Chapter 25: Chapter 25 – Maila

As Grayson walked toward the mansion, his emotions were in turmoil, with every step closer left him feeling heavier inside. He was starting to regret not just leaving his letter with the guards by the time he made it halfway down the walkway to the front door.

Despite his emotions, he still took a moment to appreciate the place. Being a general must have paid quite well, because the grounds were immaculate. The mansion had a lawn, and trees lined the walkway they were following. Outside of that, a curated garden with a variety of exotic plants made up most of what he saw. It was almost hard to believe he was inside a massive city with all the surrounding greenery.

The mansion itself wasn’t massive, but it was large, and looked to be well crafted. Much of the structure was covered in ornamental wood, carved with subtle, flowing designs. If Grayson could only use one word to describe what he saw, it would be elegant.

Once they reached the front door, the guard escorting him knocked, and a few moments later it opened, revealing a girl who looked to be around eighteen years old, and she gave both Grayson and the guard a blank look before walking off.

Grayson looked at the guard to see what he thought of the odd behavior, but the man didn’t look fazed at all. They weren’t waiting long before a stately woman walked up from deeper inside the building. She was wearing a simple dress, but that didn’t detract from the air of grace that followed her up to where Grayson was standing.

The woman tilted her head, examining Grayson from head to toe.

“You told Sen and Plat that you have news on my husband.”

“I do.”

“After all the convoluted plots and plans to run us out of the city, a man covering his face simply walking up to the gate wanting to give me news about my husband intrigued me. I have to admit that I am curious about where this one is going.”

“I… This isn’t some kind of plan or plot. I truly do have a message your husband asked me to tell you.”

“Hmm. Why is it that you hide your face? I would have thought someone trying to trick me would be smart enough to know it would only make me more suspicious. Unless you were somehow counting on that to catch my attention, in which case your plan succeeded, and I can only congratulate you.”

“I’m not trying to trick you.” Grayson said, frustration leaking into his voice. “And it seems that this isn’t going to go anywhere productive.”

He proffered the letter he had written, but the woman didn’t reach to grab it, instead she simply gave Grayson a look with narrowed eyes.

“Fine,” Grayson said, letting the letter slip out of his fingers and fall at Maila’s feet. “Read the letter. It will tell you about how your husband died. I came here because I owed Trest a debt, and I consider it fulfilled.”

Maila looked stunned at the words, and Grayson began to walk away, but he paused before moving too far off.

“It’s in the letter, but I feel like this is something I should tell you personally. Trest said that he found purpose again before he died, and he wanted you and your daughter to know he loved you.”

Grayson started walking again, the guard moving to follow him.

“Wait!” Maila called out, stooping down to pick up the letter. “Please come inside. I think we do need to talk after all.”

Against his better judgment, Grayson stopped walking. Taking in a deep breath, he turned around and walked back. The guard started to follow him as well, but Maila waved him off.

“Thank you, Sen, but you can return to the gate now.”

“Madame Maila, I would advise against being alone with this man.”

“I appreciate your concern, but please return to your post.”

Sen bowed before turning stiffly to walk back to the gate. It was obvious from his expression that he wanted to argue more, but he followed Maila’s order.

“Here,” Maila said, gesturing at a chair in a sitting room just inside the house. “Please take a seat, I’ll be back in just a moment.”

Grayson followed the instruction, examining the room as Maila moved deeper into the home. The sitting room walls were decorated with memorabilia. Different styles of swords joined ribbons and medals, in a tasteful display, only complimented by a variety of maps and paintings.

Grayson’s inspection was cut short when Maila entered the room once more, closing the door after moving inside.

“I would like to start by apologizing for the way I acted. I’m afraid that dealing with all the attempts to drive us out of the city has left me jaded. In my defense, you must understand how odd it is for you to arrive out of the blue looking to give me a message from my husband.” Setting the letter down on a small table in the center of the room, she gave Grayson a searching look.

“You spoke to my husband, that’s clear enough from what you said. He’s truly dead then?”

Grayson nodded his head, and Maila took a deep breath.

“Very well, please tell me the message he asked you to pass on. I have a feeling there is more to this than it seems. There always was when Trest was involved.”

Grayson looked up at her confused, and even though she couldn’t see his face, she seemed to understand.

“You’re wondering why I’m not more upset about the news. That’s understandable, but I came to terms with his death for a very long time. After leading the war effort against Valint, with the massive amounts of casualties in the war, it seemed like it was only a matter of time until he was lost. Then, after Kion’s death, the man I married was gone, if not physically, then mentally. Finally, when he was sent to the Proving Grounds, I mourned him. It’s painful to get a final confirmation, but I wasn’t certain if that was something I would ever receive. I would actually like to thank you for providing some closure.”

“I see…” Grayson said. “General Trest was a good man. He saved my life, so this is the least I could do.”

“Which brings us to what I would like to know.” Maila replied, “You said that Trest found purpose again. Would you mind telling me what you meant by that?”

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Grayson hesitated before speaking, trying to decide how much he wanted to tell this woman. After taking a minute to collect his thoughts, he told her everything, with the exception of explaining his appearance. That subject just seemed too risky to broach, and he couldn’t afford her having a poor reaction to the information, especially after her husband spent so much time fighting Valintians.

Some minor editing was needed to skirt the issue of his appearance, but he managed to get through it all. Maila was a good listener, paying close attention to what he said, and occasionally asking questions to clarify a point he hadn’t quite made clear.

When Grayson reached the moment of Trest’s death and his final message, he was openly weeping. He had thought he had recovered, but the emotions were still raw now that he was recounting the experience. Maila moved over and put a calming hand on his shoulder.

They stayed that way for several minutes before Maila excused herself, and Grayson took the time to compose himself.

When Maila returned, he had managed to banish the tears, and he was feeling quite a bit better. She walked in, holding a tray with cups and a teapot.

“I had this prepared while we were speaking. Now seems like as good a time as any to partake.”

She set down the tray, and set about pouring a cup of tea for both of them. Along with the tea came some buttery biscuits.

Grayson was blown away by the flavor. It had been so long since he had anything of this quality. While the food on Endeavor Island hadn’t been terrible, this was clearly a cut above anything else he had tasted on Selenya. In fact, if he had been served this on Earth, he wouldn’t have found it strange. Afterward, he had to admit that the refreshments had done a remarkable job of calming him down.

“So I assume by the fact that you managed to make it here, you were successful in attaining a pearl of ascension?” Maila asked, before taking another sip of tea.

“Yes,” Grayson said, “I’m so sorry for what happened to Trest. It’s all my fault.”

“No,” Maila said, sounding almost ferocious as she spoke, “It’s not all your fault. Trest made his own decisions. Don’t try to take those away from him. He decided to save you because he felt it was a worthy cause. Taking all the blame yourself will only demean the sacrifice he made.”

Grayson simply looked back at Maila in shock. The way the words were spoken, along with their meaning had him doubting himself.

“I’m—I didn’t mean to demean what he did for me.”

“Then accept that he saved you because he wanted to, and live a life worthy of that sacrifice.”

Grayson simply looked away at that. He had told Maila everything, including Velos’s charge for him to save the world. He knew what she was getting at here.

“You gave my husband a purpose at the end. To save Selenya, to save the world. Are you just going to throw that away for a petty grudge?”

“A petty grudge?” Grayson scoffed. “Velos stole everything from me, shouldn’t he suffer for what he’s done?”

“What about me, what about all the other innocents in all of this? Do we deserve to suffer because of something we didn’t do?”

Grayson reeled back as if he had been slapped. In the end, he knew he was being selfish. And yet, something inside of him rebelled against doing exactly what Velos asked him to do after everything that had happened. But this question, it rang far too close to something he himself had asked in a conversation with Trest.

“Even if I could escape, I wouldn’t. I belong here. I deserve this.” Trest had said.

“What about me? What about them?” Grayson had asked, “Do we deserve to die?”

Slumping in his seat, Grayson set down his cup of tea.

So, this is why Trest sent me here. Grayson thought, a self-depreciating chuckle coming out of his lips. Now that I think about it, he asked me to come here right after I said I wasn’t certain if I wanted to save the world. He must have known this would be the outcome if I told Maila he had found his purpose.

Grayson knew they were right. He couldn’t sit around and watch an entire world die because he was upset, but it rankled.

“What now?” Grayson eventually asked. “What am I supposed to do then? If I’m truly supposed to save the world, what is the next step supposed to be?”

For the first time, Maila looked uncertain. I’m not sure, I assume you only have a single one of your halos unlocked, correct?”

“Yeah. How do I unlock the others anyway? Don’t tell me I’ll have to bond with two more pearls, because I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“No, that’s not how it works. You can only have a bond with a single pearl. You create more halos by strengthening the bond you already have.”

“How do I do that?”

“I don’t know. It’s not a subject that I am particularly familiar with. However, you are free to stay here in my home until I learn more. Tomorrow I’ll speak to some of my husband’s contacts that should know. You’re free to stay here until then, or whenever you need to, honestly.”

“Thanks,” Grayson said, “but that may not be the best idea. There are a pair of people searching around the city for me. They have some way of tracking me. I’ve seen them twice now, and I wouldn’t want to bring them down on you as well.”

“Really?” Maila asked, looking concerned. “That should be impossible. I’ll ask about that too while I’m learning about unlocking your halos. If you leave and return tomorrow afternoon, I can share what I learn with you then.”

“Alright, that sounds good to me, but before I go, do you think you could tell me a little more about Trest and why he ended up in the Proving Grounds in the first place?”

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