by Yi Zhu
The sensation of pain returned to Vince’s body, and he felt hands on his cheeks.
Seriously, Lucia, stop being a jerk. It hurts so much.
Something wet pressed against Vince’s lips as his body fought with renewed vigor to process the Fye.
Ewww, Lucia, that’s really gross. Not on the lips.
Finally, fate took mercy on the boy, and Vince fell into a blissful oblivion.
Sawyn continued to push on the boy’s chest. She wasn’t sure if he was coming back to life, but the sickly gray skin began to return to its normal color. Thanks to the Fye imbuing her with strength, she felt several bones snap under the force of her hands.
The elder said that’s normal, she reassured herself.
Once again, she pressed her lips to the boy’s mouth. A small part of her wondered if this counted as kissing, but she immediately dismissed the thought as ridiculous. It was simply not the time to worry about such trivial details. Carefully, she blew air into the boy’s lungs, and began pressing on his chest again.
After a few laborious repetitions, the boy began to draw breath, albeit barely. Part of Sawyn wanted to linger, to make sure he was okay, but her presence would only bring more death. Eager to get away from others, Sawyn bent down and, with a small exertion of effort, lifted him in her arms.
Careful to avoid detection, Sawyn walked out a block away, and found several orphans waiting, their faces stunned. Without saying a word, she set the boy down, and ran off into the alleys. This wasn’t the life she had chosen for herself, but this was the right thing to do, Sawyn was sure of it.
She wanted to see Zed again, but now that the world knew who and what Sawyn was, that goal would become so much more difficult. If she somehow stormed the Academy and met up with Zed, only destruction would follow in her wake.
I’m not that selfish.
There was only one place she could go, where no one else would get hurt. Where it all began.
So intent was Sawyn on getting away, she never spotted the slender figure that trailed from afar. The mysterious person moved through the zone with uncanny dexterity, and followed Sawyn back toward the South.
Chapter 34: Serenity
Ambassador Neal took a deep sip of the tea and held the hot liquid in his mouth. The heat warmed his body and soothed his mind. No matter what his fellow elites might claim, everything tasted better in the South.
Neal often thought back to years ago when he had first taken the post. Oh, he had hated everything about this place then, the air, the food, especially the people. But after breaking himself away from the politics of the Capital, Neal found himself loving the tranquility far from the Academy.
“More tea, sir?” the wizened shopkeeper asked with a bow.
Neal nodded appreciatively. “Plenty of room for your wonderful concoctions,” he replied, rubbing his round belly.
With a practiced motion, the master tea brewer topped off Neal’s cup.
“If I go back North, can I take you with me?” the ambassador teased after blowing air gently at the trail of steam slowly rising from the liquid’s surface. Neal meant it as a joke, but the unfortunate fact was, as a high-ranking Imperial official, he could literally drag the old man with him without ramifications.
“For my dashing good looks, no doubt,” the shopkeeper replied and opened his mouth in a full smile. Well, it would’ve been full, except for the uneven rows and the missing teeth. With that, he set down another cup and filled it to the brim. “Let this one sit for six minutes, then it will be the perfect temperature. Six minutes, no more, no less. Don’t let it oversteep and then come complaining to me about it.”
Neal nodded. “Of course, of course. I defer to your expertise. Thank you, Walter.”
The tea maker walked off after another bow.
This day is perfect, Neal thought, content.
Out of all the places down South, this tea shop was his favorite. Nestled between a wide span of farmland and the ambassador’s manor, the venue was far enough from traffic to be quiet, yet close enough to home to be easily accessible. If Neal had to be honest with himself, Walter’s tea might have been the first thing that made him start appreciating this Fye-less land.
Nice and quiet.
Almost on cue, the harsh clicking of combat boots shattered Neal’s peaceful relaxation. Mere moments later, an angry Emelia strode into view, seething with anger. Without asking, she picked up the second cup of tea and gulped it down.
Rude.
“Well?” Emelia asked, her tone accusatory.
“What? I should be the one asking you that. Also, since we are doing questions, how did that not burn your lips?” Neal cried out, exasperated. He looked at Emelia with genuine annoyance and saw the suppressed discomfort on her face. “Oh my goodness … it did …” he finished with a sigh.
Emelia licked around her mouth to soothe the burn, and threw something on the table. The shiny object bounced once against the surface, and Neal promptly caught it. He opened his palm, and found an Ivy Sigil gleaming in the sunlight.
“It’s not mine,” he answered innocently.
“It’s obviously not yours! You are wearing yours. One of the Elites was killed while searching for the Riftborn.”
“Oh,” Neal said and scratched his head. “Who was it?”
“Paz.”
“The mad frogkiller?”
“That’s a ridiculous nickname, and you know it,” Emelia lectured. “Have some respect for the dead, Neal.”
“He was a sadistic little fucker in our lab classes. Never liked him.” He shrugged and took another satisfying sip of the tea.
Emelia opened her mouth for a rebuttal then retracted. “Anyway, he’s one of our own.”
“So? Find out who killed him and punish them accordingly.”
“He died to another alchemist. The scene was so devastated in every direction that it had to be a single powerful person, and not a kill squad. There wasn’t much left at all, and no one stuck around to answer questions; also, the soldiers perished with weapons in hand.”
Neal rubbed his chin in thought. “That’s wonderfully fascinating.” He turned toward the kitchen. “Walter! Could I bother you for a refill?”
A mere second later, the smiling host came running out with a steaming kettle and refilled the cup in Neal’s hand. But then the old man turned toward the other, and his face sank. “It hasn’t been six minutes yet.”
Neal shrugged and looked toward the general.
Emelia and the tea maker looked at one another, and, for a second, Neal was afraid she might get violent. Much to his relief, the supreme general broke into an apologetic smile. “It was very, very good,” she said with a grin.
I’ve forgotten how charming she can be when she smiles.
The old man’s expression instantly brightened. With his face beaming with pleasure, he topped off the other cup and went back into the kitchen.
“Well, now I see why they told me that I can find you here; it was very good,” Emelia said. “The problem is, Paz might be a prick, but he was also top of his class. I can only think of a handful of people who could have outgunned him with sheer firepower.”
“Let me guess, this list of yours includes yourself, Manus, and for reasons I will never understand, me.”
“Well?”
“I wouldn’t do that. It just sounds like way too much work. Besides, do you really think people wouldn’t recognize me?” he replied, and gestured to his large frame.
“Then answer me this, Neal: Where were you yesterday? Your staff told me you left your envoy behind intentionally, and disappeared without a word. The timing was too perfect,” the general said while leaning in closer. “Before you even consider lying to me, I think you know just how good I am at spotting lies.”
Well, damn.
Neal sank into deep thought, while maintaining a casual appearance. Until Emelia showed up, he had no idea that Paz had been killed in pursuit of the Riftborn. But he couldn’t come clean about wha
t he had really been doing; his secret visit was, in fact, possibly the only thing more illegal than the cold-blooded murder of an Elite. Although, while Emelia was brilliant, Neal was no pushover either. He recalled an embarrassing childhood mishap to mind, and noted with pleasure that his face felt warm. “I was visiting a woman,” the ambassador replied with flushing cheeks.
Emelia didn’t reply out loud, but her eyes wandered from Neal’s face to his stomach, then back up.
Rude.
“Let’s just say it had to be a secret. I would prefer no one else saw me with her. She’s extremely talented, beautiful, and dangerous,” Neal finished with a regretful look. Everything he had just said was true, and he hoped the personal nature of his excuse would keep Emelia from prying further.
To his disappointment, the general looked unfazed. She held her ground, clearly expecting him to continue.
“Well, I often fantasize about taking her to—” he continued.
“Okay, okay. I believe you,” Emelia quickly interrupted, finally breaking her composure.
“Are you sure? I respect your due diligence in pursuing...” Neal feigned protest.
“Drink your damn tea.” Emelia cursed, and then, without another word, she stormed away, making enough of a ruckus to shatter the peace of the whole countryside.
With a triumphant grin, Neal waited another four minutes for the tea to steep. When it was ready, he picked up the hot drink and took a sip. It was perfect in every way, the temperature, the flavor, even the smell.
“You really did it this time, Walter,” Neal praised out loud.
Another female voice replied instead and almost made the man drop his tea. “Walter left to check on his stock.”
Seriously? Why am I never visited by women when I’m not trying to be alone...
Neal looked out into the fields, toward the large area full of nothing but wooden racks. Sure enough, he spotted the old tea maker far in the distance, patiently picking out the leaves that had become too dry. Considering how much effort and care Walter put into his craft, it was no surprise that every sip tasted like perfection.
Slowly, the woman walked into Neal’s sight.
Gorgeous. Neal noted. “The outfit is a good idea, but you still really stand out.” Considering the woman’s behavior, she had to be one of Mother’s agents. Her voice sounded very familiar for some reason.
The newcomer rubbed her chiseled cheeks in contemplation. Despite the farmer’s outfit she had on, she looked fairly out of place in the south to anyone who could peel his or her eyes away from the woman’s face. “It’s all right, I rarely get to show my face in the North. No one should be able to recognize me. Anyway, I was sent to look for that girl of yours.”
“And?”
“I found her and brought her to Mother. The kid is very wise for someone so young,” she commented and noted the puzzled expression on the fat man’s face. “We have met many times before.”
Neal sifted through his memories even harder and still came up empty. There was something familiar about her, and she apparently had managed to catch a Riftborn when no one else could. Obviously, this woman was someone of exceptional skill. “I’m sorry. I don’t …”
“It’s quite all right, if you had somehow recognized me from just my body, I would have been creeped out.”
Before he could help it, his eyes wandered downward to see her well-conditioned muscles and proud stance. There was a slight bulge in her sleeves, likely a hidden blade. Most untrained eyes would have missed this detail, but the Academy actually trained its students the proper ways to spot an assassin. Always masked somehow, obviously well-trained, and completely at ease around an Elite without being one herself. Neal always loved puzzles, and this was proving extremely intriguing. The Ivy Sigil always commanded fear and respect among people. Even those protected by Imperial law got nervous around an Elite, but apparently not her.
As if reading his mind, the woman tilted her head in amusement.
She acts as if I should be the one afraid. Little by little, the pieces fell into place, and a triumphant smile crept up on Neal’s face.
“Yes,” she said with a smile, “my name is Neruby, and Mother has a message for you.”
Chapter 35: Destiny
An eerie silence loomed over Zone 1407 that chilly night. Martial law had been declared by the order of Supreme General Emelia, and no one dared to test her infamous ire. Soldiers patrolled the streets with exceptional vigilance and kept eyes out for all suspicious activities. The orphans of the Wolf Gang were no strangers to such restrictions, and most scavengers relished the opportunity to sneak around the area, while most adults refused to wander outside.
This night wasn’t like any other, and the Wolf kept to themselves. Dozens of children gathered in the hut, and formed protective circles around their injured champion. Vince lay in the bed, unconscious but visibly in pain. The other orphans had brought him back to the hideout several days earlier, and he had been writhing in agony ever since. One of the older enforcers treated Vince’s injuries, but couldn’t find a way to get the fever down. While a doctor would be the preferred option, the lockdown made such luxuries inaccessible.
While Vince suffered unconsciously, the others buried the remains of their matriarch. Derek made sure the barely recognizable corpse remained covered throughout the whole process, for the sake of the younger children. With heavy hearts and free-flowing tears, they bid their leader and protector farewell. A makeshift gravestone was erected in the orphanage, to remind the other children that Lucia was always with them.
Amara once again lifted the water jug to Vince’s lips, and this time, he managed to swallow a small mouthful. The orphans all around sighed with relief at this development; even the young ones knew that Vince needed water to survive, now more than ever.
---
A soothing sensation washed over Vince as he gulped down the tea that spontaneously appeared before him. He had been wishing for water for quite a while, but the accommodations here in the afterlife felt awfully lacking. Ever since his body had shut down, he had been transported to this strange room with no door or windows. The only thing inside happened to be a table with two chairs facing one another.
Vince was certain that he had died, as the only people he had met in the past days were others who had passed away. Several children he had been forced to kill on the street visited him, and one by one, he made peace with them. The girl from the alley only stared at him, without a word. Then, much to Vince's pleasure, Minzy appeared on the other side of the table. They spoke and reminisced about the time spent together, even cracked jokes about the times the two almost fought each other to death.
Vince had never realized how close he actually was to the Dragon, but they talked for hours on end without pause. In this strange place, they went over all the encounters, good and bad, in abundant detail.
“I would remember if I were ever on fire,” Minzy said with a chuckle. “I am flattered that you thought of me, though, whatever the reason you were hallucinating.”
The image of Minzy flickered briefly.
“What’s going on?” Vince asked.
“Your body is fighting.” Minzy reached out and patted Vince gently on the shoulder. Unlike a typical dream, everything felt so real to Vince. “Always a fighter.”
“Will I leave this room soon?”
Minzy responded with a nod.
Vince looked around the room longingly. “Will I get to talk to Lucia?” When he turned back to look across the table, he found Lucia smiling back at him. Somehow, she looked present and corporeal all at once.
“Hi, V,” she said, then poked the teacup. Lucia wore the exact same gray outfit as she had the day she died, and an intricate bracelet dangled from her right wrist. Her entire body flickered for an instant again. “I miss you.”
“Not as much as I miss you.” Vince reached out but stopped himself before touching his sister. He needed for this to be real. He needed to tell her once again how mu
ch she meant to him.
What if I reach over and my hand goes right through her?
Lucia flicked him right on the forehead, but there was no pain. The familiar sensation brought Vince to tears. Out of habit, he rubbed his forehead. “What was that for?” he asked.
“You are so dumb, V. What were you thinking? Throwing away your own life like that?”
Vince wanted to protest, but he found no answer. He had wanted to save Lucia, that was for certain, but his course of action had been doomed to fail and was objectively stupid. “It was because I love you,” he managed to force out after a lot of effort.
“Well, duh.”
“It’s okay, we are together again!” Vince exclaimed optimistically.
To his surprise, Lucia shook her head. “No, you dummy.”
“Then what happened to me?”
With a soft sigh, Lucia looked Vince straight in the eyes. “I can’t tell you anything you can’t figure out for yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t tell you anything you can’t figure out for yourself,” she repeated. “You are simply making your peace.”
“I-I …” Vince stuttered, his mind processing everything. “The Fye. I remember the smell, the taste. It was so strong.” He looked at his hands and remembered them turning gray. “You came to me, Minzy came to me. I remember the smell. And what I did, the ice, the lightning. The Fye was killing my body and playing tricks on me.”
“And making you go mad.” Lucia smiled sadly.
“I don’t care.” Vince chuckled. “I really don’t. Here, with you, this is better than life.”
A slap caused Vince to stagger backward, and he fell to the ground. Lucia stood over him just like she had done so many times before, right before a long lecture. “Do I have to explain?”
“No,” he admitted. “I’m just … can I stay with you?”
“For a while … but eventually, you have to go back. There’s still much to do. Do you remember the speech you gave me about changing the world?”
Vince picked himself back up and nodded.