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Scene 11: Beneath the Smiles, the Shadows Stir
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A short while earlier—just as Yue cheerfully bounded over to join Osiris's group—Osiris teased her with a playful tone.
"Not joining their duel?"
Yue froze mid-step, offering a sheepish smile.
"They're doing one-on-one battles… haha."
"I was going to tell you, but you leapt off before I had the chance," Osiris replied, deadpan.
Elina chimed in.
"Well, we could have told her through the earpiece."
Osiris wore a mischievous grin.
"Sometimes… I just feel like pulling a little prank. It's fun, you know?"
Yue puffed up her cheeks.
"You meanie! You let me walk right into the battlefield and make a fool of myself! Take this!"
She began lightly pounding Osiris's arm in mock retaliation.
Osiris rolled her eyes with a faint chuckle.
"Your soft little paws don't exactly do damage to a hardened cyborg frame, you know."
"Ugh, everyone's bullying me today… Fine! I'm taking all the snacks!" Yue crossed her arms in mock indignation.
"You already eat more than anyone," Osiris shot back, still teasing.
Yue began to genuinely pout—until Zaria approached, holding something in her hand.
"Here. A treat. It's yours."
Yue beamed.
"Yay! Snacks!"
Elina raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
"Wait… does that cost Moonlight?"
Yue froze, nearly dropping her treat. She trembled, eyes teary, tail drooping.
Zaria stepped in to console her.
"There, there, little one. I'll consider it paid… with your smile. A smile that lights up everyone around you."
Yue lit up and tried her best.
"Like this? Is this a smile of light?"
Zaria frowned slightly.
"Nope. That one's not from the heart."
Yue's tail sank again. Kaelum stepped in to mediate.
"Then let's say she owes you one true smile, Lady Zaria. When it comes from the heart, that's when it'll count."
Zaria gently tapped Kaelum's hand with her feathered fan, and in doing so, revealed her face fully for the first time—a beautiful face marred by a visible scar. The three girls fell silent at the sight, though Zaria remained in good spirits.
"Careful, Lord Kaelum. Saying that might make the young miss too self-conscious to smile naturally again."
She turned to Yue with a warm gaze.
"It's alright, Yue. I'm not charging you. It's just a snack. I only wanted to see your lovely smile."
Overcome with emotion, Yue offered a bright, genuine smile—one that seemed to radiate pure light.
Kaelum and Zaria both squinted as if dazzled.
"Looks like… she paid in full," Kaelum murmured.
Zaria chuckled softly.
"And then some. Honestly, I'd love to keep that smile by my side."
The two shared a quiet laugh before heading toward the shade of a nearby tree.
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The five of them sat beneath the shade of a tree, watching Drago's duel with Garret grow increasingly intense.
Zaria, eyes still fixed on the sparring field, spoke directly.
"Lady Elina, if something chaotic were to erupt in Skyperion—or worse, a civil war—what would the Guardians do?"
Elina fell silent for a moment, surprised by the bluntness of the question.
"It's true that I'm from the Guardians, but this territory falls under Lucía's jurisdiction."
She paused before continuing.
"From what I've heard, Lucía intends to remain neutral. She won't interfere… but if there are people in need, she'll help them equally."
Zaria narrowed her eyes slightly as she glanced at Elina.
"Sounds just like Lucía. And you? What would you do?"
Elina lowered her gaze to the ground.
"To be honest… I don't know. My mission is to suppress Chaos. But where the team heads next… that depends on Akira's decision."
Kaelum asked gently.
"Forgive me, my lady, but… aren't you the highest-ranking and eldest among them? Yet you defer to Akira… just because he's the Third Hero?"
Elina drifted into thought for a moment before answering.
"I'll admit—I used to envy him. Everyone listens to him. They flock around him. But the more time I spent with him… the more I understood.
If I weren't bound by my rank and title, I think I'd want to follow him purely by choice.
And realizing that… made me feel guilty instead. He's never done anything to deserve my envy—let alone the distance I kept from him."
Osiris comforted her sister.
"But saying that out loud? That takes courage."
Yue smiled.
"I know how captivating Akira can be. But Elina, you're just as cool in your own way. If something happened to him, I think we'd all rely on you—or Drago—as the next in command."
She paused, tapping her chin.
"But hmm… Mirelle's super smart, too, with those sharp eyes. Osiris is amazing at analysis—Akira even praises her! And Keela… she's strong and royal-born. Wait a sec… does that mean I'm the only one left out? Am I just the leftover? Huuu…" Her voice faltered, and her tail lowered.
Elina reassured her.
"Of course not. Remember when we fought Zekhtau? You took command when Akira couldn't. And when the Rusted Ruins collapsed, you led the rescue."
Osiris nodded.
"Don't sell yourself short, Yue. You've got your own value—something no one else can replicate."
Yue's eyes welled with emotion. Osiris continued.
"Remember what Akira told Drago? 'Grow into the role only you can fill.' Well, in our team, you're the only one who can heal. So take pride in that, you snack-crazed little fox."
Yue scrunched her nose through her tears.
"Hey… did you just call me snack-obsessed? Well… you're not wrong. Hehe… But you always tease me like this! I'm gonna purify you!"
Osiris scowled slightly.
"Yue, that's not something to joke about. You know I was born from Chaos. If you really purified me… I might die."
Yue's face turned pale.
"A-Ah! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry, Osiris! Please forgive me!"
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As Yue was still busy trying to comfort her friend, Kaelum gently interjected,
"Um, excuse me, ladies… but when you said you were 'born from Chaos,' what does that mean, exactly?"
Osiris immediately shifted into a calm, composed tone, catching Yue off guard with how quickly her demeanor changed.
"As I mentioned earlier, I was originally just an AI inside a cyborg body. Then, one day, Chaos infiltrated my system. At first, everything glitched… but after doing everything I could to stabilize it, something unexpected happened. I believe… I developed what could only be described as a soul. And some of the other machines… they came to life, too."
Kaelum's eyes widened.
"Machines… came to life?"
Yue nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! Isn't it amazing? They could fight, plant trees, listen to music, dance, paint, teach philosophy about Chaos—and even… fall in love."
Zaria tilted her head, skeptical.
"Everything else I can almost believe, but… love? That's unexpected. What caught my attention, though, was the part about them teaching Chaos philosophy."
Elina chimed in.
"It's true. And it was surprisingly profound."
She made eye contact with the others and continued,
"There was this one robot… a juice can vending bot. At the time, we were all thinking negatively about Chaos. But the bot picked up a juice can and told us to look at it from different angles. The top has a lid, the front shows a logo, the back has ingredients, the bottom has an expiration date. And when you open it, you get a unique flavor inside. So, why do we only view Chaos from one side? Maybe there are many sides—some of them good—that we simply haven't seen yet."
Zaria suddenly struck her own palm with her feather fan.
"Exactly that."
She then recomposed herself and smiled apologetically.
"Ah, sorry if I startled you… I've been researching Chaos, and the deeper I dig, the more possibilities I uncover. There's creation, destruction, healing, corruption—all tangled together. So to define Chaos? That's nearly impossible. But what I can say for certain… is that it's one of nature's most mysterious wonders."
Yue frowned slightly.
"If it's that special… what about the Chaos I've purified? Was that… a mistake?"
Zaria smiled gently, her scarred face catching the sunlight.
"As I said before, Chaos comes in many forms. The Chaos you purified likely held too much malevolent energy. You just removed the toxic part and helped restore it to its natural balance. That's what I believe."
Yue clasped her hands together.
"Waaah… talking to a real researcher like you really opens my eyes."
Kaelum spoke softly.
"After hearing all this from you, Lady Zaria… I think I'll need to rethink everything I thought I knew about Chaos."
Zaria smiled.
"Good. Chaos might seem terrifying on the surface, but if harnessed properly and guided with care… it might just become a force that saves lives."
She gazed off into the distant sky, as if recalling something that none of them could ever imagine.
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But Zaria had noticed something.
"By the way, Elina… what do you think of Drago's duel right now?"
Elina looked toward him—currently caught in close combat with Gwenna. Her hand clenched into a fist, jaw tightening with silent tension. After a moment, she responded in a dry, sarcastic tone,
"Quite the synchronized match, wouldn't you say?"
Osiris narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Yue covered her mouth, her tail fluffing up, clearly sensing the spike in tension.
Kaelum tried to defuse the mood,
"I'm sure it's nothing, really. Look—Sir Drago just surrendered."
We all turned our eyes back to the field in silence, watching as Magnus spoke with Gwenna. She dashed away in excitement, her face blushing red.
Zaria waved her feathered fan lightly,
"It seems… things are starting to spiral. Lady Elina, take it easy, alright? Whatever it is—talk it out calmly."
Elina pressed her lips together.
"Yes, understood."
But her voice was cold and distant, and her eyes remained locked on Gwenna and Drago.
At that moment, it became clear—
This wasn't just a storm of politics brewing in Skyperion…
There was also a storm of hearts stirring restlessly beneath the surface.
What lies ahead, no one can predict—
And the path waiting at the end… might not be the one anyone had hoped for.
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