Chapter 32: Strings (4/5) – (Yuuna’s Route)

 

 

 

When we reached the knight's station, a group of Radiants was standing at the door. We approached them, and they all turned to us.

“Ah, Jade. What can we do for you?”

A Radiant asked. I could see how respectful they were to her, and it only amplified my idea of who Jade was.

“I’m looking for Elizera. I don't believe Eve is the culprit, and I have a witness who wants to make a statement about the bombings."

They all turned to me, causing me to back up slightly.

“That’s fine. Everyone, let Jade through.”

They all backed up, letting us enter the door. The place was trashed, likely due to the bomb. But it seemed the structure wasn't damaged, but it was hit hard enough to make a statement. We made our way to the backroom, and once we were there, Jade knocked on the door.

“Please come in.”

Jade opened the door, and we both stepped in. There she was, shining like a star as she sat at her desk, with papers in hand. It was none other than Elizera, the leader of the Knight Order.

 

 

“Ah, Jade… what may I owe this visit.”

They both turned to me.

"And the dark vessel that helped with the Cero Village incident. Sorry, I couldn't properly meet you the other day. I was busy. Thanks for helping out, Feodora Cicer."

“Yeah… no problem.”

I said shyly.

“Elizera, I have reasonable doubt that Eve was the bomber in this case or the serial bomber in all the others.”

“Oh?”

She turned to Jade in confusion.

“Eve was caught on tape by Atom’s camera of all things. What evidence do you have that sows doubt into our investigation so far.”

The knight turned to me.

“Feodora.”

“Ah… let me explain.”

I explained to her about Eve’s plan and how she told me what she planned to do. There wasn’t much else I could really say other than that.

“And do you have a witness to this conversation, Feodora?”

Elizera interrogated.

"… No, I don't. Other than Yuuna, who is a light camp member. But Eve and I spoke away from her, so there would be no way she would have heard Eve's plan."

"Did you mention this to anyone else? Could you have spoken about it, and someone heard you later on."

“No… it was supposed to be a secret for me and insurance for Eve.”

The head knight sighed.

"Jade, I can't release her on hearsay. For all you know, Feodora Cicer could be a willing participant in her crime."

I put my hand on my hips.

“I think I earned a little bit of credibility by now.”

I complained.

“I do believe you two, Feodora… but the fact is, she’s right. There’s too much evidence against Eve to release her at this moment.”

The knight put her hand on her hips. Her boss leaned back in her seat and looked at us.

“Well, there is one thing that’s different about this bombing compared to the others.”

Elizera said as she took a deep breath and exhaled.

“This bomb… was made to kill me.”

I crossed my arms.

“What?”

I questioned.

"This bomb wasn't like the others. It had a clear target, and that was this room. The Radiant Order did the investigation, and the only thing that saved this room from collapsing was that the walls had a defense spell around it for that very reason."

“So… you were the target, Elizera?”

I repeated, making sure I understood.

 

 

"Yep. And I don't see why Eve would have a motive to kill me. I was the one who signed her off to Jade. If anything, I'm Eve's savior from Atom."

Elizera giggled.

“It would have been suicide if she got caught… and now she’ll have to deal with Atom’s… experiments.”

“Tsk.”

Jade clicked her tongue.

“There is a big piece to this puzzle that I’m missing. Honestly, I think Yuuna might be a good place to start.”

The knight said as she turned to me.

"However, I don't know how to contact her. Feodora, would it be possible for you to find her for me? Tell her that the knights need a statement from her, and be sure you tell her she's not in trouble."

I put my hands on my hip.

“You promise… that it’s just a statement, Jade?”

"I can't promise you anything. If Yuuna tells the truth, and I can't connect her with anything, then she's free to go. If she's honest, nothing will happen to her."

I was worried… putting Yuu Yuu in the same room as Jade. But to clear her name, I would have to get her to the knight station. So, I agreed.

"Okay, I'll find her for you, Jade. I do have her number, so maybe…."

I took out my phone and attempted to call her.

“Hm?”

But she didn’t answer.

“She’s not answering.”

I said dejectedly.

“Do you know where to find her, Feodora?”

I closed my eyes and thought about that beautiful lake again. I haven't seen Yuu Yuu since… that dream. So, going there to find her would be the best chance I got.

“Maybe the lake near my cabin?”

Elizera looked up.

“The lake…”

Jade turned to her, then back to me.

“I think I do, Jade. I’ll find her and bring her back before the end of the day.”

I promise. Jade nodded.

"I have more leads to follow up on. Hopefully, they exonerate Eve and Yuuna before she even gets here, Feodora.”

I exited the knight's station and headed back towards my home. I had to be cautious as I did, though. Try to understand Janova and see if Jade's theory is correct. Slowly, the picture of who the timid loner truly finally came into view.

 

---

 

Thinking about what Jade told me… there is the chance that Yuu Yuu placed me within a pocket reality. It was unstable enough for me to break out because Yuu Yuu is a level 2 chaos user, though.

“Hm…”

The inconsistencies revealed the truth of her reality, and I woke up in my real bed with my messy room because of my night terrors. I also assumed while I was within that pocket world, Jade attempted to find me to no avail. Everything would add up that way. I… would have been within that world during that time, away from this world.

“But that would beg the question… what would be the purpose of her doing this?”

As I made my way to the lake, I followed the same path as before. I was beginning to get used to this. It would take a few minutes, so I had a lot of time to think before I reached it.

“Yuu Yuu…”

Yuu Yuu being a level 2 chaos vessel didn’t change anything for me. And if she and Janova are one and the same too… I would have to figure that out. Jade mentioned that this Janova person was a level 3 vessel who was powerful. Strong enough to trap Jade within a stable reality for 60 years… within that space. Only 1 day had passed when she was freed by Elizera, though.

But Janova is only a level 2 vessel. Her pocket reality would be unstable and full of inconsistencies. Because of that, I noticed them… and broke free without even realizing I was within one. That's the significant difference between the Janova from 200 years ago and the one I’m dealing with today.

When I made it to the lake, my mouth hung open…

“What the?”

The lake was empty like in that dream I had before. The trees were dead, and in the middle of the field was… a crying girl.

 

 

“Yuu Yuu?!”

I cried out. The pink bunny was in the center of the lake, crying to the heavens. When I got close to her, she turned around.

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“Eh?!”

“Yuu Yuu!”

She was shaking as she backed up from me.

"It's okay…."

I said, reaching my hand out to her.

"No, it's not! I… I didn't want to hurt you, Feodora, but…."

I approached slowly.

"I know what you did. I understand what you are… You're a chaos vessel, and you put me… in a pocket reality."

She turned away from me and held her head.

“I begged Janova not to hurt you, and it was her idea! I didn't want to… but she said I had no choice.”

She stood up and stomped on the ground.

“Yuu Yuu is always blaming others! Yuu Yuu wanted to keep Feo like an animal, and that's just what Yuu Yuu did!”

She held her head and crouched on the ground.

"I didn't want to lose you, Feodora! I just… didn't want to lose you! I didn't want you to be killed!"

I rushed over. Enough was enough, and I had to show Yuu Yuu how I felt. Tell her that she didn't have to lie to me anymore. So, I reached out, touched her body, and drew her closer to me.

"I get it, Yuu Yuu…."

 

 

I whispered in her tiny ears. She was shaking, trying her best to hold it together.

“I get it… you… you just wanted us to be together in a perfect world.”

“F-Feodora! I… I…”

Clearly, she'd been distraught over this the entire day. I couldn't imagine what she'd been through, not being able to find me. Yuu Yuu must have panicked when I ran away into Radiant City. She might have believed… that she had lost her small animal forever.

“F-Feodora… I don’t want to lose you.”

She pleaded.

“You’re not going to lose me… I promise.”

I assured her.

We stood up together as we held each other. Wrapped in each other’s arms, we gazed into each other’s eyes.

"I have a few questions to ask you, though… Yuu Yuu.”

I was firm as I held her tight.

“Feodora?”

Yuu Yuu tilted her head innocently.

“Is Janova here?”

She waited for a bit, turned behind her, then back to me.

“No.”

“Tell me the truth, Yuu Yuu.”

She shook her head.

“Why do you want to know that, Feo?”

She asked in a begging tone.

"Because Jade wants to question you… and before you go… I need to ask you something vital."

Her eyes went wide as she pushed off of me.

“No! Yuu Yuu won’t answer you!”

She screamed uncharacteristically.

“Yuu Yuu! Is Janova here right now?!”

 

 

I asked, harshly.

Yuu Yuu turned to the side, looked over her shoulder, then back to me. She shook her head from side to side.

That’s when I realized that she was lying… and had no intentions to tell me the truth.

“Janova is here… isn’t she?”

Yuu Yuu stiffened up and held her fist to the side.

“And… she’s always here… isn’t she?”

I thought about all the times she looked over her shoulder. It was clear that she was looking at something. She looked at the second shadow… the blur that Jade saw, and I couldn't perceive…

“Yuu Yuu… Janova is always behind you, isn’t she?”

Her mouth opened slightly as she looked behind her and back at me.

"When I spoke to Eve…."

I stopped myself as I began to doubt everything.

“Did you hear me, Yuu Yuu? Did you hear us talk?”

She looked around, then back at me.

 

“No! I didn’t hear you! I promise, Feodora!”

That’s when it clicked…

“But Janova did… didn’t she?”

 

 

"You didn't hear anything... You couldn't have heard anything, Yuu Yuu. But Janova did. She listened in to me and Eve's conversation... and she told you later, didn't she, Yuu Yuu?"

She seemed to be at a loss for words. In a panic, she looked behind her then back at me. Tears started raining from her eyes as she began to beg.

"Why... would you lie about that, Yuu Yuu?"

I pleaded with her. In a shaky voice, Yuu Yuu tried to explain herself.

"N-No... T-That's not... It... Arrg... F-Feodora I... I.."

Yuu Yuu backed up slightly. Her body began to wobble, and it looked like she was about to fall over. Her eyes began to look up... as if they were about to roll back behind her head.

“Yuu Yuu! Yuu Yuu, are you okay?!”

I rushed over to her and attempted to catch her from falling, but a wave of chaos energy shot my way, blocking me from getting any closer. I flipped out of the way, dodging the destructive attack as the chaos wave cut into trees behind me. The trees were cut down with a harsh crash. Suddenly, strings attached themselves to Yuu Yuu. They grabbed her arms, neck, hands, feet, and legs. As fast as they appeared, they disappeared… Slowly, she began to float off the ground.

 

 

“Oh, Feo…”

Yuu Yuu rose up into the air, and what appeared behind her was a woman with long blue hair and a black and white dress. She looked like a princess from those stories one would read their kid before bed. She had bubble patterns on them and looked not much older than me. Playfully, she floated beside… Yuu Yuu.

This had to be her…

The ghost I’ve been chasing all this time.

 

 

“Janova!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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