Funnily enough, no one answered Liv. They were all waiting for my direction. Even Robyn, for all her affection for Zanele, held her tongue. No matter what the girls might have believed, even though they might have been smarter than . They awaited my answer.
'I do not wish to let anyone know beyond our family, Liv. At least for now. While Exa sees what everyone with my blood does, IRIS and Trinity might have other ans. I hope everyone does not mind.'
'I understand, my love. I also prefer that. The alternative is quite taxing.'
'No matter what you choose, we will follow only you, Dearest.'
'Side, these sheilas are dumbass fuckwits, Possum. Better you decide.'
'Haha! You are delusional, Jailbait! Talk to after your two brain cells figure out who is the one that takes 3rd place. As for you, Darling! Don't worry about it!'
'We do not, Honey. You are the head of our family. No matter who you wish to fight, the Code family and I will kill them all.'
'Husband, your will is my will. Do as you please.'
'Ara, but I like it better this way, Anata. Just fighting Trinity alone seems too boring. Better to fight IRIS and the whole world too. That way it can be sowhat of a challenge.'
I tried with all my willpower to stop my lips from curling into a smile. My girls were truly too good for . Despite the implications of what I decided, none of them were fazed. Zanele's voice once again woke from my daydreaming as she moved on to the next topic.
"On that note, this concludes the story of the Sins and the Successors. Limitless. You have been given a heavy burden. But as you are now, you are still incomplete. You have yet to claim a single legacy; this is dangerous. You must do so to even the playing field."
Nodding, I answered, "I am aware. But I will do so only after Antarctica is reclaid."
At my words, Zanele grimaced, "Successor, that may not be such a good idea."
"Ho? And why do you think so? Do you not also wish for to use my power to change the landscape of Africa?"
"I-I am aware that my words may seem hypocritical. But since you know the whole story about the Successors, there are a few things I want to highlight. First is that despite all their power, none of them tried to save the North. I am not sure why, but that is a fact," she stamred.
"Indeed, you are right."
Zanele paused and let out a sigh before speaking again.
"Successor, it is not too late to save Antarctica after you have claid all the legacies. The bouts have already finished as far as IRIS can tell. But as a mber of IRIS, I feel that it is my duty to remind you that none of the previous Successors were stupid.
"Each ti they acted was in relation to a legacy. They all, much like you, wished to close Hellsgate and end this war. But they all decided to follow the exact sa path. Not claiming the legacies prevents you from knowing critical information."
Her words were correct. It was better to have knowledge of the entire situation before making decisions. Wars and battles could be won or lost by the tiliness of critical intelligence. But I saw differently. Having the sa intelligence also forced the sa result.
The Successors, for all their power, had no real contribution to the world. This might be because of factors I didn't know, but that was the truth. Whatever they were doing, it was not working; that was a fact. The past hundred years were all the proof needed.
Zanele's lesson on the truth of the world and the nature of malice drove ho one thing. We were running out of ti. If we do not stop the malice from accumulating in the world, it will lead to the awakening of the Serpent.
Zuri might have stressed himself out with the Serpent during the Legacy of Envy. But his actions in the Legacy of Sloth showed the complete opposite. He even took the ti to fall in love before marching to the North.
'And if more than 60 years had passed since then. His actions hardly mattered.'
But mine did. The difference in taking Hellsend into Antarctica and not doing so was huge. It was quite literally a global event. And as I am an artificial Successor, this might be for the best.
"I am aware of the risk. But I will not change my decision. IRIS has been unable to complete the puzzle. Mostly because Antarctica remains in the hands of the Reborn. Australia and Europe are significantly affected by the North's inability to recover. This too is important, no?"
Bowing her head, Zanele replied, "Indeed. It is as you say. Even IRIS has wanted to do sothing about the situation but lacks the power to do so."
"And why is that?"
"Huh?"
Zanele looked at in confusion over my simple question.
"Let repeat it. Why hasn't IRIS done more to protect the world? If even you believe that the issue with the North is a big deal, why hasn't anyone from IRIS tried to change the situation?"
"T-Thats…"
Sohow, I already knew the reason.
'Helping the North will prevent the future that IRIS wants.'
They were no heroes of humanity. It was just as Robert said. Their group had its own agenda. They helped or pushed down people for no one else's benefit but their own.
IRIS hid behind the causes of truth and justice, much like countries trying to justify their actions in war.
"Zanele," I called out.
"Y-Yes…"
"Call Roland and Blanche. I wish to speak to them both before I leave Africa."
"They are not people you can just call Successor. Even I cannot et them as I wish," she replied anxiously.
"I am aware. But as the Successor created by IRIS, they owe so answers. Just give them my ssage. If they do nothing, I will not fault you. I do not group you with them. I too am not them. IRIS, for all their power, never did more than watch as your lover dies, no?"
Zanele looked down as she bit her lip. Frustration evident on her face. No matter how indebted she might have been to them, they used her just as much. And if I chose to cross swords with IRIS, she would have to pick a side eventually.
'And in order to help her choose over them, I will give her what she desires the most. The chance to save her husband. '
"…"
As she couldn't reply, I changed the topic.
"You ntioned that you had a way to get my brother out of our hair. How? I will be most effective once I no longer have to worry about him."
"I know where he will most likely be headed."
"How?" I repeated, confused.
"If the other Successor is in Africa, it only ans one thing. He has yet to complete all his legacies. What he is looking for depends on which legacy he has already claid. The African Successors always search the sa places for Keys, Apostates, or the Serpent.
"Thus, so long as you do not co near those spots, the odds of you two coming into contact would be close to zero. I can tell you about these locations in advance so that you can either ambush him or track him. The choice would be yours, but it will allow you to take the initiative."
"Hmm… is that so?"
After Zanele's explanation, I wondered if I should jump the motherfucker or not. But for so reason, I couldn't stop my lips from curling up.
Reviews
All reviews (0)