[Legacy of a Martyr #2] Liberation from the Masquerades (A Key Keepers novel)

Episode 81: An Evolution

Alastair's friend dropped off these strange things for us a couple days ago. They were supposed to help us avoid getting lost in Taradita. I honestly didn't understand how they worked but Alain and my sister, and probably Tiana, did. That was good enough for me.

We were supposed to go scouting today. If I had to guess, though, the main purpose was probably to make sure the strange gadgets work.

Anyway, Tiana and I were going with him today. My sister was practically glued to her typewriter. Lie wasn't keen on the idea since she'd yet to get comfortable with her new powers. Duke naturally wanted to take care of her because of that while Phoenix wanted to spend the day with his audiobooks.

We left around ten today. A nagging voice in my head said that this was a bad idea, though...

Alain didn't eat much, but I wasn't too concerned. It wasn't uncommon for him to not eat much.

Once we got into Taradita, something was off. The air was strangely cold, but I had no idea why that would be. As far as I could tell, weather wasn't really a thing there.

"Where do you think we should start?" Tiana asked.

Alain looked like he might have been shaking. "Let's find a good place to make sure these things work. Cole said we can pick them up when we're done."

They held hands as we walked eastward.

Alarm bells were going off in my mind, but I couldn't figure out why. It felt like I was forgetting something important...

I didn't think we went very far after this. Maybe a hundred yards if that?

Alain accidentally tugged on Tiana when he stopped walking. It was like he became a statue. His eyes were glazed over.

Tiana squeezed her brother's hand. "Ali? Are you okay?"

"Something wrong, bud?" I asked.

He looked at his sister, but it was clear he wasn't really looking at her. "Daijoubu, Kaze."

That was when I finally noticed. He was shivering. I'd heard him utter those words before. It was the day I saw him evolve for the first time...

"Tiana." I met her gaze. "We need to go home right now."

She nodded. "He's in no condition to be scouting. We need to keep him warm and make sure he rests."

How were we going to get home? I didn't know about Tiana, but I sure didn't know how to open the gate now. That was why Alain had to come scouting.

"Ali." Tiana put her hands on his shoulders. "Can you take us home? We'd like to go scouting another day."

I was shocked that he could manage to open the gate. I thought he was too far gone to understand what she asked of him.

Tiana and I put his arms around our necks, so we could carry him through the gate. Once we were safely back in the garden, Tiana picked up her brother. Surprisingly, she seemed to be alright by herself.