Chapter Sixteen
Wufei gazed at the cascading waterfall, his mind a blank. He felt his life was like an empty book, waiting for someone to fill in the words. He had one small victory and now he intends to achieve more. He took out his tablet and held it flat on his palm. The green object flew up from his palm and positioned itself in front of his face. Was it trying to tell him something?
How I wish I were with the rest again, that life was still the same. Maybe I am so used to people telling me what to do, to the teachers giving me instructions that I cannot think on my own again. Why can't I feel the joy of my small victory? That I am changing something for the better? Or is it because…
" I have a bad feeling," he said to Shenlong.
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Early in the morning, Zechs received news for him to return to the headquarters. Relena and Dorothy were still sleeping. It was Noin who handed the piece of news to him.
" Must I go?" Zechs groaned inwardly.
" Treize sounds urgent," Noin told him. " You don't want to leave yet, do you?"
" I just found my sister," he answered.
" I understand. Why don't I go in your place instead? I can explain this to Treize."
" It's not Treize I'm afraid of. It's Master. I'm afraid he won't let Relena go even if she is my sister. Remember, we are supposed to eliminate the boys and her."
" Maybe Treize can talk to Master. After all, he listens to him."
" I hope so. Sorry to trouble you, Noin."
" No trouble at all," she said.
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" I don't understand, Treize. Why are you sending the soldiers to different part of the realms and asking them to do nothing?" Lady Une asked.
" I'm not asking them to do nothing," he said. " I have already given them my instructions and they only have to wait for my signal to start."
" What is this all about?"
" It's what I call 'killing many birds with one stone'. The soldiers in the other realms are there for two purposes – to act as distractions and later, to attack. The boys, along with all the people must be wondering what the soldiers are doing there. With this as distraction, we shall proceed to our main target, and that is – EverlastVille. So once I give the signal, they will attack and the world shall be ours," he explained smoothly.
Lady Une nodded her head. " I see. You are indeed brilliant. No wonder Master left the job wholly on your shoulders."
" You flatter me much, Lady Une."
The two clicked their wineglasses and ate their dinner leisurely.
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" Good evening, Miss Lucrezia!" a servant greeted Noin.
" Good evening," she said politely. She had just returned to the headquarters.
Noin walked briskly, her shoes making no noise on the carpeted floor. She met another servant and this one merely gave a nod to acknowledge her. Noin recognized her as the mute servant. She was Master's personal maid and has worked here for many years now. Noin wondered how she maintained her youthful looks, although she must be pass forty now. She looked as if she was barely thirty.
The mute servant accidentally bumped into her. She quickly apologized to her, bowing her body ninety degrees.
" It's ok," Noin forgave her.
The mute girl scattered off without a glance back at Noin. Noin has just turned at the corner when she noticed that the key she was holding was missing. She retraced her steps back to where the girl had knocked into her.
A wall was partially open. Noin saw the servant girl slipping into the compartment and closing it without a sound. The girl had her back towards Noin and so did not notice her. Noin did not know there was a passage behind the wall and no one had ever mentioned it to her. So how did the servant girl know about it? And where does it lead to?
This is strange… She picked up her key.
Noin touched the wall and pushed. It was extremely heavy. The wall moved slightly, creating a hole just enough for a slender woman to enter. That girl must have strong arms. She was holding a tray in one hand! Noin vanished into the wall and pushed it back into place. It fit perfectly, leaving just the tiniest line of hole.
The passage was dark at first. As she walked further in, she noticed that the walls emitted dim light. The passage seemed interminable and Noin found her head growing a little dizzy. What kind of place is this? The passage ended abruptly. Could there be something dangerous down there?…She went down the stairs slowly.
Noin stood at the end of the stairs, dazzled by the exquisite room. She felt as if she was in a throne room of a mysterious palace, and someone powerful lay waiting for her. She saw the servant girl hurrying up the steps to the throne chair. A white, flowing cloth covered the chair and an unidentified thing was sitting on it. Noin immediately flattened herself against the wall. Her heart beat with trepidation. Whoever was sitting there, she could sense he was no ordinary being. There was a suffocating aura.
" You are late," the person or thing said.
Noin recognized the voice. There was no mistake in it.
" Lady Une gave you some extra work? Nevermind," Master said, as if he understood the mute girl. Noin peered from her hiding place, barely breathing. Her whole body was cold and clammy.
The mute servant was inside the cloth with Master, putting the tray of food down on a table beside him. " No, I'm not tired. Treize is a very capable man. I'll be sad to lose him." Master laughed fiendishly. " So is Zechs, along with the two women. But if you have to accomplish great things, you will have to do some sacrificing. And that is also one of the many ways to make sure no one upset your throne. This is my revenge to mankind… Hmm, delicious."
There was a moment of silence. " Zechs is changing? He sent Noin here instead? I have long seen through him. He is not very committed to OZ. He shall be the first to go. About the six kids…" Another silence. " I know they are our main obstacle. Gundam Magic is indeed formidable. But not to worry, no matter how good they are, they will be just little kids. Little kids…" He laughed again. " Get the joke?"
The servant girl covered her mouth, as if trying to stifle her giggles.
He used us…he wants to kill us so we won't go against him in the future. He tricked us all. He has another plan. We are all his pawns… Noin shifted her feet in shocked realization.
Though it was a small movement, it was enough for Master's acute senses to catch it. " Who's there?"
Noin ran for her life. She did not stop to look behind.
" After him!" Master cried.
An object flew overhead Noin and landed in the passage in front of her, blocking her route. It was the mute servant. She frowned at her, whip in hand. Noin drew her fists. But the servant proved too quick for her. The whip circled round her waist and hit her against the wall. An excruciating pain enveloped her and she sank to the ground. The servant dragged her back to the room.
" Noin, welcome to my humble abode," Master said upon seeing her.
The servant shoved her to the floor and released the whip. Noin struggled to stand but failed. She shook her head and looked dizzily at the throne.
" I am after all the Master. Shan't you greet me?"
" You scoundrel. You lied to all of us," Noin said, a crescendo of bitterness, fear and irateness.
" So what if I did? Nothing is fair in this world. Nothing," Master hissed with malignant hatred. " You people only have yourselves to blame. And you only have to blame your bad luck on this. Welcome to hell, Lucrezia."
A bolt of magic hit Noin and she slid across the room, her body smashing onto a hard wall. Another hit her and she went collapsing with the wall. The mute servant dragged her out of the debris for another deadly blow of power from Master.
" You have your fun too. You deserve it," he told the servant.
The mute girl grinned sickeningly. She raised her whip.
Soon, Noin could no longer feel any pain. Goodbye Zechs…my only regret is not being able to tell you this. Not being able to save you. Take care of your brother for me, Relena. And boys, I wish you all the best in destroying this monster. Goodbye all…
The mute servant stopped and turned to Master.
" Throw her out," he ordered flatly.
Her eyes flickered and painfully, she opened her eyes. It was raining and she was alone in a field in nowhere. I'm still alive…Noin thought with relief. I have to tell Zechs…get to him and tell him. There was no way she could still walk after such torturous treatment. So she crawled, a little at a time.
The rain pelted down relentlessly. A flash of lightning struck a lone tree and it burst into flames. Thunder roared. Still, she crawled. And crawl and crawl and crawl until she could no longer keep her eyes and mind open.
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Relena sat at the window, listening to the rhythmic fall of nature. Heero, where are you? Can someone tell me where to find him?
Dorothy joined her at the window. " It's raining," she said.
" Huh?" Relena blinked.
Dorothy smiled. " I said, someone is lovesick." Seeing Relena looking away in embarrassment, she giggled.
" Stop teasing me Dorothy."
" I'm just stating the facts. I'm sure he's fine. You don't have to worry. Right now, what you should be doing is think about your brother."
" My brother?"
" He is in OZ, the bad side. While you are on the good side. You abhor wars. He starts it. Tell me, what kind of brother and sister are the two of you when you don't even stand on the same side and support each other? In this case, you only have three choices." She paused.
" What three choices?" Relena prodded.
" First, you join him. Second, he joins you. Third, you terminate your relationship and leave each other alone," she answered.
" I can't do it…" Relena was shocked. But it is the truth, everything her companion had said.
Dorothy patted her shoulder. " I understand, Miss Relena. But let me remind you that as the princess of a kingdom, you don't have many choices. You have to take over Magic Kingdom and rule. That is what you should do as a daughter of King Peacecraft. Your brother has already made it clear to you that he won't take the throne. It is now all up to you." She stopped for a few seconds to let her words sink in before going on, " I know it is a heavy responsible but think of the people. I'm sure you know what to do."
Relena did not answer her. She went back to staring at the window. It had been raining for two hours now. She touched the cold windowpane. The world had never been this bleary for her.
Tell me what to do Heero. I need you.
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Heero sneezed once, turning his head abruptly away from the pot of soup he was stirring. He looked up at the sky.
" Looks like it's going to rain," Trowa commented.
" Looks like," he said. He was much better now, almost recovered. His full strength had not returned yet. Heero reckoned it would in three or more days. Trowa was a great cook, and a comforting companion. He knows just when to speak and when not to. It was somewhat a relief from the rambunctious Duo. A telepathy news from Quatre earlier had informed them of the God of Death's well-being.
All five of them possess the telepathy gift. In fact, all magic practitioners do. Trowa was feeding some birds. He threw crumbs of bread onto the ground and birds thronged around him, chattering and chiding at one another. One particular bird, a white dove, refused to let any other bird near Trowa, flapping its wings and biting any affectionate one that dared to approach its 'beloved'. Heero's mouth twitched a little at the corner.
Suddenly, Trowa stopped. Heero frowned and came to him, waiting for him to speak. He knew something was wrong, from the serious expression on Trowa's face. The birds milled about impatiently, making hungry noises. Finally, Trowa nodded and turned to Heero. He threw the rest of the crumbs at the birds and crunched up the bag.
" I received some telepathy news from Wufei," he said.
" Where is he?" Heero asked.
" I don't know. He said he'd meet up with us if necessary. Otherwise, he's on his own."
" This is just like him. What did he said?"
" He told me of an impending danger, something he had felt – just like what we had felt. OZ soldiers are being sent to different parts of the realms, mainly at the centralized areas. The strange thing is they are not doing anything. It's like they are only having a camp. They definitely have something up their sleeves," Trowa told him.
Heero was thoughtful. " Could it be another trick?"
" If it is, then what is their motive? What is it that they plan to achieve?"
" There is a certain war strategy that I have read of. The Japanese on the planet Earth uses it during World War Two," Heero said.
" I have read of the war too."
" To throw confusion to their enemy forces, they would attack several places at one time so that their main intention is hidden till it is over and the people would realize it all too late. I suspect that is what Trieze is planning right now."
Trowa nodded in agreement. " You are right. But I still can't figure out what it is that he wants to achieve. What do you suggest we do?"
" Tomorrow, we do some research."
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Quatre sat on the grass lining the border of the desert, staring up into the starry heaven. His blond hair was wet from the bath he had just taken. His sharp ears caught the sound of someone's footsteps. He turned his head and greeted Duo with a smile. The latter settled down beside him comfortably.
" Looking at the stars, huh?" Duo said.
" Did you hear what Rasid just said about OZ?" Quatre asked.
" Clear as the day. That man has a powerful voice," Duo joked. He lay down on the grass.
" I believe something will happen soon. Even the stars say so," Quatre said.
" Oh? You study astrology?"
" A little. Mr J taught me some. Look over there. Did you see the group of bluish-coloured stars?"
" Those clustered together? Yeah. They are pretty, aren't they?"
" Yes. They are not supposed to be so close together. Those blue stars are usually quite a distant apart from one another. This means something bad is about to happen. And it's the same with the other stars; they are all out of their usual positions. I don't like the look of it. I wish I had studied more astrology." A worried sigh escaped from his lips.
Duo was silent. His eyes were fixed on the stars. " Quatre, what do you suppose those bad eggs are up to?"
" I have no idea."
" Sometimes, I wish the chosen one was not me."
" Huh?" Quatre looked at him.
Duo sat up quickly. " Nothing, nothing," he replied hastily. " As the famous saying goes, ' If you don't go to hell, who would?' And who won't want to be the hero to save the day?"
" I would rather be a simple boy than a hero. Every move and choice we make will have an effect on the survival of the magical realms. What if we make the wrong choice? What if we fail?" Quatre pondered.
Duo tightened his fists. " And worse, what if we die and there's no one to take our place? Quatre, we have to live, no matter what. I am not afraid of death. I'm just afraid of dying with regrets."
" Duo."
The Prince of the Desert placed an understanding hand on the shoulder of the Angel of Darkness, forming an even deeper bond between them.
That very night, the last of the huge realms, EverlastVille, was attacked. With Treize leading and Lady Une's helpful knowledge of the place, it finally surrendered to OZ. Several realms with the soldiers 'camping' were besieged and weakened in no time, bringing them to a defeat and falling under OZ's rule. No one expected it to be so soon. Overnight, OZ's power increased to a frightening level and except for a handful of heroes, no one else dares to stand up and challenge OZ.
