In Search of Kasena | ONC2024

Chapter 2

"Your... sister?" Niel echoed Kardin's words.

The man in front of him replied with a solemn nod. "Kasena's been missing for a month already. Surprisingly, it seems that she ran away of her own volition."

"Why?"

Kardin crossed his arms. "That's... complicated to explain." Niel gave him no response, and instead waited for him to explain. "I don't know how well acquainted you are with our family history, but sadly, our mother passed away last year."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Niel said, trying his best to sound sincere.

"Thank you." Kardin nodded. "She had been sick for a few months before her passing. It was a devastating blow for our family, especially for my sister, who was much closer to her than my father and I. Kasena never obeyed Father's expectations, so our mother took it upon herself to stand up for her and defend her when needed."

He rose from his chair and started pacing around the room. Niel wasn't sure if he was supposed to say something. He began twisting the ring on his finger, curious to hear the whole story.

"When we were children, Kasena watched me take my mandatory swordsmanship lessons, and she decided she wanted to take them too. Father was strongly against it, but our mother managed to convince him, and Kasena quickly proved herself quite talented. After Mother's death, those lessons were the only thing she truly showed interest in, but outside of that, she kept much more to herself, even more so than before." With a sigh, he sat back down in his chair. "Have you heard of a swordsmanship tournament that will be held in Villart soon?" he asked.

Had he heard about it? Through a fog, Niel recalled hearing people talk about it some time ago, so he answered, "I think I have."

"The news about it started spreading through Nurea a few months ago, and Kasena wanted to participate as well. She begged our father to let her go, but he refused. I thought she would just accept it, and at first it seemed that she did. Then, one morning, we found her room empty with a message saying she was leaving to 'fulfill our mother's last wish', whatever that wish was."

He stared down at his desk as if he was trying to burn a hole through it. "Do you know what was your mother's last wish?" Niel asked.

"Kasena was the last person who talked to our mother before she passed. I never found out what they talked about that fateful evening, but whatever it was, my sister took it very seriously. At first, I thought of the tournament, but that was announced months after Mother's passing. Given how rare magic is in Nurea, I doubt she was suddenly gifted with foresight in her final moments, so I don't see how that could be her final wish."

Kardin produced a small silver key from his pocket, placing it into the keyhole on one of his desk's drawers. With a click, the drawer opened, and he handed Niel a scrap of paper, filled with elegant cursive handwriting.

I am leaving to fulfill Mother's final wish. Please do not look for me.

- Kasena

"We haven't heard anything about her since," Kardin continued. "We tried looking for her, but there was only so much we could do without raising suspicion. I'm sure you understand that if word of her disappearance got out, it could cause a huge scandal for our family."

Niel nodded. "Then why are you trying to find her when she asked you not to? If people started asking about her, I'm sure you could think of an excuse, like sending her overseas for studies or such."

"Perhaps you don't understand the full gravity of the situation," Kardin explained, "but her actions put our family in a very difficult position. Faced with the stress from her sudden disappearance, our father fell ill, leaving me to handle all business matters on my own. Besides, I got engaged shortly before Kasena ran away, and we are expected to host an engagement party soon. Luckily, my fiancée and her family are very understanding of our situation, and we've been putting it off by citing my father's illness as an excuse, but we can't put it off forever, and people would expect to see Kasena at such an important event for our family."