The truth. The woman told me I would find it here, right under this address. However, once I finally arrived at the place, after many hours spent on an empty train, almost as if no other soul went in this direction, I glanced at Washu's confused expression.
"Is this it?" she asked unsurely.
Looking at the paper and back at the little house in front with no signs or numbers I shrugged. "It should be..." I told her, feeling anxious.
The place was located in the middle of nowhere, crops of large and wide farms were surrounding it, giving an ominous aura to the small wooden house.
My friend rubbed her shoulders, and dramatically whined, "It's cold and creepy."
Raising a brow, of course she didn't feel cold, we were used to much different temperatures out in space, however, she did have a point. It was a bit chilly even for me.
"Let's not waste time," I grumbled and went straight ahead, hearing my friend's footsteps behind me.
When a strong wind pushed against my body, I paused for a second only to notice someone left the front door and stood in my way. A kid, maybe in her mid-teens, she carried a little frown on her face as her blue eyes squinted in order to get a better look.
"Who are you?" she asked without hesitation.
Exchanging quick looks with my brunette friend I looked back at the kid and gave her my best smile.
"That's creepy, stop doing that," she told me and surprisingly I felt offended. What was wrong with my smile?
"Well, it was a bit forced," Washu pointed out and I shushed her. "Hey kid, sorry to disturb you but are your parents home?"
"I don't have parents."
I saw my friend bite her lip and sigh. "Okay... Is anyone in charge? You can't possibly live here by yourself."
"What do you want from her?"
Rubbing my neck kid was in complete defense mode, however without knowing she told me everything we needed to know. There was someone important in this little house, someone I had to meet.
"We heard she could help," I told truthfully, having no reason to explain myself to this kid, but deciding it was the right thing to do. "I was told she could help me remember.. some of my past."
"She can," the kid said simply.
"Can we see her?" I asked.
The girl took her time, taking me in with a rather displeased expression, she then went ahead and did the same to my friend.
"Oh," she suddenly let out. "A moonchild.. I think?" she spoke to herself, but we could easily hear her whispers. "Okay." Her sudden change of attitude surprised me, but I wasn't going to complain. "Come on in," she called and turned around walking right inside.
The porch wooden floor bent under my feet, the house was in desperate need of renovation, at least that's what I thought until we went inside.
It was cozy, and the dim light provided enough to see every corner and shelf. There was a lot of stuff in here, random items and books, but it wasn't messy, everything had its place.
"I will speak to her first, wait here," the kid told us having no problem leaving two strangers in a room.
"So..." Washu began but I shook my head.
"I guess we wait and find out," I told her doing my best to keep the nonchalant expression.
Washu walked around the room occasionally poking some items, nearly causing a vase to fall, she shot me an apologetic smile and decided to stand in place as her foot tapped at the floor.
After what felt like an eternity a kid came out of the room and gave us a nod. "You can come in," she told us and went back to whatever she was doing before we arrived.
Hesitantly walking into a dark room, the only light came from a small bed lamp, with the blinds closed there was no other source. It wasn't a large room, there was a desk, a wooden wardrobe, and a bed; someone was in it.
"Hello," her soft voice alarmed every muscle in my body, I heard it before. "Take a seat," she tapped the chair next to the bed.
Doing as told, since there was just one, Washu stood behind, leaning against the wardrobe.
"Long time no see Elina," she greeted, and I frowned.
The woman looked a bit older than Nahla, her eyes were closed the entire time and she lay in bed without much movement. Surely not someone you would forget.
"We met?" I asked simply, I could feel that we have, but memory failed me.
"Mhm," she hummed lightly. "You were just a baby back then, a tiny little child with a strong name and war on her back."
There was a pause, I haven't said anything, simply waited for her to continue.
"I knew we would meet again, however I must say, your friend is a surprise to me. Another moonchild, but also something else. Come here," she called Washu, her eyes still closed.
Brunette shifted uncomfortably but did as tell. Giving me an unsure expression when the woman reached out for her hand I nodded reassuringly, there was no malicious intent in this gesture.
She held it for a minute and gasped dropping it with pursed lips. "I won't be able to tell your past child," she told Washu. "Your father is quite a jokester you see, we aren't on the best terms."
"My father?" Washu asked fully involved. "Who is he?"
A long hum before the answer, "You know already, don't ask me what mind already has figured out."
"I meant who is he?" my friend emphasized the word.
The woman shook her head. "He's beyond anything, no rules no fear, no time applies to his person."
"How is that possible?" I interrupted.
"An old legend says he's a cursed man, cursed by the maker himself, to forever wonder on this universe, and at first, he loved it. He loved the power of being untouched but for how many decades? He grew bored. Nowadays he's mostly in hiding, messing around from the shadows, we spoke before, he brought a pregnant moonchild woman to our house, I was just a kid back then. He begged my mother to heal her, she was known for being the best healer in this galaxy, but even she couldn't save the woman. He blamed us and left with a baby in his hands."
Listening to the story I noticed goosebumps on Washu's hands.
"And the child is here now, you carry a part of his entity, it's beyond my power to see your past. I'm sorry." She sounded genuine, and while I could see the utter confusion and disappointment on my friend's face, we still got to learn something.
"I will wait outside," she told me shortly, tears gathering in her grey moonish eyes. "Thank you," she said kindly and left the room.
"Of course," the woman said, but my friend was already gone. "Interesting friend you brought here Elina."
"You speak as if we know each other well," I said plainly.
"If the stars aligned in a different way, we could have been sisters," she told me warmly. "I saw it, us being happy living a nice life on this planet, but it wasn't the path this universe chose."
"And what path was it?"
Her expression fell, showing disgust and disappointment. "Violence, pain, and despair."
"That's dark," I said sarcastically.
She let out a tiny chuckle. "It's because you don't remember, you pushed it all away, living in a safe bubble you made for yourself."
"I want to remember."
"Do you really? Violence, pain, and despair? What will you do with that?"
"I'm not sure yet, however, my actions will be based on the truth instead of the unknown. I'm tired of questioning myself I wish to know."
"Then," she told me now more convinced. "Take my hand and let me show you."
Without any more hesitation left in my heart I confidently placed my hand on hers, it was soft and warm, she squeezed it and my mind left this time and place, only to see the past.
I saw war, screams, and blood, I saw a man taking me from my mother's hands as she wept behind him. He took me away from the planet fully overtaken by smoke and fire. I saw the woman, as just a child with black glasses as her voice soothed my cries.
Helarias.
That was his name, he left me at the Pentagon's door, and himself headed to his death. His was going to be quick while mine would be long and slow.
The admin was here, they weren't kind, but they saw something in me, always chosen before others, always treated differently. I was just a child, Keith was there as well.
He was my best friend, we were always together, messing around and surviving this hell by each other's side. Everything was okay until I noticed his limping, he kept brushing it off, but I knew something was wrong.
He was faulty.
If the Admin were to find out, that would mean instant death. I decided to help him, we managed to hide it for a year time, but it got so much worse all of the sudden, Admin noticed.
"You hid this from me?" they hissed as they pulled me away from my crying friend. "I was always so careful with you, the good treatment is over, let me show you what it means to go against me!"
I was thrown into the pit, at the age of seven I suffered in the darkness consumed by my own demons, but it was not the worst part. The worst part came when I got out.
"Faulty is weak, and faulty will be our demise, kill him, Elina." The admin guided the hand in my hand toward Keith sleeping in a hospital bed.
"No! no, no, no!" I panicked and screamed. I got thrown into the pit fourteen times more before my mind broke.
I saw myself take that shot, I saw myself kill my best friend.
"I told you," Keith appeared by my side as we both watched the scene in front. "Never go against the admin, that's how it ends, I tried to protect you. I became the monster for you."
"You were my friend... I killed you," I uttered in disbelief.
His hand gently rubbed my back. "They killed us, at that moment you died along with me, what remained were our ghosts."
"This isn't right," I said with a shaky voice, looking at the past, seeing myself kill so many people but also that little girl who held hope as I walked her to the train, before with a cold face I shot her in the head.
Dropping onto my knees I cried. I had never done this before, not like this, I broke completely, I shouldn't be alive, I didn't deserve to breathe.
"No," Keith cupped my cheeks. "It's not us, it's them," he pointed at the admin. "We need to set ourselves free, we have to do this."
It took me a second to realize what he meant, wiping off the tears, he was right. I was the princess of the sun, a princess without people or a planet to be called home, but I wasn't going to be controlled.
They took everything from us, but Earth gave us something else, it gave us hope to continue, to rebuild our mind, and to find some sort of redemption on its ground.
Gasping the woman dropped my hand and my vision returned to the small dark bedroom. She sighed and shook her head.
"This isn't the answer," she told me clearly knowing my next move.
"There are no answers," I told her while getting up and heading towards the door. "Only violence pain and despair."
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