Chapter 20: The Bitter Truth

Along the empress' carrier ship. Aven's ship is seen flying through the buildings along the surface. Only a few ships are traversing to and fro.

Within the ship, Alecia rests her chin on her hand while watching the buildings pass by. Her eyes scanning from one building to another, only for her to catch a glimpse of someone looking out from their window.

"Very strange." Alecia whispered out as the building goes out of view.

"What is?" Aven said, still focusing ahead.

"My sister's ship." she noted, looking ahead for a moment.

"Having these buildings. The way people are actually living here..." she pauses for a moment.

"It's unheard of."

"It's rather impressive, isn't it." Aven said, looking at her with a smile.

"They are not here for free. Each person has an important job on the ship."

He clears his throat.

"They keep it afloat, and in return they reap the benefits of having a meal every day, if you know what I mean." he said, looking at her, only to look ahead once more.

"You live here too, don't you?" Alecia asked, looking at him with curiosity.

"Yes." he said, nodding slightly.

"As well as Leah; she moved here recently."

He looks at her for a moment, and narrows his eyes.

She catches his gaze, only to frown with a smirk

"What?" she said, chuckling.

"You never realized." he said, looking ahead.

"Realized what?" She said, now frowning at him.

"That you haven't coughed for quite a while now." he said, smiling slightly as he keeps his gaze fixed ahead.

"Oh?" She said, narrowing her eyes.

"It never crossed my mind."

"When I brought you back from being unconscious." he said, with a calm tone.

"I also healed a few of your symptoms too."

Alecia looks down for a moment. If she thinks about it, she does feel a lot better than the night before.

"Well, thank you." She said, smiling at him.

"It's the least I could do." He said, leaning forward, and looks ahead with his eyes narrowed.

"Looks like we're here."

Alecia looks ahead, and lowers her gaze, only to see a building. Not very large. Four windows, two on each side, and a large door for the entrance. Two guards are seen standing at the entrance.

Aven delicately lowers his ship, as the thrusters keep it steady.

The ship lands on the road, and goes silent as the engines power down.

Alecia opens the door only for her to feel a hand grip her arm. She looks at Aven with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Advice..." he said, with a stern look in his eyes.

"Keep calm, and let me do the talking. Alright?"

Alecia averts her eyes. Keep calm? She hasn't even met the man yet, perhaps Aven has a good reason for what he said.

"Of course." she said, with a slight nod, and moves Aven's hand off.

Alecia steps out the ship, and closes the door, only to look at the building before her. Guards at the entrance. Clay must be important somehow.

Her thoughts get inturruped by Aven closing the door of the ship.

"We shouldn't waste any more time now." Aven said, walking towards the building, followed by Alecia.

Alecia gazes up at the apposing building ahead with an intrigued look in her eyes.

"His place looks rather guarded." She said, almost hinting about the two guards at the entrance.

"Of course it is." Aven said, looking ahead, as they walk near the place.

He looks at her.

"You seem surprised by that fact."

"No." She said, looking ahead.

"Just wondering, that's all." She finished her sentence as they both get stopped by the gaurds.

"Hold it, you two." The one guard said.

"What's your business here?" The other one said, looking at Aven.

"You know why." Aven said, frowning at him.

"Clay." he glares at the other guard.

"He's busy now." The one guard said, standing firm while eyeing them both.

"Come back later." The other guard said, with a calm tone.

Aven frowns slightly as he looks at them both.

"Well..." He said, turning to Alecia beside him.

"Do you know the empress?" He said, looking at them once more.

"Is that a trick question?" the one said. Irritation sounding in his voice.

"You see this woman standing beside me?" Aven asked, looking at her, which only urges her to cringe.

"So?" one of them said, shrugging his shoulders.

"It turns out that the empress herself has a sister." Aven continued, with a smug smirk on his face.

"And she's standing before you."

"That's a lie." The one guard said with a frownful look on his face.

"Do you really want to take that bet?" Aven said, looking at him, still with a slight smirk.

"Now imagine this." Aven continued, and crosses his arms.

"She's very sick. The empress ordered me to bring her here."

The two guards turn their attention to Alecia, and looks at each other.

"Do you want me to go back, and tell her the news that you two refused to let us see him?" Aven said, looking at them with a calm collected gaze.

The one guard looks at the one beside him, and looks at Aven once more. His jaw tightens.

"W-we told you that he's busy." he said in frustration.

"Or better yet." Aven's eyes narrow.

"Have her lose her life because of you. Besides Clay; I wonder who she'll blame as well."

The two guards turn to each other with worrisome looks on their faces.

"So...?" Aven said, eyeing them both.

"Fine." The one said, now with a calm tone.

"You can go in." he looks at Alecia, and steps aside.

"Come on." Aven said, looking at Alecia, only to open the door and walks in.

Alecia walks in after him, while avoiding eye contact with the two guards.

Meanwhile...

Back at the guard halls, within the passage of cells. The last cell, Raine resides.

She sits on the bed with her eyes closed. She's still, and calm. Her breathing, slow, and steady.

Near the energy field of her cell, a tray of prepared food hangs on the wall. Portions of it have been eaten already.

Footsteps are heard outside as it gets louder, and clearer. Raine opens her eyes, and turns her gaze to energy field, and sees the woman she recognises all too well.

"Afternoon, soldier..." Raine pauses, and looks down for a moment.

"Leah..." She mutters away, only to look ahead of herself.

"Raine." She said, with a calm tone in her voice. Her eyes trail down at the foodtray, amd stares at the contents.

"I have come to talk, if you don't mind." Leah said, resting her hand on her hip.

"I don't have to talk..." Raine said, looking at the nails of her hand.

"But, since I don't get much company here, I wouldn't mind."

"Alright." Leah said, crossing her arms.

"You said something last night..." Leah's eyes twinkle, and looks at her.

"You asked about that white-haired woman. Why?"

Raine closes her hand, and frowns, only to look her way. She stands up from the bed, and calmly walks towards the tray of food.

Raine picjs up a brown vegetable from the tray, and stares at it.

"I could sense it from her." she said, turning it over, and looks at the burnt side.

"She's in much distress."

She brings the vegetable to her lips and takes a bite from it, only to chew it while staring blankly.

"What do you mean?" Leah asked, eyeing the vegetable in Raine's hand.

Raine stops chewing, and looks at her.

"Apart from her emotional turmoil." she said, looking at her.

"Physically; she's weak, and she's getting weaker every moment." She chuckles softy as she looks at the normal side of the vegetable.

"She hasn't got much time left." She looking at Leah with a slight smile.

"What?" Leah, said, wide-eyed.

She looks at the floor for a moment.

"I do remember her telling me, she was sick." She looks at Raine.

"Illness..." Raine said, looking at the vegetable once more.

"What goes around." She turns the vegetable, and stares at the burnt side.

"Comes back around." She mutters softly.

"What did you say?" Leah asked , frowning.

"Oh nothing..." Raine said, smiling slightly at her.

"By the way, you were lucky last night." She looks at the vegetable, and takes another bite from it; now only a quarter of it remaining.

Leah frowns with a narrowed look in her eyes. Her hand closes into a fist, still with her arms crossed, as she stares at Raine as she stops chewing.

"Do you know each other?" Leah asked, slightly leaning to one side, and takes one step forward, now having a better view of Raine.

She drops quarter vegetable in the tray, and rubs her hands off.

"I know her." she said, only to avert her gaze.

"Well..." She looks at Leah.

"She seemed to not know me."

Raine walks in front of the energy field, and faces her.

"I remember her friends too." She continued.

Leah moves her head slightly. Her eyes still locked on her.

"She use to have three or four if l can remember." Raine said, averting her gaze, and looks at her.

"What surprised me though..." She steps towards her until she's inches from the energy field.

Raine smiles slightly while looking into her eyes.

"Is that you could do the same thing they do." She said, with a calm tome in her voice.

Leah takes a step back, while she brings her arms to her side.

"Tell me..." Raine, said with a smirk on her face.

"How did you learn it?" She asks.

Leah opens her mouth slightly, and hesitates. She averts her eyes, and looks at Raine.

"Come on, Leah..." Raine smoothed her words, still gazing at her.

"You can tell me."

"M-my brother." Leah answered, with a nervous look on her face.

"He taught me."

Raine widens her eyes with a smile.

"Interesting." She said, with a calm tone in her voice.

"So one of them is actually your brother." Her words, urges Leah to avert her gaze for a moment.

Raine chuckles, only for Leah to look her way once more.

"I suppose that white haired woman is a friend of yours?"

"Maybe..." Leah, said with a neutral look on her face.

Raine smirks once more.

"Do you know..." She pauses for a moment.

"How much do you know of her? Her history? What she did?"

Leah frowns, and crosses her arms.

"I only just met her a few months ago." She said, looking down the hallway, only to look at her.

"But what do you mean anyway?" she asked.

"Oh..." Raine said, beginning to pace within her cell.

"Do you really think you can trust her?"

"She's not a bad person." Leah said, narrowing her eyes at her.

"Is that what you think?" Raine said, as she stops pacing.

"If you think I'm bad, you haven't seen anything." She frowns at Leah.

"You haven't seen what she did. Both her, and your brother."

"Leave my brother out of this." Leah said, stepping towards her cell with an irritated look on her face.

Raine chuckles with a growing smile.

"I killed many people in my life." She said, staring into her eyes.

"But I pale in comparison to your brother and her."

Leah's face begins to curl up in anger at her. Which only urges Raine to raise her chin, still with a snirk.

"Try genocide." She said wifh a cold tone.

"Maybe even worse than that." Raine's smile disappears, only to glare at Leah.

"I've heard enough from you." Leah said, quickly turning, and walks away with a frownful look on her face.

"What's the matter, Leah!?" Raine called out.

"All I did was tell the truth!"

Leah walks faster down the halls as she gets further away from Raine's cell.