Call me : Darkness

Alina

"She's just exhausted; will be okay after a good bed rest," A healer Alina didn't recognize from her time at Little Palace said while stroking Aurora's hair. Relief flooded through her body like sunlight - and this was a very carefully placed phrase since Alina knew how sunlight danced through her veins.
The feeling of the light had always been the only comfort in the sun summoner's life - a small part of her wondered if the case was the same for the shadow summomer.

The thought was brushed aside as soon as it managed to plague Alina's mind.

Despite her best efforts, The Darkling managed to creep in her thoughts like the shadows. Even if he didn't appear in her thoughts, he appeared in person, which was admittedly worse.
Alina couldn't decide whether to thank him for being there, or slap him for all the hurt he had caused to everyone.

So she settled for ignoring the dark haired grisha.

The gentle rocking of the ship wasn't helping with Alina's mood - she was never the one for sea travels.

Then again, she was never the one to be dangerously grappled in the hooks of a hazardous grisha who may or may not destroy the world.

It'll be safe to say her life was basically like flowing water at the moment - harsh and soft at times, but completely unpredictable.

"When would she wake?" Alina murmured, eyes not leaving the peaceful figure of Aurora resting on the pristine sheets of the bed.
"I can't say. Grisha as young as herself don't show their powers in such immense state, it just doesn't happen. The overproduction of heat has made her body temperature rise which also doesn't happen - at least I'm not aware of any such incident," The red cloaked figure started fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeve while eyeing Alina through the corner of his almond eyes.

Alina took a moment to realize that she was the only sun summoner the world has ever seen - had ever seen.

Alina raised her shoulders and dropped them in a nonchalant shrug.

"That will be it Rachel, you can leave." A cool voice said from somewhere behind Alina.
Alina couldn't be sure whether she already knew the presence of the shadow summoner, or it was merely a trick of her mind. She was exhausted, after all.

The healer turned and bowed to the shadow summoner before leaving without any further words.

The Darkling walked in in grace and sat cross legged in the seat opposite to Alina.

If he was waiting for the grisha to look up then it was going to be a long night.

"Say something," The Darkling muttered.
Usually, when people say those words, they are brimming with sentiment; but The Darkling, well, he was The Darkling, voice as steady and cool as ever.

"Rachel is a girl's name."

There was no response and Alina felt strange at saying something so random. At least it was a somewhat good conversation starter, breaking the ice and whatnott.

"Clearly not what I expected the first statement to be," The Darkling murmured more to himself than the only other audience in the room.

"Oh, well," Alina jerked her head up, the mess of brown hair almost cloaking her eyes and cheeks, "You know how it is, worrying," Alina spat the last word as if it pained her to do so. And in a way, it did. After all worrying was a trait she seriously had to get rid of. "My daughter burning up for having a sudden outburst of powers out of nowhere - or somewhere I could say since I am facing a living, breathing, amplifier but you're just not ready for that conversation."

"Alina -"

"Getting manipulated. Really not fun if you ask me. Getting to know someone and feeling like you know them throughout and suddenly realizing that they've been lying to you all along. Being cared for but not because you deserve care but because your sunlight can chase away volcra. Seeing your apparently husband getting sliced in half by your daughter and just leaving him there because you can't just deal with shit at the moment. So yes, clearly not the first statement you were expecting but the world is a cruel place and of course you wouldn't know it, moi soverennyi."

"Clearly Alina it-"

"What should I even call you? Moi soverennyi? The black heretic? Aleksander?"

The darkling almost flinched at the venomous tone of Alina but she really didn't care at the moment.

"She is lying unconscious, Aleksander, I don't know if it has occurred to you yet or not but she is your child whether you like it or not. And I won't - can't - you-"

Alina stammered for more words but the ability to talk was stolen for her as she gasped for large amounts of air to calm her nerves.
It wasn't working.

A dull ache was reverberating throughout her system and it was exactly the opposite to the ecstacy she felt at the adrenaline of the light. If her body could gasp and scream then this was what it would feel like.

Right now she couldn't understand if she was overwhelmed, mad, or worried. Probably all three but she rasped for any emotion to grab.

She found anger, it would have to do.

"I don't want to hear your self wallowing of how I hurt you because remember that I never asked you to chain me to that godforsaken ship and throw me into the fold. You told me an entirely different thing and did the exact opposite so forgive me for losing my shit and leaving you for the dead but you, out of all people, deserve that much."

"Alina whatever I said before - while we were on the horse - it was all true." The Darkling said frantically.

"One word," Alina said, slamming her hand at the table nearby, through gritted teeth, "One word about everything you were intending to do. That's all I would've needed. One word would've made such a great difference. And that's the bloody point. You don't want the situation to be any different than it was last time. You still look at me with the same hunger in your eyes, the same hunger for power and despite whatever you say you will always look at me like that."

"The worst part is that as soon as I started to see my light as a gift you turned it into a nightmare," Alina muttered.

Her face was rigid and hot. When had she started crying? Her cinnamon hair were sticking to the salty tears and her eyes were tingling. Her throat was dry and tingling as if someone was crushing her windpipe.

Maybe someone was. Someone always had been.