Freedom... //Yakusoku No Neverland

119] A Fortuitous Meeting

ここに私たちは同じ空の下にいます...

Emma was running down the stairs almost tripping, I noticed her eyes were watery as if she was crying

"Guys! Can with me! Minerva wants to meet you all!"

We went with her to meet Minerva but we were all shocked on who he was

{How... No-How..?}

"These are my friends!" Emma said

"Wow, you've found a lot more... This is one big family now!"

"Ah... What? What's going on?" Don gasped

"Waaait... Minerva is?!" Lanion mumbled

"It's the boy from Emma and Y/n's pictures.." Violet paused

"But, didn't that boy..." Gillian added

"You're alive?! Y-you're really alive?" Nay said

"N-Nor..." Yvette cried

"Norman!" The younger kids cried running to hug him

"You survived! I'm so glad!!"

"How?!"

"I'm glad Norman..."

"Right? Emma, Y/n, Ray?" Gillian said, Gillian turned to us "Y/n, Ray....?"

Ray and I walked towards Norman silently

"Ray and Y/n..." Norman said with a smile

Ray gave him a hard slap that made him fall out of the blue

"Oh boy, you're terrible! You didn't even say "hi" before punishment!" Norman laughed at Ray and got up "You got to see great things, didn't you?"

"Yeah... Thanks for that" Ray said and I immediately rushed to Norman, grabbing him in a tight hug with Emma and Ray

"I'm so glad You're here!" I exclaimed "Don't ever think of trying to die again, stupid Norman..."

"Right..." Norman said "I got it. Stupid Y/n"

~

We told Norman all about our adventures etc.

"Is that so...? Phil and the other kids are still in the house... But you all did very well in making this far. Meeting the Grand Valley group is very fortunate. From the bottom of my heart, I'm happy. And... I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. If only I had deduced earlier the location of the shelter and the timing of their attack... " Norman said

"Don't say sorry! This is on the Ratri Clan!" Gillian told him

"And you? Where have you been, Norman? You said it was a diffrent farm, but how was it?" Gilda asked

"I was in ^7214... A site for experiments on cattle children" Norman showed us a mark on his chest

"That mark... It's just like Adam's!" Yvette said

""Lambda 7214, a brand new farm in the western most area..."" Nigel said

"So you've both come from there?" Pepe asked

{Experiments...}

"And how did you leave it?" Ray asked

"I broke out" Norman answered "I gathered some comrades... Got in touch with a Minerva supporter... And destroyed Lambda"

"The supporters?" Rossi questioned

"Yeah" Norman said "He called himself "Smee". He's the one who gave a pen to Sister Krone. Though now he's been murdered, too... He was another victim of the pruge carried out by the current clan head, Peter Ratri. All the Minerva supporters who had still infiltrated the clan were exterminated that time. But before Smee, the last holdover, was killed... He passed all information he had to me, as well as his contact network" Norman explained

"Then this hideout...?" I asked

"Yes, found through his contacts. Thanks to him, we have such a large town for shelter..." Norman answered

{Help or no help, this is seriously impressive, Norman! The original Minerva is one thing, but you started as just another cattle child, and in only six months you've gathered this many people already...!}

"And that transmission was you, right..." Emma mumbled

"Yup! I thought a message in the name of Minerva would surely make its way to you folks... And also-to keep the network of connections. To build a new paradise. To make the Ratri Clan feel threatened. To declare open war against demons. The name of Minerva, of James Ratri, was at the core of it all. It had too many advantages to ignore" Norman said

All was good until I still couldn't understand something so I had to ask "Say, Norman... I have loads of questions to ask you. About Lambda, about this hideout... Hayato, Zazie everyone in this town... And a lot more-but before all that talk, let me ask one very important thing. What exactly are you tryin' to do? Attacking and destroying plantations?... Building a "paradise". Just what are you-" Norman stopped me

"... Before I can answer your question... I have very important matter to discuss, too. Have you already found out? Why the demons eat humans, that is... Why they have to eat humans?" Norman asked us

"Wha-" Emma mumbled

"Do you know what the "Demons" are?"

Days/hours to finish: 6 hours
Number of words: 775