The Oracle

Chapter 40: Lines in the Sand

AKARI

"Do you think the others are okay?" Clea asks as we trudge through the jungle.

"Probably," I breathe out and look up at the sky, the night slowly turning to dawn. "Hopefully..."

Five hours ago...

"So, what's the plan again?" Clea asked as we stood in the dispatch center, waiting on the rest of our team members to arrive.

"Kit told me that we're supposed to choose a simple mission and sneak away from the other members until we're out of sight, and then we're supposed to run to the rally point," I explained.

"Right..." Clea trailed off, "but what happens if we can't sneak away?"

"Then, we'll figure something else out," I frowned.

"Oh no," Clea sighed and crossed her arms as she looked in the direction of the entrance, which made me turn around and groan at the sight before me.

"Oh, don't be that way," Kaito sighed. "I'm not in the mood. Let's just work together and get this over with."

"Who else are we waiting on?" I asked.

"Just two more Arias," Kaito said. "Underclassmen, I think."

Once the other two Arias finally caught up to us, a freshman by the nickname of Bunny and a sophomore named Reyes, the five of us headed out to our selected mission, which was a mission to revisit Isabella's family's village to see how they're doing now that it's been purified.

Upon arriving to the village, we noticed that it seemed more lively than before, but something felt wrong to me. Clea must have gotten the same impression because she glanced at me wearily as we made our way to Isabella's house. When we made it to the front door, I instructed for the two underclassmen to guard the door with Kaito while Clea and I went inside.

Clea nudged my shoulder and pointed silently to the dark red stain by the door frame before she pulled out one of her daggers and I kept my scythe gripped tightly in my right hand. My eyes widened whenever we walked into the bedroom and noticed Rae on the floor, covered in blood and breathing heavily.

"Rae!" I shouted and rushed to her side, kneeling down beside her as her hazel eyes flickered over to me and Clea.

"What happened?" Clea breathed out, standing behind us in shock.

"Carmin came asking me about information on the Wrath child," Rae wheezed tiredly as I helped her sit up some. "I used...to be friends with Asuna. I told him I didn't know anything...but he refused to believe me. Make sure...you protect Sora."

"You knew about Sora?" I asked quietly, eyebrows furrowed, and Rae nodded.

"I knew," Rae said. "There's...something you need to know."

"What is it?" Clea asked softly, her eyes holding sadness for Rae and anger for Carmin.

"That which causes destruction can form creation," Rae said, her eyes locking onto mine. "Sora's flames...are used based on how his heart is. If he is filled with malice and hate, he will destroy. If he is filled with love and purity, he will create and protect. You must...keep Sora's heart kind."

My mind flashed back to the rooftop incident with Sora and how he protected me, which made the realization of Rae's words just that much more clear.

"And...one more thing," Rae requested and Clea and I nodded empathetically. "Look after Isabella, would you?"

"You don't know--" Clea started.

"I do," Rae closed her eyes and smiled sadly before she opened them again to look between me and Clea. "Trust me, I do."

"Clea? Akari? Are you both alright in there?" Kaito called from outside.

"Yeah," I called back, deciding not to have anyone else bother Rae. "Everything's fine..."

"What's your name?" Rae asked as she looked to Clea.

"Clea," Clea cleared her throat. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Please, call me Rae," Rae sighed. "You oracles always were so formal."

"How did--" Clea started, her eyebrows raising up.

"Akari, dear, could I have a few words with Clea?" Rae asked and I nodded, squeezing her hand gently before I stood up and walked outside to join the others as Clea knelt by her side.

"What's going on in there?" Kaito asked as I stepped outside, his eyes scanning down my form.

"Under any means, do not go inside," I said firmly, my eyes meeting Kaito's.

"But--" Kaito started.

"No," I cut him off, still staring him firmly in the eyes. "Do not go in there. Do you understand?"

Some sort of understanding seemed to flicker in Kaito's gaze and he clenched his jaw as he nodded.

"Okay," Kaito said, the underclassmen looking worriedly between each other. "Understood, then."

"At least you understand that much," I muttered under my breath before I decided to walk off to explore the village more, feeling Kaito's gaze on my back the entire way.

***

"Do you think Kaito will tell?" Clea asks as we continue heading through the jungle.

"Maybe," I sigh, pushing a few plant leaves out of my way, "maybe not."

"Akari!" Kaito shouted as he stood in the distance behind me and Clea as we ran away from Isabella's village, having said we were going to talk to more of the townspeople, it having started to rain lightly. "You're just running away again?!"

"It's not running away if you're going in the right direction," I glanced back at him, my expression hard. "Perhaps you misunderstood who I am if you think I'd ever run away."

"But how can--" Kaito shouted but started to trail off, unsure of his next words as the rain began to pour down heavier. "How can you know what's right and what isn't?"

"It's simple," I said. "The right thing to do is often seen as the hardest thing to do, but it is the most common sense thing to do, despite what your emotions are telling you. You let your pride and spite stop you from admitting the truth that you already know to yourself. Deep down, you know what Carmin is doing is wrong, but you're too afraid to face the truth because facing the truth is always harder than believing a lie that lets you live in a fantasy. I refuse to live in a fantasy, and if you know what's right, you will too."

At the time, Kaito watched with parted lips as we ran off into the distance, my words swirling in his head as he stood there in the rain, his brown bangs dripping water as it poured.

"He'll get it eventually, you know," Clea says as we walk alongside each other.

"You think so?" I glance over at her.

"Yeah," Clea nods. "I think so."

"Yeah," I breathe out as we head towards the ravine, deciding to try for the runestone of Pride and Humility before Aria gets to it. "Maybe."

"Did you ever tell him?" Clea asks after a few moments.

"Tell who what?" I ask, glancing over at her for a brief moment to gauge her expression.

"Sora," Clea says. "Did you ever tell him about Miroslava?"

"No," I shake my head.

"Are you going to?" She asks after a slight pause.

"No," I say, having thought for a few moments. "That's her story to tell, not mine."

"I guess we all have our stories, don't we?" Clea smiles sadly.

"Yeah," I nod in agreement. "We really do."