Whoooooosh—the plane had just begun its takeoff. A young boy had his face pressed against the window like a starfish on an aquarium wall.
"Hey Levi, you're blocking the view! I want to see too!"
"Keep it down," Samantha scolded.
"Next time I get the window seat," Noah grumbled.
"Miss Samantha, what are we going to do in the UK ?" asked the boy who had finally peeled himself away from the glass.
"Well, normally we'd send you directly to the Academy, but since we still have time before new student admissions begin, I'm accompanying you on humanitarian missions to accumulate karma."
"A humanitarian mission in England? Are we sure we're going to the right place?" Noah wondered.
"We're just making a detour. Originally there were supposed to be four of you, but your teammate had family complications. We're going to pick her up first."
"Who? A girl?" Noah asked full of curiosity.
"Yes, she's from the Whitefeathers family. It's the same situation as the Riviera family, except their current family head was a former Mandala executive. But he retired a few years ago."
"Is he strong?" Noah's curiosity seemed to transform into competitive spirit.
Samantha found it endearing.
"Yes, he is. The Whitefeathers family is currently part of the British nobility, and Count Whitefeathers and his entire family possess an enormous karmic inheritance. Their predecessors helped the population tremendously, they protected and made their territory prosper for centuries. Even today, they have numerous charitable works and are beloved by the people."
"I get it, I get it." Noah turned his gaze away, seeming frustrated.
"What is karmic inheritance ?" Levi asked
Surprisingly Noah didn't jump on the occasion to flaunt his knowledge and also waited for Samantha to answer.
"Karmic inheritance is karma you get at birth, from your bloodline or from your name. In this case, because the people are always grateful for the Whitefeathers family, just being part of the family builds up your good karma.
That's why the Whitefeathers are very present in the karmic world, the members of the main family are guaranteed to reach at least the 2nd stage even if they never train for their whole life."
"Basically, we're not playing in the same league." Noah fumed.
"Then we'll just have to work a thousand times harder," Levi declared with determination.
"It's pretty frustrating that we're not starting from the same point, but there's nothing we can do about it. We might lack strength for now, but we don't lack motivation, right Noah? When it comes to willingness to help others, I don't think I'll lose to anyone."
Noah regained his smile. "You said it!"
Samantha smiled as well. "Don't worry, once you're at the Academy you'll understand there's more than one way to accumulate Karma. And it's only there that you'll find the cultivation technique that suits you best."
The journey was long but far from boring. From time to time, Levi remembered that Mai, who had nothing to say, was sitting in front of him and offered her candies he'd gotten from the hotel reception. When Samantha wasn't being bombarded with questions by Noah, she dozed off. The passengers, initially curious about seeing her wear a helmet, eventually stopped paying attention.
Once they got off the plane and arrived at the airport, they immediately took a taxi then a train without being able to sightsee in the famous city of London. Nevertheless, the sight of Londoners' daily life, the double-decker buses and red telephone booths, was enough to excite the children. From behind the windows, they marveled at the architecture and the picturesque scenery that flashed by at high speed. It was toward the northwest, on a country road leading to Cheltenham, that the group made their stopover.
A sign hanging from a ceiling beam at the station indicated they had arrived.
[Village of Wanderveil]
An elderly butler with white hair and round glasses waited on the side of the empty platform with a sign bearing Samantha Fairchild's name. The children carried or pulled their respective baggages, and Samantha signaled for them to follow her after exchanging a few words with the butler. A long black Bentley waited for them at the station exit. Levi's eyes sparkled, while Noah tried his best not to react.
"O-Oh, they made quite an effort," Noah stammered.
Mai and Samantha got in as if nothing had happened, and the butler, who had put the baggages in the trunk, took the driver's seat.
Wanderveil was a small village of fewer than 600 inhabitants. Through the window, magnificent honey-colored stone houses with steeply pitched roofs stretched along a river. The dwellings blended completely into the dominant greenery and gave off a rustic, peaceful impression.
"But where are the villagers? I haven't seen anyone except the man at the station ticket office," Levi wondered.
Noah replied, "Maybe they've already gone to bed. Countryside people tend to sleep very early."
"Still, it's still late afternoon," Levi doubted.
Samantha perked up and turned to the old butler. "Mr. Charley, has anything unusual happened in the village recently?"
"You really can't hide anything from Mandala. In truth, for the past few months, many disappearances have been reported among the villagers and the local police is investigating." Mr. Charley wiped his forehead, which was beginning to sweat, and continued. "Strange testimonies are also circulating, but it's preferable not to pay attention to them."
"About what?" Samantha asked.
"Some villagers say they've seen ghosts," the old man replied hesitantly.
The car entered a large black gate and traveled down a small road with symmetrical shrubs on each side, then stopped right in front of a manor. It was a large stone house whose facade, covered in ivy, had three floors, a dozen windows lining up on each one and another smaller building to its right. The exterior was strewn with flowers, and a fountain with a cherub statue was posing at the center of the courtyard.
As soon as they got out of the vehicle, Noah grabbed Mai and Levi by the wrist and headed toward Charley. "Can we have a tour?" he asked hastily.
"Yes, of course. Just make sure not to leave the estate. There are servants everywhere who can guide you if you get lost."
With those words, Noah took off at full speed, still pulling his friends.
Mai, to his left, began to get irritated and asked, "What do you think you're doing?"
Noah stopped and looked at them with excitement. "Haven't you figured it out yet? Disappearances and ghosts!" He pointed his finger to the sky and shouted enthusiastically, "It's time for us to conduct an investigation!"
Levi was swept up by his speech. "Ooh, are we playing detectives ? I've read all the Sherlock Holmes stories!"
Mai sighed then decided to play along. "So where do we start?"
Noah thought for a moment then answered, "Let's interrogate the servants first. We should split up to be more efficient!"
Samantha, who had distanced herself, was making a call with an urgent air. She was calling her superior to give her report.
[Everything alright, Samantha?]
"Yes, the trip went without problems, but the situation here is a bit strange."
[Elaborate.]
"When I tried to scan the surroundings, I was unable to sense the flow of karma in the village and its vicinity."
[Hmm... It's probably a high-level disruptive field to cover tracks—demonic humans maybe? Or a demon?]
"Probably. There's also the possibility of a ritual ongoing, but I still need to verify."
[Do you need reinforcements? If they can avoid your detection, they must be powerful. This might be Hell Gates moving.]
"I'll manage. Don't forget where I am right now, I'll find reinforcement on site."
[Very well. I'll pass the information to Shakya. Make sure to communicate the situation to me regularly.]
Beep
Samantha turned around and headed toward Charley, who was waiting for her at the manor entrance.
"Mr. Charley, take me to the Count."
An old man asleep and a lady in her thirties with long sky-colored hair at his bedside, wiping his face. This was the scene awaiting Samantha when the butler opened the doors to the Count's bedroom. The lady, who smiled upon seeing Samantha, put her index finger to her lips to indicate they should be quiet. She rose from beside the bed and joined them in the hallway.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Countess. I'm truly sorry I could only visit now despite the situation," Samantha apologized with a saddened tone.
"Don't be, my child. I know very well the responsibilities of your position. He didn't have time to come home either when he was working," the Countess said, looking at the closed doors behind her.
"How is he?" Samantha asked.
The Countess shook her head. "He hasn't been able to get out of bed for several months. As you know, the battle's aftereffects have been eating away at him for years." She bit her lower lip as if holding back tears.
"He told me he doesn't have much time left."
End of Chapter