The Reapers? Yuri is part of that group?
"Wait, why are we going to meet the Reapers? Aren't they bad people?"
She looked at me incredulously. "You agreed to meet them. You don't remember?"
"I honestly don't." I admitted.
"Seriously?" she asked. "There's definitely something wrong with you."
A chariot suddenly stopped in front of us. Unlike other chariots, this one looks bigger. Almost the size of three chariots when you put them together. Four houses are situated at the front, pulling it. The door opened and a guy extends his hand. "Aria and Aerith?"
We nodded. Aria took his hand and went inside. The guy closed the door as soon as I entered the chariot. Inside, it looks like a little house. There's a living room, a little kitchen area and a small bathroom.
"Hi! I'm Jeremiah and perhaps you remember Yuri." He pointed at the girl sitting on the sofa. "Shall we start?"
Yuri looks like she's about the same age as me and Aria but taller. She has long black hair and pale skin. She's wearing a long dark blue dress and sitting beside her is a shotgun. A FREAKING SHOTGUN.
Why are we here?!
Jeremiah also sat beside her. Aside from his emerald green eyes, he looks a year or two older than us. There's also a scent of cigarette from him whenever he walks pass me. I saw a glimpse of a pistol from his back pocket.
"It's nice to finally meet the two of you," Jeremiah smiled at us. "After a year of sending messages back and forth, this finally happened."
Does that mean this version of me has been conversing with a rebel group for a year?!
"I've always wanted to join Reapers and I know that Aerith shares the same passion with me," Aria said. I share the same passion? Why would I want to join the Reapers?
"I have a question," Yuri finally said. Her voice is as cold as ice. Emotionless. "You know that what we do here is very dangerous. Once you join, there's no turning back. Are you sure you have what it takes to be a part of this group?"
"Without a doubt." Aria answered. They then looked at me. Waiting for me to answer.
"I… don't know," I whispered.
"What?!"
The chariot abruptly stopped making us lose our balance. Jeremiah stood up and looked outside.
"Is there something wrong?" Aria asked.
"The horses. They stopped walking."
"Why?"
"Shh!" Yuri took her gun and closed all the curtains. Jeremiah also took out his pistol. "Don't make a noise. Someone's outside."
"We're almost at the border going to Orocha. I think they're trying to stop us," Jeremiah whispered.
The horses suddenly started squealing making me jolt from my seat. Aria stood up and took a knife from the kitchen. I ran to the window and peeked through the curtains. What I saw made me stumble back.
"They're… They're killing them." I want to throw up. I saw a group of armored men beheading a horse. Blood is splattered everywhere, staining their armors that looks like it's made of metal.
"How many are they?" Jeremiah asked.
"I'm not sure. I think there's ten of them," I answered.
Yuri walks toward the door. "Do they have swords?" I nodded.
"If they have swords, then they're…Royal Guards." Aria finally stood beside me. "What are the Royal Guards doing here?"
"I don't know." Yuri loaded her gun with bullets. "Prepare to run. Jeremiah will take you to Orocha."
"What about you?" I asked.
"I'll distract them."
Yuri kicked the door open. Aria took my hand and we ran outside following Jeremiah. As we run, I glanced back at Yuri and I saw her pointing her gun to the armored men.
"She won't stand a chance!" I shouted but they didn't listen to me.
"Don't look back, just run," Aria whispered. Yuri's gunshots are making it hard for me to ignore what's happening behind us. We're just going to leave her behind?
We ran and ran until I cannot hear Yuri anymore. I'm starting to feel the branches grazing my skin. From afar, I can finally see a large stone arch. As we get closer, the clearer I see what's written on it.
WELCOME TO OROCHA.
"They won't follow us here," Jeremiah said. "I'll take you two to the headquarters."
"What about Yuri?" We can't just pretend we left someone behind. I saw what the armored men can do. What did Aria call them? The Royal Guards?
"Don't worry about her. She's Yuri. She won't be the leader of this group if she could die that easily." Jeremiah stopped as we enter Orocha. I finally got the chance to focus on our surroundings. Orocha is very different from the two cities I've been to.
This place reminds me so much of the place where my grandma used to live before she took care of me and Blair. This place is fenced by lush rolling hills and in its center is a small lake. Each house on stilts and with thatched roofs, are made of wood. From where we're standing, I can smell the freshly cooked soup from one of the houses.
"This is our safe place," Jeremiah said, looking at the children playing by the lake. "We grew up here."
Following Jeremiah, he showed us a large rice field. He explained how Orocha heavily depends on its agriculture and how Orocha is the number 1 provider of rice in the whole Oasis.
"Are they part of the Reapers, too?" I asked while looking at the villagers.
"Not all of them. We can't just recruit everyone. Being a part of our group is not easy. You must sacrifice something. Even yourself."
"And what did you sacrifice?" Aria asked.
"I don't have to sacrifice anything. I have nothing left to sacrifice."
The sky is now a mixture of yellow and orange hues, making my heart feel at ease. This place certainly feels safe. Jeremiah gestured at the large house on the far end of the town.
"Welcome home."