DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
HNGH!!!
HE'S JUST BEEN KIDNAPPED BY HIS FAMILY'S SWORN ENEMY.
UGH!
I CAN'T EXPECT HIM TO BELIEVE ME RIGHT AWAY.
BUT... I CAN'T JUST WAIT AROUND ALL DAY FOR THE ANTIDOTE TO KICK IN.
UGH!
THAT'D BE INCONVENIENT.
I'M SORRY.
OH, YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE.
I GUESS HE'S A PEDELIAN FOR A REASON.
I DIDN'T EXPECT HIM TO REGAIN CONSCIOUSNESS SO QUICKLY.
I'D BETTER NOT UNDERESTIMATE HIM.
YOU,
WHAT DID YOU MAKE ME SWALLOW?
AN ANTIDOTE, YOU WERE DRUGGED, REMEMBER?
YOU'D STILL BE IN EXTREME PAIN IF I HADN'T GIVEN YOU ANYTHING.
DON'T YOU FEEL BETTER?
SEE HOW YOU'RE ABLE TO TALK NORMALLY NOW?
TCH!
IF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS REALLY TRUE,
WHY DID YOU GIVE IT TO ME?
WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?
NOTHING.
YOUR NAME IS CASSIS PEDELIAN,
ISN'T IT?
STOP PLAYING DUMB WITH ME!
YOU DRAGGED ME HERE KNOWING FULL WELL WHO I WAS.
WHO ARE YOU? ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE FILTHY AGRECES?!
SO, HE KNOWS WHERE HE IS.
I Guess Father Had No Intention Of Hiding Anything...
ANSWER ME NOW!!!
I KNEW IT.
HEY.
YOU CAN'T SEE RIGHT NOW, CAN YOU?
I'M RIGHT, AREN'T I?
YOU CAN'T SEE A THING.
UGH!
HOW MANY FINGERS AM I HOLDING UP?
GET LOST!
I THOUGHT IT WAS ODD...
...THAT YOU DIDN'T REALIZE WHO I WAS.
HE EVEN ASKED...
...IF I WAS ONE OF THE AGRECES.
THIS IS THAT BASTARD'S SON.
I REMEMBER CLEARLY HOW...
...OUR EYES MET YESTERDAY.
HE NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT A LESSON.
THERE'S NO OTHER EXPLANATION FOR WHY HE DOESN'T RECOGNIZE ME.
JUST A MOMENT.
!!
I KNEW IT.
IT WAS SORCERY, NOT POISON.
IT'S A TEMPORARY SPELL. IT WON'T LAST LONG.
I'LL JUST LEAVE YOUR EYES LIKE THAT FOR NOW.
IN ABOUT TWO DAYS,
YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE AGAIN.
OH, AND...
I KNOW YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE ME,
BUT I MEANT IT WHEN I SAID I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE.
I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW.
WAIT!!!
HI, HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY?
GET LOST!
THE NEXT DAY
THEY REALLY ROUGHED YOU UP TODAY, HUH?
HMPH!
WELL?
DO YOU STILL NOT BELIEVE THAT I'M TRYING TO HELP YOU?
THE DAY AFTER THAT
GO AWAY.
I THOUGHT I'D BRING YOU SOMETHING MORE APPETIZING THAN THAT GARBAGE THEY KEEP FEEDING YOU...
You're So Mean.
I DON'T BLAME YOU FOR BEING SO SKEPTICAL,
BUT YOU'VE GOT TO EAT SOMETHING EVENTUALLY.
HERE, IT'S A MEAL REPLACEMENT PILL.
YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO ACCEPT SOMETHING FROM ONE OF AGRECE'S LITTLE STOOGES?
GET LOST.
I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM,
BUT THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE,
UGH!!!
KLEGH... KLEGH... WH-WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!!!
Oh, My!
YOU KEEP REFUSING TO EAT!
I'M JUST GONNA HAVE TO PUT YOU TO SLEEP AND MAKE YOU EAT IT.
YOU'RE CRAZY...!
YOU'RE AN AGRECE.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO GAIN FROM HELPING ME?
WELL...
JUST EAT THIS FIRST.
HNG!
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SWALLOW IT EVEN WITHOUT WATER.
IT'S DISSOLVABLE.
YOU...
WHY ARE YOU...
...HELPING ME?
WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVE?
WHAT'S YOUR NAME...?
ROXANA.
"A FITTING NAME FOR SOMEONE WITH EYES THAT RESEMBLE RUBIES,"
HE THOUGHT.
THEY WERE AS CRIMSON AS WHEN THE CURTAIN OF DARKNESS IS DRAWN,
AND THE BURNING SUN RISES.
THE SAME COLOR AS THE GLOW OF DAWN.
IT'S EMILY, MY LADY.
COME IN.
WELL?
YOU'RE AT STAGE FIVE NETARIUM TOLERANCE. WE'LL BE INCREASING THE DOSE BY 0.2 PERON STARTING TODAY.
THAT'S A LETHAL AMOUNT OF 4.7 PERON.
YOU MAY EXPERIENCE SOME STOMACH PAIN, TEMPORARY PARALYSIS, OR EVEN COUGH UP BLOOD.
ALL AGRECES DEVELOP IMMUNITY AGAINST POISON BY GRADUALLY SELF-ADMINISTERING NON-LETHAL AMOUNTS.
I'VE ALREADY DEVELOPED IMMUNITY TO MOST POISONS, BUT THERE'S A REASON WHY I'M STILL DOING THIS.
SO, WHAT'S JEREMY DOING NOW?
HE IS IN HIS ROOM AT THE MOMENT.
HE'LL BE HERE ANY SECOND NOW.
XANA!!!
HERE COMES THE ANTAGONIST OF THIS STORY...
I'M HERE TO PICK YOU UP!!!
...MY HALF-BROTHER!
Cassis Pedelian, kidnapped by his family's arch-enemy, wakes up and warily confronts the girl who gave him the antidote. The girl tells him he was drugged and that since he can talk, the medicine has worked. Realizing she is one of the Agreces, Cassis angrily demands answers. The girl notices that he cannot see; she says it is a temporary spell that will wear off in two days. The next day, she feeds the battered Cassis a pill that replaces food. Cassis asks her purpose and her name, and the girl answers Roxana.
