A New Beginning - Chapter 9
Van stared at his food, all the while using his fork to push it around on his plate. Across from him sat Allen, calmly eating, and also Serena, who just stared into space while Allen and Van ate. Where should I start explaining? Van thought. From when Hitomi first came? Or when Merle and Haligre disappeared? He flipped the steak on his plate around. By now it must've had a million holes made by his fork in it.
"Trying to murder your food?" said Allen while he smiled, looking up from his food and trying to start a conversation to kill the silence. Serena still sat, no emotion showing, just curiosity at everything around her.
Van broke out of his thoughts and looked up at Allen.
Allen continued, "What delayed your meeting your old comrades? Was it something important? If it was," Allen chuckled, "I'm sorry we came at an inconvenient time. We had just heard Hitomi came back! Boy did I get a shock. So how's she doing?"
Van looked back down at his plate. How's she doing? I wanna know how she's doing myself.
"Is something wrong?" A worried expression came onto Allen's face as Serena still kept on the curious, emotionless face.
"Allen…I…"
"What? You what?" urged Allen.
"I don't know how to tell you—"
"What happened?"
Van sighed. "Hitomi—she…well…left."
There was a silence before Allen had heard Van's words. When his brain heard it, it came as small, colorless letters. S-H-E L-E-F-T. Finally, when he had fully understood the meaning of those words, he questioned him further for more information, half hoping it wasn't true. "She left? Why would she leave? Is there trouble between her and your people?"
"No…I made her leave."
Allen shot up from his seat, his fist slamming the table as he did so. His eyes portrayed anger and fire. "You loved Hitomi! How could you make her leave?! Why are you just sitting here? Go find her, dammit!"
"You don't understand!" Van also got up from his seat. "She told me not to find her…"
Allen almost choked from his response. "She told you not to find her, and you obeyed, even if you love her. How much you love her then."
"IT'S NOT THAT!"
"Then why are you just standing there?!"
Their conversation was interrupted when both of them turned to find Serena laughing and clapping her hands. She had spilled her cup of wine, and somehow, she found it amusing. A servant rushed up to help the girl get up to change her wine-stained clothes. Van looked at Allen in question, and Allen raised a hand up to signal him not to say anything yet. When the servant and Serena were gone, Van spoke out, "She—"
Allen sat back down, and Van shut up, also doing so. "She has been like that since Dilandau's form disappeared. Millerna said that it's because when she was experimented on, it was her childish side, and all those years that she's been Dilandau, her childish side froze. Now that Dilandau's gone, her childish side is what remains of her." Allen put his face in his hands. "I don't know what to do!"
Van felt sorry for the older man. "She'll be alright. At least no harm has come upon her." He suddenly remembered Hitomi, and he tried to hold his sadness back in the presence of company.
"I'll be fine." Allen wiped the single tear from the corner of his eye, and watched Van's expression. "You're thinking about Hitomi?"
Van sighed. "How can I not?" replied Van in a soft regretful tone.
"Go find her. I shouldn't do everything for you. This is between you and Hitomi, and you have to understand that."
"What about Fanelia?"
"It'll be fine as long as your knights watch over it. I'll be here for a while, so I should be able to handle it for you."
"The most important problem is my most important knight is gone right now!"
"Have confidence in your other knights. And me too. We should be able to take care of your country if anything comes up. And besides, now that Zaibach is gone, there shouldn't be any problems at all."
Allen had a point. Van thought about what Allen had said, and finally agreed. "How am I supposed to find her? The wilderness around Fanelia are at least 1,000 acres in total. And how am I even able to know which direction she went?"
Allen smiled and said, "You forgot one thing. You and Hitomi are the only two people who can sense things with your heart. Which means you can use that to your advantage in finding Hitomi."
Oh, yeah… Allen continued when Van didn't say anything. "And you can use Escaflowne if the way by foot is too long and dangerous."
Van finally smiled, and Allen did so too. "And in no time, you'll be able to find her!"
"I…" Wait, that wasn't how to start that sentence. "Thank you, Allen."
"No problem. I feel honored to have the great Van Fanel to thank me! You, thanking people? Looks like Hitomi has done something good to you after all."
Van smiled. He got up from his seat, paused for a moment in thought, and ran off as he yelled a 'Take care!' to Allen. Where was he going? To Escaflowne.
He was going to find her, no matter what it takes.
*****
"Yes mistress."
The message portal closed up, while Haligre's face was set stern as he stared at the empty space where Circe's face was a second ago. A feminine groan was heard, and he walked around to the other side of the tree to look at Merle, sitting against the tree. Merle slowly opened her eyes and looked at the fire he had smothered on the ground, Haligre, and then the force tying her to the tree. "What did you do to me?!" she demanded.
"I can't let you tell everyone what you know." He stood up and walked over to her. When he pointed a finger at her, she fell to the ground, free from the force. She stared up at him, rubbing her stomach where the ropes had tied her and where the wound was before. Staring at the path just a few meters down, she looked at Haligre. Good, he's not looking. She sprinted towards the path, and Haligre immediately turned around when he heard her soft feet on the ground. Before he can tell her anything, she crashed into the force field he created around them. She cried out in pain, rubbing her forehead, which was already red.
"I already told you, I can't let you tell everyone what you know." He walked over to her, and kneeled down. "You'll be safe here in the shield. I'm the only one who can exit this shield, and also remove it, because I'm the creator."
"Who are you?" She suddenly remembered he had burnt her before. Looking at her bare stomach, there were no signs of any injury or blood, except on her seared clothing. "I…thought I was dead…"
"I healed you," Haligre's serious face scared Merle. He usually joked a lot. Is he still trying to kill me? No, if he did, I wouldn't be alive.
"Why did you heal me? I thought I knew too much."
Haligre himself didn't know why. Why did I heal her? I don't know… "Who I am doesn't matter." He reached for Merle's lump on her forehead. Merle winced, and he froze.
"You're a spy and betrayer! Van trusted you! Why did you betray him? Vargas was an honorable man. You're not fit for his disciple!"
"You're right, I'm not."
What does he mean by that? He's admitting he's a traitor? There was a silence. "I was never Vargas's disciple to begin with."
Is it okay if I let her know? Not that she could tell anyone as long as she's trapped here… "I never even knew who Vargas is. My real name isn't Haligre;" he paused and waited for her to absorb the information, and then added, "My real name is Jiyuni."