Earthbound: Champions of the Future

Chapter Thirty Five

~ Emi Naoko's POV ~

"Where have you been?"

"Huh?" Ciar's head turned at my question as he suddenly appeared in my line of sight. "Me? Oh, nowhere in particular. I just... had things to do. That's all."

"'Things to do'?" I repeated. "That't totally not dubious at all. You're starting to make me think that you have something to hide."

"Something to hide? Me?" Ciar laughed. "That's just your own paranoia talking. I just... made things a little easier for us, that's all."

"In what way?" I questioned.

Ciar smirked, making me groan internally; his stupid face didn't deserve to look happy. "If I told you everything, it wouldn't be much of a surprise later, would it?" He shrugged. "All good things come to those who wait. It's something like that."

"We don't have the time for your games, Sparrow." I growled. "Just tell us what you're planning. I want to get this over and done with as soon as possible."

Ciar hesitated for a few moments before sighing. "S'yan, she's annoying me. Get her to shut up, will you? I don't care how you do it, just do it."

I glanced towards S'yan, who appeared to have taken a backseat in the conversation, standing further away from the two of us. His mind seemed to be elsewhere as he stared at the various carvings that decorated the walls.

"Oh? Not going to follow my orders now?" Ciar asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice raising to catch the attention of the other male. "We may be in your territory, but what I say goes."

Still, S'yan didn't respond. He seemed to be ignoring Ciar on purpose now, his fists clenched out of annoyance.

"He doesn't have to listen to you." I frowned. "Now shut up before I choke you to death."

"Ooh, now that's a bad idea." Ciar whispered in a mocking hushed voice. "If you guys aren't going to see my way, then fine." He turned towards S'yan, looking jubilant, which only made me feel even more on edge. "Hey, S'yan. That friend of yours... the one with the black hair that's fairly long? What's his name? No, that doesn't matter. Point is, you assigned him to stand in your place as your tribe's leader while you were gone, right?"

"I did," S'yan responded after a moment's hesitation. "What is your point?"

Ciar ran his finger along the blade he held in his hand. "You already know what my point is. We spoke about it earlier, remember?"

"Earlier?" I repeated. "What about earlier? What did you talk about?"

S'yan turned to glare at Ciar. "You wouldn't dare." He growled.

Ciar chuckled. "Now, now, princey boy. Keep this up and you might violate one of your tribe's sacred rules. I believe 'don't lose control of your emotions' is one of them?"

"... It is." S'yan admitted.

"And with the way that necklace of yours doesn't quite function properly," Ciar continued. "You might just-"

"How did you know about that?" S'yan demanded.

Ciar blinked, his pastel blue eyes wide. "How couldn't I? I heard about what Naoma's dad did to you and your people. Just one of his crimes was smashing that necklace of yours to pieces. You salvaged what you could to recreate it, but... in the end, it just wasn't quite enough."

"You knew, and yet you didn't offer to help us?!" S'yan exclaimed, his usually calm and quiet demeanour completely shattered. "My village and people were destroyed for months!"

"Your village is not my responsibility." Ciar shrugged. "You know, I really pity the two of you. Someone such as I blessed with psychic powers, and they've kept me safe all this time. But you two... It's such a shame."

My eyes narrowed, feeling the air between my fingers, ready to attack. "Just how much do you know?"

Ciar's smirk widened. "For one thing, I know that you're preparing to attack me." When he saw my gasp, he shrugged again. "Did you forget? I've been blessed with psychic powers. That means I can dive right into anyone's head to see what they're thinking. But, but! If you do attack me, just imagine what'll happen to poor little-"

"We're not going to launch an attack." S'yan cut in. "But in turn, you have to keep your word. You must not harm him in any way, or anyone else in my village."

Ciar laughed. "Seeing you beg like this is hilarious! I never imagined someone like you would be standing in front of me, pleading me to prolong someone else's life! That's got to hurt the pride!"

S'yan looked away, his attention focused on anything but Ciar. I grabbed his wrist and dragged him away from the glasses wearing jerkface - this time meaning Ciar instead of Laurent. "What's going on with you two?" I demanded, my voice low. "Does he have something against you?"

S'yan hesitated. "Yes, you could say that." He replied. "He approached me and threatened me, saying that he would unleash a devastating attack upon my village unless I cooperated with his plans. It must sound ridiculous to you, but... after seeing the destruction we've already been through, I couldn't risk it again."

"No," I shook my head. "I get it. It just goes to show that he's a traitor to us as well. We need to stop him before he goes any further."

S'yan frowned. "But with what he has at his disposal..."

"We'll just have to take him out quickly." I continued. "Besides... you're not doubting yourself, are you? You're willing to do anything to protect your tribe, right?"

"Of course I am."

"Problem solved, then. We'll go teach him a lesson."

S'yan remained silent for a few minutes before responding. "You're not going to kill him, are you?"

I shrugged. "Of course I am."

"No. I forbid it, especially in the sacred shrine of the Panther. A fight breaking out here could anger the Panther's spirit."

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. "We can deal with your Rice Krispie panther whatevers later. It doesn't matter right now."

"Doesn't matter-?!" S'yan began to retaliate, but a shift in the air around me distracted me. I whirled around, raising my arm, watching it slam into somebody else's arm and stopping their attack. Ciar was stood there, a grin on his face, his dagger raised.

"Oooh, you're good." He whispered. "I should've known you'd detect me. Still, it doesn't matter. You're off to sleep now, anyway." He moved his arm away and instead used his free hand to grab my collar and pull me closer to him. "Hypnosis Alpha." He muttered, staring straight into my eyes.

Immediately, I felt drowsy. Ciar released my collar and I stumbled, falling to my knees, before slipping away into unconsciousness.

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i wasn't sure i could fit this into a full chapter but hey what do you know

AceAttorneyFan over and out!