Epiphany Of The Weak 123 Grown-Up

All five of us entered the lounge room and then sat on the red couches. Hope sat with me on the left couch, while Beatrice and her family sat on the one in front of us. Luca flashed a smile at me, probably happy that we could finally talk with just the five of us. "Ava."

I sat straight when she called my name. "Y-Yes?"

"You have grown up to be quite a beautiful girl," she said.

"E-Eeeh?" My cheeks flushed. "T-Thank you."

She turned to Hope that was sitting next to me. "And you, Hope . . . Look at what you've become."

Hope put a hand at his chin. "I've become a handsome young fella? I know, I know."

Luca giggled. "Absolutely. Your eyes . . . It's golden?"

"Ah, yes, I'm an Aegis User. Just like Ava. There were a lot of things that happened in the past three years, and here I am."

"I see." Luca cast a sideglance at Beatrice and smiled. "Beatrice have been thinking about you non-stop when we were on our way to Neo Africa."

"Huh?!" Beatrice looked at her mother, somewhat confused as to what she was referring to. "No, I did not, Mom."

"Hahaha. I was joking." Luca narrowed her eyes at Hope playfully. "What do you think about Beatrice herself, Hope? She has feelings for you in case you didn't know."

Beatrice's face turned red in an instant. "M-Mom! There's no way I have . . . No way I feel that way about that guy."

Hope nodded. "Yup. I don't feel that way about her either. In fact, I would hate it if she feels that way about me."

Luca and Alice laughed at his statement. Luca tried to wipe the tears off her eyes but ended up laughing again. Beatrice, somehow, looked annoyed by what Hope said. She took a deep breath and spoke what she had in her mind.

"So you are saying that I can't feel attracted to you whatsoever. Is that it?" she asked.

"Yup. I mean, you hate me right?"

Beatrice opened her mouth, but a moment later, she closed it. I was certain that she was going to deny Hope's straightforward statement.

"Three years have pa.s.sed, Hope," said Beatrice. "I . . . Don't hate you."

"Well . . . I don't want to hate you, but my heart right here insisted otherwise," Hope said.

Luca and Alice had stopped laughing. Slowly, Luca put her hand on Beatrice's shoulder as she met her eyes. A few seconds later, Beatrice put up a smile for Luca and the rest of us.

"You have much more confidence than the last time I saw you," said Luca to Hope.

"Thank you."

"But, I would be happy if the two of you can get along well after this. Beatrice and the Freya rebel group came here because they want to. They have an honest intention to drive off the new C.U's ruler out of her office."

Hope looked at Beatrice, though, she darted her eyes away from him. He then raised an eyebrow. "I do have to admit Beatrice has changed. Not just from how she looks, but perhaps, her personality as well. A little bit." After he scratched his head out of annoyance, he looked at Luca. "I'll try my best."

Luca narrowed her eyes at him. "You better be. I'll make sure Beatrice would do the same too. It is time for both of you to get over this wall."

Beatrice clenched her fists. "It's easy for you to say, Mom."

"I know you want to get along with him too," said Luca.

Beatrice looked at her with sad eyes, then at Hope. It took perhaps a minute for her to speak up again, and her expression turned serious. "I want both of us to get along . . . Hope."

I stared at Beatrice, my eyebrows drew together. "That blue cap was a gift from Hope right?"

Beatrice turned to me, with red cheeks covering her pale skin. "H-How do you know?"

"I told her," said Hope. "If Luca herself wishes for us to get along, I will do so right away. You seem quite happy when she said that though, Beatrice."

"W-What do you mean by that?" Beatrice put her hands close to her chest. "It's just . . . I regret doing all those things to you. I was stupid back then, and I hope that you can forgive me."

"Forgive . . ." Hope said that one word sharply.

"Ah, it's okay if you don't want to forgive me. I'm fine with it," said Beatrice frantically. "I do wish that you can consider that option. Of course, if there's anything you want me to do, and if by doing it I can gain your forgiveness . . . Then, please, by all means, state your wish."

Hope and I looked at each other for a moment.

"I will think about it," replied Hope, which led to Beatrice smiled when she heard that.

A lot of things must have happened for Beatrice to be the way she was right then. It was strange, really. I remembered her to be the strict bully or teacher type of a girl. Perhaps after our supposed death, she was beating herself up over it.

I pitied her. No, I pitied everyone I knew in Mansel Island that I left behind just like that. It was a dark time back then, but I was certain the town had been rebuilt.

"Um, Alice," I called.

"Yes, Sis Ava?"

"How old are you right now?"

"Oh. Twelve. And you're fourteen right, Sis? You grew so tall in such a short time."

I waved my hand at her. "Nah, I eat a lot. It happens."

"And pretty too." Alice flashed a smile at me, and I giggled.

"Everyone kept saying that," I said.

"It is true after all," replied Luca. "You are pretty."

"Eh?" I looked at Hope. "Am I?"

"You sure are. Yup."

"Hmm." I looked at the orange mat. "For me, Lily is the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. What do you think, Hope?"

"She is." Hope nodded a few times with his eyes closed. "Caesar is a lucky guy, I have to say."

Beatrice was silent as she looked at the both of us. Hope grinned and decided to tease her right then.

"You have gotten quiet compared to your obnoxious self that I always knew," said Hope.

Beatrice glared at him and started to crack her fists slowly. "What's that supposed to mean? I can talk whenever I want to, just so you know Hopele--" She paused, and bit her lip after that.

"Relax, I'm just kidding, haha." Hope held out his hands outward. "It's a great feeling when you have the upper hand in this kind of situation. Wait, how old are you again, Beatrice?"

She frowned. "I don't want to tell you. A guy shouldn't ask a lady about her age."

Hope grinned. "I know what is your age, actually. Twenty-one. Also, I don't remember seeing you like a lady."

"Alright, that's it." Beatrice stood up and went over to Hope's side. In a flash, she lifted Hope up high in the air and slammed him onto the floor.

"Ow! That . . . Actually hurts. Dammit." Hope caressed his back as I went to check up on him. "This reminds me of that time . . . Ow."

Beatrice's eyes opened wide, her hands shaking. "H-Hope. I'm so sorry. I don't mean to."

Hope waved at her lazily. "It's fine. You always do this stuff to me. It happens . . . Ow."

Someone knocked on the lounge room's door a few times, and we went silent immediately. The person knocked once more before she opened it.

"Sofeea!" I said.

A lady with a fair skin bowed slightly in our direction. Her brown hair was tied into a bun, with a simple silver earring at her left ear gleamed faintly. She was about my height, which was 158 cm. Like every Aegis Users I had come across, she had a thin body. Her blue eyes blinked a few times as she saw Hope lying down on the floor.

Sofeea was the newly recruited member of Lutalo, about a few months ago. She underwent the Aegis Implant procedure, and it was done by Klaus using one of the Aegis containers in the underground vault. Sofeea was the only one who volunteered for it since she said before that she owed me. Back then, we were looking for new Users too, and Klaus discovered Sofeea was compatible with one of the containers.

I was shocked at first when I knew Sofeea was the daughter of the old couple I helped ever so often. The couple lived by the streets, and I usually gave them food and some money whenever I could.

"Ser Hope," Sofeea called. "You must be tired if you decided to lie down in here. I must admit it is cold, so your approach is understandable."

Sofeea's Lutalo battle uniform s.h.i.+mmered a bit. The one she wore had neon green sleeves, with her name 'SOFEEA' printed out at the right side of her chest.

"I have news to deliver," Sofee said further.

"Ah, I see." I stood up from my spot. "What is it, Sofeea?"

She bowed again before lifting her head back up. "Reinhart and Everhart, the two Aegis Users Ser Caesar and Mer Lily had captured, are currently being kept in the underground prison."

Hope got up to his feet and patted his s.h.i.+rt. "I'm a.s.suming there's a mission for Lutalo."

Sofeea nodded. "As expected of Ser Hope. Perceptive. There is a mission that had been a.s.signed to us. The objective for this mission is to track down The People's Light in Russia and gain their cooperation one way or another for the upcoming invasion of Sweden. It wasn't confirmed yet, but the invasion may involve the neighboring regions as well."

"The People's Light," I muttered. "The time has come for us to meet them."

"Again," said Hope weakly.

I glanced at him, and it appeared to me that he didn't like the idea of it. He was apart of The People's Light about a year ago after all. There was also the fact that someone from the group knew about Hope. He or she, in a way, made Hope an Aegis User despite Hope never saw who the person was.

"The People's Light . . . We will find them no matter what," I said.