The hallways were lively but their attention had turned to the rushing footsteps.
"Say…"
Aeon stumbled to find words, his fingers moved as his mind attempted to come up with something.
Amelia was doing work like usual, Diane was not in the office as she had to attend a meeting for Amelia's sake. So it was only Aeon and her in here, he had dropped by earlier for April's appointment in the S.R. M.R.D.
She did not raise her head, continued signing and reading documents, "What is it?"
She would have laughed a little at his behaviour, though she was too occupied to do so. She did not say anything else and let him think over the sentence in his head. She repeated her general routine of doing paperwork.
She held a paper in her hand, not because it was anything suspicious or important, it was the sound of the footsteps that caught her attention. She could hear it getting closer and closer, progressively panicked and afraid.
She looked at the door which caused him to look at it.
"Why--"
Before he was able to ask, the doors were kicked open. Jeremy pant loudly while staring at both of them, his body drenched in sweat.
Concern was expressed all over her face, "What's wrong?"
"We are… she…"
He could not complete his sentence as he spoke between breaths. Aeon went up and patted his back, making sure that he was feeling alright. She already had an idea of what he was going to ask. She grabbed her jacket and got out.
"Amelia?!"
Aeon was about to stop her yet he was too slow to do so. She wrapped away from her office through her office door, Aeon froze on the spot with confusion. Jeremy understood her reaction but he had not explained to Aeon.
"We are being attacked right now. I… don't think she could handle it." Panic laced his tone of speaking.
Aeon's eyes widened up, "This is bad…"
The Sanctuary would not get attacked even with those who hated the species that inhabited it. Also, there was a defense mechanism if The Sanctuary got attacked. Just not The Sanctuary individually.
"She's too impulsive!" He rushed out of the office, chasing after her.
Jeremy had stayed here for much longer. By this point, Diane had come back from a meeting. She wondered where Amelia had gone, though she understood when she saw Jeremy here.
She told him, "It's fine. Please make sure she doesn't go overboard."
"Alright. Sorry for placing all the burden on you." He apologised in Amelia's place.
Diane simply waved her hand and smiled, "It's nothing really. Now go."
He nodded and ran out.
Amelia was greeted by an intriguing sight.
The transparent barrier was now covered up by darkness akin to molten lava. It had hid away the condition inside, being unable to tell visually what was going on. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and closed her eyes.
She could feel life which meant people were still alive. She concentrated until her surroundings turned blank, only showing some floating burning objects. She nodded and opened her eyes, now sure of what had happened.
"They are safe. So, it's safe to assume it as bait." She placed her fingers on her chin.
She looked around to see if anyone was around; listening for any slight movements. She narrowed her eyes at her surroundings then turning her attention back to the barrier and the black matter.
"It's safe to assume that it's not broken… So if I do this…"
She placed her hands together and mana began gathering around her. Her body started glowing, pure white rapiers appeared around the barrier. She opened her eyes and raised one arm, motioning them to strike.
"I guessed as much."
The matter swallowed them up, even containing exploding residuals within itself. Somehow, no visible damage was done to it.
She lamented, "This is going to be a pain."
Her sword appeared beside her as soon as she spoke, turning around and unsheathed it. She sliced the breeze apart with it along with the fireballs coming her way. They were extinguished before they could get close to her.
"Despite what you stand for, you are far from peaceful."
Charlie laughed and shook his head, "I only meant that to my dears. But not to you."
She sheathed her sword and continued, "I don't take such bullshits, unfortunately."
"A Goddess that has a lack of attitude for the mortals. Unbefitting." He retorted with a smirk.
She pointed at it, "You did this?"
He tilted his head, "Is that hard to believe?"
"No. Just making sure I don't kill the wrong person."
She leaped, immediately reaching in front of his face. She pulled out her sword, swinging it to slice him apart from his abdomen. Although he had turned into a puddle when her blade reached him. A laughter was heard echoing through the forest.
He was ridiculing her, seeing her miss him.
"Did you think that I wouldn't bring a backup?"
Vander appeared behind her, his gun sword's blade pointed inches away from her head. He groaned loudly as he came out from her shadow.
"Have a good sleep, Amelia."
He thrusted it forward; She changed her weapon from a sword to a pistol and pointed it at him. They were both at point blank range, the person who was faster would come out victorious. If the timing was off even by a millisecond, they would be dead.
It felt slow, a second pass by like an hour.
Their attention was turned away from each other.
Flowers cascaded around them like the beginning of fall. She recognised what those flowers were as her eyes met with the pristine white and bright violet that coloured the petals. They looked like a coloured variant of Hyssops that never existed.
Since it was only used to symbolise what he stood for.
Aeon appeared within the confusion, carrying her away before she could voice her complaints. Vander was stunned to notice Aeon's appearance, letting him carry Amelia away. Charlie from a distance was admiring the flowers, the sense of tranquility filled his heart.
"Ah… It's him…" His tone changed once he saw Aeon.
He took her far away from them, giving them space and time to talk.
Amelia glared at him, annoyed at him taking her away from a fight that could have heavily injured Vander. He did not have much of an expression on his face, though he looked relieved that she was fine.
As soon as he stopped, he placed his lips on her forehead.
A tint of pink appeared on her cheeks, she swallowed a nervous gulp in her throat. She did not say a word and glared at Aeon. He eventually moved away, having a relieved smile on his lips.
She commented on it, "I was going to be fine either way."
"Just… really nervous…" He stuttered as he placed her down.
She did some stretches and said, "We are on a battlefield. Save your emotions for later."
His eyes still held panic, she still continued, "We can get rid of it. But it would take me a while to break it apart."
"Why? It isn't complicated." He questioned.
She sighed and replied, "It's bound to Charlie. Since it's bound, it would take longer and need to be extremely cautious while breaking it."
"Ah…"
"I need you to be a distraction to both, or just drag out enough time for me to break it."
He nodded, "Alright. Are you going to stay here?"
"Nope. I'm going to hide myself."
Once she finished, she stared in a particular direction. She could feel footsteps on the grass even if it barely made any sound. She patted him on the back before she disappeared, going somewhere and began to break the black matter.
The cloth appeared in his palms, observing his surroundings to make sure he was prepared.
"Aeon Alchemilla… in flesh." Charlie's voice echoed through the barren forest.
He took the cloth off and changed it to a scythe. "Do you need anything from me?"
Charlie gasped loudly, "Of course! I only want one thing from you."
Vander appeared from Aeon's shadow, swinging his sword to slice Aeon's neck. Aeon lifted it up and blocked his blade with the handle. Vander jumped away before Aeon had the chance to strike him. He stabbed his sword through the ground and stared at Aeon.
"Please, let me be beneath your feet…" Charlie's voice trailed off.
Vander rolled his eyes, ready to block Aeon's attack. Aeon was stunned by Charlie's words though he could not linger too long on them. He ran forward and spun it around, the blade began to light on fire.
He swung his sword, letting the blade block the impact.
However, it was much more than he anticipated.
The fire got much larger, engulfing the area around him. Once the tip of his blade contacted Vander's, the flames exploded. It burnt their surroundings, turning grass fields and tree trunks into ashes.
The flames maintained, its blaze brightened up the area it engulfed. Bright orange was the most apparent colour amongst green leaves and blue skies. It did not show what happened between both, unsure of their current condition.
It was a surprise seeing him here.
Cyliam had hid himself away in shadows, only moving through them to watch others. Charlie's actual body was closer to him than three of them, though he still would not be in close combat. He continued observing them, making sure to plan correctly in the meantime.
Before Charlie got to finish his sentence, Cyliam had snatched him away.
Charlie was shocked to see him here, but it was abnormal for him to be here. Usually Cyliam would not appear by himself, unless something major had happened. Most of it involved Amelia's appearance.
"Why are you--" He had not finished his sentence, he had to run away.
He noticed the way Cyliam's eyes had changed in colour, he exactly knew what it meant. He clicked his tongue, taking in a deep breath. Cyliam sighed out loud, dramatising it to the point where it felt more emotionless.
"What makes you think you could live?" He chuckled deeply, eyes never leaving his figure.
Charlie stared back at him, "Because you can't kill me."
"And what makes you think not?"
He closed in the gap between them without much effort, grabbing his head and slamming it to the ground. Charlie was not good at it, now he wished that he had. He could feel his skull cracked, spitting out some blood to Cyliam's palm.
"You're…"
Noir smiled, "I can kill you if I like. Cyliam can't stop me."
He lifted Charlie up by the head, "After all, he wanted to kill you too."
He was puzzled, perhaps only Cyliam himself knew why he wanted to kill him.
Charlie could not do anything, not even struggling to get out of his grasp. His head was being crushed under the strength of his palm yet he did not exert much strength. He could feel his strength leaving his body, his eyes threatening to close.
He believed that he might have lucked out for the rest of his life.
Vander, though having parts of his body burned, came by and stabbed Noir through the heart. Vander breathed in and out heavily, his body sustaining massive burn injuries. Yet somehow, he was still standing still.
He was using much of his energy, though he quickly took Charlie away.
They both had to go somewhere, somewhere safe enough for them to call in backup. Aeon had chased after Vander but was met by a frustrated Noir instead. He was also befuddled by Cyliam's appearance, still knowing that it was not Cyliam by a glance.
"You…" He narrowed his eyes at Noir.
Noir smiled back, "Hello there, Aeon."
The black matter had disappeared, bringing the barrier back into view. It was clear to see everything inside which looked alright, besides some people running around in confusion or happiness.
Being in such darkness for a while must have affected their mental state.
"Ah, she took it off. That's pretty fast."
Aeon gripped his weapon, "Why are you here?"
He chuckled, "Hmm… Why indeed…"
"I thought you were going to kill Vander. Too bad."
He was sneering at him, fanning up the little bits of anger in him. Aeon knew it so he chose to ignore his words.
"Don't you hate him?" He asked.
Aeon narrowed his eyes, "Why did you think so?"
"Because he had something to do with April."
Aeon did not confirm or deny what he said. Still, he knew that what Noir had said was true.
"Are you not going to do anything?"
Aeon stared at him, his grip had not loosened. Nervousness had consumed him and completely froze on the spot. He was unsure on what to do. He could kill him still he could not act. His mind was making up decisions.
"Then well…"
A burst of wind swayed the tree leaves, Noir had grabbed Aeon's face and smashed him to the ground. He dragged him across the ground, making a shallow dirt tunnel until he threw him to the tree trunk. Aeon immediately broke it apart.
Aeon did hurt him, by placing his scythe on Noir's neck and slicing it through. He did not slice his head off though he did not want to do so. Noir did not give him the chance to do so hence throwing him at the tree trunk.
Noir's neck had a deep wound as he was nearly decapitated. It bled so much that his left side was stained with blood along the ground.
He was not worried however, "Ah… Why did you stop?"
Aeon did not reply to him as he was trying to recover from the wound. He lifted himself up slowly, using his arm as a support. He coughed up some blood as his head started to bleed but the wounds were closing up.
"I see… you are too kind."
His neck was linked back together by black strings. He placed a hand on his neck and moved his neck, making sure that it was working correctly. The smile remained on his lips as he saw Aeon coughing up more blood.
"Where is Amelia?" He looked around.
Once he finished asking, Amelia appeared behind him. She unsheathed her sword and swung it at him but he blocked it with his left arm. Despite it being much tougher than any usual human arm, somehow half of his arm was still sliced off.
He was confused at first, yet once looking at the sword in her hand, he understood.
"Hmm~ Angel's blessing eh?" He immediately got away from her.
The sword was full white, having a bright aura around it. The entire sword was wrapped with white vines. Words were engraved into the blade 'Saint Teresa of Calcutta'. The tip of the blade was dull still it could easily hurt someone.
For some reason there was no blood in sight. Half of his arm laid nicely on the ground.
He chuckled loudly and scorned, "Very interesting indeed."
She stared at him, eyes emotionless, "I'll give you a chance to leave now."
He thought about ridiculing her decision, but knowing what had been agreed upon he did not. He sighed in disappointment and walked away, letting the shadow cover his figure. Until he eventually disappeared outright.
Aeon limped towards her, breathing in and out heavily. The sword along with the sheath disappeared. She ran towards him and held him up, the corner of her lips turned into a small pout. The wound on his head had mostly healed by themselves.
"Amelia…" He was unsure what to say.
She groaned and said, "You knew you couldn't win like this, why had you done so?"
"Ah… I didn't think it through."
She shook her head, "You're dumb."
She lifted him up and placed him on her shoulder, carrying him like a rice sack. His eyes widened up, staring at her perplexed at what she was doing. She did not bother to answer, running to the barrier. She tightened her hold on him to make sure that he would not fall off.
The battle had ended, for now.
Breeze continued to blow through barren grass fields, swaying tree leaves and grass. Clear blue skies had white fluffy clouds all across it, occasionally masking the sun as it passed by. Still the tranquil atmosphere could not get rid of the remaining emotions.
Half of Vander's body had a large area of burn scars. He along with Charlie fell to the ground, too exhausted to move a single inch. He breathed in and out heavily, closing his right eye in pain. Some smoke was coming off of the burn marks.
Charlie could move a little. He got out of Vander's grasp and immediately called someone, asking them to come immediately. He breathed heavily, eventually fainted after the call. They both laid on the ground, perhaps they would have died if either of them did not go easy on them.
Jeremy shouted, "A-- AEON?!"
He felt troubled when seeing the patch of blood on Aeon's head and hair along with being carried by Amelia. He ran towards them as the barrier opened up a gap, allowing them to get in. Worried was expressed all over his face as he looked back and forth at them.
She cut him off before he got to ask, "He has regenerative abilities. Just too tired to do anything."
"You can let me go now." Aeon shook his head.
Jeremy let out a relieved breath, "Thank God everyone is fine."
She placed him on the ground while asking, "How is everyone?"
"We all are fine. Are you sure that you don't need help?"
Aeon laid face first on the ground, Jeremy stared at him wondering if he should get Aeon up. Though Aeon eventually got up by himself albeit much slower than he usually would. Amelia placed her hands behind her head and stared at him.
"Are you… alright?" Jeremy walked closer to check on his wounds.
He placed a hand on his head, sweeping his hair away. He noticed the blood on his hands once he lowered it back to his line of sight. He blinked a few times, surprised at the amount of blood dripping off of his hands.
Jeremy was alarmed instantly, "That's really a lot of blood!"
"But the wound has healed. I just need to wash the blood off."
Jeremy looked shocked but he did not continue asking. He nodded and led both of them to his home. This time Chrysan was waiting for them inside. She laid down on the couch, breathing heavily while staring at the ceiling.
She got up after hearing the door open, "Oh, hello you three."
Her bright yellow eyes stared at them, her lips curling into a small smile. The smile felt tired, still sincere, relieved to see them all being fine despite the blood on Aeon's head. She laid back down on the couch to rest.
"Sorry. I am too tired…" She murmured.
Jeremy walked over and patted her head, "It's alright."
Amelia added in, "Take a break. There's nothing left to worry about."
She laughed for a while, slowly closing her eyes. Her body started to relax and laid more into the couch, her breathing became slow and deep. She started to snore after some minutes, falling very deeply and comfortably asleep.
Aeon went to the bathroom and washed his hair and head clean.
Amelia stared at the deep asleep Chrysan. She did not move away from her figure for minutes which made Jeremy curious at her actions. She did eventually look away from her, now staring at Jeremy instead.
"Is there… something I can help with…?"
She closed her eyes and said, "Spar with me, just for a moment."
"Huh?"
His confusion was sensible as she would not ask him out for sparring. She knew where his strength and magic level could go, hence why she would not ask him to do so unless she just needed someone to entertain her.
Or there was something else she wanted.
He was unsure, but the latter seemed like the more plausible option. He did not say anything else even if he could since she walked out of the door without waiting for his answer. She was serious, much more serious than usual.
"Amy…" He sighed.
He walked out of the door and rushed to her. She stood on a more secluded grass field, her hands in pockets. She stood still and tilted her head, staring at him with a blank gaze. He was unsure if his body was shaky due to fear or uncertainty.
Maybe it's both.
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."
He knew that she was not going to let him have a chance to move. Despite this, she moved ahead of him. His pirate saber had not appeared in his hands as he was kicked in the abdomen, no matter how little strength she used he still flew backwards.
He managed to force stop himself, coughing out loud and breathed in heavily. He stared at her as she just walked towards him, she was not worried about it at all. She opened her mouth once she walked closed enough for him to hear her clearly.
"You trained your own skills?"
He initially did not understand the reasoning for her question, though considering the facts he then knew why.
He stuttered, "Yes. Is there... something wrong with... it?"
She shook her head, "Nope. I only want you to show me."
He raised his eyebrows, "Is this why you wanted to spar?"
"Is there any other reason?"
She groaned and smiled, her serious aura dissipated. She seemed as if she was going to have a lot of fun watching it and experiencing it for herself, despite that she already had a gauge on what he trained on.
He stood back up still and took in a breath, preparing himself mentally and physically for the challenge. She noticed his eyes turning into a dark shade of blue though only remained for a millisecond.
The breeze turned violent and his figure disappeared. She was not troubled by it as the smile on her lips conveyed her emotions. She stood still and closed her eyes, her lips humming a tune that only she knew.
It felt like only a second since he reappeared behind her, this time having his pirate saber in hand and attempting to slice her. She leaned away to dodge, then grabbed his wrist and slammed him to the ground. The ground below was not smashed in so she used much less strength than before.
However before his head hit the ground, he suddenly reappeared back where he was. His body trembled while he stood there, feeling his soul coming back to him. She stood there and observed him before talking of what she noticed.
"You can use it well but control is still a bit off. But still could be useful when you're in a pickle."
He asked, "When did you figure it out?"
She knew exactly what he was asking so she answered confidently, "When I felt your presence at the office."
"But I wasn't sure if you could get there just by Chrysan's help, so seeing the matter confirms that you have been training for it."
She chuckled before saying, "Let's pump it up shall we?"
She flicked her fingers and ice instantly appeared beneath his feet, him once again appearing behind her. This time it was more out of reflex than anything remotely planned beforehand. He still did not have a chance to breathe as winds separated him from her.
Still he could not retaliate as winds changed to flames.
He did not have the reaction speed to freeze it so it got closer to him. His skin nearly burnt if not for him blocking it.
Flowers cascaded from the skies as Aeon's scythe carried the flames away from them. He turned it into winds and swung it upwards, they were violent, so much so that it cracked the barrier. He stared at the crack as an apologetic expression appeared on his face.
He shouted in panic, "Wah! Sorry about that."
She chuckled loudly at his expression which caused his attention to turn to her. He kept his weapon away as he extended his left arm as if blocking Jeremy away from her. Jeremy stared back and forth at them, wondering if something drastic might happen.
"You know that he isn't that used to it yet you still go this far." He glared at her.
Jeremy attempted to have a say, "Aeon it's--"
She however cut him off, "I just wanted to try out the extent. Besides I had a feeling you would be here anyways."
He shook his head, "Please just don't go that far. You might have actually hurt him."
"Alright alright."
Jeremy let out a sigh of relief once Aeon placed his weapon away and stopped extending his arm. Amelia's posture remained the same as she stared at them with a slight smile on her face. Aeon shook his head again, seeing her expression.
The village returned back to normal though some were still wary of the events that they had gone through. Nothing had come by to disturb them for a while which was great for everyone involved or not. This was why they had chosen to live here after all.
Even those who chose to work directly and indirectly under the gods wanted the bustling life.
People walked past him even after knowing who he was. It was another daily routine that everyone needed to get used to at first before accepting it as a normal occurrence. It would be odd if that did not happen at all, like if Zarnia did not get kicked out of Amelia's office.
The man sleeping on the ground had bright wavy blonde hair, his eyes were light brown due to his heritage. He was snoring loudly, so loud that even at the end of the floor could hear him. Passerby just had to ignore the volume echoed through it.
A woman with a dull black bob cut with streaks of violet approached his sleeping body. She smiled when seeing him deeply asleep, choosing to carry him up with her arm and bringing him to somewhere more secluded.
She went downstairs, heading towards the empty cafeteria.
He moved slightly to hug her waist, he did not use much strength yet he locked on. She was not bothered and walked to one of the sofas, placing her and him down on it. He eventually let her go and got up.
The cafeteria was large, as expected for a place this size. It was empty as lunch time was long over. Unless someone or some people were kicked out of their workplace for any reason. Even that was considerably rare.
It had an area that was purely for resting, with a long coffee table, some sofas and vending machines.
"Antir... Good morning~" His sleepy voice greeted her.
Antir continued to smile, "It's afternoon Phonoi."
"An~ Why did you have to disturb my nap?"
Her red mixed orange eyes stared into his, "This is rather important."
His sleepy tone was gone once she said so, imaginary ears perking up in excitement, "What is it?"
Antir was never a person to take interest in much, she is a simple woman. To hear that she had something important that she wanted to discuss with him, of all people, surprised him.
It would need to be something of utmost importance for her to say such words.
"What do you think Amelia is doing?"
An ordinary question, if not for her facial expression. She seriously was questioning her decision with him knowing what she actually was asking. He leaned on the couch and pondered it for some moments, piecing together what little information he had.
His head tilted and mumbled, "What she's doing eh…"
It was a question he did not have the answers to.
Someone else perchance did know.
"What do you think you're doing?"
What was supposed to be a normal, peaceful dinner was smashed to bits by his sudden question.
Aeon did not ask it with hatred, instead it was from a sympathetic view. Yet those views were never reserved for Amelia, simply asking from someone else's instead, despite not knowing their true intentions and motives.
"Why are you asking me all of the sudden?" She crossed her legs.
He had just taken April home and decided on a whim to ask Amelia to have dinner.
Even that question appeared out of nowhere.
He retorted, "Am I not allowed to know what you're up to?"
"Of course not. But why does it matter so much for you to know?"
She was not wrong as he had no say in the matter. No matter what would happen to anyone, he would not get a say in it. After all, he was not participating in any of it and was mostly dragged in by coincidence.
He was unsure how to answer.
She asked again, "You only were a passerby that got pulled in. How does that now matter to you as well?"
April peeked her head out to see what was going on, especially with the tone Amelia was speaking in. Andrata had done the same, staring at them talking. The atmosphere changed drastically from earlier.
"Because of you."
She shook her head, "Then you should know not to ask more."
He sighed out loud and opened a can of beer. He drank some of it before deciding to talk again. Complexity was clear on his facial expression, she did not look over and just sat in silence. The air around them grew much more tense.
"We can stop here if you have nothing to say."
He walked around the counter and stared at her, "I do have something to say."
"Then just say it."
He leaned in close until his shadow covered her figure, "You plan on letting Cyliam live right?"
"What about it?" She stared back at him.
"Won't you only get into more danger by doing so?" He placed his hands on hers.
She shook her head, "Yes. But it's worth it."
"The Council will only give you more trouble."
She had noticed how close they are despite her face having absolutely no signs of being shy.
Andrata and April though nearly being consumed in the air, they could also feel the other tension. They might have hugged each other and started gossiping about what they had seen and happening right now.
"It's nothing that dangerous." She argued against his worry.
He entangled his fingers with hers and sighed, "It's a much different story for Fox right."
"You can't do anything about that too."
He shook his head, "I can."
"How?"
Her question cut him off. He indeed did not know how to reply to that since he had not idea what to do. He knew something that she did hence why she also knew that he could not do anything at all, no matter how much he wished he could.
"She might be doing something that will anger The Council and those who aligned with her."
It was the answer Phonoi came up with.
He had a feeling as to what she had been doing, with the raids and all. He also knew that she let Cyliam live as well, yet he did not care to inform anyone about it. After all, it was a matter that did not concern him.
Once Antir asked about it however, it now matters to him.
"Why are you asking me about it?"
It was the true question he had when he heard her.
"There is something about her actions that concerns me."
"Which is?"
She groaned, "I have found something I shouldn't have."
Phonoi got curious, "What did you find?"
"Quite the long story…"
"Aeon. Get off of me."
Slight blush appeared on her cheeks as he leaned in much closer. He ignored her and touched his forehead with hers, eyes closed while breathing heavily. She continued to blink and unsure what to do, her hands still on his chest.
"Aeon…"
His nose touched hers as he inched closer to her, she could feel his breath on her lips. Even if this wasn't the first time they have gotten close up and intimate, the suddenness of it caused her to lower her guard and be reserved.
"Why are you always so worried?"
He groaned, "You're horribly reckless and stubborn."
"Reckless huh…"
He slowly connected their lips, softly kissing her at first. He leaned in much more and had to bend down so it was easier and more comfortable. Her eyes remained open until he leaned in more, kissing her deeply and passionately.
Andrata and April were still staring at them, Andrata even covered her reddened face with her hands.
However the moment was broke apart quickly by April's rumbling stomach. Aeon separated from Amelia and turned over, seeing two of them peeking their heads out to observe them was amusing to say the least.
Amelia pushed him away and coughed out loud, "You both hungry?"
April walked out of the room first, Andrata followed along. April chuckled awkwardly and scratched her head, her bunny ears flattened themselves on her head. Andrata bowed at them, physically apologising for their actions.
Aeon waved his hand, "It's fine. I'll make you guys some food."
"I basically went to search for some of Amelia's background. I found some very interesting things that I think the Gods had already known."
Phonoi smiled, "Like?"
"She had another soul merged with hers and is still living in her. The soul is a demon that boosted her powers to this level, the Goddess soul only gave it more."
"What else?"
Even though he did not answer her directly, Antir already knew that he was confirming what he just said.
"That she knew Cyliam and had a past history with him."
She continued, "And potential mastermind behind all the cults."
Phonoi nodded before he laid back down, his head on her lap and staring at her. She did not move him away, just letting him stay there as long as he wanted to. He hummed for a moment before speaking.
He asked, "So who might this mastermind be?"
"There is a chance that it might be Falak." She replied.
He chuckled, "Falak? That bitch?"
"This is prime time for messing with Amelia after all. Of course he did not have much motive aside from that, but he would go that far."
"Though, he could go much further." Phonoi added.
She did not say anything else as she placed the possibility through another long round of process. He nearly fell asleep in the meantime but stayed awake due to him humming. He closed his eyes, leaning in much comfortably but not exerting too much strength.
"So it could be someone else…" She muttered.
"Why are you so worried about Amelia's decisions all of the sudden?"
"Because I have a feeling that something more dangerous is going to come."
He knitted his eyebrows at her words, "Who gave you that signal?"
She raised her right arm, "Maybe it's the monster inside of me, or just an intuition."
"All in all, it's just a feeling. Maybe I am wrong."
They stayed in silence, both thinking about things that the other had given.
He asked, "Do you want me to help you look into it?"
"I would be pleased if you did so."
He laughed loudly, "Well since you're so worried and formal about it, I'll give you a hand."
"Pho, I think you like spoiling me."
"Really now…"
'Another person added to the list of people I have to watch out for.' Amelia thought.
She opened her eyes again as she heard sounds of glass hitting the table. Aeon's troubled expression was written all over his face as he stared at her. She blinked at him due to her own confusion.
"What is it?"
He shook his head, "It's nothing."
She did not ask him further as she had no reason to do so. She crossed her arms as she thought over what she saw happened between them.
'It's bad to say Antir suspects my actions. She was only really worried for those around her and Phonoi. After all, if Falak really was the perpetrator behind it all, it will majorly affect relationships between them.' She analysed internally.
"Amelia, I wanna eat something you made someday." Andrata words halted her line of thought.
She smiled lightly back at her, "Of course. You better eat it all."
Andrata laughed and nodded, "It would be my absolute pleasure."
'No matter what. I have to find out who is behind it all.'
Aeon sat down on the dining table with them. He still stared at her as if being able to hear her thoughts. When she looked over at him, he looked at the food instead. She tilted her head but did not speak a word about it.
'For the sake of those that might be affected.'
"Let's eat!" April happily announced.
She laughed internally, 'Huh. It's just to make sure that no one hinders me.'
Because this is an end where it's only ending goes both ways. Dead, or alive.