Unveiling the Shadows

Sheila descended, picking up a pendant with a cracked glass due to the earlier throw. She held the pendant, observing the photo within, feeling conflicting emotions battling in her heart.

She believed the Queen had a reason for doing this, but at the same time, Sheila was no longer sure about her leadership.

"How about it? Can you answer it, Queen's right-handed woman?" Helio asked, or perhaps you already know about this," he continued.

"No! I have no idea at all!" Sheila quickly replied, afraid of losing Helio's trust.

He merely snorted, smiling as he looked at the pendant that now held no meaning. "Forget it, they're gone too. The purpose of my life is gone. I've spent years searching for them, trying to find where they were, whether they were still alive or truly gone. For years, the Queen promised to help me find them as long as I remained her representative. But what did I get?"

Sheila took a step forward, and at the same time, Helio shot right beside the Queen's child, making him scream in fear with tears flowing.

Sheila stopped in her tracks, biting her lip, unsure of what to do.

Uncertain of whom to choose.

She didn't know whom to choose.

She didn't want to lose her friend, but her family was also in the kingdom. Moreover, she was already too well-known to other kingdoms, so it was impossible for them to escape there.

Sooner or later, the Queen would surely find them.

She would never let go of anyone who betrayed her. Even those who defied her orders would be ruthlessly eliminated. But that's also why Clockheart became the largest kingdom.

"Go back to your ship, Sheila. Tell them that you didn't see anyone. I won't leave this place as payment for what I've done."

Hearing that, Sheila's body trembled. Imagining that this could be their last moment together hurt her deeply. Sheila didn't want to lose him, to lose someone who had been her support for these three years.

Someone she loved.

She didn't know whom to choose.

She didn't want to lose her friend, but her family was also part of the kingdom. Moreover, she was already too well-known to other kingdoms, so it was impossible for them to escape there.

Sooner or later, the Queen would surely find them.

She would never let go of anyone who betrayed her. Even those who defied her orders would be ruthlessly eliminated. But that's also why Clockheart became the largest kingdom.

"Go back to your ship, Sheila. Tell them that you didn't see anyone. I won't leave this place as payment for what I've done."

Hearing that, Sheila's body trembled. Imagining that this could be their last moment together hurt her deeply. Sheila didn't want to lose him, to lose someone who had been her support for these three years.

Someone she loved.

"Forgive me, Sheila. But, as you know, my goal all this time has been to find them. After being separated when we were little, I've been tirelessly searching, holding onto a thread of hope in a life that felt like hell.

I believe they are still out there, not gone too far. I can feel it in my heart, feel their presence as they also search for me. When I finally realized that our target was the two people I've been looking for, do you know what I felt?"

Helio looked at her, at the woman he had also loved. The person who had been his anchor, always by his side no matter the circumstances.

The person he wanted to marry.

Suddenly, the machine exploded, shaking the ship and throwing off Helio's balance, accidentally triggering the trigger of the pistol. The gun fell from his hand as he saw Sarah run to pick up the Queen's child and carry them away, leaving Helio still trying to get up, calling out Sheila's name.

She ran outside, hurrying towards the deck where an iron bridge had been set up. It was lodged on the left side of the ship's deck, providing a passage to her flying ship. She saw that the flying ship wouldn't hold up for much longer, especially after the machine exploded.

Slowly, the ship tilted forward, causing Sheila to almost lose her balance and quickly stomp her foot to run towards the bridge, which was also tilting.

With her heart filled with resolve, she ran there, just one step away from entering the door.

But suddenly, an explosion occurred.

The explosion not only shook them but also shattered the bridge, forcing Sheila to hand over the Queen's child first, resulting in her being late to reach the Brigade member's hand.

Sheila thought her life had ended right then and there.

However, as she felt a push from behind, her eyes widened.

A Brigade member managed to pull her, taking her inside a room where Sheila rushed towards the door with her heart feeling like it had fallen into the deepest abyss.

She saw Helio falling down, a happy smile on his face as tears flowed down.

He uttered three words that felt like knives slicing through Sheila's heart.

I.

Love you.

Sheila.

Sheila screamed his name, about to jump down, but she was quickly restrained by a member of the Brigade. She kept shouting Helio's name, commanding her subordinates to release him, which, of course, they did not comply with.

In the end, Sheila had to be sedated so she could be placed in her private room.

When she regained consciousness several hours later, Sheila was once again struck by devastating news she wasn't prepared to hear. The Brigade members reluctantly informed her, considering they were so close to the kingdom.

Unable to bear it, Sheila collapsed, unable to feel her legs. Her gaze turned vacant, her chest tightened so much that she felt like ending her life.

Not only did she lose the person she loved, but she also failed to save the Queen's child.

What happened next became a blur of memories for Sheila. It was difficult to recall the actual events due to the shock she experienced.

However, Sheila knew that on that very day, the 07 Brigade was disbanded because they were considered useless. The Queen, who had initially only attacked kingdoms that had attacked them, began to assault neighboring kingdoms. Regardless of friend or foe, the Queen annihilated everything in her path until Clockheart became known as a tyrannical kingdom.

Within a year, half of the continent was under their control, and since then, no one dared to fight back, knowing they would end up like the kingdoms that were now reduced to ruins.

.

.

"The reason the Queen ordered us to kill Helio's parents was that she found out they were spies from another kingdom. If they weren't spies, the Queen wouldn't have killed them and would have surely shared the happy news with Helio," Sheila continued, wiping her tears.

"But to ask him to kill his own parents... That's too cruel."

"The Queen didn't want Helio to retaliate against us if she ordered other members to attack them. That's why she eliminated the threat even before it could materialize," Sheila sighed, looking back at us. "Helio is exceptionally talented in strategy. He's the mastermind behind every mission. The Queen doesn't want someone like him as an enemy because she knows we would lose against him.

Thanks to his meticulous planning and strategic thinking, we have won every battle. Only by using his stolen strategies, the Queen was able to conquer half of the continent. That's how formidable and dangerous Helio is.

Unfortunately, beneath all that, Helio is also vulnerable when it comes to his parents. The Queen broke him mentally, forcing him to take a path with no way back home."

"So, to fill the void in her heart, the Queen intends to dominate this world."

Isn't that the same as what I did? Just because I had power, I exploited the people of Clockheart to seek revenge on the followers of that cult.

"Finally, you realize it," Z said, suddenly reappearing. "Although you protected their bodies with your power, you didn't protect their future. You only shattered it.

What you did is the same as tearing this kingdom apart. Even though they are not dead now, they will eventually die due to their lack of trust in each other, leading to civil war.

As you departed, lives fell apart. You can't continue being their protector; you have your own task. By trying to shield them constantly, you are actually destroying them from within. In the end, they may choose to take their own lives."

"What have I done?"

Sheila and Sarah turned to look at me.

"I made all of you suffer. I..."

Sheila came closer, held my face, and lifted it gently. "Don't regret it. Whatever you've done, turn it into a lesson. Now is the time for you to keep moving forward, to decide whether you'll keep walking or be held back by the past. Do you understand?" she asked with a warm smile.

I nodded slowly.

Sheila's smile grew.

She then unlocked the iron restraints on her wrists, allowing me to stretch them for a moment before she asked us to leave with a request that made me frown.

"You want me to hit you? Now is not the right time, you know?"

Sarah nudged me, causing me to wince in pain as the bruised area was affected. But she seemed pleased and walked up to Sheila, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"I'll do it."

"Oh? But I wanted Z to do it," she looked Sarah up and down, then back up again, her smile widening. "Alright, I'll let you do it this time."

Sarah remained unfazed, continuing her approach and raising her right hand.

"Before you slap me, I want to ask you to be more gentle-"

Her hand swung, sending Sheila flying to the side.

She lost consciousness, but as I wanted to check on her, Sarah held my hand, pulling me forcibly while tightening her grip. "She's fine. She's much stronger than you think. And I don't like seeing her constantly trying to seduce you."

Hearing that, it was my turn to smile. "Why? Do you also want to be teased like I did to her?"

Sarah stopped walking, covering my mouth, and suddenly kissed the back of her hand.

Somehow, I felt as if we were kissing. Especially when I saw her close her eyes, seemingly enjoying the moment, my heart skipped a beat.

When Sarah pulled away and removed her hand from my mouth, I was about to ask what she had just done. But I fell silent as I saw her kiss the palm of her hand while looking at me.

"Now, I'm a few steps ahead of her, aren't I?" Sarah smiled, a slightly ominous smile. "Let's go," she said, deliberately glancing at me a little longer before looking ahead again.

I bit my lip, worried about her as I asked myself,

Could I have just awakened something that should have stayed dormant?

"Oh, you're in big trouble, Zent," Z replied with a meaningful smile.