Rift

Chapter 7: The Damage

Colin and Malachi work for a bit longer when Regan comes back. He isn't with Reela anymore though. Instead, he's now accompanied by Nisha and they both walk right up to Colin with serious expressions on their faces.

"What about you?" Nisha asks the SRL.

He tilts his head. "What... about me?"

Regan looks at him with a slight look of worry in his eyes. "Can you feel it too? The... energy in the air?"

Colin glances over at Malachi, who merely shrugs and keeps working on now fixing the floor.

"Um... What kind of energy?" he asks.

"Magic," Nisha states. "About as potent as yours, but something about it feels... off. Like something is trying to block it and failing," she explains, then eyes him quizzically. "I've heard about how strong your magic is. You should have been the first one of us to notice it."

Colin scratches the back of his head anxiously. "Well... My magic has been weird lately, so that's probably why. Is that what you're sensing? My magic?" he asks and looks between Regan and the Tus'Felnis.

"No," Regan says. "Your aura feels different. I can tell how it is seemingly stifled, but that feels more contained. Like it's by design. However, this energy is more like..." he stops to think about it. "Like something is also trying to stifle it but can't. Like... a wild beast that wants to break free by ripping apart the cage it's trapped in," he explains.

Nisha nods her agreement. "Meanwhile yours is more like that same caged beast, only it's asleep and has no intention of waking up," she says. "Can you really not feel any of this?"

Colin shakes his head. "No. I've got nothing."

Regan and Nisha share an uncertain glance, but before either of them can speak, they all turn their attention to the doorway when Cree sprints through. There is a little blood smeared across his arm.

Regan watches him anxiously. "Cree? Are you alright?"

Cree ignores him and looks frantically to Colin. "It's Edith! Something's happening and she told me to come get you!"

Colin drops his hammer and steps towards him. "What is it? What's happening?"

"I don't know! She just started coughing up blood out of nowhere and crying in pain! Get your ass up there and help her!"

Colin doesn't even wait for him to finish explaining before racing out the door and upstairs. He rushes into the only room with the door open, and he sees Edith laying on her side on the floor beside the bed, weakly coughing and holding one hand over her chest and the other wrapped around her stomach.

"Doll!" he hurries to her side, just as the others follow. Cree and Regan run into the room while Nisha and Malachi wait at the open door, watching from a small distance as Colin carefully lifts Edith into his arms and lays her on the bed.

She's seemingly only half conscious, even as a little more blood trails down from the corner of her mouth and she grits her teeth, gripping over her chest now with both hands.

Regan's eyes strain and he brings his hand to his head, and with a quick glance back at Nisha, he sees her do the same. The weird magic energy they were feeling is stronger here, though it's receding a bit as Edith calms down a little and her glazed eyes start clearing as her consciousness begins to slowly creep its way back.

Colin sits at her side, tightly holding her hand over her chest and rubbing her cheek, trying to wipe away the blood trail but only ending up smearing it across her skin.

Malachi quickly rushes off back the way they came.

"Doll. Edith, are you okay?" Colin asks breathlessly. His hands are shaking and he believes he can feel a slight burning in his throat that isn't strong enough to allow him to cry. He sometimes hates being an older SRL.