CHAPTER 35

"Why?"

At first, he hadn't believed it. He'd kept searching for Esmeral's books, rummaging through his whole flat. After all, it couldn't happen. No one could have burned his things. The only one who'd destroyed his books had been Gasket, during the time where he'd been a Circle of Light member.

Nothing.

And by checking these books' coverages, he couldn't allow doubt anymore.

A deep rage took over him. He was usually calm…but now he'd been run out of patience.

He'd always thought it was Gasket…to get back to them for having been excluded…at least, that's what everyone had thought.

And now…

Get rid of this one.

He understood.

Like a shot, he'd rushed over to Star Saber's flat, running past Outrigger and Minicons. He didn't control himself anymore. That's like if he had been possessed…He frenetically knocked at the doors, not even bothering to wait. He kept knocking over and over. He wanted to confront him about this…

How could he have done this?

How could he have crept into his flat?

How could he have got his books burnt?

Rare books! Maybe they had been the last copies left on Cybertron!

Books belonging to Esmeral…

The masked bot opened after a few minutes.

"How could you do this?" Axe shouted as soon as he appeared in front of him.

"Doing what?"

Star Saber's voice was calm.

"Are you kidding me?"

Axe showed him the burnt coverage.

"Many Cybertronian religions…"

"You think I did this?" Star Saber said.

"Who else? Huh? Who else?"

He would have struck him. Star Saber didn't bat one optic.

"You are crazy"

"Am I crazy? Do you really believe I am? You wanted me to get rid of it! You hate someone writing about different other religions while you believe there is only one God yourself!"

"Exactly"

He didn't deny. This time, Axe grabbed Star Saber by his neck. The masked bot didn't have time to react while the purple and yellow bot had him pinned against the wall.

"Let go of me!"

"You intolerant bastard! You don't care about anything but Primus! If people have a different way of thinking, you destroy them! You destroy everything!"

"Shut up!"

A powerful blow came into his face. Axe was sent backward, landing at the end of the hall. He crashed onto the floor, dropping his destroyed books all over. He almost heard a cry. From who? Outrigger?

Star Saber walked ahead for him.

"It was you…all along…" Axe gritted, a lump in his throat.

"I don't get what you are talking about"

"You did the same thing the last time! We accused Gasket of it! I accused Gasket!"

I accused a friend, he bitterly thought. Guilt took over him. He'd charged Gasket…Of course, their old comrade had committed other crimes. But not this one…He'd never burnt their books.

But it wasn't the right time to show his weaknesses.

Star Saber was way stronger.

"Who said it was Gasket?" He questioned him. "You are the one who believed it. You all believed it."

"Of course, it was you!" Axe screamed.

"Who said it was me?"

This time, Axe grabbed his weapon. It wasn't a training. It went too far. He didn't care. Star Saber pulled out his sword as well.

"You think it's me…but I think you didn't search much."

"What do you mean?" The yellow and purple bot growled.

"I'm not the one who read these books. These rags."

What did he mean?

Star Saber's piercing optics gave him a cold stare.

"Wing could have done it"

"What?"

"Well. You always visit one or the other in your flats, right? He has free access to your flat…unlike me."

Rage invaded him again. He dared do this? He was really doing this?

"Wing would never do such a thing!"

"Of course. Everyone thinks he's as pure as the Thirteen. A poor naïve fool believing that the world is beautiful. But that's not the case."

"Wing is your comrade! Gasket was too! HOW CAN YOU ACCUSE THEM?"

He'd almost lost his voice due to his screaming.

"Wing is impure. You don't admit this. I do."

"Shut up! You don't know anything!"

"We can't trust impure people"

"Stop this!"

"The Circle of Light can't welcome impure people. Just like Gasket was. An impure."

"STOP!"

He lifted his axe up. Star Saber lifted his sword.

Their weapons were about to collide. Fight was unavoidable.

But before they could lunge at each other like bullets, Axe's weapon was blocked by a katana while Dai Atlas's Great Sword stopped Star Saber's eventual blow.

He'd put himself between them. Dai Atlas looked up at them, giving them a stern yet concerned stare.

"Primus! What's going on?" He asked with his deep and resonating voice.

Silence fell down. Nearby stood Wing, Drift and Outrigger.

They looked shocked by what'd just happened. After all, fights rarely happened here. At least, they weren't usually that violent.

"What's going on?" Dai Atlas repeated, an angrier and firmer tone. "You'll answer immediately!"

Their only warning. Axe pointed at Star Saber. He preferred speaking first, to get it over with.

"He destroyed my books!"

"Which books?" Dai Atlas asked.

Axe realized that he'd never talked about them with Dai Atlas. Only Wing, Drift and Star Saber were aware of their reading lessons.

"All of our books had been burnt" Dai Atlas stated.

"I retrieved some others." Axe answered.

"Really?"

Dai Atlas came closer, towering over him.

"How so?"

Axe bit his lipplates.

They were in a close-minded society…

He wasn't sure about his leader's reaction.

"…That's a friend who gave them to me. To thank me."

"A friend, you say?"

Dai Atlas frowned.

He didn't like this. Not at all actually.

"May I know where your friend comes from? Why did you never tell me about them?"

His tone went icy.

"…We just met each other…" Axe justified.

"And you accept books from people you just meet?"

Dai Atlas gave a slight glance to Drift. However, he immediately focused back on him.

"She wanted to thank me."

"For what?"

"For saving her"

Because it was their goal. They defended the Crystal Cities as well as inhabitants.

"Who else was aware of it?" Dai Atlas asked to the others.

"I was" Wing spoke.

"I was too" Drift said as well.

"Really? Was it a secret?"

Dai Atlas sounded offended.

"…We had reading lessons together" Wing explained, almost apologizing. "I taught Drift to read."

At least, this explanation seemed to convince Dai Atlas. However, his expression didn't change at all.

"You shouldn't trust people that easily"

"Because people from here are trustworthy?" Axe spat back.

Shock fell over his comrades. Dai Atlas twitched.

"Excuse me?"

Yes. Everyone trusted each other…no one had ever doubted of their comrades…at least not explicitly.

Yet…That's happening…

Axe had started it. He'd to finish it.

"Star Saber had my books burnt! He crept into my flat to do it!"

"And why would you accuse him of such a thing?"

"Because of their titles! He read them!"

He paused.

"He doesn't tolerate their content" Axe added, a calmer tone.

"For which reason?"

"Because these books mention some special themes…other religions…"

Dai Atlas slowly turned back to Star Saber.

His face went closed. However, the masked bot's expression was unreadable.

"Is that true?" Their leader questioned him.

"I didn't take part of their reading lessons" Star Saber growled. "They did everything in Wing's flat. Or Axe's. I don't care about their books. Though I was against their content."

Now he stared back at Wing and Drift.

"It can be one of them" Star Saber added, an emotionless tone.

Wing twitched. Drift stepped ahead.

"Are you accusing us?" The orange bot roared.

"You're just a Decepticon" Star Saber replied back. "An intruder. Just like Gasket»

Pain went over Wing's face. Axe noticed it. And he wasn't the only one.

And before Star Saber could add anything else, Drift's fist punched him. Right in the face. Obviously, the masked bot hadn't expected it and immediately fell down on the floor. Dai Atlas immediately put himself between them while Wing grabbed Drift's arm, ordering him to calm down. Outrigger looked away, horrified by what's happening.

Drift's punch left a big bruise on Star Saber's mask.

"That's not Wing!" Drift cried out, calmly yet dryly. "You can believe it! You will not talk about Gasket in such a way again!"

"He was a—"

"He was your comrade!" Drift glared at him. "You accuse another! Without any evidence! You just have false presumptions and I will not accept it!"

"Are you the one talking about values now?" Star Saber sneered, a mocking tone. "You're a robber and a murderer. A Decepticon."

"SHUT UP!"

Dai Atlas was angry now. There was no more coldness in his voice. There was disgust instead.

Against whom?

"The first time, we accused Gasket of destroying our things!" Wing shouted. "If it happened again, it can't be him!"

"Yes but we have no evidence about the culprit!" Dai Atlas retorted. "And if you told me about this whole thing, it wouldn't have happened! We would have put books in safety! Now the harm is done and we don't know about the responsible!"

He let out a deep sigh.

"As long as we don't know anything, we'll not blame anyone."

That's stupid. Everything pointed at Star Saber. To Axe, he was guilty.

However, he shouldn't push it more. Dai Atlas wouldn't listen.

"I don't want any more fight!" Dai Atlas shouted. "You are in the Circle of Light. We forbid any kind of violence here. If it happens again, you'll regret it."

They will. They already knew about it. He wasn't talking about a particular someone here. He was talking to everyone. Star Saber remained motionless.

Axe had never expected him to be that hateful.

"Star Saber" Dai Atlas said. "You're coming with me. We need to talk."

His tone was definitely threatening. Star Saber nodded, becoming docile again. He would spend a bad time. That's a poor comfort for Axe. It will not give his books back. The giant ordered them to go back to their business before leaving the hall, fury still obvious in his body language.

They remained silent. Star Saber let out a sigh, ready to leave and join Dai Atlas.

"I know it's you" Axe warned him.

"Why, Star Saber?" Wing said, a cold tone.

They'd never had such an argument. They'd worked together for a long time now. Drift stood up by his mentor's side. Even though Dai Atlas had warned him, he looked like ready to take another blow if it was necessary.

It felt like…a protective instinct from Drift. Toward Wing? Toward his mentor?

Of course.

"…You and Gasket…you disgusted me" Star Saber told him, a disdainful tone.

"…What?"

"Your relationship shouldn't have existed. It was unnatural."

Star Saber didn't even look back at him.

"I'm glad Gasket is gone. But you…remained here."

Then he vanished.