Later that evening, a house in a particular area of the city gave off an unsettling vibe due to its black and grey hue, it looked more gloomy and invisible at the time because of the terrifying, dark atmosphere outside. A pale girl with long dull aurburn hair was sleeping on the bed, though her face was giving that sort of expression as if she was uncomfortable. It was a moonless night and the sky was covered with hardly any clouds.
She was getting more and more uncomfortable, sweat dripped from her face, she tilted her head left and right as if searching something.
"Ahh!"
She rose up instantly and woke up in fright, briefly glancing outside to check the weather, her eyes were halfway open and her entire face perspired. She took a deep breath at that moment, reassuring herself that everything was okay and slowly stood up. She put on her slippers and opened the door of her room.
Creak!
The dark wooden stairs were rough and gloomy, possibly old. She walked down to go to the bathroom. It was near the house entrance but the deeper she was going, the more strain she felt on her head. She grabbed her head with her palm for comfort and thought it was just a normal headache so she didn't care about it that much. She reached downwards and stood towards the brown gate.
When she walked into the bathroom and turned on the lights, she found that everything was fine even though it was pitch-black outside and the entire home was covered in mist. She opened the water tap and started applying it on her face swiftly but when she looked down to close the tab, she felt as if someone had grabbed her by the waist.
She suddenly felt a shock and fear and touched her side waist in an instant. She was sleepy so she didn't care much and thought that it was just an obnoxious sensation she was getting because of the headache. As she was moving out of the bathroom, she saw something unexpected on the window which left her scared.
She shouted and fled upstairs, but she lost her balance and fell. A large, black hand grabbed her leg, she fell and teared up fearfully. Nevertheless, she managed to free herself by scratching the hand with her nails, she hurried upstairs and locked herself in her room.
As soon as she arrived, she panted while sitting near the door, the room had several shelves with various books adorned in a manner to portray a small library. Her gaze met a certain box on the shelf to her right, she moved swiftly to take it and set it down on the ground. Although it was difficult to open, she was able to do it with the aid of her nails.
When she carefully lifted the foam-filled box, a wooden 'cross' was revealed to her. She was terrified and started speaking chants in her mind.
"..."
A nill response.
"No! This isn't working at all!"
She was going all mad.
In an instant, someone knocked on the door rapidly, she started screaming but no one heard it. Suddenly, the knocking increased with rapidness and then suddenly came to a halt. She looked back at the locked door and felt a sense of relief, but not for too long; the cross was broken due to the pressure she used to grab it, and it fell on the ground, making a silent sound.
The window behind the lady opens, her eyes widened, an expression of despair coated her face.
No one heard what happened after that...
...
"Woooh!"
A car hasten it's way on the mountain road, dashing through the cold air; it was a rash driving to be fair.
"Driving in the mountains is a blast!"
A man with long pitch black hair, one of his eyes concealed in black bandages, murmured, driving like mad across mountains as if he was finally feeling some sort of relaxation after a long time. He was hymning, taking full enjoyment of the cool breeze. Suddenly, a truck came in front of him; he put on the brakes and changed the gear and angle of his steering wheel, which let him drift on the road.
"Phew... that was quite close."
Amidst this, he sighed, an instant realization struck him.
"Ah shit, missed another chance."
He looked disappointed as if wanted to crash into that truck, he drove into the downhills and entered the Ahornbaum city at a high speed with the large white gates slightly opening for his entry.
...
"Where Am I?"
Liam entered his foot in that massive white hall filled with people, bustling with manoeuvre on different spectrums such as machinery, chemicals, computers, mutations, and preserved parts, a laboratory to be said. As he looked around, he noticed that everyone seemed to be engaged in discussions and experiments. The atmosphere charged a high intellectual energy which seems to go off-board from Liam's head.
A person in a very peculiar and scientific attire with lime hair and light brown eyes noticed Liam and Hailey on the main entrance.
"Welcome to LP or should I say Legions Parliament."
He politely said as he walked up to them, specifically towards Liam.
"You must be new here. My name is Edward Southwark. How can I assist you?"
Southwark...?
"Wait... you're asking me, sir?"
Liam said while pointing out to himself.
"Certainly yes."
"I am not sure; this woman simply brought me here—she seems interested in my background and seems to know something that I don't."
Liam's nature seemed to overwhelm Edward in a way.
Well, he is looking like the most normal one out there, it seems I can ask questions...
"Well, I'm the conductive director of LP. I got a message that one important guest has arrived."
A guest?
He looked at Hailey for confirmation but she just held a smile.
"Hi, Liam Blake."
Liam greeted Edward with a courteous handshake. Liam maintained his calm. The charisma of Edward enlightened a familiarity to him but he didn't go off-guard.
"Hailey, may I ask why you have brought him here?"
"A Node."
As Hailey replied, Edward looked at Liam with a sudden shock which struck his mind.
"Are you serious? After three years..."
Edward was quite perplexed about the absurdity of this situation.
"No way, I ain't feeling good."
Hailey suddenly whispered in Liam's right ear with a sly smile etched on her face. Liam understood at this point that if he wanted to find out more about his timeline, then Edward might be the only person who could answer it well.
"I know that a meteorite crashed and all the shit bargin' things happened but..."
He hesitated a bit.
"What about my home?"
Edward turned in the opposite direction and started moving.
"Before we go any further, I want to set something straight."
Liam listened attentively.
"We can't change the past, as it shapes the present."
Crossing his legs, Edward sat in his rotating brown chair and went on.
"The society you lived in is long gone, ice preserved several human bodies for a very long period. Judging from the way your body looks, it appears that you have woken and suffered for around a year now."
Liam nodded. Although it was quite sudden for Liam to understand all the things at once. He remained silent to the very end.
Edward smiled and turned towards him.
"Nodes are humans woken up from this snowy spectacle, we too are descendents of some Nodes at the end. Twenty thousand years have passed since that disaster, yet the earth returned to life just after a millennium of devastation."
"Big Brother... he is new here, can you give him a slight break."
Hailey interferes in between. Though Liam's expression was telling that he was shocked.
"Wait... big brother?"
"Yes! Big brother Edward is my sibling."
"Oh..."
Liam experienced too many twists in his life, as a result, he wasn't shocked and placed his fist on his other hand's palm.
"That is all I can say because that's all I know, you certainly have seen a lot during this period."
Liam recalls a bloody hasty past from Edward's word and looked down.
That wasn't our doing so be assured. Ahornbaum won't hurt you that way. Hailey, I recommend you take him in as your acquaintance."
Edward requested Hailey in a sweet tone, which Hailey could not refuse.
"Huh... an acquaintance? Am I somewhat gonna live with her and act upon her sayings?"
Although Hailey was not sure about this change of event coming from Edward's mouth, she eventually accepted her order as she turned to face Liam. Her face had a faint grin.
"Yeah..."
"So I am gonna live with this old brush... no!"
He looked disappointed and little angered.
"Who are you calling an old brush?"
She was enraged by Liam's statement and punched him in the head.
"Stop punching me, after all it's same as a prison."
She was furious, and he screamed with pain which left a mark on his head. Between their unwanted acceptance, Hailey suddenly noticed the time on her watch.
"Well... brother, it's very late at night, we should be going now."
"Very well, farewell..."
Edward looks slightly back with his cold eyes.
Edward shouts and yells out to Liam as they walk beyond the fence, and he approaches him. Edward whispers something in his ears which leaves him trembling.
"You may do whatever the hell you want, but if you attempt to do something strange to my sister. I will murder you right there, do you understand?"
"Ye... yes."
"Good, you may leave now."
He said, changing his tone totally towards lean and polite.
Liam's heart raced as he replayed Edward's warning in his mind. The intensity of Edward's words sent a chill down his spine, leaving him trembling with fear. He couldn't shake off the feeling of a familar dread that he felt.
It's the same as... those Carolingians...
He recalled some of the gazes which covered his mind, It was clear that Edward was fiercely protective of his sister, Hailey, and he wouldn't hesitate to take forceful measures if Liam posed a threat to her.
As Liam walked away from the encounter, he couldn't help but think about Edward's familiarity with those gazes. He was constantly trying to summarize the option he was expected to have when he was with Hailey. It was a situation he felt uncomfortable with. He had grown accustomed to his independence and freedom to do whatever he wanted while living in the forest, and the idea of being under someone's watch made him feel uneasy about his choices.
However, Liam knew he had to watch his step carefully. Edward's warning still lingered in the back of his mind. He didn't want to ruin his fresh relationship with Hailey but the idea was a bit far from Liam's expectations.
Deep down, Liam understood that this would probably make his life much worse, and he couldn't afford to take Edward's threat lightly.
Stop...
As he walked away, he grabbed his head and requested those eyesights to stop gazing at him. As he has no choice because it's the only way to discover his remainings here. He almost teared up as he was putting pressure to his head.
Stop... I can't.
"Are you alright?"
"Huh?"
Hailey's voice echoed between his thoughts, and his overthinking stopped. Probably, he was going to lose his sanity, but he didn't.
"Wha... what did you say?"
"Are you lost in some thoughts? I'm asking if you are alright after all of the things that happened today. It may sound ridiculous to you, but don't think too much about Edward's warning. As long as I am with you, ask anything from me."
Liam's eyes saw the smile of Hailey, his thoughts almost halted for a second. His eyes closed halfway and a sweet smile ran through his face.
"Cold baths, something nice to eat and a soft fluffy bed, that's all I could wish for now."
"Very well."
She smiled, they were heading towards her house, but still, it hit Liam emotionally. His thoughts seemed to over just from some words of Hailey.
Meanwhile, inside the LP, a lady with brown hair, grey eyes adorned in the same clothes as Edward approached him with a cup of coffee in her hand.
Edward kept his eyes closed with his hands, looking as if he was asleep, or deep in thought.
"Is he the sole victim of monograms?"
She asked him.
"Certainly, Vitreus is not as lenient as us."
However, Liam was no longer bothered by those thoughts, his sleepy eyes showed that he was now dependent on Hailey.
...I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Who knows, it might be an opportunity where I could find...
As soon as they reached Hailey's house, Liam went blank as he wasn't able accept the grandeur of that house. Het house looked like a manor, a four-story building.
"Tha... that's your house?"
"Of course, let's enter."
She tapped on his back and they went inside. Liam entered his new living home, his eyes widened, the contrast of orange gave the interior a luxury look and a different smell filled the house, he sat down on the couch, finding it comfortable and well endowed. Perhaps living and working with Hailey wouldn't be that bad as long as he can enjoy this mod of life.
Hailey asked him in a good mood.
"Are you hungry? If you want I can make something for you..."
"I'm not hungry at all, I just want to sleep."
He replied in a drowsy tone and he slowly fell asleep on the couch.