Paragon

Remnants of the Great War [21]

PARAGON

Remnants of the Great War Arc [21]

Chapter 30 : Beach Episode

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By the time Ash touched down again in Rota, the sky was black, and the hill upon which Albrecht's manor sat had gone silent and dark. However, that did not mean he made a quiet return. Almost immediately after he'd landed and recalled Dragonite, several suited Guardians surrounded him, materializing from the shadows. They were Albrecht's household guard, of course, but upon seeing who had just trespassed on their master's property, they relaxed and led Ash back inside. On the way, he'd learned Sabrina had gotten back several hours earlier, but that she refused to disclose where she, or he and Cynthia, had gone. She'd simply swept upstairs to check on Anabel, then disappeared into her room, skipping dinner once again.

Ash thanked them as they parted from him, and headed upstairs himself. He considered going to talk to Sabrina now, but ultimately decided against it. She would still be here in the morning, and if she was anything like him, then she was exhausted from the day's events as well. He returned to his own room, and he and Pikachu quickly fell asleep together.

The next day, Ash got up later than usual. He'd actually woken up early enough to go for his usual jog, and though it probably would've cleared his head some, he'd just gone back to sleep instead. Waking up meant possibly running into Albrecht, and he wanted to talk with Sabrina first. She was an early riser as well, but based on how she'd acted yesterday, he suspected she also would've foregone her usual sun-staring training today.

So around nine, he finally rolled out of bed and cleaned up for the day. There was a brief message from Sylvester saying Cynthia still refused to talk, so no updates on that front. He noticed he'd neglected to mention her reaction to being put away like she was, but no news hopefully meant good news. Surely she understood, he hoped.

Either way, Ash sent Pikachu on his way to go get breakfast, and he trodded across the hall toward Sabrina's room. He'd check there first, but if she wasn't in, then he'd check the hospital room.

But after knocking on her door gently, after a few seconds, he heard movement on the other side, and the door opened, surprisingly. Sabrina was dressed and showered for the day, but she did not make eye contact.

"Can I come in?" Ash asked.

She nodded and paced back over to her bed, which was neatly made. She sat on the edge, facing a small couch, like she'd been expecting this conversation. Ash obliged and closed the door behind him before seating himself on the couch.

"How is Cynthia?" Sabrina asked.

Caught off guard at the fact that she'd initiated the conversation, Ash hesitated for a moment. "She seems fine. Sylvester didn't say much. He's watching over her in the cells under the island. He'll be taking point for the rest of this mission."

Sabrina nodded slowly, no doubt processing his surprising decision.

Ash caressed his hands. "I was wondering how you were, though. You kinda ran out of there before we could get a handle on everything." Ash inhaled. "Honestly..."

Sabrina closed her eyes and her gauntlets flickered.

The next day, Ash got up far later than usual. Pikachu wasn't nuzzled beside him, so Ash figured he must've gone ahead to get breakfast. Honestly, he hadn't expected to sleep this late, so he quickly cleaned up and headed over to Sabrina's room to talk with her. However, she wasn't there. Next, he checked the hospital room, and though she wasn't there either, he did find Anabel awake.