Wonderful Miroiter
"Now Release! Full Thread Reconciliation!" she spoke, performing that maneuver into the thin air in front of her.
What formed in front of her was a series of lines, a glowing vibrant blue. Thin and frail in nature, they locked onto an object in front of her, wrapping a nearby log. Formulating her powers into strands, it started to lock onto the hard and solid object, condensing itself into the substance. Wrapped tightly in a well condensed manner, she felt the pieces coming together, the skill she was trying to acquire moving into action. That was until failure broke out in her plan.
"A dark angel only wants to hurt and destroy" she heard in her mind, a wave of stress pouring down throughout her body, her muscles tensing up in the midst of it all.
Upon that one singular thought, she watched all of the threads snap, the force of it all coming undone. Dispersing into individual strings that fell to the ground, all of the work in front of her amounted to nothing, the hours she had put in only stagnating her. Days and weeks of trying to accomplish leading to nothing, that is the fate she had woven.
She slumped over in the cold darkness, "No!" she spoke, her body fatigued from all the fighting not long ago.
"If we ever go to face them, and nothing happens, then I will be the one to blame, after all, I am the one who's supposed to heal them" she answered, her body trembling with uncertainty.
Alone and beaten up, she remained with the scars still on her face, everything put into complete disarray. Shattered, broken, and unable to keep going on, everything had seemed lost, they could no longer be the shining heroes that they once were. All that remained for them was an empty hope of the people.
Picking her head up one more time, she watched Valos walk outside the house one more time. Restless and uneasy, she picked her face up one more time, copying that persistence he always had. In the depths of her failure, she sought advice, looking toward Valos for that information.
"Oh, what are you doing still up?" she asked, stopping him dead in his tracks.
With his back turned, without a glance of eye contact, he replied, "I couldn't sleep, and besides, I need more training above all else".
Nervous and afraid upon hearing that response, Althea still decided to trudge forward. "Hey, while you're here, I want to ask, how do you develop the skills you do with your branches? I mean, look at what you had developed with your Defense Branch" she stated, giving an observation of the skills he had to offer.
He suddenly turned around, immediately invested in the conversation. "My strength isn't that impressive, and we all know that".
He soon got serious, "I don't care what I was born with, I may have the defense and endurance branches, but I'll still try to be the strongest and quickest on top of that. I really don't know about my techniques, I guess I just learned them naturally" he answered, barely involved in the conversation.
"Oh okay," Althea replied with hopelessness, "But more importantly, there's something I want to discuss with you. If you don't mind" requesting once more, this time, facing the greatest thing she wanted to avoid, and the greatest pitfall of all. What hung in the balance was her team's unity.
"What is it, then?".
She stumbled over her words, "Ya know that offer that man made to us. About joining the other side... I really hope I'm not assuming anything, but do you plan on taking their offer?" she asked.
"I know I'm trying not to be all scared like you said, but you've always stayed away from our group so much to be off on your own. Please, they're just lying, I'm not trying to control you, but they're no more trustworthy than Welland!" she argued back, trying to make a hopeless plea to him.
He froze for a second, listening patiently. Hearing the emotions spill out of her all at once, he only had a few words to say. Very few that would answer that question.
"Hell no!" he muttered. "That man seems like a pompous douchebag, I'm not joining him. That whole team is a bunch of losers for just making pleas with people to become more powerful, they should actually train for once" he mentioned, that competitive aura coming back to him all at once.
"But you're right about that, I don't really like this group to be honest" he answered, giving a blatant answer to Althea on the spot.
He gritted his teeth, "Nobody here is prepared for the real world. Take too much from others and you're seen as weak, rely too much and expect to get cut. This world has no place to take things so lightly, I'll grow strong enough to where that won't be an issue, I won't need any healers or any other people. Then I won't have to worry about a thing!" he spoke, his voice so quiet, yet full of his inner rage.
"Expect one person from our group to take the easy way out and join them, just watch, they don't have the will power. I'll take down that guy by myself, and anything less and you guys have every right to leave me behind. If I fail, I'd be better off on my own to learn how to swim" he argued, leaving his statement at that while he tried to walk off.
Listening to the words coming out of his mouth, Althea emerged, still worried. Shedding anxiety over what would happen, uncertainty appeared at every corner, the whole group wanting to split apart. Everyone, filled with each of their ambitions, felt as if they were heading in a different direction, conflicting with one another on the way. In the end, disaster would be the only inevitable thing.
Althea came into the house immediately after, the only thing waiting on her being the clock that read "1:00 AM" on its face. Each minute that they remained dormant was a minute that the intruders could spend gathering what they were looking for. The clock was quickly ticking against them.
Without much time to spare, she got dressed into her night time attire. Dressing herself in the comfiest clothing available. Using what spare resources she could, she walked in on the other three sleeping, all scattered throughout the floor with everything they had. Dormant and unbothered, she looked over them all, giving them one final gift before their adventure tomorrow. That gift being what she could do best.
She pressed her hands onto Mitli first, "I know it's been a while since I was in a situation like this, and that last time it happened I erased all of your memories, but this time, I want to give you all a good night's sleep. Please, you all deserve it" she said, that glowing energy lighting up before her.
Panick stricken and worried, all of them appeared to be resting uneasy, their bodies on high alert. Ready to strike at any time, they were all in need of the young girl's aid in rest. Their bodies requiring every bit of fuel that they could rely on.
What was first a parting gift to Mitli soon spread to Viven, then Fritz, doing what she could to recuperate the group. Before long, what was in front of her was a group of three rested people, no longer her victims, but instead, her friends. Close comrades that she had grown with is what they had become, all people she wished the best of.
She immediately started to lie down on the floor, her head right next to Mitli's. Cemented within the group, the place she walked on was no longer cemented far above them. This time, the place that she walked upon was on the same plane as them, providing her a comforting feeling.
"Goodnight you guys, and may the best come to you when we wake up" she mentioned, shutting those hopeful eyes of hers, and quickly descending into a place where she could forget about those struggles.
Right as her sleep kicked in, she was met with a dream. Vivid in imagination, everything sprawling to life, the sights, scents, and vibe of what was around her, a sprawling rich community like she had nearly forgotten about.
Lush with elegant flowers and greenery, the place had a sense of harmony. Flowing in the meadows, bushes of livestock fluttered in the wind. Everybody was hard at work, contributing to the betterment of the community. In sweet accord, the community remained, something she struggled to understand at that point.
Tears dropped down from her face, an incoherent mess being muttered from her mouth. Lost and alone, she immediately collapsed to her knees, the blades of grass poking into her. Running her fingers through the soft mess, she finally felt at home in the place she once lived in, no longer bound to Welland.
"How did I end up back here?" she asked, the bright sun warmer than the autumn weather they had experienced.
In the middle of those words, she quickly noticed a figure much taller than herself walk by. Towering over her with an ambivolent light, he placed his hand onto her head. His grasp felt so warm and comforting, a feeling that she imediately grew to recognize. The person in front of her was her father.
"Dad?!" she spoke, nearly about to burst into tears.
The figure shook its head, appearing just like her father. A dream conjured figure was who he was, a figment that Althea knew, yet one she could not understand. A figure so distant with who she had become now.
He suddenly appeared angry, "Have you even listened to what I taught you? You shouldn't have any trouble with how I raised you!".
"Yes, but I'm trying" she answered, fearful and uneasy, starting to grow afraid of her father.
He took a step forward, "Althea, it makes me really disappointed with how little you have learned. I put so much into raising you, just for you to let others down. I really don't have any words" he followed up with, his voice only carrying a melancholy emotion to it.
Trapped, scared, and afraid, her body began to shudder. Starting to inch away, she grew bitter, defensive, and resentful. She stood back up, her father's body turning into a puddle, a distorted reflection. One that reflected back a twisted image of who he was.
Powerless and afraid, she said, "Well, maybe I wouldn't be in this position if you'd let me take a path. Maybe then we'd have extra power to help! You're the one at fault for this!" those words further distorting the situation.
Everything in that scenery started to change, the lush green area around her fading. The sky turned into water droplets, melting apart with time. The green meadows started to all blend together into trippy imagery, torn apart as Althea grew more angry. Tearing apart the world of her dreams, everything started to go awry, taking with her the world that she had once called home. Fleeing that disappointment coming her way, she tucked away that memory.
Fading into a pitch black, Althea's sleep went disturbed that day, resting uneasily. Confined in a prison of her own fears, what would soon sprout up was an end to all that misery, leaving a gaping hole in her heart. Bruised emotionally, she woke up in a panic, her heart pouncing on her chest. Beating rapidly, it struck with a force that was relentless, one that refused to let go, keeping that iron grip of guilt on her.
She tossed the blanket off of her body, her eyes wide awake in the ever present darkness. Opening them to the unsightly reality of what was around her, she looked out the one window, the town miraculously quiet. A false facade that covered up how everything was truly put into play, a curse making its way into the town.
Her pupils dilated widely, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry everyone" she muttered softly into her pillow, turning her body to face Mitli, the one who she had felt most guilty for.
The mind of Althea that went to sleep in the middle of that night was an unstable one, plagued with guilt, fear, and worry. Holding so tightly onto the past, all that was left to fuel her was the fear of the unknown. She went to sleep that night tired and restless, only to awake to the bright and shining sun, no longer wanting to get up.
With a bright morning out in front of her, she heard the noise of her companions walking around. The creaks of their footsteps on the wooden floor is what prompted her awake, the echoing chatter urging her to get up. Reverberating with each word, something glued her to the floor, wanting to sleep away all the worries, escaping it all through her sleep.
She soon felt somebody stand overtop of her, "Hey Althea, you up?" Viven asked, his back bent, staring at her while she was half asleep.
Her eyes darted back, wearing a grimace that showed her reluctance. "Yeah, is it time to go?" she asked, attempting to stall on time.
Nodding in response, he said, "Yup, is something up? You usually seem up for this type of stuff" he asked, probing her for details.
Scrunching her eyes before she attempted to get up, she lifted herself up. Wiping her eyes before she had fully awoken, she stretched, replying, "Yeah, but I can't help but be worried, we don't know how powerful they are".
"Oh don't be like that," he spoke, lifting her up by the arm, the two now standing face to face. "If anything happens, we have each other to rely on, and no matter what you need, I'll be there for you. After all, you are the glue that holds us together" his ambitions appearing so true, so determined, and so bright.
A ray of sorrow soon hit her, "What will you do if one of us has no chance to live, or if we don't have enough power?" she responded, her voice now openly hopeless.
Pumping his fist in delight, Viven said, "Then we'll think of a way out of it!".
Trying not to divulge into crying, Althea's eyes darted toward the nearby window. "Thank you... Viven. I'll try to remember that" she thought, that promise being her guiding motivation for the day.
He took a step back, moving closer to the door, "Well, Althea, I think we better get going. You get dressed and meet us in the center of the town, we have somewhere to be".
Running off out the door without question, Althea was left to ponder everything. Closing her fist tightly, she said, "I guess this trip is coming to a close. We weren't scheduled to be here that long, and Kratzer said he'd wrap things up quickly. Maybe this is our farewell" she thought while she put on her clothes, quickly running into the bright light that awaited her new adventure.
Hopping out into the wonderful city of Miroiter, she was quickly taken to a damaged wooden stage in the grasslands. Infested with a crowd of people, they eagerly awaited the fame that was brought ot them. The cheers of the people were wild, unlike anything seen in Welland. The cries of the people spoke for themselves.
She stood at the very end, all five of them lined up end by end. Stiff and straight, Althea looked into the crowd, the people so bombastic to see their city saved, that torch of passion relit. Through all the pain and scars that the group had been through, only one image solidified into the minds of the people. To the giant crowd, they were the shining heroes that would save the day one more time.
A man in a suit jumped up on stage, walking alongside all of them. Holding a microphone in his hands, he said, "Today I have with me the five that have decided to bless our city of Miroiter so immensely, giving us a new hope to look forward to in coming years. It has been no secret that our town has struggled a lot in the past few years, members of the third estate all bullied into the wants of the second and first, but that time has now come to an end" giving attention to the past of the town in front of everyone.
Althea listened in, standing attentive to every detail. Catching all that came her way, she focused on every detail, the political climate being unveiled before them.
"So, those guys that we saw yesterday must be with the other two estates, meaning that these people are basically peasants. They were decided to be lower class and this is causing everything, interesting..." she thought.
The mayor cleared his throat once more, "We are a city founded on passion through trials and hard times, and with everything that has been taken from us, it has been hard to hold our heads high. Every time we get an opportunity to be hopeful, our dreams are crushed, but it is because of that reason that we have an even greater reason to hold our head high" he spoke, his voice so hopeful for the future.
"That is why we will ask these brave souls what they plan on doing once they leave here, and who they will impact in their upcoming journeys. May we wish these five the best moving forward in all their hopes and goals" the mayor spoke, encouraging an ensemble of cheers to come from the crowd, an enthusiasm that had been dead for years awakening in the crowd.
Arthur stood with his grandson Ethan in the crowd, holding him by the hand while they viewed the five on stage. His heart rang with insurmountable joy, for once, hopeful for the future and what it would bring. No longer captives to those above, he stood there silently, observing the past repeat itself.
He tensed up a bit, "It's been so many years since we've had this much enthusiasm, last time things had gone this well, I was Ethan's age. I'm glad that he gets to now see what this city truly stands for" contrasting the way things had gone when he was just a child.
Right as things had seemed to go underway, the microphone was first passed to Viven. Taking it gently in his hands, he held it up high, forming the smiles that would encourage them in the final fight. "Hello, my name is Viven, and once we're done with this, I'm gonna be somebody that influences others through my art and strength, somebody that people can look to for a sense of hope. I won't stop growing, and I'll take everything I learned here with me".
A chain was quickly formed, one by one, everyone sharing their thoughts. The mic now ended up in the hands of Fritz, "Hey everyone, I'm Fritz, otherwise known as the Mind Branch guy. I can't say that I'm gonna be some great figure in the future, but some day, I want to study in the field of Chemistry and create something that changes the world" he mentioned, quickly tossing the speaking position to Mitli.
Nervous to speak, yet still willing in the middle of it all, Mitli said, "Hey guys, I am Mitli. Though I am still uncertain about my future, I want to be a teacher and help shape the minds of students" keeping her details minimalistic.
Without a second thought, the mic was soon passed off to Valos. Feared and avoided by many in his group, the pass was made reluctantly, holding lots of hesitation. Unprepared for what the bold figure would say, they gave the kid a chance, handing the chance to him.
He took the spotlight with an iron grip, giving the crowd a hard glare. "I'm Valos, but this is not important right now. It's stupid that we're even putting up with this event when we should be fighting those guys, is this really what your city stands for?" he asked the crowd.
Everybody reacted in shock, quickly put off guard. Baffled by what he said, his cold hard demeanor, and stance against the city, everyone quickly grew to oppose him. He became the enemy of the town.
"Boo! Why is he even fighting here with us!" one man shouted.
"Get him off stage!" another one followed up with.
Althea was the first to notice him, listening in on his perspective. As she gave him her attention once more, she heard, "I'm no hero, but I'm more concerned with kicking these guys than anything. They ended up running off into your caves last night and they just want to use your city, if you really cared about the city you'd want that first".
Viven shot him a dirty look, unimpressed with what he said. Harboring the emotions of the crowd, he replied, "Valos, quit being so rude!".
Stepping up against his comrade, he said, "We were given this position to speak because they value us, we are the hope for them and we have to respect it, so be quiet!" starting an argument in front of everyone.
Angered by this, Valos took up the opportunity to oppose him. Heated and annoyed, he said, "Is fame all that matters to you? These people need to get everything in gear and see that their city was raided. Quit being a stuck up brat".
Divided and confused, the whole crowd looked in embarassment. Turning their heads to the two figures, they soon took opposite sides, becoming a battle ground between the group. Wanting to pull the group in different directions, very little could be done at that point, the two putting their differences on full display.
Mitli, Fritz, and Althea all had to watch from afar. Sitting on the sidelines, the two were left to ponder what kind of a group they had become. Heroes divided over the most simple means, people more focused on tearing one another apart, a position far from admirable.
Fritz stood in shock, "How are we gonna garner up any support from this?".
Mitli chimed in, "We won't but it sure is entertaining" she mentioned.
In the middle of their contradicting views, Althea quietly and subtly moved in towards the center. Slipping by when they weren't looking, she quickly took the center stage, facing the crowd with a look of sincerity.
Grabbing the microphone in one hand, she took a deep breath, a moment of assurance. Facing all that was in front of her, she spoke with the deepest words that were in her heart. This was the final testament to who she was, and how far she had come.
"Look, through it all, I'm sure we've all had hard times, and I'm sure this village knows that above all else" she spoke, empathizing with the crowd, "We know that better than anything else, we're just test subjects from the place you guys oppose, prisoners meant to see what's possible, worthless human beings. It was only through coming here that a lot fo us knew what it was like to be treated as people, and for that, we have to protect you guys. We'll need everything from you guys to save this town, after all, we're not Wellean or Soleian, or anything, we're just people who want to protect what's closest to us!" those words of hers reaching across the crowd.
Heartfelt from the message, the crowd paused for a moment, letting everything sink in. Shedding a giant array of spotlight onto the inexperienced girl, a feeling of immense judgement. Shining this down onto her, she quickly went red, backing away while her body clenched tightly. In that moment, she panicked.
Through all the ominous silence, she quickly heard a clap come from the distance, one sparking into two, and two sparking into many. The crowd erupted with an applause of appreciation, their two perspectives colliding.
Letting all the happiness of the crowd sink in, Althea said, "So I guess I somehow did it, I never would have thought..." she spoke, watching the flurry of people in disbelief.
She put herself back behind her teammates, the few that shared the same position as her. Letting the glory sink in for a bit, she thought, "Well, I guess maybe some people see something in me, even if I struggle to myself" the floating feeling echoing in her chest. That level of admiration refusing to leave her. That was a sensation that would ripple through her as she moved forward that day, a feeling of meaning attached to her.
Right as the five of them stepped foot in the entrance of that cave, the exterior painted in prehistoric designs. Lines and triangles covered the edges, highlighting the ominous entrance that was within, only a deep darkness standing in front of them. On the edge of a slanted hill, all that would await them was life or death in that darkness.
Althea peered into it, scared, regretful, and about to back away. She trembled in the bladed grass, standing among the four people whom she had traveled so far with. Those that she had clashed and grew with.
Valos stood on the border of the enclosed cavern. "Hmph, if they've been in there for a while, why don't we just chase them out. That or block their way out, they're probably dead tired" he added.
Fritz immediately chimed in, standing at the foot of its entrance. "Because, who knows what they stumbled into in there. And besides, they belong to a military, their battle tactics are far beyond what we know" he mentioned.
Viven quickly jumped in the center, "But that's okay because we all have access to Althea's poison in case we get in a pinch. They also aren't used to fighting against bizarre cases and they didn't have the supplies to recover from yesterday" he added.
Coming to an agreement, he followed up with, "Then we have our answer. We'll split up, this cave was designed to be a meeting hall many centuries back. This place was designed for some casual use, it's not a labyrinth".
"Right, so we'll all scour a different direction. We have a network we can connect to if we need help. Aside from that, I say we split up!" Fritz spoke, the first to command the group, all five of them entering the darkness that would define their journey.
Splitting up amongst the three dividing paths, Althea joined with Viven, Fritz and Mitli took a path, and Valos walked through the caves on his own. Exploring the depths of Solei, they all ran in unison, hoping to find the answer the quickest, hoping to return home victors.
Viven led the way, his bold ambitions lighting the way. Through the rigid rocks and musty smell, there was a sense of harshness in the cave. Once a prosperous place now eaten away with the force of time. The cavern decayed into an ugliness that stood as its natural state.
His eyes opened wide, visualizing all that was around him. Trudging through the occasional puddle, the two were left with an empty silence while they walked down the stretch. Echoey and clustered, the conversations of the two reverberated. Althea was now trapped in the past she tried so hard to escape.
Her fist clung tightly to the blade that was in her hands, laced with the harshest substances she could conjure up. Clinging to that in a time of safety, she locked on with an iron grip, refusing to let go in the most peaceful times. Crumbled and decaying, she was like her surroundings, about to burst from the pressure.
Through her footsteps, she thought, "Had I been in this situation a while back, I probably would have found a way to sell them out, but now, I hope I wouldn't do the same, but you never know with me-".
"Hey Althea, is something up?" Viven asked, nodding his head slightly back towards them.
Through their high speed chase, she replied, "Oh, yeah, but now probably isn't the time. Please, let's just keep going".
He continued to run, gradually slowing his pace. The two were neck and neck, perfectly able to talk on an even level, Viven turning his head towards the side attentively. "Look, it's okay, no matter what happens, we need you to be in the best shape possible. We can't have that if something is bothering you" he pointed out.
The two were soon brought to a screeching halt, joined in the middle of the long and stretching tunnel. Left in the heat of being alone to discuss everything, the two opened up to discussion.
"Look, we care about you just as much as we do our closest friends, so why don't we talk things out and we'll get past this" he spoke, kneeling down slightly while he placed his hand on her shoulder.
Struggling with that idea, she asked, "Do you even know who these people are, this army that seems to know everything. Who are they, and what do they even want with us?" she asked him.
"Hm, well I don't exactly know that, they're probably just like the Wellean Forces, but they are loyal to a different country. If you ask me, I wouldn't dwell on it too much, they're a military group, they're gonna use fear tactics to make you feel bad about yourself for being a Nima" he mentioned, angsty and ready to get moving again.
In agony she replied, "But why me?".
"Who am I to them to get that label? Why did they react like that to me specifically? Should I be scared?" she answered, still stuck in that paranoid train of thought.
He stopped in the middle of his minimal footsteps. Turning back around to her, he said, "I honestly wish I had the answer to that, but no matter what happens, we'll make sure you're protected. After all, you are the backbone of our group" he mentioned, getting in closer with her.
Wrapping his arms around her, he said, "We'll make sure you're okay Althea. I know you're scared and sometimes I'm scared too. We've all been through a lot, and you've put up a braver face than most, so it's okay to feel worried".
Nervous and tensed up, her nerves were soothed temporarily. Inhaling in a deep breath, she replied, "I am scared, I will admit that, but I'll get there eventually. For now, just let me worry, I'll fight through it, okay Viven?" playing off of his banter.
Patting her hard on the back, he replied, "Gotcha!" the two running back towards their final destination. Approaching a dim light that they could see in the distance, the two were eventually standing within a branching point, the first sign of serious development in the cave.
Stumbling into the room, the two were brought into a dome shaped room, two split paths formed by arches. The interior was decorated with a brick foundation, in the center, a radiant stone was glowing. Shining in many different directions, the bright blue light was their only source of visibility in the room, the force that brought the two to a place of safety.
Caught up on their dialogue, Viven said, "Trust me, we'll fight through this and get out alive. You can count on that".
Right as the two of them were talking about the future they wanted to see, one of the men stood within a nearby crevise. Hiding away in plain sight, he remained dormant with a gash mark slit down his back, a purple marking giving away that detail. Sitting dormantly as the two had not a clue of his existence, he heard them talk, rambling on about his mantra along the way.
He looked down on them while they discussed important details, his eyes focusing in on the two. "So, these are the people who so valiantly defend Welland, despite all it has done to them?".
"They're so misled that they don't even know what it means to fight for the betterment of society, they're all selfish, including that dark angel that I heard about" he mentioned, his eyes examining Althea.
He gave a smile, "To think that her of all people is the most dangerous one, I mean, she's a Nima, of course she'd try to play god. She erased their memories and turned them all into hollow puppets, oh how I'd like to take my jab at that" he spoke, quickly igniting a grenade that remained dormant in his hand.
Pulling the trigger, he heard the fuse go loose. In that brief moment he had to spare, he watched the vestibule of the ancient location collapse. Met with an incredible force that was dispersed from the air, an array of bricks and stones rained on them. Pouring down in heaps, the message was sent to Althea and Viven, an intruder had been nearby.
The two quickly dispersed, running in opposite directions. Right and left, two paths led. On the right side, Viven quickly fled the confrontation, and even closer to the enemy was the left path, the one Althea carelessly ran towards.
Finding her way straight into the trap, she dispersed in a completely separate room, a cube shaped room with scaffolding on each end. Falling straight into the palm of his hand, he watched as the young girl drowned in her own adrenaline. Fighting everything that was back against her, that path of hers was now about to rain to an end. The wings of the dark angel were now initiated to be cut off.
Scared and in a panic, she started to tremble, gripping onto her arm for support. Worried and afraid, she mustered up every ounce of force she had in her lungs. On her own with nobody to fend for her, she yelled out, "Viven! What's going on!" the rocks descending as the two were divided between a wall.
Only receptive to mumbling that cluttered the sediments, she immediately took action and ran towards the entryway. Doing what she could to reunite with her comrade in her most dire time, alone and inadequate, she flocked to the nearest stream of support, her friend on the other side.
"Please be okay Viven... I don't want to be here alone" she chanted, her voice crying out in insecurity.
Trapped within the hands of the Solei army, what she would soon hear were heavy footsteps heading in that direction. Coming from the area of the split off corridor, a member of the opposing army walked right towards her. Bitter, unforgiving, and relentless, he emerged from the shadows, shining his daunting presence onto her.
"Well well, it looks like we meet again. Do you have any last words, if not I'll keep this easy and quick" he spoke, immediately driving her into a corner.
Her eyes watered instinctively, watching a man that held a blade steadily approach her. Menacing and hateful, she watched the man grow closer, each step expanding the intent to kill. He walked in with a mind that fully wanted to quell the chaos.
She attempted to reason, "What do you want with me? What did I do wrong? Please don't hurt me" she requested, that mask she held up now dropping.
Chipping away, step after step that they grew closer to the wall, behind her holding a well of water. Inching back by the second, the man quietly approached her, his fury never ending in his pursuit, extermination being his main goal.
She eventually reached the wall, given no other options to escape. Seeing the caniving man become hazy in her vision, she heard, "You sold out your own comrades, you disrupted the way of life that they had, we can't have people like you roaming around, thus you are our first target" he mentioned.
Given no chance to escape, she replied, "I did, even I won't lie about that, but what more of a choice was I given. You came here to terrorize your own people, so what room do you have?!" she asked, fighting back with her own beliefs.
In the dark and gloomy cave where they were all alone, he replied, "Do you even know the value of what unity is, or do you only live to destroy?".
"You Manipulators of Fate only exist to control others. Known worldwide for controlling those closest to you, we all know somebody that has fallen victim to you guys, so I'll never believe your lies. Keep our civilians safe" he screamed, thrusting the knife at her remorselessly.
Cutting her arm with its edge, the knife eventually hit the wall, giving Althea enough time to process everything. She was threatened, given little chance to escape what was coming her way, meeting the grudge of a guard. At this point, she was nothing but the dark angel that he had been fighting against.
Her blood dropped on the floor, the brick staining red beneath her. Damaged by the fighting, the architecture of this once prosperous cave would now be destroyed under the wrath of war.
She grabbed him by the wrist, using what little force she had left in her. Pushing with all her might, she gritted her teeth, attempting to disarm him first and foremost. Driving her fingernails into his wrist, she mustered up the devilish strength she had, using it to all her might.
Emanating her hands in degeneration, she quickly overpowered him, taking the knife into her own hands. Putting it close to her chest, she now saw the man enraged, now disarmed and one step lower, his greatest asset taken away by the demonic force he feared most. This warranted a fuming reaction.
"You... pathetic plague!" he yelled, quickly jabbing her in the face, causing her to still hold onto the knife so seriously.
Knocking her back painfully, she hit the brick walls, cornered, she noticed him going in for another blow. Cocking back a blow at full force, she rushed in, forming an array of degeneration around the blade.
Still adrenaline heavy from the blow, she ran it through his stomach, her body gasping for air as the room went cold. Panting and uncertain, she felt his blood run back onto her hands, each time bringing out that dark side of her. Controlled by those dark emotions, they were all that she could rely on in that moment, that inner voice guiding her through everything.
Nervously wielding the knife against him, she said, "If it means saving myself, I'll fucking kill you" she muttered, her voice nearly on the verge of tears.
Running towards him with a full fury, her mind raced with thoughts. Face to face with a military elite in a confined corridor, she got herself into close combat, latching onto his chest while the tip of her new blade faced his back.
What was a simple confrontation now diverged into a deathmatch, each passing second that she was on him draining his Magni, his circulation, and his wellbeing. Bound by the poison that had afflicted him the day before, his body was weak, sluggish, and harder to use. It was a downhill match for him, yet one that he still used to crush the dark angel in front of him.
Weighed down by the way she latched onto him, his vision started to go blurry, the blood from his stomach clotting up after it had stained her chest. Quickly faced with his own mortality, he did everything to remove her, each passing second gaining less and less strength. His body was slowly dwindling right in front of him.
"I can't" his mind played back, "I can't face that same training center again, I can't live through that hell again" his memories rolled over, picturing himself, bruised, damaged, and alone in one of the camps.
"I put everything on the line to get to this point, and I won't let some manipulator take it from me!" he shouted verbally, his body drawing on the remains of the Magni his body could offer, drawing upon the two branches at his disposal.
His body squeezed for a second, naturally unleashing a bang that scattered across the room. Burning the bricks around them, and chipping the stones that they stood on, Althea flew back, just barely colliding with the brick wall. The divide between soldier and subject started to grow more intense, with the two of them fighting to what could have been their end, the final move deciding it all.
He held his hand over his heart, "I don't know what ideology you worship... or what kind of sick ways you want to hurt others, but I've been through enough of the training camps to learn that people like you should be executed!" he yelled.
"Every day was a battle against our sanity, and every day we had to fight one another to survive to be prepared against you. I don't care how poisoned this body of mine is right now... I will take you to the grave" he spoke, unleashing another big explosion.
Terrified and scared, Althea was stuck. Confined by the immense amount of force and heat, she could feel her hair blow back with every successive blow, her fingers clinging onto the sediments, grabbing on for whatever stability she could garner. That blue shirt of hers started to blacken on each end, damaged by war and what it had brought, that once pretty outfit now facing the hardships of her conquest.
WItnessing flash after flash, her eyes started to get numb, through it all, noticing a field of energy around his body. Coating himself ever degree around, it soon became apparane tthat he was absorbing the remnants of his Magni back into his body, absorbing it through his branch to be later expelled.
Given a moment to reflect as her body started to grow more bruised, she thought, "Well, I guess I have finally faced the truth of war, I really do have no other choice, but to exploit his own weakness. I really hate being this way, I really hate it" she thought, a tear flowing through her eye while she reflected back on the times with her father.
One day when the two were together, she remembered her father say, "The thing that's so great about having a recovery branch is that you get to be the force that helps people instead of tearing them down. I like it better that way" her father spoke, those words fed back into her mind.
"Even though I am a healer, that also means I know more about his own weaknesses. His body is doomed to fail, he is making reckless decisions and his body will punish him for it. I'm sure he wants to live too, but he won't listen to reason, and he wants me dead above all else... I have to exploit his weakness" she thought, letting that next flash pass through her mind.
Vividly moving through her mind, she held on with all her might, noticing him trying to execute another flash from his explosion branch. Letting loose that same enormous amount of force, the man quickly grabbed his stomach, the strain only causing more blood to spill out. Facing his own mortality in those next few moments, his vision became blurry.
Lightheaded he became, his vision hazy, his body about to pass out. His legs became shaky, his eyes unsteady, that overambition collapsing down upon him. When all had seemed lost, everything around him became an array of blurry figures, and in that singular moment where he felt awake, the last thing he saw coming up to him haunted him. What ran up to him was no powerful force at all, but what he would call the dark angel, Althea Sehn.
Sliding through at the last minute, she drove another blade through him, rapidly degenerating his body with all she had left. Using her energy sparingly, she was quickly given the momentary upper hand, now a person that had destroyed her opponent. A small little girl who had devastated the people she was up against.
A girl who had entered this war by destruction would now be known for that, the first true opponent she slayed on the battlefield in the palm of her fear. Left in the grasp of a Nima, it seemed as if his fate was to be manipulated, his body quickly becoming unresponsive as it collapsed to the ground.
A wounded person who stood above him is what Althea had became, looking down on him with little sorrow. The man, poisoned, bleeding, and turning pale, had little left to offer, his body now limp. There was no longer another option, this time the two were facing their own lives, and through it all, Althea was the one who made it out alive. She was the one who had enough destruction all along, victorious with a bloody crown.
Through her tears, she said, "I guess this is what was fated to happen, your murderous tendencies got the best of you, and now you have nothing... this is goodbye" she quietly said, turning her back while she stepped on the sediments that had now surrounded the rock solid walls.
About to breathe his last breath on the floor, the man gasped while he reached his hand out. Stretching it over the dirt filled bricks, he tried to let out a moan, that barely exhaling his system. Giving everything he had in those last few moments, all he could think about was the path he was up against, now slated to face his own death in the pitch black of those caverns.
His mind played back the final thoughts as all seemed lost, no longer able to vocalize a thing. "Please, just save me! Whoever stumbles upon me, don't leave me like this. Doleur, do whatever you can against these menaces, they only advocate against-" he spoke as his mind started to go blank.
"-the protection we wanted to give the country..." his mind drifting off for the last time in that moment.
Althea walked away, trying to remain strong, trying to keep her head high. Bogged down by the thoughts of what had just happened, her legs shook with every step, her body being hauled to the other exit that the room held, only further fueling the labyrinth.
Letting those thoughts linger while she met the brick wall, she said, "I had to... didn't I" she spoke as she collapsed in a flurry of emotions.
Her eyes started to water, her face felt molded to the sadness she felt, quickly overturned by guilt, fear, and remorse. Placing her hand on the dusty wall, she began to tear up, a large storm of tears descending her way.
"I did it again... I really am no good, am I" her mind played back, taking step by step forward, one by one.
Sniffling and fighting the urge of harsh regret, she let out a massive downpour of tears, collapsing to the floor beneath her.
"All this time, I have only caused more conflict, and more confusion for everyone. I've seen everybody in my group suffer because of what I did, with joy no less" her mind spoke, everything to clustered to vocalize any thoughts.
Dragging her body up, she felt the urge to let out a loud moan of sorrow. No longer able to keep up with everything, she just wanted to stay down, locking herself to the cold floor beneath her. The most assuring place was staying put, the only place where she could feel secure.
Her head tilted down towards the dark ground, "I just wanna stay put and leave this place behind. Everybody will be better off without me, and even if they were, I'd never want to face their criticisms for what I did. They'd only resent me more for what I did if they found out" she spoke, finding the strength to get up one more time, bringing herself to that luminous pool of water that sat at the edge of the room.
She dipped her hands on, splashing the water on her face and arms to remove the blood. Cleansing herself of what happened, she let out one final request as she splashed that substance on her body.
"Once I get the chance, I'm leaving the group" she would finally say, letting that water sink onto her skin, glowing in an out of control way, quickly latching on to create an experience like no other. That water taking over in a bizarre phenomena that she could not control in that given moment.
YOU ARE READING
The Shattered Rebellion: Visions of Corruption
ActionStory 3 of Shattered Rebellion
