Deepwoken: Divers

Freedom: Belief

Colt was lying on his bed, his room was a mess. With Gwen gone, he didn't have anyone to share the room with, and no one to share responsibilities with. He was looking out, the floating candles lighting up Castle Light even at the supposed 'night time.'
He was of course thinking about what happened a few weeks ago, memories still engraved in his mind as though they were burning images. It was vivid. For perhaps the hundredth time, he went through it again.

Faust, too was alone in his room. He was looking at the pitch black feather, the only one the owl left behind. He wondered about it's capabilities. Wondered if he could use it down here - since they didn't plan on staying any longer.

Pakki was being held captive deep inside Castle Light. He took the blame for Nathan's death, explaining what had happened, but they didn't believe him. Day after day, he was interrogated. And the divers didn't plan on letting him go until they learned what they think was the truth.

Faust looked out of his window, sitting on the upper bed of his and Pakki's bunk beds, leaning against the wall. In that moment, Faust and Colt's thoughts crossed as they both reminisced about the first time they woke up since 'the incident'.

They were in beds, next to each other. It was an unfamiliar place, the walls were dark bluish and there were several orange lights. Almost everything seemed to be made out of metal. Colt looked around first. "Where are we?..."
There was immediately some chatter as someone quickly left the room.
Faust looked around. "This looks like..."
Then, Kevin walked in. "Oh thank god you three are alive..."
Pakki woke up. He was the most severely wounded, sitting up with a groan.
Kevin took a plate from a fellow Ignition Union member with several glass bottles on it. They all contained reddish liquids in them.
Kevin stood in front of the three of them. "I wasn't sure if the divers could help... But since here at the union, I know we have what we'd need to help you three... I brought you here."
Faust looked around. "So this place is the Ignition Union's base?..."
Kevin nodded. "Yeah... Welcome to the Chariot's Spire."

Colt's voice was shaky. "And... What about Gwen...?"
Kevin's reassuring smile disappeared. "I... ...We... Couldn't save her. I'm sorry..."
Colt sighed, tearing up and holding his head. "Damn it... God.. fucking damn it..." He already knew what the response would be, even before Kevin said it.
Kevin looked at the ground. "I brought her body... She deserves a proper burial. With you three."
Pakki stayed silent, looking at the bandages covering his body.
Kevin looked at the three potions he brought in. "Those drinks... They're potions. Think of it like medicine - you take them every day and... It speeds up the regnerative process."
Pakki looked at him, a little confused and still grieving his lost friend. "Medicine..?"
Kevin looked back with similar confusion. "Have you guys never heard of medicine?..."
Faust had a defeated look on his face as he shook his head. "No... We were born down here, remember..?"

Kevin chuckled a little at himself. "Right..."
Colt suddenly looked up at him, bursting out. "You... Have the audacity to laugh right now?!"
Kevin looked at him. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to--"
Colt still glared at him with tearful eyes. "How would you feel if you lost one of your best friends?! Oh, right, you can't know because we're your only friends!"
Kevin frowned a little before taking a deep breath. "You're right... But also wrong. Trying to take my mind off it is my way of dealing with trauma. Everyone deals with it differently..." His eyes looked almost as if he was completely dead. "I've... Already lost everyone close to me." He looked back at Colt, normally again. "So... Yeah. You guys are all I have left."

Colt looked at him for a moment. Kevin was still a relatively young adult, but the trio compared to him were mere teenagers. After Nathan's betrayal, Kevin was the closest thing the trio had to a parental figure.
Colt wiped his tears away. "I'm sorry for lashing out..."

Kevin shook his head. "Don't worry... I don't blame you. Just make up for it by taking those drinks regularly... Okay?"
For the next week or so, they would barely get out of bed until they all healed up. After Gwen's burial, Kevin took them back to Castle Light.

Back in the present, Faust and Colt were called outside. Kevin was waiting before Castle Light's entrance. "Hey you two..."
Faust looked at Kevin. "yo... Good to see you're still in one piece... Did you bring the clothes?"
Kevin nodded. "Yeah I got them."
Colt looked behind them to check if anyone was listening. "What about Operation Breach?"
Kevin looked at a not-too distant hill. "They're right there."

There was suddenly a large noise. Pakki looked down the hallway, seeing tons of apprentice divers running out. One of them was stopped by Klaris. "What are you all doing?"
The diver looked at her panicked. "There's... There's gonna be another breach!"
Pakki looked at them for a moment before jumping up from his seat, knocking over the table in front of him, pulling on the chains that were restraining him. "OI! That's my chance! Let me out there and I'll prove it to you - I can control them!"
Klaris looked at Pakki. "Did you organize this?" She asked without any hesitation.
Pakki looked at her dumbfounded. "N-No..." He thought through it, realizing he would have a very good reason to stage an attack on the castle. "I think it works by my voice... But I'm not sure."
The diver backed off towards one of the side rooms. "M-Ma'am don't let the traitor out!"
Pakki pulled on his chains harder. "What do you mean..?!"
"If he really can control them... That means he probably called them here in the first place!" The diver said as she backed further into the side room.
Pakki clenched his teeth. "Hey, don't hold ME back because you're too scared to fight! If you're too weak or too scared to fight, then fine, hide inside the castle, but let ME fight, damn it!"
Klaris looked between them before severing the chains. "Don't dissapoint."
Pakki saw his chance, running out.

Once he was outside, he saw an owl about to swipe at Kevin. "DON'T!!" He yelled out, holding his hand out. Little red sparks came off his hand and arm as the owl immediately stopped.
Colt smirked a little, whispering. "Success..."
Pakki looked at the two threshers coming towards them. "Y-You two... Stop..!" Red lightnings came off of his body again, though one of the threshers, that had a purple aura, didn't stop.
Pakki froze for a moment. 'Why didn't it work..?' He thought for a moment, looking at his hand and looking at the chains hanging off of them. He clenched his teeth, running to the thresher and smashing it in the head with one of the chains, before slamming the other one down as well.
The thresher attempted to bite at him, though Pakki used his shadowcast to make his body intangible. "Even if I can't anymore.. I'll FIGHT!"
As he said that, red sparks once again appeared around his body, the other thresher tackling the corrupted one while the owl turned into feathers, firing at the corrupted thresher.