Chef in the Apocalypse

Jayce looked between the new woman and the one who was beside him with total shock. It was like he was looking at the same person. Their wavy black hair and beautiful faces were almost identical.

The only thing that he could use to distinguish the two was the shade of green in their eyes. While Lianna had shining emerald eyes which seemed as deep as the ocean, her doppelganger’s eyes were a Jade green, firm and unyielding.

Lianna’s face turned pale, as she looked at the woman who had just walked in. She was biting her lip so hard that it looked like she was about to chew right through it. It was then that Jayce’s mind began churning.

After the initial shock, he was able to come up with a theory, however this would have to be confirmed by either party before he could justify it.

"Oh, how curious. When Tony told me that we looked alike I didn’t take it to heart. However, it seems he was not lying." A voice that was so similar to Lianna’s came out of the woman’s mouth.

She was wearing a regal green dress which seemed to be woven from the forest itself. Her breasts were supported by branches which coiled around her figure like a snake guarding its lair.

Jayce frowned for a moment, his intuition pricking the back of his neck. He had been feeling a weird sensation ever since they had made their way into the tree, however he ignored it thinking it was related to his earlier traumatic experience. He tensed up slightly, ready to react to anything.

She shook her head briefly as if to admonish herself, before continuing. "My my, where are my manners. My name is Leah." At those words, she bowed politely.

Before Jayce could answer, Lianna had already sprung from her chair and ran towards the woman with tears in her eyes. He was instantly startled, quickly rising from his chair in response.

Leah raised her head in bewilderment, watching as Lianna threw herself at her emotionally. Sensing no malice in her approach she decided to allow it to happen, catching her with outstretched arms.

Yet the moment their figures touched, her face twisted up in shock followed by fury, before she quickly returned to normal. This did not escape Jayce’s eyes who was already alerted by the commotion.

"Leah! You’re alive." Lianna sobbed, feeling her body go weak. The woman who she had embraced was her twin sister that she had been separated from the time they were 10 years old.

How many times had she dreamt about this day, the moment of their reunion, only to wake up alone with tears in her eyes. Once the Apocalypse descended, she had lost whatever little hope she had of reuniting with her sister.

Lianna let out years and years worth of grief and hardships, her tears running down the natural gown that Leah wore. "There there." Leah said, patting her on the back in consolation.

Jayce felt a deep dissonance from the scene in front of him. It did not look like a reunion of two long lost sisters, at least from his perspective, and that was because of Leah.

While she was saying all the right words and hugging Lianna back, he could tell that things were not as they appeared. Her initial reaction when they had first made contact was enough for his nerves to be on high alert.

He waited for a while, letting Lianna finish her hug and let out all of her tears. With his guard now raised, Jayce decided to use his analyze skill to try and gain any additional information.

[Skill: Analyze has failed.]

Huh? This was the first time that his Analyze skill had failed since the time they had fought the Hydra at the end of the Beast Tide. What did this mean?

Jayce started to feel nervous, his instincts were screaming at him that something was wrong with this picture. He wanted nothing more than to grab Lianna and run the other way, however there was no way he could make it to her in time if Leah wanted to harm her.

Therefore he decided to keep it cordial, waiting for a time when they could excuse themselves without drawing any attention.

After a few more minutes, Lianna began to calm down. She removed herself from the hug and stood back a few feet, feeling a little embarrassed. "A-Ah, sorry sis, I’ve got tears all over your lovely outfit"

Leah’s face turned into a smile, waving it off "Don’t worry about that. You’ve grown so much. Did you bring Mother and Father with you?" she asked, looking around curiously.

Lianna’s face contorted for a moment, laced with confusion. She stared at the woman in front of her weirdly, before she began to walk back slowly. Jayce’s ears perked up, their mother was murdered by their father, and he was sent to jail for life, there’s no way the real Leah would not know that.

However, he didn’t want to break all formalities just yet. Not until they learned more information. He quickly got to Lianna’s side and wrapped his arm around her, "I’m sorry Leah, they didn’t make it once the Apocalypse descended."

Lianna looked up to Jayce with confusion, not understanding why he would say such a lie. Yet he was able to convey his intention for her to go along with it through his Empath skill.

Her face faltered for a moment before confirming, "S-Sis. I’m sorry that you had to find out this way." She said, trying to sound sad and consoling.

Leah seemed to take the news rather well, nodding, "It’s a pity. I would have liked to see them again. As you can see, I’ve built a grand town surrounding this enormous tree. I’m sure they would have loved to visit."

Jayce nodded before inquiring, "Leah. This may be presumptuous of me, but could you tell me your title?"

"Oh? Why would you like to know?" She asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Purely out of curiosity. Perhaps I should reveal mine first in a show of sincerity." He said, trying to remain calm. If his suspicions were correct, then they were in for a bad time. "I am ’Let me Cook’"

Leah’s eyes flashed in recognition, quickly assessing him from head to toe. "How surprising. To think that you’re also one of them." She said cryptically.

A smile crept onto her face, exposing her canines, "I am Life Warden."