The Sister Who Never Returned

Kaien yawned while rubbing his eyes.

Kaien got up and looked out his window towards the vast horizon.

Mira knocked on his door and opened it.

“You’re finally awake, it seems.”

Mira grabbed Kaien’s lantern hanging on the window, opened it, and grabbed the fire.

“Another new Art Skill, Mira?” Mira laughed, “Not this time, Kaien, just simple Fire Arts.”

Kaien walked over to Mira, noticing a map in her back pocket. Kaien crossed his arms.

“You’re going somewhere, are you?”

Mira’s expression changed; she turned around. “You’re funny!”

She laughed it off like usual. Mira patted Kaien’s head. Kaien swatted her hand away. “Stop that.”

Mira continued anyway. “Maybe if you were taller, you wouldn’t worry about me doing this.”

“Tell me, sis, where are you going?” Mira thought about it for a second. “Sorry, that’s classified. I should be gone for about a few days at most.”

Kaien started whining. “Why won’t you tell me?”

Mira knelt towards Kaien. “You’re not old enough yet, Kaien, but one day you’ll know everything the truth.”

“Ok,” Kaien replied. “Hey, you can follow me around town until the time for the expedition,” Mira said, smiling.

Kaien’s face lit up.

“I can venture around town with you?!”

Mira laughed. “I don’t see why not.”

“Wait here!” Kaien shouted.

Mira raised an eyebrow. “You were ready to leave five seconds ago.”

“I need my stuff!”

“Your stuff?”

“Important stuff!”

She watched him disappear into his room.

“And what, exactly, counts as important stuff?”

“You’ll see!”

Mira sighed, smiling. “I’m beginning to regret this.”

Kaien and Mira quickly put on their shoes and headed outside to venture into the Kingdom.

“Stay close,” Mira whispered.

Kaien: “But.”

Mira locked eyes with Kaien. “No buts.”

Kaien sighed and stayed as close as possible to Mira.

Kaien and Mira walked through the Streets of Lethwyn. At first, Kaien was excited and would ask nonstop questions.

While passing a merchant.

He would touch stuff left and right.

“Stop touching this, Kaien; never know where it came from.”

The two continued walking until Kaien spotted a food stand.

“Griffians!”

Kaien nudged Mira.

Mira sighs.

“What now, Kaien?”

“We have to buy some bread from Griffians. I’m hungry.”

“No, you’re not, you’re just-”

At that same moment, Kaien’s stomach started growling.

Mira smiles and agrees to pay for it.

“How much for the 2 pieces of bread?”

“5 Bronze pieces each.”

Mira smiles and hands him a gold piece.

“Keep the change.” She says while grabbing the bread.

They kept walking, venturing through the city, eventually stopping at the Wayfarers Compact.

Kaien was confused.

“Why did we stop here?”

“This is where people are made into adventurers. You mustn’t become one.”

Kaien started laughing.

“Funny joke, sis.”

Kaien locked eyes with Mira, and she was dead serious.

“Don’t walk the same path I did, ok?”

She would hold out her pinky finger.

Kaien did the same.

“Ok!”

Kaien and Mira continued to walk along Main Street.

Eventually, they ran into the Blackstar District.

Kaien was confused and scared at the same time.

Mira, on the other hand, was calm and collected, almost like it was a regular place for her.

The buildings have cracks and patched-up walls.

The merchants are selling monster parts and old equipment made years ago.

The publicity died down, and only a few bystanders continued walking down the path.

Compared to the district that Kaien and Mira lived in, this one is a whole new story.

Wanted posters were placed on every wall of every house of criminals.

As they walk past the wanted posters, Kaien notices one that looks different.

Most posters show criminals with descriptions of their crimes.

The one he noticed had no information.

Just a name, a symbol, and a reward.

Kaien asks Mira about it.

“Keep walking,” Mira whispered.

Kaien noticed Mira’s gaze; she wasn’t worried about the buildings or posters but rather the people.

She recognized a man standing outside a rundown building. He notices her too, but neither of them says anything.

Kaien asks if she knows him.

Mira replies, “No.”

But Kaien catches her looking back at the man after they’ve passed.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a stranger steps into Kaien’s path, attempting to steal his bag.

Kaien braces himself.

Before he can react, Mira catches the stranger’s wrist.

“Pick someone else,” Mira said.

The stranger glanced at her hand around his wrist.

“You explorers think you own the streets?”

“No,” Mira replied. “We just know when to leave them.”

She released him and grabbed Kaien by the shoulder.

“We’re going.”

As they left the district, Kaien looked behind him.

Seeing a man standing beside a wanted poster, watching them.

The man does something unsettling; he tears the poster off the wall and folds it into his coat.

“Mira, that man-”

“Kaien.”

Her voice was quieter than before.

“Promise me something.”

“What?”

“If anyone asks about my expedition, you tell them nothing.”

Kaien frowned. “Why would anyone ask me?”

Mira didn’t answer.

For the first time that morning, she wasn’t smiling.

As they left the Blackstar District, Kaien glanced at Mira.

“She’s never this quiet.”

“Mira, are you in trouble?”

“What? No.”

“Then why did you make me a promise?”

She glanced down at Kaien.

“Because sometimes, Kaien, knowing something can be more dangerous than not knowing.”

Kaien frowns.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Good,” Mira replies.

Mira and Kaien continue walking, eventually returning to Lethwyn’s capital.

Mira notices a small merchant stand.

“Kaien, as always, I’ll give you a gift.”

Kaien laughs.

“You never give me gifts. What do you mean, ′ as always ’?”

Mira frowns.

Kaien continues laughing on their way to the stand.

Mira looks around at all the stuff and spots a compass.

“How much for this small compass?”

“5 silver, please.”

Mira grabs another gold coin from her pocket.

The merchant is in awe.

“Ma’am, I just need 5 silver, please don’t-”

“Don’t spend your last Gold coin on this compass; there’s a reason it might be my last.”

Kaien pauses for a second.

The merchant didn’t think anything of it.

The two of them continued walking until they reached their house.

Mira and Kaien started playing games and practicing their arts together.

Kaien could watch Mira’s Ember Arts forever.

“Isn’t Ember the strongest of all Primal Essences?” Kaien asks.

Mira smiles.

“You’ll know soon that Ember is just a basic Primal Essence.”

Mira grabs a nearby training sword.

She uses her Ember Art to heat the sword, breaking it in the process.

“You could say it couldn’t handle the heat!”

Kaien starts laughing hysterically.

“What will my Art be?”

Mira smiles.

“Probably better than mine.”

Kaien frowned.

“Nonsense, you’re the strongest one in the whole family.”

Mira looks down.

“Was the strongest; you’re next.”

The moon illuminates the sky, and the stars appear slowly by the minute.

Kaien is stuck watching the night sky, replaying the words that Mira said.

“Was the strongest; you’re next.”

“Don’t spend your last Gold coin on this compass; there’s a reason it might be my last.”

Kaien was confused.

Then he remembered that man who grabbed the poster.

“Who was on the poster?”

Mira opened the door to the backyard.

“Kaien, time for bed.”

Kaien snuggled up in his bed while Mira tucked him in for another day.

Kaien tried to sleep the first couple of times, but he was restless; he wanted to know what Mira was hiding.

Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

Kaien woke up in his room alone, with no sign of Mira.

He ran through town looking for her.

Eventually, he found her dead in the Blackstar district.

“Mira!”

“Mira! Wake up!”

Nothing worked; he soon noticed blood pouring out of her body.

The mysterious man walked slowly behind him.

“She’s dead, and you’re next!”

Kaien braces himself.

Kaien jumps out of bed and looks outside.

“Good news: that was a dream.”

Kaien then notices a note on his bedsheets.

“Kaien, it’s me, Mira. I’m sorry to leave for the expedition so soon, but I need to be back in 6 days. Make me proud; don’t worry about me either.” -Mira

Kaien rushed out of bed and started searching for his compass.

“Yes, found it.”

He then put on his shoes and looked outside for Mira.

The compass bounced against his pocket as he ran through the streets of Lethwyn. He passed the Griffian bread stand, the merchants, and the familiar stone buildings without stopping.

Mira had to be somewhere nearby.

She couldn’t have gone far.

At least, that was what he kept telling himself.

When he finally reached the main gate, he stopped to catch his breath.

Beyond the gates stood a group of armed explorers. Their bags were packed, their weapons secured, and their supplies loaded onto two heavily guarded wagons.

And among them—

“MIRA!”

His sister turned.

For a moment, her surprised expression reminded him of the girl who had woken him up that morning.

Then she smiled.

“Kaien? What are you doing here?”

“You left without me!”

“I left you a note.”

“That’s not the point!”

Kaien marched toward her, reached into his pocket, and held up the compass.

“You forgot to say goodbye properly.”

Mira stared at the compass before looking back at him.

Then she crouched to his height.

“You’re right. I suppose I did.”

She gently ruffled his hair.

“Take care of that compass for me, okay?”

“Why are you talking like you’re never coming back?”

Mira’s smile faltered.

Only for a second.

“I’ll be back in six days.”

“Promise?”

She held out her pinky.

Kaien hooked his around hers.

“Promise.”

Behind Mira, one of the explorers called her name.

She stood and adjusted the strap on her bag.

“I have to go now.”

Kaien nodded, trying to look braver than he felt.

Mira walked toward the waiting expedition.

He watched her join the others, watched the gates open, and watched the wagons begin their journey toward the distant forest.

Just before she disappeared beyond the road’s bend, Mira turned around.

She raised a hand.

Kaien waved back.

Then she was gone.

The first day passed quickly.

Kaien spent most of it playing with his compass, turning the small metal lid open and closed while imagining the places Mira might be exploring.

On the second day, he asked his father when the expedition would return.

“Give them time,” his father replied. “Exploring isn’t exactly predictable.”

On the third day, Kaien practiced his Arts in the backyard.

He wanted to show Mira how much he had improved when she returned.

On the fourth day, he visited the main gate.

No expedition.

On the fifth day, he went again.

Still nothing.

By the sixth morning, Kaien had stopped playing with his compass.

He sat beside the window, watching the road that led toward the forest.

Mira had promised six days.

And today was the sixth.

Kaien’s father noticed a note on the porch and opened it.

To my family,

We’ve traveled farther than expected, but the expedition is safe for now.

Three days ago, we discovered a settlement deep within the forest. None of our maps recorded it, and the locals we’ve encountered have never heard of it.

The strangest part is the architecture. Some buildings look as though they were built centuries ago. Others appear to belong to a time that hasn’t happened yet.

Professor Vale believes the settlement predates the Kingdom itself.

I don’t know what to make of it.

There’s a symbol carved into a monument near the center of the settlement. I’ve seen something similar before, but I can’t remember where.

The world was not always as it is.

I’ll explain everything when I return.

Don’t worry about me.

Mira

“That is impossible,” Kaien said.

The representative folded his hands on the desk.

“I’m afraid the records are quite clear.”

“I watched them leave.”

“Then you must have mistaken them for another expedition.”