Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) Chapter 9: Chapter 9: A Family Matter

Read chapter 9 of Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

“What the hell just happened?” Liam asked, blinking in surprise. “I tricked it into spilling the liquid on its head,” Hazel replied simply. “Kappas are big on respect, so they’d bow back at you if you bow at them first. Unfortunately, that would also cause the river water on their head to spill over, which freezes them in place until the water is refilled.” Chester shivered in the corner of a room, despite having three emerald orbs of fire circling him. “It’s… n— not the only one… who g— got frozen…” “Sorry… I wasn’t thinking properly.” Liam gave him an abashed look. “Didn’t know it could move that quickly.” “Good thinking, Hazel.” Chester cracked a smile at the girl. “Gotta admit, we would never have caught the monster without your knowledge about Yokai. But even so, who would’ve thought of freezing it that way? You’re quite the trickster, eh?” Hazel shifted uncomfortably at the word. Chester must’ve noticed it as well, because he reached forward and wrapped an ice-cold arm around her shoulder. “That was a compliment, by the way,” he chuckled. “Looks like there’s a lot more to you than what meets the eye.” Hazel blushed deeply at the boy’s proximity. “Alright, alright.” Liam laughed as well. “If you’re done flirting with the girl, shall we return this Yokai to the tent? Don’t wanna risk any complications.” “Hell yeah! Two down, two to go,” Chester cheered, carelessly waving the box which he had used to store the Yokai. “This is going unbelievably well—” “Hey, be gentle with that box. You could crush the Yokai’s soul if you aren’t careful.” Chester brushed Liam’s warning off with a half-hearted wave as he put the green-adorned box into his pocket. A few sharp knocks rapped on the door. “Is everything alright, Master Davies?” Alden poked his head into the room. “I heard quite a bit of commotion.” “It couldn’t go better!” Chester grinned widely. “Caught the Kappa red-handed!” “That’s a relief,” the butler said. “If you are headed to the tent now, may I have a word with Miss Hazel Adams for a moment first?” Hazel’s heart skipped a beat. “What for?” Liam asked in a serious tone. “If she has done anything wrong, I apologise on her behalf—” “No, not at all. She hasn’t done anything wrong.” Alden shook his head. “I just need to ask and confirm a few things with her. Not to worry, I’ll escort the lady to your site of operations when we’re finished.” “Is this regarding…?” The butler replied with a silent nod. If Liam was surprised, he had chosen not to show it. Instead, he simply stood up and motioned to Chester. “C’mon, let’s go.” ~ ~ ~ Hazel followed the chief butler through another winding hallway. He had chosen to remain silent throughout the journey, which naturally meant she had no chance of talking as well. She groaned internally. Hanging out with her two classmates didn’t take away her shyness. Why did they have to leave her with a total stranger? Alden led her to an uncharacteristically small room and closed the door. There was nothing else in it, other than an unusually regular-looking cabinet sitting in a corner. Nervousness pricked at Hazel again as the man began rummaging through what looked like large photo albums inside the drawers. What’s happening? The sound of the heavy drawer sliding shut brought her attention back to the present. Curiosity washed away all sorts of worst-case scenarios plaguing her anxious mind. Alden was holding a relatively smaller photo frame now. “I apologise for my forwardness, Miss Adams.” He held out the photo. “But are you, by any chance, acquainted with these two people?” It took Hazel all her willpower not to snatch the photo in shock. A familiar couple smiled back at her. The woman had wavy auburn hair, while the man’s striking blue eyes were the same ones that looked back at her in the mirror every day. Both of them were sitting on expensive-looking chairs, while a younger-looking Alden stood by their side with a sober look on his face. “H— How…?” she breathed as the photo sitting on her