TF Chapter 42 Interlude; Kim Bora

When I was young, I used to think of forgers as superheroes, mortals who had gotten lucky and had gotten the chance to surpass us, normal humans. It wasn't until I was older, and the result of having a powerful background that the truth came to light; that everyone had a chance, no matter how slim it was, to become one.

I remember the moment vividly, one of the few things I would never ever forget! When I had revealed my dream of becoming one to my father. My expectations were dashed when a slap landed on my face throwing me to the ground with such force that I slid and accrued multiple bruises. The reason I could never forget that moment was the expression on the man's face. It was a mixture of rage, hate, horror and disgust, something that even made a man of Korean origin appear ugly.

Even now, I could still feel the phantom pain of that slap. I had been his favourite, but that one sentence had dragged me to hell.

I wasn't the only one, as even my poor mom was implicated, causing her standing to lower such that ultimately, she died to the schemes of the current main wife of the man. I had asked my mom why the man had done what he did but even she had absolutely no idea why.

At 15 years of age, I had to watch my mom's burial, alone, with no one even coming to attend. Tears had failed to materialise at all. All I had felt was a calm, even though she had showered me with love, though, deep in my heart I knew that I didn't love her any less than she did me, so I had asked myself, why had the tears failed to appear?

While staring at the ash pot, I had asked myself what to do in revenge? Even young, I had already figured that my mom's death had been no mere accident, with the perpetrator was someone I had already figured out. That was the one flaw I had, too much IQ and less EQ! Was it the reason that I didn't shed a tear? That I didn't know.

I went through a multitude of ideas, and all only culminated into one, become something he hated deeply, a forger! The family had a rule, no matter how fringe a descendant was in the lineage, they had to join the business group when they came of age, not to mention that all studies were related to business, with even less time on other fields. Apparently, the change had happened during my fath-that man's time. 

The guy was really a fool, ignoring the potential of hiring forgers because he wanted to stick to the 'old ways'. What an idiot!

I decided to become a forger out of spite, running off while leaving behind a scheduled message. I knew it was childish, but rubbing it in his face was more enticing. Too bad I couldn't personally witness the moment it made it to him.

Anyway, due to that message, I was on a tight schedule. Even with the weakened Bora Group's power, the man would most definitely do everything in his power to punish me, even death was in the picture.

I had even trained in martial arts for self defense, plus, I had heard that forgers constantly engaged in battle.

-----

Patience is a virtue few truly have in this world. Most of us only exercise said virtue when we truly have no way to speed up a circumstance. I wanted results pretty fast, so, I felt that the two I had partnered with were wasting my valuable time.

Why did it have to be this year that the rules changed? I lamented about that every single day, yet now, here I was, my knees tucked into my chest, having been consumed with fear. Fear of what? 

The fear that death was always there, a constant unchanging thing.

Celeste's attack had been brutal! She had been standing within our triangular formation one moment, and in the next, she was gone, such that by the time I noticed, Nathaniel's body had whooshed between us with such velocity, the wind had caused me to close my eyes by reflex.

When I came to and turned around, thinking that he had been attacking Celeste behind me, I froze at the sight that greeted me.

Honestly, it was hard to get that image out of my mind, even now, with multiple hours having elapsed. If that man wasn't dead, then that would be a miracle, with how his entire body had been wrecked.

My hands were shaking as I looked at them for the umpteenth time. Everett Ross and his minions hadn't created such an impact on my mind when they had died, probably because we were enemies, but Nathaniel's blood-soaked body left quite the impression.

I was a person with a high IQ and low EQ, yet now, the latter had taken over my mind.

"Why did Celeste...?"

Danny's unfinished question demanded answers, yet the person wasn't here. Though, I had a feeling that it had been an accident, a loss of control.

"I want some quiet time." With a lot of effort, I made my voice come out the same as before the incident. With the velocity he had been launched at, coupled with the strike that had initiated it, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had died instantly.

The room entered a strange silence, one I particularly started to like because it allowed me to peruse my thoughts and try to calm myself down. I had never thought that death could be so close, and I could probably face a gruesome...the memory of the white bones peaking out of Nathaniel's body caused me to abandon that train of thought.

Before I and Danny had had any chance to berate or ask our tutor anything, she had reappeared near the mess that was Nathaniel, carrying him up with incomprehensible speed, then vanishing from our sights. Ever since then, we had entered a strange silence. I wonder, was Danny feeling the same as me?

I raised my eyes and beheld him. His fingers were moving around as if he wanted something to really distract him. It was laughable how I was trying to hide my fear and terror, while Danny was struggling with his and I was being a bitch.

These few months I had been here I had grown to attached to these two people, something that would have caused my siblings no small amount of shock. I had been cold, something even I knew about myself. It had been a cutthroat world, within the family clan. Being the only one born between my mother and father, I had faced isolation since young by the others, so I had had to learn to survive on my own, yet the moment I arrived here, I had had no choice but to form a group with Danny and Nathaniel.

I was still wary of Danny because of his mysteriousness, but so far, he was a nice guy. Nathaniel...now that person was a puzzle all on his own. There was something about him, as if he was a weary traveller who had finally found solace here on Musana continent.

"Danny, what do you think was the reason behind Celeste's loss of control?"

I started the conversation in order to at least help him, but we still had to address the elephant in the room, Celeste's brutal attack.

The grateful gleam within those blue eyes didn't evade my eyes, but I decided to act as if I hadn't seen it. It would be a blow to his ego, something all men had too much of, apparently.

"That incident...that's the only plausible explanation, but so far, no information has trickled down to us apprentices." 

I sometimes forgot that among us three, he was the only one who had any acquaintances outside our circle. I could also do it, but I didn't want myself to get distracted. Nathaniel, on the other hand was someone who appeared to want his peace. Being alone wasn't bothersome to him...

I doubled over as his image overlapped with that of his blood-splattered form of recent. My stomach strained as I tried to force out its nonexistent contents. 

I hurriedly removed the image from the forefront of my thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Danny patted my back as I keeled over. He had arrived at some point in time. Unshed tears blurred my vision as the memories of our joint training replaced the image. Was I sad? Me?! Of all people?! 

I had been with my mom for far longer than these two yet I hadn't even cried at her funeral! Why was I crying now?!

"I...an-am not...okay." I sputtered out the words. The effort it took to show this weak side of me through those words caused my chest to heave in strain.

"You know, you should try crying sometime. Bottling up your feelings isn't a very nice thing."

Had he noticed my fear from before? When the possessed Nathaniel had stood in front of me? And I had thought I had hid it well!

As I let the tears drain my fears and any other feelings I might have been surpressing, I felt a lightness in my chest. I never knew that crying was also a way to release some burdens.

-----

"Are you finally okay?" 

The question came at a time I didn't want it to. I had shamed myself in front of a friend...friend! Did I just think of him as a friend?!

I grunted positively when he repeated the question. It seems that there was no use drawing out the embarrassment. I raised myself from the awkward position and resumed the arrangement from before, where my back was leaning into the wall.

"Should we request a change of tutor?" 

Now, this was a question that required to be pondered upon. If Celeste was as volatile as she had shown, was she still fit to be educating us? In combat no less?

"We...should first wait. If I am not mistaken, she took Nathaniel to be healed, though... I am worried that his recovery might never happen." I frowned at that. If Nathaniel died, would I be as indifferent as I had been when my mom had passed away?

"I don't believe he will. The forgers have certain secrets that can mend even THAT." 

"I hope they do, because it would really be sad if we have to attend his funeral." I lightened my tone at that.

"Hahahahahaha...Nat Senior is someone I, Danny chose. There is no way he is going to die that easily! His destiny is still bright."

"What are you talking about?" 

There had always something suspicious about Danny, but I had tried to push his strangeness to the back of my mind, like how, out of a crowd of other people, he had chosen me to follow him into joining his team without an ounce of doubt. It was like he had known beforehand that I was the one he needed.

I had seen the way Nathaniel had stared at the guy sometimes, as if wanting to pry something out of the younger man, but failing to do so.

"Ah! Sorry, I got carried away there. But, I am pretty sure our friend isn't going to kick that bucket." Again he had changed the topic, pretending that we didn't see that he was hiding something. If the circumstances had been different and I had been the nosy type, maybe I would have tried to suss out something, but for now, I would let him be. Someday he might trust us enough to reveal whatever it was he was hiding.

Now, all we had to do was wait for Celeste, our wildcard tutor to come back, a task that was going to be made all the harder due to the faint worry within my heart...and Danny's... probably not. Has he regained his wits?