While Anak was changing into her pajamas and getting comfortable, Phae was waiting quietly near the side of her bed, a cup of tea in hand as she silently sat savored its contents with her eyes closed. It was only when she heard a pitter-patter of footsteps, followed by a shuffling of fabrics, that she opened her eyes to find the peculiar glowing pupils of Anak staring back at her.
Seeing the adorable creature just out of arm's length, a touch of affection could be seen in Phae's smile as she set aside her tea and asked, "Do you want to talk about it? Like everyone else, there are some secrets I cannot divulge. However, if my intuition is correct, it shouldn't be an issue to answer the questions weighing on your mind..."
Anak had frowned when she heard the part about everyone keeping secrets, her own rising to the surface of her mind. She had more secrets than most, many she was even willing to die for, so it was difficult to find fault in Phae's words. Still, that didn't stop her from asking, "Why are you and Gandr so nice to me...?"
With her smile turning somewhat sad, Phae took a slow breath through her nose before answering, "It is the will of our Lord that all children be safeguarded and given a chance to seek the happiness they deserve. No person should be held accountable for the circumstances of their birth, so, even if you are far older than a traditional child, it is our instinct to protect and care for you..."
Sensing no falsehoods in Phae's words, Anak scrunched up her nose slightly as she didn't like being treated like a child. In the current group of Regulars, she was easily one of the oldest, so, while she knew the significance of her current appearance, she wouldn't let people look down on her.
Noticing the displeasure visible in Anak's countenance, Phae tilted her head down slightly, her eyes turned up in the characteristic way that mothers used to warn their children before they said or did something regrettable. This caused Anak to frown even deeper, but, rather than refute the previous statement, she broke eye contact, head hanging as she muttered, "I don't need anyone's pity..."
Surprisingly the green-skinned Princess, Phae nodded her head, asserting, "True..." before following it up by adding, "What you really need is unconditional love and affection, the things you lost in the past and yearn to reclaim through your vengeance..."
Grasping the covers in a death grip, Anak glared at the calmly smiling Phae only to find herself at a loss when the latter added, "His Imperial Majesty also lost his mother when he was very young. The incident haunted him for a long time before he was finally able to put it behind him with the help of many others. Since then, he has always done his best to create an environment where children, and all within his dominion of protection, can live happily. You see, Anak, he wasn't always the man that people refer to as the Sage Dragon Emperor. There was a time when Vahn was nothing more than a frail boy, suffering injustices at the hands of others by virtue of nothing more than his birth..."
Though her first instinct was to deny the similarities between her situation and the Emperor's, Anak found it hard to speak after seeing the overwhelming emotion contained within Phae's eyes. All she could do was continue listening silently as the former went on to add, "None of us will try to get in the way of your revenge. We can, however, help you bear the burden while showering you with love to the point revenge no longer seems important. Even with all your hatred and resentment, you are the most aware of the fact that your mother would have wanted you to be happy, not seek revenge at any cost..."
With Phae's tone turning even gentler towards the end of her statement, Anak felt an excruciatingly sour feeling in her nose. It was impossible for her to deny the woman's words, as, whenever she fell asleep, memories of her mother pleading for her not to seek revenge haunted her nightmares. The Jahad Empire was simply too powerful to oppose with an individual person's might, but, unable to move forward since the moment she was separated from her mother, this was the only course of action that Anak could think of...
Surprising the Princess what a bit, Phae's expression turned tender as she asked, "Can I sit in your bed? I'm not your mother, but I promise you will feel better if you cry it out. Then, once you have calmed down, I will continue answering your questions until you are satisfied..."
Rather than answer Phae's question, Anak tucked up her knees, hugging them as she hid her face from view. This made Phae consider sitting in the girl's bed and giving her a hug, but, before she was able to make the decision, Anak broke the silence by muttering, "Tell me...why do I always feel like you and Gandr are deceiving me...?"
Having already expected this question, Phae exhaled a tired sigh and simply spoke the truth, albeit without the specific details, saying, "Gandr and I are extensions of our Lord. While we are real, living and breathing people, our existences are fundamentally linked to his. You could say we are one and the same, extensions of himself that help to fulfill a specific purpose. This might be difficult for you to understand right now, but His Imperial Majesty carries his Empire with him. Soon enough, there will be more people like Gandr and myself appearing in this world. The first will be a woman named Fenrir, the big sister to Gandr and the most faithful companion of His Imperial Majesty. After that, a group known as the Four Sacred Beasts will follow suit...in the end, this Tower is fated to become an extension of my Lord's desire to protect the things that he believes must be protected..."
Anak wasn't able to understand everything Phae was trying to say but there were a few key parts that stuck with her. To that end, she revealed her tear-stained face to absentmindedly mutter, "So you are three parts of the same whole..." before going on to ask, "Is the Emperor an Irregular...?"
Without denying it, Phae nodded her head, explaining, "We hail from an impossible distant world, a living planet known as Gaia. There, trillions of people live relatively peaceful lives...it is a place with no systematic racism or political corruption...a paradise where people are allowed to freely pursue any path so long as it is not at the expense of others..."
Though she felt like Phae was embellishing things, Anak couldn't sense any falsehoods contained within the woman's words. In fact, from the moment the woman had professed to be an extension of the man known as the Sage Dragon Emperor, the uncomfortable feeling that had been plaguing her seemed to disappear in its entirety. It was like an obscuring veil had been removed, allowing her to see the woman before her clearly for the first time...
Noticing the subtle change in Anak's gaze, Phae offered the closest approximation to a motherly smile she could manage before saying, "It is fine to build walls around your heart. We won't try to break them down. Instead, we will just fill the surroundings with people who can understand your pain and show you the affection you deserve. When you are finally ready to come out, we will be here waiting for you..."
Feeling another sour sensation spread through her nose, Anak adopted a rather adorable pout as she, once again, concealed her face from view. With the feeling that she was being lied to gone, it was a lot harder not to be influenced by Phae's words. This made her feel slightly resentful, but, in the most protected regions of her heart and mind, Anak felt a bit of warmth take root in places she had long closed off to others...
---
While Phae was systematically breaking down the walls around Anak's heart, Gandr found himself in a far more troublesome situation.
As could be expected, Endorsi had taken exception to the fact he departed the commissary before she even had a chance to sit down. As a result, she currently stood on the outside of his door with a visibly annoyed expression and a plate of food in her hands, shouting, "You had better open up this door! I'm already going to lose points for breaking part of the commissary! Don't think I won't kick down this door next...!"
Fortunately, while Endorsi's presence was more than a little troublesome, Gandr was spared by the fact that Shibisu, Hatsu, Nare, and Hong Chunhwa had decided to follow after her. The latter was a rather handsome man with brown hair, brown eyes, and, though he was currently wearing nothing but a tracksuit, he always carried around a sword with him. He was the man Nare referred to as her Knight, and, though it caused quite a number of people to tease him, the man was pretty smitten with the rather 'youthful-looking' young lady.
After failing to deter Endorsi be saying he was 'grounded', Gandr ultimately keyed open the door to allow five entry into his room. Before they could enter and make themselves comfortable, however, Endorsi didn't miss the opportunity to haughtily remark, "You've got a lot of gall to break a promise with a Princess. I decide to sit next to you and you run off? There are people who would pay just to be in the same room as a Princess of Jahad? You really should consider yourself fortunate...hmph!"
Seemingly finished with her criticisms, at least for the time being, Endorsi was the first to enter into the room, her golden eyes shifting around the relatively empty interior before promptly deciding to sit on the bed. There was no way she was going to sit on the floor while wearing a skirt and tights, so, with the only table being the one near the bedside, she decided to claim the position near the headboard for herself.
Taking the opportunity to roll his eyes the moment Endorsi walked by him, Gandr turned to the four standing outside the door, smiling as he said, "Feel free to come in. I'll probably get in trouble for having company right now, but I'm sure I can convince Phae not to be too mad. Here, let me grab some cushions from the closet so you can make yourselves comfortable while I make tea."
Accepting the offer of entry, Shibisu walked past Gandr with a wry smile on his face, patting the boy's shoulder as if to say, 'you have it rough, kid'. Following immediately after him, Hatsu just gave a curt nod while Nare and Hong Chunhwa just offered understanding smiles. Then, with the former grabbed the latter's hand, Nare impishly stated, "We just wanted to make sure everything was okay. Since you're grounded right now, I'll see you in class tomorrow. Come along, my Knight~."
Though it made him slightly embarrassed to be pulled along by someone nearly half his size, Hong Chunhwa didn't really resist as he rubbed the back of his head and said, "See you next time, Gandr."
With a simple wave of his hand to see the duo off, Gandr closed the door to he room before setting about to do as he had previously stated, Before he could grab the pillows from the closet, however, Endorsi interrupted by asking, "That 'grounded' thing wasn't just a lie to chase me away? What did you do to get placed under house arrest...?"
Rather than answer, Gandr just shook his head before making his way to the closet as he said, "It isn't something I should talk about. If you want to know, you should try to get along with Anak. I can tell you don't actually hate her so the two of you should talk it out after you set aside your pride."
Frowning in response to Gandr's words, Endorsi was tempted to remark that she had no interest in a false Princess, but, remembering the boy's previous reaction to such words, she ultimately chose to remain silent As for Shibisu and Hatsu, they were already beginning to feel out of place, but, as Gandr was their friend, they did their best to tolerate the growing awkwardness. Shibisu even pulled out a deck of cards, his expression turning serious as he stared at the returning Gandr and stated, "I will avenge my fallen points..."
Understanding Shibisu was just trying to break the tensions, Gandr snickered in his characteristically mischievous manner as he said, "Don't worry, even if you end up going broke, I'll make sure to buy you the cheapest meal whenever we're in the commissary~."
With visible tick marks appearing on his head, the upper-half of Shibisu's face became a little red as he indignantly shouted, "Oh, you're so on, you little brat..!"
(A/N: Even if it sometimes feels like you are alone, there are others who have also suffered similarly. Find people you can share your burdens with, as, united, we can overcome all adversity~")
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