The next morning, the Captain led us down a long hallway after he and Adrian enjoyed some breakfast in the cafeteria. I had to wait in the patient ward until they came to get me. The Captain wanted one last discussion with Adrian before letting him leave the headquarters. I wasn’t sure why they were bringing me along, but it sounded like he wanted to show me to some superiors.

“What is all that racket at the gate? We’re expecting the prince to pay a visit today. Somebody please go and take care of this.” We passed by a man who was frowning. Judging by his uniform, he was either around the same rank as the Captain or higher.

The three of us looked outside the window and saw a woman shouting angrily at the guards behind the gate. We all recognized her. It was the lady mechanic, Iris Latrell.

“Iris!” Adrian exclaimed.

“Your sister, Mr. Latrell? I see she is filled with vigor as usual, like a raging dragon whose treasure was stolen." Captain Dietrich sighed.

"Send a message to Dietrich at once to let my brother and Aliciel go! How dare he abduct them without sending word to me!" Iris demanded the guards.

“Miss, the Captain is not to be disturbed unless necessary.”

"Dietrich! I know you can hear me!" Iris was furious. "Let my brother go this instant!"

“I will handle this,” Captain Dietrich assured the unhappy man in uniform.

The Captain went outside and simply waved calmly at the angry lady mechanic outside the gates. "A pleasure seeing you again, Miss Latrell!" His polite greeting was met with a scowl.

“Dietrich!” She barked angrily.

“I see your ferocity never changed.”

“Are you giving in to my demands or not?”

“My apologies, Miss Latrell. Your brother will be released. The girl, however, must be confined.”

She was shocked. “Why must she be confined?”

The Captain’s voice lowered. “For reasons we are unable to disclose. I’d like to request that you either leave or calm yourself. I assure you that your brother will be home today.”

“I am not leaving without Aliciel.”

“Are you her legal guardian?”

Iris paused for a moment making a face that showed how much she disliked the question. “No.”

“Then we are done here.” He turned his back on her. “Worry not. She will have the freedom to roam the buildings except the unauthorized areas. Of course, she will be escorted by guards. We will not treat her the same way as the criminals held here. Unless, of course, she turns against us and blood is spilled.”

Adrian ran to the gate to speak with his sister. “Iris, I’ll do what I can about it. Please calm down and wait for me at home.”

“Alright. However, if you’re not home by three o’clock, I’m marching back here. Understood?”

When Iris finally left, Adrian and the Captain went back inside. We continued walking down the hallway until we reached the entrance to a meeting room.

“Now, where were we? Oh yes. I’d like you to participate in this meeting, Latrell. I believe you have information about the rebels,” said the Captain. “We have important guests arriving today, including the prince.” He then faced me. “You are to wait outside. Feel free to explore the courtyard. Try not to break anything.”

I was left alone in the hallway. I decided to take his advice and have a look at the building’s courtyard. As I was admiring my surroundings, I noticed someone sitting on one of the stone benches. It was a lady dressed in long white robes very similar to what the priests wore at holy ceremonies. Hers, however, had golden embroidery as elaborate as the dresses of noblewomen. She was speaking to a guard for a short while before he walked away and left her alone.

The woman before me was an enigma. She had the youthfulness of a young lady, the strong aura of a seasoned leader, and the calm voice of an enlightened elderly. Her age could be determined by neither guesswork nor direct questioning (for it was far too impolite to inquire a stranger's age). One thing, however, was certain: She was a person of importance, possibly holding a high political position.

I had every intention to walk by and ignore her, but it seemed that I had piqued her curiosity.

"Hello there, young one," she said to me in a calming voice. "I've never seen you around here before. What brings you here to this kingdom's military headquarters?"

I paused before answering, "The Captain brought me here."

"Captain Dietrich? Are you a relative of his?" My answer intrigued her even more.

"No. I am more of a prisoner."

"A prisoner? I never imagined that they would keep child captives at the headquarters. Those kept here are the most dangerous criminals in the kingdom. Have Eriden’s values changed?” She was visibly appalled.

“You have the eyes of someone who has seen plenty. Tell me. Why are they keeping you here?”

“They say I am connected to someone dangerous.”

“Someone dangerous?”

"Do you know of a mechanic named Adonias?"

"Adonias," she repeated and nodded. "I've heard the name before.”

"Is he really evil?"

The lady appeared to be thinking hard. "Yes and no. No one can really tell his motives. He always kept his reasons to himself. However, his actions have caused several casualties."

“Are you a friend of his?”

“I don’t know. I am looking for my master, but I don’t know his name.”

Two men approached us. They were both clad in white robes with a blue cross on the chest area. They certainly looked like the enigmatic lady’s companions.

“Your Holiness, the meeting is about to begin,” one of them said with a respectful bow.

She removed a cross necklace from her neck and placed it carefully into my hand. "Until we meet again. May the grace of Sariya protect you."

She turned around and left with her escorts.

I opened my palm to reveal the small gift I was left with. It was a necklace made of silver. A crafted caged bird pendant hung alongside a cross with an intricate rose. It was a wonderful work of craftsmanship that possibly fetched a high price on the jewelry market. I did not understand why a polite stranger would offer me such a gift at our first meeting. The people of Eriden were a curious bunch.

I continued to wander around the courtyard until I heard the sound of people arguing.

"Captain Dietrich, why is this girl being imprisoned here? Did she not save the lives of our people?" The first voice came from an important looking man dressed in noble’s clothes of fine red silk and golden embroidery. He wore a jeweled crown on his head, indicating his high rank.

"Your highness, I believe there is a possibility that she is a product of the wanted criminal, Adonias. She may have rescued the train passengers, but there is a risk that she could become like those mortis machina. Letting her free could endanger the lives around her." It was Captain Dietrich’s voice.

“I understand your concern. However, I find it wrong to imprison someone who risked her life to save our citizens. Perhaps we can assign her a guardian?”

The detective stepped in. “Your Highness, I am Adrian Latrell. I used to serve the Royal Military alongside Captain Dietrich. If you may allow it, I would like to be Aliciel’s guardian. I was with her on the train and brought her to my sister mechanic to save her when she fell unconscious.”

“Is this true, Captain?”

“It is true. He is a former colleague and the man who fought off the terrorists on that same train,” replied Captain Dietrich.

“Wonderful. He shall be her guardian. Have him report to you.”

The prince left with his guards, advisors, and personal attendants. We all stood there in silence watching him walk away.

Captain Dietrich sighed. “Latrell, you are to report to me if anything, even the slightest sign of malignancy, happens. I expect a weekly report of your activities as well. Understood?”

“Not to worry, Dietrich. Aliciel will be out of trouble,” said Adrian. His optimism was outstanding.

“I hope so.”

***

Once all the meticulous details (such as the contents of the report, the method of delivering it, and standard operating procedures in case I turn against humanity) have been settled, Adrian and I were escorted to the gates. He was relieved to set foot outside again.

“Let’s go home, Aliciel,” Adrian said while looking at me.

For a moment, I remembered Master. He used to say the exact same words to me when we went out to observe the stars or gather firewood together.

“Are you alright?” Adrian was a little worried after I spent a few seconds staring blankly in silence.

“I’m alright. Let’s go home.”

The moment we arrived at the Latrell twins’ little home, Iris broke into relieved laughter upon seeing both of us back. The omelette cooking on the pan was immediately abandoned as she ran to greet us.

“Aliciel!” Iris hugged me. “Oh, Adrian. How were you able to convince them?”

“I did not. It was the prince.”

“The prince! You met the prince?”

“He is a good man.”

“Indeed he is! A man with more heart than that cold Captain Dietrich at least. Poor Aliciel would have been kept in confinement if the prince hadn’t intervened.”

“Now, now, Iris. Dietrich was only doing his job. If something happened to Eriden’s citizens because of Aliciel, he would be held responsible. After that mortis machina incident, he grew strict with himself and everyone around him. He was never the same again. We all faced death in front of us. Some of us changed for the better. Some for the worse.”

“What sort of incident was it?” I asked.

“These machines of death came out of nowhere one day. They attacked one village and wiped out a third of their population. The memory always haunted me.”

Mortis machina.

“Will I become like that?” I asked.

Adrian placed a hand on my head. “I believe you are different, Aliciel.”

Am I really?