A/N: Long chapter ahead! I might edit this and cut some parts off and add it to the previous chapter.
Floor 25
I'm going to leave if he's a second late. I told myself as I was tapping my foot impatiently on the wooden harbor. I was 30 minutes early, but this was tedious. I was really convinced that V. V. didn't want to meet up with 'this guy' because of her 'horrendous' look.
To be honest, it's not that bad (though internally I want to shout at her to at least brush her hair. It's getting on my nerves). Her once long hair was only up to her shoulders. Before the strands of purple and brown always got in her face, so I could not really see her properly. This was the first time in six years since I last caught a proper look at her pretty face.
You did not just call V. V. pretty, dumbass. I cringed. Whoever this guy was, I hope he was worth it because he doesn't seem trustworthy.
Nah, you're just saying that because you're jealous that this guy is very close to her. Chided my brain.
I realized that V.V. even forgot to tell me his name. Great, how was I supposed to find him?
Name. I can't help but be curious about her real name. Every time I asked her, she simply brushed me aside. The closest I could deduce was that most likely the first initial was 'Variiya', or perhaps a diminutive of it because, in the early floors, she was slow on reacting to the name Variiya but reacted fine to when I called her V. V.
The reason why I refused to call her was that her name sounded too much like Maria. I swatted the thought of both girls away again and studied the ground. Where is he? I repeatedly asked that question all over and over again.
To pass time, I gazed down at the three beads of the necklace. She was still a mystery to me despite being by her side for 3 years.
And there's probably some guy who's even closer to her.
I clenched my fist to control my thoughts. God, why do I suddenly feel angry now--
A man stood beside me, looking out towards the clouds of shinsu, turned to me, and then looked away. "What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"I've been waiting for nearly an hour for a guy I was supposed to meet." He said, annoyance tainting his words.
I nodded, feeling sympathy because I was waiting for a man for thirty-minutes. Then I realized. "Who sent you here?" I asked him. I took a good glimpse of the man. Apparently he looked younger than me, perhaps even younger than V. V.
What is her type? Younger boys? My brain taunted. I mentally kicked myself. Being curious about her type is irrelevant. The boy was scruffy, with upswept and shaggy dark hair, somewhat like Hatz's. He was wearing a black robe with midnight blue highlights. A dagger hung sheathed by his waist. His eyes, a mix of blue and gold, were eerily familiar. I feel like I knew him from somewhere but I couldn't pinpoint where.
"A former team-mate of mine says a lady was looking for me. But I asked her to send someone in her place." The boy faced me, his dark blue eyes blank. "I'm guessing that's you."
"I'm guessing that's me, unfortunately," I admitted. "Sorry, I wasn't told who you are and how you looked. It took me a while to find you. She didn't tell me anything about you."
"I see," He muttered and dug his hands in his pockets.
"I'm Khun Aguero Agnis, I'm here to ask you to join my team to climb up the tower and--"
"I'll join."
"Benefits include--" I stopped myself. "Wait what?" I wasn't even done explaining. Thank the lord for making this quick. But I couldn't let him in that easily. "Why do you want to join? Do you trust me?" I asked, suspicious if he had any ulterior motive.
The edgy looking boy pointed towards the necklace of V. V. in my hands. I have been still unconsciously fiddling with it as if I tried to memorize it. "You have that, she trusts you. I don't think you stole it from her in a fight, you look too puny to defeat her."
I scoffed. "We'll see about that," I mumbled sideways, hoping the man didn't hear. "Who are you to her?"
"V. V.?" He asked. Okay, she was right, he does know her. "Let's just say," He smirked. "Someone I'm very close with."
I wanna kick him off the tower.
"Oh ok," I said, telling myself to calm down. I took a deep breath to contain my emotions. When did the place get so hot? "Are you a fisherman?" Perhaps he was. V. V. kept complaining we couldn't just rely on Ran.
He nodded. "I'm Enko."
"Last name?"
"Classified."
Okay, so he's the same mystery as V. V. great. I shrugged off my jealousy and gestured toward the shinheuh. "Come on board." It was so hard to fight down my urges to push him off.
•••・・・・•••
"Is this the place?" Enko asked as he stepped out of the Shinheuh. Was he that excited to see her? "Where's V. V.?" He asked before I could even reply to his first question.
"Yes, this is the place," I calmly said and followed him. "The current location of V. V. I, unfortunately, do not--"
V. V. was standing there, wearing a light pink blouse (long sleeves as always), black leggings, and her usual combat boots. She actually made an attempt to comb her hair.
"No." I actually didn't know what just happened. I meant to say "know" but it was clear that was not what I meant. Good thing both of them didn't realize it.
I could clearly see V. V.'s face. Her purple eyes are teary and wide, not with fear, but with surprise. She ran towards him. I brushed past them to avoid being the third-wheel in this cheesy moment and then.
V. V. slapped him. I decided to stay for some humor. I kept quiet so I wouldn't interrupt this... whatever this is.
"What the hell Enko?" She shouted and grabbed the taller man by the collar. "Why did you go up the Tower? And when?"
The boy's once blank face was now filled with emotion as a bashful grin crept up his face. "I just missed you. I forgot how long I haven't seen you and oh god, what happened to your hair."
She punched him in the stomach. "Shut up." She growled, lips pursing with annoyance. "What happened to your hair? Last time I saw you, you were an emotional kid who tried to get his hair to grow long and they pulled your--"
"Ok, ok, ok, you stop now." He covered his hand on her mouth to keep her quiet and eyed me. "You gave him your amulet? You do know that if that gets lost you're--"
"Shhh," She kicked him and raised her brow as if she were pointing at me.
"You guys are acting really suspicious because you keep on telling each other to shut up." I retorted and forced out the laugh to mask my emotions.
"Khun, sorry but I need some time alone with Enko." She gave me the look 'I can't say no to'. No, not puppy dog eyes, they disgust me. It's just a look of genuine earnestness.
I sighed and turned away. "Yeah, whatever." Before I entered my hut, I could hear the newcomer's voice, "What's his problem?"
It's best not to pry, but I left one of my Lighthouses, quietly following the two. I can't stand him.
•••・・・・•••
The two sat by the table in the common room. My Lighthouse discreetly stationed by the window. "How are you?" The boy asked softly. "It's been so long."
V.V. pressed her lips together as if to suppress her excitement. "I should've never told you where I was going."
"You never did actually, you just said, 'I'll follow Lili'." That name clicked in my head. Lili, I could've sworn I heard V.V. say that name.
"Did I? It has been nearly 6 years since I left. My memory must be failing me." She shook her head, laughing quietly. "Why did you follow me then? You already knew why I left."
Enko's eyes darted across the room to see if anyone was there, lurking in unknown corners or from the outside. "She's here. She came along with me."
"What?" She screeched.
Who 'she'? I asked my mind again, thinking of possible solutions to answer the question.
"She in question, Khun, is the annoying person in my life who tried to kill me countless of times" V. V. turned in the Lighthouse's direction. "You can come out."
I sighed because I blew my cover. I entered the room and with a raised brow. "You know it's about time you told me these things, like your name and all." I said cooly. "Seriously V, who is this guy?" I asked, Enko looked quite annoyed with me.
"He's my brother," V. V. smirked at me and raised her brow with a look of sly suspicion. "Why? What did you think he was?"
"Your brother," I shrugged off my embarrassment. Come to think of it, I realized why I thought he looked familiar. "Your eyes are eerily similar, but it could've been another relative yours, perhaps a cousin or a half-brother."
"I technically don't have a brother," V. V. muttered, looked down and in a whiny voice she continued, "Because I only have three sisters who have to stay loyal to each other to preserve the bond unbreakable and to be the only hope of the blah, blah, blah, prophets are the worst."
Prophets? I asked myself. I never really knew where she came from. They must be really old-fashioned and superstitious. "Start from the beginning, please, so I'll understand it easier."
"Enko get out, meet up with this guy wearing green upstairs, he'll introduce you to the other members." V. V. pursed her lips. "You're just gonna judge me and add embarrassing parts to the story."
Her brother stifled a laugh. "You still know me too well."
We waited for the Fisherman boy to leave. The moment he closed the door, V. V.'s eyes darkened. "You can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."
"Don't worry, I can keep secrets." I said firmly, though she was raising her brow as if saying 'As if'. I gave off a small smile to show my amusement from her embarrassment
The Wave Controller crossed her arms and leaned forward and began to lay down her story. "My last name is Kaitorin."
"Kaitorin," I repeated. "I have never heard of a family with that name."
"That's because we're not known." She began tapping the table and moving her fingers as if she were writing something. "You only heard of the 10 Great Families, but apparently, there are 12."
I accidentally hit my knees as I tried to sit up from surprise. Suppressing a groan, I looked at her and saw her laughing at me. I glared at her, though it failed because I couldn't help myself but be mesmerized by her beauty. "There are 12?" I asked, wanting her to expound further.
"Yes, the Kaitorin and the Tridori. There were 14 Great Warriors with Jahad. First, 2 of them betrayed Jahad and started a war, then there was this other situation I'm not sure of, but my father was kicked out, then later the head of the Tridoris." V. V. continued,
"What happened to your family and the other one?" I was curious. I never heard any story saying there were 12 Great Families or 14 Great Warriors. No one dared to even make-believe, as if people were threatened.
She shrugged. "I never knew actually. I think my father tried to start his entire life anew without being in the spotlight of a Great Family. But," She uneasily locked her hands and fiddled with her thumb, "I think he was betrayed or framed. I knew he was very loyal to Jahad."
A million questions kept popping up in my head. "What-- How?"
The girl leaned forward, her face a little too near mine. "Khun,"
"Okay, okay, I'll shut up," I said, somewhat flabbergasted from her actions.
"Anyways that's just the introduction," She leaned back and adjusted her seat. "His people were annoyed but he silenced them, telling everyone the best way to get back at the people who wronged him was to just ignore them and keep on going with life." V. V. had a wistful look on her face, I assumed that she and her father were close. But it quickly melted to annoyance. "A millennia ago, there was this prophecy a group of priests told. They're great because they can tell the future because shinsu tells them.
"So the prophecy was that the fabled moons on top of the tower will align, and when it does, four girls of his will be born, destined to be the next ruler or a Princess of Jahad." She rolled her eyes. "Complete bullshit if you ask me."
"I'm assuming that you're one of them," I stated. "The third because of your necklace."
The corners of her mouth raised into half a smile. "Impressive you figured that bit out, do you think that's true? The entire prophecy?"
"No," I admitted and fixed my tie. "I don't think so because I've never heard that shinsu could do that."
She nodded. "Perhaps it was all a set-up. We were dubbed the 'Daughters of the Miracle Moons'. The only normal birth was the first, Chrysta's."
"What happened to you?"
"G. G. was born prematurely, the other almost died while my mom was sickly, therefore our births were truly a miracle."
"Are all your names like that? So I'd be like royalty there if I were a Kaitorin?" I asked this family's customs were interesting.
She laughed sheepishly. "Actually, you would be mistaken for one because we all have two names, double letter initials means we're nobility. The first letter of the first name is always the same starting letter as our mothers'. Enko's full name is just Varino Enko, he's not the direct son of Kaitorin." She bit her lip. "We're not allowed to tell our real name to the public."
"That's why you didn't tell me your name." I understood, probably just because she was accustomed to all these rules. "What's your name then?"
"There's a reason why I can't say it or, I'm just scared to say it." She sighed.
"You didn't say anything--" I stopped my tracks. I realized she wasn't just tapping and moving her fingers around randomly. "Kaitorin Varliiya--"
"No, don't!" She lunged forward and covered my mouth with her hand to stop me. Her eyes were wide as if fearful. Kaitorin Varliiya Vaiso, nice name, I was right that Variiya wasn't her real first name.
V. V. flushed scarlet and removed her hand from my mouth. "I'm just scared that a spy of my sister is here. My name is a secret because there's this power amongst us." She took the necklace from my hands, I didn't realize again I've been still playing with it. "This necklace is a beacon that can only be activated if one of the three knew my real name." V. V. laid it on the table. "All beads will glow a specific color like a beacon by the person who called me out. C. C.'s is jade green, G. G.'s is silver, Lili is violet."
Based on this information, I had a hypothesis. "You're keeping it because you're trying to send a message to one of them, aren't you?"
She shrugged. "I've tried, but I'm not sure if she knows I'm here. She left more than a decade ago and she never tried finding me, so I presumed the worst."
"Who?"
"Lili, she's the youngest. She ran away when she was just a child because she her caretakers abused her."
"I have a feeling that you two weren't close with the older girls." I figured it out, piecing together what I just learned. "My guess, one of them is the 'she' you were talking about earlier with Enko. She's here in the tower."
She clicked her tongue as if saying I was correct. "I have a feeling Tridori Minakto is with her too."
"Who?"
"Well..." She rubbed the back of her neck and looked down. "I was supposed to get married to him, I ran away and ended up here in the tower."
I remembered how young V. V. was when I first met her on the second floor. Anger flared within me. Was she forced to marry a greasy old man? By studying her expression, she seemed disgusted and ashamed. "You want me to kill him?" I offered to break her uneasiness. She laughed and I'm grateful she's not that affected by her past.
"Nah, I'll be the one to do that, don't worry about me." She grinned and my heart started to beat faster. What the hell is wrong with you Khun? Stop, stop. Snap out of it. "It's been nearly 6 years since I last saw him, I want to beat their asses."
"It's been nearly 6 years and you're becoming very vulgar Ms. Kaitorin." I just wanted to see her reaction if I called her that. My bet she'd say 'don't call me that."
"Don't call me that." She said quickly. I laughed at her predictable response and mussed up her dark brown hair even more. She glared at me and stood up, then folded her arms in front of her. "Let's go, you can test Enko, besides, I wanna see how much he's changed."
Yeeeet. This was written around April, one of the original drafts and I was really lazy to rewrite all this so I just edited it out. Originally, Variiya's pov was inserted here but it's weird because I designated one chapter for one of them to tell.
So long story, short: her name is Kaitorin Varliiya Vaiso. Variiya is just a nickname. I will publish some stats about her in Constellation.
Omg I actually have the next two chapters written out last April/May so I can chill with writing yassssssssssss
Also, remember that thing regarding the voting? Turns out there is no first, second, or third place ahahahaha. One of the voters was willing to trashtalk me because I think I can beat them 😐
So yea, my morale is kind of low due to this but don't worry I'll still update!