Chapter 11
From low-effort college student to fed in a day, that’s gotta be some kind of record. If being a CIA asset counts as a fed, anyways.
I think about whether I am a good cop or bad cop as I side glance at the one-way mirror. My five senses catch nothing, but my sixth sense can feel Cruz snickering at me from the other side. I roll my eyes right before they land on a camera in the corner; it’s red light pointing at the table in front of me.
It looks like I have an audience. And it’s pretty clear they’re about to enjoy the show.
Finally, my eyes focus on the main attraction in front of me: A long, silver-haired woman with deep ocean eyes stares back at me with a raised eyebrow. She’s currently wearing gold and silver medieval-style armor that makes clinks and clatters every time she moves slightly. She sits up straight and keeps her hands in her lap without taking her eyes off me.
Did she dye her hair? Is that armor real? If so, how strong is this woman for her to wear it like that? Questions rush through my head, but I am mentally slapped Cruz’s conservation.
Right. She wants me to ask questions. Get answers just like I did with Jimena. The CIA and my mom agreed on my complete and total servitude to the US government. It’s better than the “disappearance” they originally had planned for me.
I’m also supposed to receive total protection from the government, but…
Why do I get the feeling this girl could send me to the past tense if she really wanted to? It doesn’t help that I was forced to turn off auto engage…
“What… art thou?” She asks, scanning me up and down.
My eyes slowly grow as I process that.
At this point… that’s actually a pretty good question. What…
I shake my head and put my hand on my chin as I think up a response.
“Just… someone looking for some answers,” I say, forcing a smile on my face. “But, I’m not the interesting one right now. I’d like to learn about you if you don’t mind.”
The woman responds by tilting her head at me. I’m gonna have to take a risk here…
“Y-your armor… it’s huge and grand! Those beautiful colors and the artistry give me such a heroic vibe! That combined with your long silver ponytail and golden earrings…” I’m throwing words out of my mouth at this point. I also use my hands to exaggerate. “You're definitely someone that’s really important, right? From some great and powerful country or kingdom, yeah?”
A smile quickly sweeps across the woman's face as she clears her throat and stands up.
“Indeed! Thou art wise to notice this, squire.” She thunders with a big smile as her eyes light up.
I’ve been downgraded from sir to squire.
“I am Adelita of Leatrom! Knight and Defender of the Erde region from all that would dare to bring harm to our innocents!” She declares, looking upwards and striking a pose.
A few moments of silence run by as my eyes snap to the one-way mirror, and raise a single eyebrow. My guess is that the people behind there are shrugging.
I have no idea what any of the names she said are.
“Sooo is it safe to assume that ‘Leatrom’ is your nation and ‘Erde’ is your continent?”
“Indeed! Erde, the grandest nation upon this vast sphere!” She announces with her hands on her hips—a true patriot.
“Hate to break it to you, but I don’t think anyone on this planet has heard of that,” I say as I rest my elbows on the table, followed by my head resting on my fist.
Adelita responds in kind by widening her eyes and gasping, bringing her hands up to her mouth. Her cheeks puff up as her face turns red. She begins to say something but only stutters. No words come out before-
AHEM
I turn around to see Cruz closing the door behind her and covering her mouth with her fist as she clears her throat. “I believe you can help us with that.”
Well, at least I’m not entirely alone. Adelita and I look at each other and back at Cruz as she reaches into her suit.
Standing between us, she reveals a tablet and slaps it on the table between Adelita and me.
“Satellite intel revealed the spontaneous existences of multiple landmasses in between Hawaii and California,” Cruz says as she unlocks her tablet.
My jaw hits the floor hearing that news. Cruz shows us on the tablet what’s looks like a whole other world with multiple continents and islands. I can make out forests, grasslands, mountains, deserts, and even an artic!
And… What’s up with that red continent? And the golden one next to it? And…
“H-how is this all fitting in between Hawaii and California?! This is literally a whole other world!” I ask with wide eyes.
Cruz looks at me with a raised eyebrow. Then her eyes grow, followed by her looking up to her left and nodding. “Yeah… it makes sense you wouldn’t know, with how long you’ve been isolated.” She begins.
“Monarch… When those shimmers went off, it wasn’t just some form of teleportation. As far as we can tell, Earth’s size has quite literally doubled, with all the landmasses remaining the same size.” She explains as my jaw drops even further. “This ‘Sunder’ has merged with our own Earth.”
My hands reach my head and grip as I feel the color draining from my skin. Thoughts begin to flood my head and pour out of my mouth.
“Just… what?! How?! I-if Earth is doubled, Shouldn’t the gravity be doubled? Wouldn’t the oceans have flooded most landmasses by now? A-and how are GPS and satellite systems ok? Wait- HOW IS THE INTERNET OK?!” I start to yell.
Cruz sighs as her hand meets her face. “Showing you now was a mistake…” She mumbles. “I’ll tell you everything later. For now…”
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She flips the tablet so that it’s facing Adelita’s way.
“What sorcery is this?” Adelita asks with wide eyes. “By the goddess, this is my world, but even more isles! How didst thou get this painting to look this accurate?”
“Don’t think about it too much,” Cruz says as she shifts her gaze to Adelita. “For now, could you take this stylu- err, pen and mark up this map for us? We’d like to know how ‘grand’ your empire or kingdom is.”
“What kind of feeble and delicate quill be this?” Adelita asks as she examines the stylus. “No matter. I shall demonstrate unto thee the vast expanse of Leatrom’s dominion!”
As soon as the stylus makes contact with the screen, the tablet glitches with multiple colors before cracking. A snap is heard throughout the room as the poor stylus breaks in two.
A few moments of silence go by before Adelita asks if the ‘painting sorcery’ is supposed to do that.
After a data transfer and a new tablet, Cruz explains to her that she has to be gentle with the tablet.
My eyes widen and Cruz assumes a thinking position as we watch Adelita outline her nation. I’m not sure what the scaling of this map is but…
“Kingdom? With that size, it’s more like an empire,” I mutter. “How big is that compared to the US?”
“Bigger. Size-wise, I thought they’d be comparable to the Romans, but…” Cruz sighs as she mutters to me. “At this point, I’m thinking Mongolian. Or somewhere in between.”
But… there’s always a chance she could be lying, right? Maybe I should ask a bit more…
“Sure, this is your kingdom, but… how many places have you been to?” I ask while gesturing toward the map.
“Oh, many so!” She says, perking her head up. “The valkyries and celestial warriors have traversed the vast lands of Erde, tirelessly safeguarding humankind from the ghastly perils that assail us!”
I’m about to interject, but she cuts me off.
“They hath vanquished the dragon that dwells upon the Greigan plains, put to rout goblins and ogres that plagued the eastern farmlands, driven back the forces of darkness that infested the Blackburn forest, and even felled a fearsome lake Kraken!” She says with a wide smile as she clasps her hands together.
“I only know what half of those are, but I’ll take your word for it!” I say with finger guns. “You must be quite the busy knight, aren’t you?”
“Ahh… well…” She begins as she looks away while touching her fingertips together.
“You’re an admirer, aren't you,” Cruz says while plopping down a chair.
“Y-yes, I am. However, I have traversed the land and bore witness to those valorous battles,” Adelita explains with her hands.
“So wait, these ‘valkyries.’ They just… let people watch them fight their battles?” I say, raising an eyebrow.
“The crowds they rescue always behold their spectacle… ah, but they are familiar with my presence!” She exclaims.
This isn’t one of those “parasocial relationship” things, is it? I’ll question what she knows about these valkyries and celestial warriors later. For now…
“Ok, but like, have YOU fought anything?”
“Indeed! Goblins, bandits, small wyverns, undead skeletons… the remedial knights are put to many menial but essential tasks for us to atone.” She states matter of factly before her eyes begin to drop a bit. “Menial… atone…”
“So what I’m hearing is that you’ve witnessed major conflicts with ‘monsters,’ have experience with combat yourself, and you know the geography and environment of this ‘Erde?’” Cruz says, leaning in.
“Y-yes, that is-”
“Then I got what I’ve needed.” Cruz interrupts while standing up. “Finish whatever you need to ask her, Monarch. I’ll be waiting in the halls. Have fun with this hero~.”
“W-wait, hero?” I ask looking at her leaving.
“Didn’t you listen to the briefing at all? She sacrificed herself to ensure we wouldn’t hurt her units of what I’m now guessing to be ‘remedial knights.’ Am I wrong?”
Adelita stands up as if she’s about to say something before stopping herself. She then looks down in silence.
“…Keep working with us.” Cruz says as she closes her eyes and smiles. “You’re doing the honorable thing.”
She walks out of the room and leaves us in silence. Adelita sits back down in her chair without a word. A shadow casts over her face.
I WAS going to ask her about how she got here, but seeing how she is now and remembering what that did to Jimena…
I should probably…
“Hey, t-tell me more about Leatrom! Why is your empire so great?” I ask trying to get her attention.
A small gasp escapes her lips as her eyes light up. She clears her throat before putting one foot on the chair pointing at me.
“Listen well, Knave!” She proclaims at me.
Oh not this again.
“You will be educated in only the slightest bit of Leatromian glory but will still bring thy to your knees!”
I regret everything.
“Leatrom’s wealth is gathered from the ever so generous cities and villages surrounding it, and is repaid by the protection of the Royal Adventures, Valkyries, and even the Celestial warriors if they pray and pay the proper tithes to the Churches of Langit.”
Please tell me someone’s scribing this. Not even the worst university professors move THIS fast…
“But it doesn’t end there! Leatrom is gracious enough to expand its protection beyond the Edreian region with the strongest naval fleet Sunder has ever witnessed! Although there are those that resist-“
I was just trying to cheer her up, but I wish this girl would stop talking already!
…
…
…
I wish this girl would start talking already.
In front of me sits a woman with a dark expression. I can barely see her eyes due to her long violet hair and a shadow covering her face.
Even though I can’t see her face, my instincts scream at me to leave.
I hold my breath as I try to analyze the situation. I actually listened this time in the briefing, and Cruz told me this girl had one of the highest kill counts before capture. Something about downing an entire Osprey crew by herself…
The silence becomes deafening.
All my attempts at any conservation with her have been about as successful as my dad’s investment in crypto.
Everything I’ve tried so far has been about her, me, and our respective countries.
Wait.
Adelita… she said Leatrom’s grasp spreads across their known world, right? Maybe…
“Have you… heard of Leatrom?” I ask her, hoping for any response.
A quiet gasp escapes her lips as her eyes, for once, flinch up toward me.
I know Cruz told me not to inform the prisoners about other prisoners, but I finally got a response! I have to keep this going!
“I was just talking to a knight from Leatrom. She certainly had a lot to say, and she’s a friendly person! You know her by chance?” I ask as a thankful smile grows across my face. “Leatrom seems to be good allies with everybody so-”
“Allies?” She says in a low, raspy voice. “Friendly?”
“Y-yeah, at least she was kind to me-”
My eyes close in reaction to the sudden pain in my back spreading all over my body. I open them quickly to find that I am no longer in a chair but now against the wall. I struggle to breathe as I look down, and I realize a hand with black gloves is now squeezing my neck and forcing me against the wall.
B-but that was literally in a blink of an eye! How did she-
Doesn’t matter. Her gray eyes stare down mine as I hear muffled panic from the one-way mirror. She doesn’t blink once as she takes her other hand from a pocket in her robe and reveals a purple powder.
“You’re allied with Leatrom.” She growls.