The Magician of Sound

"… That's how it is."

Inside the room filled with symbols, Kai explained his doubt about all these symbols.

"So, a ghost possessed Evan and told you that it was dangerous. 'It' in his mouth was pointing at the symbol that you felt different from the rest. And considering these symbols were probably the same as those Nazca Lines or you can say another language that described the name of the animals." Tasha simplified his story in three sentences.

"Yes. That's basically the problem. Well, if this is true, it's something important. I can ask my teacher for a personal team to decipher the symbols now that we have known what it means." Kai nodded.

"So, what are we going to do?" She asked. "Are we going to end this investigation now?"

"Nope. We will continue for one week before traveling around to see the Nazca Lines and the stronghold. However, since there might be a hidden danger in this ruin, we will have a group of two. Isabelle will go together with Evan while you with Sofia. I will be staying here for the time being to discuss this matter with Teacher." Kai then turned to Evan.

"I don't have a problem." Evan nodded.

"No, no. I am asking whether you have checked my body to see if there is something wrong?"

"I tried to heal it, but there was no effect, so I guess it's okay." Evan nodded.

"Alright then. And since you don't have the problem with this arrangement, we can rest here for a few more minutes." Kai then looked at Isabelle. "Did you find anything else?"

"Nope. There are indeed seventy-four symbols." Isabelle shook his head.

"Okay, thank you." Kai smiled before rising from the floor. He went to a window and came out to the roof of that room and called Ria Ross.

"What happened? It's rare to have you call me during a mission. Do you encounter a problem? Hmm, looking at the time span, you should be in Caral, right?"

"Yes. I have a matter to discuss, but before that, you are eating properly, right?"

"Don't worry. It's at least twice a day."

"…" Kai paused and sighed. "Well, it's better than when you often skip a day's worth of meals."

"Haha. Don't worry about an adult like me, Kid."

"But you are not a responsible adult. How can I not worry?" Kai shrugged.

"You have gotten good with your words, huh? So, what happened?"

"I want to create a group to decipher symbols of the past."

"Ho? Symbols? What kind?"

"You know Nazca Lines?"

"Those huge drawings, right?"

"Yes. We have found something regarding this. It's…" Kai began explaining the matter again.

After answering a few questions from Ria, he asked. "So, how is it?"

"Okay. I will talk to the president about this. Since he has more connections than me in this area, I will just give this matter to him. Besides, I believe his cousin is dealing with this, right?"

Kai suddenly remembered a certain woman figure who he met on Easter Island. "I see. She is a good choice since I know her personally."

"Yep. The president will probably give the mission to her and she will be handling the recruitments. If you don't have a problem with this, I can ask him after finishing this matter in hand."

"Sorry for troubling you, Teacher."

"Sure. And how much can I say about this matter?" Ria didn't want to blurt anything regarding his identity, so she needed to ask him first to see how much the relation between him and this matter.

"I think it's fine to tell everything. Just make sure there is no slip up about my identity."

"Okay then. If this is proven to be true, we might be on a high alert. And what do you think about the ruins?"

"I am not sure myself. I still can't understand why there are so many Nazca Lines. And my assumption is a bit crazy."

"What is your assumption?"

"Those pictures are protectors of the past. Many of them may have died, but there are some who survive. And the other drawings with different patterns describe something hidden or what happened in the past."

"That's indeed a wild guess, but it's something worth considering. I won't hint the president with anything related to the protectors."

"Thank you." Kai smiled. "If there is no progress, I will probably go to another place where I can find an ancient civilization and ask them myself. It might be the language of another race, after all."

"Now that I think about it, why could the ghost understand our language? Was it really just because it possessed Evan? I couldn't wrap my mind about this."

"Hmm." Kai's expression turned serious. He just realized it. If the ghost were someone from the past, the way it talked would follow what he understood unless the ghost could gain memory and understanding from the host.

He wasn't familiar with ghosts, so he didn't know about this. He thought for a moment. "There are multiple possibilities. First, the ghost is just fiction, and everything was just someone else's magic. To use magic like this where I couldn't even track it with my ears means that he/she hid pretty well or was too far from this place.

"If it was the latter, it might be another protector. However, if the first possibility isn't valid, then the second possibility is it learned our language in that instant. Argh, there are so many possibilities in this." Kai let out a long sigh after realizing more and more possible futures.

"Well, we can slowly discover what it is, so you should proceed to what you should do."

"Yes. I will continue then."

"Oh, one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Congratulations on your advancement, Brigadier General Kai Carter."

"It's already a thing?"

"Yes. The top brass sped up some process. Once you are back, you will get the notice. There is even a possibility that you will become a public figure."

"Ho?" Kai frowned.

"They are planning to send you to Canada again. The volcano becomes more and more unstable, so there is a possibility that it will explode. At that time, you will need to go to reinforce them. This will give you some sort of justification why the government gave all this to you, and it will incite the ambition of young men and women to join the army. A win-win situation."

"I see. If only this volcano is considered a Raid Mission next year." Kai sighed.

"Haha. With this kind of timing, I don't think you will have the chance to participate." She laughed.

"Fair enough. I need to go to the EU base." Kai nodded. "Well, Michelle and the others are strong enough now and have enough commanding ability, so I don't need to worry about them."

"True. That's all. Do you have any questions about your advancement?"

"Nope."

"Alright, I will hang up then. See you later."

"Yes, see you later." Kai nodded and sighed. He looked at the sky and remembered who was in charge of Yukon Territory, where the volcano was about to blow up.

"I need to deal with him again, I guess?" Kai recalled how Brad Matthew talked every time he met and scratched his head, knowing that this would become a pain in the ass.

"Anyway, let's finish this mission first. I will think about another thing later." Kai shrugged and leaped back inside the room, finding the room was empty.

"Since everyone has gone, I should start as well." Kai checked their positions first before going to another place they had yet to discover.

Unbeknownst to him, something big was happening on the other side of the planet.

Not around that base, but a bit farther away, specifically in United Asia.

Haruko was running in the dark while keeping a tab of something behind her.

She panted after running away for a while.

"There are still four more. To think it was a trap. Now that my identity has been discovered, it seems trouble will be coming to my family and me. What should I do?" Haruko muttered while running. "Well, they can disown me to save them temporarily while I am hiding. That's the best solution at the moment."

According to the information, there was a huge trade between many families in the Northern Area that would affect her family that had remained neutral this whole time. And due to this, she took charge of this matter personally and led a group of spies to check the trade.

However, it turned out to be an ambush. The other spies already committed suicide right before they got captured while she was injured but managed to get away.

Still, the pursuers kept following her.

"Is this it?" Haruko furrowed her eyebrows, remembering Kai's face. "It seems I can't really fulfill my promise to him. Haiz. This is why becoming a fighter sucks. One mission can decide one's fate. Ah, I wish I had my communication device at a time like this. At least, I can send my last message to him…"

She sensed the pursuers coming closer before surrounding her.

Halting her step, she looked around and found four people.

"It's time to end this chase, Yajima Family's Yajima Haruko."

"Haha...Do you think I am afraid of you? I will fight all of you to the death!" Haruko laughed while activating her magic.

"Unfortunately, you are more precious when you are alive." The four assassins signaled each other to attack her.

Haruko raised her magic, preparing to strike them.

However, a shadow appeared from the side and unsheathed the katana it brought.

The next second, the four assassins had their heads severed.

Haruko widened her eyes, looking at the shadow that turned out to be a woman with a mask. Those four were undoubtedly elites of the Katsuragi family. Yet, the woman before her managed to kill them in one slash. It showed how much the difference in their strength.

But if Kai were here, he would surely recognize this person because she was the one saving him when he almost got killed by beasts and saved by Ria Ross.

She looked at Haruko and put down her mask.

*Gasp—!*

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