Blooming Sages

Chapter 5- What's lost has been found

Ken...

Ken...

KEN!

  "Huh!?" Ken jumped up, "What happened? Where are we!?" Mira stood up, "We thought you might be able to answer that." The land outside the Wall of Blossoms was a barren wasteland. The ground was brown, the sun was hot. Not a tree in sight. "I heard you used to live here so...I'm sorry if that came off as rude!" Mira apologized. "Ah. No, it's fine." Ken stood by Mira and Kusuri. "Shouldn't there be two others?" "Yeah! Frankie went flying away and said she'd look out for anything." Kusuri smiled at Ken, "My names Kusuri Hikari! What's yours?" "Oh, I'm Ken Tsugimoto." Mira bowed, "Mira Kurokawa. Nice to be working with you both. Lark is over there listening for nearby life." She pointed over to Lark who was kneeled on the ground, eyes closed.

  A few minutes later the heat was too much to handle. Mira wrapped her coat around her waist and took out her twin tails, "Whew. Heat like this in September is crazy. It was mild in the city..." Kusuri unzipped his sweater, "I heard the temperature is different....outside the city...It's weird..." Ken, who had wrapped his hoodie over his head, walked over to Lark and sat next to him. "Hey. I'm-" "Ken Tsugimoto. I am Lark Vando." Ken shook at the deathly tone in his voice, "Nice to meet you...Mira said you were listening for nearby life, how are you doing that?" Lark sighed, "I am studying Sound Magic. With said magic, I can heighten my hearing to the same level of a Greater Wax Moth which has a hearing frequency of up to 300 KHz or even better. Using that ability I can extend my hearing through that forest which is approximately 1 mile away." Ken nodded, acting like he understood what Lark said. "Frankie is heading back here as we speak. Let's meet her halfway." Lark walked off and the other three followed, dragging their feet.

  "I found a small house just before you enter the forest," Frankie descended onto the earth, "but, I'm only with you all to get my gang members back. Don't think we're friends." she said coldly. "How were you flying just now Frankie!?" "Flying Sandals. It's one of the weapons I can summon." "So we have a Weapon Mage, a Linguistics Mage, a Sound Mage, and Chemical Mage...and what do you study Ken?" Kusuri asked Ken. Ken briefly remembered the last time he used his magic, he swallowed hard, "F-Fire magic." Lark and Mira shot him a look of worry and wonder. Kusuri smiled and said, "Great! We're the New Sages and our job is to rescue our parents! Let's get to it!" he ran ahead. Mira sighed, "I envy his positivity." "He doesn't understand the severity of what we're doing. He's a child no matter how you look at him." Lark walked off.

  While the group ventured on Ken started to falter. "Ugh.." he stopped, holding his head. "What's wrong, Ken?" Mira and the others stopped. "I-...My head..." "This doesn't seem like any average headache." "Everyone get down!" Frankie ordered, everyone dropped to the ground behind some rocks. "Hurry up with the potatoes! Lord Mars is hungry!" "Heheh." Ace and Spade ordered around a small family. "Ace. Spade." Frankie's eyes went wide. The elderly woman fell to the ground, "Grandma!" A young girl and boy yelled rushing to her side, "Ugh, they're weak. We should just kill them and take their stuff." "Good idea, Spade!" The pair chuckled as Spade's hand trickled with blue, electric sparks. "NO!" Ken screamed sending two birds of fire at them, which they dodged. After that Ken fainted. "Ken!" "Ace, Spade! Stop this, this isn't who you two are." Frankie tried to approach them, "And what're you supposed to know about us!?" "Use the Stars, Ace!" Ace threw about fifteen rocks onto the ground. They glowed and grew into full-sized, gray humanoids with spiky armor on. "Stars, subdue them!" "Now!" The creatures did as they were told and started firing long-range attacks at the group, hiding behind the rock.

  "Do you think they're using magic?" Kusuri asked, rummaging in his bag for potions. Mira opened her spell book and said, "I'll see..." she started to rise over the rock and cast out, "Defiliette!" Nothing happened so she jumped back down, "They aren't using magic, so what are they using!? How is that even possible!?" Mira panicked. Lark put down Ken, "We're running out of rock to defend us. We might have to fight soon..." Kusuri openned a skinny, gray glass and drank the red liquid in it. "I'll make an opening, attack when you're ready!" Kusuri laughed as red markings covered his arms, hands, and legs. "Wait, Kusu-" and he was gone with great speed.

"I'll show them I'm strong like them! That just because I'm younger doesn't mean I'm weaker!" Kusuri thought to himself as he punched five Stars, disintegrating them, "Guys now!" Lark and Frankie charged the rest, "Sonic Blast!" "Haaa!" They took out the rest, Ace and Spade stood there angry, "UGH! Spade let's go back to Lord Mars with what we have." Ace turned into smoke and started to fly off, "Don't forget me!" Spade zipped off.

  "Are you okay?" Kusuri asked the kids and their guardian, "Yes, thank you so much young mage-" The old woman gasped when she saw Ken being carried by Mira, "KENNETH!?" the three of them shrieked running to Mira who screamed.

__________Inside the house_________

  "YOU'RE KEN'S FAMILY!?" Mira and Kusuri asked, shocked. "Yes. I am his father's mom, Edna. And these are his younger siblings, Ellie and Noah Tsugimoto." Ellie was twelve like Kusuri and Noah was six. Noah had short, straight, magenta hair and green eyes like his mom. While, Ellie had a combination of Red and Magenta, but had the wild hair like her father. She also shared the green eyed trait. Their clothes were in tatters and they looked messy. "So this is how people outside the walls live..." Lark thought to himself.

  "Mm..." "Ken's waking up!" Ken's eyes slowly opened surrounded by Mira, Kusuri, Edna, Ellie and Noah. His eyes went wide, "Y-you three...argh!" he held his head as the memories came back to him, flooding through like water from a broken dam. "Ken are you ok-" before Mira could finish Ken hugged his family. "I'm so sorry..I'll never forget you guys again!" Ken started crying as they hugged him back. "Its not your fault Kenny, your mother had too." "What? My mother had to do what?" Edna got up and sat on a chair, "Hide away your memories of us." Ken thought back and remembered playing with Ellie and Noah, being with his parents and Grandma. How much fun they had...and started to get angry. "But why!?" "When your Grandfather, Sage Donovan, died your father had to take over as Sage and he wanted to bring you so it could be easier for you to take over. He and your mother didn't have enough finances to pay for a house that could fit all of us. He said he'd come back for us, but when you protested your mother used the little magic power she had out here to block your memories. If you have them back then your mother must be-" "Well it didn't help at all! There's no excuse to leave family out here in this wasteland!" Ken ran out the house. Ellie held Noah. Mira and Kusuri looked at each other, while Lark stood near the door.