Chapter 44: The Empress' Grace

Alecia has been bathing for half an hour. Washing the blood off her hair took more time than she had realized.

The door of the bathroom slides open as she steps out.

Turning left into the hallway, she ties her loose hair into a ponytail. Short strands of hair hang along the sides of her ears. Calmly, she walks down the passage.

When she was relaxing in the hot water, her mind was elsewhere. Her thoughts were tracking back to everything that led her here.

After a moment, she stops abruptly in front of a table, a bottle of perfume having drawn her attention. It is not the desire to use it, but the fact that it is laying on its side.

Letting out a sigh, Alecia straightens the bottle before she continues walking. Still, she has a troubling feeling. No matter how hard she tries, she couldn't recall the night before.

This frustration she feels is very similar to how she felt back on earth; back when she had amnesia. After everything that has happened, she wishes she never got her memories back. It's all to painful for her.

Passing a few windows along the wall, she turns her gaze to look outside before seeing large skyscrapers in the distance.

Narrowing her eyes, she tilts her head slightly. It's odd to her seeing them. She doesn't remember such tall structures on Ruth's ship.

After a moment, she widens her eyes, realizing that she is no longer in the ship. Averting her eyes, her mind stirs for a moment. Perhaps she is still on the ship, where it is now settled in the city she barely recognizes.

Large buildings stand tall, flaunting the city's brilliance. Bridges are seen connecting from the one skyscraper to the other. Ships are just as busy here as they were in Senteria. Under the bridges, a seemingly endless line of them fly parallel to each other.

This is very different to Senteria, Alecia was sure of that. It can only be the one city she knows best, the very same one she grew up in. It is the one and only:Waranthal. Smiling, she continues walking through the hallway.

—

Standing behind the doors on the balcony, Alecia looks through the square windows. Smiling, she spots Ruth standing near the wall of the balcony.

Opening the doors, she steps through before walking towards her. Even when she's feeling down, seeing her sister cheer her spirits up. Whatever problems she has, it melts away when being in her company.

Ruth turns around, and looks at her.

"Hey there, sis," she gestures a gentle wave.

"Your hair looks much better now that it's clean."

Smiling at her comment, Alecia walks towards her before halting near the one glass table, accompanied by two chairs. On the surface, a loaf of cake lay with a knife beside it.

"You may cut yourself a slice if you like," she heard Ruth say, urging her to look up at her.

"It was baked this just now, by Lumina. She is quite the baker."

Reaching for the loaf, a growing pain emerges in her head, causing her to groan before placing her hand on her forehead.

Ruth's smile fades.

"Are you okay?" she takes a step forward, but no response.

"Alecia?"

Opening her eyes, Alecia sighs before lowering her hand, only to stare at the other one resting on the knife.

"I'm okay now." Turning to Ruth, she walks towards her.

"You won't have a slice?"Ruth said, watching her tand beside her.

"Thank you, but not now," she said, staring at the city below. Her eyes train to the large pond below, square in shape. The water within it, remains stagnant.

"After all this time, this city remains beautiful." Ruth turns to Alecia.

"I'm sure you see a lot of changes."

Looking at the towering structures, Alecia's eyes narrow.

"It has." She turns to Ruth.

"Still brings back memories though."

"What are your plans for the day?"

"Not sure," Alecia said, looking ahead once more.

"I do have one idea." She raises her hand, urging Ruth to widen her eyes slightly at the sight of the knife within Alecia's grip.

"What are you doing with that?" She asked, moving her foot back.

"It will be okay." She turns the knife slightly, causing the blade to glint from the sun's light.

"You want this too."

Turning to her gaze to Ruth, her eye-pupils ignites with a turquoise glow. Just then, a spatter of blood hits her face. Her lips twist into a smile before watching her sister choke on her own blood with the knife impaled into her neck.

Taking the blade out from her neck, she watch as Ruth look up at her in horror before collapsing to the ground.

Alecia glares down at her body. No emotion, regret, or sympathy in her eyes. Nothing is seen within her eyes.

Moving through her conscious, or lack thereof. Swirling into a wormhole, streaks of light pass by. Within this moment, the sound of a woman screaming echoes everywhere before getting louder with time.

"Alecia!" Ruth's voice is heard calling.

A flash of light ignites before peeling away. Ruth is seen already on her knees holding Alecia's shoulders, trying to calm her screaming.

With her hands clutched on the sides of her head and her eyes shut, Alecia stops screening before crying out.

Ruth continues to call out her name, and tries to calm her, but it is not use.

"Alecia! Stop it!" She slaps her across the face, causing her cries to stop.

Opening her eyes, she stares at Ruth for a moment, her pupils still glowing with a turquoise hue, urging Ruth to widen her eyes at the sight of them.

After a moment, Alecia's pupils dim out until they return to their natural blue. Raising her hand to her cheek, she stares at Ruth in disbelief; her sister, she's alive.

"Ruth," her voice trembled when saying her name.

"Y-you are.. You slapped me?"

"Thst was the only thing to shut you up," Ruth said, taking her hands off her arms.

"All of a sudden you started screaming,"

"I-I..." Alecia's voice continued to tremble. She still can't believe she's seeing her now. Still, she feels disturbed at what happened. She wonders if it was all a terrible hallucination. Ever since she woke up, things like these have been happening.

"Alecia?" Hearing her name, snaps her away from her thoughts before focusing her attention on Ruth.

"Are you okay now? You look like you've seen a gh-"

Alecia moves in and hugs Ruth tightly, before she continues to cry. With the sudden surprise from her sister, Ruth wraps her arms around Alecia as well.

"I'm so sorry, Ruth," Alecia's voice trembled out, before closing her eyes; causing more tears to flow down her cheeks.

"I've neglected you for years, been so selfish, and inconsiderate of your feelings-"

Ruth's face softens into a saddened expression.

"It's okay now, sis," she starts rubbing her hand along her back.

"No, it isn't..." Alecia retorted.

"I did so many terrible things that I regret. There are times where I wish I could go back and just do things differently. To undo what I did."

Letting out a sigh, Ruth pulls herself away before placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Oh, Alecia. It's in the past, there's nothing you and I could do about it now." She stands up with Alecia.

"B-but..." Alecia stuttered before pausing as she stares at her with a saddened look in her eyes.

"Why can't you say you forgive me?"

"Alecia, I-" she is interrupted when her gaze switches behind Alecia.

"Aven."

With that, Alecia's eyes widen. She can't let him see her like this. She wipes her eyes and face with her sleeves before turning around to face him.

Aven steps towards them, and halts when he spots the loaf of cake and the knife on the table.

"I heard a scream. Is there something wrong, Empress?" He looks at Ruth, and Alecia with a frown.

Clearing her throat, Ruth joins her hands at her abdomen.

"Do not worry yourself," she looks over her shoulder at Alecia before turning to Aven once more.

"I have already handled it."

Aven steps aside to look at Alecia, and notices her body language. It's whenever she's troubled is when she has her hand placed over her arm. Looking up at her face, he even notices the bags under her eyes.

'So it was her who was screaming. Perhaps even crying too.'

"What, Aven? Why are you staring at me like that?" Alecia asked, with a fustrated look on her face, urging his eyes to widen with his cheeks turning red.

Averting his gaze, he cleares his throat as well before letting out a sigh as he tries to ignore the heat from his face.

"I was just checking to see if you're okay," he said, raising his hand with a gesture.

"Especially from what happened last night."

"I'm fine." She said, keeping a calm composure.

"Though it is hazy. I can't seem to remember much about last night." She turns to the chair before taking her seat.

Looking down at Alecia for a moment, he nods slightly.

"I thought as much."

"If you want a slice of cake, you are more than welcome to help yourself," Ruth said, gesturing her hand to it, before joining her hands once more.

"I am honored by your offer, Empress, but I'll have to decline," he said with a slight smile.

"Rather, I would like to take a seat, if you let me."

"I don't see why not," she said, raising her shoulders slightly.

He thanks her before taking his seat across Alecia.

"What is my daughter doing, Aven?"

"She is taking a bath as we speak, Empress."

"Understood," Ruth said, before pulling a chair out from the table, and takes her seat.

"Are ready to discuss the current predicament?"

"Of course." Aven said with a nod.

Alecia stays silent while listening to them. It makes her cringe just hearing how formal Aven and Ruth talk whenever they're around each other. Closing her eyes, she lets out a sigh.

"Are you listening, Alecia?" Ruth said, snapping Alecia away from her thoughts.

Looking at both of them, she lets out a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Ruth. I zoned out there."

"As I was saying,* Ruth said, with a slight fustration in her voice.

"Early this morning, I've already let the council know about the escaped prisoners. They didn't seem too happy about it all."

"Plus," Aven added, urging Alecia to look at him.

"They left a few casualties before they took the invader's ship."

"Do you know where they went?" Alecia asked, getting comfortable in her seat.

"I've already had Aven send a search team after them."

"Though it is unlikely that they'll find them."

"The universe is a big place," Alecia said, shrugging.

"Unfortunately," Aven simply said before leaning forward with his elbows in the table.

Alecia looks at Ruth.

"But why have a prison on your own ship?"

Letting out a sigh, Ruth picks up the knife within her hand, urging Alecia stare at it; reminding her of that nightmarish hallucination.

"I had to export the prisoners from Senteria to Waranthal, before sending them off to Cthulhu."

"Cthulhu?"

"You don't know about Cthulhu?" Aven asked Alecia.

"Never heard of it."

"Of course you wouldn't," Ruth added before taking a bite from her slice of cake. After a moment, she swollows and turns her gaze to Alecia.

"It's highly classified. Furthermore, it is not located on our planet."

"So what is it?" Alecia asked, before watching Ruth take a bite from the slice of cake once more, urging her to look at Aven for answers.

"So?"

Aven crosses his arms and looks at her with a calm gaze.

"Cthulhu is a prison, known to hold thousands of criminals of different species in the most maximum security setup."

"So..." Alecia pauses before looking down.

"So in other words, no one has ever escaped," Aven added, urging her to look up at him.

"And that prison has been in deep space for centuries. It is even built to hold you and I."

Widening her eyes at what he said, Alecia has the sensation of chills running down her spine.

"So it's like a galactic prison?"

"Exactly like that," Aven said, turns to Ruth before looking at Alecia again.

"Your sister has done you and I a huge favor too."

"What do you mean?" Alecia asked, narrowing her eyes at him before looking at Ruth.

Ruth finishes her slice before wiping her hands clean with a cloth.

"Aven has done a lot for me over the years since you've been away," she folds the cloth and places it on the table.

"Since you and him, including the other two; Silas and Kevra. Since the four of you have done questionable things in the past, Cthulhu took notice and they wanted me to hand you all over to them."

Widening her eyes, Alecia feels as if her heart just dropped.

"A-and?"

"Out of grace, I lied to them. I told them that Aven and Silas had already been killed."

"What about me, then?" Alecia asked, fustration sounding in her voice.

"At the time, I was under the impression that you were dead," she said, looking at Aven before looking at her once more.

"And Kevra has long since disappeared." Aven added.

"They even thought I was lying, and decided to come search for you after I sent Aven and Leah to Earth to find your body."

"That was considerate of you," Alecia said, eyeing the cake on the table.

"Let me guess..." Ruth draws her attention to her.

"When hearing they were coming," Alecia said, reaching for the knife, only to hesitate with the shuddering of her hand.

"Only then, you decided to send Aven to get me." Just then, Aven takes the knife from her hand before cutting a slice for her.

"Yes." Ruth simply said.

Letting out a sigh, Alecia takes the slice from Aven before looking at Ruth.

"What if they didn't come?" She frowns at her sister, urging Ruth to frown at her as well.

"Would you have sent him still?"

"Of course," Ruth said, glaring at her.

"Are you questioning my moral decisions now?"

"No," Alecia simply said, shaking her head.

"But you had all this time to get me."

Ruth lets out a sigh with her eyes closed.

"Just keep calm, Empress. She's just asking questions." Aven said, resting his hand on her shoulder.

Opening her eyes, she looks at him before taking his hand off her shoulder.

"Since you failed to recall, sister. I was told you were dead. Last time I checked, picking up a dead loved one is not one's top priority."

"Well it should be," Alecia said, glaring at her as well.

"It isn't mine." Ruth's words, only seem to anger Alecia more.

"Just stop arguing with your sister, Alecia." Aven said, glaring at her, urging her to turn to him.

"Empress," he turns to Ruth.

"Don't interfere, Aven," Ruth said, closing her eyes with a frown.

"Forgive me, Empress," he said, with frustrated look.

"But, we don't need to create conflict. Let's focus on our previous subject, please."

"As you wish," Ruth said, opening her eyes to look at Alecia. Both of them just glare at each other for a moment.

"Aven." She said, turning to him.

"Yes, Empress?"

"That other prisoner, the gin," Ruth continued.

"You said she escaped with the other prisoners?"

"That is correct. I saw with my own eyes."

"That's unfortunate," Ruth said looking at Alecia, who has calmed down a bit, urging Alecia to look away.

"Cthulhu would have been pleased with her addition." She looks at him.

"I'm sure the search team will find Raine, Empress."

"I doubt they could handle her," Alecia added, urging the two to look at her.

"Especially since she has a whole host of prisoners with her."

"You have a point," Ruth said with a sigh.

"It might be too dangerous for the search team. For their sake, it's probably best they don't find them."

"Yeah," Aven simply said, dragging the plate of cake near himself.

"Alecia and I could barely hold our own against Raine herself."

"Well then," Ruth said, looking at Alecia.

"Until after we meet with the council, we can't do anything else about the situation with that gin, as of yet."

"When will they be gathered to meet?" Alecia asked.

"Sometime today," Ruth answered.

"Still not sure the exact time."

Alecia stares at both Ruth, and Aven for a moment.

"Alright." She nods.