The cabin reserved at the hotel had all types of typical dishes served from one end to the other; everyone's mouth watered seeing the dessert decorations and the fried fish plates. And without a doubt the most striking thing of the whole day is the backlight between Heiss's clothing that stands in the middle of his subordinates; in front of him, a light black t-shirt and a layered skirt contrasted as the opposite characterized Kalika's clothing.
For some reason everyone stayed barefoot, while I wore a type of quite comfortable espadrilles. On the other hand, it seemed Kalika was better than a few moments ago; the surprise and the blow made it seem like it was an impulse. Although there should be a reason I'm unaware of, I'll let it resolve with time.
"...And in training it was always Rudolf who faced Caleb; to stop him, Marcus and Lucius's strength was needed..."
Jesús was cheerfully recounting the anecdotes of his stay at the hotel. He was very happy and enthusiastic, so much so that it would be a shame to interrupt the chat with the topic of the districts, so I decided I'll do it later at night.
While everyone eats, from time to time I notice there are two gazes more fixed on me; one is Cloe's, who for some reason turns away every time I look at her and tries to avoid my gaze, the other is Kalika's, which is even stranger, maintaining it without taking it off me.
While the others converse among themselves, I slowly lean forward and say it in a low voice so as not to interrupt the others' chat.
"Do you have something to tell me, Kalika?"
"Hmm? Why do you think that?"
"Well, you haven't stopped looking at me since we arrived, and I suspected you wanted to tell me something"
"...Not particularly"
"Ah, so I was wrong, sorry"
"...Although you're not wrong that I do want to talk"
I stop my cutlery and examine her carefully; she has also stopped eating.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"That in due time"
A slight tension goes to my head, although I hide it. 'Then what does she want?' I think.
"Then why do you look at me?"
"Can't I?"
I'm disconcerted at her level of boldness; while in this country personal space isn't a term used much, for the first time I'd like to hold onto the concept existing. 'How much have those 3 influenced her while I wasn't here?'
"No, no, you can..."
Inadvertently, Kalika smiles and covers her mouth, letting out faint laughs.
"Hehehe"
"..."
At that moment not only I stay watching, everyone around her looks at her surprised, not only my subordinates, but also Kalika's.
She realizes the others are watching her, and although alert for a moment, she relaxes with everyone and says:
"Relax, keep eating"
Feeling an unbreakable serenity, each one resumes their chats, although without really being able to pay attention after that so unusual scene.
"I observe you because I find you interesting"
Her comment confuses me; maybe she finds me romantically attractive, or it could be because I beat her in combat. Before I continued in my thoughts, she interrupted me with her words.
"I'm not interested in you romantically"
'Ouch', that for some reason hurt my pride.
"I'm not saying you don't have something; it's just that I simply haven't been able to feel fondness for anyone. I wouldn't even be sure what it feels like for someone to catch my interest or to fall in love"
I contemplate her as she smiles.
"It's not an easy feeling to explain, but once you have it, you know it's there, and you understand what it means"
"Do you have experience in love, Heiss?"
"Hahaha"
I laugh to myself, almost through my teeth, although she manages to hear it.
"Saying I know love is too much for me; I only know what the feeling of liking and falling in love is like. I only had it for one person, and something could never be materialized"
"That's already much more than I've been able to do"
She mentions it while taking a glass served with strawberries and cream she had glanced at from the corner of her eye.
"Well, it's just something you realize with someone you truly appreciate. I suppose you've already heard it, you notice many details about that person, and their mere presence makes you feel restless, as if you wanted to run because being close to them makes you feel nervous"
At that moment Kalika's smile tenses, remembering the kick she delivered to Heiss. Even if it was from the fear of facing a different destiny and fighting against the current one, it didn't make her feel particularly happy to lose control. Of course it didn't mean she felt something, but these facts didn't help. At that point she remembers the desire for someone to be there for her, supporting her and trusting her, a partner who could endure her madness.
Keeping those thoughts in her deepest being, she asks:
"Was she a special girl to you?"
For the first time, I have no words for it. When was the last time I opened up like this with someone? It was confusing, and above all it felt like something very unpleasant: the fear, the urge to vomit. There was only one person with whom he could share about her, and it was Ana before the incident with the codices.
Kalika realizes the question carries more weight and that she was very bold, 'Not even on a date would I be capable of asking something like that, and she asks him directly?'
Again she felt like an idiot; she had never made so many mistakes since she arrived in this country on the other side of where she had grown up.
"Sorry, it's none of my business"
"No, no, it's fine; it's just that I have no words to describe her"
Athena, in the extreme, was a very different person from someone normal; she was the complete opposite. Perceptive, intelligent, educated, bold, flirtatious, fun, smiling, extroverted... there were many words that could characterize her; maybe even crazy would be more fitting to her, but nobody was sane in the district, so he didn't know how to say how special she was to him.
Kalika realizes Heiss is thinking deeply about her question and wishes to change the subject, but to what?
They didn't know each other, and any question she asked could be equally or worse indiscriminate than the ones she already asked. She also stayed thinking what would be a normal question for this atmosphere; after all, she also didn't want to ruin the atmosphere talking about the district or Heiss's plans.
Suddenly Heiss moves, forming an idea of what the perfect description would be.
"I think the description that fits her would be...!"
Kalika observes him and waits for him to finish but immediately feels something is wrong.
"Heiss?"
She asks, seeing him stay staring at the floor, almost in a catatonic state. Suddenly he starts to tense.
Cloe, who is at a distance and occasionally observing, goes pale upon recognizing the irises of his eyes; they were no longer gray.
A smile was drawn on Heiss's face; without understanding what was happening, she looked at the others who got up and took a step back.
There was when she recognized the presence, the gestures, and the iris.
Personality #16: "Ahem. What Heiss was trying to say is that I am very special to him"
Plum-colored eyes. It was like a manifestation of a completely different person; not only did his iris change, but his gestures, before calm, contracted in a sarcastic smile, and his own voice was more acute. A change that made you feel like you were with another person without a doubt.
"Who are you? Don't you see that interrupting a conversation is bad manners?"
Personality #16: "Oh, is that so? Even if the person they're talking about is me?"
"Nobody asked you to interfere"
Kalika was tense; not for nothing did she know that Heiss's changes could lead to very diverse results.
Personality #16: "Oh come on, calm down. This body can't do anything to you; in fact, I can only take control because Heiss doesn't yet understand how I take it and because he's very weak"
"Very strong words for being the person he considers very special"
Personality #16: "Yes, but it doesn't mean it's a lie; besides, I'm already dead. On the other hand, you're all here relaxing, eating the good life instead of worrying about district plans. Tell me, Heiss, if you've already decided to take care of these pups, isn't it time you told them what they're going to face?"
She speaks as if talking to herself, waiting for a response.
Personality #16: "Ah, I see, a moment of relief for everyone before the disaster. You know that's not defending them, right?"
"He doesn't have to defend anyone; we decided to fight. That's why we're here!"
The one who stands up directly and slams his hands on the table to refute is Jesús. He's not angry with Heiss, but with the entity that underestimates them.
Personality #16: "Calm down, little pup; don't you see the older adults are talking?. Do you dare oppose?"
The plum colors observe him with scrutiny, demonstrating an open threat to crush him like a fly.
"...Tch"
He can only swallow his words, knowing he's too weak to fight against him, her, or that.
Personality #16: "This body may be weak, but it's strong enough to gouge out a few of your eyes before that monster can do anything"
The monster she speaks of is Kalika.
"I don't know what..."
#16 doesn't let her finish speaking.
Personality #16: "Didn't Aurelius tell you not to disrespect us, girl?"
That made Kalika's teeth clench; she remembered that moment of the fight perfectly, eyes as if they could see your deepest secret.
Personality #16: "While they may have improved, they'll have several problems when carrying out their missions from the cards Heiss gave them"
She observes her own subordinates and then laughs.
Personality #16: "On the other hand, you still haven't decided. What do you plan to do? Or have you already made a decision?"
They're incapable of uttering a word, and look at their mistress, Kalika.
Personality #16: "Why do you look at her? This is your decision; if you wait for her to give or not give consent, it's like waiting to be killed. Say your answers!"
Athena presses them, insisting on her stance and realization.
The 3 don't move and look downward as if they can't do anything. The only one who maintains her gaze toward Heiss is Cloe.
"We have an oath and duty toward Miss Kalika..."
Personality #16: "Ha, if you're going to let yourself be carried away by that, then..."
"But!... that doesn't mean I won't pay my debt to Heiss. No matter how little I care about the world, I'm someone who pays their debts. Maybe I'm just a weak little girl, but that won't stop me from letting a group of lunatics annihilate me"
Athena scrutinized her, checking if there was a lie in what she said; upon confirming everything was true, she burst out laughing.
Personality #16: "HAHAHA, that's what I'm talking about. For any of you to survive this hell, you need what my dear girl is saying. Will, with enough will to be able to break the chains that bind you, only then can you be free"
"So what is it you propose...?"
Personality #16: "Of course I haven't told you my name; in fact, you know almost nothing about us. Heiss will speak calmly to you about the rest. For now, I'll introduce myself. My name is Athena, and I am the predominant codex #16 of district 3, also known as the principality"
One by one they're surprised by the information. 'Another codex?' is what each one thinks.
"There are more codices. I don't understand; weren't you a personality of Heiss?"
Cloe asks, confused, although she understood that Heiss's mind was fractured, there would be no way that whoever was speaking was a true codex of the district.
Personality #16: "...Well of course there are more; that depends on each district, but in general we are 16 in each one"
"No, I don't mean the others. From what I understood, the rest of Heiss's brothers died, and that caused his mind to fragment"
Personality #16: "You're not wrong; that's what #3 told you. While Heiss suffered a trauma regarding our deaths, and you confused our monologues with personalities created by Heiss, the truth is that each one of us is a codex, one of the 16 who died a year ago, two in my case"
"No, but that would be..."
None understood what was happening, although someone could break from the death of their companions, taking on the personalities of each one in life shouldn't be possible. Maybe they grew up together for a long time, and from there different personalities grew with aspects of their dead brothers; that would be the most adequate justification.
Kalika, on the other hand, only listened, coldly examining Athena.
Personality #16: "I see you're confused, my girl. I'll tell you since you're my favorite. We are not unfounded creations by Heiss, or not entirely at least; we are the true codices who were with him since he was a child"
Heiss's body tensed with every word she pronounced.
"That... how is it possible?"
Cloe was disturbed; she always believed she knew people well, their behaviors and ways of being, even observing if they were real or fake, lies or truths. So she couldn't understand it, because she knew that whoever she was observing currently was authentically real.
Personality #16: "Ah, I see your point; that's very simple, actually. The thing was that...!!!"
Heiss's body trembled ferociously, his joints sounded, and the hand holding the armrest of the chair crushed and shattered it; then came an even more disconcerting scene.
Two eyes of different colors, one plum-colored and the other amethyst.
Personality #3: "Shall we leave things here, don't you think? Athena"
The person speaking had a tinkling, melodious voice, more refined than the other, which, although pleasant and seductive, was chilling.
Personality #16: ".....Freya"