34 Their Promises (1)

Leon thought he was going to die from surprise after everything that had happened during the morning.

He was already in the operating theater when he felt a strange uncommon presence in the operating room. Unlike energy signatures, a person's presence was something even expert Spellcasters and fighters couldn't explain. All the boy with blonde hair and electric blue eyes knew was that he had memorized how his surrounding felt whenever 373 would visit him. She had visited him almost every day for nearly a month, while frequently popping out from thin air, so it only made sense to him that he could sense her from a mile away.

There was no mistaking it – the girl was in the room. She was perched on top of a pile of containers. But for some reason, Leon could also feel someone else right beside her. Before he could process what had happened, her presence disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

A few breaths later, she was back. This time she was bringing someone else along. If it weren't for the electricity zapping him back into reality, he would have forgotten that he wasn't supposed to stare at her location. She appeared and disappeared from the hallway too many times Leon lost count. And whenever she did, she was with a different person each time. He was more shocked by her going in and out of a lion's den than he was by the metallic rods that were giving him high doses of electricity.

What exactly was going on?!

After a few more tests, the researchers dumped him back in his cell with the chains and fetters holding him back. The usual harassment occurred, although he paid less attention to the researchers than he usually did. He sat upright and became busy preparing his questions once 373 visited his cell. She didn't visit him yesterday and today she was bringing other people inside Elisium's so-called Sanctuary. He had too many things he wanted to know. But the moment 373 had reappeared in front of him with four pieces of bread in tow, he had forgotten half of what he wanted to ask and greedily gobbled on one piece of bread that was filled with custard filling.

It was only after he had finished the pastry that he remembered her daring actions this afternoon. "You… came here with people? Who were they?"

"Classmates," she replied. She tossed him another piece of bread, placed two thick books beside her, and sat down on the concrete floor before she continued. "I promised Zain Amina I would tell them about Elisium's Sanctuary."

Leon gratefully took the bread but didn't start eating. "Zain… Amina? A girl? A classmate of yours?"

"The day I didn't visit you, they brought her down here." She muttered the words lifelessly. Before he could ask about what had happened to the girl, 373 said, "She's dead."

The boy looked away from her solitary figure. It really bothered him when wasn't her usual spiteful and sarcastic self. He changed the topic. "Did they believe you? Your classmates, I mean."

She nodded. "Seeing is believing. But I might bring a few back here tomorrow."

"Are they… going with you when you escape?"

She shrugged. "We're thinking about it."

She narrated how Michael had told her they were leaving in three days, how she had suggested bringing the entire class of Aquarius along when they escaped. The female also told Leon about the plans she and her classmates had managed to create after much brainstorming. But the flat tone in her voice told Leon something 373 didn't voice – escaping with a large group was going to be impossible.

"Are there really too many skilled Spellcasters in this place? Aren't they just a group of researchers?" Leon asked. He couldn't really imagine the adults of Elisium as ranked Spellcasters. They all looked… weak – like people who couldn't butcher a chicken.

Black eyes blinked at him a few times. The look 373 shot him made him feel like an idiot. "What," he interjected. "They really are just researchers!"

"They're all ranked Spellcasters. All 200 plus of them." She muttered. "Besides… this place is also a maze."

Leon had a brilliant idea. He grinned and pointed at her. "But with that Talent of yours… if you can find someone who knows all the passageways in Elisium, you can read his or her mind and use it to escape Elisium undetected!"

"Who?"

Leon was caught off guard with the question. He scratched his head. "Um… the owner?"

"…is a Magno Deorum," 373 murmured. The boy shot her a blank stare. After giving him a look of pure dismay, she took the liberty of briefly explaining what kind of people the Magno Deorum were to enlighten him.

"So, the owner is a powerful guy," Leon said.

373 nodded.

"And he's really powerful?"

The little girl nodded again.

"More powerful than you?" Leon inquired.

The girl exhaled. "More powerful than all of Elisium's researchers combined."

Leon still couldn't believe it. "Are you sure? Really really sure?"

373 kept her lips pursed. Then, she rolled her eyes. In a fit of irritation, he chucked the piece of bread in his hand at her. She dodged it and allowed the pastry to fall on the floor. Leon tried to reach for the morsel with his hands but the chains held him back and he couldn't reach. His bright blue eyes turned glum as regret flashed in his eyes. His stomach rumbled in response. The girl saw it all and clicked her tongue. She picked up the piece of bread and tossed it back to him.

"If you're going to regret it, then don't do it in the first place," she mumbled. Leon instantly shoved the bread in his hands and finished it quickly before 373 changed her mind.

"You said… you have a Talent, right?" Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible. But Leon heard her question in the silence of his cell.

He nodded, before asking, "Why do you want to know?"

She ignored his question and asked another one. "Why haven't you tamed your power over flames?"

Leon found himself unable to reply. Or rather, he didn't want to. He cleared his throat and gave her a vague answer. "Talents are unexplainable, you know? They can turn dangerous if you don't know how to control your power."

373's stared at him like an all-knowing sage. "Why are you afraid of it?"

The boy huffed. "I'm not! Who told you that?"

She simply pointed at her head and shot him a threatening gaze which told the young boy that if he wasn't going to answer, then she was going to pry into his head and get the answers herself.

"I almost…" Leon nervously shifted his position and swallowed the saliva in his mouth. "I almost killed someone when I last used my power over flames."

The girl must have seen the guilt in his eyes since she didn't pry into the matter about the child he had almost killed, but instead asked him if he had tried controlling the flames before.

The young male shook his head. "What's the use? I'm trapped here. Can't use the Talent anyway."

The female's mood turned sober. "I promised to come back for you, didn't I?"

Leon froze. He took a few breaths to steady his emotions and laughed. The sound was hollow and flat and every bit forced.

"Yeah, but what if you don't? What if you can't?" the boy replied. He knew he had been the one who asked 373 to make the promise but still – he didn't want to hope for something that was impossible. He shook his head. "Some promises… are meant to be broken. Hasn't anyone told you that?"

This time, it was her turn to throw a piece of bread his way. He automatically made a move to catch it and missed the angry look that was plastered on her face. She stood up, her back facing him, and began to cast Adicio.

"I'm going," she said. And with a drop of a hat, she was gone.

Leon stared at the piece of bread of his hands in silence. He tore one piece from bread and munched on it. If he ate like this, he could savor the taste of the bread on his tongue. He didn't finish the thing in one gulp. If 373 was going to be gone in a few days, he might as well enjoy each meal as his last. He was going to miss eating the delicious snacks from Elisium's kitchens.

But he was going to miss the little girl most of all.