The large mechanical gates of the duplex slid open before Elias could even arrive right in front of it, revealing a magnificent duplex within its walls.
Putting his hands in the pockets of his black leather jacket as he finally stepped inside the compound, Elias took a moment to admire the structure, the gate sliding shut behind him.
"It's not like I am jealous."
That was a lie. He was really, really jealous.
While the rest of the candidates of the Concordia Labs had been given modest lodgings, the Syndicates in training at the Concordia Labs, like Valerie, seemed to be treated much more lavishly.
But it made sense, in a way. To the Concordia Labs, the rest of the Candidates were probably just investments for the future that would be gone in a blink, while people like Valerie were its true blood, destined to serve this shitty place for the rest of their lives.
But still—
Elias couldn't help but feel a little resentful. It would be pretty nice if he got a duplex for himself, you know?
Elias didn't stop walking even now, his eyes picking up the splashing of the pool meters away from him.
"Is that Valerie?"
With one of his eyebrows raised curiously, Elias stretched his arms with a yawn.
'I might as well use this chance to catch my breath.'
He let himself fall onto the recliner at the end of the pool, watching the person swimming leisurely through the water, their frame lithe and curvaceous.
'Seems female, and she's in a bikini?'
Elias coughed, tapping his chin in thought.
Whenever the girl rose above the water, Elias faintly caught the color of dark red, wet hair sticking against her face, so it couldn't possibly be Valerie, else her hair would be colored green instead.
But yet, she did feel familiar—
The girl broke out of the water, her gorgeous face turning sideways as she flung the water right out of her hair before reaching for a towel from the adjoining stand to dry her face.
It was only then that she seemed to realize his presence, her blue eyes blinking rapidly in his direction.
"Verdan?"
"...Chloe?"
They looked at each other for a moment, their faces awkward.
Chloe broke the stillness by stepping out of the water first before covering herself in a blue robe, a snort escaping her lips.
"Pervert."
Elias furrowed his eyebrows, feeling a little wronged.
"Hey, I was just admiring nature. Yeah, nature. Have you looked at the sky? It's really, really blue today..."
She rolled her eyes, walking to sit on the recliner right opposite his, her legs crossed leisurely.
Elias fought to keep his eyes steady on her face, trying hard not to be pulled away by her... distracting assets.
Her eyes were narrowed, almost as if she was studying him.
Then she took a deep breath and spoke, her voice a little shy.
"Can we have a chat?"
Elias blinked once, and again.
What the hell would she want to talk with him about? Was she by any chance smitten by his charms?
Ahh... the woes of being so handsome.
He shook his head, getting on his feet.
"While it would be my pleasure on any other day, I have an outing with my little sister at the arcade. And to make it even worse, we are running late—"
"Have you ever wondered why... why I am so close to your little sister?"
Elias stopped in his tracks, confusion dancing in the depths of his eyes.
"Why else? Should there be an underlying reason to this that I should be aware of?"
Chloe hesitated before her teeth clenched tight, almost as if she had found some kind of resolve.
She spoke through clenched teeth.
"Sera—"
That name made his eyes flash.
She looked up at his face, speaking in the same breath.
"She pleaded with me to help look after your little sister ever since she found out Lizzy had gone unconscious and was at the Concordia Labs."
She gritted her teeth.
"So I did just that. I brought her flowers and spent most of the day watching after her, even secretly hiring doctors to give her treatment and monitor her vital signs."
She bent her face downwards, almost as if she was afraid to meet his eyes.
"But still, I never accounted for the fact that I would grow so attached to the girl in a matter of days. That I—"
She stopped, her knuckles tightening so forcefully they seemed to redden.
Elias didn't know what to feel.
Sera was often a subject that made him... deeply confused. A girl existing on a level far above his current means, on a pedestal so high that he had once given up any hope of reaching her.
She was his childhood friend. His only true friend.
Yet, the thought of her still made him displeased.
Yes, he still thought of her every now and then. And yes, she was one of the reasons that enduring the trial within the Mirrorth had been a little more bearable, all because of his promise.
But that same Sera had still cut off all communication between the two of them the moment she left. She never called, she never texted...
When the Echoform invasion destroyed his home, where the hell was Sera?!
For years, he had been haunted by the memory of his childhood friend who had abandoned him.
Torn because he had been convinced it all happened because he was weak.
Gotten himself a girlfriend all because he wanted to wipe out every cursed memory of that girl from his life.
Elias wasn't naive. The Sera he remembered was in the past, but so many years had passed since that moment. The version of herself now was someone he probably couldn't recognize even if he tried.
So while he was thankful, really thankful that she had helped Lizzy, he still felt wary.
Wary of her intentions. Wary of...
"Why the hell are you telling me this now?" Elias looked at Chloe, his gaze intense, his feet taking a step forward towards her.
"I assume she would rather I didn't know of her involvement in all this, so why tell me when it's far more convenient for me to be kept in the dark?"
Chloe took a deep breath, almost as if she had expected the question.
She looked at him fiercely, although her shaky eyes betrayed how much she was trying to act brave.
But she still spoke up, almost as if she was adamant about speaking her mind.
"Grandpa Dawnscar often frequented the Federation Estate to meet his old-time friend, who is a retired Five-Star Commander. I followed him sometimes, and that was how I met Sera. We became friends, friends of many, many years. And that's how I know—"
She stood on her feet too, her right hand clamping around his arm tightly and desperately.
She looked at him with pleading, almost frightened eyes.
"It will never work between the two of you. It's impossible. For her sake, I beg you, give up on whatever affection you dare have, at least for her sake. I beg you, please—"
Elias took a step back with a tight grimace, wrenching her hand away from his arm.
For some reason, this entire thing was starting to make him feel quite irritated.
"Is that all you have to say? If that is all, then I will be the first to leave, Chloe Burnshade."
She gritted her teeth. "Don't... don't you dare ignore me! I am warning you, pursuing this path will make both of your lives miserable. Why can't you listen?!"
The girl who seemed as though she had never cursed in her entire life looked so enraged that one might think she was prepared to pour out a long line of profanities, all her decorum thrown out the window.
Elias looked at her nonchalantly, one of his eyebrows raised.
From her words, he could infer that Sera presently still held a trace of affection for him, however minuscule.
To what extent, he couldn't tell.
Yet her words, her words...
They pissed him. They pissed him badly.
He bent until he was just right in front of her face, close enough to feel her breath on his nostrils.
She pulled back slightly, her face flustered.
"If I pursue Sera, what the hell is that to you? But I will tell you what will happen if, by any chance, I find myself set to do so."
Elias rarely found himself getting so serious, but this entire encounter just seemed to hit so many of his buttons on a deeply personal level.
His eyes narrowed intensely.
"The Federation you speak about will be nothing. The pedestal you think is so vast that it leaves me in the dust I will breach, and surpass entirely. If this world tries to stop me, then I will change the world and make it bend instead. And anyone unlucky enough to stand in my way will only have the fate of getting trampled beneath the sole of my feet."
He smiled, his voice mocking.
"Of course, you must think these are all the ramblings of a madman. But I want you to think of this moment, so that in the not-so-distant future, you shall remember. So do not forget, do not forget, Chloe Burnshade."
He watched as she went through a variety of emotions, incredulity and confusion presenting an interesting look on her face.
He turned his head away without a word and began to walk towards the doorway of the duplex, just in time to hear her speak.
"So you... you haven't set your sights on Sera?"
Elias stopped, not replying to the question but rather asking one of his own.
"Where the hell is Valerie? Shouldn't she already know I am at her place?"
He heard the sound of footsteps, Chloe walking ahead of him towards the direction of the large mechanical gates.
She was already in her white designer armor, her hoverboard shooting from somewhere in the distance to stop just below her feet.
She shot him a complicated look, her feet already rising to step onto the flying artifact.
"She had me babysit Lizzy after class was over. Apparently, she is training for some kind of competition set to take place in a few days."
Elias spared her a glance, although his eyes had noticeably softened.
"Where is Lizzy now?"
Her hoverboard rose above the ground now, already ringing out as golden sparks began to fan outward from the artifact.
"Asleep within her room on the top floor. Valerie has already notified me of your arrival, so, following her instructions, I have already modified the security measures to give you access."
The hoverboard began to slowly float higher into the air, her face turning to him one last time.
It was resigned and a little disappointed.
"I will truly never forget your lofty words, Verdan. If you can really prove me wrong and do as you say, then I will admit this is my loss."
Elias watched as she shot into the air, her voice loud enough to sound above the ringing of her hoverboard.
"But if you are merely ranting nonsense, then do us both a favor and stay the hell away from my friend. Or... or I will never forgive you!"
Elias watched as she flew into the distance, silently resisting the urge to slap his hand against his forehead.
'Sweet girl my ass. This is sweet to you, damn Aragus?'
He sighed, turning to walk towards the doorway, the automatic doors already sliding open.
As he moved, his eyes were cold.
"Fine then. I suppose that merely becoming an Apprentice before the academy trials will not be enough."