As Ivana drove, she looked at the backseat of her car and saw Ilaya being silent. Well, to be fair, she's always gloomy and sad. But, this time, Ivana felt that she was like a dead walking corpse with hollow eyes
'Did… Did I also show that kind of expression when I found out about my curse?'
She continued driving and she headed towards her personal hideout. She couldn't risk someone hearing about their topic. Whether it be her subordinate or anyone.
Then, the silence was broken by Ilaya's hollow voice
"Why? All I ever wanted is to be happy. Why am I not granted even with just that?"
Ivana somehow knew how she felt and her feelings resonated with her. But, she felt that they needed to come up with a solution instead of being depressed. She said to her
"That's why we're going to find a cure for us. I want to remove my curse too"
Ilaya scoffed at her and she said hopelessly
"Can we even remove it? I'm sure that it's the price for our power"
Ilaya really believed that their power and their curse is one. They can't remove the curse while keeping their powers. She heard Ivana said to her
"When you woke up without your memories? Why did you search all over the place? Why did you keep searching even if it's futile?"
Ivana said to Ilaya with a stubborn determination
"It's the same. I will do everything, even if it's futile, to remove this curse. No matter the cost!"
As Ilaya processes her words. She cried again
'I really hope that you're right… I don't think I can live with this'
Ilaya still felt the prickling pain in her heart even when she's far away from the people she loved. She didn't say anything else and just cried. Ivana also was not in the mood to admonish her. She just focused in driving
They drove about an hour before reaching a small house on the border of Tokyo. Then, Ivana drove the car into the garage as she said to Ilaya before getting out
"We're here. Get out"
Then, she walked towards the door and she pressed the tile beside the door. A passage opened at the wall in front of the car as she beckoned the 'zombie'. To follow her
Ilaya looked at the hidden passage and she got inside it. She saw Ivana pressed the tile inside as the door slowly closed. As the door locked, lights flickered on and off before revealing the stairs leading underground
Ivana walked down without waiting for her. Ilaya soon followed her as she reached the bottom. She saw a spacious hall under. About 10 meters in height, 20 meters in length, and 15 meters in width. The space is like a rectangle and the place is divided in half. The first half consisted of necessities like kitchen, living area, bathroom, and bedroom. The other half meanwhile
Ilaya momentarily forgot about her depression as she looked at so many weapons on the other side. There's a space in the middle of the other side as all kinds of blades were on display on the right side of the wall. The left side meanwhile was full of all kinds of firearms. There's even a bazooka in it!
Then, she heard Ivana said to her
"Have a seat. I'll prepare something to drink"
Ilaya looked at Ivana who's started brewing some tea. Then, she walked to the sofa and sat. But her attention keeps wandering towards the weapons on the other side. She asked Ivana
"Kyora. Why do you have so many weapons here? No. I know that you needed weapons. But isn't it supposed to be put in the storage?"
Ivana looked at her weapons and she felt satisfaction. She then said to her
"Are you blind or what? Did you see that they're on display? I'm a collector, so I put all kinds of weapons that I can get here. I also have one in the headquarters"
Ilaya looked at the silver shield hanging as she headed towards it. As she reached it, she wanted to touch it but Ivana said to her
"Hands off. Just look, no touching"
Ilaya pouted as she said to her
"Are you that petty? I just want to touch it"
Ivana scoffed at her and said
"You're not a collector so you don't know the feeling. Think of it as my underwear. Will you let anyone touch your underwear?"
Ilaya immediately felt repulsed as she said to her annoyingly
"Can you not put it like that? It's disgusting"
Ivana laughed as she said
"It's effective though. Of course, not in perverts. I'll kill them before they reach here"
Then, Ilaya saw a short sword beside the shield and she really had an impulse to wield it. She sneaked a glance at Ivana and she immediately touched the blade before retracting her hand
Seeing that she didn't notice. She immediately felt better as she walked back to the sofa and she sat. Then, she had a baffling feeling that she's a pervert
'No. That's only for Ivana, I think of weapons as a lump of metals and killing implements'
Then, Ivana finished brewing her tea as she put it on the table. Then, she sat in the chair, only to get up again as she get a tissue paper and put it in the table near Ilaya
'I had a feeling that she's going to cry again'
Then, she sat as she poured herself and Ilaya's cup with tea. She said to Ilaya
"Drink it first. Well start the conversation after you drink it"
Ilaya looked at the tissue paper beside her, and then turned her attention to the tea. She suddenly felt like crying from embarrassment
'Did… Did I always cry when something happened? Kyora even knows it now!'
She calmed herself down as she took a sip from the teacup. And as she expected, she didn't like it
'It's so bland. I rather have fruit juice'
Then, Ivana asked her as she headed straight to the point
"So, how did you find out your curse?"
But before Ilaya said anything, Ivana raised her hand as she said to her
"Be warned, if your curse is something that can make you vulnerable. Don't tell me. I don't have any plans of telling my curse to you as it makes me vulnerable. So, think carefully before you say anything"
Ilaya was given a pause by what she said
'Indeed. If it's so dangerous, then her life will basically in my hands'
She thought a bit about what she had experience
'When I first met Mars in the kitchen. It started as a prickling pain. Then, when she hugged me. My heart started hurting. But, is her hugging the cause of the pain? No. It's… when I'm feeling warmth and happiness from their affection'
Ilaya became filled with grief as she said to herself
"I'm going to suffer when I'm feeling the affection of others"
Ivana heard her mumbling as she asked Ilaya
"So, is your curse a danger to your life?"
Ilaya said sadly to Ivana
"I'd rather have a curse like that. I don't mind dying. We'll all die eventually"
Then, she cried as she said softly
"But, not being allowed to feel the affection and warmth of others is truly a curse"
Ilaya looked at Ivana with blurry vision as she painfully said
"My curse is… that I'm suffering when someone loves me"
Ilaya cried harder as she continued
"It's like… I'm destined to be alone… forever"
Ivana didn't know what to say. For a woman all alone with no memories, and the crybaby Ilaya at that, who desired love and affection the most. To be denied the love that she always wanted, the love that kept pushing her forward. It's truly horrific
'Is our curse also reflected on what we truly desire? Not only our power is based on our tragedy, but also our curse is an extension of it'
She can say that her curse is terrible. But she didn't particularly hate that kind of curse that Ilaya had. She's all alone anyway, and didn't plan to find a husband. But for Ilaya, it's like the whole world turned into a cold place