Year 2033, August
6:00 P.M
Goz Beida, Chad, Africa
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"Maltyie?!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah. Master Gheele said she's at the hospital right now. I heard her injury is pretty severe," said Agatha with a pained expression.
Both of us were on our way to the throne room. Gheele himself had called for me and the rest of the Aegis Users to go there.
"Someone had treated her beforehand, so she should be fine." Agatha's words came out as a whisper like she wasn't sure of it herself.
"So, she and her . . . companions came to Neo Africa, injured?" asked Hope.
"Supposedly. I don't know the details, but those people, so to speak, are in the throne room right now," she said.
I looked at Caesar, and he was being oddly quiet. At that time, I could have sworn he said something along the line of, "Sis . . . Please stay safe."
I brushed it off my head when the throne room was just a few feet away.
When Hope, me, Agatha, Caesar, and Lily walked inside, we were greeted with a peculiar sight.
In the center of the room, a few men and women in lab coats sat down on the matted floor. Their hands were tied up. Four Neo African soldiers were pointing their rifles at them.
Gheele, as expected, had made himself comfortable on his ebony chair at the far end of the room. He cleared his throat and broke the silence.
"I apologize for summoning you at this time," he said.
Caesar shook his head quickly. "You don't have to apologize, Master Gheele . . . But these scientists . . . Klaus?" He pointed at a bespectacled blond man sitting in the middle.
"Ah, yes. My men caught these people lurking around the borders. I had sent that injured woman to the hospital. It seems like they were trying to get through my Aegis walls," Gheele said.
"What?" exclaimed Agatha. "Then, where's Alicia?" She looked at Klaus and he just shook his head nervously.
"She's not with them as far as I'm concerned. Tell that Klaus that he's the only one allowed to speak." Gheele folded his leg. "The rest of those scientists can keep quiet."
"T-Thank you," said Klaus. He gulped when Agatha cast a glare at him.
She approached him and pulled his collar, looking directly into his eyes. "What happened, Klaus?! You shouldn't be here. And where's Alicia?"
He refused to meet her glare and looked at me. His eyes then widened. "So you're Project AVA."
"Klaus!" said Agatha. "What's going on?"
"A-Agatha . . . Please help us." His face went pale, and so did the other scientists next to him.
"He said before something had happened in Sweden. Though, I'm not sure I should trust this information or not," said Gheele.
"I see." Agatha took a deep breath and distanced herself from Klaus. "What happened, exactly? I assume you're here because you need our help."
"Agatha!" Klaus wrapped his arms around her legs then cried in front of her. "I-I don't know what to do, Agatha. Please, tell me!" He pulled at her jacket as his cry echoed throughout the whole room.
"Agatha . . . Please!" he begged.
"Okay, stop this at once. You're getting on my nerve." She tilted her head, and he understood what that meant. He shifted a few feet away from her and then wiped his tears.
"S-Sorry." He was about to bow when Agatha cupped his face in her hands.
"Forget about that. Tell me. What happened?" she prompted.
He nodded. "The Great Corporate United . . . As it stands now . . . Is no more."
"W-What?" she gasped.
The rest of us were stunned at his statement. Gheele, however, appeared bored, as if that information didn't come out as surprising as he initially thought.
"How?" asked Agatha.
Klaus paused for a few moments. "The Four Pillars of Ama had taken over the military HQ in Stockholm. I don't know what happened to His Supremacy, but . . . Alicia was there. She ordered me to get out of Stockholm." He cast a glance at the other scientists. "The rest followed me, and we escaped far away from Sweden . . . I'm sorry." He clenched his fists and pulled Agatha's hands away from his face.
After that, silence filled the room.
We knew how strong the Pillars were, and to think that they would come after the C.U was never a doubt. They had the prowess and strength to do just that one thing.
"I left them," continued Klaus. "Aya Andersson, Alexander, Alicia Andersson, Miranda, His Supremacy, the soldiers . . . I don't know what happened to them, and instead of helping, I ran away . . . Why . . ." He narrowed his eyes at Agatha. "Why am I so powerless? I'm weak, Agatha. At that time, I didn't do anything. No, it's not that. I couldn't do anything."
Agatha clasped his shoulders. "Klaus . . . It's not your fault. You made a wise decision by coming here. We expected Alicia to give us information about the new weapon any time soon, but it didn't go as planned."
"The new weapons are the Pillars, Agatha. At least, they were meant to be," said Klaus.
She frowned. "So . . . You guys have been working on those new Aegis Users."
"Yes. They're powerful. I don't know what are their limits, but the new type of Aegis that we implanted inside them is far superior."
"A new type?"
"Aegis Förena. It's an upgraded version of the previous Aegis. Superior regeneration, improved durability, and efficient conversion of Aegis crystals . . . I dreamed about applying this Aegis into the new Users that would be sent to the frontline. But now, it is being used against us."
"Klaus . . ." mumbled Agatha.
"It all happened too fast . . . I'm sorry."
Helena burst into the throne room and I almost jumped from it. She tried to catch her breath, and after that, she looked at us with a grim expression.
"Everyone!" she shouted.
"What is it Helena?" asked Gheele calmly.
"A-A winged man is approaching this palace as we speak. He's flying!" exclaimed Helena. "He's coming here, Master Gheele."
He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, how did that 'winged man' pass through my Aegis walls?"
Helena just shook her head at his question. "I don't know, Master Gheele. A-Any soldiers that attempted to attack him, they all . . . died almost instantly. His wings . . . I've never seen anything like it."
She trembled as she said those words, terrified of what would happen if he arrived at the palace. "Just by looking at him . . . It felt like I was staring directly at my own dead body. Please, Master Gheele. Help us!"