"But eventually, you'll have to ask yourself precisely what you're fighting for. And you'll have to find a reason to live past vengeance." - R.F Kuang (The Dragon Republic)
* * * *
“You know that I have no objections to being your second. But are you sure about this?”
Timo was silent even as he passed drinks to Sera and Zest who were both seated at the counter, sliding the drinks across the surface silently. The upcoming ‘duel’ is all that anyone could talk about within the underground, and security is at an all-time high, considering that a hunter is involved.
The Abyss, too, is in lockdown, and no one is permitted to enter or leave at this time. Of course, they would be permitted entry into the Abyss for the duel, but security measures would be taken.
And if the hunters even caught a whiff of the upcoming duel, they would be panicking, no doubt.
“I trust you to do it,” Sera responded. “Though honestly, I don’t see you being needed, to begin with.”
Zest’s lips quirked even as he clinked his glass with Sera’s. “Yeah, I can’t see a hunter being able to beat you.”
A plate containing a slice of Timo’s chocolate cake was slid across the surface of the counter until it rested in between Sera and Zest. As one, both of them looked up at Timo’s smiling face, puzzled expressions on their faces.
Apart from the drinks they ordered, they didn’t order any desserts, after all.
“It’s on the house,” Timo explained the unasked question. He only watched as the pair before him nodded with thanks. “Have you both known all this time? Have you known that the true attackers behind Blade’s demise were hunters instead of ESA agents?”
Sera and Zest exchanged looks. “Not immediately,” Sera answered at last with a shake of her head. “I suspected, but I didn’t know for sure. For all that I know, it might be the Gifted Task Force that was sent. But on that night, I didn’t recognise any of them. That makes me think that maybe they aren’t ESA agents. But hunters.”
Zest nodded in agreement. Blade is unfortunately quite familiar with the agents from that particular unit. Even during their Blade days, agents from the Gifted Task Force had come down more than once to Zephys and made a complete nuisance of themselves. There was more than one occasion when Zest had thought that Sera would lose patience and throw them out of Zephys. In pieces.
“That and no matter how quiet it is kept; the ESA chief would learn of it sooner or later. And regardless of her position, she wouldn’t keep quiet about something like this.” Timo added, giving Sera a knowing look.
“Duel is in two days,” Zest said, at last, putting his glass down. “Are you going back to your guys? Pretty sure they’re going to have quite a lot to say.”
Sera winced with that statement. “I think I’m going to bunk in at Abyss until the duel. Hayder might need some help too with his house cleaning.”
Timo snorted, and Zest made a loud and obvious cough to hide his laughter. “Drawing it out is only going to make things worse, Sera.” Zest pointed out, his lips twitching. “Not to mention Letha and Raul know where to find the Abyss. I won’t be surprised if the lot of them show up the day before the duel to demand answers. If they’re anything like how Blade used to be, they won’t be satisfied until they hear everything from you.”
Sera groaned, letting her head fall with a light thunk on the countertop. “I probably should go and face the music before I let things get worse, don’t I?” Her voice was muffled. “I probably should stop keeping everything to myself. Leroy’s mentioned it before. Months ago. He said that I had a habit of bottling everything up and handling everything myself.”
Zest exchanged looks with Timo. “It’s how you’ve always been.” Zest agreed. “I can’t say that this is one trait of yours that I’m very fond of. Gradually, you do start to at least trust me and even Leroy, and even Jamie and Lleucu, and allow us to assist you. You’re doing the same thing you used to do with us, but with Aegis right now. I know I don’t know them all that well, but from what Leroy had told me, I think you can trust them. You do, don’t you?”
“…Yeah.”
Zest said nothing even as Sera sat upright once more, running her hand through her hair. “If you want them to trust you in turn, Sera, you need to let them into your world,” he reminded. “Let them get to know you, the real you. And if they abandon you after that…” Zest trailed off slowly, seeing the look on Sera’s face. He raised his glass—whether it be in support or pity. “Well, they can’t be worth knowing.”
Sera was silent for several moments even as she used a dessert fork to take a piece of Timo’s chocolate cake.
It is likely only Zest that knew of this very secret, and buried fear of hers—the fear of being abandoned. Of being alone.
What was it that Karl had told her a long time ago?
Better to know love and companionship for just one day in your life, than be alone for all of it.
“…I guess.”
Zest studied Sera for several long moments without saying anything. Finally, he shifted from his seat, tugging Sera by the upper arm gently, and letting the artificial lights of the establishment bounce off the bracelets that adorned his left wrist.
“Come on. You’re coming with me. There’s something I need to tell you before the duel.”
* * * *
The brief lightning flash across the night skies briefly illuminated the room that they were in, even as Sera rubbed her hair dry with a towel that was in one of the cupboards. Not far from her, Zest is doing the same thing, having stripped out of his wet shirt.
It took Sera every ounce of self-control she could not to stare.
“You know, I remember that it was raining too on the night when we first met.” Sera was the first to break the silence, looking out of the windows at the storm that was currently raining down on Eldario.
Zest gave a brief chuckle even as he crossed the dark room to look out of the window. “I remember that,” he murmured. “And I also remember that we always used to come here whenever we could.” He gestured around the room that was Blade’s old hideout.
Even when they have come up from the first storey to take shelter from the raging storm, it is like nothing has changed at all. Everything within the hideout was kept the same as it was—like time had frozen.
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“…I miss those days,” Sera said at last after several moments; with both of them lost in their memories. “It is because of Leroy and Alisa that I created Blade. But I don’t miss those days in the least. Even still, I just did whatever I wanted. I wasn’t…the best leader. Not like how Klein or Yusa have been for their own.”
“Well, I can’t deny that,” Zest responded almost cheerfully, and Sera flinched. “But you learned, Sera. Like all of us did. We learned to work together. To be a team. To be each other’s family. Until the end of their lives, I know that all the others would never have regretted being part of Blade. Being part of this.” He gestured again. “I was worried when I heard what happened with the aftermath, and that whatever survivors there are scattered to the four winds—and I know there are survivors. Hunters wouldn’t be able to get the best of you or even Leroy and Alisa. Maybe even Lleucu and Jamie. Likely Earl as well, since he wasn’t even in Zephys that day.” He counted on his fingers. “And for awhile, I thought you’ve lost it.”
“Lost what?”
“That.” Zest shrugged his shoulders. “The will to live. But at some point, you got that fire back in your eyes, Sera. The hunger for victory. And even the way that you never seem to give up. In the beginning, after what happened to Blade… Probably, part of why you’re even clinging to life might be because of those guys with you now. You’re living for them. But at some point, that changed, didn’t it? You aren’t just doing it for them anymore. You’re doing it for yourself. And honestly, Sera, that is all we ever wanted. For you to be selfish for once in your life.”
Sera sighed before walking across the room towards Zest, leaning on the other side of the window, facing him. “You don’t think I’m making a mistake?” she questioned. “I’ve heard enough from Leroy and Alisa in the beginning when I started Aegis that they think I’m being too reckless.”
“I don’t control what you do.” Zest pointed out bluntly, and Sera tried to hide a grin. “Like I’ve said before. And like what I told Leroy and all the others countless times. I can advise and guide. But ultimately, you have your own mind and personality, so the decision is yours to make. Furthermore, I think that Aegis is needed in this country more than anything else right now. Especially with the hunters running amok.”
“It’ll become a full-out war if we aren’t careful.”
“Might be for the best.” Zest sighed, raking a hand through his damp hair. “You and I both know that this country is corrupted by the hunters. It might be for the best if we can just eradicate them all.” His jaw clenched tightly. “Even if we’re seen as the villains.”
Sera made a sound in her throat but said nothing to contradict Zest. He didn’t say anything that she hadn’t thought about, after all.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Sera asked at last. “I seriously doubt you brought me here to partake in a bout of nostalgia.”
Zest made a sound in his throat before he moved, dropping to his knees in front of the dresser in the room and working at the floorboards to loosen it. Finally, he reached into the hole before drawing out a thick folder.
“What are those?” Sera was curious, walking towards Zest and taking a seat on the almost moth-bitten sofa in the room. Her breath hitched when she recognised the almost faded emblem of the hunters visible on the folder.
Zest met with her eyes before handing the folder over. “Project Nona,” he said simply, and Sera felt her breath hitch. “When I sacked the hunter base I was with originally, I didn’t just take out the hunters and the members of my original unit on the way out. I took several files with me as well—information on cases that the hunters don’t want getting out to the public. The truth behind the Nonary Project, or Project Nona, is one of them. It’s also part of the reason how I ended up at Zephys.”
“So, right from the start—”
“I couldn’t be certain that Seraphina was you.” Zest interrupted. “But after our first battle, I was relatively certain. I didn’t say anything, not only because of the whole censure around Project Nona but also because it wasn’t my secret to tell.” He met with Sera’s eyes. “You knew who I was from the beginning, and you are within your rights to tell the rest of Blade my background—and knowing their extreme hatred towards the hunters, especially Leroy and Yuna and even Earl and Angela, they would have either killed me or exiled me from Zephys. And I won’t blame them one bit. Even still, despite the suspicions the others had towards me, you still accepted me as part of Blade. I’m sure that Lleucu and Jamie at least did some digging into my past after that, and I won’t be surprised if they found something.”
Lleucu and Jamie are after all the cyber experts of Blade—much like how Raul used to be for Dragonfly, and now for Aegis. Those two could probably match Raul’s skills easily. They’re easily the top three cyber experts in the world.
“Project Nona…” Sera mused, flipping through the pages of the folder carefully. “It’s been a long, long time since I last heard this name. One of Eldario’s greatest shames. And whatever that the hunters are up to these days, I got a feeling that it might be connected to Project Nona in a way.”
Zest gave an almost rude scoff, before reaching for his shirt currently draped over the back of the sofa that they were seated on, and pulling it on—much to Sera’s relief. “It’s the hunters,” he said bluntly, “they don’t know when and how to stop. They started Project Nona, and they likely never did stop at all.”
They never did stop at all.
Zest’s words echoed continuously in Sera’s head, and she closed her eyes briefly when a horrifying realisation hit her. The rumours of those ‘testing facilities’ run by the hunters over the years, and even how Claudia and her two brothers have escaped from one years ago. The tales that the three siblings have told her about the experiments that they’ve undergone in the facility that they were held in…
Sera’s hands tightened into fists on her knees.
Project Nona never did stop all those years ago. The hunters just know how to hide it better.
“Project Nona…” Sera murmured, raking a hand through her hair. “We’re going to have to do something about the hunters sooner or later.”
She’d prefer sooner rather than later, as Sera could just imagine the kind of damage that the hunters could do now that Blade, Whirlwind, and Dragonfly are out of the picture. Who is the current leader of the hunters right now, again? Albert Nicolosi, if Sera isn’t wrong. The absolute worst type of person to hold any kind of power.
The previous leader was bad enough, but at least he still had some kind of morals. Albert Nicolosi however… Sometimes, Sera doubts that there is a line that the man wouldn’t cross. And to this day, she is certain that the death of the previous leader a couple of years ago isn’t an accident at all.
And it is right after the death of the previous leader when the attacks on Blade, Whirlwind and even Dragonfly occurred. Yusa’s death a year prior to Blade’s attack was passed off as an accident—a turf war. What if it wasn’t? With the whole purpose being to appoint a leader weaker and less charismatic than Yusa which ultimately led to Dragonfly’s destruction.
“Goddess help us,” Sera murmured, burying her face in her hands. “If the hunters are really behind the entire mess in the underground and all the incidents of late, we’re going to have to do something fast, or we’re going to be in some deep shit.”
“We’ll worry about it after the duel the day after,” Zest said firmly. “Knowing Larissa and Hayder, they won’t leave it alone. They won’t allow the hunters to infiltrate the Abyss and the underground system.”
“We’re going to have to give a hand. They can’t handle it by themselves, even with the assistance of the Enforcers and Leroy.” Sera concluded, and Zest nodded. She leaned back into the sofa, careful to avoid the moth-bitten parts, turning over her left wrist where Blade’s mark was visible, with her eyes flickering towards Zest’s neck where the same mark was also visible. “Why did you come back after you woke up? You could have left. Started a new life. I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
“You know that I wouldn’t have done that. None of the others would. I believe that Earl is still alive, but I also believe that he must have his reasons for staying away. And if Lleucu and Jamie are still alive, they likely are the same way.” Zest pointed out, and Sera let out a light huff. “Besides, on that night when the hunters attacked us, my last thoughts at that time weren’t, ‘I don’t want to die’, or even regrets about the choices I’ve made.” Sera was taken aback when Zest took her hand in his but didn’t pull away. He traced Blade’s mark on her under wrist with his index finger, and Sera tried to resist the urge to shiver. “My only thoughts at that time was, ‘I can’t leave Sera behind’.” He released his hold on Sera’s wrist, turning to look at her in the eye instead. “Then I woke up only to realise that over a year had passed since that night, and I had so many regrets. Chief amongst them is that I didn’t have the chance to tell you how I felt. You felt the same way about me too, don’t you?”
Sera was silent, staring at the nails on her hand like seeing something particularly fascinating. “…I have secrets, Zest.”
“So do I,” Zest admitted. “And I believe that I know what those secrets are, or at least, an idea of what they are. But it doesn’t matter to me.” Sera was taken aback when Zest combed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I swore my fealty to you a long time ago when you accepted me into Blade.” He whispered, leaning his forehead against Sera’s. “I swore to always remain at your side. The entire world can stand against you, but I will never turn against you.” He promised.
For several moments, neither one of the two took their eyes off each other. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were those of the raindrops pattering against the glass panes of the window and even the occasional sound of thunder.
Finally, Sera sighed, shifting slightly before she leaned her head against Zest’s shoulder.
“You’ve always been like this,” she murmured, and Zest smiled, despite knowing that Sera couldn’t see it. “Even from the beginning, there was always something about you that drew me in. You’ve always understood me in a way that the others can’t. Not even Leroy.”
“Well, I had similar experiences that you had in your past that they don’t,” Zest murmured, curling the fingers of his right hand together with Sera’s left hand. “Not that I’ll wish what I had gone through on anyone.” He added.
Sera sighed again. “You sure about this?” She asked at last, shifting slightly so that she could look up at Zest’s face without moving away from his shoulder. “About us?”
“I am.”
“You know what I’m planning. Or at least, you had a good idea of what I’m planning. Even still, you’ll still stay by my side?”
“Even then.” Zest agreed. “Even if the world curses your name, I’ll stay by your side. You always had reasons behind your actions, Sera, even if some wouldn’t understand. But ultimately, every decision you make, you make it because you believe it’s right.”
Sera gave a small smile. “…Then let’s hope Aegis will believe the same way you do,” she declared, and Zest blinked. “I’m going to tell them after the duel. I’m going to tell them everything. My past. And even what I’m planning.”