They watched everything being destroyed. Ace turned and headed to her room.

  Rin: where are you going?

  Ace: to sleep...

  She said exhausted and tired. Rin goes after her but Nuri stops him.

  Nuri: let her go, she needs rest.

  Rin stays put.

  Rho: I wonder what happened...

  Nuri: Maybe it's better not to know... trust me. It will take me a few days to recover after everything, I think she'll need that too.

  Kaya: yes...

  There is silence. Everyone slowly split up. Rho talks to Kaya and Nigel talks to Rin.

  Nigel: I think you should talk to your brother.

  Rin: I know, but I don't want to force him.

  Nigel: When I found him, he didn't look good. He was afraid for some reason to face all of us. He said he felt like a burden and a problem. And when I found him… the opponent took the form of… I guess your mother…

  Rin looked at him.

  Nigel: I really don't think he should be alone right now.

  Nigel patted him on the shoulder and left. Rin went to Nuri. Nuri is leaning against the ship, Rin joins him.

  Rin: I know it's a stupid question, but are you okay?

  Nuri: I was better.

  Rin: do you want to talk about it?

  Nuri: I'm not sure...

  Rin is silent.

  Nuri: can I ask you something?

  Rin: anything.

  Nuri: did I make your life difficult?

  Rin: What kind of stupid question is that?

  Nuri: just answer me.

  Rin: No Nuri, you didn't make my life harder, if anything you made it better.

  Nuri: really? But I always gave you trouble, and you always had to watch out for me, and...

  Rin: Nuri stop.

  Nuri shuts up

  Rin: I won't lie to you, taking care of you was a challenge, but not in the way you think. I have always tried to take on the role of a parent, but that was my decision, not yours. Maybe I should have been a better brother instead, and then maybe you wouldn't feel that way. But I want you to know that I couldn't have asked for a better brother than you.

  Nuri looked at him.

  Nuri: really?

  Rin: I promise.

  Nuri: I couldn't have wished for a better brother than you either.

  Nuri hugged him. Rin patted his shoulder and laughed. Nigel talks to Kaya.

  Nigel: hey kiddo, how are you?

  Kaya: I'm fine, just a little... shaken.

  Nigel: do you want to talk about it?

  Kaya laughed lightly.

  Kaya: you know how I can talk about everything.

  Nigel laughed lightly

  Nigel: sometimes too much.

  Kaya laughed, then gets serious.

  Kaya: I don't think I'll be able to get out of my head for a while the scene where Ace kills the opponent who took the appearance of my grandfather...

  Nigel: I'm sorry you had to see that.

  Kaya: I know it wasn't him... but then again, seeing him even for a second was... too much.

  Nigel: I believe you.

  Kaya: and Ace... you should have seen her, she killed him without any hesitation, without a hint of emotion in her, her eyes were cold, deadly.

  Nigel: She did what she had to do... Better that she did it than you...

  Kaya: you're right... I know I couldn't do it, Nuri couldn't do it either... I wonder... how did she manage to do that... who did she saw...

  Nigel: I don't think we'll ever know.

  Rho was in the room, lying on the bed, looking at the object she had taken.

  Ace: what is that?

  Rho turned and looked at Ace.

  Rho: I thought you were sleeping.

  Ace straightened up and sat down.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Ace: obviously I'm not.

  Rho straightened up and sat down as well.

  Rho: are you ok?

  Ace: you know very well that you won't get an answer to that question.

  Rho: Ace...

  Ace: what is that?

  She looked at the small object Rho was holding.

  Ace: That's what you came back for, right?

  Rho: yes...

  Ace watches her, waiting for her to continue

  Rho: this is the key.

  Ace: The key? For what?

  Rho: the key that will get us closer to our enemies.

  Ace raised an eyebrow,

  Ace: what was a key like that doing on that Island?

  Rho: because it should have been forgotten.

  Ace: How will that key help us?

  Rho: I still have to figure that out... but trust me, what I'm holding in my hands is a really important item.

  Ace takes a breather

  Ace: I'll trust you that you know what you're doing.

  Ace lay back on the bed and turned around. Rho also lies down on the bed and looks at that object, and remembers the past.

  She was a teenager when she found the object in the woods, near where a mountain had once appeared. When she took it in her hand she had a strange feeling.

  “Did you find anything?” One of the soldiers said.

  “No”, she answered, and she left the object in her bag...

  “Then we need to keep moving” soldier said. She nodded and continued.

  Rho put that item away in a safe place.

  Ace fell asleep and dreams of Aaron, she dreamed of the last time she saw him

  There was a war around them.

  Ace: You can't do it alone!

  Aaron: someone has to stop him.

  Ace: then I'll go with you!

  Aaron: no, you make sure you stay safe.

  Ace: I won't let you attack him alone!

  Aaron walked up to her and put his hand on her cheek.

  Aaron: I can't let you come with me.

  Ace: no...

  Aaron: Assassia, please listen to me. We don't have much time, and as we stand here more and more people are dying... save yourself while you still can.

  He starts to leave, she stops him.

  Ace: I'm not leaving without you...

  Aaron looked at her and walked over to her.

  Aaron: I'll come back, and I'll find you, I promise.

  Ace: You better not break your promise.

  Aaron: Never.

  She lets him go, and he starts to leave.

  Aaron: one more thing.

  Ace looked at him

  He approached her, put his hands on her cheek and kissed her. She was surprised and blushed. And kissed him back

  Aaron: you have no idea how long I've wanted to do this.

  Ace: then you better hurry, so you can do it again...

  Aaron nodded, and disappeared. She watches him leave and turns.

  Ace is spinning in his sleep.

  In the dream she was trying to help other people there, she was fighting against the enemies, and then there was explosion in the way where Aaron went.

  Ace: Aaron!

  So she runs back and goes back to find Aaron but when she finds him it's already too late.

  She watched Eligor kill him. Her eyes widened.

  Ace: No! She screams.

  She wakes up, breathing fast, and is all sweaty. She looked around, Kaya was sleeping. Ace got up, and went to take a bath.

  Rin steers the ship, Nuri sleeps. Rho stares at the ocean, Nigel walks up to her.

  Nigel: crazy day huh?

  Rho: definitely.

  Nigel: tell me, what was so important that you were willing to risk your life for it?

  Rho: It's complicated to explain...

  Nigel: I'm listening.

  Rho: When I was 17, I found this thing... whatever that thing was. When I took it in my hands, I felt something so powerful in it... something hidden... I didn't know what it was for, but I was trying to figure it out.

  Nigel: How did that thing appear in that place? Do you think there are more?

  Rho: I don't know, but I know that this object is the same object that I found when I was 17 years old.

  Nigel: how are you so sure of that?

  Rho: because I carved something on it, and it's still there.

  Nigel: how did it appear on the island then?

  Rho: when the government found out I had it, they took it from me, looks like it was a danger to them.

  Nigel: why?

  Rho: I don't know, I'm trying to figure that out...

  Ace was in the tub. Pictures from the past.

  Ace: I'll kill you!

  She attacks Eligor.

  Eligor: not today.

  Opens a portal in front of her through which she runs. She turns behind her.

  Ace: No!!

  The portal closed, she was alone in another place. She falls on her knees.

  She screams.

  Present.

  She is in the bathtub trying to control her thoughts. She scratches her skin and makes wounds on her body. She takes a breath, closes her eyes, and submerges her head in the water, slowly, until she is completely under water. She stays for a while, and cries in the water... not sure if she wants to fall asleep... but then she runs out of air and comes out of the water. She breathed rapidly, and gathered herself together, and put her head between her knees. She was holding her tears.

  Nigel steers the ship, next to him are Rin and Rho. Ace goes out, but doesn't even look at them, she goes to the kitchen. Rin followed her. She is in the kitchen, opening a beer and drinking.

  Rin: that won't help you.

  Ace: it helped so far.

  She heads for the exit, but the Rin doesn't move.

  Ace: Move.

  Rin: no.

  Ace looked at him with a death stare.

  Ace: I won't tell you twice...

  Rin: why can't you let me be there for you... we all just want to help you.

  Ace: I don't need help.

  She said coldly and annoyed.

  Rin: obviously you're not well...

  Ace: Get out of my way!

  Rin: I said no.

  She goes crazy and slams him against the wall, pushing her hand, that is, her elbow against his neck.

  Ace: I don't need your help, I don't need anyone's help, I just want you to leave me alone!

  She yelled. Rin watches her. Ace let him go and said nothing more. She takes her beer and leaves. Rin took a breath and went back to Rho and Nigel. Ace just go back to the room.

  Rho: I guess you were unlucky?

  Rin: you guess right.

  Nigel: we just need to give her some space, she'll be fine.

  Rho: I don't know, I've never seen her like this. She doesn't eat, sleep, talk, laugh... she looks... different.

  Nigel: she also looks like she needs space and time, and we'll give her that.

  Ace return to the room, and finally fall asleep, she slept for a long time. When she woke up it was daytime. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep. Someone was slowly opening the door to her room, it was Nuri.

  Nuri: hey Ace... you're awake... I just wanted to tell you that breakfast is ready.

  Ace: I'm not hungry.

  Nuri: I thought you'd say it, I'll leave your plate of food here, in case you change your mind.

  She doesn't say anything, she doesn't even look at him, she looks dead and depressed. Nuri gently closed the door. She remains lying down.

  Nuri returned to the kitchen.

  Kaya: is she better?

  Rho: did she take the food?

  Nuri shakes his head (no)

  Kaya: what should we do…?

  Rho: we can't help her until she wants help herself.

  Kaya: of course that will never happen.

  Nigel: maybe someone should talk to her?

  Kaya: we tried but she refuses to talk.

  Nuri: I don't know what we can do, but I know that since we came back from that strange place, she hasn't been the same. She still hasn't eaten anything, I even made her favorite meal she didn't even look at it...

  Nuri: I'm afraid we're losing her.

  Kaya: don't say that...

  Nuri: I just wish we could help her somehow...

  Rho: We all want it, but she pushes us away.

  Kaya: she doesn't even want to be near us...

  Ace was listening to them, they didn't know she was standing behind the door the whole time. It hurt her to hear all that but she decided to ignore it.

  Nuri: maybe we could...

  Kaya coughs because she saw Ace walk in. And there is silence, everyone looks at her.

  Ace: don't worry, I'm leaving soon, so you can keep talking about me.

  She said coldly, she takes a beer.

  Rho: maybe you should eat something?

  Ace: I'm just getting my breakfast.

  And she took a beer and started to go out. The beer in her hand freezes and everyone looks at Rin, who is sitting at the table with his arms crossed. Ace just looked at him coldly.

  Rin: beer is not food.

  Ace: Oh no, cold beer…

  She said sarcastically, Rin uses his powers to break the frozen bottle and it shatters on the floor.

  Nuri: Rin...

  Everyone looks a little scared. Ace said nothing, controlling her anger.

  Ace: whatever.

  She said quietly. And she left the kitchen.

  Kaya: I'm not sure how that was the best decision, I mean I understand you, but...

  Nigel: He did what he had to do.

  Ace closed the door, locked herself back in her room, and she felt bad about everything, but she didn't know how to talk to them anymore. She leaned against the door and took a breath. She opens the cabinet and finds a bottle of alcohol. Opens it and drink.

  She took the knife that was always taped to her leg and looked at the knife that had once belonged to Aaron, and she lay down on the bed.

  Images flash back of her finding his knife when she returned to the spot where he was killed. The knife was bloody, she took it in her hands and she fell to the floor. (In the past)

  And then she looked at the ceiling

  Ace: I'm sorry... puts her hand over her eyes.

  Ace: I'm sorry...