The Oracle

Chapter 46: New Perspectives

AKARI

In the early morning, it starts to rain as I sit in the kitchen, Nikita having made breakfast for all of us. Sander, Kit, Shae, Clea, Gambit, Sekai, and Darius are also sitting around the table with me and Nikita, enjoying the eggs, bacon, and pancakes she made. In a way, things feel almost as if they're normal and we're back at Aria again, enjoying each other's company, but I know that isn't true. I don't think Aria will ever be the same, at least, not to us. What was once a home has turned into a hell, or rather, we realized it was all along.

"Should the others really be gone this long?" Kit asks worriedly, glancing around the table, her eyes finally landing on Nikita.

"I believe they'll be back with us in just a few short hours," Nikita says, humming thoughtfully. "No need to worry about your friends. They seem more than capable of taking care of themselves."

Sander reaches under the table to squeeze Kit's free hand comfortingly and she smiles softly at him in return, which then makes me smile at the sight of them. Shae simply sighs and goes back to eating his breakfast, his hair sticking up in multiple directions as he looks like he hasn't slept all night. Then again, I can't really blame him.

"Nikita, can I ask you something?" Clea asks as she twirls her fork around.

"Sure," Nikita nods. "What is it?"

"Don't you ever get lonely?" Clea asks, which makes Nikita's eyebrows raise in surprise. "I mean, you live here all alone in this big castle with nobody to keep you company, and you've isolated yourself from most of the world. Surely it must get lonely always being alone."

"Being alone and being lonely are two quite different things, but I wouldn't say that you're wrong," Nikita sighs. "I've been on my own for quite some time now, and it would be nice to have some sort of company, I suppose."

"Then, why don't you leave?" Clea suggests and the entire kitchen goes quiet, our attention turned towards Nikita as we wait for her response.

Silence spreads throughout the room for a few moments, all of us continuing to watch Nikita while Clea slowly raises an eyebrow, her expression demanding an answer.

"Leave?" Nikita says after a few moments. "I can't just--"

"Sure you can," Clea interrupts and tilts her head to the side as she frowns. "I mean, I don't see why you can't."

"Because if I leave, nobody will tend to the castle and the magical properties. If I leave, nobody will continue my research. If I leave--" Nikita starts.

"If you leave, you could die. Right?" Clea asks. "You'll be hunted down by Carmin and the others for the runestone, and you find that it's safer with you and behind the barrier. Double protection, right? But how is that living? You're devoting yourself to a cause nobler than yourself, sure, but you realize you have your own life too, you know. You could at least make some sort of compromise. Honestly, this is just depressing."

"Clea," Kit chides quietly, making Clea briefly glance over at her and smile sheepishly.

"Sorry," Clea laughs and rubs the back of her neck. "I may have overstepped my bounds, but I just really don't like seeing other people suffer, especially when there could be an easy, obvious solution."

"I just..." Nikita blinks. "I never really thought about it before."

"Well," Clea smiles softly, her grin somewhat lopsided, "now you have."

"Yeah, I suppose I have," Nikita smiles back before her smile falls after a few moments, her gaze flickering to the kitchen entrance. "There's somebody at the barrier."

"Aria members?" Gambit asks worriedly, preparing to get into action.

"Yes and no," Nikita frowns. "I'm only sensing one person, and it is an Aria, but..."

"But?" Sekai frowns.

"But...they seem to be conflicted with themselves, almost at war with themselves, rather," Nikita continues to frown. "I sense so much hostility but it's only aimed towards themselves, not anyone else. I don't feel that they're here to cause problems."

"I'll go up to the barrier to check," I offer, standing up from the table.

"I'll go with," Gambit says, and Sekai nods in agreement.

"Alright," Nikita says slowly. "I'll watch over the barrier and make sure nobody gets hurt."

The three of us nod before we head out of the kitchen and change into our gear before we head outside. Although the trial is going on outside, oddly enough, it seems as if it's isolated to a specific area of the ravine at this point because while we run to get to the stairs, I can't manage to find Sora or the others anywhere.

"Sekai, give me a boost?" Gambit asks and Sekai nods as he pulls out his shield, hoisting it above his head while he stands in the middle of the ravine.

"Akari, grab my hand once I jump," Gambit says and I nod.

Gambit backs away from Sekai for a good fifty feet or so before she races towards him and leaps up into the air, landing on his shield, and I reach for her hand just as she jumps off. Gambit and I fly towards the side of the ravine before she kicks off of the side and bounces back to the other one, summoning a purple energy burst beneath her feet once she gets to the center again in order to make it to the other side. Gambit repeats the process as she goes back and forth, quickly taking us to the top much faster than the stairs would have. Once we get to be one jump away from the top, Gambit makes the jump and I release her hand as I swing my scythe over my head and Gambit pulls her right fist back. Gambit lands on one knee in a burst of purple energy by the barrier while I land on my feet, my scythe ready just in case of a threat.

My eyes widen when I register my surroundings, which is a familiar shock of brown hair that's covering their eyes as they have their head bowed, the rain soaking their clothing and dripping off of their hair, their right fist clenched at their side while their left rests against the barrier, just standing there.

"Kaito?" I ask quietly, my voice sounding quiet underneath the rain and crashes of lightning, and Gambit's eyebrows raise in surprise.

Kaito slowly raises his head and his lips part as his eyes widen when he sees me and Gambit, my heart leaping into my throat when I notice the cut running along the bridge of his nose.

"I did it," Kaito rasps out, and upon further inspection I notice the red seeping through his shirt. "I did...what you said I should do."

"Kaito!" Gambit shouts worriedly as Kaito starts to sway and I race through the barrier to support him when he starts to stumble, him letting his body weight rest on me.

"Are you proud of me?" He breathes out as he rests his head against my shoulder.

"More than you could know," I say softly, his arms winding to rest around the small of my back.