Hello! This is a short story created for the Tumblr EscaWeek 2021. You can open the illustration that goes with this story at quietduna. com
Dilandau wasn't the cooperative type of person, and he wasn't going to make things easy for Fanelia nor Asturia.
He was captured due to back luck, that's all. That was the only reason someone as weak as pathetic as Van Fanel could capture him and leave behind his Dragonslayers. He would never cooperate with the enemy.
Allen and Van desperately needed the information to save their soldier's lives from the next Zaibach attack, and they didn't have the time to follow Dilandau's games. The interrogatory wasn't going anywhere, and Van was losing his (short) patience.
'What a terrible temper', though Dilandau looking him from head to toe, 'what a terrible king of nothing he will be'. And then smiled wolfishly at the thought of Fanelia destroyed by his own hands.
Hitomi offered shyly to help in the only way she could at the time: with her cards. If they somehow found out about any Dilandau's weaknesses, maybe they could negotiate something with the Zaibach soldier….
Van and Allen looked at her in disbelief at first (Hitomi hated the patronising look they gave her) but finally aggred, as she were the only one who actually proposed something to unlock the situation.
Dilandau was rambling about how useless all of this was, and how his Dragonslayers were going to eventually rescue him. Laughing, he even insulted Hitomi several times, something that neither Allen nor Van were going to allow it.
Van bang his fists on the table and shouted: "Enough of this nonsense! Give us the answers we need, you bastard, or I'll kill you!"
Allen prepared to draw his sword and whispered angrily: "Be careful of what you say of Hitomi, Dilandau"
But Hitomi couldn't care less. She was focused on her cards, focused on her visions related to the aggresive man she had in front of her.
But something was not right. The cards were giving her…two different readings? Hitomi was astonished. Was she doing something wrong? Her powers were being somehow blocked or distorted? That was the first time something like this happened to her!
Ignoring the heated exchange between the men, Hitomi paused, breathed and prepared the card setup again, hoping for a result she could understand.
Again. Two different readings.
How?
Anxiety began invading her thoughts, despite her efforts to control it. She wanted to help them so badly, she couldn't fail now!
Hitomi looked at the cards blankly. The cards never failed to her. Could it be that somehow they were giving her a message she wasn't able to understand?
The world disappeared for her, and she could only see the cards in front of her.
The Tower. Death. Wheel of fortune. Lovers. Chariot.
The cards were spinning in front of her, separating themselves in two different setups. Both of them began with a disaster, but somehow develop into two different paths.
One of them was about family, broken pride and a forgotten comfort. Confidence lost, someone very dear lost in the past in a tragic way. That reading talked about a hidden trauma, innocence, new beginnings…
The other reading showed totally the opposite. Lack of control, search for a direction, aggressiveness, destruction, extremes, violence, death. Hedonism, service and a life devoted to death.
Metamorphosis. Change. Isolation.
Hitomi returned to the present when Van shouted again at Dilandau, who was laughing at him. Allen was trying to hold Van, as he looked like he was actually going to kill Dilandau with his bare hands.
She looked at Dilandau curiously. What did the card readings mean? She had no clue of what to say to Allen and Van now.
'You lost someone you loved dearly', she said quietly.
Van and Allen looked at her, surprised of hearing her voice. Dilandau eyed her dangerously.
'You've suffered a lot', said Hitomi, trying not to hide from his gaze. 'So much I can barely begin to express. Your levels of suffering are…impossible for me to understand' She looked down, sheepishly. 'You delight in the suffering of other people, when you yourself went trhough so much…You love destruction and violence and…at the same time….you are so different, so innocent….There's so much about you I…' Allen and Van looked at her expectantly. Dilandau just looked at her angrily.
'I can't really understand you. I can't read you. I'm sorry' Hitomi lowered her head, gathered her cards and left hastily the room, avoiding the stunned looks from Van and Allen.
'Hitomi?!' She heard Allen calling for her but she was faster and closed the door behind her. Van said nothing.
Once outside the room, she held the cards close to her. She had discovered something very important about Dilandau, but she didn't understand what it was. She was failing to realize the true meaning of it all and that was making herself anxious. What if that was the key to finish this war?
Hitomi could hear them shouting on the other side of the room.
She felt miserable.
Thank you for reading!
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