I was supposed to try finding the next Primordial that night, but I couldn't get a wink of sleep after everything. My mind wouldn't turn off.
So, there I was, groggily sitting near the kitchen in our dining hall at 7 AM, waiting for the others to come down. I helped myself to a few cups of black coffee to help give me the boost I'd need to get through the day.
Trik was the first to come down.
"Morning," he said as he passed me to find something to eat.
"Morning," I said back.
"Didn't sleep well?" he asked, having briefly looked at my face.
"Didn't sleep at all," I responded, a little despondent.
"Not over the argument, huh," he concluded as he turned to me.
"Guess not. I'm kind of dreading him coming down and pressing the matter again," I admitted. "I don't think I have it in me to argue again."
"Well, let's figure out a way to give ourselves something to do today," Trik suggested. "Since you didn't get any sleep, you weren't able to find the next Primordial, so we'll have to find another way to be productive to get our minds off everything."
I groaned in response as he patted me on the back and resumed figuring out what he wanted for breakfast.
Shortly afterward, Naomi and Michael entered.
"Morning, everyone!" Naomi beamed as she entered. "What's for breakfast, Trik?"
"I'm not sure yet," he answered as he contemplated what to make with the ingredients he had laid out on the counter.
Enough time went by for Trik to settle on making French toast and eggs with blueberries and orange juice on the side and for everyone except Michael – who abstains from eating – to finish their plate before we realized Tymon and Za'Fia hadn't come down.
"That's weird. Are they still asleep?" I asked aloud.
"If they are, it's not here," Trik stated. "According to my sensors, they're not here or anywhere within a thousand miles."
"Seriously?" I exclaimed as I put my fork down and bolted up the nearby stairs to their rooms a few floors up.
When I reached Tymon's room, sure enough, it was empty, like no one used it.
I turned on my c-chip to call him and realized I'd received a message from him last night while it was off.
It read:
Decided it's best if I left and did my own thing. I may not be able to see into the future, but I have a good idea of what'll happen if we don't start acting soon. While you all continue to focus on gathering everyone, we're going to ensure that my prediction doesn't happen.
– T.
I sat on the empty bed in silence.
Trik and the others had been behind me and read the message.
"I can't believe they left," I said in stunned disbelief.
"It seems they have plans of their own," Trik commented softly.
"But the point of all this is to unite everyone to survive. Not split up," I complained as I looked at them.
Naomi sat beside me and rubbed my back in consolidation.
"Well, you have my support," she assured me. "What do you think we should do next?"
I considered the question quietly before answering.
What should we do? Our strength was just drastically cut, and I wasn't going to find anyone else today...
Maybe I could at least use the day to get some intel.
"I should talk with Vicki – see what she's learned," I announced.
"Who is Vicki," Michael asked from the doorway.
"She's a friend who's also one of Avarice's Sub Deities," I informed him. "She's often relayed information to us."
"You've been collaborating with one of the enemy's subordinates?" Michael asked, confused. "And now, you intend to consult this person about your next move – someone who could easily be deceiving you."
"Vicki can be trusted; she's helped us a lot already," I told him, defending my decision.
"You should be figuring out the next course of action without risking it reaching the enemy," Michael explained, his face and tone expressing how that should be basic common knowledge.
"We have. As I've said, Vicki can be trusted," I said, starting to feel the storm of another argument rise.
"No, you should stop relying on this Vicki individual," Michael stated. His words were almost like an order, leaving no room for debate. "If you cannot see that, you truly are unfit to lead anyone, let alone us. You will benefit from watching as I lead."
"Hey, back off," Naomi said from her other personality as she stepped to Michael. "She may be lacking in some areas, but she's only just beginning. She needs room to develop as a leader, but she can't do that if we don't let her, so don't think I'll sit here and let you steamroll her."
The two of them glared at each other intensely as their eyes began to glow.
"Are you sure you can stop me?" Michael spoke confidently.
"I can't," Naomi responded candidly, "But who's going to follow you afterward? If I recall correctly, none of us likes being around you because you're too controlling."
Michael's eyes narrowed.
"You usually don't care for humans. How did it come to you defending one so adamantly?" he asked her.
"I like Alissia," Naomi replied, "Unlike most, she's a genuinely good person. I can actually feel the benevolence and optimism radiating from her, and I believe that by following her, we'll be able to spread some of that around the world."
"Hm. You know, I could leave and go on my own path, too," Michael retorted.
"No, you can't," Naomi retorted with a sly grin, "Along with that annoying complex came a need to protect those weaker than you. If you left us and something happened, you wouldn't be able to live with yourself. Plus, you know you want to stay close since that's the only way you can continue to speak to Viraa."
"Fox..." Michael muttered as he glared at her.
Naomi smiled.
"Now that we've established that you can't leave and that we're not going to follow you, your only option is to help us. You don't have to believe in her yet; just give her time to prove herself."
Michael sighed, defeated.
When they both suppressed their power, I noticed I couldn't sense anything from Michael as I could from Naomi.
Did Michael have the same level of control that Avarice and Verin did?
"So, what do you intend to do next?" Michael asked me.
I wanted to call Vicki, but part of me heard what he'd said and realized I may have been relying too much on her. So, instead, I went with plan B.
"Brainstorm?" I suggested. "That's all we can do for now."
Trik and Naomi chuckled as we left the room.
------
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