Chương 24: The Confrontation.

"What are you doing here?" The voice came from behind where I was standing, I turned back and saw her standing there with a frowned expression on her face. There was no doubt, it was her.

"Aeris!" Neither of us spoke for several seconds just stared at each other. She stood there with her group surrounding her.

"So, you managed to survive somehow." she said.

"How, it's impossible." Eli said. I clenched my fist.

"I trusted you." Nails clawed in my palms.

"Why?" My eyes stared at her intensely.

"Why did you attack me, poison me and leave me there to die."...

"Didn't I tell you back there… I hate you nobles." It all came back to me in pieces.

'Do you think I would allow a person like you to enter my city… huh?' She threw a fist at me.

'You people treat us like trash." She stepped closer.

"You people make us your slaves.'

'You think I would let that happen again!' Another punch followed, harder.

'You think I will let you do what you want…' Her hands were like hammer hitting the nails. My lips spilt blood, I tasted it in my mouth.

'Now you will understand what it is like to be treated as MISFITS!' She drove a hard punch into my stomach that knocked me to the ground. I coughed hard. It was all faint, but I remembered every moment of it.

"That doesn't give you the right to do anything you want. Is this what you call justice?" She laughed.

"Do you hear that, she is talking about justice." Her eyes narrowed in an intense look.

"Funny, coming from a person who is a noble." She walked closer to me.

"When you made us your slaves, where were you and your so-called justice?" I didn't back down, stood face to face looking in her eyes.

"I haven't done a thing to cause you any harm. I get where you are coming from, Aeris. I really do, and I understand that very well." I slightly nodded my face sideways.

"But I am not your enemy." She did not blink not even once. Her eyes stared like a dagger piercing inside your body. She tilted her head slightly.

"As far as I am concerned, you are the only enemy here." …

"You nobles do whatever you desire. Just looking at you makes my blood boil." She paused.

"You can fool all of them, with that innocent act of yours, with that innocent stupid look on your face. But I see right through you Nova. You can't fool me." She stepped back.

"I warned you about staying away from my city. But clearly that sounded like an invitation to you. So allow me to welcome you properly." Within a split second s he swung the rope and released it instantly towards my head. It came fast, too fast. I slightly turned my body and dodged it, barely. I understood she was not just any slinger, she was trained her attack came precisely towards my head.

"Look they are fighting, somebody stop them." A woman in the crowd said. …

"You may have survived back in Elderwilds somehow." She gritted her teeth harder.

"But I won't let your noble blood ruin this city. I will protect them with my life, do you understand?" She was swinging another rope.

"Aeris, stop this, I told you I am not your enemy."

"SHUUUT… UPPP!" Another rope came towards me. This time I was ready, I moved my body before she could attack me again at my head, but she was aware where I was going, and what I was about to do. She quickly adjusted and this time she aimed at my legs. It caught me off guard, the ropes entangled around both my ankles, I lost balance and fell on my hips. When I looked up she was already swinging the ropes over her head.

"You're dead." A footstep ran down the street. The voice reached her before she could release another rope.

"Aeris stop. Why are you doing this?" I knew that voice, it was Freya.

"Don't come closer, just stay out of it mama." That moment everything fell into pieces, I understood everything. About her reasons, why she did what she did. And the fact that she was Oren and Freya's daughter.

"She is not an enemy, Aeris." Freya said out loud. Aeris head slightly tilted as she looked at me.

"Oh… I see… so you haven't told any of them about you and who you are." She spun around and said, "Listen, to me all of you."

"Aeris, please listen to me." I said, I wanted to clear the confusion between us, I wanted to tell her the truth. But s he did not wait and blurted it out without wasting any time. Her finger pointing towards me.

"She is a Noble." A sudden shock sent a silence among the crowd.

"That's right, you all have been fooled with an innocent act of hers that she is putting around. But trust me, it's just an act." And the silence followed.

"She is nothing but those Noble scums."...

"She is from Edgefall." Aeris's words planted doubts in people's heads. They started whispering, and talking among them.

"How can it be, is she really a noble?"

"It can't be."

"But if Aeris says it, then it's true." Shortly they began to react towards me. And started to treat me as their enemy, like they had forgotten who I was.

"Go away, we don't need you."

"Yeah, leave this city and never come back." Freya stood there in shock and didn't move. Whatever she heard made her expression go cold, like she was horrified. Some people ran to their houses, while others held anything they found in their hands to fight. I wasn't able to think clearly at that moment, I was suddenly up against the people that I began to care about. Freya finally moved, snapped out of that moment and started walking towards me, my mind went blank I couldn't think of anything that would explain.

Her feet reached towards me, stopped. I couldn't bear to look her in the eyes, my heart was racing. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She stood there without saying anything. … Then she turned, spreading her arms wide. Like she was shielding me against everyone. Something inside me awakened, like that very feeling of my mother protecting me in her last moments. All I saw was her back and her arms spreading, but instead of her I saw my mother in that very second.

"No. I don't believe you." She said to her daughter.

"And, even if you're right. I still don't believe she is a bad woman, or like other nobles." …

"Mama, please don't stand close to her. All they do is lie, she will hurt you."

"No." She stood her ground.

"Talia." Aeris said. Talia quickly moved forward and took Freya aside. Even after everything Freya said, Aeris didn't believe it.

"Go." Aeris said to Kargel. He rushed towards me, to attack me.

"No… Don't." Freya shouted. He did not listen and swung his wooden club at me, it was coming towards my head. I saw it in time, and rolled away from it. The club hit the ground hard. He didn't stop there, I quickly sat up and desperately tried to free my legs. This time the club came from right, in a one powerful swing. Like someone swinging their baseball bat to hit the ball. I managed to duck down and lay flat to the ground. The club went over me and I heard the sound of air whooshing in my ears.

As I lay there with my back against the ground, my hands went behind my shoulders, both palms inverted. Touching the surface of the ground. Both of my legs were in the air, slightly bent. I pushed my body upwards by using my hands. A kick up, my boots hitting his face, sending him back as he stumbled on his feet. Even after that kick he was standing. I threw my shoulder into his body, knocking him completely off balance as he drops on his back. I quickly untie the ropes from my ankles.

But then, a wooden spear flew right in front of me, I didn't have time to dodge.

"You're dead now." Orgil said. I couldn't block it with my hands, the sharp end would pierce through my hands. I threw the slinging ropes towards it, which were in my hands. It was instinct, the stone attached to the rope deflected the direction of that wooden spear somehow, the ropes spiraled around the wooden spear weighing it down in the air and it dropped down. It was luck that saved me at that moment. Everyone else started marching towards me, to attack all at once. Aeris had started swinging her ropes again.

I was cornered. There was nothing I could do at that moment, even when I knew I had the log with me and unique skill, I couldn't do that to these innocent people....

"STOP!" A familiar voice cut through the air, it wasn't Freya. Everyone froze there for a second. The ropes slipped from Aeris's hands. She quickly turned back, it was Oren, he was standing there, breathing heavily. The street went silent. Aeris did not waste any time and ran towards Oren, she had forgotten about the fact that she was fighting me. Her legs didn't stop and just ran. She hugged him, and started sobbing on his shoulders. Crying out loud like a little baby. Oren, gently patted her head.

"It's okay." But she didn't stop, just kept crying. Like she didn't have any control over it.

"It's okay… I'm here now." Oren said. She stopped for a second to catch breath.

"How?" she snorted.

"If you are here then, Drago?" Oren nodded yes.

"He's dead." It left Aeris speechless, he started walking towards me. While saying to everyone.

"It's because of her, we all are free."

"How could you all forget that, what she done for us, if it wasn't for her, we would never be free. You all would never seen the faces of your loved ones." He offered me his hand to help me stand up. As I stood up, he quickly bowed his head towards me.

"I am sorry for my daughter's actions. Please forgive her." I looked at him for a second then waved both my hands.

"Please, you don't need to." But he still bowed his head. It started feeling awkward, I was out of words.

"Please, stand up Oren. It's okay." Aeris started walking towards me, her eyes stared at the ground. Like she was conflicted internally, thinking something quietly. Every step of hers made silence louder than it should. … She stood right in front of me, Just for a second — just one — I saw her closed fists shaking. … People surrounding were confused and looked silently, they probably were thinking what was she about to do. Her eyes lifted and met mine. …

Tears wetted her eyelashes, lips quivered and her face became red from crying. … It was the look that I never expected to see on her face. She was in a vulnerable state. … She instantly hugged me tightly and had not spoken a single word to me. She never needed to say anything, her silence spoke louder, I understood everything she was trying to say in that single hug. The same girl who left me to die was now hugging me.

"Thank you." She whispered. Her tears dropped on my shoulder. Her voice cracked.

"I am so sorry." Her apology suddenly brought a smile to my face. I hugged her, and gently tapped my hands against her back.

"It's okay, Aeris. I forgive you." But she broke even further and cried louder. Her screams didn't stop, I knew deep down that is what she wanted to hear.

"It's okay." Oren and freya both smiled at me. … Soon after everything went back to normal, I walked back to Aeris's home. And sat down, her group and me, we gathered around for discussion. She and her group got curious and asked me all sorts of question, how I defeated Drago. Oren described the entire details in brief explanation. I was listening to how he described me heroically, an awkward expression stayed on my face, I forced a smile, it came awkwardly. He went a little overboard....

"So, Nova… I've been wondering, how did you manage to come from the other side of the cliff." Eli said. At the time I didn't know what to say, nothing came to my mind and I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"I climbed it?" It came out in a tone where you're unsure of what you've said. The sudden reaction followed it.

"WHAT!" Everybody shouted all together. Well it was the truth but not the entire one, it's good that I left the cave part out of it.

"So, you're saying you climbed the Eldercliff all by yourself." Eli said. I did not say anything, just laughed while scratching the back of my head.

"Interesting, I thought Eli was the only one who knew the way to both sides." Talia said. Wait, he knows a way through the cliff. I t makes sense, he was the only one without a weapon back there. I thought he was a cook or something, but he is a navigator. The time wasn't right to ask him that, and Aeris was unexpectedly quieter during the whole conversation. Maybe it was harder for her to talk after all we went through. The sun set down and her group had left.

I went out to catch a quick breath and strolled around the city, What a day that was. I kept walking, but something felt strange to me, like I was being followed by someone. I headed towards the outskirts, away from the city and those steps followed me all the way. I finally stoppd and those steps stopped in the distance.

"I know you followed me." No response.

"You can come out, Aeris." She came forward, I expected her to be shy. But her expression on her face was saying something else. All serious.

"Do you have something in your mind." Looks like she still doesn't trust me enough.

"You lied to us." A soft breeze of air passed by, "I want to know, why?" Guess, she didn't buy the cliff climbing after all.

"So, you don't believe I climbed the cliff." She interrupted me instantly.

"No, that's not what I meant. I want to know why did you lie to us that you are a Noble." She saw through the lie, but how?...

"Huh... What are you talking about? I am…" She interrupted again.

"A liar."

"I told you before. You can fool others but not me." She said quietly.

"What makes you think that I am lying?"

"Earlier, when my papa told what happened and how you defeated Drago. There was nobody in Edgefall who could defeat him. Especially no one who can give magic to a misfit." I see, she is talking about the flare gun.

"That was not the only reason, I don't know anyone besides Eli to know the path to elderwilds. Even though you have climbed through the cliff, that day you came from deep inside the elderwilds." She paused.

"Not even a Noble would dare go that deep in elderwilds. And somehow you managed to survive when you were unconscious." She looked at me intensely.

"Tell me the truth. Who are you Nova?" There was no point of hiding anymore from her. I knew the day would come when somebody figured out who I was. I looked at her.

"Fine, I'll tell you." Aeris didn't blink and stared at me. I looked up at the starry night sky.

"I am not from this world." Her eyes widened a bit. A soft breeze of air went right past us.

"I came from a place known as Earth, it's similar to this planet in many ways."

"Wha… What are you saying… Nova." She was surprised to hear what I said. Why wouldn't she, anyone would have the same reaction if they find out.

"I know it's hard to believe, but I am telling the truth." Her expression changed, and a smile came to her face. Then she looked at me.

"I believe you." It was a smile that I never imagined would show on her face. It didn't make any sense, I thought she would have a different reaction, some might have laughed it off and called it crazy and yet she believed me.

"Seriously, you believe me. Didn't it feel strange to you?" She smiled gently.

"Yes at first, but when you said that looking up. I knew you were telling the truth, your eyes didn't lie that time." She sat down on the yellow grass, and told me to sit with her....

"So, how did you come to Elysium?"

"I was with a group of people, some of my closest friends. A wormhole appeared and it took me with it, when my eyes opened, I was here."

"A wormhole?" Crap, why do I always forget… These people don't know about the world beyond this.

"It's something powerful like magic that exists up there." She looked up at the sky. It was the only explanation that would have made sense to her.

"I see…" None of us spoke, just sat there, the wind passed through with a gentle breeze. It was peaceful.

"So, did earth also have magic?" I nodded my head no.

"Magic never existed there, when I came here I was surprised that magic existed here."

"Wait, but then what was the magic you gave papa?"

"Oh this..." I took out the Flare gun,"This thing, it's called a Flare gun, a weapon that has fire. It's not magic."

"Can I look at it?" I handed her the gun.

"Just don't push this, it's a trigger. If you push this fire would come out." She held it in her hands, making sure to not press it.

"Wow, this is amazing." I couldn't help but smile, looking at her clueless expression.

"Wait, so if this is not magic and you don't have magic, so this is how you fought Elderfang? I am curious, how did you survive the Elderwilds?"

"Well before that there is something else you should know."

"The one you call Elderfangs. They were once a part of our world. We called them Dinosaurs."

"Dinosaurs?" she repeated.

"They were the species which were extinct and lived millions of years ago on earth… When I came here, I was surprised to find them here. It's true that I couldn't have fought any of them without help, yet, somehow I managed to survive with the help of this."

"Open Log." I said out loud. A flicker. The display appeared in the air. Aeris stared at the panel with her widened eye.

"Wow…

""Wait… you can see this?"

"Umm-hmm." She nodded then touched the panel, but the log stayed still. So, it's visible to other people, I thought I was the only one who saw it.

"So, what is this?" She asked.

"Actually, I don't even understand it, somehow I found this when I came here."

"So, by help of this you survived? And you beat Drago. And the cliff too?"

"Yeah…" I scratched my head and smiled.

"Pretty much it."

"Wow…" We talked a lot after that and started walking back to her house.

"Nova…" She said quietly.

"I am really sorry for back then."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's fine." She frowned.

"No, it's not. You saved my papa, and everyone." She paused.

"I owe you one."

"It's fine, Aeris." But she didn't back down and insisted harder.

"Just tell me if there's anything I could do to repay you." Then suddenly I remembered something.

"Okay… There is something you can do."

"What is it? Name it." She stared at me.

"You can show me the way back to Elderwilds." … There is someone waiting…