Lidia Wiley sat on her oak carved rocking chair in her house's enclosed porch staring up at the ceiling with her mind busy with thoughts of her children. "Daaarree, find me on the porch!!" She shouted for her grandson. Derek Wiley stepped out to the porch with a dejected demeanor. "Heard you, Grandma." He replied as he entered with volume as low as a whisper. Lidia exhaled as she stared up at her grandson. "C'mon, you want to come with me to pick up Alec in a moment?" She questioned with a more lively tone. Derek's eyes widened as a smile crept onto his unwrinkled face before nodding excitedly. The Grandmother and her mournful Grandson were hesitant to speak even an hour drive into South Carolina. Lidia was certain to keep her eyes on the road ahead yet a passing billboard she saw out of the corner of her eye lit a light bulb. "You want me to share some of the stories I have of your father to pass the thirty more minutes?" She asked her grandson and enjoyed the slight shift that was seen in his expression, "He gave us dozens. He was the son that always kept in touch." She finished with a grin of his own. Derek scratched his nose before nodding approvingly, Philip stood quiet while momentarily recollecting tales from his busybody child told to him decades ago. "You told me a bit about the city that my dad operated in a while ago so I'd like to hear more about that." He had inquired from his grandfather. Lidia snagged a butterscotch out of her purse. "Yes. JinJunyë. Absolutely beautiful and such a bustling hellhole before your father laid down the justice it deserved. He locked up heinous criminals accused of violent to sexual crimes and solved some of its most infamous cold cases. I've finally decided to give you the tale of the time that your fathers, Kayden and Jacob, thwarted an orphanage that was utilized as a cover for biological weapons. Children that were forced to operate as killers, forced to have their energy bonded to knives, forced allegiances. It was an unfortunate situation." Said the grandmother. The silence that followed were abruptly interrupted with a loud shout by the middle child of the Williams' family. Alec sat himself and his luggage in the back of Lidia's vehicle with a beaming smile. "Sorry I'm late you two— I misplaced my new favorite watch." He informed the Grandmother and Grandson duo while exhausted. Lidia swiftly gasped with a taken aback expression on her. "You're actually thirty minutes earlier than your mom texted me?" She replied with uncertainty in her tone. Alec balled his fist towards his home. "That annoying illusion casting runt was trolling you!" He shouted with an irritated tone and an expression that matched. Derek gestured a request to have a closer look at the item. "You're a link practitioner like Ansel except for toads— it's watches but is this enough to explain away your obsession with these things?" He reminded himself and questioned. Alec shook his head with a blink. "Nope. The same concept that explains away your obsession with silly playing cards does though— the beauty of them. Some come with their own history, artist, design and value." He responded as he pointed towards specific examples on the watch that his best friend had returned. Derek scratched his left cheek. "You have the fortune of easing any curiosity with that neat vision for the past of yours instead of having to research all of that, Allie." He added under his breath. Alec took a deep breath inwards before exhaling. "Unfortunate would describe it much better. It comes with two prices for a single ability." He replied with an expression of disdain towards his hand. Lidia cleared her throat to snag the boys' attention. "I've got his story recollected and loaded in the chamber— do you boys want to hear it or not?" She interrupted while starting up the vehicle.
The moon takes over the sun's shift during the sky's cloudy hours. A blue eyed youth prepares for his bed time by brushing his teeth. Abrupt ringing through his home interrupts him. "JinJunyè's coffee shop known as the genuine purlieu." He heard and was highly confident that he knew whose voice he heard after answering the brief call. The blue-eyed youth walked in on his wife enjoying an orange in their bedroom. "Sara– Jacob I believe actually just called me to meet him a few states away from here…?" He regales her. The youth's wife's eyes had widened as far as they could manage. "You heard something suspicious in his voice?" Sara questioned with a tone of curiosity. Kaden shook his head with confusion still seen through his expression. Sara finished drinking the juice from her fruit. "Jacob is obviously calling for your help, whether it be he's missing you or needs assistance with a case he's struggling with– I'll have your bags packed for you, dear, while you deal with the department." She finished while caressing his neck. Kaden stood still with a thought-filled mien for a moment. "Yuck. Sticky juice all over my neck." He said under his breath. Sara swiftly removed her hands. "My bad dear, I guess that I got you in a sticky situation." She responded with a slight grin on her face. Kaden spent the next week traveling a few states away from his Southern Carolina life. "The den for the world's scoundrels. He's actually taking on the challenge." He reminded himself of the city's nickname and reputation. After finally arriving in the city of JinJunyè, he followed directions he was given to the designated local coffee shop. He entered and caught eyes unlike he had ever received prior in his life. He recognized a hand that was thrown up by a mysterious hooded person slouching on a stool in the center of the shop. Kaden sat next to the hooded customer. "The bird was like a poet—?" He questioned with an uncertain expression. The long nosed hooded customer grinned slightly. "His eyes were dark underneath and voice was as fruity as a gargantuan man." He added swiftly finishing for Kaden. The blue-eyed youth nodded with an approving expression. "You work under Harley barns, guy?" Kaden asked the long nosed stranger. The stranger displayed a thumbs up. "I assist them from time to time. This is one of them that they've trusted me with— so yeah and let's head out. They're waiting for you." He told the visiting blue-eyed young man. Alec interrupted his best friend's grandmother. "Wait— it took you a while to remember the story because you asked my dad about his side of the story?" He questioned as he expressed his confusion. Lidia frustratingly breathed out. "I thought the story had an interesting moral and I am a former manga author, young man, the passion that you can find from being in the industry for thirty years sticks with you. Shush, please." She responded with a slight face palm.