Chapter 13

  Love

  After helping Lunamilla and Linart set up the tents, Aaronn sat outside, in front of a campfire. Since there were very few flammable materials, he had materialized his own pieces of wood, which he then set ablaze.

  Behind him, the tent zipper creaked slowly, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.

  “What did you use to make the fire?” Lunamilla asked.

  “I materialized some pieces of wood,” he replied, pushing aside the twigs that were catching fire with a stick.

  Lunamilla’s feet remained still behind him, hesitating for a moment before stepping forward. She crouched beside him, arms wrapped around her legs.

  “Why are you alone?” she asked, her voice soft.

  “I’m not.”

  Lunamilla tightened her hold on her legs.

  “In your world… do you have the strength to defeat Eile?n?”

  “There are several factions within the Arcane: the Exploration faction, the Unification faction, and the Intervention faction. The last one is more or less our strike force. These are the men and women who have sworn to protect the Arcane from any threat. From what I’ve seen, the warriors of light are powerful, but few in number compared to us. I’d say they are roughly on par with our experienced fighters. But there are also extraordinary individuals among us. So, I think we could easily make Eile?n yield.”

  “Really?” Lunamilla’s eyes suddenly glimmered with a faint hope. “Then why come alone if your goal is to bring equality to this planet? What is your true purpose?”

  “Do you want war? That’s not how my father wants to operate. You see, in my family, we believe in universal justice—that every imbalance eventually restores itself. But the Arcane cannot be the cause. You must be. Sure, we could have gained the upper hand over Eile?n and ‘liberated’ your people, but would that have truly corrected the imbalance? I don’t think so. Our intention is to genuinely help you.”

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  Aaronn could see she didn’t fully understand his words. That was precisely why he had been sent to this planet.

  “You’re talking about the awakening of the Eleusians? If what you say is true, that any of us could become a Chosen, then aren’t you afraid it could make things worse? The world below isn’t overflowing with intentions as ‘pure’ as yours.”

  “You’re right. The result will never be perfect, but we can get close… I accelerate the universe’s ‘give and take,’ Luna. If you noticed that stealing from your neighbor caused you to lose something dear, what would you do?”

  “I’d stop stealing.”

  “If you noticed that giving love—to others and to yourself—would bring the man of your life, what would you do?”

  Lunamilla’s cheeks flushed, and she looked away slightly.

  “I suppose I’d give even more,” she answered shyly.

  “See? You can’t be certain everyone will do the same. But I’m convinced most people have good intentions. Human nature is fundamentally good. I want to use my power to change Eleusia from within, and for that, I need the resistance.”

  “I’ll stop you there,” Lunamilla said, trying to sound more oppositional. “Your last example wasn’t good. I’m sure… I regularly give love to those close to me, wholeheartedly… so…”

  “Are you sure it’s love?”

  For the first time since the conversation began, Aaronn observed Lunamilla’s reaction. She fell silent, her slightly troubled expression reflecting the feeling she was trying to understand at that very moment. What was love? He was sure the question was echoing in her mind. And he was also sure she could distinguish what wasn’t truly love, since she hadn’t mentioned giving it to herself as well.

  Lunamilla’s face closed.

  “I’m sorry,” Aaronn said, standing up. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “You didn’t!” she replied immediately.

  Aaronn smiled at her defense and offered his hand to help her up. Lunamilla averted her gaze to the fire, ignoring his offer.

  “Well… maybe a little,” she admitted, her voice lighter.

  “One question has been on my mind since your first explanations,” Linart said. “Won’t stealing amarite from Eile?n count against us in your eyes?”

  “How do you feel about doing it?” Aaronn replied. “Do you feel guilty?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I told you. Your emotional state matters more than what you give or take. With the right reasons, you can act without guilt. Do you feel guilty acting this way?”

  Linart’s brows furrowed at a question he had never asked himself.

  “No… at least, I don’t think so. Acting for the resistance gives… meaning to my life. My actions are guided by good intentions.”

  “Then you have nothing to worry about,” Aaronn said with a smile.

  After folding the tent, Lunamilla stored it in the bottomless pouch.

  “I’m done, boys. We can go.”

  “Perfect,” Linart replied. “I contacted my contact last night. I told him we were coming. He gave us an appointment at the Donation Fountain in three days. Let’s not waste any more time.”