Celebrations were meant to be a joyous occasion, so she wished to believe. It was something to be proud of and shared with others. Something to gather friends. This was nothing like what she thought. It was hardly a celebration. It was a lie painted over with a pretty face, a happy fabsp; All of it was fake. The reek of emptiness was thiough to choke her throat.

  It was the adult world.

  Eudokia knew what it was like. She knew she had to throw behind her childishness if she was to survive such a cutthroat enviro. The South Gate developed her, but the iy was on a pletely new level. They all looked at her, but it wasn’t the fear or jealousy anymore. They were like beasts with only self-i in mind. They all watched the moves she made and the words she said for any sort of exploit or weakness.

  She never felt su atmosphere of lethality before, even otlefield. Death wasn’t the same in su arena. They could dream up fates worse thah. When they spoke of death, it had a different meaning, several meanings all of which escated past the st.

  Scheming was the breakfast meal everyone partook. It was in their bones. Survival wasn’t about watg for the blind spot, but the one never even known.

  She despised such a world. It was her new life.

  Chapter 222 – Motives

  “Not enjoying the party?” a voi the distance remarked. It artially disguised and masked in the shadows.

  Eudokia gnced around in search of the voibsp; She already expected it to e from another dire. The masking didn’t sound natural making her already assume it user. Pessimists beled it caution. Others called it paranoia. The truth was simple and correbsp; She was experienced.

  A bit of ughter slipped out. “Gd to see noble life isn’t making you dull.”

  ‘That desding tone and all-knowing attitude,’ she thought. Eudokia knew immediately who it was, yet felt as if the words were only given as a test meant for her to figure it out. An annoying habit found in only one person she knew. “Dareia…”

  “Bravo.” She stepped out from the shadows not where Eudokia looked, but also not from the dire of the voibsp; Her skills remained as sharp and pointed as the day she left. “Your skills have improved.”

  Her eyes narrowed suddenly at the sight of Dareia. “Why did you leave that day? After I returned, you were nowhere.”

  “I returo the Capital.”

  “I know you did, but I didn’t ask that question.”

  Dareia sat down in a plush chair, something rarely found outside of the pabsp; The room isoted them from the rest of the hall filled with the elite of Atntis. “It’s quite his time of year,” she joked. Atntis had no seasons or extremes. It was sistent.

  Annoyed, Eudokia knew what Dareia was telling her. ‘Figure it out for yourself.’ More riddles and lessons from someone gone for two years. Eudokia took a bit of a breath to calm herself. She sat down iher avaible chair. It felt a little disgusting, acceptanbsp; “You were doh your lessons.” Fortunately, Eudokia puzzled out most of the pieces a long time ago. She merely wished to cut the poieacher and studeionship. It was clear how things were to Dareia.

  No response. She expected more from Eudokia than the basics.

  Crag a little into her effort to remain in trol, Eudokia tio the step. It was merely a thesis. She had to prove her point to vince Dareia she actually uood. The top yer was easy to see. Digging deeper held more meaning and showed development.

  “The Kapni i was your test. You didn’t pn for it, but worked out for you to see how I would do. You wao know if I could actually apply it in a real setting that was not specifically crafted by you. If I could adapt and execute in a creative manner.” The more she thought about what happened after she disappeared the more she figured the pieces out. She ended up seeing far more than she ever thought possible. It ended up frightening her. “The results gave me a passing grade. So you left with nothi you o do. I would take everything you showed me and refine and develop it on my own. You ted on it.”

  The fht of the woman had disturbed her a little when she figured it out. She pyed the game better than Eudokia ever could, but she wondered how long it would st. “Everything you did from the moment I met you was all just you maniputing me. You kly how I would read set up the path for me to follow. You made me e to you without me even knowing you were making me move.” Eudokia narrowed her eyes a little seeing one of the st pieces she ignored. “You were always testing me. Even that, you were waiting three years for me to figure that all out. You wanted me to see.”

  It made her skin crawl thinking about houted she was by a woman she once sidered a friend. So much of it was fake. “None of it was a ce at all. Not even you g to be ied in me. You were sent to me. Whie was it?”

  Dareia smiled with pride. She leaned forward a little away from the chair. “That was the final test. Seeded at the start, I knew you’d figure it out.” The look she got from Eudokia amused her a little. “It wasn’t him. He’s too direct, it’s who you think it is.”

  Nodding, Eudokia uood and already reached the same clusion. ‘It was him. Still treating me roughly even now, always a lesson. Alushing like there’s never enough time.’ The weight of him pressed her into the chair a little, ever-present. “The Academy wasn’t enough for him to be certain.”

  “It’s a fair ,” she answered directly. The look in Dareia’s eyes ged quite a bit. She seemed open for onbsp; “The Academy is a dangerous pbsp; The fact we send children in at ye or worse is one of the ignored sins of Atntis.”

  Eudokia found herself surprised by Dareia in a way she didn’t expebsp; She actually heard the woman talk and talk in a way that felt like it was ing from her heart rather than her mind. The other woman she despised for so long vanished from sight, repced by someohat seemed filled with regret and sadness. It took lohan normal to respond, “It’s a hell for many of us.”

  “It’s one of the reasons for the state we’re in now.”

  “You’re starting to sound a little idealistibsp; There are reasons for why things are like that.”

  “And you’re sounding like one of those normals standing oside unwilling to look in at the reality.”

  “I’m not exg what happeo those that I knew or even what happeo me in there.” She rubbed the side of her ribs subsciously thinking about the past. A subtle bit of pain stabbed her dully. It was enough to keep her rubbing, but not realize it. “I just know what exists ihose walls is the same that’s outside of them, just not as focused.”

  “It’s an eye opening experienbsp; Just as I imagihe South Gate was and today.”

  “He wanted me ready to be able to handle all of this. All of them.” Her eyes slid back towards the narrow doorway into the grand chamber. It was unfiving. “Unprepared I’d be eaten up in an instant. I wouldn’t st my first day, let alohe party. Necessary pain.”

  “Yes, I believe that’s his philosophy with all of this. Pain is necessary and with it uanding. You’ve hardened for a reason.”

  “I know,” answered Eudokia. She knew his iions well. They were her iions. His goals were her goals. She would do anything for him. “This position, he needed me here. Even going so far as to force a bsp; He was a little too heavy hahis time. Others are going to notice.” It was only something that just came to her. Talking with Dareia made her realize nothing was a bsp; Everything had designs. Her life was designed. She k, but it didn’t bother her.

  Dareia lifted an eyebrow. “I agree it’s suspicious, but to go so far. The Kapni i made you a hero, nothing more was needed.” She had the same thoughts as Eudokia long ago. It g her, but she dismissed it. She didn’t want to believe he would make such a dangerous move just to ensure a position.

  “So you weren’t involved in those is.” While not intended, Eudokia received some extra information about it. Though there still remained mysteries. “He’s normally a careful man. Even I noticed there was something off about them.” If he was the reason, it answered a lot about them. All of the strahings about them made sense.

  She rubbed her temple a little. Pensive sideration did nothing for her. They did not know enough and she knew he would never admit to anything. “He’s a protective man. There’s hs he wouldn’t go for you.” It seemed reasonable enough, even without knowing everything.

  “You’re right about that,” smiled Eudokia. An odd warmth transferred through her body. She felt fortable. They tio talk on less serious matters. It allowed the time to pass quickly until the party ended.

  “So you patched things up with Dareia,” noted Yuki, more drawn into the story. It helped to close out some things she never resolved when they cut her off the st time.

  Ayumi o him. “Yes, after she stopped trying to teach me she seemed to ge. It could have just been her going with the flow. But we got aloer after that day. She was at the pace frequently.”

  Su answer relieved Yuki a little. Her history expio him must have been challenging. Though it had him w as well. “You mentio vaguely before as well, is the Academy you really as bad as you said.”

  “It depends on your perspective, but it is worse. Everyone’s experiences are different, but it is on to suffer as most of the MPs are children or teenagers in the Academy, while the Military Academy has volunteer adults.”

  “What happens?” He immediately started tret asking anymore by the expression on Ayumi’s face.

  Refraining from answering immediately, she looked to be calg her answer. Such a response created a more ominous atmosphere surrounding the Academy. “The simple answer is harassment, but that is generalizing it too mubsp; On a daily basis, verbal, physical, mental aional harassment is onpbsp; When things get out of trol it will bee abuse, most often physical injury.” She paused to think upon her experiences.

  “We get treated differently because of the power we have. The most only uood ability everyone knows we have is the ability to heal any injury sustained. Because of this, it is exploited to extreme means. MP users will be gravely injured for the sake of firming their dominance or just to satiate their fears. And none of them give it much because they’ll be healed easily by another MP.”

  Yuki’s mouth hung open in shobsp; His mind stopped processing anything. It took him almost a mio begin rec. “How they treat their own people like that?”

  “It’s because the normal citizenry don’t see them as one of their own that they do it without any sort of remorse. I’ve heard of people left to suffer for hours or even die.”

  “I ’t believe it! How the higher ups not be doing something to stop this? Does the King know?”

  “Most of the higher ups are normal humans, so they turn a blind eye. Those with the ability to do something about it, don’t want to ge things. Like the rest, they fear us. The rebellioy years ago did a lot of damage.” She stopped agaihoughts on her memories. “The adult world is different than the idealized dream world of adolests. The King only has so much power, even if he wishes to ge something. There are people that don’t want ge and will do anything to keep it, even killing in its name.” Ayumi looked directly at Yuki.

  He knew what she talked about. The threat he posed to them and their wishes to remain stu the past. ‘Demosthenes and the cil…’ Every time he heard more from Ayumi, the worse the picture became. He had trouble seeing anything good or positive as much as he wao try. They were a different world and culture. Yet he couldn’t allow things to tinue. ‘I ’t let them tinue hurting people like this! I must stop them no matter the cost!’

  Ayumi watched the giures in Yuki’s fabsp; She could tell the effect it had on him. It was too easy to read.

  Behind Yuki’s group, Team Yumi tio grow little by little with the introdu of Simonides. His preseill had everyone on edge. Until retly, he did everything to capture them and many of his men were dead at their hands. It left everyone uneasy. They wondered if it was all just a ruse for him to make his terattad revenge. However, they all seemed in agreement that bigger problems y ahead. The ominous presence of the Omega Division and ‘Ayumi’ made things uain. Issues rger than them seemed in py.

  “Turn thirty degrees to the right,” ordered Chiharu. She leaned forward a little, her eyes discovered something of i. The tone of her voice made it clear to everyoo be at attention.

  Yumi moved forward to look into the distanbsp; Unfortunately, her sight wasn’t like Chiharu’s. “What do you see?”

  “A battlefield.” It was all the words she o get everyoanding up trying to see. However, everyone’s sudden movements caused their vehicle to robsp; Everyoried to shout out orders to ter the problem, but it only made it worse. Another moment and they were all tossed into the air with their transport capsizing.

  “Everyone okay?” asked Yumi, caught by Chiharu along with Yori. They made it safely to the ground after the crash.

  Seiji coughed a little, but stood on his feet. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He carried Nerine in his arms. “If you built that thing, why didn’t you make it more stable?”

  “Sorry,” she replied with a bit of a red fabsp; “I didn’t pn on everyone moving at once.”

  Simonides and Fumiko id on the ground, fotten by the others. Both started moving quickly with only dirt and grass stains for their troubles. However, they didn’t have much of a ce to stand up as the ground jumped uheir feet. It wasn’t enough to make them fall over, but it rattled them. Another quake burst a moment ter.

  “What is that?” Yumi thought aloud. Everyone looked around trying to uand it.

  Once Seiji finished setting Nerine ba the ground, he turned in the dire Chiharu poihem. His eyes narrowed to a squint as another quake shot out. He grinned with some nostalgia. “It’s Saki!”