REND - Chapter 2.30

Bianca Eleanor Ceressa

Bianca ran her thin fingers through Amber Deen’s golden locks while she scrolled through the script on her phone. She prepared it while waiting for her guest to arrive. “Erind Hartwell. Twen—you know what? It’s pretty dark. Zachary, switch on the lights. The TV in the dark hurts my eyes.”

“Shall I also turn the TV off as well?”

“Yes. The news no longer interests me.” When the lights came on, Bianca saw the terrible state of Erind.

She was covered in dirt, her clothes horribly torn as if she crawled out of the earth—which she most likely did if Bianca’s guess as to her identity was correct. There were splotches of dried blood on Erind’s clothes and skin but, curiously, not one visible scratch on her. It was hard to tell with all the dirt patches all over her, but Bianca was ninety-nine percent sure that under all the grunge Erind’s body was unblemished.

Bianca smirked. “Looks like you’ve been through a rough night.”

“Very rough,” was Erind's only reply. Reserved. She didn’t slouch or try to make herself small.

Bianca wasn’t expecting Erind to be cooperative, especially given their current situation, but she was going to agree to help her eventually. “Where are my manners? Before we begin…Zachary, get a basin with warm water and a towel so our friend here can wipe away all that dirt. Sorry, Erind, I can’t let you go and have a shower. I’m not letting you out of my sight.” On the surface, this looked like she was being nice within constraints of cautiousness, but she was subtly establishing dominance.

“Understandable,” Erind curtly said.

She wasn’t going to give her anything to go on, was she? It would’ve been easier if Erind lashed out or got angry because she was captured or that they knocked out Amber—all of that was accounted for in the script. But she didn’t even ask any question beyond if Amber was alright.

Bianca needed to keep the conversation going while waiting for Zachary to not lose momentum and control despite Erind’s stonewalling efforts. How lame was it to just awkwardly stare at each other? “We’ve waited quite some time for you. I wasn’t sure if you were going to come here. I was going to use Deen’s phone to message you to come but the signal is still down. Anyway, glad you’re here…how long was it since we last met?”

“Uh, since we met at Arthouria Infinity? The bar at the top of the hotel? Let me see—”

“Today.” Bianca checked her phone. Twelve minutes past three in the morning. “Yesterday I mean, time flies.”

“Ah, at the club? I don’t know.”

She wasn’t going to deny she was at Eve? She didn’t even react to being called ‘Madame Blanchette’ earlier. Essentially, the message was, ‘so you caught me, now what?’ Bianca observed Erind’s body language. “You were in quite a bind when we left you.”

Instead of answering, Erind examined herself and adjusted her outfit so the tears wouldn’t be as revealing.

Bianca continued, “I was worried something bad happened to you when I saw the large crater on the news. Such a relief I was able to escape before the explosion. Oh, and you too.”

Erind was trying to scratch off the clump of caked mud on her knee while checking behind her, making it obvious she was more interested in waiting for Zachary.

An advanced form of looking-at-the-watch move? She’s also assessing me while telegraphing I don’t fully have the upper hand. If Erind displayed the powers she used in the arena, then, admittedly, she had the advantage. There was nothing they could do if that was the case. Bianca surmised, however, that she had to go through transformations, at least two of them, to get to her unstoppable, gigantic beast state.

The conditions for the transformation? Bianca didn’t know. Her only security for now was the threat of Xazary killing Erind before she transformed; that and having Amber. Even if Xazary couldn’t stop Erind, she wouldn’t haphazardly go berserk here and endanger her best friend, would she?

Despite her heart racing with excitement, Bianca continued with her nonchalant conversation as per the script, “You know, I was just watching TV while waiting for you for an hour, an hour and a half maybe, after Amber went to sleep—”

“Unwillingly,” Erind said, still not looking at her. This would’ve meant a person was intimidated if it was some other situation; but Bianca didn’t feel that at all from her.

“It can’t be unwillingly if she didn’t see it coming.” Bianca giggled as she lightly pinched Amber’s cheek—she was delighted Erind reacted when it came to Amber, the latter still breathing softly, asleep. She continued with her random topic. “Like I said, my eyes hurt when I watch TV in the dark, or even when I use my laptop or phone. I had to remove my contacts.” She showed Erind her silver contacts. “But I didn’t want to turn on the lights.”

No response once again.

“Let’s just pretend you asked why I didn’t switch on the lights. It’s for the big reveal! If the lights are on, I’m sure you’d still enter the house. But I wanted to try that thing—Oh, Zachary is here. He even brought you a hot cup of coffee and a blanket. See, I’m nice.”

“Thank you,” Erind said to Zachary instead of her. Bianca’s left lower eyelid slightly twitched at that.

“I was saying I wanted to try that thing in the movies where the villain is in the dark and then the lights turn on when the protagonist enters the room. Usually, the villain has a hostage.” Bianca looked down at Amber. “Okay, this isn’t what it looks like. Just a clarification, I’m not saying I’m the villain, I’m your friend.” I’m not the villain because I’m the main character. “And Amber isn’t my hostage.” She was a negotiation accessory.

Erind took a sip of coffee, then went to work wiping herself with the towel.

I can’t get a read on her. It didn’t frustrate Bianca. On the contrary, she was pleased Erind wasn’t reacting normally. An Adumbrae wouldn’t react like a normal person after all. “I’ve always wondered…what does the villain do while waiting for the protagonist to enter the room? I got my answer. I just watched TV and ate snacks. I didn’t steal this food…just pointing out. Amber gave me popcorn because I craved some after our escape.”

It was apparent Erind was deliberately slow in wiping her arms and legs. Was she waiting for her power to charge? Was that how it worked? Or was she buying time to think of a plan?

“I guess I can start,” Bianca said. She pretended she was about to begin reading from a script on her phone, but she was already a fourth of a way done with it. She ticked off most of the points to build her façade. While her target was misled by the façade she presented, she would build walls around her; the outside suddenly becoming the inside while the true inside would never be revealed. “Erind Hartwell, first-year law student at Cresthorne Law.” She read the information Zachary and Xazary compiled from the internet and all the databases they could hack before Erind arrived. “Impressive resume. You even interned at Wilkens & Kingson. And that was before you got accepted to Cresthorne? Wow.”

No reaction to flattery about things a normal person would be proud of. This meant she got her powers recently.

Pull back a bit on the flattery. Evaluate her relationship with other people to find leverage. “All of these accomplishments are to be expected from a Cresthorne law student. I must say that even your parents are impressive. Both of them have PHDs at AIT. Did they meet there?”

Bianca enumerated the data on Erind’s parents they dug up in the short time they had, first about her father, then her mother. Not only did she want to see what Erind thought of her parents, she was also hinting she knew a whole lot more than she was letting on. This was both a façade and part of the wall.

There was an almost unnoticeable nod from Erind at the mention of her father.

“Your mother works as a senior consultant at the Greaves Bioaugmentronics headquarters. Your father, on the other hand, was the site director of the U.N. facility researching the Devlyosian Sinkhole in the Philippines. I’ve always wondered what’s in there.”

“There’s nothing there,” Erind said, more to herself.

Continuing on with the father topic then. “I always wanted to go there. I’ve only seen videos of that place. A gigantic hole in the sea where Corebring Devlyosian sunk several islands to destroy a Purple Bloom. Defying all logic, just a huge hole where water, to this day, keeps draining in. Just imagine the otherworldly power that caused it. Sometimes it makes me relieved to know all the High Overseers are in their slumber cycle right now.

“Nonetheless, the Sinkhole is one of the unexplained wonders of this world. Maybe we can go there and you can introduce me to your fathe—” Zachary bent down and whispered in her ear. Bianca gasped. “Oh my, I didn’t see in my notes your father died.”

“It was a long time ago.”

“Let’s see…it’s here at the bottom of my notes.” It wasn’t; it was at the top. And Zachary’s part was also written in the script, which was why Bianca had to wait for him to return. “He died when you were thirteen? I missed a couple of news articles here. An accident. I’m so sorry.”

Erind shrugged.

“I hope you’re not offended by all the digging around we did.” Mislead. Build a wall. “To be honest, we researched all we could about you so it would look like we have a lot of information.” Admit one wall was fake, to misdirect attention from the thicker wall built behind it. “And I’m just so curious about the background of a person like you. It’s so weird a person whose parents both made substantial contributions in the fight against the Adumbrae, and who herself entered Cresthorne, would become one.”

“One what?”

“An Adumbrae.”

Erind cocked her head, but didn’t deny or admit it.

Time for a rapid fire. “I know Amber is not a normal human; she has an artificial Core giving her powers. If you ask me, Corebrings will consider her a higher priority target than an actual Adumbrae.” Planting a seed of a possible bargaining chip. “I know she’s with a group of people with artificial Cores. They’re fighting the Mark and Marcy brothers, planning to bring down their whole operation before actual Corebrings step in and start wiping out people like back during the Labor Day Purge. Honestly, I don’t really care about them; I’m more interested in you.

“I know you’re sort of part of their group, but you don’t have an artificial Core. Amber told me you didn’t want to accept one and decided to stay a normal human. But the truth is that you’re an Adumbrae…” Bianca was going to add “aren’t you?” but that wasn’t in the script. She decided she wouldn’t outright ask Erind to confirm anything. “Amber’s protecting you from Mark and Big Marcy. She accepted the artificial Core and gave up her humanity to protect her friend. It’s interesting to know what she would think when it turns out her friend was an Adumbrae all along. And not just any Adumbrae…the one that cau—”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, I'm not.” She really wasn’t. That was a fake blackmail attempt which she would then retract to show some form of defeat. “I apologize if it came off that way. I’m merely commenting on the peculiar circumstances surrounding you. Right now, you’re probably wondering what I want—"

“Not particularly. No.”

“—and how I found out about you.”

“You asked Deen. Big deal.”

Bianca’s eyelid twitched again.

According to the script, she wouldn’t reveal to Erind how she found out about her. Logical. Would give her the upper hand. But this wouldn’t do. Erind is wrong it was all from Amber. She was being belittled. She dug her nails into her palm. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. She lowered her clenched hand to Amber’s side so Erind wouldn’t see it. “It wasn’t like that at all,” Bianca said hesitantly, unable to ignore Erind’s wrong assumption.

“I bet Deen wanted to save you,” Erind said. She tossed the towel to the basin on the table and sat back, crossing her legs. “Did she say something like ‘you’re still human, there’s still hope’? And then she revealed they’re secret superheroes trying to fight Adumbrae in their own way? I bet that’s what happened. Typical Amber Deen.”

Bianca chewed her tongue. She already said something off script, but she couldn’t drop this matter. Erind thought she had uncovered everything that happened. She had to show her how wrong she was. “You and your group pretended to be my crew to get into Eve. Cut off the power. And when the lights came back on, you and Amber were already disguised as customers of the club. You’re probably thinking how I knew about it? Simple.

“When I met Amber at the club, I wondered why she didn’t bring you along with her into the arena. Weren’t you supposed to be her best friend that knows her secret? That’s the story you told me when we first met. I recalled you even said Amber was squeamish so she doesn’t attend the arena fights. Why wouldn’t you, her best friend, accompany her then?”

“You had Zachary find me?”

“Correct,” Bianca said. She confirmed Erind’s guess to trick her into thinking she was still following everything. “Xazary is usually the one guarding me and Zachary watches the crowds. Like at Arthouria, Xazary was beside me while Zachary was among my fans. Xaz is guarding you now because I thought it will make you more comfortable that a woman is beside you instead of a man.”

“How considerate,” Erind said flatly.

“I know, right?” she retorted without missing a beat. “Xazary accompanied me underground while Zachary stayed behind at the club. I ordered him to look for you. Inconspicuously, of course. And he found you. That would’ve been the end of it. Maybe you just didn’t like going to the arena too, like your best friend. Maybe you were just waiting for Amber until she finished with her business in the arena. How would I know? But then…you know what you did?” This was the second question she directly asked Erind. It wasn’t one of the questions listed in her script. Asking questions gave the other party power, which was why each question had to be calculated beforehand. But she made an exception because she had to take Erind down a notch. She was already way off the script anyway. “You know what you did?” she repeated, her tone implying Erind made a mistake.

“I transformed—”

“Wrong,” Bianca said a matter-of-factly. “You suddenly disappeared. Zachary wasn’t trailing you or anything. But he did notice when you didn’t return to your table with an unfinished meal still on your plate. Nothing suspicious yet. Maybe you were on a diet. He went to ask people at the entrance if they saw you leave. They didn’t. Weird. Then he asked around some more. And no one saw you. Weirder. He reported it to me—”

“Your phone—”

“Yes,” she said, cutting off Erind, preventing her from explaining whatever she realized. “Phones don’t have a signal that deep underground, but I could communicate with Zachary using my phone. I did mention that when we were at the arena. Thanks for confirming you were there.” She chuckled. Got her. Don’t try to be clever with me. Before Erind could respond, Bianca went on, “I ordered Zachary to check the security footage and look for you. Which wasn’t easy. Zachary had to incapacitate the guards. I could've gotten in trouble for that, but I didn’t care. I had to find out who you were. It wasn’t too much of an inconvenience, was it, Zach?”

“It wasn’t, Miss Bianca.”

“That’s where he saw that whole switcheroo thing you and your group pulled to get in. It was easy to spot if you already knew who you were looking for. He informed me immediately, so I knew that you and Amber weren’t one of us way before Amber said anything to me. Zach traced your movements on the recordings from when Amber left you up to the time you went inside the restroom.”

“And I didn’t come out.”

“And you didn’t come out. Instead, a different woman exited the restroom. There was no footage of her entering. Zachary checked the women’s restroom to look for any hidden tunnel or path you could’ve used, but there was nothing. He sent me another message, describing this mysterious woman. Wouldn’t you know it, she was right in front of me.

“I continued to observe the two of you. Amber was saying the transformed you supposedly liked the Little Red Riding Hood theme, even calling you Madame Blanchette. There are many versions of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, and the 1888 story by Charles Marelle was probably the only version where the little girl was given a name—Blanchette. Amber might’ve read about it somewhere and just blurted it out without knowing that Blanchette had a golden hood instead of a red one. That’s when it dawned on me…she knew the transformed you, but she didn’t know she was you...Erind. She didn’t seem to think you, as Madame Blanchette, were an ally, but she didn’t regard you as an enemy either.”

“You reported me somehow.”

“Wrong again,” Bianca smugly replied. “I didn’t report you. I had no idea who you were. I didn’t know who Amber really was too. You might belong to other criminal groups that dabble in the Adumbrae trade. Or you could be from the BID. I decided to let things go on and react depending on the circumstances. Eventually, you were found out. Again, I had no part with that.

“When you were fighting in the arena and Deen was captured by the guards, I got a call from Zachary. He said the BID was going to raid the club. The call was abruptly cut-off. The BID must’ve placed a signal jamming field over the entire area; that was the only way our special signal would be blocked. It was a dire situation.”

Erind said, “That’s why you helped Deen. You thought we were with the BID.”

“The most plausible conclusion given the facts I had at that moment. Either you or Amber were with the BID. Or both of you, and you were a sleeper agent, which would explain why she didn’t know who you actually were. Whatever it was, I decided to help Deen, and almost immediately found she wasn’t with the BID.” Bianca burst out laughing. “Can you imagine it? The night I went to the club was the night all these groups decided to go there too. What’s up with all of you?”

“Funny…yeah.”

“Even after finding out she wasn’t with the BID, I still helped Deen. You know why?” Bianca held up a finger. “Don’t answer that. Because you wouldn’t figure it out.” Time to go back to the script. Bianca pulled up a picture on her phone and showed it to Erind. “Do you know what this is?”

“Not really. A bit blurry.”

Bianca handed her phone to Zachary so he could show it to Erind. She wasn’t going near her; she wanted to stick with Amber to be safe. “One of my sources provided me with that picture. He guaranteed it wasn’t fake. A picture of an Adumbrae with the form of a gigantic werewolf that attacked one of the bases of the Mark brothers, almost mysteriously disappearing afterwards. No point denying—”

“I wasn’t going to.”

She grinned from ear to ear. “Awesome. I thought I was going to have a hard time making you admit it. Before continuing with my story why I helped Deen because of that picture, I’m going to give a little background about myself and what I want. I hope I’m not going to bore you with this.”

Erind took another sip of the coffee. “It’s not like I have any choice but to listen.”

“Splendid! You see, Mark and Big Marcy have dealings with my father. It’s connected with the Red Island. I’m not sure in what way. My family owns the Royal Ceressa Cruise Lines; I’m assuming they take a cruise ship to the Red Island. You guys are interested in that, right? At least Amber said she was.

“For a long time, Mark was trying to convince my father to become an Adumbrae; he would have a greater hold over him if he did. But Dad would have none of it. Next, they tried to convince me. I actually wanted to become an Adumbrae for personal reasons, reasons grander than that nonsense ‘have power’, ‘live forever’, all that crap. However, I also didn’t agree because all the parts to my plan weren’t complete yet. That is until I found you…or at least that picture of you.

“You see, Erind, I've been an overachiever all my life. I guess you are too. All of those achievements, awards, the things that make our resume look like a menu of a five-star restaurant, those are normal to people like us. If I calculate I can reach the top of a certain field with a bit more effort, I stop. I don’t go all out. Why? Because I know I’m going to win anyway. And reaching the absolute top takes a lot of time. Time I don’t have. I move on to a different challenge. Sports, dancing, singing, acting, even cooking, managing a business—”

“Am I supposed to say ‘wow’?” Erind said. “Is this a bragging contest?”

“You can say ‘wow’ if you want to. There are so many challenges out there, both physical and mental. I don’t have time to finish all of them. I don’t have time to prove to myself I’m an awesome person. Physical activities especially take a lot of time to prepare for and accomplish—”

“Augment yourse—”

“NO! That’s cheating. Augmentations…enhancements…psycho-conditioning…pills, drugs to boost brain power. All cheating! Even my beauty regimen is all natural. No surgeries…no whatever. I don’t want to succeed by cheating.”

“Is it even chea—?”

“Yes, it is!”

“It won’t be cheating if no one knows—”

“I WOULD KNOW! I don’t fucking care about what anyone else would think. The important thing is: I. Would. Know. I. Cheated. I see a challenge. I do it. I succeed. What kind of pathetic loser am I to cheat myself?”

“So, you wanted to turn into an Adumbrae to have super strength for the physical challenges you take on?”

“What? That’s dumb. That’s also cheating. I was saying I didn’t have time to finish all of the challenges in my lifetime—”

“So, you wanted to extend your life by becoming an Adum—”

“Will you let me finish?” Bianca snarled.

“Aren’t you glad I’m replying to you now?” Erind said with a friendly smile. She was interested. Perfect.

Bianca laughed. “Yes, thanks for that. I’m sorry I acted out. I just get so agitated when it comes to my goal." All in the script. "Long story short, I’m going to attempt the ultimate challenge. If I succeed, it means I can complete all the other challenges available in this world. There’s no need to attempt all of them.”

“Makes sense. And what’s this ultimate challenge?”

“It’s what you’re doing, actually,” she replied. “I want to do what you’re doing. I want to have an Adumbrae infect me, and I’m going to resist the Adumbrae…I will beat the Adumbrae and have full control of my body. That is the ultimate challenge.”

“Isn’t that what the clients of Mark are already doing?”

“No, that’s different. They’re using all sorts of methods to aid them. I think they’re even damaging their brain and nervous system by doing it. That’s cheating. I’m going to do it all on my own. But I’m not going in blind. I researched and researched. I paid so many people to find information, I used the connections of my father.

“Eventually, someone told me that there was a group of Adumbrae that can control themselves. They can use the full power bestowed by the Adumbrae with their own free will. The clients of Mark can’t do that by the way. They have to be careful because they’d still lose control of themselves if they pushed too hard. That’s why all of them are so weak, getting slaughtered like cattle by the BID agents. This group my source referred to was different.”

“Is there really such a group?” Erind asked.

Bianca smiled even wider, if that was even possible. She felt Erind genuinely didn’t know what she was talking about. This confirmed her hypothesis that Erind only got her powers recently. Which meant she controlled her Adumbrae all on her own—the best resource person Bianca could possibly ask for. “Yes, they exist. At least according to my source. They’re so powerful they can fight Corebrings. The normal ones anyway. They’ll probably die fighting an Overseer, which is why they are in hiding. My source had no clue where to even start looking for them.”

“And then you found me.”

“Yes. My source wasn’t sure if you were part of the group he mentioned, but he was sure you could control your powers. And I have the proof here right in front of me. You, perfectly sane after the havoc you wreaked at the club. I want your help in attempting the ultimate challenge.”

“I don’t kno—”

“I know. We’ll figure out how you're able to control the Adumbrae when myriad others failed. I’m not even infected yet. Plenty of time.”

“Does that involve experimenting on me.”

"I'm not going to cut you up. It’s all in the state of mind. You’re going to be my lifestyle coach. The weirdest lifestyle coach I’ve ever had.”

“Why would I help you?”

“There’s money I can offer, although that’s meaningless to you who have attained ultimate control over mind and body. But I know what you want. You want to protect Amber while keeping your true nature a secret from your best friend. I’ll help with that. Before I knocked Deen out, I told her Zachary rescued you so she didn’t need to worry that you were caught in the raid. I’ll do everything in my power to help you hide your secret.”

“Uhh…”

“Amber wants to bring down Mark and Big Marcy, right? If she succeeds, she’s going to go back to her normal life. I’ll help you with that. I don’t care about them. I don’t need their treatments because I’m going to fight the Adumbrae infection on my own. If you guys want to fight other organizations, sure. Let’s wipe all of them out.”

Erind stared at her best friend, considering Bianca’s offer.

“Anything else you want. As long as it’s within my means, I’ll give it.” Bianca extended her hand. “What do you say, Erind?”

Everything was quiet. Erind was still looking at Amber. Five seconds passed. Ten seconds passed. Bianca didn’t retract her hand. Fifteen seconds passed. Erind met her gaze. She reached out and clasped Bianca’s hand. “Pleasure to work with you.”

“Welcome aboard, lifestyle coach,” Bianca said. She was beside herself with joy. She hit all the important points in her script. Plus, her ad-libbing worked out perfectly. All those beautiful walls surrounding Erind while she stared at the façade Bianca presented her. Erind would never get into the building that was Bianca’s mind. In due time, the construction of the walls would be completed, and Erind would not be able to escape.

Fighting off the Adumbrae infection? Fully controlling a body with the powers of an Adumbrae? Bianca wouldn’t aim that low. There were other people who already accomplished that. Including the person in front of her. That couldn’t be the ultimate challenge.

Aim higher.

Aim for power.

Aim to be a Purple Bloom!

Yes! She wasn't going to be a run-of-the-mill side character Adumbrae. She was going to be the first person to control the power of a Purple Bloom.

Her source told her that to form a Purple Bloom, extremely powerful Adumbrae consume and absorb each other. Not only would Erind help her win against the Adumbrae infection…

...she would also be the first Adumbrae on the menu.

The ultimate challenge begins.

Bianca Eleanor Ceressa Bianca ran her thin fingers through Amber Deen's golden locks while she scrolled through the script on her phone. She prepared it while waiting for her guest to arrive. Erind Hartwell. Twenyou know what? It's pretty dark. Zachary, switch on the lights. The TV in the dark hurts my eyes. Shall I also turn the TV off as well? Yes. The news no longer interests me. When the lights came on, Bianca saw the terrible state of Erind. She was covered in dirt, her clothes horribly torn as if she crawled out of the earthwhich she most likely did if Bianca's guess as to her identity was correct. There were splotches of dried blood on Erind's clothes and skin but, curiously, not one visible scratch on her. It was hard to tell with all the dirt patches all over her, but Bianca was ninety-nine percent sure that under all the grunge Erind's body was unblemished. Bianca smirked. Looks like you've been through a rough night. Very rough, was Erind's only reply. Reserved. She didn't slouch or try to make herself small. Bianca wasn't expecting Erind to be cooperative, especially given their current situation, but she was going to agree to help her eventually. Where are my manners? Before we beginZachary, get a basin with warm water and a towel so our friend here can wipe away all that dirt. Sorry, Erind, I can't let you go and have a shower. I'm not letting you out of my sight. On the surface, this looked like she was being nice within constraints of cautiousness, but she was subtly establishing dominance. Understandable, Erind curtly said. She wasn't going to give her anything to go on, was she? It would've been easier if Erind lashed out or got angry because she was captured or that they knocked out Amberall of that was accounted for in the script. But she didn't even ask any question beyond if Amber was alright. Bianca needed to keep the conversation going while waiting for Zachary to not lose momentum and control despite Erind's stonewalling efforts. How lame was it to just awkwardly stare at each other? We've waited quite some time for you. I wasn't sure if you were going to come here. I was going to use Deen's phone to message you to come but the signal is still down. Anyway, glad you're herehow long was it since we last met? Uh, since we met at Arthouria Infinity? The bar at the top of the hotel? Let me see Today. Bianca checked her phone. Twelve minutes past three in the morning. Yesterday I mean, time flies. Ah, at the club? I don't know. She wasn't going to deny she was at Eve? She didn't even react to being called Madame Blanchette' earlier. Essentially, the message was, so you caught me, now what?' Bianca observed Erind's body language. You were in quite a bind when we left you. Instead of answering, Erind examined herself and adjusted her outfit so the tears wouldn't be as revealing. Bianca continued, I was worried something bad happened to you when I saw the large crater on the news. Such a relief I was able to escape before the explosion. Oh, and you too. Erind was trying to scratch off the clump of caked mud on her knee while checking behind her, making it obvious she was more interested in waiting for Zachary. An advanced form of looking-at-the-watch move? She's also assessing me while telegraphing I don't fully have the upper hand. If Erind displayed the powers she used in the arena, then, admittedly, she had the advantage. There was nothing they could do if that was the case. Bianca surmised, however, that she had to go through transformations, at least two of them, to get to her unstoppable, gigantic beast state. The conditions for the transformation? Bianca didn't know. Her only security for now was the threat of Xazary killing Erind before she transformed; that and having Amber. Even if Xazary couldn't stop Erind, she wouldn't haphazardly go berserk here and endanger her best friend, would she? Despite her heart racing with excitement, Bianca continued with her nonchalant conversation as per the script, You know, I was just watching TV while waiting for you for an hour, an hour and a half maybe, after Amber went to sleep Unwillingly, Erind said, still not looking at her. This would've meant a person was intimidated if it was some other situation; but Bianca didn't feel that at all from her. It can't be unwillingly if she didn't see it coming. Bianca giggled as she lightly pinched Amber's cheekshe was delighted Erind reacted when it came to Amber, the latter still breathing softly, asleep. She continued with her random topic. Like I said, my eyes hurt when I watch TV in the dark, or even when I use my laptop or phone. I had to remove my contacts. She showed Erind her silver contacts. But I didn't want to turn on the lights. No response once again. Let's just pretend you asked why I didn't switch on the lights. It's for the big reveal! If the lights are on, I'm sure you'd still enter the house. But I wanted to try that thingOh, Zachary is here. He even brought you a hot cup of coffee and a blanket. See, I'm nice. Thank you, Erind said to Zachary instead of her. Bianca's left lower eyelid slightly twitched at that. I was saying I wanted to try that thing in the movies where the villain is in the dark and then the lights turn on when the protagonist enters the room. Usually, the villain has a hostage. Bianca looked down at Amber. Okay, this isn't what it looks like. Just a clarification, I'm not saying I'm the villain, I'm your friend. I'm not the villain because I'm the main character. And Amber isn't my hostage. She was a negotiation accessory. Erind took a sip of coffee, then went to work wiping herself with the towel. I can't get a read on her. It didn't frustrate Bianca. On the contrary, she was pleased Erind wasn't reacting normally. An Adumbrae wouldn't react like a normal person after all. I've always wonderedwhat does the villain do while waiting for the protagonist to enter the room? I got my answer. I just watched TV and ate snacks. I didn't steal this foodjust pointing out. Amber gave me popcorn because I craved some after our escape. It was apparent Erind was deliberately slow in wiping her arms and legs. Was she waiting for her power to charge? Was that how it worked? Or was she buying time to think of a plan? I guess I can start, Bianca said. She pretended she was about to begin reading from a script on her phone, but she was already a fourth of a way done with it. She ticked off most of the points to build her faade. While her target was misled by the faade she presented, she would build walls around her; the outside suddenly becoming the inside while the true inside would never be revealed. Erind Hartwell, first-year law student at Cresthorne Law. She read the information Zachary and Xazary compiled from the internet and all the databases they could hack before Erind arrived. Impressive resume. You even interned at Wilkens & Kingson. And that was before you got accepted to Cresthorne? Wow. No reaction to flattery about things a normal person would be proud of. This meant she got her powers recently. Pull back a bit on the flattery. Evaluate her relationship with other people to find leverage. All of these accomplishments are to be expected from a Cresthorne law student. I must say that even your parents are impressive. Both of them have PHDs at AIT. Did they meet there? Bianca enumerated the data on Erind's parents they dug up in the short time they had, first about her father, then her mother. Not only did she want to see what Erind thought of her parents, she was also hinting she knew a whole lot more than she was letting on. This was both a faade and part of the wall. There was an almost unnoticeable nod from Erind at the mention of her father. Your mother works as a senior consultant at the Greaves Bioaugmentronics headquarters. Your father, on the other hand, was the site director of the U.N. facility researching the Devlyosian Sinkhole in the Philippines. I've always wondered what's in there. There's nothing there, Erind said, more to herself. Continuing on with the father topic then. I always wanted to go there. I've only seen videos of that place. A gigantic hole in the sea where Corebring Devlyosian sunk several islands to destroy a Purple Bloom. Defying all logic, just a huge hole where water, to this day, keeps draining in. Just imagine the otherworldly power that caused it. Sometimes it makes me relieved to know all the High Overseers are in their slumber cycle right now. Nonetheless, the Sinkhole is one of the unexplained wonders of this world. Maybe we can go there and you can introduce me to your fathe Zachary bent down and whispered in her ear. Bianca gasped. Oh my, I didn't see in my notes your father died. It was a long time ago. Let's seeit's here at the bottom of my notes. It wasn't; it was at the top. And Zachary's part was also written in the script, which was why Bianca had to wait for him to return. He died when you were thirteen? I missed a couple of news articles here. An accident. I'm so sorry. Erind shrugged. I hope you're not offended by all the digging around we did. Mislead. Build a wall. To be honest, we researched all we could about you so it would look like we have a lot of information. Admit one wall was fake, to misdirect attention from the thicker wall built behind it. And I'm just so curious about the background of a person like you. It's so weird a person whose parents both made substantial contributions in the fight against the Adumbrae, and who herself entered Cresthorne, would become one. One what? An Adumbrae. Erind cocked her head, but didn't deny or admit it. Time for a rapid fire. I know Amber is not a normal human; she has an artificial Core giving her powers. If you ask me, Corebrings will consider her a higher priority target than an actual Adumbrae. Planting a seed of a possible bargaining chip. I know she's with a group of people with artificial Cores. They're fighting the Mark and Marcy brothers, planning to bring down their whole operation before actual Corebrings step in and start wiping out people like back during the Labor Day Purge. Honestly, I don't really care about them; I'm more interested in you. I know you're sort of part of their group, but you don't have an artificial Core. Amber told me you didn't want to accept one and decided to stay a normal human. But the truth is that you're an Adumbrae Bianca was going to add aren't you? but that wasn't in the script. She decided she wouldn't outright ask Erind to confirm anything. Amber's protecting you from Mark and Big Marcy. She accepted the artificial Core and gave up her humanity to protect her friend. It's interesting to know what she would think when it turns out her friend was an Adumbrae all along. And not just any Adumbraethe one that cau Are you threatening me? No, I'm not. She really wasn't. That was a fake blackmail attempt which she would then retract to show some form of defeat. I apologize if it came off that way. I'm merely commenting on the peculiar circumstances surrounding you. Right now, you're probably wondering what I want" Not particularly. No. and how I found out about you. You asked Deen. Big deal. Bianca's eyelid twitched again. According to the script, she wouldn't reveal to Erind how she found out about her. Logical. Would give her the upper hand. But this wouldn't do. Erind is wrong it was all from Amber. She was being belittled. She dug her nails into her palm. Don't. Don't. Don't. She lowered her clenched hand to Amber's side so Erind wouldn't see it. It wasn't like that at all, Bianca said hesitantly, unable to ignore Erind's wrong assumption. I bet Deen wanted to save you, Erind said. She tossed the towel to the basin on the table and sat back, crossing her legs. Did she say something like you're still human, there's still hope'? And then she revealed they're secret superheroes trying to fight Adumbrae in their own way? I bet that's what happened. Typical Amber Deen. Bianca chewed her tongue. She already said something off script, but she couldn't drop this matter. Erind thought she had uncovered everything that happened. She had to show her how wrong she was. You and your group pretended to be my crew to get into Eve. Cut off the power. And when the lights came back on, you and Amber were already disguised as customers of the club. You're probably thinking how I knew about it? Simple. When I met Amber at the club, I wondered why she didn't bring you along with her into the arena. Weren't you supposed to be her best friend that knows her secret? That's the story you told me when we first met. I recalled you even said Amber was squeamish so she doesn't attend the arena fights. Why wouldn't you, her best friend, accompany her then? You had Zachary find me? Correct, Bianca said. She confirmed Erind's guess to trick her into thinking she was still following everything. Xazary is usually the one guarding me and Zachary watches the crowds. Like at Arthouria, Xazary was beside me while Zachary was among my fans. Xaz is guarding you now because I thought it will make you more comfortable that a woman is beside you instead of a man. How considerate, Erind said flatly. I know, right? she retorted without missing a beat. Xazary accompanied me underground while Zachary stayed behind at the club. I ordered him to look for you. Inconspicuously, of course. And he found you. That would've been the end of it. Maybe you just didn't like going to the arena too, like your best friend. Maybe you were just waiting for Amber until she finished with her business in the arena. How would I know? But thenyou know what you did? This was the second question she directly asked Erind. It wasn't one of the questions listed in her script. Asking questions gave the other party power, which was why each question had to be calculated beforehand. But she made an exception because she had to take Erind down a notch. She was already way off the script anyway. You know what you did? she repeated, her tone implying Erind made a mistake. I transformed Wrong, Bianca said a matter-of-factly. You suddenly disappeared. Zachary wasn't trailing you or anything. But he did notice when you didn't return to your table with an unfinished meal still on your plate. Nothing suspicious yet. Maybe you were on a diet. He went to ask people at the entrance if they saw you leave. They didn't. Weird. Then he asked around some more. And no one saw you. Weirder. He reported it to me Your phone Yes, she said, cutting off Erind, preventing her from explaining whatever she realized. Phones don't have a signal that deep underground, but I could communicate with Zachary using my phone. I did mention that when we were at the arena. Thanks for confirming you were there. She chuckled. Got her. Don't try to be clever with me. Before Erind could respond, Bianca went on, I ordered Zachary to check the security footage and look for you. Which wasn't easy. Zachary had to incapacitate the guards. I could've gotten in trouble for that, but I didn't care. I had to find out who you were. It wasn't too much of an inconvenience, was it, Zach? It wasn't, Miss Bianca. That's where he saw that whole switcheroo thing you and your group pulled to get in. It was easy to spot if you already knew who you were looking for. He informed me immediately, so I knew that you and Amber weren't one of us way before Amber said anything to me. Zach traced your movements on the recordings from when Amber left you up to the time you went inside the restroom. And I didn't come out. And you didn't come out. Instead, a different woman exited the restroom. There was no footage of her entering. Zachary checked the women's restroom to look for any hidden tunnel or path you could've used, but there was nothing. He sent me another message, describing this mysterious woman. Wouldn't you know it, she was right in front of me. I continued to observe the two of you. Amber was saying the transformed you supposedly liked the Little Red Riding Hood theme, even calling you Madame Blanchette. There are many versions of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, and the 1888 story by Charles Marelle was probably the only version where the little girl was given a nameBlanchette. Amber might've read about it somewhere and just blurted it out without knowing that Blanchette had a golden hood instead of a red one. That's when it dawned on meshe knew the transformed you, but she didn't know she was you...Erind. She didn't seem to think you, as Madame Blanchette, were an ally, but she didn't regard you as an enemy either. You reported me somehow. Wrong again, Bianca smugly replied. I didn't report you. I had no idea who you were. I didn't know who Amber really was too. You might belong to other criminal groups that dabble in the Adumbrae trade. Or you could be from the BID. I decided to let things go on and react depending on the circumstances. Eventually, you were found out. Again, I had no part with that. When you were fighting in the arena and Deen was captured by the guards, I got a call from Zachary. He said the BID was going to raid the club. The call was abruptly cut-off. The BID must've placed a signal jamming field over the entire area; that was the only way our special signal would be blocked. It was a dire situation. Erind said, That's why you helped Deen. You thought we were with the BID. The most plausible conclusion given the facts I had at that moment. Either you or Amber were with the BID. Or both of you, and you were a sleeper agent, which would explain why she didn't know who you actually were. Whatever it was, I decided to help Deen, and almost immediately found she wasn't with the BID. Bianca burst out laughing. Can you imagine it? The night I went to the club was the night all these groups decided to go there too. What's up with all of you? Funnyyeah. Even after finding out she wasn't with the BID, I still helped Deen. You know why? Bianca held up a finger. Don't answer that. Because you wouldn't figure it out. Time to go back to the script. Bianca pulled up a picture on her phone and showed it to Erind. Do you know what this is? Not really. A bit blurry. Bianca handed her phone to Zachary so he could show it to Erind. She wasn't going near her; she wanted to stick with Amber to be safe. One of my sources provided me with that picture. He guaranteed it wasn't fake. A picture of an Adumbrae with the form of a gigantic werewolf that attacked one of the bases of the Mark brothers, almost mysteriously disappearing afterwards. No point denying I wasn't going to. She grinned from ear to ear. Awesome. I thought I was going to have a hard time making you admit it. Before continuing with my story why I helped Deen because of that picture, I'm going to give a little background about myself and what I want. I hope I'm not going to bore you with this. Erind took another sip of the coffee. It's not like I have any choice but to listen. Splendid! You see, Mark and Big Marcy have dealings with my father. It's connected with the Red Island. I'm not sure in what way. My family owns the Royal Ceressa Cruise Lines; I'm assuming they take a cruise ship to the Red Island. You guys are interested in that, right? At least Amber said she was. For a long time, Mark was trying to convince my father to become an Adumbrae; he would have a greater hold over him if he did. But Dad would have none of it. Next, they tried to convince me. I actually wanted to become an Adumbrae for personal reasons, reasons grander than that nonsense have power', live forever', all that crap. However, I also didn't agree because all the parts to my plan weren't complete yet. That is until I found youor at least that picture of you. You see, Erind, I've been an overachiever all my life. I guess you are too. All of those achievements, awards, the things that make our resume look like a menu of a five-star restaurant, those are normal to people like us. If I calculate I can reach the top of a certain field with a bit more effort, I stop. I don't go all out. Why? Because I know I'm going to win anyway. And reaching the absolute top takes a lot of time. Time I don't have. I move on to a different challenge. Sports, dancing, singing, acting, even cooking, managing a business Am I supposed to say wow'? Erind said. Is this a bragging contest? You can say wow' if you want to. There are so many challenges out there, both physical and mental. I don't have time to finish all of them. I don't have time to prove to myself I'm an awesome person. Physical activities especially take a lot of time to prepare for and accomplish Augment yourse NO! That's cheating. Augmentationsenhancementspsycho-conditioningpills, drugs to boost brain power. All cheating! Even my beauty regimen is all natural. No surgeriesno whatever. I don't want to succeed by cheating. Is it even chea? Yes, it is! It won't be cheating if no one knows I WOULD KNOW! I don't fucking care about what anyone else would think. The important thing is: I. Would. Know. I. Cheated. I see a challenge. I do it. I succeed. What kind of pathetic loser am I to cheat myself? So, you wanted to turn into an Adumbrae to have super strength for the physical challenges you take on? What? That's dumb. That's also cheating. I was saying I didn't have time to finish all of the challenges in my lifetime So, you wanted to extend your life by becoming an Adum Will you let me finish? Bianca snarled. Aren't you glad I'm replying to you now? Erind said with a friendly smile. She was interested. Perfect. Bianca laughed. Yes, thanks for that. I'm sorry I acted out. I just get so agitated when it comes to my goal." All in the script. "Long story short, I'm going to attempt the ultimate challenge. If I succeed, it means I can complete all the other challenges available in this world. There's no need to attempt all of them. Makes sense. And what's this ultimate challenge? It's what you're doing, actually, she replied. I want to do what you're doing. I want to have an Adumbrae infect me, and I'm going to resist the AdumbraeI will beat the Adumbrae and have full control of my body. That is the ultimate challenge. Isn't that what the clients of Mark are already doing? No, that's different. They're using all sorts of methods to aid them. I think they're even damaging their brain and nervous system by doing it. That's cheating. I'm going to do it all on my own. But I'm not going in blind. I researched and researched. I paid so many people to find information, I used the connections of my father. Eventually, someone told me that there was a group of Adumbrae that can control themselves. They can use the full power bestowed by the Adumbrae with their own free will. The clients of Mark can't do that by the way. They have to be careful because they'd still lose control of themselves if they pushed too hard. That's why all of them are so weak, getting slaughtered like cattle by the BID agents. This group my source referred to was different. Is there really such a group? Erind asked. Bianca smiled even wider, if that was even possible. She felt Erind genuinely didn't know what she was talking about. This confirmed her hypothesis that Erind only got her powers recently. Which meant she controlled her Adumbrae all on her ownthe best resource person Bianca could possibly ask for. Yes, they exist. At least according to my source. They're so powerful they can fight Corebrings. The normal ones anyway. They'll probably die fighting an Overseer, which is why they are in hiding. My source had no clue where to even start looking for them. And then you found me. Yes. My source wasn't sure if you were part of the group he mentioned, but he was sure you could control your powers. And I have the proof here right in front of me. You, perfectly sane after the havoc you wreaked at the club. I want your help in attempting the ultimate challenge. I don't kno I know. We'll figure out how you're able to control the Adumbrae when myriad others failed. I'm not even infected yet. Plenty of time. Does that involve experimenting on me. "I'm not going to cut you up. It's all in the state of mind. You're going to be my lifestyle coach. The weirdest lifestyle coach I've ever had. Why would I help you? There's money I can offer, although that's meaningless to you who have attained ultimate control over mind and body. But I know what you want. You want to protect Amber while keeping your true nature a secret from your best friend. I'll help with that. Before I knocked Deen out, I told her Zachary rescued you so she didn't need to worry that you were caught in the raid. I'll do everything in my power to help you hide your secret. Uhh Amber wants to bring down Mark and Big Marcy, right? If she succeeds, she's going to go back to her normal life. I'll help you with that. I don't care about them. I don't need their treatments because I'm going to fight the Adumbrae infection on my own. If you guys want to fight other organizations, sure. Let's wipe all of them out. Erind stared at her best friend, considering Bianca's offer. Anything else you want. As long as it's within my means, I'll give it. Bianca extended her hand. What do you say, Erind? Everything was quiet. Erind was still looking at Amber. Five seconds passed. Ten seconds passed. Bianca didn't retract her hand. Fifteen seconds passed. Erind met her gaze. She reached out and clasped Bianca's hand. Pleasure to work with you. Welcome aboard, lifestyle coach, Bianca said. She was beside herself with joy. She hit all the important points in her script. Plus, her ad-libbing worked out perfectly. All those beautiful walls surrounding Erind while she stared at the faade Bianca presented her. Erind would never get into the building that was Bianca's mind. In due time, the construction of the walls would be completed, and Erind would not be able to escape. Fighting off the Adumbrae infection? Fully controlling a body with the powers of an Adumbrae? Bianca wouldn't aim that low. There were other people who already accomplished that. Including the person in front of her. That couldn't be the ultimate challenge. Aim higher. Aim for power. Aim to be a Purple Bloom! Yes! She wasn't going to be a run-of-the-mill side character Adumbrae. She was going to be the first person to control the power of a Purple Bloom. Her source told her that to form a Purple Bloom, extremely powerful Adumbrae consume and absorb each other. Not only would Erind help her win against the Adumbrae infection ...she would also be the first Adumbrae on the menu. The ultimate challenge begins.