Chapter Text
Falling. He was falling. Had it been a few minutes, hours? It didn't matter, not anymore.
Pain. His head was flooded with pain beyond anything he'd imagined possible. His skin was ripped apart as his very skeleton was maimed in a way that could only be described as sadistic and hellish. His blood was flooded with ether crystals, slashing and destroying his veins as his blood flowed. Agony was the only word that could describe the experience. His skull on the left side felt like it had exploded from the inside, crystals had torn through head from his brain, his left eye was destroyed as well making him blind on his left side.
He knew why this was happening and he knew that this was in fact his fault, but he didn't care. No, it's not that he didn't care. It's just, he knew what the consequence would be if he hadn't chosen what he did. And he just accepted it because the alternative was worse than death.
If there was one regret in his mind, it was that he would be leaving her alone after so many years of being together, of being the only thing the other could cling on when no one else was there and he willingly left her alone. He hated it. He hated it more than anything he ever hated in his life. But it had to be this way for there was no other alternative. He could feel the end coming, the dark, the permanent end.
He thought back to what brought him to this moment. Every choice that led up to this last day. “That day” he thought "that was the day everything went wrong.”
4 Weeks ago
Ding Ding
Wise:?
Wise had pretty much been dead asleep for about 4 or 5 hours. He and Belle had been running the store, doing multiple commissions basically all day, just to make ends meet due to the increased power bill for a certain A.I. He and Belle were essentially so sleep-deprived. They were willing to sleep in the clothes they were working in all day. Wise barely had enough energy to get his butt into the shower so by the time he got into bed, he was essentially out like a light instantly. So when he was immediately woken up by a message on his phone, he was all sorts of ticked off. However, what caught his attention was not only that, he got a message but the fact that it was a message from Lycaon. He checked his clock. It read 2:01 in the morning normally he would have probably just waited until he was way, way more awake. But knowing what kind of person Lycaon was and the fact that he was messaging him this early in the morning, got his attention quite quickly.
Wise: I don't want to be mean, but it's 2:01 in the morning, Lycaon. What possible reason could you have for texting us so early in the morning?
Lycaon: Deepest apologies Master proxy, normally I would've waited until both you and Master Belle were more awake but the message I have to deliver is of great importance, our master has even told us to get it to you as soon as possible, so please forgive us.
With this explanation Wise almost immediately became more awake and aware. Because he knew for a fact Lycaon wasn't the type of person to mess around with information. Especially when his orders came from his boss and the fact that he mentioned that it was to be delivered to them immediately almost concerned him. What were they trying to tell them that was so important that they were willing to wake them up at this time of the morning.
Wise: Alright…. You have our attention well ‘MY’ attention, Belle is still absolutely knocked out and want to let her rest.
Lycaon: To be completely honest, I think it would be best if both of you were awake to hear this message. Normally you would have been more than enough. But to be honest, both of you must see this.
Wise:.....Okay, can this wait until morning when both Belle and I are much more awake. Normally I would have liked to take your message, but today was particularly rough on us. And we're not exactly recharged, so to speak.
Lycaon: I do not know I would have to ask our master for confirmation as to whether or not the information can wait. Please excuse the wait.
Wise, still looking up at the ceiling, set his phone down. He had been very, very confused and concerned about the fact that Lycaon had to even ask as to whether or not they could wait to receive the message , further increasing his already heightened stress and concern.
Wise's brain was running at a rapid but tired capacity, trying to understand what could potentially be this important. He then began to think it out.
Lycaon isn't normally the type of person to have this many checks as to whether or not they could reveal some information. We know that both him and his group of Victoria housekeeping are quite secretive, but ever since they started working with us, there haven't been any secrets between us. So the fact that he had to even ask as to whether or not this message could wait, what was the message and why was it that important that they couldn't possibly wait until morning.
Ding Ding
“Speak of the devil” Wise thought.
Lycaon: Alright, a compromise has been made. Our master (The Mayor) [A/N gonna start calling him this from this point forward] has agreed to wait until both you and the other master proxy are fully awake. But the second both of you are fully awakened you are to inform me at your earliest convenience, these are his words and we both know. That I would not be putting this much pressure on you if it was not utterly important.
Wise: Is there any sort of information you could give me that wouldn't be damaging just so I can get an idea as to what the message pertains to.
Lycaon: The message involves your teacher.
Silence. The air conditioner, his breathing, the noises outside of birds, insects and the wind all ceased, to him at least. The last they had heard of any information about their teacher was during their time with Yunkui Summit, and all they received was a photo that, while real, was taken within a hollow. A photo of her somewhere within that dark labyrinth. It had been weeks since that particular event, and now they have more information.
If Wise wasn't awake before he was certainly awake now.
Wise: I'll inform Belle as soon as I can.
Lycaon: Of course Master Proxy, we shall await both you and your sister's reply.
With that, the wise finally set his phone down.
If it wasn't for the fact that it was so early in the morning. He would have probably gotten up and prepared Belle as well, but due to how dark it was at night and the fact that they were still pretty much dead tired, Wise decided to wait until she was awake.
"The morning's barely started. And I can already tell it's gonna be a long day"
5 hours later
Both Belle and Wise were staring at the phone. Essentially, both were putting it off. As much as they wanted to get the information as soon as possible. They were also wary of it. Since the last time they got information, it was something good, but it inevitably led to a dead end with nothing but circumstantial evidence at best that she was inside the Lemian Hollow, so chances were they were most likely not going to find anything else that they didn't already know. So while they were excited, both knew to not get their hopes up.
Belle asked with impatience “Bro, you've been staring at that phone for over 3 hours. Am I going to have to make a call for us or are we just gonna wait until the sun explodes?”
Wise said nothing for a few seconds before responding in a slightly shaky tone “I'm just…nervous. I mean more information on Teacher and from Lycaon no less it sounds good, too good to be true. I know they wouldn't lie to us and I know they wouldn't be doing this for any malicious reason. But can we really trust that there's something else that just appeared out of nowhere. I don't know about you but I feel really suspicious about this.”
“Yeah, I get what you mean. As far as we know, this could be fake or maybe it's somebody spreading rumors but what if by some off chance it isn't fake and it turns out to be real. Are we really willing to risk that chance of it being real and losing our only chance at an actual lead as to what happened to our teacher?” Belle agreed with her brother but also gave her opinion on it.
Both sat there and contemplated the choice. They either answer the call and take a very big risk on what could potentially be either a trap or just nothing. Or they sit there and just ignore it, but possibly lose out on a chance of it being actual information.
They were desperate. But they weren't idiots. They knew that every time they tried to look for their teacher, the people who took her, The Exaltist, were not far behind and then from both personal experience and from what they've read and seen that they were nothing to play with. They had been the people to kidnap their teacher, framing her for what had happened with the old capital and leaving about so much as a trace of their existence. There were too many variables to really consider this a good idea, but desperation often outweighed the bad.
With a loud, sharp, inhale, Wise took a breath, briefed out and spoke in a firm but determined voice, “let's take the chance.”
And with that the choice had been made
The proxies had the message delivered to them after both agreeing. To take the chance on this possible lead.
The message was quite simple but at the same time very loose, essentially, there were rumors that their teacher Carole Arna had been sighted within a hollow once again. But I made it different this time instead of just being a picture, it was word-of-mouth. People who went inside the hollow physically saw her, everyone who tried to get close to her would be met with dozens upon dozens of ethereals, those that were fortunate enough to escape with their lives stated that the ethereals attacked in a terrifying formation. Almost as if they had sentience and intelligence, they wouldn't chase the investigators for but if any of them try to approach where Carole was going or near, they would attack and lash out violently, almost as if they were protecting her.
The proxies were confused by this, earlier in their career, when Ray had first offered them a chance to work inside Hollow Zero. They were introduced to Geppetto, an ethereal that could control other ethereals like puppets. Essentially giving them intelligence and tactics. But every report stated that Carole was by herself. No one was with her and these Ethereals who normally would have ripped her up without even giving it a second thought, just left her alone and even defended her. But what was said next in the message had concerned them even more. Everywhere she went, miasma would follow. The proxies knew that there were people amongst the exaltist ranks that could use the miasma in ways that they couldn't begin to explain, such as empowering ethereals summoning them out of thin air with nothing more than the ether. Surrounding them and even causing hallucinations. Even with a ton of people working on this new phenomenon, there was barely any true information on it besides the bare minimum. And the fact that it was following their teacher wherever they went was not a coincidence, they knew that for certain.
“What are the chances of this being a trap? I must sound like a broken record at this point, but I mean, you've been thinking about it too, right?” Wise asked. He knew from experience that when dealing with people this dangerous, especially with rumors this tangible, there was a good chance that it was made to be like that. In order to lure, people like them in people looking into where they shouldn't be.
“Honestly, the chances are very high so much so that, despite how much I really do wanna find Teacher, the chance of this being nothing more than just a hoax at best and a trap at worse I mean, you said it, it's almost as if it was meant to drag us out of our hiding. Like somebody wants this to look into it”
Belle offered her thoughts to wise. “...but
?
and I think this a really bad decision, but I believe we should take the chance and look into the rumors. Yeah, this very well might be a trap, but I wanna see it to the end, if it's nothing more than a ruse, we drop it if not, we ride it all the way and see where it takes us, cool?”
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“…alright exhale~ let's do it.”
Two days later
The day was hot, disgustingly so, to be fair, they both knew it was summer and as expected, heat was pretty much gonna be there whether they liked it or not. It was only a few weeks after their trip to Waifei Peninsula so getting adjusted to the heat of New Eridu was going to be a struggle. They were currently at the Scott Outpost waiting for both Ray to give the go ahead and for the agents they asked help from to arrive. The agents they had chosen had to be quite small since they wanted to bring as many as they could for a mission as dangerous as this, but they knew that their secret wasn't exactly something that many would find acceptable. Due to the reputation as the students of the guilty, they would pretty much be either arrested or attacked on sight by most people, if they knew who they were, so the proxies only entrusted this mission to those that knew their secret. Lycaon was a given since he knew before any of the other agents really knew. Another was Hoshimi Miyabi, she was a void hunter and as part of Section 6 of H.A.N.D, she would normally have her schedule pretty much eaten up for not just the day, but the entire week, but due to the fact that she was one of the few they not just told, but entrusted their secret to they had to call her up. The last one was Yiuxan Shifu since due to her mending Wise when he was affected by miasma and then later on, Wise, telling her, she also knew about the proxies’ secret. Well, not so much who it was, but what their teacher meant to them plus as their Shifu she wouldn't abandon her disciples during their time of need.
The proxies due to their job of mostly staying inside guiding people through the hollow as Eous currently, more closely resembled melted ice than people, but they had to endure it until the agents arrived. Belle, who was the more impatient of the two, had to voice out “WHERE THE HECK ARE THEY?!” Her voice sounded like a dying shrill bird and her clothes stuck to her skin in an extremely gross manner. Wise, the more patient of the two but still equally annoyed told Belle “It's just a matter of time before they arrive….but I'll admit this is starting to get a bit annoying just sitting here while we could be in there looking for…her” He said the last part more quietly as to not attract attention to their mission since due the secretive nature of the mission, basically nobody knew what they were truly doing today. To most of the of the investigators there the reason they were both here was just for another routine voyage into Hollow Zero. It hurt the proxies knowing that they had to lie this much. Sure, they had lied before in the past, and the lives they told everyone they lived were basically lies as well. But these were people they knew. People they trusted, people who trusted them and they were lying to them straight to their face. Just to basically use them obviously the proxies knew that they wouldn't mind this. Since it wasn't them using them, it was them asking for help. But to the siblings, it felt just like using them and then discarding them. click clack click The siblings’ train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a pair of heels hitting the floor in a calm steady rhythm, they looked up and were met by a pair of ears flicking and twitching. Wise looked at her ruby red eyes with a happy (and slightly loving) smile, greeting her with joy and relief at her finally being there. “Miyabi! Thanks for arriving on such short notice for us.” The fox thiren merely gave him a small smile “It's nothing… but I do apologize for making you wait. Yanagi made me go to the meeting today and made me miss my ‘skipping the meeting training’.” As it turns out the second they had messaged her to come she basically bolted to the door but was stopped by a certain pink haired lady with glasses who, although was much weaker than Miyabi, still had more than enough strength to grab her, pull her back into the meeting room, and quite literally tie her to the chair with chains, Harumasa and Soukaku were basically witnesses to what they could only describe as a caged animal rapidly and viciously scratching at its already weakened cage. The entire time Miyabi was there in the meeting room she was using as much strength as she could to break the chains. Only after 3 hours later did she finally manage to break through them and the second she was free she didn't even bother using the door. She merely grabbed her sword and swung it with precision and strength, shattering the freaking window! She then before anyone could do anything bolted out the shattered windows and leaped across the city, heading straight to the Scott Outpost at max speed.
“Whoa!” Belle had thought
Belle was shocked with wide eyes and an open maw, she stared with a bit of guilt after finding out just how hard Miyabi fought to get to reach them, and yet here was Belle being mad at her being late. Wise on the other hand was also shocked by her commitment to reach them and had a strange, fuzzy feeling building in his chest… but he was a bit too dense to notice it as anything else besides joy and appreciation for his friendship with Miyabi. As they start to get through briefing Miyabi on the reason why they had called for her assistance, they are suddenly interrupted by a small black creature landing on Wise's head. It looked like a small round ball nesting on Wise's head before opening its small bright yellow eyes. The siblings and Miyabi immediately recognized it as the Qingming Bird, for Belle and Wise, this was the pet of their master or rather Shifu that never seemed to leave her side, wherever it went, she was not far behind. Miyabi however recognized it as the very powerful albeit extremely cute bird of her newest friend and training partner Yiuxan Shifu who she'd met when she mistakenly thought that she had a combat training session inside the VR training simulator of the H.I.A with her. After their combat, she then went out on a little lunch break with her to get to know her as her new friend.
Yiuxan had arrived with her charming smile on full display and with an air of absolute safety and tranquility exuding off her with every step. “Oh? It seems that not only my beloved disciples are here waiting for me but also my friend. I apologize for my tardiness and inability to get here faster.” As it turned out she had arrived on New Eridu about 2 hours ago but consistently stopped along the way to help people whether it be as difficult as stopping a robbery, preventing a few accidents and saving lives, to the absolute benign task of helping cats off of trees and catching adrift balloons for children. Tasks that shouldn't have even concerned her but yet she did them anyway because that was just the kind of person she was. Both siblings had the connected thought of “Yeah that's her alright!”
As the reunions were being made the group had been alerted to a certain wolf thiren and eccentric scientist. They both walked towards the small group of friends with purpose and a small folder that seemed to be quite stuffed to the brim with many research notes, papers, and bookmarks out the ass.
“HAS HE BEEN HERE THE ENTIRE TIME?!” Was the collective thought of everyone there, especially Wise and Belle who both had VERY visible veins bulging from their foreheads and an immense hate and anger for the head of Victoria Housekeeping.
“Remind me to stick chewing gum in his hair later” Belle whispers into Wise's ear with malicious intent.
“Don't ruin our friendship with them over something so petty” Although also rightfully pissed, Wise didn't believe that they should react in such a petty and childish way over this mess, however the intense heat and wait time was waning his already weakened patience so he to some extent he'd also wanted get back at him but decided to just let it go since to him it wasn't wise ( A/N yes pun intended hehehe) to antagonize the guy that the reason behind their renewed hope….didn't stop a small part of him from feeling extra petty.
Lycaon had arrived to deliver both the plans and the necessary carrot to reach to place where the sightings but he with his keen senses, as both a Wolf thiren and a member of Victoria Housekeeping, he could see the animosity towards him and he knew for certain that he was to blame due to his inadequate ability to inform the proxies of both his arrival and his being there. “I offer my sincerest apologies Master pr- Belle and Wise, it is my most grievous mistake for not informing either of you of my arrival and my stay here while I and Ms. Ray worked on the plans for today. I would now wish for you to request anything from me as compensation for my utter foolishness.” He'd said all of this with his head bowed down, completely parallel to the floor, even his ears had been bowing with regret and shame. “Well that was the fanciest way of saying ‘I'm sorry for not telling you I got here, sorry for making you wait , I owe you know’ I've ever heard in my life.” Belle had said with a hint of salt and surprise mixed in her voice “Buuuuuut if you are being serious about that favor then I'll use it for my…..personal…….stuff.”
Wise gave her the most suspicious side-eye he could muster along with a look that screamed ‘I know exactly what you're gonna use that favor for’, he could already place his guesses on what she'd most probably choose but for the meantime chose to simply stay silent. Wise on the other hand wasn't keen on using his friend's favor so willie nilly so in response simply asked “can I keep mine for later?” To which Lycaon responded with a resounding “Of course Master Wise, simply say the word and your wish is my command.” He had that same refined yet soft smile as he truly did believe that at some point he must repay wise for his failure and when the time came he would achieve the task with the utmost effort.
“Weeeeeelll now with that out of the way let's get down to business” Belle had now tried to get the conversation back to the point at ha-“ TO DEFEAT THE HUNS!” Until surprisingly of all people Wise decided to troll her a little bit by referencing one of his favorite films “Shut!” Belle however quickly shut him down but was still annoyed by Wise's shit-eating grin and the agents who were respectfully but horribly failing to keep their amused laughter in.
“Hehehe…ahem sorry about that” Yiuxan admitted shyly as she was still laughing at Wise's joke “Alright let's actually get straight to it” but she had to regain the focus of the room towards their goal. “Alright, Ray, Lycaon, what's the game plan?” Belle asked with curiosity.
“Well from what we've gathered from both rumors and encounters, along with the scouting runs we've been doing here at Hollow Zero, we can conclude that the target person has been all but confirmed, ‘they’ are in there.” Ray had laid it out for the team and it had got their attention quite high, especially the siblings. “ However…. The problem of the constant assault from highly dangerous ethereals and the overwhelming miasma that both surrounds her and further enhances the already dangerous ethereals…. You can see why we've only been able to get very bare-bones information on the target….well apart from the picture your thiren friend gave us…..Well we should be more equipped to handle the threat thanks to our Void Hunter and Yunkui Summit's High Preceptor, but I still can't overlook the danger that you two would be placed into.” Wise had also thought about weighted the risks, him traversing Hollow Zero was already a major test of both his resistance against ether corruption and his agents’ ability to keep him safe. He thanks to his new resistance, had already gone through Hollow Zero a few times, especially around the Withering Garden, but the miasma, while manageable thanks to his training with Yunkui Summit, was still a variable that they hadn't encountered in a place as dangerous as Hollow Zero. The risk went from high to suicidal and both parties knew this, but Wise had to see it for himself.
Not as Eous
Not through reports
But with his own two eyes.
Belle had been against it as she was afraid of losing her brother, she had vehemently tried to get Wise to not go in person, but Wise had been adamant on going in person since he felt like he could do more as himself compared to Eous’ small body. Plus both staying behind while the others risked their lives in the most dangerous environment in all of New Eridu for something they asked help for, was not something Wise was willing to do.
“There is one last confirmation that I need from the both of you before we head out” Ray asked the siblings with both staring at her with ready expressions.
“Are you two………familiar with this area before Hollow Zero happened?” Ray pointed to a section of the Hollow Zero map… and both Wise and Belle froze. It was their home, their old home before Helios Academy, before Carole.
“W-why do you ask?” Both asked at the same time as both had been caught off-guard by the question.
“So you are familiar with it….. scouts have spotted the target frequenting this place, almost a concerning amount and when had a chance to breach the area all we found was a destroyed house, inside was pretty much either corrupted to hell and back or destroyed by ethereals. However we found a picture that was left behind … a bit ripped and faded from age, but still visible, tell me… do they look familiar?”
Ray set the picture on the table with a stern look on her face. It was them, Wise and Belle on it. Why was that photo there? They both remembered the day that picture was taken, it was the day they had first entered Helios Academy, the day they met their teacher. It had been over 11 years since that day. That photo shouldn't have survived, not the chaos that was Hollow Zero. So the fact that they were both staring at the very same photo right now on the table, both were in shock…. and sweating bullets.
“Carole Arna, the perpetrator behind Hollow Zero…. That's who you're looking for…. you are not part of public security or the H.I.A, or the Defense Force, or any section of H.A.N.D…. So I will give you one chance to explain to me why you are looking for her if you in relation to her are nobodies.”
The air in the room became static, Yiuxan, Miyabi and Lycaon all tensed up. They knew this was the ordinary reaction to hearing that type of news and they were willing to risk everything just to defend the proxies, but the fact that Ray had pretty much had the figured out from the start had shocked all of them. There were no major movements from any of them. However, their tensed muscles, sharp eyes and held breath told everything, anyone in that room made any sudden movements whether it was to run or to attack the proxies, they'd be ready.
“Ms Ray, I highly recommend you disengage any notion of what I believe you are suggesting.” Lycaon said with a bit of venom in his tone as did NOT tolerate how lightly his friends were being threatened.
“Lycaon…. It's fi-”
“NO IT ISN'T.” Lycaon cut the proxies off with his tone having even more venom than before.
“You shouldn't have to-”
“IT'S ALRIGHT!” Everyone was shocked, even Belle by the intense shout from the usually introverted Wise.
“Ahem…sorry” he blushed with slight embarrassment but continued “Ray…it's exactly what you're probably thinking.”
Ray whispered under her breath with shock as her eyes went slightly wide “the students of the guilty…… why?
Why did it have to be you?” She was in disbelief and hurt, they had been working with her and her people for little over a year, she'd guessed long ago that they had skeletons in the closet…but this? It threw her for a loop and a half.
“Are you aware how many people are out there, people who are highly dangerous and who are scarred by the fall of the old capital and blame Carole Arna for it? If they knew… they'd kill you without so much as a second thought.”
Ray had been slightly shaking but with rage or fear and worry?
Neither proxy knew but they knew why she was freaking out since… Yeah, had anyone known who they truly were they would have been found either dead or tortured to near death. Well, both of them had been more or less optimistic that nobody there would truly wish them harm. They also knew that people, more specifically soldiers who were part of the fall of the old capital were to put it lightly, not exactly the most understanding when it came to people who were responsible for the event that it cost them everything. Their friends, their family, their home, and for some even their lives, Carole was blamed for everything and by proxy, so were they. Back then, it was simply just questioning since they were some of the closest people to her. But back then, they were just children, hurting, scared and terrified by the amount of people who wanted answers but who couldn't get anything. It did cross their mind that there probably were a few people who wanted to hurt them, who wanted to essentially break them as painfully as possible just to make them talk. But they also knew that wouldn't change anything or make them feel any better, but as the saying scars don't heal they simply fade. They had to even hide for years just for people to forget about them and when they returned to normal life, nobody knew who they were.
So if the fact that they were these people or to be revealed to the public to these people all outside….well they weren't children anymore.
“Ray, the reason we worked for you, worked “with” you is because we were looking for her, that was our only goal, no other reason. Yes, along the way we did help achieve your goals, goals that would benefit every one in New Eridu but from the moment you brought us here to the moment you gave us that offer…. this was the only reason we even resigned ourselves to entering that hellhole… for her. I promise… we didn't want to lie to you or anyone,but… well.. you can understand our position.” Belle had explained it very clearly to her this was simply for them not for New Eridu, not for the people, for them.
Siiiiiiigh~
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“okay… I… can understand why you're here now and why you jumped so quickly to this opportunity. But I want you to know…….. I am still willing to work with you, but I can't do that if you've been hiding a secret this massive from me…. So here's my ultimatum. I will help you and I will spend my valuable resources and time, along with sending some of my best troops to you for assistance on your mission but…..on one condition
You tell me everything….. now.
Not what you want to tell me
Not what you can legally tell me
EVERYTHING.
Otherwise I WILL turn you in here and now.”
Ray had given her ultimatum, the room that they were in, It felt as if the air had gone still. The proxies were given, one of the greatest opportunities they've ever gotten in over ten years and yet it came at the cost of essentially being at the mercy of her and whether or not she would sell them out, and on top of that, they would have to reveal everything about themselves. They were quite literally gambling with their lives.
So now it was a matter of seeing just how much they actually trusted each other. How much they mattered to the other.
“.....inhale~ exhale~ Ray…. Here is the truth… no more lies.” Wise said with sincerity while finished with “... the truth is …..yeah, we are the students of the guilty… our teacher was Carole Arna… but before you say anything...can we explain how things went down from our perspective? I know it'll sound biased since we are her students, but you need to know how it went down for us.”
Ray pushed up her classes that stared at them. It was unreadable. Was she angry? Was she studying? Her stare seemed like it was waiting for them to go and for her to react.
The siblings went on to explain what happened the day Hollow Zero expanded from the moment it happened to the moment they were able to get out of the lives, although their explanation was fairly loose since for both of them, the memories of the event was quite blurry, they could remember bits and chunks very clearly but the process of getting to said chunks was blurry. In fact, how they actually escaped with their lives, neither one of them could fully remember they just chalked it up to somebody finding them before they died. After that, it was just questioning after questioning after questioning with no rest in between. By the time everyone was done with them it was far too late. Both of them had been marked, labeled as “The Students of the Guilty”, they were outcasted from general public, feared, and in some extreme cases, damn near even killed for it. They went into hiding, hiding their identities from everyone and trusting nobody. It was years of them alone with nobody they could lean on but themselves and by the time they finally managed to turn. Despite the fact that their personalities never changed, the scars they held were still there, buried deep inside but burning nonetheless. When they first arrived on 6th street, they were able to slowly rebuild their lives at first, seeming like just normal people running a video store, just a sister and brother trying to make a life for themselves. The neighbors of 6th street, even though they never said it, could always sense that they were hiding something deeper. Sure, they knew about the proxies secret, but not a real reason why they were so guarded and why they trusted only those they knew they could trust. Neither one expected them to become Phatheon, they only became proxies with one purpose in mind to find Carole and prove her innocence; both becoming legendary amongst proxies was not part of the plan but something both of them wore with pride.
“.........”
Ray took in everything they said with calculating if understanding look. Both of them could see behind her glasses, behind her eyes, her brain was trying to process everything that was told to her, that apparently not only was the greatest criminal in all of New Eridu innocent, but she had actually been framed and these two that were in front of her were those students who were desperately trying to prove that she was without showing people that they were related to her. It was like trying to wrap her head around everything she knew was wrong. It was basically asking the impossible of somebody from New Eridu. On the one hand she knew that she definitely had to turn them in, I mean, they were quite literally illegal proxies and not just any proxies, but the legendary Phatheon, and on top of all of that, they were The Students of The Guilty.
On the other hand however, they were some of her best agents. The reason why some of her most outlandish and dangerous expeditions at the Hollow Zero so successful and here they were for the first time in the entire time that she knew them, basically on their hands and knees begging for her help for something that would probably get them all arrested if anyone knew. It was a high ask, basically asking her to commit treason against humanity's last bastion of hope all in the hope that they would find her, Carole Arna.
“................ One.”
Everyone in the room shot up in confusion.
“If you find her, manage to return her to here in one piece, and she can vouch for what you state. You have one chance to prove her innocence to not just me but everyone here.”
“Y-you'll help us?” Both siblings said absolute disbelief.
“ Yes… you have quite the compelling argument but do know that I expect you to not only prove to me that what you're saying is true, but I need evidence as well.
Do you understand what I'm saying? I can only trust you as far as I can throw you. So I'm gonna help you this far, but if this turns out to be nothing more than a ruse and what you say is false, expect a jail cell, understood?”
Ray had said with finality she set her terms on the table…
“Yes!”
And the siblings agreed.
End of chapter 1