Chapter 47 #3
Over the years following Akira's death, guilt consumed Zion's heart like a degenerative disease.
He tried to fill the void the young man's loss had left in Kaori, and it only made things worse between them.
First he tried to be a friend, then he became a lover, and after Kyller's arrival, something close to a brother.
The two exchanged a knowing look. They knew each other as well as a person knows the lines on their own palms. Friendship after the end of a romance was perhaps the most complicated human relationship, and Zion felt he'd be walking on eggshells for the rest of his days.
Still, she was his best friend, almost family. And always would be.
“I'm glad you've gotten back to your projects.” He changed the subject, trying to lighten the mood. He pointed to the magnifying glasses and the small sphere full of wires and gears. “Some boxes came for you this morning.”
“They did?” Kaori looked surprised. “Where are they?”
“There was no identification number, so I opened them. When I saw they were electronic gadgets, I had them left in your lab. By the way, what was all that?”
“Lirduino boards.” She shrugged, disinterested.
“Lirduino? The same boards we use in grenade systems?” The general frowned. He didn't understand much about Vinturian technology, but he remembered that lirduino had something to do with remote-controlled bombs.
“Not just grenades. They're boards that can control anything automated from long range.”
“And what are those for?” He tried to coax out that spark of intelligence and excitement Kaori always got when talking about science, but this time she just shrugged again.
“To help with communication outside the walls.” She played with the edge of her sheet, avoiding his gaze.
“We don't have communication towers outside the nations, and relying on telepaths to transmit information is outdated. The individual boards would help extend the signal range, acting as relays.”
“That's great, Kaori. It would be a huge technological breakthrough if you pull it off.”
“I know, but it's still just a theory.”
“I believe in you.” Zion smiled at the second-in-command.
She finally raised her eyes to meet his. To anyone watching from the outside, it would have been a confusing moment. Zion radiated joy at seeing his friend becoming herself again—who she'd been before Akira died—while the gorgon seemed unhappy and embarrassed.
“Zion…”
“Yes?”
“I want to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me.” She caressed a blue hydrangea petal, staring at him with that look that would make any soldier retreat.
“I'm always honest with you.”
“If there were a chance to find Akira—” she seemed increasingly uncomfortable, “even if it was small and dangerous, would you try?”
He sighed and stared at her for a few seconds. His chest rose and fell, but the air didn't seem to reach his lungs.
“He's gone, Kaori. We searched for so long, tortured a thousand soldiers for answers, and never found anything. Akira is gone, and we have to accept that…”
“I know!” This time, her voice went dry again, and she gestured nervously with her hands. “You don't need to repeat the speech—I'm sick of it. What I want to know is simple, just answer me: if you had the chance to find him, but it came at a cost, would you take it?”
The two locked eyes, their hard stare loaded with unspoken meaning. She was desperate for an answer, and he was uncertain where this would lead them.
“Anything,” he replied, utterly sincere. “I'd do anything in my power if I could save him.”
“Thank you…” Kaori leaned back on the bed and relaxed, as if an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
“Did you find something?” The general straightened up. He knew it was foolish to hope, but he needed to know.
“No.” She sighed wearily. “Nothing.”
He found the conversation strange, but chalked it up to her recent near-death experience. It was normal for people to wake up changed after something like that.
“Zion? If you're here to cheat on your female, I'm going to rip off your balls and eat them for breakfast.” Kiara growled in warning, and Kaori looked her way.
“What's wrong with her?”
At that moment, when the gorgon turned to look at the creature, the sinil necklace became visible above the collar of her nightgown. The chimera locked onto it and bared her teeth, enraged.
“I can't believe you gave Kyller's collar to this plucked parakeet. This is an insult!” In the blink of an eye, she lunged at Kaori on the bed, pinning her down with two heavy claws.
The Immediate screamed. Her eighteen serpents, sensing the danger, stretched out from her scalp.
They'd once been fifty centimeters long, but had shrunk to five after the haircut—the minimum length for her race.
They thrashed wildly, whipping the animal's snout while the gorgon cried out in desperation, struggling to keep her snakes from biting the chimera.
Within seconds, Zion was on top of both of them, pulling Kiara by the collar, trying to drag her off.
The creature seemed crazed, drool dripping as she snarled with hatred.
Yet despite lunging for the girl's neck, she didn't bite or hurt any of the snakes.
With one last yank—which dragged Zion along with her—she managed to sink her teeth into the gorgon's neck, clamped down on the necklace, and ripped it off with an audible crack.
In the process, her wing struck the side table.
The vase of flowers wobbled and crashed to the floor with a thud, scattering glass shards, water, and blue flowers everywhere.
When Kiara released her, Kaori threw herself toward the edge of the bed.
She would have fallen onto the shards, but Zion caught her before she hit the floor.
He lifted her, holding her firmly, and moved out of the chimera's reach.
The creature glared at them with hatred.
To everyone's misfortune, at that exact moment, the door opened, and Kyller appeared on the other side, wearing a lab coat and high heels.
“What's going on here?”