It's the last minutes of their time in this world. After they transferred all of the equipment and things from the laboratory to Armenia, the last one to be transferred is the people and the Valkyrie which is why everyone was ready to leave.
One last move will be performed to completely wipe out the existence of the Valkyrie from this world, that would be—blowing up the entire island.
"Pack up everyone! Will be departing soon!" One of the Valkyrie shouted and all of them agreed to her.
Valkyrie sat down inside the plane carrier vehicle, once she's standby, she remains at the vehicle silently and firm.
The others went to their dispatched carriers as well. While sitting on the plane alone, Lukas suddenly showed up and sat next to her.
Valerie was having a hard time in her life. Her face looks paler and colder than before, it seems that she got herself a huge black stain below her eyes. It's not her usual self, she seems tired and sleepless.
Many of the Valkyrie were worried. It's been a day since she found out about the death of her favorite child-friend, it's no wonder she'd be like this, just like someone who just died.
No, it's more like she just died again.
"I told Ares what happened," Lukas started. However it didn't begin well, Valerie just shrugged her head and looked away.
"Look," he grabbed her shoulders but refused to look. "He was worried, and told me to look after you while we are in this world, I had to make sure that you're fine!"
He really doesn't have any experience in comforting someone, it looks obvious as he is very aggressive. Valerie bit her lips and slapped his hands off.
"If he really was worried, why the heck did he abandon a child!? Why did he leave his own daughter most of her life! I don't need his worries, and yours as well."
Caleb had explained her situation very clearly, she tried to understand her father's reasoning but she couldn't help but be mad at him. It's the same as all children would feel over this kind of situation, she's not so different from them.
It didn't mean that she's trying to surpass her emotions, she's already made of ice like how Lukas misunderstood her.
Lukas might not understand her now but he knows very well. The feeling of being abandoned. He quietly looked back and breathed out.
"I may not be an expert but at least I tried," he mumbled and faked a smile.
Just like her, Lukas was nothing but shell outside, therefore he isn't as cold as anyone assumes he is...
He never wanted to feel sympathetic anyways, he thought and smirked.
A few moments turn into an awkward interaction only to be broken by Lyrica and the others' appearance. While looking at Valerie, she gives a long breath and then turns towards Lukas who was silent as well.
"Trying won't do any good, I told you, you are the worst with this kind of situation."
Lyrica complained and she looked at the girl beside Lukas, her face tells everything so she didn't think that it was necessary to ask. "Our destination is within the territories of Daryl Duchy. So our army of machines will be hidden there," she looked at Valerie. "To brief you, Daryl is the master's family name."
Valerie remained quiet and made Lyrica annoyed. "We will be directly transported there according to Sir Caleb and Sir Ares."
---⌜•••⌟---
Going to the same process had made him numb, it always appears to be... Apollo watches the sun rise from the northern part of this deserted island while she's looking closely at the world that is passing through his eyes...
He heard a rumor while traveling the desert of Ismael. It's quite a lavish rumor but also quite concerning.
The tide of time had tickles, one of his temples had spoken without his concern. The sun had spoken the oracle of time, but this time he didn't hear anything from the Moirai so he ignored it.
Hence he was shocked, the oracle had spoken to him directly. It must be a prophecy, but the words it spoke were vivid and poetic, it wasn't something he can comprehend even if he is an expert of such a field.
It was translated to a tongue that isn't the language used during and after ancient times.
"Geh!"
His traveling countries because of Ares, the God of War wanted to talk to him about something. Unlike the other God's, Apollo and Ares had allied themselves in secret to avoid any leak of information.
Why? Athena's ear can reach the farthest. She has her cult worshippers and the Titan traitors backing her up.
If words had spoken about the oracles that had occurred, Athena will do anything to kill the person in the prophecy.
Ares and Apollo hide that person for an entire of its existence, fooling everyone that Ares lost his child. Unfortunately, she wasn't given time to cut her destiny off.
Apollo is here to help her, and avoid that colossal catastrophe chosen at the final dawn of Armenia.
It's the chosen prophecy... Chosen by fate itself...
---⌜•••⌟---
Armenia is very different from the Human Realm.
Even though Armenia had achieve flight, mechanical transportation, and magic. They remain in the medieval era, so everything looks like a vintage structure from the Human Realm's museum.
It is strange though... Valerie can feel that strange tingling feeling that she has never felt before...
"Valerie?" Only did she realize that something was wrong when everyone around her was looking at her confused and amazed.
Her body appearance was changing all of a sudden. She originally had bluish hair, that hair which she inherited from her mother—as she thought, so once her bluish hair turned into a magically glossy silver hair, it felt as if she wasn't the same person anymore.
Especially since her fry brown eyes turned into a diamond light blue, just like the colors of the sky. Her face which was swollen due to her sleepless night yesterday had vanished, and what remains from her lively porcelain skin.
She really looks like someone else, just like a magic that once protected her vanished.
"Valerie?" Lyrica once again asked, but since Valerie was confused, she turned towards Lukas.
"Explain," she commanded.
Lukas looks at her displeased as if he didn't appreciate the demanding tune but this isn't the time for that either.
He breathed out and crossed his hand. "Valerie must have been protected by someone's Aria ever since she was born, so her appearance was altered for that reason but when she left this world, the Aria that was cast to her stopped like a frozen in time, that's why when she comes back, the Aria must have expired by now."
Is that so? Everyone asked. It's really hard to comprehend Aria as they are made of science. Alternation of appearance is one of the abilities of Aria, but not everyone can gain it.
Who would go through such length to protect her? Her father? No, it must be her mother. The Aria which she casted to her daughter had protected her daughter from harm, but when she died, her Aria was frozen in half.
It can only mean that once the child was back, the Aria is no longer accessible. That's why it disappeared or expired.
Valerie touched her long silvery hair and she carefully brushed it with her hand. "How delightful," she mumbled to herself. "My life is made of lies after all, I am no longer surprised."
She tightened the grab on her hair and then she breathed out. "Ares must know something about my mother, considering how he let her die."
"Valerie," Lyrica looked at her. "We don't know the truth, assuming something will only lead to misunderstanding and pain."
They couldn't even comfort Valerie when she was at her peak of her suffering, even Lukas tried and messed up a big time. As someone who lacks that function, it was so hard for them to become a normal human or mortal being.
"That's funny," she fakes a smile and looks at Lyrica. "Tell me, what would it take for an empty jar to be filled? Is there a way Grim Reaper wouldn't take a soul? Who will give something for someone in order to survive? Who are we to judge the circumstances of one another? Can you tell me how villains die in a movie? Who will ask for you if death itself doesn't want you? Can a heart which no longer beats stay alive? Who can change a destiny that had been tangled? Why? Who? Where? What?"
Her questions had silenced everyone in the carrier plane like a parrot who lost its tongue, everyone didn't have the answer she asked them. It's like everyone was slapped by her question that no one dares to speak.
They've been shut in a broken voice that seems to have gone far from their reach. Who wouldn't think that Diana's death can make her like this? Who wouldn't know that Diana melted her heart? Who wouldn't think that she can be expressive as well?
It's like she's fighting over something that has happened. The shock and pain was too much for her to endure, Diana's existence must have stabbed her in the back, because she believes in it—that even she can love.
Her question was directly for her, not everyone else, but for her who just died once more. It was so hard to recover after the incident in her life, it was so hard to forget and adjust.
Now, it looks as if she's taking another few times to recover.
Maybe a few or even a minute of her time? Hour or days? Weeks or months? It doesn't matter how long it takes, she will try to recover in her own ways.