Helena and Tabetha were behind me, while Caesar and Agatha were kept busy whispering to each other.

"What about Lily?" I asked.

"Um, she's still encompa.s.sed in Master's crystals," replied Tabetha.

"Yes. It seems that Relly had left her," said Helena.

Gheele pushed open a wooden door and a stone staircase came into sight. It descended far below into the darkness.

"There should be no way for him to escape," said Agatha.

Gheele walked briskly along the staircase and we followed behind.

"It's strange. I know his plasma can vaporize Aegis crystals, but to think he can even do it while he's not awake..." mumbled Caesar.

'Not awake,' I thought.

"What if his Aegis activates by itself? I know mine do that," I proposed.

"Your Aegis is very unique, Ava. Only yours can do that," said Agatha.

"Oh, I suppose so," I said.

"Regarding your Aegis, Miss Ava..." muttered Caesar.

"Yes?"

"You said before that you have a second Aegis. And that Aegis's specialty is absorption, which allows you to extract anyone's Aegis and integrates it into your own," said Caesar. "That scares me actually, Miss Ava. You can basically take down anyone here."

Gheele glared at Caesar and he whimpered.

"Er, ALMOST anyone. Definitely not Master. Yes."

Caesar made a good point. With Hughes's Aegis and Bart's combined with mine, I have a versatile choice of specialties. But one thing that had been bothering me was the side effect of absorbing all those Aegis.

If I'm not careful, perhaps a great consequence would befall me.

Or not. It all came down to how I tread from then on.

"Master Gheele."

A man with a rifle approached us after we reached the foot of the staircase.

"Tell me what happened," demanded Gheele as we walked towards a metal door at the end of the mildly lit hallway.

"I was watching over him when suddenly his Aegis broke him out of Master's crystals," said the man.

"Huh. Interesting."

I frowned at Gheele's comment. He did not seem to care about what his subordinate just said.

Gheele opened the metal door himself and a brightly lit room came into our display.

Lily was still encased in Gheele's crystal on the right side of the walls, but a large hole on the left side basked in white smoke grabbed our attention.

"He's gone," said Caesar.

"You don't say," snorted Gheele.

"Thad hole in the wall leads to the surface, right?" asked Agatha.

"More precisely, the streets of Goz Beida. Following him would be a waste of time. He's already out of our reach," said Gheele.

Perhaps he could be tracked, was what I wanted to say. But it was not possible anyway.

"And yet I can confirm one thing..." mumbled Gheele.

His right hand choked the throat of his subordinate, resulting in him dropping his rifle.

"Master?!" exclaimed Helena.

In a blink of an eye, the struggling man was pierced with multiple shards of orange crystals throughout his body. Gheele let go of him and he dropped to the floor.

"He's a traitor," announced Gheele.

I raised my eyebrows at his proclamation.

"He's conspiring with Relly, I'm sure. There's no other way to explain it," said Gheele.

"He must have triggered Relly's Aegis from the outside. There's a device that can do that. Though it is more common to be used with Anciles to test their proficiency," said Caesar.

"How?" I asked.

"The device releases a certain frequency of soundwave that invokes Relly's Aegis. Specifically, his crystals manifested and smashed Relly out of Master's crystal," answered Caesar.

He then searched the dead man's body and found a small, grey device that resembled a pen. "I knew it."

Gheele sighed. "To believe my own servants would betray me like this."

Helena and Tabetha flinched when he looked at them and they bowed repeatedly. "We're loyal to you, Master. Don't kill us!"

"I won't," said Gheele. "Now then. Perhaps Relly didn't take that pink slave with him because she's that bothersome. Is that right, Caesar?"

"Yes. Lily can be a bit hard to manage, but she's obedient to Relly as far as I know. Even so, my presence would deter her from escaping with Relly."

"I suppose it is," mumbled Gheele.

He raised his right arm and the crystal imprisoning Lily cracked. It split itself open like coconut sh.e.l.ls and Lily stumbled to the floor.

"Why?" I asked.

"Caesar, do your thing," ordered Gheele.

"Yes."

He approached Lily as she forced her eyes into focus.

"Lady Lily, can you spare your time to listen to me?" begged Caesar, crouching in front of her.

Lily was silent as she gazed at him.

"I know that I left you alone. But I was forced to at that time. Bringing you along would put your life in danger," said Caesar.

"But you brought Agatha with you..." said Lily in a soft voice.

I was shocked when I heard that. Lily, at that time, was like a different person.

'Did Gheele's strike to her head before do that?' I thought.

"She insisted. But you, Lady Lily, I can't. You're much safer with the rest back at Sweden."

"Why..."

Lily's eyes started to tear up and it trickled down her cheeks. "I was waiting for you... All that time, I never lost hope. There's no one back at Sweden that treated me like how you did, Caesar. You're the only one. I... thought of you as someone special in my life. For once, someone cared about me."

Caesar brushed her scraggly hair. "That's why I'm not leaving you this time around. I'll stick with you to the very end. You know, you're older than me, Lady Lily, but I ended up treating you like a child more often than not."

"I don't mind... At least, you're there," said Lily. "I don't know why but I want to be with Caesar all the time. I guess it's how friends feel for each other."

"Well, you're not wrong," said Caesar. "Are you going back to the Great Corporate United?"

Lily shook her head. "Are you?"

"Nope. I'm staying with young Miss Ava. She needs someone to guide her, you see."

"Oh... Then, I'm coming with you. Wherever you go, I want to be there as well," said Lily.

Caesar looked behind him and Gheele nodded. I could have sworn Gheele was smiling before that.

"Our team are always open for you, Lady Lily."

She nodded and a thin smile appeared on her face.

I did not realize how pretty she was. Considering her usually 'wild' behavior, the other part of her did not pop out that much.

"If Relly comes back, will you go with him?" Caesar prompted.

"No... this time, I'm with you, Caesar. Relly doesn't matter anymore. I realized that no matter how much I try to force you to come back to Sweden, it would not work. So... this way, I can be with you all the time," said Lily.

"You're not wrong, Lady Lily."

Caesar stood up and offered Lily his hand.

She took it and then looked at me. "Ava... right?"

I blinked a few times when she called my name. "Er, yes."

"I hope we can be friends. I only have Caesar for the longest time, but he seems to like you, Ava. So, please, be my friend."

"I don't mind," I said. "But, why are you suddenly like this? You sound very different from how you used to."

Caesar then turned to face me. "You see, young Miss Ava, this is how Lily usually behaves."

"How is that?" I prompted.

"Probably after I left, her mental state worsens. Even before all that, she was... unstable, you could say. And you see that side of her all the time. I guess I have to watch Lady Lily always from now on."

Lily nudged at Caesar's arm and they both engaged in a deep conversation, ignoring me and the others.

I gazed at Lily all that time as a few more of Gheele's subordinates came to the room, dragging away the traitor outside.

If Lily originally behaved like that, then she should have been married at some point. She was pretty and her demure behavior could attract a lot of people.

Other than that, her interaction with Caesar reminded me a lot of myself and Hope.

One of us consoled the other, while that other person wished for a better life with him or her.

"Papa..." I muttered.

Agatha frowned at me and smiled. "Who's your father, Ava?"

I looked at her. "Hope... Hope Domitius."

"Domitius?" repeated Agatha. She put her hand on her chin. "Where have I heard that name before..."

'What does she mean?' I thought.

When Gheele announced the time for us to leave, we did so.

I wanted to ask Agatha but I held back for some reason. It did not seem she remembered what that name referred to.

We returned to the lounge room and dug out further information about my Aegis. Of course, I told them what I already know and they considered the info.

. . .

. . .

I woke up the next morning and immediately trotted to Caesar's room.

Gheele Folami had allowed me to stay at his palace for a while and I gladly accepted his offer. It turned out that Agatha and the others have been living there for quite some time.

And Amaryllis, on the other hand, was at the hospital, as Gheele said.

I remembered that imagery of Amaryllis's leg that blown off her hips three weeks ago. It was horrid.

"I hope she's doing fine..." I mumbled.

When I poked my head around a corner, I saw Lily's figure in front of Caesar's room.

She wore a white robe that dragged across the floor as she walked around in a circle. Her hair was tied into a long ponytail.

"Lily," I called.

"Oh, Ava. Good morning..."

I glanced at the wooden door. "Have you been waiting for Caesar?"

"Yes. Apparently, I'm not allowed to enter his room. Caesar said so. I wonder why..."

I knew it was only a day after, but Lily's demeanor as a whole was still fairly strange to me. It was a huge contrast to her previous behavior.

"You look cute in that white blouse, Ava," said Lily.

'C-Cute? Me?"

Lily nodded.

To be called 'cute' was something quite new for me. And there was also the fact that Lily was the one who used that word.

"But--"

The wooden door swung open and it hit Lily in the head.

"GOOD MORNING! GUTEN MORGEN NEO AFRICA!" yelled Caesar.

I winced from his yelling and covered my ears.

"Oh, young MISS AVA! Have you been waiting for me? Now, I'm touched. You're an excellent junior."

"Junior?" I repeated.

As usual, Caesar had his Aegis mask propped up real quick. Though that time, he was wearing a black tuxedo with a plain, yellow tie.

"Where did you get that?" I asked.

"Oh, I just bought it. Today's a momentous day, you see," replied Caesar.

He shut the door and Lily came into our view.

"Lady Lily. Why... I didn't see you there," said Caesar.

Lily's yellow eyes gleamed with fury and I took a step back.

"Er, Lady Lily?"

She jerked her head back as if Caesar's figure was invisible a moment ago, and she took a deep breath.

"Caesar...why didn't you let me in yesterday, at night?" asked Lily.

"Now, now, Lady Lily. You're a fine lady, so coming to a man's room at night is not appropriate you see."

"Why? I just want to see you," commented Lily.

Caesar and I looked at each other and I shrugged.

"Hmm, perhaps I need to teach you about morality, Lady Lily," said Caesar. "But before that, I'm sure Master Gheele was waiting for us. Shall we go, young Miss Ava?"

I nodded and followed Caesar's lead, with Lily beside me.

"Perhaps I did something wrong. Oh no..." mumbled Lily.

"You're so different. I'm not used to seeing you like this," I said.

"I forgot. I'm sorry for my rudeness all this time, Ava. I've been treating you badly." Her eyes drooped as tears started to pour out.

"What, no! It's fine. You know, I prefer your old self," I said.

"Is there something I can do to make it up to you?"

"It's fine, Lily. If anything, I want to choke Alicia to death."

Caesar and Lily stopped walking as I covered my mouth.

I could not believe I said those words in front of them.

It was awkward after that, as Caesar pushed open the throne room's golden door.

"You have come, slaves," said Gheele at his ebony chair.

There was no one else when we got inside.

"Now, I'm actually busy today, so I'll wrap this quick," said Gheele. "As of today, you three comprise my own personal Aegis squad, Lutalo."

I opened my eyes wide at that.

Gheele continued, "That doesn't mean anything now, but you all represent Neo Africa's might. Other than myself of course."

Lily did not appear to have any emotions on her face, while Caesar just clapped incessantly for a long while.

"Oh, we have missions right, Master?" asked Caesar.

"I cannot think of one right now. Aside from Relly's unknown whereabouts, there's nothing else to be concerned about. The C.U's army had retreated from my borders so we can all be at ease for now. But I will issue a mission in the future. Don't worry."

I raised my hand. "I don't want to be in this squad. I want to do things my own way."

"Miss Ava!" Caesar jerked his head while Lily glanced at me.

"Why?" said Gheele.

"My goal right now is to be with Papa. When the time comes for this country to fight against the Great Corporate United, I'll be there," I replied.

"I see. Though, we are already at war with the C.U. I'm currently ama.s.sing as many soldiers as I can. And, to be honest, I've been considering a more effective way to fight against them. Just sending soldiers to their death is not particularly my preference. I'll take one step at a time for now," said Gheele.

"Then... can I go visit Papa in Sweden?" I asked.

"Hmm, it's not impossible."

"That means--"

"But, I have one condition. This squad I just made is only a display of power. Nothing more, nothing less. You all can do anything you want. It's just that, when I call for you, I expect your immediate presence in front of me. I'm sure you're raring to fight against Alicia isn't it, child?" said Gheele.

I nodded.

"Then so be it. If you need anything, just ask Helena. You can wish whatever you want from her. I'll leave her with you. Consider Helena as part of your squad," said Gheele.

"But I'm not a part of this squad..." I said.

Oddly, I did not feel threatened by Gheele as much as before, when I first met him.

"As you wish, child. I'm not forcing you. Just remember, when you want to fight for me, you're always welcomed," said Gheele.

Perhaps it was me, but Gheele seemed to have softened a bit. Though his deadly aura was still there.

'Maybe it's just me,' I thought.

The three of us were out of the throne room soon, as Helena greeted us outside. She had a white robe similar to Lily's. Her face portrayed her brown skin, as her braided dark hair swished slightly at her back.

"I'm Helena. As of Master's order, I am to be with you three at all times," said Helena with a smile.

"Oh! A bodyguard. I see," nodded Caesar.

"In this case, she's like our attendant, I suppose," commented Lily.

Caesar turned to me and snapped his finger. "Now, Miss Ava, where do you want to go? I'll be right there with you."

"If you're with her, then I'll follow you," said Lily.

"Hmm, perhaps I'll go back to Sweden first. I need to check up on Papa."

"Oh, okay. I'm wondering if this Papa you spoke of is that angsty blond teen?" asked Caesar.

"Yes. That's him. He's alive."

"Then, what are we waiting for?"

Caesar walked in front of us and Lily followed behind. Helena and I did the same.

. . .

. . .

We were in Stockholm in the evening, where Gheele had arranged the flight for us. Caesar had to use a personal jet due to his adamant refusal of putting off his yellow Aegis mask.

In the end, Lily, Helena, and I waited for Caesar at the hospital's entrance. The same hospital that Hope was admitted to.

"I FINALLY ARRIVED!"

I tilted my head at Caesar as he tried his best to catch his breath. He still wore his black tuxedo. He stepped towards us holding a peace sign. "I'm, uh, arrived."

"Definitely," I said. "Let's not waste time."

"Wait, Miss Ava! I'm still--"

I ignored him and rushed inside the hospital.

"Hope Domitius... let me check," said a nurse at the counter. She flipped through a bunch of doc.u.ments quickly. "Yes, he's at--"

"The same room, right?"

"Er, yes. I need to see if the doctor--"

I trotted to where Hope's room should have been and panted once I arrived.

"Miss Ava, I'm tired..." complained Caesar.

"Papa, I'm coming to see you."

When I was about to touch the metal door, a doctor grabbed my shoulder from behind.

"Oh, it's you again. Aya's not with you this time?" said the doctor. He was the same person responsible for nursing Hope.

"No," I simply replied.

"Oz! It's been a long time old friend!" exclaimed Caesar.

"...Caesar? Why in the world are you wearing that Aegis mask? Is that Lily? You've grown so much," said the doctor.

"Um, h.e.l.lo Doctor Oz," said Lily.

"Questions. Too many questions, Oz," said Caesar.

The doctor glanced at Helena. "May I ask who you are?"

"I'm their... attendant."

"Attendant, huh? You've gotten into weird stuff like always Caesar," said the doctor.

"Now, your words held a lot of uncomfortable meanings, Oz. Stay in the lane."

They both chuckled.

'Am I supposed to wait for them?' I thought.

Considering the way adults usually talk, it would be a long time for them to cease their conversations.

I slid open the metal door and stepped inside.

"Eh?"

My eyes must have been tired. Since I did not see Hope anywhere inside that room of his.

"Papa?"

My mind tricked me. I was sure of that.

My feet shuffled towards the empty bed and I brushed my hand over the white sheet.

"Oh, he must have gone to the restroom," I concluded.

The curtain swished as the window behind it was opened wide.

"He must have forgotten to close the window. Silly Papa." I pulled the gla.s.s windows taut and adjusted the curtain. I proceeded to adjust his bedsheet too.

"Hmm?"

A piece of paper was folded neatly under his pillow. I took it and reluctantly unfolded the paper.

I felt an invisible hand punching my stomach repeatedly when I read its content. "He..."

It was a letter.

I read what had been written slowly to myself.

"Dear Ava, if you're reading this, then that must mean you've come back to see me. If you're not Ava, then I want you to kindly give this letter to her when she comes to visit me."

I blinked.

"Ava, you must have gone through a lot after I've left you years ago. Perhaps you hate me right now. If so, I don't mind. You can hate me as much as you want. I deserve it. When you opened this letter, I must've left the hospital. I know I should've waited for you, but there's something I need to do. And it's very important. It's for the both of us, Ava. Believe me."

Crystal clumps started to sprout from my arms. It had the color of all the Aegis I possessed. As it grew larger, a sharp pain coursed through my skin all over.

I continued reading the letter nonetheless.

"This thing I have to do, it may take some time. I would not return to the hospital. If you ever meet Caesar, please ask him to take good care of you. He may be eccentric, but I can sense he's a good person."

I shook my head as tears stubbornly poured out of my eyes.

"Know this, Ava. I love you. So much. I'm not sure if it's alright for me to ask this, but for now, I want you to ignore me. I have been thinking, and I came to a conclusion that you don't need me to be happy. You're a strong girl, Ava, and that's why you can tread your own path with your own strength."

I bit my lip as hard as I can. "Papa... what are you saying? I need you..."

I forced myself to read the last paragraph as my heart wrenched tightly.

"If you want to find me regardless, Ava, a rebel group in Mongolia there should know my whereabouts. Despite all that I've said, it's best for you to forget me, Ava. You deserve to be happy and I cannot give you that. You may think otherwise, but believe me, you're a brave girl, Ava. Know that I will always love you. From the bottom of my heart. Sincerely, Hope, your unworthy parent."

My fingers pressed the paper as I tried to understand what Hope was trying to convey to me.

"But... Papa... I need you. I need you in my life. You're not unworthy... I never thought of you like that. Please, come back..."

It hurt.

My heart ached for him.

My muscles throbbed, longing for his warmth.

My eyes shed relentless tears, wis.h.i.+ng to see him.

"Why... why... why..."

The metal door slid open and the others walked into the room.

"...Miss Ava? Your Aegis!" said Caesar.

"She's... unstable. Caesar, get back," warned Lily.

"What in the world... This is bad. Very bad," said Oz, the doctor.

I turned my head towards them with my cheeks wet from all the tears. "Bring him back..."

"Yes, this is indeed bad. Everyone! Behind me!" said Caesar.

Helena and Oz did as he said while Lily activated her Full Aegis Form. She stepped in between me and the rest.

"Ava, please, calm down," begged Lily.

"Then... bring him back..."

The multi-colored crystals on my arms started to produce white flames albeit slightly, while a huge cl.u.s.ter of crystals burst out from my back.

"Miss Ava! It's gonna be alright! We're here for you!" said Caesar.

"Papa... I need him. And yet he left me. I'm not important to him anymore..."

Hope discarded me. He decided to push me away from his life.

He decided that I was a burden to him.

"No... that's wrong. He loves me. He even said so... but then...why? Papa, come back..."

I was eager to meet him just a few minutes ago.

I was excited to tell him everything that happened. About Aya, about my Aegis.

Everything.

Everything I had done was for him.

Lily towered over me and grabbed my arm.

"GO AWAY!"

White flames exploded from my arms and licked the whole room in an instant.

Lily strained to contain my flames as it had no effect on her, protecting everyone at the same time.

"Ava! Please!" shouted Lily.

Caesar dashed through my flames and wrapped my body in his arms. "Miss Ava! No matter how hard your life has been, it's different now. You have us! We'll always be there for you!"

"YOU'RE LYING! EVERYONE THAT I LOVED, THEY ALL LEFT ME! THEY DON'T LOVE ME!"

"That's why we're here with you! Even if the world decides to cast you away, you always have a place in the team! Please, Miss Ava!"

My white flames dissipated, and soon, it disappeared into thin air.

"...Really?" I asked in a soft voice.

"Yes! We are a team now, remember? Wherever you go, we'll follow you. Whatever difficulties you encounter after this, we're there for you to lean your shoulder on," said Caesar.

Lily and the rest nodded.

"But... Papa left me all alone... again," I mumbled.

"Then, we'll search for him," suggested Caesar. "I'm sure that angsty blond teen has his reasons. So, please, Miss Ava, let us help you."

Somehow, something resonated inside me.

And I could not shrug off the fact that I needed it.

I needed companions. I needed friends.

"Then... let's search for Papa," I said.

Hope would not just leave me like that. He demanded my absence in his life, but he was forced to. That, I was certain. He said in the letter he did that for the both of us. However, I knew Hope was only trying to avoid me.

He was preventing me from suffering again. He wanted a happy life for me.

"But a happy life without Papa is meaningless. A life that I can call happy is a life that has Papa in it. I don't care what he wants. I know I need him. So, I'll find Papa, and bring him back with me."

"Indeed, Miss Ava. We'll search for him together," said Caesar.

"Yes." I wiped the tears from my eyes as the crystals liquefied and returned to my body.

Helena smiled and so did Lily.

However, I did not.

"I'll scold Papa. And I'll force him into my family no matter what. All I ever need is Papa, and that will never change. Forever."