Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) Chapter 17: Chapter 15: Restoration

Read chapter 17 of Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Revelations had one hell of a rejuvenating ability. Every bit of hopelessness was gone in an instant, replaced by a sense of determination that seemed to radiate from the people in the room. Hazel walked towards the Watsons eagerly. “Kitsune are great at illusions, but they’ll still leave behind traces of their tampering,” she approached Luca. “How did you get the request for this ‘migration project’ in the first place?” “It came to us in the form of a missive. The same one you just saw,” Luca replied. “Hang on, I still have it here.” Hazel tilted her head, staring at the light red envelope that the man pulled out from a nearby drawer. “Isn’t it supposed to disappear after the message is read?” she asked. “Its colour looks slightly different too.” “Only those harbouring confidential information disappear after they are read. This missive isn’t one of them because it’s just a proof of the project,” Ava said. “As for its colour, it was raining the night we received this, so we just assumed the rainwater had simply discoloured the missive.” Liam stared at the missive for a few more seconds before raising a glowing finger. Orange magic lit up the veins on his fingers. “ Ostendo. ” The orange light left his fingers, beaming warmly on the envelope like a weak flashlight. Hazel watched in awe as the missive blurred before her eyes, as though it were a video running on lower graphics. It transformed into a floating green ball of fire. “What the hell is that?” Liam put down his hand, staring at the emerald fireball. “Foxfire…” Hazel breathed, recalling the similar depictions in the books back at home. “You’ve been tricked. This whole thing must’ve been the Kitsune’s plan in the first place to smuggle itself into America.” Luca shook his head slightly. “That doesn’t add up. How would it have known that the cages would be broken by that Jubokko? If the accident didn’t happen, he would still be stuck in its cage.” “Except that he never was,” Liam reminded him. “Komyo was already out and about by then, which means he was never locked up in the first place.” Hazel lowered her head, trying her best to recall any other details about the night the monsters broke free. The Jubokko was wreaking havoc while Chester and Luca fought it off. But they were losing because their magic simply went through it as though it wasn’t there. It wasn’t until… “Dogs…” she breathed. “The dogs didn’t scare away the Jubokko; they scared away the Kitsune! My god… There was no Jubokko in the first place; the entire thing was a ploy to free the other monsters. Komyo must’ve cast the entire illusion!” Liam reeled at the revelation. “Jesus Christ, he’s that powerful? What have we gotten ourselves into? If that Kitsune doesn’t like what we have to say, he could very well erase us from existence with a wave of his hand. Or paw, whatever.” “Well, then we better choose our words wisely,” Hazel said. “But here comes our biggest problem. How are we going to find Komyo? He just comes and goes whenever he wants.” “If there’s someone who can give us a clue, it’ll probably be one of these Yokai.” Ava looked at the containers. “Too bad they can’t talk very well.” Liam exhaled loudly, making everyone stare at him. “Well, there is one Yokai who can talk well enough.” He looked up with a dark look in his eyes. “And she’s on the loose as well. Guess I can’t give up my duties quite just yet.” A buzzing sound interrupted him. Hazel fished out her vibrating phone. “Pops? Oh crap, it’s almost seven in the evening already!” Luca snapped his fingers in quick succession, conjuring a row of screens around the room that looked straight out of a Bond spy movie. Red lightning also burst from Ava’s fingers, lighting up the screens with glyphs and complicated-looking charts. “We’ll start the search.” Ava nodded at Hazel. “Go on home; we’ll let you know if we find something. Don’t let your family worry about you.” Hazel nodded reluctantly and headed for the exit. ~ ~ ~ “Pops!” Hazel pushed open her