Chapter 17
"Thaddaeus? What exactly happened in my absence?" A disbelieving Ignis questioned while counting all the unconscious bodies laying scattered on the ground.
Thaddaeus was sprawled out on his back and still breathing heavily. He lay amidst a group of defeated Damna. His response was a bit delayed, but he finally looked over at the first person to return from battle.
"Well, I'll tell you. I apparently was supposed to learn from your battles, but you all went way too far for me to see you. So naturally, I came looking for you because I wanted to watch your fight. I haven't really seen your power yet."
The man with Ignis interrupted him, "Oh, you should be happy you didn't see it. It was quite disturbing. I'm Chikara by the way."
"Chikara, It's nice to meet you, but I think it would have been nicer to watch a battle than fight for my life!" Thaddaeus took a second to regain his thoughts, then he struggled to sit up. "Anyway, I was ambushed on my way to find you guys. At first it was just one, then a few more showed up. After that, it was like I was the only person on Atlas as far as the Damna were concerned! There were times I was fighting three of them at once!"
"I am actually impressed," Ignis finally responded in a condescending tone. "I was of the thinking that you were not yet ready for battle. Once again, Lux demonstrates his superior wisdom. In any event, I see you survived and you even managed to build a fire so they would not freeze to death. Congratulations Thaddaeus, you no longer need anyone to hold your hand." Ignis ended his statement with a smile, almost as if to dare Thaddaeus to lose his temper.
The lad was about to do just that. He wanted to teach Ignis a lesson for underestimating him once again, but just then, he heard voices call out. The girls were making their way over to the fire he had built.
Luna walked next to Kinzoku as she assisted him over the snowy landscape. Telu was next to her, and she carried Iteya in her arms. A fair distance behind them was Solis and Taida. As Solis approached, he threw his arms in the air and waved dramatically in his excitement to see them again.
Telu laid Iteya's body next to the fire. She sat down next to her, but her face didn't rise to meet the gaze of the others.
"Uh, Telu, is she..." Thaddaeus began to ask, but he couldn't finish the question.
Telu nodded, "It is a tragedy, this nature energy. She was warped beyond measure. As a young girl, I am certain she never understood the consequences of pursuing this power. As I conversed with her, it became clear that she had committed many atrocities out of fear. Therefore, she will most likely never awaken from this state."
"We were all in that same position," Kinzoku said. "It may not have been fear for all of us, but we were all in the grip of something we couldn't control."
Just then, Lux appeared in a blink. He carried the Imperial's leader over his shoulder. The others jumped up and cheered at his appearance as though their hero had emerged from battle.
Lux set the man down and looked around at everyone. His face went from stoic to childlike with joy in seeing his family all together and safe. He hugged everyone and praised them for not giving up.
When Lux appeared, Telu lifted her face for the first time since she sat down. She jumped up and threw her arms around him.
"It seems we both had a difficult time," he said.
"I truly attempted every possible solution before I destroyed her crystal. In the end, I could do nothing. She is still gone." Tears began falling from her eyes.
Lux very rarely felt sadness that actually caused him to shed tears, but when Telu cried, it was almost as if he had no choice. His eyes began to tear up because of her sadness, but he fought it so he could speak properly.
"I know that to be true even if you do not say it, my Dewdrop. You are compassionate even to the most vile of enemies. You are the reason I have learned the significance of compassion. It will be of the utmost importance when I become Tempestas." She smiled at him, and her tears began to fade. Then, he continued, "I almost lost control of my anger in battle, but I remembered how you care for others. I chose to remain in control because of you."
Telu wiped her tears away, "I became paralyzed by concern for her and nearly lost sight of my responsibility of service to you. You make difficult decisions while still remaining honorable, no simple matter. I think of that in battle, and it inspires me to be worthy of ruling alongside you."
Lux smiled and brushed her hair out of her face. "You always have been. That is the reason that we will not rest until we find a way to awaken these fallen Imperials. We will honor your compassion." Lux kissed her, and they both giggled like children in their happiness of being back together.
Then, Lux turned his attention to the group gathered around the fire. "It is a great relief to see everyone back here. I also see that we had a more positive result than I had anticipated. Only two out of the five were lost in darkness. It is on that topic that I would like to speak first. I apologize for the condition these two warriors have entered. I am unsure how close you all were, however, I am aware that the bond between warriors grows deeply and quickly."
"It's okay," Kinzoku said. "The nature of the way they treat us Gammas keeps us from being very close. We only met each other just before the mission. We live alone until they call us for a mission. With that being said, we are the ones who tried to kill you, so we are the ones who should be sorry."
"That's true," Chikara agreed. "We are more grateful than anything. I mean, all of the Imperials know that you are after the Alpha, but from what we've seen, you are clearly not out for blood. We are just happy that they were wrong about you."
"That is good to hear," Lux said. "Although, it is strange to find that you were aware of our search for your Alpha. How did you come across that information?"
The Imperials looked at one another in confusion. It seemed that they hadn't put much thought into where their superiors were getting their information. Then, Taida leaned up from his relaxed position.
"I think there is something you guys should know. Our orders were technically to kill all of you. But, as I talked with Solis, I realized a lot of my initial assumptions may have been false. What I'm saying is this: I don't think this was meant to be an assassination, but reconnaissance."
With that statement, they all seemed to be even more confused. They expected him to explain, but Solis wasn't interested in waiting. He interjected his question before Taida could finish.
"Wait a second, Taida! What does that mean? What does that have to do with Lux' question?"
"I mean that all of this is wrong. They know too much about you. How did they know that we would meet you here? I assume that the orders to assassinate you came from the Alpha. We've never met him, but I've heard stories. Some people say that he is a watcher, that he can watch anything from anywhere. What if he's been watching you? Or perhaps more disturbing; what if he sent us to push your abilities beyond what he's seen. So now he knows your limits."
They were clearly shocked to hear Taida's theory. It was something that no one had considered. Up to this point, the existence of such a thing was considered to be a myth.
Lux only reacted as if he was impressed. "That is quite interesting, I had not considered such a possibility. Without question, it solves many mysteries that have eluded me for years. Thank you for this input. I feel that we owe you all an explanation as to the reason we are here and have caused you so much trouble. We are looking for someone, and we believe that your Alpha has taken her captive. Tell me, have you heard of a woman named Fira?"