Epiphany Of The Weak

. . .

Three years had passed since the Great Transcontinental War.

Having seized the position of C.U's Ruler, Maltyie maintained the world peace all those years as the war's aftermath slowly receded. In Sweden for example; the citizens lived their lives as if it didn't cross their mind but one girl always thought of the events happening in the war. From the start of it until the heart-wrenching loss of a person she cared for in the end, Ava Lindberg remembered the details whenever she stares into space.

This habit of hers continued until high school. The now 17-year-old Ava stared into space as her teacher taught in front of the class.

"...Pssst! Ava!!"

Ava's best friend, Aya, poked at her shoulder with a pen. She sat to Ava's right, and when this happened, she would usually be the one to wake her back to reality.

"Ava!" whispered Aya.

"Miss Ava Lindberg!!!" called the teacher.

The young woman with her ponytailed dark hair called Ava's name over and over, but she didn't budge. It appeared Ava was really stuck in her own world.

"M-Madam Martinsson, I think she's—"

Their teacher, Madam Martinsson was infuriated with Ava ignoring her, and when a visible vein popped on her forehead, Aya was shut silent. Truly, she didn't want to say anything that could exacerbate her worsening mood.

"Hm?" Ava snapped to reality after the surrounding air thickened, all due to Madam Martinsson's anger.

"What did I say in front before?" asked Madam without delay.

"The properties of tungsten, right? Considered as the strongest metal on Earth, it has the highest melting point among them all at over 3410°C. In the chemistry element table, its atomic number is 74. But, what Madam said are all basic stuff regarding the element tungsten."

"H-Huh?" Madam Martinsson floundered, somewhat anticipating what Ava was going to say after.

"Ah, there she goes again." Aya was used to this. Being her friend and classmate for three years, this spectacle was not rare.

"I know it's not in our syllabus, yet, but let me just say this. Just knowing the element's properties are elementary level, by the way. I read the textbook but found no application of tungsten written anywhere. Do you know what tungsten is used for, Madam Martinsson?" asked Ava.

Oh no.

Madam Martinsson trembled in pure anger. Not only did Ava question her knowledge in the subject she taught, but she also talked back. Not a good thing to do when you were literally not paying attention to her class.

"You said we will be studying the properties of metal elements today, so I did my homework a bit. It's fun! Just so you know, tungsten is really good as filaments in light bulbs and cathode ray tubes. This metal has a high melting point, so it doesn't melt when the electricity passed through it heat the whole thing," continued Ava.

Bam!

"..."

The teacher brought Ava to the principal's office and she went off on Ava's attitude in class. Seeing this, the principal sighed as he c.a.r.e.s.sed his forehead. This was just one of many times Ava was brought there in that year. Of course, after the whole lecture was done and the bell rang, Ava exited the principal's office and met with Aya in the hallway.

"Ava! You could take it easy on Madam, you know," said Aya as they walked together.

"Ehehe. Yeah, I do feel bad for making her angry so many times. Though, she needs to learn to control her emotions. The way she ticked off so easily makes it hard for me to not tease her."

As the two friends laughed, a tall figure approached them from behind. Most people wouldn't know if someone was closing in, not when the hallway was bustling with students going back home. Some others stayed back for extra classes or clubs they joined.

"...?" Aya turned around before the figure could take a further step. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why have you come here... Caesar?"

The masked man flinched when the girls stared at him. "Hoho! Your senses are not dull, I see. Even in this crowd, you can sense me, Lady Aya!"

Ava blinked. "Oh, Caesar. What are you doing here?"

"Hah! You want to know, right? Why am I, a military officer, come to this school in the first place? Intriguing, isn't it?"

"...You don't look like an officer with that casual clothes," said Ava.

"Ava, I heard there's a new cafe opened nearby. How about we check it out now? You don't have a club, right?" asked Aya.

"Oh! I am quite thirsty right now. Let's go!"

"Um..." Caesar watched as the two girls ignored him—practically leaving him behind. The students were watching those three the entire time, and when Ava and Aya left, they resumed their own activities.

"Hey, hey, hey!! Don't leave poor me alone!"

Caesar caught up with them just when Ava ordered a coffee at the said new cafe. "Oh, Caesar! Here, you can have this." After they sat at a table, Ava handed the drink to Caesar.

"So, what did you want to say back then?" asked Ava.

"You see... It's about Alicia."

"My mom?!!" Aya put down her own drink. "Um, before you explain, can you remove that Aegis mask? Everyone is staring..."

True enough, the other customers took furtive glances at them.

"Oh well. Can't cosplay for a bit here, eh?" Caesar put away his yellow mask, revealing a pair of ocean blue eyes, and lush dark hair. Of course, because of this, he'd attracted the attention of ladies in that cafe. Caesar himself was aware of this but decided to ignore his surroundings. He'd been tasked to tell Aya and Ava information about Alicia and her breakthrough, and he would only do just that.

Probably.

"Do you know about the cure's progress?" asked Caesar.

Ava nodded her head. "Mrs. Andersson said she found a way to reverse the Aegis's effect a few months ago. But that's not enough to create the cure. She needs to figure out how to apply it practically and at a much larger scale."

"Wait, did Mom find a way to do it?" asked Aya.

"Probably. Who knows?"

Caesar's answer cost him his legs, as the girls who sat across the table kicked at him non-stop. "Ow, ow ow!! Okay, okay! She already created it!"

"The cure?!!!" Ava stood up and slammed her hands on the table. Those who didn't know what the trio was saying just stared at them, and when Ava suddenly shouted, some of them yelped. Ava realized this and sat back down, embarrassed.

"Yes, Alicia created the cure already. But! But she needs time to test it first. She will need to administer these prototypes to some experimental Aegis, so until it's confirmed that the cure can be used, we can only wait," said Caesar.

"I see..."

Ava was hoping that the cure could work right then and there, but it turned out more time was needed for that to happen. She didn't mind since it'd been three years since the project started—the exact time she waited for the man-made miracle. Aya who sat next to her saw how dejected she was, and cheered her up a little.

"Anyway, that's all I've to say," said Caesar. "I'll pay for your drinks, kids. See you later at the base."

With that, the masked guy disappeared from sight, along with the attention he'd gathered to himself. Aya patted her best friend in the back. She clearly understood what Ava was feeling—a hope rising in her heart got crushed instantly. Ava didn't need to feel like this right now, and for Aya who'd known her for a long time, it affected her too.

"Ava..."

"A-Ah! You're gonna be late!" Ava slung her backpack and scurried out of the cafe, followed by Aya. "You have a piano lesson, right?"

"Not today," said Aya.

The two slowly halted at the sidewalk as they stared at each other. Ava didn't want her friend to worry about her so she brought the topic up. They were always together in these three years, and with the struggles they'd faced during their younger days, the two girls understood each other. Aya can read Ava like a book, and vice versa.

"It's okay, Ava. Let's just head back. It's still early but I know you don't have any plans for this evening, right?" asked Aya.

Ava nodded slowly. As they both went back home, Caesar's message never left her mind even for one second. The cure Ava had been waiting for all these years—Alicia and her fellow scientists' ceaseless effort, day in and out, finally bore fruit to what seemed impossible during its early stage. Deep inside, Ava's heart throbbed from anticipation.

The day she'd dreamed of was near, and more importantly, she could see it with her own eyes.

◈◈◈

At that night, Ava's mind was completely on the cure. Her hands moved ever so slowly as she ate her food, and of course, everyone else at the dinner table noticed this. Maltyie prompted Aya about her friend's behavior today, but she just shook her head. Though after some prodding by Elle and Ernestine, Aya spilled the beans.

"I see..." Maltyie was well aware of the cure's progress, but it never occurred to her that the news could affect Ava this much. Elle was confused so she just continued to eat her food. Ernestine, on the other hand, understood Ava's feelings and chose to stay quiet after that.

"A-Anyway, where's Derrick?" asked Aya.

Maltyie sighed when she heard this and her fork stabbed at the meat. "He's busy. Right now, he's in Neo Africa accompanying our ambassador. Honestly... my husband can't take a break..."

"You have the power to call him back," said Ernestine.

"That I do. But I don't want to flaunt my authority just so I could have him for myself. Though, if I see any instant of him being pushed around, then Azalea will pay for it!!"

They all (except for Ava) flinched when Maltyie stabbed her meat with considerable force. Aya and Ernestine knew about Azalea being Derrick's superior, so if anything happened to him, Azalea would have to answer to Maltyie directly.

After dinner, Ava lied down on her bed and while reminiscing past memories, the girl fell asleep.

The next few days went by normally for Ava and her best friend. Ava managed to put away her thoughts about the cure while in class. Needless to say, this girl was back to her normal self.

"Miss Lindberg! Name one characteristic of sodium hydroxide!" said the teacher in front.

"A-Ah!" Ava stood up from her seat hurriedly. "Um... I think... it's corrosive, right? Like, really corrosive! And... um, it can be made through electrolysis...?"

"The chemical is indeed corrosive. It can hydrolyze tissues in no time, and we'll be dealing with it during the next lab experiment so I'll teach the safety precautions you can take before then... Ah, you can sit down, Miss Lindberg."

From morning to evening, the days went by so fast that Aya almost forgot about the whole cure thing until her mother, Alicia mentioned it to her. After a few weeks had passed, Ava and Aya went down to the underground lab at one night. Surprisingly, to those around Ava, it was strange that she didn't visit "him" during those three weeks. Aya was concerned at first but quickly figured out that her friend needed some time to her own.

"Good evening you two ladies!" greeted Klaus. "Why are you two here toda—"

"How's the cure?" asked Ava impatiently.

"Haha..." Alicia Andersson patted the girl on the shoulder. "I'll cut it short. After estimation, it seems like the cure can finally be used by the end of this week."

"So that means... this Sunday, huh?" said Aya.

"..."

Ava took a few deep breaths, calming herself down. The time she'd been waiting for—it was so near. She thought her heart would explode like this, with a rush of emotions swirling and coalescing in her c.h.e.s.t.

"...Can I see him tonight?" asked Ava.

"Of course!! Since when you 'can't' visit the guy?!" Klaus's fingers flitted over a keypad at his side and a wheel-like door g.r.o.a.n.e.d. The large metal structure slid to the left, revealing a cl.u.s.ter of golden crystals in a white room.

"..." Ava approached the crystal and put a hand over it. A blond man was encased within the cl.u.s.ter, and it had been that way since the incident three years ago. His appearance didn't change at all—as if he'd stopped aging, frozen in time.

"You'll be free soon..." whispered Ava.

That was all she had to say at that moment. Anything else in mind would have to wait until this Sunday. She wanted him to listen, and for that, she could wait a few more days.

And until that day came, they lived their lives normally in anticipation. It was still surreal to think that a certain someone would reappear again in the lives of his closest friends. These people had moved on after accepting the fate this man had embraced. Sacrificing himself to give birth to someone else's happiness—he parted ways with everyone.

Finally, the day everyone had been waiting for arrived. The scientists including Alicia and Klaus dispersed once Maltyie arrived. Behind her, Ava, Aya, and Ernestine followed closely. It took a few minutes but Lily, Caesar, and Miranda arrived as well after them.

"Everyone's here," announced Maltyie.

The people present crowded near the same room Ava entered last time. With a few taps onto a keypad next to its metal door, the white room revealed itself once more.

"Alright. I'll apply the cure now," said Alicia.

She moved towards the golden Aegis crystals and pulled out a cylindrical metal tube. It was rather small—about the length of her palm. Pressing it onto the crystals' surface, a few loud clicks echoed.

"This should be enough..." Alicia stepped away to let the cure do its thing. The theory behind it was quite simple, actually. When the cylinder planted into the golden crystals, chemicals that could reverse the formation of Aegis crystals spread out like veins—all the way until it reached the blonde man at the center. It took approximately five minutes for the cl.u.s.ter to dissolve into particles, and after that, it was just a matter of waiting for that certain someone to wake up.

However, only Ava rushed into the room after Alicia.

Her arms wrapped around him as the last remnants of his Aegis crystals disappear.

"Hope..." whispered Ava.

He had still not woken up, but tears already started to fall from Ava's eyes. It streaked across her cheeks and fell onto his uniform. To Ava, a part of her still balked at the fact she was holding him, after all those years.

It felt too surreal.

"..."

Hope's eyes slowly opened, and the first thing he saw was Ava crying in front of him. He couldn't remember what happened after he was swallowed by his own Aegis crystals. But he knew Ava was waiting for him. She waited for Hope's return without losing faith.

"...I—" Before Hope could utter a word, Ava's wail resounded throughout the room. She hugged him tightly and as she cried, Hope slowly returned her hug. Everyone else couldn't help but smile at them. They too had waited for this to happen, and now that it had come true, no words could describe the emotions they were feeling.

"Ava..." muttered Hope. "I...I'm back."

Ava restrained herself from crying, and even when she tried to say a word, only sobs came out.

"You're precious, Ava. Despite what you'd endured, you never fold your wings and fall. Instead, with unwavering faith, the wings never ceased to fly," said Hope softly.

"..." Ava wiped her tears and faced Hope. "I-I realized that my meaning of life was not as simple as having someone to love. All these years... I become friends with as many people as I could, and learn as much as I could in class. I-I read tons of books... and I traveled during the holidays..."

Hope nodded with a smile.

"Hope... This life that you took care of and protected so much, I never wasted a second of it. Every day, I try to improve myself, whether it'd be skills or just gaining more knowledge... I want to be a better person," said Ava.

"My promise to you..." Hope remembered it. "Let me fulfill it, Ava. And... sorry to keep you waiting."

Ava shook her head and put up a brilliant smile. She held a hand towards Hope, and he took it gladly.

"Towards a new future," said both of them.