by L. C. Mawson
The masked woman nodded. “I shall see you then. And you are free to bring your sister if you wish.”
She turned and left at that, and Love frowned in confusion as she went.
How did she know about Empathy? And why did she want to see her?
Love suppressed a sigh. Empathy wanted to see her anyway, so it didn’t change things, but still, Love watched the masked woman with suspicion as she disappeared out of sight.
CHAPTER THIRTY
The next day, Love and Empathy made their way back to the nest, riding on Sleepy in the hopes that the other creatures wouldn’t attack if they were riding in on a creature of their own.
Not that Love thought they would attack between the base and the nest the masked woman had claimed as her own. After all, the masked woman wanted them to show up, and she could probably make sure they stayed safe en route.
Still, Love couldn’t help but worry as they approached. After all, they still had no idea what the masked woman wanted with them, or why she was on Earth.
“It’s okay,” Empathy told her, presumably sensing her worry, as she now looked identical to her sister. “If she is planning anything nefarious, I’ll quickly know when I get close to her.”
Love nodded, knowing that her sister was right. And if Empathy couldn’t sense any ill intent from the masked woman, they would know that they could trust her.
As they approached the nest, they dismounted from Sleepy, and all of the surrounding creatures backed out of their way, none of them hissing at Empathy as they had with Vengeance and Jealousy.
“Looks like she honestly did mean that invitation,” Empathy said as she watched the creatures back away from her with fascination.
“I was never worried about her rescinding the invitation,” Love admitted. “I was worried about why she extended it in the first place...”
Empathy gave her a reassuring smile. “Like I said, we’ll know her intentions soon enough.”
Love nodded as they made their way into the building, quickly finding the masked woman in one of the rooms nearest the entrance.
“I’m glad to see you both,” she said as they approached. She turned to Love. “I had worried that you would be too stubborn to return. Or that you wouldn’t trust me enough to let me anywhere near your sister.”
Love folded her arms. “I’ll admit, it was a close call.”
“Then I am even more glad of the outcome.” She turned to Empathy. “I saw you absorb the powers of one of the creatures while fighting them. I hadn’t thought such a thing was possible.”
Empathy frowned. “That was how the first Empathy fought them. The one who came with the original Rena, I mean.”
“Then I suspect it is something they learnt after arriving on Earth. After all, Earth was a testing ground for these creatures, and after the Aspects left for Earth, there weren’t any in Rena space to fight the monsters left behind.”
“Until you,” Love said pointedly.
The masked woman nodded. “Indeed, though I am a prototype, and one that I don’t think can be replicated.” She shook her head before refocusing on Empathy. “Regardless, I was wondering if you could demonstrate this power of yours for me.”
Empathy shrugged. “I could try... I’ve only done it a couple of times...”
“Well, practice makes perfect. Isn’t that what you Humans say?”
Empathy nodded before turning to the creature next to the masked woman.
She bent down next to it, moving her hand to the creature’s head, as if to stroke it.
As soon as her hand touched the creature, the skin seemed to melt away, reforming as scales which spread up her arm before reaching her face.
Empathy stood up, her face now a mosaic of blue and white scales. She turned to the wall, where there was nothing but faded away painting, and she let loose an icy blast from her lips, coating the wall in frost.
As soon as the blast ended, the scales melted away and Empathy was left, taking panting breaths.
The masked woman clasped her hands together, and Love got the impression that she was grinning beneath her mask. “I never could have imagined the power of Empathy being used in such a way. And you say that first Empathy was the one who pioneered this technique? Have you all been able to do it?”
Empathy shook her head. “No. In fact, before I managed it, I thought that it might have just been a story.”
The masked woman pause for a moment, before asking, “Do you have much information left over from the original Aspects, or was it all lost in the chaos of the first few decades after the monsters arrived?”
Empathy shrugged. “A lot was lost, though I now think some of that might have been deliberate. The stories we heard about Captain Jia – the Saviour of Humanity – well... We recovered some old video logs of hers, and it’s safe to say that a lot was left out of the stories. Including the part about her being royalty.”
The masked woman fell silent for a moment, eventually asking, “You managed to recover some of her video logs?”
Empathy nodded. “Well, technically Geral recovered them, we just took them from him when we tracked down his hideout. Some of them were deleted, but I think most are intact. Enough to get a clear picture of the Rena’s arrival on Earth.”
“Could I... Would it be possible for me to see these video logs?” The woman asked, a little halting and hesitant.
Love frowned, folding her arms. “Why? I mean, the basics of the situation don’t change between the history books and her logs, just some personal stuff.”
The woman brought her hands together in front of her stomach, twisting at her fingers. “I... I want to try and understand the decisions that she made. I want to be able to piece together why she left, and why she didn’t return to her people. Didn’t she know that the war had broken out? Did she truly abandon them?”
Love shrugged. “It was over two hundred years ago, why do you care?”
The masked woman sighed, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter,” she muttered before straightening her back and turning to Love. “So, are you ready to begin trying to reaccess your own powers?”
Love nodded, though her sense of unease refused to lessen. Who was this woman and what exactly was she looking for on Earth?
The masked woman turned back towards Empathy. “Perhaps, Love, you should take notes from your sister. After all, she has managed to master her powers to their fullest extent.”
Empathy shrugged sheepishly. “I... I’m not sure how I did that, though. It just happened.”
“Were you distracted when you first used your powers like this? Or were you entirely focused on empathising with the creature?”
“I don’t know that I considered it empathising in the moment, I just realised why she was attacking us. But yeah, I suppose I was focused on that fact entirely. But that’s just how I am. I’m so used to shoving away distracting emotions since I feel them from everyone else all of the time. If I couldn’t focus through them, I would be ineffective as both an Aspect, and in my general day-to-day life.”
The masked woman nodded. “At the moment, you are only drawing from your sister, who has managed to let her distraction get in the way of her own powers, and yet you had no problem drawing from the power of the creatures here. While Love’s emotions distract her, you aren’t letting them distract you.”
Empathy rolled her eyes. “If I let my sister’s emotions distract me, I would never get anything done...” A moment later, Empathy gave Love a sheepish look. “Sorry, that was uncalled for...”
Love sighed, shaking her head. “It’s fine. You’re drawing from me, after all. You’re not saying anything I wouldn’t say about myself...”
She left out the part about how she would never say it in front of anyone else.
“I suppose,” Empathy continued, “even you can’t deny how much your relationship with Hate has clouded your judgement since you first became an Aspect. I mean, wasn’t that exactly why you weren’t supposed to be dating her i
n the first place? Even before you became an Aspect yourself, it was frowned upon.”
Love frowned, folding her arms. “It worked out in the end, didn’t it? My relationship with Hate allowed me to become even more powerful.”
“Only temporarily,” Empathy corrected, her voice weak and apologetic.
The masked woman nodded in agreement. “It is likely that your sister is correct. You weren’t chosen as the Aspect of Love because of your love for one girl. You were selected for your capacity to love across the board. By only focusing on one relationship, you tie your powers to it, forcing them to grow and wane as the relationship does. They will never be stable. If you truly expect to be able to gain access to the bulk of your powers, without them fading, you will have to put all thought of the Aspect of Hate from your mind. You cannot allow her to cloud your judgement any longer.”
Love sighed, but she couldn’t argue with their point. “Fine,” she eventually said. “If that’s what it will take to regain control of my powers, I will push all thought of Hate from my mind for good.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
When Love and Empathy returned to the others, Love found herself astounded by just how far along the wall had been built. It felt like forever since she'd last paid attention to how much of the city they had encapsulated so far, and she now realised that they must be over halfway done.
As they approached, Justice made her way over to them.
“So,” Justice said as Love slid off the back of Sleepy, “how did things go with the masked woman?”
Love shrugged, folding her arms. She still didn’t trust the masked woman, but she was reluctant to tell Justice that. As much as Love felt no closer to regaining her powers that she had before, the fact that Empathy believed that her techniques would work meant something to her. Especially when Empathy had managed to activate her own powers, even when absorbing Love’s distraction. And if the masked woman’s techniques had a chance of working, Love would see them through, even if she didn’t trust her.
And she certainly wasn’t going to tell Justice about her hesitations. If she did, Justice would insist that she never see the masked woman again, despite how much reclaiming the city meant to her.
“Things went fine,” Love told her. “She managed to explain how I can tap into my powers better this time, so it shouldn’t be long before I can relocate the nests again.”
Despite her optimistic words, Justice still frowned. “That’s all well and good, but I’m more worried about who this masked woman is at the minute,” she admitted. “I don’t think her arrival here can be anything good.”
Love bit her lip at Justice’s admission of scepticism. Maybe she should just be honest with her. “She was acting a little suspicious,” Love admitted. “She asked about the original Aspects, and when Empathy told her that we had the old logs that Jia made, she asked to see them. When I asked why, she wouldn’t give me a real reason.”
Justice’s frown deepened. “That is indeed strange.” She sighed. “As reluctant as I am to send you off to see her, I do think it’s our best bet for getting more information, but please be careful.”
Love nodded, glancing over her shoulder to see that her sister had left earshot. “I will be,” she assured Justice, “but it’s not me I’m worried about.”
Justice nodded, following Love’s gaze and realising what she meant. “I’ll tell Empathy that we need her to stay here tomorrow. After all, she’s not the one who actually needs to talk to this woman.”
Love sighed, tightening her arms around her chest. “I think Empathy is keen to see her again. She was too distracted to try and focus on her this time, and she wants to try again to see if she can’t figure out exactly what the woman wants.”
“It would be helpful to have a better idea of her intentions.”
Love nodded in agreement. “I know, but I don’t think it’s worth the risk to Empathy. The problem is, if you try and get her to stay behind tomorrow, she will object, and if you don’t have a strong enough reason, she’ll think that we’re asking her to stay behind because we don’t trust her to look after herself.”
Justice gave Love a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’m sure I can think of something.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
As everyone got ready the next morning, Justice approached Empathy and Vengeance. “Vengeance, can I assume that your climbing skills haven’t waned since we became Aspects?”
He shrugged. “They shouldn’t have. Why?”
“I think one of the panels we used for a section of wall a few weeks ago was faulty. The wall section collapsed, and the panel needs to be replaced, but the rest of us haven’t been able to get up there. We just left it alone, but it’s getting to the point where we really need it dealt with, and it’s a two-person job.” She turned to Empathy. “If you go with him and absorb his abilities, you should be able to help.”
Empathy frowned, folding her arms. “I’m supposed to be going with Love to meet the masked woman again.”
“I know,” Justice said, “but we have been putting this off for weeks now. We can’t really keep putting it off. It should only take one day.”
Empathy sighed before nodding. “Okay, I suppose if it’s urgent...”
Love smiled for a moment, before realising that if Vengeance had to stay behind as well, she would have to find someone else to go with her.
She didn’t feel comfortable bringing the kids, knowing that they would be forced to stay outside the nest while she spoke with the masked woman. And she couldn’t ask either Justice or Loneliness. It was too dangerous for Loneliness, and Justice would want to stay with her.
That just left Serenity and Hate, and there was no way that Love was going to ask Hate to accompany her.
Love approached Serenity with a smile. “Hey, fancy coming with me today? I need someone with me in case we run into trouble, and since Vengeance will be busy today...”
Serenity shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t. A couple of creatures have come sniffing around the wall. I can fire a few shots of the heavy duty Rena blaster at them to get them to disperse if they get too close, or aggressive, but if they use their powers, they could damage the wall. This is just its most basic form, remember? And if we allow any structural weakness at this stage, repairing it will be a nightmare. Since I can neutralise their attacks, I have to stay here.”
Love nodded in understanding. “Okay, it’s fine. I can... I can ask Hate.”
Serenity gave her a sympathetic look. “Sorry.”
Love just nodded again before walking over to where Hate was pulling on her jacket.
“Hey,” Love said as she approached. “I need someone to come with me, in case I run into trouble, and everyone else is busy. Would you mind?”
Hate didn’t exactly look happy, but she nodded. “Yeah, if you need me to.”
“Are you ready to go now?” Love asked.
Hate nodded. “Yeah, are we just taking Sleepy?”
Love paused for a moment, not exactly happy with the idea of being within such close proximity of Hate for the journey, but it seemed ridiculous to bring a bike with them just because she was slightly uncomfortable.
Love nodded. “Yeah, we are.”
“Then lead the way.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Hate remained silent as they made their way into the city, for which Love was glad. She wasn’t sure that she would be able to hold a coherent conversation at that point, between how unsettled Hate made her, and how nervous she was to see the masked woman again.
Thankfully, Sleepy seemed to sense Love’s discomfort and made her way through the city more quickly than usual.
“I won’t be long,” Love promised as she slid from Sleepy’s back.
Hate nodded. “I’ll just stay out here.”
Love quickly made her way into the building, finding the masked woman more than easily.
“Good morning,” the masked woman said as Love approached. “Where is your sister?”
“Her abilities were needed to help repair part of the wall,” Love said, glad that she didn’t have to lie. “She won’t be joining us today.”
“A shame,” the woman said. “She’s far better at talking sense into you then I am.”
Love folded her arms, unamused by the comment.
If the woman noticed, she didn’t comment. “Come on, let’s see if you’ve made any progress. Have you been focusing on putting your ex from your mind entirely?”
“Yes,” Love lied, suddenly more than aware of Hate waiting for her outside the building. It hadn’t been her choice to have her come along, but it hardly helped in her effort not to think about her.
“Are you sure about that?” the woman asked, and Love could practically hear a raised eyebrow in her voice. “You don’t seem more focused than you did yesterday. If anything, you seem more on edge.”
Love realised at that moment that she'd been gently tapping her fists against her thighs. As much as she hated to, she stilled her hands, not wanting to give anything else away.
“I’m sure,” Love said firmly, putting all of her effort into selling the lie.
The woman sighed. “Well, I suppose we’ll see, won’t we?” She moved to the door and Love followed. “I have caged a creature in the next room. One I have not significantly bonded with. I asked it here, but it will still attack a stranger, even if they are with me. If you truly have regained your focus, you should have no trouble bonding with it.”
Love hesitated for a moment, biting her lip, but she steeled herself before making her way towards the door.
She had to prove that she could do this.
That she could put all thought of Hate from her mind completely.
The masked woman put a hand on the doorknob before turning to Love, presumably waiting for a signal.
Love nodded, refusing to hesitate a moment longer.
The woman opened the door to reveal a Dreamer, pacing the room in agitation.
They were about half the size Sleepy, and Love figured that they weren’t yet fully grown.