"Ava!"
Hope rushed to me from inside the mine. It was already evening by the time I arrived.
I intentionally took a longer route to reach there, anxious about what the others would think about my appearance.
"What. . . happened to you?"
I looked up and saw Hope's confused face.
"Erm, it's hard to explain," I replied.
"Your voice too. You sound like you're sick or something. C-Come inside the mine first. You can tell everything that happened there."
We went inside the mine. Sadly, only four of us were there. Hope said that no one was in the mine when he arrived.
The inside of the mine was lit by torches lining up the walls.
I told Hope what happened, starting from when grandpa's group, Freya, intervened until when my Aegis went out of control. I also told Luca about me burying Jack and she thanked me. The four of us were sitting in a circle.
Hope tapped at his hand and took a quick breath.
"I think your Aegis responded to your desire to help those innocent people, using any means necessary. It resonated and integrated itself further inside you. Basically, it took over a part of your body permanently for you to achieve that level of mastery, using Aegis," he explained.
"So, this crystal." I showed him my left arm. "And my eyes." I then looked at his eyes. "Was a side effect for the Aegis to be that powerful?"
Hope nodded. He was certain of his conclusion.
"I believe so. But there's still so much more we don't know about Aegis. If only we have someone from the C.U who knew about this." Hope pondered about the possibility.
"So I'm stuck like this forever?" I asked.
"Perhaps. Or it could be reversible, I'm not sure. Or it could even be temporary."
"How long? I don't like looking this. I'm like a. . . monster." I finally said that one word.
"I'm sorry, Ava. If only I could help you better."
I raised my hands. "No, don't be sorry. You don't know anything about it, after all. I just have to stick with this kind of appearance for a while."
Hope rubbed his blond hair as he sighed.
"One thing I'm sure is that the weapon inside you, Aegis, is somewhat sentient. Meaning it can think and act accordingly, however it wants to. For now, it seems to be prioritizing your safety. And of course, it will do what you wanted to do at any given situation."
Hope kept thinking, and I left him on his own.
I looked at Luca as she held Alice in her arms that entire time. Looking at Alice's expression, my appearance seemed to make her scared of me.
"We are safe here, right?" asked Luca.
I nodded. "The town square should have been destroyed by now, I think. You know, the Jets are going there a while ago. This mine is nowhere near the town, so it should be safe."
Luca smiled. "If that's the case, then I can rest easy. It's a pity the town had to be destroyed like that. And . . . Your voice is weird, Ava."
I forced a smile. Luca was back to her usual self, so I did not want to ruin her moment.
"We have some food and water in my bag. It should last for a few days," she said.
I noticed an odd thing coming from her. "Are you not afraid of me?"
"Hmm? No, you're a good person, Ava. You protected Alice and me back then. That alone should be enough for me to trust you." Luca gave a weak smile.
"Oh, I see. But I look like this. It's quite scary even for me." I raised my left arm and opened my eyes wide. Alice reacted to it in a bad way as she buried her face in Luca's winter jacket.
"You may look like that, but you're not a monster on the inside. Your left eye is covered by that thing. . . Can you see with it?" said Luca.
"Uh, no, I can't. My left eye is now. . . Blind. I was scared a while ago, but all I can think of before I came here was to get to the mine quick." I nodded at my own statement. "But now I think about it, I'm quite scared, actually."
"Ah, don't worry. Alice and I will accompany you for the night. You're not alone, Ava. You have us," assured Luca. I could tell the effect of her husband's death still lingered inside her, but she kept trying to show everyone that she was fine.
'If I was her, I would do the same,' I thought.
"How about you wear this jacket? It's Alice's. You must be cold." Luca handed me a red jacket and I took it. "No need to worry. It's an extra I brought with me."
I met Alice's gaze, and she immediately looked away.
"Thank you," I said to Luca.
"You're welcome."
===|
Hope held a torchlight and put it in my school bag.
"Where did you get that?" I asked him.
"I found it in the woods on my way here. It still works, so that's a plus."
"Well, that's convenient."
"It sure is."
I stared at the clear night sky. Just a few minutes ago, the jets were bombing the town. After that, silence was the only thing we noticed. The army seemed to have stopped their assault.
"I wanted to check the villa over there," said Hope.
"Hmm. Mommy and Daddy might be there. It's the only place we have our hopes on."
"B-But, it's dark."
"Hope, you have that convenient torchlight."
"Er, yes, I know. But what if there' s-something out there? In the woods?"
"Hmm, you're scared."
"N-No, I'm not."
I opened my dark eyes wide. My bright red irises caught his attention and he looked at me.
"N-No, stop! Your face is creepy," said Hope.
"But you're fine with me a few hours ago," I growled.
"It's dark right now. It's just plain scary, okay?"
"If you don't want to go, just stay back with Luca and Alice. Mommy and Daddy might be waiting right now."
"Wait, no--"
"But Hope's SCARED."
"Er, if Ava's right in front, I might be able to handle it fine. . . Yeah."
I squinted my eyes at him and he responded with an awkward smile.
We both walked back to Luca and Alice, where they were eating some snacks.
"You both want to go to the villa? Be careful. Alice and I will wait here," said Luca.
I nodded.
She raised one of her eyebrows. "Can't it wait until tomorrow morning?"
Hope and I looked at each other.
"I would love to. However, I need to know what happened to Mommy and Daddy as fast as I can."
Luca glanced at Hope. "I see. Like I said, be careful." She gave an honest smile. "And you, Hope. Don't you forget your promise."
He puffed up his chest. "Don't worry, Ma'am. Er, the resistance group should be heading to the army's base right now. After the army has been driven out of the town, I'll be sure to bring you to Beatrice."
Luca giggled. "Good to know you're keeping your promise. I'll be waiting for you both to return safely."
Hope picked up my school bag, and I put on the red jacket Luca had given me.
"Mister Hope, come back soon," said Alice. Her voice was soft.
The nine-year-old Alice approached him and they hugged each other. "I will, and don't call me mister."
She then walked to me, looking hesitant.
"Emm, Ava. . . Sis, be careful. Come back soon," she said quietly.
I felt like I wanted to cry but I held it in. Alice, right then, was my own little sister for a moment.
We hugged each other. She was holding onto me tight for some reason.
"Goodbye, Luca," I said.
Both Hope and I hugged her, and we waved them goodbye. We then wasted no time making our way to the town chief's villa.
===|
"Woah," I gasped.
The huge villa filled my vision. It complemented its surrounding with the pale green color of its walls.
Other than that, we were greeted with ominous silence.
"You think the army has gotten to this place first?" asked Hope. He flashed his torchlight around the front lawn and gaped. "What the--"
I gulped at the sight. Piles and piles of bodies were scattered around.
"The army did this?" I asked.