The Seed of Hope

Chapter 24: Echoes of the Past

-"Fucking shit!!"- Logan ripped the harness from his body and jumped after Kate.

Rai kneeled on the edge of the lift, looking down at the thick darkness as Kate's screams echoed around him.
-"Fuck fuck, oh fuck!! Kate!!!"-

Kate fell into the darkness, screaming at the top of her lungs. The lack of direction or if she was approaching the ground disoriented her.
Kate remembered her last lesson with Logan on how to levitate. She took a shaky and long deep breath to calm down and relax her muscles.
As she did, she heard a voice calling from above.

-"Kate!!"- She looked up to see Logan approaching fast, his hand engulfed in flames for vision. Then it hit her, Logan can't levitate.

-"Shit!"- Kate straightened and stretched her arms to catch Logan.
-"Logan! Why would you jump!? Are you insane!?"- She yelled at him.

Logan tried snapping his fingers to make Kate levitate but she suddenly began to glow white and they stopped falling.
-"Heh, I knew you always had it in you..."- Logan smirked at Kate who was in awe.

-"Heh,"- she imitated. -"You've been smiling too much, I like the "old" you better!"- Kate teased as they lowered slowly. With Logan's flame and her glowing body, they could see a little better and noticed that they weren't far from the ground, which was nerve-wracking. A few seconds more and they would've been dead.

-"Where's Rai?"- Kate asked looking above them.
-"On the lift, unless he jumped too..."-

-"Rai!! If you can hear me, we are okay!! Fix the lift and shoot the green flare!!"- Kate shouted.

Rai was surprised to hear Kate's voice sound so calm, as he looked down he noticed Kate's soft and gentle light, like a single star in the middle of the dark sky. He sighed, relieved that she was okay, and proceeded to inspect the tilted lift. The machinery looked very rusty and old, chunks of rust would crumble from the gears, signaling that this was the reason it got stuck.

Rai quickly tightened his harness again and began chipping off the rust.

Meanwhile, Logan lowered his feet to the ground and helped Kate down.

-"It stinks...it stinks very bad..."- Kate said as she took a few steps forward. She felt something soft clutch onto her ankle, causing her to fall forward.

-"Tread lightly, you okay?"- Logan asked as he carefully walked toward Kate.

-"Ouch, what the hell?"- Kate noticed then, as Logan approached with his flame, that what they were standing on, was a pile of corpses.

-"Oh my God!!"- Kate quickly stood up and screamed. The corpses were discolored, burned, and even melted. They looked like a pile of warts-ridden mass of flesh. Yellow and brown fluids spread on the ground, soaking it and making it unstable.

-"What the....fuck..."- Kate covered her nose, repulsed by the odor.

Suddenly, they heard a loud metallic screeching noise and machinery running.

-"Rai fixed the lift..."- Logan said as he stared down at the corpses. His eyebrows stitched together, suspicious of what might've caused this. In a way, it was familiar to him.

-"Logan, I'm about to--"- Kate gagged and covered her mouth.

-"Fuck no! Not on me!!"- Logan swerved away from Kate.

Rai landed behind them with a loud hissing noise.

-"Kate, are you okay!?"- He asked while taking off his harness. He ran toward Kate and suddenly came to a stop at the disgusting sight of the corpses before them.

-"W-What in the world..."- he whispered.

-"Let's get off of them, I want to get this over with already!"- Kate ran down the pile as fast as she could but came to a sudden hard stop.

-"What? You nauseous still?"- Logan asked behind her. She didn't answer. All they heard was her shaky breaths as they got gradually louder.

-"Kate? What is it?"- Rai asked as both men followed Kate's stare down to the ground to find an infant's corpse. All black and rugged, their skin ashen beyond recognition.

-"Didn't they say it was only workers and the military that have died in here?"- Rai asked, his voice showing shock and disgust.

-"That's what they said..."- Logan said in barely a whisper.
-"Kate...let's get this done so we can question them."- Rai sighed.

-"It's...a child...a baby!"- A literal baby, for fucks sake!!"- Kate became angry, and she clenched her fists tightly. She turned to see other corpses around her, regular people with regular clothes, women, and children littering the dark ground around them.

-"How can this be? What is going on!?"- Kate's tears streamed down her cheek. She trembled and her breathing became erratic.

-"Kate, focus...let's go."- Logan took the map from Kate's sheath and kept walking forward. Taking their light source with him.
Rai pulled out the flashlight and turned it on. He saw Kate move slowly to the side and dig a small shallow hole in the ground.

-"What're you doing?"- Rai asked as he loaded the flare gun with the green smoke.

-"Giving them a proper burial..."-

The loud shotgun sound of the flare went off as the green smoke ascended into the darkness above them.

-"You poor thing..."- Kate, with trembling hands, picked up the body and placed it gently in the shallow grave.

Kate's tears fell on the little one's face as she covered it up with dirt.
-"They will pay...they will answer to me..."- Kate's voice became broken and raspy.

Rai remained silent, his eyes locked on Kate's back.

-"Kate!"- Logan called out from within the mines. Urging her to keep up. Kate flinched and quickly stood up.
-"Let's go."- She began to walk ahead. Slowly turning her walk into a print. Rai kept up behind her, he knew how she felt, how much she wanted to end this mission and return to her island.

Up on the surface, they saw the green flare shoot up to the sky.
Naoko and Ivee were on the sidelines, waiting for any updates or changes that will prompt them to jump in if needed.

-"I wonder what kinds of creatures are down there..."- Ivee asked, her eyebrows together in a feeling of worry.
-"I don't know...but I have a bad feeling about this...kinda regret agreeing to this..."- Naoko wrapped her arms around herself, attempting to soothe her nerves.
-"Do you think it will be bad?"- Ivee asked, a concerned look on her face.

Naoko only shrugged.


Logan's footsteps echoed in the tunnel, the residue of what looked like gunpowder littered the walkway, and mine cart tracks and levers were seen now and then. He inspected the map, noticing some odd patterns on the ground and walls.
Logan stopped as he felt a sinister breeze coming from further within the tunnel.
Kate and Rai caught up to him, confused as to why Logan was standing still in the middle of the walkway.
-"Took you long enough..."- Logan scolded.
Kate replied with a "Tch".
-"There's something there..."- Logan pointed by nodding his head.

-"Bring it!"- Kate took a stance with her sword.
Suddenly, everything started to tremble, debris falling from overhead and the cart tracks clinking onto each other.
-"Earthquake?"- Kate asked.
-"No, the Abaddon..."- Logan also got in stance, manifesting two cutlasses.

As they prepared, they were suddenly hit by a wall of flesh. The Abaddons molded and shifted into each other, creating a fluid wall of angry and mindless creatures. The three were swallowed by this wall, caught in a swirling vortex of claws, jaws, and shrieks.

Rai tried his best to fight off and get away from the creatures but to no avail. Kate swung her sword at the glaring ominous eyes around her, it reminded her of the time she was attacked at the very beginning of it all. She tried to fight back but she began feeling weak, these creatures were sucking her energy dry.
Logan, on the other hand, was capsuled within, the creatures avoiding contact with him.
His eyes traveled calmly around him as he walked toward a single point to his right where Kate was. The Abaddon made way for him, revealing a suffocating Kate. She slumped to the ground, coughing, and wheezing.

Logan's eyebrow twitched and he began to concentrate on his energy. The aura around him began to vibrate and heat up.
Kate looked up at him, curious about what he was doing. A flashback of when they were on the bridge came up in her mind, Logan had the same aura around him before he went off and killed everyone around him.
Kate took this and quickly slashed the wall of flesh, attempting to escape Logan's radius.

-"Logan! Wait!!"- Kate's voice expressed panic. Her heart beat hard and fast against her chest.

Logan eyed her from the corner of his eyes.
-"Calm down."- He said in a slightly annoyed tone. -"This is not the same."-

Logan let out a low grunt and a shockwave of his energy flew across the area, disintegrating the Abaddon around them in a clean swipe. Kate panted in a mixture of panic and relief while Rai cussed loudly, their hair all messy.

-"The eyes...those were the eyes that I saw!"- Kate grabbed her head, trying to calm herself down. -"This was the exact feeling...in the water...when I met you."- She glanced at Logan.

He nodded, -"I told you it was them..."-

-"Is everyone alright?"- Rai asked, dusting his clothes.

-"Few scratches here and there but overall, fine."- Kate answered, inspecting both men for any injuries.
-"Was that the beast that the President wanted you to get rid of?"- Rai sighed as his eyes and flashlight traveled around the area.

-"I don't think so...I feel like there's something else."- Kate whispered.

Logan silently grunted, looking at the darkness before them, -And I think I know who it is...-

Further, into the tunnels they went, passing by steep ledges awkwardly made bridges, and tight crevices on the walls. They walked for what seemed like hours when in reality all they walked was nearly two hundred feet into the mines, it was the obstacles that made it seem longer than it was. Their oxygen becoming scarcer by the minute. Kate was noticeably taking deeper breaths, trying to satisfy her lungs with oxygen but she still ended up needing more. Suffocation began creeping up into her mind and her heartbeat became erratic once more.

-"U-umm..."- She managed out.
Both men looked back at her.
-"I can't breathe..."-

Logan and Rai looked at each other and then back at Kate. -"You can go back if you want, we'll take care of things down here."- Logan said.

Kate widened her eyes and shook her head. -"No! First, I'm not going back by myself, you are crazy! Second, I want to keep going as long as my breath lets me!"-

-"Then stop complaining and keep a move on!"- Logan spat at her before continuing his walk.

He can be so cold and disregarding sometimes other people's feelings or worries. Kate knew how to keep up with his mood swings but he sometimes got on her nerves. Then again, he needed to be hard on her since Kate was always so laid back and even lazy sometimes. He was just looking out for her and time and time again he proved it.

-"How can I fight if I can barely brea--"- The ground under Kate's feet caved in and the giant jaws of a beast swallowed her whole. The beast dove back down to the ground, leaving Rai and Logan paralyzed in shock.

-"What the fuck!!?"- Rai yelled out as Logan quickly jumped into the hole.
-"You son of a bitch!!"- Logan's voice was heard in the darkness below.

-"What...what should I do!? I hate that I can't do much! Kate!!"- Rai looked around, trying to find anything at all that would help him rescue Kate. The beast looked odd, like a shark but on land, it went out and back into the ground as if it was in the water. Never in his life has he seen this. Especially in Zamcain, despite the amount of pollution and the occasional mutant animal here and there. This one was definitely an Abaddonic creature.

As Rai looked around, he saw the tracks on the ground, mine cart tracks, and a lever. He had an idea.

Logan dashed deeper into the tunnels, following this creature, he tried getting closer to it but it always managed to outrun him, leaving Logan in the dust, literally.

-I can't even get close enough to paralyze it...maybe I can get it to the surface.-

Rai kneeled at the edge of the hole and yelled down.
-"Logan!! Get it to come up here, the tracks still have voltage, we can capture it!!"-

His voice was faint but Logan heard him clearly. -"It's like we read each other's minds, creepy bastard."-
Logan used his energy to propel forward, flames erupting from his heels, his speed increased as he could see the faint gray fin of the creature.
-"There you are!"- Logan quickly shot fire at the ground under them, melting it into lava.
The creature roared as it changed course upward.

-"Gotcha!"-

Rai felt the rumbling getting stronger and stronger. He quickly got up and went for the lever, grabbing it tight.

The creature burst out of the ground, entangling itself in the tracks. Rai quickly pulled the lever, the tracks shifting from one position to another, and with a loud clash, the creature's head was sliced clean off.

-"I didn't expect that to happen! "- Rai said in a panic, thinking he hurt Kate in the process. He ran over to the severed head.

Logan kicked the body of the creature upward as he exited. Untangling the headless creature from the tracks.
-"Is Kate okay?"- He said with slight urgency.
-"I don't see her yet!"- Rai answered as he dodged the falling carcass.

Rai opened the creature's mouth to find Kate, curled up in a ball, mumbling to herself something they didn't understand.

-"Kate, you okay, babe?"- Rai reached in and pulled her out.

Her body was covered in slime, saliva, and other things she wished to never know.

-"I'm so tired of being swallowed by shits like this!!"- She yelled out as she repeatedly kicked the carcass. Her anger and frustration grew ever so noticeably.

-"Stupid, stupid, stupid!!"- She repeated kick after kick.

-"Well, she looks just fine,"- Logan said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. -"That caught us off guard, not gonna lie."- He ended.

-"I hate this place!! I'm so mad!!"- Kate suddenly sprinted deeper into the mines as Rai called to her.
-"This place never ends!!"- Her voice echoed.

-"The room they told us about is just up ahead, let's catch up to her before she does anything stupid."- Logan sighed.

Kate ran as fast as she could, her anger growing inside. The stress of the situation crashed on top of her while her thoughts raced rapidly about how there were corpses of children in there, the creatures and the Fallen hunting her down. This was more than she can handle, she thought. Her armor began to glow and her hand began to burn, like once before.

-"Elyon..."- Kate noticed the familiar warmth. -"Last time you helped me, lend me your strength once more, please!"- Kate clutched her hand into a fist, determined to finally end this torturous mission.

Kate entered a clearing where miniature oil rinks remained still in time. The atmosphere was eerie as abandoned machinery and tools rusted in their unutilized state. There was a musty smell in the air, like wet-sweaty leather. There was something along the walls that looked familiar to Kate, and it was the creepy purple walls of the Fallen tunnels that ran underground. It looked like a chamber, and it looked to be destroyed by the miners. Has this always been here? Kate knew what she was going up against. The energy around the room was heavy, reminding Kate that whatever or whoever was in there, wanted her dead.

-"Come out!! Let me kick your ass so I can fucking leave!!"- Kate focused her energy on her burning hand, causing it to glow from within like a bright flame.

-"Kate, wait for us!!"- Rai called out from the tunnel as both men ran toward the clearing. As they did, the air around them drastically decreased in temperature.

Kate lifted her arm to stop the men from running further.

-"What is it?"- Rai asked as they came to a stop.
-"Oh no..."- Logan whispered. -I knew it...why, why did it have to be her!?- He thought to himself.

-"What!? What is it!?"- Rai questioned, he was confused and becoming irritable.

-"I knew you would come to me..."-

A child-like voice sinisterly slithered into their ears. Kate looked around as the ambiance around them darkened.

-"Logan, I've missed you so much..."-

Logan clicked his tongue, hiding the fact his breathing was shaky. Kate looked back at Logan, giving him a suspicious look. Logan lightly shook his head, he was just as confused as Kate was.
The hairs on the back of their necks stood up.

-"You will regret ever setting foot down in our domain, seed."-

Logan flicked his eyes up and gasped as a boulder came crashing from above. He grabbed Rai and jumped out of the way, back into the tunnel.
The boulder locking them out of the clearing and leaves Kate alone.

-"Fuck! No!"- Logan tried many things to destroy, move or melt the boulder but it was no use, it was cursed with Fallen magic.

-"Fuck, she knew!!"- Logan cussed repeatedly as he hit the hard surface.

-"Logan..."- Rai called to the redhead.

Logan turned to see Rai sitting on a bag filled with dynamite.

-"Seed, I can finally accomplish what my dear Lord Bassilisk has wanted for all these years..."-

Kate looked around, remaining vigilant in her surroundings.

-"And I will take Logan back, even if it's the last thing I do."-

-"Stop the chat...come at me!"- Kate looked around but the child-like voice was quiet. Only slight crumbling from the boulder was heard and Kate's pounding heart in her ears.

-"Up here."-

Kate looked up as she heard a crackling sound above her head to find a body of a scrawny girl, dangling upside down from the rugged roof from chains. She was facing away from Kate but she could still notice that this little girl looked like a corpse, the spine protruding from her pale white skin, and horns from her head. She had a metal brace around her neck.

-"Come down from there so I can knock you out properly, creep!!"-

The girl's back cracked as she stretched backward to face Kate. Her eyes and mouth were bound with dirty and stained cloth.

-"What the fuck..."- Kate whispered as she took a hesitant stance. This girl looked like she was not in the state to fight, but Kate still did not let her guard down.

The cloth loosened up and slipped off from the girl's face, revealing a sickly, and disease-ridden monster. Her eyes were dressed in green and red. Her tongue stuck out and it was long, deep green with ulcers and warts all over it. The skin had a green hue to it with yellow spots. She looked disgusting.
The girl suddenly stretched her neck, sending the head fast toward Kate, mouth gaping open to bite.
Kate blocked her with her sword and pushed her away.

-"Interesting seed, you seem angry..."-

The girl's body slowly lowered to the ground and Kate noticed that the girl's arms were bound in what looked like a strait jacket with rusty nails hammered into her limbs.

-"Want to see what happens when they let me out?"- The girl's disembodied voice whispered.

-"They?"- Kate whispered back followed by scary bitter laughter and cackles.

The nails slowly oozed out of the skin and jacket, falling to the ground with loud clangs.

-"Shit..."- Kate focused on her hand once more. -"Elyon, I know you were never meant to be sealed in my body, but I need your help now. Please!"- The faint smell of cinnamon caressed Kate's nose ever so gently, announcing Elyon's support.

-"Alright, bring it!"- Kate pointed her sword.

-"Elyon you say? The human witch we had imprisoned?"- The girl laughed.

The strait jacket fell to the ground to reveal more arms, eight to be exact. All green and covered in disease and gaping sores where the nails used to be.

Kate did not hesitate and dashed toward the girl, attempting to slash her in half. Kate's shoes slapped the ground hard, cracking it in the process. To think that Elyon's buff would power Kate so much to the point where her body is capable of doing such things. The girl opened her gaping mouth further and a stream of green and brown fluid poured from it with such force that Kate had to quickly dodge it. The smell was horrifying but that did not hinder Kate's attack.

Kate swung her sword horizontally toward the girl's chest but with a sharp exhale, the girl dodged back.

-Seed, receive my blessing!- Elyon's voice echoed in Kate's mind as she slashed at the girl over and over again. The sword began to radiate heat and eventually combust into a gentle flame. This hot energy felt somewhat familiar as if it has always been helping her from the very beginning. It felt warm, protective, and caring.

Kate smiled, ready to fight even harder now but then Kate's eyes became hazy.
-"Fuck..."- Kate's breath became hard as she struggled to even completely fill her lungs. The oxygen around her was quickly extinguishing. Especially now that she is using it up to fight.

The girl stood before Kate, standing completely still with a face creepy enough to cause any grown man nightmares.

-"Seed, let Kali suffocate you, this space we are standing in is slowly becoming a vacuum as we use the last of the air."-

-"Kali?... Who is this Kali?"- Kate asked as she took a stance again.

Without notice, the girl's eight arms stretched to Kate, strangling her and knocking her down.
-"Silly girl, I am Kali, The Fallen of Disease and Innocence..."- With a child-like voice, Kali introduced herself. -"And you will pay for what you've done to our Logan!!"-

Kali leaned over Kate's face and with a gag, poured the green and brown fluid on her face. Kate kicked and scratch as best she could trying to get away, throwing her sword to the side.

She reacted by pulling Kali's horn with her burning hand and forcefully sending the girl crashing onto the ground next to Kate.

Between gags and coughs, Kate quickly stood up, wiping her face.

-"What the fuck!"- Kate gagged and blood came out of her mouth. -"It got in my mouth!!"-

Kali laughed as her body was raised high up by the chains that constricted her neck.
-"The Black Death, The Plague, The Flu, The Virus...everything is inside of you, centuries and eons worth of diseases that killed millions."- Kali became excited.
Kate's chest began to tighten and she clutched it, desperate to alleviate it. No air in her lungs, plus sickness choking her with her blood.