Edana glared at Zane like she was ready to kill him any moment. Uneasy from her stare, Zane propped himself up and replied with an innocent smile. "Why have you come here so suddenly? Anything I can help you with?" Edana stared daggers into Zane when he smiled at her.
"Don't play dumb!" Edana roared. "What did you do to the knights that were in the cell?"
Zane sighed. "Whatever I did, it's already done." He spoke in a heavy tone. "If that's all you came to say to me, then you can return." He began to lie down on the bed roll while turning back from Edana.
"You..." Edana clenched her teeth. "Because of what you did, we won't even be able to plead to the Union to reduce your punishment." Tears started welling on her eyes. "How can I answer Valentina now..."
Zane's eyes widened when she mentioned Valentina's name. He jerked up from the bed and faced Edana. "How's Val? Is she alright?"
Edana turned towards the ground with guilt. When she opened her mouth, only a small cracking voice could be heard. "When... After you were taken away, she has become depressed." She clenched her fists. "She has not been eating well, she spaces out all the time and she doesn't even care about her academics."
Zane's face turned grave when he heard about his sister's condition. "Depressed? Valentina?" Zane couldn't believe what he heard. "She's not the type to be depressed." He shook his head in denial. "She was fine even without me before."
"Yes, she had already come to terms that her brother was dead once." Edana sighed. "But seeing you alive again, and taken in front of her in such a short-time affected her greatly." She looked at Zane. "I had given her hope that you may be here and I'd bring you back. But..." She stopped talking and her face darkened.
"Well..." Zane looked at her right in the eyes. "You already knew I was a rogue seeker when you gave her that hope. You already knew what was going to happen." Zane hissed.
After a moment of silence, he sighed. "Will I get to meet her before I'm handed over to the Union?" His voice became soft. "...I'll make sure you get to meet her." Edana replied in a low, but resolute voice.
"Let's rest for now. You should return." Zane plopped down on his bed roll and turned around. Giving his back one last glance, Edana also turned around and exited the tent. After she left, Zane turned on his back and stared at the top of the tent. Thinking about his sister and recent experiences, he quickly fell asleep.
---
"Hey"
"Hey are you listening?" A clear voice rang out beside 084, who was looking at the plate in front of him with empty eyes. 084 slowly turned his head towards the voice to find a skinny looking chestnut haired guy. The person looked at him with a soft smile and pointed towards his plate. "Do you want this?"
"097..." 084 muttered. "Why don't you eat it yourself... You're already so skinny."
097 shook his head. "I don't have any appetite." He pushed the plate towards 084. "Anyways, What were you thinking about? Did the doctor do his experiments again?"
"The experiments..." 084 started to become lost in his thought again before snapping back. "They're getting more frequent now... I'm starting to lose it..." 084 pulled the plate towards him and started eating the grub fervently. Swallowing the food that filled his mouth with a gulp, he looked at 097 curiously. "Do you... have a family outside? Anyone waiting for you?"
"I have a sister.." 097 replied with a smile. "Well... it's been so long since I was brought here, I don't know if she's waiting for me."
"Oh?" 084 grabbed a spoonful of grub. "Is it fun having a sister?" 097 thought for a moment before answering. "Yes, it's the best. What about you? Do you have a family?" He asked.
"No." 084 put the spoon in his mouth hurriedly. "I don't have anyone."
---
Zane woke up in cold sweat, the outside of his tent bustling with activities. "Did you have a nightmare or something brother?" Zane turned his head and saw Slem's face, looking at him worriedly. '097...' Zane thought about the person he saw in his dream and nodded his head. "Yes" he replied, his voice hoarse. "A ghost from the past is haunting my nightmares..."
Outside the tent, everyone was running to and fro, getting ready to depart. Stepping out from his tent, Zane saw the hubbub and sighed. "It seems we'll be departing today." Zane looked around until he saw the group of rogue seekers, staring at him. When he looked towards the group, one rouge seeker began walking towards him. When he got close to Zane, he stopped and smiled, extending his hand.
"Sheils" The man with a light blue, sleek hair and a wild face introduced himself. His proud gray eyes stared at Zane, who looked towards the extended hand for a moment before shaking it. "Oh. Hello!" He shook the hand quite enthusiastically and smiled, showing his sharp teeth.
Stupefied by his bizarre reply, Sheils pulled his hand back and stared at Zane, forgetting what he was about to say. "Anything I can help you with?" Zane broke the silence, making Sheils come to his senses.
"Yes... We wanted to talk to you. As you know, being a rogue seeker, if we go along with the Sacred Order, they will surely hand us over to the Union." Sheils started explaining. "So we have made a plan to escape while on the road. Will you two join us?" His gaze alternated between Zane and Slem.
Zane put his hand on his chin, thinking about what Sheils said. He turned his head around the area and saw the knights of the Sacred Order. His gaze then landed towards the area where the Commanders were standing. There, he saw Thorn, Vine, Buck and Anson. Sighing, he turned towards Sheils.
"There are only 8 of us rogue seekers left." He looked behind Sheils, towards the other rogue seekers. "Tell me, what's the highest level seeker we have?"
Sheils looked back before replying, "I am at the peak of eyes seeking." He replied. "Our level is irrelevant. If we all try together, we can surely escape them." Sheils looked towards the Sacred Order. "Look at them, their battle with the cult has barely left them intact."
It was true that the Sacred Order's group was now weak, but Zane had other reasons why he didn't want to escape right now. "Hmm..." Zane thought for a moment before smiling. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"