DARK FAÏZ Book 2: Nothing will ever be the same again

by Sandra L. Kiss

  "We tried to cross it with Karl," intervened Lexy, "but the paths were too winding. So we opted for the drone solution."

  "What's the plan now?" Ray hastened to ask.

  Dewei glanced at Faïz with uneasiness in his eyes and preferred to let the young man speak. He rose to come and stand before us. I couldn't help but watch him carefully from head to toe to make sure he was well. Despite the lack of light, my eyes noticed a small spot on his light T-shirt, just above his hip, in the very place where the blade had passed through. His wound must have reopened after arriving at Idaina Temple. I turned my head towards William, the latter listening attentively to Faïz's speech. Maybe he would agree to tell me what happened there after we left, if I asked him? A doubt settled deep inside me. Indeed, even if William was ready to move mountains for me, he remained very faithful to Faïz's decisions for a reason that completely exceeded me.

  "…so this is the best way to recover the ruby," Faïz declared.

  "But how do you want us to infiltrate the Twilight Brotherhood?" Ray exclaimed in a tone of protest.

  Min stood up to speak too.

  "We know that during their gatherings, the brotherhood is dressed in large, ivory-colored tunics, identical. This outfit has a hood hiding a large part of the face. It's their parade outfit. They only meet, dressed like this, once a month. So we have no choice but to act tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow!" cried Ray, stunned.

  A hubbub arose in the room. I felt like the sky was falling on me. We weren't ready! In addition, our centerpiece, which was none other than Faïz, wasn't able to fight with us.

  "And now they throw us in like vulgar pieces of meat," growled Lexy, mad with rage.

  When calm returned to the room, I decided to intervene in my turn.

  "The rest of our mission would constitute of what, exactly? And how many of us would be going to the Lakes of the Sun?"

  The Prime Minister cleared his throat and then looked down at his notes. Now a deep silence had settled in the room.

  "Tomorrow is just a mission of location and observation. We ask you to remain as discreet as possible and not to put yourself in more danger than you already will be in. The group stays the same, that is to say: Zoe, Lexy, Asarys, Ray, and William."

  "There's no way I'm letting them go without me!" Faïz burst out with a threatening glance towards Dewei, Ayame, and Barthey. "It's way too dangerous."

  "I'll take care of it," Karl said in a low voice to the two ministers who were standing next to him.

  An icy atmosphere invaded the room. A standoff between Faïz and the inspector had just started. I knew in advance who would win this war and that scared me, because Faïz's injuries were serious, far too serious for him to come with us. The images of the attack in the cave caught me violently. Feeling dizzy, I put my face in my hands to try to catch the breath that I was starting to miss. The bursts of virulent voices between Karl and Faïz seemed to come from afar, like an echo in an endless tunnel.

  "Zoe? Hey, are you okay?" whispered Lexy worried.

  "No," I admitted, on the brink of passing out. "I have to get out of here."

  Lexy and Ray got up at the same time as me to accompany me, but I stopped them immediately.

  "I have to go to the clinic. The doctors want to see me. You will let me know."

  The truth was that I could neither hear nor endure more. When I left the conference room, I felt the gaze of my friends hanging over me, as well as Faïz's. Especially his.

  While my eyes were staring at the shelves filled with first aid supplies, my mind was focused on the soft music echoing in the room.

  "It looks like your wounds are healing well," said the woman doctor, pressing lightly on my ribs.

  Her colleague continued to transcribe the notes that she communicated to him as they went along. I wondered if these people allowed themselves a few hours of rest or even sleep during the day. Indeed, they seemed to be fully available at any time of the day and night.

  "Do you practice only in this establishment, or everywhere on Eros?" I dared to ask, while straightening up to sit on the bed.

  Cotton soaked in alcohol on contact with one of my wounds tore a grimace from me.

  "Not exactly," replied the woman in a neutral voice without saying more.

  "Are you employed by the American secret services?" I asked, continuing my investigation.

  At that moment, the man raised his head slightly from his notes to look at me, then uncomfortable, his eyes turned towards his colleague, who also remained silent on this question.

  "By me!"

  Faïz's voice surprised me. He was in the doorway behind me and stared at me with a worried pout. How long had he been there watching me? Despite his dark mood, his precious beauty reminded me of my feelings when I saw him for the first time. The woman rushed towards me with a blouse to cover me as quickly as possible before this impromptu visit. Faïz looked away from me, trying to hide a slight smile at the corner of his lips. Perhaps he remembered the memory of when he had returned to my suite in New York, when I barely came out of the bathroom? My cheeks began to blush and I hastily put on the blouse without saying a word.

  "Can you leave us?" asked Faïz, addressing the two doctors without being polite.

  The two individuals immediately complied. Passing by Faïz, the woman stopped when she saw the blood stain, which was beginning to be more and more conspicuous under his T-shirt. After some hesitation, she decided to say a few words to him before leaving.

  "Mr. Mattew, it will absolutely be necessary to let us examine you and heal you after this! We're waiting for you in the next room."

  She crossed the door without waiting for a response from Faïz, who entered the dispensary, taking care to close the door behind him. Then he approached me gently.

  "How are you?" he hastened to ask me, anxious.

  "Good."

  "Are you mad at me?"

  My eyes were staring at the floor. He wasn't aware of how much I suffered internally.

  "Barthey is right. You can't come with us tomorrow," I managed to say in a barely audible voice.

  I raised my head to meet his gaze. His face was filled with desperate pain.

  "Don't go. I beg you."

  Faïz opened his mouth and then closed it. He shook his head as if searching for words.

  "I'm scared, Zoe. Not for me, because facing danger is part of my daily life. I'm afraid that you might be hurt, afraid of losing you. Afraid that my nightmares will become reality."

  "I couldn't properly carry out my mission or even fight properly if I know you are there with me. Faïz, you would put me in more danger than anything else."

  My words seemed to make him think. He sighed deeply before adding,

  "We can't know what turn events will take. This mission has been a real mess from the start, and then—"

  Suddenly he stopped talking and ran his hands through his hair, looking around the room. Then he walked away from me and went to stand next to the multimedia tablet, which was playing soft classical music.

  "The Leviathans are finding it increasingly difficult to contain the violence that is spreading all over the world," he confided, "and the Sylphs are struggling against natural disasters. Crimes are on the rise. Hate among criminals is said to have further increased. Here, we are cut off from the rest of the world. We see nothing, we hear nothing, but that's not why The Maestro stopped bribing the most fragile souls. On the contrary."

  "Oh."

  "I can't protect everyone, I'm aware of that, but just let me try to save you, to save YOU."

  "You still think you have to protect me, but the opposite is true. Don't forget who I am! I'm the one who has to save you."

  "Unfortunately, I think it's too late for that, Zoe. Part of me was gone the day Victoria left us. I will never be cured. You will always have in front of you a damaged and angry man."

  My heart broke when I heard these words, which disarmed me. The pain in my chest over his distress was difficul
t to bear. Faïz closed his eyes then opened them again.

  "Do you miss not being able to listen to music here?"

  The fact that he changed the subject so fast destabilized me.

  "It's the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do in the evening," he added, staring at the tablet on the shelf.

  "It's… Yes… It's possible," I stammered, trying to figure out what he was saying.

  I felt the beating of my heart slow down. He gave me a smile which was enough to sweep away my fears, and added,

  "Music, dance, that's the only thing that calms you down in difficult times. Am I wrong?"

  "It's true," I confessed, surprised that he actually knew me so well.

  Faïz grabbed the tablet and took a USB stick out of his pocket, which he connected directly to the device. At that moment, a shiver ran through my back and bristled the hair on my arms. I couldn't say a word while listening to the opening notes of the song that I loved so much. Kimberose's voice filled the whole room with this legendary title, "I'm sorry."

  "How did you know?" I whispered, stunned.

  "I often heard it from your room when—"

  Faïz paused, as if he were reluctant to tell me more. At the insistence of my gaze, he continued.

  "When your door was closed and you were sad. It's a beautiful title that has been one of my favorites for a while."

  Touched by this confession, I couldn't help smiling. Then my gaze fell to the bottom of his shirt. I was forced to see that Faïz needed healing as soon as possible. Indeed, even if this intimate moment was a real breath of fresh air for me, it was important that I interrupt it for his own good.

  "The doctors are waiting for you. You have to stop the hemorrhage."

  I got up to meet him. Faïz let me reduce the distance that separated us without bothering to stop me. My arms entwined around his neck while my head rested gently against his chest. His heart was pounding. When I felt his arms close around me, nothing mattered at that moment. I would have liked to completely melt into him, to be no more than thousands of micro particles that would mix with his whole being. I breathed in his smell, which exhaled such a delicate and intoxicating aroma. The song was ending, signaling the end of this precious and fragile moment between us.

  "Zoe, I'm not going to be able to finish my last year of studies in Los Angeles," whispered Faïz, continuing to hold me close.

  This revelation shocked to me. I raised my head to better observe him, surely adopting, in spite of myself, a distraught look so that he felt compelled to justify himself.

  "Trac-World needs me to take office a little earlier than expected. Oscar is very sick."

  "I'm sorry for him."

  I knew that Faïz very much appreciated this man whom he had always known. He was the last link he kept from his grandfather. His gaze suddenly changed. He now scrutinized me with icy eyes.

  "With William, is there anything I wouldn't know about?"

  His honest question unsettled me. I let go of him abruptly and pulled away, staring him straight in the eye.

  "No!" I exclaimed in amazement. "Of course not. He's just a friend."

  The image of William and me coming out of the temple hand in hand must have disturbed him more than I expected.

  "And between you and Rachelle?" I replied, acid in my voice.

  He narrowed his eyes, stung. He lowered his head and shook it slightly with a nervous chuckle.

  "So, we're going there?"

  "Yes, we are!"

  "It was a mistake. There is nothing there, either."

  Faïz walked over to me and placed a light kiss on my forehead before gently going down to my cheek. My head started to spin and I forced myself to breathe. He held me tightly. I felt his chest and each of his muscles against me. When his lips finally brushed against mine, my heartbeat muffled me. My hands ran through his hair while I passionately returned his tender, languid kiss. I never thought I would ever taste something so exquisite. I wished the moment was eternal, because the emotion that burst in that moment in my chest was the most delicious pain I had ever felt in my entire existence. Faïz ended up detaching his lips from mine and loosening his grip. My eyes didn't open immediately. It took me long seconds before I could reopen my eyes. Fortunately, he was still standing very close to me at that moment, because my legs no longer seemed to support me. He gave me a magnificent smile, stroking with his fingers the outline of my mouth. Suddenly, the happiness vanished and suffering took place on his face.

  "Faïz, what's going on?" I panicked.

  He looked down at his wound and then collapsed, unconscious, on the floor. I immediately regained my senses and rushed down the hall as quickly as possible, calling for help.

  FAÏZ

  The hundreds of candles hanging in the air below the moat were enough to light the place. The perfect symmetry of the room didn't escape Faïz, who examined each sculpture on the walls around him. The young man, accompanied by William, had just let Ray and the three young women leave for the inn.

  "I am happy to meet you."

  The echo of a male voice forced him to turn around. Issei was standing near the entrance. William glanced at Faïz. The expression on his face was unreadable.

  "Do nothing that could—"

  William didn't have time to finish his sentence. Faïz began to walk around the room, paying no attention to the shaman, who hadn't yet moved from the entrance.

  "It's a shame you couldn’t be here today," Issei continued, on guard. "It's been a very informative day for everyone."

  A smile appeared at the corner of Faïz's lips, who meticulously continued his observation with a rather slow gait.

  "Yes, I was told about it, but not in detail."

  "Would you like to learn, too?" asked Issei, following him with his eyes.

  "No! I've already learned. It was necessary, let's say."

  Issei nodded, staring at the young man with his little brown eyes before adding,

  "You are different from other men. I feel it."

  Faïz stopped dead in front of a detail that caught his attention. His hand then went to a sculpture different from the others. When the lever was lifted, the wall opened with a thud and a row of swords appeared.

  "Be careful! Those swords are invaluable treasures."

  Issei rushed towards the young man, but before he had time to take two steps, a sword, launched with great precision, brushed against his elongated lobe. The shaman immediately put his hand to his bloody ear.

  "Faïz! Shit, stop!" cried William, standing before the shaman.

  "Wh…why? Who are you?" articulated Issei, frightened.

  "It's less funny when people do it to you!" Faïz cried.

  At that moment, the shaman understood that the young man was referring to the woman with the green eyes.

  "I didn't hurt her! The sword didn't even touch her."

  "Well, thank God! Otherwise the greatest danger you would face right now would be me. Now, let's have a little talk about the Twilight Brotherhood."

  "I don't know this community. They…they never come here."

  Faïz looked at William, who was still standing between them.

  "We will have to stay here a little longer than expected," the young man said, his eyes burning with anger.

  William sighed. He knew that one way or another, Faïz would have the last word.

  10

  The noise of the crumpled sheets woke me. I blinked several times to be sure of what I was seeing. Victoria was sitting on the other side of the bed where Faïz was still sleeping. I didn't recognize the place. The three of us were in the middle of an impressive building with azure blue cast iron frames covered with thousands of transparent panes. This crystal palace-like greenhouse housed a magnificent winter garden lit by a sparkling sun. My gaze immediately fell on Faïz who, to my greatest relief, was still sleeping soundly. Sitting by his side, I had watched him all night for fear of losing him.

  "Can he hear us?" I asked Victoria,
who was watching me, silent.

  "No, it's just you and me. You don't seem surprised to see me."

  "Indeed. The sunlight surprises me more. I almost forgot that sweet feeling of warmth on my skin."

  "I came to you, Zoe, to tell you that I'm called to go to the other side. My time has come. I am freed from the bark of my soul, because you finally agreed to let me go."

  I tilted my head to the side and closed my eyes to keep my tears from falling.

  "Already?" I whispered. It was too early.

  "One day or another, the source calls us back when we finally find peace. And I found it. Take care of mine."

  "We're not done. I still need you!"

  Victoria grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight.

  "We will meet again. You mustn’t have this image of Heaven or Hell, because at the risk of disappointing you, they don't exist. Zoe, it's stronger than all that."

  "Will we be able to save everyone?"

  Victoria's eyes darkened. She withdrew her hand from mine to place it on the bed.

  "I don't know. No one knows. If you fail, the war won't end there. There will always be something else sent to wipe out the evil. You are just one of his plans."

  "Kushisake, she said my soul was cursed. What did she mean?"

  She looked at her brother. Her gaze, filled with tenderness towards him, was tinged with immense pain.

  "If you fail against The Maestro, you will lose everyone dear to you. Your soul will never find peace. The bark that surrounds it will cling to it, preventing it from rising towards the source. If you succeed in destroying evil, then you will have saved a large part of humanity. But this victory will cost you. You will accompany some that you love to the brink of death. Either way, you're not going to get away unscathed. This is what Kushisake saw."

  Victoria kissed her brother's forehead to say goodbye. Her words were a real shock.

  "It's my destiny, then," I whispered to myself.

  "Nothing happens by chance. You can make a difference. The universe gives—"