"Kids faster!" Penelope shouted toward Elina and Alistair, who were striding side by side. Elina had tears on her face, but they had dried up, and she now had a gleam in her eyes.
"On, (Coming)our (ma'am) way."
Alistair and Elina replied at the same time, causing their voices to mesh into an incorrigible sound. Soon they caught up to the waiting family.
When the two arrived, the kids conversed about the secret weapon theory; it was Alistair's shabby points against Issac's skepticism.
Jokes flew, and word wounds were shed, with Issac not relenting, and neither was Alistair's, so they both decided to let it be until further proof arrived. But as the conversation neared its end and the participants' voices dwindled, someone finally asked.
"So, what were you talking about back there?" Salin asked; her gaze locked on Alistair.
"Oh, well, Eli—"
"Shut up!" Elina slammed Alistair's mouth with her palm, turning his eloquent speech into incoherent mumbles; and preventing him from completing his sentence.
Salin studied them closely, her expression shifting from curiosity to suspicion. Their behavior had left her feeling uneasy, and she was determined to find out what had transpired.
Her thoughts raced as she schemed ways to extract the truth from them. A devious idea struck her, and a sly grin crept across her face, anticipating the impending reveal.
As she wanted to try blackmail by using a certain secret she knew about Elina, a view appeared from the sides of her pupils. Salin looked, and she saw that her mom gave her a 'don't do it' signal.
Salin wasn't convinced; hence, the mother and daughter argued with their eyes. To an outsider, it would seem like they were summoning demons with their eyeballs. But shortly, Salin lost the battle as Satrina summoned a bigger demon in the form of a Young lady! I am your mother.
Salin grumbled and cursed in low tones, and she declared with her hands crossed: "Fine, whatever. I never wanted to know anyway!"
After that short episode, the families strode to a 15-meter-wide staircase. It had the colors of an afternoon-sky, and blood-colored lines decorated its front. The lines circled in a way reminiscent of a whirlpool, adding a celestial feel to the glass-like structure.
The group stepped on it and ascended past the guests headed in the same direction.
Each guest chartered amongst themselves with gazes of interest. The rampant conversation caused a mismatch of voices to echo during this short trip.
In a few minutes, Alistair and the others reached the end. Then, the kids' mouths sprung open as they looked up. The sight before them was heavenly and surreal.
An object of massive proportions rotated like a hot air balloon near the top of the cave. Its frame was festooned with bronze and silver colors that swirled like an artist's oil art.
The rotating machine possessed many wires of different shades that slithered in and out of it like serpents, and transparent pipes that bloated up the place with a purple mist.
The entire piece embodied the weird, the unknown, and the strange. The machine's fluid motion was like that of grease, and a living, breathing human: it defied mortal comprehension.
The device reflected in Alistair's eyes, it was filled with curiosity and ambition. Although Alistair didn't know what it was, he needed to; he had to.
"What is that!?" Alistair asked for his go-to dictionary: Penelope. Because, for some reason, she just knew these kinds of stuff.
"It looks like an… Eternics Aet-engine 0-10, but it seems Lenna made some upgrades," Penelope explained as she studied the thing.
The machine gave her chills and familiarity, but Penelope felt a headache hit her like a hammer as she tried to remember where she saw it.
Both of them gazed at the object in fascination and curiosity, causing them to be oblivious to Satrina, who looked at them with bafflement.
"Oh! There they go again—so alike," Satrina said sluggishly with a soundless laugh at the end. She tilted her head and squinted. "Now I think of it."
She studied the features of the two, and she couldn't help but say, "their hair—red, face—same shape, and eyes—blue: it's all the same."
Satrina shifted her gaze to the unassuming Revan. She began to observe him from head to toe, checking his body intently in search of something, Satrina pouted as she finished. "She didn't let you put anything in there, did she?"
Revan almost choked as he heard her words and glared at her for long seconds. However, the comparison made him ponder.
He removed his focus from Satrina and glanced at his wife and son duo. Afterward a sunny smile made it on his lips.
Reven looked back at Satrina and said with a shrug: "Well, he gets my resolve— and that's enough for me."
"He got your…resolve?" Satrina asked with a raised brow; she leaned toward in, curious.
"Yes," Revan said proudly. "He has ambition. And the will to go after it. Em ranked at 6: not even I could do that."
Then, countless emotions overwhelm Revan's heart, guilt, nostalgia, and fear. The figure of Alistair became akin to a younger him in Revan's eyes, although it looked hazy and dark.
"But at times… I don't know whether it's a curse or a blessing…" Revan said as he stared at his son's face, but when he witnessed Alistair's excitement that mirrored that of his mother— one that was similar to Penelope's.
Raven then grinned and crossed his arms. "But I am happy he got the rest from his mother, so it balances."
Satrina laughed, and her expression turned sad. "Tsk, how noble of you,"
"It's good to know you've changed" –she paused– "Penelope is lucky to have you."
As she said her last words, a lengthy silence lingered, the two used the scenery to keep themselves busy; meanwhile, the rest of the group slowly separated, leaving the two to their devices.
Revan soon became uneasy, so he broke the silence. "How are things with Daren?"
"What– oh, It's going fine. We are doing ok, but a few arguments happen occasionally here and there…" Satrina said as she looked at the ground; her unsteady legs made circles on the floor.
"What do you mean… Is it that thing again?" Revan asked; his face morphed into worry.
"No, it's nothing." Satrina quickly answered. She wanted to slap her head for her slip-up, and her tone rose. "Forget I said anything."
"You want to talk about it—"
"Revan! My brother!" a voice arrived from his right and butted into their conversation. Revan looked in that direction. Then saw a large bearded man who trotted toward them with heavy steps, his huge belly swinging in rhythm with his legs.
He wore overalls and navy blue jeans. On the man's hand existed a large-wooden ax that shone with silver light, and a dragon symbol swam across its handle.
Meanwhile, Satrina took the chance to walk away and escape, leaving both of them alone.
Revan looked in shock at who he saw, a man who was both his friend, enemy, and -- rival.
With a gaze filled with fury and malice, Revan spat out: "Roman…you bastard!"