CHAPTER 21

At Alex's house, the three unlikely allies tried to have a normal meal, despite the screams and explosions coming from the street.

“It seems she really liked you... How strange, since she's so antisocial.” Theresa said, pointing to her pet, which was curled up on Lÿarah's lap.

“What is she, actually?” Lÿarah asked, petting the animal's head.

“She's a Miah... and I call her... Miah. Since I was alone in this house, I received a calling to bring her here to keep me company.”

“Miah? That's interesting... but I think this creature is very peculiar. She doesn't have strong claws; she doesn't seem to be a powerful predator. How does a creature like this survive in nature?”

“That's the point. She doesn't survive.” Theresa said.

“I see... And what's her purpose?”

“Purpose? None; on the contrary, she costs a lot and requires a lot of attention and care. She's just for companionship.”

“But... how can a creature like this exist?”

“She was domesticated, Lÿarah,” Alex explained. “In ancient times, these animals, which were wild, started living among us, to the point of becoming dependent on humans. Their survival now depends on human action.”

“What a waste of resources...” Lÿarah exclaimed.

“But she's cute. Isn't she?” Alex asked.

“Yes, I can't deny it.”

New explosions nearby were heard. The tremor cracked one of the walls.

“We can't waste any more time here; we need to go, Alex,” Lÿarah said, worried.

“Now isn't the time to rush; you have several injuries... Were you somehow in a war or something similar?” Theresa asked.

“Let's just say yes...”

“Luckily for you, I am a nurse. I work at the Temple.” Theresa said, examining Lÿarah. “Let me look at your wounds.”

“But we don't have time...”

“You're tired. Rest! You look dehydrated, and I can see you're hungry too. Eat! You're hurt; let me stitch and bandage you both.”

“But...”

“If you're not well, how will you do what you need to do and disappear, preferably without leaving traces so that I can get my life back?” Theresa said.

“I'm very sorry,” Alex started, “for all this misfortune happening to you, Theresa, I...”

“Sorry won't solve my problem. If they find out I was married to a transgressor, it's the end for me, even though I do not fault this. You and your...” Theresa shot Lÿarah a cold look. “‘Wife’ needs to disappear!”

“Okay... sorry... I...” Alex fumbled with apologies.

“Enough apologizing, Alex. You also do not fault if your fate was tied to hers without either of you knowing.” Lÿarah said irritably.

“Finish your meal,” Theresa ordered.

“I want more,” Lÿarah asked.

“But? It's already the fourth dish!” Theresa said, startled.

“Well, there is room for two more!” Lÿarah smiled.

Even reluctantly, Theresa filled the warrior's plate again. A new jolt caused some of the soup to spill on the floor.

“Now... I don't understand you.” Theresa said, staring at Alex.

“Me?” Alex said, surprised, pointing to himself.

“How... did you choose her?” Theresa asked, indignantly pointing at Lÿarah.

“Wait... the world is ending, and you're worried about... this?” Alex said, scandalized.

A new tremor. The furniture in the house shook, and some dishes broke.

“OF COURSE!” Theresa said emphatically. “You ran away! Why did you run away from me? What's my problem? Where did I go wrong? What made you choose her, a...”

“If you call me a savage again, I'll end you,” Lÿarah said with her mouth full. “Although maybe it's better if you stay alive, since you cook so well.”

“Oh, yes... thank you.” Theresa turned to Alex. “But the point is: how can I become a respectable citizen of Mu if even my fiancé, chosen by the numbers, didn't accept me? If you were chosen, it's because you were the ideal candidate, right? If you, the chosen one, aren't the ideal... who would be?”

“I discovered that I can live without anyone telling me, every second, what I should or shouldn't do,” Alex said, spreading his arms. “I learned to make my own decisions.”

“When we make our own decisions without the supervision of the Temple of Exactness, we always choose the wrong options.”

“Wait a minute, are you saying that I am the wrong choice?” Lÿarah said with her mouth full.

“Nothing personal...” Theresa said, keeping her eyes on Alex. “I'm just annoyed because a guy like him, with no appeal at all, rejected me... He didn't even bother to get to know me first.”

“Wait... What do you mean by 'no appeal at all'?”

A piece of the ceiling falls near Theresa, making her scream.

“Take it how you want,” Theresa said dryly.

“Are we really going to argue over a man?” Lÿarah said, pouting. “Especially him, who’s not even that strong and manly.”

“Oh, thanks for defending me, Lÿarah,” Alex said sarcastically.

“Oh, you're welcome.” Lÿarah, apparently, didn’t understand sarcasm.

Miah’s meow interrupted the tense moment among the three of them.

“I don’t understand...” Theresa said. “This lifestyle of yours... But whatever, soon you’ll be out of my life anyway.”

Everyone tensed up when they heard a loud bang on the gate.

Theresa ran to the window and saw Executioner’s subordinates forcing the gates.

“The eyes and ears of Executioner!” Theresa covered her mouth. “This is the end for me. You’ve been discovered... I’m an accomplice now.”

“They must have followed our trail after we fled that crowd,” Alex confirmed.

“Stay calm. — I hope you don’t have much attachment to this house, Alex,” said Lÿarah, heading to the door. “It might come down.”

“[Execute: Ignition Loop]. The biting wind. [Compile: Wind Parameter].” Lÿarah said, knocking against the door the soldiers were already behind, ready to enter.

She steps out challengingly and faces the crowd of enemies.

“If they already know we’re here... there’s no point in running anymore.” Lÿarah smiled. “Who’s going to be the first?”

•••

The Mathematician demanded to speak with his mother in front of the entrance to the Hvergelmir hall.

“Make it clear to her that she will not be attacked during our hearing,” Ivan instructed the Executioner.

“Yes, my lord.”

The Executioner gestured as if asking permission to approach the door. He handed over his weapons to a subordinate before taking a few steps forward.

The guards of Mother of Logic took it as an act of good faith and let him approach.

“The Mathematician wishes to speak with Mother of Logic. We guarantee her safety.” He conveyed the message to the guard at the hall door.

“Sorry, dear Executioner, but this is outside of...” the guard began.

“I will.” Lucia interrupted him. “Let's get this over with.”

The Executioner made way for Mother of Logic. She headed toward her son.

“Can we negotiate your surrender?” The Mathematician asked as she approached.

“I don't intend to negotiate.” She said resolutely. “I just want a chance to tell you something very important.”

“Then say it and surrender afterward.”

“You know, I think I’ve never hidden how much I despise you.” The woman said with her eyes overflowing with anger.

“You’ve never made a point of hiding...” Ivan shrugged.

“No... You took what was most precious from me. You took Igor.” Her teeth grinding was audible, a sign of her fury.

“I’ve already said it was an accident, but if you don’t intend to forgive me... I see no reason to keep asking for forgiveness.”

“He was special, talented; he would have been a much better Mathematician than you.” She said all this with a macabre smile, hoping to hit him psychologically.

“I don’t doubt he would have been, but he wasn’t.” Ivan didn’t care. “I, unfortunately, am the one who was appointed. Do you think you can replace him by ruling in my place? You have no way of knowing how his reign would have been.”

“It doesn’t matter. If it weren’t for your disobedience, your reckless adventure... he... would be among us. After that day, I lost my vigor, my shine, and the reason for my life.” Lucia’s hands clenched into fists so tightly that some drops of blood were already falling to the ground.

“I understand. It’s a pity I never had the chance to bring joy to your life; in fact, you never gave me that opportunity.” Ivan lamented, averting his gaze from her.

“I think now, in the face of the end, I can finally make you understand the loss I felt.”

“What are you talking about, Mom?”

“You know, I spent years wondering what would become of my legacy after I died, and there was no greater disappointment in my heart than knowing Natasha would be the next Mother of Logic. And that the passive and weak Lucas would be appointed the next Mathematician. In other words, everything I fought to maintain would be lost in the next generation.”

“I’ll repeat the question... what are you talking about?” The Mathematician said, quite worried.

“And then I thought: ‘How to solve two problems with one solution?’ How to make you feel firsthand the pain of the loss I felt and get rid of those who would tarnish the future I planned for Mu?”

“What did you DO?” Ivan shouted.

“I did what needed to be done.”

“You didn’t do that to Natasha... You didn’t do that to your own grandson?”

“Sometimes weak branches need to be pruned. So the tree can grow strong.”

“YOU ARE CRAZY.” The Mathematician said, furious. “You’re bluffing!”

“No, she’s not.” The Daughter of the Executioner said, approaching. Behind her, loyal soldiers also moved closer. “I can personally confirm that they are dead.”

The orbs around Ivan struck his mother, throwing her away.

Wounded, she began laughing hysterically.

“Suffer, wretch! Suffer! Suffer! You were the weak link in our lineage, but that ends now.” She shouted between her laughs.

“Surrender, Mathematician. You are surrounded.” The Daughter of the Executioner smiled.

Her soldiers were already positioned to encircle the monarch’s guard. The Mother of Logic's guards completed the encirclement on the other side.

The Mathematician ignored what the Daughter of the Executioner said. He simply held his head, shaken by the idea that his family had been cut down, while paying attention to other things.

The Executioner approached the Mathematician.

“Allow me, my lord. Let me take care of my own daughter.”

The Mathematician’s mind drifted as he grew perturbed; he couldn't focus on what the Executioner was saying.

“We are Executioners, but we never kill innocents. That’s not what I taught my daughter.” The Executioner said, approaching.

“What are you saying, Dad? That I killed the woman and the child? Oh, please. I know you don’t hold me in high regard, but I wouldn’t be so low —or would I?” The girl replied, smiling.

“It’s very much like you to do such a thing.”

“I don't know... maybe? Anyway, we won't be making revolutions by handing out flowers, right, my father? And you know what? Someone needs to get their hands dirty. Yes, it's true! After all, that's what we've been for since ancient times, isn't it? That's why we hide our faces. Because we do what anyone else would be ashamed to do, but we don't.”

The Executioner removed his mask and threw it on the ground, smashing it.

“I don't think you understood our purpose, but that's okay. I'll remind you.” He said, drawing his recovered scimitar. “And if you've never learned, I’ll have to teach you once and for all.”

Meanwhile, the two opposing groups clashed in the hall. The Physics took the opportunity to escape when the Mother of Logic's guards left the Hvergelmir room to fight the Mathematician's guards. Unfortunately, many of them were killed in the crossfire.

At that moment, Ivan let out a guttural scream. He was agonizing over the death of his heir. In the background, Lucia’s laughter echoed.

“Suffer! Suffer! Feel now what I...” A lightning bolt from one of the Mathematician's Orbs struck her.

Lucia was dead.

With her death, it seemed the fight would end, as all combatants, on both sides, had suddenly stopped.

“The Mother of Logic... is dead! Attention, sisters: our last orders were to appoint Lord Lúcio. Attack!” The captain of Lucia’s personal guard shouted so her comrades would resume the battle.

Ivan stepped in front of his men, before the rebel guards.

“Come on, all of you,” Ivan said, shrouded in darkness. “I will show you who I am.”