Galaxy Pirates

Chapter 47: The New Target

When Zehu went in Captain Emperor's room as demanded, only Dohta was present. Baxus and Captain hadn't yet arrived. However, even without them in the room, Zehu could already feel much tension, due to his own heart bearing worries – what would happen to Imijenia now that her father had failed? What would Arubah do? He knew he wasn't the type to forgive people ruining his plans.

"You are worried, Zehu? That's something new from you – a person who's never cared about emotions".

Dohta had spoken. Apparently, he was strong enough to feel even the very deep vibrations of his green crystal heart. Dohta had always been a lot more powerful than him – it shouldn't be difficult for him to even read his memories.

"If you already know the whole situation, why are you even asking?"

"Zehu, little bean... grasping the situation is never enough to understand what a person might be undergoing. If one's own heart is locked, they are as good as deaf to people's true sentiments. One's heartbeat speaks the loudest".

"You want to say your heart is locked?"

"My heart has long been black".

Zehu let out a heavy sigh – his brother was always overwhelmed with an eerie aura that would dissolve only on rare occasions when he felt sincerely happy and less depressed. He indeed seemed incapable of truly sympathizing with people if these latter ones weren't to open up themselves. It reminded him of his own self – he too, was unable to completely grasp others' feelings very often and remained as cold as ice. A further difficulty was that he couldn't fully express himself either, due to the absence of the tongue. It felt like he was shunned away from the world. Now, after meeting Violet, finally reuniting with his twin sister Zona, and getting to know this beautiful soul – Imijenia, he regretted more than ever, to have lost the ability to speak.

"You know, since the day I lost my tongue, I've often wondered – why has it happened to me? I know I was dangerous for our society, but still, the price I came to pay, seems so unfair – to never be able to express myself well again... There are times when my heart burns with anguish".

A bitter smile ran through Dohta's burnt lips as he received this message in his mind.

"I completely understand and share your pain, Zehu. In my young years, I thought I was gifted with rare talents, but now, after my harsh experiences, I came to understand that our talent is not a gift, rather a curse... We are to be scorned by our own society, feared that we might use our powers against them. What can be worse to a person than to be shunned away by their own kind? For a skill so grand, we pay a huge price – we remain alone in this vast world. Far more than that – we even get punished by others for the skills we have, when these very talents have been inborn and not our choice, to begin with. Unfortunately, the mighty are always feared in this world. Geniuses like us do not even get to taste the happiness of pure friendship and love... Once you've been granted rare talents by fate, friendship becomes like a sun – it feels warm from afar with its sunbeams of so-called 'love' and 'devotion', but as you try to reach it, it burns with rays of jealousy and scorn, and all you get in the end, is scars like these... for life".

Zehu eyed the scars his brother had stroked on his skin. He fully realised Dohta spoke the purest truth, which he too had come to experience.

"I still sense that I've begun to feel something more towards that poor maiden... I really want to help her, but how, I don't know. I don't even know if she will ever feel the same towards me!"

"Oh? Well, I've told you we are similar in many ways. Even though I had such fears too, the little maiden whom I'd begun to love, fully understood my feelings and returned the same heartiness to me," a kind beam covered Dohta's face remembering his friendship with Ellie, "She perceives me as a friend now, because I risked to show her my true self when it was due. You too, Zehu, must do the same, if you feel you love Imijenia wan Buetter".