Card Apprentice Daily Log

Date- 18 April 2321

Time- 10:33

Location- Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City

Cortney had never seen her mother's face; she only knew her by her code name and the signature mask that accompanied it. It wasn't that Clown Mask wanted to conceal her face from her only daughter, but where there now was a hideous slit resembling a scar, there once existed an empty eye socket that housed her Tao Eye until the Circle mercilessly plucked it out of her forehead.

The Clown Mask's third eye did not have eyelids as it was not a normal eye but more of an eyeball-shaped gem or jade. So when it was plucked it left a huge hole in her forehead. She had tried using medical methods to close the socket or regenerate what she lost but all seemed to be useless. Even Wyatt's Calamity Daughter Gem was not able to close that socket or regenerate her lost eye. Even its body reconstruction skill failed to help, at first Wyatt was puzzled by this but now when he learned about the world's will fragments Wyatt understood why even his calamity daughter gem was of no help in Clown Mask's case. It was because the Clown Mask's Tao eye, Cortney's Tao tongue, and Agent Forger's Miracle Eye were all made from the fragments of the world's will.

It was because the Supreme Leader had managed to get his hands on a world's will fragment that he was able to grow to the point that he ruled over three of the five regions in Clown Mask's future vision while the Matron limited herself to North and South regions, the two of most low performing regions of the five regions and the Emissary of Light limited himself to the Empire.

Having understood this Wyatt had Clown Mask use Myriad devil transform on her forehead, to create eyelids to cover the empty eye socket on her forehead, replacing it with a slit which now looked like a hideous scar to the onlookers. Anyhow now she was finally able to show her face to her loved one, Cortney, her only daughter. The reason she decided to struggle against the Supreme leader instead of escaping. Her choice that day made today possible.

"Mother!" Even without Wyatt answering her, Cortney finally guessed who the person in front of her was understanding where the sadness in her soul came from. It was her Tao Tongue physique which was crying seeing the missing Tao Eye.

Seeing Cortney recognize her even though she had never seen her true face Clown Mask was genuinely happy. An unconscious smile graced her lips. But the same was not true for Cortney, she sternly gazed at her mother and yelled at the person she believed to be her best friend after Bloodette, "Wyatt, what is the meaning of this?"

"Cortney, calm down," Diana and Cindy appeared with an elderly woman who asked agitated Cortney to calm down. Feeling the distress in Cortney, the clone Bloodette who was playing with kids, rushed into the hall to check on her.

"Headmaster, you do not know this woman and the worst she is capable of. Please, don't interfere and let me handle this," Cortney asked the Headmaster to stay out of her business only to hear the orphanage Headmaster say, "Cortney, you do not know your mother and the good she has been doing. Please, listen to what I have to say then you can decide for yourself whether to forgive your mother."

"Forgive her? Besides, what is she even doing here? Shouldn't she be locked away for everything she has done," Cortney found the headmaster's words absurd and then asked staring at Wyatt seeking answers to why Clown Mask walked out of the dungeon seal.

"Cortney, honey, first let me attend to our guest and give the kids their breakfast. Then we can sort this out. For my sake, just tolerate her for a few hours," the Orphanage Headmaster pleaded with Cortney asking her to tolerate Clown Mask's presence.

"Fine, I am only doing this for you and the kids," Cortney said, feeling a sense of Deja Vu recalling how she accepted her estranged mother Clown Mask as her master to use her money to help run the orphanage more properly. She sharply turned to Wyatt and said, "Wyatt, I thought we were best friends." Then, she headed to the dining hall in a fit of rage.

"I still think we are best friends," Wyatt replied, and Bloodette's clone added, "She and I, both think we are best friends." Only she knew the turmoil in Cortney's heart. So she tried her best to salvage the moment.

Wyatt nodded at Bloodette and then turned to face Clown Mask and said, "Don't worry. She will come around when she learns the truth."

Clown Mask nodded in understanding. She was capable of such natural thoughts and responses because she was one of the calamity daughter gems with the highest authority. Wyatt had to give her that much freedom such that she would not get caught when the Royal family interrogated her and copied her memories. Not to mention, calamity daughter gems had their own life, but they centered it around Wyatt's convenience. Making his safety, satisfaction, wishes, and demands their priority.

"Forgive my rudeness, Master Wyatt, I could not give you a proper welcome deserving of the 'Hope of the Southern Region,'" the orphanage headmaster apologized and began to bow but Wyatt hurriedly stopped her saying, "Senior, if anybody should be apologizing it should be me. My delay has caused you a lot of trouble. Please forgive me. And please do not stand on ceremony around me. I would prefer it if you treat me like one of the kids."

Seeing the orphanage headmaster was about to deny treating him as one of her kids, Wyatt looked into her eyes and said, "Please, it is my request."

"Fine, if you insist, I will do that. But, you still need to be treated with the proper respect as you represent the entire South."

...

[AN: Check out Reader's Quest Board in the Author's Thoughts section for mass release.]