When a seemingly lifeless boy is saved by a girl.
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Ma'vona was once a beloved member of the Kame'tire clan, known for their profound understanding of Pandora's flora and unparalleled healing skills. Their expertise was so great that they could heal...
♪ From Darkness to Light by Simon Franglen ♪ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Chapter Twenty-Five: The Truth
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The sterile silence hung in the air like a suffocating blanket after Mercer’s departure, his mocking laughter still echoing in my ears. I forced myself to breathe, my chest rising and falling as I tried to steady the storm of emotions within me.
Beside me, Neteyam shifted, the clinking of his chains breaking the oppressive quiet. His head fell forward, his braided hair veiling his face as he let out a soft, pained groan. My stomach tightened as I turned my gaze to him.
“Neteyam,” I whispered urgently, my voice trembling despite my efforts to sound calm. “Are you okay?”
He didn’t respond immediately. His shoulders were tense, his breathing uneven, and for a moment, I feared he wouldn’t answer at all. But then, slowly, he lifted his head, his golden eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat.
“H-How?” he rasped, his voice raw, laced with a betrayal that struck deeper than any blade could. “How could you...?”
The weight of his question pressed down on me like the chains that bound us, and I felr like a stab in my heart. I clenched my jaw, steeling myself for what I had to say, even though I could feel the guilt clawing at my insides. “I think you now know,” I began softly, my voice trembling, “that I haven’t been the most honest... about the smallest yet the biggest part of my life.”
Neteyam’s expression darkened, the hurt in his eyes almost unbearable to see. But I knew I owed him the truth—the truth I’d buried for so long, the truth I had fought to keep hidden because it hurt too much to revisit.
“My parents,” I began, my voice barely above a whisper, “they were never what the Kametire clan believed them to be. The stories... the accusations... they were lies. Twisted truths, perhaps, but lies nonetheless.”
Neteyam furrowed his brow, confusion mingling with his anger. I swallowed hard and continued.
“You know the massacre of the Sarentu, the clan that was said to have been wiped out by the sky people?” I asked, my voice heavy with the weight of old wounds. “It’s true, most of them died. But not all. Some of the children—innocent, scared children—were taken by the RDA. They saw them as... assets. Tools for their future plans on Pandora.”
“John,” I gulped at the name in disgust, “John Mercer saw the potential of Pandora and aimed to use it to his advantage. He had created The Ambassador Program. The program was a Na'vi reculturalization initiative to help the RDA gain access to Pandora's resources without the financial expense of prolonged conflict.”
