*Layla's POV
To be honest, I don't really like humans. It doesn't mean I hate them; I just don't like the way they look at me as if I'm a rare extinct creature.
Though I was born and raised among humans, I never felt connected with them. It's like there's a wide chasm separating us. That's why I started to think maybe they were right. I am something that should never have existed.
My existence is proof that we are nearing the end.
***
Mala only said one thing after the test ended. She said that I have insulted all of the data they have.
Maybe that's true. The power I showed might change the direction of this research. It's like I tell them that everything they knew about Weavers was wrong. Perhaps they had already shifted their question from 'how' to 'what are we actually studying.'
Though it's not their fault, of course. Some of what they know about Weavers is accurate, albeit just basic things. I guess magic has never been part of their hypothesis.
And fortunately, Mala kept her promise. She even allowed my hands to be free just for tonight. She took me to the cafeteria area on the first floor—the only floor on the surface, as the entire facility is underground. She told me to grab a tray with two servings of food and two glasses of water. Then we took the elevator back down to the lowest floor.
I wouldn't lie if Mala asked why I seemed nervous. This is a moment I've been waiting for. Everything I've done so far—causing chaos in the human world and deliberately letting them capture me—was all based on a foolish gamble.
If he isn't the person I'm looking for, I have no reason to stay. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to destroy this entire place as a form of release.
But if 'he' is the person I'm searching for, someone I saw in my vision, the reason I started all of this, what will he say when he sees me? How will he react? Will he apologize or smile and thank me?
I wouldn't lie if someone asked why I looked so nervous. Although I'm sure my face shows no expression, I'm sure someone would notice the difference right away.
Mala walks beside me through long, empty corridors, past several intersections and barriers that could only be opened with an ID card. The security on this floor was much tighter than on any other floor. Even reaching my cell on the third floor wasn't this challenging. At the end of the hall, the iron door finally sighted.
Mala swipes her ID card on the handle. The sound was quite loud as the door's locks opened one by one. "Twenty minutes," Mala said. "I'll come after that."
"Twenty minutes to eat and talk?" I mocked. "Seriously, have you never been on a date?"
Mala just raised her hand, stepping back and motioning for me to enter. When the final sound ceased, the door was fully open. I took a deep breath and walked in, stopping right in front of the door as it closed behind me.
The room was identical to my cell. The color of the walls and the layout of the furniture, even the medicinal smell. The only difference was a boy sitting at the desk with his head bowed.
My body tense as emotions rushes in, vying for dominance.
But... he said nothing. He didn't react to anything in the room. He wasn't dead or asleep. He wasn't waiting for someone either. I realized after a moment of silence.
He just didn't care.
All those feelings then vanished, replaced by anger and disappointment. I walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat in front of him. Even then, he didn't react to the sound or the smell of food from the tray I brought.
I could see his face clearly now. His black hair was thicker and messier. His eyes, always dark, now had no light left. When I first saw him at the door, I knew my gamble hadn't been pointless. He was the one I was looking for, the person I saw in my vision.
But... he was no longer the San I knew from six years ago.
He looks so fragile, unlike before when he stood so confidently ahead of me, telling me to leave after made me promise to find him one day. My gamble had paid off, but... why does it feel wrong?
"You look pathetic," I said. Something that shouldn't be said at a first meeting.
San's eyes widened when he heard me. Slowly, he lifted his head so our eyes met. His expression changes when he sees me. He kept staring into my eyes, perhaps looking for something in my blue eyes. Then he looked at my snow-white hair, maybe wondering who was in front of him now. "You are like me."
Now is my turn to lower my gaze. I don't want him to see my expression at this moment. "Tell me," my voice trembled slightly, "what are you thinking right now?"
"At first, I thought you were one of them."
"Because I'm also wearing prison clothes?"
"No," he replied. "I just felt... you were different."
Slowly, I looked at him after ensuring my face showed nothing. "Listen, I'm going to ask you a few things. Your answers will define what I do next. Or, how I will treat you."
San nodded. I could see he was a bit nervous now. "What do you know about Weavers?" I asked.
"Mala only said that Weavers are the people who have the power to control elements."
"And you want to know why you can't control any elements." It wasn't a question. It was a statement he couldn't deny. Still, San nodded.
I continued, "Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning, and hybrid Weavers who can control two elements together. Or even witches who use blood as a medium to control pure energy. Your power doesn't belong to any of those categories."
Again, a statement. San's face turns pale as I explain. "Of course," I added, "teleportation is different from all the concepts of elemental powers."
His pale face suddenly changes. Now he looks surprised. I knew what he thought without asking. How could I know that something he always hid?
When San wants to ask a question, I immediately ask another. "Where did you live before?"
San didn't answer right away. He turns his face away. Whatever he was going to say, I could see he wasn't good at hiding things. "I kept moving. I don't know where those places were."
"Why?"
San frowned. I could guess this was the part he wanted to hide. But I knew he also realized he couldn't lie. In the end, he chose to be silent.
I took a deep breath. "Because every place you considered home always ended up tragically. Like what happened to the orphanage you stayed at before they captured you."
He stares back at me. This time San didn't try to hide anything. I could see his fear, his despair. A sadness. For a moment, I could see a glimmer of light in his eyes again.
"Do you know me?"
"Last question," I replied. Maybe he hoped something from me now. "If you had a choice to destroy the world and everything you hate or change fate and fix all those mistakes. What would you do?"
San fell silent. Maybe discarding all the questions, he had previously gathered. "I don't understand," he answered. "But if I had such a choice, it means I could do both, right? I think I would ask the person who gave me the choice again. I would do what they want."
"You're weird. If you could do both, you wouldn't need someone else's thought."
"I just can't decide on my own." His voice was almost a whisper. If we weren't in a small, closed room, I might not have heard it.
This time I fell silent. Various thoughts fill my head. I started to understand now. The reason he made me promise back then. The reason I was so angry and disappointed when I saw him again.
Not because San didn't remember me. Not because he was different from the San I knew. I was mad at myself for not being able to do anything. Disappointed in myself for not looking for him right away.
The door opened behind me. Without turning, I knew who stood there. "Time's up," said Mala. "I even gave you extra time."
I immediately stand up, turn back, and walk toward the door. Leaving San still trying to digest all our conversation.
"My name is Layla," I stopped and turned slightly. "Don't forget that."[]