Tales of Astora: Legacy

Chapter 69: Orbis-Exeo

Chapter 69: Orbis-Exeo

That night, after driving the old doctor back to his mansion, Fiora was on her way to bring Alastor back to her home. It was a long exhausted evening for everyone but it was worth it. They have accomplished their missions: the Monochrome threat has been subdued thanks to the effort of the army, the Greymen unit and most importantly a young Traveler from another world. Although, his achievement might never be released to the public. Even inside their own government, only the very top would know who the boy truly was while the rest stayed in ignorance, thinking that he was just another Greyman.

The knowledge of the Other World has been kept secret for many years thanks to Doctor Vincent with his vast 'exclusive connections' and the old man wished for things to remain that way. That knowledge could prove to be too dangerous for anyone. What would happen if researchers began to study on a way to another world? What if instead of a 'kind' world like Astora, they ended up with the world of the Monochromes? Moreover, it was not like they really had the need to do it. Their current world was at peace: no poverty, no war, at least not now. So why would they need to take that risk anyway? For the so called knowledge? The leaders didn't care about that. They just wanted to maintain the status-quo. And so the top leaders of the world forbad all researches with heavy restrictions and surveillances to make sure things stayed the way it was, just as the doctor wanted. However, what they needed to do now was to find a solution to the persistent Monochrome threat. After what happened tonight, it was safe to say that just the Greymen unit and their current weapons were no longer sufficient to deal with them anymore. They needed something else.

Back to Fiora, thankfully, her house was located in an unharmed district so she still had somewhere to go back to. In truth, even if her apartment was destroyed, it was not like the old man would let his only granddaughter wandering around in the street. Yet, it was kind of odd for him to not even mention anything about it when they drove him home. Normally, he would take advantage of the chaotic situation and invite Fiora to stay. But this time, he didn't. In fact, the whole journey back was filled with a deadly silence. Fiora constantly looked back to check the boy. If he moved or even twitched just a little bit, she would immediately put her hands back to check on him, something drivers should not do at all. But it was understandable. The boy saved not just their lives but their city, twice, so the least they could do was to make sure that he would be unharmed. Furthermore, the two had a connection...something special, at least from her point of view. Although their time together was short, the girl felt at ease around the boy. To be honest, in her eyes, she didn't even see him as a boy but a man. But she knew that one day he would have to return to his home, to his family. And when that day came, she must not be the chain that shackled his will, or so she told herself. She would have to let him go. That was why she remained silent, to keep her feelings in check while waiting for the inevitable day to come. She just had to enjoy this moment while it lasted, right?

But as for the doctor, his silence signified something very different. In his mind, he just wanted to get out of this car as soon as possible. The air was suffocating here, to the point of being nauseating. Why? Not because of the air itself but because he had trouble to breath properly. Unable to hold it anymore, he pushed on a button attached to the door he was sitting next to descend the glass window of the car. The wind bathed in his wizened face as he felt so much more relaxed than ever. But it was just all in his head in the end. What he did was what caused him to behave this way.

The old man stared at starless sky, contemplating about what he has witnessed, what he did, what he took from Alastor when the boy was unconscious.

'A God...if we have that kind of power, all these tragedies...all those deaths could have been prevented. We were lucky that Alastor was here when they attacked in mass. If he wasn't....just imagines what terrible fate awaited us! But one day, Alastor will go back to Astora and we will be left defenseless once again. The Greymen are no longer enough to contain these creatures any more. We need something more...something like Alastor, a God...our God!' thought the doctor as he rubbed his hand into his pocket, verifying that the red vial was still there.