PANDORA. Hope Dies Last: ToG

The Journey Begins

Chapter 11

As I woke up, the absolute darkness outside of window told me enough to figure out this was the stairs area of the Middle Area. It really wasn't stairs nor did it take even the majority of the middle area of any floor but it was the only way to travel fast between floors unless you had some bullcrap method of transportation.

'Hearing of her father once slashing through space and walking through it' Yes...unless one has a bullcrap level of power...

Seems like the ritual had finished successfully and was now returning to our floor. Shame...I wanted to see the floor where rankers would reach, where the journey of a regular ends. All I remembered was finishing up the last of the other families, beginning the ritual, immense unexplainable pain before blacking out cold.

*Sigh*

Pulling myself up, I looked around the dark room, my eyes adjusting to the dark. From the size of the room I was sleeping in, this was at least a Capital Arc-Ship. A beautifully delicate silver lined dome shaped room. Actually, duding that it woudl easily fit a swimming pool in here, it was an insult to call this place a room. Sure, I might be the princess now but why would the family use a ship such as this to escort me back...unless...

My memory and suspicions were confirmed as a door opened in the darkness and a rather familiar and well known figure stepped through.

As I tried to get off the bed, all my muscles turned to jelly and burned as a fell onto the marble floor. Still, I somehow managed to do something resembling of a 'kneeling thing' as I looked at the floor and tried to keep myself from falling over again.

"Father..."

Arie Hon, my...father, was here...but why? He was never there, never anywhere. He didn't care about his children like any of the Great Warriors. He was...he was...

"My Daughter. Arie Aria Pandora" The tall man walked over to me as he pulled me up, sat on my bed (AN: where the head part was, jerk) and put me on his lap. Even in this father-daughter posture, I couldn't stop the shudder that went through me or the way my heart beat...not of excitement or happiness but of fear.

Why was he here? Is he displeased? But...but he should be happy right? I brought honor to the family by becoming the new princess!...right?

His hand brushing through my hair stopped my thoughts. A strong calming sensation flowed through me as I naturally began to lean back into him.

Shinsu? Emotional or external shinsu manipulation?

"I may have been more of a patriarch but I am still your father. There is nothing to fear."

There was everything to fear. He threw his own children and family into the worst possible places in the tower, exiled those he didn't like, killed family in the name of tests and reigned as the omnipotent god of the floor...a god who was not often forgiving.

Yet...yet...why did my mind, which was so frightened, feel so different from my heart?

"Don't try to move away, I'm rather enjoying this moment. For the first time I'm feeling what it means to be a father." He looked down into my eyes "It's strange to have something more important than me."

What...?

"I believe you wouldn't understand what I mean...not yet" He paused as he looked thoughtful, pensive, before he continued. "You and I are different Pandora. As if you are like...the ones I climbed the tower with, or like Mazino." He had a look of doubt before he turned to me once again. "Almost as if you're also from outside the tower...but that's impossible. You're my child."