Chapter 194: Chapter 163

Sonya walked down the hall, running her fingers along the wall. Her eyes swept over the space, little moments playing out in the back of her mind. Ten weeks wasn’t a long time, not in the grand scheme of things. Yet somehow it felt like an eternity in others. Everyone was asleep and yet somehow she could still hear the little pockets of conversation that had filled this place. She could still see the aspirants walking from one place to another, the classrooms, training halls, the lab, the little theater, the common room with the stairs leading up to the administrative hall. She ascended the steps, running her hand along the rail as she glanced down at the couches beneath her.

Her lips curled into a smile.

“You’re going to miss this, aren’t you?” A little voice rose up in the back of her mind, a hint of amusement playing on the edge of that cold voice.

“Yeah,” She murmured beneath her breath, “I don’t think I’ll be doing it again next year.”

“Probably not,” Ishtar said, “Are you satisfied? Watching them grow? Did you get what you wanted out of it?”

“I’m not sure,” Sonya said quietly as she strode down the administrative hall, rounding the corner and stopping at that door leading out onto the balcony. She remembered sitting there, wishing she could cry as her heart broke over and over again from Chunhua’s presence.

“The deal wasn’t a bad compromise,” Ishtar pointed out, “She won’t do what you want her to do, but that’s not such a bad thing. She can be the person she needs to be, now.”

Sonya stopped at the door and rest her hand on the handle, her smile turned a little rosy and she rested her head against it. It was cold, soothing in a way it hadn’t been for her when her mind was buckling under everything she’d endured. She was stronger now, so much stronger, and not just in power. She could take the weight, even if it was a little bit.  “I know.”

“You don’t have to take it all back all at once,” Ishtar soothed, “I’m still here.”

Sonya’s lips twitched, “I know,” She breathed, her voice a little shakier this time. “It just feels like all or nothing sometimes.”

“Still haven’t figured out the villain’s mindset yet, then,” Ishtar said with a faint laugh, “It’ll come to you.”

Sonya threw her head back and let out a noisy sigh, “You are the worst,” She muttered before pushing down on the handle and pressing outside. There, on the balcony, sitting on the rail and looking out onto the courtyard was a single girl with short black hair that had grown a little during her time at the camp. On her shoulder was a regal looking bird, a hawk, it leaned down and took something from her hand before snapping it down and swallowing. Sonya stepped out and the hawk turned its head to look at her.

The girl reached up to stroke the animal’s neck, “Easy, Al, it’s just Miss Sonya.”

“Your senses are getting sharp,” Sonya said casually as she walked onto the steps, closing the door behind her.

“You’re the only person here who wears distinctive cologne,” Lillian said without looking back at her, swinging her legs as she took in the view.

“Ouch,” Sonya quipped and sauntered over to stand behind the railing next to her. She glanced down at the girl. She’d come in so bright eyed and filled with spirit. Most of that was still there, but the pain and anguish of what she’d been through, the struggle, the constant pressure, it seemed to have tempered her in a way that Sonya couldn’t quite quantify. She looked away from the girl and let out a breath. She felt a little guilty for what role she played in that, sanctioning her powers so that she could grow more steadily. “You gave him a name?”

“Yeah, Alphonse,” Lilian said quietly, “We’re connected, I can feel the other birds around here too. Not as strongly though. They hear me and I hear them, it’s strange. Not like my other powers. Something indistinct,” She said thoughtfully as she scratched beneath Al’s chin. The bird made a burbling sound of delight and rustled its feathers. Lillian looked up at her and Sonya took in her face. Her tan skin was marred with a few scars that would never go away, a faint burn line along her jawline. Her eyes were like that of a bird now and glowed with a dim golden incandescence. Two thick strands of her hair had been colored green and red to match the feather-like tattoos that glowed along her throat and shoulders.

It’s affected her so much. Much more than any power I’ve ever seen, besides my own, I suppose, Sonya thought as the girl seemed to consider her for a moment. “What is it?” Sonya asked gently.

“It’s nothing,” Lillian said after a heartbeat and shook her head, looking back at the courtyard. She paused again before taking a breath, “What is my powers name, Miss Sonya?”

“Fenghuang,” Sonya said, “You’ve earned the right to know.”

Lillian looked up at her in surprise, “Just like that?”

Sonya laughed, “‘Just like that’, you say?” She looked down at her, “You’ve endured so much to get to this point. You set your life aside for another, I heard, you sacrificed and fought tirelessly to grow into the person you are now,” She nodded, “Yes, you deserve it. I think with this knowledge you’ll come to understand why your power behaves the way it does.”

Lillian looked down at her feet, “I’ll look it up,” She hesitated again, “Did you know? That it would take doing that to myself to progress?”

Sonya’s lips thinned and she let out a sigh through her nostrils, “Yes.”

Lillian went quiet for a while as she let that single admission sink in. She reached up and stroked Al’s head slowly, her shoulders tensing and relaxing. Sonya didn’t give her any excuses, she just stood next to her for a while. She wanted to turn and hug the young woman, stroke her hair, comfort her, make all the pain she’d gone through just go away. It felt like watching her own child suffer. She held her tongue, though, her arms crossed casually behind her back as Lillian worked through her feelings.

“Thank you,” Lillian said with a quiet shaky voice and looked up at her, “For believing I could handle it.”

“It’s going to get harder,” Sonya said quietly.

“I know,” Lillian said with a nod and quickly pulled herself from her perch. Al let out an annoyed squawk but didn’t leave where he stood on her shoulder. She turned and wrapped Sonya in a tight hug, practically lifting her off the ground. “You gave me a chance at my dream, and I will never, ever, be able to properly repay you for it.”

Sonya’s heart cracked a little, she’d done more than that and it was a cruel thing. She’d set the terms for her advancement, she’d been the one to force all those powers into her body and mercilessly merge them. It had been a petulant act, lashing out at Chunhua for rejecting the role of her executioner. She’d had faith in the girl, certainly, she’d believed in her spirit and her words during that interview. Even so, it had ultimately been something self-serving on her part. And here she is, thanking me. Damn fool girl.

She thought as she ran her fingers over the back of the girl’s head, stroking it gently. Lillian’s shoulders shook and she returned the hug.

“I’m sorry, I can’t stop crying,” Lillian mumbled into her shoulder.

Sonya’s cracked heart melted a little, the pain easing as something else took over. She held the taller girl close, “It’s okay. Everyone expects you to be strong,” She whispered, “But right now, you can be a little weak if you want. You’ve been through so much.”

She held the girl she’d turned into a hero, the girl she’d put through hell, and did what she could to relieve a little bit of the pain she’d caused. It was all she could do. When Lillian finally stopped crying she pulled away slowly and stood up straight, looking down at Sonya with glassy eyes that burned with that same conviction she had the day they met. Sonya smiled up at her, “I’m proud of you, and your friends. You’ve far exceeded my expectations.”

Lillian wiped her eyes, “I won’t let you down, ma’am.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Sonya chuckled and shook her head, she reached up and poked her nose, “Don’t worry about me. Just be a good hero, Lillian. Do the right thing. Fight the good fight. Hold on to those convictions of yours and never let go,” She said and crossed her arms back behind her back, “One day you’ll fight side by side with your teacher, I just know it.”

Lillian flushed and looked down at her hands, playing with them, “Thank you.”

Sonya put her hands on her hips and tilted her head, “Now I think you need to get to bed, don’t you?” She said with mock scolding, looking the girl in the eyes from an odd angle, “Aren’t your parents showing up tomorrow? Do you want to have to explain bags under your eyes along with everything else?”

Lillian jumped and whipped her head around, irritating Alphonse again who took to the sky with an angry cry and circled around them. “Oh my gosh it’s so late!” she gasped and rubbed the side of her head, “Oh crap! Snow’s gonna kill me!” she said quickly and darted towards the door. “Good Night Miss Chernovna!” She called.

Sonya laughed and shook her head, “You’re a hero now!” She called back, “Call me Sonya!”

Lillian beamed at her and raced through the door.

“You should take your own advice now and then,” Ishtar said at the back of her mind.

Sonya snorted, “Shut up,” She muttered and slipped onto the rail where Lillian had been sitting. She kicked her feet and looked out towards the same view that Lillian had been enjoying. She took in the faint remnant scars of the raid, the dojo off to the left, the distant training field, the conditioning track, the gates to the disaster slope. “You know,” Sonya said, “Life isn’t so bad. I kind of like it. Even with… you know… everything,” She ran her thumb along the railing, “I wish there was a way that I could…” She trailed off and laughed to herself, “Nevermind. Wishful thinking,” she sighed, “Whatever happens, I’ll be okay with it.”

“You still have a long way to go,” Ishtar said.

Sonya smirked, “I know. Six more to go.”

Ishtar sighed and dispersed. Sonya shrugged it off, she didn’t know what was bothering her but it really didn’t matter. Right now, she was content. Her little act of villainy had made something positive for the world and that helped, it helped a lot. She opened her hand and a small portal appeared over it, a tiny shape falling into it. An egg. She rolled it over between her fingers as she felt it hungrily reach out and grab at her mana, pulling it in like a torrent. She giggled at the sensation. “Hungry tonight?” She teased, “Go ahead and eat all you want, I have plenty to spare.”

–

Chunhua had meandered her way out of her room and into the common room, settling on one of the couches and laying back to relax. It’d been a while since she’d felt this at ease and she knew that it would be a while yet afterward that she would experience it again. She wasn’t wearing her usual hero uniform, a combat robe. Instead, just a white tank-top and jeans accompanied a pair of simple socks. In her hand she held a comic book that she flipped through lazily, enjoying the pages.

A shift in movement overhead drew her attention and she felt the signature presence of her student descending the stairs. She drew her presence in a little, examining her face. Streaks from tears framed a bright smile. Eyes filled with determination and a little bit of urgency.

She’s up late. Chunhua thought, scratching at her chin as Lillian raced past, unaware that she was sitting there. She glanced up at the top of the stairs and raised an eyebrow before reaching out with her senses. Sonya? Her mana levels are fluctuating wildly, why? What’s she doing?

Chunhua let out a grunt and hopped to her feet, snapping the comic closed as she walked over to the steps and ascended. So much energy but it’s not going out into the air, just… disappearing. She frowned and picked up her pace, a bit of concern coiling up in her gut as she hurried to the door leading to the balcony. She pushed the door open and stopped. There she was, sitting on the railing with a small object in her hand. Her white hair sparkling in the light, dancing about her pale face. She was so tiny with the world framing her, so frail. Chunhua knew better, but it still made her feel something wrap around her chest and squeeze.

She looked down at her own hand that she’d used to make two deals with her. One to learn a terrible truth, the other to have it taken away when it needed to go. She looked back up at Sonya who only had eyes for the tiny object in her hand. An egg? Sonya’s face was so gentle in that moment, warm, almost motherly.

“Are you going to keep admiring me in the moonlight, or are you going to say hello?” Sonya asked without looking at her.

Chunhua tensed, “I- what-” She stammered. Dammit…

Sonya gestured and a tiny square of light formed over her hand, she pushed the egg up into it and it vanished. She turned and looked back at Chunhua, a bit of sweat beading on her brow. “Just feeding the baby,” Sonya said with a mischievous smile before pushing off the rail and onto her feet. She walked towards Chunhua, her arms crossed behind her back as she peered up into her eyes with those eerie pink orbs. “Tomorrow’s a big day,” She said.

“Yeah,” Chunhua murmured.

“You’ll be pretty busy with security,” Sonya continued.

“Yeah,” Chunhua said again, her hands falling to her sides.

“Then you’re going back to hero work, you’ll be all over the world again, our new deal will go into effect,” Sonya rambled on.

“Yeah.”

“If there was anything you wanted to do before then, now is really the only option, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Chunhua started and then blinked, “Wait, what?” She blurted, nearly taking a step back before a hand took hold of the hem of her shirt.

Sonya was inches away, she hadn’t even noticed. She smelled like… Wow. Chunhua cleared her throat as Sonya giggled at her, “Chunhua,” Sonya whispered, looking up at her with that perfect face, with those incredible lips, “Will you keep me company tonight?”

Chunhua positively melted, “...yeah.”