"Maybe we still could've been able to change something back then. But there was no chance. When our dad was incarnated, everything started falling apart; the chain of command beginning with Ace and Katie had faded into obscurity. It's not their fault that they did what they had to do. But it was assured. There was nothing we could've done, no matter how hard we tried. Katie, Alex, Ace, and Kima. They all wanted our residents to survive further—not only did they strive for the Capital's future, but for our future, too. The world is starting to hate us, Retly is now officially our enemy and halfway destroyed. But if Katie hadn't done anything, we still would've been on August's suicidal path. If this is the price for the freedom they want and they've decided to continue paying it, then I have no other choice but to help them, don't I? We destroyed every chance for peace, and we've confirmed the suspicions about our power. Just like… you did on that day."
June raised her head, and stared into the prisoner's open red eye, the other deformed by a scar. His arms extended outward by threads attached to his joints, the entrapped Founder stared at the white-haired girl. He'd heard everything yet the only comprehensible sound he could make was unintelligible muffled murmurs. If being confined so creatively wasn't an embarrassment already, then his inability to speak was the cherry on top.
Her hand raised in tandem with the rest of her body, inching her palm closer, she inhaled. Just then, she made a choice. If her father or the Detective entered at this point, then it would've been over for her. Just like Katie and Ace, she'd be thrown into a cell, arrested over suspicion of insubordination. But it didn't matter to her. She made a choice and even if someone was there to witness it, idle like a deer in headlights, she'd make it. Or, at the very least, that's what she was telling herself until the sound of an opening door halted her advancing hand.
"June," the masculine voice from behind her called.
Profusely sweating, she rubbed her hands and nervously turned her head. Upon placing Convergence's emerald pupils against his figure, she immediately recognized him. Luckily, it was the Detective who'd come to check in on her visit before it was her father.
"D-detective Karlo! D-d-don't mind me here! I was just... curious about what he did so I decided to interrogate him!" June pleaded with her uncle.
Instead of audibly responding to her, he walked past her with pocketed hands. Azazel's serious grimace stained permanently against his features; now standing before their bound, dangling prisoner. Removing his hands from the pouches, the Wilder sister's inaudible begging came to a halt as he spoke once again.
"It's okay, kid. I understand the sentiment of urging to understand a 'bad person'," Detective Karlo informed the white-haired girl, adoring her newfound silence.
Changing his focus from the green-eyed girl he called his niece to their enchained captive, he smiled with dead eyes and an uncaring expression.
"Even when you're powerless, you entice everyone. You're so popular... Callum."
After having finally finished speaking to the captive Founder; June threw her hood over her head and held her head with both hands. If she were alone, maybe her behavior could've been excused but because she was strutting beside Detective Karlo, he was forced to ask:
"What are you doing?"
She turned her head, revealing her half-visible face shrouded by the cowl. At her eyes' corners were sparkling tears shining against the dangling light embedded above. Holding her hood around her head tight, Azazel's head tilted, listening to her reply.
"Ace and the others are down here, remember? I don't want them to see me... they'd hate me," whined June, hiding her face.
Instead of offering quick advice, he stared at her without those uncaring eyes. His azure pupils inherited by his daughter reflected light symbolizing endless life, analyzing her figure and then unleashing a sigh. Ruffling his hair around, throwing his spikes into disarray, he smiled and then patted her head. The reappearing tears from her eyes' edges began their stream as she upturned her skull to stare into his blue retinas.
"Choose what you wish to do when the time of judgment arrives. If the choice is righteous, I'll follow you. For now, I'll continue the charade and feign cluelessness," Azazel's words followed his body as he walked past her again.
"W-wait! What the hell are you talking about?! Why're you saying speaking vaguely?!" June loudly demanded an answer.
Near the end of the dungeon's corridor littered with cells, he turned around again and faced his white-haired niece. Sunlight pouring out the exit to shine onto his face, he smiled at her. That was all. A dim smile barely visible in the overwhelming sun's light.
Into the night, within her vacant, dark apartment, there she laid. Her back flat against the mattress, her bust covered by quilts, she endlessly stared at the bare boringness of the unchanging ceiling. In the palm of her being, enveloping the whole of her soul, she was free. If she'd wanted, she could very well leap out the window and flee. Leave everything behind. No matter how hard she'd try to repair the broken things or cherish the perfect ones, that desire reappeared every single time.
On nights like these, this was the norm. Laying in her bed without anyone to comfort her; alone and surrounded by all the darkness of the unrelenting night. Usually, the tears would easily squeeze out her eyes' corners like an oozing ripe fruit. Despite the threat of the sun's inevitable rising, she'd keep her head buried in Katie's neck, sobbing even into the morning sun's twilight reign.
Unfortunately, those times were gone--washed away courtesy of the invisible paths' merciless nature. To think that the very transcending domain surpassing the physical touch of every Requiem Subject and thereby connecting them, would be the very thing orchestrating their cruel destiny. The blankets atop her rustled once she started rising from her laid-back posture. Still alone, she sat up in bed, and sighed, her hand now against her forehead. Fingers' tips massaging the stinging points pulsing from her temples, her sighing ceased once her head turned to recognize the alit corridor leaking light onto her darkened bedroom.
'Am I going crazy or...?'
She searched through her memories. Even if she constantly shrugged away the paranoia itching at her back as it crawled over her shoulders, that worriment persisted. Still clad in soft pajamas that cushioned her petite form, her fair-skinned feet slid across the wooden floorboards after she slid out the prohibiting blankets.
'No, I'm not crazy! I know what I saw--that shadow was real, I know it!'
With affirming thoughts coursing through her head, she turned the corner bordering her bedroom's doorframe and the living room. Her emerald eyes relentlessly glistened without her hands raised, the second she passed through the curtain hiding the chamber's interior, the intruder gasped. For the slightest millisecond, they'd glimpsed into June's defending green orbs, and that was all. The rest of the events were a blur and before they knew it, the next time they opened their eyes, they were met with her cute face some inches away from their own.
"Mr. Jefferson? What're you doing here? And more importantly, why'd you sneak in?" She asked the older man.
"I wanted..."
Then he thought back. Everything leading up this moment... no matter if it occurred with him in the center or overshadowed in the background, he'd tell it all to her! That was what he promised himself the second he left his home to come into her own, right? Yet, even still, his pupils shiver, and the fluid within his eyes sparkles further brighter.
'The fate of the world will rest in Riot's hands. The Reaper will crumble. Even if it means I've got a year left to live--even if they scheme to take this death-defying power from inside me, it doesn't matter. Freedom will be ours. Even if we have to destroy everything... to obtain it.'
Upon remembering Katie's battered face informing him of the unalterable future, his closed eyes revealed the optic shapes once more. June jolted back, having noticed his opened eyes glaring into her own. For some reason, an unusual feeling crept onto her nape, and goosebumps abruptly formed.
"What's wrong with you, Mr. Jefferson?"
This time, she ignored the bumps and returned to questioning the dark-skinned teacher. Once again, she was met with unfortunate silence. Letting her shoulders fall once she unleashed a chuckle, her head fell in tandem. Looking at her face after his unexplained silence, Jeff spotted that sad smile and the disappointing sadness surrounding her soul. This was no time to give vague answers or cowardly cower. Regardless of what he had to do entailed, the information must be passed down. And so, his hands now on her arms, he started to stand up.
"I'll tell you. Sit down for me please," Jeff said, guiding her to the couch.
She unquestionably obeyed his command, effectively plopping her bottom onto the sofa's righthand cushion. Placing her arms in her lap, she leaned back on the furniture and awaited the answers.
'I know I asked what was going on and I wasn't sleeping, to begin with, but he needs to speak already so I can get back to bed!' She complained in her mind as she faked complacency.
Instead of throwing himself beside her, he unfolded a chair and placed it down. Crouching back as he sat against it, he interlocked his fingers, now leaning forward. Even now with him ready to speak at some point, he dared to remain silent. After rolling her eyes, she yawned, outstretching her arms to the air. If there was any time to catch a signal, however silent she was, reluctant to openly say it, it would be now. And luckily for her, he did. Reaffixing his posture, he crossed his legs, still leaning forward. However, something did change. Although it wasn't what she was quite expecting, as she finished her stretch and opened her ears, she'd realized that, with his new crossed legs, he was now murmuring to himself.
"COME ON ALREADY AND TELL ME!" She finally yelled.
Her shout unexpectedly disordered his nappy hair. Despite that, however, he chuckled then nodded.
"I'm sorry for taking so long to inform you of your rule in this story. But now, the time has come. And with it, I have a confession," claimed Jefferson.
June's eyes widened; shining with insatiable curiosity. "Confession? What confession?" she asked.
"Truthfully, I'm quite ashamed of the truth I've been forced to realize. Nevertheless, I confess that, over these past two years, I've loved you," Jeff admitted.
Her eyes even more widened now, she asked, "What?"
"I know that, without explanation, that sounds insane. I'm sorry to throw this on you so suddenly but I wanted to say it outright before explaining thoroughly. For two years, I've been toying with you; tied around my little finger," he clarified.
"W-what?" With tears appearing at her eyes' corners, she asked, "What are you talking about?"
"These past two years, I was blinded by a childish affection I'd garnered for you. I saw my dead daughter in you and wished to guide you down the path I would've guided my daughter down. I told you what I was fighting for, I used a situation where we were both weak and instilled the seeds of an unjust desire within you. I took advantage of your parents' absence and thought myself your father. I taught you what I would've taught my daughter... about my reasoning for continuing to fight, even after her death. I inspired you on the rooftop the first day we met because I wanted to be free of that attachment and move on from her death, not be reminded of that loss every day of my life. Then you showed up on my doorstep, asking for my help and to be a part of Riot. And how could I refuse? I tried to escape my follies by continuing to help you. Distracting myself with work, new comrades, anything. But when the Reaper incarnated, I knew there was nothing I could do. I'd besmirched your conscience with a stranger's desire. Your father didn't show you the way, it was me. I just... wanted my daughter back. And because you reminded me of her, I took you on as my protege and treated you as my disciple. If only I was never born with this potential. If only I was never born at all..."
As Jefferson lamented the many losses of his life, he threw himself from his chair and collapsed to his knees. Tears streaming down his cheeks, June's appalled face locked onto him. Still on his knees, holding his head, he cried with a broken voice on the floor: "If only I'd never been born...!" '
But despite everything he'd said, she was there. She hadn't fled or insulted him. Instead, she stood up and removed herself from the sofa. Sliding her hands onto his arms, she stared into the brown eyes reflecting Convergence's unavoidable brightness. Eventually, her fingers skidded past all that muscle and the cloth covering it. Her hand slid into his palm, leaving Jefferson a mere bystander as he was helpless to stop the way she interlocked her extremities into his.
"You don't have to regret anything," she assured him.
Reasonably confused, he quizically hummed, "Huh?" with teary eyes.
"I don't hate you. I knew what you saw in me and I was selfish. I used your admiration for me against you and invited you to Riot, burdening you with the fate of the world. If I'd never had returned to you, things would've been fine--"
Just then, a realization sparked amidst her thoughts. It was pointless, wasn't it? They'd been repeating the same things, over and over, until what end? When would they stop feeling sorry for each other thanks to complex feelings that could be easily dispelled with words? She inhaled sharply and started to chuckle, her eyes now closed.
"W-what? What's funny..?" Jefferson tearfully asked.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, June finished chortling. "Nothing! I've just realized how stupid we both are!" she exclaimed.
"H-huh?" Cluelessly hummed Darrell.
"Oh, c'mon! What're we even apologizing for anyway?! We both knew what our relationship was when we first met. You told me about your daughter--did you think I was so blind as to not notice what you thought of me as?" June asked the kneeling man.
"I..." He stuttered.
"I knew you thought of me as a second chance. But that's okay. I never... I never even got a first chance to have a father who loved me. The second I learned the truth, I passed out, and then ANZEN had to collect me from my home without arising suspicion. When I came to, I killed all the scientists in the room and left. Bloody, covered with innocents' entrails. I never got a chance to have a father who loved me. The only man who ever loved me the way I wanted wasn't August or Alex, it was you. I stood beside you all this time, not out of pity, but because I think of you the same way. For two years, you were never a stranger or just some random teacher. More than anyone in this world, you deserve to be someone's father. And I'm more than grateful if someone as lowly as me has the chance to be a daughter to a father as wonderful as you."
At long last did he find the courage to raise his head and look into her teary eyes. To his surprise, even through the endless downpour leaking from her face, she could muster a smile. His hand patted her head, and just like that, a giggle accompanied her widening smile. There was no other place she'd rather be. She threw herself onto him, melting in his embrace as he pulled the young girl close to his chest. There was no other place he'd rather be.
After wiping away the tears following their embrace, Jefferson stood up and turned around. Now staring out the window at the starry night sky not shrouded by grey clouds, June tilted her head; placed atop the couch.
"What're you doin'?" she innocently asked.
"Contemplating when's the right time to tell you the other reason I came here," Jeff swiftly answered.
"There's another reason?" She asked herself, index finger on her chin.
"Yes, but it's less dramatic than before. Before Katie left us and became Riot's spy within Retly, we talked. Then again, the more I remember it, it's mostly about Katie speaking vaguely and me just absorbing what she was saying. She said that, when the time came, there'd be a choice for us. We wouldn't have been imprisoned to the unfortunate fate that Augustus chose for us and instead, we could fight for the freedom we wish for. Some time ago, I wished for the Founder to die. Now, he's locked up beneath the Tower and my thirst for vengeance has diminished. If I could do it, I would. But this isn't my story. This has always been the story of the rebellion. Riot was an organization formed by those tired of being oppressed and wanting to rebel against a corrupt society. I know what you want and the things you strive for, but you're one of its original members."
June turned her head away as she listened to the last of his words before the view switched to the silent Tower, peaking at the sky.
Beneath the Tower, inside its dungeon.
"This isn't a situation where we can rely on the hopes of the people. This is the fate of our world. The world we've worked so hard to build... will crumble without us. Will you stand by and let it happen without taking action?"
Those words rang through her head--a deafening sound she couldn't escape, regardless of how hard she racked her brain. One of the prisoners, long black hair hiding their face, opened their eyes at the sight of a torch walking past their cell. The door was abruptly unlocked, and the aflame torch was perched against the cell. Peeking through the prohibitions of her hair with dark blue eyes, a smile appeared under the bandages hiding her mouth. The keys in her hand, still wearing her pajamas and with no one behind, June stood there with a wide-toothed grin upon spotting her beloved cousin.
"My turn to get your back for once... Katie."
To Be Continued.