And so I'm back with another updated chapter! I've got to do better about how frequently I update.
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        Seris led them down to the main room where they entered a large dining area where people were starting to enter. Add didn't pay much attention to details though because his mind was still lingering on what Proto had said to them. "You guys can sit with us. There's plenty of room over where we usually sit. Most of the rebels have their own little friend groups," Seris was saying. "What's being served for lunch today?" Ara asked.

        "Oh nothing special. Just a plain old soup and some refreshing side dishes. You know, the usual," Seris said. "That's actually a bit different from what we're used to back at home. Last time I had a meal at home, it was plain old dumplings. I guess things are pretty different when you travel," Ara pointed out. "Oh really? Dumplings sound nice...I've never really had any but they sound nice," Seris mused as she continued to lead them.

        Owen and Zohan were already seated at the table. Add focused on his surroundings just in time to catch the worried expression on Owen's face as he seemed to be arguing with Zohan about something that likely had to do with Add himself. "Hey you two! Where are the others!" Seris greated as she neared the table. Owen was the first to pay them any attention, Zohan being a bit reluctant in the matter more out or shyness rather than unwillingness.

        "Oh, Fred's dealing with something. He got called by a villager in need of his assistance but he should be here any moment. Barton is refusing to come down. Something about not wanting to be anywhere near The Tracer. As for Raven, I thought he'd be with you. You don't know where he is?" Owen said. Seris shook her head showing that she had no idea where Raven was. "It's okay. They don't have to be with us twenty-four seven. I'm sure Barton will be down a bit later once he realizes that we aren't going to try convincing him not to miss out on lunch. He'll regret missing a meal if he stays up there in his room," Seris said with a smile.

        "Um, Seris, where do you want us to sit?" Ara asked. Add noticed that she had reverted back to her normal self and was being a bit shy. He was sort of grateful that she didn't seem to still ne criticizing everything everyone did or said. "Oh, you two can sit wherever you'd like to. You always choose a different seat every time though so at this point, I don't really know where you'll sit," Seris said with a slight laugh.

        Add found it odd that Seris pointed out the varying inconsistency in Ara's actions but he thought nothing more of it, not wanting to worry himself with anything more. He and Ara took a seat, him sitting first and Ara immediately taking a seat right next to him. "The kitchen staff should be coming around in a bit so you shouldn't have to wait too long," Seris said as she sat next to Owen. The table was rectangular with three seats facing each other on one set of sides and two seats facing each other on the other set of sides.

        Owen sat on the end of a side with three seats and Seris had sat next to him putting her at the middle of the table. Zohan had sat on the side two seats nearest to Owen. Add was sitting across from Seris and while Ara sat next to him, she had chosen not to sit across from Owen. That left five empty seats for Fred, Raven, and Barton to choose from if they made it to lunch in time. Add didn't particularly care if they came of not. "We've gotten some intel on tomorrow's events," Zohan said to Seris.

        "Oh really? Was it Proto? Did she finally decide to spill the info?" Seris inquired. Zohan nodded. "She came by earlier and told Fred and I what will be taking place. I just wish she'd told us a bit sooner," Zohan said. "True but she does have a lot to watch out for. She's risking her life to get us intel so we shouldn't judge her timing. Perhaps she had to be sure of what will definitely take place so as not to give us the wrong information," Seris said. Zohan seemed to be considering this and nodded in understanding.

        "Might I ask what events are supposed to be taking place tomorrow?" Ara asked. "Eve is announcing an official group of specially created nasods that are going to start hunting our rebel group down. They've never been too formidable in the past but it's bit early for their release and it might have something to do with you and Add's arrival there. Plus I think this time around, Eve was going to do this anyway. Something tells me these nasods aren't going to be as easy to beat as they were these last few times," Owen explained.

        Just as he did, a furry creature, which Add learned was a member of a race called the Pongos, came by with a cart and set a plate of food in front of each of them without saying a word. Add and Ara both thanked the Pongo who seemed to be grateful that she had been acknowledged but Seris, Owen, and Zohan said nothing to the kitchen staff as they continued to serve them. Add had to admit that he was slightly bothered by this but said nothing of the matter.

        Once the Pongo left, Seris said something rather odd to them. "You shouldn't speak to them when they come by. You're only embarrassing them when you do that. Although they willing serve us, they don't exactly like it when you point out their current occupation with your gratitude. I know it sounds strange but it's true," she said. Before another conversation could start or before Ara could say anything regarding Seris' statement, Raven and Fred arrived, both already having recieved plates.

        Raven took the seat next to Seris and Fred sat on the side where the two empty seats were. "Took you two long enough. Where were you guys?" Seris said. "I had matters to attend to. Proto asked to speak with me before she returned to the castle," Raven answered. "I had to help someone out with some minor tasks. No big deal," Fred shrugged. "Barton still hasn't come down from his room yet?" Raven asked. "Nope. He's still being salty," Zohan commented. Owen nodded in agreement.

        "Now that you're here though, Raven, we can tell you what we learned from Proto ourselves," Owen said. "It's alright. She already informed me," Raven said. Add found Raven to be a bit intimidating and for some strange reason, all of his senses had been on high alert ever since Raven arrived. He wasn't sure if it was just him or not because he couldn't tell if Ara was experiencing the same thing. Her neutral expression hid her every thought which he noticed was making the others a bit uneasy as well.

        What was it about Ara that they were so afraid of? It was obvious that they kept a constant watch over her whenever she was near them. "Add, I ask that you join us tomorrow when we go. Ara, you may come as well. I believe your abilities will be rather useful," Raven was saying. Add had zoned out and missed part of the conversation and therefore did not know what was going on. Ara noticed this and thankfully took cover for him.

        "I'm not sure. My ability might not be as helpful since you're trying to infiltrate Eve's castle. If anything, I'd have to rely on Eun since I've neglected my training for a while. Add, on the other hand, should have no problem getting past security. I bet he could even hack Eve's codes if he tried," Ara said. This was another reason Ara was so important to him. She basically did a recap of whatever Raven had been saying without letting everyone else notice that she was doing so to inform Add on the missed information. He would be sure to thank her later.

        "I doubt I could do that much but my ability is enough for a simple security break," Add stated. "Right. You are are The Tracer after all. I wouldn't doubt anything you told me you could do," Raven said. The look in his eyes seemed to hold warning though. Add didn't know why but his senses reacted to this and he couldn't help but feel unconformable in the current situation. It must not have been obvious though because Ara didn't seem to notice. What was it about Raven that kept setting of Add's mental alarms?

        He never did find out while he sat there during that lunch hour. He and Ara left a bit earlier than everyone else and headed back to their room after they finished eating. Luckily, they had both memorized how to get to their room on the top floor. As they walked, Ara took hold of his hand causing him to look over at her. "Your hand is shaking a bit. You felt it too then...the vibe that he gave off," Ara whispered as they walked to the stairs.

        "How long had that been happening?" Add asked, keeping his voice in a whisper as well. "Not long. When you walked past him, you almost seemed to shiver. I did too, but I don't think the others noticed. Either that or they expected it and know something that we don't," Ara replied. "Why is this just now happening though? Earlier when Raven spoke to us at the top of that waterfall, there wasn't a problem," Add muttered. They had gotten to the third floor by then and there was no one around to hear their conversation.

         "Maybe it's because he held a disadvantage there. I wouldn't know but that's a good question," Ara said. From there on, they walked in silence although Ara seemed to be lost in thought. Either that or she was talking to Eun. Add hadn't learned the difference between the two yet. He hadn't realized that Ara was still holding his hand until he had to open the door. They weren't in their room but ten minutes when they heard a knock at their door. Add, who had been sitting nearest it, answered the door finding Raven there with a plate in his hand.

        "You guys left just before desert was passed out so I thought I'd bring you some. They're just cookies although I'm not sure if you'll like them or not," Raven said when Add opened the door. Add thanked him and took the plate of cookies and Raven left without any problems but Add himself felt very threatened by Ravens presence. Something was definitely wrong. "Ara, do you want a cookie?" Add asked as he made his way over to where she sat on her side of the bed.

        She didn't answer though and instead just sat there staring down at the floor. "Ara?" Add said as he sat next to her. When he sat close to her, he could see that she was silently shedding a few tears and was also visibly shaking now. "What's wro-" Add was saying but Ara cut him off when she hugged him. She was still shaking and Add figured that it was beyond her control. "I remembered something. It's a memory I'm sure I didn't have before. It's from one of the times in the past where I died, I'm sure of it," Ara said.

        Add looked down at her trembling figure seeing that she had her eyes closed. Ara was hardly afraid of anything so if she was afraid, then her fear was legitimately placed. "I was in an unfamiliar place surrounded by flames and smoke. I couldn't escape and I didn't have Eun's hairpin with me. I looked for a way out even if it meant getting burned a bit but I saw nothing but flames and I felt nothing but fear...then he showed up. Raven was standing just outside the flames with my hairpin in one hand and his bloodstained sword in the other. Add...you were there too, but you were dead at his feet. He killed you," Ara finished.

        She'd hugged him a bit tighter towards the end of her flashback. At first, Add wasn't sure what to do especially seeing Ara in such a vulnerable state. "We can't stay here. We need to leave," he concluded. "But where would we go and when would we leave? They put us at the top floor for a reason and I'm sure they've got people constantly watching out for us. They made sure to let me know that they'd be watching me by stressing the fact that my actions in each reset timeline is always different. We're trapped her for now," Ara said.

        She was right too. They couldn't leave without raising any suspicion and if Ara's flashback was real, then they would likely not hesitate to harm either of them if they suspected them of something. The only question Add had at that moment was...why? These people were rebels against the unfair treatment that Eve had been giving certain individuals and they fought to keep this hidden village bellow Altera a secret so why did they want Add to be so close under their control and why were they so concerned with Ara's actions?
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And so things are going to start getting more and more horrifying...or at least I think so. Until next time you cool readers!