Chapter 24: Awareness (6)
Chapter 24: Awareness (6)
Before long, the two women arrived at the visitation room. Michelle requested the soldier at the entrance to call for Ariel and then ushered Karma inside, offering her a cup of tea.
Seated comfortably, Karma indifferently brushed off the occasional glances of recognition directed her way. She sipped her tea leisurely, waiting for Michelle to return with news.
A few minutes later, Michelle entered the room, an earpiece clipped to her ear. After briefly scanning the room, her gaze landed on Karma, who was precisely where the intermittent, curious glances had been straying.
Michelle approached her and spoke.
“She just returned from a subjugation mission and is currently asleep. They’re asking if they should wake her and bring her here.”
“Ah, was there a deployment today? I see.”
Karma frowned slightly, as if she hadn’t anticipated this. She idly scratched her chin with the tip of her thumb, then shook her head.
“Then leave her be. Don’t wake her. It was my mistake for showing up unannounced. It’s not urgent today, so I’ll wait until she wakes on her own.”
“Will you wait here the entire time?”
“If permitted, I’d like to take a look around the base.”
“Oh, if that’s the case, then yes, that’s fine.”
“Thank you.”
Karma smiled and rose from her seat, signaling her intention to leave. Michelle followed her movement with her gaze, tilting her head slightly at the sudden height difference.
“Are you certain you’re fine wandering around alone?”
“Of course. Were you thinking of accompanying me?”
As she slung on the coat she had draped over the sofa, Karma posed the question. Michelle shook her head slightly, looking somewhat hesitant.
“No, I have work to do, so I don’t think I can. I was just asking.”
“Naturally. I figured as much. A captain’s position isn’t exactly a leisurely one.”
Karma responded lightly, tapping her fingers against her earpiece before adding,
“I’ll be fine on my own. Just inform me when Ariel wakes up.”
“Ah, understood.”
“Then, until next time.”
With that, Karma gave a brief nod of farewell and disappeared from the room.
* * *
Ariel was in the mountains, or, more precisely, she stood a short distance away, gazing into the depths of the mountainous terrain.
Amidst the lush greenery, enormous earth-colored giants, each over twice the size of an average human, were scattered across the landscape. Their guttural sounds, filled with malice, reverberated as they converged on a single point, as if drawn by an invisible force.
Ariel’s eyes followed their movement, her gaze naturally drawn to the center of their gathering. There, she spotted someone familiar, and her pupils trembled like a candle flickering in the wind.
“Ah…!”
At the heart of that deadly convergence stood Aynkel. Her beloved younger brother.
The moment she realized it, Ariel’s face contorted in sheer despair, and her body quivered violently.
If those countless giants descended upon him from all directions, no amount of training would save Aynkel, an ordinary civilian, from certain death.
“No…”
A feeble whisper slipped from Ariel’s lips.
‘I have to save him.’
But she didn’t know how.
Though she stood there, she wasn’t truly there. She had no physical presence, no tangible form. She couldn’t use magic, nor could she reach him.
As Ariel floundered in confusion, the giants continued to close in on Aynkel. His figure, once clear in her vision, grew smaller and smaller, until at last, he disappeared completely beneath the horde.
“Aaaaah! Help me!”
A blood-curdling scream of agony rang out, pleading for salvation, a cry of impending death. It was horrifying. Harrowing.
The sound burrowed into Ariel’s ears and tore through her very heart.
Yet even as she bore witness to his suffering, she remained powerless. She knew, with agonizing certainty, that Aynkel would die if this continued. And yet, she could do nothing.
The sheer helplessness was devastating, excruciating, and utterly suffocating.
“Ayn!”
Her desperate cry rang out, and in an instant, everything turned black. The world vanished.
Reality returned.
Darkness receded, revealing the familiar surroundings of her quarters.
“Ah…”
She saw the ceiling. The light fixture. She felt the weight of her own body and lifted her hand experimentally. Her fingers came into view.
A dream.
Ariel sat in a daze, letting the remnants of the oppressive nightmare settle. The lingering dread clung to her, suffocating and foul. She shook her head, trying to dispel the sensation, then slowly pulled herself upright.
Something damp trickled down her face. She wiped at it with her fingers and found traces of moisture.
She had actually been crying.
As the realization of her sorrow settled in, the dream played back in her mind like a vivid memory. The deep, treacherous mountains. The swarm of giants. Her brother, trapped at the center. His desperate, anguished screams for help.
So clear. So real.
“Ugh…”
Ariel clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs. But the emotion was too overwhelming to contain. Small, gasping cries leaked through her fingers. The only small mercy was that she was alone, her roommate was nowhere to be seen.
The grief that she had thought was behind her resurfaced with brutal force. The same crushing sense of loss, despair, and guilt that had swallowed her whole the first time she had accepted her brother’s death.
She had believed she had grown used to it. She had thought that unless someone deliberately reopened the wound, she could remain unaffected. It was arrogance.
The weight of the black tide of emotions bore down on her once more, smothering her.
Ariel pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, burying her face against them.
She couldn’t hold back the tears.
* * *
Ariel only managed to regain her composure when her roommate unexpectedly returned to retrieve a forgotten item.
Upon seeing Ariel crying, her roommate recoiled in shock. The exaggerated reaction was enough to momentarily halt the flood of emotions that had been overwhelming Ariel.
Accepting a damp cloth from her, Ariel wiped her tear-streaked face, feeling the cool fabric soothe her burning eyes.
“Thank you.”
“You really scared me. First, you get carried in unconscious, and now you wake up bawling. What happened?”
“…Just a bad dream.”
Ariel kept her answer short. She had no intention of sharing more. But it seemed to suffice, as her roommate nodded in understanding and continued.
“Oh, right. Today was your first deployment, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“The first time’s always tough. Killing seems like nothing, but it isn’t.”
“…”
Ariel didn’t respond. The emotions that had consumed her had nothing to do with that, but she saw no need to correct the assumption.
In truth, she felt little emotion when it came to killing. It didn’t make sense as she had never taken a life before, yet she was disturbingly indifferent to the act. But that was simply how it was.
Because there was another emotion consuming her, something far stronger.
Something far more terrifying and suffocating.
“By the way, have you seen your eyes? They’re completely swollen. Maybe you should wash your face or something.”
“Oh.”
It was only after hearing those words that Ariel finally noticed the puffiness around her eyes. They even stung a little. She wiped them again before pressing the damp washcloth gently against them.
“Yes… I probably should.”
“Well, take care of yourself. I’ve got to run!”
“Thank you for your concern. Safe travels.”
And with that, Ariel was alone once more.
