Home for the Few - The Awakening of the Silenced Ⅰ

XII. The direction to follow.

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   The sun shone intensely the morning after the fight at the Heart, and a subtle tension filled the air at the Olympe de Gouges. Everyone was terrified of what the Princess might do with the information she held, yet not a single soul wanted to back down. They had only scratched the surface and uncovered a disgusting truth—who knew what they might find if they dug deeper?

   At Zheng Yi Sao's request, the mission had been put on pause, allowing everyone time to reflect on their next step and see if Kaira would take action. In three days, the entire crew would return to Verum with their loved ones, and from there, they would craft a plan.

   Lilith, as usual, sat on the lookout, eating plums and reading a book, her legs swinging over the void. A seagull beside her stole fruit whenever it had the chance, but Lilith pretended not to notice, grateful for the company.
   Jacoba basked in the sun on the deck with two of her friends: Ruby, the freckled one, and Cressida, with her golden hair.
   Meanwhile, in the privacy of one of the storage rooms, Meena was having quite an enjoyable time with October. They kept their meetings secret, as their relationship was casual, and neither wanted to deal with Jacoba's annoying comments.

   Lilith heard someone climbing the ropes. She put down her book and glanced down to see Sao. The seagull flew off, landing on one of the ropes to observe them. Once by her side, Sao grabbed a plum, sat next to her, and sighed.

   "Seems like things got out of hand last night, don't you think?" she began, her calm, understanding tone as characteristic as ever.

   Sao had already scolded her, and Lilith knew she hadn't done the right thing, but she couldn't help feeling angry. They argued for over an hour, while Jolly swayed in her chair, watching Lilith, as if expecting something from her... the way one watches the night sky, hoping to catch a shooting star.

   "I'm sorry, Sao, truly," Lilith said, closing her book and setting it aside. Her eyebrows furrowed as she gazed at the horizon, tears filling her eyes at the memory of the previous night. "If I had known from the beginning it was the Princess, I would have told you... but I thought she was just some random peasant I'd never see again."

   "I know, but I wish there were no secrets between us," Sao whispered, though she knew Lilith would never fully open up to her. Often, Sao wondered if anyone in the world could truly know Lilith—all of her facets, even the darkest ones. Far from comforting her, the thought terrified her; the fear of losing Lilith gnawed at her peace of mind. "I also don't blame you or Will for stepping in," Sao added, her gaze fixed on the sunlight glittering on the waves, enjoying the day's warmth and the cool sea breeze. "I can't imagine what I would've done in that situation... Things have escalated so quickly. We thought they'd work harder to hide their atrocities."

   They remained silent for a few minutes until the plums were gone.

   "What does the crew think?"

   "No one doubts we must go on, but we're unsure what role the Princess will play in all of this." Sao stood, kissed Lilith's forehead, and prepared to slide down to the deck.

   "Kaira. Her name is Kaira."

   With a smile, Sao looked at her for a moment, ready to descend, but something lingered in her mind. She hesitated briefly before finally speaking.

   "We can't kill them, Lilith." Sao noted the fury on Lilith's face but received only a nod in response. The seagull flew away, screeching.

   Both remembered perfectly the legend of the rebellion that came before them. Those rebels had infiltrated the castle, killing the royal family in a desperate bid for change. Only the Tabido-Vetusto children remained: Sauro and his four siblings. Though the kingdom's secrets were exposed, the people didn't believe them. Instead, they turned the dead into martyrs and the rebellion into demons—the very ones people still claimed to see lurking in the darkness of the waves. Over time, the rebellion fractured. They grew to hate one another and eventually fled to unknown lands. By the end of the Fourth Era, only one crew member remained: Jolly, who later met Sao's mothers. Together, they founded the Black Bloc.