𝐀 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 /// ᴋʜᴜɴ ᴇᴅᴜᴀɴ - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

To be perfectly honest, Lilia didn't have high hopes on Khun's suggestion. She became so used to disappointment she wouldn't even care if her powers came back or not.
In fact, she expected nothing to happen.
So when the familiar purple light radiated from her palm, she felt as if the Tower was about to come crumbling down.
A rush of the power she once took for granted surged through her body as in a blink of an eye, she summoned a ring of lighthouses around them. Everyone was too enamored to speak, even Lilia, who was staring down at her glowing palm.
"This is..."
Without hesitation, she summoned a smaller lighthouse before her. From it, she pulled out a familiar white sword with a red tassel hanging from it's hilt. Her sword gifted to her from Arie Hon after they conquered the Workshop.
A childlike smile grew on her face without even realizing as she held the sword in her hand before swinging it around, longing for that familiar feeling of the weapon once again.
Khun couldn't help but smile himself upon seeing the expression on Lilia. Of all the time they spent together, he never once saw her smile like that.
"No way..." Endorsi muttered as she and everyone admired the majestic aura her shinsu held.
"So this is the power of a Ten Great Warrior... to stand in its presence sure is intimidating enough," Hansung added.
Everyone watched as Lilia stood silently amongst them before looking up with newfound determination and in her amethyst eyes.
"Come on Aguero, you said you want me to teach you lightbearing techniques, right?"
It was as if a heavy burden was lifted off her shoulders.
Lilia and Khun were currently standing atop their lighthouses as the former finally agreed to train him.
Khun's eyes were concentrated on the shinsu before him, a tight line on his lips.
"There's a reason why lightbearers often take up the position of support rather than taking on a fight by themselves. Lighthouses aren't as versatile, and they can easily be killed by a skilled fisherman or any other close combatant before they could even do anything to protect themselves."
"Then are you suggesting that I should give up?"
"Of course not. I am telling you to fix the problems."
"What problems?"
"As you know, lightbearing isn't my only skill."
"Yes, you also wield that sword correct?"
"Mhm. I can also act as a fisherman when needed. And I am capable of supporting myself."
"You're saying I should take up a combatant skill?"
"You already have one."
Khun arched an eyebrow at the suggestion before the woman gestured to the ice he formed on his palm.
"... Spear bearing?"
"Yes."
"But it's the one thing I don't want to learn?"
"Well, you have to. I noticed when you battled Viole you were getting a pretty good hang of it," Lilia teased.
"Then teach me swordsmanship," the boy pouted, not liking the fact that the woman was agreeing with Hansung's suggestion.
"... nah."
"What do you mean 'nah'?!"
"You won't be good at it."
"Huh?"
"You're father was terrible at it."
"That doesn't mean I won't-"
"Aguero."
The boy cut himself off at Lilia's stern tone.
"As much as you want to deny it, you are a copy of your father."
"... You don't have to tell me something I already know," Khun muttered.
Lilia's eyes softened as she approached the boy, gently ruffling his light blue hair. "Sorry... I didn't mean to word it like that."
"?" Khun's eyes looked down at her with slight hint of curiosity at her words.
"It's just that, I don't know how long I can continue to travel with you guys like this. How long I'll be able to teach you. Something tells me this power won't stay very long. If I teach you the sword knowing very well you could get more out of other things I'm capable of teaching you this moment, I'd rather teach you things you can use to help your friends as soon as possible. Once Bam defeats Jahad... and we get out of here... I'll take all the time in the world to teach you swordsmanship, okay?"
"Lilia..." Khun whispered as he grasped the hand ruffling his hair and enveloped it into his own. He looked her determinedly in the eyes as cobalt clashed with amethyst. "You better keep your promise then."
The woman smiled. "Of course."
"So it's today..." Lilia muttered to herself as she looked towards the rice pot where Eduan and Bam resided for the last couple days. She was left to herself as Khun went ahead to clear the finals stage, protesting that he could do it himself and put their training to use.
She watched as the familiar blue electricity emerge from the rice pot before the rubble tore apart from within. Amidst the mess lies Jahad's challenger with a towel over his eyes, worn out form the nonstop training.
"Get up, Son of V," Eduan ordered as he looked down at the boy. "It's time to go."
The woman who was looking up at them felt herself smile ever so slightly. 'Glad to see that some things never change. He's still a strict teacher as always.'
Khun reunited with the group as they head towards the tower where the dreaded duel awaits, the observer was guiding them.
"This is the stage where the duel will take place."
"You sure made it damn big," Eduan muttered as he and the rest looked up at the tall building. The top barely visible as it reached the clouds.
"Well, come in," the observer invited. Everyone began following suit but Lilia noticed Eduan lagging behind. He seemed to be looking for something.
"Eduan, is everything okay?" The man nodded, but not before heaving a disappointing sigh. It appeared that his children had failed to retrieve the mirror.
Once the two caught up with the rest of the party, two separate elevators appeared before them.
"Those two elevators are set to take you to different places," the observer started. "Lord Eduan and Lady Lilia will take the left elevator with the challenger to the top floor, where Lord Jahad is-"
Both Eduan and Lilia's eyes widened at the mention of her name. So Jahad did end up recognizing her after all. The observer must have reported it to him.
"-And the rest of you will take the elevator on the right."
As the group divided towards their respected locations, Khun gave the brunette his final reassurance. "Good luck Bam. Show Jahad's data the power of the new generation. He'll be so surprised that he gets deleted" Khun joked in hopes of lightening the mood. Bam gave him a reassuring smile as the three of them head towards the elevator.
Lilia noticed Bam feeling nervous and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. The golden eyes boy looked at her and she gave him an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, Bam. In the end, Jahad is nothing more than a coward."
Bam nodded, but the lingering feeling of death never stopped hovering over his conscience. All three of them made it to the battlefield where Jahad awaits with his red cape fluttering in the wind like Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. But with a more unfortunate fashion sense.
"Welcome, little beast," the king greeted. "I've been waiting for so long. Have you gotten a bit stronger?"
He lifted his arm in a grandiose manner as the ceiling begins to unravel.
"It got even bigger!" Bam exclaimed.
"... Isn't this a bit over the top?" Eduan muttered.
"Since when is Jahad not?" Lilia replied, despite it being a rhetorical question.
Insulted, Jahad hmphed. "This is how the arena is supposed to look. It seemed like the outcome would be pointless if we just had an ordinary duel." He then proceeds to explain the objective of the competition.
"I just fought someone recently who gave me the most fun I had in ages. So my expectation of you have gone up a bit."
Bam felt himself grow nervous at the declaration. But he managed to masked his uncertainty with determined eyes.
"Now... shall we begin?"
"You're nervous."
"Of course I am. Jahad is going to kill the boy."
"I thought you had more faith in him."
"I could tell you really like the boy."
"Of course I do. He's just like her."
"You certainly got that right."
"His eyes are honest. Just like Arlene's..."
"So that's why you're scared that Jahad is going to kill him..."
"Weren't you the one who said Jahad is nothing more than a coward?"
"And I stand by what I said. He's nothing more than a coward who turned his back on loyalty and justice. It was him alone who declared himself king and nobody else." The woman noticed the man grew rather fidgety as he sat next to her.
"You have something to say?"
"I'm almost too scared to ask..."
"I never knew Khun Eduan to be a coward as well."
Eduan chuckled lightly to himself as his eyes were downcast at the fight instead of looking at the woman. "Maybe I am..."
"... Eduan. You can tell me."
"Lilia. How did I lose you? What happened after the hidden floor? At the top?"
"Lilia-"
"I'm sure you are aware of the conflict between Arlene, V and Jahad. I just happened to be one of the casualties," the woman explained dismissively. Trying to pass off what happened as something minute in a large picture.
She noticed Eduan's clenched fist in the corner of her eye. "What do you mean just another casualty? The Lilia I know wouldn't fall so easily... Tell me the truth, Lilia. How did you die?"
"Lilia, please-"
"Jahad had me executed... for treason."
"Treason?"
"Yes... I ended up helping Arlene and V escape."
"Huh?! But why? Why didn't you stay by my side-"
"I'm sorry Eduan. But it's not something even I truly understood."
There was a pregnant silence between the two as Lilia allowed Eduan to process what she said. A feeling of guilt weighing heavily on her heart.
In the end, she couldn't bring herself to tell him what really happened.
"Again, I'm so-"
"Stop. Just stop." Eduan cut her off as he turned away. Lilia's heart clenched from the sight of his back to her.
"Eduan, I know you're upset, but I-"
"I should be the one apologizing, not you."
"Huh?"
The man turned towards her, and for the second time in Lilia's memory, she saw him cry. "I'm sorry Lilia... I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you."
"Eduan." The woman stated as she looked him directly in the eye. "It was my own decision that led me to where I am today."
"When it comes to helping Arlene and V. I didn't regret it."
"... So you chose them over us?"
The way Eduan phrased it made her heart hurt. Did she really? All this time she convinced herself that she was doing it for her and Eduan. But in the end, who did it really benefit?
In the end, no one gained anything, and everyone lost something.
Lilia couldn't bring herself to answer Eduan as she watched Jahad destroy the first core. The man knew he couldn't expect an answer from her, so he didn't continue to pester her. But the lingering topic of their conversation hurt. Was their relationship so fragile that Lilia would be willing to leave him behind?
He knew her and Arlene were close. But he always thought he and Lilia grew closer.
He thought wrong.
Eduan was immediately pulled from his thoughts as he noticed the surreal amount of orbs around the battlefield. "That kid..." he muttered to himself as Bam managed to catch Jahad off guard with a shinsu black hole sphere with the assistance of his Thorn.
"What the hell happened with him!" Eduan exclaimed as Lilia smiled.
"He'd finally fighting as himself..." She muttered. "The Bam I know with no restraints..."
Even from their distance, the two could see the wide grin on Jahad's face as he took out the first stage of Lecalicus.
The sudden power Bam showed reminded Eduan of what Hansung said several centuries earlier.
"So someday the Son of V is going to come and defeat Jahad's data?"
"Yes!"
"Nonsense."
"No Sir! Please believe me!" The man pleaded as he bowed his head. "The Jahad on the outside has turned his back on loyalty and justice. And is ruling the world as the king. God will send a Disciple to punish him. I didn't make this up. It's a fate tied together by Arlene and brought forth by Lilia."
"Fate... set forth by Lilia.?" the family leader muttered under his breath.
After all, it was the mention of Lilia's name that prompted him to help Bam.
Data Eduan knew that him on the outside was a man who never believed in fate, and neither did the Lilia he knew.
So when he learned that the fate was set forth by his beloved who never believed in such thing as fate, he couldn't help but want to believe in it too.
And at this moment, he felt as if he's facing that very fate foretold by the persistent regular.
It looked as if Bam actually had a chance at defeating Jahad like foretold.
Lilia's eyes widened as Jahad summoned Cosmos as Bam was quickly gaining the upper hand.
"That coward... he's really going to kill him!" She gritted under her teeth as Eduan attempted to shield his eyes from the attack.
What Bam did next shocked everyone present. He impaled himself with the thorn.
The shinsu around them trembled as Lilia's violet jeweled eyes never left the boy.
It was a faint feeling.
But the three great warriors felt the power of the administrator within the boy.
It wasn't hard to miss Jahad's excited smile when Bam fought with his newfound powers.
It wasn't hard to tell that Jahad was reminded of the excitement of their adventures thousands of years ago. The excitement of venturing into the unknown.
"Wake up, Son of V" Eduan stated as he watch an unconscious Bam and Jahad float nearby the final orb.
"The final orb... it's right there."
Lilia felt herself smile as she watched the two gain consciousness before focusing on the final orb.
"It seems that our Bam has won."
Her statement was later proved correct when Jahad stopped the duel and pulled out a bracelet that Jahad from the outside left him.
Just as he was about to hand it to the brunette, the air around them shook. Not a single one of them could move.
Jahad quickly explained that the ring was the key to defeating him on the outside, and asked Bam to let the outside him experience the thrill of adventure once more.
But at that moment, the real Jahad showed up before them.
Lilia felt sick to her stomach as she looked up at the King of the Tower.
Even from a distance away, she still felt his tremendous power shaking through her veins. Only one thing preoccupied her head at the moment.
'Bam! I have to protect Bam!' She thought to herself. But before she can do anything, Eduan hid her behind his back.
"Eduan-"
"Be quiet! I don't want him to see you!" He yelled in a hushed voice.
"Those eyes... I thought I killed you before..." Jahad's deep voice rumbled as the pair's eyes turned towards the irregular he was referring to.
Data Jahad's eyes widened in shock. "I... killed that boy?"
While Jahad was explaining how his data version is meant to stay oblivious to the outside, Eduan quickly turned towards Lilia and pulled her in by her shoulders.
"Listen carefully. Before everyone moved their data through the mirror, Gustang gave me pill called the Format. The Format could turn the entire world back into nothing."
Lilia's eyes widened at what she was told. Then does that mean-
"-You'll be reduced to nothing too?" she muttered helplessly. The man looked down, unable to meet her solemn gaze.
The thought of losing the last remnant of the man she left behind in her previous life left a bitter taste in her mouth.
The said man on the outside is not the same man in here.
But their current situation cannot allow her the luxury of throwing a temper tantrum.
Eduan chose to ignore Lilia's previous statement before continuing. "Originally I planned to consume the Format and send you and Bam out of here... but now that the situation changed..." he turned his head towards the real Jahad.
"If I can get the him to swallow the pill, then even he will be reduced to nothing. That way we can get the bracelet back and send you guys out of here."
"Then how are you planning to do that?"
Eduan sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, I need the fake's help."
"Then let me help too."
The spear bearer's eyes widened at the suggestion. "Huh? But-"
"I didn't tell you, but I absorbed my old powers after defeating my sworn enemy."
"What?! But Lilia, you're-"
"I know it may not last forever. Maybe it will disappear once I leave this place. But it doesn't matter. Even a short moment like this is more than enough for me."
She looked at Eduan with the same pleading gaze he gave her the day she left him. "Please, just let me fulfill my duty once more..."
The man clenched his fist before reluctantly agreeing. Even after all these years, he couldn't bring himself to deny her of her pleas.
"Alright... but be careful."
"I will. Now go get Jahad, I'll use my lighthouses to support you."
"This certainly feels nostalgic," Eduan smiled, trying to reduce the tense situation ever so slightly.
Lilia returned the gesture. "Since when have I ever let you down?"
At that moment, Eduan sped off towards Jahad before the real him to destroy his data, leaving Lilia to assist Bam.
The real Jahad seemed amused by the fact that his data and the data of Eduan were working together. But his amusement was immediately cut short when he noticed Lilia in the corner of his eyes.
"Lilia Belle..." his deep voice sent chills down the woman's spine.
Everyone else present was immediately consumed with dread as the King's attention was no longer on them, but the traitor in the King's eyes.
"Why..." Before Jahad to say anything else, Lilia summoned her lighthouses to transport her and Bam a distance away. But before she was successful, Jahad grabbed her by the throat and lifting her delicate body up to his face.
"GAH!"
"LILIA!" She could hear Eduan scream. She struggle to meet Eduan's worried gaze before gesturing him towards one of her lighthouses she sent behind him and data Jahad. Understanding her signal, he quickly nodded before pulling out his spear.
Data Jahad quickly rushed towards the real him with the support of Lilia's lighthouse as Eduan began to aim his spear.
"Take this!" He exclaimed, but the attack has little to no effect as Jahad didn't even budge.
"Lilia Belle..." Jahad started again as the woman struggled in his hold. She noticed Bam was desperately trying to help but his body couldn't move.
"... I don't know how you managed to come back to life.. but fate is really toying with us," Jahad's golden eyes then shifted from her towards Bam who was frozen in his spot.
"I find you here again as my enemy... accompanying the son of the woman I loved more than anyone. I didn't think I would get to kill you this time with my own two hands, as I didn't get to before."
"LET HER GO!" Data Jahad yelled as he charged towards his real self. But he was immediately thrown back as if he was nothing more than a fly. He was completely unfazed at both Jahad and his data's barrage of attacks.
"I'm going to find everyone her and on the train. Everyone you ever cared for. I'll kill every single one of them, starting with this boy you love so much," Jahad muttered darkly as he referred to Bam.
Lilia whimpered as she felt the grip around her neck tighten. The sound seemed to have awoken something in brunette who could do nothing but helplessly watch Jahad slowly kill her, as he managed to summon his second thorn at last.
At that moment, Jahad was forced to let go of Lilia whom Eduan was quick to snatch away. He gently cradles her body in his arms as she hacked and coughed for air.
"Bam!" She exclaimed as she caught her breath. She noticed the thorn extending from Bam, creating a gate towards another space.
"Lilia, are you okay?" Eduan asked softly as she nodded, caressing the bruise around her delicate neck.
"I'm fine..."
She lied. She thought she was going to die.
"Eduan... Lilia..." Data Jahad started as the two's attention fell on him. "That power appears to be trying to send Bam out of here."
And he was right, as it seemed like the thorn was trying to pull Bam out.
Eduan sighed as he pulled out the pill. "Then I guess I've got no other options."
Lilia and Jahad's eyes widened. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to control my powers in this Format. So I'll focus my powers for a moment somehow, and Lilia and Bam could grab the bracelet and escape. You better support me this time, Jahad."
The blonde man clicked his tongue as he assumed positon. "Fine! You don't have to tell me twice!"
"And Lilia-"
"Hurry!" Jahad exclaimed. But before Eduan could consume the pill, Lilia stopped him.
"Lilia, what are you-" he was cut off by Lilia's lips as she gently cupped his face with her delicate hands.
The kiss lasted for no more than three seconds before the woman quickly pulled away, but to couple it felt like an eternity. Eduan almost came to regret his sacrifice when he saw the tears pooling in her violet jeweled eyes.
"When I said I didn't regret helping V and Arlene, I didn't mean that I didn't regret leaving you..." she whispered.
"I just regret not telling you..."
"Tell me what?" He muttered back lightly as he looked down at her with half lidded eyes, resisting the urge to pull her back in for another kiss one last time.
"I love you..." As soon as those words fell out of her lips, she was gone. Eduan watched her leave towards Bam with a longing gaze. Just like her whispers, she was out of his reach before he can reply 'I love you too.'
But that would be too cruel to say.
The Lilia that never believed in fate had brought him a fate to believe in.
Maybe she could do the same to the Eduan on the outside.
That is, if only she is planning to find him on the outside.
"Damn this is gonna hurt like hell..." He muttered to no one in particular as he consumed the Format.
Might as well end his existence on a memorable note.
Before Jahad could touch Bam, he saw his arm beginning to disintegrate. The thorn was pulling Bam's unconscious body towards the gate it formed while Lilia used her lighthouses to teleport to the bracelet.
But before she could grab it, she and Jahad exchanged eye contact once more. Gold violently clashed with violet.
It wasn't the first time.
Neither will it be the last.
Lilia felt herself being sucked in by an invisible force as the bracelet was torn from Jahad's grasp.
For a brief moment, she saw Eduan's disintegrating body for one last time before getting pulled out of the hidden floor.
Lilia felt herself groan at her pounding headache before waking up in a golden room. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, feeling empty, her body feeling heavier once more.
She no longer had her powers
"You surely took your time to wake," an all too familiar voice piped up from next to her. She turned around to see the head of the Po Bidau family sitting on a desk enjoying a cup of tea.
"Gustang... where am I?"
"The Last Station."
"Where's-"
"Your companions are still on the train. The only reason you got out is because I pulled you out. One of the perks of being Family Leader I suppose."
Lilia's violet jeweled eyes narrowed at the man. "And why did you do that?"
"I have a proposal for you... One I guarantee you can't deny."
"What makes you so sure."
"It's something you've always long for."
"And that is?"
"To get your powers back outside the hidden floor."
Lilith's eyes widened at what the Po Bidau head just said.
"To get my power back...?"
"Yes," Gustang affirmed as he fixed his glasses. "To reach the same level you were before you died."
This sounded too good to be true. The woman glared at him, knowing he most definitely would benefit from what he is about to propose.
"And what's the catch?"
"Nothing for me. Not now at least."
"Then why are you telling me this."
"Because seeing you struggle like this is pathetic. As cold as I am, we were still companions who fought alongside each other."
"So you're doing it for 'old times sake'?"
Gustang sighed, "Let's call it that for now."
"What makes you think I need it?"
"Hmm.." Gustang hummed as he mockingly placed a hand under his chin. "Other than the fact that Jahad knows you're alive and will send his army after you and the boy, I don't see any other reason."
Lilith uncrossed her arms as her stance relaxed ever so slightly. She hated how he was right. "Then tell me, how I can do it."
"You certainly are eager."
"The quicker I get my power back, the sooner I help Bam."
"I applaud you for your devotion to the boy, if only you are as devoted to us."
Lilith smiled. "Yes, but unlike you guys, Bam actually deserved the devotion. I owe this much to Arlene."
Gustang creased his brows at the name. "Why do you always devote yourself to her? What has she done that could make you go this far for her?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"You know I'm always bad at discerning things that aren't straightforward."
"She had what I didn't. And I want her to be happy."
The man chuckled as he turned away to face the window of the floating palace.
"I see. So I was right about your selflessness being the death of you."
"Pardon me-"
"Tell me, Lilia, what is your most prized object."
The wave controller raised a delicate brow. "What do you mean?"
"What object do you hold dearest in your heart."
Lilia's expression scrunched up at the question. "As of now, nothing."
"I am not asking Lilith. I am asking Lilia. What about in the past?"
She was so used to her real name being called now she didn't even realize Gustang had referred to her that way.
"Did you always take me for someone who was that shallow?"
"Your most prized object doesn't have to be something in relation to greed. Well, come to think of it, it might be. But does nothing come into mind? Perhaps something you always wore?"
At that moment, Lilith knew exactly what Gustang was talking about. "What are you getting at?"
"When you died and the Tower brought you back, your irregular powers don't just disappear. I'm sure you already realized that when you fought your sworn enemy."
"In the end, the power is still yours. The Tower cannot take that away from you."
"Then you're saying..."
"Yes, that power is transferred to somewhere else. To something that still belongs to you."
"But that was thousands of years ago. There is no way that old thing still exists now."
Gustang smiled as he turned towards her from the window. "Lilith. No... Lilia. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You always have a terrible habit of undermining your worth to others around you."
"Just cut to the chase."
"That hairpin you love so much still exists somewhere in this tower."
Lilith gulped as she felt herself tense up. "Where?"
Gustang remain silent as he took his sweet time to walk from the window to his lounge chair on the other side of the room.
"Tell me Gustang. Where?" This time her voice took a dark turn as she glowered at him.
He was smiling, and therefore he knew Lilia wouldn't like what he had to say. He made himself comfortable in his chair and gestured the woman to come closer. A thick silence engulfed the two as the woman glared deathly at the man who took his time with a glass of champagne next to him on a table.
Just as Lilith was about to demand an answer again, Gustang opened his mouth.
And how she regretted it.
"I'm sure you're familiar with the Khun Family Treasure House?"