24 Dreams Of You And Me

84) Taking Actions

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

***

"Why haven't you left me alone yet?" Alyssa asked the next morning when Levi came down to the dungeon.

"Because I'm not planning to. Is it that hard to digest?"

She shook her head. "Classic Levi move." Her voice had gotten more hoarse and was now resembling a squeak.

"A normal spirit can't spend a second in here. You're just beginning your fourth day, congratulations."

"If you succeed.. I'll die before you can get me out of here."

Levi pulled out Robb's ring from his pocket. "In that case, you can thank your brother he left this."

"I'm tired," she said. "I can't feel myself and I haven't moved properly in so long. Please, just end it if you have to but-"

"I'm killing you, aren't I?"

She submissively looked up. "Painfully. It's inside me, Levi. I don't think it wants to come out."

"A spell then maybe. Because no matter what, I'm getting us both out. I still have a conscience."

"No spells will work!" She cried. "This isn't a regular spell work, this is something..  way beyond."

He kept silent for a moment before saying, "then what will you have me do? I'm not enjoying any of this either."

"You have to let go of me.. I don't mean out of these chains, like.. run out without me. Save yourself."

He chuckled. "No chance."

Alyssa sighed as he turned his back to her and walked around briskly, not looking at her.

"I'm begging you here, Levi. I don't want to cause more harm to you and this..," she shook her hands to make the chains rattle, "won't work fast enough. It may take centuries!"

"You didn't give up on me when I was ready to sacrifice myself. I won't let you either."

"This is not some competition or payback, Levi!" She screamed. "It's life and death!"

His dilemma just kept on increasing. He didn't know if it would work, but he'll never find out if he didn't try until the very last second.

"Until Robb and Rachel find the Garden, I'm gonna keep trying." He picked up a glass piece from the table and stood in front of her.

She screwed her eyes shut and muffled a whimper as the anticipation for the pain grew. And there it was, soon enough. The direct glass contact on the skin gave her more black marks as smoke rose up from the burned area and she flinched away. Her crying voice a call to stop but Levi knew he had to be cold hearted to her in this moment, even when he absolutely hated it.

He just wished what he was, which was best to his knowledge, wasn't wrong and making things even worse.

....

Robb did the drill. Capture soldiers, torture information out.

So far he had learnt what Alyssa had said was indeed a fact. All the soldiers have never been to a garden with dead plants, but healthy ones.

That makes Levi's first encounter with the witch the true one.

Every solider who had been even in the green garden had been summoned by her. All the entrances were made exclusive by her. The words, or passwords, were different every time and none of them worked again. Neither did the same place.