C-029: Questioning and Revelations

Hours later, as daybreak appeared in the horizon, a group of Sentinels led by Victoria approached the old warehouse where Emi, kneeling and surrounded in a pool of blood, was wallowing in her thoughts ever since she killed Sirius.

"Emi!" Victoria cried out, her expression full of worry and anxiety. "How are you feeling? Emi! Emi!"

Emilia stayed unresponsive, her seemingly broken mind coming back to reality only mere moments later.

"Huh? Big… sis…" said Emilia as she suddenly fainted in Victoria's arms.

"Hey Emi! Emilia! Come on, stay with me!" Victoria's voice lost its composure from Emilia's sudden collapse. "Quick! Call an ambulance! RIGHT NOW!"

"Y-yes!" the voice of the Sentinel who was standing behind her, jumped out from the intensity in Victoria's gaze.

While some sentinels were in panic from their captain's sudden burst of emotions, the remaining ones all wondered what happened in just a single night.

"Hmmm… they're faster than I thought. Well, I got a pretty good haul from this too so… I guess everything is good," thought Ace, seemingly distancing himself from the entire event as he observed everything from a distance.

"Well, let's head back, shall we?" he muttered, stretching out his arms as he left the scene.

---

---

---

The following morning, Emilia woke up in a hospital room, Victoria embracing her tightly as she showered her with assurances of safety.

As days wound down and Emi got questioned about what happened on that day, she continuously processed the events of that night, a question gnawed at her mind: had it all been a terrible nightmare or was it a grim reality that she couldn't avoid?

Her only response was a deep silence that made the light in her eyes fade away into nothingness. And for Victoria, she didn't need any further explanations as she already guessed what had happened.

A corpse missing its head, a pool of blood with Emilia at its center, and the dead eyes she had when they found her. Victoria could only come at one conclusion…

"You remembered, didn't you?" Emi's heart skipped a beat to Victoria's question. "The... things that happened to you in the past."

Her complexion as bad as it could get from the resurging trauma, Emilia suddenly looked in Victoria's direction, whose level of concern drastically increased as her reaction gave her the answer she needed.

"Then why aren't you answering our questions?" Victoria watched Emi who timidly turned away. "Why? Just say something dammit! How the hell am I supposed to help you if you don't share anything with me!"

Abruptly jumping out of her seat, Victoria's eyes teared up. Her pained expression making Emilia's heart hurt with guilt yet still not bringing up the courage to talk.

"I see. So in the end, you still aren't going to talk, are you?" muttered Victoria, leaving the room.

"W-w-wait!" Emilia said, her voice barely a whisper as the door shut completely behind Victoria.

Realizing what she had just done, Emilia continued to wallow in the dark thoughts that were deep within her mind.

"Why couldn't I say anything to her? I should have just told her everything. But why couldn't I do it? What is wrong with me? Maybe I'm afraid of what she'll think after having killed a person. Maybe she'll think I'm a monster, a freak of nature that wasn't supposed to survive. She already knows about what happened all those years ago. She was with me when I was at my lowest. She took me in and cared for me like I was her family. I'm sure if I asked, she would definitely help. So why? Why couldn't I say anything to her? Just why?"

Her mind became a mess as she held her head like a frightened child, tears dripping down her face with a painful expression.

"I'm scared. Somebody… please help me. What should I do? Please tell me what I should do from now on."

---

---

---

Weeks passed by and the beginning of the third term was merely days away. Emilia was physically recovered, but her mind was still far from being okay.

As she looked out the window of her bedroom, the soft glow of the setting sun casting long shadows across it, her gaze drifted out over the cityscape while her mind was still lost in memories she couldn't shake off.

"To think I'm still hung up on that even after all I've been through. And still… I couldn't give her a clear answer. I really am just a pathetic coward," she mused aloud, her voice barely a whisper as she remembered what happened after her dispute with Victoria.

Victoria had apologized for her outburst, explaining that she was on edge due to worrying about her little sister and being this close to losing her.

In response, Emilia also apologized for her silence, taking advantage of Victoria's sympathy to ask her to give her enough time to process everything that had happened. And when the time came, she would tell her everything.

Her thoughts then turned to Ace, the cold memory of him flashing back through her eyes.

"Now that I think about it, I guess... I'll also be seeing him again pretty soon. I wonder... how he handled the situation. His eyes, words, actions… everything about the Ace I saw that night was cold. I'm honestly scared to see him again. What will he do when we see each other again? How will he react? I just… I just want to disappear."

---

---

---

"Quite the sparse news considering the ordeal, don't you think?" asked Hugo, some of the students, including Ace who had been summoned to his offfice, having come back to the academy earlier than the others.

"I couldn't care less," coldly replied Ace, shrugging off the situation while standing in front of Hugo's desk. "Two deaths in a warehouse, and a presumed young girl was the only survivor. Just another kidnapping affair that ended up badly."

"But what about the anonymous messenger who reported the kidnapping to the Sentinel Investigative Bureau? Aren't you intrigued about who he is?" Hugo questioned with a knowing smile which contrasted with the serious air around him.

"Or could it be that your mind is more occupied about the gruesome corpses that were found a few kilometers away from the crime scene?" added Hugo, his expression grave and his tone deeper and more serious than earlier.

"Heh!" Ace scoffed, his tone condescending before becoming colder as his expression also became serious. "Aren't you the one with misplaced thoughts here? You're the person who asked me to keep an eye on Emilia Windsor for who knows what kind of reasons. And yet, you're questioning me about my methods. Isn't that quite self-centered of you, sir?"

"You should watch your tone, boy," subtly ordered Hugo behind an advice as his aura started to flare up.

"I simply did my job. Isn't it your turn to hold up your end of the bargain?" Ace said, his voice somewhat low and menacing as it carried an undeniable weight of truth.

As Hugo heard those words, he realized instantly that Ace had struck a nerve and that he was completely right.

Regaining his composure, "Please pardon me. It would seem I lost my cool there."

Hugo's aura settled down as the boy released a slight sigh of relief.

"Anyway, you said that I should grant your wishes if I wanted your help, right?" Hugo stared intently at Ace as his gaze locked with Ace's eyes. "In that case, what is it that you want?"

"What do you think that is, old man?"

Ace's question was followed by an expression that made Hugo's eyes slightly widen with terror while cold sweat ran down his face.

Inhumane didn't even start to explain how unsettling it was. It was a twisted expression that didn't carry any joy or amusement. A sinister smile that seemed so innocent yet contrasted with his emotionless and cold eyes.

In Hugo's eyes that wasn't the face of a human or even a demon. It was simply void.