Mortal

Chapter 3

I woke up on wet cement. My clothes hung from my body in tatters, wet and red. This I noticed and than began gently running my fingers across my abdomen for any cuts or-found it. They stung at first contact but I continued searching for more. As I examined myself I found a deeper circular gash in the center of my chest, this caused my to jolt as pain scorched through my nerves. After suppressing it I began pulling myself along the floor. I'd guessed I was in a room because of the lack of light added to the lack of stars above me.
"Hello?" A voice called as I sat myself at the closest wall. "Is someone there?" The voice sounded close. "Who are you? what are you doing here? Please don't let them take me? Please?" The voice was panicky and slightly feminine.
"Where are we?" I said into the darkness, and then there was light. Not a lamp or an electrical light. It was more like a flickering flame off to my left. "Hello?" I said as I began dragging myself towards the light before coming in contact with a wall of rusty wet iron bars. And then the flicker brightened and I could see her.
She was small tan skinned with a kind of edged look about her face. Her hair was black and straightened flat down her back, a gold headband rested gently atop her head. "Who are you?" She said as she held the light still.
"I'm Ben." I said as I sat myself down on my side of the bars. "What's your name?" She lifted her head to reveal milky white eyes.
"They call me Ira." She said as she tossed the flickering light back and forth between her hands.
"Arn't you afraid of burning yourself Ira?" I asked, She laughed as the flame grew and revealed more of her appearance but also the lack of a fuel.
"I am the fire Ben, it is a part of me." The flame grew as she said this, doing so slowly illuminated the room to reveal a pile of bodies in one corner of my room.
"Who were those poor souls?" I asked as I felt the sweat beading up on my brow.
"They are you, at least that's every version of you they've sent in here, you all look different but you identify by the same name." Her words hung in the air.
"What happened to them?" I said as I slowly began to lift myself up with the aid of a Iron bar.
"Don't Go." She said as she reached one hand through the bars and rested it on the circular gash on my chest. "They always go." She stood up and pushed her hand further into the wound. "Let me help you." Her hand suddenly became engulfed in flame.
"Wait Hey!" I began to protest but her hand felt glued to my chest as it continued to burn.
"I'm sorry." She cried.
"Why?" I said as the flames followed the cuts on my chest.
"I need to keep trying until I find it or else I'll die." She said as the flames crept up her arms. I looked down to see the fire had only taken where there was blood. When I looked up I noticed her gaze as she noticed the same thing.
"What is it you are looking for?" I asked as I felt my blood light ablaze
Her head snapped to attention and in her milky white eyes a red and yellow iris and a Pitch black pupil surfaced and locked onto my eye's,"Fuel." It was the last thing she said before the flame consumed her and then threw itself into my chest launching me a crossed the room."Ben?" ... "Ben?" ... "Ben can you hear me?" ... "Ben!" It was a woman dressed in gold, she smiled as she noticed my confusion. "Ben wake up." I woke up in the dirt, sirens were going off in the distance as I began standing up.
Thank you Ben, I know you don't know who you are exactly, or where you came from. But I can help, but I need your help in return.
"Help with what." I said, "Where are you."
As of right now you are what's keeping my conscious and physical self alive. There is an untold history known only to those it involves. Ancient powers left concealed from the rest of the world, I'm involved with these things, they found out, they wanted to take the power for themselves.
"Who's they?" I asked.
The men in the lab coats.
Images of men in white being engulfed in flames flashed in my mind. "How did we get here?"
When we merged I took temporary control of your physical self.
"That doesn't explain how we got here."
They came for us I did what needed to be done to survive..
I looked down at my chest where my wounds had been.
Ruby..
"What?"
That's what's in your chest, the lines the big circles in the center. It's what allows me to merge with you, it's what makes up your blood now at least it's Liquid Ruby.
"So I have Liquid ruby in my veins?"
Yes
I paused to think about what I was going to ask next then it hit me.
No I won't be stuck in your head forever I will be allowed to leave eventually. As soon as I'm capable I can leave and recreate my original form.
"The little Egyptian girl?"
No was all I could generate from the other Bens they sent me. You are different, you can sustain me forever.
"So I'm your fuel."
Yes...
"When will you be able to leave me?"
Soon however I can never leave you completel, part of me will always retain in the ruby that flows through you.
"So you can hear what I'm thinking?"
Forever.
"So I don't have to talk?"
No.
"Oh..."
I'm capable of leaving now. Based of of your thoughts you seem curious and yet hesitant it's ok it won't hurt.
The ruby on my chest began to glow and open up to reveal the molten ruby underneath.
Ok maybe it'll hurt a little.
Then the pain started. The ruby exited my wrists chest and ankles and clumped together too form a kind of statue of a woman.
Cover your eyes.
"I can already see you in Ruby what makes non Ruby you so much-"
It's going to shatter..
I lightly covered my eyes as the Ruby began to crack and splinter before exploding in which I covered my eyes. Afterwards in its place stood a girl about the age of nineteen.
"I'm actually eighteen but braised of your opinion of me that doesn't matter." She said as she walked over to where I lay. She reached over my head and picked up a lab coat and some grey sweatpants.
"So are we gonna get going or what" She said as she dressed up. "I haven't got to go for a proper run in ages."
"What do you mean?" I asked. A siren getting closer replied.
We need to get moving, and no we don't have time for your extra questions. First we need to get to a safer location before they show up and I have to get my hands dirty.
She smiled as the helped me off the ground and pushed me towards the forests edge.and then she took off. It took me a while to catch up but when I did she had stopped and was looking into a hole.
"What is it? What's down there?"
It's an Emerald...