A dangerous silence filled the spaceship. It was the brewing silence before a storm. The peace before the war.
Sarah stared into Enigma's eyes fearlessly.
Enigma raised her hand and Sarah braced herself. In the end, Enigma lowered her hand and said.
"Don't you want your father to be happy? I can give him a miracle potion and he will advance to Sovereign."
Sarah opened her mouth in shock. She'd have called it a bluff had it been anyone else. But Enigma…she was closely related to Sia and since Sia could improve her talent, Enigma's words didn't sound impossible.
If so, then a potion that could let her father fulfill his wish, Sarah's breathing turned heavy.
"Of course, it has a price. Leave Varian." Enigma said bluntly.
Sarah glared at her and asked through gritted teeth. "I am willing to pay another reasonable price."
Enigma snorted and crossed her arms. "Your father's happiness or your happiness, you pick yours."
Sarah was frozen by her words. She couldn't find a response. Not one she could convince herself with.
Enigma was right. She was choosing her own happiness over her father's.
Sarah felt a bleakness rising in her. She felt like a criminal being judged. If…if she considered how much her father sacrificed for her, then her decision was indeed terrible.
But even if she felt terrible and guilty, leaving Varian was too much for her. She couldn't do it.
So, she took a deep breath and said firmly. "I will not leave Varian, but I will also do my best to help my father. I don't need your help."
"Why don't you just listen?" Enigma's voice raised and she said in a tone bordering between hostility and frustration.
In fact, she clenched her fists tightly and was shaking in anger.
"You should be the one to listen." Varian's voice sounded, surprising everyone in the spaceship.
The next moment, a hologram materialized in front of Enigma.
Varian said with a stern expression. "Enigma, whatever is happening, is between me, Sia and Sarah. We don't need your interference."
Boom!
Varian's words seemed to have poked a painful spot as Enigma's aura exploded. "If it's about Sia, it's also about me. She is afraid of hurting you, not me…."
Enigma froze in the middle of her words as she realized Sarah and Varian rushed to the corner of the room.
"Sarah! Cover them with your aura, please." Varian said anxiously.
"On it," Sarah replied and covered the bleeding couple with a water shield.
Enigma's pressure was beyond their ability to bear. So, the two began to bleed profusely and if not for Varian's swift action, they would've gone into a coma.
"Is there any emergency room?" Varian asked, his anxiety more subdued but still present.
"I have healing pods." Sarah retrieved two healing pods from her storage ring and placed the two inside.
She lightly patted Varian's shoulder, though, her hand passed through since he was a hologram. "Don't worry. It was only minor injuries. They'll wake up in a few minutes."
"Haa~" Varian sighed in relief. He looked at Sarah and smiled heartily. "Thank you."
"Is this how you thank me? By abruptly asking me to get into a spaceship?" Sarah asked playfully.
"Haha. I'm just messing with you. Thank heavens you are safe." She sighed deeply.
Varian was about to sigh in relief when she suddenly glared at him.
"Er…now what?"
"You keep me anxious all the time! Last time, it was Valos. Yesterday, it was the water path. And today, you fricking kidnapped a guy under the eyes of a Sovereign! Just how big are your guts?" Sarah raised her arms and exclaimed at this madness.
"Ehh…thanks, I guess." Varian smiled, a bit embarrassed. But he was indeed proud of his guts.
"I'm not praising you!" Sarah gritted her teeth.
"It really sounded like one." Varian justified himself. He didn't even sound like he was lying.
"…" Sarah wanted to cough out blood. She was called one of the greatest geniuses. But this guy was something different altogether.
"Well," Varian was about to say something but stopped himself.
"Wait." Sarah caught onto his action and narrowed her eyes. "You're going to do something crazy next right?"
"Ah. Ahahaha." Varian laughed nervously while his sweat trickled down his back.
"I knew it!" Sarah exclaimed in exasperation and turned away.
"Sarah! It isn't that dangerous, it's just—"
"Don't." Sarah raised her hand and stopped him from continuing. "I'm not asking for details. I'm only asking you to take care of yourself."
Varian fell silent at her words and finally smiled.
Then the couple fell into another banter, turning the once desolate spaceship lively.
Enigma watched all this silently as she slowly felt a complicated emotion rise in her.
She looked at the healing pods and bit her lip.
"I…I'm sorry." She muttered in a low voice and walked into a private room.
Closing the door shut, she collapsed on the floor as her hand traced the glass wall of the room.
'Why…why do I always end up hurting everyone?' Grief welled inside her as she closed her eyes in pain.
Kyle and Maya had nothing to do with this. Yet, if she went just a bit more out of control, their lives would've been in danger. Not just them, even Sarah would be in danger.
She couldn't imagine Varian's reaction if that happened. He risked his life for her and her organization, and she almost killed his friends and girlfriend.
'Emotions…my emotions always hurt others. I don't need them.' Like always, she once again used her mind powers to suppress them.
But it wasn't easy this time.
For some reason, how she behaved with Sarah continued to replay in her mind. And then came Varian's blunt remarks.
"Enigma, whatever is happening, is between me, Sia and Sarah. We don't need your interference."
Enigma's tricolors dimmed and reverted back to their original violet. Blankly, she stared into outer space.
"Yes, I'm an outsider." She muttered weakly.
"It seems that you have to fight for him yourself…Sorry, Sia."