Chapter 12: The White Rain (Part 2)

The white rain, or as ancient knowledge named it: The Tears of the Womb.

It signifies the passing, the death of a great being. The womb of creation weeps as though it had lost a child, mourning the loss of a grand existence, using the luminous rain to mark the departure. And these beings range from as low as the potential of an archmage, to as high as the potential of a sage, and even higher-existing humans or gods. The breadth of the land the rain falls upon depends entirely on the potential of the being that passed away.

Fiona’s eyes quivered as her mind drifted while watching the luminous white rain fall outside in a heavy pitter-patter. Her gaze shook further, widening in disbelief at what she was witnessing.

A great existence had died.

And judging by her mother’s reaction, it hadn’t happened far from Sigsug. In fact, it might even be within Sigsug itself that the great being passed away.

“Wait a moment…” Fiona’s breath caught as a memory surfaced. ‘Our ancestor.’ She pieced it together instantly.

Her gaze darted toward her mother, questions forming on her tongue, but her eyes could only stretch wider at what her mother did next.

“Mom! Where are you going?” she called out, watching her mother slam the window shut and rush outside the house without pause. A heavy wind burst through the opened door before it banged shut.

Fiona stared speechless at the door of their home. Slowly, her gaze drifted to Ren, whose green eyes stared back at her, wide and swimming with worry and fear.

She pushed herself off the long couch. “Wait here,” she told him, then hurried to the door and pulled it open. A gust of wind surged past her, sending her light blue hair fluttering. She took in the scene before her for a long moment, watching the luminous rain fall in a serene rhythm, making the ground glow with a rippling dance of faint white light.

Fiona sucked in a deep breath. Without another thought, she stepped forward, but a frown immediately tugged at her face. “I said stay here, Ren.” She turned to find her brother already at her back, clearly intent on following. “It’s safer inside.”

“No!” Ren shook his head, his jaw set with determination. “I want to go with you.”

“I said no. It’s safer inside; we don’t know what’s out there.” She rebuked him. “This isn’t something for a child.”

“I’m going!” he retorted.

“I said—”

“I’m worried!” Ren cut his sister off, his voice cracking. “I’m worried about Mom too.” He stared down, his expression crumpling with sadness. “And I’m scared something might happen to you both.”

Fiona stared at him for a long moment. A sad expression flickered across her face before a deep sigh escaped her. She turned away, muttering, “You always leave me with no choice.” A small smile played at her lips.

Her gaze returned to the white rain falling heavily upon Sigsug. She stepped outside, letting the rain soak her for a long moment. After confirming nothing was wrong with it, she walked back to the entrance, shut the door, and grabbed Ren by the hand. Together, they broke into a run through the residential streets.

Their steps rippled through luminous puddles that soaked the streets of Sigsug.

Fiona’s eyes searched the distance, hunting for any trace of their mother who had bolted ahead. She gritted her teeth when no sign of Jasmine appeared. “Mom… where are you?” she whispered, her thoughts calculating. Her gaze traveled far into the distance, where the mountain stood tall and looming, the white rain illuminating the night.

A frown settled on Fiona’s face as a thought crossed her mind. ‘She can’t be there already?’

“I think Mom already reached the mountain.” Ren’s voice cut through her thoughts.

Her steps halted abruptly as her eyes darted to her brother. “Since when did Mom know how to cast a flight formula?”

Ren shrugged. “A few years ago. Maybe four.”

Fiona was on the verge of rolling her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I didn’t think of it at first.” Ren stared off into the distance. “Sorry…”

Fiona looked at him for a moment before shaking her head with a tired sigh. “It isn’t your fault.”

Her gaze shifted to their current surroundings. She studied the houses of other residents, her focus jumping from one to the next. A frown soon surfaced as she noticed something strange. It deepened. “Ren…” she called out.

Once she had his attention, she continued. “While I was absent… was there any new law about staying indoors at nighttime?”

A frown formed on Ren’s face. “No such law exists in Sigsug.” His brow furrowed as he thought harder. “Why would there be in the first place?”

Fiona, however, didn’t hear the last part. Her grip tightened subconsciously on Ren’s hand as she rushed to a nearby house, stopping at its doorstep and delivering a loud knock.

No answer came.

She didn’t stop there. With a swift motion of her knuckles, she knocked again.

Her knock was met with another deadbeat silence.

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A frown surfaced on Ren’s face as he stood beside her. “Strange,” he muttered. “It seems they’re in a deep sleep.”

“Wait here,” Fiona said, then rushed back into the rain and began knocking on the resident houses around them. She kept this up for five minutes, jogging through the luminous rain and stopping at people’s doorsteps, giving each door a loud knock. Each time no one answered, her heart raced faster, confusion and worry creeping in.

Her confused thoughts found an answer when she stopped at one of the houses where a figure sat on a wooden bench on the balcony, his head resting against it as he slumbered deeply.

Fiona’s eyes trembled as recognition struck her. “Slumber Formula,” she muttered. “Someone put the whole of Sigsug into a deep sleep using a high-tier Slumber Formula.” She breathed out her calculations in shock. Her gaze drifted to the mountain in the distance, the white rain illuminating its shape.

“Ancestor.” Everything pieced together in Fiona’s mind at once. Without thinking, she bolted into a sprint, running through the streets until she reached the spot where her brother waited.

Ren’s face brightened when he saw his elder sister, but a slight frown appeared when he noticed the confusion on her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked as she drew close.

Fiona didn’t reply. She grabbed his hand with her left, and with her free hand, she retrieved a small object no larger than her palm from her pocket. The object resembled an ash-colored toy sword, unremarkable in every way.