Chapter Six: Ties and Chains
"Okay, what the hell just happened?" Luke sank to the floor and furiously scratched his head.
"Our pilot just left." Jade pointed out. "I'll ask Emperor Penoy to get in contact with Noelle." He walked up the stairs and disappeared behind the doors to the meeting hall.
"Talk about stating the obvious!" Anise sighed and held her head low.
"Nothing seems to make sense." Guy leaded against the doorway.
"Dammit! Why are Sync and Arietta alive? Don't tell me other God Generals are alive as well!" Luke cringed.
"It's possible, but we can't really say anything. Those two might have been lucky." Tear concluded.
"Before we involve ourselves with such matters, we must first focus on the task with a higher priority." Natalia turned her backs to them and went to her bed. As they all returned to their rooms, Anise decided to sort her mind out and sat curled up against a wall. She sat for hours not knowing sunrise was approaching. Her eyes stayed fixed on her knees as her mind drifted elsewhere. When she noticed her whole body started to feel numb, she forced herself to her feet supporting herself with the wall. While trying to circulate her blood, she noticed a small strip of paper left on the floor. She picked it up and read the name "Zeno". Who's Zeno? She turned it over and could see baby cradled in the arms of someone unknown. The top's ripped off… could this be? Alarmed at her observation, she stumbled to Luke and Guy's room. Rapidly impatiently knocking at their door, Guy finally opened it steadily.
"Its early… is it necessary that you wake us up this early?" Guy rubbed his dark eyes and yawned.
"Shut up and listen!" She snapped. "Give me the other half of your picture!" She extended her arm out, expecting to receive it that instant.
"'Other half'? The other half of what? Its probably just a little bit of the bottom that was ripped off." Guy reached into his pocket and reluctantly placed it in her hands. She immediately placed it on top of the smaller half. A perfect match…
"Woah! There was actually something to the other part?" He examined the back and read it aloud. "Mary, Gailardia and Zeno… Zeno? Who is he? Why is he included in my family picture? I can't remember him."
"It's sometimes hard to recall such memories." Jade said gently. "Born on the day Hod was destroyed and never heard of again. He was the lost child of the Gardios family. In simpler terms, he's your baby brother, Guy." Both of their eyes widened.
"I had… a brother?" Guy stared in shock.
"Correct… you know, Kyle and Zeno seem to have a lot of things in common." Jade pushed his glasses back in place. "They both should be around the same age right now, 15. They both have the same color of hair, and have a diamond shaped birthmark on their necks." Guy took Jade by the collar and looked straight into his eyes.
"Are you saying Kyle's my supposedly dead baby brother?"
"Technically, yes."
"Why should I believe you? Nobody ever told me any of this! How the hell do you know anyway?" Guy sank his eyes deep into Jade's.
"Emperor Peony told me. He was the only one who received this picture. The other pictures were destroyed along with Hod." Guy slowly released him and backed away,
"Emperor Peony lied about the picture? Finding it without the bottom?"
"Correct. If you knew of your supposedly dead baby brother, who knows what might have happened." Guy ran out of the room leaving Anise, Jade and an unconscious Luke.
" Colonel, are you absolutely positive?" Anise questioned in a small voice.
"Yes, Anise. Ever since I saw him, I could see a slight resemblance between the both of them. They both even have the same love for machinery."
"I wonder if Kyle knows." Anise let out a deep sigh.
"Not Kyle, but Zeno."