Traitor's Legacy: The Claughter Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Tranquility

            Jaden trudged out of the interrogation room, startling several cultists who were eavesdropping on the exchange between her and Viper. Sneering at them with a soft growl, the cultists recoiled, knowing well enough that she was powerful enough to kill them like she did their brethren. Given space by them, Jaden walked past them while giving them an intimidating glare. She turned towards the hallway and saw Lucas, Markus and Vader standing around the area.

            The very sight of them disgusted her as she felt betrayed by her brothers and her supposedly best friend. Markus and Lucas knew her feelings for them; hence they frowned and turned their head away. Vader, however, turned to stare at her with his flashlight eyes. He then tilted his head, in seeming confusion. Not willing to face them, Jaden turned around walked deeper into the lair, rather than heading for the exit.

            “Jaden Highland. Jaden Highland. We must have an exchange of output.” Vader exclaimed. However, his words went into deaf ears as she continued walking away.

            As she continued making steps into the dark lair, she thought hard about her conversation with Dark Viper, or perhaps her formerly dead father, Blaze Hazard. She felt convinced that Viper was indeed Blaze Hazard, unable to look past the possibility after everything he had said. However, she could not forget, or forgive, his deeds, still able to remember the corpses of her friends around her destroyed homes and the murder of her mother. She could feel the chilly winds brushing past her skin as she faced her mother’s murderer on that fateful day, along with the cold fear up her spine.

            Suddenly, she crashed into a stiff object, creating a loud thud and stinging her forehead with pain. As she rubbed her forehead, she looked up to see a metallic wall and realized that she had reached a dead end. She wondered how long she had been walking and had no idea that she was so distracted by her own thoughts. As she looked around, the only way to walk aside from turning back was a room to her left. As she looked at the door, she saw a sign on it, reading “Church of the Apostate.”

            Filled with curiosity, she approached the door, which automatically opened once she was close to it. Inside, her jaw dropped at a surprisingly grand sight.

            The room, or rather a hall, was massive in scale, not too different from the interiors of King Zian’s castle back in Marsara. The hall was filled with wooden seats, all arranged to face the front with an opening in the middle for people to walk through. The hall was lit by a large number of chandeliers hanging by the ceiling and multiple statues littered the walls, all of which were based on people whom Jaden never recognized. However, one huge statue, placed at the opposite end of the hall where the seats were facing, was very familiar to her. As she observed the statue, she recognized the figure almost in an instant.

            “Ariel Silver.” Jaden muttered out. “They worship her?”

            Feeling drawn to the place, she walked in and felt a sense of calm hit her as she looked around at the candlelit room. She noticed several designs painted on the ceiling and the walls, all depicting religious and godly figures with Ariel appearing amongst them in her signature golden armor.

            However, unlike the stories her mother told her, Ariel’s armor was more modest, contradicting with the stories of the emotionless woman who had no shame in what her armor revealed. Regardless, she was what Jaden imagined her to be. The sight of the statue also took her mind back to when she first visited the Mannihilators, recalling the large Ariel statue built in the middle of Omega City. She then remembered her first meeting with Gavin and noticed how much he had changed from then.

            Once near the Ariel statue, Jaden looked up to it with her jaw ajar. Except for her modest armor, everything about her was what she could flash in her mind. She then noticed her extremely long hair, which reached her waist. Grabbing her own hair, which was similarly as long, Jaden said, “The only reason I never cut my hair was because of you.”

            Thinking about the stories she heard of Ariel, she then asked the statue, “How did you feel when you learned that your twin brother killed thousands of innocents? I hope it isn’t as heart aching as learning that my father killed my mother and brought the Salvagers close to extinction almost singlehandedly, the nation you died protecting. Fortunately for you, you were born without emotions. You wouldn’t how it feels like to be betrayed. I do now.” Remaining silent for a while, she stared at the blank expression on Ariel’s face and admitted, “I will never be as great as you.”

            Exhausted, she backtracked to a nearby seat and sat down. After heaving a heavy sigh, she relaxed herself, releasing all the tension on her muscles, and simply stared at the statue. In comparison to everything she experienced for the past few days, staring at the statue was paradise.

            As several minutes flew by, a voice sounded, coming from next to her, “Visiting early sister?” Startled, she looked at the person while her heart almost skipped a beat.

            The person turned out to be a man, draped in a robe with a similar color scheme as most cultist armors. The man was tanned with gray hair protruding out of his tall hat, along with a beard on his chin. Held on his hand was a staff with a cross at the tip. Rather hauntingly, his appearance greatly resembled Father Heyman, leader of the Cult of Iblisan and the man who attempted to capture Asura on Sarnyr.

            “Father Heyman. What? You here to gloat?” Jaden bellowed.

            “Father Heyman? Now that’s a name I never heard in a while.” the man replied. “Wait…you’re Jaden Highland, are you not? Blaze’s daughter? Your blindfold gave you away.”

            “So you know Dark Viper’s real name then?”

            “Of course. He rarely keeps secrets amongst his fellow lieutenants.”

            “He didn’t tell Elysia that.”

            “Well, I doubt Elysia is excited to hear about her adoptive father’s true identity. Understand that he lies with good intentions.”

            “Just like how my mother lied to me? Yeah right.”

            “Allow me to introduce myself.” the elderly man said as he cleared his throat. “I’m Father Bischoff. I lead what remains of Bastion.”

            “Bastion?” Jaden asked, recognizing the name as the religion that the Cult of Iblisan used to be. “I thought the Cult of Iblisan had assimilated all of Bastion.”

            “That’s only true for a while. Some of us had doubts in the cult’s beliefs and your father managed to convince us to leave. In a way, he saved us.”

            “Like how he saved my mother?”

            “You harbor a lot of anger in you. Be careful not to let it control your judgments. You’ll soon end up like Dark Viper if you lose control of it.”

            Jaden nodded, understanding the wisdom behind his words. She then asked, “Is Blaze Hazard a Bastion?”

            “Ironically, no.” Bischoff replied. “He believes that everyone has the right to believe whatever they want and that no one should force a belief upon another. It’s a wise lesson that sadly most of us are too close-minded to apply, including other Bastions. But, many are trying.”

            “According to my friend, Reed, Bastion caused more harm than good, especially during the First World War.”

            “Sadly, he’s right. Our ancestors are not as open-minded as most of our youth at this time. Many forget the true moral values we learn from our humble religion. Rather, they prefer to use our teachings to turn away others and to abuse the names of our gods and leaders, using them as leverage to hurt others. Ultimately, they forget that Bastion, or religion in general, is manmade while we humans, and everything that lives, isn’t.”

            Jaden listened to his words and was surprised to realize that he was unlike most cultists she met. After a brief moment of silence, she admitted, “You’re different from any cultists, or Dark Viper.”

            “I’ve lived a long life child. I’ve seen and done a lot of things. I guess my wisdom comes primarily from experience.”

            Jaden stared at him and tried to form a smile, trying to let him know that she was starting to respect him. Acknowledging her smile, he sat next to her and looked up to the statue of Ariel.

            “She’s such a wondrous woman, wasn’t she? She’s born without emotions, yet she understands what is right and what is wrong better than even the smartest man in the world.” Bischoff muttered out.

            “She’s one of the reasons why I held a sword in the first place.”

            “And it’s heartwarming to see you following down her noble path, forming a large army to free our people from Iblisan’s grasp.”

            “I’m not a hero, if that’s what you’re saying.”

            “You don’t have to be one to do what is right.” Bischoff replied. “When people think of the word ‘hero’, they think of large, bulky men wearing a ridiculous suit and fighting evil in those comics, or an unrealistically feminine man who can fight better than a real swordsman in those old shows. You’re a woman. You don’t fit into any of those categories. Yet, you’re doing even more than those men-dominant stereotypes. I’ve never met anyone alive who is more deserving than the title, ‘hero’.”

            Jaden chuckled at his criticizing words, though she felt humbled to be given a title like that. However, as she went deeper into her thoughts, her smile turned into a frown as she remembered her mother calling her father a hero in the stories she used to tell.

            “Your father was a hero before the Grand Betrayal.” Bischoff told her. “We all look up to him, especially me.”

            “Do you still look up to him after all he did?”

            “He and Dark Viper may share the same body but they are not the same person.” Bischoff explained. “They are two souls, one original and one artificial, trapped inside one physical body and only released in death. Blaze Hazard is everything we know him as and Dark Viper is everything he isn’t”

            “But it was his body that committed the crime. In fact, he’s the reason why Dark Viper existed in the first place.” Jaden exclaimed.

            “He did something wrong, yes. However, he did something that shouldn’t come as a surprise to a living being. As I mentioned before, if you let your anger control you, you lose yourself to it. On one side, there’s Magical Overflow. On another, there’s the impulse to do what you’d never do otherwise.”

            Jaden sighed; disappointed that Bischoff’s loyalty to Dark Viper cannot be shaken. Noticing her disappointment, he grasped her hand and told her, “If Ariel can find it in her emotionless heart to forgive her own flesh and blood, why can’t you? And what about your mother? She raised you to become the woman you are now and tried very hard to protect you from what led to your father’s downfall. Can you forgive her for lying to you? You’re a kind woman Jaden. Don’t lose it all now to your thirst for vengeance.”

            Jaden remained silent, not reacting at all.

            “The self-proclaimed Father, Heyman, lost himself to his anger. I don’t want to see you end up like him.” Bischoff added.

            “Do you two have history?”

            “He was my student and understudy before the Grand Betrayal. When Dark Viper assaulted, he quickly joined him and believed that Iblisan’s return heralded the inevitable end of the world. I disapproved, telling him that the world will only end only when we can’t do anything to save it. However, I still joined the cult to avoid any unnecessary conflict. Later, I witnessed him torturing a woman, telling her that the God of Creation hates single mothers, before killing her and her bastard son. He and I fought over the morality of his actions. I then left the cult when Blaze convinced us to reject the cult’s beliefs.”

            “That’s mortifying Father.”

            “He’s just one of the many former members of Bastion who has been corrupted by his need for power. Until he opens his eyes to the horror of his actions, he can’t be saved. I’m glad the Goddess of Life and Death, Asura, showed him that he’s still mortal.”

            “You know of the incident in Sarnyr?”

            “We all know. The leader of the Liberator Alliance teamed up with a goddess and took down the leader of the Cult of Iblisan. You have a powerful ally on your side Jaden.”

            Jaden once again smiled, enjoying Father Bischoff’s company and his endless compliments. The duo sat back and continued staring at the statue of Ariel Silver. During those moments of silence, Jaden thought about their conversation and concluded that perhaps she should give her father a second chance. She was still unable to forgive him but she thought that she should let him prove to her that his words were genuine. A sense of guilt went through her body at the last words she told Blaze.

            “I will never…ever…acknowledge you as my father.” Jaden formed the words she said effortlessly on her lips. She thought that it must have been very painful to hear his own daughter said that to him.

            “Jaden.” Father Bischoff called out, prompting her to look at him. “Take out your blindfold. I wish to see the glow in your eyes.”

            Hesitant to blind him, Jaden did nothing. However, a smile and a nod from Bischoff convinced her that he really wanted to have a look. Grabbing the cloth covering her eyes, she pulled it out and the blue ray of light shone at Bischoff. The intensity forced him to shield himself with his arms. Peeking between his arms, he told her, “You have the physical side effects of Magical Overflow, yet you’re not under Iblisan’s control. You’re a powerful one.”

            “Till now, there isn’t any explanation on why my eyes glow like this.”

            “Does it matter?” Bischoff asked. Jaden remained quiet, unable to answer him. She then shook her head, telling him that it did not matter. After wearing back her blindfold, Bischoff lowered his arms and revealed a warm smile.

            “Even with a glow like that, you’re still beautiful. I always knew my daughter would give birth to such a beautiful girl.” Bischoff told her. His words rang in Jaden’s ears.

            “What? Your daughter?” she asked. “My mother…Glacier Highland…is your daughter?”

            However, Bischoff never replied, rather he continued smiling at her while she stared at him with seeming confusion. He then stood up and walked towards the exit as she looked on.

            “Maybe you ought to read the sign on the door more properly Jaden.” he told as just as he left the room. Filled with curiosity, she ran for the exit and had a second look at the sign on the door. She narrowed her eyes to observe sign better and noted several smaller words under the church’s name.

            “Founded by Father Bischoff Highland.” Jaden read out the words. Her heart almost stopped at the revelation and she muttered out, “Can this day get any weirder?” She turned to the hallway and saw him leaving the area. She watched as he entered the pitch black darkness of the path and said, “He actually forgave the man who killed his daughter?” After having a slight headache, she reentered the church and returned to her seat, thinking she needed some time to take it all in.

*     *     *

            “A crazy day huh? This world is so messed up, secrets are everywhere.” a familiar female voice sounded, echoing through the church. Jaden jumped from her seat and looked around for the source.

            “But of course, there isn’t any secret that is more powerful than what we have for you.” the voice continued. Upon hearing that, Jaden knew who the voice was and called out, “Theresa! Come out already!”

            “We’re here.” a voice sounded from behind Jaden’s ears. She jumped forward and turned to see Theresa in the flesh right in front of her with her signature smile.

            “You finally decided to visit me rather than haunt me in my dreams?” Jaden asked.

            “We’re not visiting you. Not exactly at least.”

            “What the hell do you want from me now? This isn’t exactly the best time.”

            “Is there ever a best time for anything?”

            “Well…kind of.”

            “Isn’t it sad that after all this time, only now then you discovered two things which we knew all along? Dark Viper is your father and Father Bischoff is your grandfather.”

            “Not funny Theresa. I don’t like secrets amongst family.”

            “Have you been thinking of the question I left you with? What can you understand that an immortal like Iblisan can’t?”

            “You really think I can think of such things when I learned that my enemy is also my father and that my grandfather is alive all along?”

            “Shouldn’t you? Answering this question could help stop Iblisan.”

            “Ok, you know what? I have enough of this shit!” Jaden shouted.

            “You can’t curse in a church.” Theresa jested.

            “The hell I can!” Jaden retorted. “I’ve been fighting for both my life and my freedom for so long and I’m sick and tired of dealing with shit like this! It’s already bad enough that the man I wanted dead is my father and that he was guided by my mother’s father! I worked too damn hard to reach a roadblock like this and until you start telling me this crazy secret of yours…” Jaden pulled out her sword and threatened, “I will kill you right where you stand!”

            Theresa, unaffected by her threats, continued smiling and replied, “Aren’t you supposed to be happy to know that Blaze Hazard would willingly help you kill Iblisan, without worrying about being stabbed in the back?”

            “I still don’t trust him in controlling Dark Viper!” Jaden shouted. “Right now, your secret seems to be the only thing that can truly stop Iblisan!”

            “Tell me, can Iblisan truly die of natural causes?” Theresa asked out of the blue.

            “What? Why are you asking me that?”

            “Immortals can be killed…but they can’t die otherwise right?”

            “Well...no.”

            “But you…a mortal…you said that you’ve been fighting for your life and freedom…something which Iblisan doesn’t have to worry about because he’s immortal. Doesn’t that answer the question that we left you with?” Theresa explained.

            Jaden, realizing that Theresa was correct, thought about her words while lowering her sword. “She’s right. The one thing that immortals can’t understand that we mortals can is the thought of an inevitable death. We understand that we will die soon. Iblisan can’t possibly know how we feel about this.”

            “You’re getting it Jaden.” Theresa said, obviously reading Jaden’s mind. “You’ve been living your life as a mortal, training to survive, eating to survive, breathing to survive, yet you never realized that until now. Iblisan never needed to train, eat or breathe. He doesn’t understand living life as a mortal.”

            “What does this have anything to do with this secret?” Jaden asked.

            “Now that you’re ready, listen closely and we’ll tell you the secret.” Theresa said. Thought hesitant to listen to her, Jaden sheathed her katana and approached Theresa.

            “As we mentioned before, Iblisan, or immortals in general, can never understand life as a mortal or the concept of mortality.” Theresa explained. “Mortals, on the other hand, can understand immortality with little effort. You just forget about your fear of death and bam! You know an immortal’s life. If you can expose to Iblisan your life as a mortal, he will shudder at the thought. He will be exposed to a fear that he thought will never have. He will be unable to even comprehend the concept of mortality and after losing all of his concentration; his magical shields will be lowered.”

            “And how am I supposed to do that?”

            “You can use telepathy right? Use your telepathic abilities to transfer your memories to him.”

            “I’ve never done that before.”

            “But you can. You just haven’t attempted it before.”

            “Well, I guess I’ll try.”

            “Good. We’re done here.” Theresa declared. Before she had the chance to leave, Jaden attempted to grab her hand. However, her hand went through Theresa’s, causing her eyes to widened with seeming horror.

            “And that’s why you can’t kill us, even if you wanted to.” Theresa told her.

            “Who the hell are you? Seriously.” Jaden managed. “You know so much about me and this world, yet you’re so mysterious. Not even Asura know much about you. Really…who are you?” she insisted.

           

            Theresa, with a smile fixated on her face, gave her an answer which she had been waiting all this time, “I am you.”

            Surprised by how vague Theresa’s answer was, Jaden remain stunned for a few seconds before exclaiming, “What? What kind of answer is that? And only now you decided to say ‘I’ rather than ‘We’!”

            Chuckling, Theresa replied, “You need to learn to chill Jaden. We knew you wouldn’t understand our answer.” Jaden’s brow lowered with even more confusion. Before she could say anything, Theresa said, “Now Jaden, we must leave.” Her body began to dissipate and in a few seconds, Theresa was gone.

            Jaden sighed with exhaustion before leaning back and sitting down onto her seat. She rested her forehead on her hands and started messaging it, trying to ease the stinging pain coming from her headache. Considering everything that she learned in such a short amount of time, she reckoned that she would lose her mind. However, with Viper on her side and the secret disclosed, defeating Iblisan was no longer impossible.

*     *     *

            “So, you thought of a fake name yet Reed?” Gavin asked while nudging Reed with his rifle.

            “Dude, parents have eight months to name their child. I have to think of a cool, memorable, epic name for myself in just five minutes!” Reed retorted.

            “Aww come on. I think any name would fit you just nice, like “Mofo” or “Fubar””

            “Very funny.”

            “Just take us to the lair already. Each minute we waste, Jaden loses a finger.” Gavin exclaimed while nudging Reed again. Heaving a heavy sigh, Reed moved out of the forest and straight towards a nearby mountain, stopping by its base.

            “There’s a huge door by this big pile of rock.” Reed said while pointing at the mountain. “It is password activated.”

            “I know the password right?” Gavin asked him.

            “Of course I do.” Reed said while nodding. He moved closer to door, raised his arms and shouted, “Traitor’s Legacy!” His voice echoed into the mountain and seconds later, the ground trembled lightly. A large portion of the rock began lowering while sand and dusts flowed down the door. Gavin watched with his jaw ajar.

            “Tareshah, Kida, you two getting this?” Gavin said on his radio.

            “Yes we are. Dark Viper really knows how to hide his lair.” Tareshah replied while Kida observed the two men through a pair of binoculars. The duo were prone within the forest, hiding under the bushes and on top of a pile of leaves.

            Once the door was under the ground, Reed and Gavin looked at each other before giving a nod. They were about to march into the lair. However, a pair of cultists, armed with rifles, ran out of the darkness of the lair and approached them. Stopping before them, one of the cultists questioned, “Hold on! Who are you two?”

            “I’m Recruit Nivag.” Gavin answered.

            “And I’m…” Reed added before his sentence trailed, still unable to think of a suitable name for himself. After a few seconds of silence, the cultist asked, “Yes? What is your name recruit?”

            “I’m Recruit…Deer.” Reed answered with extreme reluctance.

            The cultists’ brows rose with seeming shock. They looked at each other before turning back at Gavin and Reed.

            “Before you two say anything…” Reed said out of the blue. “My mother’s a retard. No really.” Gavin glared at Reed as his eyes widened with annoyance, knowing well enough that Reed had blown their façade.

            “Lieutenant Viper, we have a pair of recruits moving in.” one of the cultists said after pulling out a radio off his belt. “One of them is Recruit Nivag while the other is…Recruit Deer.”

            “Deer?” Viper’s distorted voice sounded. “Does he really think we’re that stupid?”

            With their cover blown, Reed and Gavin raised their rifles and aimed at the two cultists, preparing to shoot them down. The cultists reacted by pulling up their own rifles and aiming at them.

            “Don’t shoot them!” Viper shouted through the radio. “Tell them that Jaden’s fine. Take them to me and I’ll explain everything to them.”

            “Don’t even think for a second that we’ll fall for this!” Reed exclaimed.

            “Jaden’s fine Reed.” Viper replied. “You can go ahead and use your Omega Energies to sense for her heartbeat. She’s alive and fine.”

            Despite his suggestion, Reed hesitated to do as he said. He was fearful that Viper may attempt to trick Reed into believing that Jaden was alright. He always knew that Dark Viper was very manipulative and was not ready to fall for his tricks again.

            “Listen Reed, I don’t want any more violence than is necessary. You come in quietly and my men won’t shoot you and your friends.”

            “Give me one good reason why I should trust you.”

            “I don’t need to give you a reason to trust me. I’ll just give you a reason to do as I say. There are hundreds of cultists in here, trained to fight twice as well as the Iblisan-following losers you’ve been fighting. I also have snipers perched up the mountains and with my signal, they can punch a hole into the heads of your friends hiding in the forest. Do as I say and you’ll be alive long enough to see Jaden.”

            Reed’s heart began throbbing, thinking hard on his next course of action. He knew that Viper cannot be trusted. However, if he refused to listen to Viper, he will kill not only him and Gavin, but also Kida and Tareshah. He also thought of the possibility that Viper may not be lying after all, and that Jaden was alive and well.

            Knowing well enough that Dark Viper is in a powerful position, Reed submitted while Gavin followed suit. They lowered their rifles, prompting the cultists to lower their guard too.

            “Now, if you two could come with us, we will take you to meet with our leader. If you don’t hurt anyone, we won’t hurt you.” one of the cultists said while gesturing them to follow. The other cultist then added, “And tell your friends to stop hiding and follow us.”

            “Kida, Tareshah, our cover’s been blown but the enemy isn’t attempting to kill us. They want us to meet with Viper and they know you two girls are out there. They want you two to join us” Gavin informed them.

            “You really think Viper is a man of his words?” Tareshah retorted.

            “Well, no but unless you want sniper bullets in your brain, you girls better come with us.”

            Tareshah sighed before telling Kida of their predicament. With reluctance, they jumped out of their hiding spot and caught up with Reed and Gavin, though they have their weapons in hand.

            “I hope you have a plan lad.” Tareshah whispered to Reed after catching up to him. “I’m guessing we shoot the crap out of that bastard when we see him.”

            “Actually, I don’t have a plan.” Reed replied. “But, we’ll see what happens. If they start attacking us, we’ll give them a fight they won’t forget.”

            “Man…I hope we know what we’re doing.” Kida muttered out.

*     *     *

           

            With the pain from her headache eased down, Jaden leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to sleep and hopefully, forget everything that had happened. A chill of calmness swept through her body as her muscles relaxed and her mind cleared. Her breathing slowed down and her feet no longer restless. She was about to fall asleep, until she felt a soft palm on her exposed shoulder.

            “Jaden…” a female voice sounded. “You alright?”

            Jaden opened her eyes and she saw the beautiful face of her former nemesis and now adoptive sister, Elysia Starnova. She looked down at her with a warm smile, reassuring Jaden that no hostility was intended.

            “Elysia…” Jaden managed. “What the hell do you want?”

            “You were pretty distraught when you walked out of the interrogation room.” Elysia answered. “I’m concerned about you.”

            “Tch, you weren’t as concerned when we met before today.” Jaden retorted. “You were a tough bitch to fight.”

            “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Elysia said while chuckling. The duo stared at each other, unsure on how to continue their conversation. After a brief moment of silence, Elysia asked, “So, what are you doing here? You’re a Bastion?”

            “No. I saw that Ariel statue and I guess this is the only room in this entire lair that I feel safe in.” Jaden replied while pointing at the statue. Elysia turned to look at it before nodding.

            “Yeah. You and me both Jaden. I used to come in here more often as a little girl. Your dad will usually come and tell me that this place is for Bastion only and since I’m not a Bastion, I wasn’t allowed in here. I was a mischievous kid so I don’t really listen to him.”

            She turned back to Jaden and noticed her leaning forward and looking at the floor, thinking hard on something. Knowing what she might be thinking about, Elysia rubbed her back and told her, “Jaden, your dad is not evil. Can’t you at least forgive him?”

            “You talk like as if it is something so easy to do.” Jaden reacted. “And as if it wasn’t enough, I just learned that Father Bischoff is my long forgotten grandfather. My family is really a mess.”

            “Honestly Jaden, I expected you to be happy to know that your father and your grandfather are still alive.” Elysia said. “I lost my entire family when I was just a little girl. I never get to know any of them before they were slaughtered by Iblisan’s men. It was your father that saved my life.”

            Jaden looked up at Elysia, reminded that she was an orphan at a very young age. “I’m sorry. I have forgotten.” Jaden managed.

            “Don’t be Jaden.” Elysia replied. “I’m grateful that I met your father. And, I’m even more grateful to find out that he has two sons and a daughter. It makes this family feel more complete.”

            “Our mother’s dead though.”

            “And there are six of us still alive. Life goes on, and so does our family. Starnova, Highland, Hazard, it doesn’t matter. We’re all family here.”

            Jaden nodded, agreeing with Elysia’s words, although she still felt unwilling to forgive Dark Viper.

            “How did my dad treat you growing up?” Jaden asked.

            “He was gentle to me when I was a little girl.” Elysia answered. “He would play games with me, read story books, a few tickle tortures. I was like a princess to him. He also used to give me pony rides whenever he’s free. I really enjoyed his company. When he learned that I was being bullied by other cultists, he taught me how to defend myself. He was very strict with the training, refusing to let me sleep until I mastered the technique he was teaching me but he means well. In his words, he’s turning the pampered princess into a warrior princess.”

            “From what I’m aware of, he trains you to become his own personal weapon because his age was catching up to him.”

            “To a certain extent. He wanted me to take his place if he ever dies before Iblisan. But, he reassures me that all the training is so that none of the men around me can abuse me in any way. He also wanted me to deal with Iblisan if he couldn’t. At least now, I know why he couldn’t do it himself; Iblisan’s Will.”

            “Well, he certainly taught you well.”

            “The same can be said about you and your mother. You’re the hardest opponent I ever had to deal with.”

            “Have you killed a lot of people?”

            “Yeah. Some I killed because they tried to kill me. Some were assassination targets set by Iblisan or Dark Viper. I honestly don’t enjoy killing but I learned from those experiences that sometimes, to survive, you must end another being’s life.”

            “I know what you mean. My first kill was very painful to me.”

            “Mine too.”

            The two girls then remained silent while looking at each other. Noticing that they had a lot in common, they smiled.

            Elysia sat down next to Jaden and told her, “You know, I always wanted to have a sister.”

            “Really?”

            “I used to have a brother, but he died during the Grand Betrayal. When your father took me in, I was under the impression that he had no other children. I treated your brothers like my own, not realizing that they were your father’s sons. And then, when I learned you’re my adoptive sister, it was somewhat a dream come true.”

            “You were pretty pissed off if I could remember.”

            “Yeah but I was also amazed to know that I have a sister. I really hate the idea of being surrounded by men. It makes me feel out of place. With you as our leader and my sister, I feel more blessed than before.”

            Jaden managed a smile before saying, “Well, I guess I should be happy to know that you can be trusted.”

            Pulling Jaden in, Elysia replied, “We’re sisters now. Why shouldn’t we trust each other?”

            Remaining silent for a while, the duo stared at each other while showing a reassuring smile. Out of the blue, Jaden laid her head on Elysia’s shoulder, surprising her. Tears rolled down Jaden’s cheek, wetting Elysia’s shoulder.

            “I don’t know why…” Jaden managed. “But you remind me of my mother. She’s beautiful, lovely, adoring and we used to share hugs when we’re sad. I miss her.”

            “Don’t be sad Jaden.” Elysia replied. “Trust me, if your mother is still alive, she will be very proud of you. I know I am proud to call you my sister.”

            “Thank you.” Jaden said.

            Elysia then laid her head on Jaden’s before whispering to her ear, “Like I said, we’re sisters now. We look out for each other.”

            For the first time in a long time, Jaden felt a kind of warmth which she thought she would never feel again. She wiped away her tears and formed a smile, satisfied by the idea of calling Elysia “sister”. As her head laid on Elysia’s soft shoulder, Jaden was taken back to her childhood, remembering how it felt like lying on her mother’s lap and the gentle caress of her mother’s hand on her arms. The thought calmed her mind and body and as her eyes closed, she was finally able to sleep.