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Episode 4- Sanctuary of Sage
Date: November 22, X792
Location: Sanctuary of Sage, Crimson's Office at the Academy
Cleo was sitting at her desk, chin propped lazily on her hand as she stared ahead, eyes distant and unfocused.
"Cleo, don't we have to get to Bellamy's office?" Caia asked curiously, balancing on a chair to the side.
"Rhys is bringing them here. Not that Shitty Old man's office." Cleo said, distractedly. "That Geezer probably doesn't want his office destroyed."
"That's fair." Koel sighed where he was sitting beside Caia. "Then Bellamy's late, he better get here before Rhys brings that girl here. I don't plan on restraining you alone if you get out of hand."
Cleo scoffed, turning her head to look at him. "Please, as if you could stop me."
Koel raised a brow at her, "Don't test me, Cleo, I wasn't hired to be your bodyguard just to protect you. I was also hired to restrain you if necessary."
"I don't need protection. If you're so dissatisfied, why don't you break your contract already?" Cleo asked.
Koel sighed and didn't respond, knowing that it would do nothing but annoy Cleo further. Some days… he really did think he should break his contract.
Caia looked between her two friends and sighed. "Now, now, let's not get so worked up before Rhys even gets here. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think Cleo."
"Rhys…" Cleo's brows furrowed as she thought of the idiotic blonde, "when he gets here, I'll make him regret bringing those people up."
Caia laughed, seeing Cleo and Rhys interact was always a treat, the blonde always got pummeled in the end… "You know…" Caia began, it was always fun to rile up the orange-haired girl, "Our guildmates in Valkyrie Dawn think you're his secret girlfriend or something. He never mentions you and if he does, it's always by Crimson. The guild is dying out of curiosity."
Cleo turned a sharp glare her way. "He isn't saying I'm his girlfriend right?"
"Of course not, he knows you'd kill him if he did." Caia laughed, thinking back to all the times she had seen Rhys deny the accusations, a blush on his face.
"I'm about to kill him anyways."
"Then I guess he's a dead man walking," Caia laughed, eager to see it. The perv did deserve a decent beating now and then and Cleo was the only one who could do it properly.
Cleo was about to open her mouth to reply when she stiffened, green eyes going wide as they flew to the window, gaze focusing on something neither Koel nor Caia could see.
"What is it?" Koel asked.
"They're here," Cleo said simply, rising to her feet. "I guess we should get ready to greet them."
"Whatever you say," Caia said, standing up as well, eyes gleaming with excitement at the show that she was about to see.
Koel eyes her warily. "I'd wipe that look off your face. You don't want to become a target for Cleo either."
"I'm not worried, "Caia happily waved away Koel's concern, "I have you to protect me."
"My job is to protect Cleo." Koel sighed, he was already feeling tired. This job really was more hassle than it was worth.
"And me by default." Caia chimed in. "We're family after all."
"Fine." Koel sighed, he just hoped this meeting wouldn't go downhill as fast as he thought it would.
Jeanne, Hilda, Addie, Gian, and Rhys followed Gideon out of the portal he had created, stepping onto the paved trail of Sanctuary, and giving the mages their first majestic view of the floating town.
"This is amazing!" Cress said, looking around at the open sky in awe. "I can't believe I've never been here before."
"Not everyone gets invited to Sanctuary," Rhys said, utterly relaxed as he stood next to Gideon, watching as his friends gaped at the sight of Sanctuary. He would admit, the view was majestic and stunning, and even now, the sight of the open sky took his breath away, but he was used to this. He had visited Cleo constantly when they were younger after all.
"It's a sight I'll never get tired of," Gideon smiled. "How are you feeling Jeanne? Any more flashes of memory?
Jeanne shook her head, but her eyes were going everywhere, from the open sky to the town which was on the right side of the floating island, bustling with life and color before looking towards the grand Academy of Sanctuary, taking in the majestic towers and buildings on the left. "... no memories but I feel nostalgic. Looking at the sky and feeling the wind, it's like I've experienced it all before, a long time ago." There was some sadness in her voice as she spoke. "This place feels right."
"That's good to hear," Gideon said, giving her a gentle smile. "What do you think of Sanctuary?" He turned towards Hilda and Addie, both of whom had been silent.
"It's grander than I imagined," Hilda said, her awe more controlled. "I've talked about Sanctuary with my mother a few times and she's described it to me, but I never imagined this. It's almost as big as Artair."
"I could get used to being up here," Addie said, nodding. "I can't believe empire mages get kicked out frequently, how could they trade this in for pride?" She said, she looked excited to make her way through, the awe bright in her eyes.
"The ones who aren't kicked out do realize what they're giving up." Gideon nodded, as he started to lead them down the trail toward the Academy.
"Now remember the rules I gave you before we came up. Don't wander off by yourself, don't open any sealed doors, don't take any food or drink offered by a student, don't cause fights with people from the Empire or Caelestine, and don't anger Crimson."
"That last one is impossible," Rhys piped up. "She's already angry at us."
"Ah," Cress raised her hand sheepishly, looking confused. "Why shouldn't we take offered food and drinks?"
Gideon gave her a sheepish smile in turn, "I'm sure Bellamy will have some tea offered later… but if a random student comes up to you and offers anything … it may look safe and innocent, but some students like to use unsuspecting mages or civilians as unknowing... ah... volunteers for their potions."
"Is that allowed?" Gian asked, thinking that there was no way Bellamy could allow such a thing.
"Technically not. But for the most part, it's always been harmless and Bellamy gets a good laugh out of the testing, so he doesn't enforce the rule unless he thinks it can lead to serious sickness or death.
"... I see," Gian said, a bit worried. That didn't sound like a responsible Grand Sage at all.
Gideon just turned the serene smile that was constantly on his face towards him as they reached the Academy where he stopped at the entrance. "Well, I'll go grab Bellamy."
Rhys froze at the words, paling slightly, "Are you saying he's not in Crimson's office yet?" He asked, his voice coming out as a whisper.
Gideon laughed at the look on his face while everyone else began to fill with dread. "You know Bellamy, he has his reasons, even if it doesn't make sense to us. I'll see you in a moment." Gideon said as he made his way in the direction opposite Crimson's office at the Academy.
Rhys watched Gidoen's back until he was out of view, "Well let's go," He said, accepting his fate as a punching bag.
"We could always wait for him to come back with the Grand Sage," Hilda said.
"It'll take a few minutes and trust me, the longer Crimson has to wait, the more annoyed she'll be," Rhys said, starting to walk toward the opposite end of the Academy, his group trailing behind him.
"She doesn't even know we're here yet," Cress said, catching up to him, her thick brilliant pink hair blowing slightly in the wind.
"Oh, she knows," Rhys sighed, "She knew we were here the moment we stepped foot on Sanctuary ground."
"Is there an alert of some kind?" Hilda asked curiously. Was there an alert lacrima in Crimson's office or something similar? It made sense since Sanctuary had to be protected from uninvited guests after all.
"A trick a lot of the mages in Sanctuary are taught is how to tell apart different mana signatures. If you're here constantly then you could go unnoticed but if it's new visitors…" Rhys trailed off letting them fill in the blank.
"Then all the mages know we're here and don't belong." Gian nodded. "Will that alarm some people?" His hand was resting on the handle of his sword as if he was expecting to be jumped but Rhys shook his head.
"The Grand Sage is good at letting Sanctuary know when unknown guests are coming and the people here are pretty chill. They may get curious but nothing past that. Relax man. We're literally walking towards the most unwelcoming person in Sanctuary."
"Jeez, that's not making us feel better," Cress was giving Rhys a wary look. "The way you describe Crimson is really making me not want to meet her." She then glanced back at Jeanne. "What about you Jeanne?" she asked the blonde who had been silently most of the walk.
"She does sound rather… terrifying." Jeanne said, "But I'm going to meet her no matter what." She said with determination.
"What you said!" Addie threw her arm playfully around the blonde's shoulder, causing her to flinch. "I'm curious too. Crimson has a bodyguard that I'd love to meet. There were rumors about what he did in the Empire, but I never got to meet the man personally."
"I think Caia's up here too. She does like to spend a lot of time with Crimson." Hilda said thoughtfully.
"It's surprising that between you and Caia that we know nothing about her now that I think about it.' Gian noted, looking equally thoughtful.
"Well, you'll get to meet her now," Rhys said, leading them into a building that was on the west side of the Academy and going up three flights of stairs. He walked down a well-furnished hallway with cream walls and polished dark wooden floors.
Rhys stopped in front of a set of ornate double doors, looking back at his group with slightly worried eyes. "Are you ready to meet Crimson, Jeanne?"
Jeanne swallowed thickly, maybe with this Crimson's help she'd finally get her memories back... or it was another dead end. Either way, she'd have to try. She wanted, no she needed to know who she was.
"If you're sure this will help, yes." She said after a moment. "I need to know,"
Rhys nodded and without another word, flung the doors open, "What's up Crimson? It's been a whi-" He never got the chance to finish his sentence since he fell over backward, multiple bruises suddenly on his face.
"How many times do I have to tell you to knock?!" A girl with bright orange hair and aqua-green eyes glared down at him. She must have been the one to have hit him.
Jeanne took several steps back, the sudden violence unnerving her greatly. "A-are you..." The words stuck in her throat as the orange-haired girl switched her glare to her.
Rhys groaned in pain as he pushed himself to his feet, face swollen to a near comical size, "Jeanne, everyone, let me introduce you to Cleo, the Sanctuary of Sages lead researcher into lost magic, earning her the title Crimson." He looked at her. "Or if you're feeling suicidal, you can call her the Sorceress of Purgatory."
The words barely left his mouth before she planted her foot in the middle of his face. "Suicidal is the right word to describe you… not only have you encouraged this meeting but people think I'm your girlfriend?!" She removed her foot from Rhys' face only to kick him swiftly again.
"That last part isn't my fault!" Rhys tried in vain to protect himself but Cleo grabbed onto his collar and shook him in anger. It was an impressive sight, seeing that Rhys was a good six inches taller than her.
Caia burst out laughing at the scene while Koel sighed in exasperation before focusing on the group behind Rhys, all of whom had backed away when they saw their guildmate start getting pummeled.
Cleo froze, following Koel's gaze to the group. She promptly dropped Rhys to the floor, hands going to rest at her hips as she looked them all over, her green gaze focusing on the cowering purple-eyed girl who was behind Gian.
"I take it you're the one who wanted to meet me." She said, eyes cold and guarded.
"Y-yes." Jeanne peeps warily out from behind Gian's back, her earlier courage leaving her at Cleo's violence. "M-my name is Jeanne."
"Is it?" Cleo raised a brow before turning her back to them and walking further back into her office. "Well, come on in, we'll wait for the Shitty Geezer in the office."
"Shitty Geezer?" Cress asked in confusion.
"She means the Grand Sage," Koel explained in resignation. He made sure everyone had followed Cleo into her office, noting the curious look the dark-blue-eyed girl gave him before shutting the door.
There was a moment of silence as the two groups looked over each other, Cleo growing pale as she got a closer look at Jeanne, her jaw clenching as she looked at the younger girl. "So..." Cleo began calmly, "You remember nothing?"
"Nothing at all," Jeanne said nervously.
"Hmmm," Cleo tilted her head, green eyes narrowing before a small smirk appeared on her face as flames suddenly erupted all around the office, surrounding the people in it with no warning at all and burning the polished wooden floors, Jeanne jumped, purple eyes widening in terror as she felt the heat of the flames.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Both Gian and Hilda drew their swords while Rhys stepped, back, lips pressed together in a thin line. Cress just stood to the side, unsure of what to do.
"Cleo!" Koel looked at his charge with exasperation summoning one of his guns to his hands in case things went wrong.
"A test," Cleo said simply as if surrounding her guests with hot, burning flames was logical as she walked forward, her green eyes set on Jeanne. She increased the intensity of the flames as she walked, having the flames creep closer and closer to Jeanne.
"Well, stop it!" Jeanne snapped, body shaking uncontrollably as she cowered behind Gian, her eyes set on the flames, her mind flashing back to instances when Hydra's Wroth would burn her skin as a form of torture, the smell of burning flesh had always made her feel sick.
"Stop it!" She yelled again, her terror feeling as if it was choking her. That's when she felt it. The feeling she felt when she first met Gideon. Magic. The powerful and warm surge of magic burst out of her body as she yelled at the orange-haired girl, shaking the room and shattering the window as her mana shot out of her.
Cleo's eyes widened for a moment as shimmering panels of what looked like glass formed around her until she was surrounded by that shimmer. The glass-like shimmer brightened before disappearing and taking Cleo along with it. With Cleo gone, the flames disappeared, the only hint of there being flames was the scent of burning wood.
"Shit!" Rhys ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he looked around the office. Everyone was frozen in surprise at the events that quickly happened. "I knew she'd pull this shit if Bellamy wasn't here when we arrived!"
"You knew?" Cress looked at Rhys in annoyance, "You could have warned us that she'd try to kill us the moment we stepped into her office!"
"I did warn you!" Rhys snapped back. "Cleo needs proof that Jea-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Gideon and a blonde dressed in a nice suit entered the office stopping in surprise at the smoke rising off the floor and the fact that Cleo was nowhere in sight.
"What happened?" Gideon asked, blinking.
"Cleo tried to kill Jeanne," Hilda said, a stern frown on her face as she looked at Gideon. "If you had a suspicion that she would have done this, then you should have been here before we met her." She scolded the two men.
"And where is my granddaughter?" The blonde asked, looking around in curiosity.
"I-I used magic." Surprisingly, it was Jeanne who answered. "I-I think I sealed her in a spatial cage?"
"Your granddaughter?!" Addie and Cress asked a different question, looking at the blonde in confusion.
"You look like you could be her father Sir," Addie added.
The blonde laughed, "I'm much older than I look, I am the Grand Sage after all," He reassured, he gave the visiting group a welcoming smile, his gold eyes landing on Jeanne. "I'm sorry she scared you, but I can assure you that she meant no harm."
"No harm? She was going to burn me to death!" Jeanne said, looking at him in disbelief. "How could you let that happen?!"
He just chuckled, "She just had a test of her own that she wanted to do. You've passed."
"I passed?" Jeanne anger melted into confusion. "How?"
Before Bellamy could reply the air began to crack where Cleo disappeared and Jeanne quickly went to hide behind Gian, her amethyst eyes wide. "What's happening? Is she breaking out of the cage I made? How?"
Instead of answering, Bellamy watched calmly as the cracks in the air expanded before shattering like glass to reveal Cleo who was gasping slightly.
"Simply put, the spatial magic that you can use, Cleo, can use too." Bellamy finally answered, a knowing smile on his lips. "You had the same teacher after all. That's all the proof I need to know that you are her second student."
"That's all the proof you need?" Jeanne looked at the man skeptically. "Why?" She asked, distrust coating her voice.
Bellamy just smiled at her, "I may have had a peek at how our original interaction would go. In addition, I had spells I cast all along the trail that took you to Cleo's office. If you had ill intent or were not who I believed you were, then you wouldn't be standing here." All of this was spoken with a smile.
And what was it with smiles? He and Gideon constantly had smiles on their faces and it was slightly uncomfortable, especially with what he just implied.
Jeanne blinked at him in confusion and both Gian and Hilda looked stunned at what he was implying. "How could you have known how the meeting would go?"
"I have an ability to see possible outcomes, as my granddaughter nows. I've told her she has nothing to worry about but still, she insisted on this little stunt."
Cleo huffed, her green eyes falling on Jeanne, glare set on her face. Jeanne immediately tried to shrink in on herself and Gian and Hilda immediately stood in front of her to guard her.
"Don't do anything else," Hilda warned. "I am sure the Grand Sage would not like us to cause destruction to this campus." Even as she spoke, it was clear that she was ready for a fight if Cleo started something.
"She won't," Bellamy answered for her when she didn't reply. She only switched her glare from Jeanne to Hilda. "I've only given her one free pass to act up."
"Why would you give her a free pass at all?" Cress demanded. The Grand Sage was not how she expected him to be. He was calmer and younger than she had expected. He was also much more lenient than she thought he'd be with Cleo. No wonder the girl had a reputation for being violent and crazy. She had no one to reign her in at all.
"Because she'd act up no matter what. I don't know what Rhys may have told you, but I don't have much power to control her." Bellamy gave a long-suffering sigh, but he didn't seem all too disappointed by that. "She is a savage after all."
"Hey!" Cleo glared up at her grandfather. "Don't talk about me as if I'm not here! And I'm no savage you Shitty Old Man!"
"I suppose you're just an impolite brat." Bellamy mused, looking more amused than anything at Cleo's anger.
She gaped at him, shaking in frustration before she stormed out of her office, leaving everyone to stare after her.
Gideon sighed, "Bellamy they do have a point... we could have reigned her in a bit more. She almost burned her office to the ground... again."
Bellamy sighed, "Well it's a stressful time for her and she never wanted Jeanne to step on Sanctuary. I had to give her something."
"You don't have to give an unreasonable person who doesn't care about putting others in danger anything," Gian said firmly. "Jeanne's already gone through too much. It's your responsibility to keep your guest safe." There was a conviction and sternness in his voice that caused Bellamy to raise a brow.
Bellamy turned towards Gian, "It's rude to assume Cleo hasn't had a harsh life." He said equally stern. "It's the experiences a person has that form who they are. You haven't lived long enough or experienced enough to judge others harshly." He scolded, causing Gian to look away at the shift in his tone. "Jeanne being Cleo's fellow student is a hard thing to believe."
"Who is my teacher anyways?" Jeanne finally burst out, she may have no memories but even she could tell that Bellamy was avoiding revealing who he thought she was.
Bellamy stared at her for a long time. "Cleo will tell you."
"She's more likely to kill me," Jeanne said flatly.
"You can't argue with that," Addie piped up.
"She won't kill you," Caia said, looking at her guildmates. "Trust me. She's frustrated, but she promised not to act up any more than she has. Rhys?" She looked at the other Valkyrie Dawn member who knew Cleo and he nodded.
"She got to explode, so she's probably calmer," Rhys then looked at Bellamy. "I'm assuming she went over there?"
"Probably." Bellamy nodded. "Will you take them? I have Cleo's office to fix."
"You'll fix it for her?" Rhys asked in surprise.
"I've angered her enough; this is the least I could do." Bellamy laughed at Rhys' disbelieving look. "Now go, I also have things I need to discuss with Gideon."
"Fine," Rhys said as he led the way to Cleo... again, the others trailing him. "So... first impressions of Crimson?"
"She's crazy." Cress immediately piped up.
"Much more intimidating than I heard," Addie added as she walked behind the group, closer to Koel and Caia.
"She doesn't deserve the title of Crimson." Gian declared. "She's too immature for such an important role. She has a responsibility to uphold and she doesn't."
"We just met her." Hilda tried to reason. "She may be much more mature than we expect."
"You're definitely meeting her at a lower point, but she's not too bad," Rhys said, bristling at what Gian said. "And I'd watch what you say, Gian, you may not think she deserves her title, but there is a reason she has it. If you two fought, my bet is on her to win."
Gian looked surprised at that, but instead of talking back, he turned thoughtful, since they knew it wasn't a simple feat to gain a title at such a young age.
"Agreed," Koel spoke up from the back. "She's young but not someone I'd mess with if I didn't have a plan. She didn't get her title at fourteen for nothing."
"Fourteen?!" Cress asked surprised, that was younger than she had thought. She had always assumed that Cleo had just gotten her title a year or two ago.
Rhys nodded, "She's a true prodigy."
Jeanne was quiet, thinking. Despite how terrifying Cleo seemed, she did feel familiar to her. She was a hundred percent certain that she was the girl from her flashback, but nothing from that memory had hinted at her being so cruel and cold. And she couldn't help but wonder... what had happened between that memory and now?
The group was silent as they walked through Sanctuary, the Valkyrie Dawn mages taking in the new scenery as they walked. Sanctuary really was like a big town floating in the sky. They followed Rhys even as he led them into what clearly was a cemetery.
"Rhys... what are we doing?" Cress asked as she looked at the tombstones. "Is Cleo really here?"
"Right there." Rhys looked further to the left and they all saw Cleo sitting on a bench in front of a grave. "Go on." He said to Jeanne, nodding in Cleo's direction.
"Excuse me?!" Jeanne looked at Rhys as if he was crazy. In what world would it be a good idea for her to talk to Cleo alone? After she tried to set her on fire.
Rhys looked at her, his eyes serious. "Trust me when I say that Cleo is your best shot at getting answers. And she'll be more willing to help if you show that you're braver than you seem."
"I think it's a bad idea," Gian said, trying to step in, as he looked warily at where Cleo was. "I don't trust her. I'll go too."
"No," Jeanne said, looking up at Gian. "I can do this. I... trust Rhys enough to believe what he's saying."
Gian looked at her in shock. "Are you sure?"
No. No, she was not sure, but Jeanne didn't want to lose the chance for answers, and if Rhys thought she'd get them if she went by herself then she would. She just had to hope that he was right in saying that Cleo wouldn't try and set her on fire again.
Slowly, she made her way toward Cleo, swallowing as she got closer. "...Crimson?" she asked, finally addressing her when she was close enough.
Cleo stiffened for a moment, but her shoulders quickly relaxed. "... you can call me Cleo. Crimson isn't my name."
Jeanne blinked in surprise; she wasn't expecting that. "Oh." She said softly. The other girl hadn't even turned to look at her, her green eyes set on the grave in front of her. "You can call me Jeanne."
"There's nothing else to call you is there?" Cleo asked bitterly, finally turning to look at her. The anger had left her gaze and was replaced by a sadness that Jeanne didn't understand. "Do you want to sit?"
"S-sure." Jeanne felt fear prickle across her skin at the offer but sat on the same bench that Cleo was on. As far away from the other girl as possible of course. They sat in complete silence until Jeanne gathered as much courage as she could. "Both Gideon and Rhys only mentioned you, not a teacher... am I going to meet her eventually?"
"She's right in front of you," Cleo said flatly, her eyes never leaving the grave and Jeanne finally followed her gaze to see the grave with a name engraved on it:
Here lies Wren Vassar, also known as "White"
Beloved Friend, Teacher, and Mother
Even though she's gone, her teaching will live on.
X753-X786
"Oh," Jeanne said, feeling a sudden coldness wash over her skin, she was shaking. Was this the woman she had seen in her memory? She never would have thought that she would be dead.
"How did she die?" Jeanne asked. What else was there to ask?
"She was attacked here in Sanctuary by an unknown organization," Cleo said, voice monotone. "She died because she was looking into the organization that took you. She never believed that you were dead and she never stopped looking for you."
"But I heard Sanctuary was the safest place to live," Jeanne said remembering what she heard about the island. She also felt touched that a woman she didn't even remember looked so hard for her. She must have been so important to her and part of her felt a piece of her was missing now that she knew they could never meet.
"Nowhere is completely safe," Cleo said. "No matter how hard grandpa tries, there will always be gaps in Sanctuary's defenses. Only a fool believes a true safe haven exists."
"Oh..." Jeanne didn't know what to say. But at least their conversation was going better than expected. Cleo even felt like a completely different person.
Cleo on the other hand was deep in thought as she stared at the grave in front of her with blank eyes, her gaze never leaving the name engraved into the hard stone. With Jeanne possibly being Wren's other student... it brought back so many memories for her and the guilt... well... the guilt never left but now it felt like she was suffocating in it.
If she had been faster would she have been able to save Wren? Or... if Wren had never met her in the first place wouldn't she still be alive now? Wouldn't she have had a life full of laughter and knowledge and not been dragged down because of Cleo's own faults and reputation? What a failure of a student she was.
"...So was she a good teacher?" Cleo blinked at Jeanne's voice, she had forgotten that the blonde was sitting next to her on the bench, her eyes also on the name on the stone.
"Yeah... she was. Though I don't know why she even bothered with me. I certainly didn't make her life easier." Cleo said, a hint of bitterness in her voice as she remembered all the times she caused Wren trouble.
"Did I cause her trouble?" Jeanne asked, brows furrowed, lips pressed tightly together as if her pinched face would force her memories to come back.
"You did but she never cared. She'd always just laugh it off." Cleo explained, remembering the messes that Jeanne would always make.
"I'm sure she laughed your trouble off too then," Jeanne reassured.
"You and I were different. I was her student but you were her-" Cleo cut off, looking troubled. "The trouble you and I caused her was different." Cleo finally sighed, the words she wanted to say unable to leave her mouth.
"How so?" Jeanne asked.
Cleo scoffed, her eyes turning dark, and, "If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly liked here."
"But people are around you all the time!" Jeanne protested. "Gideon likes you, and so does Rhys! And those other two people in your office. How did you even meet?"
Cleo chuckled bitterly, "Koel and Caia? I only met Koel because he was trying to kill me. He thought I murdered his Wife and daughter."
Jeanne blinked owlishly at her. "Did you?"
"Of course not!"
The look of annoyance Cleo shot her caused Jeanne to look away and her gaze landed on a smaller grave next to Wren's, the inscription read:
Here lies Seline Vassar
Beloved daughter and friend
Gone too soon. May she find peace.
X774-X782
"Wren had a daughter?" Jeanne asked, her chest suddenly felt tight as she read the name on the stone.
Cleo's eyes went to the smaller grave and if possible her frown deepened. Jeanne watched the change in her face and part of her was afraid that Cleo would light her on fire for even asking, but the other part needed to know.
"She was taken when she was only eight... for the longest time I honestly thought she was dead," Cleo said, her green eyes turning to Jeanne's face and staying there.
Her gaze was intense. "But now... I don't think she's dead. No, I know she's not."
Oh no... Jeanne suddenly had a horrible feeling about this. She knew where this was going and for the first time, she was hoping that she was wrong. "Why not?" Her voice sounded higher than normal to her ears.
"She's you."
And that's the end of this chapter! I'll be honest, there was a bit more I wanted to add, but I figure this was a good point to end at
As always, leave a review and let me know what you guys think!
Episode 5- Truth