The room was thick with tension, the air heavy as Estelle's mind raced to process the situation. Something was gnawing at her—an uneasy feeling that had lingered since the moment she arrived.
She scanned the room, her eyes settling on the faces of her siblings. They were the same, yet somehow different, familiar yet distant. The disconnect was unsettling. Then it struck her—the way they had reacted when she mentioned Alaric. Instead of the recognition she had expected, there was confusion.
Iris broke the silence, her voice cautious yet probing. “You mentioned someone earlier—Al, you called him. Who is he to you?”
Estelle blinked, caught off guard by the question. “Al? Alaric. He’s… well, he’s my boss, the leader of the Aegis Union. We’ve worked together for years now. He’s a friend, someone I trust. Why?”
Dante’s eyes narrowed, his suspicion deepening. “Alaric Hale is the leader of our resistance group,” he said slowly, as if testing her response. “He’s been fighting against the regime that hunts us. But you… you don’t seem to know anything about that.”
A cold wave of realization washed over Estelle. The Alaric she knew wasn’t leading any resistance. He was a strategist, a protector, but not a revolutionary. And what was this about a regime hunting them?
She shook her head, confusion turning to dread. “No, that’s not right. Alaric… he’s not leading a resistance. The Aegis Union is about stabilizing society, protecting people from the monsters, not… this.” She gestured vaguely around the room, struggling to articulate the surreal difference.
Iris stepped forward, her gaze sharp. “What do you mean by ‘protecting us’? From what?”
“From the monsters,” Estelle replied instinctively. “And from Dark Hunters. We’ve been stopping them for years, making sure they don’t hurt anyone. Al and everyone else as well… we’ve been working to keep everything under control.”
Mira, who had been quietly clinging to Estelle’s side, looked up at her, her voice small but steady. “Dark Hunters? There are no hunters here. Only those who hunt us.”
The pieces started to fall into place—pieces that didn’t fit together, no matter how hard Estelle tried. “But… that doesn’t make any sense. What about you?” She turned to Dante, Finn, and Iris. “What have you been doing? Are you part of this… resistance?”
Dante’s expression hardened, and he nodded. “We all are. After we lost Estelle, we have decided to fight. We’ve been hiding, surviving. Alaric’s the only one holding us together.”
Estelle’s heart pounded as she processed his words. She had spent so much time trying to protect her siblings, keeping them away from the dangers she faced as a Hunter. She had insisted that they find safer paths—Mira and Finn are attending a private school, Iris had taken up a quiet job in a library, and Dante had been working as an instructor, training others in basic self-defense, but nothing like what she did.
But now… they were fighters, just like her. No, more than that—they were part of a rebellion. And Alaric was leading them in a fight against an enemy she couldn’t even comprehend.
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“This… this isn’t possible,” she whispered, more to herself than to them. “How can everything be so different?”
Iris’s eyes softened slightly, though her posture remained guarded. “I don’t know what’s going on, but maybe… maybe this isn’t the world you remember, Estelle. Or whoever you are. Things here… they’re not the same as what you said.”
The words hung in the air, a chilling confirmation of the truth Estelle had been trying to avoid. She wasn’t home. She wasn’t in the world she knew, with the people she knew. This is a different reality, one where everything was twisted, where her siblings were warriors and Alaric was a revolutionary leader.
Finn finally spoke, his voice hesitant. “If you’re really our sister, or… some version of her, maybe there’s a reason you’re here. Maybe we can figure this out together.”
Estelle nodded slowly, the enormity of the situation sinking in. She didn’t know how she had ended up here, but one thing was certain—she couldn’t leave them to face this alone. Not if there was any chance she could help.
“I don’t know how I got here,” Estelle said, her voice steadier now. “But I’m not going to abandon you. We’ll figure this out. Together.”
The tension in the room didn’t fully dissipate, but there was a subtle shift as the siblings exchanged glances. Though Dante and Iris still looked wary, there was a mutual understanding that, for now, they needed to deal with the immediate situation.
Dante was the first to speak, his tone measured but serious. “We can’t let Alaric see you. Not yet.”
Estelle frowned, confused. “Why not? If anyone could help us figure this out, it would be him.”
Dante shook his head, glancing at his siblings before speaking. “He’s not… he’s not in the best place when it comes to you. Or, I mean… our Estelle.”
Iris, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up, her voice steady but tinged with sadness. “He blames himself for what happened. She… she died in his arms when we tried to rescue her. He's never forgiven himself.”
Estelle’s heart ached at the thought, but she pushed it aside. “But if that’s true, wouldn’t it be better if he knew I was here? Maybe it would help him.”
“No,” Dante said firmly. “Not yet. He’s strong, but when it comes to her… to you… he’s different. We can’t risk what might happen if he sees you now.”
“We’ll need to keep you hidden,” Iris added. “There’s an Aeth here in the shelter who can make a mask—a special one. It won’t just cover your face; it’ll change your appearance and your voice. It won’t be perfect, but it should be enough to keep him from recognizing you until we’re ready.”
Dante nodded in agreement, but his expression remained tense. “If others who have been here a long time see you, they might recognize you too. Estelle wasn’t just anyone; she was one of the active leaders. If someone else notices, it could create more confusion, and that’s the last thing we need right now.”
Estelle nodded slowly, absorbing the information. A magical mask that could alter her appearance and voice—such tools existed in her world, though they were rare and seldom needed in the more stable society she knew.
“What was our relationship with Al...Alaric like?” she asked, her curiosity piqued despite the gravity of the situation.
Mira, who had been quiet, spoke up, her voice insistent. “Brother Ric has always been with us, ever since we left the orphanage. You found him. You saved him, as he said, even though it was dangerous.”
Estelle nodded, a mix of emotions swirling inside her. It was strange to hear about this other version of herself through their eyes. She wanted to ask more, to understand every detail, but she could see the fatigue in their faces, especially Mira’s.
“It’s late,” Estelle said gently, glancing at her youngest sister. “We should all get some rest. We’ll figure this out, but we need to be at our best.”
There was a murmur of agreement, the tension in the room easing further as they began to move toward their respective sleeping areas. Estelle watched them, her heart heavy with the knowledge that while they were her siblings, they were also strangers in many ways.
As she prepared to settle down for the night, her mind remained restless, filled with questions about this world, her siblings, and the Alaric who had been through so much more than she could have imagined. But for now, she pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the fact that they had agreed to work together, and that was enough—for now.