The Way Over Is Under - Raelle x Scylla

VI - Fragments

Scylla

Each word that Willa had uttered made me more shocked and confused. My mind and my mouth cannot even cooperate to say a single word. My body was trembling with fear. I didn't know what to expect after she said those words.

"Willa, I'm so sorry I—"

Before I could even finish my apology, she interrupted me with a question.

"How is she? How's my little girl?"

"I—Uh... She's strong and capable of a lot of things. Wherever she might be, I think she's safe."

I still can't piece everything together. Raelle was a poor lost soul because of her mother's death. She was about to sabotage her future by becoming war meat if it wasn't for me, maybe.

I just don't understand why Willa would do this to her own daughter, make her believe that she's dead. What was the purpose? Was her secret of being the leader of the Spree really that shameful? Why would she fake her own death?

"She is my daughter after all. She is blessed with powerful gifts. Gifts that she needs to use for the greater good of all things. The Goddess will bring her to our path. Let Her will be done."

Not a second later, Willa started coughing. Her condition got worse than before. Cynthia requested me to leave the infirmary and wait for her at the office. I obliged. Minutes later, she arrived.

"I'm sorry for that" Cynthia apologized as she entered the office.

"Oh, no need. I just hope she gets better"

"Well, there's a slim chance of her surviving the plague. She needs her daughter to heal her from this godforsaken illness."

I was still confused with a lot of things. My mind was filled with questions itching to be answered. I took a deep breath to gain the confidence to ask.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be asking these questions but how did Willa survive? Did she fake her own death? Why would she hide from her own daughter?"

"You are right about one thing, you shouldn't ask these questions. When you are given a task, you do it. No more, no less. No questions involved."

"I'm sorry, you're right. What do you want me to do then?"

"We need you to get Raelle here as soon as possible. Last time we checked, her unit went to a mission with the general at an unknown location. You need to figure out where they are and bring Raelle here in the safehouse."

What? She's being deployed!?

I couldn't believe it. Raelle was a promising soldier along with her unit. I heard chatter about her improvements and how impressive her unit was. Placing her in the battlefield didn't make any sense. She should be in War College by now where she's safe. I need her to be safe.

"So, do you think you can link up with Anacostia's memories and find out what the army is up to?"

"That I can do." I answered in confidence.

I closed my eyes and chanted a spell that could help me see Anacostia's memories. This spell will only give me fragments of her memory due to the lack of her physical presence. She gave me permission to link with her memories the moment she looked into mine.

"What do you see, Scylla?"

The fragments were too vague to piece together. I saw General Alder meeting up with high ranking soldiers along with Anacostia to discuss something about a mission. I heard the words Tarim and Altai mountains. I also saw a briefcase filled with vocal cords of deceased witches. I wasn't really sure what these fragments meant. I opened my eyes as soon as the visions faded.

"I heard something about Tarim and Altai mountains..."

"I see. They're going to rescue the remaining people of Tarim. They possess rare powerful seeds that can shape the earths"

"No wonder they want to rescue them. They're going to weaponize them."

"That I'm sure of. Now, you will be deployed to the Altai mountains along with a team to find and blend with the soldiers there. The planes will be ready in less than an hour."

"Wait, I also saw Alder with a briefcase full of vocal cords of dead witches. Is this our doing?"

"No, that would be ridiculous. We may be at war with them but we will not kill our own kind especially with methods that frightened us. This is the work of the Camirilla. I'm afraid they're back."

"But I thought the Camiri—"

"You thought wrong. We tried to warn them. The army might be engaging with the Camirilla as we speak. You must hurry and bring Raelle here, alive."

Anxiety enveloped me. I need to hurry. I need her to be safe.

"And Scylla, remember, the way over is under..."

"... the way out is in."