The Betrayal of the Guardians

~ (28) Impostor ~

As her gaze froze on the person who had attempted to kill her, Arisa felt as if a sword was piercing her heart.

Behind the transparent blue field that protected her, a person in a white fighting suit—with loose wavy red hair—gazed back at her with widened eyes.

Arisa placed her gloved hand on her lips in disbelief. Her heart couldn't believe her eyes. There was no way that the friendliest person she had met in this world would try to kill her.

"I-it can't be," Arisa said, her voice cracking.

Nina glared at Arisa. "Stupid hairpin."

Stunned, Arisa didn't notice Nina recovering her weapon. Before Nina could touch the edge of her blade, someone caught her arms and placed them behind her back.

"Let me go!" Nina attempted to free her arms.

"So I was right." Train locked his hands on her arms. "You're not Brainwashed Girl. You're an impostor!"

"What are you talking about? Let me go; you're hurting me!" protested Nina.

As Nina fought Train's hands, Arisa was finally able to move. Slowly glancing at the ground, she spotted a silver dagger shining under the moonlight. A heavy weight pulled her heart as she recognized that weapon. It was the same dagger she had seen in her dream.

"What's going on?"

Arisa shifted her view to the scene in front of her. She saw that the rest of the team had already surrounded Nina and Train.

"What are you doing?" Bastian tried to break up the fight between his two friends.

"Don't!" warned Train.

"Aren't you going too far with your hatred towards her?" asked Thelma.

As Bastian struggled to stop his companions, Thelma joined him and fought to separate them. But Train refused to release the girl, tightening his hands on her arms with all his strength.

"I said don't!" he persisted. "This isn't the brainwashed girl we know."

Nina sobbed. "What do you have against me?"

Despite her crying, Train didn't hesitate and continued to keep her arms locked.

"I think you should release her and have a good talk," said Garoh. "You won't accomplish anything by hurting her."

"But she tried to kill our comrade."

Gasps filled the atmosphere as Nina kept crying and begging him to let her go.

"You're lying," said Bastian in disbelief. "Nina would never do that."

"Ye-yeah." Thelma nodded nervously. "With her personality, I'm sure she wouldn't even hurt a bug."

Arisa would have agreed with Thelma if she hadn't witnessed Nina attempting to kill her. Nina seemed like an innocent girl who valued life. Arisa still couldn't believe what just happened.

Train chuckled. "If you don't believe me, you can ask the victim herself."

Train nodded at Arisa. Everyone saw that Arisa was stuck in her sleeping spot, gazing at the green ground, still shocked with what was going on.

"Arisa." Thelma walked towards her.

Arisa glanced at her companion who had already reached her. As Thelma kneeled to face her, Arisa noticed that the others were slowly approaching them.

"Is what Train said true?" asked Thelma kindly. "Did Nina try to hurt you?"

For a moment there was silence. In the state that she was in, Arisa couldn't find her voice. She replied with a slow nod.