ROI Chapter 2 A New World

Adrianne Redrose sank onto the floor the moment the door closed behind her. The door was one that led to her hotel room. With hands plastered over her eyes, she groaned aloud. The sheet was still wrapped around her body, her head resting on her knee caps.

What did she feel...even she, didn't know. A myriad of emotions and thoughts were tumbling around in her head, changing by the second. One of those emotions regret. She was regretting getting drunk the previous night. If she had been sober, there's no way her rational self would have slept with that man. 

A one night stand!!! She even had the audacity to say that, yet that had been the one time she had done it. Frustrations caused by her family were the reason she had done something that impulsive. A grinding of the teeth echoed in the room as that one word, 'Family', passed through her mind.

That word also went away as fast as it had appeared, leaving the passionate memory of last night behind. Her knees tightened upon remembering those dark hands exploring every nook and crany of her body, stimulating every desire within her, igniting them...

'No no no no no...I refuse to be swayed by that! He's forbidden!' She shook her head vigorously to chase away those erotic memories, but it failed. She felt a dampness in her loins, a sign that her body remembered and still desired his touch.

'Ryan Whiterose... Why did it have to be you!!!' She howled inwardly before standing up and walking. The limp was still in her gait. 

He had been rough at first, hungering for her naked form. His movements had all been hasty and uncoordinated. It would have turned her off if it hadn't been for the alcohol in her system, but a few hours later, he started sensuously exploring her body, bringing her to heights of pleasure she had never known before.

"Repeat the mantra Adrianne, Ryan Whiterose is off limits." She mumbled under her breath as she moved her tired and aching form towards the shower. Another detail she had missed in her drunken state had been his identity. If she had been sober, there's no way this...mistake would have happened.

"Why did I have to meet him on that day?" She asked aloud as the cold water slid off her body. She had finally managed to get herself into the shower.

(Our six families have been in charge of the continent of Illusia for such a long time that its preposterous for an upstart to think of reaching the same status as us. Remember this my children, I forbid all contact with Ryan Whiterose. If anyone should disobey, they will be struck from the family register!)

Those words had been said by her father after summoning all of them. She shivered upon the image of those dark red eyes. A fear took root within her that if they so much as gazed at her once again, they would be able to drag out the truth.

'I must make sure he never finds out.' She made up her mind, her red eyes becoming resolute.

-----

A few minutes later as she was lazing around on her bed, a cup of something warm in her hands, her AI beeped a tone. Someone was calling.

"Put it up on the wall." She said lazily. She felt very drained. Getting up would have been strenuous, besides, it was probably her elder brother calling.

"Adrianne! I order you to come see me this instant!" The familiarity and volume of the voice caused her entire heart to almost jump into her throat. Her blood sped up, eyes widening as she gazed at the figure on the screen. He was burly, only half of him visible, in his signature dark red suit, dressed to the nines. His hair was a darker shade of red than hers and straight, different from her curls. He had a large face, sunken dark red pupils and a dark red gem embedded in the middle of his forehead. Those piercing dark red eyes caused her to let go of her cup, its contents staining the sheet covering her body.

"Father!!!" She shouted in alarm and fear. The man was her father, the scariest person in her world.

"Get out of the sheets. This is an important day! How can you still be in bed at this hour?" He asked with the same intensity as that of before. She breathed out a sigh of relief within since he wasn't yapping about her guilt. 'He doesn't know! Thank God!' 

"What do you need me for this urgently? The summit is still a few hours away." She calmed herself and asked with defiance in her voice. This was why she hated this man. Even talking to his children, he still maintained the tone of being superior, a very infuriating thing.

"If you want me to go on a date with that crazy woman's son again, I won't agree." She continued, averting her eyes to outside the window. This was the matter that had caused her immense frustration, leading to last night. A pit formed in her stomach at the thought of this man finding out.

"The wedding date has already been set. I don't frankly care what you do now, but you must show up for the wedding and get married. Its next month. Do remember though, there will be consequences if you fail to show up...anyway, off topic, this gathering is about something else. Make sure you arrive within 20 minut-"

"What the hell are you saying? Did you just arrange a wedding to that piece of trash without my consent?! I refuse!!!" She exploded, cutting off all the other words the man had been about to say. Fire elementium made its way out of her crystal and surrounded her, igniting into sparks which fluttered around the room. The temperature rose as she raged.

She felt very dissapointed and angry at the man. He had just crossed a line he shouldn't have crossed. 'And I hoped he would ultimately choose my feelings over a marriage of alliance...I was naive to hope for something like that.' Tears leaked out of her eyes as she beheld the man on the screen. He wasn't the father she had wanted. Countless times had she wished to have been born in an ordinary family...COUNTLESS TIMES!

"Are you done throwing that immature tantrum?" He asked, his voice not changing at all. Those eyes lacked any emotion she could associate with warmth.

"I slept with Ryan Whiterose." She said it softly but it still made it into the man's ears. An expression she had never seen on the man's face before fell into her eyes, that of extreme shock. His eyes widened, mouth opening wide. She would have laughed at the expression if she hadn't been consumed by rage.

The shocked expression morphed into something stormy afterwards. She almost felt the lava flowing within those dark red eyes, but this was the one time she didn't flinch or avert her gaze. This was the one time she was going to take a stand! 

"You did WHAT!?!? Are you joking with me right now? If this is your attempt at angering me, then drop it." He calmed down by the end thinking that she was simply joking.

"Father, no, Mr. Muliro, I don't joke around. He put it in me last night...Ryan Whiterose slept with your daughter last night! Do you understand this? Should I repeat it?" She taunted, calming down, a burden off her chest.

"If I had known this I would have joined hands with that woman! There is no way he would have escaped with his life this morning! Adrianne, I am sending someone to pick you up. I believe a punishment is in order." The man cut off communications the moment he finished.

"Hmpf! I am not going, wait! Was he attacked?" She scrambled from the the bed and used her voice to activate a holographic screen for the continental news station.

As it switched on, the headline under the video almost made her faint...

(Ryan Whiterose attacked, vehicle explodes)

-----

The scent of plants was everywhere, tugging at her nostrils, greenery abound, the color dazzling to the eyes. Wood elementium particles and its derivatives were floating in the air. A warm breeze from the shattered window caused those plants which were still intact to sway, releasing even more scent particles into the air. A groove, a trail of destroyed plants, with its origins coming from the shattered glass extended almost ten meters into the building, everything green in the path shredded or broken.

Ana's chest heaved at the end of the trail of destruction. Her black clothes were covered in green and brown. The skirt was torn, her black lacy underwear peeking out. The black jacket was no longer on her body, exposing the black frilly blouse underneath, struggling to contain her mounds. The brown dirt had also appeared on her face, contrasting with her lighter skin tone. The white hair was a mess, its purity destroyed by the brown clumps of soil. She was kneeling, her missing jacket placed onto the chest of the figure resting their head at her thighs.

"Chiro! Where are you? We need your assistance." She spoke towards a holographic screen hovering infront of her. The screen was showing a veil of darkness akin to the depths of a black hole.

"I have just received the information. So, that bitch acted." The voice was male, cold and gloomy.

"Chiro, you are paid to gather all available intelligence on the continent, especially that woman's. How could you have missed such an important piece of intelligence?" Ana raged. Her voice was cold, her expression stoic, but her voice relayed the emotional rage she was simmering with.

This was a very large oversight! Ryan had almost died! He was the only one of those people she cherished, having helped her through those troublesome times. He was the light at the end. She was content with just being the darkness.

"Chiro, have you forgotten those oaths we made?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. Ana had never felt this much rage, it wasn't out of romantic feelings but loyalty. Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to maintain a professional image.

"I...am sorry. Give me thirty minutes! I will get the culprits-"

"No, they must die! We already know the mastermind. A powerful message must be sent." She interrupted him, her voice lowering to the point that it gained a chill, murderous in nature.

"I almost made a mistake, they will be hanged at that building." Chiro's gloomy voice sounded before communication was cut off.

Ana's rage was mounting but she lacked the outlet for it. It was frustrating, honestly. All she could do was grind her teeth and clench her fists. That woman had taken everything she had ever had, her family included, and now...now she even wanted to take the person she trusted the most?! 

An exhale and a stir on her thighs through the soft fabric caused her rage and anger to simmer down, a look of concern replacing them as she looked beneath her chest. Ryan was about to wake up, his eyelids fluttering for a moment. He squinted at the light before acclimating and opening those silver eyes of his.

"Where...(groan)...are we?" He asked, a grunt escaping him as he tried to lift himself up from her thighs.

"Stay like this for now." She said with intensity, clamping his shoulders down so that he didn't move. His body was probably aching, protesting at the previous strenuous exertion. She knew it, because she felt the same.

"Where...(cough)...are we?" Ana became worried. If Ryan had suffered internal injuries, it would be troublesome.

"I am okay, it was just a stuffy feeling." He must have understood her worries.

"We are in a vertical food garden." She answered. Vertical farming had started when land had become too expensive and scarce. Illusia held over 5 billion people all sharing this small continent, not to mention that a quarter had even been allocated to beasts!

"Ryan, why did I join this...what do you call it?" Ana started to ask only to forget what this partnership was about. She was still fuming, rage boiling beneath, struggling to bubble to the surface.

"Its-" Ryan started...

"It doesn't matter what its called. When I agreed to join you in the accomplishment of your goals, what request did I ask of you?" She asked, her gaze sharpening, those silver eyes of his still containing puzzlement. His incomprehension of where she was going with this was fueling the rage beneath the surface.

"You requested that I help in your revenge against that woman." He answered. She took a deep breath, the rage had to be contained once again.

"That same woman just attacked us and I don't see any fury within your gaze...I know that you too, nurse a grudge against her...I have been waiting...five whole years!"  She finally failed to contain the rage. It bubbled to the surface as she screamed the last of the words.

"...Ana..." Her name came out as a sigh. "I too can never forget...that would never happen, but I have to keep a level head. When the time comes, I will unleash all that I feel upon her."

"...how long do I have to wait?" She asked, feeling her vision hazing, eyes becoming wet.

"This next month, the Yellow rose month...I am going to take action." He answered, her eyes widening as she became shocked. Every other emotion vanished only to be replaced by this one. Years...that had been the answer she had expected, but this was way too close. Now that he gave the exact time, a feeling of fear took root. Was he-no-were they prepared? Could it be that she was the cause with her tantrum?

"Ryan, I-" she started only for his gaze to sharpen.

"This wasn't caused by you. I already had the idea to settle all grievances with her next month. I need to get that out of the way so that I can focus on things of more importance." He said, lifting himself and sitting up. He winced, frowning very hard. She knew it was the headache, the one that appeared when someone overdrew the elementium in their crystal. It was something she had experienced before, a terrifying memory rather forgotten.

"Are we really prepared?" She still had her doubts. 

"Are you getting cold feet now that we are close? Ana, even if I was alone, I would have attacked her at some point. If your desire for revenge is that shallow, then...do you really hunger for it?" He asked, his voice cold. He was now facing her, his presence appeared imposing. Those bright silver eyes making her wonder whether he was truly weakened. 

"It isn't weak. I was just asking." She answered after taking a deep breath, regaining her stoicness.

"Good. Our attackers, have you found out who they were? And what was Chiro doing to have missed this?" He asked in one go, wincing and cradling his head after.

"His incompetence led to this. A suitable punishment must be administered. You nurtured him with plenty of resources, but now something like this happens?" Ana ground her teeth. That man had never been one she liked, an instinct you could say, or probably because their elementium was in direct opposition.

"Remind me about that if I happen to forget. Anyway, even if he investigated, I believe he might not capture anyone." Ryan's sigh caused her heart to skip a beat in alarm.

"...you mean they deployed a forbidden weapon!?" Something clicked within her mind, her voice rising an octave higher.

"Those are outlawed! Though, I wouldn't put it past that crazy bitch." She was going to deny the theory, but upon remembering that woman's personality, she agreed.

Elementium almost behaved akin to dark matter, except that it gathered at areas where a similar element resided, for example, wherever there was wind, wind elementium was bound to be there, and so on and so forth. But, there was one fundamental law that some particular illusian had discovered, elementium never transforms into an element and if it does, it can never go back to being an elementium particle, simply adding to the element in the place.

Another law of elementium, ironclad in nature, is that only conscious creatures could initiate such a change. Technology and objects could never achieve that feat themselves! Close proximity to the elementium was needed, something that proved to be tiresome and redundant. Even before this era, humans on Illusia could initiate the simple transformation from elementium particle to element with just their brain waves, but they couldn't manipulate the element after.

A few years later, someone did something gruesome, combining brain and machine. During those times, conflict had been intense between the six cities on the continent, so every one of them had scrambled to get that technology, leading to millions slaughtered, their brains harvested to combine with war machines.

"It was an earth elementium shell." Ryan said while she was still reeling from that piece of speculation. Yes, it hadn't yet been confirmed that such forbidden weaponry had been used. But a tiny part of herself believed him.

"It was a warning. If she wanted us dead, it would have been light, lightning or even fire." He continued.

"A warning...why would she need to warn us?" Ana asked.

"Hmmm...now that you have asked that, I don't know, or it could be a greeting. Anyway, it doesn't matter. What of the summit?" He asked.

"Watch this." Ana put up a hologram from her bracelet. The tablet had been destroyed, the pieces probably somewhere among the wreckage on the ground below.

-----

(People have taken to the streets in protest. The prodigy himself, Ryan Whiterose was attacked by terrorists, even I find it hard to believe that there are people even capable of hating him with his glorious achievements! Anyway, people everywhere, not just in this city are demanding that the city lords bring the person to justice! In light of this, the summit has been postponed indefinitely. The whereabouts of Ryan Whiterose are still unknown, dead or alive, the public is seething, an answer must be given-)

Ryan was a tiny bit awed and exhilarated by the support of the illusians. A feeling of pride swelled in his chest as he stared at the place where the hologram had been floating before Ana had cut the feed off. The efforts he had made on their behalf hadn't been in vain it seems.

"It looks like we can't afford to let down the people. Something like this can't happen again. In the month of the yellow rose, we will attack." Ryan said to her, his will ablaze.

He had to show the people of Illusia a new world, a world where they weren't under the six city lords, but with the free will to do whatever they wanted. Illusia was just a small planet, they were going to come across many like it, smaller or even larger...their minds had to be broadened. Those citylords were still under the illusion that they were the rulers, just like before the start of this new era five years ago. This fragile peace was only lasting because the people hadn't yet awakened to the fact that they could change the system.

"Ana, this fragile peace won't last long, the age of the city lords will fall starting with next month, a new age, a federation age will rise from those ashes. You were scared that we weren't prepared, right? We are, the spark was going to be that bitch. Hehehehehehehe..." He laughed, from the heart this time. His eyes were glinting, blood seething with excitement at the new world order that was to come...