"Don't you think it would be more efficient to choose a gentler hand? They've made it this far."
"Call it greed if you must, but I want...need the apex Psion. There will be survivors. But true excellence requires further sacrifice."
Yrix was more open when she talked business. It had been like that as far as Serix could remember. Nothing seemed more important to the Arch-Flayer than her grand plan - not even her future.
The pair were wanderers at heart, drifting away from the Aerie on a small cobblestone path as they spoke. Their height placed them well above the girls, yet in their stride, there was something unmistakably human - like an old history pervaded itself in the air around them.
"Teaching a student who could very well be dead next week isn't a lucrative use of my time, Yrix," Serix fidgeted with his belt.
He wasn't one to brag, but Yrix knew Osmarian hide when she saw it. Neither riches nor fame could provide one with that sort of material for a belt. Only a proper hunt would suffice - and few could claim to have lived through it. That was the man she once loved.
Yrix explained with a confident voice, "I have faith Lila will endure. She's the most adaptable of them all."
"I can see it, but I still don't get it."
"When the survivors emerge, you will. Trust me."
Serix gave her that old look.
I do.
But there was hesitation even behind his visor. He knew Yrix would get what she wanted, one way or the other. But he wasn't so sure if that was remotely beneficial for the students.
"What's your plan?" he sighed. "Better train Lila while I can."
"We're done thinning the herd with outside means. The girls are very evenly divided. A simple competition between them will sort things out. From there, I will have enough tension to orchestrate the final trial."
"Isn't that?" Serix hesitated. "A bit cruel? They've built solidarity around their circumstance."
"Which you and I both know breeds disloyalty to the empire. I will sort it out," Yrix waved her hand. "It's only a matter of time till their view of things evolves beyond the parameters of us against them."
"But what if it fails. What if they refuse?"
"They won't."
"I think you underestimate them."
"Perhaps."
Yrix played along, knowing full well she was overestimating the girls in her scheme. Finality required excellence.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lila groaned loudly, the sounds of her partner's complaints ringing in her ears. The heiress wasn't exactly pleased with her role in Lunae and Sonera's argument. But at least it was over.
"Did we win?" The freckled girl lifted her face out of the pillow.
She was back in bed.
"You did," Lunae's voice brushed against her face with warm air. "Lila. We owe you."
"N-no problem."
She had to check her own jaw, feeling a bit of numbness in her facial muscles.
"What's up with Sonera?" Lila asked.
She had been in a situation with the assassin before. But the previous encounter felt different. It was as if Sonera needed something more.
"She likes you," Lunae smiled.
"Y-yea but-."
"And she likes me too."
"But aren't you two-."
Lunae seemed more assertive than usual, helping Lila sit up as she leaned closer to the Earthling. "Does your love for Ivy mean any less just because you keep staring at my chest?"
"Uh..."
"Of course it doesn't."
Lila nodded with a bashful smile. She was just happy to be back in one piece. A glance to her left revealed Ivy and Sonera having a whimsical spat, and soon an aura of relaxation enveloped the Earthling's body.
"All I'm saying is that a little bit of warning is justified!" The heiress clenched her fist.
She had something in her hand. A smoothie of sorts, the same kind Lunae was offering Lila at that very moment. It seemed Yrix had prepared something to help them recover, and boy, was it tasty, or so at least Lila thought.
Like blueberries with milk.
"When have we ever given warning?" Sonera shrugged. "For anything we do."
Ivy rolled her eyes with a sip of her drink, making sure to swallow before she continued her rant. "Oh, please, you make us sound like a gaggle of Neanderthals!"
"Yeah, smash fascism or something," Lila teased with a lowered voice. "Post on social media queen. Slay."
"What's that?" Lunae cocked her head.
"It's when Yrix."
"Oh."
Ivy groaned loudly, "Back to my point, we've really got to sort this out. I understand we all have...feelings-."
"We're family," Sonera muttered before looking down at her smoothie. "Does it matter how we make love?"
"You have a weird definition of family," Ivy squinted.
Lila whispered awkwardly, "Ivy, I'm pretty sure Sonera was raised with non-blood-related family."
"Lila, I know! That's not what I'm talking about!"
"Oh, you mean the intense smut-making."
"Yes!"
Lunae crossed her legs, sitting happily on Lila's side of the bunk bed. "Are we not all content?"
Ivy blushed, fiddling with her glass, "I mean...yes... It's just you're all the only friends I've ever had so..."
"Yeah, this isn't usually how things go with friend groups," Lila chortled. "But we're fukin Psions now. We ain't like them, girls."
Sonera threw up two fingers with a grin, clearly trying to match Lila's style. "Gang."
They all loved to see Lila's face light up like a Christmas tree upon having one of her strange quips entertained. For all her self-deprecation, Serix was right. She was invaluable to the team.
Sonera leaned back, her strength still clearly dissipated. Ivy and Lila had assumed it was due only to her recovery from the challenge. But there was more to that story, and Lunae knew it. She was waiting for the right moment.
"Ivy, we'll work it out. All of us. Do you know why?" Lunae's eyes flickered.
"The power of friendship," Lila boasted.
"Because we trust each other. With more than just power," the princess spoke with an air of authority, the likes of which caused Lila to shudder.
They all watched in awe as Lunae rose from her feet, striding towards Sonera with unrivaled confidence. She placed her hand on the assassin's bosom, her delicate fingers glimmering with Psionic strength. Then and only then did Lila begin to understand the conundrum of the Infestare.
Take and Give.
The great gambit of life.
"Huh!" Sonera lurched back, her shoulders slamming against the bedframe. Her entire body lit up like a firework as radiant light poured into her very soul. "L-Lunae!"
Neither Lila nor Ivy had ever seen such a visceral reaction from Sonera before. She was usually so calm and stoic. Yet in that moment, she squirmed like a frightened animal. One had to wonder why Lunae waited till then to pull off her performance.
"There you go," Lunae whispered.
Through all the grunts and groans of her partner, she was clearly enjoying herself. It would have been child's play to keep all that power for herself. But she was a giver at heart.
"Wow," Lila took a step back. "So that's what started all this."
Lunae finally pulled away, leaving Sonera slumped on the ground, panting and heaving. She had her power back, yet it seemed to come at a cost. Her rest was long overdue.
"You two are something else," Ivy spoke in audible disbelief. "Really."
A bit of jealousy lingered on her tongue, forcing the heiress to drift towards Lila and push her into bed.
"You. Rest. Now. Both of you need it," Ivy hissed before planting a kiss on Lila's forehead. "Got me?"
"Y-yeah," Lila smiled awkwardly. "Ivy."
"Good. Humph," the heiress pouted. "It's been a day for me."
"I bet."
Lunae and Sonera followed suit, huddling up in their own bunk with wordless expressions. They had an understanding. And so did their peers.
"Hey Sonera," Lila mumbled as she stared up at the ceiling of her bunk. "You're gonna stick with us, right?"
The assassin replied in a weak voice. "Always."
The two humans drifted off to sleep in short order. Lunae didn't last much longer, considering how the last few hours had been for her. But Ivy was alert, her promise just as potent as Sonera's.
Always.
She watched the shadows like a hound, pretending to sleep now and again as the lights of the Aerie dimmed for the night. Her mind was void, lingering not on Anya or what had happened between Sonera and Lunae. The time for reflection was over.
Perhaps, she was paranoid. Looking for an excuse to escape her troubles. Any chance to save herself from the guilt of using Lila as a way out. Or perhaps, she had glimpsed into the pool of fate. For in the corner of her eye, shrouded in darkness, a knife's edge dangled over Sonera's pale face.
No.
Ivy felt her body propel itself forward, colliding with a fleshy figure before shattering the glass behind. The two tumbled out onto the lawn before disappearing in a flash of purple mist.