INSIGNIAS: THE REGALIS
CHAPTER XXVI: ARIA

There were no images of strong memories like being in the portals. There were no whispers that played with the mind like being in the mist. There was only her and her self-hatred.

Aria immediately forgot the cold water of the lagoon a few seconds after she sat down near the edge, the water reaching her shoulder blades. Her eyes were fixated on the bright round moon reflected on the water’s surface but her mind was battling with an unknown force that is playing with her emotions. At first, she didn’t know the origin of her self-hatred. Slowly, she was reminded of the images that haunted her before which she thought she had already overcome.

The day started like any other day. Abram Alexander kissed his daughter goodbye before leaving for work. Seven-year-old Aria spent the day waiting for him to come home like usual. When he arrived late in the afternoon, little Aria noticed his hands and lips trembling, his eyes wide with fear.

“We have to leave,” he told her. He took her in his arms and left through the back door of the house.

“Where are we going?” Aria nervously asked but her dad remained quiet. They left the compound in haste until they reached the forest behind Alexander’s domain. Without a second thought, her dad entered the thick forest. She didn’t know how long her dad walked with her in his arms but she remembered crying because she was scared.

When he stopped walking, she noticed figures of people from a distance. Her memory was fuzzy after that but she could recall her dad laying on a pool of red liquid. Her wide eyes at his form as the forest started burning around them. The next thing she remembered was her dad’s family crying and shouting at her. After the incident, she started hating herself. Despite showing indifference in front of her dad’s family, deep inside, she hated being born not normal. Her Fire elemental burns everything around her. But it also ignites the anger inside of her and at the same time conceals her self-hatred from others.

Too bad. She felt her nails painfully digging into the flesh of her hands under the water. Her breathing was shallow and loud. Her stare never left the bright round moon on the water’s surface.

I’ve done this million times. She smirked.

She held into the rein of her self-hatred and held it in place. No matter how many years passed, she would always feel responsible for her parents’ death. That would never change. She accepted her anger because of her new family. The difference between before and after meeting them was she started loving her life. She felt alive. She started looking forward to her future.

When she was able to control her raging emotions, she released a sigh of relief. She looked up and her head slowly fell back on the edge of the lagoon as she watched countless stars twinkle around the huge moon.

Aria blinked when Forrest’s face came into view. A smirk played on her face.

“Tough,” the knight said.

“But not tough enough,” she added which made Aria frown. The mentor helped her out of the water. Her legs felt like jelly. Only when she surfaced that she noticed their four missing friends in the lagoon. Clyne had his hands on the sides of his head. Skhy was staring at the water. Nate had his eyes closed. Hunter was facing the rock formation that separate the lagoon from the ocean so she couldn’t see his expression. When did they arrive? Anika, Neus, Navi, and Homer stood near the edge watching them.

Aria’s eyes stayed on Clyne’s figure a bit longer. She wondered if he was remembering his grandma and uncle’s death. The thought saddened her.

“Hey.” She turned around when she heard Tessa’s voice. She looked exhausted while Lei stood in a daze behind her.

“When did they arrive?” Aria asked Cora.

“Two hours ago.” Aria frowned. Then how long…

“We’ve been here for three hours,” Tessa answered her thoughts. Aria was surprised because it only felt like minutes.

“They’re up.” Yuri walked toward the lagoon. Everyone followed him.

Hunter, who looked quite angry, was the first to leave the water followed by Skhy. Clyne and Nate seemed to be having a hard time getting out of the water so the knights helped them out. Nate was the last stand, his eyes were a little red.

“We’ll get angry after we rest,” Tessa mumbled when the four boys gathered beside them. This made Aria chuckle despite the trembling of her knees.

“It’s barbeque night,” Navi revealed.

“Everyone’s tired,” Anika replied, “Maybe next time.”

“Two hours won’t hurt.” Everyone turned to Neus in surprise.

“What?” He glared at the students. “I’m hungry.” He left everyone wondering about his change of attitude.

Aria thought that the mentors would order them to walk to the manor but the knights took pity on them. The teleport didn’t affect her as much as before. It wasn’t because she got used to it but she was still in shock because of the lagoon’s power.

The knights and a few locals set up two campfires behind the manor. Neus, Navi, and Homer immediately started grilling barbeques while the students helped the other knights in preparing other foods. The seven were still tired but the atmosphere lifted their spirits.

The cold wind made Aria shiver. They took a bath and change their wet clothes once they arrive at the manor but she could still feel the different sensation of the water in the lagoon. She couldn’t explain it in words.

“You ok?” Clyne took a seat beside her. She was staring at the fire dancing.

“Yeah,” she responded, still annoyed about their disappearance. One by one, her other friends sat near the campfire, huddling together.

“Anika said we’ll start early tomorrow,” Skhy announced after an hour of silence. He sat with Lei on his right and Tessa on his left.

“Did they say what we’re going to do?” Nate, who sat beside Clyne, asked. Skhy shook his head. Typical.

“So, are you going to tell us where you went earlier?” Tessa probed. About time we talk about that. Aria glanced at Clyne who starched his head and laughed nervously.

Before any of the boys could respond, the knights arrived and gave each a plate of food.

“This is the first and last time, kids,” Neus said like it was a warning then joined the knights around the other campfire. The students’ mentors started talking in a hushed tone as they eat.

“I can still feel the water,” Clyne said after finishing his barbeque, “Is that weird?”

“No,” Skhy replied after shaking his head, “I feel the same way.” Aria glanced at Nate when she noticed that his food was untouched.

“Nate, are you ok?” Tessa asked. Aria placed her empty plate on the grass.

Nate flinched and looked up.

“Yeah.” Aria wondered if he was reminded by the lagoon of Hanne and their parents. The siblings reunited and made up but she refused to acknowledge Ciar’s participation. She would never forgive him for the betrayal even though Hanne took his side.

“It’s nothing.” Nate gave a sad smile. “My memories of our parents became vivid.”

Aria knew that Nate and Hanne were actually cousins. When they pick up Hanne in Cornerstone, Aria, Lei, and Clyne left the two to talk in the receiving room while they waited in the kitchen, so she didn’t know the whole story.

“Uhm whose parents?” Clyne asked.

“My parents and Hanne’s parents,” Aria remembered what Nate told them about his dream.

“The black hole on the ground?” Aria asked. Nate nodded. Everyone waited for him to continue.

“Our parents jumped into the demon’s portal,” he said with a grim expression. “I remember my parents talking that Hanne’s parents never made it out.”

Aria looked down. She pitied Nate for carrying a heavy burden to protect his sister but she also understood Hanne feelings of hurt and anger. However, sometimes, when she feels frustrated, she wished that he had no memory of her dad’s death. Glancing at her friends, she realized that being one of the Seven Regalis meant experiencing and remembering tragedies. She couldn’t imagine what their parents went through to protect their children. But everything ended with death…

“I’m sure they didn’t regret it.” Tessa smiled at Nate. “If it meant protecting both of you.”

Aria agreed with her but she knew that their parents regret not being able to see their children grow up.

“Thank you, guys.”

“Does Hanne know?” Skhy asked. Nate shook his head.

“I told her what I remember. My parents brought up Hanne after her parents’ death. I don’t remember how they died. Only now.” Pieces of small metal – silver, gold, bronze - appeared around Nate. He didn’t seem to notice that he unintentionally raised them.

“They died like my grandma and uncle,” Clyne murmured. His empty plate lay on his right lap. Aria patted his left leg without looking at him. He placed his hand above hers. Her ears warmed even though she initiated

“You were too young to remember everything,” Lei comforted Nate who smiled at her.

“My parents made it out alive but their elementals weakened.” So the enemies were able to kill them easily.

They were silent after that. Aria remembered that there were a lot of missing pieces about their parents’ deaths. They knew that they died protecting their children or trying to save their friends but Aria wanted to know more about their parents’ connection and relationship. Glancing at the knights, she wondered if there is a chance they would tell the Seven about their parents.

“I wish they would tell us.” Lei broke the silence. She was also looking at the knights.

“Yeah,” Tessa seconded.

“I won’t expect them to.” Hunter had been quiet since they started fixing the campfires. Aria caught him glaring at the knights sometimes.

“And I won’t trust their words if I were you,” he added.

“Because?” Tessa asked. Hunter scowled at the fire but remained silent. Aria wondered if he knew something about the knights that they didn’t know. But knowing Hunter, he won’t offer the information until it is needed.

Tessa looked like she wanted to force him to talk but she turned when Skhy talked.

“I’ll talk to them about it.” Everyone looked grateful except for Hunter who was still scowling. Among the Seven, Hunter was the only one who hadn’t opened up about his family but Aria guessed that Skhy and Tessa knew him better than anyone even Clyne. Still, she knew that Hunter treated Clyne as someone close to him.

“About what happened earlier…” Skhy’s voice trailed. He glanced at the knights.

“Let’s talk about that when they’re not around.” Hunter finished his sentence. What are they hiding?

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