The twins saw the blindfolded girl standing at a distance from everyone seemingly lost in her thoughts. She hadn't moved once, not even when one of those who fought was flung to where she stood.
She also hadn't realized the lurking eyes on her either. The twins who noticed it quickly moved to her side with one thought in mind, they saw her first.
"We need to talk to you." Kiyan said more like an order. There was no option to decline, only a forceful acceptance.
"You need to stay away from me." She turned to leave.
"We can, but they won't." Raten said standing in place.
'Blindfold' flinched hearing his words. She turned back hastily. Her chest rising and falling as she panicked. Still she sounded composed as she said,
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what we mean, and it definitely isn't something we can discuss here in the open." Kiyan answered.
"Come with us." Raten motioned for her to follow.
"Not without me!" Enoe jumped in from behind. He wrapped his arms around Kiyan's throat nearly strangling him.
"Let go, will you?!" He tried to set himself free.
"Sorry, sorry." Enoe separated himself from him. "So where are we going?" He asked.
"There's no 'we' and it's none of your business." Kiyan replied, shoving him to the side.
"As long as it has something to do with the both of you, it is very much my business." Enoe folded his arms and tapped his foot on the ground. "I'm waiting... Where are we going with her? Hm? Why are you blindfolded? Are you blind? Can you see me?!"
He brought himself uncomfortably close to her while waving at her face. She turned to the twins who dragged him back by his shirt and said,
"Enoe, this is very important and private. So get lost." Kiyan pushed him back.
"Important and private? With a she? Without me?" Enoe tilted his head. "I'm definitely going with you now." He said not caring if the argument gets dragged out the whole day.
"Ugh... Fine! But you will stay quiet the entire time, understand?" Raten thumped his forehead.
"Yes sir!" Enoe saluted. "You didn't have to thump me though."
With that, the three of them went into one of the homeroom classes. It was void of people and quiet. Exactly what they needed.
"Get on with it. What did you want to talk to me about?" She asked as she sat. Enoe was behind her observing carefully while the twins were on a desk in front of her facing her.
"First I want to ask, how much of who you are do you really know?" Kiyan tilted his head studying her. He had already made his deductions about her predicament from the state he first saw her in.
"What sort of question is that?" She asked annoyed already.
"A very simple one that requires a simple answer." Raten replied.
"My guess is you have next to no clue. If you did, you wouldn't be prancing around gaining attention." Kiyan moved forward. He suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled the sleeves of the cloak she had on.
"What are you--?" She tried to wiggle free but it was useless against Kiyan. He looked at the chains around her wrists that went deeper into her clothes.
"Suppressing chains. Used to control, cage, or block magic or something else.." he let go of her hand.
"The power from these chains can be felt by anyone who really has a keen sense of magic and you have been going about giving a repelling block to people. Don't you think that's gathering attention? Especially when you have an alarming amount on."
She went quiet. They couldn't even tell what expression she was making since she was blindfolded, but she now placed her hands on her thighs and squeezed them a bit.
"If you have this much chains on you it then means you have no control. No control means you have no understanding. You don't know who you are." He stretched the last part a bit.
Enoe didn't know what was going on but was happy to be there.
After much silence, the girl finally spoke,
"And what if I don't know? What does that have to do with you?"
"Nothing. It has nothing to do with us and is none of our business." Raten replied. "But fortunately for you, we're interested. Very much in you. And can help you get rid of these chains."
The girl clung to her thighs again and asked.
"Why help me? There must be another reason besides being interested."
"You are very much correct." Raten said. "Let me just ask you this, do you want freedom?"
She stayed silent. Freedom. It was very foreign to her. Free from those chains. Free of the questions she had. Free from the pursuers. Free from everything. Most times, she wished to be free from living. But never had she been able to go through with ending it.
"You know I really just dislike, no.. I hate those above. The ones pulling the strings. Telling people what to think and what not to think. The same ones who locked you up." Kiyan said and she looked up at him immediately.
"How did you know?" She blurted.
"It was obvious you had just escaped from somewhere." Raten replied.
"There is a cycle about the movement of this world and it sickens me. I hate it and I think you hate it too, perhaps even more than I do." He placed his hand on the desk in front her and brought his face inches away. "Don't you?"
She nodded once. "Every bit of it."
"But, what can you do about it? Nothing."
"Right now, truly we can do nothing." Raten moved back.
"But you see, there is a way. We have a plan. It's a long shot, but it's sure to take us to the top where we can burn everything beneath us as we deem fit."
"Ooh! Ooh! I know this plan!" Enoe raised his hand excitedly.
"Didn't I say you mustn't talk?" Kiyan raised a brow.
"Oh, don't act like you expected me to actually keep that promise."
"It's not possible." She said. "It doesn't matter what plan you have..."
"The anchor. An empire of fifteen great nations. Headquarters of The Sovereign also known as the world's power. Seven seats of control."
"Wizards from the five continents under them. Knights from the five continents under them. Their army is immeasurable. Their word is absolute. Their presence is a sentence, their movements spread terror to those who aren't blinded, but brings good fortune to the unfortunately stupid." Enoe said in one breath.
"It sounds impossible and nothing but a dream of a crazy man to think they can take them down. But what if I tell you there are cracks?" Raten added.
"Everyone thinks they're the heroes." Kiyan shook his head. "False. The sovereign's power came to be because of us. I can tell you with confidence that if we do this rightly, they will fall."
"I ask you again, do you want freedom?" Raten stretched forth his arm to her.
"It can be granted if you fight for it. And I assure you, when Teferi fights, in no lifetime have we ever lost."
____________
Join my discord server for more updates on the book:
https://discord.com/invite/zptFHxqzuN