Amos

After a race against time at the speed of light, the two of them and the hedgehog finally arrived near the entrance or exit of the Memory Maze. They had managed to find Clara again, but the young woman had a shocked expression to say the least, looking as if she had seen a ghost or something. But that was not the end of it.

What astonished Amos even more was to notice the presence beside the girl, an old acquaintance of his with whom he would have had no pleasure in getting back in touch! Things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse and, given the dragon's fury, seemed destined to only get worse!

<<What on earth are you doing here, damn you? I thought I made it pretty clear when I told you that if our paths crossed again, I would not hesitate for a moment to reduce you to a pile of ashes. I suppose I will have to keep to the bargain, otherwise I could no longer consider myself a man of my word.>> He exclaimed, maintaining a surprisingly calm demeanor, despite the words spoken. But the apparent calm did not survive for long, being promptly replaced by a murderous fury!

Seeing him pounce on the woman tree or flower or whatever it was shook Clara out of her trance-like state, bringing her back to regain control of the situation to avoid unnecessary bloodshed!

<<I mean, have you lost your mind perhaps! You can't turn on her like that; she's still a woman, try not to give in to your basest instincts or I'll be forced to act!>> Clara said, placing herself in front of that furious beauty of a companion.

<<I'm only telling you once and you'd better listen to me if you don't want to find yourself involved, stay out of it.>> He threatened her.

Despite the fact that the situation terrified her to death and made her think that for once it would be better to listen to him and let them slaughter each other, her courage, or rather, her madness, did not make it possible for her to do so, insisting on stopping him in any way possible!

<<I'm sorry, but as much as I would love to avoid getting involved, I'm in too far into it now and I can't stand by and watch you try to tear someone apart, man or woman!>>

He didn't utter a word, Elijah didn't know whether to start holding himself ready to stop him in case he wanted to pounce on their bold friend as well, but he knew full well that he would never even lay a finger on her.

It was, however, a decidedly strong scene, only on one occasion had he seen him so irate and in that case he had to call upon all his energy to stop him and avoid succumbing in the confrontation.

<<The woman you so ardently defend was the one I trusted the most and who did not hesitate for a single moment to sell me to the enemy in order to save her own pens. I made the terrible mistake of sparing her once, but I can assure you that I will promptly remedy it.>> He declared, unsheathing his sword at the woman, who did not hint at moving a muscle. Clara thought she had nerves not of steel, but of reinforced titanium, so she did not tremble with fear and beg for mercy in the face of such wrath!

Just before Amos attacked her, the Poison Ivy of the story finally decided trying defending herself against all the charges against her!

<<You have always been this way, for millennia now! Is it possible that after more than a century you still haven't realized that I did the only thing I could to save you from certain death?!>> She shouted at him, leaving those present dumbfounded. The situation seemed to thicken more and more, too bad no one had thought to bring pop - corn!

<<Damn, with what courage do you dare to defend yourself, then shielding yourself with such nonsense! Do you think me such an idiot as to think that you can be sincere?!>>

It was really over, neither Clara nor any of those present could have deterred him from his fury, the girl was done for!

Just before it happened, however, Clara let out a scream capable of shattering the wall of sound. She could not conceive that the man she had now fallen in love with was capable of such heinousness; she had to stop him, one way or another!

Surprisingly, her intervention was not necessary, for when Amos came face to face with Eliza (the "natural" beauty), he failed to plunge the blade of his sword into her chest. The latter had not even tried to move. She must have had extraordinary confidence in the strength of their "past" feelings (maybe not so much).

<<What? Come on, finish me off, I won't do anything to defend myself. I will show you that you still have before you the woman who has always loved you above all else. What I wonder is whether you are the same man.>> She affirmed with a note of bitterness, directing her gaze toward Clara, as if she were the cause of such a change.

He did not utter a word after these statements, and the young redhead felt her heart miss a beat. Could it be that Eliza was really referring to her, that is, that he could harbor feelings beyond pure friendship for her? And that these ones could transcend a love that lasted for millennia but unfortunately ended adrift due to the nasty tugs of an infamous fate?

<<The only reason I do not take you down is because I would soil my blade with the blood of a traitor. If you want to make yourself useful, show us the way to the Statue of Liberty and then disappear from my life and, this time, for good.>>

<<All right, I will, but first I want you to know that in these hundred years I have never stopped thinking about you, not even for an instant.>> She held to clarify.

<<Me neither. You've been my pet peeve all this time. You know, being betrayed by the person you loved above all else gives you a lot of cues to think about how stupid you might have been to believe her. Fortunately, I'm healed now and will be careful not to make a mistake like that again.>>

Clara kept feeling that strange sensation tightening in her chest and she just couldn't get rid of it. Just as they were about to set off, the woman drew Amos to her, whispering something in his ear that the girl unfortunately could not understand, unlike Elijah it seemed to her. She should have found a way to make herself reveal what was said!

After that, Amos and the beautiful redhead's gazes crossed again. It was as if he was trying to communicate something to her without the need for words.

Not wanting to make the situation even more complicated than it already was, the girl preferred to keep quiet and walk beside Elijah, leaving Amos his space to at least try to assimilate it all and, above all, to understand what his true feelings were for that woman and... for her! Until then, she would keep quiet; after all, the story was intricate enough in itself and she too needed time to reflect. Perhaps it was for the best. It is more right to let things happen at the right moment, rather than to force them.

Now, however, it was time to set aside the intricate love dynamics and focus on the mission. To discuss the past and everything else there would be time!