After finishing her sentence, Brenda lost consciousness once again. She still hadn’t recovered from the psychological shock.
Why had he been left alive? Was it just for the spectacle?
Sigh. Why does life have to be so complicated?
A heavy silence filled the room. It would take ti to process the news.
And so, more than an hour passed without a single word being spoken—until Lucy finally broke it.
"Hey, Victor... When you gave this mission, you already knew the tickets to the capital were fake, didn’t you? Back then, I didn’t think much of it, but the fact that there were three when the person was alone... And then, did you know what Brenda was planning before she even acted?"
He didn’t answer. Instead, he took a sip of his coffee, added a bit of whiskey, drank it in one go, lit a cigarette, and after inhaling deeply, he finally spoke:
"Since she started working for , she’s always acted like my own daughter. To the point where I ended up seeing her as one. The reason why so many in my line of work can’t hold a candle to is that I’ve always had a knack for sensing the right lead. Of course, that’s nothing compared to our Iris’s monstrous intuition."
"I can at least tell when my ti is up, but I also know you kids still have a long road ahead of you."
Now that was a surprise—the old man actually had a heart.
He remained silent for a mont before continuing:
"So, kids, what do you plan to do about this ss?"
"I don’t know."
Did I really just say that?
"I thought I’d get so answers, but I’ve only co out with more questions than I started with. This whole situation is completely irrational... If you told I was trapped in a nightmare, I wouldn’t doubt it as long as I could wake up."
PFT.
"What did I say that was so funny?"
"Sorry, bro, don’t take it the wrong way, but it’s just too weird hearing you admit that you don’t know what to do. It’s hilarious."
"Iris is right, you’re totally a... Hmm... How do I put this nicely?"
Tsk. As if it wasn’t already done...
"A control freak with a know-it-all complex."
"I’ll refrain from answering, as soone mature should."
And with that, we parted ways, leaving Victor to take care of Brenda and heading ho—careful, of course, to avoid any unwanted attention.
---
I had a great view from the rooftop of the house. The sky was clear, not a single star in sight. Only the moon illuminated this world.
"What are you thinking about?"
"How beautiful the sky is without stars."
"When your na is Sirius, isn’t it weird not to like stars?"
"Well, I’d like to know why, too."
"Aren’t you cold?"
Before I could answer, Lucy wrapped us in a thick blanket, forcing us to sit side by side.
"So, what’s bothering you so much?"
It was surprisingly warm inside the blanket.
"I keep asking myself the sa questions over and over again. Where did such a massive number of Calamities co from? Astoria isn’t a border city where battles take place. The Northern Military Base is 200 kiloters away and acts as a shield for the city. To give you an idea of how safe Astoria has always been, even the Order never saw the need to station a permanent team of Enforcers here."
"An army like that couldn’t have just appeared out of thin air. Their movents should have triggered an alert from the military base... So how is this possible?"
"And Enforcers siding with Calamities? That’s insane. They’d kill them on sight. What are they trying to accomplish? They could wipe this city off the map whenever they wanted, so why do they need people to Awaken?"
"I hate this. I feel..."
"Helpless," Lucy finished before continuing.
" too. This whole day has been so strange that I feel like I’m dreaming..."
"One of you is trapped in a nightmare while the other thinks they’re dreaming... Aren’t you two adorable?"
Does she have a knack for making things up?
"Oh, it’s so cold up here..."
Iris imdiately burrowed into the blanket, placing herself between us.
"Oops, did I interrupt a crucial mont by any chance?"
An awkward silence followed. Only the murmurs of the wind broke through the quiet world—until...
"Sirius, Lucy, do you rember what we swore to each other back at the orphanage?"
"You an that promise? We were what... four years old?" I replied.
A brief pause before we all spoke at the sa ti, voices filled with determination:
"If one day I have to die, then I will die by your hand."
That day, we swore that neither the world nor the monsters trying to shape us would ever break us.
"You still rember, don’t you? That promise is what kept us alive every ti we were about to give up. And today is no different."
She took a deep breath before continuing:
"I’ve decided to go through with the Awakening. Not because soone else wants to, but because I want to. Because I choose to."
She looked up at the sky, the wind sweeping through her hair, before adding:
"If the ga condemns to lose, then I’ll change the rules."
Those words... So she does rember.
"Iris is right, we can’t just sit back and take it."
What’s gotten into them? Do you even realize what’s at stake?
I opened my mouth, but no words ca out. Deep down, I knew it—there was no other way. I was just afraid of losing them. The thought that Iris or Lucy might not make it terrified . But doing nothing was a guaranteed death sentence for all of us.
Did we even have a choice?
What should we do?
Sigh.
I rembered...
If we survived that orphanage, it wasn’t because we were the strongest or the smartest.
We had to adapt to everything.
And above all...
I stood up, a smile forming on my lips.
"You were right. If the whole world wants us dead, then I’ll change it."
"And really, what stands against us? Just a simple army of Calamities and a conspiracy we don’t even fully understand."
"We’re all going through the Awakening. Even death won’t stop us."
We joined hands.
"This is a promise."
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