Remnya

I do not believe in dreams. . .

But I believe in fate.

Remnya still remembered those words, words spoken the night she thought would be her last.

However, life had given her a second chance.

I won't let it go.

Never again.

The soothing heartbeats resonating in Remnya's ears seemed to heal the wounds her journey had left on her body and mind. A warm bosom where she could rest her head and allow her dreams to flourish once again, at least for an ephemeral moment.

Family.

My family.

I must protect it.

Tears ceased, and silence embraced the room with motherly arms. The dream was over, but perhaps, reality had decided to spare her the pain that night.

Remnya raised her eyes to observe her beloved sister. Her beauty hadn't changed, and neither did the golden warmth of her eyes. She wore a plain pink shirt and jeans, and her hair was shorter than she remembered. Lowering her gaze, Remnya noticed the size of her abdomen.

A rush of joy filled her heart.

"You're fat," Remnya said, poking her stomach with a big smile plastered across her face.

"Oh, shut up, brat!" Brisa replied, smirking, and then pinched her cheeks. "You've gotten taller."

"Did I?" She giggled and held her hands tightly in hers. "How long until he or she is born?"

"Two or three months, probably?" Brisa glanced at Danny, who stood by the stairs, grinning. "He says it'll be a boy."

Remnya pouted. "I wanted a girl, but whatever."

"I don't want another annoying brat like you." Brisa faked an angry expression. "So, boy it is."

Remnya stuck her tongue out at her and giggled. "What will his name be?"

Brisa remained pensive for a moment. "I've not decided it yet."

"As I thought! But don't worry, I got your back. I thought of a lot of cool names!"

"Oh? Mind telling me some of your great names?"

"Well. . ." Remnya tried to remember, but suddenly, the gloomy face of Merle popped up in her head, reminding her of their primary mission there. Her smile faded, and she furrowed her eyebrows. "I'll tell you later. . . Right now, we need to get outta here."

Brisa widened her eyes. "Where are we going? I imagine you didn't make it here alone, did you?"

"That's right." She nodded. "It's a long story, but let's just say the people from Karx helped me, and now we're going back with them."

"Karx?"

"I'll explain everything to you on our way home, but first, we need to leave this place." Remnya gestured at Danny to get closer. "You're coming with us too."

"Me?" Danny put his hands in front of himself and shook his head. "I can't leave this place yet. I need to wait for Cassius."

"Cassius?" Remnya raised one eyebrow, trying to recall that name until the memories of her past returned like an avalanche. Cassius Doman, also known as Viper. Skado's brother and Persen's son. A cold shiver ran down her back. "That guy?"

"Believe it or not, he's the reason we're still alive," Brisa added, leaning her hand on Remnya's shoulder. "He risked his life to protect us, and he's the main reason Zeo and you could escape that night. He chose to fight instead of turning you in to The Hunters."

Remnya clenched her fists. No matter what, she couldn't forgive Viper for what he had done to them. "I am not waiting for that man," she raised her voice, scowling.

"That's understandable." Unfazed, Danny folded his arms. "You and Brisa should get to safety as soon as possible. I'll stay here until he returns."

"Danny, you can't be serious." Brisa strode to him, shaking her head. "Do you expect me to just leave you behind? You need to come with us!"

"You've always had a great heart, Bris." He giggled and caressed her shoulder. "But what we did for you, we did it because it was our duty. We both caused you and Remnya a lot of pain. Let's say, we were just making up for our past mistakes." Danny narrowed his eyes. "You owe us nothing."

Remnya swallowed as guilt and frustration stung her insides. She wanted to save Danny too, but she couldn't risk Brisa's life because of those stupid feelings. She had lost her once; it couldn't happen again.

"Brisa," Remnya spoke coldly and clenched her fists. "We have no time to waste. Go get your belonging and let's get out of here."

"Rem. . ." Brisa stared at her for a moment, her pupils flickering with hesitation. The weight of her dilemma erased the joy from her face.

"Remnya is right," Danny added, squeezing Brisa's hand. "Don't waste time trying to convince me. Go with her, she's your family. Cassius is mine. I'll be fine. I doubt The Hunters have any interest in a pathetic human like me."

Brisa lowered her gaze and made a long pause. "I am sorry," she murmured, biting her lips. "I won't try to convince you because I know you won't listen, but please. . . survive."

Danny stifled a chuckle. "I'll do my best."

"I'll wait for you outside," Remnya said and strode toward the stairs, feeling the sword of guilt stabbing her chest. Again, life refused to give her a choice and forced her to decide between two equally pitiful paths.

But even if she hated herself for it, her priority was to protect Brisa.

Nothing else matters.

Outside, a full moon rose over the horizon, and an owl hooted atop a low tree branch. Below, Remnya was surprised to find their truck parked and Merle sitting on the hood, drinking. She wondered how he had managed to drive the old vehicle there despite the rough terrain.

As Remnya walked toward him, he quickly recognized the turmoil in her head.

"You don't seem too happy," Merle said.

She nodded and leaned on the truck next to him. "Taking Brisa with us means leaving a good person behind to fence on his own. . . All because of that Viper jerk."

"Viper Doman?"

"Do you know him?"

"Not personally, but I've heard he's a weirdo." Merle shrugged and hopped off the hood of the truck. "Vlad told me some wounded man fought his way through the Hunters. Luckily for him, my buddies got there in time to help him escape. That was before we found your friend."

"Is it wrong to not care about him?" Remnya pursed her lips. "He's Skado's brother and. . ." She clenched her fists. "Persen's son."

"I can understand how you feel. I wouldn't give a shit about him either." Merle stood next to Remnya and messed up her hair. "However, you're not me, you're you. Do whatever you feel is right."

"There's no time either way."

A sudden crunch of dry leaves alerted Remnya of the presence of someone.

Her pupils dilated, shooting nervous glances toward the darkness, trying to locate the source of that noise. She raised her guard and took one step backward when a shadow moved behind a tree.

"Don't worry," Merle said, leaning his hand on her shoulder. "That's no enemy."

A young man wearing the same uniform as hers emerged from the bushes. He limped in their direction, half of his face covered in blood.

"Joan? What are you doing here?" Merle called out and rushed to his encounter, catching his body before he collapsed to the ground. "What happened?"

"They're everywhere," he muttered, taking deep breaths as blood flowed from under his pants and through his legs, spilling on the soil.

"The fucking Hunters? Where's your team?"

He gripped Merle's clothes and stared deep into his eyes. "Captain, both teams have been obliterated. I barely made it out of there alive."

"Why didn't you request for backup? WHY?" Merle yelled, shaking the young man in frustration.

"That's impossible," Joan murmured, taking a mouthful of oxygen before he continued. "They released an ECM attack across the whole city to track and block incoming and outgoing radio signals."

"I see. . ." Merle muttered, easing Joan onto the ground. "FUCKING HUNTERS!" he roared, the veins on his forehead bulging with fury. "Just wait till I put my hands on those cunts!"

Remnya stood stiffly next to them, her heart kicking against her ribs. She wondered if their chances to return home had vanished.

"I guess that's why I was unable to contact Cassius," Danny interrupted, walking outside along with Brisa. He helped her to carry two travel bags. "Though, I believe your communications could get through if you manage to connect to one of those ZG Towers of Crysalton."

They stared at him in silence for a moment.

"You're right, blonde boy," Merle said, scratching his chin. "If we get into the ECM range, we can contact them using a ZG port. However, the call will be easily tracked by those bastards."

"He's Merle, by the way," Remnya told Brisa, pointing at the big man. "Captain of the Silver Army of Karx."

"Nice to meet you, sir." Brisa murmured, widening her eyes at Merle's imposing figure while Danny acknowledged him with a bow.

"You must be Brisa." Merle scanned her from head to toe. "Ronner always had a fine taste in women. And I don't know who the blonde kid is, but it doesn't matter right now." He gestured at Remnya to move.

Remnya nodded and rushed to grab the travel bags from Danny's hands. She placed them in the truck bed and then opened the back door. "If that's all, we should get moving," she said.

"You all should drive back to safety while there's still time," Merle said, opening another liquor bottle.

"Only us? What about you, old man?" Remnya scowled.

"I am staying here, kid." Merle smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Those sassy bastards seem to think they can kill my people and walk away unharmed." He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sending a cold shiver down her spine. "They'll pay with their blood."

Remnya gulped and walked toward him, shaking her head. "Old man, that's too dangerous! Are you planning to fight alone?"

Merle chuckled. "Debrin will arrive soon, but the rest of my army will be sent home. At least, we will reduce our loses if we happen to fail." He turned to the young man sitting on the ground. "Joan, can you still fight?"

Joan lifted his gaze at him and nodded. "I'm ready for anything, captain."

"Good! Because your next mission will be driving these women back to safety." He pointed at Brisa and Remnya.

"As you command." Joan placed his hands on the ground, and like a wild cat, he jumped back to his feet, ignoring the severity of his wounds. "It'll be my pleasure to accompany you, young Remnya." He bowed to her.

"I. . . Uh. . ." Remnya stammered and then bowed too. "Thank you very much."

"That's it then. Get the fuck outta here, kids!" Merle shouted, turning his back to them and drinking his beverage. Joan saluted his captain and ran toward the truck. He hopped in and rushed to start the engine.

Brisa exchanged looks with Remnya and then nodded, telling her everything she needed to know. Brisa grabbed Danny's hands and whispered something in his ear before embracing him into a tight hug.

Remnya swallowed, a knot closing her throat, wondering if she would ever see him again.

Merle placed his hand on Remnya's head and smiled. "It seems like he's an important person for your friend."

"I wish I was strong enough to protect him too. . ."

"You've proved your strength way too many times." He messed up her hair. "Now leave the rest to me."

Remnya bobbed her head, feeling oppression on her chest. "Please take care, old man."

"You too, kid. . . You too."

Silence.

Wiping her tears, Brisa walked toward Merle. She stood in front of him and then bowed. "You've done so much for Remnya and us. Thank you. I'm forever grateful to you, sir."

Merle guffawed. "Well, young lady, if you want to thank me properly, tell me where the alcohol is. I've not drunk anything proper in days."

"Oh, sir, please follow me," Danny said, gesturing at Merle to come inside. "We have a whole shelf full of vintage wines."

"Now we're talking!" Merle shouted and stomped in his direction. Remnya smiled and watched Danny and Merle vanish into the cabin.

Thank you for everything.

Remnya grabbed Brisa's hand and guided her toward the truck. They hopped in the backseat and closed the door.

Joan shoved the first gear and accelerated. The old engine roared as the truck began moving through the steep terrain leading back to the road.

Remnya turned her head to look behind and watched the old cabin fading in the darkness. Please, don't die. . . Mr. Merle, Danny, and Debrin.

Brisa took Remnya's cold hand and held it tightly. "Everything will be okay, Rem," she whispered and gifted her a tender smile that warmed her heart.

Staring into her sister's eyes, Remnya nodded and squeezed her hand. She knew Brisa could read her emotions like a book, yet she forced a smile not to worry her.

"We've come a long way." Brisa brushed a strand of hair away from Remnya's face. "It'll be over soon, and then we'll be able to fulfill our promise of going shopping together."

"I want to help you buy baby's clothes," Remnya murmured, averting her eyes, embarrassed by her own words.

"We can do that." Brisa nodded and then smirked. "And we'll buy new clothes for you too. Your sense of fashion is way off."

"Shut up!" Remnya scowled, but Brisa chuckled at her reaction.

"Hey, we gotta help each other, right?" Brisa beamed at her. "We're family after all."

A smile forced its way across Remnya's face. "Yes. We are."

*°*°*

: December 10