It was something between happy and sad... depressed? Lewis thought as he closed his eyes and walked behind Aefia. What is this false prophet? The same hooded man she was talking about when I said mom had been suggested the idea of getting her into the family and letting the things flow the way she wanted them to go, was it just a trap to captivate her easily?
By nine thirty, they had left the area and walked through the garden gate this time. And now it was nine fourty-five, around ten minutes had passed with trying to sprint here. The steps creaked heavily as they both climbed and rushed into their rooms while coming out like nothing had happened. They both rushed towards the hall as pain highlighted on her face within seconds.
It was scary how she just left there with no other words and suddenly, when he asked her about what they had been really saying, the only reply heard was, "I don't know whether what they said was true or false, but who can tell that?" But at the same time, it was visible she was lying.
"Then did you tell the same thing to tell George?" His expression had turned stern as she came to a stop while running and started walking with her black shoes clicking against the ground. That was another lie. What did she say then? Leaving for a short while to take a rest? Something like that? He thought to himself while racking his mind. No, she must have said something big.
"I didn't say much." The only reply that came out of her mouth. "You had previously asked me some questions when I stayed silent and went upstairs to my room. I thought, maybe I should answer them." Her gaze, which was previously locked towards the carpet and her steps, moved upwards slowly. "I know human mind, because I have faced many kinds of people with the same mentality, multiple times in my life and that has now become a lesson for me."
"How? You are still quite young." Lewis didn't seem to understand. He may have been in a state of mind where he was slightly frustrated and didn't really want to understand, so she kept it simple. "The age of eight, I thought I knew my parents' minds. But I didn't know that was also going to be a turning point of my life."
"My uncle was a very powerful person, and I went to seek help from him to stop my parents from hurting my unborn brother, but I didn't think he was going to have a different intention of raising me. There, I was a forced into facing many types of people throughout my first year. By the end of my ninth year alive, I came to realize that almost everyone thought the same way, to their own benefits.
"I told my uncle why this was so, and he responded by saying because the human mind is afraid to harm themselves and their own belongings, and it may either result in the benefit of one entity, or the benefit of none. At rare cases, benefits to both. That was just one way I learned how to identify them with their minds and intentions." She slowly explained the knowledge accumulated by here throughout the ages.
"But you were smarter from before that, how do you explain so?"
"That's simple, while they speak, they would be saying multiple things about themselves and comparing you to them and their position. If they are greedy, they would sometimes say they are broker then you, but during your hard times, they would say the opposite. Same goes to arrogant in power, which they would reject you if you were a downfall for them or of no use." Her fingers easily mendled with the stitches of her sleeves.
"And when did you realize...that you were at a point where hesitation was a major key to survival?" The most unexpected question made her abruptly stop while her pupils shrunk, revealing a maroon hue around the iris. It didn't last long, since she soon started to smile again, with her eyes shadowed and resumed walking as if nothing happened. "When I was twelve, killing many people at the same time as losing my sanity."
"Why were you killing people? At twelve?"
Many questions will pop out now, but I will end it with the true answer, knowing it will neither be advantageous to me nor disadvantageous. "That was around the time the other foreign business rushed into my uncle's building. Destroying almost half of everything, including armies and people, tearing away their...body parts. Some had their eyes plucked out...and that caused a trigger in me to fight back."
Lewis turned extremely silent, even breathing would cause echoing sounds at this instant. She continued spilling words like they were just stapled memories inside the inner walls of her mind. "I killed one, then two, then five at once, and kept going as if taking unwanted revenge against them, and no one dared to stop me. Because they all felt like I would end them too, if they were going to go against me."
"That was the majority of how I started turning savage, but it wasn't until the realization hit that someone inside the building was going to kill the people next. The urge to silence them through battle, I guess I was just a kid back then, and I didn't even get to think twice while placing bombs and letting them blast...and burn them. My humanity was lost there, and it took way longer to realize I wasn't what I wanted to be as a person. I took a break, but as a child, my mind was fixated at the savageness.
"It took long convincing and restricting from my uncle until I finally was able to drop weapons and moved away from there, continuing as a normal human and trying to strive for it. But even every now and then, I did go through some controlled combat, because that was the reason I had seeked help from my uncle and as a repay for the help he was providing.
"You can say that was the end over there, and I returned to being a human, but the nerves didn't reset themselves to my past set up...and I still look out for fights. Of course, they are at rare occasions when I am forced to. I still have the rageful part of myself from then, and that is what fuels me to keep myself alive if I hadn't taken my revenge just yet." She shrugged at the very last while finishing it off and looking towards Lewis who was shocked like always. "Is that enough explanation? How I am so talented at identifying people and restraining myself at most times?"
"Yes...I guess." His eyes returned to normal after a short time, and only one more question was left in his mind. "Any advice as to how I can do it myself?" As if annoyed by the previous conversation, she bent her head forward and slowly replied. "Yes...just learn from reality."
Both of them smiled as they realized reality was something they were facing on a daily basis, so it just meant go learn from others or more precisely, learn it yourself, that's the fastest way. "I honestly don't understand one thing. People say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. What the problem here is, the lemonade is a necessary thing, but where do I get the lemons?" Lewis suddenly spoke after a long moment.
Aefia stared at him with disbelieve, with no smile and just questioning if his mind had gone mad due to the way she had just answered the questions. "Now you are turning life lessons into jokes? Learn comedy from somewhere else." She disregarded the matter while waving her hand.
"Do you clearly remember what the hooded man had said to the duchess? Like how exactly I would save the empire or something?" The sudden change in question, shifted the air around the corridor and left a long moment of silence. Either recalling or thinking, he tried his best to describe what was told that day when he suddenly presented the idea to their mother and out of the contrary, bringing up the matter about the empire.
"He said there was a powerful person who had the capability to outsmart many people, including wild beasts. That if the empire had their brain, we might be in a better position or our fate will move towards a better change. The description was, somewhat something to do with a situation, like destroying worlds and a group called the Torture Cell, the subordinate and the sudden dungeon appearances. But if you were asking about how you were told about, then they said...someone who would have a stronger presence then many other magic users combined." He explained while glancing at her sideways.
"And to think, you do have four or more powerful presence around you, acting as a shield that traps your mind inside. But it isn't always the same, sometimes it is an unstable presence and the others...it seems like they are taking away your own magic energy. Just recently, I think there is another following you around." He glanced behind her, but there was no traces of the suspicious energy flow behind her, and her own red glow was turning into narrower lines around her. "In case you know, my element allows me to see the magic energy levels someone harnesses, and the five presences around you are currently not around."
"Five? I thought it was four previously." She looked at her fingers, turning pale at the tips. To restore blood into them, she tightly clenched her fingers into a fist and let both her arms hang at her sides. Her eyes stayed fixated towards the end of the hall.
"Maybe we can talk about that matter at a later time. For now, you should be concerned about the hooded man since they were the one who seems to be controlling your life." Lewis added while they both changed their expression into one that suited the look of 'nothing happened'. "And I can really tell...you had the butler tell George something that worried him deeply."
Their elder brother glanced at them who were approaching slowly, while almost seeming like he were going to rip off the soul out of the weak butler. His eyes were fierce with a dark black colour covering his eyes, which turned back to purplish when he looked at the two of them. "Get ready to run...I guess." Lewis silently spoke while noticing this.
"Yeah...right..." Aefia signed. Their brother retracted his hands from Cedric who stumbled backwards multiple times. "You two are in trouble for leaving the palace grounds at around this time." While adjusting his glasses, he spoke with a stern stare and a strict voice. "I know this is the first time, so I will make sure this doesn't happen the next time too."
His eyes locked at Aefia who was standing slightly behind, and a few words fell out from his mouth. "I will have to put you in extra supervision from now on, do you know you have gotten stalkers behind your back? They are trailing you until they get to finally kill you, and you don't have an ounce of scare in your face."
"I mean...if they want to kill me, let them. Because it's not like they won't die trying to do so. As long as my element is still working, I have multiple ways to protect myself. But that's not what I told him to tell you, where did you get that much information? Anyway, I would have been successful in running away if he didn't follow me." Her finger pointed at the person in front of her as he held doubt his hands and protested back while pointing his finger back at her.
"What! Don't you think I would have been worried she might have gotten hurt while trying to 'deliever an item'?! And I didn't know she was running away! Otherwise I wouldn't have followed along!" He stopped mid-way while replaying his own words in his mind. "Running away? When were you running away?" He held his sharp gaze at her, but in return, she looked in question towards George.
"I thought you were going to help me escape this palace boundaries." Aefia's dark eyes flared with a slight maroon colour as the words uncontrollably left her mouth. Looking back and forth, Lewis found himself in between an untold conversation where there was a major plan that failed halfway from being properly executed due to his presense. Then, his mind flashed at the image of the time their mother had no hesitation on her face while sticking a knife into her hand and that blood flowed down the garden tiles, staining them temporarily red. With that, I think I understand why she chose to do so.
"Now that I know, even I am sorry to say, I am against your idea of escaping around this time. You don't know who that hooded man and what he wants out of this matter. So it's best to stay put under heavy guard until he finally shows up." He spoke while turning around and walking away.
Suddenly, as if she was just acting, with a shrug, words fell out from her mouth that scared both of the people still present. "I guess there is no return after this." A smile placed onto her face, she looked forward where a ginger haired girl was petting the three dogs at her feet. "I recall someone said that girl would be my classmate. If I am truely going to school tomorrow, I don't want to be left alone."
Her steps lifted, and dissapearing into the crowd, the butler too quickly moved away, but Lewis stoped him with his words. "Did you know the hooded man? Who is he and what is his mission with her?"
"The hooded man...in short, he is a loyal follower of the Guardian of Silence. In a somewhat, empty conversation, that's all I could get out of him. There was a contract breach between the young master and him, which sent the Guardian into a sort of rivalry with her. If you ask why..." He paused midway in his explanation.
"The young master is much stronger and knowledgable than the Guardian. Forming a jealousy bond between them."