The single blue gem in Amelia's bracelet glinted at the cackling fire across the room. Amelia wasn't sure why Hatsu had to turn on the fireplace. It wasn't even that cold, but the fire didn't give off that much heat either, so she couldn't complain. At least she wasn't being baked in alive.
Amelia fiddled the necklace while she replayed Hatsu's words over and over again. It kept her busy from falling asleep again out of boredom, which was becoming too tiring at this point.
You have the eyes of a person who does not know what she wants, even when the choices are already there.
What did she even mean by that? Was she giving her some love advice? It sounded like she did. But as far as Amelia was concerned, she didn't even need it. Her love life, although nonexistent, was none of Hatsu's business. She also didn't mind if it didn't exist—she was still functioning without it. The whole thing just felt overrated.
But Pierre would definitely mind. The look on his face when she didn't answer him straight away. . . she didn't want to disappoint him and ruin their friendship.
And Amelia didn't even know what to tell him when she'd see him—how to answer his 'offer'.
"Yes, no, yes, no. . ." Amelia mumbled as she counted through the interlocked rings of her bracelet. "Yes, no, yes, no, yes. . . Yes."
Amelia let her arm fall to the side. It wasn't like she didn't want to be closer to Pierre—the guy was so sweet and shy that you couldn't hate him for it. But the idea of having to commit to a serious relationship while she had secrets she couldn't share. . .
Groaning, Amelia propped herself up from the mat and stood. A dull throb came from her injury, but it wasn't something she couldn't handle. Slowly but surely, she walked toward the sliding door, moved it open, and went outside.
Even though there were no lights around, the hallway was strangely bright. Several rooms like hers had their doors closed. With one hand on the wall for support, Amelia limped onwards, careful not to make a sound, but it was harder than she thought. The floor was all wood, and she was bound to create a creak with every few steps or so.
A larger door waited for her all the way to the other side of the house, which might lead outside.
Some fresh air would do the trick, Amelia thought. I might as well know where I am right now.
By the time she reached the door, the brightness wasn't dying down. If anything, it was going brighter, so bright that she imagined a big spotlight shone outside.
A gasp escaped her lips when Amelia moved the door aside. Hues of orange and red painted the world outside like a raging wildfire that got out of hand. There was no sign of anything alive. No sign of where she was in the world.
She wasn't in Japan anymore, Amelia knew that fact somehow. This was another realm, one that she thought wasn't possible.
Her flipping stomach threatened her to lurch forward. Even with the odd lack of heat from the fire, it felt like she was standing at the edge of hell.
"Amelia-chan! What you doing outside?" Hatsu came rushing to her, worry evident on her features. "You rest in room. I say to you that before."
"Where are we?" Amelia demanded. "What is this place? Why is there fire everywhere?"
"I explain to you. But you go back to room first, okay?"
Amelia gritted her teeth. "I don't need to go back to the room. I'm fine, alright? I'm just not fine with the fact that you're keeping something from me."
She turned back to the ever burning landscape outside before looking at Hatsu again. "Tell me the truth, Hatsu-san. Am I dead?"
"No," Hatsu replied, her tone firm. "You are in safe place. This is one of my gift, giving hurt people safe place to rest."
"So this isn't some sort of afterlife?" Amelia eyed her warily. "Or a place between life or death, like a purgatory? Not that I really believe in those kinds of stuff. . ."
She wasn't a firm believer of anything religious, but she knew those places could be real. For all she knew, the Greek Underworld might as well exist.
Hatsu shook her head. "You still breathe like me. You are alive. I say no lie."
"Okay." Amelia stepped away from the door, almost staggering from the effort. "Okay. Let me just. . ."
"I help you." Hatsu offered an arm for Amelia to hold on, and she took it.
After sliding the door shut, Hatsu led Amelia back to her room. While they took their time, Amelia couldn't help but keep glancing back at the not-so-old lady beside her.
Now that the clues were staring at her in the face, it seemed that she couldn't deny her suspicions any longer. Hatsu was either a Chosen or a reincarnation like her father Demetrius. It made sense, considering what Hatsu was capable of. She could treat the wounded and, from what she understood from her, gave them a safe haven to recuperate.
But only one question remained: which Greek god did she get her powers from? Her knowledge of Greek mythology was getting rough now, but there wasn't a deity that reminded her of Hatsu's power.
When Amelia sat down on the thin mat, she didn't waste another second and confronted Hatsu, who just closed the door.
"Hatsu-san," she began, "who are you?"
Hatsu paused, her back facing Amelia. Her hand lingered on the door's handle. She didn't make a sound of reply.
"I know this might be personal to you, but I have to know," Amelia said. "Y-You don't have to worry about keeping your secret from me. I think. . . I think we're the same."
Hatsu turned around, her small eyes squinting. "The same? How? You also have gift?"
"You can say that, yeah." Amelia patted on a spot beside her. "Let me show you something."
Reluctantly, Hatsu went over to her side and settled down. Amelia exhaled and a transparent green dome surrounded them both. The glass-like structure shimmered.
Hatsu stiffened in alarm. "What is this? This is your gift?"
"Yes," Amelia said, knocking onto the shield."You heal, while I protect."
Hatsu ran her thin fingers across the dome, staring at it in awe. She looked like a child that saw something new and flashy for the first time. Amelia wanted to tell her about her telepathic power, but decided against it. She wasn't sure how Hatsu would react if she knew that she could easily get inside her head.
"Incredible." Hatsu was grinning ear-to-ear when the barrier dissipated. "You are right. We are the same."
Amelia smiled. "We are, but I have to ask you something, Hatsu-san. Just to make sure I'm right."
"Yes, yes," Hatsu said eagerly. "What is your question?"
"Do you know about the Greek gods?" Amelia asked. "Like the gods Zeus, Athena, Apollo. . . Do any of those names ring a bell?"
The lady's brows furrowed. "I not know those people. Why you ask me this?"
Amelia hesitated, unsure how to continue. How was she going to talk about the Chosens and the Olympian gods and the Artifacts? She didn't even know if Hatsu had to know about it all. Telling her about everything might get her life into danger, and she already lived for so long. If something happened to Hatsu after knowing about their mission, she would never forgive herself.
Finally, she exhaled. "Did someone talk to you in your dreams? Like, they showed you this vision and told you about your powers."
Hatsu tilted her head. "Vision?"
"Like when you slept," Amelia said. "I had this goddess, who used to be my least favorite among the pantheon, visit my dreams for the first time and showed me Olympus and the twelve Olympian gods. . . It's hard to explain, and I don't know if you would even understand."
Amelia looked at Hatsu in anticipation as she went into deep thought. The former hoped that the old woman was searching through her memories for anything that might remind her of what she just said.
"This. . . soul," Hatsu started. "I see this soul in sleep before. It was a long time ago. A woman with, uh. . . hood on head and fire on her hands. I got afraid, but she was good to me and say to me why she see me."
Amelia scooted closer to her. "What did she tell you?"
"She said to me she was goddess, but I not know any goddess like her from any Japanese myth," Hatsu continued. "But she said to trust her, and I did. Then she show me something. . . like what you say. Vision. I saw, uh, many people in one place. They chant a song, then I wake up. I thought I was crazy, but then goddess visited me again many more times.
"Then I got my gift, and she explain to me how to use them for good. And then she always told me about my responsibility." She took a moment to pronounce the last word. "'The world depends on you,' she told me. I never forget about this, but I never knew what she mean. I was confused, but I try to understand. That is why I go to America. I thought she mean that, but I feel that I was doing something wrong."
Hatsu didn't do anything wrong at all. She only didn't know enough to do what she was meant to do. She didn't meet any other Chosens in her time who would've guided her. But whoever this goddess was, why didn't she just tell Hatsu about the Artifacts? Was she just like Hera, who spouted enigmatic nonsense to Amelia whenever she saw her in her dreams?
Amelia felt like she was on pins and needles. "Hatsu-san, did this goddess tell you her name?"
"I. . ." Hatsu frowned deeply. "I'm sorry, but I forget. It's been years since I last saw her, and my memory is not good."
"That's. . . fine," Amelia said, disappointment in her voice. "Do you remember anything else?"
"I remember we have same name," Hatsu offered. "I remember when she smile at me because we have same meaning."
Amelia gave her a questioning look. She was tempted to peek through her mind just to get a clearer picture of the name that she forgot, but that didn't settle to her right. In her age, Hatsu might've forgotten about it completely, and it would've been no use invading her personal space.
She and Raymond may not have gotten to the Artifact in time, but she found something, someone, even better. Their trip wasn't a waste after all. Now, if she could just convince Hatsu to come with her. . .
"Amelia-chan." Hatsu clasped onto her hands, her gaze solemn. "You have no more time."
"What? W-What do you mean?"
"I will make you go back," Hatsu said. "You are already good. You do not need me now."
No. She couldn't possibly mean that. Was she telling her that because she asked too many questions?
Bile rose to Amelia's throat. "No! I need you, Hatsu. Let me bring you with me. Your powers—you can help people with them again. There's more people like us. Y-You don't have to hide!"
Hatsu rose, peering over Amelia with a small smile. The old lady looked like she wanted to say something, but she simply nodded as if enough was said. Then she sauntered towards the fireplace, her figure turning into a silhouette because of her proximity to it.
Amelia stood up and took a step forward. She had to find a way to let Hatsu know about their mission, how the world badly needed her.
"Hatsu. . ."
"Arigatou, imouto." Hatsumomo bowed her head. "For I see that I am not alone again. Be careful out there."
With a flourish of her arm, the fire extinguished, and the room turned dark. In an instant, the whole room, the house—everything around Amelia disappeared into a gray smoke, taking Hatsu with it.