INSIGNIAS: THE ABECEDARIANS
CHAPTER XXIV: LEI

Lei didn’t know what to feel as silence enveloped the room. Her eyes widen at the realization that Tessa could be one of the Seven Regalis. It made sense since her guardian told her to go to the east of Woodland. She looked at Tessa and saw her biting her lower lip, eyes staring at the floor. Skhy on the other hand seemed calm as he studied Tessa’s expression. Den and Blue sat comfortably on the couch while studying the three travellers. Ever was frowning, probably because no one is talking, but he also remained quiet. Looking back at Skhy, he raised his arm. He was trying to pat Tessa’s back, but retracted it when she moved.

Saving the Concordian and defeating the Mortemians. Those were their – the Seven, including Lei - missions. She was actually enjoying their journey but whenever she thought about these missions, fear and doubt overwhelmed her. She knew that she was incompetent and untrained to go in a war. A war that no one even knew when will happen. She wanted to comfort Tessa but she didn’t know how.

“Can someone tell me what’s wrong?” Ever finally cut the silence.

“Margarette’s diary told that the Seven Regalis are descendants of the seven ancient warriors,” Den informed. Ever’s frown deepened.

“If that is correct, there are many descendants,” he started. “The sons and daughters could be one of the Seven.”

“Does my mother have siblings?” Tessa inquired with soft voice.

“I think so, but she didn’t like talking about her family,” Ever replied.

Skhy grabbed his backpack and looked inside. He grabbed the book he showed to Lei before in the treehouse. Opening it, he took a folded brown paper. His brows creased as he examined the paper.

“Nothing,” he whispered, low enough for Lei and Tessa to hear. Lei peered at the paper. The circles aside from Lei’s insignia remained blurry.

“Is that where the seven insignias were sketched?” Blue asked.

“Yes, they were blurry but Lei’s insignia’s magically showed after I met her,” Skhy informed the three men.

“There must be something that triggered it.” Lei followed the voice and Karl stood outside his door, with his hands behind him. “It didn’t show Tessa’s sign?” he asked. Tessa lifted her head and looked at Skhy expectantly like Lei.

“No,” he replied. Karl returned to his seat and hummed in response to Skhy.

“Just like what I said, there are many descendants of those families,” Ever stated after Karl sat down beside him.

“There’s also the reason why Tessa’s mother concealed her identity to her daughter,” Blue added.

“It could be of various reasons. There are Concordians and Mortemians who chose to live normally,” Den added. To this, Tessa nodded.

“But don’t lose hope Skhy,” Karl told Skhy who was slumped on his seat. He looked exhausted and weary.

“The guardians of the Seven will help them meet you,” he continued.

“They know about Skhy’s mission?” Lei inquired. She remembered how her aunt kept telling her to wait for the right time to go to the Academy. She was waiting for Skhy. And the others? Are there others?

“They know,” Karl replied. “Many knows.”

“What?” Skhy looked surprised.

“There…must be someone watching you in the Academy.” Den pointed at Skhy then looked at Lei.

“We found out about the attack in Woodland.” Blue offered a sad smile. Lei suddenly realized something. Oh God.

“My aunt - ” she started but was cut off by Den.

“Don’t worry, she’s safe. She has another mission.” Another mission?

“But it is something we don’t know about,” Den replied before she could ask the nature of the mission.

“If I am not one of the Seven…why did Eliot told me to go to Woodland?” Tessa asked. Her eyes remained red and puffy, but her voice was stronger and clearer now.

“The Mortemians are killing children of Corcordians who are living as normal citizens.” Blue bowed his head after saying this. His hands on his lap gripped his pants. Truth is truly gruesome. Den patted Blue’s shoulder. Karl and Ever also looked at Blue with sad eyes.

“It was…his niece,” Karl stated softly.

“We apologize for reminding you,” Tessa offered. Blue lifted his head and nodded, eyes full of unshed tears.

Skhy and Karl suddenly stood up. Skhy followed Karl inside the elevator.

“We’ll be back,” Skhy told Lei. He glanced at Tessa then back to Lei. She understood then nodded before the elevator closed. Take care of her, Lei interpreted.

“Please eat first,” Ever instructed a few minutes after the two left. Lei grabbed a sandwich and gave it to Tessa, who accepted it with a smile. Good, she looked better than earlier. Lei grabbed another one and ate in silence. At this point, there was nothing to talk about but wait for Skhy’s return. She suddenly missed her aunt’s cooking especially the desserts; ube cake as her favourite. After finishing her sandwich, she grabbed two glasses and poured the juice. Tessa smiled appreciatively at her. It was more than half an hour when the silence was cut by Tessa.

“Uhm what’s wrong?” Tessa suddenly asked. Lei glanced at Ever, Blue, then Den, who were staring at them. She didn’t notice their curious stares. Ever opened his mouth to talk but suddenly stopped. He frowned and tilted his head as if listening to something. He frowned and clenched his fists. Confused, Lei turned to Den and Blue but found that they were doing the same. Curious, Lei tilted her head to listen around them. Nothing unusual.

Tessa turned to her. She was also confused about the men’s expression. The atmosphere also felt heavy.

“What’s wrong?” Lei repeated Tessa’s question. This time, the men’s jaws were clenched. Lei figured that something was happening outside that the two girls didn’t know about.

“Skhy and Karl are on their way.” It was Blue who answered. Among the three, Blue was the most professional but warm. Ever, on the other hand, was laidback, while Den appeared to be a very cheerful person. However, now, the three men looked anxious. Or angry. Or both.

The elevator dinged and everyone looked the two men huffing like they run a marathon. What is happening?

“We have to go,” Skhy said between breaths, moving towards Tessa and Lei. He placed his hands on the back of the couch.

“Did you run?” Lei eyed him. His shirt and hair damped with sweat. He moved to get his coat, hat, and backpack beside Tessa.

“We were looking for something,” Skhy said as he stuffed his coat inside the backpack while placing his hat on his head.

“And you ran,” Tessa said a matter-of-fact and stood up. Skhy grimaced but didn’t say anything. Lei grabbed her backpack on the floor and turned to Karl, who was still catching his breath.

“You better hurry,” he stated. Ever, Den, and Blue were on their feet, understanding washed over their faces. Before she could ask Skhy what was happening, he urged them to enter the elevator. The four men followed suit. Lei glanced at Tessa, who mirrored her confused expression, but remained silent. Both the girls knew that, whatever was happening, it was more important to act than to talk. Once the elevator stopped, it opened in an underground chamber.

“Enter the 4th tunnel from the left,” Karl said.

“You’ll arrive outside the city,” Ever added.

“West of the city,” Den corrected. Lei, Skhy, and Tessa moved out of the elevator.

“We can’t accompany you. We have to make sure that there’s no trace of your visit,” Blue explained. Skhy nodded.

“Thank you,” Tessa and Lei said at the same time. The elevator slowly closed as the four men smiled at them. I hope we can see them again.

“I hope we can see them again.” Lei turned to Tessa who offered a sad smile.

“Let’s go. I’ll explain on our way,” Skhy said with his back on them. Lei looked around the narrow underground chamber. The walls appeared damped. The only bulb in the room kept flickering. She walked behind Tessa, while Skhy led them. She touched the wall and found that it was indeed wet. Where did the water come from? It wasn’t long before they found themselves in a wider chamber, in front of them were six concave entrances. The ceiling was higher and a square chandelier hanged above. The light was dim enough for them to see. Skhy didn’t waste time and moved inside the fourth tunnel from the left.

“Someone was on our trail,” Skhy broke the silence once inside the tunnel. “Or that’s what we thought.”

“The other men heard something,” Tessa said, referring to Ever, Den, and Blue’s expression earlier.

“It was probably Karl communicating to them,” Skhy replied. It was getting cold inside so Lei tugged on her backpack to warm herself.

“Telepathy?” Lei asked.

“Not sure.” He suddenly walked faster. Lei and Tessa did the same.

“What I know is someone is coming to check on Karl’s management,” he continued. “It was unannounced and strange. Also, Karl sensed Mortemians around.” Lei gasped. They found us.

“Why didn’t we sense them?” Tessa asked. Lei did not hear or feel anything.

“I don’t know. They probably tried to hide, but Karl still sensed negative energy around,” he replied. They are a lot stronger than we think.

“What if they replace us?” Lei imagined them being surrounded by muscular men like the ones she and Skhy fought in Woodland. They were able to stop them but it wasn’t enough to bring them down. It only buy Lei and Skhy time to flee. If the Mortemians who followed them were stronger, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

She gritted her teeth. She didn’t know if it was because of the thought or the cold. She glanced at Tessa and found that she was not the only one who was thinking the scenario. Tessa’s hands were clenched, golden eyes were darker. No, we have to fight. Lei turned her gaze to Skhy’s back. She couldn’t see his expression but she was sure that he was angry but determined. It was his mission to replace and protect the Seven. But Lei was also determined to fight for her way.

The trio finally saw light in front of them. Their footsteps echoed as they hurried towards the end of the tunnel. Fresh air hit Lei’s cheeks as she sense the thousand lives outside. Trees and animals and a river. She suddenly felt alive and couldn’t wait to see the landscape. They climbed a steep staircase and she squinted when the light reached her face. Once outside, she noticed the pavement below her feet and found that they were in what appears to be a basketball court, an abandoned huge basketball court. Trees and grass surrounded the area. She looked behind her and saw that only the top of the skyscrapers of the Cornerstone peeked behind the trees.

“And so it begins,” an unfamiliar voice said behind her. The energy hit her so hard that she suddenly felt dizzy but she instantly turned around. She glared at the dark orbs of the intruder. They probably tried to hide, but Karl sensed negative energy around, she remembered what Skhy said. It was too late for them to notice.

She looked beside her and saw Tessa holding a dagger while Skhy had already drew his sword. There were three six-foot men grinning at them. They stepped back and raised their right hands. Their insignias became visible on their neck, which drew their weapons – a sword, a hammer, and a boomerang. Lei calmed herself and also raised her right hand. She heard the whispers of the trees and small animals around, and felt a surging energy concentrating in her right hand. Her hand curled and felt the smooth texture of his bow and her shoulder felt the heavy quiver.

“We won’t bore you with drama and just end this,” the same voice said. It was the man in the middle. He suddenly turned his head to the side and nodded. Lei thought it was a signal to the man beside him but she noticed another entity behind the three men. The figure appeared to be transparent and floating but Lei could make up his form. Dressed in jeans and a black hooded jacket that hid his face. The figure nodded then a black mist enveloped the entity making it disappear. Lei gripped her bow tighter as she felt the chill on her neck.

The man in front of her took a step forward but she stood her ground. He grinned then took another step. As he stepped forward, her vision became hazy. She blinked several times and noticed that Tessa, Skhy, and the two other men were gone. She panicked but focused her attention to her opponent. Where did they go?

“Don’t worry. This is our fight,” the man in front of her said then smirked. His statement reminded her of Ashley Levvi who said the same thing. But right now, Skhy wasn’t beside her. Is this another dimension? Or am I just hallucinating?

“Where are they?” she shouted.

“Oh Lei, you should think about yourself.” He swung his life-size black boomerang and it disappeared.

“I can take you,” she stated. He chucked without humor. His eyes narrowed at her.

“I’m not talking about fighting me.” Huh? “I’m talking about you fighting yourself.” Myself?

“What are you talking about?” she spat. She should finish this fight and replace the others.

“Are you really going to the place where people hate you?” he asked. Now, Lei was confused. Was he talking about the Academy? Why would people hate me if they don’t know I exist?

“Of course they know you. Who told you that?” he answered as if he read her mind. Her thoughts were becoming hazier.

“They know you and they hate you,” he added. Her grip on her bow loosen. She ran her free hand on her hair. Her breathing became heavier. She forgot because she wanted to forget.

You can come, but don’t say I didn’t warn you, she remembered Skhy’s words.

They hate you, I hate you, so go away, her aunt said before she left. Yes, the man was right.

Lei remembered everything. Her parents were dead because of her. She killed Carol. Her foster parents suffered the same way. She was a murderer. Her wide eyes stared at the man in front of him. His terrifying smile didn’t bother her because she couldn’t even accept nor fight her fear - herself.