to Jenna who was scratching her head. "Jenna, you need to take better care of my son. He isn't always the brightest."

She smiled. "He's my general. I'll do my best."

Ray sighed, "Are you still using your Air Force titles? I heard you're both mages now."

Jenna excused herself to the counter while Luo continued reconnecting with his parents. Ray and Stacy had come to Lope as DA representatives to discuss post-war matters with the Western Alliance's commander, Kray.

When Jenna returned with two plates of food, the conversation had settled.

"Ray," she began bluntly, "I have questions about my parents."

Ray leaned back in his chair, his expression serious. "What do you want to know?"

"I don't remember much of them. You took me in when I was fourteen after I'd been living with my father in a rundown apartment. But my earliest memories are of living in a forest."

"It was a jungle."

"Right. I recently discovered my powers and I need to know more about them. Who were my parents? Where was that jungle?"

Ray clenched his fists, and Stacy gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's time you told her," she said quietly.

Ray nodded. "Before I got involved in politics, I was an adventurer. Not much was known about the state of the Eastern Continent after the Second War, so I took the task to reexplore it and talked with the numerous tribes over there. Two decades ago, during my fourth expedition, I was nearly killed by an ape. Your father, Ermandio, saved my life. We became friends, but his tribe didn't like outsiders and refused to sign any treaties."

Jenna's eyes narrowed. "What powers did my father have?"

"He could fly and manifest a glowing figure around his body. His whole tribe had this power. I stayed in contact with Ermandio for a good ten years thanks to a phone I gave him, but then, he suddenly went silent. I didn't know why, and didn't have the energy or courage to return to the Eastern Continent to find out."

He glanced at his wife. "Ten years after that, your father showed up at our doorstep with you. He left you with us for a few days, saying he had something to take care of. He never came back. You had no legal identity, so we gave you one, with the last name Angel."

"I remember that," Jenna nodded. "But why are my earlier memories so hazy? I barely remember my mother or anything about their tribe. Just fragments of the jungle and some friends. Then I was suddenly living in the Central Continent, I think. For a few years. And then my father abandoned me."

Stacy shook her head sadly. "You probably suffered a trauma, Jenna. Maybe your memories will come back in time."