Chapter 328: Defeat and Rebirth (1/2)
”Lucas…. Lucas, Lucas, will you wake up?”
Lucas, a young boy with scruffy green hair and yellow eyes, sat up yawning, falling asleep on another round of training now left behind by the other cadets. In front of him was Eve looking away out to the horizon as he woke up. ”Oh…. Eve, good morning. Did I miss anything?”
”The captain was going to give you a real show if I hadn't turned up. He told me to tell you to do another five laps as punishment.”
”That's only fair. I'll do them in a bit.” Lucas stated, getting a strange look from Eve. ”What?”
”No one would know if you did it or not. You could just lie.”
”No. That would be wrong of me. If that's my punishment for sleeping on the job, then I should act out my punishment. If I am going to become a Stage of Grief, I've got to follow orders, right?”
”You're strange, Lucas.”
”Why, thank you.” He smirked, jumping up. Looking over to his village, he couldn't help but sigh at the rotting scene. The Garden's lush and vibrant look had withered slightly over the years, with moss and rot taking form. It was more evident than the light of day. The Garden was dying. ”How long do you think this will last?”
Eve didn't give it much thought looking out shrugging her shoulders. ”It doesn't matter to me. And it shouldn't matter to you. We won't be here much longer; the human world is ripe for the taking.”
”How is the human world these days? You were up there for a long time.”
”It's not much better than this place, but we'll have a much better chance living up there.”
”I suppose you aren't wrong. How long has it been up there?” Lucas questioned, pausing for a moment. ”You know since Alton was stolen from us?”
”In human years. A little over 400. It's been what 6 years for us?” Eve worked out, nodding. ”That sounds right to me. He isn't the same person you knew before Lucas.”
”Are you saying you've met him up there?! Seriously?!”
Eve paused, trying to wedge her way out of the mess she got herself into, shaking her head. ”No. I'm just reasoning here; he's been in the care of the humans and controlled by Fairy-Tale, remember? He probably sees us as the enemy.”
”Not Alton. We made a promise to escape and see the outside world together. I'm sure he still wishes for that freedom. Just imagine it, Eve, a real sky above us with the sun rising and setting. The stars wishing us to sleep. That's the sort of world I wish to live in.”
Eve turned, not giving her input, spotting down the hill; the village set up a show with booths and a stage. ”Huh, they work fast. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.”
”What's that?” Lucas asks, staring down at work being done. ”Is that?”
”An execution showing. We haven't had one of those in years. I heard it's quite brutal the way they execute traitors. They force the Garden worm through your head as it eats away at your mind until there is nothing else. The victim becomes a mere vegetable to be used as fuel to keep this world going. An offering to the Gardeners before us and their Stages of Grief.”
”Who are they executing?”
”An outsider…. One who stole a Stage of Grief from us. She's to be executed in three days as a show of power to the others. The Garden will not falter to the enemy.”
”An outsider? A human?! No way…. We haven't had any humans down here before. What's their name?”
Eve crossed her arms, smirking. ”Zinnia Trost.”
****
The light faded, leaving everyone alone. Alice cuddled into her sister, who sacrificed everything to stop Anger once and for all. The bud of Anger was picked up as Alton stared on in horror at who collected it. ”There's no way…. You!”
Bargaining stood holding the bud of Anger tightly tutting. ”What, were you expecting someone else?”
”Adam.” Zinnia whispered, stumbling to her feet, panting. ”You came back?”