Act II - Memory
Chapter 1 - Reunion
"This won't work..."
I snapped my fingers together, trying to create a small fireball. No dice. That magic barrier really does its thing.
I sighed and dusted off my plain white sleeveless shirt, feeling utterly helpless. They really designed this place just for me. I looked down on my knee-length dark blue skirt. Anyone could tell from its wear that I had been in here for some time.
I am Anna Elie Valkion. Born with auburn hair and blue eyes, I am a child of Alde Baran. I do not know how old I am. Nobody told me what day I was born. All I know is that I've been living for a long time. People say I look like I'm in my twenties. And looks are deceiving.
Argh, that bastard. When he has no use for me, he places me here. Come to think of it, his erratic behavior started two years ago...
I felt a bead of sweat drip down from my brow as I finally realized why. That day is probably close. I had to get out of here and stop him.
I stood up and glared at the iron bars. I wasn't even sure if they were made of iron. Then again, I never tried melting them to find out. Damn barrier. The only thing that stood between me and escape. And a change of clothing.
I gave the bars a powerful kick. It had no effect whatsoever, other than doing more damage to my white leather shoes. I felt my mouth curve downwards as I tried to come up with a new way to escape. Let's just say the last hundred attempts didn't turn out too well. My sore right hand is testament to that.
I sat down again, cross-legged, and closed my eyes. There just had to be a way to get out of here. Every prison has a way to escape from it, right? The only option left, outside help, is out of the question. Only a few people knew about this place.
Suddenly, I heard loud footsteps. Someone was coming here. The thought of ambushing them crossed my mind, but the last time I tried, I found out that the magic barrier had a wide range. Discarding the idea, I simply waited for them to arrive. What could they want with me? Did that man need me again?
The cell door swung open as a man, whose face I could not see, gently threw in a girl, her landing face-up. Faster than I could react, he had closed the door and locked it. Looks like they only came here to lock up this girl.
Standing up, I went over to her, feeling a bit of pity. What had this one done to them? From the looks of it, she was a Kafra, she was knocked unconscious, and thankfully, looked unmolested. You can never trust those guys...
My eyes widened as I got a closer look at her face.
"Maliea..."
I shook my head. Maliea was dead already. This couldn't be her. Besides, this girl has light blue hair. Mailea had dark blue.
But...that face...
I heard her groan as she finally awoke, looking at me with her half-lidded amber eyes.
My soul practically screamed at me. Images appeared before my eyes. That man. Blood on my hands. The dark walls of the underground passages. The mirror as it stared back at me, a shadow of a once beautiful woman, now worn and battered. Blood. On the floor. All around me. The fading light.
The man's blood-stained face looking down on me.
And smiling.
"Uhhh..."
The girl's groan made me snap back to reality. Shaking my head, I focused my vision on her. Did this girl do something so evil that she was sent here, to the deepest part of Headquarters? Or was she sent here because...she resembled...
Maybe, this is it. Just maybe. But I have to be sure. It's not good to jump to conclusions.
She obviously sensed that there was someone with her, because she immediately turned to face me, her eyes half-lidded, and her mouth parted slightly.
I was so surprised that the reaction became physical.
I knew this girl!
I've been away from Prontera for so long that I had almost forgotten. How could I have?
This was the girl that I whisked away from the room, in a spontaneous act of rebellion, barely having the time to scratch the date on the broken tube with my dagger. The girl whom I left at the Pronteran riverside, with the letter I had made beforehand so she would be taken in by a caring family. The girl whom I watched over as soon as I was able to secure a post in the city.
The girl who knew me only as Miss Jane.
"Where am I..."
I shook my head again. Not now. I would think later. We have to get out now. If she is indeed that girl...and I was the one who had gotten her away...
Fate works in mysterious ways, indeed.
"In the Kafra Corp dungeon." I replied. "This place is pretty deep inside the building."
Amelia. That was her name, wasn't it? I think so. It was written on her tube back then. Anyway, she looked pretty bewildered. I would imagine so, after all, no one said that the company had a dungeon.
"Why am I...oh." Amelia quickly looked at the stone floor, her body now shaking. What did she do? This place isn't just for anybody. You'd have done something pretty...wait. Maybe she found...the room? That would be a reason. But how did she get there in the first place? The warp device has pretty tight security.
Unless...she was the one.
I barely suppressed a grin, willing my body not to tremble in excitement. Now I'm almost sure that it's her.
I must have been spaced out for a while, because I didn't notice her move beside me until she spoke.
"Why are you here?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of the soft voice.
"Well...lots of things." I tried to be casual. "Mostly messing with the system."
I felt the blue-haired girl go silent once more. Sighing, I took my cue.
"You saw the room, didn't you?"
I knew the answer was yes before she replied. The way she suddenly stiffened and the scared look in her eyes spoke much much louder than words.
I brushed a hand through my short hair, nodding in quiet agreement.
"And that's not the worst part. I found one with my name..."
"Oh."
A few minutes passed, both of us too absorbed in our thoughts to speak. What to do now? We had to escape before he realized who Amelia is. But our options were limited. I doubt this girl can break the bars, judging from her figure. As I thought of more possibilities, I completely missed Amelia analyzing my face.
"I think I know you. From long ago."
"Eh?" I turned to her, a part of me glad. So, she remembers me, too! I better throw her a hint. Grinning, I drew my head back so that my neck-length hair touched my shoulders, somewhat giving an illusion that I had longer hair.
Her eyes widened in realization.
"M...m..."
I smiled. "So you do remember m..."
Amelia's sudden hug-tackle interrupted my sentence. The girl barely gave me the time to make myself rigid so that I wouldn't get knocked onto the ground.
"It is you!"
I heard her laugh, then sob, on my chest. Sighing, I stroked her back softly as she let out her emotions.
I looked up to the dark ceiling.
"Fate, indeed..."