CHAPTER 38: ANNA’S CONFESSION

"W-what?!" Anna began to act stunned and confused.

"Haha! Don’t be so stiff." The Night Seer said in a gentle and reassuring tone.

Hearing that, Anna took a few deep breaths and clenched - unclenched her fists as she tried to calm herself and her raging emotions.

"Why are you here?" Anna said in a calm tone as she looked at The Night Seer.

The Night Seer looked at Anna for a few moments and nodded.

"I wanted to meet you." The Night Seer answered truthfully.

"Why?" Anna narrowed her eyes as she questioned.

"I wished to have a conversation with you." The Night Seer said, while the white pigeon paced the table.

"What is it?" Anna asked, her eyes still full of suspicion.

"Forget about that, let’s talk about you instead." The Night Seer spoke as she paused to look in Anna’s eyes for a few moments and continued.

"What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" Anna spoke with clenched fists as she lowered her head.

"You feel burdened with something, why don’t you talk about it to me?" The Night Seer said her voice full of worry.

"I am fine..." Anna replied, her head still hung low.

"You don’t have to lie to me, or are you lying to yourself?" The Night Seer questioned as she turned to look out of the window, seemingly looking for something.

Anna, however, didn’t say anything as she stood there in silence.

"You both are something, huh?" The Night Seer spoke in a voice full of amazement as she shook her head.

Anna finally lifted her head at the mention of Damien.

"What?" Anna questioned as she looked at The Night Seer.

"You are similar to your brother in many ways." The Night Seer paused as she continued, "He, too, is burdened with Dios’s revenge."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked once again.

"Why are you acting like you didn’t already know? With your smarts, it wouldn’t even take a few moments to discern that Dios’s death was a plot." The Night Seer spoke as she looked straight in Anna’s eyes.

Anna just stood there, looking at the ground in silence.

"You are still a child, Anieal Starborne. You should be flexible, accept all the help you can gain and become stronger." The Night Seer spoke, her voice profound.

"Now tell me. What has burdened you?" The Night Seer asked with a commanding tone.

"I killed someone... and I regret it," Anna replied as she lifted her head and looked in the eyes of The Night Seer. She had expected to find contempt in her eyes. However, she only found warmth.

"A Midnighter always lives with their life on line. Similarly, their hands are washed with blood too." The Night Seer spoke as she looked at Anna with warm eyes.

"But... the way I did it..." Anna spoke in a self-deprecating tone.

The Night Seer, who finally understood the root of Anna’s behaviour, spoke.

"Think about that time."

"What?"

"Just do it."

"O-okay." Anna stuttered and began to recall the fight with the drunk man.

She recalled the moment she stabbed him—how she’d shredded his organs one by one without any mercy as he screamed in agony. Suddenly, she felt an urge to throw up as nausea hit her, causing her to fall to her knees. She began to breathe heavily as the images of that event still flashed in her mind.

The pigeon flew and landed on her head, and it then hit her head with its beak. A strand of multiple colours left Anna’s forehead, which the pigeon then placed on its head.

Soon, the images of that event flowed into The Night Seer’s mind. She went through Anna’s memory a few times. She stopped and looked at Anna with worried eyes.

The white pigeon flew towards Anna and began to rub its wings on Anna’s head.

After a few moments, Anna calmed herself as she looked at The Night Seer, who was looking at her with warmth and worry in her eyes.

"You did what you had to do." The Night Seer reassured Anna as she continued.

"You let yourself lose in the moment, yes. But you can’t do that forever. You have to remember not to lose again and move forward. You must become much stronger than this; you can’t let such setbacks affect you." The Night Seer concluded.

Anna turned her head to look at her and spoke in a low and meek voice.

"Thank you..." Anna said as tears welled up in her emerald-like eyes.

Anna closed her eyes as the white pigeon sat on her shoulder and continued to caress Anna’s head with its wing.

After a few moments, Anna opened her eyes again, looked at the white pigeon and asked

"Why did you want to meet me?" Anna questioned as she remembered the words of The Night Seer.

"We will talk about it some other day." The Night Seer said with a gentle and soft voice.

The white pigeon then jumped from Anna’s shoulder, and the Night Seer spoke

"You have great goals, Anna... But if you want to reach them, you must let go of your normal life. Which you aren’t ready for."

"It’s time for me to leave. See you soon, Anna." The Night Seer said her byes as the white pigeon began to fly out of the window.

"I..." Anna wanted to reply, but no words came out. At last, she just shook her head.

"See you soon, Miss Night Seer," Anna smiled brightly and bowed towards the departing white pigeon.

Anna broke the bow after some time. She looked at her hands and clenched them as she spoke.

"Yes, I have to get much stronger than this, way, way stronger." Anna resolved in her mind and heart and gazed at the moon in the sky.

"Meow!" Just then, Veylor woke up and let out a cry.

Anna turned towards Veylor with a small smile and called out as she walked towards him.

"Vey"

"Myu.." Veylor replied lazily.

"You won’t believe what has just happened..." Anna began to talk about her conversation with The Night Seer as she held Veylor in her lap.

Anna kept on rumbling about all of it, and Veylor had to listen to all of this, like the good and noble creature he was.