My sister and I arrive back at the base camp.
I can feel the heavy pressure within myself to remain calm.
The things Maura taught me all makes sense down in that cave, but it still doesn't make it any easier to wrap my mind around. Maura guides me to the command tent where the HLH Council meets to talk about strategies for the upcoming war against the Eradicators.
Even from afar, I can slightly hear the familiar voices of Leena and Zephyr as they wake up. I hope they don't cause a scene; I think to myself as my feet quickly pick up the dust into the air. We rush into the command tent, preparing for the worst.
The actual result, though, is more than boring.
Leena is stretching her arms out and yawning. Zephyr is also stretching his arms out like nothing happened. I guess your mindset changes when training to be ready for anything as a noble heir.
"Leena! Zephyr! Don't worry, you are safe here. The HLH are not bad people. They stand for Humanity's Last Hope. They are here to take down the Keepers who are not really who you think they are," I say quickly and boldly.
"I kind of figured that to be honest," Leena says as she becomes more fully awake.
"My father said to me as I was growing up that the Keepers aren't there to protect you. I still attended the academy, though, to get within their system and see what the truth was all along," she says in a monotone voice.
Everything in my body goes silent for a moment.
I'm not the only one who wants to get back at the Keepers, or more specifically, the Eradicators. This couldn't be more confusing.
"What about you, Zephyr?" I ask earnestly.
"The House of Uracain never really cares much for the Keepers. We are fine with them because they mostly let us do our own thing. However, sometimes they are controlling of us and therefore we do not care about the Keepers at all or even the Keeper King," Zephyr says while cracking his back.
"I honestly wouldn't mind it if they felt pain," Zephyr says while grinning.
"Leena and I don't agree with them using students for combat where they could die. We can understand if they wanted the nobles to fight because we naturally inherit skills the average person doesn't have."
"We understand we must protect Tarondar even if horrible people lead us. However, if those same leaders put people in danger who do not need to be, that's unforgivable," Zephyr says coldly.
It is hard for me to process all this information.
I'm just happy we all are on the same page and there doesn't have to be an all-out fight between my friends and HLH. I sigh in relief and sit down on one bench in the command tent.
"This is my long-lost sister Maura. She is the leader of the HLH," I add at the last moment.
Both Zephyr and Leena have expressions that look like their heads are about to explode. They both look at each other as they mouth the word "sister" to each other. They both return to their cots where the nurses have placed them before they were temporarily put to sleep.
"Yes, I am his little sister Maura Lotus! I am the leader of HLH, also known as Humanity's Last Hope. Our mission is to expose the Keepers for who they are, which are the Eradicators. They are superhuman beings disguised as humans who think they are superior to us due to their light magic and because of that, they can kill us."
"They took a lot of human children and raised them to think that the Keepers were the saviors and the remaining adult humans who were not light mages, were the Eradicators. It is such a messed up thing," Maura says while shaking her head.
"The reason we let you both see this place and everything it offers is because we know Nico trusts you two, as you two are a part of his close friend's group at school. We want both of you with Nico to head back to the academy like you found nothing."
"We will send three Shadow Squadron members to wear the Keeper uniforms we picked up to escort you back, so it looks like the Keepers are okay. This way we can infiltrate the academy while you three work on building a revolutionary army to overthrow the Keeper Principal!" my sister says with enthusiasm.
"Sounds like it can be a fun time," Zephyr says, smiling.
Leena agrees and says, "I trust Nico a lot more than I trust the Principal Keeper. I didn't like the way he was using students to do his bidding, either."
The amount of support I get from both Leena and Zephyr makes me want to cry tears of happiness.
Even though I'm not that social at the academy, they still hang out with me, chat with me, and treat me like an average student, not like some freak. They still appreciate me despite my dark magic not being the norm at the academy.
"Are you sure this is safe to do?" I say, looking at my sister for confirmation.
"It has its risks, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. We have been planning this for a very long time. We predicted one of the lead Eradicators, also known as the Keeper Principal, would send you all to find us. He is too much of a prideful man, which won't let him think rationally with this."
"That is why we came into contact with you to show you all this. We will help the students take back humanity and get rid of the corrupted light mages," Maura says with clear-cut confidence.
"Let's do this then," I attempt to say in a confident voice.
"We have your back!" Leena says to me while putting her hand on my shoulder.
"We sure do!" Zephyr says to me, grinning as he puts his hand on my other shoulder. It seems like three of the Shadow Squadron members are already ready to go.
We all chuckle as we think they look spot-on, like Keepers.
"We will meet again, brother. This time, though, it may not be soon. Focus on building your forces to take over the academy and we will assist you. We also will use our forces to take over the Royal Palace of Tarondar to take out the Keeper King while you guys take over the academy."
"It is going to be a huge and long drawn-out war. Prepare while you can. Most importantly, please stay safe," my sister says to me as we give each other one last hug.
Leena, Zephyr, the three Shadow Squadron members dressed up as Keepers, and I all start our journey back to Keeper Academy. It is hard to leave the HLH headquarters and my sister behind, but I know I will return one day. I fix my eyes on the floating fortress in the air.
It's time for round two.