Alecia stood, locking eyes on Virgil. Just then, Joel's voice echoed as he called Kellan's name from down the passage."Where is she?" Joel said in panic as he entered the room.Alecia stepped to the side, closing her eyes."No!" he cried out with a look of despair in his eyes. He walked passed Alecia, eyes drawn to the floor. "Kellan?" he muttered, lips trembling.Joel dropped to his knees and placed his hands on both sides of her face, looking into Kellan's lifeless eyes."No. . ." He began to cry uncontrollably as he sat her up and wrapped his arms around her."Don't worry, I'm here. Daddy's here now," he murmured, crying while rocking back and forth. He cried over his daughter's shoulder, his cries muffled by her hair. "Tell me, what happened?" Virgil asked quietly while looking at Alecia. She opened her eyes and looked at Virgil, her pupils still glowing. "Did you do this?" he said with a stern look. "Or was it them?"He stepped forward. Alecia drew her blade to him, slight
"So are you going to be okay now?" he asked with a cheerful smile."Hm?" He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. She nodded with a slight smile."Come," he said, taking her hands and helping her stand.He walked towards the buildings with her as he had his arm around her upper back.They strode within the city in silence. "So how is. . .?""Joel?" Virgil said calmly. "Still not okay."Alecia sighed. "I can't even imagine what he's feeling right now."She gave a downcast look as she watched her every step."This is all my fault," she said sorrowfully. "I watched them cut her throat right in front of me. They wanted me to join them, and I refused. In the end, Kellan died because of my selfishness."Virgil stopped and stood in front of her."Listen," he said, holding her shoulders, and looking at her straight in the eyes. "Kellan's death wasn't your fault, do you understand me?""And what if you joined them, hm? They might've let her go.""No!" he snapped, which startled her. Her ey
Virgil lay down on his back and used his bag as a pillow."What are you doing?" Alecia asked with a narrowed look. "Killing time," Virgil said, his eyes closed. "Out here? It's dangerous to sleep out here."He opened his eyes. "After everything that happened, I'm numb about danger at this point.""At least you got some sleep."He turned to look at her and stared at her blue eyes as the fire illuminated them. Alecia turned away from him and gazed at the fire. She gently leaned her head back against the wall and spotted Diana who was sitting behind the fire. Alecia closed her eyes, sighing.Diana tilted her head. "What's wrong?""Nothing, just trying to forget what happened," replied Alecia.Diana leaned her hand on one knee. "You'll never forget that. No one can.""That made me think of something.""Oh?" Diana muttered.Alecia frowned. "Why's it that I remember a lot of bad memories and a few good memories?""I'm no expert in people's minds," Diana said, "from what I've heard is that
Alecia breathed heavily, her shoulders slumped, before gazing up at the sky where the gray clouds hid most of the sunlight. They'd been walking the city streets for hours, and now low on fatigue, their pace evidently slowed."I'm so thirsty." She kicked the ashes and grumbled before piercing a hole through Virgil's back. "Virgil, do you have a drink?"He sighed and swung his bag to his shoulders, rummaging through it. "I just hope they didn't take anything."Diana moved closer to him and waited patiently. "Here we are." Virgil took out a bottle of water, and Alecia stepped in with an excited look on her face. He took the lid off and sipped, his face morphing into a look of disgust."It's warm." He handed the bottle to Diana.Diana took a sip and made a disgusted expression, handing the bottle to Alecia. She took a sip as well, narrowing her eyes and frowning before gulping down half of it, some of it spilling on her top."Woah, that's quite enough," Virgil said with a chuckle. Aleci
Almost making a mistake of falling, Norah stood on the edge of the gaping hole in the wooden floor. She sighed, looking at the floor below, her short hair hanging on each side of her face. She walked around it and headed towards the doorway of the room. Her footsteps echoing throughout the interior of the building, she strode down the hallway, the staircase at the end of it. "Don't lose them please," the man's voice said from her device. "Don't worry about it." She stepped down the flight of stairs. "They're heading towards the bridge.""Out of the city?""I suppose." She went down the final steps and walked to the front door. "Is that a problem?""No. The only problem here is if you lose them."The woman exited the building."How did you know about the bridge?""I listen." She traveled through a narrow road which cracked over the years, blades of grass growing out of them. -The young woman strode towards a T-junction. She rested her back against the wall of the building on the ri
"Hold on." Norah's voice reverberated within the engulfing darkness around them.A mechanism sounded, and lights from the ceiling switched on one by one, from top to the bottom of the tunnel of steps. "That's pretty impressive," Virgil said, looking down into the tunnel. Diana eyed the bricked walls. "Is this some kind of bunker or vault?"Norah shook her head. "Not exactly. It's more or less the same, I guess.""So your friend," Alecia started, fixing her hair, "he knows we're coming?""Yes," Norah answered.-Norah stood in front of the iron door and stared blankly at it for a moment. Alecia slowly leaned in to study her with a puzzled look in her eyes. "Norah?"Norah turned to Alecia."Just know that," her eyes flicker in thought, "he's a talker, you'll hardly get a word to him. Heck, even I tend to avoid talking to him." Their new companion opened the door and walked into a large white room. The interior had long metal tables against the wall, with white-colored cabinets sitti
"What am I supposed to tell him when we get back?" Virgil clenched his jaw, eyeing the cup seriously-if only he could burn a hole in it by staring, the cup would've been broken already-and tapping it with his finger. Diana angled her body to him and opened her mouth to say something, but instead, slowly moved her hand to his albeit hesitantly and gently touched his wrist. "It'll be fine. We'll find a way. . . like we always have."He grinned. "I wish I had your optimism."Alecia flickered her eyes between Virgil and Diana, curiosity filling her. But before either of them could notice, she quickly averted her gaze and took a sip from her cup. From the corner of her eye, she observed Chuck who still busied himself by his desk. "So. . ." Norah started, uncertainty washing over her countenance.Before she could speak, Virgil cut her off. "What's troubling you?"His forehead creased as realization dawned on him. "That settlement. . . We were supposed to see why they were late in their de
Alecia stood up from her seat. "I'm just going to talk to Chuck."Norah nodded, smiling slightly. "Okay.""Hey. . . Chuck?""What's up?" he asked, hanging his arm over the back of his chair. Alecia wasted no time. "What do you know about me?"She trained her eyes to him. His lips twisted into a slight smile."More than you know."Alecia widened her eyes and straightened her back."Norah?" she wondered aloud. "Does she know?"He shook his head. "Only so much."Chuck leaned to his side to look at Diana and Virgil talking to each other. "What did you want to show me?""Excellent question." He grinned and stood up from his seat obligingly, striding to the door of the room in haste."Come, Alecia," he said, his voice echoing across the room. Alecia locked her eyes on him and hopped off the desk. When she reached him, she whirled around and gazed at Diana and Virgil for a moment. They were far too busy discussing amongst themselves to notice her. Chuck opened the door and let Alecia go i
On the Ruth's ship, and within her palace. Inside the dining hall, her guard, Aven is seated beside her table. Alecia sits beside him, with Lumina sitting across them.The large hall surrounding the four, is silent. Only the muffling sound of the rain-storm is heard outside. The scent of freshly cooked food, still filling their nostrils. They all sit still, with Ruth moving her gaze between Aven, and Alecia. "Can someone answer my question?" Ruth asked, with a frownful gaze at them, and looks straight at her sister."What is it?" She asked again, her eyes train to her daughter, only for the young girl to look away and continues eating.Beeds of sweat form on Alecia's forehead, only for one of them to stream down her temple, and moves along her cheek.Her hand trembling above the plate of food, eyes flickering. "R-Raine..." she said, urging Ruth to stare at her with a frown. "The gin... She's free." Aven narrows his gaze. He leans his elbow on the table with his hand near his face
Away from its planet; a ship is seen hovering. It looks static in the great cosmos that surrounds it.Silence is peaceful. It is what thrives in the black void of space. Within this ship; two individuals are residing. Leah, and Kase. They're on their way to a planet quite different from there own. Kase still sits on the passenger seat next to Leah. Watching the grand, glittering black sheet before him. He turns to look at Leah, who's still listening to her music. Frowning with a smirk; he shakes his head, and looks away. "Alright," Leah said, breaking the silence. Urging Kase to look at her. She takes the devices from her ears, and sits forward."Let's get going now." She starts flicking a few switches on the console.Kase stares at her; his frown squints."What do you mean?" He asked."I thought we were already on our way?" Leah chuckles. "Covering a distance of several light-years, at this speed?" She looks at him with a grin."Unlikely." She presses the last button. Only for
In the early morning, the sky is clothed in a gray blanket of clouds. Faint droplets fall upon the empress' ship, as it curtains down onto the landscape below as far as the eye can see.Within the docking bay, a large spaceship is being held, along with smaller ones, like Aven's. The interior is large, and spacious. The ceiling is high above the single great ship. There's but one entrance to the bay behind the ship itself. Mechanics continue to do their work around the ship, along with the small ones. Soldiers stand guard near the large ship, observing their surroundings. Ten, to twenty workers walk around the bay, some taking notes, while others work on the ship.Two individuals, a man and a woman walk beside each other among the crowd of workers, and residents. They are both wearing gray armor around their torso, that is polished to a shine. Two wings are sculpted on the chest plate, which stretch to their shoulders. The young woman tightens the red sash around her waist, with th
Past midnight, the Empress' ship is now quiet, as most of its residents are now asleep in their homes. Within the guard barracks. Where the prison cells are. Inside the last cell, Raine is still held.She is seen pacing within the confined space. Her fingers stiff as she struggles to close them into fists.Looking down at her own palms, she stops. Wide-eyed, gritting her teeth, her hands shake as she tries to close them. Her hands begin to emit dark-blue flames, with her eyes reflecting its glow. Shutting her eyes, she clutches her hands into fists, only for the flames to spew between her fingers.Her eyes open, and watches as the flames fade away into nothing. Taking a deep breathe, she exhales. Raine opens her hands, and lowers them to her side. Turning her attention towards the energy field, she steps in front of it. Standing inches from it, she stares through, watching the other prisoners across her in their own cells. Two of which, are in her view, with one having a young man
The guard barracks are now quiet, and calm. Dark it is, with the evening taking over. The hallways are illuminated by lights along the walls, with the smooth floor reflectimg them. In one of the rooms, Leah is located. It is dark inside, with a dim, green, light, illuminating the interior. Leah lays on her back, along the bed, her black hair spread out on the pillow. On her face, a headset covers her eyes, blue neon lights emitting from it. Faint sounds of music can be heard from the two neon-lit devices in her ears.Her breathing is calm, her hands resting on her stomach. One would think she is sound asleep. After a few moments, a vibration is heard. She sits herself up, taking the devices off her ears. From her pocket she takes out her phone, and brings it to her ear. "Empress?" She simply said. -Ruth is seated at her desk, staring at the screen, holding the device over her ear."Leah, you wanted to discuss something?" She said, picking up her glass, and takes a sip. She pla
At the empress' home where she resides. The guards are stationed at their posts near the base of the building, silence is all there is at the moment. Within the building itself, in her main bedroom, Ruth is seated at her desk, with a glass of red liquid accompanying her. The desk where she is seated, is at the corner of the room, her bed being in the middle, the sheets, white, pillows, dark-green. Her desk is white to a shine, and solid enough to keep the necessary things she needs. Books, as well as a large screen lay on top of it. Faint sounds can be heard in the distance outside. The window of her room is half-open, the curtain gently flowing from the cool air seeping through. The empress is clothed with a white long sleeve top, with an overlay clip over her torso, as well as a long white pants with heeled boots. Her rosé hair now tied up in a bun with a few strands hanging from it. The screen illuminates her face, with patterns of light moving across as she slides her hands
Hours have passed since Alecia, and Aven arrived at Clay's building. In this afternoon, the area is quiet. Only the faint sound of the ships in the far distance is heard.Both Alecia, and Aven step out from Clay's building, only for the doors to close behind them. They both walk past the guard, and proceed to the ship."Now with that out out of the way." Aven said, walking around his ship."We can worry about other things."Alecia stands on the other side. Only for her to rub her forehead with a frown for a moment, only to look up and lowers her hand."I'm glad we're out of that place." She said, taking a quick look over her shoulder."I couldn't agree more." Aven said, facing her with a nod, only to open the door and gets in the ship, followed by Alecia."At least we got what we came for." Aven said, looking at her with his hand on the control."Yes." She said, opening a black sleeve, which has two syringes inside. All filled with a lime-green substance."I wish he had made more." S
Leah is seated on her bed, crossed legged, with the sword on her lap. She stares at the window for a moment, only to look down at it. Her eyes trailing off to the shoulder of it, and to the guard-cross that holds the ridged blade in place. The handle smooth, thin, and, curved, with the pommel having a short point to one side, like a beak.Leah now moves her index finger, with it sliding across the edge of the blade. Starting from the shoulder, down to the point. She looks at her finger tip, and rubs off the visible blood with her thumb, only to bring it to her lips.She sweeps her legs off the bed, and stands. Only for her to gracefully wave the sword, her eyes locking on each swipe.The weight of it is not too heavy, with it resembling her old weapon. She holds it horizontally, and looks down at the handle, to see a button. Her thumb presses it, only for an electrical current to surge across the blade itself. Her lips twist into a smirk, only for her to press the button, and the cu
For a long while, Aven is seen standing next to Clay. Watching as he examines the blood, with a screen showing footage of a sample. Alecia stands up from the chair, and stares at the screen, and sees blood cells, which are being impaled by the virus. With each cell getting infected by it.Alecia cringes inside just by the sight of it. She frowns with a disturbed look on her face, only to slowly cross her arms, her hands now tucked in. "So that's what is in me?" She asks, still staring at the screen. The light from it, illuminating her face. "Yes, unfortunately." Clay said, as he scans around blood cells. "Look." Aven said, pointing at the one end of the screen."There's a few that are not infected." "Wait..." Clay said, his voice trailing off. Alecia looks up at the screen again, now slowly stepping forward, her eyes fixed on it.Just then, a few strands of the virus breaks away from the infected cells, and injects itself into the healthy ones. "That's disturbing." Aven said, l