A/N I don't own Skyland.
I want to mention that I did modify earlier chapters some time ago since they were too vague/rushed. Story's the same of course, everything's planned out. Hope you like it!
Leave a review!
Mila had always been proud of being a seijin. She had always believed herself to be gifted. This was a concept of supremacy that the Guardian Academy taught its students often; that seijins were unique, even superior to the rest of the population. It was a terrible belief of course, but a belief, nonetheless, pounded into the students brains. Years of repetition created the perfect future guardians. Mila was engulfed like the rest of her colleagues; this is what led her to the idea that she, being exceptional even amongst seijins, was the Lady of Light. An idea Oslo had pounced upon immediately.
It was true; Mila had thrived in the radiance of seijin dominance for a long time. That is until the cruel truth of it all stabbed at her heart like a jagged shard of ice. The guilt of her mistakes led her away from the Sphere, maybe subconsciously so.
Now, for the first time ever, Mila realized what a curse being a seijin really was. Seijins were tracked by the Sphere, and guardians were despised by the populace. There was no in-between.
Mila lay on the small bed, her head pounding with such ferocity that her eyelids were forced shut. She bordered on the edge of consciousness for a lapse of time and then finally gave in to sleep; her fears and worries melted away…
What a moment of delight it was, to float into the void, no dreams in sight.
But even this came to an abrupt halt – her seijin senses had kicked into action once more. This was another reason why being a seijin was indeed, a curse: it was nearly impossible to sleep peacefully.
Tormented by visions, useless foreseeings that led to nothing; these were the feverish dreams which drifted monotonously through many seijins' minds during sleep.
Mila was no exception. As tired as she was, her dreams often transported her elsewhere. Habitually, these visions were worthless and dull, but this time... It was different. Mila was gliding towards a distant memory, long lost in the haze of mind. The memory was resurfacing in response to events that had taken place earlier, when she had first entered the abandoned city.
She was being whisked away, a few years into the past... The Academy was rushing into sight...
"Mila. Mila... Are you listening to me?"
Mila, the twelve year old student with braided black hair, turned around at the sound of a friend's voice. "What?" She asked.
"Do you ever listen to me?"
The voice belonged to a slightly taller girl standing next to Mila. The girl had long dark hair too, but it was pulled into a ponytail. Her golden-brown eyes were long-lashed and twinkling under the glowing, blue gymnasium lights on the high, arched ceiling.
"It depends." Mila said, smiling.
Priscilla's eyes narrowed in the haughty way they always did when she was insulted.
"Sorry... Now what were you saying?" Mila apologized, but with a hint of sarcasm.
Both girls were standing in the immense gymnasium of the Guardian Academy; the east wall, which they were currently facing, was covered by a large, spotless mirror. Mila could see the other students lined up, reflected in the mirror. There was twenty-four of them in this class; they all wore the same, grey uniform with the sphere insignia on the back of their shirts, displayed in bright white. Her eyes set on a boy who stood five students away; he had wispy white-blond hair and resolute grey eyes. Oslo met her gaze. He gave Mila a reflected, shy smile which the girl answered with an encouraging nod.
Their eyes were linked in silence for a second.
Two other boys snickered quietly before resuming their calling out of occasional insults at Oslo, who was often targeted by other students; the small blond boy reddened and hunched slightly. Mila didn't like seeing her friend getting bullied like this, but she made no attempt to stop it. One of the intimidators looked up into the mirror and a smile lingered on his dark face; Mila looked away angrily. Then there was Katie; looking as nervous as ever.
The students had been assembled here at a strange time; it was nearly nine p.m. now and the sun could be seen setting on the horizon, outside the glass expanse which formed the west wall of the gymnasium. The pink sky overhead was reflected a thousand times on the window speckled, spire shaped building sitting in the distant clouds, on another Academy block reserved for faculty. The edifice reminded Mila of a needle; it stood proud and menacing, jutting out of the magenta clouds.
"I was asking your opinion..." Priscilla started impatiently, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. "Does my hair look good like this?" She indicated her hair which was tied back by a silvery elastic.
"I don't know." Mila sighed. "Besides, you're not supposed to wear that remember? You'll get in trouble..." Her blue eyes lingered on the silver ribbon curled into Priscilla's dark hair; students were not allowed to disrespect the Sphere uniform.
Priscilla's smile faded. "You can't be a girl for like two seconds can you?" She retorted darkly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mila demanded angrily.
"Forget it."
"Perhaps I'd be an enthusiastic 'girl' if you didn't annoy me with the same questions five times a day-"
Priscilla waved her hand dismissively.
"It's true..." Mila argued, she assumed a haughty poise as she mocked Priscilla. "I'm too pretty, what in Skyland am I going to do..."
"I so don't talk like that." Priscilla snarled.
"... yes you do."
Priscilla pushed her aside.
Anger sparked.
Mila shoved her out of the way.
They glared at each other momentarily before bursting with laughter.
"What are we doing here?" Priscilla asked a little while later.
Mila shrugged.
At this moment, the main doors of the gymnasium parted with a hiss and a tall woman marched in, taking long, proud strides. She was an Academy teacher. The class fell silent at once and the line straightened as students rushed to find their places. By the time the woman stood in front of them, the students were already standing in a perfectly straight line, soundless and still.
The woman's amber eyes surveyed the different individuals for a while - and then she spoke.
"You have been assembled here this evening to take part in a very important exercise." She started without delay, pointing upwards at the ceiling. The students looked up; there hung some white-blue light panels on the ceiling, emanating such a blinding light that it was difficult to look at them very long. "Researchers have been developing these light panels for a few weeks now. They must conduct tests to analyse the lights' capacities."
Mila noticed a scientist with ice blue eyes standing close to the gymnasium doors, clipboard in hand, looking... angry? He forced a smile as the students surveyed him.
Oslo's hand shot upwards.
"Yes Oslo?" The woman asked.
"What are the lights for?" He asked interestedly, ignoring the snickers from other students.
"They're prototype lights designed to activate seijin powers, even after nightfall." She paused. "They're supposed to replicate sunlight."
Murmurs rippled through the class. "Silence..." The teacher ordered calmly, but she smiled slightly at the look of awe on the students' faces. "You have been gathered here tonight to test them." She paused, "Should they work, they'll be a useful addition to the Academy."
Mila couldn't help wondering why her class was the first to test the lights – the thought made her uneasy.
"So we wait for nightfall?" Oslo asked, forgetting to raise his hand.
The woman cast him a reproachful look which softened as he reddened slightly. "Yes, we wait for nightfall. When the sun sets, we'll trial the light panels for their capabilities." As she pronounced the last words she met the scientist's eyes with ferocity, as if communicating that failure was not an option. The man remained planted there, staring back into the woman's eyes stubbornly.
Mila looked at the man with curiosity and he met her eyes for a moment. The girl felt a twinge of shock as a flicker of surprise passed over him and he fidgeted for a moment, his mouth opened and closed. Then he recomposed himself and looked down at his clipboard, eyes wide.
Mila, slightly taken aback by his reaction, looked back at the teacher.
Another hand lifted timidly. It was Katie, looking shy and worried.
"Yes?" The teacher asked.
"I-I was wondering..." She cleared her throat. "Is it safe?"
"Excuse me?"
Katie flinched. "Those lights. Are they safe?"
"The Sphere would never endanger young seijins' lives." The woman replied, her voice smooth and unattached.
The sun had nearly disappeared now; the clouds were dark purple and the sky was of a sea blue colour.
The teacher gave out instructions for the next several minutes; targets were positioned along the gymnasium, one for each student. If the light panels performed their tasks properly, the students would shoot energy orbs at the targets. Mila sensed that she had residual energy left inside her, reserved from the day's accumulated sunlight. She'd be able to use her powers a few times in the darkness at least, no matter what happened.
The students assembled along the targets. Complete darkness had fallen now. The stars were muffled from view by the cool green, violet and blue glows of Academy buildings.
"Everyone ready? When I signal-" The teacher stopped in mid-speech. "Yes?" She asked irritably as Katie's hand lifted reluctantly once more.
"Why must we shoot targets?"
"To ameliorate your accuracy." The teacher turned towards the other students, pacing as she spoke. "As guardians, you will often face obstacles – some moving, some immobile – which you will need to obliterate to reach your objective..."
"Moving obstacles?" There was a silence. "Do you mean people?" Katie demanded angrily.
The woman was neutral but her gaze seemed ablaze with malice. "Yes people. Miscreants, outlaws and rebels more precisely."
The scientist by the door dropped his clipboard and picked it up hastily.
"You want us to hurt people? But... if we kill them..."
"That's the point."
Some students seemed awed by this thought, others slightly taken aback. Mila looked impassive; Oslo's grey eyes were alight with wonder.
"But-"
"That's enough!" the woman commanded, her voice echoing through the gymnasium. Mila knew what was coming, if Katie pursued with her argument, she would undoubtedly be punished.
Katie bordered on speech for a moment but fell silent in the end. Mila and Priscilla exchanged at quick glance.
The teacher motioned for the scientist to step forward. The man took out a small control remote; he tweaked a dial and the lights on the ceiling wavered to a blinding blue.
"I won't kill anyone!" Katie shouted abruptly, her voice shaking.
"Be silent..." The teacher warned.
"No, I don't want to kill people... Please, I don't even want to be here..." She paused. "I just want to go home." It was pitiful the way she pronounced the last words.
"This is your home." The woman answered coldly.
"No it isn't! You're not my family."
This was too much. Mila breathed with apprehension.
The teacher strode forwards; she grabbed Katie's upper arm pulled the girl aside before marching her toward the exit.
The students watched with astonishment.
The two exited the large metal doors which hissed shut behind them; Katie's protests were silenced in an instant.
A strained silence lingered, followed immediately by whispers and mutterings. Katie had only joined the Academy a few months earlier, she was still unstable. Everyone got accustomed to the School after a while though. Mila didn't understand the problem, why would people whine about being here if they asked for it in the first place? It was ridiculous.
The scientist stood there, looking lost in thought as he calibrated the panels. Suddenly, the man gave a curt nod and stepped out of the way. Mila couldn't tell if the panels were working or not, she felt no different. However, she wanted to give it a try.
Mila shaped an energy orb and hit a target with perfect accuracy; it left a smouldering hole dead-center on the canvas.
"Wow." Priscilla breathed, "I-I mean... that was okay."
Oslo's target was left with a smoking rip along the center.
Students nodded with wonderment and started too, soon the whole gymnasium was resonating with blasts of seijin orbs. Some energy flares went off course and ricocheted off the walls; one boy received a rogue seijin orb in the face and was left with singed eyebrows. Ripples of laughter, shouts of encouragement and moans of frustration mingled with the noise of sizzling seijin energy. The scientist stood morosely aside, surveying his work with something like disgust.
For a minute or two, the students practised - however, their powers were noticeably weakening. Soon, the seijin energy electrifying the air disappeared altogether; evidently, the light panels hadn't substituted sunlight correctly.
At this rate, the seijin subject would probably need to wait a minute or so for the light panel to somewhat recharge his powers before launching a minimal power surge. The scientist had failed. Mila's hand emitted a feeble spark which fizzed into nonexistence. It seemed as if the panels had never worked properly; Mila had simply used up her remaining seijin energy, boosted an infinitesimal amount by the lights.
"What?..." She asked, looking up at the ceiling. The scientist straightened and walked over, looking at the lights and muttering equations under his breath.
"It isn't working." Oslo growled angrily.
"Yes, I noticed." The scientist replied, somewhat happily, looking down at his clipboard. "Miscalculations... incorrect light frequency..." He whispered.
Moans of disappointment flowed through the students who drifted away, some sitting in groups on the gleaming floor, others leaning against the walls.
Mila stood there, staring at the ripped canvas of her target.
The girl hadn't noticed that the scientist had drifted closer, his lab coat rustling noisily as he walked; he stopped a metre away, watching the panels on the ceiling.
"Ah, well..." He breathed.
Mila's gaze followed him disapprovingly. "It didn't work." The girl noted.
"Perhaps it's for the best." The man replied.
Mila noticed that Priscilla had wandered off towards other students, leaving her alone with the stranger. The man glanced nervously at the gymnasium doors before staring at her.
"I suppose it's time for me to leave." He mentioned. His voice shook with urgency.
"Leave?"
"Yes, my inventions are obviously of no use. The Sphere will no longer need me." He paused and swallowed. "Y-You know how to leave to Academy, I presume?"
"What do you mean?" She asked cautiously. No one left the Academy until graduation, what was this man talking about? He was making her uneasy.
"Do you see that edifice?" He said quickly, pointing outside the window, towards the spire-shaped building sitting in the cottony clouds. There was a flash of blue as the light on its pointed summit swivelled.
"Yes..."
"There's a docking area on the other side of the building. You can't see it from here however... but it's just behind there, on the west side of that block. The docking bay is your only way out..."
Why was he telling her this? Mila felt uncomfortable, she wished the teacher was here.
"Then... how will you get there?" She asked insultingly, enjoying the fearful expression on his face.
"I will ask for transport, after all, as a sphere scientist I should have no problem getting permission." He seemed to be convincing himself as he spoke. He gave a curt nod and drew a shaky breath.
Priscilla stared back at Mila and the scientist with puzzlement. Had the light panels worked properly, Mila would have sensed Priscilla's mind sweeping her thoughts at this moment. Now there was nothing however, only the piercing brown eyes searching eagerly for new lies and fresh gossip.
"Well," he said hastily, glancing at the doorway again and picking up a metal box filled with equipment and electrical wires on the floor; he dunked his clipboard unto the pile before turning towards her. "I must go."
What was that expression on his face? It was concern. "You know how to leave now. I cannot take you along, it is too hazardous..." He paused, looking conflicted as Mila took a step backwards, "I regret it. Good luck Mila."
He left, leaving Mila completely bewildered.
"What was he talking about?" Priscilla's voice inquired. Both girls watched the doors slide shut behind the scientist.
Mila simply shook her head. "What's the matter with you?" Priscilla asked irritably, for Mila was quite pale.
How had he known her name?
Mila awoke with a start.
The ceiling was a distorted smudge of grey until her vision cleared from its blurriness. Slowly, the small room came into focus and with it, the realisation that she was presently on a secret rebel base. Feeble rays of golden light filtered through the boarded window, painting odd stripes along the walls. It was evening now; the sun was setting. Her stomach gave a twist of hunger – she hadn't eaten anything for nearly two days now. She'd barely had anything to drink either.
Mila felt a vague pressure around her left arm. She lifted her arm, which felt like it weighed a hundred pounds, and focused drowsily; the wound on her forearm had been cleaned and properly bandaged with bright white material. Reassurance poured through her. If the rebels had wanted her dead, they could have killed her already. If they had wanted to hurt her, they wouldn't have bandaged her arm.
It was only after a good twenty minutes that Mila noticed the tray on her bedside table. A tray which was laden with food and a good-sized water bottle, glistening with droplets of condensation… Mila sat up. She pulled the creaking, square table before her and stared at the tray; there was a bowl of mixed vegetables and a roll of wheat bread. There was also a small, rather battered looking green fruit sitting on the side.
Water first.
The words brushed against her mind like snowflakes. It was almost savage, the way she did it. She nearly choked on the first gulps of water but drank it all down in no time. It was bliss. The way the cool water slid down towards her stomach.
Mila regretted gulping it down all at once; firstly, she was feeling sick to her stomach now. Secondly, she was still thirsty and thought that it would have been wiser to drink it slowly. She waited a minute of two for the nausea to pass. When she felt well enough, she started on the food – this time she forced herself to eat slowly.
When she was done, she sighed, staring desolately into the air. She was still thirsty and hungry.
Mila lay back onto the pillows, reminiscing on the days at the Academy. The cafeteria had served such large, satisfying meals… They even ate meat two to three times a week - a rare commodity in Skyland. No, she needed to erase this place from her memory, this was crucial. Wait, the Academy… Hadn't she been awakened by a vision, a memory about the Academy?
She gasped and sat upright.
Vector. The stranger on the walkway… She had seen him before, years ago. She had forgotten about him obviously, but this vision had shown her the truth. That twice he had met her, twice he had known her name and still, she did not know him.
Suddenly, it was a if a wave of frosty water had crashed over her…
This man, because he had indicated the docking bay's location… He had indirectly helped her escape from the Guardian Academy. This meant that when she had rescued Marcus from that cell - after she had blown the heavy skylight window to bits and led them across the roof… She had been acting on pure instinctive knowledge to escape. Somehow present knowledge that had seemed to emanate from the corner of her brain, a ray of certainty that had confirmed that she had to go towards the docking bay, which she had somehow known, lay on the west side of the colossal, spire-shaped building.
Because of this Vector, she had known how to escape, even if she had never set foot on the faculty block before that day. Mila hadn't succumbed to disorientation; she had found the docking bay and their way out.
Had Vector escaped the Academy to join the rebels? How had he managed to leave? Of course, he would have had privileges, being a Sphere scientist…In her memory, the man had been tense, worried and pale – perhaps he had been scared for his life. His inventions were malfunctioning... Would the Sphere have considered him useless and have him killed? It was possible. He had taken the advantage of the teacher's absence to leave.
She had to meet this Vector. She owed him thanks, for saving her life in a strange, indirect way.
Did he know something about her parents? Parents. That was such a strange term; Mila had always imagined herself alone, always thought that she, simply, didn't have parents. This was impossible of course, but she had no remembrance of having a family – her whole childhood was a blur. A blur in which she was passed from Sphere dignitary to Sphere dignitary; living from one opulent mansion to the other. Always well cared for, but never loved. Mila could barely remember anything before the Academy; it was as if she had simply forgotten everything, her memory wiped clean.
The Sphere was gifted at making students forget their pasts.
If the bond of a family, the bond between parent and child, could be severed… then anything was possible. What an army of perfect guardians they could build – flawless, youthful spirits driven by hate and violence towards the very people who could have once perhaps, in another life, been family. Friends.
The nauseating reality hit Mila like physical pain. She had been used.
Of course, she thought smugly, the Sphere's system was flawed.
She had turned away from the Sphere on pure instinct. The former guardian had simply known that handing Marcus to certain death was wrong; the weight of Andy's brutal murder on her conscience had been nearly intolerable at the time. She never wanted to feel such guilt again.
Katie had been the first and last to rebel, and she was still trapped in the Sphere's clutches. Mila hoped she would be alright; she wanted to send silent thanks for her colleague's support. Katie should be fine. After all, she could not be found guilty of being an accomplice to the escapees… They had exchanged thoughts about the skylight window telepathically.
Priscilla: driven half-insane by the Sphere because she had undoubtedly been uncooperative. Nevertheless, her exceptional telepathic skills were needed to read enemy minds, and they had changed her. How they had managed to do such a thing, Mila could only wonder. She had several ideas. It must have been terrible.
Suddenly, the thought of her former friend, now dead… Her body twisted and motionless on top of a giant water carrier in the gloomy docking bay. It was nearly too much to bear.
Mila doubled over; her forehead against her knees, her legs now drawn level with her chest. She waited for her eyes to water but no tears came to match her sadness. She simply sat there, breathing shakily, eyes closed.
Oslo. He hadn't been the perfect guardian either. He had wanted to help - but the means by which he took action had been despicable. Oslo had dragged her back to the Sphere by force, under the false pretence that he had indeed rescued her from the cruel kidnapper, Marcus Farrell.
And then, he had expected her to kill Marcus so that any evidence of her insubordination would have been wiped clean from the face of Skyland… Oslo was intelligent, Mila acknowledged. But what had gotten into that boy? Her once best friend, whom she had cared for like a little brother, whom she had protected from bullies, had even plotted to rule the world with because of the Prophecy… Had he lost his mind?
Oslo needed her to complete the Prophecy; this was all he cared about.
Except… what had been that glow in his expression when he set eyes on her… Perhaps, to him, she had always seemed like more than just a friend. She had been blind to this however, blind to his pain as she basked in the glow of popularity at School, sometimes casting him aside when she knew that it was wrong.
When he graduated, perhaps he had envisioned a new beginning; it was an opportunity to reinvent his self. Mila comprehended his pain now. She understood Oslo, in a strange, dreadful way. She had been rather insensitive now that she thought about it, but she had moved on, it was time to let go of the past and seize hold of the present.
Mila got up shakily and walked across the small room; she felt steadier on her feet now. She paused, glancing at the entrance door - she stood in the frozen silence for a while, thinking.
No, she decided. She'd deal with that later.
She opened the door to the bathroom, entered and caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Mila emitted a yell before clamping a hand over her own mouth.
For a moment she just stared at the stranger in the mirror who mimicked her movements. This wasn't her reflection. The girl in the mirror was too pale, her black hair was tangled and her navy blue sphere uniform was scraped and tarnished with blood.
Mila turned away, shaking her head.
She washed up, using a small basin of water placed on the counter. She then cleaned the blood out of her uniform before pulling it on; she brushed her teeth and combed her hair. There, now she looked better.
She left the bathroom and drifted towards the main room; her hand closed on the door knob. The metal felt cold again her skin. This was the moment she had been dreading, avoiding for the last hour. She needed to confirm her suspicions though; she gave the knob a sharp twist.
The door wouldn't budge. She was locked in.
This was insulting! To escape the Sphere only to be locked up again by the rebels. Was there no end to this?
"Hello? Is anyone there? Unlock the door… Please." The word 'please' felt odd against her tongue. She talked to the door at intervals for a minute or so, but when no response came she went to the window. This one wouldn't shift either and she couldn't see outside through the thin gaps of light.
An abrupt current of fresh anger cascaded onto her with such ferocity that she gripped the window sill for balance until her finger nails dug into the wood.
This was Marcus's fault.
He should have dropped her off on a neutral block. That would have been fine, at least she had been prepared for it; that was their agreement from the beginning after all. Out of nowhere however, he decided to take her to a rebel hideout. Without her approval, without her awareness… Who did he think he was! He was no better than Oslo if he thought he could just take her along with him… What had made him change his mind? She couldn't understand his motives.
But, she had wished to accompany him and join the rebels. And he had tried to protect her from the pirates...
Mila didn't know what to think anymore. She didn't believe for one second that Marcus had meant for events to unfold this way.
At the same time however, her trust in Marcus had faltered.
The sun faded through the mist, the thick darkness of night ensued, followed by a crisp, cloudy morning. Time passed by so slowly, but this was perhaps due to the eagerness of getting out. At first, the thought of being locked in somewhere had been troubling - now everything had faded to dullness. It was extremely boring...
Mila guessed that she had been in here for a whole twenty-four hours now. Unanswered questions hung in the air, drifting in and out like the ticking of a million clocks... It was enough to drive anyone insane.
The only human contact Mila had was a woman who sometimes came in to hand over meals or check on her. This pirate had been on the walkway the day the Hyperion arrived; she was the one who had calmly suggested 'questioning' Mila before throwing her off the block.
It was midday when this pirate appeared again.
She was gifted at hiding her hatred. Apparently, this rebel was the one qualified to give medical treatment; she was responsible for the clean bandage on Mila's arm. The seijin had to admit that the woman's self-discipline was excellent.
Right now, this outlaw wandered inside, closing the door behind her with a kick and placing her medical kit on a table. Mila was sitting against the dusty window sill (she had been unsuccessfully trying to absorb the meagre sunlight sifting through the window for a while) and she glared at the rebel. The woman stood under a scarce ray of yellow sunlight now, her hands on her hips; she blew a strand of hair from her face.
"How's your arm?" The pirate asked impartially as she rummaged through the medical kit.
"Fine." Mila snapped, looking away.
The woman froze and lifted an eyebrow before snapping the lid of the kit shut.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Mila's eyes were narrowed pensively and she knew that they were both wondering the same thing at this moment. The seijin was confident that she could defeat this woman in battle - without her powers however, she'd probably lose.
"Why are you keeping me locked in here?" Mila asked finally, the question had been resting on the edge of her mind for a while now. She already knew the answer. It was because she had acted unwisely when she had arrived, counter-attacking De la Vega.
"Farrell only felt well enough to explain everything this morning." mentioned the pirate, "In the meantime, we had no information about you so we locked the door as a precaution."
There was a pause.
"Is Marcus all right?" Mila asked, registering the flicker of surprise which passed over the woman's eyes.
"He's fine..." She said. "We're taking vote now."
"Taking vote?"
"Here, we are democratic." The pirate replied. "We'll take vote about your place in the resistance." When Mila looked shocked, she added; "The worse outcome is that we decide to drop you off on the fringes somewhere, where you could start a new life."
It made sense: Mila had seen their hideout, but she knew not where they were in Skyland. She knew not the coordinates.
"Don't I get a say in this?" Mila argued, not appreciating the fact that she had no choice in the matter, "I mean, you've only heard Marcus's version of the story."
The woman shrugged.
"So it's his voice against mine?"
"Yes." The pirate responded bluntly.
Mila sighed. She didn't really want to be here anyways, she had considered joining the rebels before, but now she just didn't know where she belonged anymore.
"You might find it interesting that Marcus is defending you."
Mila looked up with surprise.
"I think it unwise to trust the Sphere." She admitted, "But... you're different."
It was a statement layered with question marks, as if the pirate couldn't accept that a former guardian could have an inkling of humanity. Mila felt another twist of anger.
"I'll be back later." The woman stated abruptly as she picked up her medical box. The door was opened and she looked back at the seijin before closing it behind her. She gave a weak attempt at a smile before disappearing, the faintest trace of compassion lingering on her face.
A/N Episode 1, Mahad: "Where are we going?" Mila: "To see a man called the Vector, he helped me escape from the Guardian Academy..."
The Vector lived in recluse for most of his life, working on experiments. Now, how could a man like that help Mila escape the Academy? If he was captured by the Sphere perhaps, forced to lend over some of his scientific knowledge? This was the only option that made sense in my mind.
The Vector worked on (mostly unsuccessful) light experiments during the series, which gave me the idea that the Sphere would love to have technology to refill seijin energy. Perhaps, this is where Oslo got the inspiration for his famous 'light chamber'?
Hope you liked it! Keep reading, important events await!