Somehow, my chest felt light.
I wanted people to recognize me; to thank me for what I'd done. It was selfish of course, but I couldn't help but desired such a thing.
Isolating myself from everyone else not too long ago, I killed for the sake of vengeance. My hatred towards everything still lingered inside me, waiting to embrace my body with its ecstasy.
"I wonder . . ." My eyes darted in Hope's direction, and he frowned. "Where's Helena? I can't believe I forget about her."
"Um, l-lady Ava," called a voice.
I turned around and saw Helena just a few feet away, panting with both hands on her knees.
"Oh, there you are," I said.
She rested her right hand on the large tree bark at her side. Slowly, she raised her head and looked at me. "I just contacted Master Gheele. A Teria airship will come for us shortly."
"Eh? Wait, where did he get a Teria airship from?" I said.
Hope patted me in the back. "Gheele . . . Ah, Gheele Folami. I think the only explanation is that he managed to get his hands on a stolen ship."
Helena nodded, acknowledging Hope's deduction.
"Still . . ." Hope showed me his toothy smile. "I didn't notice it before, but you're getting thinner. At least, when compared that time I saw you back in Sweden."
"Huh?" I drew my eyebrows together. "No I'm not. You're the one getting thinner, Hope. Your face . . . You didn't sleep much, didn't you?"
"I can't sleep Ava," he said. Then he mumbled to himself, "I think I haven't slept well for a week."
"What?!" I exclaimed.
Hope flashed an awkward smile at me.
"You should take care of yourself. Who will be by your side when you get sick somehow?" I said.
"Well . . ." He shrugged. "No one, I suppose."
I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed him tight. "In the end, I'll have to take care of you myself. When we get back, I'll cook a lot of food for you. Hmph."
I pouted, and everyone else there laughed at my behavior.
"Wait, what? You can cook?" questioned Hope.
"I . . . I can try you know!"
With that statement, Hope burst out into laughter. He rubbed my head as his other hand held his stomach.
After about fifteen minutes of nothing but him making fun of my declarations, the airship came into view.
It landed near the lake where its invisibility cloak deactivated for us. A metal slate protruded from its side and touched the ground. Slowly, its surface glowed in blue.
"Is that a staircase?" said Tuya as she and her son approached me
"Uh-huh," I said simply. "Wait, not really. You just step on it and your body will move by itself."
"Yup." Caesar had carried Lily on his back, being the first one to go inside the airship.
"Eh? But . . . But." Erhi stumbled with her words, confused.
"Well Erhi, Caesar just pretended back then. He's not really in any danger or anything," I said as I raised my head proudly.
"Go figured," said Qara as he carried Odval on his back. Khenbish was by his side, rummaging through a small bag in hand.
"You're like him too Odval. Pretending that you can't walk on your own," said Qara lazily.
"Eh? How could you say that Qara." Odval pouted, then she tightened her hold on Qara.
"Wha--what are you doing?"
"Nothing. It's the first time you carry me . . . Or paid any attention to me"
"W-Well . . ." Qara's cheeks flushed. "You saved me and all that, so . . ."
"Hm hm . . . Anything else?"
He clicked his tongue at her question. "Forget I said anything." With that, he went inside the ship after Tuya and her son did.
"Are you mad at me?" questioned Odval.
"Yes, yes I am."
After that, everyone else started to board the Teria airship. Hope nudged at my shoulder for me to move before him.
"Hope . . ." I said as I looked at him in the eyes.
"Yes?"
I held his hand in mine. "I love you."
He smiled. "Well, I love you too."
"Don't ever think of yourself as a burden to me. It's because of you, that I can overcome the obstacles in my path," I said.
I giggled at my own statement and pulled his hand as both of us boarded the ship.
When we both stepped inside, everyone had taken their seats, where it spread out in a rectangle pattern. The red seats were attached to the walls, leaving the center space empty. Ceiling overhead was a large flat lighting equipment, emitting dim blue light.
Caesar had put Lily in the seat next to him, as her head drooped and rested on his left shoulder. Ulii and Agatha, on the other hand, stood at the empty space talking about something.
Curious, I went over to their side, and so did Hope.
"Oh, Tabetha," I said.
She waved at me and then continued to talk with Helena in their seats.
"Are you sure?" Ulii said to Agatha.
"Yes . . . It's unfortunate, but there's nothing we can do about it right now," she replied. Her eyes then met mine and she nodded. "Ava, you haven't heard of the news, right? Wait, who is this guy?"
"Ah, he's Hope. You know, the one I was talking about."
Her eyes widened. "So that's him. An Aegis User too at that. It's a good thing you found him."
Hope bowed. "Thanks for having me on board . . . Um, about the news thing that you brought up . . ."
"Ah, yes. The news." She cleared her throat and swept her gaze around the room. "This may sound impossible, but . . . every major city in Mongolia has been reduced to rubble."
"Huh?!" Qara stood up and so did Khenbish.
"You've gotta be . . ." Hope paused. "I can't believe it."
"It is true." Agatha narrowed her eyes at him. "And there's also another thing that happened worldwide. An unknown group televised their announcement online, saying that they have taken over Mongolia."
"Taken over . . . When?" I asked.
"Just a few hours ago. A dark-haired man in a leather jacket who announced it called his group, The Four Pillars of Ama."
I gaped.
Hope couldn't help but clenched his fists, what with all the things she said.
"Pillars," I mumbled. "Ama . . . Ama. Oh, that Ivar guy also said that name."
"Ivar?" Agatha raised an eyebrow at Hope. "Are you from--"
"I'm from The People's Light . . . But I quit."
"Oh." She glanced at me. "Ava trusts you, so we're all good."
Qara sat back on his seat, his face darkened. "Mongolia . . . Mongolia is no more . . . Because of those people huh."
I clenched my fists. "Agatha, we met two Pillars today, in Khovd."
"What--so that means . . . You guys fought them?"
"And we lost," said Khenbish with a frustrated expression. "We couldn't do anything."
"They're that powerful?" muttered Agatha. "The Pillars are all Aegis Users then."
"If I have to compare, especially Ivar, that one Pillar we fought, Gheele's strength is somewhat equal to him . . . Maybe he's even stronger than Gheele," I said,
She gaped. Her right hand covered the scarred side of her face. "We need to discuss this with Master Gheele. The Four Pillars of Ama . . . I have a bad feeling about what they will do."
Caesar approached us and he hit Agatha in the shoulder.
"Ouch! What's wrong with you?" she said.
"You're forgetting something. Ama is the short form of Amathelia. Don't you remember that? We saw her deep inside the lab. She's been there for as long as we know," said Caesar with a serious tone.
It was rare to see him that way.
"Amathelia." Agatha's eyes widened at a sudden realization. "The first Aegis User. Yes, she's that odd one. They keep her inside the lab for twenty years now, I think."
"Wait." I raised my hand. "So that means, she must have escaped and gained her own followers somehow, right?"
"Escaped . . ." Caesar sighed. "Perhaps Alicia and the others know about this."
"Yeah, but she hasn't contacted me in a while. Something is going on in Sweden, that we don't know," said Agatha.
"Also," I said.
Everyone there fixated their eyes on me.
"Ivar, who claimed himself as a Pillar, whatever that means, said he knows me."
Agatha frowned. "How so?"
"He and the other one who's with him call me 'Bis Sis' for some reason. They said I lost my memories, and that's why I don't remember my biological family."
"You did lose your memories though," she said. "But . . . Big Sis, huh? That's weird. Peculiar, even."
"And before he left us after he killed all those people," I clenched my fists as I said it, "he said that I am the True Pillar. And he acted the way he did was because of me. He wanted to see me."
"Wait . . . What?" Agatha put her hand at her chin. "True Pillar . . . It doesn't make sense. Your biological family must be connected to them. Maybe that Ivar person is really your brother."
"But he calls me Big Sis," I retorted.
"It could just be a play of words . . . Or he could've called you that before you were taken by Alicia."
"But Alicia said she kidnapped me from an orphanage . . . But then, she could've lied," I said.
Agatha rubbed her hair, confused somewhat as to what was going on. "You know, let's talk about this again when we get back to Neo Africa." She looked at Ulii. "You don't mind that, right?"
Ulii nodded. "Mongolia . . . Is gone. Right now, we just want a place to stay. So please." She was about to bow when Agatha protested her from doing so.
"No no, it's fine. Um, Helena had explained your circumstances and all that. You don't have to worry about anything."
Ulii smiled. "Thank you. I'm forever indebted to your kindness."
Agatha laughed nervously. "Don't thank me. Master Gheele gave me his permission. If anything, you should thank him instead."
"Ah, I see. I shall do that."
I sighed and looked at Hope. Clearly, he was in deep thought, and I didn't want to disturb him. I moved over to look out through the window as the airship took off.
My heart was wrenched by the sight of Khovd.
A fire broke loose everywhere in that city, burning it to the ground. A few tall buildings had crumbled, crushing the ground beneath with its chunks and rubble.
It was not fair, for such a city to fall like that. And I couldn't help but blame myself again as I took the sight with my eyes.
'I must find The Pillars and force them to tell me everything,' I thought.
It was clear the Great Corporate United was not the symbol of power that the people should fear anymore. Instead, The Four Pillars of Ama had replaced them in that aspect.
Whether it was a good thing or not, one would never know.
Anyone who had the strength to trample over the weak would do so. Some would make use of such strength in a way, to satisfy their greed.