Cry of the Lost: A Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Tale

Chapter 26

"My parents' house is at the far end of town," Mark noted to Curt.

The four caravaners had finally arrived in Fillmore. As soon as they had entered the town, they had drawn the attention of the people on the streets. Several children even began to run alongside of the wagon, trying their best to pet Charlie. Finally, Mark signaled Curt to stop in front of a large house.

"This is it," Mark said. "Wait here for a moment."

Mark jumped down from the wagon. He paused for a few seconds as he looked at the house he had once called home, and then he slowly walked up to the porch and quietly entered. A few moments later, Curt and the others heard a woman's voice joyfully cry out, "Mark!" Curt chuckled to himself. Finally, Mark came back to the door and waved for his friends to join him inside.

Once everyone was inside, Mark introduced his new friends to his father, Kal, and his mother, Lavinia. Mark's parents welcomed everyone warmly, and Kal invited them to stay for as long as they wanted. After about an hour of chatting, Lavinia suggested that everyone have some time to rest before having a welcome home dinner. Autumn decided that she wanted to take a nap. Curt went outside to tend to Charlie. Paul left to explore the town. And Mark continued to talk with his father.

Paul was eager to stretch his legs. He really had not had much of a chance to explore either Deloam or Sumira, and he wanted to see what Fillmore had to offer. After looking through a few shops, Paul passed a café and saw two boys playing a card game he had once enjoyed playing as a boy himself. Paul stopped and turned back to the boys.

"Hey, would you guys mind if I joined you for a game?" Paul asked.

"You wanna play? Aren't you a bit old to play games?" one of the boys said with a snicker.

"Hush up, Billy. It don't matter how old he is," the other boy said. "Sure, mister. Sit down. I'm Thomas. What's your name?"

"I'm Paul. Thanks for letting me play, Thomas!" Paul replied.

Thomas took the cards and dealt out four hands, one of which he left sitting in front of an empty seat. Paul was just about to ask why Thomas had dealt four hands when there were only three players when Thomas quickly turned toward the door of the café and yelled.

"Come on, sis! We're ready!" Thomas called loudly.

A few seconds later, Paul watched as a beautiful young woman came out of the café and sat down in the empty chair, filling the fourth player spot.

"Sara, this is Paul. He just came walking by and asked if he could play with us. Paul, this is my big sis, Sara," Thomas shared.

"Nice to meet you, Sara," Paul said with a smile.

"Likewise, Paul," replied Sara. "May the best one win!"

Meanwhile, back at the house, Mark was telling Kal about how he had met Curt and the others. Eventually, Mark began to tell his father the story of how he had found out that his brother, John, was still alive. Kal was shocked to hear the news, especially when Mark told him about his shady activities in Sumira.

"I really don't know what to say...I'm both ashamed and glad all at once. Mark, promise me you will do everything in your power to redeem John. I believe that in his heart, he is still a good man," Kal said as a tear fell down his cheek.

"I promise, Kal. I'll do whatever I can," Mark said as he embraced his father.

"And please...don't tell your mother...not yet," Kal added.