Eudokia recalled the se she had with Dareia. The moment she made her decision. She was still not sure what Dareia had to show her or how useful it was. Doubt still existed in her heart about the need for it, but she felt oddly pelled by the words.

  The result of her decision had her standing out in the middle of the busiest part of the Base. She only stood in the crowd because it was where Dareia told her to meet her. Nothing happened after their agreement. ‘How long is she going to be?’ Unfortunately, Eudokia waited alone for nearly half an hour.

  Her limit reached an end. “She’s not showing.” Eudokia turned away, w through the masses. It was over.

  “Giving up already?”

  Eudokia spun around in the dire of the voibsp; The little girl stood at her heels as though always behind her, but somehow out of sight. It unnerved her a little. “How long?”

  “More than you.”

  Grindieeth, Eudokia discovered her annoyance difficult to manage. “Why?” Short words were all she could muster. ‘She’s wasting my time.’

  Dareia moved past Eudokia, taking her own path. “Follow me.” The path led to one of the gates. Beyond the gates, Dareia dropped her fa?ade. Free from watchful eyes, she revealed her true self. The woman Eudokia glimpsed before. “Did you learn anything?” Finally seen unaided, Dareia looked young, iwenties, but mature. She carried a serious tenance, uhe one seen as a child.

  Chapter 204 – Carving a Hole

  “Learn?” Eudokia still had troubles with her emotions. Seeing Dareia for who she really was did nothing to tempter it. It only bothered her more. “What I learn from someohat only knows how to hide?”

  “Anger doesn’t suit you, Eudokia,” remarked Dareia, her eyes narrowing. It was obvious she required a lot more work. “There’s a differen what you think I do and the reality.”

  Skepticism made Eudokia’s face ugly. “What reality?” She only saw a self-diluted woman in front of her. Following her was truly a mistake.

  Raising a hand up, Dareia motioo Eudokia. “trol.” She squeezed her hand in a needlessly dramatic fashion. “What I do is trol my enviro and those around me. It appears to your na?ve eyes as hiding or moving with the motions, but it’s quite a bit different. That’s the reason you sought me out.” Dareia pointed her index finger across at Eudokia, like being her. “Down inside you want it.”

  Eudokia took a half step away. There was something off about the se. The woman’s eyes felt like they pierced through her, seeing deep inside. ‘Was that what was b me?’ Such trol seemed impossible. There was no way to manipute people to do what you wanted. Eudokia didn’t believe it, yet her legs didn’t allow her to leave.

  She remained.

  “Did you see anything iing?” She returo the inal matter.

  Turned away, Eudokia had trouble looking at Dareia without feeling her emotioing out of trol. “Nothing.”

  “I see.” Dareia activated her fa?ade. She walked past Eudokia, ba the dire of the gate. “We ’t progress until you uand.”

  “What?!” Eudokia yelled. It was meaningless. She fought between the different as she wao take. What was the point of it all? Eudokia ran up a short distance, but still far away from Dareia. “So you’re just going to waste my time?”

  The child turned her head back towards Eudokia. Her eyes were narrow and serious. “No, you’re wasting mine. Until you figure it out, you’re not ready.” Dareia faced ahead once more and strode off. The silence left Eudokia uo reabsp; Stopping o time, she remaiaring at the gate in the distanbsp; “Just remember, I picked you because I saw you had the potential. That’s the only hint I’ll give you.”

  Annoyed again, Eudokia rubbed her teeth slowly over her lips. “A hint?” she muttered to herself. “This is just a waste. I shouldn’t have biving into my curiosity.” Eudokia waited until Dareia disappeared behind the walls to even begin approag. She wanted nothing to do with Dareia anymore. It was all merely a game for Dareia to py and she would have none of it.

  Days passed with a struggle. Dareia’s words tio bother Eudokia, as much as she tried tet them. It made moving forward difficult, even though she forced herself. Eventually, it was two weeks siheir meeting. Eudokia’s routine became one of denial rather than learning.

  Stubbornly, Eudokia returo the busy courtyard Dareia forced her into previously. She sat at a distag the se. People passed through on the way to patrols, duties or spare time. It varied, but she didn’t find anything important. After an hour, she left. ‘What does she expect me to see? This is pointless.’

  Pointless, but she showed up again. It wasn’t about curiosity anymore. It was a matter of pride for Eudokia. There was supposedly something to see and she wouldn’t allow Dareia the satisfa. Eudokia tio make regur visits to the courtyard. While she got strange looks from soldiers, none of it mattered to her. Her mind was focused. The goal was the only thing important.

  Eventually, the passage of time meant nothing. It was then that Dareia surfaced again. In her child form, she appeared to Eudokia during one of her monit sessions. “Enjoying yourself?” she inquired, taking up a seat o Eudokia.

  It was hard to call it enjoyment. She was just simply stubborn. “No.” Eudokia leaned forward, sighing suddenly. “He’s back again,” she ented. It robably the worst part of the hour she watched. Dareia o her only made it feel worse. She threw herself back to lie down, not wanting to see any of it.

  Curious, Dareia looked over at Eudokia. “Who is he?”

  She preferred not thinking anymore about him. The past days gave her enough to watbsp; “He shows up every day at this time. It’s annoying to watch him. He never makes any a, just passively stands there thinking of things to do that he’ll never act upon.”

  Dareia gnced over at the man. He pyed out his usual as like Eudokia noted. “There seems to be a ge in him today,” observed Dareia. She watched Eudokia’s rea.

  “That’s only because he thinks he otted. However, she’s pletely oblivious to him. She only has i in the guy that just showed up. None of them know of the other, they’re always just passing each other. It’s pointless.”

  “The world is like that most times.” A smile came across Dareia’s lips. She looked back at the two lovebirds, never destio meet. “Most are oblivious, too afraid to make a move to ruin their fort. It makes them easy to read though.” Dareia stood up, dusting off her dress. “Meet me tomorrow.” She walked off with no further words.

  Eudokia lifted her head to stare at Dareia until she fell out of sight between the crowd. fusion filled her fabsp; “What?” Her eyes grew wider, failing to follow what happened.

  However fused it made Eudokia, she showed up the day to find out what Dareia purpose was for calling her out. “So why did you want to see me?” They stood out in the fields beyond the Base again. A quiet pce, it was safe.

  Returning to her adult form, Dareia had a different look on her fabsp; “You still have quite a ways to go, but you started to figure some of it out. For now, your emotions and pride are making it impossible for you to see clearly, but those will clear up in time.”

  Such words immediately put her on the defensive. Eudokia felt like Dareia pierced her heart again. It was uling how easily she saw through everything. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Denial doesn’t work on me. You must have been thinking about it. Why did I want you to do it?”

  It was back to the previous matter. Eudokia felt a little ered by Dareia's response, almost as if it was an all or nothing pass or fail test. ‘What sort of answer is she looking for? It was all just meaningless stuff. I just watched people, it wasn’t anything important. I ’t see how any of it is supposed to help me.’ Not having an ansorse than giving the wrong one. At least, Eudokia felt that way. She o find something that would satisfy the woman.

  Eudokia racked her brain for answers. Nothing immediately came to her. She just tinued a cyclical pattern. There was no answer. No reason for any of it. She hated doing it, but she expected to find an answer. It annoyed her that she never figured it out.

  “Silenbsp; I guess things ehen. You weren’t—“

  She threw up her hand to cut Dareia off. Eudokia’s determination bled into her eyes. “I’ll give you your answer!” Her response made Dareia’s eyebrows raise a little, looking amused, another annoying response. However, Eudokia forced herself into a position where she knew nothing of how to escape. ‘What am I supposed to say?!’

  Time ran short for her. She had to provide an answer quickly. Her mind blew through everything in searbsp; ‘This whole thing started because she lied to me and then made such a bold cim as to showing me how to survive by lying like she does. But what’s the point? I came out of nagging curiosity, but it is still just lies. What will that gain me? She fits in, but what do I care about that?’ Eudokia blindly tried to reason her way to an answer. It felt pointless, but she pushed forward in the remaining seds.

  ‘It’s all about lies. How does she fit in so easily? She’s just pretending, lying. She knows the right lies to use, but how? How does she know the right oo use?’ The hours wasted on watg people came to her. The reason for her dire need for an answer. ‘I just watched people, I didn’t get anything from it.’ Eudokia's mind trailed off ohought. She looked up at Dareia feeling something dawn on her. ‘Lies and watg.’

  Dareia grinned knowingly. “You uand now don’t you?” She leaned down toward Eudokia. The answer found her.

  “That’s how you do it, isn’t it?”

  “Correct!” appuded Dareia. “The Academy taught you to know how to read a situation, but you use that skill for more than just situational analysis. Lies be your trol. You know the right things to say and everything falls into your hands. That’s what I’ll show you.”

  It still bothered Eudokia. The method of reag it. “You could have been more dired saved the time.”

  “That’s not how I work. Anything worth having must be earned. If you ’t obtain it, then you weren’t worthy to have it.” Dareia walked away from Eudokia, cluding their meeting. “Besides, I knew you’d figured it out.”

  Eudokia turned around quickly watg Dareia leave. The sight bothered her. ‘I was in her trol the eime, wasn’t I? I’ll show you how dangerous that is.’ She became determio take advantage of everything Dareia offered her. Her mind already worked out pns for her revenge.

  “e baorrow. The real work begins then!” Dareia waved casually at Eudokia, never looking back at her. Eudokia’s exam fihat day araining began.

  ‘Just another patrol…’ Eudokia eo herself. She long adjusted to the patrol, but it didn’t make the solitude aer to manage. Nearly a year passed since she joihe South Gate. Her training with Dareia progressed slowly. All of the embarrassing situations Dareia forced her into were memories she preferred tet. It left quiet rumoing around the Base, ones she wished she could silence permaly.

  However, she couldn’t think about them. The regurly scheduled che with Headquarters came first. “All halt!” she barked, lifting her arm up to signal to her squad. A ripple expanded out from her feet. Nothing on the surface ged, but she ected with the military unication lines running through the ground. They ran around the perimeter set by the barrier allowing tact bamand.

  Eudokia motioo Nikon, giving him the all clear. He carried the unication paormally reserved for the MP in the squad. However, regutions prevehe squad leader from also being in charge of unications. Nikon lifted the wires out of the pack attag them to a simple ear devibsp; “This is the 241st Squad, hourly report—“ Something made Nikon go silent. The longer silence remaihe deeper the lines in his features turned.

  It didn’t take her training to realize something happened. They had new orders. She waited until it looked like he finished with Headquarters. “What is it?”

  “The 94th Squad has reported an intrusion two ho.”

  “Two ho? Have they made any more reports?” The w already made Eudokia suspect the answer, but she needed firmation.

  “ive. They’ve made no further reports siheir notification of pursuing the intruders.”

  Such impliade the situation dire. The entire squad uood it very clearly. Eudokia took a step closer to her squad. “What dire were they st reported in?”

  “The viity of Kapni. Our orders are to iigate the area, locate the 94th Squad and aid them in the capture of the intruders.”

  Eudokia took it all in and looked around at her squad. They had some uainty in their eyes. The discovery of intruders was a career-making achievement, but even they were generally routine. Capture the intruder, wipe any memories and escort them back to the barrier, those were the steps. They were easy. Trouble free as. However, this time was different. Something happeo a squad, meaning they were going into a dangerous unknown situation. It was all their first time.

  She had to say something. They looked ready to fall apart. Academy prepared them for only so mubsp; Reality was different. “Right! This is what we trained for. The honor of the South Gate is on the line here. We have not lost a soldier iwo turies since we started patrolling. I’m not about to see that tarnished. You have your doubts about my and, but a squad is like family. And I don’t let anything happen to my family.” Eudokia’s face turned a little red after her little speebsp; She faintly thought of Dareia. She hoped it worked.

  Siletled around the squad staring at Eudokia. They seemed to not know how to react after what she said. It surprised everyohat Nikon stepped forward. His eyes looked partially away. “I’m not sure how I feel about being led around by my little sister, but…I have your back, Squad Leader.”

  A bit of surprise came across Eudokia’s fabsp; She didn’t expect such a response from him. It made her smile a little. The rest of the squad fell in alongside Nikon. “We feel the same, Nikon. We’ll follow you, Squad Leader!”