“Good.” Atreus intoned, “Follow Hayato’s commands, and we will get through this.”
Hayato and Leta went north, while the rest of the team went east to avoid the cameras.
Following a brief silence, Leta noticed her footsteps becoming softer and her walking becoming more precise. Before, she had walked with the untrained trot of a cow among leopards. Each movement appeared deliberate and effortless, with a grace only seen in dancers and warriors, without her exerting any effort.
“Your presence draws too much attention,” Hayato muttered to her, the tinge of annoyance coloring his words.
Leta realized the accuracy of the situation when they noticed a few people giving them looks.
She replied, “We don’t fit the usual tourist standards dressed as we are. We’re bound to draw attention this way.
Hayato expressed his frustration with a sigh, clarifying, “It’s not just your outfit but also your overall presence. How one moves conveys just as much as words.” He turned his head to give her a narrowed stare. “Your presence begs to be gazed upon, not to blend in, which is what we must strive for in this mission.”
Leta frowned at his passive-aggressive words, “Then tell me how to carry myself. You are the expert in this field.”
He snorted, “Forget it. I have a better chance of teaching an ox to dance.”
“What is your problem?” Leta bit back, her temper rising. “I’ve known you for less than twenty-four hours, and you’re acting as if I threw you under the bus for something.”
“Nothing!” Hayato snapped, turning to her in the street to set his blazing eyes on her. “You have done nothing. You have neither protected nor provided for anyone in this Sect. Time and time again, you have catered to fears and disregarded the consequences. Despite this, the Priestess and the General are protective and cater to your every desire, while those I loved have suffered because of it. Why? Other than existing, what have you done to earn such loyalty? Besides your inclination to enforce your desires on others and lead to the deaths of innocents, what other merit do you possess?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
He looked away, holding back his anger and the words he wanted to say.
His outburst caught Leta off guard, and the venomous tone startled her in his words. There was a tense silence hanging in the air between them. Just like two individuals on a glacier, they nervously waited to see who would be the first to fall through the crack in the ice.
“Hayato,” Leta spoke with a calm and even tone, her words cautious but attempting to bridge that divide. “Who is gone?”
Hayato didn’t respond at first. Instead, he shook his head and started walking again.
Leta caught up again and said more clearly, “Who’s gone, Hayato?”
When he said nothing again, she pushed, “I can’t fix a mistake if I don’t know what to fix. Please, Hayato.”
Hayato’s stride decelerated, transitioning from a brisk escape to a leisurely stroll.
“Adjany and Edward,” He said, his voice low and filled with a suppressed emotion, “We were close, friends even. Well, as much as three people trapped in eternity can be. They were the closest thing to family that I had in this Sect. Edward was a nurse on the Mundane floor who got on the radio and warned everyone before the Blessed killed him. Adjany was on the roof with you, and a gargoyle killed her.”
“I remember Adjany.” Leta breathed. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, the anger and resentment she’d felt earlier leaving her like a candle snuffed of its flame.
“Shit,” she exhaled, thinking to herself, ‘How do you respond to something like that?’
“I will not apologize for the Blessed attacking the hospital,” Leta spoke, “Nor will I apologize for lacking education in the struggle between the Blessed and the Chosen. What I can do is try to live with honor for those who died protecting me.”
She gave him a slight bow of her head. “Thank you for telling me. I never met Edward, but Adjany was a fearless woman. I wish I could’ve been more acquainted with her. We would have gotten along.
With an unwavering gaze, Hayato watched her, his dark eyes as profound as his control over shadows. His face remained neutral, but the movement of his Adam’s apple betrayed his effort to control his feelings.
He resumed walking towards their target without responding, and Leta had to hurry to catch up once again.
“Will you tell me about them? When we get back to the Sect.” She asked, “If someone sacrificed themselves for me, I want to know them and carry on with their stories.”
Although Hayato didn’t reply, the expression in his eyes conveyed her words had some effect on his disdain, even if his sadness and anger remained.
Whether she met the expectations of those who had sacrificed for her was yet to be determined.