"You two aren't wandering around just for the purpose of sightseeing, aren't you?" Vivian looked at the two Nangongs, her eyes filled with suspicion.
Nangong Sanba and her sister glanced at each other, then admitted with a nod. "You're right. For people like us, it's best to keep our heads down and live in solitary. But, my sister was getting out, I had to follow and keep an eye on her."
"I'm trying to locate my mom," Nangong Wuyue confessed. "She must still be on this planet."
Something crossed Vivian's mind. "You've reminded me something! You said that your parents were dead but, sirens can't really die. So, what's going on?"
Vivian's question struck Hao Ren too. He heard the story of the immortal siren but he did not give it a second thought. All the while, he never suspected Nangong Wuyue when she said her mom was dead until this very moment!
Nangong Wuyue began relay the untold story of her past. "When I was 16 years old, something happened to us—a raging spirit haunted the place where we lived. Dad let my brother and I escape. He said mom and him could deal with the monster alone. But, when we returned the next day, we found the whole house gone, and there were no traces of mom and dad..."
Vivian was stunned. "Raging spirit? There was a raging spirit?"
"What's that?" Hao Ren asked curiously.
"It's a freak...a kind of gloom-ridden monster if I had to put it into words." Vivian frowned. "It's said that raging spirits were wraiths from another spatial dimension. Some people say they are projections of negative emotions in another world that have been pulled into this world. They look like clouds, amorphous in shape. They hover between reality and fantasy without logic or rationality, incapable of communication. And, they will attack every living thing. The raging spirits aren't just lacking any physical form, their combat abilities vary as well. Some can be killed with just amulets alone while some call for the intervention of demon hunters in a group. Due to the inconsistent quality among them, some people are of the opinion that raging spirits aren't a race but a phenomenon. Raging spirits were more common in the ancient times during which the other-kind liked to build dangerous energy structures. These structures would attract the raging spirits. However, raging spirits seemed to quiet down since the Steam Era. They would only form in the wilderness, which was void of human presence. Additionally, their formation required a 'bait' of supernatural power in the surroundings. It's now hard to find all the pre-requisites in one place."
As Hao Ren nodded his head, Nangong Wuyue continued, "I can still recall what happened that day. Our entire house simply disappeared into thin air without a trace, leaving just a large pit in its place as if the whole place was blown up. My dad's most likely dead but, my mom's a siren. She must've resurrected somewhere else. For three years, my brother and I waited at the same place but, my mom never returned. I left and went on a journey to search for her while my brother was after me..."
Nangong Sanba smiled. "I was worried about her."
"Then you shouldn't trouble me all the time." Nangong Wuyue swung her fist, hitting her brother's back. "Because you're so paranoid, I don't want you to come along!"
They wondered how the two siblings got along all this while. Nangong Wuyue pointed at the rune cards that were left on the table; her cheeks were puffed with anger. "See that? Once he found me, he lay these cards everywhere, and then there'd be a fire or explosion near my location. There was even one time where a chapel, close to where I lived got struck by lightning 40 times in one night because he lay a lighting rune card near the lightning arrestor!"
"I was just trying to protect you." Nangong Sanba defended his actions. "When dad was still alive he always reminded us about the dangers of the outside world. I know how to fight and I'm able to protect myself but, you haven't learned any self-defence skills. What if you become a target?"
Nangong Sanba turned to Hao Ren and the rest, explaining with a smile, "There's a reason for laying these rune cards. If any demon hunters come by, they'd skip the place when they see the cards. The rune cards are like saying that 'this place has been taken care of.'"
"Who says I don't know how to fight?" Nangong Wuyue spoke up with her arms akimbo. "I'm guessing, you can't even fight me, can you? All this while, I was just refraining from hurting others. Besides, you know full well how capable sirens are."
"That's exactly why I'm here. I know you can't do it so, I'll do it. You can concentrate on looking for mom while I take care of the rest."
"But, could you please do things the normal way? At least give me a heads-up before you go mad again! Don't be like a freak stalker and lay your booby traps everywhere to only have me end up in one of them."
"My identity's a little special, and I'm also smarter than you..." Nangong Sanba tried to evade the wrath of his sister as he analysed things for her. "To make drugs, rune cards and all that, I need to go out there to get the ingredients. The risk of bumping into other demon hunters is high. I'd easily sneak by on my own but, not you. So, it's safer for us not to be together."
After listening to their arguments, Hao Ren now had the truth figured out. It seemed so plain and simple:
About a century ago, a siren and a demon hunter fell in love with each other. Because of the cross-species relationship, they became an outcast in their worlds so, they lived in solitary and soon they had their own babies—the Nangong siblings. However, life was a b*tch. The family was attacked and the parents disappeared after the battle but fortunately, the children survived. Nangong Wuyue believed that her mom resurrected and still remained alive somewhere. She could not just sit by and wait so, she decided to search for her mom. Even though Nangong Sanba did not agree with her, knowing his sister's temperament, he followed her.
As a demon hunter himself, Nangong Sanba knew he would inevitably bump into or be noticed by other demon hunters. To keep his own sister safe and also out of worry, he used his own way to protect her from harm. His method was not stupid. It just seemed a little paranoid.
"Okay, that's enough. Leave your quarrelling for another time you two." Vivian had to cut them off as they had been arguing for an hour and a half yet, they still did not show signs of stopping. "May I ask, you haven't gotten a lead on your mom's whereabouts after all these years?"
"I've searched every corner of the world, including the Arctic and Antarctica." Nangong Wuyue let out a heavy sigh. "As long as there's water, I've been there except, the deepest sea. I've done everything I could and now, I feel like giving up."
Hao Ren thought for a while. Then, everything suddenly became clear. "So, the purpose of you being here is so that we'll help?"
"Well, more or less, yes. But, another reason is because I'm tired of hiding and running from the demon hunters. I need a place to stay." Nangong Wuyue looked embarrassed as she nodded. "Actually, I wanted to tell you this but...thinking of my awkward family background and the fact that Sister Vivian seems to have quite a deep grudge against demon hunters, I choked."
"How could I not?" Vivian scoffed. "After working my *ss off and finally having the money to build a tiny house at the upstream of the Rhine, the demon hunters came and burned it down just after two months of me staying there. From that moment on, I swore that demon hunters and I would be at daggers drawn for the rest of my life."
Nangong Sanba's face froze.
"Of course, your brother's an exception." Vivian glanced at Nangong Sanba. "I don't consider him a demon hunter."
Nangong Sanba mumbled. "Actually, I am...but I think now, I better not be."
"Then, why didn't you look in the deep sea?" Hao Ren asked. "Since you've been everywhere, why not the deep sea? I think if your mom's still alive, chances are, she'd be back at the old home."
"It's one my biggest disappointments—I can't go into the earth's deep sea." Nangong Wuyue frowned and seemed to be at a lost. "I've tried a few times, swimming to the bottom of the Pacific and Atlantic where legends of the City of Sirens existed. But each time, I would lose my direction and be sent to other places. At first, I thought it was my problem. However, after the trip to the foreign planet with you, I realized that it wasn't my problem instead, there was something going on with the oceans on this planet. It appears that some places down there are off-limits."
Forbidden places in the deep sea?!