亚洲综合中美

Stepped onto the pavement, an unmanned bike glided to a stop. Effortlessly, straddling the powerful steed, he went forth to the hotel and ended the strenuous trip.

‘I’m tired,’ passing the lobby till the elevator, two figures jumped in ambush.

“Alicia,” said he without much care, “-Celina, you girls seemed to be fine.”

“Hey,” said the little lady. Her body and face drew to the vague direction of the restaurant.

“Anything the matter?” asked he, she began to fidget.

“I-” catching Alicia’s expression, “-nothing.”

.....

‘What’s the matter with her?’ over in said direction, ‘-oh, a special menu for sugar enthusiast.’

“Come on then,” he took her hand, “-let’s try some desserts.”

“Really?” the expression melted.

“Obviously.”

A round table, tall heavy red curtains frilled in waves, “-Igna, the restaurant is expensive, like a lot.”

“Chill,” said he, “-if the lady wants sweets, who am I to complain.”

The sight of cheeks being stuffed, Alicia’s regular interjection to clean the morsels off her lips, the two grew to like one another. Never mind her age, when food was on the table, Celina never cared to proper ethics, her mannerism swayed between barbaric and normal, a fresh outlook or so he thought.

“Alicia,” said he insinuating a matter of secrecy, “-how was the talk with Cousin Julius,” the fingers interlocked in subjection.

“Don’t make it scandalous,” she coughed, “-it was a good talk. He gave us a tour of the town, went to the mall and found things to do. He offered to care for Celina after you returned. Something to do with joining Apexi.”

“Celina, what did cousin Julius say?”

“The prince asked me about my dreams, so I said I wanted to be an idol. Told him about how you trained me to be a musician, the conversation went along those lines,” she cleaned her mouth, “-he offered me to join the agency right away on one condition.”

“Which is?”

“I discuss it with you,” she smiled, “-I’m glad the opportunity to grow is here, I want to do my best, but I don’t know anymore. The pressure, I’m scared to mess up.”

“Listen,” a strong and direct posture trampled the babble, “-the opportunity is there for grasp. Your parents are gone, making you an orphan. It’s hard to swallow, and I won’t mince words, there’s no one to rely on. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you have to become independent. To that end, if the opportunity is too great a task, why not enroll at a university. There’s one for music at Rosespire. They have dorms; enrolling and tuition will cost a fair bit. Don’t worry on that front,” stopped to check the reaction, “-interested or should I stop?”

“A musical University, more details please.”

“Ok. You’ll learn music from a strong background, and don’t worry about being a novice. They accept anyone and everyone; it’s a pretty lax environment. Consider it a trial before setting out in the real world. Work part-time, join the agency, and study. Nothing more, nothing less, rinse and repeat until graduation. Four years is enough to make it in the industry, under the correct supervision. Besides, if things don’t go the way we planned, I’ll be here to help. You’re my responsibility.”

“Igna,” voiced Alicia, “-isn’t she a little too young for such a task?”

“No,” refuted he, “-age mustn’t be a barrier. She has time to grow. Experiencing a new world, meeting new people, working towards a goal, towards her dream, sounds awesome to me.”

“Deal,” said she sternly, “-I want to do as you say.”

“I see,” he smiled, “-Then, we’ll head to Rosespire tomorrow. They’re taking applications for the next semester this week.”

“Thank you.”

“No need for gratifications,” said he strongly, “-keep it for when you graduate.”

“Ok,” the melancholic expression crumbled into cute smiles.

Decision made, Alicia pulled him close,” -you planned this, didn’t you?”

“Obviously,” said he breaking the grip, “-nothing is done without a purpose. She’s my responsibility, I might not be her father or guardian, I’ll still care for her no mistake about it.”

“You’ve changed,” her head lowered, “-are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” returned he coldly, “-what about you, find anything interesting?”

“No, I’m just bored.”

“Good,” he smiled, “-Cousin Julius headed for Rosespire, he’ll be at the Agency. Why not check them out for a while.”

“Why?”

“Experience. I bet things are different here. Why not watch them for personal growth. A trip is supposed to broaden one’s mind, not the contrary.”

“Someone’s certainly gotten wiser.”

“After what happened, I ought to have grown a little,” he stood, “-let’s call it a night.”

Plans for the next day were settled in a sitting. éclair worked to be granted a spot for Celina, the university had a lot of applicants, ease of payment contributed to said fact. Glitz and glamor of the world of entertainment opened a ray of hope for those unable to do battle. Anyone could become a star, poor to rich, status and background held no value. In a way, it was true. Besides, noble ladies and gentlemen were busy trying to get engaged to other families for political gain. Becoming scholars seemed nobler than sweating to achieve greatness.

Leko’s murder, graduation from the academy, and now, Celina’s future. The trip to Hidros had more in store. The murder reached a standstill, nothing could be done. Asking questions over and over again would only bring stress. Knowledge from Origin did give a few subtle clues, as time progressed, many timelines were established to justify the killing. One thing remained, Leko died by hanging, no information prior, and none after.

Tuesday the 9th of March rose by the sound of éclair’s alarm. The spirit’s grudge lingered. Instead of the normal bells, the sound swapped for a screaming banshee. At 06:00, the room blasted to have him jump onto the cold floor. “Shut up,” sat on his knees, “-damn it, éCLAIR!”

“You’re not scared?” asked he over the phone.

“No. Didn’t you read my memories. I merged without another being, I paid the price with my emotions.”

“You still feel emotions,” said he, “-I can sense it.”

“Yeah, that’s the second persona.” A tough day was ahead. Paying no heed to the joke, the morning ritual happened subconsciously. Forty-five minutes later, he sat in the lobby in wait for Alicia and Celina.

“Ready,” said they waving across the hall. Celina wore a very fitting outfit. Blue blaze, white shirt tucked inside black pants accompanied by a single heart-shaped pendant. Brown boots finished off her look. Alicia wore a black formal dress that very much so exposed her legs. Neatly tied hair, the duo was ready for whatever laid ahead.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, Igna.”

“Sleep well?” asked he moving to the entrance.

“Yeah, like a baby,” said Celina, “-these clothes sure make me look grown-up.”

“Yeah, they do,” he nodded.

“Shouldn’t you compliment us?” asked Alicia coyly.

“No,” returned he, “-I’ll do so when the time is right.”

“Gosh, whatever,” the cold treatment made her chat to Alicia frequently.

“A-are we taking t-the train?” gulped she stood out in the misty morning.

“I planned on doing so... well, looking at how nicely you ladies dressed. We better take another means of transport.”

Skipping the details, a private jet departed for the capital city. The sheer scale of Phantom’s reach and power had Alicia in awe. ‘A private jet on-demand,’ thought she enjoying wine, ‘-they have so much and are making even more. How rich is Phantom, how powerful is Igna. He’s the son of a duchess, lady Courtney Haggard who owns Phantom, ran by Elvira Stepania Haggard. The ex-head of the family was Staxius Haggard, the king of Arda, founder of the Federation, and overseer to many companies. Some say he built the dynasty from nothing and brought it to be a phenom. Hidros’s history is very captivating. There’s missing information; the culture of differing races is unlike Alphia. They ousted Kreston to unify the continent. The only information available on the Haggard’s Dynasty is what’s allowed to the public’s eye. Talk about scary.’

They soon landed at the same private airfield. ‘Back to Rosespire,’ thought he on hard-ground, ‘-last time was lady Yuki. I should perhaps visit them.’

“Hey, where are we headed next?” inquired Celina forcefully.

“You’re excited?”

“Yes, traveling with you is always fun.”

“I see,” he paused and spun, “-unlike a certain lady I know,” said louder, she glared.

“I can hear you, stupid rich kid. Can’t help if my stuff got stuck.”

“Alicia Raze, the harbinger of trouble, and a loner at heart,” proclaimed he.

“Shut up,” she fired back, “-this isn’t funny!”

“Whatever,” a gesture followed by robust luxurious car, “-finished?”

“Yeah, the pilots helped me get my bag unstuck,” flushed, “-unlike some gentleman I know.”

“Please,” fired he, “-how could you get stuck, baffles me more and more.”

“No comments,” the door opened.

“Cousin Igna.”

“Cousin Julius, you came?”

“Obviously,” said he, “-I had to.”

“P-p-prince J-Julius.”

“Lady Alicia, please, there’s no need to be flustered. Cousin Igna has explained everything. You’ll be spending a day with me at the agency. Xius’s back from their world tour.”

“I see, they’re the reason you left so quickly.” Once settled, the driver made for Lai. Apexi recently moved to another media complex. The growing popularity forced the transfer.

“Cousin Igna, is it fine if we head to the agency first. The enrollment starts at 09:00. It’s still 07:43.”

“I don’t mind,” said he, “-Celina’s fallen asleep, doesn’t matter either way.”

.....

“Awesome,” to which he engaged Alicia in conversation. Her awe couldn’t fight the will to learn.

Apexi’s new media complex stood at the northernmost edge of Lai. A clear view of the neighboring forests. Igna decided for Julius to carry on without him. It would be more troublesome than good, besides, tis Celina’s time to shine. The prince understood and agreed. She happily walked with Julius. From there, a straight road to the castle walls and inside the capital city. Gnah’s University stood in the education district where Lizzie once studied.

“Could you take us to the noble district, I’d like to stop at the mansion.”

“Sure,” said the driver effortlessly. More mansion sprawled over the years, the noble district felt cleaner and more reserved. The castle remained strong. In there somewhere sat Queen Gallienne. ‘Royal family,’ thinking back, ‘-an enemy to close allies. I took her eye and she took my life. The days of fights; the days where my companions were still around. She cursed me to not experience Eira’s upbringing.’

Big and majestic, the mansion’s splendor soon interrupted the memories. Gates opened without identification. éclair informed about the arrival. Up the same hill and stopped at the same porch. Apart from the helipads on the yard, things were the same.

“Good morning, young master,” said the head-maid.

“Rosetta,” gulped he.

“Excuse me?”

“No, no, I apologize. I heard good things from Prince Julius.”

“I see,” she smiled with her round-glasses. “-Princess Lizzie is inside.”