After the Chimaera GZX flew out of the dome, Bradley stared at the huge hole in the dome, which was already repairing itself. He then pulled out his smartphone and put it to his ear.
"Commander, they got away. Should we chase them?" Bradley asked.
"No need. Just let them go, but keep them monitored," Heindrich answered, sounding relaxed.
"But isn't that dangerous, Commander?" Bradley asked.
"No. If they wanted to destroy us, they would have done it by now. For now, just leave them alone. The important thing is we've extracted their DNA. Proceed to the next stage," Heindrich replied.
"Understood, Commander," Bradley said.
***
A short while later on a beach, the Chimaera GZX was bent down on one knee and had stopped moving, its cockpit open. Cole, Celes, Cyrus, Charlotte, and Calista were sitting in a circle on the sand with a bonfire between them. They had all returned to their human forms, but they were staring intently at Calista, who sat next to Cyrus.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" asked Calista, who now had long, wavy black hair, was beautiful, and looked skinny yet athletic.
"Are you really Calista?" Cole asked.
"Of course I am. It's been a long time since we saw each other, so it's normal that you don't recognize me. Speaking of which, isn't Calvin with you?" Calista asked.
"No. The last thing I remember, Calvin was captured trying to protect me... I don't know where he is or what happened to him," Charlotte answered, looking down.
"I see," Calista said, lowering her head.
"How did you manage to show up right on time to save us?" Celes asked Calista.
"Alright, I'll tell you why I went to our old orphanage," Calista said.
Calista told them all that she had only woken up five month ago, and the last thing she remembered was putting Cyrus inside the Chimaera GZX. She immediately looked for a way to get to the orphanage and finally arrived five days ago, just when Cole and the others were being captured. From the Chimaera GZX's recordings, when she went inside to find Cyrus, she learned everything that had happened.
She then immediately searched for Cole and the others. After that, she left using the Chimaera GZX today.
"Huh... you said five days ago? That means they held us for five days?" Cole asked.
"That's right. I'm sorry I was late," Calista answered.
"It's okay, Big Sister Calista," Cyrus replied.
"So... you remember everything about our life at the orphanage?" Celes asked.
"Yes. When I managed to awaken my second form last month, I immediately remembered everything (she turned to Cole). You remember everything too, right? You've awakened too," Calista said.
Celes, Cyrus, and Charlotte all immediately turned to look at Cole, who remained silent. Then Cole looked at Calista.
"Yeah, I remember everything. That's why I recognized you even though you've changed a lot," Cole said to Calista.
"Hehe... it's great to see you again, Cole. I've really missed all of you," Calista said, smiling.
"Is that really true, Cole?" Celes asked, grabbing Cole's hand and looking at him seriously.
"It is. I even remember our foster mother... Sister Marion and her hidden villa. I bet Calista went there first. That's why it took her five days to save us," Cole said.
"You're right, Cole. As soon as I saw Cyrus wasn't in the Chimaera GZX, and after watching the footage of what happened to you all, I immediately left and went to Mama Marion's hiding place. It was empty and destroyed. Then I went to help you because that's where I found out there's a city called New Leviathan in the middle of the ocean and that the GDA headquarters is there," Calista said.
"So the city of New Leviathan has been around since back then?" Cyrus asked.
"Yes. After the chimaera project was shut down, they chose to escape to the middle of the ocean. The reason is that Draugr can't tolerate seawater," Calista answered.
"I see. So, I was taken to that city right after it was built," Charlotte said.
"It looks like it. Now I remember that I used to like teasing Char, always fighting with Cal, always looking out for Celes and Calista, and being sweet to Cyrus... I really remember everything," Cole said with a small but genuine smile.
"Huh," Celes and Cyrus immediately observed Cole, then looked at each other. Cole stared at them.
"What is it?" Cole asked.
"You... smiled?" Celes asked.
"Yeah, Big Brother, that's weird," Cyrus added.
"Hey... don't be like that! I can smile too. I just forgot how," Cole said, getting angry.
They all laughed. Cole looked at Charlotte, who was silent, hugging her knees and staring at the fire. He immediately shifted over next to Charlotte and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Char. We'll definitely find out where Cal is. He has to be alive. I'm sure of it," Cole said.
"Yeah, Cole, thanks," Charlotte replied, shifting closer and resting her head on Cole's shoulder.
"Okay, before we go, I want Celes, Charlotte, and Cyrus to all awaken first. The goal is for you to remember everything and remember how to operate our weapon," Calista said, pointing her thumb back toward the Chimaera GZX.
"Right. After that, we find Calvin," Cole said.
"But where are we now?" Charlotte asked.
"I don't know, but this island seems empty. We can use it as a temporary hiding spot," Cyrus answered, looking around at the forest and the beach.
"Okay, now everyone sleep and rest first. I'm going to go into the forest to look for food. You guys wait here," Cole said, standing up.
"Okay, Cole. I'll watch them here. Charlotte still seems weak and can't walk yet," Calista replied.
"Yeah, sorry for the trouble," Charlotte responded.
"It's no problem, Big Sister. I'll help here too," Cyrus replied, moving closer to Charlotte.
"Can I come with you?" Celes asked Cole.
"Okay, come on," Cole answered.
Cole and Celes immediately walked into the forest. After walking quite a while, pushing through the undergrowth, they saw several animals like deer and wild boar that immediately ran away when they saw them.
"There are still wild animals besides livestock in this forest, apparently," Cole said, surprised.
"Cole," Celes said, calling his name.
"What— ukh,"
The moment Cole turned around, Celes immediately leaped and hugged Cole, kissing him directly on the lips. After a moment, "phuaaah," she pulled back.
"Hey... what the hell was that?" Cole asked, shocked, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
"You're mine... I don't know why, but I've had this weird feeling ever since I saw Calista again, especially when you're near her. I feel like if I let you get close to her, you'll disappear from me, and I don't want that. I don't even understand what's wrong with me right now," Celes said, looking down, her face red.
Cole was silent, his face immediately flushing. He turned to look the other way. "She's right... she and Calista... they've always competed for my attention since we were kids," Cole thought to himself because he remembered everything now.