Chapter 110

By now, the girl calmed down considerably, yet still hugged Hound and Dreadus's arm out of fear, shakes, or internal turmoil of going far, and up. Dreadus calmed down. With hours passing in peace and rest, it was much easier to think rationally, or with Reaz.

But the girl was a persisting issue that never left his mind, nor did anything about her make proper sense. She was there, hiding, involved in something that many might call terrifying. Alone in the Holy Land, she lived and fought, yet ended up like this—latched into his arm and feeling like a normal kid without being one.

What he had said to Reaz before the launch was also unexpected and lingering on his mind. He somewhat accepted what he promised, yet at what cost? She said and assured him of some consequences; Dreadus knew it was a good idea to rely on Reaz, even if her personality and voice didn't make it easy.

Sighting, he figured out three ways how to do this. The first was the easiest; he would toss this issue at someone else and re-consider it much later. It was a common lazy attitude that was dear to his life, or close to what many Walkers like him considered fine.

Sometimes, it was possible to encounter young Walkers in their mission, either alone, in groups, or sourcing for resources like orphans or unfortunate people. They would get them to the Federation and wouldn't be responsible for them. Thus, Dreadus's idea wasn't so strange, and Reaz stated it the best.

It was presumably the most proper choice because Dreadus knew himself more than well. He wasn't good at this sort of thing. He didn't feel it was easy either, or... easy to let it go. The girl was already latched onto him, and everything about her made his heart solemn.

The second choice was to find a reasonable compromise between standing as her protector and father figure or letting her be somewhat independent and free. Latching her onto some Division if the Assembly demanded it didn't sound dubious either, but his heart said otherwise.

This choice was by far the least clear for him. He would have to hear more about what would happen with her in the Federation, where they were going, what would happen, and even if Reaz didn't mention her, there was no way her existence wouldn't go unnoticed. Not after this whole ordeal and delegations.

Fain already got to know her and it wasn't as if Dreadus didn't keep her completely hidden. Many realized he was carrying an unknown girl and some questionable Dark. Thankfully, most interest went onto that Crystal Water Sea, which made things easier.

The third choice was by far the toughest and most unstable. It was to be utterly convinced and dedicated to care about her and let her do whatever she wanted, or be like a true father, help her, grow her, and give her justice she never had. Dreadus would be no protector. He would be her father and teacher, taking care of her as a Walker and person. This opposed the previous choices, where he would have to make some concessions, and decisions, swallow his promise and pride, or go back on his word.

Three choices. Three distinct responsibilities.

As Dreadus felt the end of his line, he saw no end in sight.

Perhaps he was thinking about it wrongly; he should ask the one who started it all. The girl without a name. The one brought to him by luck.

Turning to her, he patted her head and let some strands of hair out of her forehead, revealing more of her beautiful eyes. The girl shuddered on instincts, flinching, and breathing in and out.

A chuckle escaped from the opposite end of this seating area. “It is just the flying. Have you never seen the bird?” Reaz asked out loud, relaxing on her seat and watching them.

Dreadus doubted the first time flying was meant to be calm in any way. Let alone him, a child like her would never be fine in this situation. In fact, he was sure Reaz was the same when she was young.

None got defensive.

But one got up in offense instead.

The girl stopped hugging a sturdy pillar for an arm, dropping Hound to the ground, and decided to be brave and move against her anxiety and Reaz, whose face and voice reached out to her.

The girl had some pride; it was one of her personal promises, right beside the pain, voices, and seeing things that made no sense or little sense, and freedom. It was a luxury and not a way of life.

Was this it? Her dream, or consequence that would happen either way? Was there some pain or doubts to come? They might, but so far, they didn't, and nothing indicated any endings either.

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She reached out for Hound as she regarded this hag, wavering immediately because of the flying helicopter.

“Hey, the ground is not here. Don't just walk around. You might get hurt,” Dreadus fell silent when she began to walk and jump around just fine after just a few seconds. In fact, she was so agile and quick about it that everyone turned silent.

“Oh, this is interesting,” Reaz added, surprised to see her act like a child out of nowhere. She almost thought she was about to fight it out with her. What? Reaz didn't know, but something about their relationship was like water against the flames.

Meanwhile, the girl found the strangeness of this ground sturdy, and air shaky, but the gravity felt tight and her body was lighter than ever and pleasing. She had to adjust her bare feet much more and her core was good even with Hound. Or it helped.

Like this, she ran around the room until she noticed something she had barely seen; a window. A sight from outside was visible, looking like a seen through space, or a gap in space. Tapping it, she regarded it as a weird metal that was the same as vials. Down was a tiny little ground, with a vastness of the sky.

Frankly, she was shocked and almost dropped Hound to the ground when she approached the window like a curious child, seeing many flying people and machines. She wasn't sure what was more incredible; the impressive background of the surroundings, or what was beyond, or closer.

No. That was wrong. She knew what was much more pleasing. The sky and the ground, and the approaching shores with the immense ocean never arose in her mind. In some way, she expected vast views of water to be like the sky. It didn't disappoint, so this time, her mouth dropped and Hound soon followed, limping on the ground with a loud thud as her hug ended.

“What do we have here?” Dreadus asked her, soon standing right beside her, catching Hound who woke up. “Do you like the view?”

The girl gave him an uncertain look that he couldn't understand.

“Are... you afraid?”

She adamantly shook her head and pointed down and far, indicating to the world or the people around this helicopter. It was impossible to say what was happening on the ground.

“The world? It sure is vast but this much is just a part of everything. How much? Well, look at my palm.” Dreadus put it and spread his fingers. “See the fingers, palm, and separations? I see the world like that too. Just a point of my thumb is like the land below us. It is a part of the whole finger and palm, and then we have our whole arm and body. There are bigger lands and far bigger views.”

“What a shitty analogy,” Reaz added right behind him, curiously stepping up and looking out from another window.

“Who didn't want to get involved again? Do you think this is shitty? You are one to say that,” Dreadus shot her down.

“I am bored. Entertain me and don't blame me.”

Dreadus sighted and took her close presence for an annoying fly behind his head.

The girl looked at her palms and looked back to the window.

Was this world really this big? Just how big was the sky if it was so distant like the stars?

“As I've said. Don't be afraid and take the world at a steady pace. I can assure you it is more interesting than the little hole you've been hiding at. On my life!” Dreadus fist-bumped his chest and assured her as best as he could.

The girl turned once more and gave him a confused look, considering to punish her chest as well. She didn't feel it was that bad of a hole, or... was it something about his words that made it worse?

In a way, their conversation was awkward and the time was approaching yet another night. The girl either listened to him or watched the sight beyond the window, which felt like a seen-thought material or a barrier. It was a weird cage as well.

The sun was smaller and smaller and night was closing right as they approached the shores.

Behind her, Reaz and Dreadus had been making some arguments, shouting at one another for the past dozen minutes.

Unbeknown to them, a change and beat in the girl's heart and mind turned upside down when she discovered something below. Her mind and soul shook, fists tense and eyes blazed in a solemn view.

Down, looking small and distant, she clearly saw it as if it was close. A figure. It was a person so small because of the distance to the ground, yet it was so clear to her that it was as if it stood right beside the window. Faceless, dark in churring dark flames and energy, and stable like the earth itself, it waved at her, nodded, and expressed goodbyes in gratifying gladness and something terrifying.

That changed with anxiety notable by red tears coming from nowhere on its head, and an aura that felt like everything she should fear. There was a torn head in its grasp, revealing a familiar Dark Figure that was unable to die. The Jailer was still alive, in a disturbing sense of missing most of its body, struggling and looking sorry, for its sins had come and death soon arrived.

The figure waved a final goodbye, dropping the head and crushing it to shreds. It was no longer needed.

The girl felt the crunch more than watched it, but not those behind her. She gripped her fingers and looked down, going far and far into the unknown territory of her mind.

[It's fine, don't be afraid, child] A soft voice reassured her out of nowhere, changing her face once again, though not enough for her anxiety to disappear.

[THE END IS NIGH. IT HAS COME] another argued, working with her anxiety.

[Safety is near... Don't kill. Don't run. It can change. For once.]

[OR NEVER]

[We ARe StiLL with YOU]

It didn't end like the waves. So she waved back at it, watching her past and leaving it. Australia had been her home for an unknown time, and this goodbye was as unexpected as her disappearance.

It was a sour last moment that diminished her curiosity by a large margin, while the close voices kept pivoting what mattered, telling and speaking weird things that she took for whispers of her demons. It wasn't fear. It wasn't anger.

It didn't come either. That figure refrained itself, not coming further anymore, or projecting the Fear. It left her like a huge mountain of metal and stress, leaving the girl crying ten tears in total, which dropped and turned into mist.