Chapter 564: Lingering Reminder
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Zhen Hou and Zhen Long cried out in shear panic as they were taken away by some stranger cloaked in darkness that soared through the air like an owl.
They could see their father about to attack, but stopping midway once he realized he would’ve hit them as well.
They saw their mother rush out of the room, try the same thing their father stopped himself from doing, only to stopped herself.
The two boys could only watch themselves become more and more distant from their parents, with tears in their eyes and screams in their throats.
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But before the two boys could even try to escape, wriggle themselves free into freefall at least, the stranger proceeded to use his aether and forcibly shove two strange packets of medicinal powder down their throats.
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Moments later, the two boys went limp as the powerful sedative began to take over their bodies.
The last thing the two saw before passing out completely, was the sight of their parents running after them…
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[Interesting…it appears we’ll be arriving to our next destination when you wake up. Most fascinating.]
The moment the child version of Zhen Hou passed out, the entire cityscape suddenly disappeared as if a switch had been hit somewhere.
At this moment, Zhen Hou and the debonair bug woman(Lacerage) were just standing in a black void.
[Oh my. Are you okay, Mister Bear?]
“Huh? Mister-whatever, yeah I’m fine. Why?,” Zhen Hou asked in a confused, somewhat dismissive tone.
The debonair bug woman gave Zhen Hou a strange, somewhat condescending smile at this question and tone.
[Because you’re heart rate is going crazy and your grip seems to be tighter than a vice right now. Do you wish for us to stop?]
“What? Oh.”
The moment this tight grip was pointed out to Zhen Hou, the man stared down at his hands and realized that it was indeed quite tight. The knuckles on his left hand were bright white at this point in time, he could even feel a stinging pain in the palm of his hands as he finally loosened up his hand.
“I, uh…guess this moment was a bit more intense than I remembered…how could I forget about this?”
[That is indeed the question of the hour, isn’t it?,] the debonair bug asked in a breezy tone, [especially since you seem to have a lingering reminder staring at you dead in the face. How did you forget something like this when you have something so obvious?]
“Wait, reminder? What reminder?,” Zhen Hou asked, genuinely confused this time.
Instead of saying anything further, the debonair proceeded to lightly tap her forehead in a very specific spot.
Compelled by the action, Zhen Hou proceeded to touch his hand to the spot that mirrored hers on his own forehead.
“Tsk! Ow! Why?!”
Only to recoil as he felt a fresh throbbing sensation of pain in that exact spot the moment he touched it with his fingers.
Confused, Zhen Hou tried to find something reflective in order to figure out why there was pain at that spot. Perhaps he somehow bumped his head, or maybe this debonair bug woman somehow slashed at him without him noticing.
Unfortunately, a void of darkness is not conducive for providing reflective surfaces.
Thankfully, he had the debonair.
[I believe this is what you’re looking for?,] the debonair bug asked before snapping her fingers and summoning forth a simple mirror in which Zhen Hou could examine himself with.
The moment he did, however, Zhen Hou’s expression was noticeably…shocked.
“When did I-no…wait…I do know where I got this scar…”
As Zhen Hou stared into his reflection, he saw that on his forehead was a glowing, star-shaped scar.
He didn’t recognize the scar at first, but as he kept staring, dots within his mind began to connect one after the other, forming back into memories he had long forgotten. The kind of memories that causes one’s expression to take on a more…sour note.
[Do you wish for us to stop?,] the debonair bug asked again, concern obvious in her voice this time.
Zhen Hou was silent for a solid minute before exhaling.
“No…I get the feeling I should be doing this…but I’m not sure why…”
[Hmmm. Good answer.]
As if sensing Zhen Hou’s willingness, the dark space suddenly pulsated, giving way to a more detailed set once more.
However, instead of a cityscape, the space had transformed into that of a ship’s hold. One filled with wall to wall cages and torture implements.
“Oh yeah…I definitely remember this place now…”
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“Hey yo, why does my uncle have a glowing mark on his forehead? He didn’t have that before.”
=What my emotional colleague is saying, is that whatever memories Lacerage is using to try and empower your uncle appears to be digging up and revivifying old wounds of his associated with those memories. Did you uncle ever tell you where he got that scar on his forehead?=
“Up until a second ago, I didn’t even know that scar existed.”
<=Ohhhh...that's...interesting...=>
“Well…good to know I’m not the only one in this family keeping secrets from everybody else.”
=…=
“Shut up and please let me have this, I can only handle the stress of hiding this shit for so long.”
=You really should consider bringing your family into the fold.=
“I will look into that.”
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“Ow…my head…mama…papa…help…” Zhen Hou groaned as his consciousness slowly returned to him.
The child had no way of knowing just how much time had passed after being kidnapped and rendered unconscious. All he did know at that moment was what was around him, which wasn’t much but it was better than nothing.
‘Looks like…a cage? In a room that smells like…salt?’
Zhen Hou could recognize that he was in a cage, one that allowed him to see that he was in a wooden room that showed clear signs of dampness here and there. He recalled the lessons his mother taught him about the ocean, so maybe this room was actually a boat?
‘Weird tools…looks…dangerous…’
Hanging on one of the walls in the room, Zhen Hou could make out several tools for a trade he didn’t recognize. He did however notice that they were remarkably shiny…with razor sharp edges.
‘Big brother…still sleeping…also in cage…’
Immediately next to Zhen Hou’s cage was another just like his, but it was holding his older brother, Zhen Long.
Buhu
‘I really hope mama and papa can-.’
*Creak…*
‘Huh?’
Before he could even finish his thoughts though, his silent cry for help, even more strangers that Zhen Hou couldn’t recognize bad entered the room.
‘Bad people…’
They all looked to be dressed in the same manner as the man who had kidnapped he and his brother just moments ago, black robes and a simple mask, but alongside them was a person that stood precisely because they weren’t wearing the same clothes as the others. If anything, this person looked to be the leader.
Dressed in what Zhen Hou could only describe as a red silk suit similar to the ones the shopkeepers at Tidepool Town would wear and having what appeared to be an emblem of a poppy flower on their breast pocket, this leader type person had a face and body that made it hard for the young boy to determine if they were a man or a woman.
The voice didn’t help much either, because despite how hard Zhen Hou tried to focus and determine how it sounded, it was too neutral to make out any specific details.
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They then began to audibly grind their teeth for a second before coming up with a plan and ordering the men in black.
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With the orders given, the men disbursed into a flurry of activity.
