The Devil's Blade

𝟹𝟷|| 𝙰𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗: 𝙴𝚖𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚘𝚢

In the aftermath of the devastating attack, soldiers from Mavis and civilians joined forces to rebuild the breached wall. After securing the gap, reinforcements eliminated the remaining creatures in the village. Within a week, most of the debris had been cleared, leaving only the reconstruction of homes on the agenda. The evacuated villagers found temporary shelter at Mavis headquarters. And the same time, training classes were cancelled and mission were delayed due to the damage done to the weapon room during our battle with Gale.

As the days passed, the area gradually regained its original appearance, allowing us to function without constant threat.

After finishing up carrying supplies outside for the rebuilding of residents' homes, I set out to find Simon. Over the past week, I've noticed his distant behavior and have grown concerned for his well-being. Entering the weapons room, I find Simon meticulously working on a weapon. He acknowledges my presence but avoids meeting my eyes. Just as I'm about to express my concerns, I hesitate when I notice he is cleaning the polearm that delivered the final blow.

"I'm fine, Alex. Really, I just need some time." Simon assures while continuing his work on the tip of the spear.

Choosing not to pry further, I nodded with a lingering concern on my face.

Simon stood up from his seat and approached the wall to return his polearm. "But what about you? Any changes recently with your condition?" he asked, shifting the conversation.

"Fine I guess, nothing new." I say.

"Okay, remember to update me if you notice anything strange, even if it's just something small," he responds, securing the polearm in the clip on the wall. "I lost many of your precious documents in the fire, so I'll have to start over."

I swallow, watching Simon sit behind his desk. I wonder if he knows that his brother intentionally burned my files or if he's unaware. But for now, I decide to keep it to myself. I doubt he wants to discuss his brother or his actions.

"Is there something else bothering you," Simon asks me, noticing the slight pause after he spoke.

"No, nothing else," I deny. "I'll get going now."

Simon looks up from his desk, slightly narrowing his eyes before irritatedly putting down his files. "Are you doubting my loyalty as well?"

"What?" I ask, surprised at the sudden shift of his mood.

"I'm asking if you distrust me?" he repeats annoyed.

"No—no why would I?" respond.

Simon sighs. "Because you're keeping something from me," he says, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "And because everyone questions me now."

My lips pressed into a thin line, staggering on the edge of a smile, a sudden understanding of his bad mood. I grab a chair and take a seat opposite him.

"Did the council say something?" I ask him.

"They believe I knew of my brother's action, because of our close relationship," he explains. "I say it's complete bullshit."

I smile. "Don't worry, I believe you." I assure him. "I found you bloodied and immobile in the middle of the hallway, I don't think you would've suffered from such an injury wilingly."

Simon returns my smile before thanking me, "Thank you, I appreciate it."

"So, about your research," I begin. "Can I help you with something."

"I'm okay for now," Simon says, taking a folder from his drawer. "I have documented all your brain activities and scans. Sadly enough, I have lost all your blood works, since that was Gale's job, but I'm sure he has a copy somewhere."

"What about the information from Deamunt?" I ask.

"Oh right, about that," he says, scooting away from his desk to another drawer. "Lincoln has all of those files in his office, but..." Simon responds, rummaging through the stack of paper. "When you were out, I found something pretty interesting."

Simon places small containers on the desk, perfectly lined up, all consisting of a small black dot of a substance. 

"These are all blood cells," he says, gesturing to all the containers. "Notice anything?"

I shrug. "I don't know—" I say, shaking my head. "They all look... pretty much the same."

He snaps his fingers and points at me like I solved the riddle. "Exactly."

"I don't get it," I say, blinking.

"Remember when I told you that the mutated cells are from their carriers own DNA?" he reminds me.

"Yes...?"

"Well, these blood samples are all from normal civilians," he says, placing one of the containers underneath a machine. "And look what I've found."

Simon points to the container and my eyes widen as I see the very familiar aggressive cells, crawling through the blood.

"Mutated cells?" I question.

"Indeed. From all the civillians I took samples off, all of them had mutated cells in their system," Simon explains. "But the things is, they're not active."

"How?" I ask, bewilderd.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Simon says, taking the container out of the machine.

"So," I begin. "If I'm following this correctly, it seems that everyone has a risk of becoming inhuman... at any time?"

Simon shrugs. "Can't conclude that yet. We haven't even figured out where this mutation came from."

"So, still lost of research left to do." I say.

"Yep," Simon says sighing. "And it's a lot more work to do it on my own."

I lower my head, feeling saddened at the reminder of Simon's suffering. I open my mouth, to offer him my help, but he cuts me off with the clear of his throat.

"Anyway," Simon says. "I'll let you know if I need anything."

I nod, giving him one assuring glance before leaving the room.

As the evening starts, I head to the dining hall, dropping by the nursing room on my way. I find Zhena, talking to Clarissa, recovering well from her injuries. They give me a welcoming smile as I approach.

"How are you holding up?" I ask Clarissa.

She nods. "I'm doing great," she says. "In the end, it seems it wasn't that bad after all."

I take a seat next to Zhena as Erik enters the room with a plate of food in his hands.

"Hey," he says, his voice uncomfortably soft spoken. "I got you some dinner."

"Oh, you didn't have to," Clarissa responds.

"I know," Erik says with a gentle smile. "But I wanted to. You can take this as a token of my gratitude."

Zhena and I blink at the interaction and a sudden heat fills up the air. Erik clears his throat after handing the plate to Clarissa.

"I will head back to dinner now," he says, half turning toward the door.

Clarissa watches as he carefully steps out of the room. Sensing the change in mood, Zhena suddenly turns to Clarissa with excitement.

"What was that?" she questions.

Clarissa nervously takes a bite from her dinner while shaking her head.

"It's nothing like that," she responds after swallowing her food. "It's just— I helped him once and now he's trying to return it. In his own way, I suppose."

Zhena smirks. "Aw, you saved him and now you're his only soft spot," she teases. "How adorable."

Clarissa rolls her eyes. "It's not like that and besides, he ignores me most of the time."

Zhena shrugs. "Maybe that's his way of caring."

Zhena spares me a quick glance before returning her attention to Clarissa, and I wonder what it means.

After a while, I head towards the bustling dining hall, the loud sounds increasing once I open the doors. I enter the lively room, filled with soldiers and civilians enjoying their time together. Their faces were covered with smiles and the sound of laughter resonated through the room. Despite the heavy situation, I'm glad they were doing well, even having fun together. It's a joy to see.

"There he is!" Eli exclaimes, tapping the seat next to him.

"You are just on time, we were just sharing our shocking stories, did you know that Erik was engaged!?" Eli says, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Engaged? Wait, how old are you?" I ask surprised.

"Don't insult me like that. I met my fiance when we were young, I'm only 23." Erik responds.

Met. She must be dead, I think to myself. I wonder what happened to her.

"Sounds like an old man to me when most of us are only 20." Eli teases him.

Erik ignores him.

"Anyway," Spencer interrupts, giving Eli quick glare before turning to me. "Are you joining us in the village tomorrow night?"

I take a sip from my drink before answering, "What is at the village tomorrow?"

"Rachel suggested we hold a small event for the children to distract them from things," Liam explains. "We're planning on organising some games and enjoy some food together."

"Sounds fun," I say, smiling at the thought of the joy on the childrens faces. "Count me in!"

"Told you he'd say 'yes'!" Eli exclaims.

The evening continued with loud chattering and feasting until the clock hits midnight.

Returning to the dorm was procastinated, by me, due to my restlessness. So instead I decided to take a late night walk outside. Walking along the walls of headquarters I could still see several soldiers busy with restoring the houses, even throughout the night, they have my greatest respect for their dedication. 

Once it was around 1 am, I started to get cold, so I headed back inside. The halls were deadly silent, most of the people already asleep. Luckily, my dorm was close to the entrance, so I succeed succesfully sneaking into my room without waking anyone up.