Chapter 42: Borrowed memory
Rhys saw everything as if hidden in the forest, with branches and leaves obscuring his vision. Through the trunks, he could make out two female figures arguing in a clearing.
One of them had long, wavy blond hair, falling to the middle of her back like a golden river. Her green eyes blazed with an intensity that was painful to look at, ignited by rage and despair.
Facing her, the other woman stood with her back turned. She was taller, and her long, straight hair, black as obsidian, fell straight down her back, so long that it brushed the ground with every movement.
The tension between them was felt even from a distance, vibrating in the humid forest air.
"You can’t leave me! Not now!" the blonde woman screamed.
The other woman didn’t respond immediately. And when she did, her voice was soft, barely a whisper that couldn’t reach Rhys’s ears clearly.
The blonde woman gritted her teeth, her expression twisting with rage.
"Liar!" she spat. "If I were as special as you say, you wouldn’t be looking for another esper to breed with."
A chill ran down Rhys’s spine as the blonde woman’s emotions crashed over him like a wave. He felt her anxiety, the gnawing fear of being alone, and, most of all, the heartbreaking pain of watching the person he loved reach out for someone else.
The black-haired woman replied something, but again the sound didn’t reach Rhys.
The blonde woman’s laughter burst out suddenly. A broken, bitter laugh, lacking any joy.