39 Subjects Of Loyalty (1/2)
”Ava.”
My focus strained to Agatha, who was grimacing over the gash on her face.
”You can't revert back your eyes to normal?” asked Agatha.
A short breath warmed my cold hands and I nodded.
”How about the people around you? Aren't--”
”No. I don't mind what they think of me,” I said sharply.
A grievous hand mentally wrenched my chest over Agatha's questions.
'Don't you understand me?' I thought. Soothing hatred filled the void inside.
”Bart and the other Aegis Users. You know all of them, right?” I asked Agatha.
”Yes, but there should be more of them.”
”More?” I said.
”Those four Users are not the only members in that Aegis squad. That's why it was weird for them to attack this palace with so few of them. An invasion of Neo Africa would require the entire squad, given how powerful Gheel Folami is,” said Agatha.
I understood what she meant. The man in the golden coat would be a fearsome foe to be dealt with. He could just manifest his crystals anyhow, anywhere he desired.
A question lingered in my mind. ”How many are there?”
Agatha darted her eyes away before answering. ”About three excluding Hughes... But that's when I left the HQ about two and a half years ago with Caesar. Perhaps they've added another one or two.” Agatha narrowed her eyes at me. ”If the attack on Mansel Island didn't happen, I'm certain you'll be joining them, Ava.”
I frowned. ”What do you mean?”
”Alicia and Bart are famous for recruiting new members of Aegis Users. They disappeared five years ago and now you see that they have returned. You were one of them before, isn't? But they discarded you away.”
I grabbed her neck when she said those despicable words. ”Do NOT a.s.sociate those people with me. They used me for their own benefits. Whether they threw me away or not, I'm sure I'll get back at them someday. Those creatures...”
Agatha yanked my hand forcefully and coughed.
”I'm no longer a normal person. You should know that better since you were once helping the Great Corporate United,” I scoffed.
Agatha's eyes glinted, as she backed away from me. Like she never knew the girl in front of her.
I relished that new emotion on her face.
'What's happening to me?' A silent thought pa.s.sed over my mind. I was changing bit by bit as I go through all of that has happened, though I did not hate the change. In fact, I welcomed it. Becoming more focused on what my end goal literally brought about those changes.
And I needed them. The changes drove me further, filling me with what little hope I had.
I looked around the hallway, taking in the sight of the entrapped servants and a few who were dead. Anuman's body took my attention. I only knew him not too long after I came to Neo Africa. Though, for some reason, I did not feel anything. He died, yes, but not the least it bothered me. At that point, seeing dead bodies were nothing but a common scenery engraved in my brain.
My ears heard something and I observed where it came from.
There were footsteps. 'Is it the servants?' I thought. There were no other servants so far roaming around or anything.
It must be the enemy.
”Aegis...”
A screeching sound shot through my brain. ”You can't, Ava.”
”It's for my safety.”
”I'll activate it again when the enemy comes. Your body is failing each time you overused your Aegis. I'm afraid if you continue like this, a time will arrive where there's an injury that even your regeneration cannot heal. I suggest you run.”
”Leaving Agatha?” I whispered.
”If you must,” replied Aegis.
Leaving her was definitely an option if an enemy appeared. I could not bring her with me. But she could run too.
”Can you run, Agatha?”
She snapped back from her thinking and looked at me. ”Yes, of course. Why you ask?”
”There's an enemy around here. It's just my intuition.”
”I see...” She stood up. ”Perhaps it's better if we move somewhere else.”
Seeing her averting her eyes every time she looked at me was strange. Then again, I did choke her.
The footsteps got louder.