In the Ruins of Hope (Centauri Asaris: Book 1)

What Now?

The silence that followed was exhausting. However, now we know where my parents were; they were with Dain. The mystery of Dain grows while we do nothing. We were stuck with no further way to reach our goals. Alisa's voice cut through the silence, "Were my parents there?"

Through the confusion with my parents, I had completely forgotten that Alisa's parents went with mine to investigate Dain. Alisa and I looked at Michael for the answer. He was still weak from the loss of blood, but he managed to reassure us, "I don't know for sure, but from yesterday, I can tell that there is a high chance that they did not join Dain. However, that also means that I don't know where they are, I wouldn't worry about them. You know this as well as I do; they are the best stealth soldiers this kingdom has. Even in their youth, Emily and Scott were no match for Carmen and Jacob. If they don't want to be found, they won't be." Michael gave a reassuring smile as he slowly fell back onto the couch.

The leather couch arched its walls as it conformed to Michael's body. The dried blood peeled off of the black leather and onto the towel he was using as a cover. Drained of blood, his body shook violently, yet he did not go into shock. To prevent that from happening, I went into my room to grab a cover and into the bathroom to find some medicine. Being in the military comes with many advantages; one of them being the fact that soldiers receive the surplus of supplies. For example, they received pills that produce a chemical called pseudo-hemoglobin. The pill produced blood temporarily to prevent someone from going into shock by blood loss. With the pills and cover in hand, I went back to the living room. After I gave Michael my supplies, he slowly fell asleep. His shaking ceased and though his pain was evident, I knew that he was alright.

After he was deep asleep, I said, "We need to tell the Headmaster about what happened."

Alex asked, "Why do we need to tell the Headmaster? From what I can tell, the fewer people that know about what's going on the better. If anything, we need to go to that warehouse and find the remaining remnants of your parents' magic. With that, we will be able to find them."

Of course, we forgot to tell him, so I explained, "The Headmaster is basically guiding us. He is also a friend of our parents, so when he read the letter, he immediately wanted to take action. However, moving now would cause too much commotion, so we look and report to him. He's like our advisor on how to deal with Dain."

Alex's face seemed to sour at my explanation. He scowled as he mentioned, "That's one of the most suspicious things I've ever heard. I'm not going. Instead, I'll check the warehouse and make actual progress."

An exasperated sigh left me mouth as I argued, "No. It's too dangerous. We can't even preform magic, let alone defend against it. What are you going to do if something happens? Just come with me and Alisa." I knew that I sparked something in Alex, but he still needed a push. So, I turned to Alisa for support, but she was in deep thought about something. Forgetting my purpose, I asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Alisa raised her eyes to meet mine. I knew she was thinking of something serious. "I don't think we should tell him, yet," Alisa finally said as she stood, "But, we need to see the Headmaster, or rather you." Alisa nodded towards Alex. "He needs to know that Alex is on our side, so he doesn't suspect him of conspiring against the school. We also need to check the warehouse. However, that can wait. We should go to the Headmaster and let Michael rest. We need him to guide us to the storage house."

Alex, knowing he would lose in an argument against Alisa, slightly nodded. Judging from his actions, Alex didn't trust, nor respect, me. It's going to take a while, I know, but we need to become a team before Dain comes for us. Even though we are supposed to be invisible, Dain probably knows that we're up to something. I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling that we're being watched. However, it's best not to voice this opinion because I might be wrong. I would rather let the group feel safe than to let them feel endangered. So, I said, "Alright, let's go, but be careful not to draw any attention."

After Alisa and I dressed, the three of us left. As we strolled through the city, I noticed that the Interrogators and most of Department 4 laced the streets. In the Midland Empire, the duties to keep the kingdom functioning lie within the departments. Without them, there would be no order, so there are many departments with different responsibilities. Regrettably, in the letter, Department 4 was the group that supported and worked for Dain. The department was a specialized field that received orders about post-operations outside the gate. They were the people that assessed missions and carried out procedures with the information they gained. There are many subcategories in the departments, and the Interrogators is one of the main sectors of Department 4. Each department had different characteristics. The fourth department's characteristic is the fact that they all wore black clothes and had complex tattoos. For example, all of the Interrogator's wore black sleeveless hoodies and had tattoos running all over their bodies.

Unconsciously, I caught the eyes of some of the department's workers, so I began to walk faster. Alex and Alisa noticed my increase in speed and matched it. By the time we were in front of the school, we were out of breath. The giant in front of us reached to the sky, like usual, but the campus was deserted. Ironically, tomorrow, the first day of school, the campus will be swarming with freshman and seniors alike. After gawking at its glory, I lead the way to the Headmaster's office.

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Picture Details:

Thes are a pseudo-hemoglobin pills and their container. Since it was a surplus, there are many different forms and the original bottle was lost. It was originally created in the Last World War to prevent unnecessary casualties. It is still used today because of how effective it is. With it, the body slowly begins to replenish its own blood supply.

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I found this picture here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/258605203581081071/