PARALLEL STORY NEW BEGINNING CHAPTER 7: A RUMOR
Alice heard a noise. It was low, as if someone was crawling across the bed, mixed with some moans of someone wanting to escape.
She opened her eyes and got up immediately, leaving the room she was in.
They had built a small house for them, comfortable and pleasant, as if she was not in the middle of Africa, but in some kind of hotel.
The luxuries did not matter to her, and she approached her sister’s room, opening the door.
On the bed lay a thin, weak young woman, being a teenager.
She was lying in her pajamas and writhing as she let out moans of pain, grief, and fear.
Her body was shaking, and several tears were falling from her eyes.
Alice immediately rushed over, climbing onto the bed and coming over to hug her.
“¡!”
Aurora woke up as she felt her movements and those black eyes looked at her warily, but she could see other emotions.
Pain, sorrow, frustration, anger, and thirst for revenge... Her eyes were no longer black as the sea of stars in the middle of the night.
It was a dark, serious, and almost cold look that seemed ready to kill.
That her hand was in the position to draw her sword, even though there was nothing there, let it be seen that she had brought her nightmare to reality... Only to realize some time later that her nightmare was reality.
“Alice...” murmured the young girl as she realized that her nightmare was not haunting her.
Realizing that this was reality, that everything had happened and hadn’t changed.
A nightmare of the past was cruel because it led to that place making one believe that they could change something, but preventing them from reaching the goal... However, the cruelest thing was to wake up.
Waking up and realizing that even that ‘opportunity’ was gone.
“Come,” Alice said, sitting on the bed, opening her arms and seeing her hesitate, she added. “You can cry next to me. Let it all out.”
That young girl hesitated, but in the end, she hugged her and cried as it all burst out.
It wasn’t sobbing like when she talked to her parents, right now she was crying her eyes out, frustrated and bitter.
“Why?! Why did it happen?! Why did nothing change?!”
“Why did they have to disappear?!”
Those questions came out in the middle of her crying, but Alice couldn’t answer her... No, she knew that young girl didn’t need an answer.
She was smart, and she found the answer herself, getting her to cry again.
She cried and cried again until exhaustion overcame her and she fell silent in her embrace again, asleep.
Alice stroked her sister’s back gently, trying to keep her emotions from boiling over, but it was hard to control.
Seeing her so hurt, seeing her sorrows and pain, she felt helpless and frustrated.
She didn’t like those emotions, and that led to her feeling anger and rage.
If she had carried that ‘darkness’ that Aurora carried on her own, would it have solved anything?
She knew the answer.
If she had decided to carry out her sister’s revenge just for herself, she would have succeeded, and maybe the pain would have subsided.
Even though she knew that she didn’t... No, she wasn’t allowed to.
So now all she could do was to be by her sister’s side, to support her, trying to share some of the burdens, trying to ease the pain.
She didn’t know how to do this job, she also didn’t know what words to say to help her and that was why she could only hug her and be there for when she wanted to cry.
She spent some time at her sister’s side, hugging her gently until she let her rest and slipped out of bed.
Slipping quietly out of the room, she changed her clothes into something casual, and instead of heading to her room, she went outside.
The area was quiet, but a few scout drones were patrolling the area, while several mercenaries were noticeable in the distance.
They were guarding against monsters or creatures from approaching, all while the robots were still building some temporary homes.
Staring into the darkness of the night, she looked up at the starry sky.
“Your Excellency, I apologize for the delay,” said a soft voice beside her that had suddenly appeared.
“Don’t call me that, James,” said Alice, giving him a look.
“I apologize Your Ex... Young miss, I have brought you your supplies,” replied James with a soft smile, passing a space ring filled with bags of chips and seeing that she was perusing intently, he asked. “Do you have a moment to talk?”
She stopped feeling the bags of chips inside the ring and gave her a look at James, who was giving a businesslike smile.
Officially, that old man was her former ‘guardian’ before she was adopted by her current parents, also recognized for being the CEO of the Apicius Company, a company that started after the ‘Great Cataclysm’... Which was also her company.
Alice accompanied him calmly.
This ring filled with bags of chips, it was a bribe for her not to refuse, trying to reduce her refusal so she could sit down and talk.
They didn’t go far, nearby was an operations center, and inside were left different desserts and drinks that James took out of his space ring.
“Warlord Great Khan is troublesome. He has already started moving towards us. He may not be as heavily armed as other warlords in other areas, but he’s a lunatic who thinks he’s in medieval times,” James reported, and seeing that he still had her attention, he added. “It’s for that reason he came to this area... Elsewhere, there are other warlords and one can find guilds or humanitarian organizations, but here it’s different.”
Africa was chaotic.
The entire center of it was the magical forest where magical beasts ran rampant, and all around it was still inhabited by people.
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Some were guilds that monopolized resources, warlords with their small kingdoms, or great warlords who enjoyed being kings in their lands.
Occasionally, humanitarian organizations sent aid by intervening with a few guilds or heroes, but the number was few and far between.
“The European-Demon War is still going on and it is very difficult for others to send aid. I have just been informed that your father and mother have just annihilated the entire guild ‘The Eternal Guards’... They have eradicated them completely. They say the Silver Light dropped a spell that melted the main building with all the members inside,” James reported seriously.
The guild ‘The Eternal Guards’ was the one that started the war with their former leader, Malik Zamora, aiming to conquer the world.
Many of their former members and pillars died along with their leader, but they did not stop and others took their place.
Now, with the demons instead of surrendering or hiding, they joined those individuals trying to keep their lands.
Until now.
“Mother must have been very angry to do that,” Alice murmured calmly.
Her father was a good person, kind and nice, caring for others, but her mother was different.
Their family was the only thing that mattered, and there was nothing else.
Aurora and Alice had a history with ‘The Eternal Guards’... No, they were her target for Aurora to carry out her revenge.
So they had quite a history and in a way that she was here today was partly because of the actions of such individuals and partly because of their own decisions.
In her mother’s eyes, that last part meant nothing, and it was certain that for that woman, they were to blame for her daughter’s current state.
“Still, it doesn’t change anything. The European-demon war will continue, though I doubt it will be for long.” James reported and with a curious tone, commented. “I hear the Church of Time and Space is gearing up for something big. Maybe the deity they serve will move again.”
The European-demon war was a big problem and while the demonic portals had already stopped working by the divine intervention of the God of Time and Space, it was possible that the church would act.
They claimed to be ‘neutral’, but in reality, they were on the move.
The ‘Steel Giant’ and the ‘Silver Light’ were members of the church, two of its high ranks.
“That move not only seems to be something to intervene in the war. Recently, I received a call from a Church Cardinal, asking me what we were doing here. She seemed to want to cooperate regardless of what we were doing,” James commented with a curious look.
She understood his look, as it was one that asked her what they were doing.
“That Cardinal surely comes courtesy of our parents,” Alice murmured calmly, tasting the appetizers.
Her parents had great strength and at the same time, great authority in the Church of Time and Space.
They weren’t paladins, and they didn’t believe in that god either, but they both cooperated and could be considered members on a general level.
That meant that they had authority enough to make the Church of Time and Space move here.
Seeing that she didn’t say anything else, James didn’t bother, just poured her more juice, and with a smile, asked. “Your Excellency, have you thought about my proposal?”
It was a simple enough proposal... He wanted to settle here.
The financial expense and risk were going to be enormous compared to just sending humanitarian aid, but that was the attitude of a merchant.
Risks and profits always went hand in hand.
“We have installed a radio network at a great distance to allow us to pick up new signals and we have heard rumors. Those rumors say that, in a small village in the middle of Chad, of the flatlands and the burning desert, there is a safe place, a refuge, an oasis...” James explained and with his classic smile, he commented. “An oasis where everyone can be safe. Similar to the mythical city known to these lands... Zerzura.”
Alice paused as she ate and looked at the gray-white-haired old man, who was giving a smile like a loyal servant telling her an interesting story.
“Have you spoken to Aurora?” Alice asked, looking serious.
Her gaze alone made the old man stand up straight, giving a solemn expression.
“Yes. I had the opportunity, but she is very seldom unoccupied. However, she left me a check with what I thought was her ‘allowance’ as a donation... And it had more zeros than I imagined,” James replied with a half-smile.
A fifteen-year-old girl handing over her ‘allowance’ to help him.
Such was the idea he had, but it was obvious he was shocked when he saw that the ‘allowance’ was actually Aurora’s inheritance.
Alice nodded.
Her sister was not stingy and when she moved, she tried to do so completely.
Now she realized what she was wanting to do, but this place was desolate and disconnected from the world.
It was dangerous and more and more refugees were being brought in.
That was why Aurora called her parents for help while she had James come.
Aurora they couldn’t take the refugees, so the only option left was to stay... But they had to do it right, no half terms or anything like that.
Even though they were disconnected from the world, money was important and Alice knew that her parents gave the ‘inheritance’ to her sister for her to use as she pleased.
Her parents were smart and knew that if they did it directly, Aurora would possibly feel indebted, even though they were family.
Now that she was donating it to James, not only showed her sister’s trust in her ‘servant’, it also showed what the answer was.
She wanted to stay and that meant she needed a lot of resources to get this town going until it was self-sufficient.
However, someone thought differently...
“She won’t stop and the town will grow. I think we need to prepare with a general idea. We need to prepare to create a town here in the middle of no-man’s-land. A haven, an oasis... As the rumors say, a ‘Zerzura’,” James said with an excited tone and sparkling eyes.
He was ambitious, determined, and bold, wanting to take everything or be left with nothing.
Creating a city in this dangerous environment was in itself a colossal task.
It was not only about creating the infrastructure but extending security, bringing people in, elevating education, and healthcare, maintaining a way to connect it to the world, prioritizing resources, and making the most of it.
If Aurora was looking for this place to be self-sufficient, he was looking for it to be profitable... Extremely profitable.
Alice looked at her servant, who seemed excited.
He did not tell her about the shareholders, the economic mishaps, the danger of doing this action, or the political, social, and economic difficulties.
Nor did he ask for her help or ask her to say anything to the other shareholders of the company or ask her to do anything personally.
He was just taking Aurora’s idea of staying and using it for himself, without going outside the general idea.
That was why he now gave no demands or guidelines as to what they should do.
They would move as they wished and he would go behind, taking care of everything else.
He was a ‘servant’ and like an excellent servant, he was now waiting for her permission.
“Do it. Just remember to turn Aurora’s ‘donation’ into something tangible,” Alice commented nonchalantly, getting the old man to smile gently.
As such a good servant, she didn’t give him any more direct orders, as that old man understood what he had to do and knew how to do it.
Knowing his limits and knowing his responsibilities along with priorities, taking all the work to reduce any of his burdens.
Alice continued to eat calmly without him disturbing her and when she finished, the old man gave her a look.
“The Great Khan will soon arrive in Chad with his army... We don’t know what he will do, but he will surely try to instill terror somehow,” James pointed out and curiously asked. “Will you two move?”
“Yes, Aurora will eventually move. I’d like to do it alone, go and murder them all, so it’ll all be over quickly,” Alice muttered, walking out of the place.
She would like to do what she couldn’t do before... Carry her sister’s burdens and carry the darkness.
For her, it wouldn’t be a great weight or burden, it would just be a job, a task.
To go and face whoever it was and kill them all and then come back as if nothing had happened.
Still...
“I can’t do it... She’ll be mad at me.” She commented quietly, dejectedly.
No matter how frustrated she felt, no matter how much she wanted to protect her and how much she wanted her sister to stay ‘clean’, just like before, she couldn’t do it.
“She doesn’t need a guardian or a protector. She said she wanted a friend... A sister,” Alice muttered and letting out a big sigh that let out her bad emotions, she stated. “I want to be that person.”
Her voice carried a lot of intermingled emotions that made the old man smile.
Her sister had told her before she fell into this abyss... At that moment, that her revenge was beginning.
Aurora didn’t need someone to carry her ‘burdens’ and the ‘darkness’, nor to take her responsibilities, that was why she didn’t need someone to protect and take care of her.
She just needed a friend to support her, whether at her worst or at her best.
She wanted to be there to support her, even if it was like now when she was frustrated that she couldn’t take care of her as she deserved.
It would be nice to take away all her problems, responsibilities, and all her burdens so she could live well, carefree.
If asked, Alice wouldn’t mind being in the dark... No, she was already used to the dark.
“Humans are emotional and independent beings. What you think she deserves will not be what she desires,” the old man pointed out with a smile and as if changing the subject, he commented. “The guild ‘The Fallen’ of Turkey has asked for a financial loan to be able to rise up, especially to our company, with emphasis on being allies of their guild.”
“You don’t need to ask if you know what you have to do,” Alice said in an indifferent tone as she walked away, hiding her emotions again.
Behind her back, the gray-haired old man gave a smile as he bowed in farewell.
For her part, Alice only went back to the house where she lived and instead of going to her bed, she went to her sister’s.
Carefully entering to see how her sister was doing awake, she froze as she saw Aurora, who was lying down, open her eyes to look at her.
“Secret meeting?” Aurora asked a little sleepily and perhaps sensing her mood, she beckoned to her, and commented. “Come, stay with me.”
Alice obeyed and changed into ‘quick change’ pajamas.
Lying down next to her sister, they both cuddled until they fell asleep.