The Search For Peace

Chapter 25

Sanjay could only hear the pounding of his heart when he dragged himself up the wet stairs. He had come back with such conviction, that he now felt like he hadn't thought any of this through. He honestly didn't know what to expect when he got up there at this point. The dormant power that Harmony had displayed had him downright shocked, and he knew for certain it had something to do with what happened six years ago. But he didn't want to admit it. 

As the air grew colder, his breathing grew ragged and heavy as he neared the arch that led to the floor they had all fled from. There's no turning back now. He told himself with a frown, standing at the foot of the hallway, taking deep breaths. But he stopped doing so when a set of voices echoed into his ears. 

At first, it sounded like a girl yelling, but he could tell it wasn't Harmony. No, it was definitely someone else, and as he drew closer, it became clear what they were saying. They were pleading, he realized, for the other person to stop. But...stop from what?

Desperately curious, he rushed through the arch, ultimately forgetting the thoughts that had halted him, and stood in the shadows as if to not expose himself yet. However, when he saw what was going on, he realized hiding was the worst course of action at the moment.

Harmony was not herself anymore. Her eyes were radiating an aqua blue, her right hand wielding an icy blade. "What are you doing?!" His attention shifted to the one that had been screaming, and he saw that it was the little girl from the Gemini clan, sprawled on the floor not too far off. "Aren't you a member of one of the most respected clans?!" She cried, her voice a lot deeper and fuller than her size. "Please don't do this!"

It was clear that Harmony wasn't listening though, silently striding towards the Gemini boy who was either too shocked, or too injured to even move.  She was smirking he realized, suppressing her joy as she raised the blade over his head, as if she couldn't wait to slice his throat with that jagged piece of ice. Sanjay gulped back the nausea building up in his chest, unconsciously taking a step back. No, he thought. This can't be Harmony...she'd never....

But his assumptions were proved wrong. Harmony was going to kill this little boy. He could see it in her eerie, glowing blue eyes. And he wasn't going to wait to confirm it. The Gemini girl gasped and the blade began to fall onto her brother, but before it could impale him, it was knocked out of her hand by an icy bullet.

Harmony first stared at her now empty hand, then at the blade she had in it a second ago, lying in the far off corner of the room, split in half. After that, she slowly turned to meet the person who had so rudely interrupted her, scoffing when she saw the gun he was holding.

A puff of cold smoke wafted from the muzzle, Sanjay's even colder glare measuring her from behind it. "Well, well?" She shifted her weight, cocking her head to the side mockingly. "If it isn't the famous 'Arcane Master'. What did you use this time? Arcane Ice Craft: Ice Shooter?" She laughed at her own joke, quite hysterically, too.

"You two." He shot a gaze at the Gemini twins, the girl already helping her brother up. "Get out of here." 

"Oh? You guys are pretty bold, aren't you?" Harmony passed them a surprised look as they grudgingly moved towards the exit, their injuries slowing their pace. "Escaping right under my nose. You do know that I can easily attack you again, right?" 

"You won't." Sanjay let his gun down, taking a few steps towards her. "Now that I'm here." He had gotten her full attention this time, and as she stared at him with those dangerously blue eyes, he felt his hands get clammy. 

She gave him a half shrug. "That is true. I mean, why would I waste my time on those brats when I could just kill you? You're pretty important to The Leo Clan anyway."

"You're not going to kill anybody." He stomped a foot forward, growing restless by the girl's nonchalant behavior. This wasn't like her at all. It was like he was talking to a completely different person. And his gut feeling was telling him that that was definitely the case, no matter how much he refused to believe it. With a clenched fist, he finally said: "Just who are you, anyway?"

"Me?" She snorted. "I'm Harmony, who else?"

"No. No, you're not."

"If you're so sure..." He flinched when she inched a bit closer. "You tell me."

A sigh escaped his lips, and the gun at his side evaporated into the air. He faintly knew what was going on now, and he also knew that it was partially his fault. "I'm sorry." His voice came out small, so he lifted his head a bit more and looked her in the eye. "I'm so sorry, Harmony."

Something changed in her stoic expression, making her look uneasy and in pain. "What?" She all but growled, her upper lip twitching with rage. "You're apologizing to me? Now, after all this time? Do you have any idea what I've been through because of you?!" Ripples cut through the air by the vibration of her yell, and for anyone outside, it must've sounded like a lion's roar instead.  

Sanjay gazed at her with wide eyes that burned with uninvited tears. It was clear to him that he had been right all along. This girl did hate him for what he did. She did hold a grudge against him. At least, this Harmony did. She hated him. And, that was the one thing he had always feared.