Sun from the Moon

13. Ritual x Chemistry

- Secret -

Gen wasn't well.

Dressed in a long red tunic, barefoot, hair still a little damp, he was seated at the banquet table between him and Suika, still smiling. Yet, he was staring at his glass without seeing it, only raising his head to do his spokesman duty.

Explain why Senku called himself "Labo" in front of Mozu, because that was the nickname his "girlfriend" had given him.

Explain why Secret's clothes were so different from theirs, because one of their friends was a skilled and visionary dressmaker.

Explaining, avoiding controversy... always with talent, but mechanically, with that absent expression he had, since he'd entered the room earlier.

After the joy and relief of their reunion, Secret had quickly realized Gen's worrying state. Exhausted, drained. His mind elsewhere, his body was shaking, and he wasn't wearing his usual fake smile but a fragile one that didn't reassure the child, and not only him.

On the other side of the table, between Kohaku and Soyuz, Senku kept casting furtive glances at Gen in silent, almost desperate attempts to get his attention. Secret could read his concern and confusion, as well as the mentalist's unease, and in both cases, his heart was heavy.

He hated to see them so distant.

Was it because they looked like his parents? Because Senku had called him his son, because his mother appeared as Gen in his dreams, or because he felt so at home with them? His only certainty was he loved them, truly. That's why, when Gen had been attacked - that horrible respirator sound ringing in his ears, coming from the well of his memory - he'd instinctively used this toxin knowledge to protect him.

After this incident, he'd hoped his bad feeling, so strong since his nightmare would subside, but was disillusioned when he, Soyuz and Kirisame encountered Ibara's men. Captured by the called Oarashi, he'd stopped fighting seeing Ginro and Suika were prisoners, and was taken with her to the palace prison. There, Oarashi had watched over them with a strange old man whose sharp eyes reminded those of Kaseki's. He'd scribbled expertly on a parchment without taking his eyes off him, then left. Shortly after Akumu's visit, he and Suika were released.

The negotiations following Gen's return had been tough, but when the mentalist mentioned relics of a millennia-old machine somewhere on the island, both Prime Minister and Prophet had reacted immediately. Knowing the mysterious machine's existence, located beneath a huge sacred tree, they mentioned a strange 'stone ball' inside, that had always piqued their curiosity.

Sure it was the wreckage of his father's space shuttle, and that ball must be made of concrete - ideal for preserving elements through time - Senku proposed building a silent bomb that would break it without affecting the tree or disturbing the forest peace. As Ibara wanted a part of the treasure and the resurrection formula, Gen had made this conditional on the crew's de-petrification and their safe return to the Perseus.

That was the deal.

Only the possibility for Senku to study the weapon had been put aside with Gen's consent. Indeed, for now, they had to curry favor with these people to get the platinum and save their friends. But once both sides had what they wanted, cards would be reshuffled. After Kirisame's denunciation of Ibara's despotism and their promise to help her, the pact with the Petrifying Kingdom was unlikely to last more than a day.

If he was right, by this time tomorrow, the situation will have changed drastically. Maybe that's why this welcome party seemed excessive, almost absurd to him. But Ibara, quick to celebrate with alcohol and pretty girls, had used their agreements - and the successful ritual - as an excuse to keep them in the palace tonight.