Jon Bane and The Blade of Heptaseas

Chapter 19: The forgotten Clan

Hannah is taken aback by Jon Bane's question. She was at a loss for words.

"The police officer called you Ms. Nabi; he said you are the daughter of Mr. Nabi of Nabi Corporation," Jon Bane said.

"Aahhm, let's talk about that when we get home," Hannah said nervously.

They arrived at Hannah's house after 15 minutes. A familiar voice called her after she had parked her car. "Hannah! Where did you go, and who's that guy?"

"Umppt, Dad, I thought you'd arrive later this afternoon." Hannah was astonished to see her father arrive so early.

"I had an errand to run, so I came back early; anyway, you haven't answered my question yet. Who's that guy with you?" Hannah's father said.

Jon Bane observed Hannah's lack of response to the question.

"Sir, are you Mr. Nabi of Nabi Corporation?" Jon Bane inquired flatly.

"Yes! That's me, and who are you?" said Mr. Nabi.

"I'm Jon Bane from the Bolo Clan; Elder Chou asked me to bring you this," Jon Bane replied, pulling an herb from his backpack.

"Oh! Jon Bane from the Bolo clan, I'm actually expecting you; come inside; breakfast is almost ready; let's eat first." Mr. Nabi looked thrilled.

Jon Bane was escorted inside the house by one of the maids. They headed straight to the dining area.

Mr. Nabi and Hannah are still talking outside the house.

"How long has Jon Bane been here?" Mr. Nabi questioned.

Hannah answered slowly, "Ahhm, si-si-since yesterday."

Mr. Nabi did not ask any further questions after changing the subject.

"I saw Yumeko upstairs; she said she's been here for almost two days now. You went clubbing again while I'm gone? I'll talk to both of you later after we eat," Mr. Nabi declared with authority.

Mr. Nabi and Hannah proceeded straight to the dining area after their conversation. One of the maids went upstairs to inform Yumeko that breakfast was ready.

They are all seated as they wait for the maids to finish arranging the food on the dining table.

After a few minutes, breakfast was served. Mr. Nabi asked Hannah to pray for the food that they were about to eat.

Mr. Nabi spotted Yumeko occasionally staring at Jon Bane while they were eating.

"Yumeko, are you already close with Jon Bane?" Mr. Nabi suddenly asked.

Yumeko was taken aback when Mr. Nabi asked her this question in front of Jon Bane.

"Aahm, we only met yesterday, so I guess not yet," Yumeko smirks.

They were all done eating after a few minutes. Yumeko and Hannah headed straight to the second floor because it was monday and they needed to get ready for school.

Only Mr. Nabi and Jon Bane are left on the table.

"Jon Bane, can I have it now, the herb that you are supposed to give me?" said Mr. Nabi.

"What's special about this herb?" Jon Bane inquired after presenting the herb to Mr. Nabi.

"Actually, nothing! It's just a simple herb that can make a good-tasting juice; the juice of this herb is one of my favorite juices," Mr. Nabi replied casually.

Mr. Nabi did not tell Jon Bane about the herb's unique properties. It contains a chemical that will persist in human blood circulation for almost a month.

Mr. Nabi then requested one of the maids to extract the herb's juice and prepare at least two glasses of it.

"Jon Bane, let's go to the garden to get some fresh air, and I'd like to share something with you," Mr. Nabi said while getting up from his chair.

They both proceeded to the garden and walked around, when Jon Bane noticed a flower that, according to Elder Chou, can only be found in Bolo Mountain.

"Humhn! About this flower, Elder Chou told me that this flower is a rare flower that can only be found in Bolo Mountain; then why is it here?" Jon Bane abruptly asked.

"Actually, there's a lot of rare flowers here that came from the mountains; even the soil of this garden also came from it. That is the reason why I can make them grow here because of the soil; if I use normal soil from this city, most of the rare flowers that came from the mountains will die," explained Mr. Nabi.

They continued strolling up to the center of the garden when Mr. Nabi abruptly came to a halt as he examined a one-of-a-kind flower.

"I, too, came from the mountains, specifically the Warwick clan, and because we both came from the mountains and our clans are allied clans, I want to entrust you with something," Mr. Nabi said solemnly.

"Humhn, what is it?" said Jon Bane.

"Before I tell you, look at this flower; it also came from the mountains," Mr. Nabi continued, touching the lower half of the flower. Jon Bane noticed this and commented.

"I've been to a lot of mountains already, and I haven't seen that one yet; this is the first time I saw that kind of flower." Jon Bane looked intrigued.

"How many clans are there in the mountains?" Mr. Nabi inquired.

"Uhhm, thirteen?" said Jon Bane.

"Thirteen living clans, but it used to be fourteen, the Amazonas of the Akasha clan. From the Bolo clan, if you go south, you will arrive at a vacant red mountain; that is the place where the 14th clan used to reside," said Mr. Nabi.

"Used to reside? Do you mean they're not there anymore?" Jon Bane asked.

Mr. Nabi took a moment to explain, "Heptaseas annihilated them all; we are not sure how or why he did it because, as far as I know, the Akasha clan was also one of the strongest clans at that time. They belong to the shapeshifters family, and they can transform themselves into a powerful succubus."

"Are you with him at that time?" Jon Bane murmured to himself as he closed his eyes.

Mr. Nabi noticed Jon Bane's mouth moving as if he were saying something, so he inquired. "Are you saying something?"

Hearing Mr. Nabi, Jon Bane opened his eyes and said, "Aahh, nothing; I'm just, aah, just curious if there's a survivor."

"Yeah, there is one; her name is Alice, and she is an eight-year-old girl," Mr. Nabi responded.

"An eight-year-old? Heptaseas did not kill an eight-year-old?" said Jon Bane.

"We don't know why Heptaseas didn't kill her; in fact, he is the one who brought her to the Warwick clan and asked our elder to take care of the child. Me and Joe Lun are just eight years old, and the girl is almost the same age as us. When we became adults, we took different paths, with me leaving the clan to explore other places like the cities while Joe Lun will be next in line to become the next elder, and for that girl, she eventually became the wife of Joe." Narrated by Mr. Nabi.

While listening to Mr. Nabi and hearing the name Joe Lun over and over, Jon Bane realized something: "Joe Lun? The current elder of the Warwick clan?"