125 Gheele Folami - Major Chapter - Silent Maneuver (2/2)

If there was one thing that I wanted, it would be for her to breathe again. Nonetheless, it was a child's dream.

”Gheele . . .” my mother said when she was dying by my side. ”Treat your servants kindly. D-Don't hate them. Whenever you look at any of your servants, I want you to think of me. T-That way, perhaps, you will treat them the same way as I did.”

She died right after, and hatred overwhelmed me at that time. Of course, that male servant was sentenced to death. No one knew why he did what he did, but everyone knew my mother's kindness bred hatred and jealousy.

It was the only explanation.

I held onto my mother's dying message and tried to treat my servants like how she used to. It took some time, but I managed to do so, even if my expression when treating them was that a cold one. It couldn't be helped most of the time since my mother's death changed how I view things.

Back in the alley, where I was on the lookout, tears fell out of my eyes.

I wiped it immediately and continued to observe my surroundings.

”Hmm?”

It could be my imagination, but I could've sworn someone was watching us in the corner up ahead. When I stood up, the shadow disappeared in an instant.

”Maybe I should sleep too.” I clenched my fists and forced that notion at the back of my mind.

,__.__,

,__.__,

The next morning came too soon. I thought only a few hours had pa.s.sed, but when I looked at my leather watch, it struck me.

The time was 7:15 A.M.

Agatha and I ate a few snacks that we had stuffed in the school bag. It didn't suffice of course, but complaining wouldn't change anything. After all, it was my idea in the first place to spread my Aegis particles throughout the three regions.

”Actually, Agatha, something strange happened yesterday night,” I said. My hand threw a plastic wrapper into a trash bin about a dozen feet away. ”Looks like someone is watching us.”

”It could be one of the Anciles,” replied Agatha.

”Perhaps, yes.”

Agatha was pondering about something. She cast a glance at the corner ever so often before she stared at me. ”Anciles . . . They don't have stealth capabilities. Their metal bodies are quite heavy, so stealth operations are not advisable. On top of that, they couldn't camouflage. I mean, their bodies are white, so anyone could have noticed them.”

I looked at the ground momentarily. ”It could have been the Teria soldiers.”

”Yes. It must be them,” said Agatha.

She seemed pleased with the answer and stood up. Hastily, she wore her winter coat and smiled. ”Let's go, Master Gheele.”

I found myself smiling too. It was strange. To be fair, whenever I looked at Agatha, my mother replaced her instead. Even the glaring scar on her face didn't stop me from imagining my mother being there.

And it had been that way for a couple months. Perhaps I missed my mother so much that it had taken a toll on me. I had been visiting my mother's grave more so than I had the previous years, so it must be that.

”Anyway, let's get going,” I said. ”Hmm?”

”What is it, Master Gheele?” asked Agatha.

Pale, white hands emerged from the wall behind her in a split second. A girl with long, unkempt brown hair stepped out into the alley as if the wall never existed.

”Wh-”

The girl grabbed at Agatha's neck and she countered by sending her left elbow to that girl's face. However, metallic black crystals popped out from the brown-haired girl's hair and blocked the attack. The girl then shot her wild, red eyes at me and grinned.

I knew what was coming. Immediately, I manifested a large clump of orange crystals out of thin air to block a ma.s.sive peach wing. The crystal wing was about to slice my head off, but I made it in time.

”Aaargh!”

Another peach, crystallized wing pierced my torso from behind. Blood started to pour out of my mouth as I stared at the crystal wing. ”What the . . .”

”Hahahaha! Look at you, Prince wannabe of Neo Africa,” said a man's voice from the rooftop. I turned my head around and saw a fairly thin, blond man with a red jacket staring at me. He was sitting on the edge of the rooftop.

”Ivaaaar!” I yelled.

<script>