CHAPTER 31: REUNION

Sirius found himself on the ground, a young woman resting on top of him. Her gaze was filled with tenderness as she stared at him, her blue eyes like a lake reflecting the sky, her short blonde hair barely reaching her shoulders.

’It’s not so bad,’ thought Sirius, as a gentle sensation washed over him.

"Welcome," Lucy announced, filled with joy.

"Thanks," Sirius said, instinctively wrapping his arms around her fragile frame in an embrace, a sweet fragrance tickling his nose. At that moment, an emotion arose within him.

’I’ve missed her,’ he realized at last.

For the first time since his awakening, Sirius felt at peace. Those three years had left a mental burden: reliving his nightmares over and over, the sense that his existence could vanish with the slightest mistake... That couldn’t be pleasant for anyone.

Though in reality, only a month had passed. The saying turned out to be true: "No one leaves awakening unscathed." When one is reborn, there’s always a part of them that dies forever. Sirius was no exception to this rule—his attitude had subtly begun to shift.

His whole life, he had known only murder; fate had forged him that way. Yet, he remained human, valuing and cherishing life.

Thinking back, it was quite ironic.

"Thanks, Lucy," he murmured.

"You’ve already said that."

"I mean it."

His hands gently brushed through her hair, just like when they were children.

"Did you cut it?" Sirius asked in surprise.

It took Lucy a moment to understand his astonishment.

"I wanted to mark the occasion," she said, sitting up to show him her new hairstyle.

"Do you like it?" she asked before continuing, "I did it myself on a whim. Some strands are shorter than others, so it might not look too flattering."

"Oh no, it looks wonderful on you," Sirius stammered. Immediately, a blush colored Lucy’s cheeks, and an awkward silence followed.

Grrrrrrrr.

At least their stomachs were more honest with one another.

"You should be hungry," said a voice in the air.

"Sirius, you haven’t eaten since your awakening. And Lucy, you haven’t eaten either. You lost your appetite these past few days because you were so worried," the voice continued.

"Brenda?" Sirius asked, recognizing the voice but unable to sense her presence or see her.

"Oops, I forgot," Brenda replied with a snap of her fingers, and in the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of him.

"You’ve been here the whole time?" Sirius remarked, hastily standing up.

"No, I was just here before Lucy jumped on you," she retorted, a mischievous smile on her face.

"What are you implying?!" Lucy yelled, leading to a squabble between her and Brenda.

’Ah, that explains the punch,’ thought Sirius.

’Wait, why did she hit me again?’

"Oh, thank goodness, I’m breathing!" Victor exclaimed.

"Oops, he got crushed, poor rat," Sirius teased.

The sun was already high in the sky.

It took a while before Lucy and Brenda calmed down and Victor stopped complaining after reclaiming his real body at some point.

"So, what do we do now?" Sirius asked.

"Wait," Lucy said.

"Wait for whom?"

"Iris. She should be here by breakfast." She conjured a tablecloth out of thin air, setting up a picnic, and everyone took a seat.

Upon seeing the hot food and utensils materialize magically, their expressions became instantly complicated. A silent battle ensued between the three, ending with Sirius’s defeat, forcing him to gather his courage.

"Uh, Lucy..." He cleared his throat to grab her attention and pointed at the dishes.

Lucy gave a perplexed look for a moment before realizing his gesture and explaining:

"It’s my resonance; I stored them in a dimension of my own."

Sirius shook his head. "I could’ve guessed that. I was more wondering, who cooked these dishes?"

"I did. Is there a problem?"

"None."

Elsewhere, along a road bordered by a forest, tents could be seen being taken down.

Inside one of them, a young boy with black hair held a knife. Next to him, a young girl with pink hair, around twelve years old.

"Don’t get too close, you’ll cry again," the boy warned.

"No, I’m big now. Big sister said so!" the girl replied, pouting.

"Alright, if you insist, just know I warned you."

He handed her the knife.

The moment she held it, she grinned, lifting it into the air before bringing it down with a swift motion, carefully closing her eyes.

Unfortunately for her, it didn’t take long before tears stained her chubby cheeks.

"You’re too small to chop onions," the boy teased.

"You’re so mean! I’m telling big sister when she gets back!" the girl retorted.

Before the boy could calm her:

"Brad, Bell, no fighting with a knife in hand, it’s dangerous."

A voice reached them before a beautiful young woman with violet hair entered the tent.

"Big sister Iris!" they both shouted.

At the sight of her, they stopped and ran into her arms.

"Brad won’t let me help him cook!"

"I just told her she’s too small to chop onions. It always makes her cry," Brad defended himself.

Iris smiled, amused by their bickering.

"How about the three of us cook together? I have everything we need to make a good soup."

She emptied the contents of the straw basket she was carrying: mushrooms, nettles, and other edible plants gathered from the forest.

"How did you gather all of this so quickly?" Brad exclaimed.

Iris winked at him.

"I’ve got beautiful eyes."

This made the boy blush.

It didn’t take long for everything to be prepared. After serving portions to the two kids, Iris kept the rest of the pot for herself.

"Big sister, aren’t you eating with us?" Bell asked.

"No, I promised some friends we’d have lunch together today."

"Captain Grégoire?" Brad asked, trying to hide a grimace.

Iris understood the source of his animosity toward him. She herself didn’t like the man, but the time wasn’t right yet.

Maintaining her usual smile, she reassured them:

"No, not him. It’s my brother, the one I’ve mentioned."

Bell thought for a moment before asking:

"Your twin brother, right? Is he as handsome as you?"

"Impossible. No one could ever rival big sister Iris!" Brad exclaimed, almost spilling his bowl.

As the two were about to start bickering again, a woman in a white uniform entered the tent.

Immediately, Brad and Bell turned to the newcomer. At the sight of the uniform, their joyful expressions turned into grimaces.

She pretended not to care, but hesitated for a moment as though she wanted to speak to them before regaining her composure.

"Dame Iris, you are requested."

"Carla, how many times must I tell you to stop with such titles? If anyone should be using one, it’s me addressing you that way," Iris said without turning, not even glancing at the Exécutrice.

"I can’t do that, after everything you’ve done."

Iris sighed, resigning herself to reasoning with her.

"Why are they so stubborn..." she thought.

Once they were outside, and far enough away, Iris turned to Carla.

"It’s not your fault what happened to them, nor what will happen."

"You’re just an insignificant stone swept up in the landslide."

She paused, a hint of rage in her voice.

"We’re nothing but pawns on the chessboard."

Carla stopped walking, leaning against a tree. Her hands trembled as she spoke.

"If I hadn’t used my power, some would’ve refused. There would have been fewer orphans..."

"You’re right, but if you stand idly by now that you know, I’ll be the one to kill you."

"Ha ha ha, in that case, I’ll take it into account. I wouldn’t want you to dirty your hands with someone like me."

"Good, we’ll need all the available manpower."

People passing by continued to salute Iris respectfully. Since the scene in the main square, where her face became known to all, she had worked tirelessly on her image, making sure the majority kept a good opinion of her.

"By the way, how many people will we be able to count on before we reach the Invictus fortress?"

"Not many. I must be cautious not to reveal my plans. It would be unfortunate to get caught so early."

"I understand."

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived in front of a white tent.

Inside, a large table with five Enforcers, all Initiés, seated around it. A tall man in his forties, wearing two stars on his uniform, stood up at their arrival.

"My dear Iris, it’s always a pleasure."

"Likewise, Captain Grégoire."

Once seated, there were seven people in the tent.

"You’ve called for me, what can I do for you?" Iris said.

"Nothing more than what you’ve already done. I wanted to introduce you to Major Kraft, the highest-ranking officer at the fortress."

"Major, here is the person I told you about. She’s been a model of excellence for anyone, despite her tragic history."

"Rest assured, the Empire doesn’t forget to reward its bravest children," said the Major.

Iris turned in the direction of the voice, but no one was there. It was only when she remembered she was still using her Resonance that she understood. When she stopped seeing the world through her power, she was finally able to see the Major.

"Nice to meet you, Major," Iris replied.