“Two for vengeance. One for love.” - John Gwynne (Ruin)

* * * *

The main room of the boathouse was silent.

All of Aegis were either seated on the couches or even on the floor—wherever they could occupy; thus causing the room to look rather cramped. Neil and even Tatius found themselves leaning against the wall just to have more room. Whereas Sera was seated on the ledge of the windowsill next to the closed door of the boathouse.

The only sounds that could be heard were that of the waves lapping against the sides of the boathouse, and the occasional crashes the waves made.

“I started Blade with Leroy and Alisa. Back then, Zephys was lawless. The gangs and groups ran amok. The crime rate was high. You can get killed easily by just walking down the street and if some random street thug decided he didn’t like how you looked—”

Lucie felt cold next to Raul on the couch, with Kailey occupying the couch on her other side. Even though they had the heater turned on, the boathouse still felt cold.

None of the others spoke, merely listening to Sera speak—with the latter not looking at anyone, but just twiddling with the choker around her neck to occupy her hands with.

“We started Blade out of necessity. Within a year, we had Zephys under our thumb and had people joining us. People that became friends. Family. Zest was the last to join. But next to me, he’s also easily the strongest in Blade, and my second. We revamped Zephys in the process. Turned it from a lawless town into something resembling a home. Earned the respect of the people and the other street gangs there in the process. We made it safer. To the point that even the ESA were wary of entering the town.”

Even Lucie, as little as she knew Sera’s past; even she knew what was coming next, especially with the looks that the others shared.

“One of my people stumbled across some information. About the hunters. The facilities they have across Eldario. The known ones. And even the secret ones that they have. And even of the unethical experiments carried out in there on Gifted. And even on some Normals. It’s an open secret at this point. Everyone in Eldario knew about it. But due to the hunters’ influence, we couldn’t do anything. But the information and intel that we found out… It pointed towards the hunters and their plans for a…coup. To have all of Eldario under their thumb. The media. The Abyss. The underground. Even the ESA. Everything. And knowing them, they won’t just stop at Eldario.”

Letha felt her hands clenching on her knees.

“Blade was the first to be targeted. Whether it be because they somehow knew that we found out about it, or if it’s because they want a way to destabilise the Abyss and the underground, I have no idea. They attacked Zephys, and you know what happened to Blade in the end. Not even two months earlier before the attack on us, Yusa was killed. An ‘accident’, from what some of those in Dragonfly said. But I wouldn’t put it past the hunters to orchestrate his death, which eventually leads to the demise of Dragonfly. And then Whirlwind. The Abyss’ pillars. And the underground’s protectors. All in an aim to weaken and destabilise the underground.”

Raul had to bite on his bottom lip to contain his anger at the hunters. His people… His old crew… All of them were just puppets dancing to the tune of the puppet master.

“And like the laws in Eldario aren’t bad enough for the Gifted as it is, the new head of the hunters managed to sneak past new bills and laws to worsen things for us, and restrict the movements of the ESA even further. I knew what was going on. I had hunters after me my entire life, for as long as I remember. I lived on the streets all my life. I know how ruthless they could be. I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.”

Neil wanted something strong. And by the looks of the others, they were all of the same opinion.

“I suspected for a long time that all the experiments and even the hunts over the last few decades… The hunters were trying to find a way to either control the Gifted or transfer the Gifts that made us unique to ordinary humans. That’s what the facilities were for. I suspected, but I didn’t have any proof but just mere speculations.”

Claudia found her throat choking up, even as she clutched at her shirt, where her brand was tattooed above her right breast. She remembered those experiments. The screams of those who died agonising deaths. How terrified she and her brothers were for years. And how they finally found the chance and even the courage to break out and leave.

Transferring a Gifted’s Gift to a Normal? That is the height of lunacy.

There used to be quite…unethical experiments done in the past—during a time in history when human experiments weren’t seen as unethical or inhumane. The Gifted can’t even donate blood to a Normal once their Gifts wake. It seems to wake some kind of dormant protection in their blood the moment their Gifts woke and initiate some kind of internal protection in the Gifted, from what studies said.

Any Normal that receives the blood of a Gifted will only combust. Quite literally.

Claudia and her two brothers have seen it happen countless times when they were held captive. Those ‘Normals’ used as experiment subjects in that facility are either the homeless or people who don’t even know what kind of experiments they are subjecting themselves to.

And if the blood of a Gifted does that to a Normal, Claudia doesn’t even want to imagine what will happen if a Gift is transferred to a Normal. That is if that is even possible.

But the times are different now. The hospitals and even research labs no longer have the kind of control that they used to have in the past and were even closely watched. But as always, it seems like the hunters feel like they’re above the law.

“Even before the whole attack on Blade and Zephys, I’ve been gathering information on them for years. I won’t lie. I wanted to destroy the hunter system. If I can’t bring the hunters to justice, I have no qualms about killing them. I was prepared to do it alone. Prepared to die doing it. I know what they planned with the underground and the Abyss. Expecting me to watch and do nothing as it collapses? I can’t do it. Then as luck would have it, I met Kailey and Neil. For them, I decided to put my mission on hold. And through them, I found another reason to live.”

Kailey exchanged looks with her twin, who looked as grim as she had felt.

She recalled the day when they first met Sera at Zephys. The look in her eyes reminded her of brittle and cracked glass, she recalled.

“Then like the Goddess had a hand in the events to come, she put me on your path. All of you. When Ness was poisoned. When Raul was taken. When Letha was cornered. And even what happened to Lucie at Agnis… I wanted to walk away each time, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to.”

Laura felt her eyes becoming wet and quickly blinked the tears away.

“I didn’t want to care for anyone again. I didn’t want to open my heart anymore. Death has a habit of dogging my footsteps. It tends to follow me everywhere. But first with Kailey and Neil. And then Claudia, Ness and even Tatius. Even Laura. Raul and Letha… Even Lucie… I couldn’t do anything for my people. The ones that trusted in me that they followed me even towards Death. I thought that I could at least do something for you. Despite what you think, you are not their replacement. Blade is my past. But Aegis? Aegis is my present. And my future.”

Tatius only listened to Sera speak, feeling the urge to reach for something strong. He might need to crack out the liquor he had stashed somewhere in his room later tonight.

“I want to abolish the hunter system and rid Eldario of the hunters. Yes, I’m out for revenge. That’s what I’m doing. It’s why I didn’t say anything to you lot, and why I did everything alone. Or even with Leroy and Alisa, and even Zest. They signed up for this. They knew what they were in for. You didn’t.”

Sometimes, Raul had to resist the urge to throttle Sera, and this was one of those times.

‘Not involved’?

They’re already involved from the start! Heck, probably since the day their Gifts woke! What the hell did Sera think they were doing when they blew up half of ESA headquarters just to save Lucie?

If she had asked—if she had just communicated properly with Aegis, they would have agreed. Given a chance, Raul would have taken out the hunters if he could! Not just the Gifted loathed the hunters. Even the underground hated them.

Raul gave out a low, long sigh the moment that Sera had finished her tale, causing every pair of eyes in the room to look at him. “You know, I knew it from the start. Even Zest, Yusa and Leroy have told me before. But Sera, you suck at communicating,” he said bluntly. Sera only blinked owlishly at him. “I thought it was some serious life and death matter. That’s your reason? You just don’t want to involve us? We’re already involved! Or what the hell did you think we were doing when we first started Aegis? We were prepared to go against the hunters and even the ESA! We were prepared to bet our lives.”

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Laura nodded in agreement. “Ask any Gifted on the street, and they’ll jump in,” she pointed out. “You know how much the underground and the Gifted hated the hunters.” She added grimly. “Maybe it’s not the case for Lucie, and probably Kailey and Neil.” The three mentioned only blinked owlishly. “Unlike the rest of us, they lived civilian lives before their Gifts woke. But for us? Like you, we lived on the streets our entire lives. We were raised in the underground, and we know their ways and laws. And we all know that even the underground loathed the hunters.”

Though mostly, that is because a good percentage of the underground consisted of the Gifted.

Ness nodded in agreement. “And it’s only a matter of time before the Abyss moves against the hunters,” he pointed out. “Especially with what one of them tried to pull with you. The Premier would never leave this lying down.”

“Besides, it’s not like we have no idea of what you’re planning,” Claudia added with a frown. “A Revolution. You’re planning on one.”

“You know, a long time ago, when I first got to Zalfari, Klein told me something once,” Letha said solemnly. “He told me that in the underground, especially Eldario’s underground scene, you’re not remembered by the way you live. You’re remembered by how you die.”

That is a matter of fact, and everyone knows it.

Sera sighed. “I said before, I don’t dictate or control what you do,” she stated. “The choice is yours, as are the consequences that you must bear. But you do realise what it means to go against the hunters, don’t you? Officially, Eldario is a democracy. But truthfully? It’s the hunters that have the power here. They have lots of powerful backers.”

“And if things continue worsening for the Gifted, it’s only going to be a matter of time before a civil war breaks out,” Raul added grimly, his fingers curled together on his knees. “They’ll bring back the Gifted Enforcement Law again. Make hunts on the Gifted legal once more. Even if they haven’t done anything.”

“Like what happened with me,” Lucie said quietly.

“The underground and even the Gifted community still have our supporters amongst the civilian population and even the politicians. But those aren’t a lot.” Neil pointed out with a frown. “To be honest, even if the hunters declare an outright hunt on us tomorrow, I doubt many will object. To many of them, the Gifted are not human due to what we are capable of. The hunters have been feeding Eldario their propaganda about the Gifted for decades.”

“We can’t fix things legally anymore, even if we go by the legal route,” Laura said sensibly. “The only way now is by a revolution. And it’s going to be a literal bloodbath if things turn south.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Besides, if we don’t do it, who else is going to step up? Who’s going to protect those who can’t protect themselves? We’re on a sinking ship here, and we all know it.”

Aegis exchanged looks.

Every word is true, and they all know it. Living how they did at the moment—moving from place to place with a boathouse and never staying in one place for long… Coupled with what they’re doing, it will only take a matter of time before either the ESA or hunters catch up to them, regardless of how careful they have been.

Sera sighed loudly, kneading her forehead before looking at the rest of them. “So, you’re all in?” she asked at last. “You realise the repercussions, don’t you? You know what we might have to do?” She looked from face to face. “I am no stranger to killing. Ebis Ivanor wasn’t my first kill. I lived on the streets all my life. Do you think I hadn’t killed just to survive? Especially considering the state Eldario was in, during the early years after the end of the war. Societal change, especially something as major as what we’re attempting, always comes at a price.” She warned. “Someone always got to pay it.”

“We’re raised in the underground too.” Laura pointed out bluntly, gesturing towards her and those who have grown up on the streets. “We know.” The rest nodded solemnly. “We’re in.”

Sera nodded slowly. “Kailey? Neil?”

“We’ve been with you from the start. You think we have no idea what you are planning?” Neil had a raised eyebrow. “We wouldn’t have gone looking for Blade back then if we had the jeebies about killing. It’s not like we hadn’t done it before.” He exchanged looks with Kailey who only gave a sad smile. “We know the cost for survival, Sera. Especially as a Gifted in Eldario.”

Sera didn’t ask questions. She had a few good ideas about what the twins must have gone through in the days, or years before they’d gone to Zephys and met her. And why even after killing those men in the alleyway that night, they still didn’t run screaming from her.

“Lucie?” Raul prompted the girl sitting next to him who had been relatively silent throughout the entire conversation.

As one, every pair of eyes fell on their newest member, who is also arguably the newest to the underground.

“If we do this…” Lucie spoke at last after several long moments, staring at her knees. “If we do this, can we change society?” She finally found the courage to look up and look at Sera.

Sera only stared at Lucie for several moments without saying anything before she sighed resignedly. “Saying you want to change society is a nice reason. But before you do that, you first have to find a reason why you’re doing it for yourself,” she said bluntly. “When I first started Blade, and then Aegis, it was for my selfish reasons. I found other reasons to continue it later on. You need to find your reasons for embarking on the path that you’re on, Lucie. I told you that before. You don’t come out and tell me you’re doing this—agreeing with us on what we’ve decided on because you want to change society. Sure, you want to change it. But why? And for what? You need to find your path, and your reasons, and stick to it.”

“I…want to help others.” Lucie’s voice wavered, sounding unsure of herself. “So that they won’t end up the way I did…”

Even Kailey could tell that that wasn’t the complete truth. Sera didn’t look impressed either.

“That’s a lie, and we all know it,” Laura said with a frown. “We never said you had to stay with us, Lucie. You can always leave if you’re uncomfortable with what we have to do. Sera can probably find a place for you in the Abyss. We didn’t save you just so you can use your Gift for us.”

“Laura.” Tatius gave her a look. Let Sera handle it, was what his eyes were conveying to her.

“That wasn’t what I’m—”

“What’s your real reason?” Sera cut in, narrowing her eyes at Lucie who got very nervous with having that mismatched gaze on her that makes Lucie feel like she’s getting X-rayed. Lucie then recalled some of the others saying something about how Sera could always tell if someone was lying or withholding information.

It’s not her Gift either. Sera just had this talent for reading people. And considering she’d survived on the streets and even became one of the most dangerous people ever in the underground scene, Lucie honestly can’t find it in herself to be surprised.

It’s not just her. Laura, Letha, and even Raul could all do it to a certain extent.

“My…real reason?”

Sera nodded. “The real reason why you wanted to do this,” she said simply. “I gave you my reasons earlier. It’s not for anyone. I’m doing it for revenge. For myself. The hunters have been on my heels from the very first moment they knew about my existence. My entire life… All my friends… Even the few family members I have…” Sera grimaced, recalling that she hadn’t heard anything from Karl for over a year. Is that old pervert even still alive? “The hunters killed them all. I promised myself the day that they destroyed Blade that I would have my revenge. I’ll kill every single hunter by myself if I have to. And if it saves the Gifted and changes society along the way? Well… That’ll just be a bonus. I never said from the start that I was doing this for others. I’m doing it for myself. Because honestly? I don’t give a fuck if people survive or not as long as they’re not those whom I cared for, and that is a relatively short list. So, what’s your reason, Lucie?”

“I…”

“All of us here, Lucie, have done things we’re not proud of. Not just Sera.” Raul said heavily. “Even Kailey and Neil too, I’m certain.” He added, looking at the twins. No Gifted can survive for long on the streets without killing. And from what he knew from Neil, the twins had lived on the streets for well over two years before they met Sera. “Being in a street gang offers you some protection. But that protection can only go so far, depending on how well known and respected they are.”

Sera nodded in agreement. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of. I’ve killed, stolen, lied, and even fucked my way to get to where I am. All in the name of survival. And you know what? Even if I turn back the clock, I will still make the same decisions that I did. You don’t look back and think about ‘what-ifs’. The past lies in the past. All you can do is look forward and don’t repeat the past mistakes.”

Lucie’s eyes were wide even as she stared at Sera.

“You think I’m the only one who’s done things like this? Anyone who grew up on the streets—all of us did it.” Sera’s voice was cold. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Lucie. This is reality as we know it. This is what the underground is. Do you think you saw reality? You haven’t truly seen it until you come face to face with Death itself. The world isn’t always in black and white, Lucie. You need resolve. You need a goal. If you want to change things, you need power. And the guts to be able to do what needed to be done.”

Everyone knew what Sera meant.

“There is one absolute rule amongst the underground,” Laura said at last after several long moments. “‘Survival of the fittest’.” She quoted grimly. “It’s why we still have the system like the Pit and duels to the death. As Sera said, you need power to back up your own words.”

“You know our reasons for doing this. Most of us at least. So, tell me yours.” Sera said bluntly. “I don’t buy that you’re doing this because ‘you want to change society’. There’s a deeper reason to that.” Lucie shivered under Sera’s intense gaze. “Your reasons can be selfish. It can be cruel. It doesn’t fucking matter! Not everything is sunshine and daisies. We’re all Gifted. We know exactly how cruel the world can be.”

Lucie hesitated before she sighed. She can try to deny it all she wants, wanting to be a ‘good person’. But is she? She has flaws like everyone else. Even her father, for all that he is a good man; had his flaws and faults like everyone.

“I want to know who killed my father,” Lucie said at last, unable to look at anyone in the eye.

“That’s why you’re here, right?” Sera said coolly with a raised eyebrow. “Saying you want to change society… It just sounds nice, Lucie. But it is just an excuse.” She sighed, looking from face to face, with the rest of Aegis nodding. “I accept this reason. But you should also remember something, Lucie. Those that seek the path of vengeance, should dig two holes.” She quoted. “Once you find the person who killed your father, then what? What do you want to do after that? Revenge shouldn’t be your sole purpose for living. You should think about it.”

Sera then jumped down to the ground from where she was seated on the window ledge, opening the door of the boathouse that leads to the outside. “I’ll be out for a bit. I’ll be back by morning.”

The door then shut behind her.

Aegis exchanged looks with each other warily.

Finally, Raul let out a long sigh, causing every single pair of eyes in the room to fall on him. “I hadn’t seen her this upset in a long time,” he admitted.

“‘Upset’?” Half of Aegis echoed incredulously.

Laura nodded grimly, understanding why Sera was angry. “You guys aren’t raised and bred in the underground like we are.” She looked at Kailey, Neil and Lucie. “The thing is, we see this sometimes. The occasional activist or even politician that decided they wanted to help the ‘poor little Gifted’—almost like we didn’t have minds and wills of our own, and that we should just shut up and accept their help.” She said almost sarcastically. “Have you never wondered why no one even tried these days?” Laura didn’t wait for an answer. “Because those attempts never worked. If anything, it makes things worse for us.”

“And the truth is that we, the Gifted, don’t even care anymore,” Letha added from her spot. “As long as the people leave us alone, we don’t even care how unfair things are any longer. But Sera too had a point.” She exchanged looks with Laura and Raul. “If we leave things with the hunters as it is, it is going to blow up. From my experience, the hunters won’t be satisfied with just the Gifted. They’ll move on to the underground next. Maybe even the ESA. They never liked it whenever someone opposed them or refused to buckle under their ‘authority’.” She made quote marks in the air.

“If we wanted ‘equality’ and ‘fair treatment’,” Raul cut in, seeing Lucie about to argue, “then we’ll fight it for ourselves. We don’t need others to do it for us. We’re not helpless little lambs that needed help or someone to protect us.” He sighed and shook his head, getting to his feet. “It’s been a long night. We should all turn in and think about what Sera told us.”

“Yeah.”

Slowly, the rest of Aegis got to their feet and headed back upstairs to where the bedrooms were, thus leaving Lucie alone on the ground floor.

Finally, after several long moments, Lucie got to her feet, bending down and picking up the thick file that Sera had shown them—full of information that she had apparently been gathering about the ESA, the Council, and even the hunters as well as their activities.

Lucie spent several long moments flipping through the file, unable to help feeling impressed and amazed at the information that was contained, being accompanied by photos. Several pages were even tabbed with colour tabs.

Finally, Lucie found the page that she was looking for. Information about the incident in Agnis when the ESA and the hunters alike have hunted her down.

A candid photo of her father was attached to that page, complete with his complete bio, and his life story—including the details of what he had been up to as an activist when he was younger and when he’d spent some time in prison. Lucie honestly had to wonder the kind of skill that Sera or whoever the informant she used had to gather this kind of information.

There is only one sentence about her father’s death—that he had been killed by an ESA agent on site. But there is no name revealed about the killer.

Lucie felt a muscle twitch in her jaw.

“Who killed you, Dad?”