Chronicles Of The Seeker

Since I learned about seekers in my childhood, I haven't had many good memories. For others, I might have seemed like a perfect celebrity—pretty, nice, and all that—but to be honest, I don't care much about my life as an idol or an actor. But after becoming an official seeker, I thought that I was supposed to see more meaning in my life, but all I've gotten so far are headaches and half-truths. Maybe I was too quick to jump in—maybe I should have stayed the perfect idol.

I exhaled heavily as I walked down the roadside of Street 4. Looking back, my life has always been about following someone else's lead or direction; while it made my life easier, it was also very boring. I sat on a chair outside the café where I first met Aquarius. "His life is pretty interesting; he even has the leeway to shed tears," I muttered to myself while leaning back in the chair.

The street was bustling with sounds as people rushed back home, while some went about their normal day without a care in the world. "Something fun to do, huh?" I said, shifting my gaze to a woman sitting a few meters away. She was undeniably beautiful, with black hair and tan skin, but there was something more about her. The air around her felt suffocating, making me feel as though I needed to worship her. However, that wasn't the only strange thing about her—she was surrounded by many shopping bags, even though I could clearly see she had only one hand. How the hell did she carry all that here? I thought.

Mikey walked up to the woman sitting at the bus stop nearby. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said, his tone filled with charisma. "Do you need help?" The woman tilted her head and glanced at the stranger. "No, I don't think I need any help, but thanks for asking." Mikey nodded. "Okay, if you say so," his voice carrying a trace of pity.

Is this kid trying to pity me? I thought to myself. Letting out a sigh, I took a second look at the young man turning his back. "Tch." I instinctively clicked my tongue out of habit. Why are these new generations always so reckless? I adjusted my body to face the direction of the young man. "Oi, kid." He turned to me with a smile on his face, as if he had been waiting for me to call him back. Holding the bridge of my nose with my left hand, I spoke in the most serious tone I could muster. "My name is Jenna. What's yours?"

The handsome young man with light lilac-coloured hair stared at me in confusion before speaking. "Ma'am, I might not be a minor anymore, but I was one, just a few months ago, so…" I was dumbfounded by his reply. "Are you crazy, kid? What the hell are you even talking about?"

Mikey tilted his head before answering. "I can ask you the same thing." Jenna sighed, calming herself down. "You know that Kami particles have been constantly leaking from your body; what are you—a villain trying to kill the mundane population by spreading that corrosive stuff?" 'Did she just say Kami? How does she know what Kami is? '. Mikey thought to himself.

Jenna then looked straight into Mikey's eyes and said in an even tone, "You seem confused; what rank are you exactly, and what coven are you part of? First of all, what's your name?" Mikey suddenly felt that by answering this question, his whole life could change forever. 'No more boredom ' ; he then blurted out instantly, "Mikey, I am from the Legacy Coven; I'm a 6th sequence apprentice, ma'am."

That's more like it," she said. "So, apprentice, you're a newbie, and judging by how your insides are a mess, you just completed the ritual at most three days ago." 'How does she know?' Mikey thought, trying to figure out who this mysterious figure was. The woman continued, "That means an Esoterist conducted your ritual since you aren't at rock bottom." Mikey nodded with a perplexed expression. "Are you also a seeker, Miss Jenna?"

The woman stared at him before grimacing. "What do you mean by 'am I a seeker'? How the hell would we know this much if I wasn't?" 'That makes sense.' "So it was that idiot Katherine who did the ritual, wasn't it?" 'How the hell does she know Katherine's name? It's not like Katherine is the only Esoterist in the world.' Sensing his thoughts, Jenna leaned back and said, "No, I knew it was her because she's the only idiot who would finish a ritual without explaining anything and not even help with stabilizing your core or activating the seeker's ability, we go way back you know."

At her words, Mikey's mind flashed back to the ritual—the way the astral realm felt holy and distant, thick and suffocating, the chanting he heard that seemed to warp the very fabric of reality.

Shaking the memory away, Mikey's gaze lingered before he nodded. "That explains why my abilities weren't activating," he whispered to himself. The woman smiled and tapped the chair, gesturing for him to come sit. "Can you show me your Chronicle Journal?"

Mikey's expression changed to something unreadable, an expression she did not expect from such a nice young man. "Ha, never mind. I wouldn't give someone my journal unless they took it from my cold, dead hands." Her face darkened at her remark. Mikey's smile returned to his usual bright demeanour. "If I may ask," he paused, trying to read Jenna's expression, then continued, "How did you lose your arm if you are a seeker?"

Jenna stared at him, then burst into loud laughter that even caught the attention of bystanders. "Let me give you some advice, kid: seekers lose much more than you think, and one hand is not even that big of a loss." Mikey pondered the situation. "You can ask Katherine why she hasn't entered a single Chronicle in a long time or tried to advance beyond her current rank," she said, her voice hoarse.

"Ok then, do you want me to teach you a thing or two before you go to school?" she asked.

School? What is she even talking about? Mikey thought, but he had no reason to refuse her offer. He nodded as they both stood up from their chairs and as Mikey gathered all the bags, he followed Jenna closely.

I followed Jenna closely behind. The path she took was unfamiliar to even me, who spent most of my time at Street 4. "I'm pretty sure there aren't any houses in this dark alley," I said, my voice slightly trembling. She turned to me and smiled. "Who said anything about the alleyway?" Jenna said, still facing forward.

I wanted to say more, but I was instantly caught off guard by a sudden grey fog. The fog immediately distorted both my vision and the rest of my senses. It felt eerie and powerful as if one wrong step might cost me my life. In the next moment, we weren't in the alleyway anymore but somewhere else. "Wow," I muttered. "This is why Kami is so fascinating." Jenna turned and looked at me with a grin on her face.

Jenna's house stood alone at the edge of a forest, a modest brick cottage draped in ivy and shrouded in perpetual fog. Its dark oak door, adorned with a tarnished crow knocker, seemed to watch rather than welcome. There were no visible wards or symbols, yet an unnatural silence enveloped the place as if even the wind knew to tread lightly.

She knocked on the door in a rhythmic pattern, causing it to shriek open.

Inside, the living room resembled a scholar's refuge, filled with the scent of aged paper and candle wax. Shelves sagged under the weight of ancient tomes, some bound in cracked leather and others in materials less identifiable.

"Welcome to my humble abode," I managed to say with a forced smile. " I can't exactly call this humble, can I?". Jenna smirked and gestured to the rug on the wooden floor. "You haven't seen the best of it," Jenna said while lifting the rug, revealing an underground chamber.

After we went down some flight of stars, we reached the lowest chamber of the cottage.

Beneath the cottage was something akin to a training facility. The floor was made of marble, and the ceiling looked as though it belonged to an entirely different building, except for the engraving on the wall and the LED lights illuminating the room. "It's empty," Mikey said, turning to face Jenna.

"Of course it is, genius. How the hell will we spar?"

"Huh, I thought you were helping me activate my core." She burst into laughter. "Of course I am." She paused. "The only way that seekers can advance is by gaining knowledge. Once your mastery of pure Kami reaches a certain point, you will instinctively learn how to use your abilities."

"Wait, does that mean I won't get any other abilities after this?" She grinned at him. "Well, who knows?"

Mikey clicked his tongue, causing Jenna to stare at him. "I never expected that," she said as she removed her jacket. "Now, the rules are simple."

Mikey suddenly felt the air become heavy as blue energy resembling water formed in the palms of Jenna; immediately, it exploded and spiralled around her. "Now, give me your best shot."

Mikey took a deep breath, folded his white shirt, and lunged forward toward her.