Shoutout to Bruh_Vista for beta-reading and providing extensive feedback for this chapter!
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ƥandasnovel.com Shuri's eyelids drooped as she watched the Sect Leader leave her room. She was truly out of energy, and her body gave way immediately after - she collapsed back onto her mattress and entered a deep slumber that was free of uneasiness and pain.
A cat never enters deep sleep unless it is completely certain that its environment is free of any threats or natural predators. It is their natural instinct. Shuri also adhered to this principle throughout her life. Although she was the only dweller in her courtyard at the Inner Palace, she never truly felt safe there. Her sleep was always incremental and light.
When Shuri woke up eight hours later, she realized that she felt safer in this cramped room with so many others living nearby than she did back at the Palace! Sure, at the beginning here, her sleep was shallow due to her inherent distrust. But as time passed, her guard had lowered little by little, until she grew so comfortable that she didn't think twice before closing her eyes at night. Heck! She even left her room unlocked overnight sometimes!
"Maybe it's time to just admit it," Shuri said with a bitter chuckle. "There is nothing to criticize, nothing to question, nothing that signals any sort of problem stopping me from assimilating into this Sect."
At this point, anything she could formulate through some heavy mental gymnastics would just be an excuse - an excuse to run away, to isolate herself from the world.
Just then, she started to recollect everything that transpired last night. Although her mind was addled, her senses weren't completely defunct. She could clearly remember the conversations, the events, and even the words spoken by Sect Leader Larks. The overwhelming bout of weakness back then had caused a wave of panic to drown Shuri, but the calm voice of Sect Leader Larks and Matron Reva calmed her down. It was unusual - the feeling of relief and comfort from being cared for by someone else. Shuri didn't feel any ulterior motive in their actions - well, her convoluted mind did create a few scenarios, but her rationality quickly discarded them because she realized that maybe her paranoia was quite excessive.
Maybe... Sect Leader Larks was right. "What is there to lose from giving the Sect another chance?"
Shuri could not openly admit that "the Sect is pretty safe."
A wave of relief washed over Shuri when she said those words out loud. If she wasn't being smothered by the heavy comforter, Shuri feared she would float away and disappear into the blue sky.
Shuri lay in bed for a while longer and allowed her usually rampant mind to calm down. She got up a few minutes later and cycled through a few Yoga poses, allowing calmness to seep into every nook and corner of her body. Then, for the first time in her life, she skipped out of her room towards the mess hall.
It was nearing the end of breakfast, so she only managed to secure some cold fried eggs and bread, but she ate it with relish. Classes would start soon, but Shuri didn't have to sit in any way. At this point, she could follow Sect Leader Larks' instructions and visit his office directly. But Shuri decided to do something else... something ill-advised.
She turned down a familiar path and followed it to the recreation room. She pushed through the doors and walked down a corridor to where she usually reported her daily assignments to Marie. Upon reaching there, she was unsurprised to find her target seated in the same location leafing through papers and noting things down as she did so. But she WAS surprised to find another individual seated next to her.
"You don't have to sit next to me while I work, Master," Marie groaned.
"Ha! I've left you to your devices long enough, girl," Mage Nara responded sternly. "You're overextending the use of your powers. The future isn't your playground to mess around with."
"I'm doing it for the good of the Sect and its members," Marie argued.
"That's not for you to decide," Mage Nara growled. "Freedom of choice and self-determination is what keeps the world running. It's contradictory when you think about the implications of fate in the grand scheme of things. But if you snatch the illusion of choice away from people, they devolve into behaviours that are antithetical to their inner character. That's when things start going out of control."
"Did Mister Larks complain...?" Marie probed with a low voice.
"He didn't need to. I can hear just fine," Mage Nara scoffed. "I've had my eye on you since I accepted you as my Disciple."
"That is a massive invasion of privacy," Marie yelled back while pulling her jacket to cover herself.
"Oh please!" Mage Nara retorted as he stood up. "I don't have such juvenile and downright immoral proclivities. I just needed to make sure you weren't doing anything stupid."
Picking up his walking stick, he said, "Now, if you will excuse me, you have a visitor."
As Mage Nara walked away, Marie yelled, "Just stay here, why don't you? I know you're going to listen in on this conversation anyway."
"I don't need to listen in on this conversation because I already know what this conversation is going to be about, smart-ass," Mage Nara shot back. As he left, he gave Shuri a nod of greeting.
"Stop hiding behind the shelf and come over, Shuri," Marie beckoned. "If I'm not mistaken, you should be relieved from your commitment to me. So what brings you here?"
"As Mage Nara just said, you should already know," Shuri responded with a smug smile.
Marie sighed loudly and said, "I hope you know just how dumb that sounds. If you don't speak, this conversation will never happen. And if it never happens, I will never know..."
"I was only joking," Shuri retorted while waving her hands.
"Oh? You do that now?" Marie emphasized with a faint smile. "You still haven't answered my question."
Shuri revealed a rare smile in return before taking a seat opposite Marie. She folded her hands and leaned her back against her chair.
"You planned this all out, didn't you?" Shuri probed.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Marie denied while shaking her head.
"Ever since I came here, I've had this faint feeling of being led by the nose. In fact, the inkling started even before that, when I first met Markus. Never has there been a coincidence in my life that has worked out well for me," Shuri narrated calmly. "And yet, as I took a step back and assessed everything that has occurred since then, I can honestly admit that my life has been moving in a positive trajectory."
"It's good that you realized that," Marie agreed.
"It was your doing after all," Shuri shot back with a snap of her fingers. "You brought me here... somehow. You orchestrated everything. Your actions, interactions, and intentions were all tailored to get me to reach this realization. You personally chose to become the antagonist in my story, invaded my privacy and personal space, and pushed me to the brink just so that I could finally rely on someone other than myself!"
Marie raised her hand, allowing Shuri to calm her agitation. "That's the first and probably the least paranoid theory you have come up with. So, how does it make you feel?"
Shuri shrugged and answered, "Not as bad as I thought it would make me feel. I mean, I should probably be angrier, furious even, right?"
"Why aren't you, then?"
"I don't know..."
"Think harder," Marie egged on.
"I guess... Because it felt like a game," Shuri mumbled. "I mean, failure had no consequence, it was all just a figment of my imagination."
"Probably," Marie hummed.
"Did you plan all this out?" Shuri snapped back in disbelief.
In response, Marie let out an uproarious laugh while shaking her hand dismissively, "You give me far too much credit. I'm not some genius schemer like that. I just wanted to show you and make you realize that your life doesn't have to be constantly toeing the line between life and death. It's like when an addict hits rock bottom but in a positive direction. What's the opposite of rock bottom?"
"Paper top?" Shuri answered. There was silence.
Five seconds later, both the girls broke down and laughed heartily.
"I apologize for hurting you," Marie spoke up once the laughter died down. "I know justification dilutes the sincerity of any apology, but I really did mean well. But I realize that my actions were far too intrusive."
"I'll accept the apology. And thank you," Shuri spoke back. "You've helped me find a safe space."
"Not quite there yet, though, are we?" Marie commented with a mysterious intonation in her voice, causing Shuri's smile to freeze.
"A safe space is where you have no reason to hold anything back," Marie emphasized. "But you still have a few left in the quiver, don't you?"
Shuri's gaze narrowed, and her expression turned sharp. "What do you know?"
Marie brought a finger to her lips and shushed. She then winked mischievously and said, "Don't worry, it will be our little secret."
"MARIE!" Mage Nara's voice boomed through the room, causing the building to shake.
"Well, that's my cue," Marie groaned. "You should go."
Shuri froze, her mind had gone blank.
"Oh right!" Marie interjected. "This will be the last favour I will be doing for a while, at least until the heat dies down - you know what I mean?"
With that said Marie reached into her jacket and retrieved a cube with an interesting design. It was divided into twenty-six smaller cubes arranged in a three-by-three-by-three grid formation. The smaller cubes had one of six different colours on them.
Marie started to twist and turn the cube, causing the uniformly coloured sides of the cube to jumble up. She then placed the cube on the table and slid it in Shuri's direction.
"Try solving it - bring it back to how it started," Marie challenged. "Maybe it will give you some inspiration in whatever you're trying to achieve."
"That's enough!" Mage Nara commanded as he silently appeared behind Shuri. "You should leave now, girl. The Sect Leader is awaiting your arrival."
Shuri stood up and gave the mage a deep bow before walking out of the building in a trance, with the cube held firmly in her grasp.
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