Chapter Eleven
" Une, are you all right?" Treize asked, his voice filled with concern. They had returned to the headquarters of OZ and Une was brought to the sick bay.
" Thank you for your concern, Mr Treize, sir. I-I was too careless. It completely slipped my mind that they had mastered the Gundam Magic." Une hung her head in shame.
" My Lady Une, you need not feel ashamed. We all make mistakes. Didn't I tell you to address me as Treize, and not Mr Treize? Remember that."
" Yes."
" Master has asked to see you tomorrow morning at nine. Wait in the hall for me. I have sent Zechs and Noin to bring down the central part of EverlastVille. That is where most of the people lived. It would be a bloody battle between them and the boys. Meanwhile, my troops are assembled at Dragon Land. You will head there two days later, after your condition has stabilized. Sorry I couldn't give you a longer resting period but we are in the middle of a war and time is precious."
" I understand this very well."
" I know you would understand. You have always understood me." Treize smiled at her. Une could feel her face getting hotter and her temperature rising.
" Uh, regarding my meeting with Master tomorrow, may I ask why he would like to see me?"
" Because you are an interesting person. Master loves anything interesting, he had said so himself."
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" You are a very elusive boy, Heero."
Heero looked up to see the source of the voice. It was Mr J and Duo. With the help of Duo's Deathscythe tablet, they had managed to track him down. Heero had set up a temporary shelter at an ancient cave, a little distant away from the populated central area.
No one dares to enter the cave because of a rumour concerning a vengeful ghost. But rumours are rumours and this one turned out to be a false one. He knew OZ would attack any moment now and unless they have decided to fly, the only way to enter into the central part was to pass by a road that was directly behind this cave. He can try to intercept them from there.
" You think perhaps you could discuss with us first before taking off by yourself, eh Heero?" Duo said.
Heero rose from his cross-legged position. He has been studying and practicing his tablet. " What are you doing here?" he questioned.
" I'm here to talk to you about your Wing Zero tablet," J told him. " I'm sure by now you have discovered the Zero System?"
" So that is called the Zero System?"
" Right. Wing Zero tablet was the very first tablet WindSong created. As to how she had created the Zero System, nobody knows. But she came up with this system because she wanted to have a powerful sorcerer, one who could beat her. Did I mention that she was one of the greatest sorceresses of the time whose powers can be considered unbeatable? It is lonely being at the top no doubt, especially when you are left all alone in this world and has nothing to do except to keep perfecting your magical skills."
" She was hoping to lose so that she might find her lost soul back," Heero said suddenly, his eyes softening.
" Perhaps. After all, only one lonely eagle can understand the other." J studied his pupil for a while before continuing. " Using the Zero System, she found out that although it has the potential to beat her, it has a very dangerous side affect. When activated, the system can actually allow you to see and predict correctly your enemy's next attack. This message will be send directly to your brain. In other words, you will be directly affected. While it is in use, you yourself have to remain calm and your mind free. You must only focus on the battle and whatever it is you are trying to achieve. If not, you will see illusions. At this stage, the system together with the tablet will try to take control of you and make you do whatever it wishes. You will eventually lose your sanity and never recover from it. That is why WindSong did not have it in the other Gundam tablets. However, her disciples managed to create another Zero System and have it install in a Gundam tablet called Epyon. But that is another story."
" You mean the system is alive?" Heero said.
" In a way, yes. You are the one who gives it life."
" So did WindSong lose?"
" No one knows. But it is written in a book that she admits it has the potential to defeat her."
Duo whistled. " Wow. You didn't tell us this much the other time."
Mr J coughed. " Ahem, I wasn't obliged to. Heero, I am here to help you overcome it."
" I was doing it myself," he replied steadily.
" Still, this system is not to be toyed with. With proper guidance, you can do it even better. I have faith in you and your intelligence."
" While you two are at it, I'll help keep watch and everything. You can't be too careful at a time like this," Duo said.
" Good," J said with a smile. " I am counting on you to find us food and firewood and other stuff."
" Hey, I'm no cheap labour!"
" No choice. I have no money now to pay you."
" How about an IOU?" Duo suggested.
" You owe me? Well, talk about not doing anything and getting paid for it!"
" Mr J!"
" Can we start now?" Heero asked with a tinge of exasperation.
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Noin knocked twice on the door of Zech's office. Well, his temporary office. They had taken over a huge mansion and set it up as their base. This was no ordinary mansion. It belonged to the younger brother of the late King of EverlastVille, Howard. Zechs had taken it partly as a form of revenge. Also, it helps to keep their enemies at bay since no one would dare to destroy the home of the late king's brother, not when he is in their hands.
" Come in," Zech's stentorian voice called out.
Lucrezia Noin entered. " I have brought you your dinner."
" Put it down," he said, not even looking up at her from his papers. Not even a word of thank you, Noin thought in disappointment. She waited for a few seconds.
" Don't you want to eat now? The food will get cold."
" I'm busy. Is there anything else?"
" No." He wanted her to leave the room. So she did.
" Miss Noin," two OZ soldiers saluted her as she came out of the room.
" Check to see if Mr Howard has his dinner," she ordered them.
" Yes." They marched away briskly. Noin walked away in another direction, her head low. She went back to her room, shut the door and stared at the furnishing in it. It was a simple room with a canopy bed, brown desk, wardrobe and lamp. Except for the bed, which Noin guessed was new, all the others looked old with age.
Zechs, why is Zechs so cold towards her? Perhaps he could at least say thanks? Noin shook her head. Why should this bother me? Isn't he always like this? What matters right now to him is revenge and upholding his duty as one of the best OZ officers. He has no other matters in mind.
Zechs, do you know my feelings for you? I tried to tell you once but you gave me the impression that you only will treat me like a fellow colleague and that's it.
Noin crossed the room and pushed the heavy red curtains aside. The sun was setting, and the sky was splashed with brilliant colours of soft pink and subtle violet against a golden background. Tall ancient trees rose high up, as if trying to reach for the now visible evening stars. But whatever it is, I will always stay by your side. Nevermind if you do not like me, I am happy as long as I can stay by your side.
The door knocked. Noin opened it.
" Miss Noin, the prisoner refuse to eat," a soldier informed her.
" Is it? This I have to see."
" So the dog is here," Howard taunted as Noin enter the cellar. He was tightly bound up and his gag was removed for him to eat and drink. A thin-looking man with a receding hairline and a fondness for wearing sunglasses, he did not appear to Noin like a royalty. Even his dressing was incongruous; a colourful shirt of red and green patterned with palm trees and grey long pants. Unlike his brother, Howard was not well versed in magic. Instead, his forte lies in books and knowledge.
Noin ignored his remark. " I heard that you wouldn't eat."
" So you've heard," he replied with thick sarcasm.
" If you fall ill, I'm not going to be responsible."
" No you won't. You are not my mother."
Noin frowned at him. " I have ways to make you eat, Mr Howard."
" You won't dare. If anything happens to me, you won't get away with it either."
Noin struggled to maintain her cool. This man was more annoying than she thought.
" Mr Howard," she replied after she was sure that her voice would not shake. " Please corporate with us. Yes, we won't hurt you but if you keep testing our patience, I'm afraid I would not be able to guarantee your well-being. You will not die, of course but have you heard of a fate worse than death? You can shout but no one will respond to you, and neither will anyone come and rescue you. We are very well-prepared."
Howard clenched his teeth in fury. He knew what OZ can do to him but he did not care. What he cared about was the number of innocent lives they have taken and will take. This anger was enough to make him full, but his stomach thought otherwise. It growled. Loudly. In front of an OZ officer.
Noin gave him a sweet smile.
" Hungry, sir? How about some rice and a nice hot tea?"
" No," he said adamantly.
" You will need the strength to walk out of here. I won't have bothered with you if Zechs had not told me to take good care of you."
" Zechs? That son of a – "
" How dare you! How dare you talk about him in such a manner!" Noin fumed protectively even before Howard could finish his sentence.
" If he is so good, why join OZ? Didn't he know that it is a cult? He's a fool, that's what he is and so are you!"
" I don't work for OZ, I work for Zechs. I listen to him and not OZ. And he joined OZ because of what you people have done. Do you remember Magic Kingdom?"
" Magic…Kingdom?" Of course he remembered about it. How could he not?
" He's here for revenge."
Noin turned her heels and trotted out, leaving Howard with a low-post OZ soldier whose task was to feed him. Howard's head spun. Don't tell me he is…But how? Isn't he dead?
" Sir, please have some food," the soldier said to him pleadingly. " And don't make Miss Noin angry anymore. She's a good woman."
" Oh? Tell me, young man. Why did you join OZ?"
" Because my father was in it. My whole family serves OZ."
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Back at Magic Town, people were trying to get their lives back to normal again but it was easier said than done. They walked about with gloomy faces and heavy feet, not hearing, not seeing. Brothers, fathers, husbands and sons have been lost and for some, a whole family was gone. To them, war is a life-stealer and nothing else.
The attendance at school dropped drastically, so much so that the Gundam Girls' School of Magic and Gundam Boys' School of Magic have merged. From hundreds of pupils, it has dropped to merely eighty.
Relena entered into the classroom of forty or so girls. In another classroom, Mr J was conducting a lesson, behaving as if it was any other normal day. Relena took a very, very deep breath and smiled at the girls. Being a principal is not easy, especially if the task is suddenly thrown to you out of the blue.
" Morning everyone," she greeted as cheerfully as she can.
" Morning Miss Relena," they greeted back listlessly, not even attempting to hide their feelings.
Still, for them and everyone, she has to be brave.
" Please turn to page thirty of your book. Jane, can you read to the class?"
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Une arrived at Dragon Land two days later to find the place in a mess. It was as if a battle had just taken place. " Why is it like this?" she demanded to an officer.
" Miss, Lady Une, we were attacked just now. We have a high rate of casualties and we also lost several MDs. We managed to fend him off after calling in reinforcements."
" Who attacked us?" she growled.
" A – a boy," he answered uneasily. " A boy with hair covering part of his face."
Lady Une paused. " Attend to the causalities. Make sure they get well soon."
" Yes!"
Trowa Barton, Une thought. No doubt about his identity. So he's here. She will have to watch out for him and make preparations. The meeting between her and the Master flashed back into her mind, causing her to worry yet again. She had not fully recovered from her injuries. But as soon as she is well, she will start improving her magical skills.
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Treize had met her in the hall. After giving her a few instructions, he brought her into a secret compartment in a wall. She was slightly startled and this deepened the mystery of Master. She wondered what kind of person he is.
The passage was dimly lit by lights that were emitted from the smooth walls. Treize walked in front of her, oblivious of the puzzling thoughts shown on her face. The passage seemed endless with twists and turns, giving her a giddy feeling.
They came to a flight of steps. Following Treize down the stairs, Lady Une could not help wondering the purpose of the secret compartment. Why? Why did Master want to build this compartment? Isn't the headquarters of OZ secretive enough? No one, not even the smartest person in the world could figure out their headquarters!
The stairs ended. Lady Une stared, wonder-struck by the palatial room they were now in. Indeed, if she had not known, she would have thought that they were in a palace, the throne room to be specific. Golden pillars supported the spacious room; soft, faint paintings of flowers, meadows, people and mountains were meticulous painted on the wall; a reflecting golden floor; burning candles embellished the room with a mystique aura; a long white cloth hid the throne chair from view. It was like something out of a fairy tale book.
Treize however was unmoved by all of it. He led her to the centre and bowed ninety degrees. Une followed suit. She could hardly breathe, much less look up when a distorted voice spoke out.
" Treize."
" Master, I have brought to you Lady Une," Treize answered.
" Rise, both of you. Let me take a good look at our new member."
Lady Une rose slowly. Behind the cloth covering the throne was a dark figure. It was a heavy-looking shape with no head, limbs and body. It appeared to be like a piece of unusual rock. But Une knew it was not a rock – it was an illusion. Master has no wish to let anyone see who he really is. And the voice could be a disguise too.
" My humblest greetings to you, Master," Lady Une said in reverence.
" A fine woman. Such a young, capable woman," Master commented. Une noticed a thin veneer of irony in his voice. Is he mocking her? She shook the thought aside. No, she was just being too suspicious.
" I don't deserve such compliments, Master."
He laughed. " I am never wrong. You must work hard in assisting Treize, Lady Une. You are his subordinate, not mine. Just as Noin is Zechs'. I don't own people. I breed them."
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I don't own people. I breed them. These words reverberated in her mind. Somehow, she felt disturbed. It was as if Master is trying to create a whole new world, a world that he likes. And he does not care whether others feel the same or not. Though he had clearly stated that he don't own anyone, but to Une, it was like they had already belonged to him, as if they had already given their souls to him, as if they were chess pieces on a black and white chessboard. It was as if he was playing a game.
Once more, Lady Une shoved that ludicrous thoughts aside and concentrated on how to defeat the boys.***************************************************************
A thunderous explosion sounded from the left wing of the mansion. Urgent shouts erupted all at once; people hollering instructions; orange flames sprung up; water spells were fired at the burning building. However, the fire did not ceased. Somewhere, someone was watching the fire, making sure it not goes out. And somewhere else, at the right wing, someone had broken into the mansion by simply smashing a window. This intrusion went unseen. Everyone was too busy with putting out the fire.
Some distant away from the mansion, two shadows stood silently in the trees. " You think it's enough?" Mr J asked the grinning boy beside him.
" No, I'm starting to enjoy this," Duo replied, sniggering at the poor OZ soldiers who were trying their best to put out a seemingly never-ending fire.
" We don't want to burn down the building."
" As soon as he is out, we'll stop it. It will take them quite a while to realize what is actually going on."
Heero did a quick scan of his new surroundings. Nobody was around. They were all busy with the fire. A stairs leading up lay to his right and the kitchen was directly in front of him. After a brief hesitation, he headed towards the kitchen. There were only two places they can hide their prisoner – up in one of the rooms or down in a cellar. A mansion like this is bound to have a cellar, especially when the late king's brother has a taste for wine. In fact, which royalty hasn't got a taste for wine?
Heero peered at the kitchen from the side to ensure that it was empty. His eyes met a pair of unfamiliar grey ones.
" Who's that?" the man with grey eyes demanded aloud.
Heero cursed himself for being too careless. Without any warning, he jumped at the burly man, who failed to catch him, and knocked him out with a swift chop at the back of his neck. A greenish coloured door was just opposite him. Confident that it was the cellar, he crossed the kitchen and tried the door. It was locked, just as he expected. But no matter.
Howard had earlier on heard a loud explosion from outside and was wondering what it was all about. Is it help? Now, a second explosion occurred, just at his door. He widened his eyes at the thin shape, what appeared to him to be a boy. The smoke cleared and indeed, it is a boy! Shocked and bewildered, Howard continued looking at the stranger.
With nimble fingers, this boy removed the rope and his gag. " Who are you?" Howard gasped.
" If you want to leave this place, follow me," the boy replied flatly.
Dazed and confused still, Howard stumbled after him. No OZ soldiers were around. Both of them left the mansion safely without any trouble. Once out, Howard asked again, " Who are you?"
" My name is Heero Yuy."
" Heero, thank you for saving me."
" I just don't want to attack a house with innocent people inside."
Duo spotted the two of them. " Hey! Over here!" Then he paused. " You are the king's brother?" He turned to Heero for confirmation.
" Hello Howard," J greeted him with a grin.
" J, long time no see," Howard said and extended a hand. The two men shook hands.
" You know each other?" Duo asked.
" We used to have tea together," J answered.
" Yes, and boy did we have a great time!" Howard recalled fondly. " So what do we do now?"
" Burn down the mansion," Heero said.
" I can help you!" Duo said blithely.
" Go ahead," Howard gave them his permission.
" What?" J sputtered. " But it's your home!"
" One of my homes," his friend corrected him casually. " And it's not my favourite anyway. Burn it down."
" All right! Come on Heero!" Duo responded gleefully.
" Fire! The house is on fire!"
Zechs was out of his office, looking around nonchalantly. Noin ran up to him, face looking anxious but still cool and collected. " A fire broke out for no apparent reason. It's too big. We'll have to abandon the mansion," she said quickly.
" Have you tried a water spell?"
" Yes, but it's no use. The fire just gets bigger."
" It's them."
" I thought so too. I think they might be hiding in the trees, setting the fire deliberately."
" Get everyone out. Abandon this place."
" But – "
" Leave those boys alone for now. I have other plans in mind."
Noin nodded and turned.
" Noin," Zechs called suddenly. She stopped immediately and turned back. " Head back," he said.
" Pardon?"
" Head back to our base in Paradise."
" But why?" Noin asked, unable to comprehend the order that was just passed.
" You'll see," he said without further explanations.
Noin saluted the order and dashed away to convey the message.
" They are retreating," Duo said. " But to where?"
Heero did not answer him. The reason was simple – he did not have the faintest idea either.
" Whatever it is, we'll be prepared for them," J said and turned. " I'll go back to Magic Town. You boys are well enough on your own."
" I'll go with you," Howard said.
" Ok, be seeing you!" Duo waved as Heero started off in another direction. " Heero! Wait for me!"
" Oh I almost forgot." Howard slapped his forehead in realization, spun around, and shouted after the running boys. " Hey, the boy in black! What's your name there?"
" Duo! Duo Maxwell! And if you think the name's too difficult to remember, just remember me as the God of Death. Bye!"
" God of Death? Very interesting…"
" He always is a very interesting pupil in school," J said.
" I suppose you mean mischievous? And how does a boy like Heero get stuck with him?"
J shrugged.
" So where do we go now? Looks like we have no more reason to hang around at the cave since OZ is not going to attack the Central," Duo asked.
" EverlastVille is safe at the moment. No need to stay here. You can go to other realms," Heero said.
" What about you?"
Heero did not answer him.
" Hey, are you deaf? I said, what about you?"
" I have my own plans."
" Well, whatever that is, I'll follow you. Who knows what you can be up to, psycho."
" Suit yourself."
Duo sighed. " He'll drive me to the asylum sooner or later. Heero, slow down!"
