Serenity

Cells

Silly man go brrr-

(Edited this to add the image in the banner-)

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|Violet Leader|

I felt nauseous. The simple thought of how many Steves had been taken over by The First Curse was overwhelming. Yet I had to check on something. Revalos had sent for me, with only vague wording in the message. If I wasn't already feeling sick from my own thoughts, the vague message would have made me.

The colorless guard who had come to get me, was a couple steps in front of me as we walked down the hall towards our cells. It was quiet between us with only the crackling fires of the torches and our echoing footsteps to fill the silence. Yet as I knew we were getting closer, the more I just felt unnerved and sick to my stomach. I take a deep breath in to relax my shoulders and rub my left palm a bit.

Breathe in... Out... In..

"Violet Leader, are you alright?" I stop, the guard having stopped to turn and look at me from under his helmet. With a moment to sigh, I nod. "I am. Let's continue, i'd not like to keep Elite Revalos waiting." His gaze lingers on me for a moment before he nods and then continues walking. I fall into stride after him, turning my mind to other thoughts than what was around me.

I wonder how the group activity was going? I know Azalia and Time had planned that for everyone to relax. I wish I could have made it but I had everything to catch up on and manage. I-... Ugh. I can't keep my mind away.

Groans filled the air as the blank-eyed Steves sat in the cells to my left and right. Some were staring at us as we walked by, while others just sat in the corners, heads lulling with their silence. A sudden arm reaches through the bars at me and I jump away, seeing the crying face of one of my own, his groaning an unspoken plea to me. His tears... His cries... I wanted to help them. I really did.

But I was so helpless to do so.

An unspoken apology leaves my lips before my gaze was broken by the feeling of a hand on my arm. "Your leadership... Let's keep moving."

I turn to face him, then manage a quick nod through my still partially entranced state. Yet as the guard leads me further into our cell blocks, I risk a glance back at my own color as he slinks back into his cell, motionless afterward.

I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry I can't... Relieve your pain... I want to... But I can't.

Nausea fills me further as I dazedly followed after the leading guard. The groaning, the silent cries. I wanted them to stop. I wanted to help. But- I was helpless. Nothing we'd tried so far has helped. It's- only been a few days... But it still feels like we aren't moving quick enough. Why couldn't it just be simple? Why couldn't the answer just be simple?!

"Sir."

We had stopped at a pair of cells. The guard was facing the one to our right, which was partially opened and three people sat inside. One stands up straight instantly, his grimace apparent in the dim light cast inside. "Violet Leader... I'm sorry for the vague message, but it was something... Best worth you seeing for yourself."

He shifts to the side, revealing a dazed, almost slumped over Steve sitting against the wall. His clothes seemed to have been torn and slightly burned in battle, with bandaging wrapped around his hands. Yet...

No...

No.

Oh...

It- it couldn't- how did it...?

I...

I'm gonna be sick.

"He's been unresponsive this entire time. I'm shocked that in rounds after the return of the Curse, nobody notified you or the others as they should have." Revalos motions to the slumped figure as I fight back the want to throw up right against the bars. "Most likely was because of all of this and nobody wanting to look too close." He follows up, then walks over to the entrance.

His red eye pierces mine as I meet his gaze, then glance back towards the Steve. How... How could this have happened? He's always been such a careful person and is so meticulous on safety. It... It doesn't make sense! And it is so hard to get to the middle world unless you...

Laid a trap.

The portals to the middle world had been opened. It would have been too easy to set a trap in his own home and not have anyone notice.

Sake of all love... Indigo... I... I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner.

I failed you... We all did...

Sake of all love, what am I gonna tell Ivar and Crescent? What am I gonna tell the other leaders? They are going to panic- our people are already spread thin, trying to find a cure for the hundreds of Steves down here.

"Violet Leader."

The red Elite's voice draws me from my thoughts as I can only manage to give him a weak and nauseated grimace.

"It's no one's fault."

Revalos rests his hand on my shoulder, staring me dead on with a serious, but concerned look in his eye. Only a small, hazy, and shaky breath leaves me. How... How would I respond to this? It was almost exactly like... Like... Oh sake of all love-

I lean against the cell bars quickly and close my eyes, the back of my palm resting against my mouth in case my breakfast threatened to come out. "Hey hey hey... Easy now. Love of wisdom, Violet Leader. You don't look like you should be down here any longer."

I try to recollect myself as quickly as I could. No- I could last longer down here. I'll be fine. It's fine...

"I'll be ok, Elite Revalos." Quickly, I shift back upright, letting my hand linger on the bars as I stared at my fellow leader, then glanced to his left. A battered Red had his dazed gaze turned to the ground, but I could instantly tell from the Rose meetings, that this was Sapentia, Revalos's brother...

He looked equally as distant as Indigo, his body nearly limp. Only difference was that Sapentia was... Blinking. A constant, spaced apart, blinking. I try to count on between his blinks, but the daze in his eyes makes me nauseous again.

"You noticed the blinking, right?" Revalos pipes up, having been silent for a moment. I reply with a nod. "Yes. It's evenly spaced..."

"Five seconds exactly. That's how long in between his blinks. It's... Unnerving. He can- has- been on point with things, but I've never seen him keep going for so long with something like this."

"I see..." I mumble, then glance back at Indigo. It was just... Horrible. It was horrible to see my friend like this. And even still, I was helpless to free him from this... Control over him.

... Wait.

"With my abilities I've gained from my group I work with, I've learned the ability to trap souls."

Tewtiy...

This would be a longshot, but perhaps he and his friend could help us out with identifying what was wrong with everyone. They had an unnerving amount of knowledge about topics, so perhaps they have run into something like this before?

"I'll need to talk to someone. I believe I might have an idea to help us get everyone back into their right minds." I turn to look at Revalos and the guard, then gently nod. I... I had to at least try. It was worth it to ask at the very least.

They both nod back before I turn to leave back down the way I came.

"Leader- one more thing."

I stop and turn to look back at Revalos, who sighs and then turns his eyes down to the ground.

"Tell Ivar to check Indigo Leader's home. I have a feeling whatever happened to him, happened there."

A sinking feeling slides up my throat. But I swallow it down and nod back at him in understanding. "I will, Revalos."

I will...