After hearing that voice, Eden turned around and saw an old lady who repeated:
— It really is you, my little Eden.
— It has been a long time.
Shocked, Eden said:
— You… you know me? Is this really true… and you can speak?
The old lady replied, staring at Alya for a moment:
— Yes, I know you. And am I mistaken, or did you just ask me if I could speak?
Enthusiastic, Eden said:
— Sorry for that question, Madam…
— Please, can you tell me your name?
The old lady then said:
— What happened to you, my little one? You have completely changed.
— And you have become kind.
Eden asked:
— Could you repeat that?
The old lady replied:
— No, nothing, you must have dreamed it.
— But you both must be exhausted. Come to my place, we'll talk more there.
As they left, the old lady said to herself:
"He is with a Calamity… could this be a trap on her part?"
And Eden thought as well:
"This town is rather quiet and not very populated… let's stay on guard."
The old lady then asked Eden:
— My little Eden, I see you are not alone.
— Is she a tamed Calamity? Or just one to keep you company?
— I'm not judging your tastes, if you know what I mean.
Eden and Alya, offended, reacted. Alya shook her head and said:
— No.
And Eden added:
— No, no, no, we're just friends.
— Or, if you prefer, just colleagues.
The old lady said:
— Ah, okay, I see, I understand better now.
Then she suddenly shouted:
— Everyone out, children! False alarm!
Armed people came out from everywhere: from the walls, from nearby… there was even someone hiding beneath their feet. And before the revelation was even complete, a woman walking by with a baby stroller revealed her true face: it was a man! And in the stroller, there was no baby but explosive diapers and laser bottles.
One of the men approached the old lady and said:
— Are you really sure you know him and that what he says is true, my Queen?
— From the looks of him, he's nothing more than a poor wretch.
Eden replied:
— For your information, I heard everything.
The man glanced at him with a disinterested look, and the old lady said:
— Don't worry, my little one. They are my guests, and tonight they will even sleep at my house.
Ben replied:
— No, my Queen, you can't mean that! Don't take such a risk.
— Please, let them stay at my place instead.
A woman arrived, laughing:
— Ha ha ha! At your place, you said?
— Your house is more packed with weapons than the world can contain!
Ben retorted:
— Nobody asked you, Vanessa!
Vanessa, shocked and offended, said:
— Now you see why all your colleagues have a girlfriend and you don't?
The old lady said:
— That's enough, Vanessa and Ben! Stop your childish quarrels.
Both of them kneeled before her and apologized.
The old lady continued:
— Very well, now go back to your duties.
They both replied in unison:
— At once, my Queen.
Then they left. The old lady apologized to Eden and Alya:
— Sorry for all this commotion, it was just a precaution.
Then she left with them, saying:
— Follow me.
And she began to talk:
— They're grumpy, but they don't bite.
— Especially little Ben, don't hold it against him. His whole family has been protecting us for many years, and he is the last of his lineage, the only one still alive. So he carries a heavy burden of responsibilities, since he succeeded his father, a valiant and brave man who died in battle.
Eden then said:
— Our deepest condolences.
The old lady replied:
— Thank you, but these things happen. Everyone is destined to die one day.
They arrived at her house, and she said:
— Here we are. Make yourselves at home, I'll serve you something.
Eden replied:
— Yes, for me, because unfortunately Alya cannot feed herself like we do.
The old lady said:
— I see. But can you tell me more about Alya?
Eden replied:
— You don't know her either?
The old lady said:
— Unfortunately not. The only people I knew were you and Anita.
Eden then said:
— Oh… I don't know anything about Alya either. Neither about her past, nor the future that awaits us.
— All I know is that the day I woke up, she was the first one who reached out to me.
— And she means a lot to me… much more. She became more than a friend, she became like a sister, because she was the only one who still recognized me.
The old lady said:
— I see. But you have changed a lot. Can you tell me more about your awakening? Because from what I see, since that day, you became amnesiac.
— Isn't that right, my little Eden?
Eden asked:
— How did you know?
The old lady replied:
— It wasn't very hard to guess. How did it happen?
Eden explained everything to the old lady, who replied:
— I see… it must have been very hard for you, my little Eden.
Then Eden knelt before her as she sat and said:
— Can you tell me about my past? Or at least something related to it… please, I beg you!
The old lady replied:
— No, sorry… I don't know anything about you or your past, my little Eden. I only ever saw you briefly with Anita, and our moments of conversation were rather…
Eden asked:
— Rather what?
She replied:
— Nothing.
— But the only person I truly knew was Anita, because I considered her like my own daughter.
— But do you have any news of her? It's been a long time.
Eden then said to the old lady:
— Madam… my condolences, but Anita is no longer of this world.
The old lady was left speechless. After a moment of silence, she said:
— One day it had to happen, and one day it did.
— I hope she didn't suffer and that her soul rests in peace.
Eden, with a cold look, said nothing more.
The old lady continued:
— My little Anita was a sweet woman, but strong when she had to be. She was full of dreams and love.
— When we met, she often spoke to me about you, about your friendship.
— Sometimes, I would see you with her, even though you weren't the type to smile much or express yourself.
— But one day, I noticed that she had changed a little. She had become even more cheerful.
— So I asked her:
— "My little Anita, you're all smiles today. What happened? You must have slept on the right side last night."
And Anita replied:
— No, it's nothing, Lady Victoria.
But since I insisted, she finally gave in and said:
— Alright, Lady Victoria, but I don't know how to tell you… it's a bit embarrassing.
Full of enthusiasm, I replied:
— You know, my little Anita, in my life I have seen many things, both good and bad.
— So it's not your love story that you're hiding from me that will bother me.
Anita said:
— How did you know?
And I replied:
— I'm a woman, after all. And all the women in this city are like daughters to me.
Then I continued:
— But tell me, is he handsome?
— Does he have children?
— Does he have money?
— What's his name?
— Does he have a job?
— Is it Eden?
— Or is it a woman like you? I don't judge.
And Anita replied:
— Yes.
— No.
— I don't know yet.
— I haven't asked him yet.
— Yes.
— Never in my life!
— And no!!!
Then she added:
— I only met him a few days ago, and honestly, he makes me feel something…
Victoria then said:
— When love is real, when two people are made for each other, you can see it and you just know.
Days passed. One day, I was struggling with some objects, and she came to help me. That's when I noticed something and I asked her once again:
— Anita, what's wrong?
She replied:
— No, nothing, everything's fine, don't worry Lady Victoria.
So I finally confronted her and said:
— You must stop forcing yourself with your pregnancy, my little Anita.
Anita replied:
— A pregnancy? What pregnancy? I don't know what you're talking about, Lady Victoria.
After a moment of silence, she finally admitted:
— Sorry, but I didn't want to worry you with my problems, Lady Victoria.
I replied:
— Your problems are also mine. You mustn't hide anything from me anymore, because you are and will always be my daughter.
Anita thanked me.
Time went by, and I suggested that she stay in a town so I could take care of her, since the father of the child was absent. Anita finally agreed, and we went to a town far from ours.
Then the fateful day arrived. Anita's water broke, alone in the house. Since I was absent, she had to manage until I returned, because I had gone out to gather medicinal herbs.
Seeing her state, I hurried to help her. After hours of pain, the child was born. He weighed five kilos, impressive for a baby. After cleaning him, and after she held him in her arms, Anita smiled at the child with tears in her eyes.
But strangely, the child did not cry. He stayed calm. So, afraid of losing him, I wanted to take him to shake him a little.
And Anita said, smiling:
— Kim.
— Your name will be Kim.
And Victoria said:
— A very beautiful name.
And then, Kim smiled, probably because he knew his mother had already suffered enough.
As he no longer had anything to fear, I went out to look for medicinal plants, and when I came back, she was gone… neither she nor the baby were there anymore. That was the last time I saw her.
(For they would never know, but you will. After leaving the city, it was snowing that day. So Anita, alone in the snow, carefully wrapped Kim and was on her way to her town to see her husband, to tell him the good news.
But further ahead, in her town, a man from another village came running and said to the village chief:
— Chief, chief, chief! My chief sent me! Please, come help us quickly, the devil is ravaging our city!
And since all the villagers had come out, the chief replied:
— But we have nothing to do with you, as far as I know! You shouldn't even be here, since our village and yours are at odds. And besides… what proves to us that this isn't a trap to get us all killed? So go tell your chief that you will have no help from us, even if it's the devil himself attacking you.
And the messenger said:
— Javare.
The chief's face suddenly showed shock.
— What did you just say? Do you even know the emperor of the word you just spoke?
And the messenger answered:
— My chief also told me to say that the devil in question is an inhabitant of your city.
— And may we know who it is? asked the chief.
And the messenger replied:
— It's the ghoul man, chief.
Then the chief shouted to his villagers:
— Everyone, get ready! We march to war against the devil!
And everyone, men and women alike, gathered with weapons. With a war cry, they set off. For their city was the city of warriors: a single woman could strike down ten men.
Once they arrived, the entire city had been destroyed. Only one person was left alive. The chief asked:
— My boy, what happened to you all? Where are the others?
And the boy, terrified, sitting on the ground with his eyes downcast, replied:
— Everyone… everyone… they're all dead… So fast… I couldn't do anything…
After the chief put his hand on the boy's shoulder, the child ran away screaming:
— We're all going to die!
Then the chief said to his villagers:
— Do you see these cowards, these people? They all got slaughtered so fast… Tonight, we will feast with the head of that man in the palm of my hand! For we are invincible, glorious, gods! So go find him and kill him!
At that same moment, Anita was arriving in her town, the one the villagers and their chief had just left. To her surprise, there was no one there. The town was deserted. She thought:
— They must all be out or asleep…
So if that was the case, she shouldn't disturb them. But as she went to her home, she felt a presence. When she turned around, an arrow pierced her foot. She looked at the arrow, her child in her arms, and said:
— What the…?
And from afar, someone shouted:
— I hit her, chief! The devil's wife is wounded! She won't escape us now!
Anita, holding her child, said:
— It's me, Anita! Stop shooting, you've made a mistake!
But the man replied:
— No, it's really her. The enemy confirmed her identity!
Knowing there was nothing she could do, that they would never listen, she began to run into the forest, her foot bleeding, her child in her arms, and the cold snow in the air.
Still pursued by the villagers, she set traps with her energy to slow them down. But wounded, they could follow her easily. The chief signaled with his hand and ordered the archers to shoot. Anita looked up and saw a rain of arrows falling. She curled up around her baby, who was crying. The arrows pierced her back.
As her baby continued to cry, she pulled the arrow out of her foot to move faster. She took her child again and kept running, trying to entertain him with faces. The baby calmed for a moment, then cried again.
Seeing a crate of fruits belonging to looters nearby, she placed her child inside. Since he was still crying, she made more faces and said, tears in her eyes:
— My child, I'm sorry, but this is where our paths part. Always remember that mommy loves you, that she will always love you, and she will always be proud of you no matter what happens. Know that you will forever be in mommy's heart. We're going to play hide-and-seek, so you must stay quiet, at least for a moment… Do it for mommy, do you understand, Kim? Don't worry… when it's over, I'll come back to get you…
And the baby calmed down. After a kiss, she gave him a necklace she was wearing, then ran off again.
After a long chase, the villagers caught up with her. But she didn't give in. Surrounded, she neutralized several of them one by one, without killing. They shouted:
— Death to the devil's wife!
She kept fighting, but the chief, enraged, took a saber and slashed her back. As she collapsed, she whispered:
— I don't know why they call you the devil, my love… But to me, you are too good a person… too kind and gentle… I leave our son to you… At least I saw his smile one last time… I leave without regret, and I don't hold it against you… For me, you are everything but the devil…
They then tortured and burned her alive, singing and dancing around the pyre.)
After Lady Victoria had told Eden what she knew, she started coughing and spat blood.
People rushed into the house to tend to her, and Eden asked one of them:
— Is she alright?
The person answered:
— It's just a frequent cough. It will stop with some rest.
Eden and Alya left the house. In the distance, Ben ordered all the guards to keep an eye on Eden and Alya, since he didn't trust them. While walking, Eden and Alya ran into Vanessa, and Eden asked her:
— Why do you call Lady Victoria "Queen"?
Vanessa answered:
— You sure get straight to the point. It's obvious you don't know how to talk to women.
Eden replied:
— No, I know how to talk to women very well.
Vanessa smiled and said:
— Anyway… You want to know why we call Lady Victoria "Queen"? It's because she really is a queen.
— Can you tell me more? asked Eden.
Vanessa continued:
— Long ago, we didn't live here, but in a real kingdom. And the one who ruled was Lady Victoria. But one day, because of one person, she lost everything. That person was a man… A man she loved more than anything, to the point of giving him her entire kingdom. But his feelings were not the same. So he took everything from her. We had to flee here to protect our queen and our people… what was left of them, anyway.
With her mysterious ways, the queen would sometimes disappear, but she always returned. Today, we're all happy, even if it's hard to say in this world ruined by the Calamities.
At that moment, a scream rang out from Lady Victoria's house. The guards who were following Eden rushed there. Eden did too.
When he arrived, he saw a Calamity had killed the people attending Lady Victoria. The creature was infecting her before finishing her off.
At the sight, Ben opened fire with his energy-charged rifle. His bullets hit the Calamity without harming Lady Victoria. All the guards, along with Alya, rushed the Silver-ranked Calamity to drive it out of the house.
Once expelled outside, Eden, who had stayed inside, went to Lady Victoria's bedside. Her body was deteriorating.
Seeing her condition, Eden shouted to the others:
— Damn it!
— What is it, doctor? What can we do? asked one of them.
Eden replied:
— To make a cure, we need at least the blood of a Silver-ranked Calamity!
Everyone froze, mouths agape.
Eden then took Lady Victoria's hand and said:
— Don't worry, madam. I'll do everything to save you. I will find a Silver-ranked Calamity and heal you. I promise.
As he was leaving, Lady Victoria, half-conscious, opened her eyes and said:
— My little Eden… know this before you go… The little Kim has a birthmark on his left hand shaped like a heart… a broken heart…
Eden thanked her before leaving.
She, on her side, thought to herself before collapsing:
"Imagine… I used to advise Anita not to be around you… Because the impression you gave me was clear: you weren't a good person in your past…
And now look at the good man you've become… Sometimes, life doesn't do things by chance…"
Outside, it was a battlefield. Alya, Ben, Vanessa and the guards were fighting the Silver-ranked Calamity. The creature, with a smile, said:
— Let me taste just a little of your energy. I promise I won't take it all.
Ben retorted:
— Shut up, you dog!
And with a snap of its fingers, the Calamity disabled Vanessa, Ben, and the guards.
Only Alya and the creature remained.
The monster hurled demonic energy orbs, which Alya cut down with her sword. But it was clear: the Calamity had the upper hand. It eventually neutralized Alya and sent her sword flying into the sky. On the ground, her back against the dirt, Alya felt the Calamity's foot press on her.
The creature said:
— Since when does a Calamity work for humans? It's true we don't help each other… But I've never seen this: someone who denies their very being, hoping to be like the others. Really, you make me sick.
— But anyway… I'll end your existence.
It charged an orb in its hand, ready to kill Alya.
That's when Eden appeared, shooting a bullet at Alya's sword falling from the sky. Its trajectory shifted, sending the weapon toward Alya. Eden shouted:
— Move, Alya!
The weapon stabbed the ground beside her face. Alya grabbed it and cut off the Calamity's foot. Then she stepped back so as not to get in Eden's way.
The creature burst out laughing:
— Ha ha ha! What do you hope to do with your little weapon? Trim my nails? Or wipe my ass? I'm invincible, see for yourself! You can't harm me. You're too weak.
The Calamity's foot regenerated quickly.
In response, Eden said:
— You're right, I can't harm you… I'm weak, that's true too… But this weakness allowed me to perfect myself and learn a technique.
He pulled out daggers, cut himself, made hand gestures, and uttered words no one else could hear but the Calamity. It rushed at him to kill him, but suddenly… time froze.
Eyes appeared on Eden's arms and all around, staring at the creature. Shocked, it thought:
— What…? How can he do that? Those eyes… they're the same as that of…
Eden whispered in a breathless voice:
— TEMPORAL EXTERMINATION.
The Calamity was disintegrated in an instant.
But unfortunately, the eyes also turned to Eden, and the spell began to disintegrate him as well. He turned his head toward Alya, who was trying to help him from behind but remained frozen in time. Eden smiled and said:
— I will come back…
Then he too disintegrated. Everything returned to normal; no one was frozen anymore.
But Eden was gone.
Far away, an unconscious man was falling through the sky. A light, like the sun, shone on his face, and a book floated above him.
And a voice echoed in his head:
— Remember me, Eden Nox…