Chanon couldn't believe it. Even when those eyes had been following him ever since he'd carried her in the mines. Axel's unusual gaze was on her. His best friend, who was gone forever. The rare and fearsome ability to disintegrate things had never been performed by any other infinite being than him; there was a connection there, no doubt about it.
Quickly, Chanon found a vest and zipped it over his chest, but as he reached for the door, he felt Chanaia's hand on his forearm. She didn't dare look him in the eye now, so she spoke to him with a shifty gaze.
"It's late, Chanon…" She started.
"Why do I have this feeling that I won't like what you're about to say, Chans?" His sister made a face with her thin lips, and he felt anger slowly rising within him.
"I'm sorry, I tried to stop it… Samir was there and saw it. They have Ilia now."
A curse word escaped his lips. It had to have been him, of all people. Yes, Samir still blamed him for Axel's death. And, even though Chanon agreed with it, he hated that Samir brought it up every time they saw each other. There was a time in the past when the three of them had been in the same squad under Ghael's direct command. They had been formidable, but too reckless for being so young. They had been given the most dangerous missions and had gradually gained a reputation among the rebels. However, on their last assignment, they had fallen into a trap, and everything had turned out disastrously. Time had slowly healed the old wounds of their souls. Now Chanon and Samir have been in separate teams for a long time. Now they were both captains of their own squads. Axel, however, was dead. He had fallen on their last mission together.
"Samir claimed it would affect you to have her under your command, and after consulting with Ghael, he took her away." Said Chanaia. "His glider must have already taken off. I'm sorry, I came as fast as I could…"
"That asshole… Anyway, I'll meet with Ghael right away." Then Chanon tried to leave again; however, Chanaia stopped him, grabbing his elbow.
"Our uncle agreed to this, Chanon. Our squad is key, and he wants us to be fully focused on missions, and… well, he really thinks Ilia will be a bit of a distraction."
Chanon ended up slamming his bedroom door with a loud kick, making it rattle. Chanaia, meanwhile, slumped wearily onto one of the two small metal chairs that, along with a table, made up the room's sparse furnishings. Besides his bed, there was a wardrobe and a small bookshelf filled with books.
"Samir's squad is ruthless; they'll be tough on her… And I… I haven't even properly thanked Ilia for… Chans, and her abilities are so promising…" Chanon blurted out bitterly. And, somehow, his words elicited a sly little smile from his sister. He felt guilty and responsible for the new girl. But what was his sister thinking? Then Shania let him know:
"You worry about her a lot, Chanon…" The tone was suggestive, and Chanon gave her one of his famous looks.
"Do me a favor, Chanaia…"
"I was just kidding. I like Ilia as well. But Samir won't have her in his squad. Ghael will take care of her. He's definitely interested in her gift. The point is she'll be fine. Gael assured me they'll put her up at The Nest to begin her training from the basics. Let's trust Ilia, brother."
Suddenly, his sister sat up straight, and Chanon could do nothing but look at her expectantly. Then, adding a mysterious note to her husky, rough voice, Chanaia mused aloud:
"By the way, I managed to ask her about Diago earlier, and as tactfully as I could. Ilia said she doesn't know anyone by that name."
"That's odd. It must have been her imagination. But if she's connected to Axel somehow…" Chanon argued, still looking angry and downplaying the matter of the name.
However, Chanaia remained focused on Ilia's nightmare and, with half-closed eyes, she added with a suspicious look:
"I don't think so. It sounded too real. I'm almost certain she met that person before losing her memory." Then she shook her head as if to dismiss the thoughts and spoke again, now with a hint of sadness: "Anyway, I really like the girl. I hope to see her soon. It would be perfect to have Ilia in our squad! I'm positive it will be possible someday."
The two siblings remained silent for a few moments before beginning to discuss their new mission. They would not see Ilia again for another thirteen months.