Chapter 15 - Long Distance

We helped Vien settle in. The number of suitcases she brought was overwhelming. Fae and I inspected her belongings, suspecting that someone might have planted JairTags or spy cameras in them, not that it would matter, since the realm's interior is a dead zone.

Vien let us search her things while she watched a Chinese drama on Fae's computer. "You check this suitcase, Liam," she said, pointing to the heaviest of her bags.

I opened it and immediately regretted it, handing it off to Fae. "You look so red, Liam. Are you okay?" my sister asked. Vien pursed her lips, clearly aware she'd done this on purpose.

Fae opened the suitcase and inspected its contents. "It's just undergarments," she said, closing it quickly. Vien insisted we check it more thoroughly, but I declined with a firm "No, thanks."

She took the suitcase and transformed it into a mini scooter, demonstrating its use to Fae, who was thoroughly impressed.

"Aren't those really expensive? You guys must be loaded," Fae commented as she tried out Vien's portable scooter. Just then, Tiara and Rohda entered the room, announcing they'd prepared some midnight snacks.

Rohda already had a spring roll in her hand and playfully tried to feed it to me, even poking her fingers into my mouth. I held her wrist, shaking my head, but she just giggled.

Vien crossed her arms and muttered, "So immature." She started to walk past us, but Rohda stopped her, wiggling a finger in her direction.

"We invited Liam, not you," Rohda spat, linking her arm with mine. "If you're hungry, make something for yourself." Tiara chastised her, saying there was no need to be rude, but Rohda shot back, "She's the enemy's daughter. No need to treat her like a guest."

"She's not a guest. She's a hostage," I clarified, reminding them that the mayor would think twice before acting rashly since I had one of his children here. "But please treat her well. She did a commendable job protecting the tower in my absence. That said, what you do with your food is your own choice. If you don't want to share, that's okay."

Rohda flushed with embarrassment, while Tiara smiled, approving of my response.

"Fine," Rohda replied, stomping off to the dining hall ahead of us.

Vien asked Tiara where the kitchen was, but Tiara insisted she could eat with us. Vien declined, saying she'd join us in the dining hall but would prepare something to share, like at a potluck. Fae volunteered to accompany her to the kitchen,my sister loves cooking, after all.

When we arrived at the dining hall, only Neil and Zild were there. Barry was missing. Raymond and Rohda were already munching on their snacks. Rohda avoided my gaze and kept eating. I asked where Barry was, and they said he'd probably dozed off. I decided to check on him.

Barry's room was a mess, but since we all had our own rooms now, it was his responsibility to clean it. He was on a video call with his girlfriend, lounging on the balcony. They seemed to be having a serious conversation.

I made my presence known, and Barry told his girlfriend he'd call her back. She said she was heading to work and wouldn't be available to pick up until her lunch break, by which time Barry would likely still be asleep.

They agreed to talk again tomorrow evening. After they said their goodbyes, I asked my brother if everything was okay.

"She mentioned rumors of a giant monster in the area where she works. The locals are calling it Amaru or something. She's terrified because people have gone missing, and the creature is fast despite its size." Barry was clearly struggling with how to help her. "I asked if there was a tower near her workplace. She said there is, but only people with high clearances can access it—mostly the wealthy or powerful."

He sighed in frustration. "Liam, can we magically teleport there? Is there an ability that lets us travel to other countries without resorting to conventional methods?" I'd thought about that too, but so far, the only option I have was forming alliances through scroll signatures.

I'd been to South America before, but that was in the past. I often formed alliances with foreigners, allowing me to move between places seamlessly. I opened my scroll, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. I had a signed alliance in South America! How was I able to keep it?

But my excitement faded when I saw the name was grayed out, indicating the user was inactive. Was she dead, or had she not yet discovered her powers? Her name was Catarina Gonzalez. The question was, could Barry's girlfriend find her?

••••••••••••••••••

We returned to the dining hall in low spirits. After sharing our predicament, Vien immediately suggested it would be easy to get visas for that country. She offered to help us secure the necessary paperwork, provided we covered the costs of tickets and other expenses.

I nodded, adding that if the traditional route failed, we'd need to find the person whose signature I had. Raymond asked how I'd managed to form an alliance with someone from there, given I'd never been overseas.

The others eyed me suspiciously. I shrugged, suggesting it might be a special feature of my scroll or an ability. They seemed to accept this, but my hesitation didn't escape Vien's sharp gaze.

I smiled at her and asked if she was okay. She said she was fine and showed us the food she'd prepared, a bowl of potato croquettes. Rohda was unimpressed, complaining that she'd already made spring rolls.

Vien explained she wanted to make something special for her first night. The room grew uncomfortably quiet.

Before retiring for the night, we planned the next day's itinerary. Since traveling to the mainland would be easier, we could use our time efficiently. Fae and Zild wanted to visit Zild's family, so they'd join us.

The rest would stay at the tower. Vien assured us she could process the visas online, so no one has to do a personal appearance at the embassy anymore.

I mentioned I'd need to apply for a passport and asked Barry for help since he already had one. Rohda asked if she could come, but I suggested it was safer for her to stay with Raymond. She muttered under her breath and retreated to her room.

Vien packed the snacks she made, and said she might get hungry again so she wanted to bring them to her room. No one batted an eye and they just let her to what she wants.

We all returned to our quarters, and I collapsed onto my bed, eager to rest. But I sensed another presence in the room. My eyes darted toward the silhouette of a curvy figure.

"You know it's obvious you're lying," Vien said, her arms crossed. "How did you really get that person's signature?"