"Yeah," added Lexy, arms crossed, supporting her friend.
"We mustn't forget that all this doesn't exist," answered Ray, "so we are going to materialize a staircase. Unless you prefer to jump to stop this nightmare?"
Asarys glanced quickly below her before suddenly straightening up.
"The stairs will be fine," she said in a small, high voice.
"William?" Ray asked. "You also have the power to transform the environment, more precisely everything related to nature. Can you do anything?"
"I thought about it, but as the environment around us isn't real, I have no power over all that. Contrary to what we think, we have always been in the same room from the start. We have to imagine something else as strongly as possible."
After long minutes trying to bring up steps, Asarys ended up getting annoyed.
"We'll never do it! Who of the five of us isn't doing it?"
As she said these words, she stared intently at Lexy. Lexy lifted her shoulders before grumbling,
"It's easier said than done! You're so funny."
"Think, Lexy, you are just being asked to think hard enough to be able to get back to the ground. After all, if we are here, it's because of you and the polar bear on the ice floe."
"The white bear? Shit, what are you talking about?" Lexy asked, becoming angry.
"Lexy, what are you thinking now?"
"Well, about a polar bear on an ice floe. It's—"
"So your brain is functioning normally! Now show us those damn steps!"
"Okay, okay. I'm going to get over it. As if imagining an invisible staircase is something I do every day. The bear was still—"
Her friend's cold gaze was enough to silence her. We focused again on our goal.
FAÏZ
The young man pushed open the door and ran out of the conference room.
"Faïz!"
Inspector Barthey right behind him tried to hold him back to keep him from going any further.
"You can't leave like this."
"Oh, yeah? And what do you plan to do? Lock me in a cage? You know as well as I do that it wouldn't be solid enough."
"Everything is under control. The place where Zoe and the others are is safe."
Barthey stepped ahead of Faïz to block his path, forcing him to stop.
"You don't know that! Their radio is off. Who knows what's going on in the temple?"
Faïz pushed Karl with his shoulder and continued on his way to the exit.
"This isn't YOUR mission!" roared the inspector, who continued to follow him. "And besides, William is with them."
The young man made a sarcastic sneer when hearing these words.
"This guy would be able to kill them all. To count on him would be like playing Russian roulette."
Outside the building, night was beginning to fall. The fog was unraveling, revealing a dark, starry sky. Faïz stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. The fresh air did him a lot of good. Unfortunately, the feeling of unease which had been bothering him for several hours immediately returned. Howard, the inn employee, came up to him.
"Can I help you, Mr. Mattew?"
"Yes," he hastened to answer before Barthey did it for him. "I need a vehicle."
"All right, I'll take care of it," declared the employee before rushing inside the building.
"It's ridiculous! You don't even know how to drive these things."
"I will learn!"
"What about your injuries? Faïz, the doctors were clear. You have to rest to heal. If your wounds open, you'll hemorrhage!"
Looking at the ground, the young man didn't bother to answer. The inspector realized that he had never seen him so weak before. He feared the worst. At that moment, the car arrived and stopped gently in front of them. Immediately, a driver got out to approach them.
"Do you need my services?"
The inspector seemed relieved when Faïz dismissed the newcomer. Before rushing into the vehicle, the young man glanced at Barthey. The look he read there at that moment froze his blood. It was the same he had seen when Karl had announced the death of Faïz's sister in the middle of the Nevada desert.
9
I realized that I was holding as tight as I could to William's hand. My eyes opened very slowly. We were here! We had finally come down from the mountain. More precisely, we had found our place in the room where we were from the start. To my surprise, nothing had moved. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling were still there, intact.
"I feel like I'm waking up from a horrible nightmare," I confided to William at that moment.
Without waiting for an answer, I immediately started looking for my friends. Lexy was sitting in the corner of the room, her head between her legs. As for Asarys, she was leaning against the wall just next Lexy. My whole body was still shaking while my legs were threatening to collapse.
"I can only congratulate you," exclaimed Issei, clapping his hands. "Few people have completed this exercise. You are ready!"
Lexy's hand slowly rose to the sky as if to ask to speak. Issei allowed her.
"What are we ready for?" she asked in an overly calm tone, her eyes filled with rage.
"To save the world, of course," replied the shaman in a playful tone. "Surpassing oneself is something very important and essential for success. Today, you faced your fears with a real team spirit. Remember all of that when you find yourself facing the dangers ahead. Your enemies are more numerous than you think. Think of all the positive energy in you. Feed it and tame it. The universe gives what you ask of it. I think you don't need me anymore. It's time for you to leave."
"Wait, that's it?" Asarys said.
"That's it?" repeated Issei, suddenly frowning. "You have just revealed a staircase more than three hundred meters above the ground. So no, no, that's not it!"
"No," Asarys said. "I just wanted to make sure we had nothing more to learn from you. Our interview only lasted a few hours."
"Yes, well, for me, that will be enough," pestered Lexy gently, still sitting on the ground.
"You have a lifetime to learn," replied the shaman. "What I explained to you today is the basics."
Issei looked carefully at each of us before he left definitively, without adding anything more.
"Zoe? Don't you want to sit down for a moment?" Ray asked worried. "You're very pale."
My legs were wavering without me being able to stop the shaking. The adrenaline rushed too quickly.
"I need to get out," I finally managed to articulate by running my hands through my hair in order to push it back.
"Yes, let's go!" exclaimed Asarys, pulling Lexy off the ground. "I can't wait to get out of here."
The sumptuous garden designed on the side of a mountain and descending towards the cliffs was all the more radiant at night. The light from the pools illuminated the waters. The reflections of the waves seemed to dance gracefully on each foliage and flower.
"Heaven must look like this," said Asarys in a low voice, breathless.
"After what we just experienced, I wonder if all this is real," grumbled Lexy, still reeling from our mishap.
I turned to William, who was looking away, lost in thought.
"Do you think this meeting will change our life?"
His azure enamel gaze plunged into mine, but he left me unable to read his mind.
"It will be necessary. Issei is right. Hatred only fuels war."
He turned his eyes to Ray and added,
"Let's turn on the radio and ask them to send us a car. We have to go back!"
Ray did so immediately. At the other end of the instrument panel, Inspector Barthey and the entire team seemed happy and reassured to hear us again.
"Yes, we are coming a long way, Inspector. We all can't wait to come back."
We walked towards the exit of the Idaina Megami temple while exchanging our feelings about our meeting with the shaman. Ray, meanwhile, was transmitting an initial investigation report by radio. William, still by my side, finally smiled when he heard
Asarys and Lexy quarrel again, right in front of us. I couldn't help but stare at his pretty face for a few moments. Something in me had changed, something indescribable. As if I'd woken up, serene after a long sleep. My hand suddenly came to rest on William's arm.
"Do you feel it?" I asked in a low voice.
"Feel what?"
"Peace, clarity of mind?"
His smile answered in his place and his hand slipped gently into mine. We crossed the exit of the huge building together. Suddenly, I froze on the spot, stunned. The surprise was significant when he saw Faïz pacing in front of a machine whose doors were open like butterfly wings. His gaze immediately fell on my hand, which was still in William's hand, and which I immediately released, uncomfortable. Faïz closed his eyes for a few seconds, as if trying to contain himself with a rage that threatened to explode. He pursed his lips and his jaw muscles contracted. With a dark mood, he finally spoke to Ray in a tone full of reproach.
"Why did you turn off that fucking radio?"
"I… We had to. Issei didn't…"
Faïz raised his hands as if he had heard too much already.
"Ray, William, you're coming with me!" demanded Faïz without even looking at me. "The rest of you can get in the car."
I gave William a worried look. Part of me refused to leave him in this mess of a situation.
"Everything will be fine. I'm used to his mood swings."
In the distance, Faïz was going around in circles and seemed impatient to have to wait for William. I was sorry that he was still taking my friend as a target. Fortunately, Faïz's reproaches didn't affect him, and despite everything, he remained the same with me.
Asarys, Lexy, and I were waiting in the vehicle for the three young men, who continued their lively conversation a little further away. We barely saw them because of the darkness of the night.
"What are they doing?" Asarys growled, tightening her jacket with her hands to warm up better. "I'm so hungry!"
"They must be talking about our interview with Issei," replied Lexy, sitting on the seat opposite me.
Head against the window, she had closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep.
"I thought Faïz was going to throw himself on William to rip his eyes out when we got out of the temple," Asarys giggled next to her friend.
"Yeah, right!" cried Lexy, who had just straightened up, opening her eyes wide.
The girls watched me with interest. I didn't doubt at that moment the tumult of questions they had in mind.
"So, you and William?" began Lexy.
"No!"
"Okay, okay," said Asarys, placing her hands on her lap. "You want to talk about it?"
"No!"
"She doesn't want to talk about it," she said to Lexy with a slight grimace.
Lexy swept the air with a tasteless look before adding,
"I'm willing to talk about it."
"Very good, Lexy! Let's talk about both of them," said Asarys in a falsely serious tone.
I rolled my eyes, praying that the others would come back quickly. Asarys cleared her throat, crossed her legs, and looked very closed, which gave me a slight smile that I immediately tried to hide.
"Alexia Terranova," began Asarys.
"Lexy. Call me Lexy."
"Very well, Lexy! Your friend Zoe Reyes seems completely emotionally lost in the choice she has to make between two young men. One is named William, and the other—"
Asarys pretended to be looking at notes she obviously didn't have in front of her, then went on.
"Faïz. As a close friend of Zoe Reyes, can you shed more light on this situation?"
Lexy put a lock behind her ear, looking bothered, before answering,
"Yes, Zoe Reyes is currently completely lost. It's no secret to anyone. A real weathervane. She doesn't know what she wants or what she desires. The two young men in question are concerned about each having an attractive physique, but that is no excuse!"
"Are you serious?" I cried to put an end to this circus. "Please note that I have confessed my feelings to—"
"We'll give you the floor after," Asarys said dryly. "Lexy's never said anything so interesting, so let her continue. Thank you!"
Lexy appeared flattered by the words of her friend. I wanted to fight back, but the two stopped me with a wave. I propped myself up in the back of the seat, crossing my arms and scowling.
"Lexy, excuse us for this WILD intervention, which didn't have to be. How would Zoe Reyes react if William got a girlfriend tomorrow?"
She looked at the ceiling of the car to think in an exaggerated way.
"This is a very relevant question, Miss Anderson. The strange thing about a young woman like my friend Zoe—who is completely unbalanced, I want to point out in passing—is that she would be very happy if William would build his life with the woman he loves."
"Surprising!" exclaimed Asarys, eyes wide. "I admit that this person is full of surprises."
"No! Okay, is your crap over soon?" I protested, straightening up.
"Lexy Terranova, what if Faïz Mattew introduced his new girlfriend, other than Zoe Reyes, to the world tomorrow? Would she be happy and delighted for that young man also?"
Lexy gave a forced laugh that she stopped when she looked at me. I raised an eyebrow and threatened her with a look.
"No! This donkey would be unhappy as hell. It's a fact."
"So the mystery is lifted. Thank you, Lexy, for shedding some more light on Zoe Reyes's feelings. This was Asarys Anderson from Eros."
"So, that's what you think of me?" I took offense at the end of their fake interview.
"Yes," replied my two friends.
I opened my mouth and closed it immediately. Lexy wasn't wrong, and Asarys had hit the nail on the head. I couldn't dispute the fact that something continued to attract me to William. Suddenly the doors of the vehicle opened and Ray appeared, looking stern.
"Let's go!" he declared, annoyed.
"Is everything okay?" worried Asarys.
Taking a seat next to her, Ray wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tilted his head back against the headrest.
"I'm just exhausted and I'm hungry. The day isn't over yet. Barthey, Jie, and Min have to give us the information on the continuation of our mission, and Malika is waiting for us for our self-defense course. We aren't going to bed any time soon."
"Lord," moaned Lexy. "I'm really not motivated to go to training tonight."
"Where are William and…Faïz?" I asked hesitantly.
"They had a little thing to settle with Issei. The team is sending them a second vehicle. They will join us at the inn. I'm going to pass by to take off this machine."
The dining room was livelier than the previous nights. Indeed, around the big table, a good part of the team was present. Only Barthey, Faïz, and William were missing. Ray, meanwhile, was placed a little further from us next to Dewei Jie, surely in full account of our day today.
"What are you doing?" Lexy asked, addressing Asarys.
Asarys sat in front of me, her eyes closed, her hands clasped over her plate.
"She's asking the universe for a piece of meat on her plate," I replied, picking my vegetables with my fork.
Our friend opened her eyes with a disappointed look when she noticed that her meal hadn't changed during her meditation.
"We ask and the universe gives. It works like that, right?"
"And to think that it's me that we are insulting with imbalance!" I grumbled in a low voice.
Ayame Min appeared at that time and sat next to me, greeting us politely with a small nod.
"Do you like your dinner?"
"It's perfect!" I hurried to answer.
"We have changed our menus a little to adapt to American cuisine."
"Really?" replied Asarys with a forced smile.
My kick under the table forced her to shut up.
"The meeting is in an hour," said Min. "We need to collect all the information about your interview with Issei. With your radio off, we w
ere unable to collect it. We will also discuss the details of the next events to come."
I looked at the time on the big clock hanging on the wall of the room. The evening was already well advanced. Malika's class just before the meal had exhausted us.
"Zoe? You will need to drop by the clinic at the end of the meeting. Your injuries should be seen by a doctor in the morning and evening to avoid complications," Min told me.
"Yes, of course. But these are just bruises, nothing serious."
"We mustn't neglect anything."
When I arrived in the conference room, I was relieved to see Faïz and William already installed in the room in the presence of Inspector Barthey, as well as other members of the FBI. Julio, Kayla, and David were on videoconference with us. I allowed myself a small loving gesture towards the screen, which reflected David's face to me. He gave me a knowing wink in return. Dewei crossed the threshold and promptly invited us to sit down. I immediately took my place between Lexy and Ray and the lights in the room gradually dimmed. The overhead projector sent several three-dimensional maps on the board in front of us. Dewei then spoke.
"We have grouped all your notes, photos, videos, and aerial images taken from drones to crisscross each area of this island in more detail. Thermal imagery may have established suspicious movements behind the Li-Na cemetery. This is a sacred place, and often visited by the citizens of Eros. The constant comings and goings didn't allow us to express, until now, suspicions of these movements before your arrival."
The Minister of the Armed Forces changed pictures and an aerial view of small lakes appeared on the board.
"These are the Lakes of the Sun," Dewei continued. "Everything suggests that the brotherhood meets regularly there to celebrate sacrifices and rituals. How many are they? Who is their guru? We can't answer these questions at this time."
"The ruby?" asked Ray.
"If the red stone is on Eros, it can only be there. The place is surrounded by a bamboo forest, difficult to access."
DARK FAÏZ Book 2: Nothing will ever be the same again Page 10