The Devil's Blade

𝟷𝟿 || 𝙰 𝚁𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚜

Silence stretches between us for what feels like an eternity. Our exchanged glances varie from the confusion of not knowing what to say to the struggle of finding the right words. It's eventually Jude who speaks up.

"Alex," he begins, my name sounding almost foreign coming from him. "What are you doing here?"

I want to reply but I find myself paralysed. The uncertainty on their faces is too much to handle in my drunken state, and I can't meet their eyes. Nausea overwhelms me.

Without saying a word, I flee into my dorm, rushing to the nearest bathroom where I vomit up everything from the dinner earlier. After emptying my stomach, I cling to the rug trying to control my anxiety from causing me to get sick again. Eventually, sobered up and calmed down, I flush the mess away. I stayed on the floor for a while, letting everything sink in before dragging myself to the bedroom.I change into some old sweatpants and practically collapse onto my bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

The next day, Lincoln calls me to his office for a crucial discussion. As I enter, I find him seated behind his desk, his arms resting on the surface, carrying a gentle expression on his face.

"How are you doing?" he asks me.

"I'm doing well." I reply, though I'm not entirely sure.

He sucks in a breath as he gets up from his seat. "I have a question for you." he begins, leaning against the front of his desk. "Simon has been investigating the origins of the creatures we're dealing with, with samples of their bodies. He has nearly completed his analysis, but since you entered Mavis, you've introduced another question mark into our answers by maintaining your human form. So I would like to ask you, if you're willing to participate in our investigation? Nothing serious, just taking some blood samples and scans." he says.

I carefully consider his words, weighing the potential outcomes of my decision. The idea of providing blood samples seems relatively innocent, and my own curiosity about the reason behind my turning urges me to seek answers.

"I will try my best to help," I finally respond.

Lincoln's smile widens. "I'm glad. We are very thankful for your cooperation." he says, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Am I the only one participating?" I ask him.

He nods. "For now, you are."

"I see," I respond.

I greet him before leaving the office and, to my surprise, find Kai waiting by the door.

"What did you say to him?" he asks.

"I accepted," I inform him.

I walk away before he follows me. He sighs deeply. "Why?" he questions.

"Because I want answers too," I reply.

Kai stops me by gently grabbing me by my shoulder. "Please," he says, his eyes pleading. "Reconsider. I know you don't trust me, but this place isn't entirely trustworthy either."

"Don't you want answers?" I ask him, genuinely curious about his guarded attitude.

Kai remains silent for a while, and I study his expression.

"I do want to know. But—" he finally admits cutting himself off. "But not like this."

It's the first time Kai appears this vulnerable to me and strangely enough I feel a strong sincerity in his words. I believe he geniunely wants to protect me. It start to think that maybe I've been too hard on him. Perhaps, I can trust him.

"Are you worried for me?" I ask.

Kai seems surpised by the question. "Maybe... maybe I'm glad that you've been so open to me."

This surprises me.

"Maybe, I want to try to be your friend," Kai says, his cheeks slightly flushed from the embarassing comment.

He's seems less guarded, almost as if he's a different person. He wants to be my friend... something I haven't heard someone say to me in a while, and I would lie if I said I wasn't touched.

I smile. "Okay, let's be friends!" I say, hoping I don't sound too excited.

Kai returns the smile and walks me to the weapon room where Simon is waiting for me.

I discuss my symptoms and experiences with Simon as he takes notes. I share details about the nosebleeds, the visions and the hallucinations. After some hesitation, I also mention my feelings of anxiety and instability, vaguely. Simon, while writing notes, remains difficult to read, nodding thoughtfully.

After our discussion, he takes some blood samples from me, and so, our first session comes to an end. Before leaving, he asks me one last thing, if he could make a brain scan the next time we meet, and I agree.

With some leisure time, I went to see Zhena, to inform her about my cooperation with Simon's investigation. I find her outside, surrounded by the vibrant colors of blooming flowers. The air is filled with a sweet fragrance, her focused training stance, being a contrast to the warm energy around her.

"Zhena!" I call, catching her attention.

She turns with a warm smile. "I thought you had forgotten about me."

I shake my head. "Never. How are you?"

"I'm good, very good actually," she replies.

I nod. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Where have you been?" she asks, curiously.

I share a brief summary of my day and the investigation. Zhena listens intently, her eyes reflecting a mix of concern and curiosity.

"You're really diving into these things headfirst," she remarks with a gentle chuckle. "But I'm glad you're finding answers."

I shrug.

"I'm almost done, want to get lunch together?" She asks as she rearranges her bag.

I nod. "I would love to."

As we walk together towards the dining area, Zhena shares some of her own experiences and insights. I mention my conversation with Kai that morning, and she seems pleased that we are trying to become friends. Our conversation continues over lunch, with Kai joining us later. The previous tension between Zhena and Kai has vanished, and our interaction becomes more natural. It's a development that I didn't know I needed.

After dinner, Zhena invites me for a walk through the village. As we stroll through the quiet grounds, she starts to share some of the memories she had of her family. I zone out, thinking about Liam, Jude, Tyler and Noé, and how much fun we had during the time Preston ville still existed. And as if summoned by my thoughts, we stumble upon Rachel and Liam playing with a little boy. 

When Rachel spots Zhena she calls out to her, "Zhena!"

Liam turns, and our eyes meet briefly before I look away.

"Alex was it, right?" Rachel says as we approach.

I nod. "Yes."

"Oh right, this is—" Rachel begins, turning towards the boy and Liam standing behind her.

"He knows who I am," Liam says, coldly.

His words are empty, and I feel like I might get sick again.

"Oh," Rachel says, "That's wonderful! I forgot that you're both from Preston ville."

"Right..." Zhena replies, noticing my discomfort. "Anyway, who's the little guy."

"I'm eleven! And my name's Romeo," the boy announces.

Zhena chuckles. "Excuse me for calling you little, sir."

He crosses his arms. "You're forgiven. But only because Rachel likes you."

"You mentioned me!" Zhena exclaims more excited than ever.

Rachel puts a finger to her lips. "Romeo, that was supposed to be our little secret."

"Well, now you know I'm terrible at keeping them," Romeo retorts.

Zhena laughs. "Fiesty one, huh?"

Rachel nods. "Sure is."

Liam and I haven't said a word to each other and it couldn't be more awkward. But I notice that I missed a lot in the time we were seperated. I saw some faint scars on his face yesterday but in his white tank top,  the scratch marks on his arms speak volumes.

"Can I talk to you?" Liam asks, finally breaking the silence. "In private."

"Of course," I nod.

We leave the others outside and move inside to his dorm room. I freeze when I see Jude already inside, reading a book on his bed. I realise that this conversation is about to happen right now, whether I like it or not.

"I'm sorry," I begin. "For leaving both of you."

Silence again. Jude looks at me with sympathetic eyes, while Liam's expression remains neutral.

"You should be," Liam says. "You should be sorry."

"But I want you to know that we don't blame you," Jude says with a painful smile. "Not me, at least."

My gaze shifts to Liam, who is staring at the ground.

"I believed I was a danger to you both," I admit.

"You should've let us decide that for ourselves," Liam says. "We needed you, and you left us after we lost both of our friends. We were all alone with nowhere to go."

"Liam..." Jude begins.

"No! Don't stop me," Liam says, raisng his voice. "Do you know what kind of hell we've been through?"

Shake my head, my voice caught in my throat.

"We were attacked by a creature in Kayra Village, and it almost tore me to pieces," Liam says his voice breaking. "This," he says, pointing to the scars on his body. "Are the results."

I'm silent. I don't know what to say.

"I could've at least talked you out of it when you attacked me," Liam says, his voice is almost a whisper. "But I couldn't reason with that creature."

Tears well up in my eyes. I think I might have been better off without knowing this information.

"I'm so sorry," I say.

"I don't blame you," Liam says. "But it would've hurt a lot less if you were there with us."

I saw the power of that creature in Kayra. I can't imagine what they must have felt in that moment, so close to death, with no weapons to defend themselves. They were the weakest prey to those monsters. But yet they managed to fight those things off, with their bare hands, and got themselves to safety.

I don't know if I could ever forgive myself if they hadn't survived that attack.

"I will never, ever leave you again," I say, tears running down my cheeks. "I promise."

I don't know when I ended up in their arms. But I do know that hug lasted forever.