Chapter VI:
Before their eyes lay the beautiful and timeless City of Romagna with its sculptures, buildings, many of them ancient, monuments, its streets and water fountains, people coming and going, many who were tourists or locals who had activities to do such as going to school or work. There were groups of young people gathered in the cafes, enjoying a friendly afternoon, while the parks and squares had an air of tranquility, without any problems. Francesca parked the jeep in an area near the Center and from there proceeded to get out with her friend, who felt strange, different, it seemed as if she was in another era, one where things and trends were different, a time when life could be easy or difficult, depending on your actions and where there were not so many prejudices.
Romagna stretched as far as the eye could see and as they walked towards the Center, the young man could feel that air of the Past, to the distant times when it was a Superpower in the Ancient Age, taking its culture and influence everywhere, from Spain to Central Asia. There was the City where the Etruscan Kings ruled until the expulsion of the last one, Tarquin the Superb. Then came the Republic with the Senate and its control to prevent the return of the Monarchy, a fear that had surfaced within many generations to come and where powerful subjects like Publius Cornelius Scipio Scipio Africanus, his family, Marcus Porcius Cato, Quintus Fabius Maximus, walked during the "Punic Wars", the arrival of the fearsome General Hannibal Barca of Carthage and when he was about to take the City but could not. After that came very tumultuous times for Romagna when a series of "Agricultural Laws" were proposed by the brothers Tiberius Sempronius and Gaius Gracchus, leading, as a consequence, to the Dictatorship of Sulla, who made the blood of his enemies run through the streets of the city.
Walking through what was once the "Roman Forum", Eddy noticed that Francesca was pointing her hand towards a statue that was located in that place. The boy walked until he saw the name written in Latin and which read "Gaius Julius Caesar".
- Ah, like the one that appeared in the "Asterix and Obelix" comics.- He said, causing the Italian girl to laugh.
- Well, yes, it is, but that was also to give a comic touch to the story. But, in real life, Julius Caesar was one of the most important men of Romagna and he is even the one who begins to lay the foundations of the future Empire," she said, after laughing at that moment and from there they continued with the walk.- There is a lot of history here, Eddy and with what the Cruels did in Antarctica, seeing how they destroy everything in their path, I would not tolerate, never in my life, a crime like that against the past of my homeland. They have no right to erase our legacy, just like in the other Nations. They think they are the Queens, that this World is indebted to them but they are wrong and they are going to fall, sooner or later they will do it.- Francesca's voice had become serious and even more so when she took her friend's hands and he looked towards her.
Since they had arrived at the "Witches" HQ, Eddy had always thought that Francesca was a quiet girl who didn't get angry but, now, his words were wrong. She recognized that she did not tolerate the destruction of History at the hands of ignorant people like the Cruels, who wished to convert everything to their image and likeness, turning Humanity into their slaves to carry out their "divine" construction work. He noticed that anger and her frown on the young woman, something that caused him to reconsider inwardly.
- "There I have a strong proof why I have to keep fighting this war: She is a great person, very kind and charitable but, if someone touches her Homeland, she will react to defend it and that's fine. Would it be as stupid as hoisting the white flag and ending the fight. No, that is not noble of a person, nor is it noble of a man to run away from the battlefield. They have given so much for us, they gave us shelter, food and even trained us. Now it's time to return the favor. Besides...I don't know, for some time now I have been feeling something more for Francesca, a feeling that is beyond our present state", He thought and then took the young woman by the hand.- Your words have opened my eyes.- He said.- I have been blind and ignorant all the time and I couldn't see what it is to fight for what you love. At first, I was fighting for myself, for no one else, now I recognize that this war will not end until we all together defeat the Cruels with our motives and causes. What you said is true, Francesca: Your country, like the others, has its culture and history. You cannot allow a group of wretches like the "Shadow Neuroi" to come and destroy everything in their path. Here...Here it is as if I were in the times of the Empire of the mighty Caesars. If they had to fight against so many enemies to protect their people, then I must also do the same.- He emphasized and that struck a deep chord in the Italian, who stood up and showed pride for the words she had just given.
Then, she gave him a strong hug, making the boy blush for that fact.
- I knew you would find that path, Eddy. You are doing very well.- Said the young woman, while smiling at his crimson cheeks.- Now come, let's continue with the tour. You have to see the ancient Palaces and the Equestrian Statue of Emperor Mark Antony of the Antonine Dynasty, and from there they went back to the tour, however, at that moment, the boy had taken the Italian girl by the hand, who was pleased to have someone by her side.
Nazz had received a blow to her right arm, right in the area of the nerve, causing her to drop the wooden sword and from there Mio approached her, kneeling on the sand and grabbing that limb, which was recovering after the impact suffered.
- In a real combat, your enemy would not stop for you to recover. On the contrary, he would attack with greater force and destroy you. For this reason, you must always remain alert, with the five active Senses and united to your mind. Logic kills Ignorance, Nazz. Remember that and if you "fuse" it with your physical strength, then you will be unstoppable.- Mio encouraged her, while helping her stand up and giving her that tool.- Do you want to continue or give up?.- She asked but she pushed aside the pain and faced her.
- No... I want to continue, I will not give up.- She asked and with a smile of satisfaction, they returned to that "training duel".
On the outskirts of the headquarters, sitting under a leafy tree that was there, Double D took advantage of his day off to read one of his books that he had brought with him from Peach Creek and which he had not had time to read. The title and the illustration on the cover were striking, as they showed the image of a World covered by water, except for the skyscrapers that were used for survival and a kind of highway that was still standing in the middle of that deluge. The boy remained focused on his reading but did not see that someone was coming towards him.
That female figure advanced from the North of the HQ and when she was close to Double D, covering the Sun, he looked up and noticed who it was.
- Eila, what's up, did something happen?.- The boy wanted to know, as he placed a bookmark in an assigned area.
- No, everything is fine. Sanya is still asleep, in a few hours she will leave for her new round of night patrols.- She told her and his gaze went to the book.- Hey, I didn't know you liked J. G. Ballard "The Drowned World".- She pointed and took a seat, leaving the black-capped boy surprised.
- Wow, I didn't know you had read it.- Said Double D.- I know him.
- I know him, he is a very good author next to Fyodor Dostoyevsky and his "Crime and Punishment".- Said the silver-haired man.
- Not at all, no problem.- He answered with sweetness in his voice and she did it. She stayed close to the young man and from there she remained with her eyes fixed both on the book and on her "Protégé".
She listened to him read with passion, emotion, an intoxicating force that led her to that place in history: A Dystopian Future but that, instead of water, was ruled by the Kankers with an iron fist. A shiver ran through her mind and led her to embrace him unconsciously, leading her to place the book on the grass and from there they were silent for a long time.
What had that been? He didn't know. The answers were "frozen" in his mind, there was no bond that united them, just like blood ties in people. On this occasion, there was only one thing that reigned in the midst of the given confusion: The feelings that expressed something hidden and that would come to give their answer, sooner or later. Gone was his jealousy towards Double D because Sanya had chosen to be his "Guardian". Things were changing, even though neither of them knew it, they only had to wait until the moment of truth came.
The silver-haired girl from Northern Europe snuggled even closer to Double D, sinking her head when she reached his chest, while he put his arms around her and pulled her closer until they were "attached" to each other, amidst the silence of a world that breathed war but also saw a promising future ahead.
The words came from the boy's lips, one image after another, descriptive, of what was happening in that literary Universe, making known the consequences of a solar storm that devastated the gravitational balance and then produced a whole "Domino Effect" in the Polar Caps together with the rise of the sea level, flooding the Continents, raising the temperatures and turning the Globe into a battlefield for survival, in the midst of a new wild fauna and flora. She heard him read every word, every paragraph and imagined what it would be like to be there. What was worse? That question was running through Eila's mind back and forth, but at the same time, everything they were experiencing, this war, was like being inside J. G. Ballard's book.
A feeling of fear of the unknown came over her, so she snuggled into it even more, finding a "protection" from that fear.
- When Sanya chose you to be your "Guardian", I was jealous, because I didn't want to lose her.- The silver-haired girl revealed to the boy.- Yes, it sounds silly and childish, but I was afraid that something would happen to her. I was afraid...no, it wasn't that, but that what I knew, what I had with me, would collapse, just like a house of cards.- She revealed that truth to the young man.
- Eila...- Double D's words remained floating in the air for a long time until they disappeared, completely, in the atmosphere.
- I know it was wrong of me, but... she and I are very close and, besides that, she also has feelings for you. It's small, but I recognize it.- Added the girl from Nordic Europe.
She took a deep breath, she couldn't be angry with the girl. He had seen those bonds of friendship with the albino and he couldn't put it aside, it was only going to be adding fuel to the fire, so he turned his eyes and faced her.
- I am not angry with you. It's your right, anyone would do such a thing.- She said calmly, while pushing away the young woman's fears. Immediately, she hugged him. It was not an ordinary one, but one that represented something much more inside her, a feeling, one that, little by little, would emerge from the depths of her soul.
Returning to Romagna, Eddy and Francesca had spent a great day there. Between touring the city and its monuments, taking pictures, eating in bars and even in an artisan ice cream shop in the center of town, it was a perfect combo to end the afternoon together. While they were going back to the jeep, a mysterious "Dron" was recording their movements, every step they took towards the return to the Port and with it was something that passed their data to a certain trio of sisters, who were watching them, especially Lee, who remained serious and cold at that moment.
- That witch has "bewitched" my boyfriend, she has him under her control, but I don't care: It's time to launch the invasion from the Antarctic Continent. Now.- Ordered the redhead, while they were preparing for combat, one of which there would only be one winner.
[As I said, this chapter was going to be quiet to a certain extent. The next one is going to be the closing for this "Part 3" with a larger amount of words, so it may take me a few days. Then, this fic will be in Hiatus until March, since I'm going on vacation this month and I won't be able to update it.
But well, in the meantime, get ready for the final chapter of this "Saga", friends. I send greetings and thanks to Matfix, Franco M. Romano and the rest of the followers.
Take care and have a good start of Thursday from me].
