Shifters

Unexpected Reunion

Josh dragged his feet as he followed behind Raizen's altered form. Staring back the way they'd came, he could still make out the hidden passageway's darkened path. After Patricia's departure, he had contemplated making a run for the escape route, however, he'd decided against it due to the sever difference in physical abilities. As he was now, he'd be caught before he took a second step in the opposite direction. Glancing at Elle's replica that strode calmly ahead of him, he fought one last urge to retreat. Although from his angle it appeared that Raizen wasn't paying attention, Josh knew better. Despite having his back turned to him, he was well aware that Raizen had been keeping a watchful eye on him the entire time. 

"Raizen," Josh called out, attempting to strike up conversation with the seemingly silent entity, "Where are you taking me?"

"I've already told you," Raizen responded aloud in Elle's girlish voice, "I'm taking you back to the Devourers of Knowledge where you'll be placed on trial."

"I know that already," Josh replied before continuing, "but aren't you supposed to extract my essence from my body or something?"

"If by essence you mean your spiritual semblance," he answered, "then yes, you'd be right about that. However, to prevent any further escape attempts should you somehow break free from the mental domain once again, I was instructed to bring your physical body on site before beginning the extraction."

"That's smart," Josh replied solemnly, realizing how little chance of escape he was really left with. 

'My only hope is that Patricia finds Joana and she returns with some real help,' Josh thought, stealing a quick glance at his still vibrating ring, 'That is, unless you'd like to help me out first.' 

As usual, the ring yielded no response, continuing its mild tremble around his finger. Not wanting to draw any attention to what could potentially his last hope, Josh stole one backwards glance at his escape route before focusing on the path ahead. Lapsing into another silent lull, Josh sped up his pace, now traveling alongside the shapeshifted Raizen. 

"Does it feel weird taking that form?" Josh said after a few more minutes. 

Pausing momentarily, Raizen stared down at his hands before continuing his stroll, "I feel hindered, no, confined in this state."

"Don't you remember what you used to look like?" Josh questioned, genuinely surprised by his reaction. 

"That part of my life is foggy," Raizen admitted, "It's almost as if-."

"As if someone locked your actual memories away and replaced them with fabricated ones," Josh cut in. 

Breaking into what appeared to be a sizably circular intersection, Raizen suddenly halted as he stared at Josh, eyes brimming with both confusion and a small hint of frustration. Startled by his gaze, he in turn kept his gaze glued on Raizen, failing to inspect the room he'd just entered. 

"We have arrived at our destination," he announced after a brief pause, this time in his original tone. 

Trance-like state broken by his words, Josh viewed the room with little interest, still partially intrigued by Raizen's reactions. As his eyes casually roamed the room, Josh's attention was immediately stolen as he caught sight of a small, unmoving body stashed in the corner against the wall. 

Lips quivering as he immediately recognized the body, he voiced in a hushed tone, "Elle?"

Heedless of what Raizen would do to him, Josh stumbled before breaking into a run as he hurried to her side.  On reaching her, he quickly observed no signs of life emanating from her body. 

"Is she-?" Josh questioned, unable to finish the rest of his question. 

"She's alive," Raizen said, relieving Josh's fears, "Whether or not she will be in the next few minutes, is entirely up to you?"