Three years later…
The night was alive with the music of joy and the scent of celebration. Guests flocked all around the Hon household. Fireworks blossomed in the sky like exploding gemstones. Bliss in a definition.
Complete with exquisite carpets on the floor of the grand courtyard, adorned with chandeliers catering out shades of formal romanticism in the air, and the subtle presence of a hundred flavors of perfume wafting in the mist of the crowd – it was the beginning of a pleasant evening.
People dressed like the traditional lords and ladies talked, danced, drank and hummed along with the live tunes from the orchestral band in position at the dais.
Among the blurry bokeh of the background hubbub, an auburn-haired girl peeked about the horizon as if trying to locate someone. Her face adopted a smile when she found the person she was looking for. Her brown eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Heyyy, Takira!" the brown-haired girl approached another poshly-dressed girl who was busy observing the spectacle of bursting fireworks in the sky than the mundane field of people, with a rather dim expression covering her face. "What a fabulous party you've got running! What's the occasion, may I ask?"
Silver-blonde hair capped the other girl's head. She turned around to face her best friend, letting out an unrelenting sigh.
"Oh hiya, Miyura! Great to see you here," Takira seemed unsure to continue her sentence. "Well, the party is for a birthday."
"Oh wow! A birthday?!" Miyura clapped her fist to her palm. "Errr... I'm sorry I came here empty-handed. Oh no, I'm the worst kind of best friend. Ah, you don't deserve me," Miyura covered her face with her hands pretending to weep and overreact to her mistake.
"What? No no no, Miyura, oh no, don't say that! I didn't even mean anything by that!"
Miyura quickly removed her hands, revealing a sly wink and a tricky grin. "Heeeheee, tricked you again, Taki!" Crisp laughter escaped from her mouth.
"Oh, Miyura... you..." Takira almost raised her hand to slap Miyura. "By the way, your attempts were in vain. You didn't even hear who's birthday it is!" Takira crossed her arms. This time, she had the tricksy aura surrounding her words.
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"It is actually my father's birthday today!"
"Hehhhhhhh????!" the fact startled the soul out of Miyura Kan, childhood classmate and loyal friend to Takira Hon.
Takira couldn't fight back the urge to laugh, so laugh she did.
"But," Miyura's head ignited a factory of confusions and curiosity spawning, "why would your dad tend to celebrate it in such a grandeur fashion?"
"Oh," Takira regained the same grim expression as before. "I would love to know the reason, too. He still has his childish habits. And they are annoying sometimes."
A firework rocket erupted in the background, showering crimson butterflies into the air.
"I am also kind of feeling jealous about it," Takira continued. "Because he never arranged such a big event for any of my birthdays till now."
"Oh don't say that, Taki~" Miyura grabbed Takira's hands in hers. "You are only eighteen and the only child. Perhaps someday he has a bigger plan in store for you. Maybe he's keeping it a surprise, yeah? So don't lose hope in your dad just like that. No matter what happens in this world, fathers will always love their daughters dearly. In fact, you are quite lucky to have such an influential father!"
Takira felt tears preparing to descend from her blue eyes. She held them back and hugged Miyura closer to her heart.
"Oh, Miyura.... what an amazing soul you are. Without you, my life would be forfeit and desolate."
"Whoa whoa, calm down, sister," Miyura presented a nervous smile as she stepped back. "This is nothing too serious. All I did was motivate you to have more patience."
Another firework rocket launched itself to the starry sea and shattered like a blood diamond.
"Speaking of which, what are you doing out here at the edge of the throng, Takira? You're the daughter of the host! You belong somewhere right at the center of the party, sipping magnificent drinks and dancing along to the chords of the choir. Let's go inside. Follow me."
Takira's father indeed was a very powerful figure in the local society. In this world, few such great dungeon hunters are still alive and breathing the air they had unlocked from the clutches of otherworldly beings. Eolum Hon earned his name and fame by aiding other demon hunting heroes during a war that lasted twenty years.
Back in his days, Eolum was a mighty icemage. He hailed from a village so old that it was now extinct. People yearned to meet him and hear his voice, fabled to outmatch all other singers of that era. From villages to castles to kingdoms, he roamed freely and proudly.
Rumors also suggested that he had a peculiar disease throbbing through his body. A hunger for providing justice. When he found trouble, only then would his 'hunger' be satisfied.
The current Eolum Hon barely emitted any signs of his previous lifestyle, however. At an age halfway between 50 and 60, Lord Hon grumpily stared at the hubbub laid out in front of him. No one lent their attention to him yet. Standing by his right-hand side, a butler stood ready with a bell in hand.
'Damn these people nowadays. Have they truly forgotten who I am?' Mr Hon rubbed his eyes. The once-bold-looking forehead was now a graveyard of wrinkles. His black hair had turned grey, coincidentally now matching that of his wife and daughter's silvery meadows.
Lord Hon raised his hand and the butler hit the tiny bell once.
Ting!
Instantly, a shockwave was generated in the hall, resonating all across the main household. The whole crowd fell silent to the spell of surprise. Among them, Miyura glanced at Takira as if she wanted to signal an event.
"Greetings," Eolum's voice echoed off the corinthian pillars and walls. "Dear messieurs et madame, we have gathered here tonight to acknowledge an important announcement. Now, now, don't panic and don't frown! I won't keep this speech too long."
A few youths in the herd of people rolled their eyes, thinking 'that's what they all say!'
"Ahem. Tonight, we have a special guest from the Arkain guild," Mr Hon resumed the oral conveyor belt. "I would like to introduce Casio Thozo, the current leader of the Arkains. Please give him a round of applause!"
"It's Thozor. You missed the 'r' in my name!" Casio complained, but luckily nobody heard it thanks to the environment of claps. He was a big fellow, with shoulders wider than Eolum's and a perfect bulk of muscles. The neatly combed yellow blonde hair atop his head glistened like gold.
"Okay. Now, onto the main issue of tonight's party..."
Meanwhile, outside the mansion of the Hon household, two figures blended into the regular crowd of people.
"This is the place?" a robed person inquired to another man of similar attire. "The Hons' mansion?"
"Confirmed," the other figure toted a gun enveloped by a dark red fabric. "Search for the ambassadors and meet me at the rooftop."
They walked briskly towards the humongous palace of a mansion, now bathed by light and colors and thriving with music and happy voices.
ns216.73.216.39da2
and then Add to home screen.