XI
I awoke from the sound of running water hitting something hard. I lay there still, feeling the rise and fall of my stomach as I breathed. My brain can't deny what happened last night and my heart is still in pain with the reality of it.
I was aware I wasn't alone in the room. I sighed and pulled the blanket up and over my head. I felt as if someone had taken a baseball bat at me. I was mentally drained and heart-sore. I was such a mess that I started sobbing again under the blanket in a fetal ball.
Three female voices came around the bed.
"Hitomi..."
"Oh Hitomi, say something."
The sheets rustled and one of them pulled my blanket away.
"Would you get a hold of yourself! Get up Hitomi; we have work to do." Merle pulled me up to a sitting position, her eyes glaring down on me. "There's no time to lose; we have to save Lord Van." her eyes trembled as she tried to fight back her tears.
I hugged her and she clung to me as we both let our silent tears fall.
"We've drawn you a bath and prepared fresh clothes. We thought you might need it." Celena said politely as she sat down next to me.
I accepted with a nod and a thank you.
It took me a while to regain my control over myself, but when I emerged from the bathroom I have my will and determination back on track.
We held an Operation Save the King meeting that morning.
"This is exciting. Just like the old days, isn't Allen?" Dryden raised a teasing eyebrow at him.
"Ugh, Dryden this is not the time for jokes." Millerna looked at her husband exasperatedly.
"I'm just trying to lighten up the mood." he replied in his usual carefree voice.
Millerna just sighed.
Personally I don't take any offense on Dryden's words; his relaxed approach on the situation may even help us see things we can't. Sometimes a calm mind works better under pressure.
"From the boy's statements last night, we have gathered that the place he was referring to is the former Zaibach Empire." Allen said. The seriousness in his voice signified that the meeting has officially begun.
"The Zaibach Empire..." The words left my lips like a memory lost then found.
"Yes, Zaibach has long been gone since you left Gaea that time. The place where it used to stand is now deserted; its citizens have eventually moved and lived in other nations a couple of moons after the empire's collapse." Allen explained. "Creating an underground hideout there would be idyllic especially with the likes of those scums. No one comes there anymore; it's a wasteland." his voice was full of disgust.
"And those cloaked men...they are those Sorcerers from that empire? The same ones Van's brother told us before?" Dryden mussed over with the thought as he rubbed his chin with his forefinger.
"I'm sure of it." Allen's voice was dead-serious. I can see the fury build up in his deep blue eyes. The memory of that time is and will forever be deeply etched in him.
"He did not...change, did he?" Dryden spoke the words cautiously; Celena was with us.
Allen's eye twitched and before another word is spoken, I spoke.
"His eyes did." I can feel my heart thumping. "When he was under the hypnosis his eyes were greyish blue, but when he began to get out of control it changed to red-orange; that's the same awful eyes I saw from him at the tower.
"He was being controlled." Chid said, the words left his mouth with a hint of disbelief.
"That's what I think as well." I nodded.
"He could be in the early stages of experiment. Who knows what they'll be doing to him further." Merle shuddered.
"But why do they want to cut the connection between Gaea and the Mystic Moon?" Chid voiced out.
"And the boy also mentioned something about Van's wings or else Hitomi's life." Millerna added.
"But the bottom line is; they want either of them eliminated." Dryden said dreadfully.
The air in the room seemed to have become heavier.
I clenched my fists on my lap and looked at everyone. "I think I know why." All eyes were on me now. "If they want to cut the connection between Gaea and the Mystic Moon; then it could only mean one thing." I paused.
"They want full control over Gaea." Chid almost exclaimed his deduction.
I nodded. He had that I knew it! look on his face as he thumped his fist lightly on the table.
"However, I don't think they had anticipated me returning and that posed as a threat to their plans." I exhaled. "Remember Van has told you that he does not want to wish me back?"
Allen, Millerna, Chid and Merle nodded in unison; Dryden was obviously uninformed so I took it he wasn't there at that time.
"That is because Lord Van wants to protect you." Merle said, sadness still filled her voice.
"Yes..." I replied weakly. It's painful to know the truth but even more so to admit it. "Van realized their plan, to which they would need to kill him in order for them to succeed. They believe he's the only one capable of creating a connection between Gaea and the Mystic Moon, and it's already apparent that those Sorcerers are threatened by it. So before that happens, they need to get to him first." I stopped, inhaled and with a heavy heart continued. "But then I came back and that turned everything around."
"So it's either him or you. As long as they eliminate one, the connection will be gone." Allen said detestfully.
"They thought it could only be done by the power of Van's wishes, but as it happens it could be anyone from you. Gaea is powered by its people wishes, but of course Van's wish is more..." I trailed off, suddenly embarrassed by what I was about to say.
"Powerful." Allen finished for me. He had a martyred look on his face.
I averted my eyes away from him and continued. "And then I had that vision, plus the boy's revelation. It fueled Van's resolve to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to give me a chance to leave with my life intact." I said bitterly. That loving, wonderful, stupid man.
"Well, you can't blame the man Hitomi. He loves you." Dryden pointed out with a smile.
"I know..." I replied softly.
"But I still can't figure out why they want Van's wings. If they want him gone, what's the use of his wings?" Dryden wrinkled his brows.
I felt Allen's eyes on me. I know what he's going to say.
"For experiment." his words ran cold through me. I felt my insides coil, sending chills up my spine. It took a lot of effort to push the thought aside to a place I hope I won't need to recall again.
"How do you propose the manner we'll pay our visit to that place?" Dryden looked at Allen.
"I'll only need my crew and the Levi Ship. I could bring Scheherazade too just in case." he replied calmly.
Millerna leaned over the table from her seat. "Are you sure that'll be enough?"
"I will send my ship too. I have able men with me and I will not let those Sorcerers take over Gaea, especially after all that we've been through." Chid said firmly. He sounded so much a Duke now.
"Thank you, Duke Chid." Allen cordially accepted his offer before turning to Millerna. "Princess, we have to be discreet about this. Gaea is still in peace; gathering up an army would only create unnecessary panic to the people."
Millerna sighed and leaned back to her seat. "I suppose you're right."
"But what if those Sorcerers have made an army of experimented people? How will we defeat them?" Merle's voice sounded like alarm bells as she twitched and shifted in her seat.
"That's highly unlikely." Allen replied with such certainty. "We're dealing with sorcerers here; they play dirty. I don't think they will choose battle tactics and strategy to get what they want. And besides, raising an army involves hundreds of men; we would have noticed it already if men have been disappearing by the numbers." he explained it all too well, so confidently that Merle stopped fidgeting.
Then all of a sudden Celena asked, "That blue light...how did that boy manage to create one?" she was looking at me with curious eyes.
I glanced at Allen; a muscle in his jaw had tightened. I felt sorry for him then, it must be difficult for him to talk about these things and remember the past.
"That's because at that time his emotions were heightened to the extreme. I remember back then when I was able to create that pillar of blue light; my emotions were running high as well. I didn't know how to control it back then; I was fearful, confused, mad and desperate even." I explained to her as calmly as possible, hoping and praying that it won't trigger any unnecessary memories on her part.
"Oh, I see..." she looked okay. "Is that why we didn't see any blue light when you came back?"
I smiled. "The emotions are still there, so as my wishes. I guess you can just say I've learned to channel them better."
Dryden then gave a loud sigh. "I hate to be the pessimistic one here, but are we sure they were transported to that place?"
Oh shoot! There is a possibility they weren't! It happened to me before in one of those teleportation I had in Gaea...oh wait...I know!
"I can try to find Van's exact location."
Merle suddenly jumped from her seat. "Oh yes, oh yes! I remember you did that thing before when we were searching for Lord Van."
I nodded; my determination had tripled.
"But...we don't have anything of Lord Van's possession right now. You need that right?" Merle shoulders sagged with her realization.
I shook my head and smiled. "I have this." I pulled the necklace over my head. "I gave this to Van back then, so in essence this became his. All I need to do is to focus my thoughts to him and I'll be able to locate him."
Merle's eyes shined with hope and the rest let out a pretty audible sigh of relief. I stood up and walked towards the map of Gaea that lay over a display table. I hovered the necklace over it, closed my eyes and focused my thoughts on Van.
I can feel the pendant swirling gently as it glided over the map guiding my hand. A few seconds later I felt the necklace getting heavy and the pendant stopped moving. I opened my eyes and saw my hand above that place, the pendant stiffly pointing over it.
"He's in Zaibach." I announced.
And then it came, like a flash flood rushing into my head. I saw Van standing in front of the three Sorcerers, weary and wounded. He was struggling to get loose from an invisible energy that held him in place.
"Give up and we promise to spare her life."
I heard one of them say to him.
"Give up now before your friends come; we know they would and the same thing will happen to them unless you submit yourself to us." Another spoke.
Van's eyes moved upwards. For a second I thought I saw him send all his hope to us; he knows Gaea's power is not limited to one person alone.
And then it was gone, his dark brown eyes had no shine in them at all; they were now dull browns that held nothing else. He had decided. Death was in his eyes.
Then all of a sudden I was being sucked away from him and the next thing I knew I was trembling like a leaf. It felt like half of me has shattered into a million pieces. My mind and heart was racing so fast that I can only think of one thing. I clutched the necklace to my chest and I darted out to the room's terrace and cried with all the pain and desperation I had in my heart.
"Van!"
My eyes were blurry with tears but I knew right at that moment I was engulfed in that blue light.