Epiphany Of The Weak 95 At The Lake

My brain registered it that way since my eyes saw nothing but black color all around me.

"Where . . . Am I?"

Somehow, I felt nostalgic, or a sense of deja vu to be precise. It was strange. I was certain I'd never stepped foot in that place. And yet, my heart insisted otherwise.

I looked at my hand, and it was somewhat see-through. In fact, my whole body was in that state. "Eh?"

Glancing left and right, only darkness was accompanied me there, as my companion. My chest felt tight at that fact.

"Hope . . ." I don't know why, but I called his name a few times. Though, it did nothing. The cold air made me s.h.i.+ver, and a foreign chill grasped my heart.

"Hope . . . Where are you?"

There was no answer.

"Hope . . ."

Faint footsteps from my rear caught my attention, and I turned around. "Hope, is that you?"

No one was there.

I looked down at the black slate of ice. "What is . . . Happening?"

"Ava," a voice called.

More like, my own voice was calling me at that moment.

I turned my head to see two white, mannequin masks floating in the air.

"You!" I pointed at it.

"Ah, I'm glad that you didn't forget us," said the mask on the right.

"Hmm, I don't think we've given you our names," said the mask on the left. "Ava dear, you can just call me Avlyn."

I frowned. "Avalyn?"

"No, no. There's a pause before the second half of it. Avlyn. Speak my name."

"Oh . . . Avlyn." I then looked at the mask on the right.

"I'm Avleinae," the mask said.

"Okay . . . Avlyn and Avleinae," I repeated. "Wait, this doesn't make sense. I'm in a dream, right?"

"Eh, you could say that," said Avlyn. "We don't intend to waste much time here, you see."

"In fact," said Avleinae. "Your encounter with that Ivar piqued our interest."

"Ivar?"

Flashes of memories struck me. I remembered what happened before I was in that dream.

"I felt unconscious," I mumbled.

"Know this, our dear Ava," said Avlyn. "You have a family out there, waiting for you. Your own, biological family."

"Huh?" My eyes widened. "But I'm an orphan."

The masks looked at each other.

"Not really," said Avleinae. "We don't know why, but those two, Ivar and Mara, are connected to your family."

"In a way, I suppose," said Avlyn.

A sudden headache struck me. "What . . . Do you mean?"

"You lost your memories, remember? Of course you don't know what we're trying to say here," said Avlyn.

I narrowed my eyes at those masks. "But, they call me Big Sis. There's no way I have siblings that are twice my age, and at the same time, are my--"

"Little brother and sister," interjected Avalyn. "We don't know much either since we are you after all. Losing your memories really set a huge drawback in this situation."

"Still, we get that vibe from them, Ava," said Avleinae. "You must find them, and seek the truth."

"Well, we're the ones who are curious actually, " said Avlyn. "It's your fault that you lost your memories though."

"Huh . . ." I looked up at the black ceiling. "I have a brother . . . Named Ivar . . . And I have a sister . . . Named Mara." I shook my head. "Impossible. It doesn't make sense."

"Ah, well . . ." Avlyn hovered around me in a circle. "Sometimes, we just have to discard logic and common sense, Ava. To see the truth, one must not be bound by those two things. Remember that."

"Yup," said Avleinae. "Well, we gotta go now. Time's up. Oh! Call us back when you meet Ivar and Mara."

"Wait!" My headache shot through my brain like a bullet, and I stumbled.

"Wait . . ."

Unable to stay awake, I closed my eyes, and darkness filled my vision.

_._

_._

"Argh."

"Ava!" shouted Erhi.

I coughed blood, and the coppery taste of it made me grimaced.

"W-What?" I looked up, and surely, it was already night. My hands wiped the blood staining my mouth, using the sleeve of my s.h.i.+rt. "Eh?"

Gra.s.ses p.r.i.c.ked at my arms.

Slowly, I forced myself to sit, and then my eyes glanced at my surroundings.

Caesar and Lily were lying down next to me, unconscious. Lily had recovered from her grievous injury from back then. In a way, she was sleeping in peace.

Tuya, Ulii, and the others were a dozen feet away from my spot. With only a campfire as their source of light, they talked among each other. Though, I couldn't hear what they were talking about.

"You looked like you're in pain, Ava," said Erhi. She held her worried expression as her hands touched mine. "A nightmare?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Ava," someone called from behind me.

I turned around and saw Odval lying down, with Qara and Khenbish sitting by her side.

"Thank goodness," she said. "I'm afraid that . . . You will not wake up."

". . . Oh." I smiled at her. "Well, I'm here now." I looked at Erhi that was sitting next to me. "Where are we? I don't think we're in Khovd."

"Ah, we're outside of the city. At the Khar-Us Lake," she replied.

"Lake?" When I focused my eyes on the area in front of me, a faint ripple caught my attention. At the center of it was the reflection of the full moon.

"It's huge . . . I forgot this lake is here, outside of Khovd." I looked back at Odval. "Wait, why are we here anyway? Khovd is just there--"

"Khovd is no more," said Odval. She bit her lip, then looked at me with sad eyes. "The city was destroyed, Ava."

My head jerked at her statement. "W-What do you mean?"

Erhi shook her head. "That man, Ivar, used the crystals he'd hidden underground to destroy the city. . ." Tears fell out her eyes, as she struggled to say her next statement. "Everything's gone, Ava. Everything."

I clenched my fists. "No . . . Way. This is . . ."

Ivar's Aegis was so powerful to the point where no one could injure him during the fight back then. The four of us Users were treated like insects, not worthy of him going all-out. Even then, we couldn't do anything.

I looked at Odval before I took a long, deep breath. "Is your wound . . . Healed?"

She smiled. "Oh, I'm fine now. It all seemed to happen so quickly. I just need to rest."

"I'm glad that you're safe."

"Thanks to you, Ava."

I frowned. "Me?"

She giggled. "Who else? You saved everyone here. I mean . . ." She paused, her eyes darted to the side.

"Em, you see, Ava," said Erhi. "Those people . . . Seems to know you . . . They call you Big Sis and what not."

"Oh. Well, I don't know why they call me that."

From the corner of my eye, I could see Khenbish glaring at me.

I gulped.

"Is there something . . . You want to say to me, Khenbish?"

"Hey, what's wrong?" Qara reached out to him, and he smacked his hand away.

"Why are you guys so nice to her right now? And you, Qara, why you, of all people, just stay quiet?" he said sharply.

Qara lowered his head at that question. "I . . . We don't need to right now. We have lost so much. It's not worth it."

"That's why," Khenbish then continued to glare at me, "we have to get rid of Ava."

"Huh?!" I gaped.