The Empire's Descent (First Draft)

Chapter 20: Clean and Just

Lia groaned groggily as she came to, then, she felt a burning wave come over her right arm. A tattoo... inscribed is an ancient language she was only half-aware of, something along the lines of 'the kept'.

"What the hell is going on?"

Lia's head snapped up and tears welled in her eyes as she looked upon Luca (who had already retaken his human form). Luca met those teary eyes and his steely gaze softened. It was her turn to be caught on the floor...

"Hi, Cecelia"

"Hi, Luca"

"Yes, I'm here too," Ada said dryly.
Cecilia giggled and Luca chortled at their awkwardness.

"Where's Marco?" Luca sobered, his jaw clenching in anxiety at his last memories of the two-they were dying...

"He's in the other room" Ada provided.

Luca shed a few tears due to the relief he felt. He couldn't lose Mari. Ever.

"Tha- that's good... that's really good," Luca cried a bit more. Lia sprang up from where she lied and engulfed Luca in a hug. Ada's fingers twitched where she stood not too far away from them, bouncing on her toes.

Luca looked over Cecilia's shoulder and saw the little one, though she seemed to have grown a few inches.. how long was he out? He stretched a hand towards her and offered a gentle smile. Ada couldn't misread the encouragement in his eyes even if she wanted to. So, she took small steps and clasped his hand and the yearning in her chest was sated. Luca held her hand firmly while still embracing Cecilia.

A moment later, they released each other.

"I want to see Mari".

Lia sniffed her runny nose and dabbed at her eyes, "Yeah, no problem, let's go".

They made their way to Marco's recovery suite. As soon as Luca laid eyes on him, he transformed again and slashed at Marco's body. Lia's eyes widened in shock and Ada observed as much as she could.

While participating in the mutilation, the slashes seemed arbitrary to her, but an objective point of view revealed that the slashes seemed to be deliberately placed.

Lia groaned and looked to her right arm as the previous burning intensified. Dots of blood appeared on her arm and darkened into thick swirling lines. As the pain grew, the markings aligned themselves and Lia found she could now understand the meaning.

"Eryedna: graet yn yntagryti. Tha una whu deras," Lia read the words aloud and a flood of energy filled her. Her heart felt glad... and clean.

She seemed to be in her own little world as she enjoyed the humming of her body.

Meanwhile, Marco felt a tearing pain, as if he had been harpooned in the glenoid fossa. He unconsciously clutched at his shoulder joint as the pain seemed to originate there. He woke from the pain and begin clawing at the area. By this time, Luca had backed away, but maintained his transformed state.

His golden eyes focused on Marco as he writhed. Although Luca was confused at what he had done, he had no doubts that he did what he should.

Blood dots had formed on Marco's right arm and, much like Lia's, had contorted into ancient markings. The pain had subsided and Marco was entranced by the meaning.

"Mynuteor: graet yn jostnass. Tha una whu emands," Marco read the words he somehow understood aloud and a flood of energy filled him. His heart felt sure... and right.

He, too, fell into a minor trance as his body radiated the energy from his heart to, what felt like, the very ends of his hair.

After a beat, they snapped out of their trance and kneeled before Luca, pledging unyielding service to the realities. Luca, in turn, bowed to them, bending at the waist until he was a perfect ninety-degree angle, pledging service to those he keeps.