Chapter 5

Amy called her name at just the right moment, as if she had timed it perfectly to draw her in. She reflexively looked at Amy, her sky-blue eyes meeting the younger girl’s crimson gaze. And then— “—Please tell me? I want to know everything about you.” 9 “Rusalka! What the hell did you do?!” “” Rusalka looked up sluggishly as the door to her room flew open. She was greeted by a panting Xenia, a rare sight indeed. Her usual beautifully done hair was a mess. Rusalka could see herself in the blacks of her eyes, sitting weakly on the edge of the bed. “What is it all of a sudden, Xenia?” “‘What is it?’ That’s my line. What did you do, Rusalka?” Xenia walked forward briskly until she stood right in front of Rusalka. Even then, Rusalka didn’t look up, her eyes still trained on Xenia’s knees. Xenia heaved a sigh at her spineless response. “I heard from the base commander. About us being recommended for the squadron attached to the First…to Amy.” “” “He also said you would be removed from our flight. And that Amy asked for it.” “” “I’m asking you again: What the hell did you do, Rusalka?” Rusalka closed her eyes as Xenia pressed her. And after a bout of silence, she responded, her eyes still closed. “—Nothing.” “There’s no way that’s true!” Xenia grabbed Rusalka’s shoulders and stared straight into her eyes. Rusalka felt an oddly strong emotion as she looked at her black eyes from so close. It was the first time she had ever seen Xenia so visibly upset and yelling. She had only met Xenia after they had become Valkyries, so it was not that long ago in the grand scheme of things, but they were comrades who had flown together with their lives on the line countless times. In terms of how close she felt to her, Rusalka would have counted her second-in-command on the same level as family. She had never seen Xenia angry like this before, and it was all because of a terrible misunderstanding. “What did you do, Rusalka? This isn’t like you at all. If something happened between you and Amy, you should have come to me…” “Nothing happened. Really. Nothing happened between us. I’m not lying.” “” “Were you the only one recommended?” Rusalka was amazed at how calmly she managed to ask that. Xenia caught her breath at the emotionless tone of that question before shaking her head. “No, Victorica and Canan were there, too. The only requirement was for you to not be part of the flight.” “I see. I’m sure they’ll be happy.” Rusalka wasn’t referring to how well the two of them got along with Amy. She knew they both had their own reasons for wanting to fight the pillars. “Though the opportunity only came because of orders…” The answer they had given Amy the other day was not a lie. But it wasn’t the whole truth, either. Even with Odin’s power, not everyone could become a Valkyrie. Only a select few were capable, and finding special people like Amy was like finding a single particular grain of sand in the desert. The first Valkyries of the second generation were pulled from among pilots and then from the other women in the military. Those recruits were the Valkyries who made up Rusalka’s generation. They could hardly be called powerful, but they were the generation that followed directly in the First’s footsteps. They were the Valkyries whose job was to hold the line until they could pass the baton to the third generation, who were chosen for having much greater latent abilities. “Even so, Seconds have high morale. Because…” Rusalka ended up trailing off again, but Xenia continued her thought. “Because we all joined the army before Valkyries existed. We had our own reasons to fight from the start, even if we didn’t have a reason to fly at first.” “Victorica had her lover, Canan her siblings…” “I have the homeland I lost. And you, Rusalka…” “” “You joined the army to fill some hole in your heart, didn’t you?” She pressed Rusalka for her real motives in a soft, fragile tone. The people in her flight—everyone in the army—all had their own causes. Families, loved ones, maybe even patriotism. Whatever it was, they all had a reason to fight. And they all dreamed of being able to fight together with Amy. If they could fly with the First Valkyrie, they would brave any battlefield. That was why— “We should go talk with the base commander directly. Or Amy. Talk things through until everyone is satisfied, and Amy takes it back. If you do that…” “Are you really that attached to me?” “—Gh.” A moment later, a sharp crack rang out in the dark room. “…Just kidding.” “It’s not funny… This isn’t funny at all, Rusalka.” Her cheek was still hot from the slap. But Rusalka didn’t touch it. There had been a brief flash of pain, but she didn’t think it really hurt. If anything, she thought it had hurt Xenia’s hand more. That didn’t make much sense, but it almost felt right. “I won’t go to the base commander, and there’s no point in talking with Amy. I’m a soldier, and I follow my orders. You should do the same, Xenia.” “Is that really your answer?” Xenia always seemed so composed and mature, but over the course of their conversation, she had shown Rusalka several sides of herself that she had never revealed before. Those expressions of anger, desperation, and sadness were all things Rusalka had never even imagined. Xenia had revealed so much of herself, and yet, Rusalka refused to open up at all. And Rusalka chose to continue holding up that facade, not letting the walls come down for even a second. “” Her silence was her answer. She rejected Xenia’s outstretched hand. Xenia’s voice trembled, unable to contain all the emotions swirling inside her, but even so, she recognized at last that Rusalka had made up her mind. “Even though I was your wingmate.” “…I don’t know how many times I’ve been saved by your advice.” “Liar.” That one harsh word made the sharpest cut of all, leaving a painful wound on Rusalka’s heart. Turning her back, Xenia moved away from Rusalka and put her hand on the door. She was leaving. This was a complete and total separation. When that door closed, it would be the end of everything between the two of them. “Xenia.” At the last second, as Xenia walked through the door, Rusalka called out. Xenia stopped but didn’t turn around. “Do you think I’m wrong?” She didn’t understand why she asked that. She had already refused to talk things through and had firmly rejected her friend’s outstretched hand. And yet, something inside her found it impossible to stay quiet as Xenia walked away. The ever-reliable second-in-command turned at her flight leader’s selfish question to respond. “Why only ask me at the very end? You already decided everything on your own.” 10 That was the last time she ever interacted with Amy or Xenia. She never saw Amy again, and she didn’t speak with Xenia. But she did have some parting words with Victorica and Canan. “I don’t really get what you’re thinking, but I’m not going to blame you for your decision. It must have been a hard one, right?” Victorica had smiled and talked with her like she always did. Her manner of speech was noticeably unsoldierly, but when they parted ways, Rusalka finally realized she had been saved countless times by that gentle demeanor. “…Traitor.” Canan, however, refused to forgive Rusalka for not joining them. There were times when she seemed to think things through logically and calmly, but at her core, she didn’t hesitate to follow what her gut told her. That was exactly why she was a Valkyrie. After bidding the two polar opposites a farewell, Rusalka was alone. On the day they left, she watched three planes take off down the runway. The silhouettes she knew so well, the sisters in arms whom she had flown with so many times, were leaving her behind. It was an odd scene that made her heart ache. “” She was struck by a flash of doubt. If she had given in to it, she could have gotten into her Deus ex Machina and chased after them. But even in her moment of uncertainty, she didn’t do that. The squadron of Valkyries was headed toward the sector of the European front where the fighting was thickest to link up with Amy, and Rusalka had not been added to that force. Four days later, a never-before-seen type of pillar would appear on the Greek front. It was, in effect, the first deployment of the experimental squadron based around the First Valkyrie. That battle that would come to be called Pandora’s Calamity would be the European theater’s greatest defeat. Not a single Valkyrie who participated would survive the battle, first and second generation alike. Every Valkyrie who flew those skies would lose their wings— And once again, Rusalka was truly alone.