First Light of a New Age

Chapter 137: Vengeance or Diplomacy?

Word Count:  17,340

———

Third Civilization Zone, Imperial Maharlika, Manila, Tagaytay, Tagaytay Highlands Complex, Austronesian Anti-Magic Containment Facility, Sublevel 7.

2nd Year of God, Monday, 2nd Week, Month of Adam.

The room wasn’t cold because of the temperature, it was cold because of the emptiness, no warmth, and the absence of mana. Just sterile silence and artificial light that lit up faintly above.

Ivy leaned her shoulder against the transparent wall of her containment cell for a moment until her tired and unblinking eyes locked on the chamber directly across from hers.

The corridor between them glowed with a dull white light that cast harsh reflections off the reinforced anti-magic glass that separated each room.

Inside the opposite cell was Douglas.

“Welcome to your new home, terrorist!”

She watched as two human guards threw him into the corner. One of the guards spat in disdain before closing the chamber and left.

Her brother's detainee uniform appeared plain and gray that was loose on his body, and the color in his face was gone. The facility had stripped everything from him, his mana and gear, even the faint aura that once surrounded him. Only exhaustion and regret remained in his eyes.

When he noticed Ivy watching, his head lifted slowly.

“Douglas,” she called softly as she pressed her palm gently against the cold glass.

His lips parted and trembled, then he rose shakily to his feet.

“Ivy,” he whispered hoarsely like it hadn’t been used in days.

They stared at each other through the transparent prison as the silence between them was filled with everything they couldn’t say.

No walls could hide the grief written on their faces as Douglas stepped forward with sluggish movements and leaned his forehead against the glass directly opposite Ivy’s hand. It was the closest they could get, but he continued pushing as if trying to close the space between them.

“I thought you were dead,” he murmured. “Bruna said you were gone. I kept telling myself she was lying, but… I thought…”

“I’m not dead,” Ivy said gently. “And neither were you. That’s all that matters now.”

He closed his eyes. “This… this is my fault.”

“No,” Ivy said firmly and shook her head with tears pooling in her eyes. “No, Douglas. No, this is my fault. I should’ve said no to that damn expedition. I knew it wasn’t just reconnaissance and I knew something was wrong the moment they offered it. It was a trap and I blindly walked straight into it.”

Douglas’s hands curled into fists. “I should’ve stopped you," he replied hardly now with pain rising from deep inside. “I felt something was wrong too, Ivy. I felt the unease and the tension. I should’ve insisted and should’ve convinced you harder but I didn’t say enough, I let you go because I thought maybe… just maybe… it would make you happy again. You hadn’t smiled like that in years.”

Her voice dropped. “You were right. I wanted it to be real. I ignored my gut because I needed something to believe in. I needed a win.”

Their silence was broken by the low echoing growl from down the corridor and interrupted the silence. It came from behind another layer of containment, this one for the creatures that had been captured with them.