Edward hugged Aurora tightly, feeling her essence. His beloved's concerned embrace conveyed the peace and warmth he had lacked the night before.
'What a strange way for everything to be resolved.' An ominous feeling rose in his heart.
"Have you been through this before?" he asked Arnold.
Arnold shrugged. "Life has taught me not to trust people, much less organizations. They act on whim or for profit, and in either case, they can't be trusted," he replied. He began to walk away from them and spoke once more. "We'd better get back."
Edward stared at him for several seconds before turning toward the room where he had been tried.
He had been helped by the least expected. He had gained allies... That's what he would have thought a few days ago.
Now, the ominous feeling that they expected him to do some dirty work for them enveloped him like a dark blanket in his heart.
'Nothing is free in this world... I understand that now.' He patted Aurora on the back.
